Malik showed Bakura where he could retrieve his personal belongings: his beloved black trench coat, complete with his lock picking tools and his holoscrambler. The thief checked all his pockets, including the hidden ones, surprised that everything was there. He had expected Marik to confiscate all of his tools. Bakura shrugged himself into his coat, touching the familiar fabric with his fingers.
"Nice coat," Malik said.
"Yeah. It's like a second home. I almost feel naked without it." Bakura didn't know why he was sharing this. He usually was very careful with giving out information. Malik had no idea what was really going on, and he wasn't of any importance to Bakura's current plans. "So, off to the nearest spaceport, aren't we?"
"Yeah. Sorry about Marik, though. I didn't know he disliked you that much."
"Marik dislikes everyone and everything, and that's me being polite." Bakura shook his wrist, relieved that the heavy wristlock had been removed. "Don't worry about it. You should get back to work."
Malik hesitated for a second, as if he wanted to ask something, but decided against it at the last moment. Bakura recognized his hesitation; he assumed Malik was afraid of hearing the truth. If the thief had any empathy left, he would've felt pity for him; being Marik's Other was a constant battle with anger, violence, and lies. Finally, Malik turned around and left. Bakura patted his pockets, searching for his hidden stash of fake identities. Altana was his next stop. The problem wasn't how to reach it; Altana was the perfect center point of this known galaxy, home of KaibaCorp. HeadQuarters. An important planet at a strategic location, the problem was going to be how to enter Altana. KaibaCorp.'s security was renowned and so tight, that not even a mouse could slip through. Bakura called himself King of Thieves, but he wasn't stupid. A man alone couldn't go up against the cameras, the security checks, the motion detectors and all the other high tech stuff that made it impossible to get in without being noticed. Of all the planets, of all the galaxies, his Other had to be at the one with the most sophisticated and impenetrable security. It was a serious problem, but he had to find his Other. Bakura clenched his fists. So typical of Marik to go after the Pharaoh first. He couldn't stand the thought that the Pharaoh was so much more important than him, had always been, and always would be.
With Marik piloting and Malik plotting the course to the nearest spaceport, Bakura was left to his own devices. He walked through the large corridors of the October, as always amazed and impressed by the sheer size of the ship and its technical specifics. He was irritated, annoyed with Marik and Malik, and pissed at the Pharaoh for taking precedence over him. It looked like they were going to meet up again sooner or later, fate or destiny be damned. Bakura had carefully crafted and shaped his plans for centuries. He had plotted his own course, and he wasn't going to be deterred by coincidences, even if fate or destiny had the nasty habit of screwing him over. Well, Bakura could screw fate and destiny over, too. Being caught by Marik had been his intention all along; it hadn't really mattered when or where it happened. He wasn't going to leave the October without getting what he had set out to get. Making his way through the corridors, he reached the bowels of the ship. He was sure Marik had secured the room he wanted to enter. Bakura's grin went full force as he moved his hand into his sleeve, his fingertips touching his lock picks. Big mistake to leave them there, Marik. Good. It gave him the opportunity to test his skills once more, as a warm-up exercise for KaibaCorp..
"The nearest spaceport is Billun," Malik said out loud. "We have clearance to dock."
"What kind?" Marik asked curtly.
"A minor trade post, but they sell fuel packs and groceries. Population is about 1800…"
"A good place to dump Bakura." Marik snorted.
"What's the deal with you guys?"
"It's -"
"None of my business, yeah. Try to come up with something else."
"We've known each other for ages. Born around the same time, all three of us."
"You, Bakura and the Pharaoh?" Malik sounded incredulous.
"Exactly. Ever since then, we've been at each other's throats."
"For what?"
Marik grinned. "For world domination, of course."
Malik looked at him, his jaw going slack. The other had a weird sense of humor, on the rare occasions when he cracked a joke. Even so, his joke could be a cruel truth, or a twisted sense of sarcasm. 'World domination' was that kind of a joke or an answer that could either be a cruel truth, or the twisted sarcasm. Pursing his lips, Malik knew that he wasn't going to get more out of Marik, but it added to the annoyance he was already feeling. He wished he would get a honest, straight answer out of Marik for once.
"What's Bakura doing now?"
"Probably trying to fuck us over." Marik moved his hand to the left to wrap his fingers around a large lever, pulling it to slow the October down. "Get him out of your head. He's of no importance to you. Now read the meters."
