22 Danger, Threats in the Shadow!

[3rd POV, Earlier (Before the duel with Keith)]

After leaving Yuna and his brother, Seto walked quietly through the forest. He stared at the castle in the distance where the perpetrator of this entire mess resided. Seto patted the area of his chest where his gun was hidden underneath his trench coat. He hoped he didn't have to use the weapon but won't show mercy if Pegasus refused to yield.

Before Seto realized it, he was already at the gate of the large castle. It was too quiet, and he hadn't encountered any Pegasus's men. He turned and glanced at the forest where his brother and Yuna were probably wandering around.

He felt uneasy entrusting Mokuba's safety to the girl, but at least Seto understood her intention was sincere. Seto took a deep breath and pushed against the gate, it moved easily, and he was surprised that it wasn't even locked.

His shoes made a sharp clicking sound in the empty hallway. The interior was eerily dark, and Seto clenched his fist to calm his stirring heart. Eventually, he reached a dead end, and before him was another door.

Seto could hear someone inside; he equipped himself with the pistol and entered. The door immediately slammed shut behind him, and Seto frowned. In the center of the room was a man resting leisurely on an extravagant chair.

The man wears a bright red suit and cuffs. He has long white hair that covers the left side of his face, and he smiles ominously upon noticing Seto's presence.

"Welcome to my humble abode Kaiba-boy," Pegasus said with his English accent Japanese.

Seto scowled and pointed the pistol at Pegasus's face: "This foolish act has been going on far enough. Stop now before it's too late."

Pegasus chuckled: "I wouldn't do that if I were you..."

He clapped his hands, and the lights came to life, illuminating the room and revealing dozens of armed men in black suits pointing their firearms at the young Kaiba Corps President. A droplet of sweat dripped down Seto's forehead, and he tightened his grip on his weapon.

"Call of your men this instance, or else I will place a bullet in your brain!" Seto threatened.

"Oh?" Pegasus tilted his head: "You're not one that should be making negotiations, you know? Unless you want your brother to get hurt."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Seto gnashed his teeth.

Pegasus flicked his finger, and a white screen slowly lowered from the ceiling. The projector machine across the room began to play, and Seto gasped. It was a live video of a girl and boy strolling through the forest, unaware they were stalked.

"If you shoot me and my subordinates don't hear from me after a certain amount of time..." Pegasus smiled: "I'm sure you know the implication of my words."

"You dare!" Seto shouted in anger.

"Oh, I do dare Kaiba-boy," Pegasus shrugged: "You see, I'm in control this entire time. So, don't make me repeat myself." His smile suddenly vanished, and Pegasus stared at Seto coldly: "Drop. The. Gun."

Seto's arm trembled, and he glared at Pegasus with hatred. The room's atmosphere was so tense that it could be cut with a sharp knife. Eventually, Seto faltered, and his pistol fell to the floor.

Pegasus's smile widened: "Good, now we can discuss like civilized men!" All the security guards finally lowered their guns and confiscated Seto's weapon, so now he's left defenceless and under the villain's clutches.

"I hope you understand that it's nothing personal." Pegasus explained nonchalantly: "Taking over your company was merely a stepping stone to reach my grand goal."

"And that is?" Seto questioned with a scowl.

"Now now, it wouldn't be interesting if I reveal everything here?" He laughed: "But what I would give you is a chance."

Seto: "A chance?"

"Yes, an opportunity of some sort allows you to return everything to how they were." Pegasus explained: "It's simple, as fellow enjoyers of Duel Monsters, isn't it natural that we settle our dispute with a duel?"

"But of course, if we were to duel, you would follow my rules." Pegasus declared: "Since I'm currently hosting a tournament, it would be a shame if it was ruined."

Pegasus took something from his pocket and tossed a red glove at Seto, and it fell before his feet: "Go collect ten-star chips, then we can talk."

Seto stared at the smiling Mokuba through the screen. He clicked his teeth and picked up the duelling glove. The fabric felt soft on his finger, but it disgusted him even further. Five Star Chips were already implanted inside the gauntlet. Seto slid the glove onto his life hand, and Pegasus laughed.

"That looked good on you." He smirked.

Seto turned around and approached the entrance. His hand touched the door handle and stopped: "I will destroy you..."

"Ha ha ha," Pegasus chuckled: "I will await that moment then. The clock is ticking, and you only have today before it's too late. You don't want to disappoint your brother, would you?"

Seto's anger soared through the roof, and he punched the wall, leaving a fist mark on the structure. Pegasus watched with amusement as the young duelist exited swiftly.

He shifted his seat and watched the live footage. His eyes zoned in on the girl beside Seto's little brother: "How fun! I want to duel you again, Yuna Sano! So you better not fail my expectation!"

Pegasus grinned, and his laughter echoed in the dark castle...

[Yuna POV, Present Time]

I smiled when Keith collapsed to the ground in shock. His arrogant taunting during the duel had got on my nerves, and seeing him in this state lifted my mood. Throughout the battle, I felt a hunch something was amiss, and it was later proven when Keith drew three Seven Completed consecutively.

