Chapter 3 - 3

Chapter 3

"How are you so wide awake?" Tea complained as I stood near the bow of the ship (not near the railing as I did not need my fear of heights to kick in) with a grin on my face. I had one of those packaged muffins you see at hotel self-serve breakfasts in one hand and a cup of orange juice in the other, watching as Pegasus' island slowly grew bigger and bigger on the horizon. It was predawn and the cool air coming off the ocean was less chilly and more refreshing. I had taken my ball cap off and put it in my waiting suitcase, my hoodie covering much of my head so that Tea, who was yawning up a storm, had to dart around me and then crouch a bit in order to see more than my chin.

"I had a good night's sleep," I said simply. For the first time since arriving in this world I wasn't having to mix truth and fiction with my statement. It felt good to just be 100% honest, even about such a small thing.

"...how?" Tea complained. "Those boys... ugh... they kept me up half the night with their snoring and their grunting..."

"I didn't hear a thing," I admitted. "I'm a famously deep sleeper. Once I am out I usually stay out until morning." Everyone both mocked me and were jealous of that ability. If I did things right I'd usually be asleep in about 5 minutes and would lay there until morning when I finally got restless. It was actually pretty creepy, from what I had been told; I slept on my back with my hands folded and on the rare times someone had needed to wake me up they said I looked like a corpse. It took a lot to wake me too and my family loved to remind me of that fact. Looking at Tea I stated, "There was this one time, when I was your age, when our family dog, Sammy, chased a raccoon to the back garage door and it tried to get in and scared my mom. She slammed the door on its arm and screamed bloody murder; both of them, mom and raccoon. My dad got up, my brother got up, and they had to drive around the house in his truck, shine the headlights on that screeching thing and blasted it with a shotgun blast." I chuckled and sipped my oj. "I never woke up. Right outside my window."

Tea made a face of disgust. "I could have gone a long time without hearing that story."

"I am far too used to hearing that," I stated. I'd had a bad feeling that Yugi and his friends wouldn't be peaceful sleepers so when it had gotten to around 10 pm I'd kicked them out of my room so I could change into my pajamas and told them to keep it down so I could get some sleep. The plan was for Tristan, Yugi, and Joey to take the couches and Tea Weevil's bed, with me getting rights to my own. I didn't care how they selected I just wanted some sleep. I'd drifted off with them whispering in hushed tones in the other room and awoken to find that things had apparently changed during the middle of the night. "Why were you on the couch in my room, by the way?" That had been startling to find her draped over the furniture.

"Joey wouldn't stop talking in his sleep. Running commentary about duels he wanted to win, girls he wanted to kiss, sandwiches he wanted to eat... then he began to mix them up, to girls he wanted to win, sandwiches he wanted to kiss, duels he would eat. I woke up Yugi and convinced him to switch with me, though I'm pretty sure he was awake to begin with. Focused on today."

"I don't blame him," I said. I had been nervous about today as well and I'd worried that it would keep me from falling asleep but luckily I'd been able to snap right into dreamland without any problem. Which was good because me and a lack of sleep resulted in a grump with an even worse control on his temper than normal. "Speaking of..." I said, glancing over my shoulder as Yugi walked up to us, rather bright and bushy tailed while Tristan and Joey were dragging their tired asses over to us. "Morning sunshine," I mocked.

"Grabaga..." Joey muttered.

"How are you tired?!?" Tea complained, glaring at him. "You were the one keeping all of us up last night!"

"Hey, I was worried too! I hardly slept at all!" Joey complained.

"...you mean you were AWAKE and mumbling the entire time?" Tea snapped. "You kept everyone else up because you couldn't sleep?"

"I had to think things through!"

"That must have been tough."

"Yeah it... wait, was that an insult? It was!"

"How often are they like this?" I asked Yugi.

"More than you'd think," he commented. "Don't worry though, they do care for each other a lot. They are just like brother and sister, that's all."

I huffed. "My brother and I don't fight like that... or at all. That's just an excuse for people who don't know how to handle their anger." He turned away from the fight (which had gone to including Tristan now as a third party) and nodded towards the island. "You ready for this?"

