Ch.20

Said ghoul lost three star chips to Yugi while looking like a fat clown Seto Kaiba. It was the evil part of Seto Kaiba that Yugi sent to the shadow realm. Unfortunately in the light of the final attack, another guard took Mokuba and fled. I retrieved Kaiba's deck and the star chips, tossing the star chips to Yugi and telling him I'd deliver the deck to the real Kaiba when we meet him again.

As it turns out Rex had gotten five star chips either by stealing or whatever reason and he'd come back with Mai. I told Joey to do his best before leaving and heading to the dock where the asshole had knocked in the star chips. I stripped to my boxers and went diving, coming out with only two chips. Sighing, I dried off and dressed before heading to watch Joey's battle.

Rex played another Red Eyes Black Dragon to my surprise and offered Joey a bet for the cards they had on the field, his Red Eyes for Joey's Time Wizard. Joey won the star chips and the Red Eyes. I got the Red Eyes and star chips from Rex, tossing them to Joey. He gave me the Red Eyes Black Dragon I'd given him back.

Still, he kept the Insect Queen like he kept the Time Wizard, saying it only proved our friendship. I shrugged it off and went to find some edible fruit, fish and berries. I knew what was poisonous and not so it wasn't hard to find what we needed and plenty of it. When I came back, the others were with Mai making the best of snacks.

Chuckling, I set up a fire pit and made a lot of fish, saying it was good they'd found food as well. I cleaned and cooked the fish, adding some seasonings I'd brought with me on this trip. While they ate the fruit bowl and fish I'd made, I showered in a makeshift shower Mai had found. Seeing me come out without a shirt on, Mai asked if I ever took the old wristbands off.

I shrugged and told her and the others about the accident and the good luck charms they'd become. I opened them and showed her the brands they'd marked into my skin saying it must've happened when I was in a coma. I put them back on telling her I didn't like to take them off because the brand reminded me that no matter what I do, I can't change my past, so it sits there like a permanent reminder that I'm forever marked by the scars of what happened. I dried my clothes on a tree branch and told them. "We're being watched so I think it's best if we take turns on guard duty and no wandering off alone."

Mai agreed, reluctantly, and sat down to eat with us. The fish, rice, chips and fruit made and excellent meal. Mai mentioned the tournament and I held up two star chips. "Speaking of which, I went diving where that guard knocked the eight star chips into the water and found these two."

I flicked them to Mai. "Consider yourself a contestant in the finals I guess. That makes two of us after all, though don't think I'll take it easy on you if we face each other."

She agreed and I listened to the others talking about which Duel Monster they identified with. Joey chose the Flame Swordsman, Tristan chose the Cyber Soldier, Tèa chose the Magiacian of Faith and Yugi chose the Dark Magician. Even Mai chose the Hary Lady when they looked to me and Bakura who'd joined us.

I hummed. "I don't really identify with one card, but one monster, Exodia, the Forbidden One. When combined it's an unstoppable force, but taken apart-"

I rubbed my millennium items and sighed. "It's one of the weakest monsters in the game in pieces. To have all that power and be as frail as even the weakest person, that's what I feel most of the time. Strong yet weak. I think that's why Gramps gave me the cards, to remind me that if used right, my strength can make me unstoppable even if I feel weak most of the time."

They all looked solemn and Mai asked Bakura his card. Bakura chose the Change of Heart and I hummed. "Interesting."

Bakura suggested we all put our favorite cards into Yugi's deck so it's like we're all playing together. I passed Yugi the Exodia pieces and wished him good luck. Bakura used his Millennium Ring to bring us to the shadow realm. When he sent our souls into the cards, I felt really weird, like I was in two places at once.

My body sat up as the millennium bracelets glowed and protected themselves against Bakura while it was unresponsive further, like a puppet. Atem awoke when Bakura went after his millennium puzzle instead. Seeing him, I spoke through the puppet. "Atem, I forgive you. It's been me all along in this body, fully fused with the soul of Ren Muto. His soul and mine are reincarnations, whole now but incomplete separated. When Solomon Muto used the millennium bracelets to heal Ren, the soul was already a piece of my own lost long ago to the dark arts and reborn."

I turned it's head as the millennium eye symbol glowed on it's forehead. "Win this duel Atem and know that I had forgiven you long ago for what you had to do for our people. Though I do not regret my actions, I regret that they hurt you brother."

Atem smiled. "It is good to know you are fine even now Anhur, my brother."

My body nodded and I told him. "My soul is split into the five cards of Exodia and even now I speak through the Millennium bracelets. Let us beat this shadow game, together!"

He agreed and my puppet body hunched over while the glow made a solid barrier around my body. Bakura said that once he wins both millennium items will be his then and Atem told him that he won't win. They dueled and after several morphing jars and getting the others on the field, my body grabbed Atem's shoulder. "Do it, together."

He drew and won with my Exodia, ending the evil Bakura he switched with the hood one. When it was over, I was back in my body again and we heard Mai scream while we were getting up. We raced to her only to find her having lost all her star chips. Seeing that she'd been strong armed into a duel by Panik, a duelist hunter hired by Pegasus with forty star chips on him, I stepped up deciding to end this now.

"Since you clearly enjoy the hunt too much, how about a duel with a real challenger? I'll wager all the star chips I have against thirty of those you have."

I took out a sack of star chips and showed him. "Thirty star chips in total, taken from fourteen duelists in the first five hours of this tournament."

He grinned and I got my Exodia pieces from Yugi before adding. "And I'll add my deck for yours, winner take all, Panik."

He laughed loudly before agreeing as I got into the stand and shuffled my deck. Yugi and the rest watched as I remained cool under his fire. He laughed it up as we dueled and he used his Castle of Dark illusions. I ran through my hand, burning his and my hands with card destructions three times until I had two pieces of Exodia and a pot of greed that got me another pot and piece. I used it twice more and played Jinzo who got a field bonus due to his castle making the field dark.

