victory_road | ANOMALY DETECTED

[Bakura's eyes narrow at being called out like that.]

A backup, maybe! But it's not material for the main one!

[and oh, now he's angry

He crowds in on Marik, daring him to do or say anything more that Bakura doesn't like.]

You are right, a little more won't kill me. But I'll do something else, something that I should have done a long time ago already! I'll tell you something!

[The tomb keeper puffs up, hands on his hips, and looks down his nose at Bakura. Seems he's set off the thief. About time he took him a bit more seriously! (His curiosity and pride are getting the better of him though.)

Chen yelps and hides beneath Marik's hair.]

Oh? The "stage" is all yours. Please, enlighten me, Thief King.

Then listen well, Tomb Keeper~

[Pushing his hand against his hips, Bakura puffs up to the most imposing that Ryou's body is capable of.

He takes a deep breath, and- ]

Do your own dirty work, Marik Ishtar!!

...

[Marik stares absolutely stunned because the idiot was expecting a compliment or something. Surely his little scheme merits some praise!]

Edited 2022-12-07 23:43 (UTC)

[And then his right mind catches up to his deflating ego and posture, enough to make Chen peek out.

... THAT'S IT? THAT'S WHAT HE WANTED TO SAY?]

I... But you...

[And his face turns red from embarrassment because he's never been so called out before. Or not recently at least.]

I was j-just trying to help you! T-that's all! If you don't want my advice then fine! I'll...

[Hfff! Marik crosses his arms and looks off to the side.]

Edited 2022-12-07 23:55 (UTC)

I'll...

[He'll... what? He has no idea. But he can't just let Bakura get away with insulting him!]

... Nnhhggahhh! Just forget it! Don't say I didn't try though!

[The look on Marik's face is almost comical enough to make him laugh out loud. Bakura watches the blond struggle through what he's just heard, arms already crossed again challengingly and head held high.]

You'll what?! For somebody so adamant about it, you're ridiculously bad at being evil, Marik. Can you really get so little done without the Rod?!

Hhgkk...

[Marik grinds his teeth. Bakura's right again. He really can't get anything done without the Rod. He abused its power and learned to dependant on it too much. Having Odion and the Rare Hunters do everything for him didn't help either.

Not like he can ridicule Bakura about not being capable without the Ring. He got plenty done before he ever got any of the items.]

... I can't.

[He turns away slightly. Chenzira purposely moves to be the farthest away from Bakura as possible while hanging off of Marik.]

I can't do anything in this world we've been brought to. Weapons are useless, the law is incredibly active, and... I wouldn't be surprised if the Gods here know what I've done.

It would be obvious if something happened to Atem that it was me. Joey and Kaiba would know instantly. I'd... have no where to run or hide.

So that's it!? You know that there's a very easy solution to that, don't you?

[He suspects that the tomb keeper doesn't, dumb as he can be, but luckily for Marik there's a cure to being a fatalistic idiot. His eyes catch those of that ridiculous little pokemon and he wonders again why Marik bothers with it. It doesn't matter, though, because this little runt will give Bakura all the leverage he needs to sway the tomb keeper into the way he wants him to go.]

[The fatalistic idiot doesn't know what he could be referring to, at least not until he follows Bakura's gaze to his slightly shivering Yamask. Marik immediately puffs himself up again, keeping Chenzira away from the Spirit.

For as terrible of a person as he may be, Chen has been with him through this new journey, heard all of his dark secrets, and has never once left his side. His conscience, a shoulder angel. The tomb keeper is extremely protective of him.

Still, he decides to ask:]

And what is that?

Change your circumstances, you idiot! There is absolutely nothing holding you back from changing the playing field if the stakes are all stacked against you!

Like, that thing on your shoulder? How many would call it weak or useless against the monster that jumped us just earlier?

[Oh, look how he cares about that little thing! So much attachment, so many new levers to exploit! All Bakura needs to do is to make Marik think that he wants what actually the spirit does.

Love and pride are wonderful tools for that.]

[He's right about changing up his team but... it's the same problem as in Duel Monsters. Atem, Kaiba, Joey, even Ryou are all better players than him. He's been the slowest (discounting Atem) out of them to get the hang of pokémon battles and even then... Marik's confidence isn't great. He believes in his team, absolutely. Himself, not so much.]

Normally Chenzira wouldn't have had a problem with it. He might be unevolved but he's max level and has plenty of battle experience. I don't know why that particular Runerigus was so resilient...

[Marik clicks his tongue and looks away again.]

... And I wouldn't be where I am today if it hadn't been for Kaiba. I... can't bring myself to betray him. He's all I had here for the longest time.

