Chaos Effect

"How are you so wide awake?" Tea complained as I stood near the bow of the ship (not near the railing as I did not need my fear of heights to kick in) with a grin on my face. I had one of those packaged muffins you see at hotel self-serve breakfasts in one hand and a cup of orange juice in the other, watching as Pegasus' island slowly grew bigger and bigger on the horizon. It was predawn and the cool air coming off the ocean was less chilly and more refreshing. I had taken my ball cap off and put it in my waiting suitcase, my hoodie covering much of my head so that Tea, who was yawning up a storm, had to dart around me and then crouch a bit in order to see more than my chin.

"I had a good night's sleep," I said simply. For the first time since arriving in this world I wasn't having to mix truth and fiction with my statement. It felt good to just be 100% honest, even about such a small thing.

"…how?" Tea complained. "Those boys… ugh… they kept me up half the night with their snoring and their grunting…"

"I didn't hear a thing," I admitted. "I'm a famously deep sleeper. Once I am out I usually stay out until morning." Everyone both mocked me and were jealous of that ability. If I did things right I'd usually be asleep in about 5 minutes and would lay there until morning when I finally got restless. It was actually pretty creepy, from what I had been told; I slept on my back with my hands folded and on the rare times someone had needed to wake me up they said I looked like a corpse. It took a lot to wake me too and my family loved to remind me of that fact. Looking at Tea I stated, "There was this one time, when I was your age, when our family dog, Sammy, chased a raccoon to the back garage door and it tried to get in and scared my mom. She slammed the door on its arm and screamed bloody murder; both of them, mom and raccoon. My dad got up, my brother got up, and they had to drive around the house in his truck, shine the headlights on that screeching thing and blasted it with a shotgun blast." I chuckled and sipped my oj. "I never woke up. Right outside my window."

Tea made a face of disgust. "I could have gone a long time without hearing that story."

"I am far too used to hearing that," I stated. I'd had a bad feeling that Yugi and his friends wouldn't be peaceful sleepers so when it had gotten to around 10 pm I'd kicked them out of my room so I could change into my pajamas and told them to keep it down so I could get some sleep. The plan was for Tristan, Yugi, and Joey to take the couches and Tea Weevil's bed, with me getting rights to my own. I didn't care how they selected I just wanted some sleep. I'd drifted off with them whispering in hushed tones in the other room and awoken to find that things had apparently changed during the middle of the night. "Why were you on the couch in my room, by the way?" That had been startling to find her draped over the furniture.

"Joey wouldn't stop talking in his sleep. Running commentary about duels he wanted to win, girls he wanted to kiss, sandwiches he wanted to eat… then he began to mix them up, to girls he wanted to win, sandwiches he wanted to kiss, duels he would eat. I woke up Yugi and convinced him to switch with me, though I'm pretty sure he was awake to begin with. Focused on today."

"I don't blame him," I said. I had been nervous about today as well and I'd worried that it would keep me from falling asleep but luckily I'd been able to snap right into dreamland without any problem. Which was good because me and a lack of sleep resulted in a grump with an even worse control on his temper than normal. "Speaking of…" I said, glancing over my shoulder as Yugi walked up to us, rather bright and bushy tailed while Tristan and Joey were dragging their tired asses over to us. "Morning sunshine," I mocked.

"Grabaga…" Joey muttered.

"How are you tired?!?" Tea complained, glaring at him. "You were the one keeping all of us up last night!"

"Hey, I was worried too! I hardly slept at all!" Joey complained.

"…you mean you were AWAKE and mumbling the entire time?" Tea snapped. "You kept everyone else up because you couldn't sleep?"

"I had to think things through!"

"That must have been tough."

"Yeah it… wait, was that an insult? It was!"

"How often are they like this?" I asked Yugi.

"More than you'd think," he commented. "Don't worry though, they do care for each other a lot. They are just like brother and sister, that's all."

I huffed. "My brother and I don't fight like that… or at all. That's just an excuse for people who don't know how to handle their anger." He turned away from the fight (which had gone to including Tristan now as a third party) and nodded towards the island. "You ready for this?"

"I have to be," Yugi said firmly, watching as the island grew closer. "If I want to save my grandpa I have to win Duelist Kingdom. I have to defeat Pegasus."

I clicked my teeth together several times. "He wants to duel you?"

"Yeah. I'm not exactly sure WHY he wants to defeat me but he does. And he is willing to do anything to see that happen."

"You personally or just have you defeated?" I had never been quite clear on Pegasus' motives for going after Yugi. I knew that he wanted the holotech from Kaiba to try and recreate Cecelia and that the Big 5 wanted Yugi defeated but Pegasus had already put a target on him. It was natural to just assume he wanted the Puzzle but that made no sense because I never remembered Yugi putting it on the line in a bet… maybe he had, it had been nearly a decade since I watched the show, but I didn't remember that. Just that Pegasus threatened to take Yugi's soul. I honestly didn't know if Pegasus even realized the true purpose of the puzzle. Of course considering that even most of the users of the Millennium Items didn't understand the purpose of their items…

"I honestly don't know," Yugi admitted. "I lost to him once but that was only because of a time limit… I don't think he considered that a true win for him."

"If I had to guess," I said, finishing off my muffin and stuffing the wrapper in my pocket, "I'd say he wants to defeat you himself on a grand public scale but he has no problems with other people taking you out. In his mind if someone else defeats you that is fine because he can just challenge them. But if he defeats you after you defeat everyone else…" I trailed off, not needing to fill in the blanks.

"That sounds about right." Yugi shook his head. "It doesn't matter though. I have to win."

After that we lapsed into silence.

