Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Three-In-One Combo ❯ Shadow Games ( Chapter 15 )
[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
By: Indigo Tantarian 
You'd be surprised how talented Scale can be in certain areas. He and Yami Malik face off in a Shadow Game, but not of Duel Monsters.
Anime/Manga: Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Drama / Comedy | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 02.17.2003 | Pages: 2 | Words: 2.4K | Visits: 257 | Status: Work In Progress
You'd be surprised how talented Scale can be in certain areas. He and Yami Malik face off in a Shadow Game, but not of Duel Monsters.
Anime/Manga: Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Drama / Comedy | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 02.17.2003 | Pages: 2 | Words: 2.4K | Visits: 257 | Status: Work In Progress
Author's Notes: Woo hoo, over 100 reviews! You guys rule! The last couple chapters were nice, but it was a bit of an overload of Ankh. So to balance it out, here's a definite Scale chapter! And I picked on him a lot, so I'll let him have some fun. Lots of fics where someone gathers all the Items for their evil purposes have Shadi either die or give up his Items without a fight. I think his sense of duty is far too strong to let him do that! He may act passive, but he's not that weak-willed! Oh, when Ankh said Scale's only talent was summoning Anubis, he wasn't quite right. Scale's also amazingly lucky at games (not quite a match for the Pharaoh, but close!), especially Shadow Games. And he's very talented at navigating the Shadow Realm. Someone said they didn't want this to end. Well, Ankh and Scale won't let it, at least not yet (they won't even let me write anything else! I've got a paper to write and another fic too! How do you people train your muses!?). But if you really want it to continue, I need ideas! And just because Ankh let Malik out doesn't mean that Yami Malik is gone! He's still very much here! I like Malik very much, but this is just how he is in this story. BakurasGirl66, I never actually planned to kill of Ankh! I couldn't have anyway. I like him too much! I guess you could compare having two spirits to having two brothers you had to share a room with... How horrible! Shadi's lucky that Ankh, at least, is nice!
Wow Scale, I think you've made an enemy! How fun! ^_^
Scale: Grr... I'll get that fool... YEAH, HEAR THAT? YOU'RE A FOOL!
Down, Scale. Other people like you! Look what you got!
Scale: Pixie stix? Hmm... *bends the paper containers and eats them whole* Kind of plain. Bleh, these are nasty! How do those losers eat these things? Oh wait, now they're good! Mmm! *goes to chase the running reviewers*
Isis: You know perfectly well that Indigo doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh. I know you won't try to sue her for it. Except YOU. You might. But if you do, you will fail. Do you question me...?
Three-In-One Combo!
Shadi frowned at the dark boy. "I cannot allow you to take my Items."
"Ah, I thought so. Then I challenge you to a Shadow Game," Malik said smirking. "Since I doubt you have any Duel Monster cards, and you probably wouldn't know how to use them anyway, we'll play something else." He pulled a deck of normal playing cards out of a drawer, yanked the tablecloth and everything on it off the table, and slapped the deck down on the table.
/I don't know about this.../
//Have you ever played a Shadow Game before? They can kill you if you're not used to the Shadow Realm. Please be careful!//
/No... I've never played one before. When I was young, my father told me I was too weak-willed for one. But what choice do I have?/
\\Shut up weaklings... Let me play the Game. I was always good at them.\\
/I don't think that's a good idea. Especially considering your recent string of luck with the other spirits. Besides, too much rides on this game./
\\You brainless tapeworm! You think YOU could do better!?\\
"And what should we play... Hmm..." Malik mused. "Something to do with Egypt would be fun, since you seem so eager to get back there. How about... Egyptian Rat Screw?"
/Oh no.../
\\Damn!\\
//Not that! That's the most confusing, complex game in existence!//
\\Well then DO something, you rotting fishhead!\\
Ankh did what he could to change Malik's mind, knowing that he might not be able to do it more than once. Luckily, it worked.
