Chaos Effect

Chapter 79: Chapter 79

Serenity Wheeler remembered when her mother had informed her that the two of them were moving.

She had been playing with some dolls in her room when her mother had come and told her they were going to be playing a game. She needed to gather up everything she really, really, REALLY liked and put them in some suitcases. And she needed to do it super quick. It was a race! She had been excited by that and hurried about, grabbing everything she could. Which, admittedly, wasn't that much at all. In fact she couldn't remember a single thing she hadn't been able to take with her. She'd proudly dragged her suitcase out of her room, all by herself, and brought it to the car and her mother had told her she was so proud of her before telling her to get in because they had to get going.

'...she didn't actually tell me though,' Serenity suddenly realized as she thought about that day. 'I don't think mom even said the words 'we're moving'.

Serenity Wheeler remembered when her mother had basically kidnapped her.

She had been sitting in the front seat when another car had pulled up and Joey had gotten out. She'd been excited and wanted to greet him but her mother had leapt into the car and locked the doors, telling her they had to go. Serenity had been confused and she'd cried out that they'd forgotten Joey but her mother hadn't listened, not even looking back as she'd driven away, her brother screaming her name.

'Mom didn't even say goodbye to him,' she thought. 'Later she tried to tell me there were so many different reasons why Joey couldn't come with us. He had friends of his own. He was in school already. That daddy wanted Joey to stay with him.' She frowned. 'But... I think mom just looked at Joey and all she saw was dad.'

The teen stood there, letting those thoughts wash over her.

'Our family... is so fucking messed up.'

She knew that Joey would have been shocked to hear her curse, if she'd said those words aloud. Her brother had this vision in his head that she was still a child, cooing over stickers and sitting at home watching cartoons. But she'd grown up, just as he had, and she was different now. Oh, it wasn't all an act... she wasn't like Mai who loved to flirt with Edwin and had no problem wearing really revealing clothing. And she wasn't like Tea who was so confident and brave. She certainly wasn't like Yuri, who work punk clothing and dyed her hair and had it sticking straight up. Serenity was a sweet girl... she really was.

...but that wasn't all she was.

'I like to fucking curse,' she thought. 'I try and not do it around Joey because I know it would upset him...' Around her friends though? Oh, they cursed as bad as Edwin did, which is why she liked hanging around the older man. Edwin talked like she and her friends did, though she got the sense his cursing was more an outlet and less of them liking being bad in their own soft ways. 'And I love football!' The American kind too, with the padding and the quarterbacks and the violence. Swimming had been the sport she'd done the most during school, mostly because as her eyesight had gotten weaker she'd been able to still enjoy the pool so long as she had a buddy with her, but football was what she loved watching. She would stay up late on Sundays to catch the games, recording them so she could watch them all throughout the week. 'And then there is Henry.' He was her pet tarantula and she knew that while most people would be freaked out able him she loved him to pieces. She liked to let him out, watching him crawl on her arm, and she liked giving him treats, and she really hoped Melody was keeping good care of him.

Serenity wasn't like how Joey remembered. And she knew he wasn't how she remembered him. Just like their family wasn't as she remembered. She wasn't blind to their faults... their dad was a drunk who hadn't even bothered to come see her in the hospital. Honestly Seto Fucking Kaiba was more of a dad than him! Kaiba had at least allowed Mokuba to say hello to her when Edwin had come for a visit, the boy wanting to wish her well. It wasn't much at all but it was far more than her dad did! And her mom... she loved her but she had royally screwed her and Joey up bad by separating them and she didn't know if she could forgive her for that.

'And then there is Joey,' she thought as she watched her brother duel Brom. 'He's so different from how I remember. He took risks with the money Edwin got for my operation. And he's always coddling me. And he's mean to people at times...'

She swallowed.

'Is he even my brother anymore? Am I his sister? Or are we just strangers who share a bit of blood?'

Serenity had no idea.

~MC~MC~MC~

'Well,' I thought to myself, 'it seems like Brom isn't interested in making friends.'

Everyone was either glowering at the other man, annoyed at what he had said about Joey and the others who had ended up on the wrong end of his analytical tongue... or were trying not to meet his gaze, worried about what he might bring up when it came to them and their secrets. Which I understood... no one wanted to have their quiet inner most selves dragged out for the entire world to see. But me personally I wasn't in the mood to give the bastard the satisfaction of thinking he had frightened or cowed me so I merely narrowed my eyes and glared at him, allowing gold and black to begin to bleed into my eyes.