"Proceed at 3,75 % correcting course," Malik said. He wasn't allowed to pilot the ship, but he had observed the launching and landing procedures a lot of times. He was confident he could handle the ship just as well as Marik, but didn't dare to say that out loud.
"What's our dock?"
"This one has slots," Malik said. "We have to get in manually."
"Idiots," Marik growled. Billun operated on outdated technology and was so old-fashioned that not even Kaiba Corp. was willing to invest in upgrading the docking stations. The October had a large build and ancient docking slots offered little room to move. "Give me a visual."
Malik quickly switched on the external cameras and said: "Proceed at 2,64% correcting course."
"Where are the fucking docking slots?" Marik snapped. They weren't visible on the camera feed. "Fucking hell, do we have to do everything manually?!" His right hand moved quickly over the other controls. The approach of a large ship was much slower to correct than a LAV - Light Air Vessel - and Marik hissed as the October took too much time to adjust its court.
"There they are," Malik pointed the docking slots on the screen, and shivered. The October was never going to fit in this ancient, outdated piece of docking technology. "We're going to short-circuit!"
"Like hell we are!" Marik corrected the course, but the ship didn't match his quick reaction. It was rare for him to not make a perfect connection or landing to whatever dock the October was assigned to, but Billun had been dilapidating for ages. Malik put his hands over his ears at the screeching sound of the October missing the docking slots and metal on metal was painfully audible. The lights blinked and flashed, and for a moment the entire ship was enveloped in eerie silence. Malik took a deep breath. Without power to keep the ship stable, without pressure and without the systems working to supply oxygen… in the same moment all kinds of worst-case-scenarios went through his mind, but the next second, the lights came back on and the familiar sounds of engines, stabilizing pumps, circuits and several other control equipment made Malik heave a sigh of relief.
"Get Bakura and throw him off the ship! Someone is going to fucking pay for the fucking damage!" Marik was up from his chair and stomped out of the cockpit. Malik hurried to keep up with him. If Marik was going to single-handedly bring the population of 1800 with a few hundreds down, he better keep him from causing more damage, if that was even possible.
The life of a KaibaCorp. employee wasn't that bad, Ryou Bakura mused as he fastened his seatbelt. He'd never known space travel to be so comfortable. After all, he'd only been able to afford the lowest traveling class, where seatbelts and safety checks were a laughing matter. With his employee card, handed to him by Shizuka Kawaii, all kinds of doors opened for him. It was quite satisfying that people were willing to bend over backwards for him, though it went against his polite nature to fully enjoy it. He wasn't used to be served at every wink, and going from a penniless student to a well-paid KaibaCorp. employee was too fast for his own mind to process. Ryou settled into his chair and waited for the launch. Vertregg 12 wasn't that far away from Altana. This 'Kame Game Shop' was actually one of the last stores to sell hand-made board games, figurines and card games. If the owner had knowledge about Duel Monsters, or even a lead to the infamous God Cards… he could barely contain his excitement!
"Are you comfortable enough, sir?"
"Yes, thank you ma'am." Ryou blushed. Only in upgraded travel classes, flight attendants would ask if he was comfortable. He had already been offered an extra pillow and blankets, and after launch, a complimentary drink would be served. He could get used to this.
"The runway is clear," the chief attendant announced via the vidscreen, her face calm and smiling all the way, "we're going to launch in less than five minutes. Please take your seat and enjoy the flight."
Ryou adjusted his seat and put his hands on the padded armrests. He wasn't nervous for the launch at all. Traveling was in his blood; if he hadn't been a student with a very small income, he'd been visiting every galaxy known to men, and beyond. Perhaps he would discover new worlds or galaxies, trailblazing and even creating his own home planet - anything but staying in one place, feeling caged, unable to breathe. Tilting his head a little, he noticed some fellow travelers turning pale as the countdown progressed. One minute more, and then they would be launched into space. What was it that made traveling feel so comfortable to him? He didn't feel any fear, any uneasiness, only excitement at reaching his new destination. Behind him, a passenger reached for the barf bag when the engines roared to life. Ryou closed his eyes, not in fear or discomfort, but in pure bliss. With a small shock, the ship came free from its docking position, and hovered slightly before stabilizing itself. The engines increased their power and when '0' was reached, the ship jumped forward. A big smile curled Ryou's lips.
