Chapter 53
Despite being comatose, Odion had heard normal Marik's cries to him calling for help, although he couldn't muster enough energy to open his eyes then. However, when he heard his master's heartfelt apology, he was actually able to make out every word that was said. He hadn't been angry with the young man at all, but his heart was still warmed a great deal. 'I knew he would utter those words one day and he could not have chosen a better time.' That, combined with the teardrops he felt falling on his forehead filled him with a newfound strength. His eyes suddenly shot open with a jolt. He blinked several times to clear his vision a bit as well as get an idea of his surroundings, the realization hitting him that he was in his room. He then got an insightful expression on his face as he pieced everything together. 'I do remember speaking with Joey and his friends about the danger of Master Marik's dark side. Afterwards it was if I had given into the darkness. Someone must have brought me here.' A part of him was curious about who had been kind enough to bring him to his room, but he brushed it off, deciding it didn't really matter. It was then he felt someone holding his hand. A confused frown began to cross his features until he realized the touch was familiar and one he enjoyed immensely. 'Keren...' He looked over to the side and sure enough, the young woman was sitting in a chair positioned next to his bed, watching over him.
Keren managed a genuine smile when she saw the older man awake. The moment he opened his eyes, her heartbeat sped up and a slight chill had gone down her spine at how quickly he did it. "Odion…you're awake…thank the heavens!" She spoke slowly, trying to keep her voice steady.
Odion smiled weakly at the love of his life, ignoring the dull throbbing in his head and dry mouth that slowly hit him. "Yes. How long was I in a dormant state?" he asked, his voice sounding gravelly.
"Since nightfall of yesterday," answered Keren.
Odion's brow furrowed, all the while hiding his disbelief. It had felt even longer than that. Even so, it was still too much, given how long his master's dark side would have been free to run rampant. 'I have a bad feeling he has caused immense damage since his emergence. He must be stopped before more people are hurt or killed.' He cleared his throat to get rid of the dryness. "Well, that's a lengthy amount of time. "
Keren gave an affirmative nod. "It was. However, you were hurt quite badly. "
Odion had an unreadable expression on his face for a moment as he absorbed the revelation. It came as no surprise to him, considering when he was struck, it had felt like a bullet had penetrated his skull. His expression then turned serious. "I understand." His serious look turned into a frown when he noted Keren's tearstained, blotchy red eyes and face. "Keren…you've been crying…"
Keren's face turned several shades of red as she had figured her tears would have been less obvious by then. 'Oh dear, I should have washed my face just to be safe.' She gulped, knowing there was no point in denying it."Yes, I had been a bit," she admitted sheepishly. "I'm fine now, though…" More tears began to well up in her eyes. "It's just…a part of me was so afraid I would lose you and Marik would be consumed by the shadows." She buried her head in Odion's chest and wept, gripping his hand tightly.
Odion squeezed the young woman's hand lightly before releasing it and wrapping both arms around her, stroking her hair and back as she sobbed. Although she had made it clear she was relieved, seeing her in tears tore at his heart. "Shhh, it's all right now. Please don't cry. A smile suits you much better," he soothed her, bringing up a hand to wipe the tears away. He kept stroking her hair and back until her weeping gradually subsided.
His warm touch, his reassuring words…both brought such a healing to Keren's soul that it made her want to cry even more but she thought better of it, feeling a slight headache forming. She lifted her head up slightly and massaged her forehead a bit before exhaling a long, deep breath through her nose. "I'm so glad you're still here with me." She moved back a bit more to give Odion some breathing room, sitting back in the chair and rubbing her itchy eyes, which only served to irritate them. 'Oh goodness, I shouldn't have done that.'
"As am I." Groaning lightly, Odion pulled himself into a sitting position. All of a sudden a sharp pain tore through his head, causing him to grimace and let out a grunt.
Keren came over to him with a look of worry on her features. "Odion, what is it? Are you all right?" she asked, placing a hand on his back.
