Chapter 52: Noah

Surprise, surprise, here's a chapter! I want to get the virtual arc over and down so we can go back to Battle City! Cheers.

-----------------------------------------

[Yuna's POV]

Noah's mouth flapped open and closed like a goldfish gasping for breath. He tumbled to the ground, laughing in a daze. Ah, I must have broken him. Well, I mean, Noah's ace, Shinato, King of the Higher Plane, didn't even make a whole appearance and was beaten up in one move.

"This isn't the way it was supposed to end!" Noah suddenly exclaimed, interrupting my thoughts.

I advanced toward him, lowering myself to his eye level. "It's... Over.... Let us go."

Noah's ears twitched, and disturbing laughter escaped his throat: "Ha ha ha... Ha ha ha... It's not over yet... Who cares about a card game? I will kill you myself!"

In an instant, Noah lunged, hurling himself at me. However, the attack was predictably executed, and I sidestepped out of harm's way

*Poof*

He crashed face-first onto the ground, grinding his teeth, unable to bear the weight of his humiliation. "It's all your fault! You've ruined everything!"

"If it wasn't for you...." Noah froze, and we both turned simultaneously to the portal materializing behind him.

[3rd POV]

As Noah ranted, he heard the sound of a portal opening from behind. The familiar echo of leather shoes sent a shiver down the boy's spine as the deep voice of a man resounded.

"Noah Kaiba," Gozaburo uttered chillingly, "You have failed again."

"Fa.. father, I...."

"ENOUGH," Gozaburo snapped. "You are nothing but a disappointment and one that's unfit to be called a Kaiba."

"No, Father, I...." Noah desperately pleaded.

However, Gozaburo merely scoffed, and Noah felt his heart shatter. The old man raised his hand, going for another slap as the boy closed his eyes with anticipation.

*Slap*

The sharp, resounding sound of Gozaburo's hand made Noah cringe, but to his confusion, he didn't feel any pain.

"Y... You..." Gozaburo muttered in shock, and Noah hesitantly opened his eyes.

Standing in front of him, he saw Yuna awkwardly falling to the ground. Her hand was holding the left side of her cheek as she gritted her teeth, enduring the stinging sensation.

Gozaburo frowned as he stared at the girl who stepped between his son, her expression blocked by her long hair. However, as Yuna raised her head, he saw a cold, contemptuous glare that seemed to criticize his very core, which infuriated him.

"This b*tch!" Gozaburo snarled and instinctively lashed out with his fist.

BANG

Noah was shocked as he witnessed his father being knocked away. Blocking his path was Seto, who had arrived just after dealing with the big fives.

"It's you!" Gozaburo roared with a haggard expression.

Seto smirked and crossed his arms. "Long time no see, old man. You look much uglier than the last time I saw you."

He glanced at Yuna silently, his gaze focusing on the red mark where Gozaburo's hand came in contact with her face. Instantly, he felt a raging anger rising, and Seto was bewildered by his feelings. However, as soon as that anger appeared, it vanished.

"Looks like you've seen better days," Seto smirked as Yuna stared at him strangely.

Seto turned to Gozaburo, who was standing shakily, not believing that he had just been punched. "How dare you!"

"What's wrong?" Seto scoffed while clenching his fist. "Shouldn't this be how we greet each other?"

"B*STARD, is this a son should be treating his father?!" Gozaburo howled but was instantly blown away by Seto's second punch.

"Father!" Noah cried out, but as he was about to intervene, Seto's intense glare made him freeze on the spot.

Suddenly, Gozaburo began to laugh like a maniac, making Seto frown. "Fine, if this is how you wanted to play? Very well!"

Before Seto could react, Gozaburo created another portal. Yuna and Noah were thrown into the portal as it closed as soon as they entered.

"Where have you sent them?" Seto questioned.

"There's no reason I need to tell you," Gozaburo remarked. "Now, should we have some fun, as father and son?"

Meanwhile...

