Chapter 18
Yugi picked me up at my house early the first day of Duelist Kingdom. Actually, Yugi and Yami had already merged into one. I suddenly realized that, even for me, this duality would be highly confusing. How would I know who to address? It was easy for everyone else who would take him for Yugi alone. I would have to pay careful attention to tell who spoke to me.
After much teasing from my brothers, we exited my house. Then Yugi turned around to face me. "Samia, I've been thinking about something." It was Yami who spoke. "We can communicate through our mind when you touch the Millennium Puzzle, correct?"
I nodded. "That's right."
"Let us see if we can use the Puzzle and your powers to connect our minds so we will always be able to communicate in that way."
"Could we really do that?" The idea filled me with happiness.
He smiled. "It would not hurt to try. Go ahead and touch the Puzzle."
I placed my hand on top of the Millennium Puzzle, and Yami placed both of his hands on top of mine. I focused hard on our connection. I could feel some sort of power coming through the Puzzle and into me. Once the power faded, I let go of the Puzzle and looked up at Yami.
"Samia? Can you hear me?"
Excitement bubbled inside me. "I can hear you!"
Yami smiled and nodded. "Good. We can talk this way if you need to speak to me rather than Yugi."
"Sounds good to me!"
We smiled at each other and then departed for the train station. I was glad we had found this solution. Now it was like we would always be together even if no one around us knew it. And no one would give me off looks for the way I talked to 'Yugi.'
We arrived at the city center plaza just as fireworks were lit overhead. The plaza swarmed with duelists, some with good intentions and others with ill motives. Either way, they all had powerful emotions that made me dizzy. I really had to work on blocking them out.
Many of the duelists we knew greeted us, including Mai. I smiled and nodded when appropriate. In all honesty, I wanted the duels to start so I would have something to focus on All of this stimulation was overwhelming. Eventually, Yugi broke away from the crowd to search for Joey. I tried to use my senses to find him, but there were way too many people around for that to work.
We were on the roof to get a better view when Kaiba's voice rang throughout the plaza. I looked up to see an airship decked out with huge video screens, all displaying Kaiba's face. He explained the tournament rules, including some dueling rules he had changed to make the game more difficult. The duel disks contained trackers so he could keep an eye on all the duels. A bit paranoid, if you ask me. The clear card every duelist received was locator card, and six of the cards stacked together would reveal the location of the finals, which only eight duelists were allowed to enter. Apparently, even Kaiba, who would also be dueling, did not know the location. Finally, he announced the beginning of the tournament, and the chaos and noise resumed.
I caught sight of a blonde-haired streak chasing a guy in a purple hood. "There's Joey!" I pointed down at the street.
"Good work," Yugi said. "Let's catch up with him!"
We ran down to the street just in time to watch Joey angrily corner the other man. From the looks of it, this was the guy who beat him in a duel and won his Red Eyes Black Dragon card. He did not appear interested in dueling him again. There was something ominous about this stranger that made me shiver. What's more, the robe he wore resembled the one Bandit Keith had when someone forced him to steal the Millennium Puzzle! So, these Rare Hunters were our enemy?
The Rare Hunter continued to refuse a duel to Joey. "I already told you, you have nothing of any use to me, but perhaps your friend would be interested in being my next victim." He sent Yugi a creepy smile and advanced towards him. "It would be my pleasure to hunt Duelist Kingdom's champion and snare his Dark Magician. So, I challenge Yugi Muoto to a duel!"
"Look, this is between you and me," Joey said. "You got it?"
"Joey, wait!" Yugi said sharply. He glared at the other guy. "Fine, Rare Hunter, I accept your challenge!"
Joey looked at him in alarm. "But, Yug-"
"It's the only way to get back your Red Eyes Black Dragon. I promise you I'll beat him, Joey." He looked more confident than I could ever remember seeing him. His Puzzle glowed as Yami took primary control. "So, Rare Hunter, do we have a deal? As my first Battle City opponent, if you lose, you must return Joey's Red Eyes Black Dragon! And if you win this duel, I'll hand over my Dark Magician to you."