"Or perhaps something more interesting. Like... Mao!" Malik declared gleefully. Ankh groaned.
//That's even worse! It's impossible to be good at that game!//
/I've never played that before. What are the rules?/
//There aren't any reliable ones! One person makes them all up!//
\\Mao!? That's my favorite game! I demand you let me play it! I'm an expert at it! Come on, let me take over!\\
/Ankh said it's impossible to be good at it./
\\And you BELIEVED him!? He has no luck or skill. If he'll just make the psycho agree to my request, there's no way I can lose. Now go mess with his mind!\\
/I don't know --/
"Well? Do you accept, or should I just take your Items now?" Malik sneered.
\\Stop wasting time! Ankh, go make him listen to me. Shadi, get into your soul room, you useless dung beetle. Watch the master at work...\\ Scale quickly took over. Ankh reached out to Malik as Scale spoke.
"I accept your challenge," Scale said through Shadi's mouth. Shadi's calm eyes had narrowed, but otherwise he looked mostly the same. "On one condition. I get to be Mao."
Malik frowned for a moment. Then he grinned as Ankh influenced him. "Fine, but it won't help you." Ankh withdrew from the disturbed mind and settled back into Shadi's mind to watch. Malik shuffled the deck, dealt them each seven cards, and put the remaining deck in front of Scale. As they sat down, Malik drew on the Rod's powers and a pocket of the Shadow Realm rose around them. As it did, both of them changed appearances. Malik's blond hair stood up in huge spikes and his eyes lost their pupils. Scale's robe turned black and his turban and cape became red. The Shadow Realm brought out the true nature of whom each was controlled by.
//Scale, I think I found something else while I was in there that you might want to hear about...//
\\What is it, you barnacle? I don't have time for this!\\
//Well... he doesn't really know how to play Mao. Seth made him suggest it. And he's making him think he knows how to play. He remembered that you played it a lot, and he owed me a favor. But you still may want to explain the rules.//
\\... WHAT!? This guy's a complete idiot! Oh this is too easy! I guess you do have your uses!\\ Scale grinned to himself.
"The obvious rules are simple. The card you lay down must be on either side of the card on the table, for example a seven on a six. You can lay duplicates down on each other, or you can lay cards by suite, such as a diamond on a diamond. And you have to obey the Mao's orders. First one to run out of cards wins. And when the game begins... talking is not allowed, except when the rules dictate," Scale said, wincing for a moment but quickly getting used to the Shadow Realm.
Malik scowled. But then he grinned again.
"...And the Ankh will know if you cheat. If you do, I win," Scale said. Malik glared at him.
"Are you suggesting -" he started. Scale dealt him a card.
"I said no talking." Malik looked outraged and pointed to Scale. Scale gave him another card from the pile. "Don't question the Mao." Malik gave him a murderous look and glared down at his cards. Scale looked at his own hand.
//Maybe we DO have a chance...//
\\Fool! Of course I'll win! How can I not? Don't question me!\\
/I suppose so. I don't understand this game at all.../
\\You're not supposed to, vulture vomit. That's the whole point!\\
/...But Scale seems to be in his element here, so it seems we have a good chance./
Scale considered for a moment before laying down the five of clubs on top of the starting card, a four. Malik laid the nine of clubs on it. Scale gave him a card.
"Failure to greet the card," Scale said, grinning. Malik looked murderous. Scale put the queen of clubs on the nine. Malik thought for a moment, and put the jack of hearts on top. Scale gave him a card.
"Incest," Scale explained. Malik mouthed 'What!?' "Jack on queen. That's incest." He gave the dark 'spirit' another card. "And don't question the Mao. Malik looked like he was about to explode. Scale was having the time of his life. He placed the ace of hearts on the jack. Malik frowned and tried to play a two, but as he did, Scale pushed another card into his hand.
