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CARD GAMES

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As always, Edgeworth didn't hesitate to rub salt in his wounds as he stepped away from the field. He was far from in the mood to retaliate and simply ignored the girl's comment before proceeding to the edge of the ring to wait for the conclusion of Kurado's duel. But not before stepping past the still sitting Sarasi. Contemplating whether he should tell the boy off for making him look bad in relation, Michel decided to keep his advice short and simple.

"Don't get worked up about such trivial matters Sarasi." he started coldly, averting eye contact but remained standing beside the newcomer's hunched form, "It makes you look like a weakling and is insulting to me for being associated with you."

Far from his most impressive or intimidating speech, he had said what he needed to say and was content with that. And soon enough, as he returned his attention to the still flickering wall of fire surrounding them, he heard the unmistakable sounds of duel disks deactivating, not to mention all of the maniacal shouts and laughter emanating behind him. Then, in a last explosive fit, the defeated Shadow Duelist errupted in place, disappearing from sight under a veil of similarly toned fire. Despite having sworn off becoming involved with such people, Michel couldn't help but notice the rather unique cards this Koji person had played. Specifically, his Synchro Monsters. And by the look of things, Kurado seemed equally interested in the presence of these new monsters but failed to comprehend any valuable information about their premature release.

The flaming blue barrier soon died down opening the path onto the wharf. Glancing a look over to where his own defeated Shadow Duelist lied, he was surprised to see that she was now nowhere to be seen. Scoffing at the loss of his own potential informant, Michel proceeded to the ship Edgeworth had miraculously accosted into opening a clear path to Duelist Kingdom.

Standing back to allow Manjoume and Sarasi to board the ship, something quite serious came to his attention. The revelation of Smith and Kurado's markings. Unable to ignore the ramblings of the redhead's heightened exclamations, Michel had glanced a look and spotted the crude design imprinted into the boy's bicep. A marking that was apparently associated with these people who kept targeting them.

At that, their guide then proceeded to usher them all on board before making their way to their next destination. Things had become complicated again. And it was now Smith who needed and eye to be kept on.

---​

Breathing a hearty yawn, the raven-haired girl glanced a sideways look at the brunette's current predicament. The young girl now stood face to face against two very familiar faces, the same two people who once served alongside her. All three bore the same fashioned duel disk, the kind used in the brunette's previous bout with a certain individual who just happened to be her opponents' superior.

"It's quite unfortunate..." the raven-haired girl started, kicking her feet against the cardboard boxes she sat upon, her arms bracing the wall behind her as she lent back to observe the duel playing out in front of her, "You're both such capable individuals, it's a shame you decided to be so stubborn and decline my offer. Honestly, is my brother worth all of this?"

Hinting at their rather severe injuries, undoubtedly caused by their newly dressed duel disks and the young girl standing unscathed before them, she merely flashed them a gentle smile and resumed playing the waiting game.

"Of course, my offer still stands whenever you decide you've had enough..." she continued, "But I should warn you that Chelsea is somewhat thorough in her duties, so I would be haste in my decision if I were you."

The two bruised and battered subordinates remained unmoved in their stance, their attention focused solely on the overwhelming assault caused by the girl directly in from of them.

"Gregorovitch... Jose..." the brunette started sympathetically, an obvious tone of regret in her voice, "I... I'm sorry."
 
"KUSO, GET A HOLD OF YOURSELF!"

Something about the machine Spirit's plea helped Kuso gain control over his body again. ...At least, enough to lift his head and see what was going on with the duels, just in time to notice the flames dying down and the rest of the group seemingly alright. That is, aside from the markings disappearing from Kite's body. Achan yelled something that Kuso was still too stunned to catch, but rolled up his sleeve and revealed similar markings on his body.

Without the flames and with the Shadow Duelists disappearing, Kuso slowly managed to regain control of his body. The fear that had paralyzed him earlier slowly phased out as it was replaced by a relatively calm worry for the other two. Granted, this worry was still strong after what Kuso had witnessed, but it was nowhere near strong enough to affect him the way the previous events had. Aside from that, though, he couldn't help but feel annoyed that his body had just frozen up like that. He could have helped out. He should have at least tried to help.

"I shouldn't be collapsing on my knees each time one of those people show up. I should be brave enough to stand up to them. That's what Yugi would do. And, yet..."

"YOU SHOULD NOT BE SO HARD ON YOURSELF. YOU CAN FIND THE COURAGE IF YOU LOOK DEEP ENOUGH."

"...And yet I......I WAS COMPLETELY USELESS!!!!"

It took but a moment to realize that he had actually spoken that last part, and that one of his teammates was standing next to him with a partially-extended arm, as well as a freshly stunned and confused look on his face.

"Hey, are you alright?"

Kuso noticed that the rest of the group had moved over to the boat and the barricade that had been there earlier had moved apart, leaving an open path to their destination. After getting over the embarrassment of his sudden outburst, he pulled himself up and started walking over to get on the boat. "I-I'm fine, thanks."

Manjoume just growled at the passing duelist before following him. "Fine, go ahead and ignore me trying to offer my help! See if I care!"

--

The inside of the boat was actually quite a bit larger than the outside had made it appear. There were enough rooms for each team member to have some time by themselves during the albeit-brief trip. If they had wanted to, the entire group could have kept from seeing each other the short time they were aboard. After what had happened at the dock, Kuso decided to take advantage of this and just stay in his room the whole time, in order to avoid coming up with an explanation that would undoubtedly end up making things worse for him. Unfortunately, he was never technically alone, as his partner felt the need to remind him of.

"YOU NEED TO LEARN NOT TO TAKE THESE DIFFICULTIES SO SERIOUSLY. THEY ARE NOT AS LARGE OF A PROBLEM AS YOU THINK."

"But I just froze up because of those people, just like I did last time..."

"BUT NOBODY WAS HURT THIS TIME. THERE IS STILL NO WAY TO EVEN KNOW THAT EVERYONE FROM BEFORE IS GONE, EITHER."

Kuso glanced up at the spirit in a split moment of frustration. "Don't you think I know that?!?"

There was something about the machine's expression, though, that made him think there was something else going on. Of course, he couldn't figure out what it was since its metallic face was the same as it always was, but the feeling was still there. "...I'm sorry, but...it's just so annoying that my body feels the need to shut down at the worst times...as if I have no control over it..."

It was then that Kuso saw that they were getting close to their destination, so he collected his things and got up to head to the upper deck, noticing that one of his vest sleeves had almost completely come off.

"Ugh, and these things need to stop falling off so much..."
 
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"That didn't take very long now did it?" the heiress yawned, lightly hopping to her feet before proceeding to where her subordinate stood over her fallen opponents, "You didn't get hurt, did you Chelsea?"

"Huh? Oh, uh...n-no, I don't think so." the brunette chirped back, quickly patting herself down to see if anything was out of order, "I didn't lose any life points so unless I got hit by a stray hologram, I think I'm fine."

Smiling at her words, the raven-haired girl tread over to her brother's lackeys, the first kneeling defeated in front of them while the second laid sprawled and unmoving several feet away. "Good, it'd be bad if you got hurt before your rematch."

His head hung, the former subordinate of the previous heir cocked an eye up at the two girls who appeared somewhat unfazed by the slaughter of his partner, all the while talking in such a sickeningly casual manner. It was madness.

"Oh right, I almost forgot about you." the leading girl started, bending forward so that she could look straight into the boy's eyes, "Congratulations on making the right decision. It was quite interesting to see you and your former partner take on Chelsea all by herself, but I'm glad you conceded. Jose on the other hand had no chance of defeating her all by himself, so don't feel guilty about him making such a reckless decision."

"Is he...?" he managed to start, looking over his shoulder at his fallen comrade before being interrupted by his new boss.

"Don't worry, I'm sure he's fine." the raven-haired girl quickly responded, waving off the subject as if it was nothing before returning to full height, "I'll be sending someone to pick you up. Once you're fully treated, prep yourself and wait for my call. Your next assignment begins the moment I contact you. Understand?"

"I...understand." he submitted, completely avoiding eye contact with the girl.

"Good. Well then, Chelsea and I have an appointment to keep, so we'll be going on ahead. We'll see you soon, okay?"

Taking the lead, the heiress proceeded towards the entrance of the alleyway without so much of a backwards glance, heeding her subordinate to follow. Bowing, the brunette quickly detached both his and his former partner's duel disks before following the raven-haired girl out onto the streets of Domino City.

With Jose out of commission and Gregorovitch now serving under her command, there was but one obstacle left standing in her way and once he was taken care of, there would be no one left to stop her in her taking over Arma Tech. Of course, that would have been the case if it wasn't for one annoyingly stubborn and still very much alive brother.

"Christina?" the brunette suddenly started, breaking her train of thought.

"Yes? What is it?" she curtly replied, continuing her march forward along the street, very much aware about what her subordinate was about to inquire.

"Does...does it still hurt? The mark I mean."

The brunette was then graced with a simple scoff and a light wave in response. "Quite frankly Chelsea, I don't see how it's any of your business. Now please be careful with those disks, we have one more appointment to attend to before meeting up with brother and it would be rude of us to arrive with them in anything less than perfect working condition."

"Y-Yeah... Sorry."

"Just keep walking."

---​

Something was bothering him and it wasn't Edgeworth's usual antics, Smith's simple presence or Sarasi just being an introvert. He found it odd that ever since his initial encounter with Yuki and Manjoume, he had lost all contact with his subordinates. Of course, their presence also marked the arrival of several unwanted cons, the so-called Shadow Duelists as it were. Still, to have not received word of their progress was becoming bothersome, especially since he had ordered them to contact him directly upon completing their tasks. Their delay was only causing more trouble for him and trouble was definitely something he didn't need at the moment.

"Damn it."

It was fortunate that the less than accommodating vessel spared enough room for private quarters for each member of the team and that his brief outburst was confined to such a place, away from any unwelcome eyes and ears.

Throwing his cell to the ground after several failed attempts in contacting his peers, Michel sat down onto the only seat in the small room, back hunched and hands clenched together as he broke out into a cold sweat. The aftereffects of his previous duel with the insufferable little girl were still wearing off, his resulting facade merely keeping face in front of the team. His breathing, vision and mindset had all suffered sudden but minor trauma during the duel, not that he believed it to be the cause of his condition, but that definitely didn't mean he was down and out. He'd use the remainder of the trip to Duelist Kingdom to recuperate and emerge in prime condition upon arriving on the island.

It was a rare and vulnerable moment for the heir and he knew his condition was a direct result of what occurred on the docks, but there was no chance he'd ever submit to those two's way of thinking. There was an explanation to why he had suffered such injuries and spiritual powers and magic weren't the reason. Logically speaking, all the girl had done was play a trick, a fairly convincing one mind, but a trick nonetheless. Such tactics were pitiable and ineffective, all he would concede to is that she had managed to put on a somewhat amusing facade throughout the duel. Aside from that however, it was nothing more than a waste of time.

Raising a hand to his chest, his breath returning and his muscles relaxing, the same fleeting feeling he had experienced upon his previous opponent's defeat raced through his mind. Madness. It was a disturbing thought but also a dismissible one. Chalked up to mere ramblings of the desperate fallen girl, Michel held no interest in amusing the idea. He controlled his own mind.

"How bothersome..."

Hanging his head as he ran a sore hand through his strained hair, Michel reminisced over the past day's events.

