Chaos Effect

Chapter 14

He had dressed in a new suit, this one far more red than his usual fare, with a green tie around his ruffled shirt. A metallic emerald bag was clutched in one hand and he had a bottle of sparkling grape juice tucked under the other.

Any concerns that he was overly festively dressed died when the door opened to reveal Edwin wearing a red Santa hat and black Christmas sweatshirt depicting a smiling dinosaur holding a present, the words 'Merry T-Rexmas' switched onto it.

"Pegasus!" Edwin greeted with a grin. "Please, come in." He took the grape juice from him and stepped aside. The apartment was rather cheerfully decorated, complete with lights strung up around the window frames, a few wreaths, the tables covered with cheery holiday table cloths, and of course a beautiful down-to-earth Christmas tree. A computer had been set up playing a digital Yule log scene and soft instrumental Christmas music was playing through the speakers. "Put the gifts down over there. You did label them, right?"

"I did," Pegasus said with a bemused smile. "It isn't my first time giving out presents."

"Right, sorry," Edwin said sheepishly. "Anyway, I personally got everyone gifts so no one will go without. If you want to do anything privately let me know... the bedrooms are available-"

"Actually I would like to talk with you privately, if I could?"

"Sure. Can you give me a moment? I just want to check on the turkey breast. Everything's all set I'm just trying to keep the food warm."

"Of course," Pegasus said, walking over to the tree and placing the presents down next to the rather large pile of mismatched gifts. He couldn't help but try and guess which set came from which person only to realize he didn't fully know who else was at the party. That caused him to stand up and begin looking around. It was a rather interesting group that Edwin had gathered... one could almost call it a Duelist Kingdom reunion save for the new faces. Joey Wheeler, wearing an actual dress shirt, was hovering around a girl with brown hair that Pegasus wagered was his sister, Serenity; she in turn looked utterly delighted to be there and as Edwin passed them he quietly asked her some question that made her blush and stammer a thank you. Yugi-Boy was chatting with Rex Raptor, who was trying to appear aloof and cool but would occasionally smile to reveal that was all an act. Tea was with an older woman who was either a sister or a cousin, while Tristan and Bakura were chatting quietly together, both of them wearing elf hats. Mai Valentine, wearing a lovely maroon dress, walked over to speak with Edwin, placing her hand on his arm and Pegasus once more wondered just what was going on there as he wasn't used to seeing the femme fatale being the one to chase the guy. Seto Kaiba, looking utterly awkward and annoyed, was wearing a suit while speaking with Renard Volpe who was sipping some egg nog; Mokuba was nearby talking to a young blonde girl who was holding a teddy bear and was wearing a pretty party dress, Kaiba constantly glancing at him. Solomon Moto was munching on some sugar cookies while talking to a rather dapper looking older man while Mako Tsunami came from another room and moved to the kitchen, shooing Edwin away.

A large gathering but yet also small. Perfectly balanced.

'How is it that a man known as 'Chaos' is so good at finding order?' he mused to himself as the party host returned.

"Sorry about that."

"Everything fine?"

"Oh, completely. I know TV and movies make cooking a turkey look hard but so long as you follow the instructions it is fine. Mako just wanted to cook up his catch and promised to watch the main dishes and ensure they stay warm and ready. Solomon brought fried chicken because the Japanese associate KFC with Christmas so there will be a wild array of choices." He motioned for Pegasus to follow him and they entered one of the guest rooms. "So, what can I do for you?"

"I brought gifts for everyone, though I do admit to cover for myself I am providing gift cards for some since I didn't know all who were coming. But it is a tradition in my family to present to the host a secondary gift, to thank them for the extra work they have done. This is done privately."

"Of course," Edwin said with a nod that was more of a bowing of his head.

Reaching into the pocket of his coat he pulled out a small wrapped package, done up in metallic blue paper. Pegasus handed the gift over to Edwin, perhaps even more excited than Edwin in the excahnge. He waited though till the younger man had unwrapped the gift and begun to thumb through the cards before explaining, enjoying the shock and surprise that showed up on Edwin's face. "I designed these to use a similar system as your current deck but in new and original ways. The monsters are based on the creatures of ancient myth merging with a jackal spirit. The blending of Egyptian myth, the original basis for Duel Monster, with other myths throughout the world just felt... right." Edwin stared at the cards in shock and awe. "This deck is the only one of its kind, Edwin. My gift to you." He smiled. "Merry Christmas."

"...Merry Christmas," Edwin said, voice husky with emotions.

Which made the gift all the more worth wild.

It was why he had begun to create Duel Monsters in the first place, before he'd even been to Egypt, when it had merely been a game half-forming in his head during his childhood and teenage years. To see the joy and awe when a duelist received a new card and instantly felt a connection. He'd done that for Edwin and it already made this the best Christmas he'd had in... a very long time.