"Playing out of turn!" Scale said gleefully. He put down a seven of hearts. Malik frowned for a long moment. Then he tried to put down an eight. Scale stopped him and handed him seven more cards. "Failure to play a seven" Malik violently slammed down a seven and smirked. Scale handed him two more cards. "Failure to slap the stack. And don't be so violent!" Malik's eyes narrowed, but he still looked slightly confident.
Scale looked at his cards, grinned, played the seven of spades, and looked up. Malik's smirk fell and he paled. He looked frantically through his large hand of cards. Then he reluctantly put down the five of spades. Scale merrily gave him seven more cards. "Failure to play a seven!"
"I know! Shut up!" Malik snarled. Scale gave him two more cards.
"Unnecessary talking, and insulting the Mao." Looking down at his two remaining cards, Scale saw that he couldn't play. So he picked one off the pile and played it. It was another five, so he slapped the stack.
Malik played a six. Again, Scale didn't have anything he could do, so he drew and placed another six, slapping the cards. Malik grinned and played a third six, the six of clubs. He slapped the stack, leering at Scale. Scale merely handed him a card. "Failure to slap twice." While Malik was frowning, Scale looked at the stack again. Then he gave Malik six more cards. "...And this is for playing 666. And evil number, you know!" Malik was about to strangle him.
Scale played the king of clubs on the stack and said "Pharaoh." Then, holding his last card, he said "Mao."
Malik frowned, looking at his enormous hand. Then he played the ace of clubs. He sneered at Scale, who sat still. Then he played the ace of diamonds, slapping the stack and looking up again. Scale stayed where he was. Laughing a little, Malik played the ace of spaced and slapped the stack twice.k He paused, but Scale did nothing. Then he put down the queen of spades.
Scale flashed Malik a full-blown grin and played his last card, the ten of spades. "I win." As Malik seethed with almost tangible rage, the bubble of Shadow Realm gradually disappeared. As it did, Malik's hair fell down again and his eyes regained their pupils. Scale's robes became white again, but both of their eyes remained slanted.
//Wow, I never knew you were so good at Mao.//
/I am rather impressed, Scale./
\\Of course! Any idiot's good at it when they're the Mao, and of course, I'm the best. Did you think summoning Anubis was my only talent? I'm not useless like you two!\\
/I'm glad you're satisfied. You did well. Now are you quite finished?/
\\Not yet! I won. I want the Rod now!\\ Malik, having lost a lot of energy as well as the game, was breathing heavily, leaning on the table. But he quickly stood up and took a threatening step towards Shadi, who had taken his body back by force.
"I'll take your Items anyway!" Malik declared. He advanced on the robed guardian, backing him into the wall. He very carefully slid the tips of his Rod around Shadi's jaw, leaving thin red lines in its wake. "Let's see how red you are inside..."
Shadi couldn't move, but he flinched in anticipation of pain.
Suddenly, Malik's purple eyes turned blue and he lowered the Rod. Seth's voice came from his mouth. "I still owe you, Ankhkare. You may want to leave now."
//THANK YOU!!!//
/Augh... No need to yell, Ankh./ "Thank you," Shadi told the Rod spirit. Then he gathered Ankh and Scale's power, drew on Anubis, and quickly sank intot he floor.
Shadi rose back into his home in Egypt and breathed in the hot, dry air, grateful to be home again. /How anyone can stand to live there is quite beyond me.../
//It's too crowded there. And the people are unfriendly. And it's so cold!//
\\I hope they all rot forever in their own nasty, stinking filth...\\
/Hopefully we won't have to go back any time soon. I believe those were the most eventful two days of my life./
//It was only two days!? It felt like weeks!//
/Yes, it did. And I'm worn out. That's partially your fault I think, Ankh./
//Sorry...//
/It doesn't matter. But I'm going to get some sleep without having to worry about being cut up... or bitten... or whatever Malik would have done./ Shadi walked over to his pallet, put Ankh and Scale beside it, and flopped down. Still having Ankh's leftover exhaustion, he fell asleep quickly.
