善良妈妈的朋友

Chapter 37

In what was a rarity for her Mai Valentine woke up at the crack of dawn.

She had never liked getting up early, as the sight of the rising sun had always bothered her for reasons she couldn\'t understand. Even as a child she\'d seen it as something to become annoyed by. She didn\'t mind the sun, of course, as she loved to lie on the beach with a good book working on her tan or shop with the wind at her back and the rays shining down on all the pretties she wanted to buy. It was just that the sunrise always made her think of endings for some strange reason.

The other reason she hated getting up early was because she was a night owl. She loved to rise whenever she wished with no alarm blaring in her ear, lazily go about her morning, and only truly become active in the afternoon. And night... ah, night. It was for lovers and dreams and her. Dancing under the stars, dining in the inky darkness, playing under the loving gaze of the moon... that was what Mai found best in the entire world.

But today was different. Today was special.

Today was Battle City.

Stretching Mai smiled before getting up and making her way to her bathroom to take a shower and tackle all the little tasks one had to do in order for her to look her loveliest. Just because she was going to be dueling didn\'t mean she had to look like a wreck. And just because she had a boyfriend didn\'t mean she didn\'t mind people looking at her with longing.

\'I keep telling Edwin he can do the same,\' she thought as she padded out of the bathroom, a silk robe wrapped around her nude form. \'That man is far too casual and shlubby for my tastes sometimes.\' When Edwin wanted to clean up he was utterly striking. But even then there was so much more he could do! Mai so desperately wanted to take them both on a spa date, with massages and mani pedis for the two of them and full facials... Edwin just gave non-committal shrugs. He\'d do it if she bugged him enough but he wouldn\'t volunteer and wouldn\'t do it again unless she asked. He just didn\'t see the need. He liked his cheap shorts and jeans from big box stores, his graphic tees, and in the cooler days his worn hoodies. He could go a couple days without shaving but never was willing to just grow out a full beard (which she knew made him look so rugged thanks to the virtual world) because he didn\'t like how it itched.

He was just so... lazy... sometimes!

Stepping into the kitchen of her rented condo Mai went to the fridge where the premade meal she\'d gotten was waiting and set about heating it up. She had just begun warming the hash browns when she heard a cough and turned towards her roommate.

"Mai," Yuri Gardner said, standing stiff and dignified.

"You aren\'t wearing that," Mai said.

Yuri blinked and looked down at the suit she was wearing. Black and straight with a white dress shirt and black tie. Very professional. "Uh..."

"Listen, I get it," Mai said. "Edwin\'s uncle is paying you to do a job and you want to look professional." After finding out the men that had attacked Edwin when visiting that game shop had hunted him down again while out on a date with Mai his Uncle Kipling had decided to hire a bodyguard for Mai herself, so that Renard didn\'t have to worry about her too. With Yuri on the outs with the police and already a member of the growing group of rogues that Edwin was gathering about himself she was a natural choice to take the job. Battle City would be her first assignment... but Mai wasn\'t going to let her walk around looking like some member of the Secret Service. "But I need you to fit in with me."

"I need to protect you," Yuri said coolly.

"Okay, great," Mai stated. "And when the Rare Hunters make you and thus work hard to eliminate you instead of thinking you aren\'t a threat and paying for it... that will help me how?" Yuri opened her mouth but shut it when she realized Mai oddly had a point. "You have your suitcase with your clothes?"

"Yeah?"

"Bring it to my bedroom. We\'ll work with what we have after breakfast." Yuri looked at her and Mai sighed. "This is different from an assignment, Yuri. I told you back at the mall that I want you to be with us. You are my friend, not just my bodyguard. So sit down and have breakfast with me and then we\'ll get changed and go to Battle City. We\'ll redo your hair, your makeup... make you feel as natural as possible."

Yuri nodded, letting out a sigh as she grabbed some bread and began to make toast. "I\'m being silly, aren\'t I?"

"Just a touch," Mai teased, holding her index and thumb close together. "But its fine, you\'ll get there. Edwin had to break Renard in too but now they completely are on the same page. Same with us. I might like the finer things more than Edwin but I can do down to earth like him. And I\'d rather have a friend-" the microwave dinged and she got up, grabbing her breakfast and settling back down, "-than an employee."

"Mai... seriously, thank you for all this." Yuri joined her at the table. "I honestly don\'t know where I\'d be right now if not for you. Well... I\'d be at my place, of course and I still have it until I get out of my lease but-" She shook her head and Mai smirked at her rambling. "I\'d be in a dark place. A real dark one."

"Then I\'m glad I can be a little moonlight for you," Mai said happily.

Deep within her mind Selene watched the interaction and nodded, rather pleased with the turn of events. \'My love has his champion and now I have my first priestess. She will need to be molded and taught... subtly because these mortals don\'t react well to the divine anymore... but soon Yuri Gardner will be the perfect head of my faith.\'

~MC~MC~MC~

"Fucking hell Joey!" I exclaimed, hurrying over to the young man. I\'d remembered that Joey got beaten up right before Battle City began but when he\'d shown up for the start of the Tournament in the episode he\'d seemed perfectly fine; shaken up a bit still because of the loss of his Red-Eyes but otherwise fine. But me being in this world and destroying the 4Kids censor meant that quickly healed injuries weren\'t a thing anymore. Joey had a nasty looking bruise over his left eye, some healing cuts along his face, and it clearly hurt when he breathed just a bit too hard from the way he winced. "What happened?"

"Those clowns that attacked you a few weeks back decided to try out someone else for a change," Joey said with a half smirk. "And I didn\'t have someone like Renard to bail me out."

"I am sorry," Renard said, folding his arms over his chest.

"Nah, don\'t sweat pal," Joey said, waving him off. "I\'ll heal up quick... I\'ve had worse than this plenty of times and it never held me down."

"You sure?" I asked. "Because there is no shame in sitting out a tournament if you are in-"

"I ain\'t sittin\' out," Joey said, cutting me off. "That jerk still has my Red-Eyes and I plan ta get it back!"

"Well, I hope you do," I said with a smile, knowing that Yugi would be the one that would end up getting Joey\'s Red-Eyes for him. Still, he\'d do well in the tournament, netting some reliable cards. Mostly Jinzo as he never used Weevil or Mako\'s cards but still...