"You know... normally I spend Christmas alone. I am often reminded of what I have lost this time of year, even with all the joy and cheer. But... I think, Eddy-Boy, that spending it with all of you, who know loss as well, is a proper way to honor her memory."

"Yeah," the younger man whispered.

"Edwin!" Rex Raptor called out. "Someone's at the door! Ya want us ta answer?"

"I won't have you be a rude host," Pegasus said and with a wave of his hand gestured for Edwin to hurry out, Pegasus following after him wondering what else he might encounter that would bring him joy this day.

He was thinking a cookie before dinner was a good start.

~MC~MC~MC~

I frowned as I made my way to the door, wondering who was left to show up. Pegasus had been the last person I'd invited and everyone I'd figured would end up being a Plus One was already mingling. 'Though I guess I could be surprised. I didn't even know Tea had a sister!' Slipping the new deck Pegasus had given me (and utterly thankful I'd decided to go all out on my presents for everyone so I didn't end up embarrassed later on; Pegasus was getting a collection of histories on the Golden Age of cartoons, from Warner Brothers and Disney) into my pocket I made my way to the door, spinning past Joey and Tristan who had, for some reason, begun to try and wrestle in the middle of the living room.

"Guys, if you break anything or ruin the party I will escort you out and it won't be through the door!" I adjusted my hat and opened the door, smiling at... a complete stranger. Not that I let them know that, as it would be utterly rude. "Hello there."

"Greetings," the tall and thick figure before me rumbled. He looked like Michael Myers from that horrible Rob Zombie movie if he managed to make it to his seventies and enjoyed eating sponge cake for every meal. Tall, powerfully built, but with a massive belly and a wild white beard threaded with black strands of hair. He had on a long red coat with a hood pulled up so that one could barely see his features in the shadows of the garment, the entire thing trimmed with long white fur. He hefted up a sack that was as large as a beanbag chair and plopped it down in front of me. "I bring gifts."

"...cool," I said finally, deciding not to question any of this because hey, who was I to judge if Tristan had a sumo wrestling uncle or whoever this guy was. "Set'em by the tree, we're about ready to have dinner then we'll pass things out."

"I would prefer-"

"Everyone take a seat!" Mako called out, presenting a large cooked sea bass. "Supper is ready!"

"Its been ready, Mako, we were waiting for your fish," Mai reminded him.

"And it will be well worth the wait!"

Everyone gathered around the table, taking their spots, which became rather interesting as I hadn't bothered on seating arrangements. That meant that there were a couple of empty chairs but otherwise people were going to be pressed together. Which might have been fine... had there not be several people who hated each other because of little things like kidnapping and bodily harm and intense seething dislike. I got to be at the head of the table, since I was the host, so my seat was secure, and Mai quickly took the spot on my right because I was still apparently dealing the inability to figure out if we were in a relationship or not; probably didn't help that we constantly gravitated towards each other. We hadn't talked about it as far as I could tell but the two of us had entered into a strange orbit.

'Of course with my dating record...'

Mokuba wanted to sit next to me but where he went naturally Seto would go, meaning he'd have to sit next to someone else AND across from someone. He didn't want to be anywhere near Pegasus, Solomon Moto didn't want to be near him, Joey and him would be a disaster, and Yugi needed to be kept away from him lest Seto challenge him to a duel. Finally Rebecca convinced Mokuba to sit at the end of the table, with Arthur acting as a buffer between Solomon and that side; Mako ended up sitting across from Seto which was probably the safest choice. Joey and Rex had to be kept separate and Mai still harbored a grudge against Joey so that put him in the middle of the table, Serentiy ending up across from Mai because Tristan had decided to already begin wooing her. Pegasus ended up sitting next to me with Tea and her sister next to him while the rest of the group filtered into the empty slots. The stranger sat at the other end of the table and stared me down the entire time as I brought the last of the food over.

"Alright, so if you want to say anything before the meal do it quietly to yourself. Everyone else be respectful so we can eat." I personally bowed my head and said a quick prayer before looked up and beginning to serve myself. Conversation began to flow as dishes were passed and glasses filled.

"Is this beef gravy?" Arthur asked me.

"It is. I prefer it over turkey. I had some bad experiences with the white stuff... high school-" I made a face, "and the time my grandmother tried to darken the gravy with coffee."

"Seriously?" Renard asked, utterly offended as all Europeans would be at a sin against cooking.

"Yeah, grandma was a good cook but could get... weird."

"You know," Pegasus said to Yuri as she snagged the pepper shaker, "Thomas Edison would always refuse to hire someone who salted their food before eating it, as he saw them as hasty."

"That's just an urban myth," Yuri said with a shrug.

Rex turned to Bakura. "So, you hear about the new fossils they discovered in Wyoming?"

