Season 0: Theme Keycard #1 C18: EXP and Loots (2)

A dull, throbbing ache pulsed behind Sachi's eyelids as the world swam into focus in a disorienting haze of blurred shapes, faded colors and muted murmurs.

The rough texture of coarse fabric pressing against her cheek, combined with the medicinal scent clinging to the inner-walls of her nostrils made her stomach churn as she groaned softly.

Her limbs felt heavy, unresponsive, as the loud thumpings of rave music shook the floor and vibrated through her bones.

In a panic, she wormed her way toward the wall, hoping it'd give her the leverage needed to prop herself up. Where was she?

What had happened?

Question after question flooded her mind.

The last thing she remembered was the café, the Macchiato slipping from her hand, and then… Nothing? Speaking of hands, why were hers tied?

Another wave of nausea washed over Sachi as she tried to sit up; head spinning with a dizzying lurch. Predictably, Sachi retched, blinking away the tears and mentally thanking her lucky star she had forgotten to have lunch as the scent of her stomach acid surged to her nose.

Being kidnapped was terrible enough, Sachi didn't know if she could have lived through the indignity of being bound, blindfolded and left to stew in a puddle of her own vomit.

“Shit... Shit, shit! Why did I follow you idiots? We're gonna get killed!“

"Will you just settle down?! We got his bitch, he ain't gonna do shit!“

Hearing the muffled sounds of movement nearby, the rustle of clothing, and the low murmur of voices, a tremor of fear ran through Sachi as she realized the bit of a pickle she had found herself in… Whoever her captors were, Sachi knew she'd find no ally amongst them. Luckily, this wasn't her first rodeo—a 'perk' of being born to Old Money. 'Relax, Sachi Fujita… You've got this! You'll see the Sun again; you will!'

Perking up her ears while pretending to be asleep, Sachi silently listened to the escalating fight between her kidnappers.

'Lucky.' She thought to herself.

Disagreements suggested a lack of unity, something Sachi could, should and would take advantage of.

Toss in a sprinkle of seduction, and she might be out in no time.

"And what if he calls the police?" One of the kidnappers fretted, his voice pitched higher in frustration.

Even with her sight deprived, Sachi could hear him nervously pacing about.

'The weakest link...' She thought. That's the one she needed to target, but—'Not yet. Not while the others are here.'

“We will send him a message if need be." Another, much calmer voice retorted.

“What if he comes after us?!“

"So what if he does, you fucking pussy?" A third voice suddenly joined the fray with a snarl, booming much louder than the rest, almost as though he were trying to convince himself as well. "The fucker's just a duelist! He probably can't fight for shit! And say he could, we've got guns! What's he gonna do, block our .45s with his holograms?!"

'Three of them with guns?' Swallowing the lump in her throat, Sachi quietly chewed the inside of her cheek. 'That's not good.'

"You've seen the replays! Which human can just shrug off such high voltage? I don't know for sure what it is, but… Something just ain't right with that guy."

Sachi had to stop herself from nodding along.

Lenix seemed to think he's hiding it well, but his casual disregard for danger, his confidence, the way his mere presence subtly warped reality, coupled with his habit of staring into empty air, and muttering to himself made it all too obvious: Her boyfriend was either mad as a hatter or capable of conversing with Duel Spirits, and all the evidence seemed to point to the latter.

"Oh, not this Shadow Duel nonsense again..." Kidnapper #3 scoffed. "Magic doesn't exist! It's just a damn fairy tale Kaiba spread to justify the ridiculous pricetag he's putting on Packs, you idiot! It's fantasy!"

"No, brother."

The second kidnapper rumbled, his voice a low hum. "He's got a point. Worst case, we use this."

Sachi couldn't discern what 'this' was, blindfolded and all, but the men's audible gasps hadn't done much to reassure her.

"How did you get your hands on that, bro?"

"How else? It was the Doctor."

"What does that psychotic bastard want with Owens?"