---​

Seeing his limp form laying sprawled against the far wall of the office, it was becoming increasingly difficult for the brunette to ignore the twinging guilt weighing in her heart. After all, Dogolas was once a close family friend with the Armas and her very own senpai in the sport of Duel Monsters. This was all before she left Kwok Wares to work for Arma Tech and so now after facing such an opponent was by no means an easy feat, let alone something she had intended on doing.

"What a mess." her new superior started, leaning back against the desk, her bent arms bracing the tabletop, "Well, all in a good day's work I suppose and another flawless victory too. Well done Chelsea."

Wiping the sweat from her brow, her stressed eyes unable to deter away from the more than messy scene, the brunette nodded in response, "T-Thank you."

Seeing the girl falter as she remained unmoving in watching over her previous superior's form, the raven-haired girl hopped to her feet and approached her wavering subordinate. Placing a firm hand on the girl's shoulder, the heiress forced the brunette to turn face.

"Take a break Chelsea, you've been working non-stop for the last two days. If you keep this up, you'll get sick."

Hanging her head, Chelsea hugged herself to stop herself from shaking as she acknowleged the girl's command. The shock of having to put her previous nakama through such a trial had yet to wear off. It was the first sign of vulnerability she had shown since first working for Christina, coming somewhat as a surprise to the latter.

Holding her sides, the brunette slowly made her way to the office door, managing to avoid glancing back at the fallen heir's battered form before shuffling into the corridor of the forty-second floor of Kwok Wares' Domino City's branch. It was already late in the afternoon as depicted by the blood red sky outside and with that another day closer to accomplishing her superior's goal. The only thing on her mind now was if she would actually be able to go through with it when the time came.

"How troublesome..." the heiress sighed as she heard her subordinate shuffle out of the room before looking over the stained office floor scattered with the fallen heir's deck, "That girl. I wonder how long she'll last."
 
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Night: Achan's Cabin.​

Achan stared at the wall, muttering as he attempted to sketch out a rough drawing of a few "improvements" for some of his Wandering monsters. The current designs were pretty awesome, but the art for the Vampire seemed... off, somehow. Achan couldn't describe it, but every time he looked at the card, its appearance felt a little... off center? He wasn't quite sure what the correct way to describe it was. All he knew was that the Vampire made him feel like his monster was more interested in eating him than in his opponent. Of course, he thought with chagrin as he pulled back his sleeve to glance at his recent tatoo, that wasn't too far off from the truth. With his deck eating away at his duel energy, he was stuck with a tatoo that would slowly eat away his sanity and brainwash him unless he could stop it soon. Either way, Achan Smith was royally screwed.

BAM!

Achan didn't notice Kaito's presence in the room until he heard the clatter, which was accompanied by a fairly impressive-looking nightstand by his bunk clattering to the ground, and scattering the cards he had placed on it around the room. Cursing, he jumped to gather them up, frantically scooping the cards into his arms. He pretended not to notice Kaito, who to his credit was making himself useful by helping Achan clean up the scattered cards. If there was one thing Achan hated, it was people messing with his brain. In America, he was sure, there were probably laws that stopped people from trying to mess with your brain this way. What was Kaito thinking, dangling information in front of him like that and snatching it away? It did nothing short of pissing Achan off to the extreme. In fact, it went beyond that. Achan was sure that if he got his hands on the card designer who dared to screw around with his Wandering theme, he would give him a duel to remember.

But now wasn't the time for that. "So, why are you invading my room? Was having your pet screw with my head not enough for you?" he asked irritably, replacing the cards on his nightstand.

"Hardly," Kaito replied with a marked lack of enthusiasm. "I'm here to elaborate on the information you wished for earlier."

Achan was confused. "What information?"

Kaito sighed, shaking his head sadly. "I believe you wanted to know the reason for your trip to Duelist Kingdom, correct? As well as more about the Shadow Duelists?"

Achan would normally have been annoyed, but his curiosity got the better of him. "Shoot," he ordered.

Kaito nodded. "There are three reasons why you've been invited to Duelist Kingdom. The first is because it's a convenient way to give you and Miss Edgeworth the new cards we've promised you. The second is because Mr. Crawford happens to have taken a liking to you, and wants to observe you more closely. But the third reason..." He paused, apparently for dramatic effect. Achan coughed audibly several times before he continued. "The third reason is because Pegasus J. Crawford suspects one of you of being the thief who stole a certain set of cards from him."

Achan blinked. "Come again?"

Kaito sighed in annoyance. "You are invited to Duelist Kingdom for three-"

"The LAST part," Achan interrupted angrily.

"Mr. Crawford suspects that one of you stole a certain set of cards from him," Kaito repeated.

"What do you-"

Suddenly, the ship rocked back and forth, as if the waves had become more intense in a matter of seconds. "What's going on?" Achan demanded, his eyes blazing furiously.

"Dammit!" Kaito cursed. "Those duelists... I think one made it past my radar! They're on board the ship!"

Achan blinked in surprise. "What?"

Kaito shook his head in despair. "We've been infiltrated," he repeated. "Someone on board this ship is a shadow duelist. And they're probably targeting one of the members of your team with a duel spirit right now..."
 
"Blowing me off, huh?"

Manjoume's fingers clenched around the railing, his eyes turned towards the sea with a glare of intense dislike. He didn't like boats. They brought back touchy memories of his, ones which involved losing card games in a very embarrassing manner. This was not what had driven his aggression to the point of sleeplessness, though. No, what really got on his nerves was his role in this assignment...or rather, the lack thereof. Useless, absolutely useless. He was allowed to do nothing, voice his opinion on nothing, and to make matters worse, those snotty little brats were treating him like air. Edgeworth was insufferable enough, especially with her recent victory, but now this...Kuso, this dueling nobody who had fainted at the mere sight of shadow duelists, was acting up too? And to make matters worse, those two shadow duelists had even had the nerve to ignore his existence altogether. His! Was he, perhaps, not a pro duelist anymore? Didn't he have three duel spirits as well? Wasn't...wasn't he worth taking seriously at all?!

The black-blazered duelist subjected the railing in front of him to the strongest kick he could muster, ignoring the pain this altogether stupid action caused him as he finally turned away from the sea, wrapping his coat a bit closer around himself as the wind picked up. A storm was on the horizon, it seemed, and staying outside to catch a cold would do him no favors.

"Damn kids..." he muttered, cursing quietly under his breath as he strode towards his own cabin, "All I need is a chance to prove that-"

"Boss! Crisis! Major Crisis! Booooss!"

Manjoume clenched his teeth shut, containing the urge to tell this particular duel spirit precisely what he thought of interruptions like this one.

"What?" he grit out at last, causing the yellow gremlin to tumble back a bit.

"Umm..." Ojama Yellow mumbled, smiling nervously, "Well, you see...the thing is, I was just out taking a walk and-"

"Out with it."

"And I saw someone rummaging around miss Edgeworth's cabin!"

"What?!" the black-blazered duelist turned on his heels, "You're sure?!" he demanded, glaring the duel spirit straight in the eye, "And you're sure it's not someone from the team?"

"Nu-uh!" the gremlin replied, shaking his head, "This one was completely different! Kind of...kind of like those other two we ran into that other-hey, boss! Wait up!" the duel spirit moaned, his master already dashing towards the prow of the ship, "Wait for meee!"

"I'm fine, is it?" the black-blazered duelist scoffed, grinning despite himself as he slipped his deck into his duel disc, "Ojamanjoume, is it? Not worth ackonwleding, is it? We'll just you wait; it's about time this lot learned to respect Manjoume sanda!"

"Manjoume sanda, was it?"

Upon hearing his name repeated, Manjoume came to an abrupt halt, nearly slipping on the wet deck of the ship, though he made an admirable show of covering it up as he turned around to face the person who had addressed him. As soon as he did, he couldn't help wondering how he had missed this person in the first place. Not only was his hair colored a cheerful pink color, but to add to the image he was wearing a bright yellow raincoat, matching rain pants, and a pair of orange boots. Why he even had a bright orange umbrella to ward off any upcoming, a polite smile with just a hint of smugness to it dominating his face and immediately earning a glare from the black-blazered duelist. Was this guy for real?

"My, my." the stranger chuckled in textbook English, "I went fishing for a shark, but it looks like I only caught a guppy."

"And just what's that supposed to mean?!" Manjoume snarled.

"Oh come now, Manjoume-san." the pink-haired male replied, his expression a touch more smug than before, "Do you mean to tell me you are truly that slow-witted as well? And here I was hoping we could have some pleasant conversation at least..."

"Enough!" Manjoume snarled, the color rising to his cheeks as he brandished his duel disc, "Don't think you're just walking out of here, shadow duelist! I'm taking you down here and now!"

"Angelo" the pink-haired male corrected, tutting disapprovingly, "I have a name besides simply 'shadow duelist', you know. To not even ask your opponent's name before issuing a challenge...such utter lack of etiquette. So be it then, Manjoume-sanda." he lifted his free hand up as well, bringing the pink, floral-design duel disc into better view and triggering it, "It seems I have no choice but to correct your atrocious manners in the only manner primitive enough to accomodate you." his smile widened as he locked eyes with his flustered opponent.

"Duel!"
 
"Eh? A shadow duelist?" Achan explained, grabbing his duel disk and hastily inserting his deck before running towards the door. "I've got to help-"

"You'll do no such thing," Kaito interrupted, as a burst of wind shot up from the ground and knocked Achan onto his backside. Groaning, the starfish-haired duelist pulled himself up from the floor. Before Achan could respond, Kaito had lifted up his left arm, revealing the presence of a something that hadn't been there before- a duel disk, this one trimmed with a red boundary, of the same type used by Judai. "Manjoume-sanda and Yuki-san will handle the disturbance," he said flatly. "Right now, you'll only get in the way. It won't do if you're inducted into the ranks of the Shadow Duelists before you reach the island."

Achan snorted. "What are you talking about? What are they gonna do, bore me into joining them? I don't have a duel spirit, so they can't threaten to-"

"Those marks," Kaito interrupted, pointing to the tattoos snaking across Achan's flesh. "They'll need to be removed before you can duel another of those Shadow Duelists. Otherwise, when you lose it won't just be as if you lost another card game. Enough of the duel energy within you will be lost that you will be no longer able to resist the call of the shadows. They will possess you. And you will die."

Achan growled, trying to locate some way past his opponent. "But I have to help her! She might be-"

"Her? Who mentioned her?" Kaito asked, amused. "I only mentioned that one of your team members with a duel spirit was in danger. It might have been Judai, Manjoume, or even that newcomer, Kuso. Why did you automatically assume it was Miss Edgeworth? Are you feeling a little... protective of her, perhaps?"

"It's not like that!" Achan denied angrily. "I just... wait, Kuso has a duel spirit?"

"Don't change the subject, it's rude," Kaito scolded, as Achan ground his teeth and fantasized about the designer's neck betwee his hands. "Answer my question, and in exchange... I'll trade you for something."

Kaito stopped. "For what?"

"Answer my question first."

Achan paused for a moment, and then unclenched his fist. "I guess it's because out of all the others on the team, Edgeworth's the only one I would care if the Shadow Duelists got," he admitted. "She and I were both just thrown into this, but the others either don't care or aren't telling me something. And then there's Kuso, but I haven't known him for long. When it's all said and done though..." his face reddened with embarassment and chagrin as he whispered "I guess she's the only one on this team I care about."

"Oh?" Kaito grinned maliciously. "Well then, here's the trade I propose. You know about my... condition, correct?"

Achan nodded.

"Well then, how about taking it on yourself?"

Achan was taken aback. "Wait... what?"

