Chapter 52


Ignoring the whispers that immediately ensued amongst the gang about why Kaiba was being so helpful all of a sudden, Yami studied the card he had just received from the business tycoon, curious to see what it was and how useful it would be. He knew his rival only used high caliber cards to build his deck. His brow furrowed, and a touch of intrigue appeared on his features. 'Fiend Sanctuary…with the right card, I can use it to offer as a sacrifice to summon one of my Egyptian God monsters, but why would Kaiba want to help now?'

The confusion returned to his face as he glanced up from the card and fixed his eyes on the CEO. "What is the meaning of this, Kaiba?" he asked, not bothering to keep the skepticism from showing in his voice.

Kaiba was inwardly smirking at the fact that his rival sounded like he didn't trust him, but he shot him a cold look. "Consider it as you will. You should be grateful to have something more useful than the cheers from your abysmal little fan club could ever be."

The gang let out groans as they felt their hackles rising. They were beyond weary of the CEO's prickly attitude. Vicki drew in a deep breath, ready to retort something nasty, but Tèa beat her to it when she shot back, "If you could take your nose out of the air for just a second, you would do well to realize we have the same enemy."

Joey stepped forward and balled his hands into fists, holding them in front of him in a rude gesture. "Hey, toss that card, Yuge! You don't need it to win this duel!" he yelled with great vehemence. All of a sudden he felt a sharp bop on his head, causing him to drop his arms to his side in a hurry before bringing one hand up to rub at the sore spot. "Yeow! Mai, do you always have to be so violent?"

"Do you always have to deliberately go picking a fight?" was the response.

Yami listened to his friends with a pensive expression, lowering his eyes a bit at Joey's advice and drowning out the bickering. He knew the blonde did not trust Kaiba. While he couldn't say his best friend's deep distrust had no basis, he also knew it was not in Kaiba's nature to sabotage his chances of winning. 'Besides, with everything that's at stake, now is not the time to be selective about whose help I choose to accept.' The suspicion in his eyes diminished considerably and he shot the CEO a reassuring glance. "Not to worry, Kaiba. While we may not always see eye to eye, I do trust you. Therefore, I will accept your little gift." All he received was a cynical grunt in response, which he shrugged off. Without further discussion, he promptly slipped the new card into his deck. His friends looked bewildered, but didn't say anything.

Ishizu smiled inwardly at the fact that the CEO's glacial exterior was slowly melting, as cold as he was to her when she had initially gone to see him to request that he be present for the battle and lend his strength to Yami. Not wanting to stroke Kaiba's ego or spoil the moment, she put on a neutral expression whilst turning to him. "Thank you. You have no idea how much that small gesture or your mere presence will help Yugi."

Kaiba crossed his eyes slightly before letting out a huff. "Spare me your gratitude, Ishizu. I may have given that card to Yugi, but it remains to be seen whether he knows how to use it. And I didn't come here because of your boring oracles, so don't misunderstand."

Ishizu let out a weary sigh and brought up a hand to rub her temples, wondering just how much longer she would have to put up with such stubborn behavior. She responded calmly but tersely, "This is not some mere oracle, and you are more involved than you think or care to admit."

Kaiba rolled his eyes and side-eyed the young woman as if she were speaking some alien language. "Whatever," he scoffed. "I only let you drag me out here because I wanted to ensure Yugi doesn't give his title away to someone who is unworthy. If he does lose, perhaps it will prove to you that there's no such thing as fate and the past should remain in the past."

Ishizu shook her head lightly, thinking how far off base the former world champion was, but deep down she felt sorry for him. "That's not true, Kaiba, and you will see in due time. There will come a time when the force is too strong to ignore."

"Huh. I highly doubt that, but whatever you say." Kaiba tightly folded his arms across his chest and turned away from the ebony-haired woman, opting to just ignore her before she put him in a rotten mood. 'After all, I am here to witness Ra's abilities. It will surprise me if Yugi is able to find a way around them.'

Dark Marik gave Yami a nasty smirk before chuckling darkly. "Add whatever card you like to your deck. It still won't be enough to save you from your inevitable destruction." He let out another chuckle and his eyes stretched so far to the side that the veins were exposed, the latter causing the girls to make disgusted faces. The boys shuddered and quickly turned away, Joey muttering under his breath, "Does he think he is Play-Doh or something? " His voice got loud as he called out to Yami, "Go get him, Yuge!"

"Yeah, beat him down!" blared Duke.

"And beat him hard!" emphasized Mai.

"He's had it!" declared Vicki.

"We're all behind you!" yelled Tèa.

Yami turned to smile at his friends. "Thank you, your support helps immensely." He faced the possessed tombkeeper once again, staring daggers at him. "That's where you're wrong, Marik. Now enough talk! It's time to get down to business!" He activated his duel disk.

Dark Marik smirked evilly whilst activating his duel disk as well. "Yes it is. I must say that's the most intelligent thing you've said all day!"

"Duel!" both young men belted out. The life point meters set to four thousand and Dark Marik drew five cards from his deck, as did Yami.

Dark Marik examined the cards in his hand, grinning evilly. He had to bite his lip to keep from bursting into raucous laughter as well. 'Excellent. I'm holding both Winged Dragon of Ra and Monster Reborn in my hand. I could discard Ra and then resurrect it so I can activate its Phoenix mode, but I think I will toy with the pharaoh a bit…his demise will be slow and painful. ' Clutching his rod, he glanced up at Yami, switching his malevolent grin to him and grinning widely when he received a grim stare in return. "It's time for the games to commence. Before I proceed with my first move, I would like to take this moment to lay down my terms for this duel. But first I transport this match to our true battle field."

Looks of horror and worry crossed the gang's face as they knew what that meant. Mai's heart skipped a beat and her entire body went numb. Serenity bit her lip, looking away as she wrung her hands. Kaiba gave a slight eye roll, but otherwise stood there pokerfaced.

Yami's expression turned stony whilst clenching one of his fists to keep from trembling. "I know. You intend to make this a Shadow Duel. Well, go ahead. I had been anticipating that and made sure to come prepared." He spoke almost as if he wanted the duel to be a Shadow Game.

A smirk formed on Dark Marik's lips before a sinister laugh escaped. "How very smart of you to have figured it out. However, that still won't be enough to save you from your demise." Holding up his rod, he conjured a fog of darkness, smirking with satisfaction as he watched it engulf the top of the duel tower. It took everything in Mai to hold back a shudder. She peered down at her feet, afraid that staring at the darkness for too long would trigger another flashback. "We'll see how you cope with the twists I have created specifically for you."

Yami shot the corrupted tombkeeper a hard look. "And just what twists are you talking about?" he asked with an edge to his voice.

Dark Marik gave an impish grin. "Patience. You will find out right this minute." His rod gave off a bright glow, the grin on his face stretched his face again and several strands of his untamable hair stuck in opposite directions. He let out another demonic sounding laugh before invoking the power of his rod again. "Say hello to your little friend and vessel, Yugi." The spiky haired young man emerged from within the billowy fog. His arms were spread to the side, and his wrists were bound by dark energy ribbons.

He slowly opened his eyes, blinking until his foggy vision had cleared. A puzzled frown appeared on his features upon realizing he was hovering midair and trapped. Instantly his mind was attacked by the barrage of questions flooding through it. 'Huh? How did I get here? Where's Yami?' He did a quick gaze around the playing field, his eyes landing on Dark Marik and the ancient pharaoh standing several feet away from him. His frown deepened at first, but it faded when the possibility hit him. 'Hmm...while I still don't exactly know what is going on, I have a feeling Marik has something to do with this. ' He gulped, doing his best to ignore the sour feeling that was rising inside of him.