Though Shadi didn't quite realize it, his spirit was sucked into a corner of the Shadow Realm known as the Graveyard. Ankh and Scale soon followed. Blinking, they found themselves in a very crowded area. They stood in front of thousands of men, and a few women, dressed similarly to Shadi. He recognized a few, and made his conclusion based on them.
"The past guardians..." he said softly. Scale narrowed his eyes and Ankh looked rather frightened.
Endnote: That seemed a lot more fun while I was writing it... I changed the beginning a little when I typed this, because I realized that Malik didn't know what he was doing. Mao's a really fun game when played with a large group, and when the Mao doesn't play. There are some standard rules, but most of them are made up each time. Here are the ones I used here: Greet nines. Jack on queen (and vice-versa) is incest. 666 is evil. No talking, no questioning or insulting the Mao. Ace skips the next person's turn. Say "Pharaoh" when playing a king. If the person before you plays a seven, you must play a seven or take seven cards. When you have one card left, say "Mao." And you must declare your victory when you win.
Wow Scale, I think you've made an enemy! How fun! ^_^
Scale: Grr... I'll get that fool... YEAH, HEAR THAT? YOU'RE A FOOL!
Down, Scale. Other people like you! Look what you got!
Scale: Pixie stix? Hmm... *bends the paper containers and eats them whole* Kind of plain. Bleh, these are nasty! How do those losers eat these things? Oh wait, now they're good! Mmm! *goes to chase the running reviewers*
Isis: You know perfectly well that Indigo doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh. I know you won't try to sue her for it. Except YOU. You might. But if you do, you will fail. Do you question me...?
Three-In-One Combo!
Shadi frowned at the dark boy. "I cannot allow you to take my Items."
"Ah, I thought so. Then I challenge you to a Shadow Game," Malik said smirking. "Since I doubt you have any Duel Monster cards, and you probably wouldn't know how to use them anyway, we'll play something else." He pulled a deck of normal playing cards out of a drawer, yanked the tablecloth and everything on it off the table, and slapped the deck down on the table.
/I don't know about this.../
//Have you ever played a Shadow Game before? They can kill you if you're not used to the Shadow Realm. Please be careful!//
/No... I've never played one before. When I was young, my father told me I was too weak-willed for one. But what choice do I have?/
\\Shut up weaklings... Let me play the Game. I was always good at them.\\
/I don't think that's a good idea. Especially considering your recent string of luck with the other spirits. Besides, too much rides on this game./
\\You brainless tapeworm! You think YOU could do better!?\\
"And what should we play... Hmm..." Malik mused. "Something to do with Egypt would be fun, since you seem so eager to get back there. How about... Egyptian Rat Screw?"
/Oh no.../
\\Damn!\\
//Not that! That's the most confusing, complex game in existence!//
\\Well then DO something, you rotting fishhead!\\
Ankh did what he could to change Malik's mind, knowing that he might not be able to do it more than once. Luckily, it worked.
"Or perhaps something more interesting. Like... Mao!" Malik declared gleefully. Ankh groaned.
//That's even worse! It's impossible to be good at that game!//
/I've never played that before. What are the rules?/
//There aren't any reliable ones! One person makes them all up!//
\\Mao!? That's my favorite game! I demand you let me play it! I'm an expert at it! Come on, let me take over!\\
/Ankh said it's impossible to be good at it./
\\And you BELIEVED him!? He has no luck or skill. If he'll just make the psycho agree to my request, there's no way I can lose. Now go mess with his mind!\\
/I don't know --/
"Well? Do you accept, or should I just take your Items now?" Malik sneered.
\\Stop wasting time! Ankh, go make him listen to me. Shadi, get into your soul room, you useless dung beetle. Watch the master at work...\\ Scale quickly took over. Ankh reached out to Malik as Scale spoke.
"I accept your challenge," Scale said through Shadi's mouth. Shadi's calm eyes had narrowed, but otherwise he looked mostly the same. "On one condition. I get to be Mao."