"No. Herbivore or carnivore?"

"-visit mom this year," Serenity said with a grin to Solomon Moto. "This is the first Christmas in a long time Joey and I can spend time together."

"What do you think, Seto?" Mokuba asked.

"It's... good," he said, stabbing a piece of fish.

"Ha! Freshly caught!" Mako bragged.

"Tell me, Edwin Chaos, when do we get to the presents?" the stranger asked.

"After supper," I said, dabbing a roll in the beef gravy. "Up to everyone if they want to go around one at a time or if they just want to go wild ripping open gifts. The-" I caught myself before I said my real last name, "-Chaos family tradition was to go insane but that was crazy Coffee Gravy Grandma." I chuckled. "Material side it was 'Spend too much and drink'."

"One at a time," the stranger rumbled. "And I'd prefer it done sooner rather than later, so we might determine once and for all that I brought the best gifts for you all."

"Uh... okay," I said, tilting my head in confusion. "We'll get to it-"

"In fact why don't I give out the gifts now? Make everyone's day... save yours, Edwin Chaos. But I don't mind ruining your meal by embarrassing you."

Mai set her fork down. "What is your problem?"

"I agree," Yuri said, eyes narrowed.

"And why are ya still wearin' your hood up like that?" Joey demanded, wagging a forkful of turkey at the stranger.

"Do none of you recognize me at all? Have you been taken in by this charlatan so easily? He who claims to be my better?"

"No," Seto said with a scoff. "You're just a nobody. One with poor fashion sense."

"And that is coming from Kaiba-Boy so you know that is a true insult," Pegasus quipped.

Yugi looked at the figure, brow furrowed. "Who are you, anyway?"

Tea began to look around and, seeing the confused looks everyone was giving, slowly pushed away from the table. "Who invited you here?"

"Edwin himself," the stranger declared, causing me to shake my head.

"I most certainly did not!" I declared.

Yuri leapt to her feet, hand going to where her service weapon most likely always was on her belt... except now. "Who are you?"

The strange rose to his feet, towering over all of us, and slapped a hand against his mighty gut. "I am the Gift Giver! The Sleigh Rider! The Roof Walker!"

"The Mother of Dragons! The Breaker of Chains!" I declared with a roll of my eyes. "Get on with it, old man!"

The figure dropped his head, making his glower all the worse with his hood shadowing his face. "I am Father Christmas himself... the one you insulted by declaring that I am not the true reason for the season!"

I blinked at that. Then blinked again. Then stared at the others and shouted, "THIS IS SANTA CLAUS?!?"

"Nah man," Joey said, breaking me out of my rage. "I don't know who this old fart is but he ain't Santa!"

"Not in the slightest," Solomon agreed.

"Just another blowhard," Rex chimed in.

"I am so Santa Claus!" the stranger said, yanking down his hood. "Though," he admitted with a smirk, "far more powerful that you may have ever imagined."

I didn't stare at Santa's face. Nor his muscular build or insanely wild but oddly appropriate anime beard. No, it what rested on his forehead that had my full attention. A circlet of pure gold... with the Eye of Horus upon it.

"A... a Millennium Item!" Yugi gasped in shock. I glanced at him, seeing for a brief moment Yami Bakura take control of Bakura before shifting back to silently watching from the background and shadows.

"The Millennium Crown!" Ol' St. Nick declared.

"Okay, how the hell does that exist?!" I demanded... only to catch Shadi's ghost out of the corner of my eye. I turned to him but the damn spirit gave me a 'beats me' shrug, snagged a drumstick, and disappeared.

Santa continued on, posturing for all my guests. "I discovered this artifact and it has awakened in me powers I never knew I had. Powers... and new focus. It has altered me... empowered me with the mighty of Yule... and the SHADOW REALM!"

"Aw crap," I whispered. "We have Yami Santa on our hands!"

"And I challenge you, Edwin Chaos, who doubts the might of Claus, to a duel to determine once and for all who is the true Master of Christmas!" And then the fat bastard actually pulled out a deck!

Seto actually grinned at that. "This party is finally looking up." He walked over to where he'd left his briefcase by the door and opened it to reveal two Duel Discs. They weren't quite the ones from Duelist Kingdom, weren't the ones from Battle City, but an odd hybrid of the two. Still a circular shape but it could clearly unfold into a more flat plane-style device.

"Did... did you bring those with you?" Rebecca asked.

"I bring duel discs always with me. Everywhere."

"To much info, Kaiba," Tristan drolled.

"We simply can't do it in here!" Pegasus complained. "It is far too small!"

"The roof!" Mai said.

"WOULD YOU STOP HELPING HIM!?!" I screamed in frustration.