"Take it on yourself. I'll slip the duel spirit part of my essence into you, and in exchange you will give me your entire deck. That is my trade."
 
Duelist: Manjoume "Sanda"
LP: 8000
Hand: 5 cards

Duelist: Angelo
LP: 8000
Hand: 5 cards

"My turn." Manjoume announced, "Draw." a small smile appeared on his face at the sight of his opening hand, "And I summon Ojama Yellow." Angelo raised a quizzical eyebrow at the sight of the far-from-intimidating yellow gremlin on his opponent's field, but Manjoume continued on unphazed, "I set two cards and end."

"Such a graceless creature..." the pink-haired shadow duelist remarked, his expression nothing short of disapproving, "I sincerely hope you did not play such a thing solely to mock me. Draw."

Duelist: Manjoume "Sanda"
LP: 8000
Hand: 3 cards
Field: Ojama Yellow (0 / 1000), 2 spell or trap cards (face-down)

Duelist: Angelo
LP: 8000
Hand: 6 cards

"Such a bother." he tutted, "With your two face-downs, I really can't take that many risks, can I? Come forth, Sangan; purge the field of that eyesore!"

Manjoume did not do as much as flinch as the three-eyed furball lunged forward and reduced his duel spirit companion into a cloud of pixels, merely reaching for his deck.

"Card effect activate, Heart of Greed." he nodded towards one of the now upturned purple-frame cards on his field, "For every 1000 points of battle damage I receive, I can draw one card. Next, I activate the effect of my second reverse card. Pride of Oja!"

At his words, a second gremlin in red tanga - this one green, with a single yellow eye and a particularly large, purple tongue - appeared precisely at the spot which had been previously occupied by Ojama Yellow, "Every time an Ojama monster is destroyed, I can summon one of the Ojama brothers from my deck in attack position."

"Very reckless of you, Manjoume-san." Angelo replied, his expression seeming - if anything - happier than before, "But I'm afraid that your little scheme is only hastening the inevitable. I set a card and end my turn."

"We'll see about that." Manjoume replied, "We'll see. Draw."

Duelist: Manjoume "Sanda"
LP: 7000
Hand: 5 cards
Field: Ojama Green (0 / 1000), Heart of Greed (face-up), Pride of Oja (face-up)
Graveyard: Ojama Yellow

Duelist: Angelo
LP: 8000
Hand: 4 cards
Field: Sangan (1000 / 600), 1 Spell or Trap (face-down)

"And the real game begins now." he continued, raising the card he had just drawn up in triumph, "Activate, Ojamorphosis!" at his words, a cocoon of silk suddenly spawned around Ojama Green, glowing brightly, "By tributing one Ojama monster, I can special summon any level five or lower fusion monster from my deck, and I choose...Dark Balter the Terrible!"

Suddenly, the luminosity of the cocoon doubled, the frail strands bursting apart and revealing a monster far more imposing than the gremlin had been. It resembled a muscular human with particularly shaggy hair in shape, but its body was dark red, covered with golden plating in various places, and the animal-like pointy ears, maddened green eyes, and sharp row of fangs certainly marked it as closer to demonic.

Manjoume pointed an imperious finger towards the considerably dwarfed monster on his opponent's field, "Dark Balter, destroy his Sangan."

The fiend obliged with an appreciative roar, lunging forward with speed belittiling its clumsy-looking body and effortlessly slicing the furred monster apart with a few swipes of its claws.

"And don't even bother with that." Manjoume replied, forestalling his opponent, who had already reached for his deck, "Monsters destroyed by Dark Balter can not activate any of their effects."

"And with that pesky spell negation effect, I can not just eliminate it at the drop of hat either." Angelo concured, shaking his head, "Such a bothersome little monster. Not all unlike someone else I know."

"Very grown." the black-blazered duelist replied coldly, "Turn end."

Duelist: Manjoume "Sanda"
LP: 7000
Hand: 4 cards
Field: Dark Balter the Terrible (2000 / 1200), Heart of Greed (face-up), Pride of Oja (face-up), Ojamorphosis (face-up)
Graveyard: Ojama Yellow, Ojama Green

Duelist: Angelo
LP: 7000
Hand: 5 cards
Field: 1 Spell or Trap (face-down)
Graveyard: Sangan

"As I said before..." the shadow duelist continued, perusing his cards intently, "A most bothersome monster. I summon Reaper Ankhes, in attack position." imposing as Balter was, the spiky-haired apparition with its mismatched arms did not come in far behind, looming over its opponent with a hungry grin on itws face, "And for good measure, I think I shall also equip him with this card. Reaper Scythe!"

As card and slot met, the reaper gained an even more sinister edge to its appearance than before, a sizable scythe with a sleek, polished wood handle and a sinisterly glinting black blade materializing in the larger of its hands.

"With this effect." Angelo elaborated, rather needlessly, "My reaper gains five-hundred more attack points. Ankhes, dispose of that unseemly creature for me, if you please."

With a manic grin, the reaper nodded, raising the scythe with only one hand and bringing it down in a highly inexpert swing towards its target.

"Unless of course..." Angelo continued conversationally, "You feel like paying his toll. One card for each of your monster's level stars."

Manjoume scoffed, "Unlikely." he replied.

"Have it your way then."

With a gleeful cry, the monster finished it's swing, slashing the less imposing fiend in half at the waist and reducing it into a shower of pixels.

"And since I didn't destroy an ojama monster or inflict 1000 points of damage to you, your trap combo is just about worthless. Is it not, Manjoume-san?"

Manjoume didn't dignify the comment with a response, merely reaching for his deck.

"Oh, playing the strong, silent type now, are you?" Angelo asked sweetly, "Well, have it your way then, Manjoume-san. I set a card and end."

Duelist: Manjoume "Sanda"
LP: 6150
Hand: 5 cards
Field: Heart of Greed (face-up), Pride of Oja (face-up)
Graveyard: Ojama Yellow, Ojama Green, Dark Balter the Terrible, Ojamorphosis

Duelist: Angelo
LP: 7000
Hand: 3 cards
Field: Reaper Ankhes (2850 / 0), Reaper Scythe (face-up), 2 Spell or Trap cards (face-down)
Graveyard: Sangan

"Fusion spell card, activate. Ojamerization!" at his words, the familiar vortex of a fusion summon spawned on his side of the field, "By returning Ojama Black from Graveyard and Ojama Green from my Hand to my deck, I fusion summon...Ojama Sage!"

With a brief flash of light, a peculiar monster appeared on Manjoume's side. Physically, it bore closest resemblance to a larger version of Ojama Green, but this one - bizarrely enough - had a thin ring of white hair on its head, though the top was already bald, and was clad in a brown and purple ceremonial robe of some sort rather than the gremlins' usual, less decent, apparel, clutching a staff with decorative tassles on it in its hands.

"But I'm not done yet." Manjoume continued, "With the effect of Ojama Sage, I can send one card from my hand to the graveyard to add any Oja spell card from my graveyard to my hand." he demonstratively slipped a green-framed card from his hand into his graveyard slot, "And by the effect of the Ojamagic card I just discared, I can add one each of the Ojama brothers from my deck to my hand. They won't stay there for long, however...activate, Ojamerization!" a triumphant grin appeared on the former duel academia champion's face as the fusion vortex appeared once more, this time absorbing all three of the newly searched monsters, "Fusing Ojama Black, Ojama Green, and Ojama Yellow, I summon...Ojama Queen!"

With a conveniently timed roll of thunder, an enormous silhouette emerged from the vortex, finally appearing into view. It was...well, certainly not a sight for the faint of heart. The creature was incredibly rotound, almost as wide as it was tall, with a pair of stubby feet and equally stubby hands looking just as disproportionately small the pair of eyestalks on the top of its head. It's monumental nose occupied almost half its face, with a pair of wide fishlips beneath, and beneat that - nearly at its navel - a bust of the size one would have expected from such a bodyshape. Clad in nothing but an altogether too revealing bikini - same color and pattern as the usual Ojama clothing - these traits were also all too clearly visible, causing Angelo to pull a disgusted face.

"What are these...things?!" he demanded, "Just what-what do you hope to achieve by playing them?! They're weak, they're ugly-they're-they're-"

"They're what's going to defeat you." Manjoume replied calmly, visibly pleased with himself, "Perhaps as early as my next turn. I set a card and end."

"Don't get cocky." the shadow duelist scoffed, staring at Manjoume's monsters with open revulsion, "I will never allow myself to be bested by anything so repulsive and vulgar. My turn!"

Duelist: Manjoume "Sanda"
LP: 6150
Hand: 2 cards
Field: Ojama Sage (0 / 2500), Ojama Queen (0 / 3000), Heart of Greed (face-up), Pride of Oja (face-up), 1 Spell or Trap (face-down)
Graveyard: Ojama Yellow, Dark Balter the Terrible, Ojamorphosis, Ojamerization, Ojamagic

Duelist: Angelo
LP: 7000
Hand: 4 cards
Field: Reaper Ankhes (2850 / 0), Reaper Scythe (face-up), 2 Spell or Trap cards (face-down)
Graveyard: Sangan
 
Achan immediately reacted defensively, snatching up his deck and holding it away from Kaito. "Forget it. This deck is the only reason I'm in this tournament at all. Why would you want it anyway?"

Kaito sighed. "If you must know, it's because I can make much better use of it than you can. Don't worry, I wouldn't leave you without a deck- I'll give you the one I used to beat that shadow duelist earlier, if that makes you feel a bit better." Observing yet another negative response from Achan, he finally shook his head in disgust. "You don't realize the chance you're missing out on. If I make this transfer, the marks on your body will be neutralized. Furthermore, you will gain the abilities I've been using this entire time... including the ability to see spirits." He caught the flash of interest in Achan's eye and pressed his advantage. "You would like that, wouldn't you? To see the monsters you've created with your own eyes, as real as you or I... to converse with them... and of course, my Kuriboh will become your spirit partner. So, what do you say?"

Achan shook his head. "I'd love to say yes. In fact, I really think that sounds great and all, but there's just one problem." His eyes narrowed as he continued. "If having that duel spirit inside you is as great as it sounds.... why are you offering me the chance?"

"Consider it a gift from one card designer to another," Kaito replied without missing a beat. "But, of course, there's always..." he moved his hand to the top of his deck, "The usual option."

Achan perked up, realizing where this was heading. "Meaning?"

"I have designed a new set of monsters recently, that I've been aching to beta-test. We have a problem that cannot be solved through negotiation. The solution is right in front of us. We duel, designer against designer, pitting the decks we have created from the ground up against each other. If I win the duel, we make the trade I discussed earlier. However, if you win..." Kaito's eyes glimmered wickedly as he pointed to himself, "I give you my essence for free, no strings attached, as well as both the deck I used earlier and the one I intend to use now. Sound fair?"

Achan swallowed. This was a bad plan. Something in him screamed not to listen to the other duelist, to run in the opposite direction and look for Judai, Tacey, Manjoume- even Michel or Kuso. Anyone with the ability to help him. But that offer... he could hardly restrain himself as he shuffled his deck, slipped it into his duel disk, and activated it. "Anytime you're ready," he heard himself saying, "Because I don't intend to lose."

Kaito smirked and followed suit. "Well then, let's bet your intentions against mine, shall we? I was born ready for this."

A sudden wind rocked the boat dramatically as both Achan and his opponent shouted the battle cry: "Duel!"