A little less than three hours later, the commercial flight ship docked at Vertregg 12. The spaceport was smaller and less organized than Altana's, and it took Ryou quite some time to figure out which hover bus he needed to take to get to the Kame Game Shop. He checked his watch, it was already getting late. The Game Shop might still be open, but he didn't have a place to sleep for tonight. Vertregg 12 wasn't very accommodating to tourists. Ryou decided to take the risk. There had to be a hotel he could check in after he was done at the Game Shop. When the hover bus arrived, Ryou boarded it and held his Kaiba Corp. employee card in front of the computer terminal, which charged and booked his fare. He chose a seat next to the window and paid careful attention to all the stops, until the bus reached the stop in the suburb the Game Shop was located. Ryou got out and took in a deep breath as he walked the final meters.
Between tall and grey apartment buildings, an odd, quaint building immediately caught his attention. Standing out with its bright yellow, red and green colors, it was totally out of place compared to all the buildings next and behind it. The colors seemed to call him, and the sign with 'Kame Game Shop' was sort of superfluous - Ryou just knew this was the place where he needed to be. Reaching for the door handle, he noticed his heart beating loudly in his chest, and the adrenaline rushing through his body. What was he getting himself into? Or rather, what had he gotten himself into? It was too late to turn back now. Ryou pushed the door and a doorbell chimed, welcoming him.
"Irrashai!" A kind, warm voice greeted him. "How can I help you?"
For a moment, Ryou simply stood there, with his hand on the door handle, as his eyes adjusted from the sharp, bright outside to the darker inside of the store. He couldn't see who had greeted him; the shop was small and deep with display cases on the left and right, and a tall counter at the end. It was impolite not to answer, so he answered with the first thing that came to his mind.
"Konnichiwa," he said.
"Ah! Anata wa nihongo ga hanasemasu ka?"
"I'm sorry, that's all I know," Ryou said sheepishly. He finally closed the door behind him - the doorbell chimed once more - and walked into the store. The display cases held examples of the video games for rent as well as for sale, and on top were board games boxes, probably empty, serving as an example. The shelves on the wall held other merchandise, like cheap plastic action figurines and even some clothing. Ryou blinked a few more times, but this time not from the transition from light to dark. Behind the counter was the Pharaoh from the Ceremonial Tablet he had been studying! It was a miracle he wasn't fainting on the spot. What was going on? He had the most difficult time to keep himself in check. Ryou wanted to bombard him with questions, grab him at the collar and drag him back to Altana to show him to Kaiba, that he had found the other person on the Tablet. With great restraint, Ryou managed to speak. "Could you please translate what you just said?"
"You greeted me in Japanese," the Pharaoh-lookalike said, "so I asked you: 'do you speak Japanese?'"
"I'm sorry, I didn't want to show off," Ryou said, feeling a little silly. He was at the counter now, and could observe the young man with the extravagant hairdo. "I'm an Earth Studies student, and it's custom to learn several sentences in different languages, especially greetings. You must be Solomon Mutou? The owner of this Game Shop?"
"My name is Yuugi," the young man behind the counter said, showing an impressive smile, kind and friendly. "You're asking for my grandfather? Is there something I can do for you?"
Ryou reminded himself that Vertregg 12 wasn't as kind as this Yuugi. With a relatively high crime rate and a lot of common things hard to get by, hence inspiring a lively black market despite the government trying to eradicate it, this wasn't the kindest of environments. Stupid, he had forgotten all about the curfew. Finding a place to stay for the night was going to pose a problem. However, Yuugi had greeted him with a genuine smile and more or less confirmed that Solomon Mutou was still alive.
"I would really like to talk to him," Ryou said. "It's in the interest of my Earth and Ancient History studies. Your grandfather is in the age bracket of being a witness to Earth's destruction."
"No, it's not like that," Yuugi said, defensively. "My grandfather was still very young at that time. Besides, he doesn't like to talk about it that much. I'm very sorry, but I have to ask you to leave if you're not buying something."
"I understand." Ryou didn't want to go away. He still had so many questions to ask! He looked to the left, noticing a particular display case. "Tabletop RPG figurines! Really?"
"They're authentic." Yuugi walked around the counter and came to stand next to Ryou, keys in his hand. "All hand-crafted and hand-painted. Every now and then, we get a visit from old-school collectors."
"Dungeons and Dragons!" Ryou leaned into the display, his nose almost touching the glass. "Impossible! I didn't even know it was still on the market! You must be the only one to have these figurines!"