Noah and Yuna fell through the portal and collapsed onto the ground. Yuna groaned and sat up, finding herself in the same dark void where Noah had brought her before. Turning her head, she glimpsed at Noah, who was curling into a ball with his back facing her.

Occasionally, Yuna could hear the muffled sniffling, and she stared at the boy with pity. "Noah..."

"Go away," Noah mumbled in disdain.

Her arm froze in mid-air while gazing at Noah in silence. Since her parents died long ago, she never had the urge to impress them so she couldn't empathize with him. Quietly, Yuna crawled towards Noah and patted his shoulder.

Noah's body stiffened upon Yuna's touch. The first thing he felt was the warmth of her palms, and that mere thought brought the boy to tears. Hearing Noah's weeping, Yuna began to panic, believing it was her fault that he was crying. Yuna bit her lips at the sense of cluelessness, and she frowned, trying to figure out the best way to comfort this despairing child.

While Yuna was lost in thought, Noah's tears intensified. For so long, he had been trying to earn his father's approval, enduring scolding and holding onto hope that Gozaburo would change. But now, he had failed his most significant opportunity, and his heart truly shattered as Gozaburo always called Noah by his name, but he called Seto, the adopted child, his son...

As Noah wallowed in his sorrow, he was suddenly pulled into a sitting position. Before Noah could understand what was happening, he felt two arms wrapping around him from behind.

"There... There...." Yuna muttered, soothing him as one would comfort a toddler.

Replacing the sadness was a sudden sense of shame and embarrassment as Noah's face turned bright red. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING? GET OFF ME!"

He pushed Yuna away, leaving her confused. "Worked... with Mokuba..." Yuna mumbled to herself while grasping her chin.

"I'm not a kid!" Noah angrily shouted while slapping the ground. "Something like this won't work on me!"

"But not sad... anymore?" Yuna pointed out, and Noah felt baffled.

"It doesn't work that way," he sighed. "Besides, you don't even know what I'm going through."

"Then explain...." Yuna spoke, her voice full of sincerity. "Want to learn..."

"Hmph," Noah sneered. "Fine, let me indulge you a little, that feeling of when you get your parents..."

He froze, and his eyes widened in shock and horror. The feeling of receiving a parent's approval, Noah didn't know what it was like...

Upon that realization, Noah's hands dropped to the floor, and he laughed. In fact, had Gozaburo ever shown things like affection?

"Ha.... So even I don't know...." Noah muttered, and tears reappeared. "So he never cared in the first place...."

"There... there...." Yuna said and patted his head.

"Stop doing that!" Noah yelled and slapped her hand away. "You think this is all a joke? For years and years, I have been trying to seek a form of attention from my father, but now that I realize that it's all meaningless! Do you know how devastating that must be!"

"I.... don't..." Yuna answered honestly.

Noah crumpled to his knees, a torrent of emotions flooding through him. "What am I supposed to do?"

In the midst of his turmoil, Yuna embraced him once again, and this time, Noah found himself too drained to resist. "Move on," she gently suggested her words carrying a weight of understanding.

"Are you messing with me?" Noah snarled.

Yuna shook her head. "There... other options?" She responded, making Noah subconsciously hold his breath.

It was clear that Yuna was correct. Moving on was simply the most obvious choice. But her answer made Noah's mood worsen. "That's harder than it sounds."

"Yes," Yuna agreed.

"Then give me a more reasonable solution!" Noah said with a hint of pleading and distress.

Yuna closed her eyes, thinking about Noah's words. Then, as if a light bulb switched on in her head, she glanced at Noah while holding up one of her fingers. "Get approval.... from someone else..."

"Who?"

Yuna shrugged. "Not... Gozaburo...."

"But he's my father."

"So?" Yuna's retort left Noah speechless. "If he won't... acknowledge you... then don't acknowledge him."

"Don't seek approval from father..." Noah mumbled to no one in particular. "But even then! There's no one but him! I'm a dead person, my real body already buried six feet under. I can't leave this place on my own!"

