Hello, again! I'm here with another chapter! It was a tad rushed, so please take it with a grain of salt. I promise, it will get a little more captivating once I can get my character in where I want her. Once I get into my groove, it'll be chill. Kay? Kay. I hope you enjoy, R&R!
Disclaimer: Sadly, I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!. I wish. I only own my OC and the bits of plot I change or add in.
"Ahahaha! That's nice work, but I'm afraid it's too little, too late!" The Hunter proclaimed, while Yugi and Joey looked apprehensive, but at least somewhat hopeful. Jerah, on the other hand, watched the duel with interest, but was otherwise not too emotionally involved. She saw this as an opportunity to see what the Pharaoh could do, to assess his skills to help determine what kind of help she would need to give him.
Although… Looking at Joey, seeing him wanting so badly to get his card back, she couldn't help but her let heart reach out to him. Inwardly, anyway.
"It's my move, now!" Yami declared, seeming unfazed by the taunts of the Hunter. Jerah smiled, Yami could certainly put up a good poker face. "I place one card face down on the field, and I attack with Chimera, The Flying Mythical Beast! Demolish his Stone Statue!" The monster was destroyed, leaving Chimera to return to his place above his card on the field. "You're left with one monster."
The Hunter laughed, claiming that it didn't matter to him. "I knew that even you couldn't beat me in one turn!" He shouted, already claiming victory before the duel was even over. He then went on to explain how he was going to win once he drew his next card and add Yugi's Dark Magician to his collection of rare cards. "My master will be extremely pleased! Bye, bye, Yugi! Now I will draw the final-"
"Not so fast, Rare Hunter!" Yami interrupted, shocking his opponent. The trap Yami had placed was Time Seal, which would prevent the Rare Hunter from drawing any cards. "And that means you can't pick the final Exodia card yet; This duel is far from over, Rare Hunter!" After a second to recover, the Hunter taunted again.
"Hmm, a desperate move from my desperate prey!"
On the sidelines, Joey sighed in relief. "I thought Yugi was a goner!" Jerah looked at the blond, shaking her head.
"Of course not. He's certainly got more tricks up his sleeve. I know it." As she spoke, she refocused her gaze on the duel. "But now he has to figure out a way to win with his next turn." She said, folding her arms over her stomach. Either he draws the perfect card, or he'll have to keep stalling until he does. Her cobalt eyes watched as Yami drew his card.
"I play Lightforce Sword! It will randomly attack one card in your hand, preventing you from using it for three whole turns. And I'll aim for… a piece of Exodia!" The sword materialized above Yami's head, and shot towards the Hunter's hand. It pierced a card, taking Exodia's Right Arm out of play for the next three turns. "I'm not done yet, Rare Hunter!" Yami said as he placed another card in his duel disk. "To wipe out your monsters, I'll start by sacrificing Chimera for Summoned Skull!" Hunter clearly didn't look too happy, but Jerah and Joey on the other hand... They were cheering, each in their own way.
"Summoned Skull, attack with lightning strike!" Yami called, as his monster attacked and destroyed the Hunter's Gear Golem. "You see? Your Exodia may be unstoppable as a whole, but the five cards that make it up are easy prey." Yami said, taunting the Hunter for a change.
"Now it's my turn!" The Rare Hunter growled, clearly upset that things weren't going his way.
What a baby. Jerah thought, scowling at Yami's opponent.
"Rare Hunter…" Yami started after the Hunter had drawn a card. "You have no monsters to defend you. Looks like a whole new game." Then the creep started laughing.
Don't know what he's so happy for. Jerah thought, gazing at the man skeptically.
"What's with that guy?" Joey remarked, "He's just as nutty as a fruitcake!"
"Agreed." Jerah said, frowning.
"A whole new game? Hardly Yugi!" The Rare Hunter began. "You really think you can stop me with one card?"
"I do." Yami challenged, and Jerah was mildly shocked at the confidence in his voice.
"A professional card hunter like me is prepared for any situation!" He said, chuckling darkly. "Take this! Swords Of Revealing Light!"
Yami was clearly not pleased as he gasped an 'oh no!' as the light swords formed around him.
"My magical swords prevent your monsters from attacking so you can't touch my life points! And once your Lightforce Sword wears off, Yugi, I can use Exodia's Right Arm and summon the beast!"
"Come on, Yug! You gotta get to him before he gets to that last piece of Exodia!" Joey called from the sidelines. Jerah watched quietly, frowning.
What will you do now, Pharaoh? Was I wrong to have such high expectations?
"It's my move. I'll draw one card," Yami said, and looked down at the card he drew, "And end my turn."
The Hunter laughed again, "Thanks to my Swords of Revealing Light, that's all you can do! You're reduced to watching your own duel, unable to attack, unable to even move-"
"Does this guy ever shut up?" Jerah complained, sneering towards the creepy duelist as he kept talking.
