TO THE SHADOW REALM

There was a dark cloud surrounding the museum by the time Tea Gardner arrived. She would have been here sooner had she not been held up by that wreck – someone had hydroplaned and slammed into an oncoming car. She had wanted to help Yugi and everyone else find a way to help Curtis – from what Yugi said, he had been taken over by an evil spirit from the Pharaoh's past – but now it looked like she was too late. She had seen that kind of dark cloud before, and it never meant anything good.

She brought her car to a stop and climbed out, ignoring the police officer telling her to stop. Running as fast as she could, she pushed her way through the dark cloud, ignoring the pain shooting through her body as she passed from one dimension into another.

"Sorry I'm late," she announced.

"About time you got here, Tea," Joey said. "Things are starting to get ugly."

"What's going on?" she asked. "Why are we in the Shadow Realm?"

"Because of him," Tristan said, pointing to Curtis. "Heishin did it."

"Heishin?"

"The name of the spirit who's taken Curtis's body," Yugi – or rather, the Pharaoh – answered. "He took Curtis this morning. We've been trying to get him out." He stepped forward. "And there's only one solution. Heishin!" He readied his duel disk. "Since you've brought us to the Shadow Realm, then you must be ready for a Shadow Game."

Stephane moved closer to her mother, hugging her arm. "Mom? What's going on?"

"I don't know, sweetie. Just stay close to me, okay?"

"Yes. Hold your loved ones, because it may be the last chance you ever have," Heishin said. "We are in the Shadow Realm, a dark dimension where no light can penetrate." Dark figures began to move all around them. Stephanie screamed as one brushed a hand through her hair. "This place was my hell for three thousand years. And when I win this duel against the Pharaoh, it will be all any of you know!" He readied his duel disk.

"You will be the one going back to the Shadow Realm, Heishin," Pharaoh said, "because Curtis is coming home with us." He drew five cards and set his Life Points to 8000. "It's time to duel!"

"I will begin," Heishin announced. He scanned the five cards in his hand. He held a Spell Card, Different Dimension Reincarnation, and four monsters: The Six Samurai – Yaichi; Shien's Advisor; Spirit of the Six Samurai; and Hand of the Six Samurai. "I summon Hand of the Six Samurai in Attack Position, then use the monster Spirit of the Six Samurai as an Equip Spell, increasing Hand's 1600 Attack Points to 2100. Your move, Pharaoh."

Pharaoh drew his sixth card. "I Summon Red Gadget in Attack Position." A red robot with a large silver gear attached to its back appeared. "His special ability allows me to search my deck for his brother, Yellow Gadget!" He searched his deck until he found the proper card; reshuffled. "Now I'll use the Yellow Gadget I just drew as XYZ material with my Red Gadget to XYZ summon the Heavy Armored Train Ironwolf!" The two robots fused together in a beam of light – or as much as this dark realm allowed – and when the light faded, a large black train with a wolf's head attached was in their place. "Ironwolf has 2200 Attack Points, more than enough to destroy your Hand of the Six Samurai!" Ironwolf's head bit down on Hand of the Six Samurai, destroying it and reducing Heishin's Life Points down to 7900. "It's your move."

"An impressive beginning, but this is ONLY the beginning," Heishin said as he drew a new card. "I set one card face down then summon Shien's Advisor in Attack Position."

"Attack Position?" Pharaoh repeated. "He only has 1200 Attack Points."

"Perhaps, but he has a special ability. I can name one monster type, and that type can no longer attack or be Special Summoned, and the type I name is machines. That means that your Ironwolf is now a piece of metal. A brick, if you will. With that said, I end my turn here."

Kaiba crossed his arms. "I bet I know what he's planning," he mused.

"What's that?" Stephanie asked.

"That face down card must be a Trap Card," Kaiba guessed. "Heishin's baiting Yugi into attacking him so he can activate it."

"But he just said that Yugi's monster can't attack," Mokuba protested.

"That train can't," Joey said. "Doesn't mean that Yugi's other monsters can't."

"Oh wow, Joey Wheeler's using that brain of his," Kaiba teased.

"You wanna repeat that, rich boy?"

"Boys!" Julianne yelled. "You can save your bickering for later. Saving Curtis is more important."

"And at the moment," Ishizu said; she had been quiet the entire time, only watching as the events unfolded, "the only one who can do that – the only one who will do that – is the Pharaoh."

Pharaoh drew a new card. "I sacrifice my Ironwolf to summon Summoned Skull in Attack Position!" The train faded away, and in its place stood a tall, grotesque, skeletal creature with purple wings. It stared down at Shien's Advisor, growling and flexing its claw like fingers, moving the muscles showing between its bones. "And I'll equip him with the Horn of the Unicorn, increasing his Attack Points from 2500 to 3200. Summoned Skull, attack and destroy Shien's Advisor!"

"You have activated my Trap Card," Heishin said as he flipped the card over. "Shattered Axe. It's a continuous Trap Card, and for each of my Standby Phases, one monster you control – in this case, the only monster you control – loses 500 Attack Points."

