I’m probably just yelling into the void at this point but whatever. as we debate the possible return of kali in s5, there’s one thing I just can’t let go of. and that’s henry mentioning her to el.
we’ve seen a lot of potential hints in s4; kali’s name showing up in the crossword brenner was doing, the number ‘8′ in the plink(?) game el was playing having a disk under it to show the number vs all the other numbers having disks covering them (plus, henry taking a disk and placing it under the ‘1′ to in exactly the same way to indicate that ‘one’ was still alive), the duffers hinting at wanting to go back to s2 themes in s5, and even someone telling me that kali was recently added to the stranger things mobile game when she’s never been considered before.
all of this....I can potentially push aside. we always say how the duffers are meticulous on detail and things are usually in there for a reason, but not every theory is correct (plus, I haven’t really trusted them ever since they forgot the date of will’s birthday) and it’s not quite enough for me to solidify kali returning. the disk lining up to show ‘8′ might’ve just been a mistake, kali’s name in the crossword might’ve just been a fun easter egg (since barb’s name was there too, and there’s no way she’s coming back), etc.
HOWEVER, the one thing I cannot let go of and otherwise justify is henry mentioning her. in the flashback scene, he begins by asking el if she remembers the day ‘a strange woman came in’ (terry) - following it up with ‘that was when eight was still with us.’
the whole point of henry telling el this, wasn’t to bring up kali. it was so he could tell her that that woman was actually her mom who came to rescue her, that brenner lied to her, etc, all to help manipulate her into better accessing her powers so he can utilize them. so, my question remains then,
WHY DID HE MENTION KALI
WHY???? WHAT WAS THE POINT???? WAS IT JUST TO GIVE EL A POINT OF REFERENCE??? BC I’M PRETTY SURE EL WOULD’VE REMEMBERED EITHER WAY.
I just don’t get it, narratively. if henry wanted to refresh el’s memory of the moment terry broke in trying to take her back, he very much still could’ve done that without mentioning kali. there was literally no other reason to mention kali in that circumstance - other then to bring her up. the show has been otherwise ignoring kali ever since her episode, never speaking of her again, even el not mentioning she had a sister. if a show wants to forget a character, they will just in fact ignore that that character ever existed; I’ve seen it before. it’s like they poofed right out of existence.
but now, all of a sudden, she’s being mentioned. that means, if the duffers/writers bothered to put her in the script and have a character mention her by name, they want us to be aware of her existence. they even replayed the rainbow room scene from terry’s memory, where it shows a young kali and el playing together (you could argue that it would’ve been too hard to simply edit kali out for sake of the scene, but whatever).
this, to me, is the one SOLID stake of evidence for kali to possibly resurface. this, and then those other little hints, altogether, make for a solid theory I think. bc I cannot think of another reason henry would mention kali to el, other to simply drop her name in anticipation for what’s going to come up.
or at least I hope I’m right, bc the one thing that would make s5 is kali returning, teaming up with el and fighting vecna.
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discord chatlogs w @blueeyesking, specifically picking up immediately after Kaiba's Nightmare.
Seto Kaiba
Yugi pulls Seto out of his living hell by the hand, and the man sits up with a jolt, coughing, expecting something to come up but finding nothing there. He's obviously paler than usual, trembling where he sits- despite doing his best to return to a façade of cold detachment, it's impossible to hide how shaken he is.
"Wh- why are there two of you." to The Yugis, of course.
Yugi.
Yugi, the one kneeling beside the shaken Kaiba, gives his rival a concerned look. He sort of tries reaching out to try and steady the other man, but stops halfway.
"That's a great question, Kaiba. One we were hoping you could answer." Yami says, standing over the both of them. He offers out a hand-- just in case. "After all, the last thing we remember was teleporting to one of your ships."
Seto Kaiba
Seto visibly flinches at the Other Yugi looming over the both of them, baring his teeth and knocking the doppelganger's hand away like a flying insect.
"I don't know what you're talking about," he snaps, pulling himself to his feet. The shock gives way to real, cold resentment, his normal feelings toward Yugi Mutou (and a comfortable crevice to hide himself from the fear still buzzing in his nerves). "Teleportation isn't something I've figured out yet, you couldn't possibly have done that."
He pauses, just for a breath, taking stock of their surroundings. "Though… you're here, regardless. And where is here…?"
yugi
Just as he'd expected. Kaiba's reaction makes the Other Yugi roll his eyes as he drops his hand.
Yugi gives his Other a nervous glance as he too rises, brushing off his black clothes."ummm, we have a friend. you um, you said you were watching mokuba's blog for a while, right…? so you have to know about….?"
"We don't know for sure," Yami cuts him off, getting down to business as he crosses his arms. "But we had to cross a set of puzzle doors earlier that reminded us of the last time we rescued you."