"Hey guys!" Yugi called out, walking over with Tea, Mai, and Yuri. Mai and Yugi had gone with their outfits from the anime while Tea was wearing the clothes she\'d gotten from Earth-2 (not that I would judge her on that; I was wearing my own suit from that world). As for Yuri she had kept much of her outfit from Earth-2 but swapped out the shirt (a black one with the words \'Welcome To The Dark Side\' written in fiery white script), added a few bracelets, and most shockingly had cut her hair into a super short punk style with a mini faux-hawk with frosted white tips and everything.

Seeing me look at her Yuri, for just a second, shifted nervously before something snapped tight within her and she steeled herself with utter confidence. "New life, new look."

"Preaching to the choir, sister," I said, tugging on my lapels. "You look good detective."

"Thanks. You too."

"Man, ya competin\' too, Yuri?" Joey asked.

The detective looked down at her duel disc before shrugging. "Don\'t know how much I\'ll actually duel but it will be helpful for Mai to have a reliable tag team partner if she gets cornered."

Joey shook his head. "Seems like everyone is now thinkin\'... er, I mean, decidin\' ta be a duelist." He nodded towards a thick part of the crowd and we all glanced over to see Tristan. He noticed us only to lock eyes with Joey and turn away. "Man, I hope he doesn\'t get creamed too bad."

"He might do well in the tournament, Joey," Yugi told him. "You don\'t know for sure."

"I\'m glad you have confidence Yug... cause I sure as hell don\'t." Joey looked at Tea. "What about you? Still time ta get out if ya ain\'t sure?"

Tea merely smirked back at Joey with confidence that she\'d lost as the show had gone on but had been there at the very beginning. This time, thanks to The Professor and his actions, Tea had decided she wasn\'t going to be a damsel. She was going to be the ass kicker. "I was going to tell you the same thing, Joey."

"Play nice kids," I warned, Mai chuckling as she looped her arm through mine. "There will be plenty of time to trash talk people when the tournament actually begins."

"Yes dad," Tea and Joey both said, causing me to glower (even if mentally I did have 20 years on them).

"Yugi! I thought I heard you buzzing around!"

We all turned to see Weevil marching towards us with a tight little grimace on his face. I was rather pleased to see that Rex wasn\'t with him this time and I wondered if my talks to him at Duelist Kingdom had gotten the Dinosaur duelist to smart up and find other company to keep. Weevil was a cheat... Rex was just cocky. He didn\'t deserve to be painted with the same brush as Underwood.

"You humiliated me at Duelist Kingdom, Yugi, but next time you won\'t be so lucky! Heheh!"

"To be fair," I said lazily, "I humiliated you first."

Weevil glowered at that. "I don\'t know what you are talking about!"

"Oh really?" I asked, amused. "Should we take a poll to find out how many people here heard about me dragging you out of the common room on the boat and then making you piss yourself when I threatened to toss you overboard."

"I did no such thing!"

"Oh, you did," I said with a grin, leaning in. "Itty bitty Weevil piddled his diapee."

"Grrrrr," Weevil growled. "You shut up! You are nothing more than a pathetic flea! Annoying, yes, but easily crushed!"

"Seriously, is everything bug puns and metaphors with you?" I asked. "Mai doesn\'t run around making Harpie puns."

"To be fair there aren\'t a lot of puns and metaphors to make concerning harpies," Mai pointed out.

Weevil glowered at the two of us. "You think you are so smart-"

"I am," I said.

"-but you won\'t be smiling for long when-"

Weevil didn\'t get to finish as at that moment Seto\'s voice rang out over the plaza that was serving as the starting point for the tournament. "Greetings duelists. Welcome to Battle City." Everyone looked around rapidly only for someone to call out and point skyward and I tilted my head, surprised to see the KaibaCorp Blimp with Kaiba\'s big leering face on the massive tv screen strapped to the bottom.

"It\'s Kaiba!" Yugi cried out.

"Its time to put your duelist skills to the test. I hope none of you entered my tournament looking for friendly competition; Battle City\'s going to be an all out war!"

That got a murmur of approval from the duelists around us.

"Before my Battle City Tournament begins I thought I\'d let you know what you\'re in for... in case you want to back out now. Starting with my new duel discs. Everyone I decided was good enough to enter received one-"

"Or that I decided," I whispered; I wondered if Seto realized that as the sole member of the KaibaCorp board of directors that meant I got just as much say in who entered as him. Joey, Tristan, Tea, and Yuri all got entered thanks to me quietly slipping their names in.

"With them you can duel any time and anywhere. And they contain a tracking chip that allows me to watch every move you make."

"Impressive," Mai said.

"Creepy," Yuri muttered.

"Next, let\'s talk about the most important rule: the Ante Rule. The winner of each duel has the right to claim one card from their opponent\'s deck. The loser has NO say in the matter. If you don\'t have the guts to forfeit your precious cards I suggest you give up now."

"So the more duels I win the more rare cards I get," Weevil muttered to himself.

"That\'s how I can get back my Red-Eyes," Joey stated.

"Got your \'rare card\'?" I asked Mai.

"Uh huh. And I made sure to give Yuri one too. Renard all set?"

"I am," my second declared.

"And for those curious there are plenty of powerful duelists competing in this tournament... including me. But don\'t get your hopes up when it comes to the false belief you\'ll be able to take one of my cards... I am going to win this tournament." He chuckled. "And speaking of winning only the 16 best duelists will make it to the next round."

"16?" I murmured to myself.

"Edwin?" Mai asked.

I shook my head. \'In the anime it was 8... did my presence alter things again?\' I looked up at the blimp. \'Battle City just got far more interesting.

"The next round will be held in a hidden location."

"Eh, then how we\'ll we get there?" Joey complained.

"I think he\'s about to tell us, Joey," Tea replied as Seto held up some clear plastic cards.

"In order to reach the next round you\'ll need these locator cards. When six cards are placed on your duel disc\'s monster zones and in your graveyard it will activate a map that will give you the location of the next round. But I should warn you that while there are 16 slots open that doesn\'t mean every one will be filled as you only have 12 hours to claim your locator cards."

