Chapter 11

Marik's Moves

Author's note: just to not get in trouble, I should remind everyone that I don't own anything YuGiOh. I just own my characters and Dark Mage of the Sea owns hers.

When a sentence is written **like this**, it's in sign language. The duels in this will be summarized because what happens before and after is more important for the overall storyline.

Thank you, Dark Mage of the Sea, my coauthor and best friend.

After a week of anticipation, the first day of Battle City arrived. That morning, Tiki was looking through her clothes. "What should I wear?"

Tima appeared behind her. I don't know why you're so nervous: you're not dueling.

Tiki blushed. "I know. But I want to look nice."

Tima smirked. You mean, in case you run into Kaiba.

Holding up a red shirt, Tiki turned as red as her shirt. Embarrassed, she asked, "That obvious?"

Tima chuckled. To me.

Tiki grumbled and toss her shirt onto her bed. She then got an idea and dug in her closet until she grinned. "This is perfect!"

Tima looked at the dress Tiki pulled out. It was a white, off-the-shoulder summer dress with puffy sleeves and a ribbon around its waist. Tima nodded. Very nice.

Tiki nodded as she started to change. "It's my lucky dress. Every time I've worn it, something good has happened. I think Yugi would appreciate the luck that will come with it."

Looking at herself in the dress, the small brunette nodded and started to accessorize with ribbon sandals, a ribbon choker, and a hair pin that had three roses in it. Looking down at the dress on her as well, Tima was impressed. Very pretty.

Tiki smiled. "All right, let's get the boys." She made the trek to Yugi's room and knocked. "Yugi! You up?"

When there was no answer, she checked the door and found it was unlocked. Peeking in, she saw Yami out and excited. "Yes! The deck is done!"

Yugi appeared next to Yami and saw the sun. "Morning already?!"

Yami kept looking at the deck with pride. "I can't believe we spent all night deciding on that magic card."

Tiki pinched the bridge of her nose. "I can."

The boys turned around and were surprised. Tima smiled. Tiki, you know how they get when it comes to Duel Monsters.

Yami smiled at Tima. "Exactly. By the way, how come you're not out?"

Tiki and Tima looked at each other. Tiki suggested, "Maybe we have to be near you for that to happen."

Yami accepted that and turned to Yugi. "Aibou, I have to tell you something before we join the tournament." Seeing he got Yugi's attention, Yami continued. "This Battle City…it's not just a Duel Monsters battlefield; it's a battlefield to discover who Tima and I are."

Yugi was surprised. "Really?"

Yami nodded. "For me, this is more than just a regular tournament. But know this: I can't win this fight without your help, Yugi…and your help too, Tiki. No matter what, I have faith in the deck we created. Keep that in mind."

Yugi smiled. "I know."

Yami got curious but defensive. "You're not going to pry for more details?"

Tima sighed in amusement. One of these days, you're going to have to lower those walls of yours.

Tiki playfully hit Tima's arm as Yugi explained, "I figured you would be a part of this for an important reason, not just getting rare cards. That's enough for me. Whatever it is, take your time in telling me. I'll always believe in you and in our deck."

Yami smiled with pride and let Yugi take over. Putting the deck in his belt, Yugi snapped the belt into place, ready to help Yami in this tournament.


Arriving at the town square, Yugi and Tiki stared at the card-shaped piece of plastic that had a puzzle piece in the middle. Tiki asked, "This came with the Duel Disk? What's on it?"

Yugi stated, "It's part of the Domino City map. You should know that."

Tiki blushed. "I'm not the one who used to think maps were maze games."

Yugi blushed a little and then noticed they were at the clock. "They say this is the starting point."

They suddenly heard their names being called out. Looking to the right, they saw Mai running up to them. "It's finally going to start!" She then looked around. "Where's Joey?"

Yugi looked around as well. "He should be here."

Mai squealed. "So he is participating! He is a chosen duelist!"

Tiki was suspicious of that: when they picked up Yugi's duel disc, Joey was registered as a level two duelist, too low to qualify, a rating that miraculously changed to level five after Joey threw a temper tantrum. She was about to bring that up when they heard, "Long time no see, you three!"

The three looked up and saw Rex and Weevil, scowling as they walked up. Tiki gagged. "Where's my bug spray?"

Rex stated, "Listen up! You are going to pay for what you did on Duelist Kingdom!"

Tiki raised her eyebrow. "What did Yugi and I do to you?"