It's Yugi's turn to roll his eyes. "it reminds me of that virtual world that the big 5 tried to trap you in. we had to summon monsters of a certain star level to get to you."
Seto Kaiba
Seto nods to himself, mirroring Other Yugi by crossing his own arms. He's grateful for his showy overcoat and abundance of fashionable belts, in this moment; they're a comforting weight, a familiar feeling, after the ordeal of memories turned into nightmares.
"I see. From… what I can remember, the Blue Eyes Jet had its autopilot recalibrated right under my hands- it landed on an aircraft carrier at sea, somewhere, and armed robotic guards escorted Mokuba and I out onto the runway… And now I'm here."
Seto continues looking at their surroundings, examining something inscrutible. "If it is something like the Virtual Reality that the Big Five held me in, it isn't them running it, I'm certain. They never employed robots in their personal retinue."
He turns on his heel to look at the Yugis. "However, that doesn't mean someone else with a grudge against me wouldn't co-opt the old virtual military system KaibaCorp had. Especially if they were looking to remove me from the equation, and bring KaibaCorp back into the arms business. Having our old infrastructure would be a great asset, in that case."
"You mentioned your, and Mokuba's, friends. Are they here? Where is Mokuba?"
yugi!
Yami nods along in understanding as Kaiba explains his experience. "Something similar happened when we arrived, too. We were held at gunpoint and escorted into an all white room…"
Only to wake up in Hell. But he won't say it.
"if it isn't the big 5 though, is there anyone else who could access your umm, your carrier…?" yugi wonders, shifting his weight from one foot to the other.
"mm, a couple of mokuba's friends are here too, but… we don't know where he is.. he posted coordinates to that ship, but that's all we know…."
Seto Kaiba
Seto's eyebrows furrow in a microexpression of concern. They don't know where Mokuba is. His jaw sets.
"Then we'll have to explore the simulation and find him. Chances are, he's being held against his will in order to be used against me."
He doesn't mention the tone of his nightmare being Mokuba betraying him.
Seto steps into the barren street and looks directly at KC Tower.
"It's likely we'll find whoever it is, at the center of this place. Given who they caught first…"
yugi!
Yugi chews at his lip. Even if Seto hides his emotions, even if he has only a faint idea of what Seto has been through, he can only imagine the pain of losing Mokuba yet again.
"we'll find him, kaiba. i promise…"
The Other Yugi follows Kaiba's stoney stare towards the towering corporate headquarters and gives a confident nod of his spikey head.
"I have a feeling you're onto something, Kaiba. And I have a feeling we shouldn't waste much more time." He gives a little nod in the direction of the skyscraper.
NOA
[ far above them, from the top of that very tower, Noa frowns. He sits on an elegant, velvet couch with an arm draped lazily around Mokuba, who lounges aginst his supposed Big Brother while he occupies himself with a game on his laptop. Noa didn't give him access to his group server, but that's alright. He can't miss what he doesn't remember.
And like all other things in this world, Noa controls what Mokuba remembers.
Noa shifts suddenly, his hand on his Little Brother's shoulder twitching slightly.
"Huh? What's wrong, Big Brother?"
Mokuba asks, looking up at him.
For just a moment, the look in Noa's blue eyes is dangerous. Something cold and vengeful. But Mokuba's voice pulls him back, his sweet smile returning at the flip of a switch.
"Nothing, my Baby Brother. Everything is okay, I just need to check on something," Noa assures him, yet he slips his arm from around Mokuba as he stands quickly. "I'll be right back, so don't leave this room. Remember, Mokuba. You're safe here."
"Sure thing, Big Brother!" Mokuba promises, eyes falling back to the screen that keeps him distracted.
Huh. That's weird though.
Why does his tummy hurt? ]
Seto Kaiba
That stony glare fixes on the softer Yugi after the other one agrees with Seto's plan.
"You promise? Please. I will find him, with or without you and your friends. He's my little brother."
He's the only good thing I have left."
Seto then begins walking the familiar streets, long legs setting a pace that will likely make the Yugis have to jog a little to keep up. He speaks while they move.
"We should also try to find your friends. I know where my search begins, but your friends may still be trapped in simulated nightmares; Mokuba cares about them, too, so we can't leave them behind. If this person is predictable enough to set themselves up in KC Tower, then, in finding them, we can find the controls for the simulation and free everyone else."
yugi!
Yugi tenses up slightly when he catches Kaiba's glare, exhaling eith a quiet, nervous chuckle.
"of course, kaiba," he defaults to agreement, trying to preserve their fragile alliance as he moves his little legs quickly to keep pace.
The Other Yugi raises an eyebrow at Kaiba as he walks behind him briskly, too proud to jog. "I didn't know you had the capacity to care about others, Kaiba," he says with a smirk, remembering the last time they walked side by side through these city streets. The last time Mokuba went missing..