Yami's eyes were wide with horror at the sight. "Yugi!" he cried out. He then turned towards Dark Marik, his violet orbs narrowing and his brow creasing. "Marik! What have you just done to Yugi? Explain yourself now!"

Dark Marik smirked evilly, unfazed by the fury in his foe's voice. As far as he was concerned, the ancient pharaoh was powerless to do anything against him. "With pleasure. This happens to be one of the terms I have laid down for this duel. Every time you lose life points, a part of him will be swallowed by the darkness until he is completely consumed and his soul wanders the Shadow Realm for eternity."

Yami's eyes hardened, his voice booming as he barked, "This is about you and me, so leave him alone!" The strain had long begun to show in his voice.

Dark Marik made several tsking sounds whilst wagging his finger at the ancient pharaoh and inwardly smirking at his authoritative air. "That's what you think, but I'm afraid I disagree and I cannot adhere to your demand. " His response elicited an agitated grunt. Pretending not to have heard it, he continued, "He won't be the only one suffering, but your pathetic friends will join him as well. However, your anguish will be multiplied one hundred fold."

Yami felt his body becoming hot. He clenched his fist in an attempt to calm the rage that was beginning to flow through him. "Mark my words, Marik, you won't get away with this!"

Dark Marik's lips curled into a wicked grin. "Oh, but I already have. Another thing you should know is your pathetic vessel isn't the only one I plan to sacrifice to the shadows. "

Yami furrowed his brow, then glared at the sinister personality, feeling his patience diminishing rapidly. "Just what do you mean?" he asked, trying to keep his voice calm.

Dark Marik grinned at the question, lifting up his rod to conjure his other victim. "You are about to find out. It is none other than my weaker half, whom you are foolishly trying to save!" He let out another laugh as his good side appeared, wrists bound by dark energy ribbons just as Yugi's was. His eyes were partially closed and his head was bowed, looking as if he would completely lose consciousness any minute.

The hard look returned to Yami's eyes, turning into steel as his nostrils flared."Coward!" he spat. "I refuse to duel you on these terms!"

Dark Marik wagged his finger again, grinning smugly. "There is no other choice. I am entitled to lay down the stakes as well. I have always wanted to cast away my pathetic weak side and this happens to be the perfect opportunity. If you back out of the challenge you yourself set, you will be a complete coward in the eyes of your friends."

Yami let out another frustrated grunt, clenching his jaw at the bind he was now in and his foe's matter-of-fact tone. He felt his body beginning to shake. As infuriating as the situation was, he mentally cursed himself for thinking for a moment the possessed tombkeeper would duel honorably for a change. 'As much as I hate to admit it, he's right. If I back out of the very same challenge I issued, I would be a coward.' He brought up a hand to massage his temples, alleviating it of the headache he felt forming. 'I must not succumb to the pressure, no matter what. After all, I have a promise to keep, and my word is my bond.'

Tèa pursed her lips together and drew them in a straight line. There were many unflattering thoughts that ran through her mind about the tan-skinned young man, but she opted to keep them to herself for politeness sake and let Yami handle it. "Yugi, don't listen to a word he says!" she called out.

"Yes, he's the bloody coward!" piped up Vicki, her face turning as red as a tomato. Like Tèa, she had to muster all of the energy she possessed to curb her tongue so she wouldn't go too far. She despised all types of cheap shots with a passion.

Yami managed a small smile, feeling his anger subside a bit. He couldn't help chuckling inwardly at Vicki's feistiness, though he knew her words rang true. Letting out a deep breath, he faced Dark Marik with fire and determination in his eyes. "If you think your twisted games will be enough to make me surrender to you, then you're sorely mistaken, Marik. I have never backed down from a challenge and I don't plan to start now. I will protect your good side and defeat you!" he declared, pointing a finger at the cornsilk blonde. He then shot Marik's good side a reassuring glance. 'Don't worry. You will be free from the wrath of your dark side.' The reformed young man opened his eyes ever so slightly, staring at his new ally blankly at first before giving a weak nod.

A sneer formed on Dark Marik's lips. "Oh really? Both of those feats are impossible, but suit yourself. It's far more thrilling to see you struggle. Now enough small talk! I'll go first!" He pulled a card from his deck, grinning evilly as he took a peek at it and added it to his hand. "I'll start off by summoning Vampiric Leech in attack mode!" (500 attk) A small silver colored worm slithered onto the field. The sight of it caused the girls to wrinkle their noses. Vicki's face turned green and her stomach churned. 'Ugh...thisagain.' She removed her eyes from the vermin, peering down at her feet.

Yami's hard look faded, replaced by a frown for a brief second before it turned into worry. 'As weak as that creature is, I have a bad feeling, for attack points are not everything.' Plus, he had learned a long time ago how sly and ruthless the possessed tombkeeper was when ensnaring his enemies, not to mention the devious grin the latter wore did not help ease his suspicion.

Dark Marik smirked and gave the ancient pharaoh a knowing look as if he had read his mind. "That's right, Pharaoh, you should be worried. It is more dangerous than it appears to be. Its special ability is about to leave you speechless."

Yami was gritting his teeth at this point, his patience remaining by a thread. "Marik, just make your move. You're wasting my time."

"Just as you wish, fool. Vampiric Leech, attack his life points directly!" The worm leapt forward and pricked the ancient pharaoh with its pinchers, causing him to let out a grunt of pain. He watched with a grim expression as a small portion of Yugi's arm disappeared whilst his life points decreased to three thousand, five hundred.

Puzzlement, shock and then outrage appeared on the faces of the friendship gang at what had just happened. They knew Dark Marik wasn't exactly known for abiding by the rules, but they hadn't expected him to go quite that low.

"Hey, that's not fair!" Joey protested. "How is it that he gets to attack on his very first turn? It's official! He's a dirty cheater!"

Dark Marik shot the blonde a smirk and laughed loudly, reveling in his outrage. "That's where you're sorely mistaken, Little Joey. My monster's special ability allows him to attack my opponent's life points directly as soon as he is summoned to the field."

Joey groaned. "Oh. Great."

"That's right. I see you're still quick to make hasty judgments and are as slow as ever. I find it hard to believe I lost to the likes of you. Well, this time I will prevail."

"Whatever." Joey wanted nothing more than to bash the young man's face in, but opted to let his best friend deal with him, deciding he wasn't worth the effort. 'After all, I need to save my energy for giving Yuge the duel of his life.'

Kaiba listened to the exchange between Dark Marik and Joey, a small smirk appearing on his cold features. 'What he said about losing to someone like Wheeler is a mystery to me as well. Not that it matters. He won't stand a chance against Yugi. '

Still smirking, Dark Marik turned away from Joey to face Yami again. "That's enough punishment for now, but on my next turn, the real destruction will begin." He hung his tongue out and made a mocking noise, causing the girls to make squeamish faces and the boys to be like, 'Really now?'

"Ugh...he's so disgusting," commented Tèa.

"That's putting it too mildly," Vicki muttered under her breath. "Does he think he's a lizard or something?"

Mai side-eyed the younger girls with a funny look that read, 'Why are you so surprised?' even though she had also been disturbed by the tan-skinned young man's actions. "Remember, this is psycho boy we're talking about here, "she reminded them. She then eyed Yami's form with raised eyebrows. "What's most amazing is how Yugi is standing there looking so calm, like it doesn't faze him at all. I kind of envy him for that."

Vicki nodded in agreement. "As do I."

Dark Marik smirked to himself, amused by how repulsed they were and had thoughts of repeating the same action just to get under their skins. 'Stop it. Now is not the time for such childish behavior,' chided a voice inside his head. In response, he clenched his rod and shook his fist, but knew his inner voice was right. "All right, where was I? Oh yes. I activate my leech's second effect, which allows me to switch it into defense mode immediately after it attacks. (1200 def) I must discard a card in order to do so, and I choose my Winged Dragon of Ra." He chuckled lightly upon seeing a look of anxiety appear on the ancient pharaoh's features. "Yes, be very afraid. But lucky for you, I must delay your defeat for now. I'll place one card face down, and that's all. Proceed, if you dare."