Rex ignored her. "You better remember that!"

Weevil sneered annoying. "If you think I'll be easy to defeat again, you'll be sorry! My insect deck has powered up since we last dueled…"

Weevil started to laugh but he was startled into silence by Mako sneaking up from behind and putting him in a headlock. "I figured you guppies'd be causin' trouble again!"

As Mako, Rex, and Weevil argued, Mai and Tiki sighed in annoyance as Yugi chuckled awkwardly. Mai murmured, "Guys like you tire me out…" When the three departed, Mai looked at the siblings with a smile. "I'll be going too. See you at the finals!"

The siblings agreed and, once alone, Tiki asked, "Where do you want to go?"

Yugi led her to the playground on the roof of a nearby building. "This is my starting point."

Tiki looked around. "Now what?"

Yugi shrugged. "Kaiba should be broadcasting the starting ceremony any time soon. What I want to know is how you duel at places like this?"

Suddenly Kaiba's voice rang out. "Fellow duelists, welcome to Battle City!"

The siblings and every duelist in the tournament looked around, trying to find Kaiba. They quickly discovered where it was coming from: a screen that featured Kaiba's face attached to the underbelly of a blimp. Smirking, Kaiba began, "Here are the rules. All those who came here were specially chosen by KaibaCorp as level 5 or higher. The duel disk is proof of your worthiness. All of Domino City is the stage for the tournament. No matter where you are in the city, if you face a duelist, you can fight! Use your 40 card deck; the loser must surrender his or her rarest card to the winner. In Battle City, your deck will become stronger with every win! Only eight can participate in the finals."

Yugi's eyes widened. "That's all?"

Tiki nodded. "Guess so."

Kaiba continued, "The location of the finals is hidden within the city." He chuckle and added, "Since I am participating in this tournament fairly, even I don't know where the finals will be. One final thing: look at the plate that came with your duel disk." He held up his own and explained, "It is a locater card. When all 48 puzzle cards are gathered, it shows a map of Domino City. The cards have a special prismatic coating; when six are stacked, a light will shine on a certain spot on the plate. That spot is the location of the finals! Finally, the winner must also take the opponent's locater cards, for the finalists will be those who collected six! Now…Battle City duelists…scatter across the city and locate your enemies!"

Hearing the cheers below, Yugi got focused. "All right!"

Tiki nodded. "Can't let your guard down." She then noticed in the crowds, "Is that Joey?"

Yugi looked. It was Joey and he was heading straight for the café, looking furious. Worried, the siblings ran down to the square and up to Joey, who was yelling at a man with silver hair sitting at a café table. Joey growled, "That bastard stole my Red Eyes!"

The siblings paled. Two nights ago, Joey was ambushed and mugged of his Red Eyes Black Dragon; he was so injured physically and emotionally that he almost missed his sister Serenity's eye operation. Yugi looked at the man and said to Tiki, "He's a Rare Hunter!"

Tiki looked at the man. "You mean those creatures who run the gaming underworld? I thought they were a myth."

Noticing that the hunter was staring Yugi down, Joey got between them. "Yugi, don't even try to fight this bastard!"

The hunter closed his laptop. "Oh? You want to fight me again? Even though you LOST your Red Eyes?!" Joey tensed up as the hunter came around the table. "Unfortunately, without rare cards, you mean nothing to me. However…" he pointed to Yugi, "…Mutou Yugi! YOU will be my opponent!"

Joey shook his head. "No way, man! This is my problem!"

Yugi stepped forward. "No…I accept."

Joey wanted to talk Yugi out of it but Tiki shook her head. "Let my brother handle this."

Yugi glared at the hunter. "A duelist's cards are their life! Those who steal them…"

Yami took over and finished, "I can never forgive them! Trash like you is a disgrace to this city! I'll take you out right now!"

Tima smiled with pride. **Good luck.**

Nervous, Joey warned, "Yugi, they'll do anything to win. They have hundreds of powerful cards and bootlegged rare ones too! In his deck alone—"

Yami stopped him. "Stop right there, Joey! No matter the cheap tricks, it's not right for me to know the enemy's strategy before a game. In fact…" he tuned to the hunter, "…use your strongest tactics on me. My deck will crush yours!"

The hunter laughed. "I must admit, I like guys with high fighting spirit and great confidence. It means nothing in a duel! I'll teach you that your worthless justice means nothing to us Rare Hunters! All that truly awaits you is the despair of losing your rare card and failing your friend!"