~MC~MC~MC~

Maxamillion Pegasus sat in his favorite chair, swirling a glass of wine lazily as he watched the televisions that displayed hundreds of different spots on the island. Right now they were empty but soon enough they would be filled with eager youths battling it out in hopes of winning his tournament. Most times he would have found such a thing utterly exciting and would have spent weeks reviewing the footage so that he could see each duel, no matter how minor it might have been. He so did enjoy seeing people enjoy his game. The different strategies, the odd and wild combos, the reversals and the reversals of reversals… oh, it made his blood sing! To see what he had created being loved! Being pushed to its limits and beyond! To know that something he had crafted could stimulate the mind and the soul so!

Normally he'd enjoy that. And later on he would indulge himself. But now he only cared about one duelist and it would be him that he followed through the entire tournament.

Yugi Moto.

The boy had to lose. The Big Five had been clear on that… the only way the takeover of KaibaCorp would be finalized would be if the new owner was the top duelist in the world and that meant defeating the boy who had defeated Seto Kaiba. Or, should Yugi-boy fail to live up to expectations, defeat the one that defeated him. It wouldn't be as wonderful of a victory should that come to pass and Pegasus was oh so hoping the spikey-haired youth made it all the way to him… but if it meant getting what he needed he'd settle for some random child defeating Yugi-boy and then Pegasus swooping in the claim the victory.

"Mr. Pegasus."

Turning his head Pegasus nodded to his butler, who was holding a think folder. "Ah, yes Croquet?"

"I have the information from the boat, sir."

Pegasus nodded. He hadn't been able to get cameras installed on the ship in time so he was forced to rely on second-hand accounts. Some from the staff… and a few from people he'd placed on the ship itself, posing as duelists. He wondered if anyone realized that he had placed an Eliminator in their midst, learning about the contestants and readying to take them out. The boy had been all too willing to do it… he had a vicious streak that even gave Pegasus pause at times-

"Yes, of course," Pegasus said with a slight smile. "What news do you have?"

"As was reported at the dock Yugi Moto has given up one of his two Star Chips to a Mr. Joseph Wheeler." Croquet pulled a sheet of paper. "From the original investigation into Mr. Moto, sir."

Pegasus didn't bother to look. "Troublemaker who turned his life around when he became friends with Yugi-boy. A rather poor duelist from a broken home, lives with his drunk of a father, observed losing to Tea Garner several times and not once playing a spell card. His sister is in the hospital and will go blind without surgery." Pegasus looked down at the ground. "Croquet, please look into the cost of her medical bills. Depending on Joey's performance here I might be willing to help." He reached up and touched where his own eye had once been. He knew all too well what the girl would be going through. He wasn't completely heartless. The tournament was about finally achieving his greatest desire but after that he would be willing to aid those that truly needed it. "Still, Yugi-boy shows his greatest weakness… he will blindly help others at the cost of himself. Still, if he is as good as I believe him to be I think he'll manage just fine even with the single Star Chip. What else?"

"It seems that Mr. Moto has suffered another setback. Weevil Underwood is reported to have thrown Mr. Moto's Exodia set overboard. Mr. Wheeler attempted to retrieve them but only got back two of the cards before he was rescued by Mr. Moto and Mako Tsunami."

Pegasus chuckled at that. "Oh, poor Yugi-boy. Too trusting as well, it seems. Still, perhaps it is for the best… I had come up with several ways to ensure Exodia remained sealed and now our duel will be at least a touch interesting. Make a note for me to alter my deck and remove the Exodia-Eliminating Cards I created from it." Pegasus' smile fell though as he considered HOW those cards were lost. "But as for Mr. Underwood… if he makes it to the castle I will have to deal with him myself. You know how I loathe cheats, Croquet."

"Indeed, Mr. Pegasus," the butler said before flipping through the pages. "We've also received word of three more stowaways on the ship: "Bandit" Keith Howard-"

"I shouldn't be surprised. I hear he was rather enraged to be excluded." Pegasus let out a huffing chuckle. "And how I… exposed him at the International Championship last year." He looked off to the side, mulling the new arrival before waving his hand dismissively. "Let him do as he wishes. Without Star Chips or a dueling glove he won't be able to do much. That is unless he tricks someone into giving up theirs and if that is the case it is their own fault."

"Yes, Mr. Pegasus. I will inform the staff. Now then, also spotted on board are Tea Gardner and Tristan Taylor-" Once more Pegasus waved off Croquet as he tried to hand him the personnel files their investigators had made on Yugi's friends.

"Tea Gardner, wishes to be a dancer and performer. Stable home life though she does feel overshadowed by her half sister from her father's first marriage, Yuri Gardner. A duelist only in the fact that she has a deck and has beaten Joey. Tristan Taylor, a promising member of the student government and son of Terence Taylor, owner of Taylor Furniture. A sense that his life has already been preplanned led him to befriending Joey Wheeler and later Yugi Moto. I am not even aware of him having a deck." He glanced back up at his butler. "I assume they came purely to cheer on Yugi-boy?"

"That is what our spies gathered, Mr. Pegasus sir."

"Then leave them be as well. I have no problem with them tagging along to see Yugi-boy's eventual defeat." Pegasus took a sip of his wine. "Is that all?"

"Not quite, sir. We have received word that Weevil Underwood was confronted by Edwin Chaos after he caused the loss of Mr. Moto's Exodia cards. According to statements from our Eliminator Mr. Underwood was marched out of the common room by the man and when he returned he'd been relieved of his room key, which was then given to Mr. Moto and his friends."

Pegasus frowned at that. "I'm not familiar with Edwin Chaos…"

"His uncle, Kipling Chaos, was invited to attend the tournament, sir."

"Ah yes, the media mogul. I wanted him here to report on Yugi-boy's loss so that the Big Five and I could finalize our plans. But why is his nephew here?"

The butler shuffled through his paperwork. "Apparently the elder Chaos broke his leg and sent his nephew in his stead. Edwin just got his degree in Communications and is working for the man."

"Hmmm, that sounds fine enough… but you say he inserted himself into Yugi-boy and Weevil's feud?"