Yami put his game face on. He too, had been perturbed by his archenemy's grotesque behavior, but knew it was not wise to give him the satisfaction. Not when there were bigger things to worry about. He addressed the bronze skinned evil entity with his deadly gaze. "All right, Marik, it's my move now, so I hope you're ready to lose it all. Here goes!" He closed his eyes for a brief moment to clear his mind. 'I have to find a way to defeat Marik and spare his good side. I know there is one, but it won't be easy. It will take much planning, which means every move I make must be precise.' He reopened his eyes and pulled a card from his deck, taking a peek at it. 'Exchange…this may come in handy soon. I will hold onto it for now.' He then added the card to his hand. "I summon Queen's Knight in attack mode!" (1500 attk) The blonde monarch warrior emerged onto the field, lifting her sword above her head before pointing it at the opposing monster. "Now my queen, destroy his Vampiric Leech with Majestic Sword Swipe!" The regal young woman dove forward and slashed the worm with a mighty swing of her sword, reducing it to ribbons. "I place three cards face down. That ends my turn." He stared ahead with a hopeful expression on his face. 'I may not know how Marik plans to bring forth Ra, but that was a good start. I just have to remain on my guard.'

Dark Marik let out an evil chuckle, his eyes widening to reveal the veins inside. "That's right, Pharaoh, struggle. I thrive from it. However, your struggle is about to end." He pulled a card from his deck and glanced at it, a wide evil grin forming on his lips. "I summon Juragedo in attack mode!" (1700 attk) A demonic navy and gold colored creature materialized onto the field, releasing a feral growl and baring its talons. It had horns on its head and a sharp edge protruding out of its rear end. "Juragedo, annihilate that pitiful queen at once!" The ominous creature lunged towards the queen with its claws extended, ready to reduce her to shreds.

Yami watched with a grim expression for a bit before his lips curled into a sly grin. "Not quite! Reveal the first of my three face down cards, Mirror Force!"

Dark Marik's grin faltered. "Oh no!"

"Oh yes," the former pharaoh confirmed, a smug grin slowly creeping on his lips. "Say goodbye to your Juragedo!" He watched with mild satisfaction on his features as the demon's attack hit it instead. Dark Marik's life points decreased to three thousand, eight hundred.

Dark Marik growled, looking as if smoke would rise from his ears. "You're only delaying your inevitable defeat," he grumbled through gritted teeth. His angry look then changed into a malicious smirk. "In case you have forgotten, when you strike me, my weak side also takes damage." As if on cue, a tiny portion of one of normal Marik's arms was consumed by the darkness.

Yami grunted and looked horrified for a moment upon realizing what he had done, but then put his composed expression back on. He knew in his quest to save the good side he had to take the risk of sacrificing a portion of the young man.

The corrupted tombkeeper laughed at Yami's brief moment of fear as well as the condition of his weaker half. "I thought you said you would protect my weak half, but you have just broken your promise. Or perhaps you realize what an impossible feat it is. Either way, I suppose I should be thanking you, for you have done exactly what I wanted you to do. I intended to banish him to the shadows for some time so he'll be out of my way forever. You doing it for me just saves me all the trouble. Once he's gone, no one will be able to stop me." He let out another maniacal laugh.

Yami growled in frustration, clenching his fists, which were beginning to tremble. It was becoming increasingly difficult for him to keep his temper with the evil entity constantly goading him, but also because of the dilemma he found himself being faced with. 'I have to keep Marik's good side from slipping into the shadows. I know there is a way to do that and defeat his dark side...but how?'

Yugi eyed the soul of the reformed young man, a look of worry appearing on his countenance. He then addressed Yami with his eyes. "We have to be cautious with our attacks. Remember, we promised Marik's good side we would protect him and Ishizu he'd be saved." He knew how sometimes his friend had the tendency to get so caught up in the moment that he would come dangerously close to making rash decisions. He didn't want to take that chance with what was riding on the match.

The ancient pharaoh let out a deep breath before glancing over at his vessel with his trademark serious expression, his heart melting just a smidge. "I know. However, if his evil side prevails, the whole world will be destroyed. I am trying to find a way to prevent that and spare his good side."

Yugi let out a slight sigh of relief that Yami hadn't forgotten after all. "There must be a way to do both, and end this madness once and for all," he said. His lips started to curl into a small smile as he felt a glimmer of hope rising inside of him. "It has been our destiny since this tournament began. While saving Marik had not originally been a part of our plan back then, it is clear that he desperately needs our help. We have come too far to lose now. "

Yami looked thoughtful whilst absorbing his friend's words and then nodded. "I agree." He turned to face the soul of good Marik with a look of reassurance on his face that read, 'Don't worry. I won't let anything happen to you.' Normal Marik returned his gaze with a "No harm done" one before weakly calling out, "Odion…help."

Ishizu let out a soft gasp, masking a grimace at the jolt she felt in her heart as her brother's cry for help rang in her ear. The sadness, the desperation and the distress behind the plea was almost too much for her to bear. What was most frustrating for her was the fact that Odion was one of the key people who had the power to help banish Marik's dark side and yet he was currently unable to. It was all she could do not to start cursing or questioning the forces of heaven even though she had initially been trying to just be patient in waiting for the tattooed face man to regain consciousness. 'I see now that perhaps more drastic measures are in order. There is very little time left.' She closed her eyes and clasped her hands, bowing her head slightly. 'Ra, please enable Odion to be awake soon.' With that solemn prayer, she reopened her eyes, focusing her attention back on the duel.

Yami's eyes widened a bit and he went, "Huh?" as the soul of the original Marik's call to Odion struck a chord inside of him. That was when it had hit him—a possible way to save Marik's good side and banish the darkness within him at the same time. 'Of course! I cannot believe that has nearly slipped my mind! Odion is the missing link to sealing Marik's dark side away forever. ' One of the corners of his lips quirked up a little, but then the smile faded, remembering Odion was still comatose. He couldn't help but worry as he was aware of the fact that the tattooed face man had been hurt badly. 'I hope he regains consciousness before it's too late.'

Dark Marik broke into uproarious laughter."How pathetic!" he mocked. "Without that fool Odion, my weak side is nothing. He'll never awaken from his coma, so it's futile to call for him. Even if he does come to, he is powerless to restrain me as he had in the past!" He laughed again.

Vicki growled in frustration before bringing up a hand to rub her forehead. "Oh for heaven's sake! Could someone get him to put a lid on it already?" Her brain felt like it was going to explode with all of Dark Marik's gloating. ' Sheesh! At this rate I'm gonna need a butt load of brain bleach.'

Dark Marik chuckled lightly at Vicki's disgust, then licked his lips slightly.'Such a feisty little vixen. Hmm, while I initially intended to banish my weak side and all of the pharaoh's little friends to the Shadow Realm, I think I'll spare her. My weaker half seems to be enamored with her, and I can see why. She would make the perfect love slave…no, this is not the time to be thinking about such folly! ' Using the rod to silence his conscience,the evil entity side-eyed the girl and shot her a lustful smirk before allowing his lips to spread into a toothy evil grin. "Your trap was nothing but a mere setback, for I can still activate my face down card, Left Arm Offering! It requires me to discard my entire hand, but in exchange I can add Monster Reborn from my deck to my hand! That ends my turn. It's your move. Try to fight back, if you think you can."

"I can, and I will," replied Yami. He put his focused look back on as he pulled a card from his deck and added it to his hand. "I activate my face down card, Exchange! This requires us to pick a card from each other's hand."

