The Reality Vortex: Shadow Games

"Ouch... feathers aren't good for breaking your fall. Hope that wasn't a chicken." Mooli muttered, turning to look where they fell. "Oops, it was a person! Sorry 'bout that, it was an emergency... we're supposed to be today's challengers but it turned out the guy who owns the place had a way different thing in mind! Me and Daiman, the little guy you got there--" Mooli pointed towards the young man-- "overheard the whole thing. He used these weird cards to suck in a huge ghosty monster calling itself a god like nothing! Then he used it on everyone in the arena like they're just toys for him to use... including the Breakers." Hearing Daiman's panicked plea to contact law enforcement made her tail droop down to the floor. "They couldn't even put up a fight. All those people watching us just wanted a good show. Not be turned into cannon fodder."

Berserk was taken aback by this news. "No way, the Breakers never go down without a big fight if they had a say in it! Did you see a goofy looking purple guy zipping around the stadium? Or even a big angry muscle-head screaming and blowing stuff up?"

"No. We heard him say he caught Vegetto out in the Plaza. I don't think I saw anyone like that in the arena, so maybe he was caught outside too..." Mooli shook her head, causing Berserk's ribbons to droop in dismay before she got intensely angry.

"Grrr, I can't believe this! Why'd it happen in the first place?! We aren't wimps!"

"Something about Kaiba wanting to challenge someone named Coella. Sounded like a bet since he really wanted to beat her in a duel using the people he captured as part of it. Except none of us agreed to that-- he kidnapped everyone in the stadium to hold hostage for some kind of game."

"If the Breakers went down without a real struggle then I doubt the cops can do anything. Maybe the Agency...? It's just me and Zenny left since Lucifer doesn't fight."

"Do you have them on speed-dial or something?" Mooli seemed surprised to see Berserk speak with familiarity since the Breakers were often spoken about in a distant, negative manner.

"Nope-- I don't have a phone anymore, but they'll probably catch wind of this soon. By the time they get here though, who knows what'll happen? Lucky for you, there's still me and Zenny!"

"...Zen-E? Is that an energy drink?"

"No dummy! Zenta's my buddy-- we're the Breakers Kaiba couldn't nab! The... B team. I'll workshop that. Anyway, I'll be substitute leader for the Breakers cause Grandpa is benched!"

"Hmm... I have no idea how to tackle this but I'd like to help! I also really really need some of that prize money. Food isn't cheap here and I'm sick of eating cup ramen! Maybe if I beat up Kaiba I can shake him down for a couple G's out of pocket." Mooli turned to the rest of the former challengers. "What about you three? Dielec looks ready to go back in, but..." she glanced down towards Daiman with a concerned expression for a moment. Before saying anything to him, she wanted to hear his input first.
 
Souvenir Alley

“Arhm…” Daiman shivered tremendously upon looking at Zenta. In no time flat, the boy backed away so fast that it left an afterimage behind. Appearing next to Mooli, Daiman crouched while holding his head as his anxiety took over. “S-scary!”

“I prefer if we don’t alert the Detectives. Let’s see how this chaos unfolds~! I would very much like to basked it in its full glory. Besides, this could be fun.” Lucifer didn’t seem to mind Zenta using him as a cushion. “Rescuing the Breakers… lead the lay Berserk. This is the chance to demonstrate your newfound abilities. That and I’m very so curious about this game though. Wonder if he will have us have join?” Lucifer said. “Naoki often forces me to play games with him. From board games to video games. Mindless… but fun.” He paused. "Don't know how Zenta will play though. He'll instantly loses for us."

Daiman himself really didn’t want to be involved in the matter. After seeing that ghost, Kaiba turning people into cards and now they ran into the leftover Breakers… his heart was heavy with fear. But after seeing Mooli seemingly wanting to join in, he felt some kind of obligation. “We still didn’t get our fight… and I am kind of broke.” He took several deep breaths. “I’ll help too!... Besides… if I bailed now, Kaiba might go over me since I saw everything.”
 
Coella blinked innocently, tilting her head at Kaiba's mention of this Gladiator Duel game. This must have been something the duelist made up, but then again he's made up new games for them to play every time he wants to beat her, so this was something she was used to.