Malik frowned for a moment. Then he grinned as Ankh influenced him. "Fine, but it won't help you." Ankh withdrew from the disturbed mind and settled back into Shadi's mind to watch. Malik shuffled the deck, dealt them each seven cards, and put the remaining deck in front of Scale. As they sat down, Malik drew on the Rod's powers and a pocket of the Shadow Realm rose around them. As it did, both of them changed appearances. Malik's blond hair stood up in huge spikes and his eyes lost their pupils. Scale's robe turned black and his turban and cape became red. The Shadow Realm brought out the true nature of whom each was controlled by.
//Scale, I think I found something else while I was in there that you might want to hear about...//
\\What is it, you barnacle? I don't have time for this!\\
//Well... he doesn't really know how to play Mao. Seth made him suggest it. And he's making him think he knows how to play. He remembered that you played it a lot, and he owed me a favor. But you still may want to explain the rules.//
\\... WHAT!? This guy's a complete idiot! Oh this is too easy! I guess you do have your uses!\\ Scale grinned to himself.
"The obvious rules are simple. The card you lay down must be on either side of the card on the table, for example a seven on a six. You can lay duplicates down on each other, or you can lay cards by suite, such as a diamond on a diamond. And you have to obey the Mao's orders. First one to run out of cards wins. And when the game begins... talking is not allowed, except when the rules dictate," Scale said, wincing for a moment but quickly getting used to the Shadow Realm.
Malik scowled. But then he grinned again.
"...And the Ankh will know if you cheat. If you do, I win," Scale said. Malik glared at him.
"Are you suggesting -" he started. Scale dealt him a card.
"I said no talking." Malik looked outraged and pointed to Scale. Scale gave him another card from the pile. "Don't question the Mao." Malik gave him a murderous look and glared down at his cards. Scale looked at his own hand.
//Maybe we DO have a chance...//
\\Fool! Of course I'll win! How can I not? Don't question me!\\
/I suppose so. I don't understand this game at all.../
\\You're not supposed to, vulture vomit. That's the whole point!\\
/...But Scale seems to be in his element here, so it seems we have a good chance./
Scale considered for a moment before laying down the five of clubs on top of the starting card, a four. Malik laid the nine of clubs on it. Scale gave him a card.
"Failure to greet the card," Scale said, grinning. Malik looked murderous. Scale put the queen of clubs on the nine. Malik thought for a moment, and put the jack of hearts on top. Scale gave him a card.
"Incest," Scale explained. Malik mouthed 'What!?' "Jack on queen. That's incest." He gave the dark 'spirit' another card. "And don't question the Mao. Malik looked like he was about to explode. Scale was having the time of his life. He placed the ace of hearts on the jack. Malik frowned and tried to play a two, but as he did, Scale pushed another card into his hand.
"Playing out of turn!" Scale said gleefully. He put down a seven of hearts. Malik frowned for a long moment. Then he tried to put down an eight. Scale stopped him and handed him seven more cards. "Failure to play a seven" Malik violently slammed down a seven and smirked. Scale handed him two more cards. "Failure to slap the stack. And don't be so violent!" Malik's eyes narrowed, but he still looked slightly confident.
Scale looked at his cards, grinned, played the seven of spades, and looked up. Malik's smirk fell and he paled. He looked frantically through his large hand of cards. Then he reluctantly put down the five of spades. Scale merrily gave him seven more cards. "Failure to play a seven!"
"I know! Shut up!" Malik snarled. Scale gave him two more cards.
"Unnecessary talking, and insulting the Mao." Looking down at his two remaining cards, Scale saw that he couldn't play. So he picked one off the pile and played it. It was another five, so he slapped the stack.
Malik played a six. Again, Scale didn't have anything he could do, so he drew and placed another six, slapping the cards. Malik grinned and played a third six, the six of clubs. He slapped the stack, leering at Scale. Scale merely handed him a card. "Failure to slap twice." While Malik was frowning, Scale looked at the stack again. Then he gave Malik six more cards. "...And this is for playing 666. And evil number, you know!" Malik was about to strangle him.