Yuugi pointed at the figurines. "If we sell one in every two years, we're lucky. Figurines are of course not the top priority in one's life. But when we do sell one, it's always to a collector who knows what he's buying. Collector's items, from Earth. The original of the original."
"If only I could afford it," Ryou sighed.
"Maybe with your next paycheck?"
Confused, he looked at Yuugi, not understanding what the other was talking about. Yuugi wasn't that tall, and he was at the exact height to see and read Ryou's employee card, still pinned to the lapel of his blazer.
"Oh! It's not like that. Not even with all my paychecks for the next year." That was, if he still was working for Kaiba next year. It was just this investigation only, right? Ryou was annoyed with himself. He should've removed his employee card. KaibaCorp. wasn't very well loved around here. He moved his eyes back up to the first two shelves of the display, with the more common figurines.
"I like the White Mage," he said. "How much?"
"Twenty-five thousand genz," Yuugi said. Ryou nodded. He felt respect for the other for being honest with him and not jacking up the price, knowing he was from KaibaCorp.. Ryou had been looking around regularly for figurines to add to his modest collection and this was a common prize.
"Yes, please."
Yuugi used his keys to open the display and gently pulled out the White Mage. After closing the display again, he went back to the counter and put the figurine on it. He reached under the counter and pulled out some bubble wrap.
"Where does your stock come from, if I may inquire?"
"Private collections, inheritances, original Earth," Yuugi answered. "My grandfather has a knack for finding items all over. It's a very particular market, of course. Most people just throw them away because a board game doesn't put any food on the table."
"Does it put food on yours?"
"Barely." Yuugi wrapped the figurine, the White Mage disappearing between layers of bubble wrap. "We make most from people renting or buying the holo games."
"I figured as such." Ryou heaved a dramatic sigh. "Nobody knows or cares for board games anymore."
Yuugi enveloped the figurine in gift paper, standard blank paper with the logo of the Kame Game Shop on it. Ryou took out his PMA, preparing the device for payment.
"Will that be all?"
"Do you have any card games?" Ryou was quite amazed that he didn't stutter. It wasn't like him at all to be this forward. Yuugi looked at him from under his golden bangs.
"We have the standard playing card decks," he said. "A couple of themed ones. If you're a collector, we even have some Magic: The Gathering cards. They come at a certain price, too."
Ryou took a deep breath, and the jump. "I'm more interested in a particular… themed set of cards. It used to be played a lot on Earth, and it was about summoning…"
"I know what you're talking about," Yuugi interrupted him. "We're not selling illegal games here. We don't sell Duel Monsters."
Ryou swallowed. "I'm certainly not accusing you of anything."
"You better not," a gruff voice came from the right. "Or else you better leave this shop right now, young man."
"Jii-chan," Yuugi said. "I'll finish up the transaction."
"Please," Ryou said, "please, I didn't mean to offend either of you. I'm sorry, I totally got off on the wrong foot. I'm... not really used to this."
"Used to what?" Yuugi asked.
"To conduct an investigation," Ryou said. "And I'm not really an Earth Studies student. I'm just a high school kid."
"How come you're lying to us?" Yuugi was baffled. He looked at the wrapped figurine. "Are you also going to bail out on the sale?"
"No, no, absolutely not!" Ryou showed his PMA and connected it with Yuugi's cash register. A few bleeps, and the twenty-five thousand genz was transferred. "I would like to ask if I could talk to you. Please."
"Talk to me about what?" Solomon couldn't hide the surprise in his voice, as Ryou was looking at him, not at Yuugi.
"Earth and Duel Monsters."
"Don't say that too loud on this planet," the elderly man chastised him. "Besides, I was a small child when it happened. So many people were killed, so much destruction." He tilted his head a little, catching sight of something… and Ryou knew it was his employee card. "And you work for KaibaCorp.. You're going to report me if I say something bad about the Kaiba family. You better leave."
"S-something bad? I… I didn't know…" Ryou fumbled. "I can pay you for your troubles."
There was an awkward silence as Solomon Mutou seemed to think. Finally, he spoke. "I will tell you about it, but then you have to leave. And no, I won't accept any money. Kaiba can keep his genz, I don't want anything to do with it. Close up the shop, Yuugi."
"But jii-chan..!"
"Close it."