"12 hours?!" Tea exclaimed. "That\'s not enough time."

"It is if you get smart about how you duel," Mai said.

"Or risk everything for a big payout," Yuri told her sister.

"This is why I told you all to pack snacks," I said, gesturing at the suit case Renard was pulling that had his and my clothing, supplies, and other gear. Yuri had a similar one for Mai.

"Remember that only one duelist can win and claim the title of #1 Duelist In the World!"

"Handy," I said softly. "No risk of me taking Yugi\'s title of King of Games when I win." Because I was going to win Battle City... no more worrying about canon. Not with it changing.

I needed to worry about myself.

"Let Battle City begin!"

The crowd cheered as the blimp moved away and I looked around the crowd, trying to decide who I wanted to take on first. \'Can\'t do this like Duelist Kingdom where I take my time. 10 hours means I need to win a duel every 2 hours. And that\'s not including how long it will take to walk around as duelists begin to spread out through the city. Or me getting to the stadium. I\'ll need to duel quick and-\'

"Excuse me?" a little voice called out and I turned to spot a kid with dark blue hair and a red jacket hurry over, holding out an autograph book. "Are you Yugi Muto, the King of Games?"

"I am," Yugi said with a smile.

"Can I have your autograph? You are my favorite duelist ever!"

"Sure!" Yugi said, taking the pad and signing it.

"Hey, that duel disc is totally cool." The boy stared at the Duel Disc in awe. "Do you think it would be okay for me to try it on? Just for a second?"

"Well..." Yugi said as the crowd began to break up, "I guess it wouldn\'t hurt." He unsnapped the duel disc and held it out for the kid. "Be careful though."

"Oh, I will..." the boy said before turning on his heels and running away...

...for two feet before I slammed my hand on his shoulder and caused him to come to a screeching halt.

"You dirty little thief," I hissed, having realized the moment the boy asked for the duel disc just what was going on.

"Let me go!" the boy cried. "Help, help!"

"No one cares about a pickpocket who gets caught," I snarled.

"Edwin, stop!" Yugi declared. "He didn\'t-"

"He did," Yuri said coldly, crossing her arms over her chest. "Hello Benny."

The boy paled before chuckling nervously. "Uh... hi Detective Gardner. New hair cut?"

"You know this boy?" Tea asked.

"Local pick pocket and petty thief," Yuri said. "Petty being the perfect word for it. He usually just steals pocket change and meaningless trinkets for fun. Though sometimes other criminals pay him to do their dirty work." She looked down at the boy who I was still holding onto, Yugi having grabbed his duel disc back. "This was pretty bold for you Benny."

"Hey, have to make a living," he said with a shrug and a smile. "No harm no foul, right?"

I squeezed his shoulder.

"OW!"

"Edwin, stop!" Yugi commanded.

"Lay off the kid," Joey demanded.

"No," I said darkly. "I don\'t like thieves." Benny looked at me and I smirked... and let the power of the Key bleed through my eyes, allowing them to go black and gold. That made the boy cry out in surprise and terror at the sight. "Though I suppose if he were to direct me towards someone else to take my anger out on-"

"Weevil!" Benny cried out. "Weevil Underwood!" He pointed at Weevil who had been trying to make a stealthy retreat. "He told me to get Yugi\'s Duel Disc and slip a card into his deck. If I couldn\'t get Yugi then I was to go after other duelists."

"Who?" Mai asked.

"You," Benny admitted. "Joey Wheeler. Edwin Chaos. Rex Raptor. Seto Kaiba-"

"He wanted you to steal from Seto Kaiba?" Renard asked. "You are bold, little one."

"Give me the card," I told Benny. "Now." Benny quickly handed me Parasite Paracide. "I think it would be wise if you began running."

"How long should I run?" Benny asked.

"Till your shoes crumble," I told him before giving him a shove. Benny didn\'t need any more convincing and he took off in a panicked sprint.

"Was that really necessary?" Yugi complained.

Yuri spoke up in my defense. "Benny is a parasite. The cops were always letting him go with a warning, thinking that this time we\'d gotten through to him." She shook her head in disgust. "We never did."

I glanced about and noticed that there wasn\'t a clear divide amongst us when it came to accepting my actions. Renard and Mai were of course with me and Yuri had become a new convert to the Church of Chaos and holy fuck did that sound creepy and I was never calling it that again. But Joey wasn\'t speaking up, instead more focused on his own duel disc, while Tea was clearly conflicted; most likely the memories of Earth-2 reminding her that some people just couldn\'t be redeemed.

"Now then..." I said before using the voice projection skills I\'d picked up performing on the stage and called out in a bellow that carried over the entire plaza and cut through every conversation, challenge, and boast, "WHERE! IS! WEEVIL!"

The crowd parted in a second, forming a wall of bodies with a single corridor opened from myself to the insect duelist himself who was trying to sneak away.

"Oh... heheh," Weevil said nervously before, to his credit, finding his spine (as twisted and mutilated as it might be) and standing up straight to stare me down. "Edwin Chaos."

"Weevil," I said coolly.

"If you wanted to find me no need for such theatrics."

"Have you met him before?" Yuri said and I turned to stare at her, the former detective\'s eyes going wide in surprise at the snark she\'d just made. "er, I mean-"

"No, it was a good line," I said with a smirk before looking back at Weevil. "So... trying to get a kid to steal Yugi\'s duel disc, huh?"

Weevil sputtered at that. "I did no such thing!"

"We heard the twerp admit as much!" Joey declared, taking a step forward and balling his hand into a fist."

"And you believed him? A thief? Every word he says is a lie!"

Mai rolled her eyes. "He wanted to put a bug card in Yugi\'s deck."

"Many people have insect cards," Weevil stated, a cocky smirk growing on his lips. "You can\'t blame me just because someone else came up with some scheme to deal with little Yugi. After all, there are many duelists that are going to be gunning for the King of Games." He held out his duel disc. "And while I was looking for easier prey I suppose-"

I wagged my finger before Weevil could finish or Yugi could accept. "Oh no no no... the King has other matters to deal with. But don\'t worry-" I dropped my head a bit to make my stare more sinister and intense, "-The Devil has an empty dance card."