Scale played the king of clubs on the stack and said "Pharaoh." Then, holding his last card, he said "Mao."
Malik frowned, looking at his enormous hand. Then he played the ace of clubs. He sneered at Scale, who sat still. Then he played the ace of diamonds, slapping the stack and looking up again. Scale stayed where he was. Laughing a little, Malik played the ace of spaced and slapped the stack twice.k He paused, but Scale did nothing. Then he put down the queen of spades.
Scale flashed Malik a full-blown grin and played his last card, the ten of spades. "I win." As Malik seethed with almost tangible rage, the bubble of Shadow Realm gradually disappeared. As it did, Malik's hair fell down again and his eyes regained their pupils. Scale's robes became white again, but both of their eyes remained slanted.
//Wow, I never knew you were so good at Mao.//
/I am rather impressed, Scale./
\\Of course! Any idiot's good at it when they're the Mao, and of course, I'm the best. Did you think summoning Anubis was my only talent? I'm not useless like you two!\\
/I'm glad you're satisfied. You did well. Now are you quite finished?/
\\Not yet! I won. I want the Rod now!\\ Malik, having lost a lot of energy as well as the game, was breathing heavily, leaning on the table. But he quickly stood up and took a threatening step towards Shadi, who had taken his body back by force.
"I'll take your Items anyway!" Malik declared. He advanced on the robed guardian, backing him into the wall. He very carefully slid the tips of his Rod around Shadi's jaw, leaving thin red lines in its wake. "Let's see how red you are inside..."
Shadi couldn't move, but he flinched in anticipation of pain.
Suddenly, Malik's purple eyes turned blue and he lowered the Rod. Seth's voice came from his mouth. "I still owe you, Ankhkare. You may want to leave now."
//THANK YOU!!!//
/Augh... No need to yell, Ankh./ "Thank you," Shadi told the Rod spirit. Then he gathered Ankh and Scale's power, drew on Anubis, and quickly sank intot he floor.
Shadi rose back into his home in Egypt and breathed in the hot, dry air, grateful to be home again. /How anyone can stand to live there is quite beyond me.../
//It's too crowded there. And the people are unfriendly. And it's so cold!//
\\I hope they all rot forever in their own nasty, stinking filth...\\
/Hopefully we won't have to go back any time soon. I believe those were the most eventful two days of my life./
//It was only two days!? It felt like weeks!//
/Yes, it did. And I'm worn out. That's partially your fault I think, Ankh./
//Sorry...//
/It doesn't matter. But I'm going to get some sleep without having to worry about being cut up... or bitten... or whatever Malik would have done./ Shadi walked over to his pallet, put Ankh and Scale beside it, and flopped down. Still having Ankh's leftover exhaustion, he fell asleep quickly.
Though Shadi didn't quite realize it, his spirit was sucked into a corner of the Shadow Realm known as the Graveyard. Ankh and Scale soon followed. Blinking, they found themselves in a very crowded area. They stood in front of thousands of men, and a few women, dressed similarly to Shadi. He recognized a few, and made his conclusion based on them.
"The past guardians..." he said softly. Scale narrowed his eyes and Ankh looked rather frightened.
Endnote: That seemed a lot more fun while I was writing it... I changed the beginning a little when I typed this, because I realized that Malik didn't know what he was doing. Mao's a really fun game when played with a large group, and when the Mao doesn't play. There are some standard rules, but most of them are made up each time. Here are the ones I used here: Greet nines. Jack on queen (and vice-versa) is incest. 666 is evil. No talking, no questioning or insulting the Mao. Ace skips the next person's turn. Say "Pharaoh" when playing a king. If the person before you plays a seven, you must play a seven or take seven cards. When you have one card left, say "Mao." And you must declare your victory when you win.