Croquet nodded. "He did, sir. From all reports Mr. Chaos has made friends with Yugi and his group and Mr. Wheeler was overheard mentioning that they'd formed an alliance with the man."

"An alliance?" Pegasus tittered. "Oh, now that will make things interesting." He set down his wine class and steepled his fingers. "It seems there is a new player on the board, Croquet. But what is his purpose? To merely make new friends? To truly report on what is occurring here? To create a network of duelists in hopes of better their odds? Or something more…" Pegasus' smile fell as he considered just what this new wrinkle might mean for his plans before finally giving a slight shrug. "Have his duels flagged and if he shows any talent or interest I will watch them later." With that he stood up and ran his hands along his suit. "For now… I need to make my grand entrance and greet my adoring fans!"

~MC~MC~MC~

I looked at the red dueling glove in annoyance before pulling the dang thing off and stuffing it in my suitcase. There was no rule saying I had to wear it 24/7 and I had already gotten visions of me reaching up to scratch my nose and knocking my teeth out with the damn thing. 'Seriously Pegasus, why did you need a ring this bloody big?' I looked up at his castle and rolled my eyes. 'Of course, considering everything else here I guess it's clear you're compensating for something and it rhymes with 'biny fenis'.'

Pegasus had just gotten done giving his welcoming speech and now all the duelists were breaking up, using their hour to plan out what their first course of action would be. Some were hurrying to find the perfect spot to duel, to stake their claim and just sit there and let others wander to them. Others were looking through their decks one last time, making preparations. And finally there were those that were already partnering up, deciding who their first opponent would be. I for one was cooling my heels for a moment, watching the servants that were littered around Pegasus's castle to greet the competitors.

"Hey Ed!" Joey called out, jogging over to me. We'd separated while walking up to the castle, thanks to Tea spotting Bakura, and by the time the foursome had arrived it had been too late for them to wiggle through the crowd and join me. "So, what are ya thinkin', man? Anyone you have picked out as your first opponent?" He rubbed his hands together. "Oh man, I've been eyein' up the competition and I can't decide who I want to face first!"

"Well, I haven't seen anyone yet, Joey," I said with a smile. "I think I'm going to take it slow to start off."

"What do you mean?" Tristan asked. "Don't you want to get started dueling?"

I chuckled at that, not surprised at all that in this world everyone, even the spectators, would want to hurry right into a duel. "Of course but if I rush about I might make a mistake." I looked at Yugi when I said that, as I had been trying my hardest to hint to him that Weevil was up to something and he needed to be careful. While he'd won on the show I didn't know if the changes I'd made had altered the timeline even further; for example, maybe Weevil had added new cards into his deck, scared that I was gunning for him. Or the Dark magician Girl would screw up Yugi's drawing power. I couldn't just hope things would go about as I remembered so any help I could give I'd do so without being overt. Because while things might be changing I needed everything to in the end go along the same path if there was any hope of defeating Pegasus. "You see someone you want to duel, you race off without thinking, and the next thing you know you're in trouble."

"That's a good point," Yugi stated. "Still though… you can't wait too long. Pegasus said that there would be a cutoff point for people to enter the second round so we can't risk missing our chance to get into the castle."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Tea asked. "We only have an hour before the contest begins!"

I held up my hand. "Just a moment." I walked over to one of the attendants, a smartly dressed woman who was standing near the castle gate with a bag slung over her shoulder, and flashed a innocent smile. "Excuse me… this island is pretty big… you wouldn't happen to know where we are supposed to go if we lose all our Star Chips, do you?"

She started at that. "So unsure of yourself? There is no reason to be so down, I'm sure you'll do fine!"

"True but I like to be prepared nonetheless. Wouldn't want to get in trouble wandering around the wrong places. Like out of bounds areas?"

"Oh!" The woman said, quickly nodding in agreement. "That makes sense… and now that you mention it…" she reached into the bag and pulled out a folded piece of high quality paper. "This is a map that Mr. Pegasus had made of the island. He gave them to all of us but he never said we couldn't let duelists take a look… you can't keep it but you can see there here," she pointed to a spot on the western shore, "is where those that loss the tournament in the preliminaries will be picked up and ferried back to the ship."

"Much appreciated," I said, pulling out my phone and snapping a quick photo before politely bowing then heading back to the group. "Okay, so that was good to know."

"Why did you care about where to go if you lose?" Tristan asked.

"You aren't that worried, are you?" Yugi chimed in.

"No but that area would be perfect for us to meet up in the evening if we're going to share a camp." I looked at the four of them with a critical eye. "Because I'm assuming none of you brought any tents… or a sleeping bags?" It was rather amusing to see all four teens shift and shuffle about in embarrassment. For my part I jerked my thumb at the large black bundle strapped to my rolling suitcase, which currently had my solar battery charger attached to it. "Well, I did and I think there might just be enough room for all of us." There wouldn't be with Bakura joining us later, but I know that Mai would be in the area and my plan was to try and convince her to take pity on Tea and let her bunk with her while me and the guys took my tent… assuming the knuckleheads like Joey and Tristan didn't want to just rest by the fire.

"That would be great!" Yugi said happily. "Man, I didn't even think of that!"

"I overthink things," I said before turning to the west. "Okay, I think I can just make out a long dock. See it?"

"Yeah, I do," Tristan said. "You want to meet up there? When you thinking?"

"Afternoon. Maybe around 3 or so? Plenty of time to make a base camp and then if someone wants to sneak in one more duel before nightfall there will be plenty of time."

"Sounds good to me," Yugi stated.

Joey bounced up and down. "AAAAAA! Come on!" He tugged at his hair. "Enough gabbin', I wanna duel!" He grabbed Yugi's arm and began to drag him away. "Come on, Yug! Duel duel duel duel duel!"