"Y...you?" Weevil exclaimed in surprise.

"Me," I said.

"Well... I would much prefer Yugi," Weevil said.

I merely shrugged... and torn the Parasite Paracide in half.

"NO!" Weevil screamed in shock.

"Edwin!" Yugi said in shock and the crowd began to murmur and gasp in surprise. But I wasn\'t done as I began to tear those halfs into halves, and then more and more bits were ripped apart until I quickly had a handful of confetti that I brought to my lips and blew upon, sending them fluttering into the wind.

"What? It\'s not like it was your card," I taunt the clearly distraught Weevil.

"You... you will..."

"Duel you?" I activated my duel disc. "Oh, absolutely. And this time I\'ll make throwing you off that boat look like a pat on the head. Now... IT\'S TIME TO DUEL!"

~MC~MC~MC~

"How is it going?" Seto asked as he entered the command center for the Battle City Tournament. Before him his techs were typing away at keyboards, bringing up all manner of screens and stats that spoke of what was going on throughout Battle City. What duel discs were being activated, their locations, and later on the win and loss records for every duelist. Seto would know long before the day was done who his 16 finalists would be. \'Well... 15,\' he thought with a smirk. \'As I\'ll be the first.\'

Most importantly of all was the fact that the system were scanning for any power that matched the strength of his God Card. If someone used Slifer the Sky Dragon or the Winged Dragon of Ra he would know and be able to move to intercept... and claim the cards as his own.

Mokuba walked up with a tablet in one hand and a duel disc strapped to the other. "The first duel is about to begin."

"Good," Seto said. "And hopefully that means that it won\'t take long before one of the Rare Hunters appears with the God Card. Bring up Yugi Muto\'s duel disc."

One of the techs did so and Seto was mildly surprised to see Yugi hadn\'t started dueling yet.

\'Of course though that makes sense,\' he mentally admitted. \'If Yugi wasn\'t the very first then it is likely he\'d be the last one to start Battle City. Yugi doesn\'t rush into things... just like in any duel he likes to see how things are playing out before he makes his big move. Still... he better hurry if he wishes to make it to the end of the tournament. I would be very disappointed if we were unable to settle things once and for all because he was late and missed out.\'

Out loud another tech said, "First duel has started." He pulled up a screen. "Weevil Underwood-"

Seto growled at that; Weevil was a well known cheat in the worst possible way. Mind games? Setting up advantages? That he could understand. Respect even. But Weevil was rumored to pay off people to lose. He\'d cost Yugi his Exodia cards which meant Seto would never be able to topple The Forbidden One. He had no problem with stacking his deck illegally. The duelist was a menace and he couldn\'t decide if he wanted him drummed out of the tournament right now or to make it far enough for Seto to do it himself.

"-vs. Edwin Chaos."

\'Chaos,\' Seto thought, folding his arms over his chest. \'Of course you would be the first one to duel. Normally I\'d root for you to lose but with you representing KaibaCorp you need to do well in this tournament. Show the world that we are powerful and secure fully and completely my company.\'

"Seto, I\'m going to head down and begin dueling," Mokuba said only for Seto to reach out and stop him.

"We\'ll go when Edwin finishes his duel," Seto said. "I want to see how he does." Mokuba looked at him and Seto smiled. Not his normally harsh and cold smile but a genuine one. "I want you to stay near me dueling Battle City, little brother. We\'ll work together to get to the finals."

"Seto, I can duel on my own!" Mokuba complained.

"Yes but the Rare Hunters are out there and I don\'t want you to become a pawn. Pegasus already kidnapped you and that braggart had some honor... the Rare Hunters have already attacked Chaos and Wheeler and I doubt they\'d be gentle with you." He could see that his brother didn\'t like that as he was looking forward to showing off his skills but understood the logic. \'You can be an amazing duelist, Mokuba, but until I know it is safe I\'m going to keep you close... you\'re the only family I have left little brother and I won\'t let anyone hurt you again.\'

~MC~MC~MC~

"You\'re all welcome to stick around," I called out to the group, "or go find some duels yourself. 10 hours means we can\'t all watch each other duel." I rolled my neck, hearing the bones crack and pop as I worked out the kinks. "Besides... this is going to be boring and quick. Grumpy Uncle Edwin needs to remove his belt and whoop this brat\'s ass behind the woodshed."

"No," Weevil said, "it is going to be a lesson for you Edwin in why you should have never challenged me!"

"Are you sure you\'ll be okay, Edwin?" Tea asked.

"It\'s Weevil, he\'ll be fine," Mai said with a smile as she reached out and turned my head to face her before planting a kiss on my lips. "I\'d love to stay and watch you destroy the little pest but I need to find myself some duelists to take on if I hope to meet you in the finals."

"Go kick some ass, Mai," I told her.

"Renard... you keep an eye on him," Mai told my shadow.

"I do not care what happens with the tournament and my entrance, to be honest. Kipling is paying me far more than the prize money to watch my Captain."

"...how much is my uncle paying you two?" I asked, looking at Yuri and Renard, the two of them merely shrugging. "Guys?"

"If you\'re sure you\'ll be fine..." Yugi said, only for Joey to grab his arm.

"Come on man, Ed\'s right! We do no good just hangin\' around! Let\'s hunt down that freak that took my Red-Eyes!"

"I\'m gonna go with Mai and Yuri," Tea said. "At least for now. Good luck Edwin!" She waved and hurried to chase after the retreating forms of my girlfriend and her sister, leaving just me and Renard and Weevil.

"Abandoned already Edwin?" Weevil asked as the crowd broke up though still leaving us a large crowd of onlookers to observer our duel.

"I told them to go you little idiot," I said. "Now draw your cards and let\'s duel!"

"Very well then!" Weevil said, drawing his first cards. "I think I\'ll start by setting this monster in defense mode and ending my turn."

"Right," I stated. "Then let\'s start with an oldie but a goodie! I activate Magical Citadel of Endymion and then activate Spell Power Grasp!" The field spell appeared around us, blanketing Domino in a hologram projection of Endymion\'s capital city, while I placed two spell counters on the tallest tower of my Citadel and gaining a copy of my spell from my deck. "And then I\'ll follow in your footsteps and set one monster in defense, ending my turn."

