Chapter 94

"So… why is everyone so shocked?" I asked, glancing at Yugi and Tea's friends.

"Because she managed to defeat the Dark Magician," Renard told me, glancing at me from the corner of his eye like he thought I was the dumbest man on the planet. Which, honestly, sometimes I was. Mostly when it came to things like honor in dueling and the history of Caesar Salads (as Ron White had once said I hadn't clawed my way up the food chain to eat carrots).

"And?" I said. "Its not that impressive. A lot of people have defeated the Dark Magician. And Eternal Soul is a dangerous gamble… if you can't protect it then you stand to lose everything."

Mai shot me a look. "I think the bigger shocker is the lifepoints, myself."

"That was a heavy blow," I admitted. But then I began to smirk. "But this is Yugi Muto and the Pharaoh. They have been in harder situations than this. They faced down three Blue-Eyes White Dragons, knowing that just a single one put their grandfather in the hospital, and managed to be the first to summon Exodia. In their first sanctioned match they faced down the Intercontinental Champion and despite his tricks was able to pull off the upset. He defeated Kaiba again and YES SETO I KNOW YOU ARE LISTENING YUGI DID BEAT YOU!" I shouted at one of the cameras. "HOPE YOU DONATED A LOT OF CASH TO SUICIDE PREVENTION GROUPS AFTER THAT BULLSHIT STUNT!"

"…okay there Edwin?" Yuri asked me.

"Yeah… yeah I'm good." I said… before catching myself before I flipped off the camera. "Yugi defeated me… because I didn't need to mock suicide in order to-"

"Edwin…" Mai said sweetly, giving my hand a squeeze, "cool it. You are on TV right now."

I blinked at that. "Oh yeah." I turned to one of the cameras once more. "To all the young people out there who are scared and lonely and depressed and think there is only one way out… I assure you it will get better. You are stronger than you possibly know. Scott, Marc, make sure there is a phone number for a Counseling Hotline running across the screen."

~MC~MC~MC~

"Uh… I mean…" Marc stammered while Scott motioned for one of the producers to hurry and get on that. After a moment on the screens showing the duel a ticker began to scroll across the bottom, explaining that each country had their own Suicide Outreach Number and that one should call that if they, or someone they loved, maybe be in danger.

(Simply call 9-8-8)

Cassie frowned as she settled back in her recliner. "Its really good information, sure, but kind of feels out of the blue?"

"I think Edwin heard about my two employees trying to suicide bait me," Aria stated.

"…when did that happen and who were they?" Caesar asked darkly. "I just want to talk, I swear." The way he clenched his fist made it clear it would be his knuckles talking.

"April Fool's Day."

"Ugh, don't remind me," Cassie complained, "I still can't eat chicken without having the flashbacks."

~MC~MC~MC~

'Edwin's right,' Tea thought to herself. 'Yugi has been through a lot tougher situations than this. I can't believe for even a second that I have him defeated. Yes… its great that I was able to get him down so low… but his Dark Magician Deck was never one that needed a ton of lifepoints to operate. He needs his cards and he's shown that he can bring back the Dark Magician time and time again.' She narrowed her eyes. 'If I am going to win… if I'm going to prove that I can truly stand with the greats… I can't just stall out here. I need to keep pushing until one of us goes over the edge. And it has to be him.'

The Pharaoh looked over his cards after he drew from his deck. "That was a good move, Tea. Very good. But I would do you no favors if I merely stood down and gave up. I am a duelist and I will give it my very all! You have shown me what you can do… now allow me to answer in kind!" He selected two cards from his hand. "First I will set the Magician's Robes in defense move on the field." Upon Yugi's side of the field the robes of the Dark Magician appeared, empty and hollow but still standing on their own. "These robes have absorbed so much magic during their time cladding the Dark Magician that they have taken on a life of their own. They are able to protect their wearer and fight his battles when they are not. And now they will protect my lifepoints."

"We are getting so much lore during this tournament," Duke said.

"Its great, isnt' it?" Tristan said with a grin.

"Now then, I will set this card on the field." A facedown spell or trap appeared. "And next I will discard one card from my hand in order to special summon the Apprentice Illusion Magician!"

"The what?" Tea asked as a tanned mage girl who resembled the Dark Magician Girl appeared. She was wearing ancient armor and the power she was radiating was ancient as well, marking her as someone from a lost age.