"Why? You get to duel Santa!" Joey declared. I looked around and saw everyone, even the non-duelists, were nodding their heads in agreement, clearly seeing this as the most sane and rational thing in the world.

I looked at Yami Santa and said, "Wait, you want to prove that you give better gifts than me... why challenge me to a duel? What do card games have to do with presents?"

"I don't know!" Yami Santa declared dramatically.

"...okay, fine," I muttered in defeat. "But I'm finishing supper first before it gets cold. It is very yummy and I want to eat it."

"The Mighty Yami Santa... will allow this." And with that Santa put his chair right and sat down, the rest of the group settling down as well. "Someone pass the pickles, please." Mako nodded and passed them over.

"How did you get this turkey to be so moist?" Yuri questioned.

"Crock pot," I stated.

"Ah."

~MC~MC~MC~

Seto hadn't wanted to come to Edwin's party.

Christmas was something he barely tolerated. Oh, he bought gifts for kids and made donations and handed out bonuses during that time of year. He wasn't like Scrooge, wanting everyone to be miserable. He understood that plenty of people loved the holiday. He just wasn't one of them. He preferred peace and quiet, using Christmas as a reason to not go out, not worry about meetings or deadlines, and just work on side projects without being bothered. The most he would do during Christmas was go to the tree with Mokuba and open up presents; while he didn't get joy out of it himself the delight on his little brother's face was enough for him. Seto's entire mission in life was to ensure that his brother got all the child-like happiness and delight he himself could never capture again.

That was why then, when Mokuba had returned home a few days ago talking about Edwin and his party Seto had sucked down his annoyance at having to deal with the silver-tongued devil and agreed to go to the party with Mokuba. Even if it meant having to hang around with Yugi and his dweeb friends.

It had least been as inoffensive as possible. Edwin had done it at his apartment rather than some grand ballroom and there were only a few people around. Mokuba had been delighted in seeing everyone and while he'd run off to say hello to the other guests (as if he hadn't just seen most of them a short time ago) Edwin had quietly taken Seto aside and told him that if he wanted to duck out during the movies he was free to use one of the spare bedrooms, passing him the wifi password. Seto had merely nodded, still debating if he could convince Mokuba to let him sneak away rather than watch the tooth-rottenly sweet holiday films. At least Edwin had given him the perfect option; he wasn't going to leave Mokuba alone with Pegasus even with Yugi, Edwin, and Mai around the keep the fop in line. The meal had been nice enough... nothing overly grand but also not carnival food like Wheeler would probably have served. Good on the palette without being wasteful.

He'd let Mokuba pick out the gifts they'd give out and didn't expect much coming his way but had been quietly pleased to see plenty of presents laid out for Mokuba. All for his little brother. That was what this was all about.

But then Santa Claus had actually shown up at Edwin's party and challenged the 'Guardian Devil' to a duel... AND they were going to field test Seto's latest Duel Disks?

'It's a Christmas Miracle,' Seto thought to himself, crossing his arms over his chest and smirking slightly as Edwin shuffled his deck while Kringle rolled his shoulders. 'Only thing better would be if I was getting to duel but I suppose getting to see Edwin get defeated by Santa Claus wouldn't be that bad of a present. And I can always step in and challenge him myself after Edwin loses... as a way to 'avenge' him.' He mentally chuckled; oh yes, that would be perfect.

"You can do it, Edwin!" Mokuba cheered. "Take out that fraud! No way is he the real Santa!"

Seto looked down at Mokuba, placing a hand on his brother's shoulder. 'And if Edwin were to win... it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world.'

"Do you understand what is at stake here, Edwin Chaos?"

"...no," the blond said with a shake of his head. "I am really confused how I went from throwing a party to fighting Father Christmas on top of a roof. I mean... yeah, roof and you kind of go together." Everyone looked around as suddenly 'Up On The Housetop' began to play from seemingly nowhere yet in crystal clear sound. "But no, I have no flippin' idea what's at stake here other than delaying the opening of presents."

"What is at stake is the title you've tried to take from me. You believe that I am not the 'reason for the season'. Well... I will prove you wrong... and right here, right now, we will determine who is the King of Christmas!"

"Whoah," Joey said. "That's... that's pretty big."

"Man, it totally is!" Tristan declared.

"...this is so blasphemous," Edwin said with a groan.

"Alright gentlemen," Pegasus said with a smile, stepping forward. "I will serve as judge of this match, to ensure you both play fairly. One on one with 2000 life points. Standard Duel Monster rules apply."

"So Duelist Kingdom rules?" Edwin asked.

"What other rules would there be?" Rex asked.

Edwin though merely drew his hand. "Alright, just checking. Let's do this Yami Santa."

"Ho ho... oh... you have already lost, Edwin Chaos. For I have drawn the perfect card to destroy you and your deck! First I play the Savage Sentinel of Klaus in attack mode!"

