34 – Dammit, Pegasus!

Ishizu and I spent the day after I returned home from Regionals cooped up in our room plotting and giggling to ourselves like mad scientists.

In the end, I decided to wait until Ishizu could join me this morning before entering the shop. I still had a few days until Duelist Kingdom, so I was in no real rush.

Besides, I really wanted my partner in crime's help when I went through all the options. Boy howdy was I glad that I did.

Ishizu's mind is as amazing as she is beautiful. For real, she is hella smart. 

She thought in a somewhat similar way to me, but her mind was much more organized and process-oriented than mine. Her varied views on how we should approach the issue helped me see things from different angles. I found that, together, we made much better decisions than I ever would have on my own. Go figure, huh?

For instance:

I just wanted to browse and pick things I liked after making sure I got the most cards I could. Simple and efficient. 

Ishizu, on the other hand, asked me to type out, I kid you not, every single item in the store, their descriptions, and their prices. The only exceptions were the individual cards themselves. Thank God she was fine with only Super Rares and above or I would have been at it forever!

I grumbled a bit at first, but once they were all written in a spreadsheet, after about 6 hours, we could start separating things based on priority, organizing them based on prices, and doing cost comparisons for like items. 

We went into lengthy, hour-long conversations and debates on the most efficient ways to spend my points to help me in both the short and long term!

Did I mind it?

Not at all! It felt like we were truly a team! I wasn't dealing with big problems alone for the first time in my life. 

Sure, I had memories of previous girlfriends as Josh, but they were incomparable to how I felt with Ishizu. It was all give with them, and I almost never got to take anything for myself. I realized, at that moment, that I had never been in a healthy relationship before. 

It was different with Ishizu. She was right there beside me, helping me every step of the way; Just happy to be there with me and support me - No questions asked.

And the crazy thing was, I knew I would do the exact same for her if she ever needed it. Without hesitation. 

I know love is a partnership, but I never realized how wonderful unconditional love could feel. The fact that she would go to such lengths and put so much effort into helping me achieve my goals was, honestly, really, really hot.

...We might have gotten distracted 3 or 4 times...And all of them may or may not have been from me tackling her onto our bed to show my appreciation...

Anyway...

We got so into our strategy session, that we almost ran out of time to actually buy things! There were only 4 hours left in the shop when we finally started making purchases.

Though, I should mention that I bought Ishizu's Mask Of Many Faces and Cloak Of Illusions immediately after I entered the shop. She was playing around with them a bunch while I typed all the item choices out, and she seemed to be having a blast. Only cost 1750 DP too!

The Bonus Packs, it turned out, acted as credits for buying Booster Packs. Each Booster pack cost 1000 DP, and, when I went to purchase them, I found I could either spend DP or use a Bonus Pack to buy them. I was, unfortunately, unable to get more than the 10 per-month limits for each pack, but it was a great option for saving DP to purchase other items!

I also finally figured out how the Waypoint Obelisks worked. The temporary ones were as stated:

The Waypoint Obelisk (Permanent) for 5000 DP followed the same mechanics: Choose a spot and use a drop of blood to set its location, but these were single items instead of a matching pair. You actually had to use a pair of normal Waypoint Obelisks to bind to a Permanent one's position. Once bound in this way, the one-time use Waypoint Obelisks become a permanent access point to that location.

It was a bit convoluted, but I thought of it like plugging controllers into a gaming system. You need both the game system and at least one controller to play it. Once you plug the controller in, you can use it as much as you want. 

7000 DP later, both Ishizu and I could teleport back to our room whenever we wanted. The obelisk itself was about a foot tall and solid black. Once it was set, it faded into the shadows and was only visible again when I focused on where I knew it was. There wasn't a timer on it at all, but Ishizu explained that it wasn't exactly free either. The Shadow Magic Item used a small amount of our Life Force (Ba or Spiritual Energy) as a power source. She theorized that the farther the distance we travel, the more it will likely take out of us. 

She also explained that Ba usually heals a little each time we have a good night's sleep, so, as long as we didn't use too much of our Life Force all at once, we should have no problem recovering within a day or two. 