Odion waited for the discomfort to ebb somewhat before glancing up to meet Keren's gaze. He couldn't help smiling a bit at her concern. He knew there was no point in saying nothing was wrong since she would be able to tell otherwise, yet he didn't want her to worry more than she had to. He licked his dry lips before responding, "I'll be fine. It's not serious," he replied.
Keren drew her lips in a line, making a "hmm" sound as she searched the young man's eyes for a bit. She didn't see any signs that it was worse than he claimed and he didn't flat out deny anything, so she just nodded. "All right, then. "
Odion looked relieved that his female companion seemed to have accepted his answer. The last thing he wanted was for her to insist he lie back down when that wasn't a luxury he could afford. Not when his master was in danger. An uneasy feeling arose inside of him at the thought.
Deciding enough time had been wasted, he threw off the sheets and gingerly swung his legs over to the side of the bed where his boots were, pushing his feet inside of them. Keren remained nearby just in case he fell. She watched with worried eyes as the tattooed face man got up from his spot. He felt her eyes on him and turned around slightly to give her a nod as if reassuring her he was all right. Once he rose to his full height, the painful twinge in his head flared once again, accompanied by mild vertigo, and there was a tingling sensation in his legs. When he went to take a step forward, his legs wobbled, and he collapsed, quickly grabbing onto the bed before he could hit the floor. Keren let out a horrified gasp and dashed over to him. She took ahold of his hands and pulled him into a standing position, holding him up. It was difficult, given her broken hand and the fact that he was much heavier than she was, but neither of those concerns were on her mind. 'After all, it's his condition that's most severe.'
"Careful, Odion," she warned. "Where are you heading off to? You are in no condition to stand, much less walk."
Odion groaned in pain, leaning slightly against one of her shoulders. "I must go and save Master Marik before it's too late." He hunched over a bit, panting.
Keren's expression became more thoughtful. Despite her doubts, she was aware of the severity of his master's situation and knew that besides Yami, Odion was the only other person who could save the cornsilk blonde. 'I cannot refuse, even if I wish to. It would be selfish of me.' Not having the heart to object, she nodded solemnly. "All right." Her voice then grew firm. "However, you are not going alone. I'm coming with you."
Odion opened his mouth to say it wouldn't be necessary for the young woman to accompany him, but she held up a hand for silence. "You are still hurt and I don't wish to risk anything worse happening to you," she continued, her hazel colored orbs boring deep into his olive green ones.
Odion raised a hand in surrender, knowing there was no point in arguing as Keren made it clear by her tone and her stare that she wouldn't take no for an answer. "If you insist. However, allow me to do the talking," he relented.
Keren wrinkled her brow in thought and then nodded. "Fair enough. Let's go. " With an arm wrapped securely around her lover's broad shoulders, she led him to the exit, pushing the button on the side. Once the door slid open, she guided him out of the room down the halls to the elevator. As the tattooed face man limped along with her, he couldn't help but feel a great amount of gratitude towards her for being so insistent about not letting him rescue his master on his own. Besides feeling drained, his legs ached, as well as his head. 'Had it not been for her determination, my journey to the Duel Tower would have been prolonged and with Master Marik in grave danger, I cannot afford that.'
He snapped out of his thoughts when he felt Keren coming to a stop, forcing him to do the same. He saw they had arrived at the blimp's exit. Keren turned to face him. "Are you ready?" she asked him. "You have a rather lengthy walk ahead of you."
Odion nodded. "I have been for some time, and I'm aware of the distance. I must do this."
Keren pressed her lips together. "I expected you would say that. All right, let's go. We cannot afford to waste any more time." She held out her arm, which Odion took without hesitation, and proceeded to lead him down the steps. His gait was still very stiff and each step he took knocked what little breath that was there out of him bit by bit, but her assistance made it slightly more bearable. 'I must continue to press on for Master Marik's sake.'