"Don't take too long Kaiba kid! I wanna get started-" The Rabbit Witch shouted with excitement before being cut off by Turles lunging toward Kaiba, looking to strike him. She moved away from the two on her broom but was amazed at the next event that transpired right in front of her eyes. Seto Kaiba had captured and turned the fighter Turles into his very own dueling card! Coella's eyes widen in shock. She remained silent as she turned to the stands, the entire stadium around them began to panic and scream to escape their fate. Not a word was uttered until Kaiba had captured the last of the audience with the exception of a few. The entire stadium was silent now.

"Oh, Kaiba kid..."

As she was forced to take her place on the stage, she looked back to Kaiba, her eyes meeting his as he presented the stakes to her. The witch remained quiet for a bit as if contemplating the bet. She finally smiled devilishly at the duelist. "You know me so well~. Those are some big, big chips you've set on the table. Of course, I accept the terms of the bet! However, I think regardless if you win or lose, you'll be in some serious trouble with those Detectives after they get word of this duel!" The witch giggled, her expression turning back to her sweet and carefree smile.

"But that's a discussion for another time! Let's get this show on the road shall we?"
 
The Shadow Game

“The Detectives won’t be an issue. Coella. After I finished with you, they’re my next targets now that the Breakers under my full control.” Kaiba smirks.

With all the preparation completed and the field ready to go, Kaiba snaps his fingers. A multi-sound system appeared above them, blaring out music.

“Something to set the tone,” Kaiba remarked. “Now, onto the rules of this game.”

[Gladiator Duels is very simple, that even a dimwitted buffoon can understand. Each player receives a deck of monster cards, and your task is to ensure that one player runs out of monsters. Whoever has no monsters to play in both hand and deck, loses.

When a player destroys their opponent’s monster, they will be transferred to the other player. If they are defeated again, they will be sent to the grave and won’t be used again. Barring certain exceptions of course.

Each monster has two abilities. One passive that activates anytime, and one that triggers upon reaching low health.

Each turn is a battle. You cannot summon another monster until that battle is over. You can summon multiple monsters at once per battle but be smart about it. You can lose tons of monsters that way if its backfires.”

Kaiba snaps his fingers again, and a humanoid man approaches Coella. He gave her a duel-disk on her arm with a deck of cards before disappearing.

“That’s all the rules.” Kaiba took out a card. “However, if I’m going to embarrass you, I prefer making sure you understood it completely. Let’s do a practice run.” Elegantly posing, he lifted his card in the air. “I summoned! Chance!”

The card turns extremely bright as bursts of energy shout out from it. Like a lightning bolt, it crashed against the ground, summoning Chance, the gambler who had issues with Coella. His posture was different from his usual self. His eyes were blackened, and his body language was aggressive. “Summon your monster, Coella.”
 
As Zenta listened to Mooli explain the situation to them, his thoughts went to the Breakers who were captured. His mind wondered at how they could save them, if at all. He stayed seated on Lucifer while Berserk suggested that they return to the stadium in order to help the other Breakers. It sounded like a good idea, yet his thoughts were on one thing.

If the enemy has Lady Bernkastel, then this might not be so simple. Her magical capabilities are not to be trifled with. . I am sure that this Kaiba-boy is aware of that. Ah… And here I was, hoping for a chance to relax. Zenta’s tails swayed slightly. However, now that they have been captured, perhaps I can… let loose and… unwind. Yes, just a tad…

“Berserk is right. We should team up in the meanwhile and return to the stadium and help the other Breakers.” Zenta said with a slight yawn, rising to his feet. He reached down and pulled Lucifer up by the back of his suit.

“I am not sure how well I will be able to play this game,” Zenta waved a hand in front of his visor to indicate he was blind to the others. “I cannot see. Perhaps one of you can guide me? I did not play many games when I was… able to see. Unless you count tag.”
 
Dielec was watching this, electricity crackling between her fingers.

"Both Kaiba and Coelle may have bitten off more than they can chew..." she said, "Brachi is one tough powerhouse for one, and Bara has body manipulation and regeneration... I don't know how their minds will work in this scope of play... but their bodies however..."
 
