The Gears Turning

'I am an idiot.' That was the only thing he could think of the moment he heard the voice of his 'caretaker' asking if there was someone else together with him since she had heard an unknown voice just now. He was mature enough to admit that the feeling of witnessing something so magical had clouded his judgment.

He had gotten away by telling her that it was just him groaning because he forgot to buy something in the market when he went last time. Fortunately, he hadn't been frustrated enough yet to groan out loud near her, so she bought that excuse. Though, she still came to see the room where he was just in case, nodding satisfactorily once she noticed nothing out of the ordinary.

Disciple of Ra also helped by turning invisible — or maybe he just unsummoned himself, Joachim didn't know — so there were even fewer chances of getting caught.

However, it was only when he got to his own room that he could finally be at ease. "Okay. You can come out now. It is safe for you to do so."

He spoke aloud merely to test his theory. Fortunately, he succeeded, and there was not a need to pull the spirit out of the card again. It would have been rather embarrassing if he had just spoken to the empty air. The golden-haired youth was sure that Ra would mention it many times as subtle jabs. Despite being a supposed God, he took pleasure in some silly little things.

Once again, the Spirit appeared kneeling in front of him awaiting orders. Somehow, though, not knowing how to address him became a concern. Maybe an idiotic one, but a concern nonetheless. "So... For starters, what is your name?"

"I left my name behind when I decided to follow His Eminence, my sire." Well, that was troubling. Both his lack of identity and how he was being addressed as.

"You don't have to call me 'sire'. I am not cut out for that thing. Just Joachim is fine... or anything really. I only ask you not to go into the territory of 'lord' or 'master'. That would be creepy if I am being honest. On another note, do you mind if I give you a name?" It was more for his own personal comfort than anything. Having to say "Disciple of Ra, help me with this," or "Disciple of Ra, do that." would get tiring way too soon. He was absolutely sure.

"Th-That is..." Even with his head looking at the ground, Joachim could tell the Spirit was nervous and possibly reluctant to accept my first request. In his mind, there was probably a battle between following the orders given and being disrespectful by doing so. There was also a little fear in there, although the Reincarnator couldn't tell that since he wasn't an expert at detecting emotions or something like that.

The feeling of fear did not stem from the youth, but from Ra. Since they were now united, insulting one would be tantamount to insulting the other, and that was a heresy of the highest level.

"A-As you command. And regarding my name, you may address me however you wish and I shall gratefully accept." Despite his clear hesitancy, he ended up relenting in the end.

'Perfect. Now, how do I go about this? I don't want to be like a certain skeleton and call him Paul or something...' With that said, he wasn't actually that good in the naming department. Luckily, though, a flash of inspiration hit him.

"From now on, you will be referred to as Yami." Aside from Orion, Ishizu, and his current's body original owner, Yami was the other Egyptian person that came to mind. Of course, he knew his real name was Atem, but Joachim could already picture the Spirit having qualms with that, so he went for the Pharaoh's...nickname. Besides, he didn't know if he was his Dark Marik side speaking, but having someone sharing the 'name' of that individual serving him felt oddly pleasant.

He pointedly ignored his metallic companion's scoff, though.

"I shall obey." Not understanding the hidden meaning, the Servant of Ra merely nodded, awaiting further orders, which Joachim couldn't wait to give. Not because he enjoyed ordering people around, but because time was against him. He had to take advantage of this godsent opportunity where he could move as he wished, albeit for a day, and at most, two.

"How good are you on the sneaking department, Yami?" This was the first thing he wanted to know. Depending on the answer, his course of action might have to be adjusted a little.

"As long as one of my kind is not present; I can go undetected from the common folk." It took a second for Joachim to notice that he wasn't calling him by his name or by a title.