"Uh, b-bye Edwin!" Yugi called out as he was yanked away, Tristan and Tea following quickly behind. I, for my part, scoffed before slowly making my way down the stairs.

Once I was in the forest I purposely began to move away from any sound or signs of life, finally finding a shady spot under a tree where I could sit down and relax for a bit. 'Everyone else is going to be running about like crazy… I need things to calm down a bit before I can get my plan into motion. Hunger Games style.' I remembered how nearly every duel in the show had been winner-take-all. Duelists wanted to gamble everything in the hopes of winning big, rather than being careful with their limited resources. That wasn't what I wanted. I'd never been into games of chance; I hated the lotto and I never got involved in games that meant putting my money on the line. Since I didn't have a choice with this tournament I was at least going to fight smarter, not harder.

The plan was simple: wait long enough for it to look like I'd been in one duel and then find someone with a couple Star Chips. I'd leave my second one in my bag and only wear the first, so that when I challenged them I'd only have to risk one. If I won I could do it again before I began to slowly increase the wager. If I lost then I still had a single Star Chip and could just bum around the island until I either found someone I could beat or until I could figure out another way into the caste. I had plenty of time to work my way up to ten Star Chips so there was no need to rush about.

So instead of chasing after a random person to duel I began to go over the timeline again to calm my nerves and ensure I knew exactly how things went down.

"Yugi takes on Weevil. Then Mai shows up… I forget when… and Joey takes her on. That gets them past lunchtime because they are starving." I frowned. "Except this time I ensured they ate breakfast. So they might not stumble onto Mako. Hopefully they will though, even though it will suck if he is kicked out early from the tournament. After that is 'Ghost Kaiba'." I rolled my eyes at that. "Sure, yeah, clown boy was Kaiba's evil half. 4kids you country singers… and fridge you and your censoring!" I snarled and stared at the branches before continuing. "After that Joey takes on Rex in the evening and then they set up camp." I bobbed my head back and forth. "Did they run into Mai and Panik before Bakura, or after? And when does Kaiba show up? Meh, figure it out later."

I quickly began to do the math. "Okay, Yugi's total. Weevil gives 2 star chips, Mako I think gives 2 or three, Ghost Kaiba gives a bunch and Yugi only keeps those because he can't give them back to the kid… right? Crap, can't remember. Oh well. Then Yugi gets his final star chips from the Paradox Brothers. Joey gets a star chip from Mai, a couple from Rex, then gets some from Bones and then the Paradox Brothers. Panik doesn't count as Yugi won those for Mai and I can't remember if Seto took any of Joey's star chips. The Paradox Brothers let duelists bet however much they want so no matter what so long as both of those guys are at five minimum they will make it." I paused leaned back against my suitcase, a rather sneaky and greedy thought coming to me. "I could take on Ghost Kaiba."

I couldn't help it. I was in this world and while I didn't want to change too much… I did want to know how I stacked up against many of the characters. The match against Joey on the boat didn't count as he was still learning the game and there would be no way I'd take on Pegasus… I shuddered at the thought of him digging through my brain and learning that I wasn't from this world. With his obsession with getting his wife back he'd probably tear my mind apart believing that the 'real world' held a version of Cecelia that he could claim, like a foppish version of the Kingpin. I honestly didn't see me getting a chance to duel Yugi except maybe right before Battle City in a friendly match and Kaiba would be near impossible as well as I couldn't just walk up to him and demand a duel.

But Ghost Kaiba? He would be using Kaiba's deck.

'And maybe I could beat him without needing Kaiba hacking things,' I thought to myself before pulling out my phone and checking my e-mail. 'Dear lord that was dumb.'

The waiting was the hardest part of the entire gambit. I was an impatient person when it came to looming events. A boring day where I had nothing planned I could just veg out and not feel an urge to even move. But set a deadline for something or an arrival time and I became jittery and impatient, unable to sit still. Doctor's appointment at 8am? I'd be wide awake at 6 and debating if I should arrive an hour early. Need to have a project done by a certain day? I had it completed a week early and moved on to the next assignment. That was the way I functioned. So that hour was hell for me, giving it just long enough that I could make it appear like I had just lost a duel and was now desperate for a battle.

When I finally did begin searching it took a bit of time for me to finally locate other people but none of them were up for battles. The four that I passed had done just what I knew they would and had gambled all their Chips in a rush to try and make it to ten. They passed by me dejectedly, most ignoring when I asked where their opponents were. It was only the last one, a heavy set boy with dark hair wearing an orange jacket, who finally told me that his opponent, someone named Alto Stratus, what about a 10 minute walk away but I'd be best to avoid him as the guy was really good. I'd merely nodded my thanks and continued on, hoping that the duelist wouldn't move while I was headed his way.

He didn't.

Now most of the duelists I'd run into were dressed rather normally. Just your average kids in street clothing. It seemed Weevil was the only one to wear anything close to a costume, with Rex and Mako having clothes that while a bit themed to their styles wouldn't have caused people to blink and stare in public. There were no Arkanas or Strings running around Duelist Kingdom and the Eliminators hadn't been sent out yet to begin thinning the herd (I had a feeling Pegasus wanted to make it a touch interesting and would send them out in the afternoon if Ghost Kaiba was any indication). So I had been expecting much of the same with my opponents.

What I HADN'T expected was a teen maybe a year or two older than Yugi wearing a bomber jacket with fluffy collar and cuffs and a pair of aviators perched on his nose. His whitish blond hair was stuck up in a series of points, thinner and more numerous than Yugi's own cut. He was standing at what I knew to be a military parade rest on the platform that made up the dueling area, a condescending sneer on his face as he finally noticed me.

"I see I found the Flying-Type Gym Leader," I muttered under my breath.

"Ah, another to add to the growing list of my beaten foes!" Alto declared with a gravely voice that made me all at once wonder if Mr. Stratus would be cutting Christian Bale a check. "My reign of perfection will continue through you right to that castle and to Pegasus! I have never lost a match, young man, so best get it out of your head you are winning now!"

