AGKamon: Well, it's finally here. The Marik vs. Tiikeri duel, which means that the Bakura vs. Kayla duel is fast approaching as well. I just have give credit where credit is due, I owe my fellow writer, VintageStardust a lot of thanks for helping me with this. She introduced to this website called DuelingNetwork; she looked over the decks I had for Marik and Tiikeri since I'm a complete beginner and had little-to-no idea what I was doing; she helped me figure the basics of dueling, and she dueled me on DuelingNetwork so I had reference. Not to mention that she answered any questions I had and kept track of all her plays (I did the same for myself) so, when combined, I had a play-by-play of the duel that I could write a chapter around. And she offered to do the same with the Kayla vs. Bakura duel.
Marik: So before she writes another chapter with her thank-you's, we are grateful to you VintageStardust.
Kayla: And to Kuraki-chan, who gave AG advice as well.
AGKamon: Really, I am thankful.
Bakura: Yeah, yeah, let's get on with the chapter already. I really doubt people want to read your babbling.
Ryo: You really should try to be nicer, Bakura.
Tiikeri: Since when has Bakura been nice? Anyway, AGKamon doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh! or anything related to it; she only owns Kayla and I.
AGKamon: Yeah! Thanks guys, I hope you enjoy the chapter!
Marik's P.O.V.
Even though I seemed confident, I was extremely nervous on the inside. The thought of losing my soul unsettled me to no end, but I hid my uncertainty so she didn't attempt to play with my head. After all, I've already had my head messed with by my dark half; I didn't want something like that to happen again.
I gazed at my hand; it was fairly decent. There were a few spells and a few monsters; it could be worse. I looked up at my opponent, T, as she told me to call her, she seemed younger than I was, but not by much. Even with the current situation's utter seriousness, I had to admit that there was an attractive quality about her appearance.
"Ladies first," I remarked. I did have some manners after all; I tried to read her expression in order to find out whether she'd gotten a good hand or not, but I couldn't. Her expression was completely blank, and her eyes were dull. Nodding slightly, she drew a card.
"If you insist, then I activate The Seal of Orichalcos!" She slapped the card into the Field Spell area of her black Duel Disk, and a light erupted from beneath me. The halls around me disappeared, and I looked down to see a pair of green lights forming a shape under my feet. I stepped back, startled at the sudden difference as the halls faded back into view.
"Now, I'll set one monster face-down and end my turn." I smirked, realizing that she most likely hadn't gotten a very good hand. Either that, or none of the cards she was holding were useful as of yet. I didn't really care about that though, and, with a smug expression, I drew a card. Putting the trap card in my hand to be set later, I selected a monster.
"Alright then, I summon Witch of the Black Forest!" As I slid the card into its slot in the Disk, a hologram of the purple-haired woman dressed in a long gown appeared before me.
"Attack her face-down card!" I commanded, and the feminine monster dashed forward, destroying the monster with a single blow. However, it turned itself face-up first, revealing that it was a small rodent-like animal.
"I activate Bubonic Vermin's effect. When it's flipped face-up, I can summon another one from my deck in face-down position," the brunette explained as she quickly searched through her cards, soon pulling out and setting it face-down where her previous monster had been, but that one was now in the Graveyard. However, a copy of the monster had appeared to take its place.
How frustrating…she's finding a way to keep her defenses up until she has a decent card to play.
"Fine then. I'll set one card face-down. Your move." With her ever-blank expression, she drew another card, still not revealing whether she was happy with the result or not.
"Alright, I'll place another monster face-down, and I'll also set a face-down." I narrowed my eyes, slightly miffed at the turnout of the duel so far. It wasn't nearly as exciting as the other duels I've had after Battle City. I sighed in defeat, drawing a card. I mentally shrugged; it wasn't a bad card, and I decided to keep it around for later.
"I summon Pyramid Turtle in attack mode; attack!" This time, I headed for the face-down card that I knew wasn't one of the annoying rodents, curious to find out what it was. Briefly, it was flipped face-up before it disappeared in a mass of pixels; I noted that the monster had been an Armored Rat, and I felt glad that my monster had been strong enough to defeat it.
"Now, Witch of the Black Forest, destroy her other face-down card." I already knew for a fact that it was one of those Bubonic Vermin, so I didn't feel worried that my monster would be defeated.
"And, once again, I can summon another Bubonic Vermin in my old one's place in face-down defense mode," the brunette remarked as she shuffled through her deck, soon pulling out a card. She sent the previous Bubonic Vermin to the graveyard before placing a new one in face-down defense mode in its place.
