Chaos Effect

Chapter 54

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As she stood at the docks Ishizu's mind drifted to her father's lessons.

Even though she was the eldest of his children he would never allow her to be his heir. The reason for that was simple: she wasn't born with a cock. Just lacking a little dangling bit of flesh... that is what caused her father to instantly dismiss her. She later learned from one of the traders that the family let into the secret of their eternal stewardship of the tombs that her birth had been difficult for her mother. The midwife had warned that her mother should never attempt to have another child.

But... she had been born a girl.

Marik blamed himself for their mother's death. Or he had before he had become convinced it was their Pharaoh's fault. But it was Ishizu's fault because if only she had been male her father would have allowed her to be his heir and Marik would have never been born. Sometimes she hated herself for thinking about how she'd rather have her mother than her brother.

Other times the dark whispers in her mind hissed that he should be gone.

'All he has ever done is cause trouble. Father shoved Odion aside, when he proved to be so dedicated to our ways purely because of him. And now father is dead, because of him. He reveals the truth of us and stands against our pharaoh. Those that stood against him, the god made flesh, paid for their blasphemy with blood and pain. If you were stronger your brother would know the same cost...'

She forced those thoughts back. They always seem to come to her when she thought of what her father taught her.

Because while she wasn't his heir she was an Ishtar and that meant that when she was wed to one of the few remaining tomb keepers she would need to help him... and bring power to the Clan of the Crocodile, the family Ishtar. Who she would have married Ishizu never learned... her mother had been of the Clan of the Serpent. None of the other families remained nor were the lesser houses left. She supposed she would have married Shadi, her cousin, but he had died several years ago, around the time of her father's own death...

'Good,' the bitterness in her soul hissed. 'You are not some cow to be sold and bred. You are the eldest of the tomb keepers... it is your duty to take command! If Shadi died then that means he is not worthy to serve the pharaoh! The line of Tomb Keepers must be strong!'

She shook her head almost violently, forcing the voice to be quiet.

Her father had taught her how to control her emotions. How to understand that her own thoughts, her own opinions, even her own emotions, did not matter if they came in conflict with the noble task of aiding the Pharaoh.

All she did... was in the name of aiding of the Pharaoh.

Thus she shoved aside her misgivings and the worms of guilt that nibbled away at her mind as she watched Susan Marison sail away from Domino. She'd observed the young woman's duel with Seto and had been... disturbed... but what she saw. She had thought she was giving Seto the love of his life, made in one who clearly desired him. But instead she had unleashed a madwoman-

'No,' Ishizu snapped within the recesses of her mind. 'I did nothing wrong! Seto Kaibab has proven to be far less than his past self... had he truly been Pharaoh Set he would have helped that woman, not cast her away! I did... I did nothing wrong.' She narrowed her eyes. 'There are far too many that seek to stand against the Pharaoh, to keep him from his task. I can not afford to become a burden to him by doubting myself now. Seto Kaiba will be brought to heel. Endymion will be returned to the grave. Tea Gardner will learn her place and Joey Wheeler will return to the shadows. If this world is to survive all must play their role.'

She turned and walked away from the departing ship, making no move to retrieve Susan despite the damage she might do.

'No matter if they wish to aid him or not.'

~MC~MC~MC~

'Man, how did I find myself in this mess?' Tristan thought to himself as he looked over the field. 'I just wanted to prove to everyone that I could be a duelist like Yugi and Joey.' His mind went to before Battle City, before Kaiba had even challenged Yugi's grandpa. 'Back then we got into all sorts of wild things but it was always the four of us: Me, Yugi, Tea, and Joey. Sometimes Miho of course but just the four of us. Dealing with school, bullies, jobs...' He shook his head. 'Then Kaiba came along and that was like the key that opened the door to madness. We suddenly had to deal with Pegasus.' He saw in his mind's eye the creator of Duel Monsters using his Millennium Eye to turn Kaiba into a trading card, trapping his soul and threatening to do the same to Yugi. 'Then the Big 5 tried to get Tea's father to kill Edwin...'

Till the day he died he'd never forget the terror of seeing Edwin being operated on, Yuri covered in his blood and barely hanging on to her sanity.

'Then that bizarro Earth-2 where good was evil and evil was good...'