I had it attack his castle and warned him that while it's on the field all traps are destroyed. His castle fell, crushing the creature he hid underneath it and destroying it as well. He cried out that it was impossible and I smirked. "Believe what you want, but you've wagered more than you realize in this duel Panik. Because from the moment we entered it, this has become a shadow game and losing could mean losing your very soul."

My millennium bracelets glowed and reality twisted to reveal the void of shadows. I told him it was his move and he placed a Dragon Zombie in defense mode and I drew a Jar of Greed. I didn't place it and instead destroyed his dragon with Jinzo, sending it to the graveyard. I told him it was his go and he played a Skeletal Warrior in defense mode.

I drew a magic card called Graceful Charity and used it, drawing three cards, and discarding two, leaving me with all the pieces of Exodia. I ended the game after showing him and obliterating his life points. I smirked. "And now it's time you paid the price of admission into this shadow game."

His soul was dragged off and his body collapsed as we returned to normal. I gathered my cards and walked over to his side, taking his deck and all thirty of the star chips he owed me. I put them in the bag and told Mai. "It seems he doesn't need the last ten chips he bullied out of you. What you do with them is up to you."

She took them with Joey's teasing and Yugi asked me if I had to do that. I shrugged. "Had to? No, but don't worry, his trip won't last long. He'll return come sunrise without chips or cards with which to duel. Hopefully it'll have taught him a lesson not to play dangerous games if he's not prepared for the consequences."

Mai said she owed me and I shrugged while Joey asked if I was going to share the chips since I had so many now. I shook my head. "The only way you'll get better is if you fight your own battles now Joey. Even if I gave you the chips you need to get in, you wouldn't be ready for the finals and you certainly wouldn't appreciate them nearly as much."

We got some rest until Kaiba showed up in a helicopter and challenged Yugi to a duel. I gave him his deck and he promised to compensate me for all my trouble. Kaiba went after Pegasus and Joey provoked him repeatedly before battling him. Kaiba beat his Red Eyes and won the duel with his Blue Eyes.

I challenged Kaiba myself and held up the three decks I had. "I'll wager all the cards I have including Exodia for all the cards you have in that briefcase, winner take all."

Kaiba was surprised, but agreed to see if he could take out my Exodia. Sadly he was unprepared because even his deck destruction virus couldn't destroy Exodia's pieces in my hand and I burned through his three Blue Eyes and a third of both our decks before he could place any cards. Add to that the three Pot of Greeds, Graceful charity and the three Jar of Greeds I placed face down with Red Eyes and even with Red Eyes destroyed, I got Exodia completed before he could beat me with his Blue Eyes.

I brought back the duel disk and put my cards all away before taking all of his best and rarest cards, hundreds of them, from the briefcase. I gave him his duel disk back and told him I'd welcome his challenge at any time for more rare and powerful cards or technology like that I could study.

He asked what I'd do with something that advanced and I chuckled. "More than you realize. I may be quiet and don't duel often, but I am the smartest person in our school or any other. I've already figured out how you made these and have a few theories of my own on improving them far more."

I put all the mint condition expensive cards in my pack and stood up, passing him his suitcase. He offered me a job at his company and I shook my head. "If and when I do enter the working world full time I can build my own business and branch out to many more areas than just Duel Monsters and tech."

I walked back to the others and tossed him ten star chips. "Consider it a gift and a way to legitimately get to Pegasus. If you win you'll have saved your brother and company, but if you lose he'll trap your soul."

Kaiba was surprised I'd known such things and nodded slowly. He left on his own and I headed into the woods saying I'd see the rest of them in the castle. I went off on my own and entered the shadow realm where I altered my bracelets just a little. I exited the shadow realm and headed towards Pegasus's castle as well.

I altered my deck with some of the cards I'd gone through. I found Pegasus first in the night and challenged him, not for the king of games title, but for my gramps and his deck. He was surprised I wanted his deck as well as my grandfather back. I beat him and got my Gramps's soul back before I told Pegasus he could keep his deck, if he made a single card for me.

He asked why his millennium eye couldn't see me and I smirked, showing him my bracelets. "Because Pegasus, these bracelets are a lot more powerful than any one millennium item. They hold the powers of all millennium items and make me immune to their effects. I made sure of that after Bakura's little game."

I lowered my bracelets and gave him the image of the card I wanted made along with what it was and how it was to be used. It terrified him so much because he fully understood the scope of my power then and yet he was helpless but to comply. It was a real card and a real sealed monster tablet I had in my ring that I forced him to gaze upon. He worked tirelessly throughout the night and he was clearly shaken and drained when I took the card and erased it from his memory, calling us even.

I released Gramps's soul and put it back in his body back home before telling Pegasus I'd be back sometime soon to challenge him for the money sometime. He strait up paid me and told me to stay away from him. He said he had the money to pay the tournament as well and asked me not to come back. I shrugged and put away the star chip gauntlet, tossing him the bag of extras. "Consider this a gift. Now, I'll make you a deal, I'll tell you your future in exchange for six of all the cards your company has made except those special few we both know you've made."

I leaned against the wall and asked him. "So, how about it?"

He swallowed and agreed, knowing I could see farther than he can by a whole lot. I showed him the blurred face that would murder him and why before telling him he had until the finals to deliver or I'd take his soul to the shadow realm when he dies. I left and headed to my room in the castle to wait and relax as a contender. I headed out in the morning to find and challenge Bandit Keith. It didn't take long and it wasn't hard to find him in the cave with the skull boy.

They hadn't caught Joey yet, but they were planning on it. I challenged Keith for all the extra decks he had on himself in exchange for all the cards I took from Kaiba and the others I've beaten on the island. I showed him my pack full of cards and the ten star chips, saying if he won he could have the star chips as well. He agreed and by his second turn, I'd beaten him with Exodia.

I took all twelve decks of extra cards he had and added them to my stash. His three goons got uppity, but he stopped them saying I had some weird power and I wasn't their target for now. He offered me a place with him, but by the time he turned back to me I was already gone, having ignored them. I wasn't as strong as my previous life, but I was as tall as Kaiba and as strong as any Olympic athlete in all areas.