"Yugi!" Joey exclaimed. "There's no way I'm letting you risk your Dark Magician! I can take him. I'll never forgive myself if that ugly lug takes your most valuable card. I'll deal with this. It's my-"
Yami put his hand in his face to stop him. "Thank you, Joey, but I must duel this Rare Hunter."
"But-"
"I'll have to risk losing my Dark Magician eventually. This is my first Battle City duel and the first step in fulfilling my destiny."
I knew he sensed the same thing that I did. This duel was about more than gaining back Joey's card. Hopefully, if Yami and Yugi could defeat this guy, maybe we could learn more about what was going on and what we were up against.
"Keep your senses open to anything unusual," Yami said through our connection. "There's something not right about this guy."
"Agreed."
"Let's get on with this hunt already," the Rare Hunter said. "The sooner I can take my prize, the better."
"I'm ready to duel whenever you are, Rare Hunter!" Yami said.
"Yug, wait-" Joey said.
"Don't even think about revealing my strategy, Joey Wheeler," said the Rare Hunter. "If you say a word about how I defeated you, I'll tear your Red Eyes Black Dragon to shreds. So, I'd give my mouth a rest if I were you allow me to stop the Duelist Kingdom champion and take his Dark Magician without your commentary."
"Fine," said Yami. "I'll duel you one-on-one."
Yami and the Rare Hunter took their places opposite each other and activated the Duel Disks on their arms. The devices moved so that there was an elevated area where the players could place their cards. Despite the circumstances, I was curious to see how the new technology worked.
Yami played two trap or magic cards face down and summoned Beta the Magnet Warrior in attack mode. The cards and holograms were displayed just like they would be if this were a dueling arena, but the monsters seemed even more lifelike! They even seemed to trick my senses a little. I would have to be careful not to get too involved. No one would actually get hurt, after all.
Yami appeared off to a good start, while the Rare Hunter continued to play monsters in defense mode and magic cards that allowed him to draw more cards. However, the man appeared confident about something. This was all obviously part of his plan.
Beside me, Joey was a ball of pent-up frustration. It was clear he wanted to blurt out the Rare Hunter's strategy. I admired his self-control, but his anxiety was starting to annoy me. I nudged him in the side with my elbow. "Stop that," I whispered. "Just trust him. He's got this."
Joey gave me a pained look. "But-"
"It would be cheating if you told him, wouldn't it?"
"I doubt this Rare Hunter would think twice about cheating if he could! In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if he were cheating right now." He crossed his arms and glowered in frustration.
I shook my head. "We can't succumb to the tactics of our enemies. We're better than that."
Joey grunted in acknowledgement. At least he seemed a little less tense than earlier.
"She's right, Joey," Yami said. "You're my friend, and I'm fighting this duel for you just as you would do for me."
Joey nodded. "Right."
"Do you remember the time Weevil through my Exodia cards into the ocean?" This time it was Yugi who spoke. "You risked your life to try to get my cards back, not just because Exodia is the most powerful card in the game, but because I was a friend in need." I sensed something light in his mind. Now Yami address his opponent: "I'm onto you! I know your strategy, Rare Hunter! You're planning to summon Exodia the Forbidden One."
Shock tore through the Rare Hunter, and I cringed. I tried to focus on Joey's feelings of relief.
"Alright!" Joey said with a grin.
Yami gave him a thumbs up. "Thank you, Joey. You allowed me to figure out his strategy without actually telling it to me."
The Rare Hunter composed himself and regained his smug attitude. "Just because you figured out my strategy doesn't mean you can stop me from succeeding. And everyone knows Exodia's the most powerful creature in Duel Monsters. How will you stop the unstoppable Exodia?"
"True, no one has ever defeated Exodia, but in order to win back Joey's Red Eyes Black Dragon, I'll be the first."
"Give up, Yugi. My hunt is over!"