The King of Domino who was Mr. Muto in that world. Who had apparently killed Yugi to claim his puzzle. Yuri the corrupt chief of police who had no problem killing innocents. Serenity happily murdering her own brother and Edwin forced to rip her soul out of her body to keep her from doing the same to them. Edwin's own evil doppelganger using the Millennium Rod of them to turn them into his puppets, implanting Duel Monsters knowledge into their skulls and then forcing them to attack their friend.

'And now Marik and his Rare Hunters.' Edwin and Yugi had been rather clear to everyone about what they were going to be facing in Battle City. 'Up until Earth-2 I was feeling more and more like I was being left behind. Yugi was racing forward, taking on threats to the world. Joey was hurrying to keep up. But Tea and I... we were left to stand on the sidelines, wondering if those two would be able to save the day. As much as I hate Aiden Order he gave me a chance though to stand with Yugi and Joey and show that I could help too. I wasn't a target the Rare Hunters could go after to try and take down my friends... I would be able to fight with them! That's all I wanted!'

He looked at the field and Mako's monsters.

'Now I am standing here with only 700 lifepoints left and not a single monster of the field, trying to figure out how I am going to get out of this mess.' Tristan shut his eyes. 'maybe... maybe I shouldn't have tried to compete in Battle City. Maybe I really was fooling myself and having delusions of grandur-"

"Come on man!" Joey called out from the stands. "Don't worry about this! You've seen Yug and I get out of worst situations than this and you can do the same! Ya just have ta believe in yourself and the heart of the cards!"

Tristan felt his spirits rise with that comment. His best friend, because Joey WAS his best friend now that he'd clearly gotten his head out of his own ass, was cheering him on. Knew he could do it. Joey had nearly made it to the final round of Duelist Kingdom. He'd been trained by Mr. Muto. He was a good duelist... a great duelist! And he believed that Tristan could do this.

"Yeah... yeah, you're right! I can do this, no sweat!" He looked up at Mako who nodded in approval, glad Tristan was going to fight on. "That was a really great last turn, man... but now its time for me to show you what I can do! Draw!" He looked over his hand. "Hmmm... not great, let's see if we can do better! I activate another Machina Reployment!" He sent another card in his hand to the graveyard. 'Let's hope I won't need that... but maybe...' He shook that thought off, deciding he'd deal with that potential combo later. "I draw... yes! I summon another Machina Soldier in defense mode and you know what that means! Come on out Machina Fortress!"

The blue tank-like machine monster appeared, revving its saw blade arms as it sized up Mako's side of the field. Tristan knew he just had to get a solid hit in and he'd win the duel. Mako and him were so low on lifepoints that one blow would do it. Would punch their ticket to the finals.

"Fortress, attack his Doom Kraken and end this duel!"

But Mako smirked. "I activate my Doom Kraken's final effect! By returning him to my hand I can negate your attack!" The Doom Kraken dove under the waves and his Fortress was forced to stand down, unable to retarget onto the Kairyu-Shin. "Nice try though. But now its time for me to bring forth something far more powerful from my depths. You see my Kairyu-Shin is an ancient beast thought long dead that has only just reappeared. But... there are others of its species that live even deeper in the darkness of the waters of the ocean. That have evolved even further. And now you face the final form of the Kairyu-Shin: The Leviathan!"

The beast that Mako summoned forth was twice as long as the original Kairyu-Shin, with a blue body and green and purple 'wings' near its head. It settled in defense mode, glaring at Tristan's monsters while Mako shifted his original Kairyu-Shin to a defensive position as well.

"It's still weaker than my Fortress," Tristan pointed out only to watch as his monsters began to seize up. "Hey! What are you doing?"

"My Kairyu-Shin Leviathan is a master of the ocean and in his seven seas only those that can brave the depths can school together."

"Aw come on!" Joey cried out. "Would ya talk in English for once?"

Mako merely scoffed. "What I am saying is that its effect forces you to only have one non-water type monster on the field at a time. You must choose which of your Machina monsters will sink to the bottom of the ocean!"

Tristan glowered at that before removing his Soldier from his duel disc, the one on the field letting out a static-filled whine as it collapsed into the water and was washed away by the tide.

"I set one card and end my turn."

"Eh, that was okay but Tristan will be able ta get around that!" Joey called out. "Come on man, show this sailor man what ya can do with that spiffy deck of yours!"