Tima sighed, getting annoyed. **Can you shut him up?**

Seeing her sign, Yami smirked and put his deck in the duel disk. "Really? We'll see."

The opening duel for Battle City was intense and historic. The hunter had bootlegged copies of the Exodia pieces and kept using Graceful Charity to draw the pieces he needed and defensive monsters to try and distract Yami. Joey wanted to warn Yami but Yami stopped him, wanting to fight fairly as a true duelist. Yami did eventually figure out what the hunter was doing (he remembered Joey risking his life on the way to Duelist Kingdom to save the Exodia cards) and set out to destroy Exodia. With the combination of Time Seal, Lightforce Sword, Chain Destruction, and good timing, Yami made history: not only was he the first person to ever play Exodia, he was the first person to destroy Exodia. When the duel ended, Joey and Tima were smiling from ear to ear, Joey especially. "All right, Yugi!"

Yami took the hunter's deck as his friends joined him. He smiled at them and flipped through the hunter's deck until he found what he was looking for: the Red Eyes Black Dragon. Taking the card, he said, "As per Battle City Rules, I'll be taking Joey's Red Eyes and your locater card."

The hunter did not respond. Yami looked through the deck and found the rest of the Exodia cards. Looking at and feeling them, his eyes narrowed into a glare. "These are fake!"

Tima frowned. **Disgusting!**

Agreeing, Yami ripped up all the Exodia cards. As the pieces of the cards fell, the hunter's hand twitched. "I…lost…my…perfect deck…"

The hunter stood up weakly. Suddenly he clutched his head and screamed at the top of his lungs, scaring the four. Joey jumped and Tima hid behind Yami, whose eyes widened as the hunter whimpered, "Help me…it's him…he's here…!"

Joey shuddered. "What the hell is going on?"

Yami was about to ask the hunter about who he was talking about when a glowing Egyptian eye appeared on his forehead. Yami immediately recognized it as the same symbol that was on all the Millennium Items. The hunter whimpered, "Master…Marik…" before his arms dropped and he went very still. Leaning forward, the hunter's body went limp as a different voice came out of his mouth. "Yugi…the great duelist…the one who defeated Pegasus…it's been a long time."

Tima peeked out. 'What is this?'

The "hunter" looked at Tima and sighed with a shudder that shook "his" body." "My queen…my Tima…you're a vision…even more beautiful than I imagined…my angel…"

Tima hid behind Yami again as he growled, "Leave her alone!"

The "hunter" turned back to Yami. "I feel I must apologize: the man you faced was the weakest of all the Rare Hunters. The rest…well, they have much more strength!"

Joey whispered out of the corner of his mouth, "Um…what the hell is this guy talking about?"

The "hunter" chuckled. "Oops…didn't mean to frighten you."

Tima shuddered. 'Too late.'

The "hunter" explained, "The man speaking is not the man before you." Realizing what "he" was saying, Yami pushed Tima further behind him as "he" added, "I am in a place further away, for I have implanted a bit of myself into him. He is my toy to control, letting me do whatever I want. For example…"

The "hunter" suddenly started to move erratically like a rag doll, disgusting the three friends. Joey gagged. "That's not right!"

Having enough, Yami demanded, "Who are you?!"

Standing still, "he" stated, "Like you, I have been chosen by the Millennium Items. With the power of my Millennium Rod, I can control everything he does!"

Hearing the words "Millennium Rod," Yami remembered the warning Ishizu gave about the enemy possessing the final Millennium Item. "He" continued with, "Anyway, I only came here to introduce myself to you and to the most beautiful woman in history." Chuckling darkly, "he" said, "My name is Marik."

Yami stepped forward. "Marik, what are you after?!"

Marik explained through the hunter, "To gather the God Cards that have been revived in this world…and to have something more precious than diamonds…"

Not paying attention to the last thing Marik said, Yami focused on, "God Cards?"

"He" said, "According to ancient texts, there were three stone slabs that contain the power of darkness: Obelisk the Tormentor, Slifer the Sky Dragon, and the Winged Dragon of Ra. The one to have all three and take the title 'Pharaoh' will gain a power strong enough to control the entire world! We have already obtained two of the God Cards; the final God Card is in the hands of someone in town. Yugi…the game is afoot: there is a Rare Hunter lurking in town with a God Card. If you meet him…it'll be instant death…even for someone like you…"

Yami brushed off the threat. "We'll see about that! I will never hand over the title of Pharaoh or the power to control the world over to the likes of you! And even if I meet the Rare Hunter with the God Card, I will not lose!"