I also decided to pick up 3 of the normal Waypoint Obelisks for 3k DP so that I always had them with me in case of an emergency. With the 53,876 DP I accumulated over the last month, I decided that having a backup plan to stay safe was worth 3K.

Finally, after nearly 24 hours of being up and working - We were done. 

I was as ready as I would ever be.

My deck was built and stacked. 

My items would ensure I could come home every night safely and improve my long-term growth. 

My beautiful girlfriend did a runway show in sexy lingerie we found inside a Victoria's Secret catalog for fun - Don't tell her I mentioned that.

All in all, I was feeling confident that I could take on whatever was thrown at me, and that my cards were powerful enough to maybe even become the King of Games!

...And, wouldn't you know it, Pegasus just had to fuck it all up...

* | * | *

2 Days Before The Duelist Kingdom Tournament

I stared down at the white cardboard box in front of me with genuine, giddy excitement.

Ishizu, dressed in her latest iteration of Isis, was sitting beside me with her makeup mirror in front of her, adjusting her eyebrows.

"Zushi, I'm gonna open it now," I call to get her attention.  

"Mmhmm, I'll check it out when you are done. I don't want to crowd you." She answers, her face screwed up in a look of absolute concentration. 

I had no idea eyebrows needed hours of work, but, hey, I am not a girl. Ren was coming over later today to help her fine-tune the look. Kin was coming to keep me company...and out of the way, or so I read between the lines.

Ishizu had really taken a liking to 2 of the faces I showed her from popular animes back in Josh's world, and had used them as the basis for her look. She kept switching between them regularly, constantly tweaking this or that. But then again, who didn't love Esdeath from Akame ga Kill or Yoru*chi from Ble@ch¹Changed this since it is copywritten. Got a Red Checkmark and have no idea what that means... =/?

Turning my attention back to the package from Industrial Illusions, I take one last deep breath and pop open the tabs on the side that I had already cut free from the packing tape. 

With a dramatic flair, I flip open the box!

I ignore Ishizu raising a perfectly manicured eyebrow at my actions, and smile widely at the contents I find within. 

The package was white cardboard with a green stripe running around the outside and a non-descript shipping label, but the inside was not plain in the least. 

Blue velvet lines the inside of the box and the 3 separate compartments. The left half is entirely dedicated to a glove with a bulbous wrap-around metal piece at the wrist. Cut into that metal wristguard were indentations for Star Chips, two were already filled with the dull golden stars. 

The right side was split from top to bottom. The top contained 5 cards and a colorful pamphlet underneath. Below that was a VHS tape with one word written on the white center in thick black ink: Anubis. 

I was, obviously, going to ignore the video. I had no interest in getting Ishizu's soul stolen away, thank you very much. If anything, I will ruin the VHS tape and melt the plastic just to be extra, super, ultra-safe. 

Putting on plastic gloves I brought with me, I quickly pick the tape up and put it into a black garbage bag. I throw the gloves into said bag immediately after, tie it up, and place it down on the floor. Maybe Kin can help me destroy it? He said something about bringing over fireworks earlier...

Ishizu looks even more confused than before now, raising both eyebrows to show it. I simply smile back at her explaining, "The tape is from Pegasus. I knocked him on his ass and would rather not find out if his spooky eye can affect us through the TV."

She pauses, considers, then nods slowly - Seemingly agreeing to my precautions. She then goes back to her mirror and ignores me. 

'Just because you currently look like Esdeath doesn't mean you need to be so cold! ...Actually, on second thought, I'm kinda into it. The fact that it is her same crystal blue eyes, but now with pale cerulean hair, white as porcelain skin, and a resting "I'll slit your fucking throat" face is pretty hot. Just no kicking, please. That is where I draw the line.' I think while nodding seriously.  

Getting back to the contents of the velvet-lined box, I reach in and pull out the glove, sliding it onto my hand and wrist immediately after. Donning my mask and cloak, I transform into Anubis and strike a pose.

"Babe, does this clash with my look? I am not sure how a random red accent is gonna mesh with my black and gold..." I whine, moving over to stand behind her so I can look at myself in her mirror. 