"I have to be," Yugi said firmly, watching as the island grew closer. "If I want to save my grandpa I have to win Duelist Kingdom. I have to defeat Pegasus."

I clicked my teeth together several times. "He wants to duel you?"

"Yeah. I'm not exactly sure WHY he wants to defeat me but he does. And he is willing to do anything to see that happen."

"You personally or just have you defeated?" I had never been quite clear on Pegasus' motives for going after Yugi. I knew that he wanted the holotech from Kaiba to try and recreate Cecelia and that the Big 5 wanted Yugi defeated but Pegasus had already put a target on him. It was natural to just assume he wanted the Puzzle but that made no sense because I never remembered Yugi putting it on the line in a bet... maybe he had, it had been nearly a decade since I watched the show, but I didn't remember that. Just that Pegasus threatened to take Yugi's soul. I honestly didn't know if Pegasus even realized the true purpose of the puzzle. Of course considering that even most of the users of the Millennium Items didn't understand the purpose of their items...

"I honestly don't know," Yugi admitted. "I lost to him once but that was only because of a time limit... I don't think he considered that a true win for him."

"If I had to guess," I said, finishing off my muffin and stuffing the wrapper in my pocket, "I'd say he wants to defeat you himself on a grand public scale but he has no problems with other people taking you out. In his mind if someone else defeats you that is fine because he can just challenge them. But if he defeats you after you defeat everyone else..." I trailed off, not needing to fill in the blanks.

"That sounds about right." Yugi shook his head. "It doesn't matter though. I have to win."

After that we lapsed into silence.

~MC~MC~MC~

Maxamillion Pegasus sat in his favorite chair, swirling a glass of wine lazily as he watched the televisions that displayed hundreds of different spots on the island. Right now they were empty but soon enough they would be filled with eager youths battling it out in hopes of winning his tournament. Most times he would have found such a thing utterly exciting and would have spent weeks reviewing the footage so that he could see each duel, no matter how minor it might have been. He so did enjoy seeing people enjoy his game. The different strategies, the odd and wild combos, the reversals and the reversals of reversals... oh, it made his blood sing! To see what he had created being loved! Being pushed to its limits and beyond! To know that something he had crafted could stimulate the mind and the soul so!

Normally he'd enjoy that. And later on he would indulge himself. But now he only cared about one duelist and it would be him that he followed through the entire tournament.

Yugi Moto.

The boy had to lose. The Big Five had been clear on that... the only way the takeover of KaibaCorp would be finalized would be if the new owner was the top duelist in the world and that meant defeating the boy who had defeated Seto Kaiba. Or, should Yugi-boy fail to live up to expectations, defeat the one that defeated him. It wouldn't be as wonderful of a victory should that come to pass and Pegasus was oh so hoping the spikey-haired youth made it all the way to him... but if it meant getting what he needed he'd settle for some random child defeating Yugi-boy and then Pegasus swooping in the claim the victory.

"Mr. Pegasus."

Turning his head Pegasus nodded to his butler, who was holding a think folder. "Ah, yes Croquet?"

"I have the information from the boat, sir."

Pegasus nodded. He hadn't been able to get cameras installed on the ship in time so he was forced to rely on second-hand accounts. Some from the staff... and a few from people he'd placed on the ship itself, posing as duelists. He wondered if anyone realized that he had placed an Eliminator in their midst, learning about the contestants and readying to take them out. The boy had been all too willing to do it... he had a vicious streak that even gave Pegasus pause at times-

"Yes, of course," Pegasus said with a slight smile. "What news do you have?"

"As was reported at the dock Yugi Moto has given up one of his two Star Chips to a Mr. Joseph Wheeler." Croquet pulled a sheet of paper. "From the original investigation into Mr. Moto, sir."

Pegasus didn't bother to look. "Troublemaker who turned his life around when he became friends with Yugi-boy. A rather poor duelist from a broken home, lives with his drunk of a father, observed losing to Tea Garner several times and not once playing a spell card. His sister is in the hospital and will go blind without surgery." Pegasus looked down at the ground. "Croquet, please look into the cost of her medical bills. Depending on Joey's performance here I might be willing to help." He reached up and touched where his own eye had once been. He knew all too well what the girl would be going through. He wasn't completely heartless. The tournament was about finally achieving his greatest desire but after that he would be willing to aid those that truly needed it. "Still, Yugi-boy shows his greatest weakness... he will blindly help others at the cost of himself. Still, if he is as good as I believe him to be I think he'll manage just fine even with the single Star Chip. What else?"