"He" laughed. "I look forward to testing that theory."

Yami remained stone-faced. 'I will find my lost memory in this battle. Marik…your Millennium Rod has called me to battle! I will defeat you!"

The "hunter" chuckled. "Well, chosen one…let the Millennium Battle begin! I look forward to playing with you…both of you."

The hunter collapsed in a heap. Joey stared down at the body. "Damn…the power to control people. Just what the hell is this Marik dude?"

Yami decided to not answer as it was his burden. Instead he held out the Red Eyes Black Dragon. "Here, Joey."

Joey stared at the card before sighing. "I can't take it back…not now. If I take it now…I feel like…like I'm taking steps back from becoming the true duelist I want to be. Besides, he wouldn't approve either. I must admit, Yugi, you're the closest I've ever seen to being a true duelist. Back in Duelist Kingdom, I felt like I was fighting for something. But…I lost that feeling. Your duel with this nut job proved something to me: even when facing someone who's using cheap tricks, you fight them fairly. As a result, you taught me something else. What I lost was a duelist's pride. Sure, Red Eyes means more to me than another card in the world and he's been my fighting partner for so long. That's the reason why I can't take him back now! Hell, who am I kidding? Right now, with how I am, Red Eyes won't let me take him back so easily. So…I'll let you hold onto it for now. But don't worry: I have a new 40 card deck for the tournament and I still have my locater card so I'm still qualified. Also, I still have my Time Wizard, my last rare card to bet. I want to be a true duelist…someone I can respect. No, scratch that: here in Battle City, I'll become one!" He turned to Yami. "When I win this tournament and I can truly call myself a true duelist…please duel me."

Having been taken aback by Joey being so honest with him, Yami smiled. "I understand. We'll fight each other then, Joey!"

Jeoy thanked Yami and shook his friend's hand. Tima beamed from ear to ear. 'I can't wait to see that duel.'

As they turned to leave, Joey burst out, "All right! This tournament's just getting started! Who wants to fight me?!"

Joey and Yami with Tima went their separate ways to find opponents.


An hour into Battle City, Joey met up with Merina, dressed in skinny jeans, a white spaghetti strap shirt, a belt with a duel deck box, and knee-high black boots. Deciding to stick with her, Joey found an opponent after seeing a crowd surround a duel involving Rex Raptor. Rex had just lost to a duelist named Espa Roba, a duelist who claimed to have psychic powers. Unafraid by the powers and not knowing that Yami and Tima were watching from afar, Joey took the challenge. While he had a rocky start (he forgot the new rules about using sacrifices for high level monsters and Espa appeared to really have powers), Joey came back when he realized that Espa was a fake (Espa was prepared for two Graceful Dice cards when Joey really only had one Graceful Dice and one Skull Dice). Espa managed to make a comeback with his card Jinzo, a card that destroyed all trap cards, but Joey, using his gamble deck and with confidence from Serenity delivered by Tea, won, winning another locater card and Jinzo.


Sitting on his throne, Marik listened. "So…you found the new owner of Obelisk."

Standing before him was a Rare Hunter. All that was shown of his black face was below his eyes, revealing part of a scar-tattoo on his left check. "Yes, in North C Block of Domino City. His name is Kaiba Seto."

Marik scoffed. "Should have known."

Another Rare Hunter wondered, "How did he get it?"

Marik looked at the Millennium Rod. "I can speculate…he hosted this tournament because he received Obelisk. His goal is to own all three gods." He then thought, 'As I thought…it was you…' He still remembered that day.


At the hiding place of Ra, Marik used his Millennium Rod to make the guardian open the safe. Once he had Ra in his hands, he erased the guardian's memory and calmly walked out, running into Ishizu. "Marik…my Millennium Necklace warned me about this." Ignoring Marik's growl, she added, "For 3,000 years, our tribe has protected the king's tomb. If you do this, you will defy them. Is that your intent?"

Marik growled, "What am I sacrificing myself for?! Someone has to take a stand against this crap! Once I obtain all God Cards, I will gain the rightful title of Pharaoh! I will free our tribe from this curse and I will free my love from his evil grasp!"

Ishizu boldly said, "You are betraying our tribe! I will not let you pass."