The Rare Hunter was way too confident. I tried to remember what Yugi had taught me about Exodia. I did remember that he explained how Weevil Underwood had thrown his cards into the ocean on the ship to Duelist Kingdom. Before that, he had beat Kaiba with the cards. If I remembered correctly, five cards had to be drawn to play Exodia, and then the player automatically won the duel. Could the Rare Hunter already have most of the cards?
I felt Yami and Yugi merge even closer as they drew their next card. They drew Lightforce Sword, a card I remember Yami had picked up when we explored the city together. The card randomly pierced a card in the Rare Hunter's Hand for three turns. Luckily, an Exodia piece was snared. Yami then summoned Summoned Skull and destroyed his opponent's last monster. Unfortunately, the Rare Hunter played Swords of Revealing Light to buy him some time.
Somehow, Yami was still confident he could win. Once Lightforce Sword wore off, the Rare Hunter could play Exodia and win the duel, but Yami couldn't attack and win until after Swords of Revealing Light wore off, which would be after Lightforce Sword. I did not understand how he could win.
The Rare Hunter started to sweat. Clearly, Yami's attitude unnerved him. He played a spare Exodia head in defense move to protect his life points. But then Yami activated the trap card Chain Destruction! A large chain appeared and passed through the Exodia head on the field but destroyed all the Exodia heads in the Rare Hunter's hand and deck. He could no longer paly Exodia!
Then Yami activated Dust Tornado and destroyed Swords of Revealing Light. Now he was able to attack with his monsters and win the duel!
Joey and I cheered from the sidelines. Finally, free from oppressive emotions, I smiled in relief. I should have known he would be able to win this. Faith was something that extended beyond logic and emotions. I felt the strange stone in my pocket burn for a few seconds as if to confirm my revelation.
The Rare Hunter, shook to his core, collapsed on the ground in defeat. Yami marched over to him to take his locator card and Joey's Red Eyes Black Dragon card. While searching for the card, he realized the Rare Hunter's cards were marked; he had cheated after all! He ripped up the cards in anger and let them sail to the ground like snow.
"I lost," the guy murmured form the ground, lying on his back while Yami and Joey looked over him. "I failed. Forgive me, master! I tried my best!" He suddenly got to his feet, but he did not seem in control of his body. Instead, it was like he was pulled up by puppet strings. "No, please don't be angry!" I cautiously moved forward to stand beside Yami. Something did not feel right. The Rare Hunter clutched his head and screamed. "No, master! Don't! Please, spare me!"
"Yugi!" Joey exclaimed. "That wacko's lost his mind!"
"I've seen this before," Yami said.
A jolt of pain shot through me just as the Millennium symbol appeared on the man's forehead. I sucked in a sharp breath and hugged myself to keep my emotions under control. Thankfully, my friends were too perplexed to notice.
In an instance, the man's spirit seemed to disappear to be replaced by another, odd presence. Then a weird, mechanical voice came out of him: "We meet again, pharaoh." The man's body nearly fell over but remained standing due to some magical force that made him seem even more like a puppet. "Remember me, pharaoh? Actually, perhaps you don't. You were trapped in the Puzzle when I dueled little Yugi. Congratulations on defeating my Rare Hunter, though he was the weakest duelist in my crew. My other minions will prove much more formidable."
"Yug, what is with this freak show?" Joey said, clearly weirded out.
The man – or, rather, the man controlling him – ignored him. "Pharaoh, I've waited for you for years. Finally, after all this time, I will destroy you. I will not allow my other Rare Hunters to fail me like this one did. I have little time for his kind of foolishness, so I've taken over his body and trapped his mind in the Shadow Realm. I am in control!" As if to prove it, the man's body moved around in all sorts of weird positions.
Joey took a step back. "This guy's creeping me out!"
"How do you control him?" Yami asked. He kept a careful lid on his anger, allowing himself to merely glare at the man.
"Each of the Millennium Items contains its own unique power," the man said. "So, mind control is a simple task with my Millennium Rod."
"No good can come from that power," Yami said. Both he and Yugi were on edge as if waiting for the enemy to strike.
