Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ House of Cards ❯ Welcome to Toon World ( Chapter 1 )

            “Yo, Kaiba!”

         &nbs p;  Seto froze at the sound of that gratingly familiar voice; that certain drawl that could belong to only one person. Reluctantly, he turned. “Wheeler,” he said, giving the smirking blond only a cursory glance before directing his eyes to Joey’s left, and down. Of course, Yugi stood smiling at Wheeler’s side, thumbs latched into the straps of his backpack. He offered the diminutive champion a cursory nod; he considered himself fully entitled to ignore Wheeler, but obligated to at least acknowledge Yugi’s presence. He was one of the few people that actually garnered Kaiba’s respect, however grudgingly bestowed.

          &n bsp; Yugi seemed to take this acknowledgement to heart, and returned it with a rosy grin. “Hey Kaiba,” he said. Seto felt himself tense up involuntarily as the pair of them fell in step with him, one on either side, as they ascended the mammoth stone staircase.  Whereas Yugi was, as always, all sunshine and friendliness, the atmosphere radiating from Wheeler was significantly cooler. “You’re here for the tournament?”

          ;   Choosing for the moment to ignore the inanity of the question, Kaiba only nodded once more, replying, “I don’t know about you, but I want to find out just what the old coot has up his sleeve this time.”

           ;  Yugi laughed. “Now, I don’t know. I think Pegasus is okay these days. He did help us out with that whole Anubis thing.” Seto raised an eyebrow. “Well okay, he helped me out. But still.”

         &nbs p;  On the other side of him, Joey chuckled; Seto cast him a cautious sidelong look. The blond hand one hand in his shaggy hair and was shaking his head at Yugi with a smile. “Yuug, if there’s one thing I’ve learned from hangin’ out with you is that any tournament you enter is gonna end up with some big bad lunatic wreakin’ havoc.”

         &nbs p;  Despite himself, Kaiba found himself snickering. Yugi frowned deeply. “No really, you guys. Trust me, this is going to be just a bit of fun.”

             “And the prize?” Seto asked. Yugi looked momentarily baffled, before saying, apparently in earnest, “It’s not the winning that matters, Kaiba. It’s the taking part.”

           ;  Seto paused and almost tripped as he attempted to digest the lump of trite that Yugi had just spouted so sincerely. He coughed.

          &nb sp; “You okay, Moneybags?” Wheeler laughed. Seto aimed one of his icier glares at him, before transmuting it into a well-practiced sneer. Gathering his wits once more he was able to fire a reassuringly snide comment in the blond’s direction, “I guess that explains why you’re here, right Wheeler?”

         &n bsp;  True to form, Joey’s cheeks coloured and his features twisted into the expression of extreme irritation that Seto always found so comic. “Hey! Just what’re you tryin’ to say?”

             “I’m not trying to say anything,” Seto said, with a satisfying note of condescension, “I’m saying that it’s a good thing winning doesn’t matter, because obviously this would be a wasted trip for you otherwise.”

             He tried to stifle a laugh when Wheeler actually growled, growled, at him in reply, and moved as if to attack him. Yugi, eyes wide with genuine worry, made an effort to hold the blond back. Kaiba cocked his head to one side, smirking. This kid practically asks to be mocked, he thought. “Careful, Yugi,” he said. “Looks like your pet needs a muzzle.”

         &nb sp;  “Why, you-!” Joey seemed speechless with rage for a moment, and Yugi implored Kaiba with his eyes.

            “Joey, calm down. Kaiba didn’t mean it… You might get kicked out if you start a fight…”

        &nbs p;   “That reminds me,” Seto went on, mind wandering. “Where’s the fan club?”

           ;  “What?” Yugi asked, after managing to partially calm the still seething blond. “Oh, you mean my friends.”

         &n bsp;  “If that’s what you want to call them.”

           ;  “Well, strictly speaking only contestants and staff are allowed on the island.”

         &nb sp;  “That didn’t stop the dweebs tagging along last time,” Seto commented. They had just mounted the final step, and the vast door swung open before them; no messing about with star chips, this time the whole tournament was taking place within the castle walls. Seto glanced up at the overcast sky and silently applauded Pegasus on his forward planning. “Ever tried duelling without your band of cheerleaders? Bet it’s going to be hard for you.” Yugi eyed him reproachfully as they stepped over the threshold and into the entrance hall; Joey shuffled after them, arms folded, muttering. “It’ll be worse for the mutt, of course.”

         &nb sp;  To his surprise, he heard Yugi sigh. “Why are you always like this?” he said.

            Seto looked down at him, caught off guard. However, before he could formulate a reply, the doors clanged shut behind them and the milling crowd of fellow duellists turned their collective attention to the large speakers arranged around the room’s high ceiling, from which the voice of Maximillion Pegasus now boomed.

          &nbs p; “Welcome, duellists,” it cooed. There was a faint hiss and crackle underlying his words, which Seto decided was evidence that the message had been pre-recorded – and shoddily so. Beside him, Yugi was staring up at the room’s corners just like every other duellist in the room. Kaiba rolled his eyes then, suspicious as he always was of Pegasus, glanced about the room’s few exits.

            ; “Where are you?” he muttered. At his side, Yugi made a noise of puzzlement. Taking it as a cue to explain his uneasiness, Kaiba elaborated, “Pegasus. Why the recording? This is the opening of his big comeback tournament. He should be here in person.”

         &nb sp;  Yugi frowned, and then, slowly, nodded. “You’re right…. It is a little strange.”

         &n bsp;  “What’s strange? Ya mean Kaiba’s fashion sense? ‘Cause I gotta agree with you there,” Joey interrupted, strolling up behind them. Seto grit his teeth in irritation.

             “…To the second Duellist Kingdom Tournament,” Pegasus went on. Kaiba huffed. That’s original, he thought.

          &nb sp; “No, you moron,” he replied, words slow and carefully modulated. “We were talking about-“

“This is a world where nothing is as it seems,” Pegasus’ voice continued. “Where dreams and reality merge, and where deadly pitfalls await the unwary.”

“About what, you big jerk? What’s your problem anyway?” Joey jabbed Seto in the chest, a foolish invitation to fight.

“This is no ordinary Duel Monsters Tournament. Wander this castle at your will, but be prepared. This particular rabbit hole goes deeper than you might imagine.” Pegasus’ voice was suddenly cut off with a fizz and a clunk, and replaced by a quiet, high-pitched hissing sound.

“My only problem is standing right in front of me,” Seto snarled.

“…Uh…guys?”

“What?” both Joey and Seto snapped in unison, both shooting venomous looks in the smaller boy’s direction. Shaken for only an instant, Yugi pointed to the ceiling behind Kaiba and said, “What’s that?”

“What?” Kaiba twisted around to see, glanced up, and gave a startled half gasp when he saw the grey smoke spilling from grates near the ceiling. “Shit…! Pegasus, you…ah!” The gas billowed over the crowd of duellists, now panicking and scratching like rats at the door, which was shut as fast as ever. His throat becoming sore, Kaiba dropped to his knees as his head began to spin. Glancing up he saw, in a haze, Yugi and Joey drop to the floor also. Yugi looked up at him, big eyes hazy, before falling face first onto the floor, unconscious. Seconds later, Seto followed suit.  ---