"Challenger goes first," Achan announced, grabbing his first draw. "I summon Wandering Beast to the field in attack position, set one card, and end my turn." At his words, a spurt of flame burst from the ground and shaped itself into a large, tiger-like beast with a golden horn sprouting from its forehead, along with a shaggy, red mane that flowed along its back and a dragon-like tail. Behind it, a card back shimmered to life. Achan grinned in spite of himself. With Wandering Beast's ability to revive itself after destruction by card effects and its ability to increase its Atk for every Wandering monster he controlled, he felt that his position this turn was secure.

Duelist: Achan
LP: 8000
Hand: 4 Cards
Field: Wandering Beast (1800 Atk), 1 S/T
RFG: None
Grave: None

"And so my move begins," Kaito announced, drawing his first card. "I shall begin by activating this: the field spell Yokai Mountain!"

Achan was startled. "Wait, wha-"

Suddenly, the ground began to shake as the cabin's cramped interior was replaced by a pristine field of waving rice plants. A few clouds passed by overhead in the endless blue sky, while the sun shone brightly. In the distance, a large mountain loomed overhead, creating an imposing barrier to the west of the duelists. To the south, a long, winding road passed, leading to a barely-seen Japanese palace. To the north, a forest shrouded anything from view, and to the east, a river stretched out. "This field spell is based on the positioning of Kyoto," Kaito explained. "Legend has it that any area with a fores to the north, a road to the south, a mountain to the west, and a river to the east- or anywhere surrounded by a road, forest, river, and mountain- will have a great concentration of spiritual power. In this place, monsters of the old days would have been their strongest- especially those from the mountain." He raised his hands and pointed to Kaito. "But first, the effect of my field spell! During the opponent's turn, you must reveal the top card of your deck and your hand. Of course, I am bound by the same rules."

Achan frowned and flipped the top card of his deck- Wandering Dragon Muthaba- before revealing his hand of D.D. Reincarnation, Wandering Healer, Wandering Party, and Wandering Shinobi. Kaito nodded in approval. "Very good. Now I can commence with my true turn. Come forth, Yoko Yokai!"

Suddenly, a blue flame shot from the tip of the mountain, and sped to the bottom. As the flame neared, its intensity grew, until it landed in front of Kaito and burst into a flowering blossom of red fire. After a few moments, the flames reshaped themselves into a beast resembling a large, one-tailed red fox with demon-like fangs and claws that seemed designed to rip flesh from bones. Achan stared at the monster's attack stat in surprise. The monster was one hundred points stronger than his own beast, and it knew it, as it eyed the now wary Wanderer greedily. "My Yokai monsters are all powerful," Kaito explained, "But they require the presence of a field with strong spiritual powers in order to show their true strength. But first- I activate Mystical Space Typhoon! " Achan nodded, gritting his teeth as a sudden gust of wind caused the rice plants to bend while a wave of mist poured from Kaito's spell card, shattering Achan's face-down. Kaito grinned. "And now- Yoko Yokai, attack his beast with Demon Claw!"

With a noise that sounded like something between a yelp and a howl, the fox fell on Kaito's beast who, despite a bitter fight, was brought to the ground and beaten.

"Next, I move to my main phase two," Kaito continued. "And I'll tribute Yoko Yokai to activate his effect! I send the top card of your deck to the gravyeyard, and if it's a monster you take damage equal to its highest stat- Atk or Def!"

Achan stared at the top card of his deck, which he had revealed moments before. "But wait, that means-" He was too late. With another yelping cry, the fox Yokai transformed itself into a ball of flames and launched itself into the air, slamming into his duel disk. A column of flames erupted from below Achan, causing him to scream in pain. As the flames cleared, he stared at his opponent. "I... felt that..." he breathed painfully.

Kaito nodded. "This is why I wish to transfer my essence. You see, one of the annoying side effects of this condition is that I can't pick and choose which duels my opponents feel damage in. In other words, even if no penalty games are administered... to me, every duel is a shadow game." He waved at the mountain in the distance. "I end my turn by activating the effect of Yokai Mountain," he declared. "Once during my main phase, I can bring back a Yokai monster that tributed itself for its own effect from the graveyard." With a spurt of flames, the fox demon had reappeared on Kaito's field. "And now, Achan..." he grinned, "The move is yours."

Duelist: Achan Smith
LP: 4900
Hand: 4 Cards
Graveyard: Wandering Dragon-Muthaba, Wandering Beast, Mirror Force
RFG: None
Field: None

Duelist: Kuroda Kaito
LP: 8000
Field: Yokai Mountain (Field), Yoko Yokai (1900 Atk)
Graveyard: Mystical Space Typhoon
RFG: None
Hand: 3 Cards

OOC: Hands up, those who didn't see this coming. XD
 
Duelist: Manjoume "Sanda"
LP: 6150
Hand: 2 cards
Field: Ojama Sage (0 / 2500), Ojama Queen (0 / 3000), Heart of Greed (face-up), Pride of Oja (face-up), 1 Spell or Trap (face-down)
Graveyard: Ojama Yellow, Dark Balter the Terrible, Ojamorphosis, Ojamerization, Ojamagic

Duelist: Angelo
LP: 7000
Hand: 4 cards
Field: Reaper Ankhes (2850 / 0), Reaper Scythe (face-up), 2 Spell or Trap cards (face-down)
Graveyard: Sangan

"You're bluffing."

"You're sweating."

"Enough!" Angelo grit his teeth, seeming genuinely bothered for the first time during the duel, "Enough of your pathetic mind games! Bluff or no, I will simply dispose of you this turn and be done with! Draw!" there was no pretense of manners in his bearing anymore as he pointed an imperative finger towards his solitary monster, "I release Reaper Ankhes to summon Reaper Ailin!"

Replacing a towering hulk of a monster as it was, the new creature looked...frail, its ragged, black-feathered crow wings wrapped around its skeletal frame. The creature's spritely, vaguely avian-shaped, body was of a nearly black shade of blue, save for the pure white humanoid skull, its right eye socket glowing a bright red while the other was lifeless and dark. Much like its comrades, the creature was quite generously equipped in sharp fangs, claws and talons, its face bearing a sadistic grin very similar to the one plastered on the shadow duelist's face as he slipped a spell card into his duel disc.

"Equip spell activate, Betrayal Sword. With this spell, my reaper gains an additional two thousand attack points. Now, my precious, take flight! Attack the opponent directly!"

With a high-pitched avian cry, the reaper spread its wings out in their full morbid glory, effortlessly rising up into the sky before turning into a steep dive, both hands clasping the massive claymore in its hands as it swooped down towards Manjoume's head in preparation of a massive two-hand slash.

Much to the surprise of those gathered, the black-blazered duelist maintained his smug grin, "I discard both cards from my hand to reduce the damage." he announced just before the attack struck home, parring down 2000 points from his counter.

"You're not getting off that easily." Angelo scoffed, "Those were monster cards you discarded! Reverse card, open! The Ferryman of Styx! Now, unless you want to see those disgusting gremlins wiped from existence like they deserve, you will discard two cards from your deck for each of them."

"Fine" Manjoume replied with an indifferent shrug, picking up four cards from his deck and placing them into their designated slot, "Looks like there's a monster card here too." he added an aside, "I'm guessing that means I get to discard again?" with that, he reached for his deck again, repeating the process once more before appearing to be satisfied as he announced, "I'll just let that one be removed."

"Don't think you're finished with that." Angelo scoffed, "Reverse card open, Barrel Behind the Door! Normally, I would receive the same amount of damage as you do from any battle involving a monster wielding the betrayal sword, but thanks to this effect..." he grinned manically as the dark energy surging towards him suddenly performed a 180 degree turn, "That damage will be dealt to you instead. And don't think I'll let you off with that either!" he added, his voice reaching a new level of manic as he picked out another card from his hand, "Activate, Reaper's Toll! Ten cards were sent to your graveyard this turn! Therefore, you take two-thousand points of damage!"

The shadow duelist burst out into outright laughter as his opponent's footing finally gave way under the third consecutive assault, "Defeat me, would you?! Defeat ME?!" he grinned, panting for breath as he watched Manjoume fighting to regain his posture, "Your life has all but petered out already. I set a card and end. And with that..." he nodded towards his reaper, "The second effect of Betrayal Sword activates. Each time its wielder deals damage, control of that monster is switched. On my next turn, this will all be over."

'Now go ahead...' he thought, grinning at his face-down, 'Thrash and flail as much as you like. With Zoma the Spirit on my side, any attack you call will be futile, and even if it's destroyed, I only need to summon a monster next turn and have it battle with Ailin. This duel is mine.'

"I thought I already told you." the black-blazered duelist replied, brushing his rain-soaked bangs out of his eyes, "I'm going to end the duel this turn. Draw!"

Duelist: Manjoume "Sanda"
LP: 150
Hand: 3 cards
Field: Ojama Sage (0 / 2500), Ojama Queen (0 / 3000), Reaper Ailin (4000 / 800) Heart of Greed (face-up), Pride of Oja (face-up), 1 Spell or Trap (face-down)
Graveyard: Ojama Yellow, Dark Balter the Terrible, Ojamorphosis, Ojamerization, 2x Ojamagic, Ojama Black, Ojama Green, Sangan, Ojama Delta Hurricane!, Pride of Oja, Spirit Reaper, Oja Recall, Zero Vortex
RFG: Ojama Green

Duelist: Angelo
LP: 7000
Hand: N/A
Field: The Ferryman of Styx (face-up), Betrayal Sword (face-up) 1 Spell or Trap (face-down)
Graveyard: Sangan, Reaper Ankhes, Reaper Scythe, Barrel Behind the Door, Reaper's Toll

"You're still bluffing!" Angelo half-shrieked, "There's no way you could possibly have-"

"No." Manjoume retorted, shaking his head, "I'm not bluffing...anymore. Thanks to your overrecation I really have all I need to finish this. Reveal face-down, Ojama Delta Reverse!"

"But-" the shadow duelist protested, "There's no such-"

"You shadow duelists are not the only ones who have access to their own customs, you know." the black-blazered duelist replied, "Now listen up. By the effect of this card, I remove Ojama Delta Hurricane! in my graveyard from play. And in exchange, we send all cards from our hands and fields to the graveyard!"

At his words, a giant maelstorm spawned around the pink-framed card, quickly engulfing the entire field with a roar easily rivaling that of the storm raging around them.

"All cards except for Ojama monsters, that is." Manjoume elaborated, now truly in his element as he smirked from behind his two unbothered gremlins, "Finally, I summon one each of Ojama Black, Ojama Green, and Ojama Yellow from my graveyard."

Angelo's panic subsidied just a little as the three smaller monsters made their entry, posing as best they could as the last traces of the storm placed them down on the field, "So what of it?" he gloated, "None of your useless little monsters have any attack points! They can't do anything to me!"

"We'll see." Manjoume replied, "I switch Ojama Sage and Ojama Queen into attack position."

Predictably, the robed gremlin hardly looked any more imposing than before as it moved away from its defensive crouch, but when the queen followed suit - striking a highly indecent pose in the process - the effect was instantaneous, the collective stares of the other ojamas and - through the peculiar attraction of revulsion - Angelo immediately turning to the monster.

"Ojama Queen's effect." the black-blazered duelist elaborated as the ojamas posed and showed off their miserably unimpressive physique as best they could, "While she is in attack position, all other ojamas gain a morale boost...in the form of two-thousand attack points."

"But...that..."

"Means it's over." Manjoume finished, nodding towards his newly buffed minions, "Sic him, boys!"