Weevil looked over his cards carefully before selecting another one. "And a second monster in defense mode."

\'What is he up to?\' I thought to myself. \'I know his deck likes to use low level bugs to screw with his opponents before he unleashes a high tribute monster. But what exactly is he building towards? The Perfectly Evolved Great Moth? Insect Queen? Or did Pegasus\' system send out a deck to him and he\'s going to use some new cards?\' I selected a card from my hand. \'Only one way to find out.\' Out loud I said, "Alright, I\'ll now place my Magical Abductor on my left most spell zone and then activate my second Spell Power Grasp." More spell counters appeared on the Citadel and on my Abductor. "And I think I\'ll leave the field like that for now."

Weevil pushed his glasses up with a single finger. "Heh... seems like we are both preparing for something special, Edwin. Did you know that spiders will wait in their webs for days at a time, lightly plucking on the strands to try and draw in curious little insects to their doom? So too do I sit here, placing cards on the field-" He set a card face down in his Spell and Trap zone, "-waiting for you to become foolish and rush into my web. But I suppose if you wish to bore us all by being a coward and never daring to strike out that works too."

"And a proper mage does not conduct their spell until they have all the ingredients at the ready," I said as I activated my final Spell Power Grasp. "But when they do... oh... that\'s when the real magic begins!" I thrust out my hand. "I remove three spell counters from my Abductor, allowing me to add one Pendulum Monster from my deck to my hand. I then summon Breaker the Magical Knight in attack mode!" My red knight of the House of Endymion appeared, twirling his blade. "And I reveal my downface monster, Defender the Magical Knight, and shift him into attack position!" Breaker\'s brother appeared, shield at the ready. "Now, let\'s see what you\'ve been hiding! Breaker, attack the first monster Weevil set!"

My monster let out a battle cry and rushed forward, swinging his sword only to reveal a tower of roly-poly bugs that shattered into pieces... only for the bits to remain on the field.

"Hehehe!" Weevil giggled. "Thank you for destroying my Gokipole. When it was destroyed it brought one Insect monster from my deck to my hand and if it was a Normal Monster I can then summon it... and since you have been so kind to summon Knights I feel I should do the same. Behold my Insect Knight!" The green... grasshopper? Mantis? I couldn\'t tell... bug appeared and readied its own sword and shield. "And the Gokipole isn\'t done yet. When it was destroyed it sent the pieces of it bouncing about the field which can destroy one monster you have with an attack equal too or greater than my Insect Knight. Say goodbye to Breaker!"

"I activate Defender\'s special ability!" I called out as the remains of the Gokipole went at Breaker. "By sacrificing the Spell Counter in his shield I can prevent you from destroying Breaker!" Defender threw his shield in the way of the Gokipole shards, causing both to shatter. "And now I will have Defender attack your downface monster!"

Defender threw his dagger at the defense monster only for a horrific screeching sound to fill the ear, making many in the audience cringe and cover their ears while I wondered if I would end up with Tinnitus in this world just like in the real one.

"You destroyed my Howling Insect, Edwin. its cry reaches into my deck and summons another Insect: The Resonance Insect which I summon in defense position!" A new bug appeared, this one letting out a higher pitched squeal. "And with your Defender foolishly focusing on saving his pathetic brother he now dooms himself! Insect Knight, Swarm Sword!" The bug leapt forward and sliced into Defender, shattering him into pieces. "First blood to me Edwin... though it may be the only blood as I doubt you\'ll be able to even touch my monsters!" (Edwin-3700)

"Let\'s find out then! I activate Rapid Spellfire, which allows me to banish a spell card from my graveyard to allow a monster to attack again. Breaker, attack the Resonance Insect!" Breaker leapt forward once more only for Weevil to cackle as he threw a card onto the field.

"You\'ve fallen right into my trap!" he cried. "You might have destroyed Parasite Paracide but that wasn\'t the only Parasite I had at my disposal. Behold its upgraded form: Parasite Paranoid!"

A blue millipede-like monster appeared on the field, the crowd gasping and cringing at the sight of it, and instantly swarmed onto my Breaker, attacking itself to it and causing him to cry out in pain as it bite through his armor. Breaker trembled before veiny translucent wings burst from his back and mandible claws from his helm. He panted, falling to one knee, the attack halted.

"My Parasite can instantly attach itself to one of your monsters, turning it into an insect thanks to its venom. And any monster infected by my Parasite cannot bring itself to attack another insect, halting your attack!"

"hmmm... I forgot they made that card," I muttered to myself, ending my turn.

"Are you okay, Edwin?" Renard asked.

"Fine fine... he got one of my basic monsters, Renard... he should have held off until I summoned Endymion or one of my other more powerful magicians." Weevil scowled at that. "But that\'s how it is with our friendly pest Weevil... so quick to rush everything and leaving everyone disappointed. I guess I\'m like all of the hookers he\'s going to have to pay to spend 30 seconds with him." I tilted my head. "Will you be going into the bathroom to sob and slap yourself while I finish?"

Weevil growled. "Keep making your jokes, Edwin, but this duel is now fully in my control. My Parasite prevents your Breaker from using his Spell Counter for any magic and he can\'t attack. So I can just build up my field while he sits there helpless, a mindless victim of my insect\'s venom bent to my will!" He set another monster in downface defense then held up a card and cackled. "And to keep you honest I\'ll activate Insect Barrier, just in case you do find a way to attack me instead of my bugs. Now Breaker is as good as worthless!"

\'That\'s what you think, bug boy,\' I thought to myself even as the Insect Barrier gave my field and Pendulum card another counter. \'He might not be able to target an insect but he can still destroy spells and traps... you don\'t know how Breaker works and you are going to suffer for that.\' I considered the field. \'I could remove the Insect Barrier now but that would be worthless. I need to either get rid of Breaker somehow to summon a better monster or clear the board with something else. The first option is out as all the monsters I have tucked in my Extra Deck need spellcasters to be summoned... so looks like its time for plan b.\' I paused. \'Bee... heh.\'

"Alright Weevil, let\'s deal with your monsters! I summon Magister of Endymion in attack position!" My green and black robed mage appeared on the field, holding out a smaller replica of Endymion\'s staff in his hand. \'Now I could just remove 3 counters to summon Endymion...\' I looked across at Weevil\'s side of the field, \'But that downface card... that worries me. He\'s been setting up to stall until he can infect my monsters with cards. That could be a new trap that does just that. I think I need to test the waters first.\' Decided I declared, "Magister, attack his downface monster!" The assistant of Endymion who cared for the Citadel in his absence spun his staff before raising it high into the air, the tower reacting and firing off a beam of magic that shattered what was revealed to be Pinch Hopper. I smirked when Weevil did nothing; he must not have had any monsters in his hand that he could summon with the effect. "And when Magister attacks he can add one Spell Counter to himself. More fuel for what\'s to come."