"Can't I help?" Yuna tilted her head, making Noah pause.

"Why...?" he stammered, genuine confusion etched on his face. "I tried to kill you, so why are you helping me?"

Meeting his gaze, Yuna smiled, a sincerity shining in her eyes. "Because... I want to."

For a moment, something shifted in Noah's perception. He couldn't quite figure her out. What was her angle? Yet, he couldn't deny the possibility that maybe, just maybe, she held the key to freeing him from this virtual torment.

"Why should I trust you?" Noah inquired cautiously, his scepticism palpable.

With a soft chuckle, Yuna rose and extended her hand toward him. "Because... there's no one... else."

Noah hesitated, a war raging in his mind. Trusting someone else, especially after a lifetime of seeking approval from his distant father, felt like uncharted territory. He clenched his fist, his pulse quickening. Finally, as if fueled by a surge of resolve, he extended his hand, and their fingers intertwined. It marked the first time Noah Kaiba chose to entrust his fate to someone other than his father.

As they parted, Noah couldn't shake off the strange adrenaline coursing through him. Yuna observed, her eyes filled with amusement, thinking that Noah must have just hit a pivotal moment of self-discovery or realization.

"Now what?" Yuna asked, breaking the silence.

Noah, snapping out of his daze, shifted the focus to the urgent matter at hand. "First, we need to stop my father. He's... He's planning to take over the world..."

He went on to reveal Gozaburo's sinister plan, his words unfolding a tale of hidden weapons and a looming threat. Yuna listened intently, her determination solidifying with every revelation.

Noah revealed to Yuna that despite Seto's complete reformation of transforming Kaiba Corps from a weapon company to a game company, he hasn't actually destroyed all of the weapons Gozaburo created, well, not the ones that he's aware of.

"In space, there currently orbits a satellite possessing dozens of ballistic missiles," Noah explained: "After taking over your bodies, Gozaburo wanted to use the missiles to gain power and control humanity as he pleases."

"Have... to stop him..." Yuna said solemnly, and Noah nodded.

"Unfortunately, my father has a higher authority in this virtual realm, and I've been locked out of the system, but if you give me some time, I could still hack into the mainframe and regain some control," Noah said and a comprehensive interface appeared by his side.

"As soon as I start hacking, the security system will resist us," Noah warned, preparing to delve into the virtual realm's intricacies. The air grew tense as he initiated the process, triggering an alarm that echoed through the virtual void. A murky substance began to materialize on the ground, birthing malevolent figures that crawled out one after another.

[Armoured Zombie: 1500 Attack, 0 Defence]

[Gil Garth: 1800: Attack, 1200 Defence]

[Three-legged Zombies: 1100 Attack, 800 Defence]

Numerous monsters emerged, their numbers ranging to the hundreds. Gradually, they marched towards Yuna and Noah, eager to tear them apart. Suddenly, Yuna's duel disk glowed and began beeping frantically.

"Quick! I redesigned your duel disk!" Noah yelled: "It's just like that virtual game. Use it to defend us!"

"Okay!" Yuna exclaimed.

She observed the wave of monsters as a smile manifested on her face: "Let's duel!"

"I will use Foolish Burial to send a card from the deck to the graveyard. Then I will activate Return of the Dragon Lords to summon Divine Dragon Lord Felgrand!!"

In this ominous darkness came a bright light. As the light dimmed, before Yuna stood a massive gold dragon, displaying its majestic appearance with vigour.

[Divine Dragon Lord Felgrand: 2800 Attack, 2800 Defence]

"Divine Dragon Lord Felgrand's effect has been activated, and I will banish the Gil Garth, giving my dragon four hundred attacks and defence!"

[Divine Dragon Lord Felgrand: 2800 -> 3200 Attack, 2800 -> 3200 Defence]

"Next, I will summon Axel Dragonute and Keeper of the Shrine! With these two monsters, I will then activate Polymerisation! Please fight alongside me, Starving Venom Fusion Dragon!"