"Good point; we got lucky last time 'cause one of the Detectives was with us and could vouch. This time'll be way harder to explain if Kaiba's captured all his witnesses... hmm, sounds like he's using the cards to control people directly. I've never fought anyone in the Breakers that directly besides Grandpa and that's just a glimpse. But we ain't playing the card game, so we can cheat by gettin' in there and fighting ourselves right?" Berserk wondered aloud.

"Alright! Happy to have ya on board, buddy!" Mooli excitedly hooked an arm around Daiman's shoulders, though as she stood taller it was rather comical. "It was pretty hard to evade the weird light beams, so that would be our first real obstacle if they choose to try and get us out of the way again."

Berserk rubbed her chin, taking in the input of the stragglers as well as her allies. "If Zenny can see those as energy, then he can go in with me first as the distraction! I was already pretty fast before but outspeeding those'll be a breeze now. Then you guys fall in after us and go hog-wild if you want. We aren't gonna worry about a worst case scenario because you nerds are supposed to be winners-- losing's not part of any strat I draw up, I play to win! The Breakers also won't beat you up if you beat them up as a favor to get them out of those cards."

"You got it, Ribbons," Mooli saluted. "Let's stick together Daiman-- you leave the light beams up to me to worry about. Show 'em what you're made of!"

Berserk turned to Zenta. "Whaddo ya say? Let's crash the party from right above 'em mid-match!"
 
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Victor starts to test out current limits. Victor summons a book and starts to read it. He thinks after unsummoning the book "so low to low middle rung of demi-god. It makes since especially because getting sealed by a lesser god by the force of fate is aways annoying."

Victor thinks "I get the feeling that I entered to a group that I just seen as an extra that fine." Victor thinks of summons that can help the group in whatever there are planning.
 
Coella perked up, seeing that it was her turn now to summon a card. The witch noticed that Chance was now on the battlefield, only this time more dead than he already felt after losing to Coella. Poor dear, he looked so ghastly now!

After her thought however, She looked over the duel disk and tilted her head as she pulled out a card, specifically the card of Turles! The fighter who had just attacked Kaiba a few seconds prior. By the looks of her deck, she didn't seem to have much more than a few cards besides the one in her hand currently.

"I summon Turles!" She said, raising the card in the air like Seto Kaiba and watching him appear before her on the field. She wondered if he'd be just as dead-eyed as Chance.
 
Zenta shrugged his shoulders at Berserks suggestion. He did not mind, yet, a part of him did enjoy her method of ‘crashing the party.’ A toothy smile formed on Zenta’s face, his canines exposing wicked.

“I suppose so. Who else is going to help the Breakers? Very well, let us, ‘crash the party’, as you say, miss Berserk. I am… willing to unwind a little. A bit. A tad.”

Zenta then stood next to Lucifer, his arms clasped behind his back.

“And a bit of chaos seems… fun right now.”
 
Souvenir Alley

Daiman clears his throat. “Uh, yeah. I’ll do my best!!” “What the heck did I just got myself into?”

“Then it’s decided. Let’s go rescue those poor souls. And perhaps…. Embrace the chaos along the way.” Lucifer was curious on the method Kaiba used to capture everyone.

Shadow Game

After Coella shouted the name of the summoning person, Turles appeared on the field. At first glance, it seems that the Saiyan warrior was displaying the same signs as Chance.

“You got the gist of summoning, but now the real battle begins.” Seto Kaiba praised the fact that Coella understood the rules behind this game. “Now, Chance—“

“What the hell am I?!” Turles angrily shouted. Overwhelmed with confusion and anger, the Saiyan stomped around and demanded an answer after locking eyes with Kaiba. “You…! What did you do?!”

Kaiba’s eyes widened in shock. Not from fear, but sheer surprise. “What? How are you even talking—”

Without hesitation, Turles fired a blast towards Kaiba. The blast simply disappeared before it can even reach the man. “Tch!”

“Saw that one coming. Neither players can be directly hurt by monsters or anything once the game starts.” Kaiba addressed. “But you should’ve been a mindless puppet. How can you somehow preserve your personality—” Kaiba stares at Coella for a moment and paused. “Of course… the lucky rabbit.” He sighs. “I prefer a game without voice acting, but this is fine.”