If he noticed though he certainly didn't show it.

'That's the worst part of it,' I thought as Brom moved to draw his next card. 'He isn't gloating. He isn't delighting in any of this. He just saw this as something that needed to be said.'

"Now then-" Brom began only for Joey to suddenly thrust out his hand.

"Ya think ya got everything figured out, don't ya? Think ya know who I am just because ya know what I did in the past? Well, I hate ta break it ta ya but ya don't know anything about me! A few years ago I was an utter punk... someone that I wouldn't ever want ta be around nowadays. I admit that! But Yug... he showed me how to be better! And I'm grateful for that! And I'm gonna keep getting better! At bein' a duelist, a friend... even a brother!" He looked over at me. "Ed... I know I've said it before but I am gonna keep sayin' it... I'm sorry for what happened on Duelist Kingdom. Not just with your mom but how I didn't listen to you and let ya help Serenity. Yug helped me out in the end..." He shook his head. "Nah... he didn't help me out... he bailed me out. Made up for my mistakes. And I promise that I'm gonna never let anythin' like that happen again." He looked to Serenity. "I should of told ya the truth, sis... and I promise there won't be any more secrets between us."

"Except you can't promise that, can you Joey?" Brom stated.

"Oh would ya just shut it?" Joey exclaimed. "How about ya worry about my Zombies instead of what's goin' on in my head?" As he said those words his Doomking returned to the field, falling into defense position. "Thanks ta his effect my Doomking is near impossible for ya ta get rid of, always comin' back ta haunt the field." He smirked. "Ya didn't see that comin', did ya?"

"I did, actually," Brom stated. "Duel Monsters, unlike in life, tends to view death as a revolving door." Brom finally finished drawing his new card and looking over his hand. "You are wrong, by the way."

"Eh?"

"You can't promise that you won't ever lie to Serenity again. Because lying is healthy. Only stating the truth? That can cause pain."

Tristan let out a groan. "Come on man!" He threw his hands up in the air. "First you are getting on Joey for lying to his sister and now you are saying he should lie? Do you LIKE talking in contradictions?"

Brom stared right at Tristan, his eyes sharp even with the mask pressed against the upper half of his face. "Have you ever had a dream about having sex with Mai?"

Tristan began to sputter.

"Excuse me?" Mai asked, taking a step towards Brom threateningly.

"It's a simple question. Have you, Tristan Taylor, ever had a dream about having sex with Mai?" He suddenly looked at Duke. "Have you ever wondered who has the bigger penis, you or Edwin?"

"Dude!" I exclaimed.

"To be fair," Renard said, "we have all seen it."

"FILLER ARC!" I roared. "It doesn't count!"

Seto cleared his throat. "If you talk about Edwin's dick in front of my brother one more time I'll throw you off this blimp."

Brom held up his hand. "Apologizes... sometimes I forget that people have hang ups when it comes to sexuality, especially when it comes to younger children."

"...ew," Mai said.

The shrink though merely huffed. "Not like that. In the far past it was common for parents to have sex in the same room as their children. Nudity wasn't seen as vulgar. It was only recently in human history that we became bothered by it. There are some in my profession who believe that fetishes have exploded into common culture because children latch onto such things rather than normal sex because they aren't exposed to normal intercourse in their youth."

I shut my eyes and took a breath. "As much as I want t yell at him for that... Brom is right. I have heard of that." Mai shot me a look. "What? I saw it on a documentary about dinosaurs. And you've met Cassie and Aria!"

~MC~MC~MC~

"ACHOO!" Aria said, rubbing her nose.

"Bless you," Caesar said.

"Thanks. Anyway, like I was saying, I really hate that trope that when someone is speaking about you far away you sneeze. It is so lame!" She waved at the TV. "Also would they just duel already?"

~MC~MC~MC~

"You haven't answered my question," Brom said to Tristan. "Have you ever dreamed about having sex with Mai? It doesn't even have to be while you were asleep... a fantasy, perhaps?"

Tristan sputtered at that, glancing over at Mai and blushing which answered that question even without him having to say a word.

"It's okay, Tristan," I assured him. "One doesn't date someone like Mai Valentine and not expect others to lust after her."

Mai glanced at me and smirked. "You do realize that the same is true for you, right?"