On the field... appeared... a penguin.

Just a penguin. (1700/1000)

"Okay," Edwin said blandly.

"And I will also set this card and end my turn."

"Gee, I wonder if that is a trap card that will doom me," Edwin said dryly. "Alright, I-"

"Reveal my trap!"

"Called it!" Edwin exclaimed.

"The Naughty List of Klaus!" Yami Santa declared, a sinister looking scroll appearing on the field. "During each of your draw phases I can declare the name of one card you haven't yet played in this duel... and then you have to banish it from the game!"

"Oh no!" Yugi said softly. "With that Santa can take out any card in Edwin's deck!"

"So long as he knows what cards Edwin is playing," Bakura pointed out.

"And this is Santa... of course he knows what cards Edwin plays!"

Yami Santa laughed. "Indeed I do! While there is a cost of 1000 lifepoints during each of my draw phases, should I not have another Klaus Card on the field, it will matter little when I place your strongest monster on my list! And I do so now! I declared Endymion to be placed on the Naughty List!"

"No!" Mokuba shouted in fear.

"Man, he's done for!" Joey exclaimed.

"I don't think so," Seto muttered to himself, seeing how Edwin wasn't reacting at all. In fact he hadn't moved an inch.

"Well?" Yami Santa stated. "Remove Endymion... unless you wish to forfeit the game now."

"I would," Edwin stated, "if Endymion was in my deck."

"What?!" Yugi and his twerp friends exclaimed.

"I'm not using my normal deck," Edwin said, off to the side. "I'm using the deck Pegasus gave me for Christmas. And it doesn't contain any of the monsters I used in Duelist Kingdom!"

"Yeah Edwin!" Mai cheered. "That's the way to get that fatty on the backfoot!"

Edwin grinned, glasses flashing as he held up a card. "Now... let me show you what this deck can do! I first play the... spell card-" The way he paused at that made Seto perk up and pay attention, "Mythical Beast Master Cerberus!" On the roof a larger version of the card, which featured a strange blue furred bestial mage, appeared before Edwin. "Now, by destroying this spell and sending it to the Extra Deck-"

"Wait, the Extra Deck?" Tea said, confused. "I thought spells and monsters went to the graveyard."

"Normally they do," Yugi said. "But I guess this spell card does something different."

"Thank you," Edwin said, annoyed. Seto couldn't blame him; he grew so tired of Yugi deciding to teach dueling lessons all the time ('I would be better suited teaching such a class! I could teach an entire school! Hmmm...'). "Now then, by destroying and sending this spell card to the Extra Deck I can add one Mythical Beast monster from my deck to my hand." He pulled out his deck and did just that. "And now I'll summon it. Come forth Mythical Beast Bashilisk!"

The monster was a strange yet fierce looking creature. It had a vaguely crocodile-like form and was wearing mage armor. But the most strange thing of all was that it had two heads merged into one. The lower part was a croc's head with a snake-like tongue but above this was a second head that seemed to resemble a jackal. (1800/500)

"Next I'll activate Terraforming to add one field spell to my hand!" Edwin declared. "And because I used a Spell Card Bashilisk gains a spellcounter!" One of the empty slots on the monster's armor filled with solid magic given form. "And I'll now activate The Citadel of Endymion!" The hologram projects blasted forth light and all around them the great city of Endymion appeared. The high towers, the institutes of magic, the magical wall that protected it from threats. Domino disappeared as the observers found themselves standing in the middle of the main street of the Citadel. "And of course that gives Bashalisk another spell counter! And I'm not done yet... just to make sure you don't put this on the Naughty List I play Spell Power Grasp, allowing me to add a Spell Counter to my Citadel! And because it is also a spell both the Citadel and Bashilisk gain an addition spell counter each! And I gain another Spell Power Grasp from my hand!" He smirked. "And before you think I'm done, Claus... I remove two spell counters from Bashilisk in order to return Master Cerberus to my hand!" The card that had been sent to the extra deck popped out of Edwin's Duel Disk and he added it to his other cards. "And now... Bashilisk... feeding time!"

The beast snarled and leapt onto Yami Santa's Sentinel (aka the Penguin) and tore it to bits, causing it to obviously, and mercifully, shatter. (Santa-1900)

"No way!" Joey exclaimed. "Did... did you guys see what Ed just did!"

"I know, man!" Tristan said, just as startled. "He took out Santa's monster in one turn and managed to maintain the number of cards in his hand!"

"It is a wonderful day in Domino when one can say a sentence like that," Renard japed.

Pegasus, drinking a glass of eggnog, merely smirked. "I must say I feel like a proud father, watching the Mythical Beasts I created work so well. And so quickly too."

"I end my turn," Edwin stated. "And with no Klaus card on the field... I think you're about to lose 1000 lifepoints."