Plus my martial arts skills and my access to the magic of the shadow realm meant I was I needn't fear them at all. I headed to the castle and the guards moved out of my way. They avoided me like the plague due to Pegasus having warned them I was a special guest. I relaxed and watched Joey's battle on the tv monitor after a shower and some food.

I called Gramps and let him know what happened with the shadow games and where we were. He asked us to be careful and I agreed before hanging up for breakfast and a show. Yugi and the others showed up while Joey brought out Red Eyes. His Red Eyes was destroyed, but he won in the end regardless. I watched them get trapped in the cave and left myself, heading to face the three nobodies Bandit Keith beat down with fists for their chips.

I beat all three of them for their decks in a three on one duel, finishing it in one round. They tried to fight me for them after losing and I beat them down, leaving them without chips and cards by the docks. I even took their gloves for good measure before heading to the cave. I moved the boulder out of the way and followed my bracelets towards Bakura and the rest.

I found the twins Para and Dox, already beaten by Yugi and Joey. I challenged them both for both of their decks for all the star chips I had and the decks I had as well. They'd agreed considering they could win more here than they lost before. Sadly for them I wasn't like Yugi and Joey since I didn't need to play cards on the field to win.

I burned through their decks as fast as they rhymed together and when Exodia obliterated them, I took their chips and decks while they cried about their three rare elemental cards and the fourth rare fusion. I ignored them and continued onwards, following Yugi's path out by forcing them to change it as I pleased. It didn't take long for me to reach the outside. I walked up the stairs towards the castle, seeing Kaiba and Yugi dueling.

I saw Kaiba and Yugi dueling while heading inside. I grabbed another shower before eating lunch and watching the duel between Kaiba and Yugi. When Kaiba beat Yugi, I walked out and told him he'd done the right thing because I'd beaten Pegasus for Gramps's soul already and he was free, home and safe. I knelt down to him and told him. "I don't need to win this tournament because all I've been fighting for is already won."

I tossed him the star chips on my gauntlet and sighed, leaning against the wall. "Atem, the spirit of the millennium puzzle, was once the pharaoh of all of Egypt. Back then, he and I were brothers like here and now, reincarnated in this world and brought forth from the millennium items. The difference between us and the difference between you and Atem, is that we haven't experienced as much as they have Yugi. Accept that you're different and duel your way from now on. Atem and I have had our time Yugi. Ren and Anhur are both two sides of the same coin, but that's only because we've fused completely due to our circumstances."

I leaned down and flicked his forehead just like I used to do as kids. When he awoke from his uncertainty, I smiled. "You and Atem may occasionally share a body Yugi, but your circumstances are different. You can duel as separate entities or you can use his experience and your heart to become stronger together. After all, it's your body and your soul in the end, reincarnation be damned little brother."

He smiled and I nodded with him as he stood up. I chuckled. "Now, take the chips and win the tournament to become the king of games. Then you can keep our promise to help Joey's sister and we can leave this island for good."

He agreed, standing up as I stood straight and helped him up with a hand and a smile. Tèa asked. "So wait, are you Anhur or Ren?"

I tilted my head. "Anhur is dead. I may have his memories, but now I am Ren, with his memories as well as the feelings and emotions of Ren."

I knew Bakura was listening so I continued. "The millennium bracelets are just magical artifacts after all. And while mine have the power of all the other millennium items combined, they're still just trinkets from the past."

I tapped the millennium puzzle. "Atem is in here Yugi."

I tapped his heart. "Yugi is in here."

I tapped my heart. "Ren is here and Anhur is but a series of memories, nothing more, not really."

Yugi nodded and we headed inside as Mai showed up and joined us. Mai gave me six chips and I shook my head before putting the five I needed on my gauntlet before heading in with them. We ran into Bandit Keith inside before watching Pegasus battle Kaiba. I yawned as Pegasus arrived for the exhibition match.

When Kaiba lost the duel, I took off my gauntlet and put it away. I told Pegasus coldly. "You have until the beginning of the next match to come through Pegasus, or yours will be the next soul taken here tomorrow and I won't be nearly as kind as you are with it."

He nodded. "It's almost ready. After all, a deal's a deal."

I huffed and walked away, heading to my room. Yugi said he was like us and just wanted to save someone he cared about. Atem had a conversation with Pegasus and after dinner I gave Joey the two cards he needed to challenge Pegasus for the cash and the right to challenge him at all. I brought out all the extra cards I owned and told Joey and Yugi to fine tune their decks.

Yugi gave me my Blue Eyes deck back and I told them to hand me their entry cards because I don't think Bandit Keith has any and I don't want him stealing theirs in the middle of the night. They did so and I told them to use whatever cards they think they'll need to win because they truly were just extras to me. Tèa asked if it had something to do with my words to Pegasus and I nodded. "I've forgone my right to challenge him again and even compete in the tournament in exchange for cards. Specifically six of every card his company made for public use."

I waved a hand to the table stacked with cards. "By tomorrow I'll have six of every card in the game or I'll have his soul sealed away and be able to free Kaiba and Mokuba as I see fit. Against others he can use his millennium eye to read the minds and surface thoughts of those he plays against for the cards they have in their hands or deck if they play like Kaiba did in the end."

I held up my bracelets. "These negate such tricks from being used against me which is why I was able to beat him."

I turned to Yugi. "If I thought they'd work by just giving them to you I'd do it in a heartbeat, but their power is as bound to me as I am to them. They won't work for anyone else so long as I live. That is their limitation and my own."

I sighed. "Yugi, you must learn to control the power of your millenium puzzle if you ever hope to beat him outright. I don't know how to do it myself Yugi. Only Atem and our father ever had it in my lifetime."