"Huh?" I said, confused, only to notice Tea, Serenity, and Koyo all looking anywhere other than towards me. Turning I saw that several of the servants Seto had brought on the blimp were blushing up a storm as well. "Wait, what?"

"God, you are cute when you are dense," Mai said, giving me a kiss on the cheek.

Brom turned his focus onto Tristan. "You see, you don't want to admit the truth to Mai. Because it is awkward and something that could change things but also doesn't truly matter in the end." He looked at Joey. "Moderation... that is the key. That is what I am trying to teach you about."

"...man, I can't follow what you are tryin' ta say. Can't we just get back to da duel?"

The American duelist let out a sigh at that but nodded his head. "Very well. I activate my field spell: The Wight House!"

The ground rumbled and cracked again as dirt was pushed away and a large white structure slowly rose up from the tainted earth of Zombie World. The building looked like a smaller version of the White House, complete with pillars and a rose garden. But the Wight House was clearly a mausoleum. What light did manage to get out of the windows, which were covered in black curtains, was sickly and weak and offered no comfort. The stone wasn't so much polished white but bleached like bones let out in the desert sun for the buzzards to pick clean. Speaking of bones the pillars out front of the house, that supported the roof over the door, were made of bones as well. Giant ones of dragons and leviathans who had ended up in the Zombie World and not had the 'luck' of being bitten by a zombie and joining their ranks, instead being torn to shreds. The rose garden was filled with corpse flowers and other flesh-eater; creeping vines with long thorns and venus flytraps that could swallow mammoths whole. The grass was black and overgrown and the iron gate that surrounded it rusted and creaking.

"...no one turned into their costumes, right?" I called out.

"The Wight House allows me each turn to either send the top card on my deck to the graveyard or send one banished card back to my graveyard."

"Say WHAAAA?!" Joey exclaimed. "But that means..."

"That the King of the Skull Servants you worked so hard to remove from the game returns once more to the graveyard. And while he gathers his strength I will set Wightprincess in attack mode. "

One of the rooms of the Wight House lit up and the window suddenly widened, allowing the little girl Wight to hop off her bed and leap out onto the field, happily skipping up near the Doomking though she did trip once, tumbling and losing an arm which she happily reattached.

"I now use her effect... you see the Wight children love to play pranks on each other and Wightprincess is able to trick her brother and send him directly from my deck to the graveyard." He took that card from his deck... along with two more. "And, of course, you know that means that now I can send my final Lady in Wight and Skull Servant from my deck to my graveyard as well." He slotted all three cards into his duel disc. "And now I activate my spell card The Book of Wight."

I grimaced. "I don't that was him lisping," I said as a version of The Book of Life appeared, only its clasps were made of bone and the leather was white as fallen snow. The book opened up and blue flames began to burn along its pages.

"The Book of Wight allows me to bring my King of the Skull Servants back to the field!" Brom declared, thrusting out his hand as the ground cracked open in front of the Wight House, allowing the bones of all the Skull Servants and Wights that Brom had spent the last few turns sending to the graveyard come bursting out. And at the top was the King of the Skull Servants, riding the mound skyward like Jack Skelington during the Halloween parade.

"That pile looks a lot bigger than last time!" Tea said nervously.

"He's been filling his graveyard with Skull Servants and Wights," Yugi said.

"How much is that King's attack points gonna be now?" Duke wondered as the pile continued to rise.

"I have 9 wights and skull servants in my graveyard," Brom answered. "But..."

"Oh, this won't be good," Mai muttered.

"My Wight Force and Book of Wight ALSO count of Wight cards!" Brom smirked, reaching up to stroke his well oiled beard. "That brings my King of the Skull Servants' attack to 11,000!"

Everyone just stood there, eyes wide in shock, trying to process what Brom had just said.

"11,000?!" everyone screamed at once.

"That's stronger than even my brother's Blue-Eyes White Dragon!" Mokuba exclaimed.

Yugi was just as shocked. "That... that rivals the power of Slifer the Sky Dragon when Marik powered him up!"

Brom nodded. "As I keep telling you all... dangerous... in... large... numbers. But I think you might need more convincing so... King of the Skull Servants, attack Doomking Balerdroch!"

Joey could only throw his arms up, covering his head as the pile of bone surged forward like a tsunami, engulfing the Doomking Balerdroch, destroying it so completely that nothing was left when the wave pulled back to the pile.