But Santa merely chuckled. "I think not, Edwin Chaos. You see, my Sentinel, if sent to the graveyard, can return to the field so long as there is a Klaus spell or trap on the field and I discard one card from my hand. And my Naughty List remains! So return my Sentienl, allowing my Naughty List to remain!" He sent one card to his graveyard and the Penguin appeared once more.

"Cool," Edwin said with a smirk. "Name the card that goes on the list."

"Clever," Seto muttered to himself.

"Seto?"

"Edwin most likely only has a few cards from Duelist Kingdom in that new deck Pegasus gave him." He scowled slightly at the thought that the Silver Tongue-Devil had been given something no one had ever seen before by Pegasus. "That's why he went all out like he did that first turn... he just removed Citadel and Spell Power Grasp from being targets."

"OH! Because the Naughty List can only target cards Edwin HASN'T played yet."

"Exactly."

Santa glowered at Edwin. "Monster Reborn."

"Sorry," Edwin said with a shrug. "Not in this deck. Guess Monster Reborn eats Chinese food on Christmas."

Father Christmas merely scoffed. "Then let us focus on another card... the one I just discarded. The Watchful Eye of Klaus would have, if activated on the field, would have allowed me to look at your hand. But when it is sent to the graveyard instead I can draw cards equal to the number of monsters on the field. You know how many that is?"

"Yeah, I can count. So can everyone."

"It's two, Wheeler," Seto said with a smirk.

"I KNEW THAT YA BIG JERK!"

"And now, since you have placed on the field your gaudy Citadel, I will activate my own field! Prepare... for a white Christmas: The Arctic Workshop of Klaus!" The hologram projectors exploded with light and the Citadel, even as it gained another Spell Counter, found itself being pushed back so that on its border was now a great icy tundra with a massive workshop rising above the snow drifts. It was covered in lights and wreaths... but there was something dark about it, though Seto couldn't quite put his finger on it. Perhaps it was merely because it was far too perfect. Too made up and pleasant.

'Rather reminds me of Pegasus,' Seto thought. 'Behind that smile and kind words is a heart of ice.'

"My Workshop grants me one of two effects: during your draw phase I can either restrict you from drawing any cards, other than the one you just drew, or I am allowed to draw cards equal to the ones you draw outside your draw phase. Naughty... or nice." Santa smiled broadly. "But let us be concerned with what happens now: my Workshop powers up my Klaus monsters by 400 attack points... more than enough to take out your monster! Now my Sentinel... deck his halls!"

"...really?" Edwin asked in disgust even as his monster was destroyed. Santa merely smiled and set a card on the field. (Edwin-1700)

~MC~MC~MC~

Drawing a card I looked at my hand before glancing at Yami Santa. 'Time to force the issue with that Workshop,' I thought, holding up my Spell Power Grasp. "I activate this card... you know what it does." Two more Spell Counters appeared on the Citadel. "So... gift for you Santa or coal for me?"

"Gift," Santa declared, drawing a card.

"Cool. Then I'll activate Master Cerberus again, adding yet another Spell Counter to my Citadel, allowing me to add to my hand, and then summon, the Mythical Beast Medusa!" The creature that appeared always did interest me, as it wasn't so much a snake like you'd expect but rather a jellyfish with jackal heads on its tentacles. Still, it could look like Weevil doing the can-can so long as it did the flippin' job. "I now use my Medusa's effect, removing two of the Spell Counters on my Citadel in order to reduce your Sentinel's attack by half! And that makes it weaker than my monster, so time to force your Penguin back to the graveyard! Medusa, Mythic Lashing!"

The jackal tendrils rushed out, grabbing onto the Sentinel and forcing it to remain still as the other ones struck it again and again until it finally shattered. (Santa- 1450).

"...no," Yami Santa declared. "The Sentinel has done well but... he will not be the one I turn to this night."

"But that means the Naughty List is destroyed," Rex stated.

"It wasn't doing him any good," Mai said with a smirk. "Edwin has him already beat on that count."

I wasn't as confident as Mai was, though. This was flippin' Santa Claus... I had to be ready for friggin' anything.

"But with the Naughty List gone I will now activate my downface card: Reveal the Nice List of Klaus!" The trap flipped up, revealing a more cheerful version of the previous trap. "This card allows me, once per turn, to declare one card from my deck and place it on the field, so long as I haven't played it yet. So I will special summon to the field in defense mode The Grand Sleigh of Klaus!" There was a flash of light... and Santa's actual sleigh appeared. Just... Santa's sleigh. That was it. "And now I will activate the card I just drew: Klaus Fusion!" The spell card, depicting Santa and a snowman in place of the normal monsters on Polymerization, flashed. "I can now fuse together my Sleigh and the Mighty Buck of Klaus to create the Reindeer Sleigh of Klaus!"