“Fine?! What the hell is going on here.” Turles asked.

“I told you before. This is a game I’m having against Coella, and you all are simply the pieces. Don’t like it here? Make sure that Coella can best me in this game and release you from this fate. Don’t try to escape either. Your fate is entirely in her hands, so I recommend you do everything in your power to ensure victory.” Kaiba smirks. “But it won’t happen.”

Turles turns to Coella, letting out a sigh of annoyance.

“Aside from this unexpected development… let’s continue.” Kaiba pointed his finger at Turles. “In battle, monsters will engage in combat until there is a victor. You may advise your monsters on ways to help them win. Chance, go.”

Chance took on a battle pose and stood in position. Clenching his fists, the man suddenly shoots golden coins at Turles in rapid speeds. It slammed against the mighty Saiyan in rapid speeds.

Unfortunately, due to the difference in power between Chance and Turles, the attack Chance doing to him was minimal.

Turles was still confused about his situation, but if he needs to beat anyone in his way to escape, he’ll follow along. “Disappear.” The Saiyan held his hand up and fire a huge energy wave at the man. Easily, Chance was destroyed on the spot. “Too easy…”

After Chance was destroyed, his card in Kaiba’s hand disappeared and ended up in Coella’s hands. “And there you have it,” Kaiba smirks, showing little-to-no concern of sacrificing a monster to explain the proper flow of combat of this game. “Easy right? But the next monster I’ll summon won’t be a freebie.” Kaiba drew his next card. “Well, would you look at that. Johnny Blaze.” Kaiba summoned his card and the man appeared on the field. “Let’s the Shadow Game begin!”

“Tch… another weakling?” Turles smirks. “I still don’t know what’s going on, but this is too easy. You sit back, bear witch. I got things handled.”
 
Coella's ears twitched at the sound of Turles speaking up and acting as his usual self. She laughed at Kaiba, seemingly glad that he wasn't mindless and quiet. She smiled at the Saiyan and waved playfully at him as he let out his exasperated sigh while Kaiba explained the situation to him.

"I disagree, Kaiba! What's a battle without some witty banter between opponents?" The witch said. she looked on in awe at the attack exchange that earned her the Chance card! Simple enough! However unfortunate that Chance wasn't dealt a better power than Turles. "How fortunate I am to already have such a powerful card in my possession. This is going to be fun!" Coella sat back on her broom, watching on as Turles boasted about how this battle would be a breeze. It seemed as though the Saiyan had everything under control, so she would trust his word. She had no reason not to!

"Do your best, Turtle boy! I'm counting on you~!" She cheered from behind him, pumping her fist in the air.
 
Shadow Games

"Yes.. it will be fun... for me. Unfortunately for you, it'll be a nightmare. Blaze, standby for battle." Kaiba ordered.

“It’s Turles.” Turles quickly corrected Coella. “Best remember it, since I’ll be sweeping this entire dumb game.” His confidence didn’t waver when Seto Kaiba talked big game about Johnny Blaze. After careful examination, Turles couldn’t find anything out of the ordinary that supports Kaiba’s sentiment.

“Nightmare? Are you joking?” Turles did his best to mask his laughter. “I’ve faced several humans far stronger than this chump. You supposedly collect a bunch of people on your way here, right? Bring out some real challenge. If I’m going to be forced to play this idiotic game, then at least make it entertaining, you know?” He lowered his guard since he felt no threatening presence from Johnny Blaze.

Seto Kaiba eyed at the Saiyan with a scornful look. “You’re just a demonstration. You have no reason to act arrogant right now.”

“D-demonstration?!” Turles raised his hand and gathered energy. “Watch me blow away another of your summoning—”

The energy gathered in the center of his palm vanished as Turles fell to his knees. His arms dropped to the sides as he lowered his head to see a large, gaping hole in the middle of his torso. “W-what?!”

Turles raised his head to see what had happened, but Blaze was still in that same, battle position. From Turles’ perspective, the man never moved once. “How did—”

“Like I said, you’re just a demonstration.” Kaiba smirks. “Thank you for helping Coella understand the fundamentals of the game. Your service is no longer needed.”