"My Summoned Skull is still more powerful than your samurai," Pharaoh pointed out. "Summoned Skull – use your Lightning Strike!"

Summoned Skull was enveloped in yellow electricity. The electricity arced up over its head and struck Shien's Advisor, electrocuting him and reducing Heishin's Life Points to 5900.

"Your move."

"You will pay for that, Pharaoh," Heishin said as he drew a card. Summoned Skull's Attack Points dropped to 2700 thanks to the effects of Shattered Axe. The card he drew was The Six Samurai – Nisashi, a Level Four monster with an attack power of 1400. He growled as he set that card face down on the field. "I set a monster in Defense Position and end my turn."

Pharaoh picked up a new card. "Summoned Skull, destroy his face down monster!"

The electricity from Summoned Skull's attack destroyed Nisashi, sending the card to the Graveyard.

Heishin picked up a card. "My move." Summoned Skull dropped to 2200 Attack Points. "I discard one card from my hand –" He dropped Different Dimension Reincarnation into the Graveyard – "to activate the Spell Card Lightning Vortex, to destroy your Summoned Skull!" Summoned Skull screeched as lightning rained down from the sky, obliterating it. "And now I summon The Six Samurai – Yaichi to attack you directly!" Pharaoh was shot in the shoulder by Yaichi's arrow, reducing his Life Points to 6700. "It's your move, Pharaoh."

Pharaoh drew a card; he now held six. "I play the Spell Card Polymerization to fuse the Dark Magician and Winged Dragon, Guardian of the Fortress, in my hand into the Amulet Dragon!" A large, blue dragon appeared, the Dark Magician riding on its back. "It has an Attack Strength of 2900, more than enough to destroy your Samurai. Amulet Dragon, attack!" The dragon opened its mouth, shooting out a stream of white energy while the Dark Magician on its back fired a burst of magical energy, both hitting and destroying Yaichi and dropping Heishin's Life Points to 4300. "And I end my turn."

Heishni growled; the card he drew was a Trap Card. Unless Pharaoh summoned another monster on his turn, Magical Arm Shield would be of no help. But it was worth a chance. "I set a card face down and end my turn."

Pharaoh drew a card. His eyes grew wide with surprise.

Wow, Yugi breathed. We drew the Sky Dragon of Osiris!

"Yes," Pharaoh agreed. "But without three monsters to sacrifice, we can't summon it."

We can quickly get those three monsters. We just have to summon one.

"But what if Heishin's face down card is a Trap Card?

It's a chance we'll have to take.

Pharaoh looked at the cards in his hand. "If only we could summon another monster. The only other monster we have is Valkyrion the Magnet Warrior, and even if we had enough monsters on the field to tribute, we haven't played Alpha, Beta, or Gamma yet."

Then we pass and see what he does.

"I end my turn without playing a card," Pharaoh announced.

"I was wondering what was taking you so long," Heishin said as he picked up a new card. "I too end my turn without playing a card."

Sucks, doesn't it? Curtis taunted him. You're not getting the cards you need. Yugi's going to kick your ass, and I'm going to be free.

"Silence, boy, or I will leave your mind in the Shadow Realm to rot!"

Pharaoh added a new card to his hand. "Pass."

Heishin drew another card. "Pass."

"What's going on?" Tristan asked. "They're just drawing cards."

"Maybe they're not getting the cards they need?" Julianne guessed.

"That's what I'm thinking," Mokuba agreed. "Even if you're a great duelist like Seto or Yugi, it all comes down to the luck of the draw."

"Luck and skill are all there are to Duel Monsters," Seto added. "None of this Heart of the Cards bull Yugi keeps spouting on about."

Pharaoh drew a new card. "I summon Queen's Knight in Attack Position." A woman in rose-red armor, armed with a sharp sword, appeared. "Queen's Knight, attack Heishin's Life Points directly!" Queen's Knight charged.

"I activate Magical Arm Shield," Heishin announced. The arms grabbed Queen's Knight, turning her around to face the Amulet Dragon. "And I send your Queen's Knight's attack at your Amulet Dragon."

"Oh no."

Queen's Knight's sword struck Amulet Dragon's scales, shattering upon impact. Amulet Dragon stepped on her, crushing her and reducing Pharaoh's Life Points to 5300.

Pharaoh grunted in frustration. "I end my turn, Heishin."

"He could have attacked again," Stephanie said. "Why didn't he?"

"He's waiting for something," Joey answered. "If I know my pal Yugi, he's waiting for the right moment to unleash his secret weapon."

"The Egyptian God Cards," Seto finished.

"Hey, I was getting to that."

Heishin picked up a new card. He grinned. "I summon Future Samurai in Attack Position and use her special ability to banish one monster from my Graveyard to destroy one monster you control."

"What?"

"I use Future Samurai's special ability to remove Yaichi from play to destroy your Amulet Dragon!" Amulet Dragon roared as it faded away. "And now, Future Samurai can attack you directly." Future Samurai slashed Pharaoh across the chest, dropping his Life Points to 3700.

Pharaoh drew a new card. "I set a monster in Defense Position, then set two cards face down and end my turn."