Marik hissed, "You don't know me."

Ishizu said, "And you don't know the queen."

Marik held up his Millennium Rod, ready to attack. "More…now."

Ishizu remained stone-faced. "Can you use your Millennium Rod against me?"

"For the sake of our future and for Tima, I can. I would do anything for my lovely Tima…even against you, dear sister."


Taking a deep breath, Marik stopped thinking about that day. 'Sister…you have the last card, didn't you? Your Millennium Necklace must have shown you the future, making you give Kaiba Seto Obelisk and inspiring him to hold this event. With the god's guidance, you knew my fate would eventually intertwine with the Pharaoh. But know this: in the end, the final god card will belong to me…along with the title of Pharaoh…and my love.'

Marik reached up and clutched his robes where his locket was. The black Rare Hunter asked, "Shall I assemble a team to attack Kaiba? He is still in the North Block."

Relaxing his body, Marik smirked. "No. Let him be for now." 'I finally found my love after all this time…and still in his clutches…' He then got an idea. "Assemble Arkana for a duel!"

The Rare Hunters obeyed.


Later on, Yami stopped in a park and looked at the Red Eyes Black Dragon. 'Aibou…this card we're holding is Joey's courage."

Yugi appeared next to Yami. "You mean Joey's fighting to get the card back."

Tiki appeared next to Tima. "I'm sure Joey will do find in Battle City."

Yami smiled. "Yes. When that time comes, I will accept that challenge, when it is made by the duelist Wheeler Joey!"

Yugi smiled. "It won't matter who wins or loses. It'll just be a good memory for us."

Tiki added, "Like the memories we have of playing with Grandpa."

Yugi suddenly remembered. "Yeah…you and Tima don't have memories from before the four of us met."

Tima half-heartedly nodded. Yami was about to answer Yugi when he heard jingling bells. Looking to their left, he and Tima saw a jester, who bowed. Yami immediately went on guard. "Rare Hunter?"

The jester pointed to his left. Tima got nervous. **I think he's telling us where to go. I don't like this.**

Yami looked and saw a tent with the sign "Magic Show" on it. He turned to the jester in time to see him leap into the bushes. Taking Tima's hand, Yami led her to the tent. Once inside, they found a stage with a trap box. The box opened to reveal the jester, who gestured for them to join him before disappearing into the box again. Seeing no choice, Yami led Tima into the box. The other end of the box opened, revealing they were at another building. Stepping out, they started to wonder where they were when the computer in front of them turned on, showing his Battle City credentials. Suddenly the Dark Magician changed: the outfit turned red, his hair turned grey, and his skin became tan. He suddenly appeared as a hologram above the computer. "Welcome, Yugi. My master Arkana will be your opponent."

Tima looked physically ill as Yami wondered, "Arkana?"

The red Dark Magician sneered. "I'll show you that there is only one true master of the magician spellcaster-type…" he pointed his scepter at Yami, "…Master Arkana, the conjurer!"

Yami chuckled and looked around. "Enough with the petty tricks! Face me, Rare Hunter!"

To their left, a man in a red suit, red top hat, and a black and blue stripped tie that matched his mask appeared, wearing a duel disk and holding the Dark Magician card. "Welcome. I am Rare Hunter Arkana, better known as the Conjurer and master of the Dark Magician."

Yami felt insulted. "Master of the Dark Magician?"

Tima glared. 'Like he'd let you be his master.'

Arkana stepped forward. "Yugi, I am well aware of you often using the Dark Magician to defeat your opponents. But you cannot defeat my Dark Magician for I am the master of magicians!"

Getting over his initial surprise at the appearance of Arkana, Yami became almost amused. "We'll see. Duelists choose their cards they trust the most in building their deck. But, once in a while, cards choose their duelist. When the hearts of the card and the duelists beat as one, that is when the card's true power is unleashed!" He took out his deck and started to shuffle. "Rare Hunters know nothing of the duelists' heart." He drew his Dark Magician as Arkana growled. "Okay. I'll take you; my Dark Magician will defeat you!"

Tima saw the Dark Magician appear behind Yami. They locked eyes and Tima mouthed "Look after him," making the Dark Magician nod. Arkana chuckled. "As expected. It's been said that you accept any duel; it appears that I'm no different." As the two duel monsters disappeared, Arkana looked around. "Well, this room is a bit crowded. But I have prepared a special duel ring for us. If you please…"

Arkana bowed and gestured behind him. Noticing stairs leading to the basement, Yami turned to Tima. "Go find everyone."