My frown deepened; I was really beginning to get annoyed with her current stalling of the game. I didn't like the idea of having my opponent lose their soul along with the duel, but, I rather it'd be her than me. I wanted to get this duel over and done with, but I needed to summon a stronger card in order to break through her weak but effective defenses.
"I set one card face-down to end my turn." Briefly glancing in the direction of her deck, as if hoping for a decent card, she drew a card. Still, I was unable to decipher whether she'd gotten her silent wish granted.
"I'll set another monster face-down and end my turn." A third face-down card appeared on her side of the field, keeping her obvious Bubonic Vermin and that unknown spell or trap company. Rolling my eyes, I drew my next card, neither disappointed or happy about the result. I already had one of this card in my hand, but it wasn't a horrible card.
"I'll sacrifice my Witch of the Black Forest in order to summon Vampire Lord! And, because of my Witch's special ability, I can choose one monster with 1500 or less defense points and put it in my hand. I have to show it to you, of course, but that's really no problem to me." As my stronger monster materialized on the field, I searched my deck for a card I could use that still fit the criteria of Witch of the Black Forest's effect. Finally deciding on a card, I showed the monster, Patrician of Darkness, to the younger duelist.
"Pyramid Turtle, attack that face-down!" I pointed to the card that wasn't the Bubonic Vermin and awaited the result.
"Silly move, Marik." The card flipped face-up, revealing a dark gray, almost black, cat-like animal with a light-colored tail. It narrowed its eyes at me before disappearing in a mass of pixels.
"Why's that?" I questioned. In reality, I'd never seen that card before, or, if I had, I didn't know what its effect, or effects, were.
"Allow me to explain. When Dark Cat with White Tail is flipped face-up, I can return one monster on my side of the field to my hand, and you have to return two of your monsters to your hand. And, it seems that you only have two monsters," she explained, returning her face-down Bubonic Vermin to her hand. With an upset huff, I did the same with my Pyramid Turtle and Vampire Lord.
And I'd just summoned Vampire Lord too…
"I end my turn." I thought that I saw a flicker of a smirk flash across her lips as she drew a card, and I felt triumphant that I was able to get some sort of reaction out of my opponent.
"Okay, so I'll set one card face-down and summon Burglar in attack mode. Since your field is void of monsters, I'll attack you directly!" My eyes widened slightly as she suddenly went on the offensive, and her small creature pounced at me; its metal claws swung at me as some flecks of light emanated from it, signaling my lost life points.
"Nice move."
"Thank you, I end my turn." Now that there was damage being dealt, even if the attacks were being directed at me, I felt a lot more interested in this duel. It was only one attack, but it suddenly got my blood pumping again. With an excited grin, I drew a card. I refrained from allowing my grin to grow wider; this card would surely come in handy later.
"First, I activate Call of the Mummy. Once per turn, if I have no monsters on my side of the field, I can summon a Zombie-type monster from my hand, and I summon Patrician of Darkness! I'll also summon my Pyramid Turtle in attack mode. Now, Pyramid Turtle, attack her Burglar!" I commanded.
"Not going to work, I activate Mirror Force!" My smirk quickly faded into a frown, seeing as I'd just gotten those two monsters on the field. With a single trap card, they were being sent to the graveyard before I even had a chance to use them. I growled as I sent my two monsters to the grave.
"In that case, I place one card face-down and end my turn." I slid the card I'd previously drawn into one of the spell/trap card slots in the Duel Disk; I was starting to think that she was planning on keeping my monsters off the field for as long as she could manage to.
- Tiikeri: 8000 Life Points - Marik: 7150 Life Points -
"My turn then. First, I'll set a monster in face-down defense position. Next, I activate Magical Stone Excavation. So I discard two cards in my hand to regain one spell card from my graveyard and place it back in my hand. And finally, Burglar, attack him directly!" I flinched as the monster's claws came close to me; it really didn't hurt severely, it simply stung as the attack made contact with my skin.
"Your move." Grimacing, I took a card from the top of my deck.
"Alright then, I summon Sangan in attack mode! And I'll have it attack your Burglar!" I smiled, knowing that she probably didn't have a way to defend her monster this time. Luckily, she didn't.
"I think I'll end my turn there." Nodding, she drew a card.
- Tiikeri: 7850 Life Points - Marik: 6300 Life Points -
"I'll summon my Armored Rat in defense mode, and I set one card face-down. You're up." I frowned again, hoping that she'd simply gotten a bad draw. The duel had been exciting for a moment, but, at least both of us have taken damage now.