"First," I said in annoyance, "I am at least…" I did the math then redid it again when I remembered my younger body, "4 years older than you. Second, if you have never lost then why is Weevil the National Champion and not you?"

"I chose not to engage him, kid. Not at that time at least. But I've decided that at long last I'll place my perfect record on the line here in Duelist Kingdom and if it comes down to him and me I'll take him out like I have everyone else, adding a cross upon my fuselage to mark his defeat. This is but merely the second step on my grand campaign! I shall take first Duelist Kingdom, then all of Japan-"

"I think King of Games outranks National Champion…"

"- I shall move eastward to Asia and grind it under my heel before I make Europe tremble and fall. The African campaign will follow next before my assault on the Americas begins and I finish my undefeated streak here, where it all truly began, and the world knows me as Alto the Undefeated!"

I could feel my features becoming less detailed and the background becoming a flat plain as I dryly stated, "Okay." The world snapped back to reality and after touching my face to make sure I was back to normal I moved up to the dueling platform. "I have only one Star Chip so I'll wager that."

"Ah… so it will be all or nothing for the both of us," he said, adjusting his glasses. "My 4 against your 1!"

"No… just one chip," I said, refusing to agree to what he was saying. If he found out I had a second Star Chip he could then force me to wager both and truly make this an elimination match. No, it was better to simply keep pressing my own claim. "Any preference on who goes first?"

"I prefer letting those in my scope decide if they want to take to the air first or come crashing down!"

"…Oh. Goodie. It's going to be one of THOSE duels," I muttered before pulling out my deck, shuffling it and drawing my hand. It still annoyed me how shitty my deck was and I was looking forward to Battle City when the game would open up and I could actually build my Endymion deck nice and proper. "Alright, I will start by summoning Dark Gray, in defense mode, and setting this card face down on the field. " As I did that the hologram activated and I couldn't help but marvel at what Pegasus and Kaiba had managed to create. It was one thing to see it on the show, the monsters made to look like they were actually there with the characters. But it was another to see them with my own eyes. The Uncanny Valley was in affect after a few moments, for my monster was entirely too still without any sign of breathing or movement, but when it had appeared I had truly believed, if only for a moment, that it had been summoned by magic and my will.

Alto certainly didn't have the reverence I had for the holograms as he merely drew his cards with a slight smile and a firm nod. "And so it begins, brat! First I summon Ray & Temperature to the field!" There was a beam of light and then… a creepy sun with its eyes shut and a ghostly wind with a face one might see on a guy going 'Yeah, I like to hang out next to the middle school, what of it?'. The sun floated pretty much in place but the wind spirit swirled about, moving all about the field.

"Well, they aren't staying there for long!" I declared, flipping my facedown card. "Trap Hole! Say goodbye to your monster!"

"You took off without checking your maps there, runt-"

"I am taller than you!" I snapped.

"-otherwise you would have realized that since Ray & Temperature don't actually touch the field they can't be destroyed by Trap Hole!"

"What are you talking about, of course… oh gosh dang it!" I cursed (or tried to). I'd completely forgotten that we were playing by Duelist Kingdom rules, otherwise known as 'Bullshit, The Game'. Rather than like the actual card game in this season everything was like a D&D campaign, so if you could make up shit that sounded right the game would allow you to do it. Mystical Elves chanting spells, attacking the moon, so on. It was like two 3-year olds playing pretend, trying to see who could "Nuh uh, I do this!" the other better. "I can't wait for Battle City," I muttered to myself for not the first, nor last, time.

"Now then, let me show you how the living embodiment of perfection wages war! I activate Cold Wave, which will prevent either of us from using Spells or Traps until the end of your turn!" The field instantly began to frost over, the sun looking a bit pale but the wind spirit still moving about if only a bit more solid. "And now to give them their marching orders! Ray & Temperature attack his monster!" The wind sprit nodded, creating a wind funnel while the sun shot out a burst of fire that merged to create a spinning flame tornado that easily destroyed by Dark Gray. (Alto-2000/Edwin-1800)

"Alright, minor setback," I grumbled as I drew my next card. I looked at the wind spirit and scowled. "Okay, I am sick of looking at his ugly face so I think it's time to rid the field of him. I summon the Ancient Elf in attack mode!" My purple armored elf, who in my opinion oddly looked a bit like a younger Dark Magician (more so then the Skilled Dark Magician), appeared on the field and twirled his staff before going into his default pose. "I attack your Ray & Temperature!" My elf lifted his staff and summoned several spirits before pointing at the sun and wind spirit, the ghostly forms rushing forward and shattering Ray… but leaving Temperature intact. "What the-" I began only to look at the lifepoint totals and see that it wasn't just Alto who had taken damage but me! And the totals made no sense! (Alto-1050/Edwin-1750)

"You made two critical mistakes there, youngin': First you failed to see that my Ray & Temperature aren't a single monster but two, each lending strength to the other. So all you did was destroy my sun, who was gravely weakened due to the winter weather. But the reverse was true for my Temperature; since he is the North Wind the cold only powers him up, increasing his attack to 1500!"

"…that is some bull shrimp," I growled, ending my turned. I didn't quite understand why my Ancient Elf had managed to survive that battle but at this point I figured asking would only make my head hurt. "Was Pegasus drunk when he came up with these rules?"