"No..." Angelo whimpered, rising to his feet as the rain of beatings from the most unlikely of sources finally subsided, "No...this is not possible. This is not-I couldn't-my beautiful deck, it couldn't have been-"

Manjoume merely scoffed at the sight, depositing his deck back within the confines of his coat to keep it safe from the downpour, "Isn't it about time for you to disappear now?"

"Disappear?" the shadow duelist echoed in an absent voice, his dismay giving way to his trademark grin, "What ever do you mean, Manjoume-san?"

"I mean what happens after a shadow duel." the black-blazered duelist retorted, "You lost, so that means your soul-"

"Whatever made you think that this was a shadow duel?" Angelo chuckled, rising to his feet and slicking his pink hair back, "Oh, my dear Manjoume-san, even in victory you are so utterly clueless. I only used a small portion of my power to simulate the pain from the monster attacks; our souls were never at stake here." he scoffed, "As if I'd have any interest in a hand-me-down like that."

"What did you say?!" Manjoume demanded, his face bearing a deep shade of red as he grasped the continuously bemused shadow duelist by the collar.

"Hand-me-down." Angelo repeated calmly, "Or village bicycle, if you like. Light of destruction, Yubel, everyone's had a ride. Face it, Manjoume-san: your soul is used goods."

"Why you-"

"And just what do you two think you're doing?"

The completely unimpressed, scolding voice was like a bucketfull of ice-cold water to the head, effectively dampening both duelists' fighting spirits enough to draw their attention to the newly arrived third party: Tacey Edgeworth, wrapped up in a raincoat of her own and an equally all-covering aura of I'm-superior-to-you, a duel disc at the ready in one hand and an umbrella in the other.

"Well-" Manjoume began.

"You do realize," the rich girl continued, as if the other's attempt at an explanation was nothing but another irritating background noise, the glare of her eyes boring into both of the older duelists in turn, "That it is the middle of the night, and you are making a huge racket right outside of my cabin?"

"This shadow duelist tried to ambush you!" Manjoume exclaimed in frustratio.

"And that's all this was about?" Tacey turned to face Angelo in turn, the two briefly sizing each other up before the purple-haired girl finally spoke up, "Well, Angelo, it's awfully late and about time for loud little boys like yourself to go to bed, wouldn't you agree?"

Much to Manjoume's surprise, the shadow duelist responded with a bemused grin, "Of course, miss Edgeworth, how very rude of me to disturb your rest like this. If you'll excuse me, then?" in one fluid motion, he detached himself from Manjoume's grip and turned into a mockingly over-flourished bow, "Until next time, then."

And with that, a burst of dark energy suddenly erutped around the shadow duelist, causing him to vanish, leaving only a few black flower petals to be snatched away by the gale.

"Honestly, bothering me with something like this." Tacey shook her head, "I wish you good night purely as a matter of form, Ojamanjoume."

"But-"

The black-blazered duelist was not allowed to get as much as a word in edgewise as the door was slammed shut in front of him with a bang that tolerated no 'but's, leaving him standing outside in the gale, soaked and humiliated.

"...why always me?"
 
Judai sat alone in his cabin, making changes to his deck- again- before suddenly dropping the cards he was shuffling and standing up, surprised.

I felt... a disturbance. As if a duelist cried out in anguish- and was suddenly silenced.

He paused.

Well, at least that means I don't have to rescue Manjoume again.

------------------------------------------​

Achan coughed as he reached for his deck. "Oww..." he moaned, trying to get used to the pain he felt. Even if Nicholas had played that Dark Sanctuary card, the attacks from back then hadn't hurt this much. Perhaps it was because his duel with Nicholas hadn't been a true shadow game. But one way or another, he had to continue. As he drew his card, Achan paused for a moment in cocentration. Come on... I only need one card to turn this duel around! He stared for a moment at the card he'd just drawn and frowned. Clearly, if Miracle Draw had been one of his abilities during the duel with Nicholas, it wasn't planning on being his ability now. However, there was still a way to reverse the situation. Not quite the one-turn kill he had been planning, but enough. But first... "Yokai Mountain forces you to reveal your hand and the top card of your deck!"

"Normally, yes," Kaito replied. "However, this card will do for now." He flashed Achan a glimpse of a monster resembling a wisp of blue flame with a faces. "Kyuubi Bi," he announced. "By showing this card in my hand to my opponent, I can prevent them from scanning my other cards with Yokai Mountain. However, I can only reveal it once. After that, it remains revealed."

Achan groaned. He should have known that Kaito would have thought of a way to get around his own field spell. However, that didn't change his basic strategy for the turn. "I activate the effects of the Wandering Dragon-Muthaba and the Wandering Beast in my graveyard!" He announced. "By removing them from play, I'll search for their Limit Breaks from my deck and add them to my hand." With this accomplished, he selected a monster. "Wandering Shinobi to the field, in attack position!" In seconds, the Shinobi had taken her position on Achan's field- however, she seemed to have shed her previous white outfit for a sleek, black jumpsuit, and her face was now visible as she readied her oversized throwing weapon. "And it just gets better," Achan continued, his teeth bared. "I activate Different Dimension Reincarnation! By discarding one of the two Limit Breaks I just searched..."

Suddenly, a gash opened in the sky as Achan's dragon burst out, roaring in anger as it spread its wings. Achan smiled icily and continued. "I get to special summon one of my removed from play monsters. Wandering Dragon-Muthaba! Clean the field of that annoying fox, okay? Flare Burst!"

The dragon flew up, and gathered light energy into its jaws before unleashing it in a massive burst, not only incinerating the fox but also leaving a circle of ash on the ground where it had once stoood. Achan smiled approvingly, and pointed at his opponent. "Now, Wandering Shinobi, direct attack! Deathblow!" The monster nodded and vanished, only to reappear behind Kaito and strike him across the back with a short knife. Achan smirked. "How do ya like them apples?"

Kaito shook his head. "Fool. The duel isn't over yet. My turn, draw!"

Achan shook his head. "Not quite yet- see, my Wandering Dragon can tribute other Wandering monsters to wipe out cards on your field. So by getting rid of my Wandering Shinobi..." he pointed to the mountain in the distance, "I can level that field spell! Wandering Dragon-Muthaba, go! Concentrate Flare!"

The dragon flew into the sky, gathering light into its jaws, and fired- but was suddenly stopped by an invisible shield. Achan was confused. "What?"

"The third effect of Yokai Mountain. On a turn when a Yokai monster is sent to the graveyard, it cannot be destroyed by card effects. Unfortunately for you, targeting it with one is absolutely Kosher, meaning you just wasted your monster for nothing."

Achan gritted his teeth. "I end my turn," he muttered between clenched jaws.

Duelist: Achan
LP: 4900
Field: Wandering Dragon- Muthaba (Atk 3000), D.D. Reincarnation
Graveyard: Mirror Force, Wandering Shinobi
Hand: 3
RFG: Wandering Beast

Duelist: Kaito
LP: 5400
Field: Yokai Mountain
Graveyard: Mystical Space Typhoon, Yoko Yokai
Hand: Four cards.

"I begin this turn by activating Monster Reborn," Kaito said, "And I target my Yoko Yokai. Reborn!" A column of golden light appeared on Kaito's field, and the monster stepped out of it, grinning. "Next, I summon Inu Yokai to the field, in attack position!" Suddenly, a wind raced through the fields of rice, causing the stalks to bend backwards, before abruptly stopping. Kaito's field was now occupied by a large, hungry-looking dog that might have passed for an ordinary Akita, were it not for the green fur and the devil horns. "My Inu Yokai's effect now activates," he declared. "By tributing it, I destroy spell and trap cards on your side of the field equal to the number of Yokai monsters besides Inu Yokai that I control. I have one monster," he said, gesturing to his fox demon, "So I can target one spell. And that means..."

Achan stared at his own D.D. Reincarnation. "Oh..."

"Inu Yokai! Target D.D. Reincarnation with Zenshi Tenrou Battouga!" Kaito ordered.

"Zenshi Tenrou wha- YAGH!" Achan cried as the monster leaped into the air before curling itself into a whirling ball resembling a buzz-saw of wind and flew into his spell card, shattering it. With a roar, Achan's dragon vanished into the unknown. "Oh-"

"And that isn't all," Kaito continued. "I revive my Inu Yokai by the effect of Yokai Mountain!" Instantly, the dog demon was back at Kaito's side, growling at Achan. "And both my monsters will now attack your life points directly!"

Achan stared at the two monsters as they approached, and dug their claws into him, as his life points shot down to fifteen hundred. He reached for his deck painfully. "I can still..."

Kaito shook his head. "I'm afraid you can't. You see, I still haven't applied Yoko Yokai's effect for the turn. And I seem to remember seeing a monster on top of your deck...."

Achan looked down. Wandering Hero sat on top. "No..."

"Inu Yokai! End this duel!" Kaito ordered. There was nothing Achan could do but brace himself as the monster again dissolved into flames before blasting itself at his duel disk, causing him to collapse in pain. His life points hit zero. The duel was over.

Achan Smith had lost.

"Not bad," Kaito admitted. "However, your efforts were weak. Shall we proceed with the trade?"

Achan groaned and shook his head. "No.." he managed to gasp, "No, I can't. I have to-"

Kaito shook his head. "I'm afraid you don't have a choice. Look down."

Achan did, and saw a pool of blackness slowly forming beneath him. "Didn't I tell you that every duel with me is a shadow game? You have no choice but to accept my trade, or you'll be forced to suffer a penalty game."

"This... this is..."

"Blackmail? Yes, but I'm not proud. Now come here." Kaito instructed. Achan gritted his teeth and moved closer. "Good," Kaito approved. "And now..."

There was a flash of light, and then everything went black.

When Achan opened his eyes, everything was fuzzy. "Good. You're awake already," a familiar voice said.

"Huh? Who..." Achan muttered as he pulled himself to his feet, blinking. He was surprised. Normally he felt quite top-heavy, but somehow it felt as if the massive weight that was his hair had been redistributed. And he felt a bit... taller. He looked down at his clothes. They were different. Quite different. "What..."

"Oh come now, don't tell me you've forgotten," the familiar voice said again. "We traded, remember?"

Achan turned to stare at the other person. They were a bit shorter than him, and their hair was bright red. They looked familiar. In fact... "You didn't," he accused in a voice that wasn't his own.

The duelist occupying the body of Achan Smith smirked. "Penalty Game-Soul Swap," he declared. "Thank you for lending me this body of yours. Though I have to say, this hair will need some serious work."

Achan couldn't quite comprehend what had just happened. "What?" he managed to ask, weakly.

"I've taken your body," Kaito announced. "And I'm not giving it back. You see, I happen to need it for a while. After all," he grinned maliciously. "Pegasus was almost on to my little heist earlier."

"Heist?" Achan put two and two together. "You mean..."

"Precisely. I was the one who stole the cards from Pegasus J. Crawford." If Achan hadn't still been woozy, he would have strangled Kaito in order to get rid of that irritating smirk. "Oh, he'll notice the difference. I don't think I could frame you just by switching bodies. But right now, I need two things. The first is a body that, unlike mine, has been attuned to a Sennen Item. And the second is your deck."

"Sennen..?"

"Yes, Sennen item. You didn't realize it? Didn't hear it calling to you? One of those items wants you to feed off of. Of course, I suppose the mark that Nicholas placed on you wasn't enough to open your mind to the calls, since you've been muting them for a while now. Perhaps that's the reason this body can't perceive spirits," Kaito speculated. "But I think we've talked enough for now. I must go, and-"

"You're... a... Shadow Duelist?"