Anyone No. 3 considered psychotic was clearly no small player, so Sachi immediately took note of the nickname.

"I have no idea. He's been stepping on too many toes lately; I wouldn't be surprised if he's managed to anger him somehow."

"…The Doctor's backing this?" A moment of silence followed, then the sharp snap of a sparkwheel jolted Sachi back to awareness. Briefly, she couldn't help but wonder which of her captors had lit a cigarette.

The answer to her question came in the form of an obnoxiously loud exhale from No.1.

"Yes. Now, enough with the dramatics," The calmest of them snapped, sound wearier and wearier by the second. "Look on the bright side—if this works out, we're splitting a million bucks."

"What about the God card?" The 'Weak-Link' whined.

"As if you could even use it, moron." The third and most brazen scoffed back.

"Those things are worth a damn fortune! I want my cut.“

"There is no 'your cut'!" Mr. Calm finally exploded, his previous composure nowhere to be found. "Without us, you wouldn't even dream of pulling off something like this! Our plan; our funding; our prize!"

"Careful you don't choke on your ambition." Came the sharp retort.

"Are you threatening me?"

The argument devolved into shouts, curses, and slammed fists until a fourth voice roared above the din. "Fuck's sake, you morons! We can split it when we actually have the prizes in hand. Until then, pipe the fuck down! Goddamn amateurs!" Even after the outburst, it still took minutes for the criminals to settle down, and only because the brothers had left the room, leaving whinniest and probably most isolated of their cohorts to tend to Sachi's needs.

She didn't call out immediately, instead laying low a good half hour to ensure the other criminals were gone, before making herself known with a cough. "H-Help!" Sachi wheezed weakly.

Footsteps grew closer to the cold, shabby room, and then the door lock snapped open as her captor entered. "You're awake."

"W-Water."

Sachi delicately pleaded, following up with a convincing cough as she wiggled in place.

A glass wouldn't hurt, and it'd give her an in with the criminal. "My throat is so dry… It hurts."

Sachi held her breath as his feet shuffled about, and after what felt like an eternity, a cool plastic bottle pressed against her lips. She drank slowly, savoring the water as it slid down her parched throat.

"Thank you." She murmured when he pulled the bottle away.

Contrary to her expectations, he didn't reciprocate the banter, only mumbling a curt, "Call if you need anything."

And maybe it was her imagination, but Sachi could have sworn his voice was a pitch higher before. It took her brain but momenta to work out a plausible explanation: 'He's disguising his voice so I can't identify him later. Smart.' But not good. Not for her.

If the criminal's being this cautious, it might take days, if not weeks, before she could crack his exterior.

In a panic, she hastily called out. “Wait! I'm starving… Ca-Can you get me something to eat?“ Thankfully, Sachi did not have to fake the gurgles which echoed from the ravenous pit that was her stomach.

“Wait here.“

The stale bread he brought back felt like cardboard against her tongue, yet she forced herself to eat nevertheless.

Who knew when her next meal would come?

After the kidnapper's departure, the room settled into a tense silence, punctuated only by the distant thump of the music.

'Patience.' Sachi reminded herself. This one wasn't easily swayed, but if she kept up with the little favors, the small inquiries, she knew she'd reel him in eventually.

“Stay strong, Sachi…”

Voice cracking as the stillness, the fear, the helplessness crashed into her with the mercy of a tsunami, Sachi's breaths suddenly hitched.

“You've gotta stay strong.“

She only had to say strong until.

— [SK(GX)] —

Two days… Two days it had been.

On the other side of the city, Lenix was free as a bird, but dealing with a very... Different type of confinement: Not of walls and silence, but of worry and pressure.

“Another poor sucker's challenging him?“

“Looks like it.“

Ignoring the disorderly audience, Lenix massaged his temples before ordering an Attack for game.

