Deadly Rules

DIMENSION: MANGA (The One That Saves the Day)

Using the scarab, they all instantly went there, with Set using his own power.

"Maiiii!"

Jounouchi was the first to react since he was there. Yuugi watched as five people showed up.

Honda. Grandpa. Mai. Hanasaki and . . .

"Miho doesn't like this," she said. "We are back in Domino City?"

Miho, that's right. She was in school with them when they were younger.

"Mai!" Jounouchi called out again.

"Jounouchi." Mai's appearance was slightly transparent, just like Grandpa had been before. In fact, all of them had been.

Zorc appeared in front of them. "The name of the game? Is Battlesphere. Our players have been broken up into three teams. You basic humans are team one alone since you all want to save the Earth. Set is team two. He is his own team as the one who wants to rule or destroy the Earth. Then, I am team three. Like him, I am a team of one. I want to destroy all of creation." She gestured widely with her arms toward Mai, Grandpa, Honda, Hanasaki, and Miho. "If you haven't guessed? These are your battleships. Using your new Sphere game, the winner is the first one who takes out all the battleships of one team. I hope you have strong cards, Pharaoh." Zorc stared at both Atem and Yuugi. "They may already be in the underworld, but you'll be battling for their immortal souls."

"What?" What?! "Their eternal soul?"

"Mai." Jounouchi was stunned.

"That's right, Jounouchi," Zorc smiled at him. "If you lose her, you'll never even see her again in death. You'll be separated for the rest of eternity. Aww. What a sad fate for the new mommy."

"Anzu?" Jounouchi didn't understand yet. He only saw the appearance of someone similar to Anzu. "Or is that Satiah maybe?"

"Don't be fooled, Jounouchi. It's not Anzu or Satiah," Yuugi warned him. "It's Masika. The whole Masika, with Zorc in control."

"Zorc?!" Jounouchi took an angry step forward. "You better let go of my friends!"

"Go ahead." Zorc giggled like a school girl. "Go ahead and hit your friend in anger. She's the one who feels it."

"Don't do it, Jounouchi!" Ryou Bakura yelled from the side. "She probably won't, but if Zorc gives back control, she will!"

Jounouchi took a step backward. He wouldn't risk it even if he could, he was still holding Mana. "I would never hit Anzu." Not knowing what to do, he went back to staring at Mai. "Mai? How are you?"

"I'm okay," she assured him. "It's okay."

"That's what you think." Zorc lightly danced around like Anzu and then stared at Atem. "It is pretty biased though, right? A little unfair? Set and I are at a disadvantage, and you have so many ships. So, to keep things fair in the game, I have selected my own fleet." She snapped her fingers.

Shimon. Hasan. Shada. The Priestess Isis. Finally, Akhanadin.

Yuugi tried to calm down Hikaru who was starting to cry. His son knew something was wrong with his mommy. So wrong. "Calm down," Yuugi whispered to Hikaru. ///Yuugi: Maybe he's sensing my stress too.///

This was a terrible game. Yuugi had seen his share of games, but these were on another level.

Each team would control five 'battleships'. Essentially, five spirits that would be hidden around the world. The rules being that they must have stood in that exact area they hid at some point when they were alive. The more they resided in that area, the more defense points they would give.

Team One (the humans), had to defeat either all of Set's battleships or Zorc's battleships to win. Each teammate had to take a turn.

Team One (the humans) also had another rule. Each player was in charge of managing one battleship. Jounouchi managed Mai. Bakura managed Miho. Yuugi managed Grandpa. Atem managed Hanasaki. Kaiba managed Honda. If their battleship was destroyed, the player was out of the team. So, if Honda was struck, Kaiba could not play anymore.

If a battleship was about to get struck, their defense points would be added to the card's power their manager had. If they were higher and survived, then they were spared and one battleship would be taken from the one who had been attacked.

It was the only way a battlship wouldn't have to sacrifice their immortal soul.

Cards to be used were duel cards, however the game was far from Duel Monsters. Magic cards could also be used, but only if they did not attack. There was no nullifying magic or trap cards. It was based on nothing but strength and magic.

There was also one more interesting rule. They could replace a card in play with their own 'human card'. In this case, Atem's 'human card' was Jounouchi, who could call for the Dark Magician. For Seto Kaiba, his 'human card' was Shizuka, who could call for the Blue Eyes.

They could use their human card as often as they wanted, but their human cards worked just like regular cards. There was a value of points on their lives. Use of all of it, and the human card would lose it's life.

Lastly, the winnings. Although their individual winnings were already determined, the immortal souls were different. If Team One (humans) won the game, then everyone would be returned to the afterlife, while those who died recently because of the gods' mischief would be restored. They would also receive Satiah and Anzu back.

If Team Two (Set) won the game, then it was at his discretion who was brought back or not. He would also receive Masika, whole.

If Team Three (Zorc) won the game, then everyone was sent to eternal damnation.

Those were the rules. Those were the rules of the card game. Yuugi couldn't believe it could get any worse, until Set said-

"Do my battleships that I select need to be dead?"