"It seems that Mr. Moto has suffered another setback. Weevil Underwood is reported to have thrown Mr. Moto's Exodia set overboard. Mr. Wheeler attempted to retrieve them but only got back two of the cards before he was rescued by Mr. Moto and Mako Tsunami."

Pegasus chuckled at that. "Oh, poor Yugi-boy. Too trusting as well, it seems. Still, perhaps it is for the best... I had come up with several ways to ensure Exodia remained sealed and now our duel will be at least a touch interesting. Make a note for me to alter my deck and remove the Exodia-Eliminating Cards I created from it." Pegasus' smile fell though as he considered HOW those cards were lost. "But as for Mr. Underwood... if he makes it to the castle I will have to deal with him myself. You know how I loathe cheats, Croquet."

"Indeed, Mr. Pegasus," the butler said before flipping through the pages. "We've also received word of three more stowaways on the ship: "Bandit" Keith Howard-"

"I shouldn't be surprised. I hear he was rather enraged to be excluded." Pegasus let out a huffing chuckle. "And how I... exposed him at the International Championship last year." He looked off to the side, mulling the new arrival before waving his hand dismissively. "Let him do as he wishes. Without Star Chips or a dueling glove he won't be able to do much. That is unless he tricks someone into giving up theirs and if that is the case it is their own fault."

"Yes, Mr. Pegasus. I will inform the staff. Now then, also spotted on board are Tea Gardner and Tristan Taylor-" Once more Pegasus waved off Croquet as he tried to hand him the personnel files their investigators had made on Yugi's friends.

"Tea Gardner, wishes to be a dancer and performer. Stable home life though she does feel overshadowed by her half sister from her father's first marriage, Yuri Gardner. A duelist only in the fact that she has a deck and has beaten Joey. Tristan Taylor, a promising member of the student government and son of Terence Taylor, owner of Taylor Furniture. A sense that his life has already been preplanned led him to befriending Joey Wheeler and later Yugi Moto. I am not even aware of him having a deck." He glanced back up at his butler. "I assume they came purely to cheer on Yugi-boy?"

"That is what our spies gathered, Mr. Pegasus sir."

"Then leave them be as well. I have no problem with them tagging along to see Yugi-boy's eventual defeat." Pegasus took a sip of his wine. "Is that all?"

"Not quite, sir. We have received word that Weevil Underwood was confronted by Edwin Chaos after he caused the loss of Mr. Moto's Exodia cards. According to statements from our Eliminator Mr. Underwood was marched out of the common room by the man and when he returned he'd been relieved of his room key, which was then given to Mr. Moto and his friends."

Pegasus frowned at that. "I'm not familiar with Edwin Chaos..."

"His uncle, Kipling Chaos, was invited to attend the tournament, sir."

"Ah yes, the media mogul. I wanted him here to report on Yugi-boy's loss so that the Big Five and I could finalize our plans. But why is his nephew here?"

The butler shuffled through his paperwork. "Apparently the elder Chaos broke his leg and sent his nephew in his stead. Edwin just got his degree in Communications and is working for the man."

"Hmmm, that sounds fine enough... but you say he inserted himself into Yugi-boy and Weevil's feud?"

Croquet nodded. "He did, sir. From all reports Mr. Chaos has made friends with Yugi and his group and Mr. Wheeler was overheard mentioning that they'd formed an alliance with the man."

"An alliance?" Pegasus tittered. "Oh, now that will make things interesting." He set down his wine class and steepled his fingers. "It seems there is a new player on the board, Croquet. But what is his purpose? To merely make new friends? To truly report on what is occurring here? To create a network of duelists in hopes of better their odds? Or something more..." Pegasus' smile fell as he considered just what this new wrinkle might mean for his plans before finally giving a slight shrug. "Have his duels flagged and if he shows any talent or interest I will watch them later." With that he stood up and ran his hands along his suit. "For now... I need to make my grand entrance and greet my adoring fans!"