"And now my Wightprincess attack Joey directly!"

Joey... still threw his arms up to protect himself as the little girl skeleton happily bounced over to him. She looked him over, considering him for a moment, before kicking him hard in the shin, causing him to leap about in pain (Joey- 1100)

"Hang in there Joey!" Tea called out. "We know you can do it!"

"If he is," Renard muttered, "he needs to do it soon. Because if he gives Brom any more time he will make Joey regret it."

~MC~MC~MC~

Ishizu frowned as she watched the duel taking place on the TV. While she had considered going out to join the others, to see if she might convince the Pharaoh to talk with her, having so many of little Yugi's friends about him made that simply not possible.

'They are too close to Yugi and thus have whispered in the Pharaoh's ear too much of their mortal thoughts and feelings.' It was utterly frustrating for her that the Pharaoh had been taken advantage of by the teenagers. They had seen his lack of memories as a chance to pollute his mind with things that were far beneath him. 'He thinks like a man but he is not... the Pharaoh is a god forced into the flesh of a mortal. They walk the earth like us but while we pass on to the Field of Reeds the Pharaohs will rise into the Heavens, joining with great Osiris and Ra to help guide all of humanity. The Pharaoh should not be concerning himself with such petty things as the feelings of humanity... he is far greater than that!'

She didn't get why no one but her could SEE that! It was all there in the writings... how had mankind forgotten such cardinal truths?! They wanted the Pharaoh to waste his time eating ice cream and watching movies when he should be telling them how to properly praise the gods so they might fight their battles! And a battle was coming... between the Pharaoh and-

"Well well well," a cultured yet sinister voice called out, making Ishizu jump and leap to her feat. "What do we have here? You may have traded hiding away under the earth in your dusty crypts for the lap of luxury in the sky... but you are still all alone, aren't you tombkeeper?"

"The Spirit of the Millennium Ring," she hissed. "You are not welcome here. Your words are meaningless and your offers poison."

"Such poetic words!" the Spirit said mockingly as he moved into the room. "But it matters not if I am welcome here... it is my right to be here." His Millennium Ring flashed. "The right... earned through power."

"You are not the only one with power, Spirit," Ishizu warned, her hands going to her Millennium Necklace.

The Spirit though laughed at that. "Do you think me frightened by that trinket? Whatever will you do... tell me how my steak will be overcooked at dinner tonight? That I will stub my toe next week?" He shook his head mockingly. "That is what you and so many other prophets fail to understand... your visions of the future are meaningless when one has the will to make their own destiny."

"You are wrong," Ishizu said firmly. "I have seen the future... and you will fall. Just as you fell in Egypt 5000 years ago."

"5000 or 3000? I can never tell. In fact when I returned I began to look into such things. I asked several of your fellow tombkeepers... they couldn't agree." He paused, moving towards her desk and running his finger along its surface, like a butler checking for dust. "Of course it was hard to hear them over their screams." He finally looked at her, eyes dark and full of malice. "I wonder how you will scream... there are so many ways for you mortals to whine about your pain. Low guttural things, high pitched squeals, curses and cries and begging. I wonder what sounds you'll make as I render your soul like butcher working over a pig."

"You are right about one thing... you are a butcher. Sloppy. Messy. No skill or finesse. You come in here with your weak attempts to frighten me but they will not work, Spirit. For my faith in my Millennium Necklace is only dwarfed by my faith in the Pharaoh."

"The Pharaoh!" the Spirit declared, letting out a barking laugh. "Oh the Pharaoh!" He moved away from the desk, moving towards the dresser and Ishizu cringed as he began opened one of the drawers, openly rifling through her clothes. Every time he touched one of her garments she could feel his filthy fingers touching her own skin, caressing in the most vile of ways. "The Pharaoh is nothing."

"He is everything."

"You would have me fear one who relied upon a mere boy whose sole thought upon completing the mighty Millennium Puzzle was that he just wanted a friend?" He said the last few words in an utterly mocking tone.

"And yet... he defeated you." Ishizu smirked when she saw the Spirit flinch at that; oh yes, that comment stung him greatly. "You don't like thinking about that, do you? The fact that for all your boasting about how grand and mighty you are... you were defeated by the Pharaoh. The mighty god of destruction and death... brought low by the Pharaoh."

Now it was her turn to walk towards him, confidence making her swagger slightly.