On the filed the sleigh gained a reindeer to pull it.

"...so is that Dasher or Dancer?" Joey asked.

"It might be Prancre," Bakura stated.

"Or Vixen," Yugi's grandpa reasoned. "It could also be Comet."

"Or Cupid," Arthur Hawkins said.

"Donner?" Tea asked.

"It's Blitzen," Yami Santa stated.

"AAAAAHHHH!" everyone declared in acceptance.

"And with 2800 attack points it is more than enough to destroy your Mythical Beast!" Yami Santa declared. "Now attack my Reindeer! Strike that beast down with your hooves!"

"I activate Medusa's special effect, which reduces your monster's attack by half!"

"And I activate Workshop's effect to increase my monster's attack by 400!" Claus countered, my monster shattering. "And I also activate the special effect of my monster: when it destroys a monster all monsters of that name are destroyed in your deck!" I hissed as the damn Duel Disc actually shocked me while ejecting out two copies of Medusa, which I placed in the graveyard slot. I also grumbled as my damn phone began to play "Grandma Got Runover By A Reindeer" (Edwin-1300)

"Man, this is bad," Tea whispered. "I don't know how Edwin is going to get out of this!"

"The same way he always does?" Mokuba asked.

"I don't think 'Being a loudmouth' will work this time," Rex taunted.

"Thanks Rex, so glad I invited you!" I called out before letting out a sigh. "Sorry, that was mean. I'm actually super glad I did. Can't wait for you to see what I got you!"

"Can I get a hint?"

"Jurassic World."

"OOOOOOOOO!" Rex said in delight.

As I drew my next card Santa held out his hand. "I activate the other effect of my Workshop, locking you down so you can't draw any more cards this turn!"

"That's okay," I said with a smirk. "I don't need to with what I have planned. First I summon Mystical Beast Cerberus."

"Wait, didn't you use that as a spell card last turn?" Tristan asked as the two headed dog/jackal hybrid appeared.

"This is Master Cerberus in his lesser form, before he gained wisdom. Here he is more savage... and has his own special ability."

"Oh, this will be good!" Pegasus said with a grin.

"First I use Spell Power Grasp and target Cerberus! And like my Citadel he also gains a Spell Counter when a spell is used. Next I'll activate the spell card Mythical Bestiary, allowing me to send two cards from my deck to the graveyard in order to add two more spell counters to Cerberus! And since that ALSO was a Spell it naturally generates counters on the Citadel and on Cerberus. And now to pay that all off! You see, Cerberus can consume the Spell Counters, rendering them useless-" My beast did just that, making the Spell Counters crack and break as the energy poured into him, "-to increase his attack by 500 for each counter destroyed. And with 5 of them he rises to 3900!"

"HOLY MOLY!" Joey exclaimed as my Cerberus began to crackle and spark with magic. "That is one powerful beast!"

"Mythical Beast Cerberus! Spell Power Savagery!" Cerberus leapt at the reindeer and torn into it, shattering it into pieces. "Do you see what I see?" I sang. (Santa- 750)

"I see someone who has counted the presents under the tree before Christmas morning, not realizing that they aren't all for him!" Yami Santa declared. "I activate the final ability of my Sleigh, which returns it to the field when its destroyed. Next I use The Nice List to add The Fierce Beast of Klaus to my hand and then use another Klaus Fusion to summon forth The Polar Sleigh of Klaus!" The sleigh returned but this time rather than a reindeer it was one of those Narnia-looking polar bears pulling it. Golden armor, fierce features, that sort of thing. "And with your Cerberus' attack depleted and my monster at 3500..." I winced and shielded myself as Claus' monster destroyed my own. "Luckily for you my monster reduces battle damage by half but it still drops you down to the final bits of lifepoints. Like the greedy child desperately digging through his empty stocking all you find is crumbs to tide you over! You are finished, Edwin Chaos!" (Edwin-500)

But as I drew my next card I saw that Yami Santa was very much wrong. In fact if I was rather sure that I was going to win the duel and plant a boot right in Santa's chimney. As such I simply smirked and played Mystical Institution (causing Endymion's personal school to appear in the Citadel) and then set Mythical Beast Garuada, my eagle/jackal hybrid, on the field in defense mode.

"So," Yami Santa stated, "your Garuada's effect allows it to destroy a newly summoned monster. You hope to end the duel by using the Effect Damage rule, is that it? Hohoho! A clever trick, Edwin Chaos, but not clever enough! I will merely attack with my Polar Sleigh and removed that threat completely!"