"I could feel Joey's turmoil inside my heart before, but I'm confident he's found his way by now." That smirk softens a little, for just a moment. "As for the others--"
The two Yugi's glance at each other.
"we'll find them. i have a feeling we might all need to work together to get out of this…"
Seto Kaiba
Seto turns on his heel at Other Yugi's quip, anger flaring over fear for just a moment. He looms, or tries to, and scowls at the man.
"I do care. You put me through enough to make anyone reconsider their priorities in life."
The vitriol in his emphasis is almost physical. He hopes it takes attention away from the way his fists shake.
Turning back, he returns to his brisk pace- though, Yugi notices it isn't as hard to keep up, now.
"No matter what I have to do, I will save Mokuba at all costs."
yugi!
Kaiba's sharp turn catches the Other Yugi off guard, causing him to stop abruptly in his tracks behind the taller man. He flinches at the genuine anger that Kaiba directs at him, becore his brows pull tight together.
Before he can get argumentive, the gentler Yugi gives him a warning glance. "we've all made our mistakes, it's just.. really nice to see you caring about them too. even if it is just because mokuba would be sad if--"
He's cut off by a distant humming sound, growing louder as they get closer to their target.
"--hey do you guys hear that?" he asks, as his other self picks up his pace to walk closer to his Partner, readying the Duel Disk on his arm just in case.
Seto Kaiba
Seto stops. With enough people released or freed from their waking nightmares, maybe their Puppetmaster has sent something to deter them. Better to wait than to run right into it, usually. He squints at the street ahead of them, watching the intersections and skyline for the source of the noise.
yugi!
As the hum grows louder, Yugi activates his own Disk as well. The seconds seem to tick by painfully slow as their apprehension builds.
Then, all at once, a swarm of massive locusts descends from the side streets, hungry insects almost ten times their natural size.
The Other Yugi doesn't hesitate for a second, drawing the first card from his deck and immediately summoning forth his Celtic Guardian to slash at the incoming bugs while Yugi's own Big Shield Gardna defends the three Duelists*
Seto Kaiba
Seto draws and plays his Wicked Worm Beast! It claws and gnashes at the bugs, destroying them with its massive ATK as the players hunker down.
yugi!
the locusts seem unending, but the two Yugis continue to somehow work in perfect tandem, summoning monsters that work together against the onslaught. Even as the monsters that come for them grow larger and more fearsome, neither wavers.
The ground shakes, the concrete splits open as a massive, rotting Pumpking swells from the crevice, its vines lashing wildly in all directions. The Yugi's give each other a glance, and then to their teammate. Though Yami sacrifices their only two monsters to summon his ever faithful companion, Yugi's Kuriboh guarantees two sacrifies for their ally's convenience.
"you know what to do, kaiba!!!" Yugi shouts with a bright, confident grin.
Seto Kaiba
A couple of draws later, after pulling various useful, but situationally worthless, cards, Seto lands on what they've all been waiting for. His smirk is unmistakable as a Kuriboh and Wicked Worm Beast are destroyed as tribute to his signature Blue-Eyes White Dragon.
Blue-Eyes shimmers onto the field and roars at the Pumpking, superior ATK making them both completely certain of the group's victory.
"Blue-Eyes! Burst Stream of Destruction!"
The beam tears a ragged hole in the Pumpking and is brighter than the sun, briefly turning the world dark. The Yugis can see Seto's wolfish grin illuminated by his monster's attack.
NOA
[ from the top of the tower, Noa frowns. How can the three of them hold their own against so many monsters? Nonetheless, he won't give in.
As Noa decides what to throw against the trio next, back in the exquisite living room, the younger Kaiba grows restless. Mokuba sets his laptop aside at the sounds of the fight below and rises from that velvet sofa. Walks to the wall of windows to press a palm against the glass as he watches the fray unfold far below with a blank expression. It doesn't really matter. Big Brother has it under control.
But then that familiar beast with its piercing blue eyes takes the field, it's fearsome white hot attack darkening the daylight.
And Mokuba freezes.
His stomach hurts.
His heart pounds in his chest and he feels like he might be sick.
This is rage, right?
It's anger that makes his eyes burn, isn't it?
He remembers that great dragon turning on him. Remembers the voice of the man who commands it, echoing that Mokuba will never be good enough.
He can't stand it anymore.
Mokuba turns sharply, walking with purpose across the elegant living room. Noa is taking too long. Is he okay? What if Seto hurt him too somehow? He promised not to leave this room, he promised to stay put. But now Mokuba has made up his mind.
If Noa cant do it, then he'll kill Seto himself. He'll make his Big Brother proud.
There's no hallway, no elevator on the other side of that door. Mokuba finds himself stepping directly out onto the streets of Domino City. And as the Pumpking falls, deflating back into the hellish crevice from whence it came, stormy grey eyes meet sapphire. ]
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