'So, instead of addressing me with something that might upset me, or something he will struggle with, he prefers not to say anything? That's fine in its own right, I guess. That aside, he doesn't strike me as a ninja type, so it makes sense he is not really good at it. Fortunately, I doubt those scrubs will have a Spirit with them. More so when they copypaste their decks, so this will work well enough.' If he were to be playing with more unknowns, he wouldn't be so confident. However, since he knew — by eavesdropping on Grace and Gloria — that there wasn't anyone with a high rank here aside from them, he was not worried.

Coming out of his thoughts, the dark-skinned youth finally gave his orders to his servant. "We will go looking for patrol teams. When they are alone in an unpopulated area, you will knock them out, and I will rob them blind." Truth be told, he just wanted their Duel Disk, but if they had something in their possession of value, he would take it. Naturally, he wasn't that scummy to steal money or their identification if they even had one. He just wanted the really important stuff that would help him progress in this dueling world.

"Understood." Yami simply acknowledged his request without any second thought.

"Okay, since you are probably way faster and stronger than me, you will carry me through the roofs in search of said groups. Otherwise, it would take too much precious time." That request, however, was a little more on the troubling side, evidently by the nervousness he was starting to display.

'Stop complaining and do as he says. The sooner we are over with this, the sooner I will be able to manifest after so long. Must you delay my descent? Is that what your objective is?' If there was someone more impatient than Joachim, then that would be Ra himself. The Egyptian God could not wait to demonstrate his might against the younger generation who seemed to have forgotten the terror his name brought to the world. Having his servant doubt every decision was beginning to wear his patience even more than it already was.

"I would never dare! I only exist to follow His Eminence's orders!" Noticing the anger of his God, Yami prostrated in such a way that it made his kneeling position from before a joke in comparison.

"Give the guy a rest. Anyway, let's get going before this turns out in a full-blown circus. Time is against us and I don't feel like watching a soap opera right now." Joachim extended a metaphorical helping hand to the Spirit, who gratefully took it. This time, Yami did as he was told, albeit with a little hesitance still.

Offering a small apology, Yami put his right arm around Joachim's back, holding the youth right below the armpit with added strength to prevent any accidents.

Once they were ready, the Spirit opened slid the picture window that led to the outside, and quickly jumped out. Using a tree that was near as a support, he once again leaped, now to the roofs. Joachim at first had some reservations regarding the passersby but maybe due to luck or simply perfect timing on Yami's part, no one saw them.

From house to house, they advanced fast. Being a relatively normal person, he didn't get chances to spot any potential targets. Everything was almost a blur that he could barely differentiate colors. Even so, he knew the Duel Monster would not have any of these restrictions, and as soon as he found someone, he would stop and let him know. Besides... it was kind of fun.

It was a new experience, once he enjoyed it freely. Unconsciously, a smile appeared on his face. Who knew that he would get to go through something like this? Certainly not him.

His smile soon vanished as his eyes turned half-empty. 'I don't know if you are able to hear me, but... thank you. Thank you for giving a puppet the chance to feel what is like to live.'

"We have arrived. I will now put him down." Yami's whisper brought him back to reality. Refocusing his eyes and looking down, he could see a group of three Academia soldiers talking among themselves.

'That was quick.' He thought. However, taking into account the speed at which they were going, he was not that surprised. Sure enough, when he moved his gaze randomly from one place to another, he faintly saw some big landmarks near his temporary house. From the place they were in, though, they looked microscopic.

'Wait.' Before he gave the go-ahead to the Spirit to commence their assault, he was interrupted. This time by Ra's voice.

'What is it? Anything we need to know?' Knowing that his companion was not one for idle chat, and much less when it came to fastening their process of dueling "for real," Joachim decided to listen to what he had to say. It wouldn't be something trivial, of that he was sure of.

'It is best to be prepared lest we face consequences that could prove unfavorable for us.' As soon as he finished speaking, some yellow particles converged right below him before a dark cloak appeared on his feet when the 'spectacle' ended. Removing his grip from Yami's torso since he obviously didn't need it anymore, he crouched down to pick it up.