Ryou felt terribly embarrassed, as if he had caused a fight between Yuugi and his grandfather. He wanted to apologize, but he didn't know where to begin. Instead, he picked up the figurine and carefully tucked it away. Yuugi, albeit muttering, closed the door the old-fashioned way with keys; Ryou gathered that the family either couldn't afford electronic security equipment or didn't see the need for such expensive locks.
"I'm sorry," Ryou apologized as Yuugi passed him.
"Don't worry about it," Yuugi said, but his voice was strained. After closing up, he showed Ryou a door behind the tall counter, leading to the living quarters of the building. He went ahead and stepped into the hallway.
"We live upstairs," Yuugi explained. "Please take the stairs." Of course a building like this didn't have a zip lift, and Ryou almost had to chuckle. He was so used to visiting tall buildings that he was automatically looking for the pressure-driven elevators. It was almost… ancient to climb a wooden set of stairs.
Walking in silence, Yuugi directed him to the living room. He turned around to face the other. "Please wait here."
He didn't wait for Ryou's answer as he went straight to the kitchen, opposite of the living room. The elderly man was busy making insta-coffee, boiling water to pour on the artificial mix of ground coffee beans.
"Jii-chan?"
"Yes?"
"What's going on?" Yuugi's voice was high-pitched, childlike, as he didn't understand. Solomon heaved a sigh.
"I haven't told you much about my past," he said, "my years on Earth."
"You told me it was horrible," Yuugi said. "I mean, when you had to flee from all the bad things…"
"I don't think there are enough people around any more who actually know what happened." Solomon leaned on the kitchen counter top, his shoulders slumping. "Who know the truth. The new generations should know. Perhaps I've been silent for too long."
"But to talk to him - we don't even know his name yet!" Yuugi cried out.
Solomon tilted his head. There was no malicious intent in his voice, but a slight teasing when he said: "You brought a stranger home who you trusted immediately and completely at first sight."
"Atemu-kun isn't a stranger!"
"Not to you, perhaps. But to me, he still is. I have made my choice, Yuugi."
Yuugi admitted defeated. When his grandfather was as determined as this, it was of no use to protest. He was actually quite curious about his grandfather's past, but thought it was too personal to tell to a stranger. Grandfather was right of course, he had brought Atemu home, trusting him immediately, but that was… different. Atemu hadn't lied to him.
"All right. Let me carry that for you, jii-chan."
"Yuugi, I'm not that old that I can't carry a serving tray."
They made it back to the living room, where Ryou was standing exactly where Yuugi had left him, not daring to budge an inch.
"Yuugi, where are your manners?" Solomon put the tray down. "Sit down, young man."
"My name is Ryou Bakura," Ryou introduced himself. "I'm very sorry for intruding, for imposing on you." He saw the cups with the insta-coffee and picked up his suitcase and started rummaging through it. "I have some chocolate. I bought it at the spaceport, before I left…ah, here it is." He pulled out a bar in a colorful wrapper.
.
"That doesn't look like artificial chocolate," Solomon said, eyes wide. "Is it real?"
"Yes, it is." It had been his first splurge as KaibaCorp. employee, thanks to the funds he had received. Ryou suddenly felt childish and ashamed. He removed the wrapper and the silver-colored protective layer to reveal the sweet goodness. Carefully, he broke it into pieces.
"Please, have some."
"Don't mind if I do," Solomon said pleasantly. After a brief moment of hesitation, Yuugi also took a bit of chocolate, and put it into his mouth. His large eyes went even wider.
"Wh-what is this divine taste?"
"It's real chocolate, nothing of that artificial chocolate-substitute they sell at the supermarket. That must've cost you some, Bakura-san."
"I'm sorry if it makes me look like I'm showing off," Ryou said, but his red cheeks weren't from embarrassment, but because he recognized the honorific Solomon used for him. "I got employed by KaibaCorp. just a day ago, and I wanted to celebrate."
"Good choice." The elderly man couldn't help but smile. "If you had brought real coffee beans as well, it would've been perfect. No, please, stop apologizing. This is a perfect treat, thank you."
"Have some more, if you like," Ryou said. The chocolate bar was big enough to last some; he broke it into more pieces. Yuugi was in sweetness heaven, sampling the taste of real cocoa over and over again. Solomon picked up his cup of insta-coffee and blew gently at the hot liquid.
"Earth Studies, right? A daring choice."