Turles frown as he grinned his teeth. He wanted to respond, but his time was out. He fell to the ground and exploded violently. Turning into pure light, it went straight to Kaiba’s deck, the same as Chance going to Coella’s deck.

“Now that you understand the fundamentals of the game… this is where the game truly begins. You’ve been a thorn on my side for a while now, so this was an excellent opportunity to play-test against you. If I can overcome the concept of luck… then I can overcome everything. That giant woman will be certainly pleased with the results.”

E3YZJDhXwAIB4F-.jpg

GLADIATOR DUELS
BOSS BATTLE: SETO KAIBA
WEAKNESS: NONE! THIS IS A LIFE OR DEATH GAME!


Kaiba drew another card and chuckled slightly. “Just what I need.” With an elegant sway, he shouted. “I summoned: Vegetto and Brachi! Standby for battle!” Two cards shined brightly before Vegetto and Brachi appeared on the field. They stood next to Johnny Blaze and took battle positions.

“Let’s see how helpful that luck of yours will be. Summon your next card, Coella.” He demanded.
 
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The Tournament Stadium

As the battle unfolded between Coella and Kaiba, the group arrived at the front entrance of the stadium. Just as Berserk mentioned, there was a barrier that enclosed the entire building.

Lucifer approached the barrier to have a closer inspection. “A barrier created by science. I haven’t seen those since my last incarnation.”

“Last incarnation…?” Daiman raised a brow.

“Oh, I was talking to myself. Any who, seems that we won’t get in there unless we find a way to get through that barrier.” Lucifer explained. “It’s infused with technology. Designed to prevent… I say unsuspecting magic users from easily breaking in. What a predicament~”
 
"Oh! Seems I spoke too soon. Poor Turtle boy." Coella pouted cutely before looking through her deck. She was still a bit confused about these cards and their abilities, but there was one fighter she recognized from the earlier tournament. Maybe he would fair better against these powerful cards.

"Oh! looks like I'm in a bit of a pinch!!" Coella lowered her hand, drawing a card from her already small deck Placing the Omegamon card down on the field. "I summon Omegamon aaand Michael Myers!"

She watched the two appear magically on the field, hoping at least one of them would be as chatty as Turles.
 
Victor thinks "I wonder if the doors will work?" Victor summons two what looks like doors. One door is on the other side of the barrier and the other is right in front of them.

Victor summons an imp to open the door in order to test out whether or not the doors connect to each other. Victor thinks "this shood work I did not sense anything messing with space but its best to be shore." The imp attempt to get to the other side of the barrier using the doors.
 
Shadow Games

Omegamon appeared on the field and wildly swung his sword around in a panic. “Huh?! Where am I?!” The Digimon shouted before laying eyes on Kaiba. “You…” Without waiting for any explanation, the Digimon pointed his right, cannon arm at Seto Kaiba and fired an energized ice blast. “Supreme Cannon!”

The attack was impeccable in terms of raw power. After burrowing against the ground, it leaves trails of ice that easily reach the point of near absolute zero. Omegamon was fully intended on taking out Kaiba by using one of his strongest attacks.

Before it can reach the man, Vegetto appeared and easily squatted away the blast to the other side. The near absolute-zero attacks seemingly left no impressionable marks on the Saiyan.

“V-Vegetto?!” Omegamon was taken aback by his sudden appearance.

“You got specks of dirt on my clothes. You know how much this is worth?” Kaiba dusted it away from his suit. “Don’t bother attacking me. It won’t work, even if this one didn’t block it.” Kaiba was visibly annoyed; if another card appeared from Coella’s deck and regain their minds, they would freak out and delay the game even further with trivial nonsense.

“Bottom line, you are now in a game between Coella and I. You and the rest of the people I’ve captured are simply game pieces used to determine the winner. Whoever runs out of monsters first loses. If you want to escape this fate, then simply aid your master to victory.”

“Coella….?” Omegamon turned around and noticed Coella floating around. “I see…” Omegamon noticed that his partner, Michael Myers, was on the same side as him.