Alto drew his next card. "Now then, thanks to Ray being destroyed the temperature drops even further, increasing my North Wind's attack to 1700." The Wind Monster grinned as a beard of icicles formed on its chin, which did not help its 'Why yes sir, we did graduate together… so can I please take your daughter on a date now?' look. "And to give myself a bit of breathing room I'll summon this: King Fog!" The swirling mist on the field suddenly took the form of a grinned demonic cloud which pulled from… somewhere… a crown and popped it on its head. "And because he was called out after a sudden cold snap his attack increases to 1300! Now then my North Wind, destroy the Ancient Elf!" The much larger Wind Spirit rushed forward, swirling around my Ancient Elf until he was turned into an ice sculpture of himself, which promptly toppled over and shattered. "You are welcome to give up now, little guy. Then you'll merely have bragging rights that you were one of the first people to fall during my perfect run!" (Alto- 1050/Edwin-1500)

"Seriously getting annoyed with you thinking I'm younger than you," I snapped as I drew a card. "First I'll play Pot of Greed, which allows me to add two cards to my hand. Next I'll summon this card in defense mode and end my turn."

Alto looked over his cards before setting something on the field. "A good defense is a good offense! King Fog, attack!"

"Surprise!" I sang as Defender The Magical Knight appeared, his shield slamming down just as the overgrown fluff and puff swung his sword. There was a VERY satisfying clang as the monster's blade rang against the shield, shaking him and causing him to stumble back. "And it's the best offense is a good defense, ya idjet!" (Alto-350/Edwin-1500)

Drawing my next card I smirked, deciding that it was time for me to play around with making stuff up. "First I'll summon my Flame Ghost in attack mode." I wasn't sure how I was able to summon a fusion monster like a normal one but this was Yu-Gi-Oh! where little things like 'the rules' didn't seem to matter, especially in the first season. "Now, you might notice that he is a bit… warm. Meaning, Alto… there is a warm front coming to chase that cold wind away! Blue skies are gonna clear up! Put on a happy face!" The North Wind shuttered, his flight becoming erratic as he tried to control himself. "And what the air temp giveth the air temp taketh away… like the bonuses to your monsters!" My grin grew even bigger as I watched his monsters weaken thanks to the warm air generated by my ghost eating away at their cold air boost, his attack going to zero. "Now then, Flame Ghost, attack the North Wind!"

"I activate my trap! Two-Prong Attack!" Alto declared, thrusting his hand out as his trap flipped up on the holographic field. "By destroying two of my monsters I can destroy one of yours… and I choose your Flame Ghost!" The fog monster and the wind monster swirled together, creating a massive wall of black wind that struck my Flame Ghost head on and shattered him into bits. "Eliminating the threat of your monster and keeping me in this duel! Got to watch for surprise forces waiting to make a charge!" I growled as, thanks to the Duelist Kingdom rule that monsters destroyed by effects caused half their attack points to be deducted from your lifepoints, my LP dropped down to just below Alto's. (Edwin-1000)

"Why is your entire bit military jargon?" I asked as I placed my monster in the graveyard and setting a card on the field. "Shouldn't it be weather themed? Like you are a weatherman or something and make wind puns? Giving me the 7 Day Forecast of defeat and rot like that?"

"I would never do that!" Alto declared while I mentally debated pointing out his name was altostratus. "Besides, private, you have other things to worry about in this war. Take a look at the field." I did and my brow furrowed as I noticed a heavy fog beginning to form, swirling about and making it hard to see Alto's side. "When I destroyed King Fog his form dissipated all along the field, creating a magical fog that will hide my monsters from view! The perfect hiding spot for my next monster. But first I need to discard this card…" he placed one card in his graveyard, "so I can add two duplicates to my hand, one of which I summon now!" He set the card on his control panel and there was a glow… followed by an ominous crack of thunder. "Behold the monster that heralds your end, the monster that will see me show the world the true meaning of perfection. The mighty THUNDER DRAGON!"

Slithering from the sky down to the field the large green dragon moved about in the air, lightning crackling on his scaly hide. I had to admit it was a frightening sight… something out of one's nightmares. The beast was big… I knew there were duel monsters that would be far bigger, such as the Blue Eyes or Slifer, but it was still something that made me take a step back in shock. The drake rumbled as he looked at my Defender with interest before finally settling into the fog… which began to spark with electricity.

"Oh this can't be good," I muttered second before a of lightning came crashing down and destroyed Defender. "Okay, explain freaky!" I demanded, activating my set Hallowed Life Barrier to protect me from the effect damage.

Alto laughed. "Blitzkrieg warfare, junior! Thunder Dragon has infused the remains of my King Fog with lightning to turn it into a powerful storm cloud. Once per turn the cloud will let loose a bolt of electricity. Maybe your monster avoids it… or maybe it is reduced to ash!"

"Oh this is some hacking bull shredder!" I snarled as I drew a card. 'Damn it, this will make things tough. I have nothing in my hand that can overpower that thing at the moment… thank God he can't attack directly or I'd be done. I need to keep playing monsters though; if I don't then I automatically lose the duel. I just need to set something up to take it down… and it can't be a one turn trick because he now has another two in his hand. And with it flying about something like Trap Hole won't work. I need stall while I think of something and hope my luck changes and the bolts begin to miss.' Returning to the game I selected a card. "I first activate One Day of Peace, which allows us both to draw one card. Now, until the end of your turn, both of us take 0 damage. I then set Turtle Tiger in defense mode and end my turn.

Alto nodded and drew his card. "Thinking of trying to make this a siege, kiddo? Well-"

I held up my hand. "Okay, is the reason you keep saying those nicknames for me because you don't know my name? Because I think it's because you don't know my name and you're just embarrassed to ask. I just realized I never introduced myself. In fact I only know your name because the last person you beat told me. So you accepted a challenge from me without knowing who I was and you want to know but it's gone too long with you not asking and it's become awkward."

Alto chewed on the inside of his lip. "…no."

"It's Edwin Chaos, alright? And I don't believe a word you're saying."

"Believe what you want!" the bomber jacket-wearing loon told me with far more bluster than was needed, causing me to roll my eyes. "You have bigger problems!" Another bolt lanced through the air and fried my turtle, shattering it.