By the time the couple made it down the steps, Odion was panting heavily. Upon noticing this, Keren stopped, giving him a chance to catch his breath, although she didn't let go of his hand. "This is to be expected as you still have yet to fully recover. But you have done well thus far and for that, I am proud of you," she said, giving his hand a light squeeze.
Odion smiled a bit at the young woman, then his smile faltered a bit when he noted the amount of mild worry her eyes held. He felt a painful tugging at his heart knowing she still worried for his safety although she was trying her best to be brave and calm. "I will be fine," he responded in an attempt to reassure her. He let out a long, deep, ragged breath, staring at the building straight ahead. It seemed a significant distance away despite being only several feet in front of him and Keren. 'Standing here won't make you arrive any sooner,' a voice inside his head reminded him. He turned back to Keren. "We should be going now. We haven't another moment to lose. "
Keren was about to question whether he was certain he didn't need a longer break, as she didn't want him to push himself too hard. She opted not to, though, since he spoke the truth when he said there wasn't much time left, and knew how important saving his master was to him. "You're right. Let's move on." Intertwining her fingers with his own, she led him away, and the couple continued to make their way to the duel tower, praying they wouldn't arrive too late.
Yami allowed a tiny accomplished smile to escape his lips before looking serious again. He peered down at the cards in his hand to determine his next move, his expression turning meditative. 'Destroying Swallowtail Spike Lizard was an excellent start as his life points are now wide open for a direct attack.' A touch of worry then appeared on his features as he glanced up slightly and caught a glimpse of the smirk Dark Marik wore. 'However, I have a bad feeling Marik intends to strike back, and there is no telling what he will do. I must take one step ahead and remain that way.' He focused his gaze on Dark Marik again, giving him a hard look. "You won't be smiling for much longer. I can assure you that. Next turn you will lose a large portion of your life points. To complete my turn, I'll place one card face down and that will be all. Make your move."
Dark Marik laughed. "Impressive of you to wipe out my remaining defense. However, that was the exact move I wanted you to make. Once again, you have taken my bait, and this time it will cost you dearly."
Yami looked down to see the card Dark Marik laid on the field before meeting his foe's eyes again. "What are you up to? Explain yourself!"
An evil grin slowly formed on the evil personality's lips. "Patience, Pharaoh, you shall see soon enough. I am about to summon yet another indestructible creature."
Yami's brow furrowed, almost as if he didn't believe his foe was speaking the truth since he didn't know of any beast as unstoppable as Ra. "And just which monster is that?" he inquired, drowning out the whispers of his friends about how much of a loony the corrupted tombkeeper was.
Dark Marik gave another evil grin before laughing again. "You are about to find out right now. Watch as I reveal my face down card, Metal Reflect Slime!" A silvery glob made up of plasma materialized, hovering midair.
The ancient pharaoh eyed the slimy creature, giving a perplexed frown. "What is that thing?" he questioned.
Dark Marik's lips spread into a toothy grin, as if he was glad for an opportunity to answer a question about his creature-to-be. "That, Pharaoh, is the ticket to my victory and your demise! It has the ability to take the form of your monster."
Yami gave the possessed tombkeeper an incredulous look. "No! A clone of an Egyptian God?"
Dark Marik let out an evil chuckle."Exactly right. I thought it would be fitting to destroy you by turning your own creature against you. " He chuckled again, both of his violet eyes stretching to the sides.
Joey blinked several times, looking as if Dark Marik had grown an extra head. "Yeah right. There's no way Marik has a monster as powerful as Ra." That was what he tried to convince himself, but an uneasy feeling that the evil personality was telling the truth arose inside of him. 'Stay calm…even if he did, Yuge is gonna kick his butt so hard his head will spin!'