Yoru*chi looks back at me with a smirk. This time her eyes are pale yellow and she has deep, royal purple hair. Her skin color has darkened to rich chocolate from her natural caramel, but her face shape is very similar to her normal lovely look. Where before she looked cold and unapproachable, now she looks like a sadist, ready to tease me into tears at a moment's notice.

Even with both of these perfect, beautiful masks, I would still take my natural Zushi over either of them any day of the week.

Surprisingly, all three have the same bust size, so she doesn't need to change anything there...not that I was looking...No need to glare, Zushi!

"Can you not change it with your cloak?" She asks, her voice as Isis is a sultry alto with a deep Egyptian accent, something she surprisingly lacks normally despite having been born there. 

Tilting my head, I try to do just that. Within a second, the maroon glove turns midnight black without issue. I leave the gold and silver highlights as it matches the rest of my look just fine. 

"Much better! You are as smart as you are gorgeous, you know that?" I compliment her, kissing her forehead after pulling up my mask. 

Ishizu smiles sweetly and nuzzles my cheek before pushing me away and getting right back into her important work. 

I chuckle as I head back to my seat in front of the box, but just as I am about to sit down, the doorbell rings. 

We quickly transform into our normal appearances and head to the door together to greet our friends. 

Ren pulls Kin through the door the instant we open it and slams it shut behind her before squealing and tackling Ishizu in a hug. Kin gives me a fist bump as soon as his hand is free and we turn back to watch the short girl grab my girlfriend's shoulders and demand, "Show me!" with sparkles in her eyes. 

Kin looks around and asks cryptically, "Are her brothers here?" 

I had not yet revealed myself as Anubis to Marik and Odeon, and Ishizu had decided to keep her duelist identity as Isis a secret from her brothers as well. Odeon was way too protective and would probably cause problems for her if he knew, and Marik...well, he was almost never around, to begin with. Always playing with that Barracoda guy, or whatever his name is. I got it right once, that's all that matters. 

"Nah, Ishizu has Odeon watching after Marik. We are good here. I was just opening up my invitation box to Duelist Kingdom from Pegasus." I answer as Ishizu wastes no time in showing off her two new appearances. 

Kin and I head over toward the goodie box so I can show him the glove and cards.

"Man, why does all the cool shit only happen to you..." Kin complains as he inspects the badass gauntlet. 

"Because I am cooler than you, duh," I answer and quickly doge a backhanded slap from a jealous friend.

"So, which do you think I should choose?" Ishizu asks from back by the door as she and Ren enter the living room. She has switched back to normal and looks at Ren with eager anticipation of her thoughts.  

"Which one does Aki like?" Ren asks with a smirk.

Ishizu smiles beautifully and answers, "Toshi told me he likes me like this the most."

Ren gives her a piteous look before shaking her head. 

"W-What? What is it? What was that look for?" Ishizu asks in growing panic.

"You believed him?" She clarifies, patting her on the shoulder several times as if to reassure her it is going to be okay. 

"S-Should I not have!?! Wha-What does that mean!?!" 

"Ren, stop teasing her, please," I call over my shoulder at my short friend in a fatherly tone and with a sigh.

Kin laughs and Ren sticks her tongue out at me as Ishizu pouts adorably. 

"I'm just kidding, Zuzu. They both look great, I don't see what the issue is." Ren concedes while giving her taller friend a hug.

"I need to pick one for my Isis identity, and I can't decide which one is best! Toshi is no help, he always just says I'm beautiful as I am." Ishizu comments with a hint of rosiness coming to her cheeks, clearly happy with my answer despite the complaint. 

Kin and Ren start gagging in unison while I just beam a smile.

We all giggle and move over to the living room couch, me bringing the cardboard box, but leaving the trash bag with the tape - No reason to tempt fate. 

When we settle, Ren has Ishizu go through both sets several times and gives her some pointers on different aspects of the looks while Kin and I check out the glove. He keeps trying to steal one of the stars to see how much he could get for pawning it off, and I have to tackle him and wrestle it out of his hands to get it back - Typical friendly banter.

We finally settle down when Ren tells Kin to behave or she will spank him in front of all of us. He obliges rather quickly after that. 