"True, it's not really popular. I got it from my father, who has always been interested in history and artifacts. I grew up with books instead of vidscreens, with dead languages instead of artificial ones. I know everyone likes to 'look forward to a brighter and better future', but I... sort of like to look backwards. I like to see what happened, and translate it to the future, if there's already a future."
"History repeating itself," Solomon mumbled. "Is that why you're conducting this 'investigation'? Is that why you're asking about Duel Monsters?"
"Yes." Ryou had decided to be totally honest. His little lie about being an Earth Studies student had already been found out thanks to his own admission, and he didn't like to lie in the first place. Besides, Solomon was talking in all honesty, and Ryou wanted to pay the same respect to the man. "I believe that there are certain connections to living people and historical people, and somehow Duel Monsters plays a big part in it, back then and right now."
"I don't think a card game is responsible for the destruction of Earth. We depleted it, we killed it ourselves." Solomon looked saddened, and no amount of chocolate would help lift his spirits. Ryou decided not to mention the God Cards yet, despite Yuugi's striking resemblance to the Pharaoh on the Ceremonial Tablet.
"It all started with Gozaburo Kaiba and his son, Noa Kaiba," Solomon said. "That's why I was hesitant at first, Bakura-san. The Kaiba family played a big role in this, and continues to play. It's not a secret that the Kaibas we know now, Seto and Mokuba, have been adopted into the family and are the only surviving members. But when Earth was still around, Gozaburo was the head of the family and earned his money with a huge weapons division. KaibaCorp. was all about war material and Gozaburo delivered to every country, every nation, every criminal. Bigger, crueler and deadlier with every new generation of rockets, tanks, guns. Violence was increasing rapidly, and society after society crumbled. His son Noa was still young at that time, but old enough to understand what his father was doing. However, Gozaburo quit the war market suddenly."
"What made him quit?" Ryou asked.
"Ironically, Noa was killed, shot by a weapon designed by Gozaburo. The biggest weapons manufacturer with a heart of steel and no scruples at all, didn't shed a tear at the loss of his son and went to the orphanage next day to get himself a new pair of sons."
"Seto and Mokuba." Yuugi spoke, fascinated by his grandfather's story.
"Not yet." Solomon shook his head. "Gozaburo Kaiba was a cruel, cruel man. Now that his son was killed, he simply replaced them with other children and drilled them to become his successor. Instead of focusing on weapons, Gozaburo searched out technology, and started experimenting with space travel and colonizing planets. In my time, people have been on the moon and technology succeeded in sending equipment to Mars. Primitive in comparison to what and where we are now, but ironically, the technology of making planets habitable and breathable in the first place, is all due to Gozaburo's research. While he was developing his technology, he confiscated a planet of his own, and he had the decency to call it after his first son: Altanoa, which became Altana in time."
Ryou quickly checked his PMA, to see if it was recording everything. He didn't need to worry, the battery would last for days and its memory was big enough to store much more information. He noticed his fingers were slightly trembling; Earth Studies was going to make him an honorary student based on this material alone! The insta-coffee and even the chocolate were forgotten, and he wasn't the only one listening attentively.
"Gozaburo's sons helped him to develop his technology but unfortunately, they also fell victim to violence. While Gozaburo was occupied with his space theories, societies and nations all over had armed themselves to the teeth, with or without Gozaburo's war materials. Natural resources were rapidly depleted, and the entire Earth was gearing towards destruction. As he realized what was going on, Gozaburo made sure his most trusted employees were transported to Altana, to install his headquarters and prepare for his own arrival, to create his own, new world order. By then, he had taken in two new sons, and this time yes, it were Seto and Mokuba. Seto received the infamous drilling and torture Gozaburo was known for, as he wanted to prepare him to become his right hand. Mokuba was the only one to escape this cruel fate, as Gozaburo never made it to Altana - in an even more ironic twist, Gozaburo's ship broke down, failed to launch and exploded. Seto was in charge of KaibaCorp. at age thirteen, and he never let go of control - instead, he expanded it into what KaibaCorp. is now."
"I never knew." Ryou was both taken aback and impressed. "Kaiba is still young, but people defer to him as if he's a god among men."
"Seto was raised from his early years to be a leader, and he took it to heart. He has overshadowed Gozaburo in every way if the man had lived long enough to see it."
"But that doesn't explain the Earth exploding," Ryou changed the topic. "Or are you implying that Gozaburo and his war materials were responsible for it?"