"And how low you have fallen, Spirit. Because that is what you are now, isn't it? Just a Spirit. Not a god... not even one of their blessed messengers or vassals. You are a fragment...a small piece left fluttering in the wind, clinging to a mortal soul and another mortal's form in order to try and achieve what you desire." She moved to stand right in front of him, staring down at the Spirit as he glowered at the reminder of his failure. "You are a torn thread from a shawl. Caught on a piece of wood, billowing in the wind. You barely cling to it and you know that very soon... you are going to be swept away. So why should any of us fear you when-"

The Spirit of the Millennium Ring lifted his hand up, revealing a pair of lingerie.

"I wonder who these are for?" the Spirit said. Ishizu moved to snatch them away but the Spirit leapt back, his smile returning as he lifted them up, inspecting them like a factory overseer checking for missing stitches. "They are far too fancy for the normal duties of a tombkeeper. I highly doubt they are approved attire." He looked up at her, rubbing his fingers against the silk of the panties. "What would your ancestors say if they knew their last hope was such a filthy little whore."

"You have no understanding of me," Ishizu snapped. "And I know your mockery is just to distract from your loss to-"

"no no no," the Spirit said, cutting her off, "now who is trying to distract? We were discussing your choice of wardrobe. As I said I think this is hardly the official garb of a child of the Pharaoh's servants." He paused. "Though I admit that I could see your brother Marik wearing such things. Maybe that's why he whines like he does."

"My brother-"

"Hmmm," the Spirit said, once more cutting her off, lifting the lingerie up to examine them again. "No. I know you tombkeepers were desperate to mimic the Pharaohs and keep the bloodline pure but I don't think you have these for Marik. At the very least I doubt you parading into his room wearing such things hoping that would entice him to return to the fold."

"Quiet," Ishizu hissed.

"So... who else might these be for? Who does Ishizu Ishtar desire to bring to her bed." The Spirit brought the panties to his nose and gave them a long sniff, Ishizu setting her jaw in disgust. "Could it be that you don't name him... because you don't know his name?" She couldn't see his smile but could see it in his eyes. "Just like he can't remember his own?"

"Be gone, Spirit!" Ishizu hissed.

But the Spirit of the Millennium Ring cackled loudly at that, twirling the panties on his index finger. "Oh it is, it is! The little tombkeeper... did your Millennium Necklace show you a world where you rose above your station by spreading your legs for the Pharaoh?" The Spirit paused. "Of course since he doesn't actually have a body that would mean you be debasing yourself for the boy, Yugi." He paused. "You talk of me with disgust but never in my long existence did I desire a child's cock-"

"Enough!" Ishizu declared, eyes flashing as she allowed the power of the Millennium Necklace to flare through her, producing an aura of power. "You wish to know the future, Spirit? You will fall again. My brother will be defeated by the Pharaoh, who will claim all three Egyptian God Cards! He will merge their powers together and he will FINISH what he started in Egypt! You will fall here and it will be such a fall you will never rise again!"

"Or," the Spirit said, "you will fall... and when the Pharaoh is defeated and this world belongs to me as it should have? I will return these to you... so you might wear them as you kneel at my feet." With that the Spirit stuffed the panties into his pocket and walked out of the room.

~MC~MC~MC~

Joey let out a slow breath. 'Man, this is bad. I thought that King of the Skull Servants would be easy ta get rid of but Brom has managed to bring him back... and even stronger!' He looked down at his hand. 'I don't think I have any way to overcome him... maybe I should-' He suddenly shook his head. 'No, I can't think like that! I have ta keep goin'! I'm gonna win Battle City! Marik... he kidnapped Serenity and gramps, he tried ta kill Yugi, and he took my Red-Eyes Black Dragon! Yug and the Pharaoh think they are the only ones that can defeat him but I can't let them shoulder that burden alone. I need to win this duel, ta keep moving through the finals, that way when the dust settles it is just the two of us standing!'

With that settled Joey drew his next card.

"Come on Heart of the Cards..." he murmured as he slowly brought the card up to stare at it. "Come on... YES!" Joey laughed, holding up the card high. "Oh man, Brom... things are about to swing back to my direction! First I bring back my Doomking Balerdroch in defense mode... but then switch him to attack mode!"

"What is Joey doing?" Duke asked. "There is no way the Doomking can defeat Brom's monster! He should keep it in defense mode to serve as a shield."

Yugi though shook his head. "I think Joey might have something else in mind, Duke!"