"I wish!" Joey replied, a bit snarky. He was just as fed up with the guy as Jerah was.
"Hey, what's so funny?" Jerah and Joey tuned in to the duel just as Yami was smirking, about to make a great reveal she supposed.
"Your deck's loaded down with so many Exodia body parts, the odds of drawing a Right Arm are slim to none."
"We'll find out, won't we?" The Hunter countered.
"Your mistake is that you're relying on one monster, but a good dueling deck requires the right balance of cards. And you're still a prisoner of my Lightforce Sword, which means I have three turns to defeat you!"
"Hm, wishful thinking, Yugi! It's my draw!" The Hunter drew a card, and by how silent he was, everyone could presume that it wasn't the card he required to win.
"Come on, Yug! You can do it, buddy! You still got two more turns to figure out how to stop this card swiping freak!" Yami sent a glance his way, before taking his turn.
Jerah was getting rather bored. She wanted to see his skills, but this duel was starting to get on her nerves. The creep was annoying, and honestly, she didn't think she was getting a real taste of his skill watching him duel against this guy. While Joey was focused on Yami, Jerah slipped away. She may as well get a locator card or two while she was waiting for Yugi. It wouldn't take long, would it?
The girl's life points went down to zero, and she slumped her shoulders in defeat.
Jerah walked over to her, holding out her hand. "You did well." She said simply, as the girl looked up at her. Then she looked down at Jerah's hand. She sadly held up her rarest card and locator card. But that wasn't what Jerah was looking for. She took the cards from the girl, but continued to hold her hand out. The girl looked confused for a moment, before taking Jerah's hand and shaking it. Jerah nodded, shaking the girl's hand firmly. The girl smiled a bit, and Jerah returned the gesture.
Jerah looked at the card the girl gave her, as reward for winning, and smiled a little. It was a nice card, but it wasn't something Jerah could use in her deck, without having to change a lot more than she wanted. "Here." Jerah said, handing the card back to the girl, who looked back at Jerah with wide eyes.
"But-"
"Take it." Jerah insisted. "Before I decided to keep it." The girl took the card as Jerah finished her sentence.
"Why'd you give it back?" The girl asked, confused. Jerah just smiled and started walking away.
"Rules were made to be broken." With that final statement, Jerah left the girl standing there. She headed back to Yugi's duel. She wondered if he won already. Upon walking up to the duel, she watched him make the winning move.
With a final attack from Yami's powered up Magna Warrior, the Rare Hunter lost the last of his life points.
"Yeah, Yug! You won!" Joey cheered, not even noticing that Jerah had taken a stand right beside him to watch the last moments of Yami's victory. The crowd around them cheered, and Jerah smiled as Yami looked over at her and Joey.
Yami went over to the collapsed Rare Hunter, and took his deck.
"Way to go, my man!" Joey congratulated him, going and standing beside him. Jerah tagged along and stood on the other side of Yugi.
"Thanks, Joey." Yami flipped through the Hunter's deck until he came upon Joey's Red Eyes Black Dragon. "Ah, there it is." He then looked down at the Hunter, who seemed to be unresponsive. "I'm taking Joey's Red Eyes Black Dragon and your locator card. You won't need to find the finals now."
Then, Yami's expression changed, and he continued to flip through the Rare Hunter's deck.
"What's wrong?" Jerah asked, raising her eyebrow.
"Something's rubbing off on my fingers..." Then his violet eyes narrowed, as he figured out what had been going on. "All these cards are marked!"
"He was a cheat!" Joey exclaimed.
"Not anymore!" Yami said as he tore all the Hunter's cards and threw the pieces in the air. It was then that the Hunter finally started saying something.
"I lost… I failed… Forgive me master! I tried my best!" He begged, to seemingly no one as Yami, Jerah and Joey looked at him strangely.
"There's something deeper at play, here…" Jerah whispered, glaring at the Hunter as Yami glanced at her from the corner of his eye. She knew of ancient magic, and she had guessed that this man had something to do with it. But even from the start, he was only a pawn. Just bait to catch the Pharaoh on the hook. "No! Please don't be angry!" Then he stood up, holding his head as he cried out. "No master! Don't! Please! Spare me!"
"Yugi! That wacko's lost his mind!" Joey said.
"I've seen this before…" Yami said, as they all watched a golden eye of Horus appear on the Hunter's forehead. When the Hunter spoke again, his voice was morphed, most definitely not his own. It was as if someone was speaking through him.
"We meet again, Pharaoh. Remember me? 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 freakshow?" Joey asked.
"His mind is being controlled." Jerah explained curtly, keeping her gaze fixed on the Hunter.