"Right," Tristan said with a nod, drawing again. 'Man, he can just keep playing defense monsters to protect his lifepoints until he can get something big out! What am I... wait. That's it.' He looked over the field. 'Yugi, Joey, Edwin... they don't merely use their card's own effects to win duels, they figure out ways to use what their opponent set up and turn it against them! And I think I know how to do just that!" He held up a card. "I summon Machina Gearframe!"

"That was a mistake, Tristan. Even without taking into account my Leviathan's effect I have something else to ensure that this duel ends next turn. Activate Torrential Tribute, wiping out both sides of our field!" The massive wave rose up and the monsters all found themselves crushed by the rushing water, shattering into bits. "And now next turn I merely need to summon the Doom Kraken still in my hand and attack directly." He smiled, flashing a thumbs up. "You did well Tristan... there is no shame for how you did in this duel."

"Yeah, I agree." Tristan said. "Special summon Machina Megafortress."

"W-what?!?" Mako stammered as he saw the Machina Fortress appear... and begin to transform, rising up as its treads became legs and its body shifted to take on a more humanoid form. "Where... where did THAT come from?"

"The card I discarded last turn to activate my Machina Reployment," Tristan informed him. "And when my Machina Fortress was destroyed this card caused it to actually transform into its new battle form. And with no monsters on the field that means he can attack you directly!"

"...no, there is no need for that," mako said with a smile, setting his hand on his deck. At once the hologram faded. "I would rather end this grand duel with us shaking hands than an explosion of bits." Tristan smiled at that and walked around the side of the tank, Mako following the opposite side of the walk so they met half way. He held out his hand and Mako gave it a hearty shake before lifting Tristan's arm into the air. "The next finalist in the Battle City Tournament!"

The crowd roared with cheers and applause, Joey leading them on.

Tristan could only smile.

~MC~MC~MC~

"Hey!" I shouted as Renard was placed in a cell before I was pushed away. We'd been dragged to a warehouse only to find that much of it had been converted into smaller rooms, one of which looked rather like an old-timey jail cell, similar to what you'd see in the old west. My kidnapper had used handcuffs on me which was a small relief because it meant that I could just break out any time; I didn't know if the Millennium Key could untie rope knots but I had my doubts. And yes, the jail cell I could get out of easily but I wasn't leaving without Renard and I really didn't want to slink around trying to find him in the maze that was clearly the converted warehouse.

"What?' my captor said with a bored weary tone.

"He's paid to stick by my side. You don't want to be the reason his contract is made null and void, do you?"

"I really don't care, okay?" my captor said. "I'm just doing this so my boss doesn't... you don't care, let's just get you locked up."

"I care. I really really care. I am high with empathy." The captor continued to guide me along the twisting hallways. "I can't watch The Office!"

"...what?"

"I like The Office. Very fun. But I have a hard time watching it because I feel bad for Michael because he is trying to be a good boss and a good person but he makes mistakes and we are supposed to laugh at him but I feel really bad for him. Boom, empathy! So lay it on me... what does your boss have on you?"

"..."

"Come on..." I said sweetly as we made another turn. I was TRYING to keep track but I didn't have the best time when it came to directions.

"...someone important to me is being held here. I capture you and I get her back."

I frowned at that. "...god damn it I am going to have to help rescue her, aren't I?" I rolled my neck. "Okay, I already felt bad you were forced into this... notice I stopped with the taunts."

"I noticed. Thanks, by the way."

"No problem. But tell me who your boss has. Are they here?"

"Do you ever shut up?" he hissed. I purposely stopped and he rammed into me. "Would you-"

"Tap my wrist once for yes, two for no," I whispered. My captor paused before giving me a shove, but it was half hearted and he wrapped his hand around my restrained arms. In a louder voice I said. "So... little lady?"

One tap.

"Come on, you can tell me! Girlfriend? Wife?"

Two taps.

"Or what about family?"

One tap.

"They got your mom stashed away? They die slowly if that's the case."

Two taps.

'Family member... so sister or something like that. Will resemble him.' I didn't doubt for a second that he was telling the truth; maybe Marik would have been smart enough to try and lay a trap for me, using my need to help others, but why bother? I was in handcuffs, separated from Renard, lost in the fucking warehouse, and at any time Marik could spring out for a Shadow Duel. Besides his Rare Hunters tended to be fanatics and this one... clearly didn't want to be here. He wasn't faking his weariness at being forced to hold me captive.

My captor finally took me to a room with a cell and pushed me inside, giving some half-hearted 'I'll be back for you' comment before leaving me be.'