~MC~MC~MC~

I looked at the red dueling glove in annoyance before pulling the dang thing off and stuffing it in my suitcase. There was no rule saying I had to wear it 24/7 and I had already gotten visions of me reaching up to scratch my nose and knocking my teeth out with the damn thing. 'Seriously Pegasus, why did you need a ring this bloody big?' I looked up at his castle and rolled my eyes. 'Of course, considering everything else here I guess it's clear you're compensating for something and it rhymes with 'biny fenis'.'

Pegasus had just gotten done giving his welcoming speech and now all the duelists were breaking up, using their hour to plan out what their first course of action would be. Some were hurrying to find the perfect spot to duel, to stake their claim and just sit there and let others wander to them. Others were looking through their decks one last time, making preparations. And finally there were those that were already partnering up, deciding who their first opponent would be. I for one was cooling my heels for a moment, watching the servants that were littered around Pegasus's castle to greet the competitors.

"Hey Ed!" Joey called out, jogging over to me. We'd separated while walking up to the castle, thanks to Tea spotting Bakura, and by the time the foursome had arrived it had been too late for them to wiggle through the crowd and join me. "So, what are ya thinkin', man? Anyone you have picked out as your first opponent?" He rubbed his hands together. "Oh man, I've been eyein' up the competition and I can't decide who I want to face first!"

"Well, I haven't seen anyone yet, Joey," I said with a smile. "I think I'm going to take it slow to start off."

"Why is your entire bit military jargon?" I asked as I placed my monster in the graveyard and setting a card on the field. "Shouldn't it be weather themed? Like you are a weatherman or something and make wind puns? Giving me the 7 Day Forecast of defeat and rot like that?"

"I would never do that!" Alto declared while I mentally debated pointing out his name was altostratus. "Besides, private, you have other things to worry about in this war. Take a look at the field." I did and my brow furrowed as I noticed a heavy fog beginning to form, swirling about and making it hard to see Alto's side. "When I destroyed King Fog his form dissipated all along the field, creating a magical fog that will hide my monsters from view! The perfect hiding spot for my next monster. But first I need to discard this card..." he placed one card in his graveyard, "so I can add two duplicates to my hand, one of which I summon now!" He set the card on his control panel and there was a glow... followed by an ominous crack of thunder. "Behold the monster that heralds your end, the monster that will see me show the world the true meaning of perfection. The mighty THUNDER DRAGON!"

Slithering from the sky down to the field the large green dragon moved about in the air, lightning crackling on his scaly hide. I had to admit it was a frightening sight... something out of one's nightmares. The beast was big... I knew there were duel monsters that would be far bigger, such as the Blue Eyes or Slifer, but it was still something that made me take a step back in shock. The drake rumbled as he looked at my Defender with interest before finally settling into the fog... which began to spark with electricity.

"Oh this can't be good," I muttered second before a of lightning came crashing down and destroyed Defender. "Okay, explain freaky!" I demanded, activating my set Hallowed Life Barrier to protect me from the effect damage.

Alto laughed. "Blitzkrieg warfare, junior! Thunder Dragon has infused the remains of my King Fog with lightning to turn it into a powerful storm cloud. Once per turn the cloud will let loose a bolt of electricity. Maybe your monster avoids it... or maybe it is reduced to ash!"

"Oh this is some hacking bull shredder!" I snarled as I drew a card. 'Damn it, this will make things tough. I have nothing in my hand that can overpower that thing at the moment... thank God he can't attack directly or I'd be done. I need to keep playing monsters though; if I don't then I automatically lose the duel. I just need to set something up to take it down... and it can't be a one turn trick because he now has another two in his hand. And with it flying about something like Trap Hole won't work. I need stall while I think of something and hope my luck changes and the bolts begin to miss.' Returning to the game I selected a card. "I first activate One Day of Peace, which allows us both to draw one card. Now, until the end of your turn, both of us take 0 damage. I then set Turtle Tiger in defense mode and end my turn.