Dark Marik had a strong urge to needle Joey, but opted to ignore him, instead chuckling to himself. 'Stupid fool…let him remain in denial. He will soon see that the power of my deck is not to be taken lightly. While I still fail to see how I lost to someone like him, soon it won't matter, for I'll emerge victorious in the end and cast him into the pits of hell! Ahahahaha!'
The girls wrinkled their noses in disgust, both at Dark Marik's distorted face and the massive glob of slime. Vicki's face turned a tinge of green whilst Tèa commented, "Whatever it is, that thing is gross!"
"That's putting it mildly," muttered Vicki, resisting the urge to start retching. She turned away as she felt bile rising up inside of her.
"I would like to know where he gets these types of cards from," spoke up Mai, tossing a strand of hair over her left shoulder.
"That thing is gonna become a big slimy Obelisk," stated Joey, doing his best to keep the nervousness out of his voice and hide the fact that he was unsettled. 'No way am I giving freak-boy the satisfaction of seeing that.'
Tèa got an "I did not just hear that" look on her face as she asked in disbelief, "That giant glob of snot is gonna become an Egyptian God?" She shuddered at the thought and just as she did that, the massive slime shifted before beginning the process of stretching and forming its shape.
Duke tilted his head to the side as he spotted the metamorphosis taking place. He let out a whistle and then pointed out, "Hey guys, don't look now, but I think it's working." Everyone turned to see what he was referring to, and sure enough, the glob had already formed the arms and legs, as well as its hands. Lumps popped out of it to form the muscles as its upper body was created, and it stretched at the top, molding into a head. It was all Tèa and Vicki could do not to make squeamish faces.
Vicki sucked in a deep breath, holding it in to avoid spewing her breakfast all over her shoes, exhaling once the transformation was complete. Her stomach churning, she turned away from the slimy beast to send Yami a message with her eyes. 'Yugi, please, do whatever you must to get rid of that eyesore. I know you can.'
Yami felt Vicki's eyes on him and faced her, giving her a light nod of reassurance before turning back to Dark Marik with his hard gaze. "I may not know exactly what you have planned with that clone, but whatever you do, I'll counter it."
Dark Marik laughed a short sound. "That's impossible, and I'm about to prove it firsthand." An evil smirk formed on his lips when he received a grunt and a glare in response. 'Such fiery rage...it is nothing more than a tiny kitten in a battle against a hungry lion.' He laughed evilly as his formation was complete. It looked nearly identical to Yami's Egyptian God monster, except it was silver instead of blue. "Say hello to Egyptian God Slime!" (3000 def)
Duke scrutinized the plasma formed creature with an aghast expression on his face. "It's happened…Marik actually succeeded in creating a clone of Obelisk the Tormentor." He had begun to see what Joey meant about not being surprised by any move the corrupted tombkeeper made, regardless of how bizarre it was.
Tristan brought up a hand to scratch the back of his head before asking, "So does that mean they're equal in strength?"
"No, Marik's is just a cheap copy of the original!" Joey blurted out. He saw Mai looking at him strangely from the corner of his eye, obviously not expecting such vehemence. Lowering his voice a tad, he continued, "His wannabe Obelisk only has 3000 defense points, so the real Obelisk can knock it into next week with one blow."
Kaiba just smiled to himself at the force behind Joey's comments, just barely holding back a chuckle. He had thoughts about telling the blonde howmistaken he was, but decided to keep quiet this time. 'Such an impetuous fool. You can keep telling yourself that, but you are in for a rude awakening.'
Mokuba turned to his elder brother with a huge excited grin plastered on his face. "Yugi is gonna destroy that fake next time he attacks, right Seto?" he asked, his eyes full of hope.
Under normal circumstances, the CEO would have said how much he doubted it, seeing as how Yami had yet to actually turn the duel around. His cynical countenance wavered as he remembered Mokuba's words of wisdom about Yugi and the friendship gang being well-meaning people. 'I refuse to take any chances. On the other hand, I cannot say those dorks have ever betrayed me, so just this once, I'll humor Mokuba.' He donned a thoughtful expression. "Not quite. "
Mokuba's grin faltered, giving his brother a "what do you mean" look. "Huh?"
