Bab 24: A Not So Good Agreement
Seto traversed through the castle halls; he stopped when he heard two footsteps trailing his shadow. Seto turned around and stared at Mokuba and Yuna following close behind him.
His eyes set on his little brother: "Mokuba," Seto's tone was blunt and solemn. However, he still couldn't hide the hint of anxiety in his voice.
Hearing his name, Mokuba gritted his teeth and angrily barged past him. Seto was caught off guard, and his little brother sprinted down the corridor. As he gazed at Mokuba's rapidly fading back, Seto sighed and turned to Yuna.
They stared at each other silently, and Seto clicked his teeth at her lack of emotions: "What are you looking at?" He growled in a sour mood.
'Nothing...' Yuna didn't respond and stared at Seto.
"You must be cursing me in your thoughts, right?" Seto assumed: "Well, come on, then insult me!"
No response again...
Seto was flustered and roared with rage: "What are you waiting for? Berate me, call me weak! You must feel ashamed about what I did!"
Seto's mind was in chaos; on the one hand, he resolved as a brother to save Mokuba. However, on the other, his spirit as a duelist felt nothing but shame. Now he stood on a balance where both sides of his heart weighed him down like shackles.
So he wanted Yuna to decide; Seto wished she could scream at him, mock him for his weakness and tip him over. Knowing that Yuna couldn't understand his role as a sibling, he only wished she could judge him in the opinion of the duelist.
"But you don't get it! You never will!" Seto rambled aimlessly: "I did it to protect my family, and I will gladly throw away my dignity!"
Yet, Seto desperately defended himself and couldn't help but laugh self-depreciatingly. Even though he desired Yuna to belittle him as she was the only duelist he had ever lost to, Seto realized how much pressure her words could be.
His chest heaved when he ran out of breath. The silence returned to the castle; the only sound audible was Seto's heavy breathing.
Eventually, Yuna finally opened her mouth, and Seto waited anxiously: "No..."
Seto's eyes widened slightly, and he frowned. Yuna walked past him, and Seto stammered: "Why aren't you saying anything? Aren't you disappointed with my method?"
Yuna shook her head, and her long blue hair swayed languidly: "Y... you... kept Mokuba... safe."
Seto gaped with disbelief: 'Does she not care?'
"But..." Yuna's pause caused Seto to flinch, and he keenly listened: "Val.. value yours...ss... self more..."
Before Seto can retort, Yuna leaves, leaving him alone in the hallway. Her demeanour surprised him. Her soft and gentle voice played repeatedly in his head, and the young president froze in place.
If Seto were in her shoes, he would feel so disgusted to be called a duelist while someone like that existed that he would quit Duel Monsters entirely.
"Sir Kaiba,"
Amidst his thought, a man dressed in a black suit and shade glasses approached Seto from behind: "Mr Pegasus is awaiting you in the duel room. Please follow me."
Seto faced the man and scowled. He glanced at where Yuna and Mokuba left before nodding quietly. Soon he will have his revenge, and everything will return to normal.
[Yuna POV]
I strolled through the castle, searching for Mokuba. I swear, this place was too big, and I'm not sure I can wander freely like this! No one has stopped me yet, so I assume it's fine.
That talk with Kaiba caught me off-guard, you know? Kaiba screaming like that scared me a little bit...
He wanted me to insult him, but even if I thought negatively of him, I never had enough social skills to do it; the least I could do was complain in my head, but that may also be a stretch.
As someone who watched the show, I know Kaiba's motive, so I would be wrong to blame him. But still, that was seriously reckless of him, so I had to scold him slightly. I hoped my tone was harsh, so my words should drill some sense into him.
By looking at his expression, there can only be one thing! I must have done it correctly! I felt ecstatic knowing my social skills had levelled up, so each step felt like I was floating.
After a bit of wandering, I finally found Mokuba after a strenuous search. He was leaning against a wall and depressingly hugged his legs. Seto threatening to kill himself must have been a great shock, and even though I predicted it would happen, it's still startling to see it in real life.
I knelt beside Mokuba, and he ignored me while continuing to sulk. I poked his shoulder, and he groaned angrily: "Leave me alone."
His mood was justified; I mean, he did watch his brother almost kill himself for a card game...
The mastermind was Pegasus himself, so Kaiba was not at fault here. Thinking of that white-haired America, I felt a shiver down my spine.