Alto nodded and drew his card. "Thinking of trying to make this a siege, kiddo? Well-"

I held up my hand. "Okay, is the reason you keep saying those nicknames for me because you don't know my name? Because I think it's because you don't know my name and you're just embarrassed to ask. I just realized I never introduced myself. In fact I only know your name because the last person you beat told me. So you accepted a challenge from me without knowing who I was and you want to know but it's gone too long with you not asking and it's become awkward."

Alto chewed on the inside of his lip. "...no."

"It's Edwin Chaos, alright? And I don't believe a word you're saying."

"Believe what you want!" the bomber jacket-wearing loon told me with far more bluster than was needed, causing me to roll my eyes. "You have bigger problems!" Another bolt lanced through the air and fried my turtle, shattering it.

"Believe me, I know," I grumbled as I drew another card my annoyance giving way to relief. "Thank you Gobe. Gobe? Oh come on, they say God Cards... what the-? Okay, soap the censors... GAAAA!"

Alto removed his glasses. "Are you okay?" he asked, dropped his bit for a moment.

"Fine, fine, just a bit crazy."

"I'll say," he stated before going right back into Patton Mode. "So fire off your artillery and let's see what you have for ammunition."

"If you say so!" I declared. "First I summon the Witty Phantom!" My orange skinned fiend appeared, tipping his hat to the bank of fog and the Thunder Dragon that was still slithering within. "Next I equip to him Dark Energy, which brings his attack to 1700! More than enough to defeat each and every one of your Thunder Dragons! Witty Phantom attack!" My monster, having grabbed the dark orb of wicked power and infusing his soul with it, cackled before charging his hat with black magic and throwing it at the Thunder Dragon...

...and missed.

"My fog still covers the field, making it all the harder to strike my monsters," Alto pointed out.

"I noticed," I ground out through clenched teeth. "Stupid Duelist Kingdom Rules!" I hissed softly.

~MC~MC~MC~

"You know, Croquet," Pegasus said, tapping a finger against his chair, "I don't know if I should be amused at the running commentary Edwin there is giving us or annoyed at how he keeps insulting my game."

He'd just watched Yugi Moto pull a rather impressive turnaround win against Weevil Underwood, claiming his Star Chips and his dueling glove for young Joseph, and had decided to glance at the rest of the competition. It had become clear very quickly that Yugi-boy was going to allow his friend the next chance to battle and at the moment Pegasus had no desire to see the uninvited guest flounder about against actual duelists.

'Honestly, it would have been more interesting had Miss Garner dueled. She actually has a victory under her belt'. He'd seen plenty of beginning duelists trying to master the game and more than a few filled with the same bluster as young Joseph, but there was just something about Yugi-boy's friend that made it not that entertaining to watch him struggle and fail. It was rather... sad, to be honest. 'Of course he might prove to be more than I expected. Though I very much doubt it.'

Already a third of the competitors had been eliminated within the first hour, risking it all and coming out empty handed. They were all rather disappointed but were making their way back to the cruise ship via the rowboats, where there would be a catered lunch waiting for them. A few were already discussing doing a kind of 'Losers Tournament' on the ship and Pegasus gave orders to try and get footage of that; it warmed his heart that even after such bitter disappointment people still loved his game and were willing to play it. There were of course a few bad apples that were lingering on the island, hiding from his staff and hoping to find a way back into the tournament without Star Chips. He had expected that.

'My Eliminators have already been given their locations and have orders to challenge them, letting them try and win back their Star Chips by wagering their cards. If they can surprise me then I'll allow them to continue... if not? Well, a fool and their cards are soon parted.' He chuckled. 'Not that it matters. Yugi-boy is the one I am most interested in.' He paused, turning back to the screen showing Edwin's duel. 'Though not the only one I'm interested in...'

So far the reporter had been mildly amusing. He was good at strategy but seemed to be having trouble with the Duelist Kingdom rules; Pegasus had known that this would trhow off plenty of duelists who were used to battling one way. That was part of the fun. And Edwin's rather unique way of expressing his frustration did bring a smile to Pegasus' face even if the man was insulting his tournament.