"The Apprentice Illusion Magician is the student of the Dark Magician's past self, the Illusion Magician," Ishizu said, suddenly stepping forward and alerting all to her presence. "She studied under him, learning how to protect her Pharaoh, and like her master swore that she would continue to do so not just during her lifetime but all her lifetimes." She smirked as she looked right at Yugi. "History loves to repeat itself, my Pharaoh. You must be seeing that."

The Pharaoh though refused to engage with her, focusing on the duel. "And because she is the Apprentice of the Dark Magician's past self she is able to call upon his reincarnation! So I add one Dark Magician from my deck to my hand!"

"Another Dark Magician?!" Duke cried out and Tea had to agree with the shock; Yugi only had ONE Dark Magician. Even Ishizu, despite her earlier bravado, seemed a touch surprised by that little reveal. "Where did you get that, Yugi?"

"From one of my weak and pathetic Rare Hunters," Marik declared, coming from the opposite side of the arena that Ishizu had entered in.

"I'm going to get a bell for both of you sneaky mother fuckers!" Edwin shouted. "Call it the… Millennium Bell or something and it rings whenever you slink in to do your startling comment of surprise bullshit!"

"Well the Multiverse is real and we've seen the Millennium Shield and Revolver…" Mai admitted.

"Also a belt but that was Tea from Earth… I can't remember, the one my brother's in right now."

Ishizu and Marik both stared at me with bemused smiles.

"Yeah yeah, there are other Earths, you don't believe that, the Pharaoh is evil or good, both of you want to blow him though technically that will be Yugi but only one of you will use your teeth and honestly its up for debate which will do that. BACK TO THE CARD GAME!"

"The only one that can blow Yugi is me," Tea muttered before her eyes went wide and her hands went to cover her mouth.

Yuri broke down laughing.

~MC~MC~MC~

"Blow Job comment!" Martin cried out, marking a spot on his bingo card.

"Damn it, he couldn't have said Hand Job?" Sally complained. "I'm working on getting the corners. No one ever remembers that…"

~MC~MC~MC~

'…I'm not sure how to feel about any of this,' Yugi thought as he watched Tea turn beat red while Yuri fell to the ground, screaming with laughter. Marik looked rather disgusted by Edwin's comment while Ishizu…

"It would only be proper for you to do such things," she informed the crimson Tea. "To be one of the Pharaoh's harem is a great honor and he needs to see all of his needs met. Despite Endymion's crude language he does have the idea partially correct."

"Oh god," Tea moaned before whipping around towards her sister. "Would you shut up!"

"I think I'm going to pee!" Yuri gasped out amongst her cackles.

'So long as you aren't considering Marik…' the Pharaoh stated.

'Did… did you just make a sex joke?'

'Yugi, I spend much of my time wandering through our shared mindscape and you are a teenage boy. I have seen all your fantasies and crude thoughts.'

'…oh.' Yugi mentally swallowed. 'Uh… let's get back to the game?'

'Would you like to take over-'

'NOPE!'

The Pharaoh smirked before taking a breath, settling himself. "That is enough, all of you!" He called out in a clear, strong voice. "While you might find this amusing this is still a duel as part of the Battle City Finals and there will be order!"

"By your leave, my Pharaoh," Ishizu said with a bow. "Of course… you must achieve your victory and show this mortal her place."

"On her knees, apparently," Marik taunted. "I'm just surprised you haven't already assumed the position, sister."

The Pharaoh ignored the two siblings as they began to trade insults. "Tea. Do you need a moment more?"

Tea took a breath and began to shake and wiggle her body, loosening herself up. "No… no, I'm good. Continue on, Pharaoh!"

"Don't blow-OW!" Yuri cried out, the Pharaoh turning to see her rubbing her ankle while Mai looked utterly innocent. "I'm her sister, its my duty to mock her!"

"Don't care, duel now."

The Pharaoh nodded at that and finally began to go through his deck. "As I was saying my Apprentice Illusion Magician allows me to select a Dark Magician from my deck and add it to my hand. And I select this one!" He revealed one of Cabal's Dark Magicians, the red armored, tan skinned, white haired Dark Magicians.

"Do you like that one, Pharaoh?" Marik asked. "I had to… convince… someone within Industrial Illusions to have it made special. I considered using it myself when I faced you but when I met Cabal I knew that her delusions of vengeance made it better suited for her."