I left them to talk and discuss while I headed to bed, locking my door and setting a chair in front of it. The next morning I have Joey and Yugi the cards they needed before putting away the extras I had. Bandit Keith had in fact shown up at my door to try and steal the cards and now his soul was forever lost in the shadow realm. It's power was now being used to fuel my own magics while his deck was mine as well and his body was soulless on his own bed and comatose.

I went to watch the games from above with the others and heard the announcement that Keith had been disqualified for not having the cards necessary to continue on. I quirked an eyebrow when Pegasus told me so and waved over his guards who rolled in pallets of cards one after another until all the card copies of each sat before me. I grunted and waved a hand, making my bracelets glow as the pallets of cards disappeared into my ring.

He was surprised, yet clapped happily saying he was sure glad he didn't have to fight me again because with my power he could feel even the shadow games wouldn't end well for him. I didn't comment and he smiled. "Then again, I'm not the only one with souls giving me extra power now am I?"

I looked to the field and grunted. "Keith came at me with a knife in the middle of the night. He's lucky to have gotten off so easily. I'm surprised your security for your guests are so lax. One might start to think you wanted him gone."

He shrugged. "One can never tell can they."

Tèa asked. "What happened to Keith?"

I glanced her way and sighed. "The same thing that happened to the ghoul and hunter, only he won't be getting any better…ever. He crossed a line when he tried to murder me for the cards that Yugi and Joey need for the tournament. He was smart enough to figure out after not finding it in their things that I'd be the only one they'd trust with them capable of putting up a fight. Too bad he was dumb enough to bring a knife to a shadow realm fight."

Bakura said that was dark and I shrugged, watching the announcement go over with Joey who was happy to go on to the semifinals unchallenged. Yugi and Mai were up now so we watched them duel. Pegasus headed to his chair below to watch from the side and declare the rules, prizes and stakes. Once Mai and Yugi went up, Joey joined us at the top to watch.

Yugi managed to summon the Blackluster Soldier and Mai lost the duel, surrendering the match. With their duel finished, Joey and Yugi's duel was next. Pegasus gave his speech and they started a monstrously powerful match. Joey managed to bring out Black Skull Dragon and Yugi was forced to play the magical hat trick.

With a Spellbinding Circle and the Book of the Secret Arts, Yugi was able to beat Joey's Black Skull Dragon. Joey played Baby Dragon and Kunai with Chain, stopping Yugi's Dark Magician. Joey's Time Wizard was next and while he got the Thousand Dragon from Baby Dragon, Yugi got The Dark Sage from the Dark Magician. He used the Dark Sage to neutralize Joey's attack before pulling the Monster Reborn, pulling the Black Skull Dragon back from the graveyard.

Joey lost against his own great beast of a dragon. Joey got the money for his sister's operation and Yugi got to face Pegasus, only he entered the duel with something more, a few cards I'd prepared for him that could wipe out Toon World, starting with Giant Trunade, Harpie's Feather Duster and Heavy Storm. I told him not to think and don't study the cards until he's about to look at them to play them. I flicked his head and told him to trust me and believe in the heart of the cards.

Seeing the beginning of the match, I sat down while everyone else was running around like chickens with their heads cut off. When Pegasus started losing, having his Toon World bounced and destroyed, he tried to attack Atem and my bracelets activated, deflecting his magics. I told him coldly. "Attack them with your magics again and you'll find my patience with you have run out entirely. You're but a child playing at understanding the shadow realm and it's magics compared to me Pegasus."

He growled and told me to butt out of it. I glared at him coldly and Yugi got the upper hand against him, down to the end game until Pegasus pulled them both into the shadow realm. Tristan and Joey were off getting Kaiba and Mokuba's bodies while I'd protected Yugi and Atem until now. When the shadow barrier formed, I was forced back and I couldn't penetrate the shadow barrier. I told Tèa as much and considering I'd protected them so long on my own, I was mentally exhausted.

Even with all the cards I'd put in his deck being used up, it hadn't been a quick duel by any standards. Joey came back with Kaiba and Tristan came back with Mokuba while Bakura was missing. When I felt Yugi's pain, I gave him all the strength I had left to keep him going as long as possible. I slumped over and the others asked what I did. I told them and they offered to help as well so I helped them connect and protect Yugi and Atem's mind.

In the end Yugi and Atem won the duel. I went to his side of the arena and took his deck before Bakura woke up. I kept Pegasus's deck and went with the others to find Pegasus so he could give back the souls of Kaiba and Mokuba. We found Pegasus after he released the souls and unfortunately after Bakura had taken his eye.

I told Pegasus. "You will not last much longer Pegasus. The millenium eye is tied to your life force and the longer you are without it, the quicker you will fade."

I turned and told the others I'd be outside getting ready to leave. While I waited, the holder of the millenium key came and used it on me, failing to do so and nearly blasting himself into a wall from the rebounding magics. He saw my bracelets and swallowed deeply as the millenium eye symbol glowed on my forehead. "I would not try that again my friend. The power of my millenium items prevents the use of any one millenium item against me. It would take all seven items to bring me down and I mean you no harm for I am not the one you seek."

He stood up and asked. "How can you know whom I seek?"

I held up my bracelets. "The millenium bracelets hold the power of all the millenium items, not just the seven others which were sealed with them. I can see into your mind as easily as you can see into others. I have no need nor desire to obtain the other millenium items for their power will do me no good."

I took off the bracelets and set them aside, telling him to see for himself. He did so and I showed him my life as Anhur, all the way up until the moment he arrived. I had no need to hide anything and while there were a great many holes in my memory due to what I suspect was forceful sealing, non of it was lies. He bowed politely to me and called me his prince. I waved him off. "Anhur is dead and gone, I am Ren Muto now. Go, I know you have your own hunt and while I can only guess as to the assailant, I will say you need to be very careful as to how you proceed or you may lose more than your millenium key in the process."

Bakura, Mokuba and the others met up with us and Seto. They'd been paid and it was time to leave so Seto gave us a ride off the island back to Domino city. We met up with gramps and I paid his hospital bills before telling I had three of every card on the market to sell at the store. A little girl named Rebecca accused Gramps of stealing her Blue Eyes and considering only seven even existed in the world, three thanks to Pegasus making them for the fake Kaiba's deck.