It took less than a second to recognize it as the clothing used by the Rare Hunters. A frown soon formed on his face when he saw it, though. 'Don't take this the wrong way, but what use would this have? Leaving aside the fact that some nasty wind could blow the cover, my voice is still the same, and the clothes I wear under too.'

'You would do well in not undermining my intelligence. A mere wind will do nothing to it. I have also made sure to conceal your voice. As for your appearance under it... you will have to see for yourself.' The golden-haired youth had the sudden urge to roll his eyes. Was it really that necessary to take advantage of every opportunity to brag?

Regardless, he quickly put it on. He already said they were in a hurry, and that also applied to himself. Nobody would catch him dilly-dallying, that's for sure.

As soon as he was done, the change instantly made itself clear. His clothes under the cloak immediately transformed. The way they had done so reminded him of when Yuya's cards became Pendulum ones. A 'swish' from top to bottom and that was it. Fortunately, the magic show wasn't flashy, and it didn't have any weird sound effects either. That would have blown their cover.

Regarding his new get-up though... 'No matter how you look at it, I am Yami Marik, aren't I?' Ra certainly could have been more original, he deadpanned. Just not to be mean, he would pretend it wasn't just because the villain had been the closest thing to him besides Yugi.

Speaking of which, he could apparently see perfectly even with the hood on. The only difference with his normal sight would be that there were some dark spots in the corners of his vision, probably to remind him that he was wearing it. Bizarre, yes, but he could live with it.

As for his voice... something told him that he didn't need to check that one out. He just hoped there wouldn't be any strange desire to stick his tongue out. Or worse, some worm-like veins going around his face. That would scare him first before it even did his enemies.

Leaving that disturbing mental image aside, Joachim once again directed his attention to Yami, who had been patiently waiting without commenting on anything. 'It's time. Go.'

Nodding his head, the Disciple of Ra dived down. As he was physically manifested, the Obelisk trio could see him without problems. That didn't mean they could react to his movements, though.

A punch and elbow to the face, as well as a kick in the gut, sent the three to dreamland once they collided with the walls surrounding them. No hesitation whatsoever and fast as lightning. It was enough to make Joachim grimace. 'How can he even go from a reserved and scared guy to...that?'

Shaking his head to dispel the thought, the youth descended into the alleyway through the metallic stairs. Since they didn't go all the way down, he had to jump anyway. Luckily, by that point, the height was not a concern. And he was sure that Yami would catch him if he thought he would get hurt. The shifting of his body told the golden-haired youth exactly that.

Once he was on the floor, he approached the unconscious group without pause. Picking the Duel Disk of one of the three at random, he began to observe it carefully. In the meantime, he asked Yami to look for any of their belongings that could be useful to get.

Just to be on the safe side, he pointed where the 'blade' would be to the opposite side of him. He didn't know if those things had a real edge, but he didn't want to find out. Not now at least.

Slowly, he turned it around. Aside from the deck that was already inserted, there were no buttons of any sort, so it was safe to assume that there was not any kind of manual activation. However, a thought soon formed in his mind. He had never seen anyone press the big circle to activate it. Which meant...

Soon, his eyes observed the little space just below the deck where the arm was supposed to go. 'I wonder...'

Deciding to test his theory, he inserted his limb in the small area, and the result was immediate. "Woah—"

The sudden appearance of the blade had scared the living hell out of him, even if he knew this was a possibility. That also made actually speak, confirming that his voice with the cloak on was indeed Yami Marik's. Safe to say, his voice plus an exclamation of surprise didn't go hand in hand. Ever. If he could, he would delete that part of his memory.

His little stunt attracted the Spirit's attention, but once he saw it was nothing to worry about, he returned to his task, although occasionally throwing glances to the youth just in case he did something dangerous.

For his part, Joachim focused on the interface that had lit itself up once the Duel Disk was activated. There were many options displayed that weren't duel-related. He guessed that could be an automatic thing once it detected another activated Duel Disk nearby through radio waves or something. He was of course pretty much bullshitting, but nothing really came to mind aside from that.