Heishin drew a card. "I set one card face down, then attack your defense monster." The face down card was pierced, revealing an elegant, blue skinned, beautiful woman in a long green dress, and Heishin's Life Points dropped to 3900. "Damn."

"Too bad, you attacked my Mystical Elf while she was in Defense Position," Pharaoh taunted as he drew a new card. "I play Emblem of the Dragon Destroyer to add Buster Blader from my deck to my hand." He searched until he found the right card. "And I will end my turn there."

Heishin stared at Pharaoh as he drew a new card; just what was he up to? "Your move."

Pharaoh picked up a new card. "I summon King's Knight in Attack Position." A tall man in gold armor appeared next to the Mystical Elf. "Make your move."

"I play the card I just drew, Shien's Smoke Signal, to add one Level Three or lower Six Samurai monster from my hand to my deck." He searched until he found the card he wanted. "And the card I choose is Shien's Squire, so I can use him and my Future Samurai to –"

"Not so fast," Pharaoh cautioned. "I activate my Trap Card Chain Destruction to destroy the Shien's Squire in your hand and all Shien's Squires in your deck."

"No!"

"You won't be Synchro Summoning your Legendary Six Samurai – Shien for a while now," Pharaoh taunted as he drew a new card. "I discard Valkyrion the Magnet Warrior from my hand to Special Summon The Tricky." The Tricky appeared next to the Mystical Elf. "Now, The Tricky, attack and destroy his Future Samurai." Future Samurai had a hole punched through her chest, and Heishn's Life Points dropped to 3500. "Your move."

Heishin picked up a card, glaring at the three monsters on Pharaoh's side of the field. "I set one monster in Defense Position, then play the Spell Card Prohibition. I name one monster's name, and you can no longer use that monster so long as this card is in play. I'm not sure how many of those Mystical Elves you have, but you will no longer be able to use them. Your move."

Pharaoh grinned as he drew a card. "That's fine," he said. "Because I sacrifice the three monsters on my field." King's Knight, Mystical Elf, and The Tricky faded away. Darker clouds formed overhead; thunder rumbled and lightning struck. "And their sacrifice allows me to bring out the almighty SKY DRAGON OF OSIRIS!"

"WHAT!"

Something long and red began to descend from the sky. It was massive, larger than anything anyone had ever seen. Its long body was red and black in color, with four long legs ending in sharp talons and four wings keeping it aloft. The dragon was so long that they couldn't see where it ended. Its large mouth, filled with nearly a hundred serrated teeth, opened as it roared. There was a second mouth on the top of its head, just in front of the blue jewel. Even in this darkness, its blood red scales shone brightly as it hovered above them, glaring down at them with yellow eyes.

Seto looked up at the dragon with admiration and respect.

Mokuba, Tea, Tristan, and Joey were in awe.

Julianne and Stephanie were screaming.

Heishin was staring up at the Sky Dragon of Osiris with reverence, fear, and awe.

What the hell is that? Curtis cried.

"Impossible," Heishin breathed. "Osiris?"

"And his special ability allows him to gain 1000 Attack Points for every card I have in my hand, and his second mouth depletes any monster you summon in Attack Position by 2000 Attack Points. Because of his first effect, he now has 4000 Attack Points. Sky Dragon of Osiris, destroy his face down card!"

That stream of fire was so hot that Heishin felt like his skin was about to be burned off. His defense monster, Shien's Footsoldier, never stood a chance.

"Make your move, Heishin."

Heishin glared at Osiris as he drew his card.

"I can't believe how strong that thing is," Julianne breathed.

"Oh, Osiris has the potential to be the most powerful of the Egyptian God Cards," Seto explained. "Right next to the Winged Dragon of Ra."

Heishin looked at the card he just drew; a Spell Card, Reinforcements of the Army. "I play the Spell Card, Reinforcements of the Army, to search my deck for a Level Four or lower monster to add to my hand." He searched his deck. "And I summon the monster I just found, The Six Samurai – Zanji, in Attack Position!"

BOOM! A burst of flame from Osiris's second mouth – the one above his main mouth – hit Zanji, obliterating him.

"Your Zanji had less than 2000 Attack Points," Pharaoh pointed out. "Therefore, he couldn't withstand that blast."

Heishin growled in frustration. "Damn you, Osiris! Damn you to the deepest pits of hell!" The dragon growled at him.

"I would choose my next words very carefully, Heishin," Pharaoh cautioned. "It's unwise to anger a god. My move." He drew a card, and Osiris's attack power went up to 5000. "Heishin, it's time you were expelled from Curtis's body. Sky Dragon of Osiris, attack Heishin directly, free Curtis, and end this duel!"

Heishin was unable to defend himself from the blast. He felt like his very skin was on fire as his Life Points dropped to 0. He screamed in agony, as did Curtis, as the pain of the flames coursed through his body.

Now's my chance! Curtis cried, and he slowly began to retake control of his mind, pushing Heishin out. You! Don't! Belong! Here! Get! Out! Of! My! HEAD!

Osiris's attack stopped, and Curtis's body collapsed to the ground.