Despite every Spirit he controlled tirelessly searching, the culprits were still nowhere to be found, and the matter was beginning to take a toll on his mental state. Lenix exhaled shakily, grabbed a random card from his opponent's Deck, and walked away with brows knitted so tightly his facial muscles were starting to ache.

“Jesus… Who pissed in his food?“ Someone whispered behind him.

If only his problems were that trivial.

"Pegasus." He muttered under his breath, and made his way toward the center of Domino City.

Prior to the Duel, Pegasus had sent him a message, requesting a meeting without so much as an explanation.

He had only mentioned in passing the matter was extremely urgent and of great importance. Life-n'-death, supposedly. “Taxi!“

"Where to?" The driver asked.

"KaibaCorp."

"That'll be XXX DP or Yen.“

Narrowing his eyes at the driver, ready to protest, Lenix paused when the man awkwardly explained, "I know it's not the usual procedure, but there's been an influx of Duelists lately, many of whom have skipped out on fares. We drivers are now requiring at least two-thirds of the payment upfront now… You can ask the others; they'll tell you the same thing."

With a sigh, Lenix transferred the money and leaned back with a frown, "Fucking tourists ruining it for everybody."

“Tell me about it. These foreigners have no respect!“ Nodding absently to the driver's increasingly passionate rant, Lenix silently reached out to Mimic for an update, only to find himself frustrated once more.

Yesterday, they'd located the kidnappers' previous hideout, but it was already deserted. Hot on their heels initially, Mimic could only give up the pursuit after they'd split up in five different cars, carrying with them Sachi's personal belongings to send it on a wild goosechase through Domino City.

These clearly weren't amateurs.

Far from, in fact.

This was partly why Lenix had agreed to meet with Pegasus; if his Spirits couldn't track them, perhaps the billionaire's resources could.

"Keep the change,"

Lenix said, tossing a wad of cash at the taxi driver, then hurriedly made his way to the front of the Tower. Contrary to his expectations, the security personnel did nothing but direct him to the elevator. Pegasus had already informed them of his arrival, it'd appear.

The elevator doors slid open, and Lenix stepped onto the topmost floor only to be instantly attacked by the the thick, antiseptic scent.

Before he could properly understand what was happening, two nurses quickly ushered him into the room at the end of the hallway.

The insistent, rhythmic beeping of medical equipment filled the space, a stark constrat to the labored, erratic breaths coming from the patient bed.

Sharply, his gaze snapped towards the source of the sound.

It wasn't Pegasus. No.

It was Kaiba.

Seto 'Casually-Breaking-Into-The-Underworld' Kaiba, and the man looked rough.

“What the fuck happened to him?“

[Emotion Suppressed: Shock]

“He's almost tolerable in this state."

"Pegasus," Lenix hissed, "What happened to him? Where the fuck is his right arm?"

"I'm wondering that myself," Pegasus replied, stepping closer. "We received emergency signals from Kaiba-boy days ago… By the time we found him, he was already like this.“

“Who could have done this?“

Who could've reduced the Pharaoh's rival to such a miserable state?

“kIhave an idea, but first, I need to show you something. Come."

Lenix licked his lips and cast a wary glance around before following Pegasus into what appeared to be the Director's office.

The billionaire wordlessly took his seat behind the desk, and Lenix mirrored him. "I assume this isn't a social call?“

“You assume right.“

With a sharp clap, metallic blinds descended over the windows, plunging the office into darkness.

The gloom was thankfully short-lived as light and holograms erupted into life, filling the space between them.

"Let's start from the beginning. Seven years ago, just months after Yugi Mutou graduated, anomalies began to appear. People who, much like you, had never Dueled nor shown much interest in the game, suddenly started playing and unbreakable established win-streaks. They banded together and called themselves—"

A screen illuminated before Lenix, displaying an image of a group of teenagers. The youngest of whom seemed to be in his early teens, while the other two older teens looked like delinquents—or rather parodies of. But the most eye-catching feature were the masks and long, black coats adorned with crimson cloud patterns they wore.