"I'm sure there is more to Marik's monster than meets the eye, Mokuba," continued the business tycoon. "Just keep watching."
Mokuba scrunched up his brow in thought. "Hmmm, okay. If you say so."
Dark Marik side-eyed Seto and let out a sinister chuckle for what seemed like the millionth time. "Kaiba is absolutely correct. Now observe! Next, I summon my slime creature, Revival Jam!" (1500 ATTK/500DEF) The ghost shaped, plasma being materialized, shrieking.
Yami let out a gasp and looked grim as he instantly recognized the creature. His experience with it had been less than stellar, and he also recalled Mai had a taste of its virtually unstoppable ability as well. 'I do not know what he has planned, but something tells me I am in for more of a challenge than before. I'll have to be prepared.'
Dark Marik laughed. "I see you remember my Revival Jam very well, from when you faced my mindslave, Strings." He grinned as he caught a glimpse of Vicki trembling a bit. 'I can see right through her. If memory serves me, she was quite unsettled by my rare hunter…a side that makes her even more alluring.'
*Flashback begins*
Yami gave his foe a cocky smile. "It seems, Marik, you have forgotten I hid two trap cards under that hat! Magic Cylinder and Spellbinding Circle! I will weaken your sky dragon's power, and then redirect his own Thunder Force attack right back at him! Fire!" A circle appeared around the monstrous dragon, draining 700 of its attack points and decreasing them to 4300, Slifer grimacing as its strength was zapped. The magician then pointed his staff, and launched the attack with the other cylinder. "Say goodbye, Marik!"
Marik's face relaxed into a devious grin. "Never! You can't attack me with my Revival Jam in play!"
Yami watched with a stunned expression as the plasma monster shifted in front of Slifer, taking the hit and then reforming. "So your plasma monster can even block redirected attacks?"
"That's exactly right, Pharaoh. Then it regenerates unharmed."
*Flashback ends*
Dark Marik's lustful grin disappeared and was replaced by a malicious one, which he directed at the ancient pharaoh. "I'm about to make you suffer even more than my pathetic weak half and Strings ever could. I'll use Polymerization to fuse my Revival Jam with Egyptian God Slime, making him more powerful! As much as I would like to destroy you now, my turn must end. Go ahead and make your move if you dare. There is no escaping your fate!" He laughed again.
Yami stared hard at the evil entity with the intention of silencing him. "This duel is not over yet, so I wouldn't get too confident if I were you. Your fusion did nothing to boost your monster's attack strength."
Dark Marik gave his foe a devilish grin. "I can assure you my monster is a new and more powerful beast. But if you are so sure you can defeat it, then go ahead and attack. You're in for a most unpleasant surprise."
Yami growled in frustration at the evil force's gloating and goading, his patience coming to an end. 'Remain focused,' cautioned a voice inside his head. Truth be told, he did have a bad feeling that there was a catch in attacking his enemy's new monster, though he didn't think the results were as disastrous as Dark Marik made it out to be. 'Be that as it may, I must make a move.' He let his eyes drift over to the face down card he laid on the field. 'Perhaps it will be enough to help me counter his strategy.' A hopeful expression appearing on his features, he averted his gaze back towards his opponent. "All right, Marik, it's my turn! First I place one more card face down and then summon Big Shield Gardna in defense mode!" (2600 def) The miniscule shield monster appeared on the field, letting out a grunt. "Now, Obelisk the Tormentor, annihilate his monster with Fist of Fate!" With a roar, the massive behemoth thrust out his fist and delivered a powerful blow to the plasma monster, splattering it into small droplets…or so it seemed.
Joey pumped his fist forward and did his macho-grin that creased his chin. "Yeah, nice one Yuge! You liquefied that phony!" He was so full of child-like excitement that he was unaware of Mai shaking her head and rolling her eyes, although he faintly heard a chuckle.