Among the many options, there were calls, registers — he preferred not to know what it was registering —, a shop probably to upgrade their deck — again, he didn't want to know how they obtained their currency —, a profile detailing all the information of the owner like a sort of ID, settings, and the most disgusting thing, the program to turn people into cards. Finally, there was the option for dimensional travel.

'Perfect. This is the best piece of news I have gotten. With this, I can finally get away from this God-forsaken place.' Hurriedly clicking, he noticed, much to his dismay, that there were only two options, XYZ and Synchro Dimension, while Fusion, for obvious reasons, was greyed out.

This was a letdown, but nothing that could dampen his mood that much. 'Besides, it's not like I would have instantly gone to Standard even if the option was there. First I need to solve the situation with Ren and the others, and only then I can think of escaping. If nothing changes drastically, I should go to Synchro. That stupid Roget should have a device to cross Dimensions, and by that point, I would already be able to summon someone more fit for the job. Not that I have any complaints with Yami, but I want to take the least amounts of risks possible.'

Wanting to test one last thing, Joachim went to the settings tab, and sure enough, there was an option for factory reset. He found it quite amusing that even things as sophisticated, at least to him, still had the same old options.

He swiftly made the reset without hesitation. There was a simple reason for this, and that was that he feared some sort of tracking software. If it was a hardware thing, he was screwed, but that was outside of his scope.

Fortunately for his sanity, the reset was actually over in just a bit over 10 seconds. After turning itself off and on again, a pop-up screen to fill in the data of a new user appeared.

'Let's see... Name... Why are the characters to write it in Japanese? I can magically speak it, not write it! Let's just put something random. I hope this doesn't come to bite me in the ass later. Student number? Some random numerical series. Nice, it worked first try. Include picture? No thanks. Okay, that was everything. It was easier than I thought.' Having finished setting things up, Joachim did a once-over to all the options one more time to make sure everything was exactly as before.

A good thing that it was, although it wouldn't have changed much if it wasn't, considering he had two other Duel Disks right there which he could avoid resetting. Still, it was better if everything was as fail-safe as possible.

"Did you find anything of value?" Once he was over with his inspection, the golden-haired youth turned to Yami, who shook his head in response. God, he was still not used to his new voice, and that was saying something.

"It's okay. Just destroy the other two devices. Do it in a way that it is clear they are Duel Disks but can't be distinguished if they are 2 or 3." The least amount of evidence they left, the better. One thing was to find that your Duel Disk was stolen, which would make you go look for it. If you found it destroyed, however, you would simply get a new one.

"Understood. What about the cards?" Joachim didn't doubt he would tear them apart one by one if he so asked. Nonetheless, he wanted to confirm some things first before coming to a decision.

"Do you feel anything coming from them?" He asked again, waiting for a response from someone who was obviously more knowledgeable in this field.

"No, sir. My brethren seem soulless, even for their type." The answer was one he already expected, but it still made him sigh. There was hope, though. Considering that Reiji's Doom King Armageddons didn't have a soul at first, but later were able to get one.

"I see... Give them to me anyway. It might prove useful to have a spare Deck that won't give me away. I am going to check later for any differences between the three and make a new one out of them." He was not an expert in Ancient Gears, but it was one of the first proper decks that he made, so there was a part of him that had esteem for them. That was obviously before all the support they got later on and the new fusions. It baffled him seeing all the new cards when he first watched the show.

'It will be a long night learning all the combos and strategies.' Strangely, that prospect didn't upset him. Instead, it filled him with a sense of wonder.

'For now, though...'

"Yami, let's go somewhere else. I have someone to meet." Academia was coming, and he had to warn Ren of that fact. No matter if it was useless, he at least wanted to do that.

After destroying the two Duel Disks in the manner his owner told him to, the Disciple of Ra acknowledged his request with a nod and grabbed him again, this time with less hesitation than before.

In a moment, all that was left in that alley were the unconscious bodies of three Academia students.