Three were in my deck and one was with gramps. Even the extra cards Pegasus gave me didn't include more of the extremely rare cards because that's what made them valuable. Though I did get his extras of the really rare ones he kept called the Creator's collection. Still, even those only had one of each of the extremely rare cards.

Yugi and Rebecca ended up battling in the arena at Kaiba Land. When gramps recognized her during the duel, I smiled. "Yugi's going to surrender and lose the duel."

Joey barked at me. "What? Seriously?"

I smiled and sat back on the stand and shrugged. "I've seen inside Gramps's head, I know how this duel ends, card for card."

I turned to the entrance and hummed. "Arthur is coming Gramps."

He hummed as well and nodded, believing me. Soon enough Gramps started telling Rebecca and everyone the story until Rebecca demanded he stop. When Yugi surrendered on the verge of winning, I hummed as Rebecca went to take Gramps's Blue Eyes White Dragon. Then Arthur came and stopped her, showing her how the game should've ended before telling her how Gramps got the card from him by saving his life.

I smiled lightly and told them I had something to do and I'd be back in a few hours. I left to place a call and made it to Pegasus's side. There I gave him his deck in the secure wing of the hospital and saved his life by severing his connection to the Millennium Eye with my bracelets. He thanked me and I told him I owed him all the cards back because I broke my own prophecy of his death.

He shook his head and thanked me so I held up the card Yugi had taken from his tower, the one with the soul of his wife in it. My millennium bracelets glowed and I spoke coldly. "By the sacrifice of the souls I've taken, I command the shadow realm, give flesh and bone and bring this one home."

A powerful dome of magic formed and I gave Pegasus what it was he'd really sought with the Duelist Kingdom Tournament. The card was blank when I finished and I left the room more drained than I'd felt in a long time. Still, he and his wife said they owed me more than words could express and he gave me his one of a kind Toon Deck, saying he'd never release them to the public because it would cheapen his gratitude towards me.

I got a ride from the private hospital to the card shop where Mokuba showed up while it was raining. He needed our help to save Kaiba and I agreed, going with him and the others. We got to the prototypes where Yugi, Mokuba and I went in. There we met zombie monsters and got five points apiece.

They helped virtual people all over a town and I went out to grind for points, destroying monsters all around in droves with Jinzo and Red Eyes Black Dragon. By the time I returned to town to meet up with the other two, I gave them two cards, Child's Play and Solemn Wishes. I told them to keep them active when outside of town and their lifepoints would constantly grow with the more monsters we face.

They saw my ten thousand life points and I grunted. "I don't know what happens when we lose all our life points so I'm being cautious, especially since the software has been messed with."

They agreed and happily took both copies while I split the currency I had into three, giving them three thousand coins apiece. We headed into the desert where Mokuba's lead us and ended up getting hit by a sand storm. When we woke up, a guy said we needed a chicken card called Niwatori so I brought us to the Gladiator arena where I let Yugi beat the champion. He found Mai who was testing the game and we had to run because she stole the Niwatori.

We rode the Niwatori and got held up by a sand creature. Yugi beat it and I gave Mai her two cards for life points, telling her how to cheat the system. When we got to the temple we ran into a labyrinth. There Labyrinth Tanks came at us and Jinzo with my Guardian Angel Joan destroyed all the Labyrinth Tanks that came our way, giving thousands of life points to me via half the attack points of every monster it destroyed.

Yugi and Mai asked about it and I told them it was one of the newest cards Pegasus released just before Duelist Kingdom. We met a princess Mokuba and her fairy monster guided us out. There I was forced to summon Exodia and blow the Gate Guardian away. We met the princess Adina's people and they brought us up the mountain in carriages.

We heard about the offerings to the mythic dragon and were given armor. Seeing the thousands of incoming duel monsters, I sent out Jinzo to destroy the Armed Ninja before calling Jinzo back and using the Dark Hole magic card. All the duel monsters were wiped out by the thousands before another freaking wave came. I told Yugi to find us and hopefully I could end this sooner than expected.

When Mokuba was grabbed, I made sure to grab onto the net so I was hauled off with him. My monsters defended me, particularly Joan who wiped out most of the monsters around us, bringing my life points up to nearly fifty thousand before we hit the barrier and I returned her. Once passed the barrier I summoned Joan again and she protected us, destroying the Phantom monster that tried to imprison us. We freed Kaiba and I brought out Jinzo, telling him to use his Blue Eyes freely because Jinzo destroys all traps.

I added Mask of Jinzo, Amplifier and sent a Kuriboh to the graveyard to boost Jinzo's attack power by eight hundred with Solidarity. With an added Seven Completed, Jinzo had a near four thousand attack points as we swept outwards, fighting all the monsters across the bridge and freeing Kaiba's second Blue Eyes. We blasted our way out and made it to Yugi and the rest. We ran into the Big Five who summoned the Mythic Five Headed Dragon.

I yawned seeing the five headed dragon and asked. "I'd that all? Seriously? You're all talk, so let me show you a combination even this game can appreciate."

I sent out Jinzo who'd been unaffected thanks to Mask of Jinzo and added Limiter Removal, telling them they should've summoned their Five Head long ago if they expected to beat me. Jinzo was unaffected by the limitations of the beast before it and with a twenty eight hundred lead in attack, it's psychic blast shook the foundation of the virtual game.

Their Five Head reformed while they said it couldn't be destroyed by dark type monsters. I turned to Yugi and Kaiba. "Summon Ultimate and fuse it with Black Luster Soldier. It's the only way to beat this thing. Even Exodia can't beat it if it's immune to Dark type monsters."

Jinzo was destroyed and the Big Five stopped any more attacks by non dragon type monsters. I gave Mokuba my Red Eyes to defend himself with and used my own three Blue Eyes White Dragons before fusing them into a Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon. Since Kaiba refused to trust Yugi, he and I fused our monsters into the Dragon Master Knight. Thanks to all the dragons played, we destroyed the five and beat the game, being released only after meeting the AI fans of sorts.