The door swung open seconds later and I emerged, rubbing my wrists before pocketing the handcuffs.

"Alright... find Renard and get the hell out of here," I muttered before I began to check rooms.

~MC~MC~MC~

There were many things that made Solomon happy nowadays.

In the past they had been more... carnal. Delights to truly satisfy the wanderer. A fine scotch poured from a dusty bottle just found tucked away on a shelf. A band that knew when the play and when to go silent. The feeling of gold in your pocket and knowing you were about to make more. The sensation of a tall dark beauty curling up one's body before slowly lowering down and the sound of a fly being undone...

Nowadays he had many things that made him happy. Different things but still good. Getting a chance to see his old friend Arthur and talk about the past. Teaching Joey how to duel (the boy was honestly a great student, much to Solomon's own surprise). Watching TV with Yugi and just enjoying the boy's company. Meeting up with Edwin to buy cards off him (the man might be shrewd in his business dealings but he always went for a fair price that would ensure Solomon would make back a ton of money) and somehow getting wrapped up in discussing books with him.

But probably his biggest love was having a full cash register stuffed with bills.

He knew he doesn't need the money. After all his bank accounts and his hidden vaults were stuffed with all the loot and winnings he's gathered over the years. It honestly maked him smile as he thought about how when Yugi turns 18 he'll be able to look at him and tell him he can do whatever he wanted. But... you don't stay rich by not trying to REMAIN rich. You always go for more money, all the time.

And right now Solomon's register was nice and obese with bills and he felt rather good.

Walking over to the door he happily flipped the sign to closed; it had been a rather busy day once people had pulled away from the plaza where the tournament had started and begun to slowly float about the rest of the city. Seeing all the duelists battling had motivated others to work on their decks and soon he'd been trapped behind the register... not that he minded as the crush of people constantly came up to him wanting to buy cards. In the beginning a few had tried to haggle with him but as the crowd had gotten thicker with a line snaking out of the card shop everyone realized that if they didn't want to face demands to 'hurry up or duel!' they needed to just accept his prices. Because while it might be fun to challenge someone who was telling you to speed up your purchase to settle things but the time you were done your cards might very well be gone, sold to someone else. So shut up, buy the cards, move along.

And then word had gotten out that yes, he was the grandfather of the King of Games and yes he had dueled Seto Kaiba and had the torn Blue-Eyes still (the fake; the real one was tucked away in one of his vaults... only he and Edwin knowing about it)...

...well, once the word got out everyone wanted something. Suddenly his wasn't just one shop of many. His store was a place to get a souvenir that would beat anything else one could find.

He let out a happy little sigh as he looked about the empty glass cases, vacant storage boxes, and bare shelves. Everything... he'd sold everything. Completely wiped out. What would have taken months was gone in hours.

Oh, it made him rub his hands together in glee!

'And now it's time to take care of some private business,' he thought to himself as he went into the storage room... which was rather empty. It had been actually funny; when he'd run out of merchandise on the floor he'd admitted to everyone he had boxes in the back. He'd offered to go get them but instead a truly MASSIVE man with an ample gut dressed in biker leathers walked up, looking down at Solomon... and quietly asked if he moved the boxes for him could he get first dibs on any My Tiny Horsie OCG packs. Even said 'please'. Solomon had 'hired' him on the spot, giving him an entire box for free; yeah, it was 70 bucks but the guy worked for two hours lugging out the rest of the merchandise so it was fair payment. Solomon had told him to come back in two weeks and he'd have another shipment and they could talk about him just flat out buying it or doing odd jobs to earn them.

The big man had beamed and Solomon had remembered WHY he had decided to take this job.

'Now then, with that settled let's see how Yugi is doing in the tournament.' Solomon walked over to the computer he had set up in his office and pulled up the standings for Battle City. A lot of the names listed for having completed the first round didn't surprise him.

Edwin and Mai? Those two should have just been allowed to move right on. They were far too cunning to get knocked out in the first round. Honestly Solomon didn't know if he should fear what their children would be like or try and get first dibs to train them because they would be some of the best hustlers in the world with those genetics.

Joey? It made him so very proud to see his student had made it,

Tea and Yuri? They were surprises but it was good they'd made it. Yugi could use help with the threats he was facing.

Speaking of his grandson...

"Yugi, what are you doing?" Solomon complained as he saw his boy was still looking for locator cards. "You are running out of time, my boy!"