"Next," Joey declared, "I'm gonna activate this: Burial from the Different Dimension!" He grinned as the card appeared on the field. "With this card I can select three monsters I removed from the game and return them to the graveyard. And I'll select the Necroworld Banshee, my Glow-Up Bloom, and my Mad Mauler!" As the three monsters briefly flashed on the field before disappearing as Joey went over his options. 'Several of my cards need Zombie World on the field to get their full effects... with Necroworld Banshee in my graveyard even if that big mook manages to destroy the one I currently have out I'll be able to bring another right back to the field from my deck.' Out loud he said, "And now I'll use Glow-Up Bloom's effect again, banishing it from my graveyard in order ta summon one monster from my deck to the field, so long as it's a zombie monster. And I know just which one ta bring out! Say hello ta da Red-Eyes Zombie Dragon!"

On Joey's side of the field that zombified version of his Red-Eyes Black Dragon appeared, letting out a roar as its one remaining eye glowed brightly.

'My Red-Eyes... I'm not ready ta bring out the original version in a duel, not after yesterday... but this one is different. This one didn't hurt Yugi or threaten gramps. This one... this one I can win with.' Joey threw out his hand. "And next I'll activate Mad Mauler's effect: By reducin' my Red-Eyes Zombie Dragon's level by 2 I can bring Mad Mauler back in defense mode." He smirked as the fat zombie clown appeared, giggling before it settled into defensive position. "And now I'm gonna attack your Wightprincess!"

The Red-Eyes Zombie Dragon opened his mouth, unleashing a blast of blue flames that enveloped the Wightprincess. Above the bonfire the ghost of the wight appeared, looking confused.

"Now when my Red-Eyes Zombie Dragon defeats a zombie monster in battle I can bring it ta my side of the field in defense mode."

Joey paused.

"But... I ain't gonna."

He heard all his friends fall to the ground (followed by Edwin wondering WHY they all fell to the ground) before they leapt to their feet, shouting at him trying to figure out why he'd done what he'd done.

"Joey!" Tristan cried out, being the one who won out over the others when it came to protesting his actions. "Come on man! With another Wight in his graveyard Brom's King of the Skull Servants is going to activate its effect to get stronger!"

"Oh... I'm countin' on it, pal," Joey retorted.

"...wha?" Tristan said, befuddled.

Joey though turned towards Brom and smirked. "See, I want your monster ta activate its effect. I want its attack points ta increase. Because when it does... Doomking Balerdroch's effect triggers."

As the pile of bones under the King of the Skull Servants grew larger... the Doomking's staff glowed with sinister energy.

"When an effect activates, like your King of the Skull Servant's power boostin' effect, I'm able ta either negate it... or banish any monster I want from the field!" He pointed right at the King of the Skull Servants. " And I'll give ya one guess which one I'm goin' for!"

"That's the way, Joey!" Koyo called out as his Doomking fired off a bolt of magic, making the King of the Skull Servants disappear in a flash of light. The pile of bones remained there for a moment more before it began to topple and crumble, falling apart until it turned to dust that was reclaimed by Zombie World.

"Good job, man!" Tristan cheered.

"Heh," Mai said, folding her arms over his chest, "what do you know... Joey can actually duel when he puts his mind to it."

Joey smirked at that. "Ya wanna see moves Mai? I'll show ya moves. Because with Brom over there havin' no monsters and no cards in his Spell and Trap zones? Well... he's open for my Doomking Balerdroch to attack directly! Go!"

The dark serpent zombie nodded and lashed out with his staff, sending Brom tettering but the man managed to catch himself just in time. (Brom-400)

'Man, this is it,' Joey thought to himself. 'Even if he somehow manages to bring out monsters ta protect him I'll Synchro Summon one of my zombies from my Extra Deck and flatten him. I just need one more turn... one more turn and he is done for!'

But as he stared at him Joey realized... that Brom didn't look worried in the slightest.

"I start by banishing my Wightprince and two Skull Servants from my graveyard in order to special summon one King of the Skull Servants from my deck."

"No!" Yugi gasped. "If Brom is able to get out another King of the Skull Servants Joey will lose the duel! None of his monsters will be able to stand up against its power, even with Brom removing 3 wights from his graveyard."