…There's no doubt in my mind that her facedown is Mirror Force…
She had seemed to use Magical Stone Excavation fairly quickly after she'd used that Mirror Force trap on me, so I didn't have a speck of doubt in my mind that she planned on using it again. Looking at her suspiciously, I slowly drew my next card, and I forced myself to not explode with joy at seeing the card in my hand. This was my strongest card.
However, I didn't have enough monsters on my field to sacrifice, so summoning this beast would have to wait. Hopefully, I'd only have to wait a turn or two; I was absolutely ecstatic to see this monster, seeing as I'd never even gotten the chance to use it before.
"I summon Spirit Reaper in attack mode, and my turn will end there." She raised one of her eyebrows slightly, obviously wary of my sudden change in attitude, and I wondered if I'd really displayed my happiness in what I'd drawn that easily.
"Hm, I summon Armored Rat in attack mode."
Why…? She already has one; why didn't she just change it into attack mode?
"And now, Armored Rat, attack his Spirit Reaper!" I winced at the pixels flying my way that were shed by my Spirit Reaper, but the monster didn't vanish.
"Luckily for me, Spirit Reaper can't be destroyed in battle, even if I still take the damage." I shrugged as my life points decreased; at least I still had the number of monsters that I needed.
"Fine, I end my turn." I smirked, not particularly caring about the card I drew; although, I did spare a glance at it.
"Now, I sacrifice my Sangan and my Spirit Reaper in order to summon Despair from the Dark! And, I can add a monster with 1500 or less attack points to my hand due to Sangan's effect." I chuckled as I rapidly searched through my deck, eventually pulling out a Pyramid Turtle to add to my hand. I looked up from my hand to see how she'd reacted to my move. There wasn't an emotion showing on her face, but there was a certain determination in her eyes that I was barely able to see; it was mixed with fear. She probably feared losing; I know that I wasn't exactly excited knowing that I'd have to allow this girl to lose her soul in order to find Kayla.
She looked quite innocent for where she was, and I suspected that she hadn't joined this organization by choice. There was a small part of me, and it was growing bigger, that wanted to help her, but I couldn't. Ryo and I told Bakura to go find Kayla, but that was the goal of all of us. A part of me ached knowing this, but I had to refrain myself from trying to assist her in escaping this horrible place, at least until we knew that Kayla was alright. Perhaps I'd be able to come back and find her afterward.
"Despair from the Dark, attack her Armored Rat!" I shouted, pointing toward the one that was in attack mode. I saw her eyes widen for a moment before I noticed her activating her face-down.
"I activate Mirror Force; now your monster's sent to the graveyard!" I sighed, sending it to the graveyard.
"Normally, that would be the case, but when Despair from the Dark is destroyed due to a card effect, I can special summon it right back to the field." I slapped the card back onto its spot on my Duel Disk, and the monster reappeared on the field.
"…So I just wasted it…?" I could barely hear her muttered words from where I was standing.
- Tiikeri: 7850 Life Points - Marik: 5650 Life Points -
Tiikeri's P.O.V.
I stared up at the Egyptian's large monster, determined not to lose. I could formulate a plan; I just had to hold out for as long as I could. I drew a card.
"I summon Cat's Ear Tribe in defense mode, and I also switch my Armored Rat to defense mode. I'll end my turn there." I watched as he drew his card, and I quickly got an idea.
Bazoo the Soul Eater…that could work, right? After all, Despair from the Dark can be destroyed by the attacks of a monster.
"I summon Spirit Reaper in attack mode, and I'll attack Cat's Ear Tribe with it!" As quickly as I'd summoned the small trio of cats, they vanished into an explosion of tiny pixels as I put the card in the grave.
"Your turn." I nodded, more focusing on thinking up a plan of how I could defeat that monster instead of the young man's words. I glanced at the card; it could keep me safe for now, but it couldn't really help me that much.
"I summon the Archfiend Marmot of Nefariousness in defense mode and end my turn." I narrowed my eyes in an attempt to regain my train of thought which quickly found itself back in my mind where it belonged.
On its own, Bazoo the Soul Eater won't be able to defeat that thing, but what if I activate its special ability…? No, that would still only give it 2500 attack points…I need 300 more…
"Alright, I activate Book of Life to special summon my Patrician of Darkness from the graveyard, and I also remove from play one of the Bubonic Vermin in your graveyard."
"That's no issue…" I mumbled, knowing that I still had enough monsters in my grave that could power up Bazoo the Soul Eater.
"Now I attack your Archfiend Marmot with Patrician of Darkness! Also, Despair from the Dark, attack one of her Armored Rats!" The two monsters became specks of yellow and white in seconds, leaving me with only two monsters left.