The gang, as well as Mokuba got confused looks on their faces about this and were all set to ask why Yami would play that card, but decided against it, not wanting to sound like they didn't trust his judgment.

Kaiba, however, let out a disdainful huff and bit his lip to prevent the laugh that was tickling his insides from escaping. "How foolish. Yugi is planning his own funeral. What is he thinking?" He mentally cursed his rival, and then his expression melted into an insightful one as a possibility hit him. 'Hmmm…perhaps he plans to steal Ra from Marik…amusing, yet interesting turn of events.' One corner of his lip curled into his trademark half-smile at the thought before it morphed into a cynical smirk. 'He still has to prove he knows how to tap into its powers.'

An amused smirk formed on Dark Marik's lips and he let out another laugh. "That's a very foolish decision, but if you insist, then suit yourself. Not that I need any of your pathetic cards, but I might as well take advantage of your generosity." His smirk growing, he wandered over to the ancient pharaoh, who faced him with a hard look.

"Just pick a card," said Yami, the impatience evident in his tone.

Dark Marik let out an evil chuckle. "As you wish, Pharaoh." With a furrowed brow, he proceeded to scan the cards in his archenemy's hand, trying to decide which one would be best to choose. 'Hmmm...his hand is so pitiful, choosing a card may be difficult.' His eyes flitted around slightly before they landed on a card that peaked his interest. 'Ah, perhaps his cards are not so useless after all. De-Fusion can prove to be of great help.' His lips spread into a wicked grin and a hearty chuckle escaped whilst he grabbed ahold of his choice. "I will be taking your De-Fusion magic card." All he received was a light grunt in response, which he shook off. He held out his card held hand towards Yami. "Now it's your turn. Choose wisely."

Yami shot the corrupted tombkeeper a withering glance. "I will, not to worry." He got a pensive look on his face as he scanned the cards in his foe's hand, a tiny smile creeping on his lips when his eyes rested on one that caught his attention. 'It remains to be seen how many of his past strategies he intends to use against me, but there is no doubt he will most likely find some way to render my attacks useless.' Drawing in a deep breath, he announced, "I will be taking your Remove Trap magic card." He carefully pried said card from the bronze skinned young man's hand and made his way back to his side of the field. Dark Marik laughed and did the same.

The ancient pharaoh once again faced Dark Marik with a look of determination in his eyes. "I now summon my King's Knight to the field in attack mode!" (1600 attk) The male ruler emerged onto the field next to his queen, letting out a grunt. "When Queen's Knight and King's Knight are on the field, I can special summon Jack's Knight!" (1900 attk) The prince-like warrior materialized next to his fellow monarchs. "That ends my turn."

Dark Marik gave an evil smirk. "You have resisted me for long enough. Now your destruction is about to begin. " He pulled a card from his deck, his smirk widening. "I'll set one card face down, and next I activate Card of Sanctity, which requires both of us to draw until we're holding six cards."

"Fine," was Yami's terse reply. He drew four cards from his deck, whereas the corrupted tombkeeper drew all six. His lips curled up slightly as he took a peek at them, for an idea of how he could win the duel was slowly coming to him. 'However, I'll need to think strategically without any slipups. I must also anticipate Marik's moves correctly.'

Dark Marik directed his smirk towards the ancient pharaoh before continuing, "To complete my turn, I summon Drillago in defense mode!" (1100 def) The drill creature appeared onto the field, resting its drill weapons on its body. "It's your move. Make it count, for it will be your last."

"We'll see!" Yami pulled a card from his deck, suppressing a gasp at the strong force he felt, knowing what it signified. A small smile escaped his lips as he held it in front of him and saw it was indeed his Egyptian God card. "Marik, I'm about to put a dent in your strategy," he declared, smiling when the latter raised a confused eyebrow. "I sacrifice Queen's Knight, King's Knight and Jack's Knight in order to summon my all-powerful beast! Slifer the Sky Dragon, come forth!" As Yami laid the card on his duel disk, the sky darkened and a rumbling sound ensued, causing chills to run down the gang's spines. They watched with awed expressions as the serpent shaped dragon materialized and coiled around the top of the duel tower. After baring its sharp teeth, the creature let out a mighty roar. Seeing as how Yami was currently holding six cards in his hand, the dragon had 6000 attack points.

Ishizu let out a soft gasp before gazing upon Slifer with great admiration. 'Almighty deity, please guide the pharaoh as he fights the most trying battle he has faced thus far.'

Mai widened her eyes in shock and she gaped at the attack strength, having to place her hands on her chest to stop the cough that was about to explode out of her. "Six thousand attack points? My goodness!"

Vicki blew at a strand of hair that had gotten in her eyes due to the gusty winds the summoning of the beast had created. "Yeah, holy cow. I can tell you this, though. I had seen it even stronger than that before." She inwardly shuddered as she recalled her friend's duel with Strings. It wasn't her favorite memory, to say the least. Keeping her pokerface on, she reflected on everything that had happened since then. 'Hard to believe this nutjob is a split personality and the one he possesses actually wants to change. I have to say, though, it's refreshing to see.'

Mai's eyes bugged out, looking as if they would roll out and land on the ground. "You've gotta be kidding me."

"Nope. I'm definitely not," replied Vicki with a hint of regret in her voice, almost as if she wished she had been.

Mai was about to respond, but before she could, Joey cut in, "Ah, who cares how strong it is? All that matters is Yuge has another kick butt monster in his corner to give Marik a serious hurtin'. Psycho-boy is toast!" He raised a fist in the air.

Yami kept a focused expression on his face as he contemplated his following moves. He heard some of the chattering going on amongst his friends, and couldn't help cracking a small smile at Joey's words, but then it quickly faded upon seeing the smugness still painted on Dark Marik's features. 'As much as I appreciate Joey's confidence, I have a feeling it won't be that simple. Marik is up to something…I can feel it. However, I have to take a chance and strike.' He redirected his attention towards the evil personality. "All right, Marik! Prepare to say goodbye to your defense. Go Slifer the Sky Dragon, eliminate his Drillago with Thunder Force attack!" The lengthy snake-like dragon generated a thunderbolt in its mouth, ready to fire at Drillago.

Dark Marik's lips curled into a sly grin. "Not quite!"

Yami's confident look faltered, replaced by mild dread. "What?"

"I reveal my face down card, Vengeful Bog Spirit! This trap card requires for all opposing monsters to wait one turn before attacking."

A grim expression appeared on the ancient pharaoh's face, not liking the sound of that. "Oh no…" he mumbled.

Dark Marik laughed. "That's right, so you cannot attack me right away. Not that you'll be around for much longer."

Yami let out a light grunt, clenching his fists to keep from trembling as he didn't want to give his foe the impression that he had doubts. Inhaling a deep breath, he put on a nonchalant expression to compose himself. Truth be told, a part of him anticipated a worse trap and he knew it would be foolish to expect the duel to be smooth sailing. 'This delay is but a minor setback, but I cannot allow them to happen too often if I am to win.' He let out the breath he had been holding. "I'll end my turn."

Dark Marik gave the ancient pharaoh an evil smile. "I thought you would say that, given there is nothing else you can do. It is my move, and time for you to meet your demise." He laughed. "I play the magic card, Monster Reborn! I'll use it to resurrect my unstoppable Egyptian God monster, the Winged Dragon of Ra!" A golden light rose from the graveyard slot and shot into the sky, creating a round of shockwaves. The bird shaped dragon materialized with its wings still folded, letting out an ear piercing roar. Seeing that no sacrifice was made, the creature's attack strength was zero.

Everyone but Kaiba let out loud gasps and looked as if Dark Marik had just admitted to washing his hair with fish goo. Joey blinked, then brought up a finger to pretend to clean out his right ear. "Did I hear and see right? Did Marik just summon Ra without making a sacrifice?" he asked, wanting to make sure he wasn't just imagining things.