~MC~MC~MC~

Pegasus frowned, watching the duel from his room for he had decided to sleep in and have a leisurely breakfast. "Hmm… I would be angry that Marik used one of my employees to create that card…" He cut into his French style omelet and took a bite, savoring the way the cheese played with the eggs before continuing to himself, "but I must admit the artwork is fetching…"

~MC~MC~MC~

"That might be, Marik, but no card is evil. Only the duelist that wields it. And I will use this Red Dark Magician just like I use my original one! It will bring me victory, same as every card in my deck!" He pulled another card from his hand. "And now I will activate Dark Magical Circle!" On the field the symbol of the Dark Magician, his ring of power and magic, appeared below the Apprentice Illusion Magician. "This card allows me to look at the top three cards on my deck and if one is a Dark Magician or a card related to him then I can add it to my hand." The Pharaoh drew and looked over what he'd selected. 'None of these will do me well at the moment.'

'Take the field spell,' Yugi argued. 'If Tea destroys Magician's Salvation having a second copy ready to go would be a good way to quickly get back into the duel.'

'Yes, I agree Yugi,' The Pharaoh thought doing just that before setting the other two cards on top of his deck. "And now Tea I will have my Apprentice Illusion Magician attack your Protector of the Agents-Moon! Illusionary Flame!"

The Apprentice Illusion Magician lifted up her staff and sent out a wave of black fire that wrapped around the Protector of the Agents, shattering her.

"Unfortunately for you thanks to the Sanctuary in the Sky that attack only destroyed my Moon… my lifepoints remain right in place." Tea drew her next card. "The home of the Agents allows them to do many things that should be impossible." She smirked. "Allow me to show you another."

'Oh, I don't like the way she's looking at us…' Yugi murmured to the Pharaoh.

"Because Sanctuary in the Sky is on the field I am able to special summon directly from my hand this: My Agent of Entropy- Uranus!"

On the field there was a… distortion. Like the air was trying to fold in on itself, crumple up into a ball. It trembled and waivered before, with a violent flexing of itself, popped back into normal form only now with a dark winged, blue-skinned angel upon the field, staring at the Pharaoh with dispassionate eyes.

"Next I use its effect, which allows me to send another copy of my Agent of Mystery-Earth to the graveyard in order to reduce my Agent of Entropy-Uranus' level to 2."

"Why would she want to do that after she summoned it already?" Duke asked, confused. "It makes no sense. I get trying to reduce the level to 2 if its in the hand, so that you can summon it without tribute…"

"Yeah… seems like a steep cost to get the Agent of Mystery in the graveyard," Tristan commented.

Koyo shrugged. "Maybe its because she wants to have the Agent there? Maybe she needs to have fodder in order to summon something else?"

"She needs fodder alright," Edwin commented. The group turned to him but he merely smirked. "Watch and learn, kids… Tea is about to start class."

Tea smiled at that. "Thank you, Edwin. Now then, my Agent of Entropy-Uranus isn't any mere fairy. No… he's a special kind." She narrowed her eyes. "He's a tuner."

"A Syncro summon!" The Pharaoh exclaimed. "That's why you needed to adjust his level!"

"Exactly!" Tea declared. "I now Syncro Summon my Agent of Entropy-Uranus with my Agent of Creation-Venus!" Uranus leapt into the air, turning into rings that Venus flew through as she herself transformed into a beam of energy. As she passed through them she began to gather energy from them, transforming her beam into something else. Transforming HER into something else. "Now come forth Executor of the Underworld-Pluto!"

The energy above Tea winked out and for a moment it appeared that nothing had happened. That her Syncro had failed. But as the Pharaoh looked up he spotted a small, cold looking planet hanging above them and from it came an angel. He was very tall and very thin, with arms a touch too long for his body and snowy white skin. His hair was a pale violet and his garments were black and white with golden accents. The wings upon his back were purple in color but rather than feathers his looked more like the fins of some mystical aquatic creature. From his form came not so much an aura but rather ashes, as if his body was burning up the very air around him.

"Ever notice that Tea has gotten really scary?" Duke muttered.

"Earth-2," Tristan murmured, watching as Tea stood with her dark angel.

"The Executor of the Underworld must stand separate from the other Agents due to his job of serving as a destroyer, rather than a creator. But don't be mistaken… he is still an Agent, even if his title is different."