"And I'll activate my trap, Raigeki Break. This card allows me to destroy one of your monsters, as long as I discard one my own cards first. So I think I'll destroy that facedown of yours!" The flipped itself over, revealing that the monster was A Cat of Ill Omen, before it vanished as well.
"Are you done?" I asked in a dull tone, hoping that he wouldn't have another trick up his sleeve somewhere.
"Yes, your move." I drew a card and felt my hopes in drawing a useful card during this turn shatter; it could defend me, but I only had two monsters left.
"I'll set a monster face-down and end my turn." I sighed, placing the card in the appropriate slot before continuing in my though process.
If I use my equip card, Beast Fangs, that would give Bazoo another 300 attack points, meaning that it would have the same attack as Despair from the Dark. Admittedly, they would both be destroyed, but I'd rather get that monster of Marik's in the graveyard before it damages me too badly.
I felt relieved at knowing there was a way that I could defeat Marik's Despair from the Dark, but I had to be able to draw the right cards first. I hoped that I'd be able to win this duel as Marik drew his card.
"I sacrifice Spirit Reaper to summon Vampire Lord in attack mode and use it to destroy your Armored Rat!" Once again, my monster disappeared in a mass of light-colored flecks.
"And now, my Patrician of Darkness will attack your face-down monster." The monster, Dark Cat with White Cat, flipped its card upright before also disappearing.
"I activate Dark Cat with White Tail's effect! And I believe that you already know what it does. Patrician of Darkness and Vampire Lord are returning to your hand," I remarked, feeling slightly relieved that I wasn't facing three powerful monsters now. However, Despair from the Dark was still yet to attack, and I was defenseless.
"Attack her directly!" I braced myself for the incoming damage as I listened to the sound of my life point meter reducing the number of points I had remaining. This wasn't turning out very good for me.
- Tiikeri: 5050 Life Points - Marik: 5650 Life Points -
"And I'll set one card face-down to end my turn." I took in a deep breath, hoping for a card that would help me somehow. I could endure one more attack from that thing, but after that, I'd be done. Drawing a card, I could feel my expression fall.
"I summon Dark Cat with White Tail in defense mode. That's all." I saw no point in placing it face-down; even if Marik activated its effect, Despair from the Dark would still return to the field.
I need those cards to survive this duel; just two cards, that's it.
Marik gave me a confused glance, obviously wondering why I hadn't bothered to place Dark Cat face-down, but he shrugged it off in favor of drawing a card.
"I summon Pyramid Turtle in attack mode; now, attack her Dark Cat!" Flashes of yellow and white appeared before me as the black-and-white cat retreated to my graveyard.
"Despair from the Dark, attack her directly!" The force of the attack knocked the wind out of me, and the rapid beeping of my life point meter was beginning to annoy me. I knew that I was losing large chunks of my once plentiful life points; I also knew that if I didn't draw a decent card on my next turn, I'd lose.
- Tiikeri: 2250 Life Points - Marik: 5650 Life Points -
Taking in a shaky breath, I slowly drew what could be my last card. And my eyes widened.
It was a trap card.
I couldn't use this. This card, Horn of the Phantom Beast, had to be equipped to a monster, but I didn't have any monsters on the field. I didn't have any in my hand that could be summoned. The only monster, and the only other card in my hand, was a level six monster.
I failed…I won't be able to help Kayla…
I looked up from my hand at my opponent and couldn't help but think that I was happy I'd been able to meet Marik outside of my dreams for once before my soul was taken. I didn't even know what it meant to have my soul taken, but Kayla had assured me that it wouldn't be good. I swallowed the nervous lump in my throat, ready to face my fate.
Marik's P.O.V.
Slowly, she raised her head to look at me, and I was shocked by the emotion I was finding in her emerald-green eyes.
"Hey…are you-" I began before she interrupted me. A sad smile crept its way onto her lips.
"I'm not going to make it out of this duel. All the cards in my hand are useless to me now. I end my turn without dong anything." Her hands dropped to hang by her sides, and she barely seemed to have a grip on her cards. I drew a card for myself, not even bothering to look at it.
"Do you think that you could do a favor for me?" Stunned by her words, I wouldn't have expected her to give up, but, I suppose that if she was telling the truth about her hand, then I think that I would feel pretty hopeless if I was in her position.
"Sure…" I agreed.
"When you find Kayla, tell her that I forgive her for what she said to me. And...I'm glad that it was you who defeated me, Marik." I quickly recalled that Ra had said that she'd been close friends with Kayla, and that Ra had been communicating with this girl in her dreams while using my form. I was tempted to tell her the truth, but I couldn't bring myself to do so when she already looked so helpless.