He just knews that Yugi had gone to do something foolish. Noble, yes. Something that made him proud, yes. But foolish. Because his grandson never met a lost cause he didn't stand up for. Even though it turned out well in the end the thing with Joey, back when the boy was moving to become nothing more than a copy of his father...

Solomon shook his head in frustration. It's something he and Edwin had talked about during one of their chats.

"How long until Joey can be emancipated?" Edwin asked. It was just the two of them; Edwin had come to lend Solomon a book about Abraham Lincoln that was thick enough to cave a man's skull in. They'd been talking about parents, Solomon wanting to know about Edwin's own father, Arlo, and they'd gotten onto the topic of the rest of Yugi's friends and their families.

"Eighteen, unless someone is willing to adopt him."

"Would you?" Edwin asked.

He blinked. "I... would if I thought it was bad but with me raising Yugi already..."

Edwin nodded. "Yeah and I doubt they'd let me do it. How the hell did Kaiba get himself free?"

"Money, lots of it," Solomon stated. "And I think the Big 5 pulled some strings."

"Yuri's fucking father," Edwin groused. "Well... that's good to know."

"What do you mean?"

"I get a few years before I have to hire an assassin."

Solomon stared at him for a long while.

"When the time comes... let me know." He thought of the Dai Wu, the mob boss he met 10 years ago. Who started off wanting him dead, then wanted him to be the godfather of his granddaughter when he saved his son's life from a collapsing bridge. Someone that would do the worst things for the right reasons.

The computer dinged, signaling he had a new message and Solomon pulled himself from his thoughts to look at it only to begin grinning.

'Left Arm' is the title of the email.

Solomon smiled, thinking of the cards he had locked away. Edwin had surprised him when he came into the card shop and quietly given him Exodia the Forbidden One, The Right Arm of the Forbidden One, and Left Leg of the Forbidden One. Solomon had expected at minimum a joke about a trade but Edwin had merely shook his head and said it wasn't right for him to keep what truly belonged to Solomon... because Yugi had used his grandfather's deck back then, not his own, so he'd made a trade that wasn't his to make.

Solomon hadn't thought much about it... until the news of Battle City and the Rare Hunters. And then those pieces of Exodia had remained lodged in his brain... and the fact that there were more of them out there. A way to complete the set once again.

He'd managed to track down the Right Leg of the Forbidden One and now all he needed was the Left Arm... which someone was offering to sell him. It was a touch higher than he'd have liked but with a cash register full of money?

Solomon smiled as he got up and headed out to complete his old deck.

~MC~MC~MC~

The Spirit of the Ring growled to himself as he hid in the shadows, watching as the foolish mortals moved about without a care.

This... this was why he had to free his greater half. These pathetic bags of flesh... they had no understanding how to truly live. They wasted their time and their efforts and their energies on the most pathetic of tasks. Petty squabbles. Needless competitions. Even their darker urges, their lusts both intense and gross, were just so SMALL.

They were made to be slaves. Allowing them to rush about without a strong hand was cruel.

And yet there they were because the gods had foolishly decided to begin to pull away, or to focus on only a few. He couldn't go to the eternal planes, trapped as he was within the ring and being only a fraction of Zorc, but he just knew that were once a thousand different gods had waged war with their slaves to prove themselves the greatest amongst their brothers and sister now they slept or lazed abut or were like Selene who focused on a single mortal.

Selene.

'Moon... you believe yourself so powerful.' He clenched his fist all the harder. 'You will suffer for your words to me, I swear this. When I have merged again with my greater form and freed myself from the depths of the Pharaoh's puzzle I swear I will make you regret every action you have done. Every acid-dipped word. I will find your Endymion and I will flay him in front of you and then I will break you, Titan. I will break you and breed you and let the monsters that swarm from you feast on your flesh and bones before I send them out to slay all!'

But... that was in the future. What would come, not what needed to happen now. His greater self, his true self, remained trapped in the Puzzle and he could sense that the piece of himself (he ignored the voice within his soul, which sounded like Selene, mock that the 'sliver had created a sliver') was no closer to discovering where the door that held their full form hid. Let alone a way to break it down.

'And now I have more complications,' he thought to himself. 'Marik Ishtar should have been an easy pawn to manipulate. A weapon used to not defeat the Pharaoh but distract him as I went about my tasks. Buying time for me to lay the trap that would allow me to claim the Puzzle. Battling him and wearing down his defenses so that I could more easily break into his mind and learn his secrets. Should he have actually managed to defeat the Pharaoh it would have been simple to destroy him and claim the Millennium Puzzle and take the Millennium Rod as a prize as well.