In the dark puddle, a colossal figure suddenly burst out. The monster howled viciously, destroying any other creature in its way. It spread its wings and flew towards me, landing next to Divine Dragon Lord Felgrand.

[Starving Venom Fusion Dragon: 2800 Attack, 2000 Defence]

With the two massive dragons, Yuna smirked as she pointed at the monsters: "Divine Dragon Lord Felgrand and Starving Venom Fusion Dragon, destroy them!"

*GUOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO*

*HISSSSS*

The two dragons charged fearlessly as they devoured anything in its way. All of the monsters sent to kill Yuna and Noah were mercilessly obliterated, leaving no traces behind.

"I'm done!" Noah shouted as the attacking monsters stopped spawning, and Yuna was able to finish off the rest.

Divine Dragon Lord Felgrand and Starving Venom Fusion Dragon returned to her cards, and she approached Noah, who used the interface to create a new portal: "Your friends were all trapped in the same realm; you just have to go and find them. I have already granted you the ability to exit the virtual world so you can all leave together."

"How... about you..." Yuna hesitated near the portal's entrance.

"I will go and stop Father," Noah responded solemnly.

Yuna nodded and walked towards the portal. "Wait!" Noah called out, and she froze in her tracks. "When you wake up from the real world, please go to the server room of this sea fortress and retrieve the hard drive containing me."

"You have to promise!" Noah's voice quivered with anxiety.

In response, Yuna smiled and patted his head. "I promise."

Noah nodded, his eyes fixed on Yuna as she disappeared through the portal. He gripped his chest, attempting to calm his nervous heart. He still couldn't fully comprehend the gravity of what lay ahead. However, it was too late to back out now. After a prolonged moment of hesitation, Noah steeled himself, ready to confront his father once and for all.

Creating a second portal, Noah stepped through and found himself immediately greeted by his father and Seto, duelling in a wide colosseum. The battle reached its climax, with Gozaburo sporting a confident smile and Exodia Necross dominating the field.

[Exodia Necross: 5800 Attack, 0 Defence]

As Exodia Necross lingered on the field, it grew stronger with each passing turn, pushing Seto into a corner. Despite having a mere two thousand and six hundred life points left, compared to Gozaburo's nine hundred, Seto didn't feel like he was in control.

"Give up, Seto!" Gozaburo cackled. "My Exodia Necross is invincible!"

Seto frowned, a sense of familiarity creeping over him as he listened to Gozaburo's boasting. After a moment of contemplation, Seto realized that Gozaburo's demeanour mirrored his own in the past when he considered his Blue-Eyes White Dragon unbeatable. That was until Yuna Sano humbled him, forcing Seto to reevaluate his entire strategy.

Now, instead of always relying on Blue Eyes White Dragon, Seto has learnt that he still has other ways that he can win: 'If I'm still acting like the past me, I would definitely lose this duel...'

Unknowingly, Seto smiled to himself at this irony. Now, having learned not to rely solely on Blue-Eyes White Dragon, Seto saw this as a test, a measure of his growth as a duelist.

"I will draw!" Seto announced. "First, I will activate Monster Reborn and summon Ancient Lamp from the graveyard!"

[Ancient Lamp: 900 Attack, 1400 Defence]

"What are you going to do with that weak monster?" Gozaburo mocked. "I suggest you give up now."

Seto gritted his teeth, but then he calmed down and smirked. "We shall see about that."

Gozaburo: "What?!"

"I activate Ancient Lamp's effect!" Seto interrupted. "This effect allows me to summon La Jinn, the Mystical Genie of the Lamp, from my hand!"

[La Jinn the Mystical Genie of the Lamp: 1800 Attack, 1000 Defence]

"Now, I will activate my trap card, Soul Demolition!" Seto declared. "During each of our turns, if we control a Fiend monster, we can pay five hundred life points to banish a monster from the opponent's graveyard!"