Solomon looked tired. He sipped his insta-coffee, taking his time to taste the drink and swallow it. "Who knows? He had manufactured enough ammunition to kill the entire world's population at least twice over. And even though he stopped after Noa's death, KaibaCorp. still continued the production, handled by five of his most trusted men: The Big Five. KaibaCorp. couldn't run on technology and development alone. While Gozaburo was in his office designing space travel, The Big Five kept supplying the world with guns and tanks. Maybe all it took was a big enough explosion to set off a chain reaction, resulting in the total destruction of Earth. I was really young back then, and already on my way to Altana, to being tagged and shipped off to another planet because my parents weren't KaibaCorp. employees. We were assigned to Vertregg 12, and here I am, having lived here ever since."
"And opened up a Game Shop," Ryou said. "Because of your parents?"
"Yes. I grew up here, in this building, in this very shop, so it was an easy choice for me to continue my parents' work. I see that your coffee has gone cold, Bakura-san. Yours too, Yuugi."
"I'm sorry, jii-chan," Yuugi said, as he knew that the man hated wasting food or drink. "I was listening to you. I've heard a little bit of this before, but you never told me this much."
Solomon wasn't angry. "I should've told you before, Yuugi. But when your parents died, I was so busy with you and the store and simply living, that it disappeared into the background. I had other priorities in life."
"I have to know," Ryou insisted, sitting on the edge of his seat. "Duel Monsters."
"We don't sell it," Yuugi repeated, at the same time his grandfather said: "I own a deck."
"What?" His voice was shrill. "Jii-chan! That's illegal!"
"I know. But there are no active Duel Monsters players or tournaments on Vertregg 12, and the chance of the police to come search for it… I'm already an old man. Prison doesn't mean much to me. Besides, you two are now the only ones to know about it. I know who to blame if I get thrown into jail."
"That's not funny, jii-chan." Yuugi was flabbergasted and hurt to boot. His own grandfather owned a Duel Monsters deck, and he had never mentioned it before!
"I learned to play Duel Monsters when I was about five," Solomon continued. "I loved playing it, and that's why I can't believe that it's responsible for destroying the Earth. It's just a game."
"I don't think it is." Ryou picked up his PMA from the coffee table. "I think it's much, much more than 'just a game'."
"What do you mean?"
"Allow me to show you something." Ryou programmed the PMA to open a vidscreen, and he scrolled quickly through his files until he found the pictures of the Ceremonial Tablets. With a flick of a button, the pictures were enhanced by the vidscreen, showing every detail of the duel between Pharaoh and Priest. Both Yuugi's and Solomon's jaws went slack.
"This person looks exactly like you, Yuugi-kun," Ryou said, voice soft. "And the other person looks like Kaiba. I'm very sure there's some kind of connection between you two. The Ancient Egyptians believed in kaa and baa…"
"That's not me, that's.. Atemu-kun," Yuugi said, gasping for breath.
"Who?"
"He's a stranger who surfaced a little less than a week ago," Solomon explained said. "He wore a cartouche around his neck, and I was able to read his name… as well as the hieroglyphs on these tablets. Those are the Gods, are they not?"
"Jii-chan, you told me that the God Cards don't exist! What we know about them, is simply legend, rumors..."
"The God Cards are on display at the Expanding Galaxies Contemporary Museum," Ryou explained, "courtesy of KaibaCorp."
"Kaiba knows what they look like," Yuugi said, realization setting in. "How?"
"If this Pharaoh… or this Atemu-kun, knows exactly the same, or even more... he could tell us about the God Cards. I would like to talk to him, if that's possible." Ryou was sitting so close to the edge of his seat that he almost slipped off.
"I'm not sure," Solomon said hesitantly. "We… I don't really trust him."
"Jii-chan!" Yuugi looked upset.
"I know you trust him, Yuugi. But you have to admit that it was strange how he suddenly popped up in our lives… your life. He's not from around here, that's for sure."
"I would really like to talk to him," Ryou repeated. He never had dreamed he would discover all this on his first day of his investigation. A real Pharaoh! The God Cards!
"I know he has a LAV," Yuugi blurted out. "It's docked here, so we could go and talk to him in person?"
"That would be great! But…" Confusion hit him. "Earth was destroyed over 70 years ago, and this Atemu-kun…is how old? How come the depiction of a millennia old Pharaoh is looking like a twenty, thirty-year-old? How's that even possible?"
"That's why I don't really trust him," Solomon said.
Chapter 9 | Chapter 11