We came out as the security team broke into the room. I got up and stretched before beating them all unconscious and leaving them bleeding on the floor. I broke their arms and legs, speaking coldly. "I hate corrupt assholes who attack kids. Maybe some time in the hospital will make you rethink your priorities if that's your day job."

Popping my neck, I turned to Mokuba. "Tell your brother I want the hologram duel disk he used before as payment for saving his ass this time. There's only so many freebies I'm going to give to him when he's so condescending to my friends."

Mokuba nodded and left in a hurry while I walked out. A day later the duel disk was delivered and I worked on it for a while. I heard about Duke Devlin and his dungeon dice monsters. Joey got tricked by Duke and ended up in a duel of dungeon dice monsters.

Joey lost again while bragging and getting a big head. He ended up in a dog costume and Yugi challenged Duke, beating him at his own game of only barely. Once it was over, I told Duke. "Just because Pegasus beat you at your own game doesn't mean someone who beat him couldn't do the same to you. Still, Pegasus should be sending you a contract any time now thanks to you showing the world just how fun it can be when even the best isn't unbeatable."

A week later I'd built my own duel disk like what Kaiba intended to make and thanks to my own millenium items, I knew every detail of how Kaiba made his virtual reality system. I sent the design for the more upgraded duel disk to Kaiba after making a binding contract with him over it and getting the design patented myself. Kaiba was more than willing to pay for the exclusive rights once it was patented. Still, it's not like I needed the money at this point.

With the three sets of extra cards from Pegasus being sold at the game shop Gramps owns and the money from Pegasus that I'd gotten, there was no real hurry to get money. On the flip side it would go a long way towards whatever future I choose to have. A few weeks later I sensed the power of a millenium item being used and followed it, ending up following Bakura to a warehouse. I knocked him out and took his millenium ring along with the stolen Millennium Eye.

I put them in my timeless ring and left Bakura there while heading inside. There I broke the hold Marik had over Bandit Keith's shell of a body by calling his soul back to it and ejecting Marik with my bracelets. Marek retook control briefly in order to break the Millennium Puzzle temporarily and I helped Yugi pick up the pieces. Sighing, I knocked out Bandit Keith and took the deck, cards and all that were hidden up his sleeves.

I showed them to Yugi, telling him the soul possessing Keith had been cheating all along. Bandit Keith woke up and started a fire which we had to escape. I pulled the hook holding the chain of the millennium puzzle out and gave it to Yugi before knocking out Keith and carrying him out with us. Joey and Tristan knocked the door down while Yugi grabbed his deck and we fled.

We were out before the firefighters arrived and left once the firefighters had put it out. The next day I went to the private ancient Egyptian exhibition at the museum because Kaiba invited me saying he'd gotten an interesting call and that he had to bring me if he was to get what he wanted. We met Ishizu Ishtar and she showed us the past or as much as it pertains to Kaiba and Yugi. She told him about the rare hunters and the battle city tournament she wanted him to host in order to draw out the rare hunters and the Egyptian god cards.

Kaiba agreed for his own reasons and left while Ishizu and I were left alone to talk. She touched my face almost immediately and spoke. "I am not Isis my prince, though we are both reincarnations of them and you even more so. I am Ishizu in this life and you are Ren."

I nodded slowly and sadly before sighing. "I guess it's true, life is like the shifting sand of the desert, always different, changing and moving on."

She smiled and told me. "What was won't be again because this time you won't suffer. This time we can begin anew and life the life we should have my prince. For no matter what life we love you will always be my heart."

I stiffened and relaxed before kissing her. When we pulled apart, she told me that we would have to begin anew fully once her brother is stopped. She handed me the Egyptian god card, Obelisk the Tormentor and told me to play smart and help her bring her brother home. I agreed slowly and put the god in my Blue Eyes deck for now.

A couple days later I watched Atem beat some dancer in a Duel Monster game. The dancer Johnny forfeited the moment he realized who Yugi was. Later that evening I received a private invitation to Kaiba's tournament. I went to the location listed and saw Mai, Rex, Weevil and even Yugi who was surprised I'd shown.

I told him I had my reasons and we watched the tv monitors as Kaiba greeted everyone, insulted them and told us the rules including the rarest card rule that meant if I lost one duel I'd lose Obelisk. Kaiba showed up in a helicopter and told us to register for the duel disk and that the tournament world begin in exactly one week from today. I headed inside without a comment and registered, picking up a rule booklet and the duel disk offered.

The next morning I made a Red Eyes Darkness Dragon deck for the tournament and added Red Eyes Dark Dragoon with Dark Magician to my deck and a couple polys for the fusion. Once I finished with that, thanking Pegasus for his help in assembling my deck by providing the special cards. The next day I heard Joey lost a duel for his Red Eyes to Rare Hunters. I hummed as he cheered up his sister and told her not to worry because my gramps taught him most of what he knows as a duelist and my gramps had decades of experience as a duelist.

I showed her Exodia and told her it was the strongest monster in the game supposedly and unstoppable when used right. I told her how I gave Joey his first Red Eyes Black Dragon and I know he'll win his back some day. I turned to Joey and asked if he'd like me to show them my newest invention. Joey said he hadn't known I was an inventor of anything.

I held up my duel disk. "I invented these. Kaiba only bought the rights in a contract bid against Pegasus so he's the sole producer of them."

Joey grumbled and Serenity said she'd like to see the newest invention before she goes in for surgery. I smiled and held out a hand, waving it as a tank of green liquid appeared. "I call it revival fluid. It can fully rejuvenate the human body to it's peak performance. Be it severed limbs, internal trauma or damage done by diseases they've recovered from. With this humanity will be able to live their full natural lifespan in relative comfort. It can't revive the dead, but anything short of that caused by trauma or physical damage can be fully repaired within an hour long dip."