But the splattered remains of the creature proceeded to rebuild itself. Everyone, save for Kaiba, his younger brother, Mai and Yami was wide-eyed. Kaiba stood there pokerfaced and Yami had a grim expression on his features.
Dark Marik's lips quirked up into a wicked grin, and he let out a sinister chuckle. "I told you it was indestructible," he gloated, the slime beast now back to its original state.
Yami grunted at his enemy's gloating, though he had anticipated the move. "You may have blocked that attack, but I'm not through with you yet, Marik!" He pointed a finger at the bronze skinned young man.
Dark Marik sneered at the ancient pharaoh." Ha! You might as well give up! Thanks to the beast that stands behind me, I have achieved complete immortality. No matter what card you play, you will never be able to break past my defense! This was my plan from the start and you fell for it. I expected more of a challenge from you, Pharaoh. I must say I am disappointed."
It was all Vicki could do not to make a retching noise. As much as she wanted to, she refused to fuel his twisted lust for her. She just smiled to herself. 'He can keep talking…soon, we will be the ones getting the last laugh.'
Tristan wearily rubbed his forehead as a worried expression crossed his features. "Things are about to get uglier for Yugi," he said.
Joey couldn't help feeling a bit of apprehension himself, but knew his best friend had fought more challenging duels before and still emerged victorious. "Don't worry about a thing, Tristan. Yugi will find a way to take that big slimeball down." His voice was full of vehemence.
"Well, that doesn't look too promising from where I'm standing," said Duke.
Vicki side-eyed the ebony-haired young man with a withering glance, becoming more than a little fed up with his pessimism. "And your negative thinking isn't going to motivate him, now, is it?"
Before Duke could answer, Tèa called out, "Come on! You can do it, Yugi!"
Mokuba let out a deep sigh before turning to his brother with troubled eyes. "Now what?" It took everything he had to hide how bothered he was about the duel being fairly one-sided.
The CEO didn't respond but stared ahead with a pensive look on his face. 'I knew it! Marik allowed Yugi to wipe out his defense monster on purpose. Let's see if Yugi can get out of this mess. He had better if he knows what's good for him.' He shot his rival a "Don't you dare lose this" look, which was met by a nod of understanding.
Yami turned away from Seto, throwing Dark Marik a cold stare. "Make your next move."
Dark Marik laughed. "Anxious to lose, are we? Well, I'm happy to oblige. " He pulled a card from his deck, peered at it and grinned evilly. "I place one card face down and summon Bowganian in defense mode!" (1000 def) A feral creature shaped like a massive eye with arms holding a bow emerged onto the field. Sharp spikes protruded out of its eyelids, wrist guards and were all over its body.
Yami blinked several times before frowning curiously, mainly at how he had never seen the monster before. "What is that?" The fact that it appeared weak was the least of his concerns, given the type of deck his foe had. 'All of Marik's cards come with a certain price.'
Dark Marik gave a toothy grin, secretly loving his enemy's confusion. "This creature has the ability to drain 300 of your life points with each passing turn, which means Yugi will be engulfed by the darkness until he is no more!" He let out a maniacal laugh, making the girls and boys cringe.
Yami glowered at the evil entity, willing him to quiet down. "Not if I can help it, Marik!" he retorted.
"Well then, make your move. It won't be too long now."
"For once, I agree. I'm far from done." Yami pulled a card from his deck and took a glance at it, smiling a bit. 'This is exactly the card I need to begin my assault.' His smile disappeared as he averted his gaze back towards the evil man. "First I place one card face down, and then I sacrifice Big Shield Gardna in order to summon Dark Magician Girl in attack mode!" (2000 attk) The female magi materialized, releasing a blissful sigh and blinking her large blue eyes.
Dark Marik gave a brief, huffy laugh. "Summoning her was pointless, Pharaoh, and you'll find out why soon enough." He smirked inwardly as if daring the ancient pharaoh to attack.