"That is a powerful monster indeed," the Pharaoh stated. "You have done well in this duel, Tea. Taken me to the very edge. Forced me to be far more creative and cunning than I have in past ones. Now it is time for you to take your shot!"

"…no."

"Clever girl," Edwin whispered.

"I know you, Yugi. You always have a trick up your sleeve… or the sleeve of those Robes. We had a lot of time on the Broken Symmetry while we waited for the others… and you showed me your deck. I know how the Magician's Robes work. You plan to use their affect to try and summon the Dark Magician you added to your hand!"

In their mindscape Yugi gasped. 'I'd forgotten that we spent time with Tea working on my deck! That means she knows about all our strategies… that's how she also knew about Eternal Soul and its destruction backlash effect!'

'Yes Yugi… we've made an error when it comes to Tea. But we must hold out hope that we can push beyond this and still win! While she might know of some of our cards there are still other monsters, spells, and traps that we added just this morning that she has no idea about. That is our chance.'

"That is a massive advantage Tea has," Renard stated. "If she knows what most of Yugi's cards can do she can begin forming up strategies to counter them."

Mai nodded. "So much of Duel Monsters is about surprising your foes, unleashing effects they never knew about and leaving them scrambling. If Tea though knows all that… Yugi is in serious trouble."

Ishizu tsked at that. "Is it any wonder she would use her friendship to her advantage? Such underhanded tactics… it is as I warned my pharaoh… you can not trust the little whore-"

Yuri snapped her head in Ishizu's direction. "One more word about my sister and I'll finish what she started."

Ishizu though wasn't cowed. "And if you attempt to harm me I will show you visions of your future, Yuri Gardner… ones that will show you how insignificant you are." She smirked. "You have no idea how meaningless your existence is. I could snuff you out right now and the world would continue on."

The Pharaoh felt a pulse of energy and watched, eyes widening, as Selene took control. "Threaten my priestess and I will turn the deserts of Egypt to glass."

"Do it, sister!" Marik taunted. "It would be a wonderful gift for me!" He gave a mocking bow to Selene, the moon goddess' nose twitching slightly in annoyance.

"Very well, Moon," Ishizu stated but the way her eyes linger on Selene it was clear that she wasn't backing down out of fright or worry. No… she had decided to select her battles and that worried the Pharaoh greatly.

Tea gathered herself after that before finally speaking once more. "When my Executor of the Underworld-Pluto desires it he can shift one of your monsters into downface defense position, ensuring that it can't use its effect!" Pluto lifted up his arms and an orb of crackling violet light appeared between his palms, vibrating before shooting out and forcing the Magician's Robes to turn back into a card. "I know you planned to use that card to summon your Dark Magician from your hand, Yugi… but I won't make it that easy on you! Now then, Executor of the Underworld-Pluto! Attack his downface Magician's Robes!"

The angel nodded and made a complex motion with his hands, weaving them through the air and leaving a trail of energy in their wake. That trail suddenly shot out and shattered the card completely.

"I end my turn."

'What do we do now, Pharaoh?' Yugi asked. 'The Executor of the Underworld is stronger than our Apprentice Illusion Magician. And we have no way to bring out our Dark Magician. And Tea knows so many of our strategies.'

'We trust in the heart of the cards, Yugi. That is what we do. We trust in this deck and know that it can help guide us to a win.' He closed his eyes. 'Yes, Tea is our friend… but that is why we must win here. We must make sure that we face the threats that are coming at us. Marik. Ishizu. Even this Entropy that Edwin says is coming for him. We must be strong and ready to fight back against all our enemies and we can only do that by fighting right here, right now, to win this duel!' His hand reached for his deck. 'Our deck has not let us down yet… and I don't believe it will do so now! So we draw and reveal what fate gives us!'

He drew the card in a swift smooth motion.

The Pharaoh… smiled.

"You have been rather cunning, Tea. I compliment you for that. But you should know that Edwin was right: the duel is not over until the very last card is played and the final lifepoint fades away. So long as I have my deck and even a single lifepoint I will continue to fight. And I will prove that NOW! I reveal the card I drew, the master of the Apprentice Illusion Magician: Palladium Oracle Mahad!"