Arkana grinned. "Oh, she can't leave. The building is sealed off."

Tima looked at Yami. **I'll be fine with you.**

Yami was not sure but he figured he had no choice and followed Arkana down to the basement. As they went, Arkana mentioned, "Truth be told, Master Marik told me you would be in this area."

Yami grew a little worried, remembering that Marik introduced himself as a Millennium Item holder and the leader of the Rare Hunters. "Where is he now?!"

Arkana peeked back at Tima. "I must say, you're as lovely as he described."

Tima shivered as Yami demanded. "Answer me, Arkana!"

Arkana gave a half-shrug. "Who knows? Where is he…?" He looked back at Yami. "He's VERY close. In fact…you could say…" he tapped his hat, "…he's right here."

Yami knew what Arkana meant: with the Millennium Rod capable of controlling people, Marik could be watching them through Arkana's eyes at that very moment. Coming up to a door with a question mark on it, Arkana smiled. "Now, please enter, for this is our duel ring!"

The three entered and took in the room. The ceiling was littered with coffins and torn curtains. In the middle was a small replica of a circus ring. Proud, Arkana asked, "What do you think?"

Tima shuddered. **Morbid.**

As the golden square in the middle of the ring rose to make a table, Arkana stood on one side. "Cards have often been used here during special occasions. Besides, this is the perfect arena for a Dark Magician duel: solid vision can be used here but KaibaCorp can't locate us."

Yami joined Arkana at the table. Yami shuffled his deck but noticed how Arkana shuffled: the same manner a card dealer shuffled a deck of playing cards. Keeping his eyes on Arkana, he stated, "You'll damage your cards with the way you cut and shuffle."

Arkana shrugged his head. "I'm used to this way."

Suspicious, Yami told Arkana he would cut the deck. As Yami did, Arkana said, "You know, there's an old saying among gamblers: trust your friends but always cut the cards."

Yami almost laughed. "Friends? Like I'd call you that!"

Arkana took his deck. "Pity. Still, now that we're committed to dueling, allow me to show you proof that we truly are blood brothers!"

Suddenly the platform moved Yami and Arkana back and locks pinned their ankles. Yami demanded, "What is this?!"

Arkana smirked. "Both of us can't escape from here!"

Looking back at Tima, Yami demanded, "Get out of here!"

Smirking, Arkana snapped his fingers. Faster than she could react, a large, colorful board used for knife-throwing lifted from the ground, slamming into her back, and locks pinned her wrists and ankles. Arkana laughed. "I do love an audience!"

Yami growled, "Let her go!"

Arkana ignored him. "Allow me to show you the greatest show in history, as I, Arkana the Conjurer, escape from the jaws of death!"

Buzzsaws appeared on the walls. Arkana laughed at the look of horror on Yami's face. "It's the saw you see in magic shows! Do you now understand the rules?"

Yami looked and saw what Arkana meant: along the buzzsaws' path were numbers, starting at 4000. "The life points? The closer you get to zero, the closer the blade gets to us?"

"Correct! A nightmare game where the loser's body will be sawed apart! But there is another element! Look at your feet!" A box with a life point monitor raised from the ground between both their feet. "In the box is the key that will open our feet's shackles. It will only open when your opponent's life points reach zero! In other words, only the winner will escape with his life!"

Yami was horrified. "You bastard!"

Arkana grinned darkly. "This is like Pandora's Box…where Zeus created a box containing the world's misfortune, only to have a woman sharing the same name open it and unleash the horror within. All that was left within was a tiny bit of hope. The key in this box is our last hope!"

Arkana laughed but stopped when Yami asked, "Is this fun…? A battle with people's lives on the line…tell me! Is this fun to you?!"

Arkana sneered, "Of course…because I will win."

Yami growled furiously. "You bastard! I'll show you what a true duelist's fight looks like!"