If this goes like the anime, Kaiba will surely lose, and Mokuba will surely be devastated. Should I have given him a card? I don't know if it was the smart choice, as one card won't help him much...
Eventually, I stood up as Mokuba curiously glanced at me: "Let's find Kaiba..."
Mokuba grumbled and expressed his disapproval. Sorry kiddo, I'm not taking no for an answer! I gently pulled Mokuba by the hand and led him down the castle halls. Mokuba was still pouting, but at least he behaved, so we didn't waste much time.
We eventually found Kaiba by following the sound of commotion. As I opened the door, what greeted us was a large room like a small stadium. It was a place specifically built for duelling, and a large duelling arena sat in the middle of the room, almost to the walls.
The door we entered didn't directly take us to the room, but instead, a long open balcony loomed over the duel arena.
IKaiba was standing at one of the podiums of the arena. His eyes were directed towards us; even if his face didn't show, he seemed relieved to see us. On the other side was Pegasus, and he chuckled upon our arrival.
"Ah Yuna Sano, I'm glad you have made it." Pegasus beamed: "It would be unfortunate if you were defeated in the preliminaries, but your skill in duelling has exceeded my expectations!"
I frowned, so he was observing us. Was this what Kaiba was angry about? Kaiba snorted when he met my eyes and glared at Pegasus: "Let us begin."
"Indeed." Pegasus hummed: "We can't drag this on any longer." The duel arena came to life as the two stared at each other intensely: "DUEL!" x2
Twenty Minutes Later...
The battle proceeded just like the original, and watching it felt painful. Using his Millenium Eye, Pegasus read Kaiba like a book, predicting his every move. All the strategies Kaiba fabricated were instantly shot down before they could begin.
He even went as far as to steal Kaiba's Blue-Eyes White Dragon from him using the card Prophecy, which allowed Pegasus to select a random card in Kaiba's hand; if it was a monster, Pegasus could predict whether its ATK was over or lower than two thousand. If he guessed correctly, he could steal that card.
Since Pegasus was reading Kaiba's mind with the Millenium Eye, it was cheating, so he could guess correctly no matter what. Eventually, the match became even more one-sided as Pegasus used his trump card Toon World.
If this was the real world, it shouldn't be as powerful as now, but unfortunately, it's the anime world, and just like any other old cards, it was a total scam. Any monsters Pegasus played transformed into a cartoon version of themselves, and they hid amongst the Toon Book so Kaiba couldn't attack them. With nothing to counter him, Kaiba must keep drawing cards as he was backed closer to a corner.
"Big brother is going to lose, isn't he?" Mokuba asked in a worried tone.
I glanced at Mokuba in silence, not knowing how to respond. He trembled and bit his nails nervously. It wasn't long before the match reached its conclusion. Kaiba continued to draw until finally, nothing...
He has completely emptied his deck...
Kaiba's eyes widened, and Pegasus's laughter echoed across the room: "Looks like you lost Seto Kaiba."
Kaiba gritted his teeth as Pegasus continued aggravating him: "You have your only chance of getting revenge, but don't worry, I will save you from living with the shame!"
Pegasus revealed a card with no image from his breast pocket, and he smiled ominously. A brilliant golden light blinded my eyes, and I backed away. When the light settled, we saw Kaiba, unresponsive to the outside world.
His pupils were blurry, displaying a lack of awareness. Kaiba's knees buckled, and he collapsed like a puppet having its strings cut. Immediately, Mokuba recklessly climbed over the railings separating us from the duel arena and athletically landed from a couple of meters down.
I hurriedly chased after him, and just as I was going to lift my leg, my body froze in place. I felt my face turn slightly red and awkwardly stared at the floor below me. Wow, I was going to do something imprudent.
I timidly cleared my throat and sped to the exit door. Wait for me, Mokuba! I'm coming down when I find the exit!
[3rd POV, A Few Minutes Later]
The door to the duel room opens, and Yuna rushes to Mokuba. The boy was in tears and impatiently shook his brother, but Seto wouldn't wake up no matter what he did.
"Big Brother, wake up!" He yelled.
Yuna bit her lips; she didn't know how to comfort the boy, and if she tried, Mokuba would probably cry more. Pegasus chuckled with amusement and clapped his hands. The guards standing beside the walls moved at once.
They approached the two brothers and restrained them: "Seems like the fun's over, " Pegasus said: "Take them away."