~MC~MC~MC~

Pegasus sat up a bit straighter at the sight of the card the Pharaoh had drawn. 'I had wondered if I would see you play that card, Yugi.'

His mind went back to Egypt, when he had just gotten the Millennium Eye and began searching for inspiration for Duel Monsters.

'It was in a bazaar that I saw it: the tapestry depicting the great sorcerers of Egyptian lore. There were many of them but I was drawn towards two: Mahad and his apprentice. I don't know why but something about them called out to me… sang that they were cards that needed to be created. I stood there in the middle of the street and studied that tapestry until it was burned into my mind, so I would not miss a single detail. I had never been struck like that before… even viewing such images like the Dark Magician or the Blue Eyes White Dragon did not affect me like seeing those did. The only one that came closest was Endymion's tomb… and that was something else entirely.'

He shuddered as he remembered that haunted place.

'But now you have summoned them… and I wonder what it means. For all of us.'

~MC~MC~MC~

"This monster, when I draw it, can be automatically summoned to my side of the field!" The Pharaoh declared. "So behold as I bring him forth! Palladium Oracle Mahad!"

The Pharaoh slammed the card onto the field and from the floor of the arena rose the Palladium Oracle in a burst of light. But as it finished forming the light of its summoning remained… and drifted to the Apprentice Illusion Magician. Then back to it. Over and over, the process repeating and growing faster.

"Captain…" Renard whispered and I looked down to see that the Millennium Key had emerged from my chest and was flashing in time with the two monsters on the Pharaoh's side of the field. The Pharaoh looked down and saw that his puzzle was also flashing…

"What trickery is this!?" Marik roared as the Millennium Rod pulsed, the light flickering like a steady heart beat. "I demand you stop this at once!"

"I do not know what this is, Marik," the Pharaoh declared.

"A gift from the gods," Ishizu called out in a clear voice. "They bless us and remind us of our path!"

"And then next minute you'll be saying I'm the devil again!" I snapped; I chose to ignore the fact that I tended to CALL myself the Guardian Devil because it was the principle of the thing, honestly…

But none of us were able to answer as there was a grand flash of light, so intense and blinding that even forcing my eyes shut did nothing to stop it from burning my retinas. I felt myself crying out, trying to shield myself, and I heard other voices as well but there was nothing I could do. There was only the light-

And then there was only the soft darkness that came at evening fall, with a few torches the only sources of light for me to find.

"Thank you, Mahad," a voice said and I found myself turning towards it source.

The room I suddenly found myself in was made of stone, a dark sandy color that reeked of age even if it were brand new. But it wasn't empty or bare, for the walls were painted in a wash of colors to make it far more inviting and lively. The pillars that held up the ceiling were stripped with greens and blues and the walls had hieroglyphics that depicted the gods of Egypt with their many animal heads standing next to each other, clearly engaged in conversation. Tables were littered all about the room with little golden idols upon them of different beasts. The chairs were made of golden wood with green pillows inlaid in their seats and the stone floor was covered in rugs made from the pelts of zebras, lions, and other great mammals. There was a stone reclining coach off to the side but none of the room's occupants were using it, leaving it and its leather pillows be in favor of the table that was set up with a selection of different fruits.

The first I saw was a young boy, perhaps no more than 7 or so, standing in a corner holding a pitcher. He was dressed in a finely made white one-piece outfit, a headband keeping his hair from his eyes. He had such a serious look on his face that I couldn't help but chuckle as it was just so amusing to see such a look upon one so small. It was like when a baby tried to growl and snarl.

Standing near the table was a tall man, lean but strong, with a long beard that was already beginning to gray even though he was at most in his 30s. He wore ornate robes that kept most of his body hidden and if they had been purple I would have believed him to be a Rare Hunter. His body was tense even as he remained still, not pacing as I had the sneaking suspicion he desired to do.

"The reports are clear, brother. Every day the army creeps ever closer. Villages are falling to them; those that don't turn coward and submit to them-"

"Do not call them cowards, brother," the final person in the room, the only one seated, said with a firm voice. "They do what they need to in order to survive."

"They dishonor you," the first man said in a voice like a stern father lecturing a willful child. "You are their Pharaoh."

My eyes widened at that as I took the last man truly in. At once I realized that the two were related… brothers most likely considering how much they looked alike. It was only because the latter had a full beard while the former a mustache and a long pointed tuff on his chin while his cheeks were bare, as well as the latter wearing far more finely made garments and an elegant headdress, that made them easy to tell apart.