'But no... because of Selene Marik knows of my true goals and sees me as an enemy. He will hunt me as he hunts the Pharaoh.' He narrowed his eyes. 'And if Selene mentioned to that meddler Edwin Chaos that I am still around he will seek me out as well. He has an overly developed sense of justice.'

The Spirit pushed away from the wall he'd been leaning against and made his way down the sidewalk. 'If I am to defeat the Pharaoh I will need to rely upon only myself. I have lurked too long... I must once more emerge from the Shadows. And to do that I must play by Seto Kaiba's foolish rules and battle in this tournament.' He scowled. 'This mockery of the Shadow Games... I will enjoy showing him how wrong he is to belittle that ancient power.'

His feet took him to a card shop. Not the one belonging to Solomon Muto... as enjoyable as it would be to attack the old man and cause little Yugi further emotional distress he didn't have the time for such things and while he was taking a more active role at the moment there was a difference between that and overt strikes.

"What can I do ya for?" the merchant asked, leaning over his counter.

The Spirit smirked. It was good to see that even in this era merchants remained the same. They were motivated by greed and the shortsightedness that came from focusing only on what would come at the moment rather than what might come after. The Thief Bakura had taken advantage of those failings many times in the past.

"I need a deck," he stated.

"Sure thing," the merchant said, wiping his sweaty hands on his shirt. "What ya lookin' for? All sorts of people are sellin' off cards ta make a quick buck. I got in a complete Mist Valley deck from some duelist that needed ta pull out of the tourney when he had ta rush back ta Europe."

"I was looking for something far more... darker." The Spirit stated.

"Ah... I got that for ya," the merchant said with a grin, lumbering over to a cabinet and pulling out a binder. "All sorts of fiends..." he paused. "Ya got a way ta pay for these?"

"I do," the Spirit said, taking off the Millennium Necklace. "Solid gold."

"Hmmm," the merchant said, trying to keep his face neutral even as he began to drool at the metal the Spirit was offering him. "Suppose that might work..."

"I will need a duel disc as well."

"That I don't got," the merchant said and the Spirit knew at once that was a lie but let it go.

It took another ten minutes of him haggling with the fat man before he finally secured the deck. It was full of powerful fiends and even more dangerous spells and traps... a deck that befitted him now even if he did feel annoyance at the inability to call upon Diabound. The Ka of the Thief Bakura had been a powerful ally-

The Spirit paused and held up his hand... the Millennium Ring flying into his open palm. He smiled and shook the blood from it, not even stopping to see the headless corpse of the merchant fall to the floor of his shop.

~MC~MC~MC~

Renard growled in frustration.

'Bad enough we were captured,' he thought to himself, his fingers working steadily. 'Bad enough that it was by a man who clearly was not interested in capturing in us. But we were captured by incompetents who do not even think to check me for a lock picking kit!'

It was possible that Rare Hunters assumed that thanks to Edwin having the Millennium Key that Renard wouldn't both with such a thing. After all, Edwin could open any lock by just focusing slightly. Sometimes he didn't even mean to do it...

~Two Weeks Ago~

"Don't pause the movie, I'll be right back," Edwin called out to Renard, going to the locked bathroom door and swinging it open... only to be greeted by Mai screaming as she sat on the toilet.

"GET OUT!"

Edwin blinked. "You know it is a sign of a healthy relationship when you feel comfortable pooping in front of-"

A roll of toilet paper smacked him in the face.

~MC~MC~MC~

'But that is the point in keeping it, is it not?' he thought to himself as he reached through the bars of the cell and worked to open the lock. 'For situations just like this, when Edwin isn't around.' He shook his head as he felt the lock almost disengage... but then the pick slipped and he had to start again. Just a minor set back but still annoying. 'And I refuse to stand around while my captain is a prisoner.'

Disengaging the lock finally Renard swung the door open and took a moment to take stock of what he had on him. A collapsible baton that would leave a good size welt on someone when struck. A taser. The handcuffs he'd already picked that could now be used against someone else. His deck and his duel disc... honestly their kidnapper hadn't done anything to secure him or ensure he couldn't escape. It was just insulting.