I scratched my head. "It's patented, but Kaiba Corp and Industrial illusions are currently in a bidding war for the sole patent rights currently. Pegasus wants it to regain his left eye and ensure he and his family live long happy lives as well as to share it with the world. Kaiba wants it to add it to their bottom line as a world wide profit bringer."

Joey asked. "I'd it safe?"

I nodded. "Yeah, but the user needs a ventilator or an oxygen mask to breath while resting in it. It's even reusable as the machine it's in has a filter for the fluid that removes all forms of bacteria, leaving it continuously cleaning itself and the patient."

Serenity asked. "Could it heal my eyes?"

I shrugged. "I don't know what's wrong with your eyes. If it's a physical condition then yes, but if it's a disease or poison, then no. It's not FDA approved yet either which will be a loophole for Kaiba Corp or Industrial Illusions."

I walked over and pulled out a knife, cutting my Jean to their shock. I opened the tank and stuck my hand in the liquid. To their shock it closed up and healed instantly, leaving no scars. I put the tank away saying that if the surgery doesn't work, the healing tank could be tried if they're that worried.

I headed home and a week later we met at the square where we saw duelists everywhere. Once Kaiba announced the beginning of the tournament, I hunted and challenged the slime token user knowing Marik controlled the man named Strings. I showed him Obelisk and told him that I'd only duel him if he had Slifer the Sky Dragon or the Winged Dragon of Ra to put up as an equal risk reward. Marik took full control of his puppet and showed me Slifer, agreeing to my terms and I could tell it was legit.

I used my Red Eyes deck and he used the Slime token deck. Within the second turn he had his token machine working and I had Red Eyes Dark Dragoon on the field. I dropped his slime token machine and one shot him thanks to having negated his quick play trap card and boosting Dragoon to a four thousand beat stick. He was angry when I took Slifer, trying to use his millennium rod on me.

My bracelets blasted him out of his possessed puppet and magically knocked him for a loop in the rebound. I took Slifer and left, knowing Kaiba will have learned of my new deck and the fact that I had Slifer the Sky Dragon now. I even had Strings's locator chip card so I left and challenged four more random duelists, getting all the locator chips and some random rare-ish cards. It wasn't even really a challenge for me so I went to see how Yugi was doing and saw him finishing up a duel with a rare hunter who used Exodia pieces in his deck.

The rare hunter lost and I took his deck, handing the locator card and Red Eyes to Yugi before grimacing as the hunter was taken over by Marik and had his soul sucked into the shadow realm. He said his peace to Atem and glared at me, saying he'd see me in the finals to get back what rightfully belonged to him or so he said. I scoffed and told him to piss off before his hunter's body collapsed into a comatose state. I picked up all the cards before yawning and telling Yugi I'd go clean off the invisible ink on them before giving them to him since the soulless guy wouldn't need them any longer anyways.

He shook his head and said he didn't need them so I grunted and told him Gramps would appreciate an Exodia deck then at least. I wished him luck, earning him that Marik had the Egyptian god card The Winged Dragon of Ra. I told him I had Slifer The Sky Dragon thanks to a duel I had earlier with Marik's other puppet, a guy named Strings. I told him they were both cheaters in the end and I'd won a god card of my own while I already had one as a gift from a friend.

Joey complained. "What? You have two Egyptian god cards?!!"

I nodded. "Yup. Obelisk the Tormentor and Slifer the Sky Dragon. Marik has The Winged Dragon of Ra and his millennium rod so you'll both have to be on your toes. Once I get Ra from him, I'll be locking them away in a special deck of my own because they're the most powerful cards in the game and they need to be treated with respect and caution."

Joey grumbled and asked. "So you already got one win, big deal."

I chuckled. "Actually-"

I showed them all six locator cards. "I just beat the last of my opponents before coming to find out how well you both were doing."

They were shocked I already qualified for the tournament final eight. I put the locator cards away and yawned. "It seems you're a bit slow. Do you want to borrow one of my decks? I have decks built around Red Eyes Black Dragon, Dark Magician and Blue Eyes White Dragon as well as my Exodia and Jinzo decks."

I showed them each marked deck case and they both seemed amazed. I shrugged and told them about the newest cards I'd gotten in advance from Pegasus as a favor he'd returned for helping him with what he thought he owed me. I showed a few and told them how the decks functioned. They both declined in the end preferring to use their own self made decks.

The next day Joey and I went to check out a duel and saw Rex losing to Espa Roba. When he said he was psychic, I laughed out loud, causing a scene. Even Rex looked at me and asked what was so funny.

I smirked. "He's not psychic, he's using his two brothers to spy on the hands of the duelists he faces and figuring out their strategies from there. He's just a cheater, nothing more Rexy boy. Still, a duel is a duel and you lost to him so you owe him your rarest card and the locator card you have unless you take it up with Mokuba Kaiba, the official battle city duel commission and get Espa and his brothers in trouble."

The whole crowd called him a cheater when I pointed out his four brothers on the roof of the building using binoculars. Espa was pissed and so was Rex who refused to hand over his rarest card and locator card. Espa called me a liar and I shrugged. "Alright then, you won't mind if I take a steel pipe to their spines and paralyze them for life then if they aren't your brothers right?"

He sweat dropped and said it was against the law. I shrugged. "And cheating is against the rules, but you seem fine with it. I'm sure Kaiba and his brother will bail me out considering I already qualify for the finals."

I walked over to the sidewalk and picked up a pipe from the side alley. He sweated and I caught the youngest runt of a brother he had helping him, dragging the brat off the roof of the building. He admitted he cheated when he saw I was serious and I tossed the runt to him before tossing the pipe away and busting his lip, knocking him down. "That's what you get for calling me a liar and insulting my honor. Consider it you getting off lightly, filthy cheater."

I walked away and Joey challenged Espa Roba to a non cheating duel after the four brothers were together. I watched as Joey won a Jinzo and faced Rex next, winning the Serpent Night Dragon. With that he had three locator cards and two new rare cards to add to his deck. The Espa brothers cried and left after a while and Rex took it like a champ considering he hadn't been immediately beaten this time by me.