"Man, Edwin Chaos is amazing!" someone in the crowd said.

"He\'s going toe to toe with Weevil."

"And they haven\'t even summoned any of their bigger monsters yet!"

"I like yelling things!"

I frowned at that. "What?"

Weevil dropped his head and began to shake with laughter as he drew his next card. "Fuel for what\'s to come? Oh... I was thinking the very same thing, Edwin!" He threw his hands out wide. "All this duel I have merely been stalling until I could unleash the full might of my insects upon you! That is the way of their world... the small and weak battling for scraps, making their way through life... but growing stronger with each moment that sees them survive. Their power increases and with it comes... a transformation. Into something greater. And now the same will be true for my insects and this duel! Behold the harbinger of your doom: The Cocoon of Ultra Evolution!" Weevil slammed the card onto his duel disc, causing a holographic version to appear on the field. "This card allows me to select one insect monster that has an Equip Card attached to it and place it into the Cocoon, transforming it into the ultimate insect creature! And I think it\'s time for your useless Breaker to serve his purpose!"

Breaker cried out as the card began to fire strands of glowing thread around him, first trapping him in place and then slowly sealing him within the Cocoon while at the same time dragging him to Weevil\'s side of the field.

"Edwin!" Renard called out.

"Behold your end Edwin Chaos as I summon the most dreaded monster in all of duel monsters: the newly mutated Perfectly Evolved Great Moth!"

~MC~MC~MC~

Joey frowned as he looked around, letting out a deep sigh. Nothing. He\'d been wandering around for 10 minutes and NOTHING. He\'d been hoping to find the Rare Hunter that had ambushed him two days ago and taken his Red-Eyes Black Dragon after forcing him into a duel. He had a score to settle with that jerk.

\'I missed my sister\'s operation because of that jerk!\' Joey thought, rubbing his sore ribs. He\'d been able to make it for when she woke up and that was only because Ed\'s uncle had done some weird GPS tracking on his phone and managed to find him nursing his injuries in the warehouse the Rare Hunters had dumped him. Still... he\'d missed being there to tell her it would be all right and he\'d never forgive the damn goons that had beaten him both in Duel monsters and in a real fight. \'But I\'m ready for\'em this time. When I find that jerk...\'

He sighed though as he swept his eyes around the crowd. Him and Yugi had split up to look for the Rare Hunter, figuring he and his buddies would be nearby to observe the opening of the Tournament and pick out their next victims but... nothing. Nothing at all. And Joey knew that Ed was right and they couldn\'t waste too much time if they wanted to get the 5 locator cards and make it to the next round before 9pm.

"Dang, maybe if I duel someone that will attract some attention," he muttered as he went for the cheap cellphone Yugi\'s grandpa had bought him the day before when he\'d learned Joey\'s had gotten cracked to hell. He punched in a number as he looked over at a café. "Hey Yugi, any luck?"

"Nothing Joey," Yugi admitted. "I don\'t see anyone that fits the description of the Rare Hunter."

"Yeah man, nothing but regular people havin\' duels and enjoy a late break-"

He stopped.

"Joey?"

"Yugi, come over the The Golden Rose. West side of the plaza." Joey hung up before storming over to one particular table... and one particular figure who was calmly sipping on some tea, a plate covered in crumbs sitting next to the saucer he had for his cup.

"Well, hello there Mr. Wheeler," the Rare Hunter said with a mocking smirk. "We really must stop running into each other like this."

"So ya pay for that meal with your own money or with some kid\'s lunch money ya stole?" Joey demanded.

"My own. Master Marik rewarded me handsomely for defeating you and taking your Red-Eyes Black Dragon. And I will make even more when I defeat the Pharaoh and claim his Dark Magician, his puzzle and his life."

"Yeah, that ain\'t gonna happen because ya still have ME ta face!" Joey declared. "I challenge you to a duel to reclaim my Red-Eyes Black Dragon!"

"And why ever would I do that?" the Rare Hunter asked. "I already defeated you and took your rarest card. You have nothing to offer."

"You think the Red-Eyes was my only rare card?" Joey chuckled. "Man, I have a ton more rare cards in my deck, all ready ta take ya out." He wiped his nose. "Unless... you\'re chicken."

"Your attempts at juvenile taunts will not-"

"Bwa-bwaak!" Joey declared.

"...stop that."

Joey though began to strut in front of the Rare Hunter, flapping his arms like wings. "Bwa-bwa-bwak! Bwak bwak bwa bwak!"

"Enough!" the Rare Hunter snarled, leaping to his feet. "If you are so ready to lose more of your cards then I will gladly challenge you and utterly destroy you in the name of Master Marik!"

"Big talk from a man that needed ta beat me up with his buddies in order to defeat me the last time." Joey stepped back and activated his duel disc. "This time you\'re gonna find things goin\' different, pal!"

"I think not," the Rare Hunter said, activating his own duel disc and pulling out a deck from his pocket.

"JOEY!" Yugi called out, running up to him. "What... you!" Yugi gasped as he looked at the Rare Hunter. "You are the one that took Joey\'s Red-Eyes, aren\'t you?"

"He is," Joey said. "But I\'m about to win it back!"