"Smart girl." The mystery voice snarked before continuing his speech to Yami. "Pharaoh, I've waited for you for years. Finally, after all this time I will destroy you." Yami took a sharp intake of breath, though it was rather quiet. Jerah looked at him, not knowing how to go about keeping him calm. "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 have taken over his body and trapped his mind in the Shadow Realm. I am in control!" The voice spoke, as the body started doing haphazard, strange movements in the air.
"Ehhh! This guy's creepin' me out!" Jerah couldn't help a snide remark in response.
"That's his job, Joey."
"How do you control him?" Meanwhile, Yami was focused on the more important aspects of the conversation. Jerah refocused, and listened to what the voice was saying through the Rare Hunter's body.
"Each of the Millennium Items contains its own unique power. So mind control is a simple task with my Millennium Rod!"
"No good can come from that power." Yami stated.
"Allow me to introduce myself. Remember my name: Marik."
"Marik!" Yami repeated as he took a step forward. "What is it you want from me, Marik?"
"I want what belongs to me! And I'll take it using the strength of the Egyptian god cards!"
"Egyptian-what?" Yami asked.
"Millennia ago, a trio of powerful behemoths rampaged throughout ancient Egypt. These Egyptian god monsters spread 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!" Yami countered, on the defense.
"Hmm. 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!" Yami declared.
"Then your destiny is easier said than done, you fool! Pharaoh, your days are numbered! So enjoy the game while you still can! Because your reign is coming to an end!" With that, Marik released control of the Hunter's body and let it drop to the ground.
"Man, that was weird." Joey commented, "I knew that guy was a big creep, but who knew he was just a front for an even bigger creep!" Then, Joey looked over at Yami as he held the Red Eyes card towards the blond.
"Here you go, Joey. Take your Red Eyes back."
"Nah, Yug. You hold on to it." Joey said, looking down for a moment. "It isn't mine to take, pal. You won it fair and square. Besides, the Rare Hunters are collecting tons of rare cards. Their decks are totally suped up. And I know they're gonna be tough to beat, even for you!"
"What are you saying, Joey?" Yami asked, letting his hand drop to his side again.
"I'm saying, one day 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."
"That's what friends do."
"That's my point exactly, buddy. You've always had 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 kinda 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." Joey smirked.
"What card?" Jerah asked, curious. Both Joey and Yami looked at her, since she had been silent that whole time.
"Do you remember, Yugi? It was a card you gave me way back when I first started playing Duel Monsters." Yami smiled as he remembered.
"Time Wizard."
"Yep! It helped me out in Duelist Kingdom, and I know it's gonna save my butt in Battle City!"
Jerah smiled, watching them talk. It was almost like she wasn't even there, though she was about to change that. "Both of you are so… passionate." Jerah smiled sheepishly, looking down as she continued. "I admire that you put all of your heart in dueling." They both looked at her, and Joey gushed dramatically while Yami simply smiled.
"Thank you, Jerah. Now, I have to ask… I noticed that you were gone through the last half of my duel… Where did you go?" Yami asked, raising an eyebrow. Jerah smirked, taking out her locator cards.
"Well, you're not the only one trying to get to the finals." She held up a total of three locator cards. She had earned two while Yami was dueling. Joey looked at her, appalled.
"How do you have three already?!" Jerah shrugged in response.
"I took out a couple of easier duelists. It wasn't that hard." She responded simply. She made it sound easy, and in reality it was, but it was mostly manipulation on her part. She walked around, looking nervous and shy, so one of the weaker duelists would challenge her thinking that she would be easy prey. Then, she quickly wiped them out. Of course, she didn't take their rare cards, because she didn't want to change anything in her deck and they would just collect dust anyway if she kept them.
"Anyway, don't concern yourself with me. Don't you have a world to save?" Jerah joked, raising her eyebrow. She knew it was serious, but she felt that if she made a little light of it, the weight wouldn't feel quite so heavy for him. After all, some people crack under pressure, and she didn't know if Yami was that kind of person.
Yami smiled, chuckling quietly while Joey was mumbling something along the lines of 'glad she's on our side, yeesh'.
Well, looks like the war has finally begun.
Behold, another chapter! This one is a little short. But 'ey, I got it done. I didn't have a lot of time to work on it, so I got done what I could. It's gonna be iffy for a while, because homework will only increase from here and I also have extra curricular responsibilities (I'm the leader of the sets painting crew for my school's play and musical this year).
Anyway, I will keep keeping up with this, as much as I am able.
That being said, go check out the poll on my profile! It gives options on what stories you'd like to read from me after I complete this one. I have titles and summaries on my profile, and the link is there as well. I'd like to know what you guys want!
Thank you for reading, and please review!
~Hinata-Chan33, Signing out!~