'These Rare Hunters are either brazen or fools. I can not decide.' He shook his head once more and headed out of the room, looking about before deciding to go back the way they had come. It was likely Edwin was deeper inside but Renard wanted to have a clear idea which way was out. It would do no good for him to get lost in the maze of hallways and turn the rescue into a farce.

He's seen too many times people make that mistake, focusing on playing the hero without understanding what is around them and as a result they just make things all the worse. It's honestly no different than those that panic and go running off without a second thought on where they are running too.

His mind went back to Edwin opening that bathroom door by accident. Not because he wanted to replay Mai screaming at him but rather because he remembered why they had been there in the first place. Edwin was an odd man with odd tastes. He hated scary movies, refusing to watch them even when Joey needled him to join in on a marathon or to act as the gang's guardian to see an R rated film. He did the classic monster movies, the Godzilla films, but he doesn't like slashers or ghost films or 'torture porn' as he mocked a certain group of films.

But he oddly didn't mind the Scream series.

They had been watching the first that day and a quote from that film bubbled up in his head: What's the point? They're all the same. Some stupid killer stalking some big-breasted girl who can't act who is always running up the stairs when she should be running out the front door. It's insulting.

People thought that was not realistic. That it was done purely to create drama. What they don't know was that people did stupid things when the adrenaline is pumping in their veins and they are trying to survive. They didn't THINK. Because their bodies were in control, thinking either too close to the present or too far into the future. One has to be rational, understanding where they are in the moment while at the same time knowing where they are going. It's a delicate balance-

Renard stopped.

In the room to his right... someone was humming.

Carefully moving towards the door, he cracked it open with one hand while the other pulled out his baton, ready to attack. But he just saw another cell and within it is a young woman, her back to him, humming softly. She was wearing a dress and blouse and had dark curly hair but otherwise he couldn't tell much about her.

His mind screamed, 'trap'.

It was something... well, it was something...

'Damn it all, just say it,' he thought bitterly to himself. 'It's something your old crew would have done.'

Sometimes he wondered if Edwin every questioned just HOW Renard knew all the little tricks he did. Such as putting someone in a cell and telling them to act like a prisoner in hopes of attracting someone who was either trying to escape or who wanted to play at being a hero.

He wanted to turn around and leave but another part of him whispered... what if that wasn't the case though? What if this truly was another victim of the Rare Hunters?

Renard grit his teeth before he came to a decision.

Two minutes later he rushed into the room, causing the prisoner to leap up, startled. He'd removed his coat and his duel disc, ruffled his hair, and as a final touch said in his best attempt at an American accent, "One of the prisoners escaped. Master Marik isn't pleased. You see anyone go by?"

"What?" the young woman asked.

Renard rolled his eyes. "Are you paying any attention? One of the prisoners managed to get out of their cell! Did. You. See. Them."

"I..." she squared her shoulders, a determined look on her face. "if they did... I'd never tell you."

"Good," Renard said, reverting to his regular voice. "Now, give me a moment. These locks are rather basic."

"Wait, what?" the woman said and Renard tried to place her accent; South American, he believed.

"I am the prisoner that escaped," Renard told her as he dropped to one knee and began to fiddle with the lock. "And hopefully you'll be joining me."

"Then... why were you-"

"I had to be sure you weren't a decoy set up to trap me."

"Uh, paranoid much?"

"As my captain would say, "It isn't paranoia if they are actually out to get you"."

"Fair point," the young woman admitted. Renard swung the door open. "I'm Mira."

"Renard," he said.

She licked her lips nervously. "I'm... I'm not actually the captive." She blinked and quickly added. "I mean I am a captive just... you ever hear about how bad guys will take someone to be used as leverage against someone else?"

Yeah... Renard knew that well. He only nodded though, not trusting himself to speak. All of this was hitting far too close to home.

"My tio-"

It hits Renard like a ton of brinks. "The man that captured my captain and I... he clearly didn't want to be a part of this. The Rare Hunters clearly are forcing him to work on their behalf."

"The who?" Mira asked as Renard led her outside, grabbing his coat and duel disc and putting both back on.

"An international criminal organization led by a man named Marik. They are using the tournament as cover for their crimes."

"...great. First time I get to leave home and I get kidnapped by terrorists. Isa will never let me hear the end of this."

"I don't know if they are technically terrorists but I do agree that is poor luck." He waved for her to follow him down the hall. "I know the way out. I will get you to safety and you can call for help while I go retrieve my captain and your uncle." He paused. "Do you know if there was anyone else that was captured?"