Joey though quickly tapped his duel disc. "I activate Doomking Balerdroch's special ability again, banishing' your King the moment he appears on the field and uses his effect!" He let out a sigh of relief as the King of the Skull Servants was whisked off of the field, relieved that he had managed to counter Brom's last effect.

"Thank you, Joey," Brom said politely. "This has been a pleasant duel. And I want you to know that after this, if you want to talk about all that happened, about what you've learned about yourself and others... I will be happy to help you." He held up a card. "But you'll need an appointment since I'll be preparing for the next round of the finals."

"WHAT?!" Joey exclaimed. "What is that supposed ta mean! I stopped your King of the Skull Servants."

"Yes," Brom confirmed. "Just as I was hoping you would. I needed you to waste Doomking Balerdroch's effect on my first one so I could summon a second without worry."

"Summon a second?!" Tea cried out. "but how?"

"Wights," Renard murmured. "They are dangerous in large numbers."

"I discard Wightmare," Brom stated, the ghostly form of a scholarly Wight appearing on the field. "When I discard him I am able to select one banished King of the Skull Servants and return them to the field."

"...no," Joey whispered as the King of the Skull Servants appeared one more time, standing on a hill made of 9 different wights.

"Yes," Brom said softly. "I am sorry your time in Battle City must end Joey... but take pride. You did well. King of the Skull Servants... attack."

Joey knew his friends were waiting for him to play some card from his hand that would save the day. Or activate a monster effect. Anything.

But all he could do was fall to his knees as his Doomking Balerdroch was destroyed.

(Joey-0000)

~MC~MC~MC~

Chaosverse Omake

Whispers of a killer haunted Tokyo.

No one dared speak too loudly of him, they'd learned that lesson early on when the key victims were just abusers and con artists.

Speak too loudly about the Phantom, you'll find yourself his next target, either for death or psychotic break down. It seemed a roll of the dice which he would bring down upon you.

Always a note beforehand if marked for death.

'I have seen your Distorted Heart and know that your Desires will spell Ruin for this world. You are a rabid dog that is due to be culled. Get your affairs in order for Justice will be done- Phantom.'

Rich or poor, man or woman, homeless beggar or politician about to make his play for prime minister. The Phantom didn't care; he couldn't be bought, be blackmailed or swayed.

His brand of Justice above all else.

No one could ever figure out the Phantoms' methods, how even hiding in the most secure of locations couldn't spare one he'd passed his Black Spot to. Not till now as Akira listened closely to Morgana's explanation of how the Metaverse functioned.

A world of the unconscious, a world of distorted desires that if stolen, could make their teacher finally feel guilt for how he'd used and abused his students. Make him confess his sins with his own mouth.

"And if you were to kill the Shadow, destroy it and the distortion?" He asked wanting to confirm, Ryuji gave him a puzzled look as the Cat-that-was-not-a-Cat flicked his tail nervously.

"In theory...You would destroy all of his desires, even the basic desire of his hindbrain to keep breathing...He'd die. B-but! I'm sure that if he steals his treasure nothing bad will happen! He'll regret and confess everything!"

"Are you...Thinking of killing Kamoshida?" Ryuji asked "I-I mean, I ain't gonna say he don't deserve it..."

"No...Just working on a theory." Akira pushed his glasses up "Come on, we should scope out more of the castle today."

As the three left to enter the Metaverse, a well built figure whom'd been watching and listening from the shadows emerged, adjusting his Shujin acadamy blazer "Castle, Hmm. I suppose I've gotten too used to overly complex palaces if something as plebian as a 'Castle' slipped my mind to try." He muttered to his self as he picked up his briefcase emblazoned with a 'KR'.

Putting on a smile he waved to the teachers and other students as he left. Toyko's resident Detective Prince and media darling had to put out a good image after all.

The moment he was out of sight of any fans or cameras at the train station he was swiping the app, letting the dark atmosphere of the Metaverse surround him as he stood before Momentos clad in his dark armor.

"Only three targets today, barely even a workout for us." He mused as velvet blue flames surged up around him forming a tall, black and white striped figure that almost crooned at the thought of battle "Let's hope they put up a fight Loki." He grinned gripping a sword that seemed to be made of a gold so pure it glowed in the darkness in the depth's of corrupted human desire.

INTRODUCING THE DARK PHANTOM OF JUSTICE KURAI RANMYAKU

The Chaos of Earth 16915

Author's Note: A Thanks to my dear friend GarnettFox for this special Chaosverse Omake!

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