"Yes, Aknadin, I am their Pharaoh. And I understand well that they would honor me if they could. But I am here and they are there, with these invaders demanding they either submit to their rule or die."

"They should die then," Aknadin replied. "That is their duty to you."

But the Pharaoh shook his head at that. "If I demand all who live under my rule to die then why do I deserve to rule?"

Aknadin's jaw twitched at that. Just for a moment, easy to miss, but it happened all the same. He had wanted to say something but had forced himself to remain quiet.

So instead the Pharaoh continued on. "And we have heard nothing from the peace envoys?"

"Only the same. That they are thankful for your offers and accept them but they can not control all that serve in the army." He paused, lips twisting in disgust. "The Greeks do not have one king. They are multiple city-states with their own rulers and while this collective all desire to carve our kingdom up to claim their pieces they do not agree upon the how."

"So they are using it as an excuse for their actions," the Pharaoh said, leaning forward and selecting a date from one of the platters. But he didn't eat it; no, he merely began to roll it between his thumb and forefinger, staring intently at it. "They break the agreement but are able to claim they are keeping it because it is 'others' who make these attacks."

"Which is why we must strike out against them now, brother. Send forth our armies and slay these invaders. Make THEM come to US to beg for peace."

"What army would you have us send, Aknadin? We were caught off guard by the arrival of the Thebians and were routed. Our best died and now we only have green boys who have only used their spears in the training yards. We don't fight an army of straw dummies." He sighed and shook his head. "No… I will not send our armies to be slaughtered. If they fall then our entire kingdom will. We survive because we give the illusion we can fight back. We must win with words, not swords."

Aknadin was silent.

"What is it?" the Pharaoh asked, glancing at his brother. "What is it you do not tell me?"

"…the situation is… worse than we realized."

"How so?"

"Endymion has been seen wandering the dunes."

The Pharaoh drew up ramrod straight at that news. I didn't blame him, for I felt terror strike right through my heart like a thunderbolt at those words. Yami Bakura had told me that my past self had been the reason he had survived the massacre but I had ignored that, hoping perhaps that Endymion had done the right thing and saved a scared little boy. That the carving of Endymion arguing with the Pharaoh were him raging over the sacrifice of 99 souls all to make the Millennium Items.

But… if it were true that Endymion was there during the invasion of Egypt…

"Are… are you sure?" the Pharaoh asked softly, looking up at his brother with hopeful eyes, clearly praying that the other man would deny it and reveal that what he had just claimed was false.

But Aknadin had no comforting words for his brother. "The whispers grow louder each day. A Medicine Witch found drained to the point of death, every one of her potions smashed or stolen. The Wizard of the Sands discovered by those seeking his wisdom beheaded, the area around him turned to glass that burned those that touched it. A caravan of merchants who sold blessed stones barely made it to the capital today, terrified of the demon that hunted them and sought to steal all they had."

The Pharaoh seemed to age ten years before my eyes at that news. "But every report from our spies stated he had turned his attention towards Atlantis."

"He has decided to take the long way."

"He is using this war as a cover for his foul acts. The Greeks would never support him… he has done as much damage to them as he would to us." The Pharaoh looked away, jaw clenched. "Darkness and madness."

"Brother… there is a way out for us," Aknadin said softly, moving to place his hand on the Pharaoh's shoulder. "An escape. We both know it."

"…no," he said with a sharp shake of his head. "We can not."

"The Millennium Book has been passed down since the founding of the United Egypt. It was crafted to help us drive back our enemies."

"We do not even know who wrote it," the Pharaoh argued.

"Do you care if you do not know which blacksmith forged your sword? It is a tool. Let us use it. I have discovered a ritual that will allow us to tap into great power. To call forth monsters from the souls of men that will drive back the Greeks. Only a single use of this power will send the Grecians scurrying to their islands with the stories of what we did; none will ever wish to face our might again."

The Pharaoh didn't look convinced. "And we will be sending a beacon to Endymion that we now have a power he hungers for. Atlantis-"

"They were fools who have become far too obsessed with their green rocks. They scream from every corner they have power but then do nothing with it. Of course Endymion is drawn to them. We are different though. He will come at us, perhaps, but when he does it will be too late. The Tower of Tomes drove him back, did they not? He had to lick his wounds for nearly a year. We will do the same." He paused. "Or perhaps better. If we can slay him all will come to us to pay homage."