"Gamers, and their small group 'the Guild.'“ Pegasus snorted, finding the name quite absurd. "No one knew where they came from or even what they looked like. What we do know is that they were… Passionate and entertaining... They had potential. But,”

Because there always had to be a 'but,' didn't there?

"Eager to prove themselves, the Guild ventured down to the place now known as 'Erebus... Sounds familiar?"

"You think I'm one of them?" Lenix questioned.

If the Guild was established to be a refuge for Transmigrators and Reincarnators, then technically, he supposed he did fit the profile. "I will admit, I initially entertained such thoughts," Pegasus continued with a smile, "But the last Gamer was spotted in Afghanistan a week after you emerged in the dueling scene, so it couldn’t be you. Although it'd certainly be amusing if you're him, and are just playing me for a fool.“

“I'm not.“ Lenix responded flatly.

“That remains to be seen. Anyways, where was I?“

“Gamers; Guild… That jolted your memory?“

“Ah, yes, the Gamers had joined Erebus, and that's when they encountered their first real obstacle. The details are murky, but their leader, the Doctor, met an opponent he could not defeat, and he grew obsessed. “

The Doctor? Now, that was a name Lenix hadn't expected to hear.

“You recognize the name, I reckon?”

“Recognize? It's said that wherever he goes, death follows; that ghosts and vengeful spirits cling to his shadows. The guy's practically the Gutter's boogeyman.”

"So, you have heard of him! That simplifies things. Mr. Owens, over the past six years, KaibaCorp and Interpol have been trying to neutralize the terrorist known as the Doctor, with little success. Every time we thought we had him, he would manage to slip through our fingers somehow. This psychotic murderer's back in Domino City, and I fear he's up to no good again. Kaiba-boy was attacked by him, in truth…”

Rapping his fingers anxiously on the polished desk, gaze fixed on the 'youngest' Gamer with the skull-shaped mask, Lenix absentmindedly muttered. "Why do you call him 'the last?'"

“Because, among the three Founders of the Guild, only one remains—the other two are dead; murdered by their leader… And evidence seems to suggest their Souls were harvested, just like all his victims since."

“Your information is incorrect. It wasn't the Doctor who survived; it was him." Following Lenix's pointed finger, Pegasus's eyes focused on the tuft of grey-white hair attached to the early-teen. “The Zombie Master?“

Lenix nodded in confirmation, then sighed. "You've wasted your time, Pegasus. I can't help you. I've already faced him, and I lost. I lost miserably.“

“But you're alive… You fought him and survived! That has got to count for something?“

Smiling bitterly, Lenix shook his head. “Only because he spared me." Even now, he couldn't quite understand why, so his mind naturally wandered to the worst possible conclusion: "I think he's trying to fatten me up."

After all, if a normal NPC could yield Loots, just imagine what one could get from killing a fellow Gamer?

“You found the wrong person for the job.“

Their gazes met, one anxious and the other calm. "Mr. Owens, we've had numerous encounters with the Doctor over the years, and every time he acted as if he knew exactly what to do… At first, I thought he could see the future, but the more our experts studied his behaviors, the more it seems like he can—"

"Save and Load like he's in a video game." Lenix interrupted.

[Emotion Suppressed: Anxiety]

“Yes.“ Silence enveloped the two—a silence neither felt particularly comfortable with, but needed in order to sort out their thoughts; a silence which Pegasus was the first to break.

“Gamer... The Title means something to you people, doesn't it?"

Neither denying nor confirming, Lenix hummed. "What do you want from me? Just get to the point."

Taking a deep breath, Maximillion Pegasus made his request at last. "Mr. Owens, I'd like you to kill the last Guild Member.“

— [SK(GX)] —

Glancing at the passing street, Lenix drew circles on the condensation of the bus window, nervously tracing and retracing the damp rings.

Outside, Domino City and the pedestrians all blurred into fractured, fleeting shapes and lights on the sidewalks.