"Believe me, I know," I grumbled as I drew another card my annoyance giving way to relief. "Thank you Gobe. Gobe? Oh come on, they say God Cards… what the-? Okay, soap the censors… GAAAA!"

Alto removed his glasses. "Are you okay?" he asked, dropped his bit for a moment.

"Fine, fine, just a bit crazy."

"I'll say," he stated before going right back into Patton Mode. "So fire off your artillery and let's see what you have for ammunition."

"If you say so!" I declared. "First I summon the Witty Phantom!" My orange skinned fiend appeared, tipping his hat to the bank of fog and the Thunder Dragon that was still slithering within. "Next I equip to him Dark Energy, which brings his attack to 1700! More than enough to defeat each and every one of your Thunder Dragons! Witty Phantom attack!" My monster, having grabbed the dark orb of wicked power and infusing his soul with it, cackled before charging his hat with black magic and throwing it at the Thunder Dragon…

…and missed.

"My fog still covers the field, making it all the harder to strike my monsters," Alto pointed out.

"I noticed," I ground out through clenched teeth. "Stupid Duelist Kingdom Rules!" I hissed softly.

~MC~MC~MC~

"You know, Croquet," Pegasus said, tapping a finger against his chair, "I don't know if I should be amused at the running commentary Edwin there is giving us or annoyed at how he keeps insulting my game."

He'd just watched Yugi Moto pull a rather impressive turnaround win against Weevil Underwood, claiming his Star Chips and his dueling glove for young Joseph, and had decided to glance at the rest of the competition. It had become clear very quickly that Yugi-boy was going to allow his friend the next chance to battle and at the moment Pegasus had no desire to see the uninvited guest flounder about against actual duelists.

'Honestly, it would have been more interesting had Miss Garner dueled. She actually has a victory under her belt'. He'd seen plenty of beginning duelists trying to master the game and more than a few filled with the same bluster as young Joseph, but there was just something about Yugi-boy's friend that made it not that entertaining to watch him struggle and fail. It was rather… sad, to be honest. 'Of course he might prove to be more than I expected. Though I very much doubt it.'

Already a third of the competitors had been eliminated within the first hour, risking it all and coming out empty handed. They were all rather disappointed but were making their way back to the cruise ship via the rowboats, where there would be a catered lunch waiting for them. A few were already discussing doing a kind of 'Losers Tournament' on the ship and Pegasus gave orders to try and get footage of that; it warmed his heart that even after such bitter disappointment people still loved his game and were willing to play it. There were of course a few bad apples that were lingering on the island, hiding from his staff and hoping to find a way back into the tournament without Star Chips. He had expected that.

'My Eliminators have already been given their locations and have orders to challenge them, letting them try and win back their Star Chips by wagering their cards. If they can surprise me then I'll allow them to continue… if not? Well, a fool and their cards are soon parted.' He chuckled. 'Not that it matters. Yugi-boy is the one I am most interested in.' He paused, turning back to the screen showing Edwin's duel. 'Though not the only one I'm interested in…'

So far the reporter had been mildly amusing. He was good at strategy but seemed to be having trouble with the Duelist Kingdom rules; Pegasus had known that this would trhow off plenty of duelists who were used to battling one way. That was part of the fun. And Edwin's rather unique way of expressing his frustration did bring a smile to Pegasus' face even if the man was insulting his tournament.

Case in point, his opponent Alto, after having the bolt from his thundercloud miss, had just used Polyermization to fuse the Thunder Dragon on his field with the second in his hand in order to summon forth the Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon. A mighty beast with 2800 attack power that easily took out Edwin's phantom thanks to the spell card Quick Attack and would have eliminated Edwin completely had he not used Red Medicine to boost his LIfepoints. It did still leave him in a deep hole at only 400. Yet the older of the two duelists was focused on other things…

"How is that twin-headed?" Edwin complained, gesturing at the dragon.

"It is formed from two Thunder Dragons-"

"No, I get that. I mean where is the second head? That is not two heads, that is two mouths." He gripped his platform and shook his head. "Seriously, that's like saying if I have a sixth finger I actually have three hands. It's a Twin-Mouthed Thunder Dragon."

"You always mouth off to your commanders, shrimp?"

Pegasus frowned. "Shrimp? But Edwin there is taller than him."

Edwin drew his next card. "Yeah. I also kick their alps. And now to do something I've been looking forward to." He held out his drawn card and in a dramatic voice declared, "I now summon forth the monster that dispatch you and your overgrown lizard once and for all! From the halls of the greatest institute of magically learning ever created… come forth… ENDYMION THE MASTER MAGICIAN!"

The screen flared white and Pegasus had to shut his eyes for a moment due to the intensity. When it finally calmed down the camera was focused in on Edwin's mightiest monster, the Master Magician himself. Pegasus smiled fondly as he looked upon the card, remembering when he'd created it. While many of the first cards he'd created had been based on images he'd seen in Egypt as time had gone by he'd sought to bring in other cultures throughout the world into his game. After all, if the Egyptians had great power and magic why not the Norse? Or the Chinese? Endymion had come from a tomb in Greece where a group of statues had stood watch over the figure who laid within, the astronomy and scientist Endymion. The outside of the structure had been statues of mystical warriors, ones that would become the basis for Breaker, Defender, Crusader, and Rogue. The inner chamber had held the actual mages with the basis for the monster Edwin controlled being the most stunning. The moment he had seen it, moonlight shining down through a hole in the ceiling, he'd been filled with a desire to see the monsters created, though so far he'd only released a few of their numbers, keeping the rest within his castle until he felt the game was ready for such powerful mages to enter the playing field.

The Master Magician's effect wasn't going though quite as Edwin probably hoped. He'd used Endymion's Power Spell Blast to try and destroy the Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon only for the beast to avoid the attack against the fog.

"Oh?" Pegasus said as Edwin called out an attack. "And what madness is this? Or is it not madness? Have you seen a way to slay the beast?"