"I will pay my life points to banish your five pieces of Exodia!"

Gozaburo: !!!!

[Seto Kaiba: 2600 LP -> 100 LP]

Gozaburo slammed the table in disbelief. Once again, the strategy he believed was invincible crumbled before his eyes. Without the five pieces, Exodia Necross lost all its effects and reverted to its weaker form.

[Exodia Necross: 5800 -> 1800 Attack, 0 Defence]

"Finally, I will tribute my Ancient Lamp and La Jinn, the Mystical Genie of the Lamp, to summon my Blue-Eyes White Dragon!" Seto declared with triumph. "Blue-Eyes White Dragon, destroy him with Burst Stream of Destruction!"

[Blue Eyes White Dragon: 3000 Attack, 2500 Defence]

The dragon howled and unleashed a deadly white laser that engulfed Exodia Necross. Gozaburo screamed as he was caught in the massive explosion and sent flying through the air.

[Gozaburo Kaiba: 900 LP -> 0 LP]

Seto flicked his wrist, and the end of his trench coat rustled. He calmly watched Gozaburo hit the ground and approached him.

"Looks like you have lost again," Seto said in a condescending tone.

"You!" Gozaburo snarled with a face full of rage. "I WILL KILL YOU!"

To Seto's shock, Gozaburo's body began to transform. His size increased to match that of a skyscraper easily, and the man burst into flames, becoming a massive monster covered in fire.

"DIE!!!" He howled in a low guttural voice and pounced.

However, Noah stepped in, generating a dome that protected Seto from the attack. Seto was caught off guard, and when he snapped out of his daze, he scowled. "Why did you save me?"

Noah shrugged and smiled wryly. "I had a little chat with that friend of yours. She made me realize many things..."

"You brat! How dare you stop me!" Gozaburo roared and smashed his fists against the barrier.

"It's best if you go now," Noah said, making a waving motion. "She should already have everyone rounded up, and the sooner all of you leave, the better."

Unable to think of a counter, Seto quietly nodded. Noah made a portal, and Seto entered without hesitation. Noah smiled as the exit closed behind him, shifting his focus back to his monstrous father. With a push, the barrier expanded, knocking Gozaburo away.

"Why!?!" Gozaburo couldn't understand. "To have the audacity to betray me!"

"Father..." Noah stared at his father calmly. "May you answer one question for me?"

"DAMN IT, WHAT IS IT?!" Gozaburo roared.

Noah: "Do you know when my birthday is?"

"What?" Gozaburo stammered. "Why should I care about something so trivial?!"

"I see..." Noah closed his eyes to control his emotions. "Thank you for the answer. My resolve has been strengthened."

"What in the world are you talking about?" Gozaburo snapped.

"The satellites containing all those missiles? I already gained full control over them, and I fired at least twenty of those missiles targeting this place. In about five minutes, the underwater fortress will be wiped out, killing you."

"TRAITOR!" Gozaburo bellowed and attacked Noah, but the boy skillfully repelled him. "YOU'RE GOING TO DIE TOO!!!"

"Fine by me!" Noah retorted, hiding the fact that he may still have a chance of survival: "Let's die together!"

Concurrently...

Seto sprinted through the dark hallway of the underwater fortress. With Noah's assistance, he successfully left the virtual world and found himself in a virtual reality pod similar to the ones he had designed for the game Legendary Heroes.

BOOOOOM

An explosion made Seto lose his balance as he leaned against the wall. Struggling, he tried to remember his path, and he felt his tension rising as the frequency of the explosions increased.

As Seto made it to the hangar, he spotted his subordinates waiting outside, their expressions brightening upon spotting him.

"Sir!" They cried out with relief.

"Someone tells me what's happening!" Seto demanded, and he was shocked to find out that missiles had bombarded this infrastructure and could sink at any moment.

"What are you waiting for?!" Seto shouted. "We need to leave now!"

"But Master Kaiba!" Roland interrupted. "Contestant Yuna Sano is still missing!"