"I don't," Mira admitted. "It all kind of happened rather fast-"

"HALT CRIMINAL!"

Renard had told Edwin that he'd lived an interesting life. That was true and there was little that shocked him anymore. His captain having a mystical Egyptian artifact that allowed him to travel all over the world? Nothing to really be concerned about. The heir of an ancient secret tribe of tomb guardians becoming the head of an international crime organization? Believable. A young boy sharing his body with the soul of a Pharaoh destined to save the world? He shrugged at that.

But seeing a man drop down from the rafters in a homemade super hero costume?

That... that was something that made Renard pause.

It was homemade; honestly there was no other way to describe it. It looked like something a high school would put together for a play. A poor high school that wasn't really trying. A dark purple bodysuit, tight to the figure's frame which, admittedly, did have some muscle to it. He had on a black belt and matching boots and gloves and oddly enough a tattered red cape, filled with holes and ending more in long strips than a whole piece of fabric. Upon the chest was a stitched emblem, a red C that looks like it was SUPPOSED to appear like it was dripping blood but the drops were misshappened, clearly cut out. And finally there was the figure's head, with a white featureless mask and a shock of muted purple hair.

"I will not let you take that hostage anywhere!" the figure declared, putting his hands on his hips.

"I just rescued-"

"Silence citizen!" the hero declared before pointing at Renard. "You, villain, shall pay for kidnapping this innocent child!"

Mira just blinked before looking at Renard. "Is he serious?"

"I think he is."

"So not a trick like you thought with me?"

"If it is then I'm falling for it," Renard admitted.

"No more words, villain! For you face Corpse-Man, the world's first Dueling Superhero, and I will stop you!" He reached behind his back and, sure enough, pulled out a duel disc. It was spray painted to match his costume but yes, it was a duel disc all the same. "By dueling you, evildoer!"

"...Edwin's madness status has infected me, it seems."

Will Corpse-Man defeat his dangerous new foe? Find out in two weeks! Same Corpse-Man Time, same Corpse-Man Channel!

~MC~MC~MC~

INTO THE CHAOSVERSE OMAKE

Earth 77

Tea pushed through the crowd, for once not stopping to apologize to those she forced aside. Her entire focus was on getting to the front of the arena where the duel was taking place. She heard Yugi and Serenity calling for her to stop but she refused. She didn't want to waste time and end up losing out on the chance-

Suddenly she burst through the crowd, arriving at the front of the duel arena in time to see Rex Raptor crying out in frustration as his best monster was defeated.

"And that," his opponent said with a smirk, "is why all you weaklings are nothing compared to me-"

"Valentine!" Tea shouted, leaping onto the dueling arena's floor and storming forward.

"Hmmm?" Mai Valentine said, cocking her head before smiling. "Oh, I remember you... Taya, right?"

"Tea," she corrected. "I know you remember me... just like you remember my sister."

"Your sister?" Mai took a moment to consider that, tapping a finger against her chin. "Oh yes... I heard she had an accident. I'm sorry for your loss."

"It was no accident. She was jumped by the Black Fists... who you sent after her!"

The crowd murmured at that but Mai placed her hand on her chest and gasped. "My my my... that is a rather dark accusation. You shouldn't toss out theories like that, Gardner. Wouldn't want me sue you for slander."

"Try it," Tea said. "I know you sent them after her for busting up that illegal dueling ring... the one you were a major investor in."

"More lies?" Mai asked, clicking her tongue.

"No," Tea said before she focused. She reached down, placing her hand at her waist... and felt the tingle of magic as the Millennium Belt activated.

Moments later where Tea had stood there was someone else. She might have resembled Tea, though with shaggier hair and a more muscular build, but she wasn't her. She was someone else... someone from a lost time where power was determined by strength and skill on the battlefield.

"I know that's the truth," the Spirit of the Millennium Belt said, her voice stronger and tinged with a slight Greek accent, "because I forced the Black Fist to admit it to me. And while I'm sure you and your lawyers will help you weasel your way out of it I am not about to let you get away with what you've done. I challenge you to a duel, Mai Valentine, to avenge my sister!"

High above them, watching this all go on, a brown haired man with a lean face and a short dark beard that covered his entire jawline frowned.

"What the hell is going on?" the new arrival to the world whispered.

INTRODUCING JOSIAH CHAOS

The Chaos of Earth 77

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