"Yup, that's what happened, dude," answered Tristan a matter-of –factually, whilst scratching the back of his head.

Tèa looked perplexed. "But I thought three monsters had to be sacrificed in order to summon an Egyptian God monster. Why would he just play it like that?"

"That's what I'd like to know, too," chimed in Mai with a tilt of her head. "All I can say is he has obviously lost it. " She mentally kicked herself, feeling like a doofus for losing to the evil man.

Vicki snorted. "Huh, well he has proven to be a bloody scoundrel long ago. Rules are not in his vocabulary."

Kaiba smiled his half-smile to himself as he listened to the trash-talking, finding the gang's contempt amusing. 'While I would normally agree that Marik is a lunatic, this time the goody-two shoes are off base, for I happen to know all the secrets of Ra.' Giddy with excitement, his smile widened and his eyes brightened. It was all he could do not to sub-consciously rub his hands together as well. 'Come on, Marik, show me Ra's abilities.' He then shot Yami a look that read, 'If you screw this up, I'll never forgive you!' While he still had doubts about whether his rival had what it took, he trusted him enough to pull off a miracle.

Dark Marik sneered at the friendship gang before laughing uproariously at them, earning him scowls in turn. "I expect such ignorance from you fools." He laughed some more.

Yami, who had been trying to make sense of the move as well, glowered at the possessed tombkeeper. "That's enough, Marik!" he barked with an authoritative air. He then lowered his voice just a bit as he continued, "Ra takes on the attack points of the monsters sacrificed to summon it. Explain your strategy now!"

Dark Marik made a tsking sound. "Patience, Pharaoh. You will soon find out, for I'm about to activate one of Ra's many special abilities that makes him utterly indestructible!" Yami's brow furrowed, but before he could inquire about the ability, Dark Marik blared out, "Ra, I command you to transform into your Phoenix mode!" Silence stretched over the entire arena. Everyone waited with baited breath for the creature to undergo its transformation, Kaiba's eyes popping wide open with glee and his younger brother staring agape. Ra's body began to melt into flames whilst still maintaining its shape. Once there wasn't an ounce of solid mass left, the monster unfolded its wings, stretching them out. "Say hello to the instrument of your destruction!"

Yami stared at the newly transformed creature with a grim look, grunting lightly. 'I don't know this form's capabilities, but I have a bad feeling. Good news is its attack strength is zero, so my life points will still be safe if he attacks. Still, I must do something before I am defeated.' Putting on a slightly more confident look, he closed his eyes, wracking his brain for a way to thwart Dark Marik's strategy.


Odion still lay deep in his coma with very little visible changes in his condition. Keren sat in a chair by his bedside, her hands clasped together and her eyes closed as she uttered another earnest petition to Ra. It had been difficult to see her lover in such a state, but when she had seen his hand twitching a bit at one point, a glimmer of hope arose inside of her.

The young woman re-opened her eyes and then grasped one of Odion's considerably larger hands in hers, intertwining her fingers with his own. Just as she was doing that, she felt a sudden presence in the room, making her tense up a bit and her heart skip a beat. 'Huh? Goodness, what's the matter with me? There shouldn't be anyone in here besides me and Odion. That must be me imagining things. But then again, this entire ordeal with Marik's dark side has made me jumpy. ' At least the last possibility was what she hoped since there hadn't been anyone knocking and she didn't hear the sound of footsteps outside the room, either. She shrugged it off and took several breaths to calm herself, waiting for her heartbeat to return to normal as well.

It wasn't as simple as that, for the presence began to grow stronger, increasing her heart rate again. 'All right, now I know it's not just me...but who could possibly…?'

Ignoring her pounding heart, Keren frantically gazed around the room, desperately hoping it was no unwelcome guest. She froze when she spotted a figure sitting on the stool. Leaning forward just a tad, she did a quick glance over at the person to see if she could make out who it was, heaving a light sigh of relief upon realizing it was a shadow of Marik's good half.

The spirit of Normal Marik turned to Keren, noting her tense disposition and silently cursing himself for it. He gave her a small apologetic smile for giving her a fright, which she acknowledged with a nod, before directing his attention back to his elder brother. His heart ached at the sight of him lying there so helpless, knowing it was all because of him the older man ended up in that condition. It was all he could do not to tear his eyes away from the unbearable sight. 'My hatred, anger and selfish ambitions drove me to commit these unspeakable acts. I can only hope it's not too late for me to rectify them.' What was worse was that he never meant for Odion to be hurt, his mind was just clouded at the time. However, he knew it still didn't change the fact that responsibility for his actions had to be taken. 'I do not doubt Odion would be able to find it in his heart to forgive me, but it remains to be seen if I can forgive myself…that is, if I even survive...no matter...it still must be done. I refuse to take it to my grave.'

Gathering his thoughts, the reformed young man took a deep breath. "Odion, can you hear me? It's me, Marik. As we speak, the pharaoh is dueling against my dark side, and with every part of me that is engulfed by the shadows, he grows stronger. It is an even match at the moment, but while I still have the opportunity, I want to say how truly sorry I am for everything I've done to you. You've done nothing but protect me since the day I was born, and in turn I abused your loyalty and disrespected you. There is nothing I want more than to take everything back, but I am uncertain whether I will be able to. As it stands now, the evil I created out of my own hatred threatens to destroy me, and if he gains the pharaoh's power, the entire world will pay the price. You were there the day my dark side was born, the day I received the tombkeeper's initiation. "

*Flashback Begins*

Marik was being hauled off by two men to receive the tombkeeper's initiation, which he did not want. Despite the strong grip they had on him, he tried to break free from them, even attempted to step on their feet. As expected, his efforts were fruitless. He ceased the struggling, knowing it was pointless since he was like a pencil in comparison to them. "Help! I don't want to be a tombkeeper! Ah, please, help me! Odion, stop them!"

Odion stood in the hall with his head bowed low, feeling saddened that he was not in any position to help his master and thought about how all of his efforts to save him had failed miserably. It was even more devastating to hear all of Marik's cries of pain as his back was being carved, his father smiling evilly as he did it. He suddenly thought of a way to show his support to his younger brother. He took out a knife, which was part of the plan he had in mind.

All the pain and suffering had put Marik in such a state of fury that in a fit of rage, he had grabbed his book that contained the ancient scriptures and threw it at the wall, ripping some of its pages. He knew he would have hell to pay for that if his father found out, but he didn't care.

At the moment Marik was lying in his bed, still reeling from the effects of the initiation. His pain was so intense he wanted to just die. Not even the bandages were enough to soothe it. Odion entered the room to change his bandages. Also, his own face was covered with bandages that concealed something he wanted to show his younger brother. Not even his presence was enough to appease Marik. Instead of greeting his elder brother cheerfully, he just said, "My life has changed forever."

"Yes. You're a tombkeeper now," said Odion.

"Just go!" The last thing Marik wanted was to be reminded of the one task he despised. All of a sudden he felt a sharp pain in his head. "I'm sorry. I feel so alone. Why should I have to pledge my life to some pharaoh?"

Odion frowned slightly when he noticed how venomous Marik sounded. It was a bit scary too because he had heard Marik voice his displeasure over the mission plenty of times, but never on this level. He had a feeling something must have happened whilst he was receiving the initiation. Shrugging it off as best as he could, he spoke up, "As you know I'm forbidden to join this clan so I performed my own ritual." He removed the bandages from his face, thus revealing an ancient symbol similar to what had been carved on Marik's back. "I hope this mark proves my loyalty to your family, sir."