"No. Those petty fools don't even come close to me." Kaito replied, exasperated. "Our goals are totally opposite anyway. While those fools simply want to seal away duel spirits, my goal is to unleash them en masse, and use them for the revival of the Sennen items." He paused. "By the way, do you know when it is that people like me tell all?"

Achan paused. "When they're sure... they're going to win?"

"Precisely," Kaito replied, before vanishing.

Achan was alone, in a cabin, in a stranger's body. And furthermore, it looked like he had just basically handed over the world to an insane designer of children's trading cards on a silver platter.

He was on his way to find the others before he realized it.

---------------------------------​

"I take it you succeeded, then," Nicholas asked as Kaito materialized in the Pilgrim's Quarters- a small, stone room furnished with a few beds.

Kaito nodded. "I had to use a penalty game, but it worked out in the end. The transfer was succesful, and I managed to retain my abilities, it seems."

"Good," Nicholas nodded. "I can't sense that spirit you consumed."

Kaito nodded again. "It served its purpose. I left it with the boy, along with its deck."

Nicholas shook his head. "You really are sentimental, Kaito."

"I suppose I come by it naturally. How is the calibration coming?"

Nicholas gestured to a piece of machinery in the corner. "See for yourself. We've reached fifty percent. By the time those fools finish their trip to the island, we'll be ready to re-awaken the Sennen items. And after that, it's a simple matter of excavation."

Kaito grinned wolfishly. "Excellent."

OOC: How many people saw THAT coming? XD
 
Angelo's countenance practically oozed anger and humiliation as he finally collapsed in his favorite spot at his regular café, a small, picture-pretty little family establishment on the outskirts of Domino City. No matter how you put it, this had not been a good day. Not only had he come so embarrassingly close to losing his soul in a duel he had engaged in on a mere whim, now he had been downright defeated...by that second-rate lackey, no less! And in such a humiliating way too! And even worse, Kaito had made his move a lot faster than he had anticipated. The shadow duelist glared into his tea, listening to the rainwater dripping from his hair. This was bad. His plans were still in place for the time being, but...this was bad.

The moment his cell phone blared to life, Angelo practically assaulted the device.

"What took you so long?" he growled.

"My, my." a soft, feminine voice purred from the other end, "Aren't we on edge today? Might this have something to do with that lovely little game you just had with-"

"That has nothing to do with it!" Angelo lied, "It's Kaito, he's already-"

"Made his move, I know." the other interrupted in turn, "I'm not an idiot, Angelo, I could sense that exchange a mile off. Just relax; I'll have the deck by tomorrow."

"Relax?" the pink-haired male grit out in response, rapidly clenching and unclenching his free hand as he forced his voice lower, "Arella, it's only a matter of time until they revive the millenium items now; if we don't manage to assimilate that spirit before then-"

"I keep telling you we will." Arella gave an exasperated sigh on the other end, "The stage is already set for our grand finale, so just sit back and enjoy the show already."

"Everything's just a big act to you, isn't it?" the shadow duelist grumbled, receiving a bemused giggle from the other end.

"But of course." his accomplice replied nonchalantly, "Isn't that what makes me so perfect for this ploy?"

"I...suppose so." Angelo conceded, heaving a heavy sigh, "Just don't overdo it. I don't think the highy and mighty 'Haou-sama' would approve of what we're up to."

"Aww...you're concerned about me?" Arella retorted cheekily, "How precious."

"It's not that!" Angelo shot back.

"So you don't care about me?" his accomplice replied in a would-be hurt tone, "Angelo, you're breaking my heart here."

"I didn't say that either."

"I know." Arella replied from amidst her rapidly growing gigglefits, "You're just so darn cute when you get all worked up like that. I couldn't resist. Call ya' back spirit in hand! Tataa, now."

"Just...for once...be careful." Angelo mumbled at the beeping receiver, thrusting the cell back into the confines of his clothes and turning his glare back to the rainswept streets outside, "The world is depending on it."
 
Achan raced through the ship, anxiously searching for some cabin- any cabin- that was occupied by one of his team mates. He tripped and fell several times, unused to his new body. A new worry struck him- even if he made it to one of his team mates, how would he convince them that what he was talking about was true? Judai might understand, and Tacey would probably be able to figure out who he really was even if she didn't buy it at first, but there was no gurantee that he would ever get his original body back. Knowing Kaito, after all, he had probably double-crossed-

Yo! Wazzup?

Achan stopped short, accidentally falling flat on his face. "Ow..." he muttered, before lifting his head. "Who?..."

Oh, come on, don't tell me you've forgotten me already? Come on, you're smarter than that.

Achan tried to pinpoint the source of the voice. It was a bit high-pitched, but not feminine by any stretch of the word. His search was complicated by the fact that the voice wasn't quite "heard" so much as "felt", as if it were a vibration or a thought rather than an actual voice. "We've met before?" he asked cautiously. If this were some sort of Shadow Duelist trick...

Hmm... maybe this will help you remember.

Achan leaped three feet backward as the horned, devil-winged Kuriboh that had accompanied Kaito up until this point suddenly appeared in front of him, holding a sign that read "I'm right here" in bright red letters. Whew! Now that I can actually sense your duel energy, you'll be able to hear me, The flying beast said. Although, I don't think we have much time to talk...

Achan stared at the monster. "What do you mean?" he asked.

Well...

Suddenly, the outline of the monster began to waver, as if it was turning into a mirage. Kind of funny, isn't it? I'm one of the seven spirits of the seals, and it's all gonna end for me in a place like this. All I wanted was a little taste of what it would be like to be part of an actual duel. A little taste, y'know? So when that guy offered me a chance to share his spirit... Achan couldn't tell, but he thought the monster was blushing, I gave him my powers without a second thought. Just handed over one of the seven largest reservoirs of duel energy in a single spirit outside of the Sangenma to a guy I didn't know just so I could be a normal spirit for once, right? I mean, how was I supposed to know that he'd use me like this? That he was plannin' to ditch me as soon as he had his hands on my duel energy? And now, 'cause of me, everything's starting to break down... that damned idiot has his hands on the key to opening the door to the Sennen items... and now he's got a body capable of using one of them. That isn't good. And now I'm out of duel energy. I mean, I used to be able to seal away an entire Sennen item on my own, really, I could. And now...

Achan tried to put the pieces together. "You mean... you're one of the cards Kaito stole?" he asked the monster. "And he used you up, and you're gonna-"

Yup. Not much left for a spirit without duel energy. For you humans, losing duel energy is something you can recover from, but for we spirits... The Kuriboh's voice was becoming incredibly shaky, and try as it might it couldn't hide the fact that it was crying, Well, we need it to stay in this world, you know? And there are some of us, like me, who can't go home... we gotta stay here, because there's no 'other world' for us to go back to. The puffball sobbed as he began to fade. Guess this is it for me then, huh? Goodbye cruel world...

Achan stared at the sobbing spirit with mixed feelings of pity and anger towards Kaito for abandoning it. He had already watched one duel spirit die in front of him. He didn't want to watch the death of another, especially not this one. Still, there was nothing he could do... or was there? Kaito had said something about his inability to see duel spirits having something to do with his body... "Listen," he said, moving closer to the fading spirit. "I know I'm not the bravest guy around, or even the smartest... if anything, I'm a bigger screw-up than you, but... well, I've got a little duel energy. I know it's isn't much, but, well... you wanna share it?"

The monster stopped sobbing and looked straight into Achan's eyes. R-Really? You mean that?

"Hey, we both got taken in by Kaito, and I just handed over the key to take over the world to him. I mean, we're both screw-ups. That just means we're perfect for each other, right?"

The monster seemed to take heart, stretching its wings out. Then... Achan Smith, I accept your offer!

Suddenly, the room was plunged into darkness. Achan and the Kuriboh sat in a completely blank room. "What the-"

SILENCE. DO NOT SPEAK UNTIL YOU ARE ASKED TO. Suddenly, a large... something had appeared within the blank space. It was a strange being, one that caused Achan to shudder in terror. A tall, bronze-skinned human, albeit one that stood twelve to eighteen feet tall, stood before him. However, the being's head was covered by a strange, golden mask, resembling the figurehead on a pharoah's coffin. I AM HE THAT KEEPS THE BALANCE, the being continued. THE SPIRIT CHARGED WITH THE SAFEKEEPING OF THIS UNIVERSE. MY NAME IS NOT IMPORTANT. YOU MAY ADDRESS ME AS THOTH, IF YOU MUST SPEAK TO ME. FOR NOW, SIMPLY ANSWER MY QUESTIONS: DO YOU WISH TO FORM A CONTRACT WITH THIS SPIRIT?

Achan's mouth opened and closed for a few moments before he managed to squeak out "I suppose-"

AND YOU, SPIRIT, DO YOU ACCEPT THIS ARRANGEMENT?

The Kuriboh merely pointed to his newly-repainted sign. Read it, he replied. Scrawled on the cardboard were the words "Will you just skip to the end?"

The being blinked. VERY WELL, THEN. I NOW PRONOUNCE THE CONTRACT BETWEEN THE HUMAN ACHAN SMITH AND THE SPIRIT OF THE TABLET, AKUMA KURIBOH, FORMED. YOUR FATES ARE NOW INTERTWINED. IF EITHER OF YOU BETRAYS THE OTHER, JUDGMENT WILL ONE DAY FALL UPON YOU. YOU WILL FORGET THIS MEETING. FOR NOW, SLEEP....

Suddenly, drowsiness seized Achan Smith, and he crashed to the floor. Beside him, a single duel monsters card floated down...

An announcement rang over the ship's intercom. "ATTENTION DUELISTS! WE WILL BE DOCKING ON DUELIST KINGDOM TOMORROW MORNING! I REPEAT! MY HAIR IS TELLING ME THAT..."

The Next Day....​

Achan rubbed his eyes. "Where... am I?"

"You're awake, Kuroda-san. We were worried."

The voice was familiar. Achan struggled to open his eyes. "Kuroda? Who?"

"It's worse than I thought," Judai muttered. "You've lost your memories, too, huh? That Shadow Duelist must have done a number on you. When we found you passed out in the corridor, we thought that-"

Achan sat bolt upright. "Wait, stop! Shadow Duelist! Kaito was with them! He's been playing us all along! I've got to tell-" he stopped, as he stared down at himself. "Where am I, exactly?"

Judai stood up. "Listen to me, Kuroda-san. You're a card designer for Industrial Illusions. We found you on board the ship, unconscious. Some people attacked you and kidnapped one of us. We brought you to the infirmary here as soon as we landed. It turns out that Mr. Crawford was keeping one open just in case of such-"

Achan stood up, stretching. "That last bit is news to me," he admitted. "But you've got three things wrong with that. First of all, I don't work for Industrial Illusions. Second of all, it was one person. And third..." he stopped. "My name is Achan Smith. The guy you've been talking about just ran off with my body after stealing it from me in a penalty game."

Judai's face paled. "This is worse than I-"

"I have a scar on my lower-right shoulder," Achan interrupted. "You would have seen it when you were examining the marks on my body. Kaito wouldn't know about that. And I know that you're the Supreme King. Kaito doesn't. Kaito stole my deck and my body. Are you getting any of this?"

Judai's eyes narrowed. "Sumisu-kun...?"

"That's what I've been trying to tell you," Achan sighed. "Now can we hurry up and find the others?"

Judai nodded. "They're right outside..."
 