Normally, Lenix would have found a sense of peace and certainty in the urban theatre, but not today.

Today, the vibrant energy felt oppressive, almost mockingly so.

'It's not my problem…' Lenix reminded himself, rubbing the shiny coat of Vorona. 'This world's not my obligation.'

[Emotion Suppressed: Anxiety (×99)]

The bus lurched to a stop, brakes sighing like a weary beast, as people shuffled on and off, their movements as anonymous as the faces he'd seen on the street.

Part of him envied them… Envied the sweet obliviousness they were afforded.

When those people slumbered, he imagined, their dreams might be troubled by daily problems—taxes, perhaps, or crushing pressures and deadlines—but at least they'd be spared this gnawing, visceral trepidation of the invisble Reaper's scythe hanging over the entirety of Domino City.

Hood pulled low to obscure his face and flat cap, Lenix followed the crowd, wandering aimlessly through the city before finding himself in am empty alleyway.

Leaning against the vending machine, he inserted coins and selected his coffee, only to watch the can get stuck.

“Are you fucking serious?“

Frustration mounting, he stared at the trapped coffee can and hammered the button repeatedly, each press growing harder and more violent until, finally, his fist smashed through the glass. But even that wasn't enough to satisfy Lenix. Not even close.

"Mother—"

His foot crashed through the remnants of the glass once,

"—Fucking—"

Twice.

"—FUCK!"

Thrice, stopping only when there was nothing left to shatter.

Akane and her brother had both gone missing,

Sachi had been kidnapped.

Seto-fucking-Kaiba was in critical condition, and the King of Games—the person he had banked on to take care of world/city-level threat, who was supposed to be on a world tour—had apparently disappeared two months ago from the same village in Afghanistan Skullie's seen prior to his relocation to Domino City.

Everything and everyone were fucked, yet it was the damn vending machine that managed to elicit a reaction from him; a fact Lenix found strangely amusing even as he raged.

"You could slip out of the country right now, Lenix; leave them to fend for themselves... Leave that stubborn, self-righteous bitch and her moron of a brother to their fates, Lenix… You know what, fuck this!" Snarling like the trapped animal he was, Lenix angrily mumbled under his breath. "I'm leaving. I don't give a fuck!”

Maybe he'd stop by to save Sachi, but Akane, Yugi, Kaiba, and the rest of these fucking schmucks were just animated pictures on a screen to him anyway.

What fucking obligation did he have to them, really?

Pegasus had stated it himself: Only a Gamer could truly kill another Gamer, probably because their Souls and Systems would be dismantled into EXP instead. Why should he risk his life; his Soul for fictional characters? What did they even expect from him when the main character couldn't succeed?

Pants subsiding, Lenix backed away, grimacing at the sticky spill of soda clinging to the soles of his shoes. Then, filtering through the ringing of his ears, came a hesitant, but audibly boyish voice.

“S-Sir? Forgive me for intruding, but… Are you doing alright?“

Almost instantly, Lenix straightened his back, his brain seamlessly shifting the workload from [Gamer's Mind] and taking over to regulate his emotions.

Standing a few feet away, a young man hovered, wringing his hands nervously.

As his almost painfully naive gaze met his own, Lenix couldn't help but muse: 'God, kid looked green.'

Wide and anxious, the brown eyes too bright for someone who'd foolishly approach a man that had just demolished a vending machine, kid was slight of build, clad in a black uniform that aped the style of Duel Academy, though the color was all wrong, all too somber.

On his hand was a KaibaCorp Duel Disk—the official one issued for Pegasus' Battle City.

Lenix knew the kid, and really, how could he not? He was basically this world’s Goku; he's what the Saiyan could have been if he had simply taken things a bit more seriously in the later Seasons.

He's the Supreme King—the Reincarnation of. “Yuki Judai…”

Glancing at the mess he'd created, the Gamer sighed. “Way to introduce yourself, Lenix.“