It was a difficult duel, especially with Arkana using dirty tricks with his cards; Yami was not worried about the tricks and took steps to assure that Arkana would be punished for his tricks. The climax was the face-off between the two Dark Magicians, with Yami and Arkana using magic cards to help their magician come out on top. When the battle ended in a stalemate, Yami asked why Arkana, someone who was skilled, would fall so far as to become a Rare Hunter and Arkana revealed his past and that Marik promised to reunite him with his lost love Catherine with the power of the Millennium Rod if he killed Yami, even revealing that Catherine was watching from behind a curtain. In the end, however, Arkana's obsession to win was his undoing: he extracted his Dark Magician's betrayed soul with Ectoplasmer, an attack that was blocked by Yami's Dark Magician (the magic card affected both since they were the same type) and Yami summoned Dark Magician Girl thanks to Arkana's magic card (Dark Magic Curtain), who drew power from both fallen Dark Magicians to defeat Arkana. Watching Dark Magician Girl, Tima smiled brightly. 'She's perfect…well done.'

Yami almost felt sorry for Arkana. "For a duelist not to cherish the bond with your cards…you walked down the path of failure. You lost…because you disrespected your Dark Magician!"

Arkana was shocked, shown by him shaking. "Im-Impossible! Respecting cards?! Cards are only supposed to obey their master!"

Yami was disgusted. "Someone like you who threw away the bonds with your cards, focusing solely on victory…you've lost the duelist's soul! Arkana, all that awaits you is your final act of cruelty!"

As Arkana started to panic as the buzzsaw got closer and closer, the box between Yami's legs opened, revealing a locater card and a key with a top hat on top. Ignoring Arkana, Yami got the work on freeing his feet. Peeking back at Tima, he said, "I'll get you free. Give me a moment."

Tima gave him a look and wiggled her pinned arms. 'It's not like I can go anywhere.'

Yami kept working on his feet until he was free. Suddenly Arkana loudly whimpered, "Save me!" Yami looked and saw that Arkana had a key (he hid it in his sleeve) but looked petrified. "Please forgive me, Master Marik!"

Tima tensed up. 'He's here.'

Arkana looked at the key. "What? The key…the key's gone! It was in my hand a moment ago!"

The conjurer dropped the key and struggled to get away from the buzzsaw. Yami was a little tempted to leave Arkana, especially when he heard his friends on the other side of the door, but Yugi was not: Yugi took over and saved Arkana just in time. When Arkana was free, the locks on Tiki's wrists and ankles opened, freeing her. Panting, Yugi scolded Arkana, "You shouldn't throw your life away for a game!"

Giggling with insanity, Arkana turned and ran to Catherine. Hugging her through the curtain, he whispered, "Never leave me…not again…"

Tiki helped Yugi stand up as the curtain fell, revealing a mannequin. Arkana continued to mumble his apologies to the mannequin, his sanity all but gone, as Tiki winced. "That's disturbing…"

Yugi asked, "What's going on? Arkana…"

Dropping the mannequin, Arkana turned, showing blank eyes and a glowing Egyptian eye on his forehead. "Why the hell did you have to do that? Hmm…you two are the vessels, aren't you?" "He" looked at Tiki and grimaced. "So plain…you don't do Tima justice…"

Tiki was too creeped out to be insulted. Yugi tensed up. "That's a different personality! Who are you?!"

Talking through Arkana, Marik almost laughed. "So it's true: I haven't introduced myself to the vessels. My name is Marik. I can control people from anywhere; I can even alter memories. If I ease off just enough, their voices can still be heard. That's what I did with Keith."

Tiki paled. "That was you?"

"Correct. Just to prove that your other selves existed, to see if you were truly chosen to solve the Millennium Puzzle, and to see if the other Yugi was who I thought it was. When you solved the Puzzle again, you confirmed his existence, which in turn, confirmed the existence of my Tima."

Tiki hid the Queen's Necklace with her hand. "Why are you after us?!"

Yugi demanded, "Why do you want our lives?! Answer us!"

Marik glared. "That does not concern either of you. This involves the Pharaoh. This is revenge…revenge of the tomb keepers who lived 3,000 years in darkness. The heir will avenge them!"

Yugi and Tiki was not expecting to hear that. Yugi asked, "Tomb keepers?"

Tiki asked, "Revenge? What did they do to you?"

Marik looked away. He left out his mission to save Tima from the Pharaoh but he did so because it was his own personal mission. "On the border of Giza Necropolis of Eygpt, the tomb keepers guarded the Pharaoh's secrets, living apart from the world. Hiding in the shadows and passing on the task from parent to child, my clan was to avoid all contact with the outside world: our sole existence was to protect the Millennium Items we were given…" he growled, "…even dying for this fate. We were given the mission to return the Pharaoh's memory to his soul."

Yugi asked, "Does that mean the Pharaoh's memory stone tablet and the Millennium Items are related?"