"What?!" Seto exclaimed, and his brain seemed to have stopped.

"Master Kaiba?" Roland called, waking Seto up, and he bit his lips in frustration.

"Wait here, and I will go and find her," Seto growled, making the subordinates who wanted to object shut up. Before they could argue further, Seto rushed back deeper into the fortress, leaving everyone stunned...

On the other side of the fortress...

"Damn, where is it?" Yuna muttered while searching through the rows and rows of servers.

When she separated from Noah, she wasted no time rounding everyone up to explain the situation, and together, they all safely left the virtual world. Then, immediately after waking up, Yuna began upholding her end of the bargain and ran to the server room.

BOOOOOM

Yuna yelped and fell against the floor. She gritted her teeth from the pain and continued to move at a much faster pace than before.

"N-13, N-13..." Yuna repeated to herself while walking through the rows of machinery marked in alphabetical order.

When Yuna finally reached the correct row, a second explosion occurred at the opposite end of the room, and she gasped as the blast created a raging fire. Swiftly, Yuna sprinted to the correct server and began typing on the keyboard on the side.

Recalling Noah's instructions, she hurriedly input several commands. Sweat dripped down from her face as each mistake made the anxiety in her soul blossom.

"There!" She exclaimed when finally a drive the size of her fist was ejected, and Yuna eagerly stuffed the item into her pocket.

BOOOOOM

Yuna screamed as the force threw her to the side. Enduring the pain on the side of her head, she witnessed the tall servers falling one by one like giant dominos.

"Sh*t!" Yuna let out a curse as one of the servers barely missed her fragile body. Smoke began to rise to the ceiling, forcing Yuna to crawl. Covering her mouth with her sleeve, Yuna moved with vigour, and it wasn't long before she reached the door.

BANG

Suddenly, one of the heavy servers fell before her, blocking the door. Yuna's face turned pale, and she desperately pulled at the computer to no avail. Yuna felt her strength weakening as the smoke filled the room, and in one last desperate attempt, she pounded against the door.

"Help!" She screamed.

BANG

To Yuna's shock, the door was suddenly kicked open, and the server blocking the exit was sent flying across the room. In awe, she stared at the man standing by the doorway.

"Kaiba..."

Without hesitation, Seto grasped Yuna and dragged her out of the room. "You idiot! Do you want to die?!" he shouted angrily.

Under Seto's reprimand, Yuna chose to stay quiet, causing him to click his teeth. "Can you move any faster!?"

Yuna panted while trying to keep up with Seto's speed, but it was not enough, and she began to lag. Seto gritted his teeth and stopped as he stuck out his foot, tripping her. Before Yuna could fall, Seto quickly lifted and carried her like a sack of potatoes while uttering curses along the way.

Finally, they managed to make it to the hangar as half of the fortress had already sunk: "LIFT OFF NOW!" Seto roared while racing to the ramps with the flames chasing after them.

As the blimp slowly rose into the air, Seto sprinted through the hangar, dodging the various obstacles in his way. When he was close enough, he tensed his arms and threw Yuna onto the ramp.

Yuna gasped as she was thrown into the airship, her lungs collapsing from the force. Immediately, she witnessed Seto leaping into the air. Worried that Seto might not make it, Yuna held out her hand.

Seto grabbed onto her hand and grunted as Yuna pulled him onto the ramp. The two panted in exhaustion as they lay on the cold steel ground. The airship soared into the sky, using all of its power to move as far away from the fortress as possible.

BOOOOOOM

Everyone heard the loudest explosion of their lives as the fortress blew up. If they had been even a few seconds late, they would have been caught up in the blast. Yuna silently watched the flames melting through the steel structures, and she instinctively patted her pockets, making sure that Noah's hard drive was there.

When Yuna felt the rectangular object through the fabric, her adrenaline finally disappeared, and she sighed: "Too... close...."

----------------------------------------------------------

I hope you enjoy it!