"No, Mr. Wheeler... you are about to lose everything." The dinners at the café grew quiet as the Rare Hunter and Joey moved onto the sidewalk. "Do you know why I only took your Red-Eyes? I could have so easily taken your entire deck. But you see... there is something to be said about offering a glimmer of hope. Had I taken your deck you would have been done, forced to concede and never enter this tournament. Maybe even stop dueling completely. But by leaving you your deck but taking your most powerful card... I forced you to come here and compete. I had hoped that you would battle against another duelist and spend the entire time cursing the fact that you had been so foolish to think you could win without your Red-Eyes Black Dragon. That would have made your loss all the sweeter. But now... I think this is better. Because when you lose I will take your entire deck!"

"And when I win I\'ll take back not just my Red-Eyes but YOUR deck!"

"Joey!" Yugi exclaimed. "Don\'t do that! You can\'t risk your entire deck!"

"You did when ya took on Weevil, Yug," Joey pointed out.

That made his friend blink. "...have you been talking to Edwin? Because that sounds like something Edwin would say."

"Just stay out of this Yug, I know what I\'m doin\'!" Joey smirked as he looked at the Rare Hunter. \'When we met last time I wasn\'t prepared for this jerk and his deck.\' He thought back to the duel and how quickly the Rare Hunter had been able to defeat him with his Exodia Cards. \'I never expected someone else to have Exodia cards but now I know exactly how you run your deck and what strategies you use.\' Joey pulled out a few cards from his pocket and quickly slipped them into his deck, removing a few other choice cards. \'I came up with a whole strategy to keep Exodia from ever showing up! I\'m going to claim your deck and I\'m gonna give it ta Yugi. It was my fault he lost Exodia in the first place. If I had swam harder he could have gotten all his cards back. But now I can finally make things right.\'

There was a brief flash of light to his right and when he turned Joey knew he was staring down the Pharaoh instead of his best friend. "Be careful Joey! I sense this Rare Hunter has far more tricks up his sleeve than you realize."

"I got this man, don\'t worry." Joey turned back to the Rare Hunter. "Now then... it\'s time ta duel!" Joey drew. "Alright, time to start this out with one of my new favorite cards. Or," he chuckled, "a new spin on an old favorite. I summon Red-Eyes Baby Dragon in defense mode!" On his side of the field the Baby Dragon he\'d used in Duelist Kingdom appeared only very much altered. This wasn\'t the cute orange dragon that he\'d used against Mai... no, this was a baby Red-Eyes, letting out puffs of smoke as it released squeaky roars. He was sure Kaiba would mock it but the baby had some killer moves and he couldn\'t wait to show them off against the Rare Hunter.

"Then I will simply set this monster in face down defense position and end my turn."

\'And here it comes,\' Joey thought to himself as he drew his next card. \'He\'s gonna play defense while he tries ta get all the pieces of Exodia. But I\'m ready for him. With these hand destruction cards I got lined up I can just keep pumping pieces of Exodia into the graveyard and then deal with his wall of monsters. Heh... payback time, buddy.\' Out loud he said, "For my next move I\'ll summon this: the Red-Eyes Wyvern!"

The dragon that appeared was clearly a relative of the Red-Eyes Black Dragon only smaller. Thinner. The wings smaller. And most striking was the lack of forearms. Instead its wings grew from its sides rather than its back, much like a bat. It let out a cry, showing that while smaller than the original it still could be impressive.

"See, where people once thought the Red-Eyes was the last of its kind... turns out there is a whole world of it and its cousins. And they all want a piece of you, Rare Hunter. Now then, Red-Eyes Wyvern, attack his downface monster with Darkness Gale!" The Wyvern screeched and fired off a blast of wind. \'Either this is a low level monster that will give him a card or a high defense monster. Either way I\'ll know exactly what I\'m dealin\' with-\'

The attack hit the card revealing a minosaur monster with black skin, iris-lacking eyes, and a massive hammer. It let out a bellow before it shattered, going into the graveyard.

"What a moment... I ain\'t never seen a monster like that I your deck the last time we dueled! What gives?"

The Rare Hunter laughed at that. "Oh, was that your game, Mr. Wheeler? You though that I would use my Exodia Deck against you and that would give you an advantage? Well... sorry to disappoint but I am far smarter than that. Oh yes." The Rare Hunter ran his thumb along his chin. "That deck was designed by Master Marik to defeat Yugi Muto and the Pharaoh. But this deck... well, I had a feeling you\'d foolishly try and challenge me again so I had this secondary deck made just for you!"

"WHAT?!?" Joey exclaimed. "A SECONDARY DECK!?!"

"Indeed! And this deck has been designed for a single purpose!" The Rare Hunter threw out his hands and behind him Joey swore he could see the ghostly image of his Red-Eyes Black Dragon... only twisted and corrupted. "TO BREAK YOU NOW AND FOREVER!"

~MC~MC~MC~

INTO THE CHAOSVERSE OMAKE

Return to Earth 117

"I wonder if your allies would be startled to see you here, All Might," All For One said as he traded blows with the hero. "You so do love to be in the light. The sunshine radiating down upon you, illuminating you for all to see. But we both know the truth, don\'t we? You\'ve always belonged here, in the shadows."

All Might slammed his first forward only for his nemesis to counter with a punch of his own. The two found themselves locked up, struggling to drive each other back, their knuckles aching and then beginning to crack as they tried to force more power into their limbs. They were in one of All For One\'s underground facilities, All Might having managed to stumble upon it... or so he thought. All For One had let him find him here, so that they might have their final battle here away from prying eyes. If you killed a hero before the public it did inspire fear, yes... but it also allowed others to declare they would take up the mantle. But it was such a better piece of song to kill him in secret and let him disappear. That would turn the symphony of triumph into one of terror and shredded hope.

"Only to drag you into the light and expose to the world who you are!" All Might declared, gritting his teeth.

"No no no," All For One taunted. "Don\'t lie to me, All Might. I know you far too well for you to do that." He tried to force the blond fool to the side but All Might had driven his heels into the ground, refusing to let up even for a second. "You belong in the darkness. Hiding away."

"You are the one that hides," All Might said, his best response which only showed how truly stupid All For One\'s foe was.

"And so do you. You ran and hid when I killed your beloved mentor." He saw the man\'s smile twitch at that and he knew he had him. "You hid from the world that you were a coward that left her to die."

"Never-"

"You aren\'t the light... the light is a lie. How do the Christians put it? In the beginning... there was darkness. That is the natural order of all things!" With that All For One gave just an inch. That was all. Just an inch. Enough to make the blond pest believe he had overpowered him... and lower his guard just enough.