As for Joey. Joey's... He's bigger. Older. He'd forgo the pokémon fight and kick my ass himself if I did anything foolish. He's made that very clear without even saying anything.

It wasn't resilient when I hit its eye.

[Which is also absolutely not how things are supposed to work, but the Items and those too seeped in them have a bad habit of bending the ways the world should actually work.

He listens to Marik lament his lot and clicks his tongue impatiently.]

So? What keeps you from working on yourself until you've got either the technique or the muscles to beat him? Blondie's also an idiot who both falls for every little provocation and scares easily, why not build on and exploit that? Set him up for a fight against somebody he can't win that easily against! Send him away on an errand for some of his friends! Get him into an interesting quarrel with the police and distract two birds with one stone!

Your Chenzira looked for a way and tossed me that ball when it saw that it couldn't fight and keep you safe at the same time. Isn't that already the best proof that if one path is blocked, that doesn't mean that all the others are?

And it normally doesn't work like that. You just got lucky.

[It's Marik's turn to listen, taking the suggestions to heart. He's been beyond lazy since arriving here. The teen's barely had to walk outside of when they got whisked away to Hisui. Once they were back in modern times, he rode Usi and Bahiti everywhere. And as soon as the snow hit, he's pretty much been locked up in the apartment doing nothing but perhaps gaining the bad kind of weight and letting his mind rot away.

It's not good.]

Bakura... He joked about being my mind slave. That's how he revealed himself to me the other day. You have to... be a madman or insanely confident in your own skill to joke about something like that...! That would be like if Ryou made a casual joke about being your landlord.

[He shudders.]

I don't think he's the same guy you last dealt with. He isn't for me, that's for damn sure. He drove and handled his bike like a gods damned motorcycle...! Even if I were to start working out or something, he'll always be leagues ahead of me. They all are...

[It wasn't an unpleasant experience meeting up with Joey but it made him keenly aware of the ever growing gap between the crew from a couple years in the future compared to him. Still only sixteen, fresh from Battle City, unaware and an outsider to the many events that happen to Yugi and the gang.

Just like he's always been.

Chenzira peeks a bit around Marik's shoulder. What he's telling him isn't incorrect but... big brother should better himself for good things...! Not for wronging others.

The blonde sighs and runs his hand through his hair.]

But... I should... work on making myself better. Stronger. Sharper. I'm getting dull. I've been dulling for months now... I'll have a flare up where I improve for a bit but then I fall right back into doing nothing.

[He closes the distance between them and gently attempts to poke Bakura in the chest.]

... Perhaps your arrival here, temporary or not, is the Gods' way of kicking my butt into gear yet again. Or a cruel joke to rub in my face at just how far I've fallen.

[Bakura raises an eyebrow as things just keep spilling forth from Marik.]

Replace 'casual' with 'snarky' and yeah, he does that sometimes. He's been talking to the Ring long before he even knew I was there.

[He shrugs.]

Talking like that comes with familiarity.

[He is about to say something else when Marik interrupts him before he can even begin by stepping close and poking him. A second pulled-up brow joins the first at that attitude of ~familiarity~ ]

It's definitely the latter. I and the gods don't work together. ....So, what are you going to do now?

Just how familiar do I get with him then...

[It sucks being the only one from the earliest point in the timeline. He both does and doesn't want to know how things go. Marik hasn't bothered asking any of them about the exact details of when the Pharaoh goes to regain his memories. It doesn't feel right to know.]

... Tch. Of course it is. I wanted a new beginning and the Gods continue to bring people in to remind me of where I stand in all of this...

[Chen's at least relaxed a bit. If Bakura isn't being a complete bad influence on him, he's alright... but he's got his eye on the Spirit despite his current exhaustion.]

I... I don't know. I have the resources, I just... need the drive. It's so freaking cold out now though that I don't want to do anything. I hate winter.

[Really, the only thing he's been mildly focused on as of late is his Love(?) Quest. How to ask Fluttershy out on a date. Hnn. Maybe if he starts getting in better shape, she'll be more impressed....

This boy and his flights of fancy. He isn't about to discuss that with the Ring Spirit though.

Marik fiddles with one of his arm cuffs.]

.... I suppose working out wouldn't be a bad start. It'll get me out of the house more. Gyms are usually warm, right? And I can continue volunteering at the Tower... then... I'll be in shape come the springtime and resume the Pokémon Gym challenge with my team.

[A pause as he looks up to meet Bakura's gaze with an expectant expression. The snark will come. He knows it.]

Not exactly "bad guy" stuff but I'll work into that.

What an amazing New Year's Resolution.

[He couldn't sound any more dry if he tried. Bakura ruffles a hand through the hair on his head and sighs.]