*Flashback Ends*

Keren remembered the day Marik's good side spoke of all too well. Although she had not been there to witness the events herself, just hearing all the gory details was enough to make her shudder. 'I can only imagine how he feels reflecting on it, and he was the one traumatized. I would be as well if I were in his shoes.'

Looking back, Normal Marik couldn't help cringing a bit as he recalled his behavior, though he felt his anger was justified at the time. 'If I had acted with a bit more dignity, I would not be in this situation...no, Marik, stop it! This is not the time to be blaming yourself!' He came back to reality, suppressing a sigh as a cool breeze blew in from the window at his hair and the nape of his neck. "You were always loyal to me, Odion. Even when I betrayed the tombkeepers and abused the ancient scriptures for my own selfish purposes, you never left my side. Now I understand why you stood by me, even though you knew what I was doing was wrong. It's because you were the only one who could control the evil within me. But when you were hurt, my wicked side took over. I do trust the pharaoh to help me banish the dark force inside of me, but I fear he may not be able to do it on his own. If you can hear me, please lend him your strength. He needs it badly." He paused to take a breath, then turned to Keren for the second time, who looked misty-eyed. His eyes filled with concern at that, but he opted not to question her, just in case it was something she didn't care to talk about. "Keren, I know I have already said it before but I wish to say it again. I am sorry for the disrespect I had dealt you."

The older woman made an effort to give him a warm smile, although she was actually fighting back tears that were threatening to spill. "I know you are, dear one. And I had already forgiven you."

The spirit of Marik's good side smiled a bit. "Please continue to take care of Odion for me."

Keren nodded whilst swallowing the lump that had lodged in her throat. "Don't worry, I will."

With that, the silhouette of Marik's good side faded away. Keren watched him leave, replaying his apology in her mind, which left her feeling a bit choked up. 'Such a beautiful speech...very well spoken, and it stirs my soul greatly. Marik never ceases to amaze me. ' Still, she couldn't help but notice there were certain instances the cornsilk blonde made it sound as if he would be leaving the world forever, which was unbearable for her to even think about. Shaking her head to avoid such unpleasant thoughts, she turned back to Odion, giving his hand another squeeze. Before she knew it, tears were streaming down her cheeks. Instead of wiping them away, she just let them flow freely, leaning over so she was staring directly into Odion's face, all the while still holding his hand. A loose teardrop fell and landed on his forehead. 'Hopefully that helps.'


Yami re-opened his eyes, redirecting his attention towards Dark Marik with a fiery look. He had managed to come up with a winning strategy that required him to concentrate on one move at a time. "Marik, I may not know what your dragon is capable of in its Phoenix mode, but I do know it has a weakness and I'll find it."

Dark Marik shot the ancient pharaoh an amused smirk. "Oh, is that so? "

"Yes and you will eventually be defeated as well!" Yami declared.

Dark Marik laughed as if he had just been told the funniest joke. "That is impossible, but you are most welcome to try your luck! I get great pleasure from watching you pathetically try to resist me! And remember, if you do manage to succeed in attacking me, my weak half will absorb all the hits."

Yami's eyes hardened, clearly beyond weary of the taunting and gloating. "I am well aware of the damage he will take. However, he will be saved from your wrath in the end. You'll see. " His lips began to curl into a small grin. "Considering you once wielded Slifer the Sky Dragon, I trust you remember its special ability and if you do not, allow me to remind you. It drains 2000 points from every new monster that appears on my opponent's side of the field with its second mouth, and since your beast has no attack points, it will not withstand the assault."

"As powerful as your creature's special effect may be, my beast is still impervious to all attacks in its Phoenix form," said Dark Marik with a cocky grin plastered on his face.

Yami glared at the evil personality. "We'll see about that! First, I activate Dust Tornado, using it to dispose of your Vengeful Bog Spirit!" A massive typhoon swirled toward the card, sweeping it off the field. Dark Marik clenched his teeth, letting out an angry growl. 'That fool will pay for ruining my strategy.' Yami couldn't help giving another grin of satisfaction. "Now my Slifer, obliterate his dragon with your Lightning Blast!" The orange colored dragon opened its second set of jaws and generated a massive ball of white lightning, launching it at the blazing creature. The friendship gang watched with hopeful expressions, crossing their fingers. 'Come on,' Tèa mentally urged. "Yeah, that flamed broiled chicken is about to get electrocuted!" Joey blared, grinning widely and pumping his fist in the air again.

Kaiba shot a glance in Joey's direction, smiling derisively to himself at the blonde's goofy grin whilst folding his arms. 'I wouldn't be too sure about that, Wheeler. I see you still have yet to learn that attack points are not everything. Then again, that's to be expected from a small fry duelist like you.' The excitement inside of him increased, showing on his face as he had a gut feeling he was about to witness something great.

Dark Marik said nothing this time, but instead observed with a devious grin on his lips as the lightning bolt dissipated before it could hit Ra.

Yami had a frown on his face when he noted his foe's grin, but it faltered and changed into a stunned look when he saw his attack fail. "What's this?! Ra should have been destroyed!" His friends' jaws dropped, Joey crying out, "Yeah, what's the deal?!" Worry appeared on Mokuba's features whereas his elder brother just stood there pokerfaced, hiding the fact that he was actually glad to be witnessing Ra's abilities after such a long time.

Dark Marik broke into a peal of sinister laughter at his arch-enemy's confused state as if the answer should have been obvious. "Didn't I tell you? Attacks against Ra in this form are useless, even ones that are special effects!"

Yami looked stunned. "It can't be!"

"Oh yes it can," corrected Dark Marik with an evil grin. "You have just wasted your attack. But that was just the beginning of my onslaught. Next, I sacrifice 1000 of my life points to activate the first Ra's special abilities." The sinister personality's life points decreased to 2800 as a result, causing another small portion of his good half's body to fade. The cornsilk blonde young man had a pensive expression on his face, ignoring the mild discomfort as best as he could. 'Please, Odion. Hurry. The pharaoh really needs you, and so do I.' He was praying his contrite words would be enough to reach his elder brother and rouse him out of his coma.

The possessed tombkeeper chuckled darkly. "I hope you're prepared for what's to come. Winged Dragon of Ra, incinerate Slifer the Sky Dragon at once!" Everyone stood still, watching as the flaming bird-like behemoth soared towards the dragon and melted it away. A corner of Kaiba's lips curled into his trademark gleeful smile. Yami fought hard to keep a neutral expression as he knew his life points were safe, given that the creature didn't have any attack points. 'Still, I have a feeling things will be worse from this point on. I must be ready for his next assault.'

Mokuba couldn't help grinning excitedly at the display, despite the fact that he had no desire for the possessed tombkeeper to win. "That was awesome."

Kaiba's smile grew even wider, obviously enjoying the show as well. "Yes, and soon it will belong to me," he said a bit too confidently. He then shot a glance in Yami's direction that read, 'You had better not lose this duel or else', shrugging when his rival avoided his eyes.

Dark Marik let out another ominous sounding chuckle. "Fortunately for you, magic cards only work on Egyptian God monsters for one turn, so return to the graveyard, Winged Dragon of Ra!" The bird-shaped dragon let out a roar before disappearing from the field. Dark Marik shot Yami another smirk. "Consider yourself lucky your soul wasn't drained. However, I wouldn't get too comfortable if I were you. Ra will return very soon, even sooner than you think."

Yami shot the sinister young man a cold look. "And just what do you mean by that?"

Dark Marik gave the ancient pharaoh one of his sly "wait just a moment" grins before responding, "I'll show you. I activate my face down card, Zombie's Jewel. It allows me to add one card from my graveyard to my hand and requires for you to choose a card as well! So draw your card and hope it is one that'll enable you to delay your demise for a bit. Not that it matters. Regardless of which card you draw, you're finished." The card he chose slipped out of the graveyard slot. He snatched it up, adding it to his hand with a nefarious smirk.