Manjoume, to put it very mildly, was miffed, glaring into the floor. He had won the card game, right? Things like this shouldn't happen when you won the card games, right? RIGHT? It wouldn't have happened if Judai had been the one winning the card game, he was sure. Life. Just. Wasn't. FAIR.

"I didn't know he had an accomplice!" she finally shouted out in frustration at the accusing glare boring in through his skull.

"I didn't say anything." Tacey, clad in yesterday's outfit, replied levelly, her gaze unflinching, "Your incompetence speaks for itself, Ojamanjoume."

"Incompetence?!" Manjoume retorted, the color rushing up his cheeks as he pointed an accusing finger at the girl, "I-I protected you from an ambush, you ingrateful little-!"

"Finish that sentence." the millionaire heiress hissed out in her most murderous voice, "I dare you. I didn't need your help."

"Why, you-"

"Whatever." the rich girl interrupted, folding her arms and tapping her foot impatiently as she completely zoned out the older duelist's remarks, "I just wish Kaito would hurry up and finish his little nap so we can get on with the business already. For being on a supposedly tight schedule, we sure have been kept waiting for quite some time."
 
The resonating cries of Smith in the next cabin could not have come at a worst time. Fighting off a throbbing headache and a rising fever, Michel was not in the mood to hear his pathetic and random exclamations, something apparent in all of his duels thus far. All he could do was close his eyes and block everything else out. Throwing his tattered blazer and duel disk to the floor, scattering his deck in all matter of directions, the heir collapsed into the comfort of the only bed in sight.

"Damn..." he breathed, his sweat dampening the sheets he laid upon before tearing away what was left of his shirt.

Tossing the rags off to the side, he then glanced over to where his blood-stained clothes bundled and to the scuffed duel disk lying beside them. He had had more than a rough day, much more intense than he had expected, admittedly. He was just glad that the cabins were so confined as to allow as much privacy as possible, he was a wreck and he definitely wouldn't hear the end of it if the others caught wind of his condition. Feeling his eyes growing heavy, he mustered what little strength he had and reached over the bed to retrieve his previously thrown cell phone.

Seeing the screen flicker into the life, he glazed over the incoming message before falling asleep.

---​

The taste of salt was rich in the air as he stepped off the hull and onto the shore of the island where the ship had docked. Duelist Kingdom now surrounded them and housed one of the tournament's sponsors as well as their reason for being there, Pegasus J. Crawford.

Rejuvenated from a good night's rest and under the light of the new day, he could see their destination through the approaching forests surrounding the monstrous structure. Slinging his handbag over his shoulder while the other dug into his pocket, Michel then called over his shoulder, "Smith! Sarasi! Hurry up!"
 
Judai and Achan walked into the room where the team members had gathered, Achan leaning on Judai's arm for support. "Everyone, I'm afraid we're all in trouble," Judai announced. "And not ordinary trouble. 'The universe is about to be royally screwed' trouble." His face was troubled, moreso than usual, and for good reason. The "supreme King" turned to Achan. "Sumisu-kun, go ahead and tell them," he ordered.

Achan stepped forward shakily, and met the eyes of each one of his team mates nervously. How, exactly, was he supposed to explain this? 'Hi, guys, guess what, Kaito's a big stinky cheater and he screwed me over and stole my deck and my body, and now he's going to use them to take over the world?' That would sound about as likely as Pegaus J. Crawford announcing that in the future, all duel tournaments would take place on motorbikes. But really, there was nothing else for it. He had to at least try to explain the situation. Achan rolled his eyes. He might as well come out and say it. "Well, everyone, er... I..." he began, avoiding eye contact with most of the members of his team. "I'm not sure how I'm supposed to say this, but... well, there was sort of an accident on the boat- er, no, that's not right. I was challenged to a shadow game by- no, I can't say that either. I mean, it all boils down to the fact that-"

Achan stopped abruptly. Akuma Kuriboh floated in front of him, holding up a sign reading "Go for it!".

Achan managed to grin. "Er... well, I guess I may as well just spit it out." He drew himself up to his full height, which was at least a few inches taller than his previous body's had been- not counting the hair, of course. "I'm Achan Smith. Kaito's been the enemy the whole time. See, he..." Achan broke off, unsure of how to explain Kaito's relationship with the spirit floating next to his head. Turning to his new partner, he whispered "Can anyone else see you? Before, I was the only one that could."

The duel spirit shook its head. Only 'cause I was fused with Kaito. Right now I'm not a part of anyone's essence- we're just sharing duel energy. So anyone that can see duel spirits knows I've been hovering over your shoulder since... about ten seconds ago.

Achan blinked. "Oh," he said. "Well, that's a bit awkward." Straightening up, he gestured to the devil-horned furball floating next to him. "This guy is Akuma Kuriboh," he explained. "Long story short, Kaito stole him from Pegasus, promised him the moon, and then sucked every drop of energy he had dry and left him lying around. I rescued him, but... well, anyway, long story short is that he and his buddies have been sealing off the powers of something called the Sennen Items for a few years now, and if they lose their energy, the items can be awakened or something like that. And once they're awakened..." Achan shuddered for a moment, then continued, "Well, I don't wanna be around for that part. Anyway, Kaito took my deck because he wanted it for some reason, and he said something about my body being food for a Sennen item. I think he's planning to sacrifice it, or something, but he needs his soul to be in it for it to work." He took a deep breath, and decided to finish up. "So, yeah, I'm stuck in this body for the rest of the tournament, and I'd appreciate it if you all could understand that." He bowed slightly- he couldn't quite understand why- and ended the speech.

Judai stood up. "I know you all probably think this is some sort of practical joke, but this really is Sumisu-kun," he explained. "I saw Sumisu-kun in the hospital before we left Domino, and he had a scar on his shoulder that was usually covered by his shirt. Kaito wouln't know about that, but he did. Also, if Kuroda really is behind some of this activity that Pegasus has been warning us about, it would explain a lot." He motioned for Achan, who had been preparing to sit down, to stand a little bit longer. "Sumisu-kun and I have decided that for now, we're going to work together and try to find out everything we can about why Kuroda wanted to take Sumisu-kun's body. We'll still be competing in the tournament, but finding out Kuroda's goals will be our priority. Manjoume, you can handle investigating the shadow duelists on your own, right?" Judai answered his own question. "Of course you can. Edgeworth-san, Aruma-san, Kuso-kun, it's your own decision whether or not to get involved with any of this, but I ask you to please put up with us for now."

Achan rolled his eyes. "Y'know, you could've put that better. When you say it, it sounds like I've given up the tournament."

"Excuse me, but if Kuroda-san has recovered, Mister Pegasus wishes to see you all in his office," a security guard announced as he stepped into the infirmary.

Judai raised an eyebrow. "Croquet? You're finished sandpapering your throat already?"

The guard's eyes narrowed. "That wasn't funny."

As the guard and Judai eased into meaningless "co-worker" banter, Achan walked closer to the rest of the team. "So... what now?" he asked them. "I know I wanna find Kaito and beat the crap out of him, but I still don't know why Pegasus wants us here, really. Kaito said Pegasus suspected one of us of being the thief who stole Akuma Kuriboh, but I don't know if he was telling the truth or not."
 
Tacey merely listened in silence as the unlikely explanation unfolded, looking at Achan and Judai in turn with the same, penetrating glare that she had subjected Manjoume to for the past hour or so. She didn't try to speak, nor did she make any kind of movement whatsoever, patiently waiting until the tirade finally came to an awkward conclusion.

"Are you quite finished?" she said at last, calm and composed as ever as she rolled her eyes at the red-blazered duelist, "All you needed to tell us was that we should start thinking of Kaito as Smith, and Smith as Kaito and that the Smith who is apparently Kaito is the shadow duelist who both you." she turned her glare to Judai, "And Ojamanjoume," she was equally prompt in ignoring the older duelist's indignant protest at this, "Were completely unable to identify as a shadow duelist, despite your supposed 'powers'." she scoffed, "I must say, you two are the most incompetent bodyguards I've ever seen, and by the sound of it you are not much better at expositions."

"You're taking all of this pretty calmly." Manjoume grit out, his embarassment over the situation adding sting to the insult he had just been delivered.

"Panicing is not dignified." the millionaire heiress replied airily, "Besides, I feel I am getting quite used to this sort of thing by now. Now shall we?"

Without waiting for a response, the girl promptly turned on her heels to follow Croquet, promptly refusing any kind of contact with the others until Achan finally made an awkward first move.

"We hear mister Pegasus out first, obviously." she replied snippily, still stubbornly addressing the air ahead of her, "Those who have done no wrong have nothing to be worried about. Besides, he used to own a Sennen item, didn't he? If anyone can make sense of this mess our lovely escorts" she purposefully raised her voice so both Judai and Manjoume could catch the phrase, "have gotten us into, it's him. I have an opinion or two about this tournament to express to him as well."
 
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First seeing Kurado gesturing to thin air as if some form of presence was hovering there beside him, an 'Akuma Kuriboh' as it were, before then explaining that he was actually in essence, Smith, all Michel could do was to hear out the obvious hoax, although he was already pushing the bounds of giving the boy a good beating. He was surprised when Yuki then decided to vouch for the brat's claims and proceeded to further compound the issue with the notion of an identifiable scar on Smith's back and that Crawford was also somehow involved in the matter.

Hearing Edgeworth's lackluster response on the situation however, was enough to calm his own brewing thoughts of abusing the stranger's words.

"Switching bodies, Sennen Items and sacrifices?" he started dryly, to reiterate the sheer improbability of those very words, "You should know by now that I have no interest in these kinds of matters." Pausing as he turned to acknowledge the presence of a new suit, Michel finally added, "I have no problem however, with this brat replacing Smith. He might actually prove more useful."

The suit known as Croquet then proceeded to usher them into Crawford's quarters and to the answers as to what had been happening throughout the tournament, the purpose of Yuki and Manjoume's inclusion and the reason behind the so called 'Shadow Duelists' attacks. Pocketing his hands, Michel proceeded to follow the suit's lead, along with Edgeworth who was already raring to meet the fabled sponsor.

"Now if you're done spewing whatever tripe it is you're convinced is happening, shut up and move."
 
Night

Kuso had just exited his cabin when the announcement came ringing over the intercom. Duelist Kingdom had looked so close out the window, yet it was going to take all night to get there. "They need all night to travel a mile!? What, is his hair the driver, too?" Kuso growled as he opened the door and entered the cabin again, resigning himself to rest there in the meantime. He placed his things on the desk nearby and got ready for bed, but there was something odd about the nearby spirit. It appeared to be preoccupied with something outside of the room, almost nervous about it. Kuso almost inquired about what it was, but just shrugged it off due to the day's events and the time of night. As he crawled into the bed and drifted to sleep, a single thought kept repeating itself in his head.

"I need to get stronger…I need to get stronger……"

-----​

"Here we are, Duelist Kingdom…"

This was where Yugi had won his first major competition, where his true popularity had begun. Despite Achan's recent disappearance and the serious atmosphere of what was going on around him, Kuso could do nothing but stand in awe at where he was. Of course he had felt excitement regarding it earlier, having already known where the boat was heading, but that paled in comparison to what he felt now that the group had reached their destination. On top of this, he would actually be meeting Pegasus himself in person, and not just inside of a hospital room this time, either. Maybe this time there could be an actual conversation between the two of them, and he could ask about what happened to the other duelists…

"UM, KUSO…DID YOU EVEN HEAR WHAT YOUR TEAMMATES JUST EXPLAINED TO YOU?"

"Wow……Duelist Kingdom…"

The machine let out its own version as a sigh as Kuso's legs mechanically led him along with the rest of the group, his brain more focused on daydreaming than what had just transpired.
 