"I still don't get what the issue is. If you like them so much, why not use 'em both?" Ren asks with a helpless shrug.

"How would I use both? I am going to be Anubis' w-wife...Wouldn't it be weird if I have two faces?" Ishizu explains, trying, and failing, to get through the sentence without a timid stutter. Her cheeks reddening even more fill me with the hope that I can still tease and embarrass her for a while longer yet.

"Isn't that what Aki did? He has the mask version that is Anubis and the unmasked version. Why can't you have 2 as well? The Egyptian Gods have many names associated with themselves. Toshi could let the white-haired stud be Anpu and you could choose one for Isis and the other could be Eset or Aset. Isis is the Goddess of Life and Magic, you could let each aspect have a different face. Simple." Ren explains with a roll of her eyes as if this was the obvious conclusion.

We all stare at her in shock.

"What? I thought you liked Ancient Egyptian history? I studied up on it so we could have more to talk about." She finishes with a huff after a minute of silence. 

"...Why not both?" I blink and nod.

"You're a genius, Ren!" Ishizu squeals in delight and, this time, it's her tackling Ren into a hug. She then grabs her hand and runs over to her mirror on the table. "Help me choose which is which! And the outfits! I can have 2 themes!"

Smiling at my excited girlfriend, I look back to Kin, who, surprisingly, has a rather endearing smile on his face as he looks at his own girl. 

Talking in a low voice, he says, "She'll never admit how much effort she puts into the little things...Even I get blown away from time to time."

"I really don't want to talk about you getting blown, dude." 

"Fuck you, Aki."

Chuckling and dodging the swing at my shoulder -The one still bruised from where he hit it 2 days ago- I ask him a question in the same low tone. "Did you bring them?"

A wide smile splits his face. "3 Cherry bombs and I even got my hands on an M80."

My eyes widen in shock, "How the fuck did you get those? Aren't they super illegal?"

He smirks with an air of superiority. "You may sing my praises, peasant! My uncle just came back from America and brought them for me as souvenirs."

"Why wasn't Uncle Hiro at the party then?" I ask curiously. His uncle always told me to call him "Uncle Hiro," so I have since I was a kid. He is a cool dude. He is ex-military and now does contract work on electronics in helicopters all over the world. 

Kin winces. "His wife found out about his American side chick."

I share the wince. He was dead. It was nice knowing him.

His wife happens to be Kimiko's sister. Enough said there. 

"Well, enough of that, let's go blow some shit up!" Kin announces excitedly, moving past the topic of his late Uncle Hiro. 

"Hell yeah, let me check this out real quick first. I just wanna make sure I don't need to send something in to confirm I'm going." I quickly pick up the cards and the pamphlet to skim through the content. 

The cards are as follows:

• Voyage to the Kingdom - A card with the image of a classical galleon ship. It tells of the date, time, and location of the cruise ship's departure to Pegasus' Duelist Island. It also counts as my ticket
• Duelist Kingdom - A card showing the island itself. Its text hints at the different biome types and locations that might have an influence on monster card attributes - I assume they will be permanent Field Spell effects or something of the like. 
• Duelist's Glove - A card explaining how the Dueling Gauntlets and Star Chips work. You need to get 10 to move on to the finals. 
• Glory of the King's Hand - A card depicting a pile of gold and treasure. Showing this card after winning in the tournament will grant the winner 3 Million USD or 300k DP
• Glory of the King's Opposite Hand - A card with blank white art. Showing this card after winning in the tournament will grant the winner an additional duel with Pegasus. If the winner beats Pegasus, they get the prize money as well as any wish Pegasus is able to grant. 

No surprises there, but I do appreciate the cool unique cards. Maybe I can get them framed for Ishizu and my room later?

I quickly open the pamphlet, already discounting it as either a sales ad or just some more flavor text, but when I glance at the words, my face drains of color. 

"WHAT!?!" I scream in absolute shock and horror. 

'Dammit, Pegasus! I don't want to play by the stupid anime rules!!!!!!' I scream inside my head, cursing the flaming idiot to all the Hells in existence.