Alto shook his head as Endymion charged up an attack. "You haven't been paying attention, squirt! My Dragon is mightier than your mage! You're going into a suicide run!"

"I think not," Edwin stated. "Endymion… attack the fog itself! Power Spell Sweep!" Endymion lashed out with his staff and a beam of green energy raced through the fogbank, kicking up a great wind that billowed across the field.

But the fog didn't dissipate.

"Were you hoping to make it easier to see my dragon? I'm afraid it won't be that simple! My King Fog was too thick to be sent away with that tiny breeze, petty officer! And now you are about to pay for rushing across the field with a blitzkrieg air assault!" There was a crack of lightning but it missed, though Alto didn't care in the slightest. "Twin-Head, attack!" The dragon roared and charged across the field… only to snap his jaws and get air.

"Now who wasn't paying attention?" Edwin stated tauntingly. "I wasn't aiming to dissipate the fog… just to spread it around." He held out his arms and the field became even more fog-covered, obscuring not just Alto's monster… but Edwin's as well. "I've taken your trick and turned it right back against you. We're throwing darts in the dark… let's see who hits first, shall we? First I shift Endymion into defense position, then discard this card to activate his effect!" The Power Spell Blast once more missed by Edwin didn't seem fazed by that at all.

"Well well well… this has become a rather interesting one," Pegasus said as the turn came back to Alto and his Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon and his cloud both attacked… and got nothing. "Or boring," Pegasus said with a shrug. "Perhaps I should have put a time limit on the duels. Truly is no fun if both of them just take turns failing to score a hit." But even as he said that he noticed that Edwin had begun to smirk as he looked over his next card. "Though maybe I spoke too soon?"

~MC~MC~MC~

'Alright,' I thought to myself as I looked over the field, 'the risk is a single Star Chip. I screw this up and I'm in Death Battle territory my next match. But… this might be the only time I get to see how far I can stretch these Duelist Kingdom rules. So to hell with it… let's see how this goes!' I selected the card from my hand. "I place Spikebot in defense mode. And end my turn. Now, Commander Wingnut, let me quote my favorite military slogan: you want my lifepoints?" A threw my arms out wide and roared, "Molon labe!" I couldn't help but notice though that the moment I uttered the phrase my Endymion… twitched. A glitch, most likely.

The taunt had the desired effect as the lightning bolt from his stormcloud fogbank arced upward before coming crashing down, a crack proving it had hit. Alto let out a laugh and commanded his monster to attack without even bothering to let the effect damage end me but I merely continued to grin as his beast lumbered forward, opened his jaws wide… and the sweet sound of teeth clanging against metal filled my ears.

The fog began to dissipate, revealing that Spikebot, who I'd shifted to stand in front of Endymon and take the attack, easily began to pull the Thunder Dragon's main jaw open, gears and gyros whirling as inch by inch he slowly forced the mouth open, much to the beast's distress.

"I can tell you are confused," I said with a casual, dismissive tone. "Let me go over the steps. Spikebot is a machine type monster. That means he attracted your lightning right to him. But metal conducts electricity so well… and Spikebot used that to charge his systems into overdrive. Think of it like a… limiter removal. He'll be destroyed next turn, unable to handle all that energy, but you won't be getting a next turn. Because right now he is so overclocked that he just added 1200 attack points himself! Bringing him up to 3000!"

Alto let out a gasp at that only to shake his head and smirk. "Fool… you've signed your own death and don't even realize it! Destroy my Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon… it doesn't matter! You are finished!"

"Are you referring to the fact that if a monster is destroyed by an effect I lose lifepoints equal to half his attack?" I asked, buffing my nails against my shirt before looking at them, lips puckered in an exaggerated, "I have no time for this" look. "Next turn that happens… except I just told you… you don't get a next turn. You are done."

"Are you mad? Have you suffered from shellshock? Even with my Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon destroyed I still have 150 lifepoints! I'll then set a monster in defense and watch as your Spikebot is destroyed."

"Except you failed to look over the field!" I countered. "Every general knows you must understand the lay of the land if you wish to win. But you got so caught up in the sky you forgot what was on the ground itself… the Trap Hole I activated at the start of the duel!" I held my breath, waiting… and forced myself not to react when the field shimmered and the hole appeared right where I thought it might. "That weakened the ground and created a few more smaller holes… enough for your now decided NON-FLYING dragon to step into! Not enough to destroy him… but enough to GROUND HIM!" I pointed at the Thunder Dragon who began to bellow, trying to free his foot that was now caught in ground and was sinking faster. His lightning sparked but was drained down into the earth, making the beast sag. "And thanks to that grounding his attack is reduced by half… meaning that my Spikebot is now more than powerful enough to destroy your Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon… and the rest of your lifepoints." I flashed the V for Victory symbol. "War… huh… good god ya'll… what is it good for?" I said dryly as Alto's lifepoints went down to nothing.

~MC~MC~MC~

Pegasus couldn't help it… even though he was the only one who would hear it he clapped his hands together in delight. "Marvelous, simply marvelous! A grand showing indeed!" He smiled, though there was no pleasantness in the look. "I think I might need to keep a closer eye on Edwin there…"

~MC~MC~MC~

"Good game," I said, walking over to Alto and holding out my hand. "You really gave it to me."

Alto never took my hand. Instead he thrust out his left and dropped 4 Star Chips into my hand while saluting me with his right. "You have ruined my mission, soldier, but I will respect a captain who can take on an old warhorse like me! Just means that I need to start back at the beginning, in basic training, in order to get back into a position of command."

"Uh, dude, I said one Star Chip. You don't-"

"Farewall, soldier! We will meet again! This was merely WWI! WWII remains!"

"Dude! Hey!" I called out as Alto turned and began to run as fast as his legs could carry him. "One Chip idiot! One! You don't… gaaaaaaaaa!"