Achan blinked in surprise. He had expected Michel's reaction based on everything else he knew about the businessman, but he hadn't expected Tacey to completely accept everything he had just said at face value. Okay, granted, they had seen strange things on this trip. But still, something just didn't feel quite right about her accepting a body switch at face value. At her words of advice, however, Achan shrugged it off. Tacey and Michel were right- no matter what happened, now was the time to find the answers they were waiting for. Besides, he had new cards coming, presuming that Kaito hadn't stolen them. "Judai?" he called, catching the older duelist's attention. "Not to interrupt your chat, but... can we go to Pegasus now?"

Judai nodded, without breaking his flow of conversation. "You all go ahead. I'll catch up with you. Pegasus is in the big castle near the center of the island, in the dueling area. You can't miss it."

"And how far is that from here?" Achan asked, suspicious.

"Oh... probably half a mile, most of it stairs. Have fun!"

Achan groaned. "Oy... Just when I'm getting used to this body, too." he muttered. "Well, let's go I guess." He walked to the door, trying his best not to overbalance.

Hey, not bad! Before you could barely stand on your own two feet, Akuma Kuriboh noted. Now you're limping like a pro!

Achan's eyes narrowed. "Says the one who's barely got enough duel energy to keep himself visible."

Touche.

Several Minutes Later...​

"So this is Pegasus's home? Nice..." Achan breathed in surprise and excitement as he stared at the ornate furnishings. He was exhausted- climbing those stairs had been no walk in the park- but the castle was well worth the effort, now that he was past the gates. He dimly thought that Tacey was probably eating this up, or else twisting in jealousy. Say what you might about Pegasus, the man definitely had good taste in decorations. The interior looked positively regal- of course, then again, Achan was never a good judge of quality when it came to "posh". He did, however, take note of one important difference between Pegasus's home and those of most debutantes. While most of them had famous artwork of one sort or another hanging on their walls, the portraits lining the hallways of duelist kindom were plastered with portraits of duel monsters. Most of the pictures had some sort of plaque indicated the artist who drew them. A few, nearer the end of the hallway, did not. "Wonder who drew these? They're really good," Achan mused out loud as he ran his fingers across the frame of a particularly well-done representation of a Blue-Eyes White Dragon in oil paint.

"Come now, Kaito-boy, you know as well as I do who painted that portrait," a familiar, lilting voice called out from down the hallway.

"Pegasus!" Achan nearly jumped back in surprise, but seeing as his leap's trajectory would have carried him into Michel he decided against it. "You're here!"

"And where else would I be? This is my home, after all," the card designer replied. "Are you feeling your best, Kaito-boy? You seem a bit different. And where is Achan-boy? I gave specific instructions for you to collect all of Team Seven, after all."

Achan sighed. Apparently, Judai hadn't explained the situation to Pegasus yet. "I'm Achan," he said, not feeling like a long explanation at the moment. "Kaito stole my body and ran off with it. Ask Judai for details."

Pegasus looked a bit bemused, but finally he nodded and motioned down the hallway. "May I invite you all to the duel arena? I trust that you'll want to see the new cards we designed for you before we settle down to business."

Achan shook his head. "I'll pass on the cards Kaito designed. He's probably taken them for himself anyway. I'd rather lose the tournament then duel with anything that guy had his hands in. Besides, Kaito stole my deck, so anything you've got I can't use."

Pegasus raised an eyebrow. "You're sure? You don't want to at least see them, Achan-boy?"

Achan thought for a moment and nodded. "I'll manage somehow. Besides..." he glanced at the spirit floating beside him before continuing, "I think I'm going to build something a bit... different for my deck this time. It's something I've wanted to try since back in New York. Can I borrow a few cards? Judai told me that you had some old booster packs you forgot to ship in one of the storage rooms."

Pegasus seemed surprised, but nodded. "I have more than enough to spare... but nothing one of a kind or extremely rare, if you please. There are a few spare packs in one of the back rooms, but you'll miss the fabulous debut of your friend's new monsters."

Achan shrugged. "Right now, I'd rather get a working deck, thanks. Don't worry though..." he glanced at the duel spirit over his shoulder. "I won't be missing a thing."

Pegasus was a bit surprised, but he allowed Achan to walk down the hallway. "Well then, will everyone else please follow me?"

The moment the group and Achan had left the hallway, the security guard who had allowed them in grabbed a walkie-talkie and switched it on. "Attention, Shadow Duelists!" he barked into it. "My hair is reporting to inform you that target A is isolated, and targets C through D have entered the duel arena! My hair says the operation can now commence!"


OOC: Once again, betcha didn't see that coming. XD Alright, AE, I know you've got a subplot to start on, so I'm handing Pegasus over to you for a bit. Go crazy. :3
 
"I'll be staying behind too." Manjoume remarked as Judai gave his goodbyes, "Pegasus requested the members of team seven specifically, and besides..." his gaze darkened, "There is something about that shadow duelist from last night that I want to look into."

Without offering any further explanation, he promptly switched directions, leaving with his black coat tails trailing faithfully behind him.

"Well, don't just stand there." Tacey huffed at the group, "We have plenty of ground to cover and we're not going to get anywhere just staying here." and with that, she took point of the group with a manner poignant enough to match Manjoume's.

A moment later, when the last sounds from the group began dying down, a solitary, feminine shape detached itself from the nearest cluster of shadows...and moved.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
​

Despite the long, harrowing trek to Pegasus' inner sanctum and the reddening of her cheeks at the effort, Tacey maintained a prim and proper air about her all the way, stubbornly refusing to let any signs of fatigue show, even as she was forced to dig up a handkerchief and wipe the sweat off her brow by the end. If she had any opinions about the traveling arrangements, or about the luxurious decor surrounding them, she kept them to herself, barely dignifying the paintings with a glance, even as Achan marveled over them. She was equally few-worded when Pegasus made his entry.

When their host finally shifted the topic of the conversation to their new cards, however, the girl's expression immediately became more attentive, tapping her foot irritably at Achan's interruption until he finally had the sense to part ways.

"Lead the way, mister Pegasus." she said with a curt nod as they finally got down to business, setting off after the effeminate millionaire with a brisk pace.

"My, my, aren't we eager today, Tacey-girl?" their host remarked, a bemused grin playing around his lips, "You must really be thrilled to see your new cards."

"Just behind schedule, Mr.Pegasus." Tacey replied levelly, managing to add a few more inches to her height as she straightened her back further, "Just behind schedule."

"Well then." The millionaire retained his enigmatic smile, pushing open the doors to the duel arena himself, "Don't let me keep you waiting any longer, Tacey-girl. Your new cards are right over there." he nodded towards a solitary, open suitcase standing on the closer one of the dueling tables, its velvet-lined interior filled with carefully positioned cards, all bearing a sheen of newness that was immediately reflected in the rich girl's eyes.

"These..." she began tentatively, eyes not leaving the cards.

"All yours." Pegasus confirmed, receiving a nod in response from the girl, who quickly moved in closer and began examining her new acquisition with more critical eyes, a look of intense concentration on her face, as if she was trying to peer past the cardboard and ink into something just a little beneath it.

"Is everything alright, Tacey-girl?" the millionaire ventured at last.

"Better than you know, Mr. Pegasus." the purple-haired girl replied, her tone as absent as her expression as a disturbing smile slowly crept over her features, "Better than you know. Would you...mind if I gave these cards a test?"

"That's what the arena is there for, Tacey-girl." Pegaus replied gracefully, "Just give me a moment and I will call over Croquet-boy to act as your-"

"That won't be necessary."

The female voice, practically quivering with pent-up distaste despite its apparent calmness, effectively broke the discussion, the gazes immediately turning to the figure approaching from the same corridor she had come in from. There was a certain air of creepiness about her, clad in a black, frilly lolita dress with a red ribbon tied into a bow at the front - the only splash of color on the otherwise black and white attire - its hem reaching all the way to the knee-high, white stockings on her legs, but th real shock was in the long, dark purple curls running down from her head and the regal, politely indignant face.

She was a Tacey right down to the last detail.

"You!" Tacey looked shocked to say the least, her hands instictively claspign around her new deck, "How-why-who are you?!"

"Who are you?" her duplicate repeated, her entire facial expression spelling out unimpressed as she moved closer, "Oh please, I'd never resort to such a tired old cliché."

"Don't...try to confuse me, shadow duelist." Tacey shot back, "You're an impostor! See?" she flashed out Curran's and Pikeru's cards, "These are my duel spirits."

"My duel spirits." the other corrected evenly, "Just like those are my clothes you are wearing, and my cards you are holding." her expression hardened, "I will be taking all of them back now."

"This is riduculous!" the brightly dressed Tacey protested, turning to Pegasus, "Mr. Pegasus, this is obviously an impostor! A shadow duelist trying to confuse us with her tricks! I demand that you have your men apprehend her right this minute!"

"Well now." Pegasus replied, sounding more amused than shocked, "This is quite the dilemma we have here, Tacey-girl...or should is that Tacey-girl over there? I'm afraid that-"

"Afraid nothing!" Tacey interrupted, "I have the spirits! I have the royal deck! I'm obviously-!"

"A bad impostor!" the stranger snarled, whipping out a single card of her own "Otherwise, you would have taken this into account." with a simple flipping motion, she turned the card around in her hand, revealing the illustration of a small, gray clad angel crying, "This card is one of a kind. Is that not right...mister Pegasus?"

"But that's a dark monster!" the brightly clad girl spat, "See?! It's proof that she's a shadow duelist!"

"It's proof that you slacked off in your research." the dark-clad Tacey retorted, a thin smile spreading across her lips, "Otherwise, you would have known that Judai gave this card to me for safekeeping. Face it." she locked eyes with the other, "Your scheme is over...copy duelist, Arella Moorehand."

Arella glared back furiously for a moment, but then a smile of her own spread to mirror Tacey's, "I see." she said softly, still fingering the deck in her hands as she slowly backed away towards the other end of the arena, "Such a simple thing." she let out a mirthless little laugh, "Funny, isn't it? It looks like Nicholas meddled after all. If only he wouldn't have been so reckless as to cast away that duel spirit, if only he had managed to mark you like he was supposed to...this wouldn't be necessary."

Pegasus' reaction was instantaneous, the millionaire quickly leaping back and spreading his arms out to keep Kuso and Michel from getting caught in the ring of electric blue that spread out around the dueling arena, quickly growing into a crystalline hemipshere that neatly walled in the arena, the fake Tacey materializing by the table at the other end.

"I really, really hoped it wouldn't come to this this." Arella continued in response to Tacey's murderous glare, calmly shuffling her newly obtained cards, "But you leave me no choice. We'll let these spirits decide on their true owner through a duel. Though of course..." she continued impishly, "...you may find yourself at a slight disadvantage since you don't have-"

"A deck?" Tacey interrupted, raising up a stack of cards for inspection before placing it on its designated place on the table.

"Once again, you surprise me, Edgeworth." Arella remarked, a hint of approval in her voice, "It's a real pity I have to erase you."

"Like I'll let that happen." the rich girl retorted, "I don't know what you're playing at trying to take my place, but quite clearly I need to impress on everyone here who the future queen of games in this company is."

"You certainly have the confidence for the title, I'll give you that." Arella crooned, "But it doesn't take a good actor to notice a bad one. That deck of yours is just leftover cards, isn't it?"

"It's more than enough to beat you." Tacey replied, unphazed, "Duel!"
 
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