Case in point, his opponent Alto, after having the bolt from his thundercloud miss, had just used Polyermization to fuse the Thunder Dragon on his field with the second in his hand in order to summon forth the Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon. A mighty beast with 2800 attack power that easily took out Edwin's phantom thanks to the spell card Quick Attack and would have eliminated Edwin completely had he not used Red Medicine to boost his LIfepoints. It did still leave him in a deep hole at only 400. Yet the older of the two duelists was focused on other things...

"How is that twin-headed?" Edwin complained, gesturing at the dragon.

"It is formed from two Thunder Dragons-"

"No, I get that. I mean where is the second head? That is not two heads, that is two mouths." He gripped his platform and shook his head. "Seriously, that's like saying if I have a sixth finger I actually have three hands. It's a Twin-Mouthed Thunder Dragon."

"You always mouth off to your commanders, shrimp?"

Pegasus frowned. "Shrimp? But Edwin there is taller than him."

Edwin drew his next card. "Yeah. I also kick their alps. And now to do something I've been looking forward to." He held out his drawn card and in a dramatic voice declared, "I now summon forth the monster that dispatch you and your overgrown lizard once and for all! From the halls of the greatest institute of magically learning ever created... come forth... ENDYMION THE MASTER MAGICIAN!"

The screen flared white and Pegasus had to shut his eyes for a moment due to the intensity. When it finally calmed down the camera was focused in on Edwin's mightiest monster, the Master Magician himself. Pegasus smiled fondly as he looked upon the card, remembering when he'd created it. While many of the first cards he'd created had been based on images he'd seen in Egypt as time had gone by he'd sought to bring in other cultures throughout the world into his game. After all, if the Egyptians had great power and magic why not the Norse? Or the Chinese? Endymion had come from a tomb in Greece where a group of statues had stood watch over the figure who laid within, the astronomy and scientist Endymion. The outside of the structure had been statues of mystical warriors, ones that would become the basis for Breaker, Defender, Crusader, and Rogue. The inner chamber had held the actual mages with the basis for the monster Edwin controlled being the most stunning. The moment he had seen it, moonlight shining down through a hole in the ceiling, he'd been filled with a desire to see the monsters created, though so far he'd only released a few of their numbers, keeping the rest within his castle until he felt the game was ready for such powerful mages to enter the playing field.

The Master Magician's effect wasn't going though quite as Edwin probably hoped. He'd used Endymion's Power Spell Blast to try and destroy the Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon only for the beast to avoid the attack against the fog.

"Oh?" Pegasus said as Edwin called out an attack. "And what madness is this? Or is it not madness? Have you seen a way to slay the beast?"

Alto shook his head as Endymion charged up an attack. "You haven't been paying attention, squirt! My Dragon is mightier than your mage! You're going into a suicide run!"

"I think not," Edwin stated. "Endymion... attack the fog itself! Power Spell Sweep!" Endymion lashed out with his staff and a beam of green energy raced through the fogbank, kicking up a great wind that billowed across the field.

But the fog didn't dissipate.

"Were you hoping to make it easier to see my dragon? I'm afraid it won't be that simple! My King Fog was too thick to be sent away with that tiny breeze, petty officer! And now you are about to pay for rushing across the field with a blitzkrieg air assault!" There was a crack of lightning but it missed, though Alto didn't care in the slightest. "Twin-Head, attack!" The dragon roared and charged across the field... only to snap his jaws and get air.

"Now who wasn't paying attention?" Edwin stated tauntingly. "I wasn't aiming to dissipate the fog... just to spread it around." He held out his arms and the field became even more fog-covered, obscuring not just Alto's monster... but Edwin's as well. "I've taken your trick and turned it right back against you. We're throwing darts in the dark... let's see who hits first, shall we? First I shift Endymion into defense position, then discard this card to activate his effect!" The Power Spell Blast once more missed by Edwin didn't seem fazed by that at all.

"Well well well... this has become a rather interesting one," Pegasus said as the turn came back to Alto and his Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon and his cloud both attacked... and got nothing. "Or boring," Pegasus said with a shrug. "Perhaps I should have put a time limit on the duels. Truly is no fun if both of them just take turns failing to score a hit." But even as he said that he noticed that Edwin had begun to smirk as he looked over his next card. "Though maybe I spoke too soon?"