Perhaps I'd get to tell her after this incident was all over. Besides, I'd like to get to know her anyway; there was a certain quality about her that I liked. She seemed to be drawing me in like a magnet.
"I will. I'll...make this quick; Despair from the Dark, end this duel!" I forced myself to look away as my monster's attack came in contact with the small girl. Soon, all of the duel holograms disappeared.
- Tiikeri: 0 Life Points - Marik: 5650 Life Points -
The green circle on the floor made by the Orichalcos shrunk and surrounded her feet, and, by pure instinct, I stepped forward to try to help her.
"…T…I…" I didn't even know what I was saying to her, but I really wanted her to look at me.
"Don't come any closer, Marik." I stopped in my tracks, keeping her gaze when she looked up at me.
"Why?"
"I don't want you to get caught in this too. I'm the one who lost, so my soul gets taken. You need to go save Kayla, alright?" I actually wanted to stay here and speak with her for a little longer, but I still nodded.
"I'll come back, okay? Then we can talk, you know, when you're actually awake." I smiled sadly, and she returned the expression, adding in a small, weak sound that resembled a laugh.
"Go, Marik. I know you'll come back, you always do. Good luck." Tearing my eyes away from hers, I motioned to Ryo. I was surprised that he'd stayed so silent during the entire duel, but I was glad he had. I'd never liked it when people tried to cheer me on during duels; I always found it to be distracting. The white-haired boy nodded and quickly started walking down the hallway Bakura had gone down a while back, sparing a sad glance in Tiikeri's direction.
I began to follow him, but just as I was about to turn the corner, I looked back at the small brunette girl. Slowly, she settled herself against the wall and closed her eyes, as if preparing for a nap. I blinked a few times, rubbing away the strange, odd-out-place, water-like substance that threatened to release itself from my eyes. With a determined expression, I followed Ryo, hoping that nothing would happen to her now-soulless body in my absence.
Be safe…Tiikeri…
AGKamon: Poor Tiikeri! I knew that she was going to lose the duel from the very beginning, but there was so much bonding between her and Marik. Also, when Marik starts to notice the emotions in her eyes, that's when The Great Leviathan let her free, figuring that she would lose and was, therefore, useless. So, at least she had her own free will in the end.
Tiikeri: Yeah...reviews?
AGKamon: I don't have to reminded, really.
VintageStardust - I won't stop you from praising my story; it keeps me writing. Did it live up to your expectations? I actually did draw that, it was adorable by the way, but it was just a sketch. If I decide to really put some effort into it, then I might end up posting it on DeviantArt. How's that cosplay coming along anyway? I'd be honored; I seriously thought you were kidding about the blue wig. If you want, you could try using Kayla's outfit from this story instead of her one from Neutral. After all, she wears a shirt under her vest in this story; all the reference material you need is on my DeviantArt anyway. Thanks, I will. But really, thanks for helping me with the duel; even if you got that speech-like-thing up there. *points to top of chapter*
Kuraki-chan - ...That was unexpected, with Raziel and everything. *Kayla: Hey! Oh, hey Shadow, Virah! -races over and glomps Raziel while talking to the other two-* I like details. A lot. Seriously. It takes me forever to finish things because of all the details I often end up including; that is why I can describe things in my writing so well. I'm kind of glad that I didn't have to write for The Great Leviathan this chapter; it's nice to take a break from his evilness. I hope that this chapter, seeing as it's one of the longest ones I've written, satisfies your eagerness!
sorecess of the nile - Yeah, I've got nothing against yaoi, I just don't see its appeal. Besides, there are way too many yaoi shippings out there; they're probably countless. Speaking of a shipping that works...
AGKamon: What do you all think about having the shipping name for Marik/Tiikeri being Goldshipping? VintageStardust came up with it, and I think it makes sense. They both wear gold jewelry for one, and the Winged Dragon of Ra brought them together. The color gold (or yellow) sort of represents Ra, don't you think? Thanks Kuraki-chan for making me realize that point about Ra. Anyway, thanks to Mariklover222 for adding this story to their favorites and thank you to Quiet Harmony-chan for adding Neutral to their favorites.
Kayla: Really guys, all the support we're getting is amazing! I mean, Vintage, cosplaying as me? I'm so honored!
Ryo: It is pretty great how popular of an OC you are, Kayla.
Bakura: True. Thanks for the reviews and stuff.
Marik: Tiikeri's pretty amazing too! We really do appreciate the support and great reviews, as well as the fanart and cosplay offers.
AGKamon: That really surprised me. Drawing Kayla is one thing, but cosplaying is on another level since you have to get the outfit and stuff.
Tiikeri: Anyway, keep reading and reviewing everyone. We'll see you next chapter.