But I merely cocked my head to the side as the Sleigh and its Polar Bear destroyed my bird... and its remains flowed into the Institution. "Thanks for that," I stated. "I needed a Mythical Beast to fall to power up the Institution with Spell Counters... because now I can remove 2 spell counters from the Institution and four from my Citadel so I can activate the Institution's effect, bringing forth a Mythical Beast from my deck to my hand... since your Workshop's effect ONLY locks me out during MY turn!"

"Way to go, Edwin!" Yugi cheered. "That was some quick thinking!"

"And it's my turn!" I declared, holding up the card I had gained. "Behold the key to your end, St. Dick! Mythical Beast Jackal King!" I slammed the card onto a spell zone. "This adds a counter to the Citadel... and by destroying it and ending it to the Extra Deck I can summon a different Extra Deck monster to the field... my Mythical Beast MASTER CERBERUS!" There was a brilliant blast of white light... and then I blinked in surprise.

Cerberus looked... different.

He was blue. Had his armor. His staff.

But...

"I love-love-love you!" the tiny doll-like Cerberus declared.

"What... what is that?" Yami Santa said, startled.

"That is a Master Cerberus... but you can call him... Beebo, the God of War." I grinned, unable to get upset with this turn of events. "Now then, Beebo!" The toy turned and looked at me. "I remove four spell counters from my Citadel in order to allow you to banish the polar sleigh, triggering its effect and bringing forth its weaker form in attack mode. In turn you increase your own attack to 6300!"

"6300! With just one monster?!?" Seto declared in shock.

"Monster? No Seto... this is a god!"

"God Card," Pegasus murmured, rubbing his chin.

"Beebo! Cuddle."

Beebo giggled and ran over to the sleigh. "BEEBO!"

There was an explosion of fluffy blue smoke... and Yami Santa cried out as he was struck by the blast, causing the Millennium Crown to fly off his head. And because I was not only in an anime but a FILLER ARC... the damn thing, despite being made of gold, floated away like a majestic butterfly upon the winds.

The moment it did so Santa changed, grasping his chest like he was Sanford telling Elizabeth he was comin'. He lost a few inches in height, his beard became curly and the black and gold strands disappeared from it, his weight decreased to a mere 'portly', and generally he looked like a stereotypical Santa Claus. Which he was. Because Santa was real.

'Dear lord I'm never going to get used to this world,' I thought to myself as I deactivated my Duel Disc.

"Ho... hohoho!" Santa said, not quite jolly but rather confused. He ran his hand along the top of his head, stopping where the Millennium Crown had been. "Oh! I... I can think clearly... for the first time in months." He looked around and smiled weakly at all of us. "And I have the sudden feeling... that I have caused much pain and suffering."

"If by that you mean you annoyed me by ruining my party then yes-OW!" I glared at Tea, rubbing where she'd elbowed me in the ribs. "What was that-"

"Stop being mean to Santa!" Tea declared. "He couldn't help himself."

"And? OW!" I clutched my side. "Woman!"

"Now now... Edwin is right to be frustrated," Santa stated gently. "I did cause much harm to his party. And for that I am sorry. I hope you can forgive me."

"I suppose if I don't Tea will just keep hurting me..." Tea nodded at that. "Then all is forgiven."

"Wait," Joey said, "does this make Edwin the King of Christmas?"

Santa chuckled at that. "No no, Joseph, not at all! Because Edwin was right. Christmas is not Santa... it is not the presents. It is not one merely single thing. It is many things, coming together to bring joy and happiness to all, and in turn inspire them to bring joy and happiness to those they care about. When you think of it that way... we are all the Kings of Christmas."

"Awwww," everyone but me said (because I wasn't scripted to do so).

"Hey St. Nick," Rex declared, "ya wanna stay for the rest of the party?"

"Why not? I did bring gifts!"

Pegasus clapped his hands. "Wonderful! And after we watch the movies you can tell us how factual they are!"

"Well, Mrs. Claus is always telling me I need to put on a few more pounds!" Santa wiggled his belly at that.

"Okay, fine," I said with a relieved huff. "We can get things back on track."

"Damn straight," Yuri stated."

"Right, now then-wait." I suddenly looked up. "You just swore." My eyes lit up as I realized what had happened: because this was a filler arc 4Kids had never dubbed it! I could swear in this! "Oh yes! Oh f-"

~MC~MC~MC~

On top of the world there existed a large white and red striped pole with a golden ball on top. Looking like the candy canes that children and adults alike would happily suck on, this pole, the literal North Pole, marked the top of the world.

A mile away from this pole, the Millennium Crown, that dark and wicked relic, flew upon the breeze before falling at top of a pile of Christmas snow. It lay there, forgot, the darkness within brooding upon its defeat... and the man that had ruined its chance to claim the power of Christmas.

The snow shifted.

A body began to form under the crown.

And from an icy mouth made of snow... two words tumbled out, a guttural, bestial sound.

"Happy.... Birth....day..."