Marik nodded. "Yes. I hold one of the seven. I am to guard it with my life until I present it to the Pharaoh: this is what I have been taught since I was a child. The only hitch: finding the Pharaoh's soul. There is only one clue in the hieroglyphic text in Pert Em Heru or Book of the Dead: you will know the Pharaoh by the three Gods he wields. In other words, the Pharaoh is he who holds all three God Cards and who regains the Millennium Items and the lost memories!"

Tiki asked, "What are the God Cards…?"

Yugi focused on something else. "Lost memory?!"

Ignoring both of them, Marik said quietly, "For generations upon generations, my clan has protected the Millennium Items, enduring countless pain and endless suffering…" he spat out in anger, "…especially my father! I will be the one who will stop this curse given to us. To do that, I will take revenge on the Pharaoh's soul by killing him a second time! If the prophecy says the Pharaoh will wield the three God Cards, then I will obtain the cards and become the new Pharaoh! This was my sole purpose for forming the Rare Hunters: locating the God Cards. I already have two of them; the third is in Battle City!"

Yugi told himself, "Now I know what Yami is looking for in this tournament."

Tiki nodded. "His and Tima's lost memory."

As Tiki wondered why Yami was more driven to find his memories than Tima was, Marik continued. "I will obtain the three God Cards! Yugi, once I kill you, I will be freed from this cursed fate and the world and my treasure will be mine!"

Yugi did not hear Marik; his mind was elsewhere. 'If we don't locate the God Cards and their lost memories, Tiki and I can stay with Yami and Tima forever. But…' he gripped the puzzle's chain, '…Yami knew that in his heart, that for his and Tima's precious memories, he saw our future. They don't know their memories so they only stay…but they still search. If that's true…Tiki and I can't be sad about it. Even if the four of us separate when Yami and Tima obtain their memories, Tiki and I will gladly help them!"

Tiki looked at Yugi and touched his shoulder. Looking at his sister, they shared a smile; even though they were not twins, it was obvious to each other that they were thinking the same thoughts. Glaring, Tiki said, "We won't let you take Yami and Tima's lives!"

Yugi agreed. "We will fight you!"

Marik laughed. "You two are merely vessels and plain ones at that. When the time comes, you can die with him and you can join her." Off their glares, Marik smirked. "In Battle City, there is a Rare Hunter lurking…one who wields a God Card: Slifer the Sky Dragon! He'll appear sooner than you think. For now, remember this: beware the Silent Doll. We'll meet again…little ones."

With that, the Egyptian eye vanished and Arkana started to fall but Yugi and Tiki caught him in time. Yugi looked at Tiki. "We'll fight to get their lost memories back!"

Tiki nodded. "No matter what it takes!"

Just then, Tristan burst through the door, leading Tea, Mokuba, and Solomon. Tea asked, "Are you two all right?!"

Tiki and Yugi said at the same time, "Hi, guys!"

Solomon sighed in relief. "You two had us worried!"

The siblings smiled.


Marik hissed, "Just you wait…along with your brazen vessel, I'll bury you in utter darkness…as for the child…I will bury you so deep, you can never come out…making Tima all mine…"

From behind, the black Rare Hunter asked, "How will you get the God Card?"

Almost amused that the Rare Hunter distracting him, Marik stated, "Simple: use a God Card against a God Card. I hold Ra and, therefore, I will enter Domino City soon."

The Rare Hunter came around and faced Marik. "You intend on going against Kaiba personally, Lord Marik?"

"Eventually. I am focusing on Yugi and Tiki for now. Unleash the Silent Doll." When the Rare Hunter agreed, Marik smirked. "No doubt he'll make things fun…and it will help Tima see the Pharaoh for who he truly is. What a delightful sight."

Getting up, Marik walked to the case where the Winged Dragon of Ra rested. Opening it, he picked up gently. 'Yugi…with these hands…'

He took off his robes, revealing the scar-tattoos that covered his entire back. With the wings on top, the hieroglyphics, and the three Gods, it looked like parts of the palette that was in the museum. 'By the scars on my back, I will defeat you and get my revenge!'

Gripping his locket, he whispered, "My sweet Tima…love of my life…you must hold on. I shall save you from his grasp…you will be safe in my arms."

He then hugged himself. 'Sister…I cannot forgive him…our clan's slave master…my love's captor…and our father's murderer!'

His eyes turned as murderous as his intentions.