~MC~MC~MC~

'Alright,' I thought to myself as I looked over the field, 'the risk is a single Star Chip. I screw this up and I'm in Death Battle territory my next match. But... this might be the only time I get to see how far I can stretch these Duelist Kingdom rules. So to hell with it... let's see how this goes!' I selected the card from my hand. "I place Spikebot in defense mode. And end my turn. Now, Commander Wingnut, let me quote my favorite military slogan: you want my lifepoints?" A threw my arms out wide and roared, "Molon labe!" I couldn't help but notice though that the moment I uttered the phrase my Endymion... twitched. A glitch, most likely.

The taunt had the desired effect as the lightning bolt from his stormcloud fogbank arced upward before coming crashing down, a crack proving it had hit. Alto let out a laugh and commanded his monster to attack without even bothering to let the effect damage end me but I merely continued to grin as his beast lumbered forward, opened his jaws wide... and the sweet sound of teeth clanging against metal filled my ears.

The fog began to dissipate, revealing that Spikebot, who I'd shifted to stand in front of Endymon and take the attack, easily began to pull the Thunder Dragon's main jaw open, gears and gyros whirling as inch by inch he slowly forced the mouth open, much to the beast's distress.

"I can tell you are confused," I said with a casual, dismissive tone. "Let me go over the steps. Spikebot is a machine type monster. That means he attracted your lightning right to him. But metal conducts electricity so well... and Spikebot used that to charge his systems into overdrive. Think of it like a... limiter removal. He'll be destroyed next turn, unable to handle all that energy, but you won't be getting a next turn. Because right now he is so overclocked that he just added 1200 attack points himself! Bringing him up to 3000!"

Alto let out a gasp at that only to shake his head and smirk. "Fool... you've signed your own death and don't even realize it! Destroy my Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon... it doesn't matter! You are finished!"

"Are you referring to the fact that if a monster is destroyed by an effect I lose lifepoints equal to half his attack?" I asked, buffing my nails against my shirt before looking at them, lips puckered in an exaggerated, "I have no time for this" look. "Next turn that happens... except I just told you... you don't get a next turn. You are done."

"Are you mad? Have you suffered from shellshock? Even with my Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon destroyed I still have 150 lifepoints! I'll then set a monster in defense and watch as your Spikebot is destroyed."

"Except you failed to look over the field!" I countered. "Every general knows you must understand the lay of the land if you wish to win. But you got so caught up in the sky you forgot what was on the ground itself... the Trap Hole I activated at the start of the duel!" I held my breath, waiting... and forced myself not to react when the field shimmered and the hole appeared right where I thought it might. "That weakened the ground and created a few more smaller holes... enough for your now decided NON-FLYING dragon to step into! Not enough to destroy him... but enough to GROUND HIM!" I pointed at the Thunder Dragon who began to bellow, trying to free his foot that was now caught in ground and was sinking faster. His lightning sparked but was drained down into the earth, making the beast sag. "And thanks to that grounding his attack is reduced by half... meaning that my Spikebot is now more than powerful enough to destroy your Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon... and the rest of your lifepoints." I flashed the V for Victory symbol. "War... huh... good god ya'll... what is it good for?" I said dryly as Alto's lifepoints went down to nothing.

~MC~MC~MC~

Pegasus couldn't help it... even though he was the only one who would hear it he clapped his hands together in delight. "Marvelous, simply marvelous! A grand showing indeed!" He smiled, though there was no pleasantness in the look. "I think I might need to keep a closer eye on Edwin there..."

~MC~MC~MC~

"Good game," I said, walking over to Alto and holding out my hand. "You really gave it to me."

Alto never took my hand. Instead he thrust out his left and dropped 4 Star Chips into my hand while saluting me with his right. "You have ruined my mission, soldier, but I will respect a captain who can take on an old warhorse like me! Just means that I need to start back at the beginning, in basic training, in order to get back into a position of command."

"Uh, dude, I said one Star Chip. You don't-"

"Farewall, soldier! We will meet again! This was merely WWI! WWII remains!"

"Dude! Hey!" I called out as Alto turned and began to run as fast as his legs could carry him. "One Chip idiot! One! You don't... gaaaaaaaaa!"