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"I see you have arrived, Gloria, Grace." From his lofty throne, Akaba Leo neutrally greeted the two girls that were, unsurprisingly, not kneeling before him in respect; not that he minded such trivial details.

"We have, Professor. Hearing the details of our next course of action in person was better, after all." Grace said with a smile on her face that told she didn't care much either way.

"I also prefer to listen to details in person. And I assume you have many details to tell me about the remnants in your hometown?" His eyes narrowed slightly to show that he would not tolerate empty words.

It was Gloria who answered. "We have narrowed their location to a particular zone that is not very frequented. It makes sense if they want to stay hidden as much as possible. In the following days we should have finished with them all."

"I see. I would have expected you to have been done with it already, but considering it is your birthplace, I suppose it is reasonable you do not want to cause any wanton destruction." Grace's teasing smile, as well as Gloria's feral one diminished at his words, but they didn't show any outward reaction besides that.

"No matter. I trust you have it covered. However, be mindful that I will soon be sending my spies to the Standard Dimension to see what my foolish son is planning. I want you ready before that happens." He gave them an ultimatum as easily as breathing. Naturally, he wouldn't punish them per se, but failure meant less action on the frontline, and that was something those two would not want at any cost.

"We will!" They understood it too, so their response was more military-like, and with more respect than they had been showing.

"See that you do. So, any new development that I should be made aware of?" If he was honest, he wasn't expecting anything else. His head was more preoccupied with his true objective, so asking that was more of a formality, even if he knew those two weren't one for those. However, much to his surprise, both girls shifted uncomfortably at the question.

"N-No. There is nothing to add, Professor. Sir." If the stuttering was not enough of a giveaway, then the way in which Grace addressed him was.

Closing his eyes, he released a sigh while holding his temple. "I believe I am patient enough with you two and your lack of respect when speaking to me, but do I really need to hear such obvious lies? Do you prefer me to launch a personal investigation?"

"There is no need!" Gloria intervented before Grace could drown them deeper into the mood. "It's just something insignificant. Our mother picked someone from the streets like a stray cat. He has amnesia and barely remembers his own name. There's nothing else."

"Hoh...? Is that so?" Years enough of experience told him she was being truthful. That would certainly be an unusual development, but still, one he was not interested in. His subordinates' personal lives couldn't matter less to him.

Mistaking his lack of interest for him thinking they were lying, Gloria and Grace exchanged worried glances. With a little indecision about if staying silent would make things worse, the blonde-haired sister finally decided to speak up.

Now that the cat was out of the bag, actively introducing him was better than the Professor finding out in his own accord. At least this way they would have a semblance of control.

"Additionally, he seems to be an experienced Duelist. In some mock Duels we had, he almost beat me numerous times. I don't want to imagine what would be the outcome if he didn't have memory problems that could affect his skills in some way." Now that got his interest. It had to be said that Gloria was one of his best soldiers. Although she shined in Double Duels together with Grace, her personal abilities were nothing to scoff at. Someone that could almost defeat her was indeed rare.

"If he is as good as you say he is, then maybe he could be a good addition to us." After an extensive background check, of course. He didn't want any surprises.

Gloria's shoulders relaxed, while Grace's face started to shine once more as she internally cheered for a job well done. "I will be sure to inform him, Professor." Said the older of the two, now calmer than before.

"Don't trouble yourself. When it's time, I will personally go and recruit him. In the meantime, you two go prepare to crush those remnants. Dismissed." With a wave of his hand, Akaba Leo motioned for them to get out. Now that they already updated him on the situation, there was no need for them to stay anymore.

"Okay~ See you later, Professor!" Before Grace could make herself scarce, Leo stopped her.

"Wait." Gloria stopped together with her sister once she heard his words.

"That man... What did you say his name was?" Since they never said what it was, he was interested in knowing. It would also help him with his investigation of him.

"Eh-Ah? Oh...That would be Marik, why—"

"What did you say his name was?!" His sudden outburst made Grace jump back from the scare, and it even made Gloria flinch slightly.