"No," Zorc confirmed. "They'll just be dead when they get struck so it still counts," Zorc said. "The only rule is that they cannot be another player or card in the game."

What? ///Yuugi: I don't know how much more I can take!/// Yuugi was trying to be brave for Hikaru, but he couldn't hide his feelings. ///Yuugi: Gods and demons keep ruining my life! You were born super early, just so Anzu could have an empty stomach to bear some light god. She was taken from us, just so Zorc could have her. Her other self went through so much too, just to be forced into this. They don't deserve this!///

///Atem: I understand that pain you feel, Yuugi. If we don't win, there is no guarantee they will ever be returned to us. Set or Zorc, neither can win or we'll never get them back. Even if Set is charitable and lets us have our friends, and only decides to rule the Earth instead of destroy it-///

///Yuugi: He would never give back Masika. He'd keep my Anzu for eternity. And now, he wants to choose someone that isn't even dead. Who does he want to choose?///

"I wish for the Ishtars to be my battleships, Demon."

Ishizu, Malik, and Rishid all appeared suddenly confused.

"I also want Maximillion Pegasus' dream girl," Set added. "Only befitting. He was obsessed in life and was such a bad man to win such a nice afterlife with her. He should be left empty-handed for all of eternity."

"So you steal her instead of him?" Atem's throat sounded as tight as Yuugi's.

"Yes. Hurting innocence is oh so much fun," Zorc agreed. "Your last selection, Set?"

"Mokuba would make a good battleship," Set said.

"Wait!" Bakura countered, "he can't go, he works for me! Which means he works for you."

"Then again, I am considering Hikaru. He would get to stay with his mothers." Set watched Yuugi. "That would make Masika happy."

Yuugi held Hikaru even closer to him. "No one can take him away, he's my son!"

"Yes, probably an insufferable brat," Set agreed. "Fine. Well, Other part of Atem?" He looked toward Atem. "You choose. Then you'll have to explain to your team member, Seto Kaiba, why his little brother was taken for a battleship."

///Yuugi: Atem, not Hikaru! He can't defend himself or speak or-it's not fair, I know, but-///

"Mokuba nor Hikaru have anything to do with this battle," Atem insisted.

"You are wrong," Set corrected him. "Hikaru is Anzu's child, making him Masika's. Mokuba? He is part of an ancient soul that used to be Masika's as well. Not born to her, but it was the only child she ever grew closed to."

What? "Heba?" Mokuba's soul had been Heba's this whole time? The soul Satiah had once looked for when she was a card. She stayed beside Mokuba. Helped heal him at Kaiba's place. Showed the most concern for him besides Kaiba. ///Atem: I should have seen something.///

"If I win, I'd be sure to keep them safe. For Masika, of course." Set buttered Atem up with that.

There wouldn't be any other choice?

"Yuugi losing his son would suffer under the pressure," Atem said, "while Seto Kaiba will only thrive by it. Take Mokuba Kaiba."

///Yuugi: I'm sorry.///

"The battleships have been secured. You have three days to find the best cards you can to play the gods game. So will I," Zorc assured them. "The battleships will reunite with their team on the last day, before they will choose where to go."

"One more thing," Atem asked. "Zorc. This will be a bloody battlefield, with many innocents involved besides the battleships. They will technically be victims of the game. Correct?"

"Yes, yes, I'm sure the gods will do their part later," Zorc grumped. "In the meantime? You'd better get going and explain the game to everyone. In three days, we will all have such a fun game. Best battle ever."

"Innocent people are probably going to be . . ." Yuugi hated to say it. "M-Murdered, getting in the way of this game!" How were they supposed to control the fire power, the blasts, etc? ///Yuugi: Gods can't interfere, it should just be a virtual sort of stretch.///

///Atem: Not with Zorc.///

///Yuugi: I know. It's not fair, technically he is a god too.///

///Atem: Demons play dirty. That part is nothing new. We will win this, Yuugi. Everyone will be brought back. It'll be okay.///

"With such a title as gods game, you should have known it would entail some sacrifices. Even if the gods aren't involved," Zorc chuckled. "I can't wait to see it. Especially with dear little Anzu's mind. She knows all kinds of places your friends would want to go. She knew you all so well."

Yuugi looked up as something distracted his attention. The sky? The sky literally looked like it got cut in half! There was a radiance of magenta and pink shining through, and then regular sky. Hiding behind it.

Looking in front of him, Yuugi could now see farther than he could before.

"Ah, I see the Blue Eyes just destroyed one of my energy bubbles," Set said casually. "It won't manage more than one a day."

Energy bubbles? The world was actually okay still! Yuugi could see it. He could feel it.

"I would have busted it anyway," Zorc warned him. "We can't play the gods game in the simple town of Domino City alone. This is just the base of where the game will start." He looked toward everyone. "Be ready to follow the rules."

Then, he disappeared, leaving only copy sheets of the rules to the gods game.

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