"Allow me to introduce myself. Remember my name: Marik."
My blood instantly ran cold. It felt like I had been hit upside the head with a baseball bat. "No," I whispered, stepping backwards. "There's no way…" This could not be the same Marik I befriended all those years ago. Not Ishizu's brother.
"Marik!" Yami said with venom in his voice. "What is it you want from me, Marik?"
"I want what belongs to me," Marik said. "And I'll take it using the strength of the Egyptian god cards."
"Egyptian what?"
"A millennium ago, a trio of powerful behemoths rampaged throughout ancient Egypt. These Egyptian god monsters bred destruction throughout the world until the pharaoh sealed them away for eternity! But when Pegasus created Duel Monsters, he resurrected these mighty beasts as cards. With these Egyptian gods, I can destroy you and claim the power I deserve!"
"You'll never claim the Millennium Puzzle!"
"You misunderstand. I want more than the power of the Puzzle; I want the pharaoh's power – the boundless energy of the ancient ruler himself! With it, no one will stand in my way. I'll use the almighty magic I gain to conquer and lead the world. I will be unstoppable! The end is near, pharaoh. It's my world now!"
"Not yet, Marik. I'm beginning to understand why Ishizu asked me to participate in Battle City. It's my destiny to stand between you and the evil powers you seek, and I will."
No, no, no. That couldn't be right. Marik couldn't be the evil that Ishizu warned about. Now I understand the sadness I felt from her. He was her brother, and she wouldn't have asked Yami to destroy her brother. If she had, wouldn't she have been more specific? And why didn't she warn me away from him? It almost seemed like just the opposite.
"Then your destiny is easier said than done, you fool," Marik said. "Pharaoh, your days are numbered. So, enjoy the game while you still can because your reign is coming to an end!"
"Nooo!" I leapt in front Yami and glared at the body of the Rare Hunter. Feelings of anger, sadness, hurt, and betray flowed through my veins, making it easy to act and not think. "Marik!" His name came out as a cry, a plea. I wished he actually stood before me. I could neither feel nor influence his emotions like this. "You won't hurt Yami – or Yugi! I won't let you!" I did not care if he was an old friend or not. Yami had always protected me, and now it was my turn to protect him. This desire superseded every other emotion.
"Samia!" Yami said in shock.
"Samia, I am glad to see you are well," Marik said. "I have not forgotten you, my little empath. I see you are already drawn to the pharaoh beyond your control. Don't worry; soon I will break the bonds that tie you down and free you!"
My anger flickered, momentarily replaced by surprised. "What are you talking about?"
But his presence left the Rare Hunter, and the body collapsed in a heap.
"It sounded like he knew you," Yami said in an even tone.
I grew rigid. Something told me now was not the time to divulge everything to him. There had to be a reason Ishizu spoke to me alone. "I think I ran into him when I was in Egypt a long time ago. I don't really remember him, though." It was almost the truth. I had to think this over before I decided how much I would share.
I turned around to face him, and he nodded at me. "Stay near me, and I'll make sure he doesn't hurt you."
I gave him a weak smile. "Sure."
Yami held out the Red Eyes card to Joey. "Here you go, Joey. Take your Red Eyes back."
Joey stared at the card. He held conflicting emotions, but I was too drained to sort them out. "Nah, Yug, you hold onto it. It isn't mine to take, pal. You won it fair and square." He stuffed his hands in his pockets and looked away. "If I take it back so easily, I won't be a true duelist. The Red Eyes wouldn't accept it, either. You are a true duelist, Yugi. You're always with me. When I dueled you at Duelist Kingdom, I was fighting for something. That's why I came here. You always play honestly with any opponent. You really gave me a lesson—what I lacked is the player's self-esteem. The Red Eyes Black Dragon is my special card—he is always my partner. That's why I can't take it now. If I did, the Red Eyes wouldn't be happy. Besides, the Rare Hunters are collecting tons of rare cards. Their decks are totally supped up, so I know that they're gonna be tough to beat – even for you."