Contrary to the calm exterior he had been displaying while sitting on his throne a few moments ago, Akaba Leo now suddenly looked like a completely different person.

He had stood up, and he was looking at the sisters with an intensity they didn't know the man was capable of showing. His face was a mixture of surprise, dread, anticipation, and relief. It would have been a funny sight any other day, but now, now it only added to the heavy atmosphere around him.

"M-Marik..." Not wanting to upset the Professor more than he already seemed to be, Grace responded quickly, albeit a little meekly.

The reaction that followed was even more puzzling, and it only worked to make the situation even more bizarre.

"Ahahahahahahaha!" He laughed. Amidst the tense situation the sisters were going through, he laughed.

"Who knew I would receive such a gift? If there is some higher force at play, they no doubt want to see my plan realized!" After calming himself down from his laughing fit, Akaba Leo decided to address the sisters once more.

"Just to be sure, he is a dark-skinned man with golden-white hair, right?" The widened eyes of the sisters told him he was spot-on, and his grin couldn't get any wider.

"Forget about those pathetic rats. Your first priority would be to bring Marik to me as soon as possible. If he can be here in the next minute, the better. No, wait, continue as planned. I will personally take care of the matters regarding him." For a moment the excitement won him over, but he quickly composed himself. Why leave 1 task incomplete when he could take care of one himself, and one he found himself not minding at all.

That was how important the person named Marik Ishtar was to him. Someone from the Original Dimension wielding powers that almost beat the legendary Pharaoh. If he could have someone like that under his control, then little to nothing could stand in his way. He would have two Duelists from that place capable of wiping the floor with anyone that opposed them.

"Um, Professor... Do you know him? And why is he so important all of a sudden?" Grace's question made sense to him, more so seeing how he acted. He admitted that was a little out of character, but the news were that shocking.

"Let's say that I know of his past. As for why is he so important? That is not something you should know for now. Now go, finish your mission as soon as possible. However, go with peace of mind knowing that you just made a great contribution." There was no way he would tell them about the God cards. The fewer people knew about them, the better.

Wishing to get away from this place as soon as possible, both sisters nodded, turned, and headed for the exit. Akaba Leo sat back on his throne as he watched them go.

Today has been a great day. And who knows? Maybe more Duelists from the Original Dimension would appear. It would be good if they all had amnesia, though. But even if they didn't, there were always methods to 'convince' them.

The image of a girl appeared in his vision, smiling at him and reaffirming his motives. He didn't care what others thought of him or his ways. Everyone was here thanks to her, so why wouldn't they give part of themselves for her revival.

'Soon, Ray...'

The room then fell silent.

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"Gloria... Do you think we did the right thing?" Once they were far from the place Akaba Leo was in, Grace decided to break the silence that had accompanied them since they exited that room.

"I don't know..."

"The Professor seemed to know him... and he also looked adamant to get him to join our side. What do you think he is planning to do with him?" She asked again in a quiet voice, not even interested in an answer.

"I don't know..."

"Do you think he will be angry at us for basically throwing him into the lion's den?" A hand went to her chest—hand that soon clenched into a fist while her expression turned into one of regret.

"I... Yes... He most likely will..." This time, Gloria gave a proper answer. For a moment, he did nothing more. However, in the next, she inhaled and exhaled deeply, seemingly gaining the courage to make a decision that could very much spell their doom.

"Grace." The said girl turned to her sister, and her eyes widened once she saw the confident smirk on her face that was so characteristic of her. "If worse come to worst, we will kick him to another Dimension. That way we will get rid of a freeloader in the house."

The silver-haired girl couldn't help but laugh shortly in amusement at her words. If that's how she wanted to roll with it, it was fine for her; as long as the end result was the same. "Yeah! And maybe we can go visit him for more fun Duels!"

"They aren't fun."

"But you enjoy them, though."

"I don't.

"You do."

"I don't."

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"...You do."

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"I do not."