"It is said he is favored by the gods."

"A god," Aknadin corrected. "And their moon goddess will not trouble us. The ritual will be started during the day and I will do it upon the New Moon, when her power will be weakest. The gods of Egypt will see to the rest, blinding her until we have completed our task."

"What does Shimon suggest?"

Aknadin shook his head. "Shimon is an old man who is a creature of our father. Every day that you listen to him you prove to our enemies that you are not ready to lead. That their beliefs about you are true." He leaned down. "Are you ready to be seen in Ra's light? Or will you remain in father's shadow?"

"…the ritual is safe?"

"There will be nothing to fear," Aknadin stated. "The Egypt we leave for our sons will be a better one for it."

And with that the torches flared again and I shielded my eyes until it dimmed, revealing I was once more on the blimp.

"What the fuck?" I whispered.

The Pharaoh looked just as startled while Ishizu was as smug as could be over what had happened. It was Marik who was the most upset though, pulling out the Millennium Rod and pointing right at his sister with a death glare. "What did you do to me?"

"It was not I who did it, but rather bringing forth Mahad, the trusted aid and ally of our Pharaoh," she proclaimed. "He allowed us to see a memory… the memory of the creation of our items." She turned and stared me down, her smile condescending and dark. "And it seems that all I said about you was true, Endymion. It was you who was the first threat to Egypt. A thief who believed himself mightier than he was, jealous of the Pharaoh for his status as a living god, and sought to take his power. But you were driven back… just as you will be driven back now." She turned towards the Pharaoh. "Do you understand now? Endymion must die before he can act as he did before. I will smite him where he stands right now, so that you might not need to sully yourself with the likes of him."

"Oh, we want to talk about thieves, Ishizu?" I asked, taking a step forward. "I'll be glad to talk about thieves. A whole village of them."

"What are you blathering on about?" Marik asked, still upset he'd been sucked into that vision.

Seeing Ishizu also staring at me, her smile dipping slightly, I couldn't help but chuckle. "Oh… oh you two don't KNOW, do you? Never bothered to look up the history of what you had guarded. Just mindlessly did your little duty because your forefathers demanded it of you?" Marik looked smug at that but I added, "or find out just what you were forcing yourself upon when you claimed it? Well… if we are dropping the truth I'll give you one right here: The Millennium Items-"

"Enough," Seto said, his voice ringing out over the PA system. "We are here to duel, not listen to you yammer on about fantasy tales. Now get back to it."

The Pharaoh stared at me for a long moment before nodding in agreement. "Kaiba is right… there is a time and place for this." I nodded in acceptance as he turned back towards Tea. "Now then… let's continue this duel!"

~MC~MC~MC~

Chaosverse Omake

"Scanner damaged. Protoform status stable. Scanner damaged."

He awoke to the warning repeating over and over again. They didn't make sense to him at all… what scanner? Protoform? He shook his head and tried to sit up only to find that he wasn't in his bed at all. Rather he was someplace… else. Tight. Constrictive. Restrained.

He actually didn't mind tight spots or being pinned down. He slept better with heavy blankets and despite his height he was used to wiggling through tight spots. Yet at that moment walking up to find himself unable to move properly and with the warning constantly buzzing in his ear all he could do was fight against what was holding him

The clear… plastic? Glass?... above him shattered as he forced himself out of his prison and yanked himself out of the strange device that had held him, falling to the dusty ground. Everything felt… off. Wrong. His body not working like it should, things out of place. His legs felt a bit too short and his arms too long. And there was something else… like he had found himself with something extra that was a part of him. He couldn't piece it together.

He blinked only to stare down at the ground. It was hardpacked and solid, with bones right under him. Large ones too. That should have freaked him out but his mind felt… detached. He curled his right hand into a fist…

The bones MOVED.

It took him far too long to realize that the bones and his fingers were the same thing.

Scrambling to his feet he twisted his head about wildly before he spotted the device he'd broken out of. It was metallic and looked like a futuristic coffin, much to his horror. But those emotions died away as he stared at his reflection. Or, rather, the monster that was reflected back at him.

A long, gaunt face made of stained tan bone. A simple slot for a mouth. No nose and the only thing that could be called 'ears' were nubby protrusions. And his eyes… they glowed yellow.