I might be wrong, as he possibly had the luckiest draw of his life. But familiar with his personality, I doubt that was the case. However, I'm not going to confront him about it though.

Losing like that was already humiliating enough, and if I angered him even more, there was a chance he won't use cards to settle the score...

Geez, I need something to defend myself. Should I get one of those self-defense Tasers? As the brief thought lingered, we were lowered from the Podium. Joey sprinted at me with a wide grin.

"That was some awesome dueling Sano!" He exclaimed like an excited toddler.

"Of course, Big Sis was super powerful after all!" Mokuba added while appearing from the sidelines.

My cheeks felt slightly heated from their high evaluation, and I could only nod weakly in response.

"Joey, where are you!?"

We turned our heads when a group of people emerged from the trees. Their eyes settled on us and widened. A boy wearing a blue school uniform with hair that looked like a starfish ran towards us.

"Joey, we have been looking for you! Also, why is Sano-san here, and who are they?" Yugi asked and gestured at the dazed Keith and his group.

Thankfully, Joey was there to explain, so I didn't have to speak. Yugi seemed grateful for my rescue, and he stared at the American Duelist with contempt. The rest of Yugi's crew also arrived, and together, we confronted Keith to collect our winning.

To my surprise, Keith complied with a word. Even if he had resorted to cheating, he's still a man who kept his word. I inserted the earned star chips into my gauntlet. All the slots were filled, and I successfully survived the preliminary match.

"Hey, Sano-san, do you want to come with us?" Tea asked on behalf of the group, who was waiting with anticipation.

However, I declined the offer. Joey and Yugi still needed more Star Chips, and since I had gathered ten, I didn't have to search for the remaining duelists. Also, I felt my mental state would suffer with this many people, so I'm content with only having Mokuba by my side.

The crew was disappointed but respected my decision, and we parted ways. Mokuba and I decided to proceed to the castle at the island's center. We still had a few hours to spare, but the distance was pretty far, so we needed to travel steadily and not be late.

I felt slightly worried about bringing Mokuba to the castle, and he didn't hide his hatred toward Pegasus. However, knowing that I had a tournament to compete in, he agreed to follow me despite the risk.

His selflessness tugged on my guilty conscious as to whether it was the right choice. Yet, he insisted that we should go, I can predict his way of thinking, he's probably still sulking about being ditched by Kaiba so he want to go meet him regardless of the dagner.

The journey was uneventful as no random duelist appeared from hiding, demanding a duel. Mokuba and I spoke along the way; even if he was the one that did most of the talking, I enjoyed it. I tried to give him a thorough response, but the words I wanted to express refused to leave my mouth.

Nonetheless, I enjoyed the company, and the few hours hike went by like a breeze. However, my spirit dampened when we stopped at the bottom of the long winding stairs.

Ah... I completely forgot about the stairs! I can still feel the cramps in my legs from climbing the first time!

"Come on, let's go!" Mokuba urged and jumped on the first step.

I sighed while watching him eagerly skip up the stairs. With a heavy heart, I followed after him.

Another hour later...

"B... break," I begged as sweat stained my clothes.

Mokuba, who didn't even seem remotely exhausted by the strenuous climb, stopped and nodded. I collapsed tiredly on one of the steps and gasped for air. When my pulse rate returned to normal, I dug through my bag and brought plain bread; I tore the food in half and offered the piece to Mokuba.

He accepted gratefully and quietly nibbled on his bread beside me. At first, I was worried that he wouldn't eat the food I prepared since I assumed that, being a brother of a billionaire, his taste buds surely would be richer than mine.

We gazed at the scenery of the island. It was a refreshing sight, and I would have had fun if only we didn't have a time limit and still had to climb many sets of stairs...

"ROOOAAAAAAARRRRRRRR"

Suddenly, a deafening roar echoed from the castle. We can briefly discern the shape of an enormous creature emerging from the building, and our eyes widen in shock. The white scales, huge pings, sharp fangs, and most noticeable features were the three dragons' heads snarling with rage.

I dropped the bread in my hand and stood up. The Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon howled, firing a pale beam from its jaws. Our bodies moved on instinct, and we sprinted up the stairs. All my exhaustion was washed away, and adrenaline coursed through our veins as we ran with bated breath.

When we finally reached the top, I couldn't believe my eyes. Before us were Kaiba, Yugi, and the rest of the crew as the two duelists were battling in an open area outside the castle entrance.

"Ha ha ha, Yugi! Behold the power of my Blue Eyes White Dragon, your Dark Magician doesn't stand a chance!" He said with his usual haughty tone.

What the heck's happening?!

Shouldn't Kaiba be confronting Pegasus right now? I have Mokuba with me, so he shouldn't be forced to do anything like dueling Yugi! However, no matter my thought, I couldn't convince myself there weren't things happening behind the scenes...

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I hope you enjoy!