Mokuba struggled desperately while Yuna tried to protect him. She pushed one of the guards away and stood between them: "S... stop!"
She glared at Pegasus, who smirked, and his subordinate approached in unison. Yuna was shoved to the ground, and they grabbed Mokuba while dragging him away. She groaned and gritted her teeth. Yuna stared at Mokuba, and a complicated feeling washed over her.
Yuna was terrified, and her body shook with fear. However, Mokuba's frightened face remained in her head, and something clicked inside her.
"My... soul..."
Pegasus stopped laughing and raised his hand. Immediately the guards let Mokuba go as he stared at Yuna with anticipation.
Realising Pegasus was listening, she gathered her courage and opened her mouth: "We duel... If I win... Let them go!"
"And why should I do that?" Pegasus hummed.
"If you defeat....me," Yuna stood up and smacked her chest: "My soul!... You.... take it!"
"Pfffft", Pegasus burst into laughter: "To think you even know about that?" He smiled dangerously and pulled back his hair, revealing the golden Millenium Eye.
They stared at each other as sweat dripped down Yuna's forehead. Pegasus sneered: "Fine, let's play your game." He glanced at his subordinate: "Assign their rooms and ensure they're comfortable."
He turned his back on Yuna and calmly walked towards the exit. Pegasus suddenly stopped: "I congratulate you on making it to the second part of my tournament. I will see you soon..."
[Yuna POV]
I gasped for breath, and I felt light-headed. Did I put my soul at stake for these two? It was truly a spur of the moment, and my mouth moved impulsively. My brain went to autopilots, forcibly taking control of my body.
When I thought about rejecting the proposal, a disturbing sensation overwhelmed my body and made me want to gag. I groaned and fearfully stood up. As I took deep breaths to remove the repulsive taste in my mouth, a system screen manifested before my eyes.
[Task (#3) Complete!
Collect Reward? ]
Deciding to retrieve my profits later, I sluggishly swiped my hand, and the screen disappeared. However, contrary to my expectation, another panel immediately replaced the old one, and the neon blue light irritated my eyes.
[Task (#4)
Defeat Maxmillian Pegasus and take back Seto Kaiba's Soul!
Time Limit: Undetermined
Reward: 10000 Credits]
It seemed fairly normal, and I was surprised by the generous reward. Yet, right below the task screen, a red display flashed brightly and gave me goosebumps.
[WARNING: Rejecting this task is impossible, and failure in completion may result in dire consequences.]
I shuddered; consequences as in getting my soul taken? Yeah, that sounds pretty dire to me...
"Big sister!" Mokuba yelled while sprinting towards me. He scowled and spoke with irritation: "What do you think you're doing? Why would you negotiate with that man?!"
Oi oi, you will also get your soul taken if I don't stop him, you know?
"Pegasus was the one behind why my brother is being this way, right?!" Mokuba growled: "So why would you join our fight!"
Why?
I smiled wryly: "Don't ... know..."
"Haaa?" Mokuba was exasperated, and I felt a blow to my self-esteem from his condescending gaze.
While he continued to rant, the guards led us into our rooms. Mokuba took Kaiba with him, I offered to carry Kaiba for him, but he readily refused before entering his room without another word. Mokuba must have been putting up a front. He should be grieving for his brother.
I pressed my hand against his door and sighed with frustration. I wanted to help, but I didn't know how. I have never comforted someone in my life, and I'm scared that I would only make things worse. After minutes of contemplation, I sighed again and returned to my room.
I collapsed onto the bed and stared at the ceiling. My hand reached for the bright ceiling as the system reappeared before my eyes.
[Task (#3) Complete!]
[Collect Reward? ]
I clicked the virtual button and watched as the system calculated my earnings.
[Duelist Defeated: x5]
Reward: 5000 credits]
Five duelists...
There was Mako Tsunami, the eliminator Ludere, an unfortunate side character duelist, Bandit Keith, and Bonz. I swiped my hand and navigated toward the main menu.
[Name: Yuna Sano]
[Title: The One Who Defeated The Champion]
[Credits: 5200]
[Task(#4)]
[Inventory]
[Shop]
Woah, five thousand and two hundred credits? This was the first time I had seen this large of an amount! However, my mood was immediately dampened knowing that I might not even get to spend it all if I don't survive tomorrow!
I groaned. What did I really get myself into?
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