Yugi emerged at the surface to question his friend: "What are you saying, Joey?"
Joey stared up at the sky, a determined look on his face. "I'm saying that you'll need all the powerful monsters you can get. Plus, you can think of me whenever you play my Red Eyes. It's the least I could do to repay you. See, during the Duelist Kingdom tournament, you taught me rules, killer strategies, and everything else I needed to know to help me get to the finals. I couldn't have done it without your help." Humble gratefulness and affection seeped past his defenses.
"That's what friends do."
Joey fixed his gaze on Yugi. "That's my point exactly, buddy. You always have my back, so it's time I helped you for a change. That's why I want you to keep my Red Eyes Black Dragon. I know it's gonna come in handy for you sometime. Besides, this means that a part of me will be a part of your deck. It's kind of cool knowing that I'm helping you save the world. Don't get me wrong; I'm still in the contest, and I still have the rare card requirement covered. Well, actually, I guess technically you have it covered, Yugi. See, Red Eyes Black Dragon wasn't the only rare card I had in my deck." He pulled out his deck and flipped through the cards. "You gave me another rare card way back when I first started playing Duel Monsters, remember?" He held out a card featuring a humanistic clock.
"The Time Wizard!"
"Yep, it bailed me out of jams in Duelist Kingdom, and I know it's gonna save my butt in Battle City." He looked towards the sky again. "Yugi, you can have my Red Eyes temporarily. I can win with the deck I have prepared. I want to become a True Duelist. In Battle City, I must show you—when I win in this tournament, when I become a True Duelist, please play with me again." He looked at his friend with a fire blazing in his eyes and his heart.
Yugi smiled and nodded. "I understand, Joey. I'll wait until then."
"Thank you." The two of them shook hands, sealing the deal. And then they parted.
I followed Yugi along the road, quietly reflecting on the exchange. It sounded like Joey wanted to defeat Yugi in an honorable duel. I could kind of understand that. That card would mean more to him if he had to work for it.
"Are you alright?" Yami said in my mind, scattering my thoughts. "I hope Marik did not scare you too badly."
"No, I'm fine. I'm just wondering why he's doing all of this."
"Didn't he make it clear? He wants power."
"Well, yes, but there has to be more to it. People don't just wake up one day and decide to take over the world."
"Perhaps. Do not concern yourself over it. Whatever his reason, the only thing we can do now is stop him. We'll all do it together – you, me, Yugi, and Joey."
"Right."
I hoped he could not sense my uncertainty. I wondered what he would say if I revealed what Ishizu had told me, but I feared the response would be negative. He might even think Ishizu our enemy. If I knew anything for certain, I knew she was our friend. She just… had a different perspective. A perspective I had to consider if I wanted to do my job correctly.
"Samia, do you think you would be able to sense the presence of Rare Hunters?" Yugi said while we walked through the city.
I hesitated. "I – I don't know. The aura of the Millennium Item being used on them is very faint. If we get close enough to one, perhaps…"
"Could you try? We're sure to find more answers if I duel them. And they might have one of those Egyptian God cards Marik mentioned."
I nodded. "I'll do my best."
Yugi smiled in appreciation.
I spread my senses as far as I could, but I could not pick up anything. We entered an alley with duelists running around, and one of them mentioned that Joey Wheeler was dueling some guy with ESP. Yugi and I exchanged a look. This sounded interesting. We followed the two boys down the street to find the duel.
Soon, we came across a large crowd cheering loudly. If I stood on my toes, I could just make out Joey's blond hair. Yugi tapped on my shoulder and then nodded at a flight of stairs that led up to a rooftop. I smiled. That would work well.
From my vantage point, I could clearly see Joey dueling some guy with light blue hair. They duel had already started, and Joey was losing. I hoped he had gotten in over his head again.
"Do you think he's dueling a Rare Hunter?" Yugi asked.
I shook my head. "I don't sense anything, and he's not wearing a purple robe. There's nothing magical about him, so he's probably making up the ESP stuff to scare people."