"We'll see!" Yami pulled a card from his deck, gasping lightly and lifting his eyes. He felt a strong sense of intuition he couldn't quite explain, similar to the occasions when one was able to guarantee something without investigating first to see whether they were correct. 'I cannot explain why, but I somehow know the card I just drew is Fiend Sanctuary.' Without turning the card over, he rested it on his duel disk and announced, "I place one card face down. That ends my turn."

The friendship gang let out gasps, looks of shock and disbelief crossing their features at what they just saw. Mai's eyes looked like they would roll back into their sockets.

"Hey guys, did you see what Yugi just did?" asked Duke with utter amazement.

"Yeah, he just played that card without looking at it," came Tristan's reply, letting out a soft whistle.

"That was weird," agreed Joey, scratching his head. "I mean, I know he pulled some surprising moves in the past, but this one beats them all. What do you think could be up?" His mind drifted to the time Mai pretended to be psychic in Duelist Kingdom as well as when Ishizu hadn't looked at her Keldo monster card before playing it. He got a terrified expression on his face as a possibility occurred to him. 'Please don't tell me Yuge now has the ability to predict the future.'

"With Yugi, you never know," remarked Mai. She looked almost frustrated at the fact that she had yet to completely figure out Yami. 'Oh well...maybe one of these days I will.'

Tèa pressed her lips together before looking thoughtful. "True, but there has to be a logical reason for it."

"Agreed, so let's just trust his judgment," added Vicki. "After all, he knows the stakes of this duel all too well, so he wouldn't act recklessly."

Mai furrowed her brow in thought, drawing her lips in a line. "You do have a point there."

Ishizu listened to the gang's discussion with a meditative expression etched on her features. A small smile involuntarily escaped her lips at how the ancient pharaoh did the same thing she had done during her duel with Kaiba. 'The pharaoh must have drawn the card Kaiba gave to him before the duel began. Kaiba's spirit is closely connected with Yami's, whether he cares to acknowledge it or not. ' Ceasing her musings, she shot a sideways glance at the CEO, who looked as if he had just seen a ghost. She muffled a soft chuckle, trying not to let the fact that his forehead had wrinkles from him arching his eyebrows so high increase her amusement. 'Well, he is slowly learning, it seems.' She put her serious look back on, redirecting her attention to the duel.

For awhile, Mokuba was at a loss for words and could only stand there wide-eyed. He wasn't sure what to make of what Yami did since it was an oddity for him. Not to mention he didn't know whether to be impressed or unnerved. Thawing out little by little, he turned to face his elder brother. "Seto, what do you think is going on? Why would Yugi do that?" He frowned a bit when he received no response. "Seto?"

By then, the business tycoon had recovered from his state of shock. He just stood there with his arms folded tightly, barely hearing his brother's voice. 'Of all the moronic things...what does Yugi think he's doing, pulling such trickery?' He side-eyed Ishizu, mentally scoffing when he saw she didn't seem the least bit perturbed. 'Ishizu must have influenced him...he's a weak fool to allow it.' He faced Mokuba, not wanting to give his brother the impression he was ignoring him. "I don't know, Mokuba, and I haven't the time to figure it out," he responded coolly.

Mokuba blinked and bit back a gulp. He was slightly surprised at his brother's tone, but knew enough to leave it alone. "Oh. Okay."

Dark Marik burst into a fit of maniacal laughter, laughing so hard his face was distorting and causing everyone to cringe, save for Yami, who was scowling at him. As his guffawing died down, he allowed a smirk to escape his lips. "For someone who had been so vocal and determined to defeat me, you seem to have given up. Why else would you play your card without looking at it?"

Yami's scowl faded and was replaced by a smile. He let out a quiet chuckle. "That is where you're sorely mistaken. The card I drew and played is one that'll begin the process of defeating you. I sensed it was the card I need the moment I pulled it from my deck, so it was not necessary for me to take a glance."

Dark Marik looked at the ancient pharaoh as if he had lost his mind before laughing again. "Sensed it was the correct card? Impossible! Besides, no matter what card you play, you could never hope to defeat me, and I am about to prove it!" He pulled a card from his deck, grinning evilly as he took a peek at it and added it to his hand."First I summon my Swallowtail Spike Lizard in defense mode!" (700 def) A blackish grey alligator-like creature with baby blue protruding spikes and a cream colored abdomen appeared onto the field. "As long as this monster remains in defense mode I will gain 1000 life points with each passing turn. "

Yami let out a grunt and looked grim, knowing that meant the corrupted tombkeeper could have well over 4000 life points if the creature remained on the field long enough, thus making it difficult to wipe them out. 'I must destroy it before that happens, which I should be able to do with no problem.'

For once, Dark Marik merely ignored it. "Next, I play Monster Reborn, using it to resurrect my unstoppable Egyptian God monster, the Winged Dragon of Ra! Return to the field once again, my beast!" The bird-like creature emerged back on the field, letting out a mighty roar. All the spectators, save for Mokuba and his elder brother, let out groans as if to ask, 'Again? How long is he gonna keep it up?'

Kaiba was grinning from ear to ear, his eyes also going wide like that of an excited child's. He couldn't help smirking at how dismayed the gang was as he had no qualms about Ra being on the field. 'After all, I have a hunch Marik is far from done. Soon, I will have witnessed all of its abilities.' He grinned so hard his cheeks ached, and so he allowed the grin to fade, putting his nonchalant expression back on.

Dark Marik eyed all the observers before facing Yami again with a smirk. "You are about to witness several more of my monster's special abilities. "

Yami looked at him sharply. "And which abilities are you speaking of?"

Dark Marik gave a deadly smile, almost as if he were glad his foe had asked. "Well, I'll begin with its Point-to-Point Transfer ability. What does it involve, you ask? I surrender all but one of my life points to Ra in order to give it the attack strength it lacks. " Before Yami could question what he meant, the soul of Normal Marik began to disappear as 2799 of his dark side's life points decreased. This kept up until Dark Marik was atop Ra's head, showing just his upper body. By then, the only part of his weaker half that remained was a small portion of his face, particularly his left eye, at which Yami let out a horrified gasp.

"Marik, what is the meaning of this?" the ancient pharaoh demanded to know.

Dark Marik chuckled lightly, amused by how his opponent didn't pay close enough attention. "I told you, I have sacrificed my strength in order to give Ra the power he needs to defeat you. I hope you haven't forgotten that it is my weak side that absorbs all the damage to my life points. "

Yami was stone faced as he realized the grave situation he found himself in. Not only was protecting his foe's good side becoming increasingly difficult, but so was finding Ra's weak spot, given all the special abilities it possessed. 'I have a bad feeling there is more. Ra seems almost indestructible right now, but I must press on, with the fate of the world and Marik's good side resting on my shoulders.' As he gazed up from the cards in his hand towards the field, his eyes fell on the face down card he had played. 'Hopefully my Fiend Sanctuary trap will help, regardless of Marik's following moves.' His expression changed to appear slightly more optimistic.

The friendship gang all had dumbfounded expressions on their faces and for awhile, they were speechless. That was, until the thoughts that had eluded them before returned to their minds.

Mai blinked several times before cocking her head, looking as if she had just spotted a real live alien. "Marik being fused with a monster? I know he did some beyond bizarre things in my duel with him but that…that should be impossible…"

"Right?" agreed Vicki, bringing up a hand to rub the bridge of her nose. "At this rate I would be surprised if he doesn't pay an unwanted visit to my dreams tonight." She shuddered and when no one was looking, she bowed her head, closing her eyes. After uttering a quick, silent prayer, she reopened her eyes and glanced back up.

"Not only that, but it shouldn't be fair either," spoke up Tristan.