I should've known better than to expect more than that. Zoroark! Come! We're going!

[He doesn't know why he wants Bakura's approval as much as he does. Hearing that dry remark despite expecting it still hits him hard and Marik feels his heart sink.

Chen seems relieved at least.]

Bakura...!

[What can he say? What can he do? Has he really just settled into a life of mediocrity? Or is Bakura just expecting too much of him? The blonde swallows, feeling like despite the fact that he's been given some guidance on what to do, it's not enough to keep the thief interested in some form of... friendship between them.

Maybe he was a fool to think they were more than "partners in crime." They were just using each other during the entirety of Battle City but with the Duel against his darker self, he'd grown a certain fondness for Bakura.

But he's out of ideas. Deep down, despite how much of a terrible child, Marik doesn't actively want to ruin what he's got going on in this world. He does want to better himself though more that Bakura's pointed it out.

The teen lets out another sigh. One last pathetic attempt to keep him around.]

... Are you taking Runerigus with you?

...that thing?

[He reaches for the new pokeball within his pockets, and brushes over it thoughtfully. Bakura can feel the powerful entity hum within it. It had acted out and attacked them(?) twice so far, but it had also seemed content to obey his words once he's established who's the most dangerous ghost here.

His fingers halt for a moment as a new possibility crosses his mind. What if it hadn't been both of them it had been after - but just Marik?

Maybe there was something about the tomb keeper that the ghost hadn't liked? ...... In any case, Bakura still has a promise to keep with that thing.

I'm going to deal with it, just like I said. You didn't think that I'd let something that can use my memories to traumatize others run free, did you?

[Marik rubs the back of his neck and clicks his tongue. Chenzira is more than happy to be rid of that thing. It hurt his trainer and made him see something bad!]

I would have kept it from terrorizing people. I'm familiar with ghost pokémon and their temperament. It's just a matter of earning its respect.

I might be sloppy at everything else but I'm at least good with understanding these creatures.

You. Good with ghosts? There's a lot of ass-backwards irony in that claim, don't you think, tomb keeper?

[But he is considering it. There is no denying that that little runt is attached to Marik, and even he himself is... Well. No, Bakura definitely doesn't like him. But he did help him before, against his better judgement. So there might be a certain common ground that helps Ishtar to connect a bit better with the dead than most.

....that snake will still eat him alive and wipe the ground with him after spitting him out again. Which might actually not me such a bad thing. Hmmmmm.]

What are you planning to do with my memories? [A beat.] Don't tell me you saw me alive and have fallen for that form?

[Hah, yeah, as if!]

Yes, yes. I'm aware of the irony, trust me.

[It was never lost on him, even when he first arrived. But there's a familiarity in how the presence of ghost pokémon feel and he often finds himself drawn to it or them drawn to him.]

Nothing. I was-

[Marik arches his brow.]

You are handsome in a rogueish way, I'll give you that, but I told you before I'm studying the Yamask line. I've been meaning to get a Runerigus - and that is technically my pokéball.

... Your memories will remain hidden though. You have my word on that. Not a soul will know of our meeting and what I've seen. That's...

[He grits his teeth and hisses. More irony.]

That's what I'm good for anyways.

[Has he mentioned that... ? Bakura doesn't know, but then again, he didn't care to listen to what Marik had to say either. He wipes Marik's blathering about it being his ball away with a click of his tongue, because without Bakura that thing would definitely not have been caught!

As Marik continues Bakura's derisive look turns into a stunned silence before he bursts out laughing.]

HAHAHAHa! You! Wanting to protect my memories, instead of the Pharaoh's!? Your family will toss you out if they ever find out what you're doing!

....which almost makes it tempting, I'll admit.

[But then again, they both know Marik's success count with keeping the secret that's engraved on his very back secure, don't they? This promise of Marik's is something that he's definitely going to break. It's a given.]

Why shouldn't I pick a third option and just let that thing run free again?

[Oh, that irritating, insulting laugh. He perfectly set himself up for that one. Marik hisses again and clenches his fists.]

I don't need to protect his anymore. I never wanted to in the first place! At least with you I give some damn about. I wouldn't be offering otherwise!

And my family isn't going to find out. It's none of their business what I do in this world!

[None of the Rare Hunters knew Hieratic so that's why he wasn't concerned with hiding his back around them. They're the only ones to have seen it though so... decentish enough track record? At least he would think so.

Hmm. Does he show his proverbial belly at the threat or try to intice him? Maybe one more pathetic last attempt to get through to him, even if just a little.]

Because I'm one of the few people, if not the only person to not consider you my enemy.

It isn't much but... at least someone would be honoring your memories.

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