With his free hand The Symbol of Terror lashed out, hardening his fingers with his recently stolen Steel Tip Quirk, making it into a spear that would pierce Japan\'s grinning messiah\'s side and tear through his stomach-

All For One\'s attack came up short, a firm hand gripping his wrist and stopping the blow a hair\'s breath from striking home against the flesh of the Symbol of Peace.

"You got the quote wrong," a distorted voice said, slowly forcing All For One\'s hand back. The villain tried to free himself only to feel greater and greater pressure on his limb, making him grit his teeth in pain. It was a metal gauntlet of some kind though he couldn\'t tell exactly what it was because the figure seemed to be living shadow, darkness that rippled and swirled about his form. Thanks to the inky blackness of the facility he couldn\'t tell. He just knew that he was wearing armor that clung to his form like ebony mercury."In the beginning-"

Suddenly the figure shot out his other hand, blasting All Might and sending him flying. All For One would have been pleased if not for the fact that the hand still wrapped around his wrist ignited into white hot heat. All For One cried out, trying to strike the man but he easily flipped over him, brief flashes of light at his feet the only sign that the man hadn\'t merely done it on his own. That caused the Symbol of Terror to find his arm twisted behind his back, which was only a mild pain seeing as at that moment every nerve in his restrained arm was screaming-

There was a blast of heat on his back and All For One fell to the ground... pressing the charred stump of his left wrist to his chest.

"-there was chaos."

"Who... who are you?" All Might said, reminding All For One even as he forced himself to stand again that his foe was still there.

"Symbol of Terror. Symbol of Peace. Dark... and the Light. Always feuding, pressing for gains or retreating from loses. The ebb and the flow" The figure raised his arm... and that\'s when All for One heard the rumble. It was their only warning before a beam of light burst through the ceiling above them, drilling into the facility from the Heavens themselves. Sun light cut through the darkness and with it came armor that flew to the figure, attaching to the black lithe melt suit he was wearing, encasing him in gold and blue battle armor, complete with a helm with blazing eyes. "I\'m the one in the middle. The Gray. The Symbol of Change: Chaosbringer"

All For One leapt forward, hand reaching out to try and steal the man\'s quirk, whatever it might be, only to find the armor stopping him from activating his natural quirk, now allowing him to actually make contact with the figure\'s flesh. The intruder tilted his head in bemusement only for All For One to rear back and punch him with all the strength to level a mountain.

A clang filled the air.

"Hmmm... Kinetics," Chaosbringer said before wrapping his arms around All For One and launching the two of them into the air. Below them All For One heard All Might let out a cry of protest and leap after them but the armored figure had flight and that beat out strength-enhanced leaps every day.

That wasn\'t to say that All For One was a stationary player in that ride. He attacked at the figure, trying everything he could to tear off his armor so he might get to the soft core within. But he\'d lost a hand and that instantly put him at a disadvantage, meaning he could only keep striking at the man, causing clangs even as they descended.

"Ah, Japan," Chaosbringer declared even as he kept his voice soft and low, letting go of All For One once they landed, allowing the Symbol of Terror to stand up and prepare for another attack. He held his arms out wide and looked about like a child viewing an amusement park. "I\'ve been here only a few months but already it is so very special to my heart. After all..." he focused on All For One, "...it will be the birthplace of my revolution."

All For One glared at Chaosbringer. "Bold words... I\'ve heard them many times. What follows them are always death rattles." He took a step forward... only to stumble. Something... something wasn\'t right. His toes were tingling... and there were pins and needles running through his right hand. Even his stump had stopped hurting...

"I was wondering when you\'d feel it. I prepared all this just for you. Followed All Might... spied on him for weeks... waiting for him to find you. I so wanted to meet you and show off everything I made just for you. My superconductor gauntlets, able to generate heat equal to a blast furnace. Kinetic Armor able to absorb blows and actually use it to power my weapons. But my favorite part... are the microneedles I put all over my inner helmet."

All For One took another step forward only to sway slightly. He couldn\'t see well out of his right eye... everything was blurry. And what the man was saying... it was hard to focus. He dimly noticed drones flying about and realized they were cameras like the ones news stations used to record hero fights...

"The human body is so interesting, especially when there are healing quirks and longevity quirks within it. The body is able to undo so much damage that happens to it." Chaosbringer moved forward and All For One suddenly stumbled. "Eject poisons. Bullets. All sorts of nasty things. But... what if one were to introduce something natural? Something that made the body do what it was supposed to do. Such as... a blood coagulate?"

All For One fell to his knees.

"Allow me to explain what is happening to you right now," Chaosbringer said softly, barely louder than a whisper. All For One reached for him but his fingers weren\'t working properly. They felt clumsy and fat. "Your blood thinks it must clot. So you have sections of your veins drying up as we speak. Closing down, blocked up, until-"

All For One clutched at his chest in agony.

"You have a heart attack. But anything you have that might repair damage and allow you a long life should help, right? Except... this is all natural. The clots aren\'t attacked because they are a part of you.Your quirk is recognizing them as a part of you. After all, it doesn\'t reject a broken bone. So your body just creates more blood that has no where to go, repairs the heart just to make it spasm again." His veins were bulging out, making his body ache. "Or... that extra blood pushes those clots up up up, right along your spine until they reach your brain and then-" The left side of All For One\'s face went suddenly slack and he felt himself begin to drool on the ground even as his mind screamed in agony. "You have a stroke."

All For One fell onto his back, unable to standing, unable to do anything but try and breathe but he couldn\'t. He could barely understand what Chaosbringer was telling him.

"Over... and over... and over again. And your body just keeps healing so it happens again. That much pain... would drive a man insane. A perfect prison to let you live the rest of your life in." Chaosbringer patted him on the cheek before standing up. "Oh... one small thing I forgot."

A laser shot from Chaosbringer\'s wrist and All For One\'s gurgles were cut off... as the Symbol of Change sliced his head off.

"I never said how long that life would be," Chaosbringer said before raising his foot down, the last thing All For One\'s dying mind saw being his foot coming down to cave his skull and brain-

/UzumakiLegacy