Still, Joey earned his respect as a strong duelist and I soon left to find Yugi with Tèa and Gramps. My millennium bracelets lead us to Yugi who was dueling another hunter calling himself Arcana, the master of magicians. While we watched, I gave Gramps the hunter's Exodia deck and told him he could keep them since neither Yugi nor I wanted them. He was shocked seeing the three sets of Exodia and all the cards in it.

He said the deck was way too cramped and I had to agree. We watched Yugi's Dark Magician make a direct attack and Tèa asked why I wasn't worried about Yugi. I shook my head. "I have faith in my brother, be it Yugi or his older reincarnation, Atem."

Yugi and the clown had a Dark Magician face off repeatedly until the idiot clown destroyed them both and summoned another of his own along with Yugi summoning his Dark Magician Girl. Yugi won and Arcana lost his soul to the shadow realm thanks to his own trap. Yugi saved Arcana and lost his mind entirely thanks to Marik taking over again. He spewed more bullshit and I sighed when I heard Atem barely remembered Anhur and little else about back then.

As for Arcana, he was reduced to a soulless husk thanks to Marik so I took his deck and sighed, seeing the trimmed Dark Magician cards. I passed them to Gramps telling Yugi. "The Dark Magician card he owes you is trimmed and useless unless you want to cheat. In fact all three of them are just like that."

Mokuba spoke up, saying Kaiba Corp would replace them and help out with the exact same cards not trimmed. He'd arrived just at the end so I nodded and Gramps handed him the three Dark Magicians. I went through the deck and shook my head when I didn't find anything else useful. I passed the deck to Yugi and to him that Arcana was gone for good so by rights his cards were Yugi's.

I suggested he take what he wants and sells or trades the rest to help bolster the power of his deck. The next day Yugi got his Dark Magicians and started early so I stuck with Joey and when a kid tried stealing his duel disk alongside his deck, I stopped the kid. I watched Joey duel Weevil after I'd removed the insect parasite card from his deck. Since Joey didn't use the Great Moth in his deck, he was safe from Weevil's cheating tricks. When Weevil tried his crap, he failed and lost his Great Moth's cocoon along with all his life points, his two locator cards and his Insect Queen which I checked his deck for and handed to Joey myself so the little piss ant couldn't lie his way out of losing it.

True, he cried at the loss of the Insect Queen, but I didn't feel even a tiny bit forgiving for the cheating he'd tried to pull. The next duel Joey faced was against Mako at the aquarium where Mako insisted on risking both his locator cards for two of Joey's. It was a great and honorable duel that ended in Joey getting the Legendary Fisherman and Fortress Whale alongside Mako's two locator cards. After the battle we met Namu, aka Marik in disguise, and I gave him an odd look while he asked Joey for tips in dueling.

His rare hunters came and I held up my bracelet, blasting him back and revealing his millennium rod. I spoke coldly. "Joey, take Tèa, Gramps and Tristan to your sister. I'll deal with this here and meet you in the finals."

He hesitated, but seeing my serious expression and Marik's millennium rod, he nodded and they left. I knocked out the three rare hunters and faced Marik speaking coldly. "I'm the one you want boy, now it's time we duel in the shadow realms."

He grinned. "I couldn't agree more."

I sighed as the shadows enveloped us in a dome outside of our normal dimension. I put up my bracelets, the two Egyptian god cards and all my locator cards for a shadow game. He put up his millennium rod and his Ra alongside his six locator cards as well. The shadow game was simple, a straight forward duel in which every time one of us drew, they had to ask and answer a question truthfully.

Any lies would result in them losing their turn after drawing. The result was bad for Marik because I repeatedly asked him who killed his father. His split personality was suppressed so by the end, he hadn't gotten to play any of his cards. He finally asked me who killed his father in the end and I told him as my Red Eyes Dark Dragoon prepared to attack. "Your split personality did in a desperate attempt to stop your father from killing your adopted brother."

He was so stunned he barely reacted at losing his remaining life points. I banished his split personality to the shadow realm like Atem had Kaiba's inner evil. I took Ra and the millennium rod, storing them both away separately as the rod went into my ring and the Egyptian god card went into my deck I'd built around getting The Creator of Light Horakhty out. I carried Marik to the museum where his sister waited and helped him recover.

I had him call the rare hunters off and dismiss them before Ishizu handed me her millennium necklace. She told me that for once she looks forward to not knowing what's next. I told her to take Marik and Odion home so that when she does return once they're safe and better we can truly begin anew together if she still wants to. She agreed and told me we would meet again someday.

Until then I had the Egyptian god cards and all except three of the millennium items that Atem sealed away. I'd long ago tried to summon Mewtwo and found the balls locked and impenetrable so there was no way to bring him forth either. Which is why I'd had Pegasus make the Horakhty card instead of Mewtwo. Still, I could faintly feel him in the Pokéball every now and then.

I left Ishizu there after she told Odion whom I was when he asked if I could be trusted with all three god cards and the millennium items. I heard Yugi got all the locator cards he needed to participate in the finals with by dueling the last of the rare hunters so I gave the six locator cards I'd gotten from Marik to Rex who'd bought three Red Eyes from the shop later that day while I ran it. He was surprised and thanked me for the chance despite being my opponent in it now.

I shrugged and later that night I used my locator cards to find and get to the finals. I met everyone at the blimp landing site including Mai, Bones, Rex, Yugi, Joey and Espa Roba whom Joey gave his extra locator card to and won his own way into the finals. He'd gotten ahold of the three rare Jinzo cards from the card shop so he was set.

Without Bakura, Marik or Odion, the battle city finals were a lot less exciting and dangerous. Still, when Weevil showed up saying Ishizu gave him his six locator cards, that surprised even me. True, my bracelets could've allowed me to see into the future, but I don't use those powers because I despise such prophetic sights. Even in the one piece reality I only used them in life and death situations.