"You're probably right about that." Yugi looked to the left and gasped. "Samia, look there!"
I followed his gaze to a lower rooftop where four blue-haired boys watched the duel with binoculars. They appeared to be speaking into microphones, giving away Joey's cards.
"He is cheating!" I exclaimed. "Should we tell Joey?"
"Let's see how Joey handles this," Yugi said. "Besides, I don't think he would appreciate it if we butted into his duel."
I frowned. Maybe he was right. I turned my attention to the duel. I could not hear what either player spoke, but I could watch the cards they played and the monsters that attacked. From the looks of it, Joey was able to trick his opponent, likely showing that his ESP was fake. Great work, Joey!
A whistle caught my attention. I glanced to the left just in time to see Mokuba run over to the four boys, anger radiating off of him.
"Violation!" he cried. The boys tried to run, but he caught them before they could get too far. I strained my ears to listen. "Your brother will never duel in this town again."
"We've learned our lesson," said one of the boys. "Please, you've gotta give him another chance."
"As the Battle City Tournament Commissioner, it's my sworn duty to bust cheaters." He crossed his arms. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't cancel this duel."
"You just can't!"
"Show some mercy, commish," said a second boy. "Our brother isn't doing this for the dueling glory; he's doing it for us."
This caught Mokuba's attention. "Huh?"
"We're carnival folk," said the first brother, "or at least we used to be. Since we've left the show, he's kept the bullies off our backs."
Sympathy took over Mokuba's anger. "Your big brother protects you from bullies?"
"See, every day after school, the big kids would gang up on us."
"But even bullies respected good duelist like our brother," said the second boy. "And as long as he wins, they leave us alone. We're just trying to make sure he does."
Mokuba looked up and caught my eye. I froze in surprise at being found out, but he was just as shocked to see Yugi and I standing there. He gave me a questioning look, but I simply shrugged. This was something he had to decide for himself.
Mokuba looked back at the boys and shook his head. "It's still cheating! If I let you guys off the hook, what's to stop you from pulling this stunt again?"
"I'm begging," the second brother said. "Let my brother duel or we're toast after school."
"Just give him a chance to go legit," said the third brother. "Espa may be a bogus psychic, but he's a great duelist."
I felt Mokuba's resolve loosen. Finally, he let out a heavy sigh and handed down his decision: "This is your last chance. If he cheats again, then it's no more Mr. Nice Guy."
The boys cheered in triumph while Mokuba looked on with a faint smile. He still felt a little uncertain, but I knew he felt good about what he had done. I gave him a small smile and nod in confirmation. I caught no whiff of deceit from these boys, so I doubted they would go back on their word.
I turned my attention back to Joey's duel. Now that his opponent was not cheating, it was a fair game. I relaxed as I watched the action unfold. Joey seemed to rely on a strategy based on chance and luck, though there was definitely an element of skill in it.
It turned out to be a close duel, but in the end, Joey emerged victorious. Espa Roba fell to his knees in defeat. I could sense his deflated spirit even from my position, but his emotions lightened once his brothers ran over to him and spoke what I assumed were encouraging words. I smiled at their group hug. Roba shook Joey's hand and gave him what he had won.
"I'm glad that ended well," I said, offering Yugi a smile. "I still don't understand everything about the game, but Joey's getting better, isn't he?"
Yugi nodded. "He's come a long way. Battle City should prove to be interesting." He paused. "Would you like to find some lunch? I cannot duel on an empty stomach."
His admission made me laugh. "Sure thing, Yugi." I felt the presence of both Yugi and Yami as we descended the stairs to reach the street below. I did not know what lay ahead for the three of us, but we could face it together. Even Marik could not tear me from them. I had my own
destiny.
A/N: Thanks for the comments, everyone. You may have noticed that I used some of Joey's speech from the original Japanese. I'm mostly following the dub, but I thought the Japanese made more sense in this instance. I'll add it in when I think it adds more to the story, such as Marik's motivations. Anyway, thanks for reading!