He reached up with a four-fingered hand and touched the top of his head, finding instead of hair a battle mask that, when he pulled it down, looked like a screaming skull.

He scrambled away from the pod in terror.

All of him was bone. There was a heavy plate on his chest and cut off rib bones where his stomach should be. His right shoulder was a massive sharp plate and his left was part of a spine or something before reaching his massive fingers and hands. He noticed something on his back and turned to see that a T-Rex skull was fused to his spine.

"What the fuck?" he whispered, panting hard. "What the fuck, what the fuck, what the fuck?!"

He began to rock back and forth, holding his head in his hands. He had no idea what was going on, how he had become a… a monster… but there was no denying it was just an illusion or a delusion or anything else poetic. He was a creature of hard bone and nothing else…

What finally pierced through his panic… was the sound of crying.

Getting to his feet he turned and saw several other pods. They, like his own, were sparking and sputtering and he frowned as he approached only to start when he got around the first and saw another bone monster sitting there… arms wrapped around their knees as they keened.

And at once his own terror didn't matter. He didn't care what he looked like. All he saw was someone who was scared and he HAD to help her.

"Hey," he said softly, lowering himself down to the ground, trying to make himself less imposing. It was hard though as he was nearly twice as big as the female (and it was a female, he was sure of that) he had found. She too was made out of bones but was different from his. Her body was a dark gray in color with only a few pieces of metal on her chest and her face. Her feet were bestial claws, her hands rather normal looking, but she also had another set of hands that sat on her shoulders. She was wearing a helmet with a pair of red tinted goggles, though he only saw that when she lowered her hands slightly from her face.

He had to repeat himself again before she noticed him and when she did he was surprised that she didn't scream or cry out in horror. No… instead she launched himself at him, hugging him tight, and after a moment he gently gathered her in his arms.

"It's okay," he assured her. "I'm here… I'm here."

"Something… something happened with our pods," she hiccupped. "The Axalon… it was crashing… but… but I don't know why we look like this…" She trembled, pressing her face to his left shoulder. "I thought… I thought I was the only one…"

He held onto her tight. The Axalon… it wasn't possible. And yet he felt in his stomach a growing dread of just WHERE he was. "You aren't… I-"

"Hey!" someone else, another female, called out. "Anyone else there?"

He got up, cradling to little bone creature, and looked over to see others like them slowly getting up. He saw a very tall figure made of bleached white bone with a featureless head save for a glowing visor. Two shorted ones, one with grayed bones and a dinosaur skull on their shoulder, the other with a mammoth. There were others too, emerging from their pods, looking disoriented.

"What… what is going on?" the female who had called out said. She was a similar shape to him only her body looked like the bones had been painted similar to the decorations for The Day of the Dead; her shoulder was a series of bones and she had on an orangish yellow crest over her black head.

"Last thing I remember is an attack but… nothing," the mammoth one stated.

"Something… happened with our pods," the ceratops one commented. "The scanners were damaged…"

He stared at them as they all began to argue, the little one still hugging him tight.

"ENOUGH!" he roared out, getting to all quiet down. "We're all confused. Some of us have more memories than others. But we need to figure out what happened and we can't do that standing around talking over each other. Now… anyone getting any life signs?"

"…yes," the tallest of them said. "To the east."

"Then we head east," he said. "And we see if they can help us figure out what happened to us!" He looked down at the little one. "Can you go on your own?"

"Yeah," she said, clearly embarrassed by her meltdown. He gently set her onto the ground and she glanced at the others before ducking her head.

"Alright… we need call signs," he said. "If you got one give it out, otherwise I pick!"

Quickly the others came up with names. Vertibreak for the little one. Spindle for the Day of the Dead. Wingfinger for the tall one. Ractonite for the ceratops. Masterdominus for the mammoth.

He nodded at them all. "Let's get going. Keep an eye out for anyone else who might be out there!"

"Wait!" Spindle called out. "Who are you?"

He glanced at her before shifting his body, feeling himself not so much transform as his limbs break off before the Energon in his body yanked them back together into the form of a juvenile Tyrannosaurs Rex.

"…call me Paleotrex," he said before shouting for them to head out.

It was time to join the Beast Wars.

INTRODUCING PALEOTREX

The Chaos of Earth 96