“None of you are supposed to have your personalities present but seems like a few bugs I need to playtest. Perhaps I should give my monsters some personalities as well… Anyways, the rules are—”

“No need. I know what’s the situation now.” Omegamon interrupted Kaiba.

“Oh?” Kaiba was surprised.

“I have some familiarity with it… Not the first time I been in this situation before…” Omegamon didn’t explained further and turns to Coella. “I know you… you’re that famous gambler that always wins. Didn’t think I’d meet you in person… especially in a situation like this. It is an honor.”

“Tch. You can fanboy all over her after you’re both turned into my collectibles.” Kaiba pointed at both Omegamon and Michael Myers. “Johnny Blaze, standby for battle. Vegetto and Brachi. No need to hold back; unleash your full strength right away.”

Simultaneously, Brach and Vegetto let out a thunderous roar as waves of energy flourished outwards. It tore apart the field around them, sending Omegamon and Michael Myers back several meters. As their energies died down, both Saiyans were present in their strongest forms. Vegetto in his Ultra Instinct form and Brachi in her Super Saiyan Blue Evolution state.

“That silver hair…” Omegamon recognized. Anticipating an attack, the Digimon braced himself to deliver a counter. “Myers, get ready to—” The Digimon realized that he can’t move at all. Michael Myers was unable to move as well. “Huh?!”

“Can’t move, huh? You will not be able to move unless Coella says it. That fool before was able to move around for the sole purpose of a demonstration. Now that a game began, no more freebies. Unless ordered otherwise, you cannot move on your own.” Kaiba stated, with a hint to show that this was a last-minute addition. “Let’s add a little flare, hmm? I’m coming around to see if a little personality makes this battle more entertaining then. If they become too much of problem, I’ll just turn off their personalities on my side.” He pressed several buttons on his duel-disk that had more features compared to Coella’s, and Vegetto and Brachi’s personality were restored, but they do not have full control of their bodies nor actions. “Vegetto and Brachi. Destroy them.”


The Stadium

As the Imp went through the door Victor created, it seems that nothing happened. It was an excellent entrace to bypass the barrier without any issues.

"Oh?" Lucifer nodded that Victor summoning the door. "The imp didn't explode or vanished from existence. That solves one issue." Without any hesitation from the angel, he went through the door and appeared on the other side of the barrier. "Nothing strange yet. Come," He waved his hands at the others. "No harm will happen... unfortunately." Lucifer started to pet the imp while expressing disappointment. He really wanted at least something to happen to them as consequence. He turned his sight ahead; however, sensing two familiar energies. "I'm sensing that Brachi and Vegetto. Appears that they have engage in battle."

Daiman was a bit hesitated on crossing through the door. "But what if its targets only specific people?!" He started to panic that he'll be that unlucky to get some kind of complications.
 
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Zenta casually followed Lucifer through the door, appearing on the other side of the barrier unharmed. A hand ran through his tails, making sure they were perfectly intact. He listened to Lucifer and indeed sensed the energies of Vegetto and Brachi, but also other energies that were unfamiliar to him.

“It is safe to cross. Lucifer and I made it through with no issue. We should hurry and find the source of those energies; I can sense Vegetto and Brachi nearby.”

Zenta continued to move forward, not wanting to wait for the others. His curiosity was getting the best of him, and his itch for battle was stirring. He carefully and steadily moved through the arena. With his arms clasped behind his back, he silently poked through the halls until he heard the voices.

Kaiba’s voice drew him closer, and Zenta finally stood by the fighting area, or what was left of it. With his arms clasped behind his back, he tilted his head, watching the duel between Coella and Kaiba. Zenta remained quiet and seemed confused as to what was going on. His head moved back and forth, as if watching a tennis match while the people attacked each other.

Finally, Zenta’s attention landed on Vegetto and Brachi.

“There they are… This does not seem like Vegetto’s usual mess… What is going on?” Zenta said softly to himself before moving his attention between Kaiba and Coella. “And who are these two?”
 
Victor says after he crosses the doorway like it's a normal thing "that may be an effect of that Gladiator Duels thing Kaiba was speaking about before I ended up with you all. This is just an educated gest, but it seems to be an odd summoner's duel."

The imp lets Lucifer pet it.
 
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