"But it is, and that's the bad part for Yugi," stated Duke a-matter-of-factually."And even if it weren't, you should know by now how Marik rolls."

Tristan was about to respond, but before he could, Joey piped up, "I think it's about time we stopped being so surprised by every weird thing we see Ra do." Letting out surprised gasps, everyone turned to the blonde, obviously not expecting him to say that. Rather than ask what the funny stares were about, Joey kept his expression unwavering as he continued, "I mean, Ra seems to be in a league of its own, separate from Obelisk and Slifer. Don't forget how pissed it got when Odion played a copy. The thing knocked him out cold as well as me for a bit, and I was only checking on the poor guy." His expression then turned serious whilst thinking about the tattooed face man for a moment. 'I hope he gets back on his feet soon.'

The others looked thoughtful, not considering the way Joey put it before and found they could not debate it because he spoke the truth. After a fair amount of silence, Tristan conceded, "I hear ya, dude."

Dark Marik cleared his throat loudly, looking annoyed by the interruption. "If you fools would pay attention, I'm about to activate yet another of my monster's abilities. I sacrifice my Drillago in order to add its attack and defense points to Ra, giving it a powerful boost!" As the drill-like creature disappeared, Ra's attack strength increased to four thousand, three hundred ninety nine, causing the gang's eyes to widen a bit. The grin returned to Kaiba's face as he was filled with excitement at witnessing another one of Ra's abilities.

Dark Marik's look of annoyance had long changed into an evil grin. "I hope you're prepared for defeat, because with 3500 life points, you won't be able to withstand my monster's onslaught." He smirked at the grim expression that appeared on Yami's features for a split second. "Winged Dragon of Ra, wipe out this fool's life points and end this duel!" The behemoth fired a massive fireball at the ancient pharaoh. The gang shut their eyes and turned away, not wanting to see their friend be fried to a charred cinder.

Yami watched the blazing projectile head for him before a small smile formed on his lips. "Not quite! I activate my face down card, Fiend Sanctuary!" A hexagram circle materialized onto the field. Kaiba's mouth fell open slightly whereas Ishizu gave a knowing smile. 'Just as I thought.'

Kaiba's shocked look faded, turning into indifference. 'So he managed to play the card I gave him. It still remains to be seen whether he knows how it works or not. I guess I will just have to wait and see.'

Dark Marik's grin faltered, replaced by horror and a touch of displeasure at the fact that his foe seemingly knew what he was talking about before. "Oh no!"

"Yes! This card allows me to special summon my Metal Fiend Token in attack mode! It was given to me by a wonderful ally." A very slender silver colored demon warrior made of metal appeared in the middle of the hexagram figure. Yami had the feeling Kaiba was most likely rolling his eyes at the mention of the word ally but he didn't care. Not to mention he was used to it. Shaking his head to rid it of the distractions, he explained, "This Metal Fiend Token will block the attack you aimed at me and reflect it towards your monster and since you're fused with it, that means you are finished as well!" The ancient pharaoh pointed a finger at Dark Marik again, adding emphasis to his declaration.

The girls jumped up and down, letting out cheers and the boys gave fist bumps to each other. Joey placed his hands by his mouth, yelling out, "Yeah, freak-boy is done for!" He started grinning like an idiot, making Mai roll her eyes.

Dark Marik's lips curled into a smug grin. "Guess again!"

Yami's smile disappeared. "What?!"

"I activate my face down card, De-Fusion, the card I took from you! It separates me from my Egyptian God monster, cancelling your attack." Sure enough, the fireball dissipated before it could hit its target and Dark Marik came apart from his monster, landing swiftly on his feet.

Yami grunted softly. "Oh no." At the same time Joey cried out, "Awww man!" whilst Tèa mumbled, "Yugi…" She wrung her hands, looking worried for her friend.

Dark Marik laughed. "That's right! Your strategy was all for naught. Not only that, but I also regain the life points I sacrificed, so that means my weak half gets his entire body back, for now." As his life points increased to 4400, his good side's body became whole again. The reformed young man groaned softly and lifted his head up, muttering, "Pharaoh, please hang on until Odion comes."

The words reached the ancient pharaoh's ears and he glanced at his new ally, giving him a nod to show he understood. 'I do hope Odion awakens soon, but until then, I will have to make modifications to my strategy and hope they are effective.'

Kaiba unfolded his arms and let them drop to his sides before tilting his head. 'So, Marik found a way around such an unstoppable trap card…interesting.' He began to look disgusted, despite the fact that he got his wish to see all of Ra's abilities. "This is becoming a waste of my time. At this rate I'd be surprised if Yugi is duelist enough to know the other effect of Fiend Sanctuary," he mused aloud.

Dark Marik's trademark evil grin returned to his face. "Well, well, Pharaoh, it seems as if luck is on your side once again, because now it's time to say goodbye to Ra, given the one turn effect of Monster Reborn." With a fierce roar, Ra disappeared from the field. "And in case you have forgotten, allow me to remind you of my Swallowtail Spike Lizard's special ability." Yami watched with a grim expression as the possessed tombkeeper's life points climbed up to five thousand, four hundred. "I'll set one card face down and that'll be all for now. Make your move if you feel you can endure more punishment. Although I would surrender if I were you."

"Never!" Yami put his game face back on, pulled a card from his deck and added it to his hand. "I'll give up 1000 life points to keep Metal Fiend on the field." His life points decreased to 2500 as a result and more of Yugi's body disappeared. The spiky haired teen didn't flinch this time, but closed his eyes in an attempt to numb the pain. At this point nearly half of his body was gone. Yami gave him an apologetic look, and the teenaged boy shook his head to assure him he did nothing wrong.

"Suit yourself, Pharaoh. After all, it's Yugi who suffers."

Yami merely ignored the remark. "I activate my other face down card!"

The grin disappeared from Dark Marik's features, turning into a look of horror. "No! Not Multiply!"

Yami's lips quirked up slightly. "Yes, it allows me to turn my one fiend token into three." Two more tokens split from the one that had already been on the field, and his smile grew at the fact that he now had enough creatures to sacrifice since they technically were monsters. "I now sacrifice my three Metal Fiend Tokens in order to summon Obelisk the Tormentor, the card I won from Ishizu!" The ancient pharaoh took a moment to peer over his shoulder and give Kaiba a small smile, mentally adding, 'Thank you, Kaiba. I would not have been able to summon it, had it not been for you.' As the three metallic monsters disappeared, a mighty breeze blew and the blue coloured muscular monster rose up out of the ground, an aura emanating from it. Awed expressions crossed the faces of both the friendship gang and Mokuba. Kaiba stood there, looking neutral and resisting the urge to let out a huff at Yami's smile. 'I guess Yugi hasn't lost his touch after all. '

Dark Marik faced Obelisk with a stunned expression, almost like he was about to soil his pants. Although he was usually able to keep his cool because of his back-up plans, the mere idea of his enemy succeeding in anything was enough to make him cross.

Yami turned to Dark Marik again, his eyes looking like that of a hardened warrior's. "Stare into the face of defeat, Marik! All right, my Egyptian God monster, attack Marik's Swallowtail Spike Lizard with Fist of Fate!" Obelisk let out a feral growl before thrusting out his fist towards the reptile. A massive beam of energy came out of it, raining down on the lizard and blowing it to smithereens. Dark Marik covered his face to shield it from the gusty winds, the tail of his cape flapping noisily. Yami gave a small smile of satisfaction as there were no more monsters guarding his opponent's life points. "You are now completely defenseless, so the next time I attack, you will lose a large portion of your life points!"

In response Dark Marik's lips spread into a devilish grin. 'That's what you think, but my face down card will diminish all hopes you have of defeating me! And once I'm through with you, you'll suffer a fate that is far worse than death itself! Hahahahaha!'