Yami's eyes were full of determination as he gave Dark Marik a firm look." We'll see about that! Dark Magician Girl, attack his Bowganian!" The female spellcaster held out her scepter, emitting a ball of dark energy from it. Everyone waited with baited breath for the creature to be blown to bits.
Dark Marik allowed his lips to curl into a smug grin. "Not quite! I activate my continuous trap card, Jam Defender!" Yami's determined look faltered and was replaced by a grim one as he watched the massive slime monster absorb the attack, eliciting an evil chuckle from the corrupted tombkeeper. "I see your memory has been refreshed. That's right, as long as Jam Defender is in play, all of your attacks are useless! " The failed attack hit Dark Magician Girl instead, making her dress raise up to reveal her underwear.
Yami let out a soft grunt and clenched one of his fists."No! Dark Magician Girl!" The maneuver brought back memories of his struggle to defeat Strings, which had been quite a trying moment for him. He allowed his eyes to drift over to one of the face down cards, his tense facial expression relaxing so he looked hopeful. 'At least I now have a way to counter it.'
Dark Marik gave a gleeful laugh. "Be very afraid, Pharaoh. You're about to experience a world of pain. Say goodbye to 1000 life points and a portion of your little friend's body!"
Yami's expression turned grim as he watched his life points plummet to one thousand, five hundred and turned into horror when a sizable part of his vessel's body was engulfed. "Yugi!" he cried out. The latter let out a small scream as searing pain tore through his right arm and torso.
Dark Marik unleashed a cruel laugh at his arch-enemy's agony, the cries sending chills down his spine. "I'm afraid that's not all, for Little Yugi is about to lose more of his body to the shadows! Watch as I activate my monster's special ability! Bowganian, drain 300 of this fool's life points at once!" The miniscule beast shot an arrow at Yami, hitting him square in the chest and causing him to cry out in pain as he clutched at the affected area. He was down to 1200 life points as a result.
Upon hearing the pain-filled yelp, Yugi glanced over at his alter-ego, his eyes full of concern. "No! Are you all right?" he inquired, holding back a grimace at the discomfort he himself felt.
Letting out a groan, the ancient pharaoh turned to face the young boy, doing his best to ignore the sharp pain in his chest. It felt like he was having a heart attack."It's you I'm worried about," he uttered weakly.
Yugi managed a small smile. "Don't worry. I'm fine," he assured the ancient pharaoh.
"Yes. But for how long?" It warmed Yami's heart to know Yugi was more concerned about him than being consumed by the darkness bit by bit. At the same time, though, a pang of guilt hit him as he wished to protect the teen boy, and Marik's good side. 'I cannot take too many more of those attacks.'
Dark Marik let out another cruel laugh, taking delight in his foe's anguish. "The shadows are feasting on Little Yugi. Lose a few more life points and he will be nothing but an empty shell." He leaned forward, thrusting out his rod. "After I defeat you in this duel, I'll cast you, your pathetic friends and my foolish weak half into the pits of hell! Soon everyone will bow down before me!" Once again, he hung out his tongue and wagged it, laughing as he did so. The boys made "really now?" faces whereas the girls wrinkled their noses in disgust, Vicki having to turn away as another shade of green tainted her cheeks.
Yami just gave Dark Marik a grim stare, knowing it was unwise to fuel his antics. He then closed his eyes to silence his foe's taunts that replayed over and over in his head. 'This is it…if I am to win this duel, I must step up my game here and now.' Letting out a breath through his nostrils, he reopened his eyes, facing the tan-skinned young man with a fiery look. 'Mark my words, Marik…I will defeat you!'
Joey inwardly groaned in frustration, having had his fill of Dark Marik and his smug attitude. He eyed Yami, who was currently glowering at the possessed tombkeeper. He figured his best friend had a plan to finish off the villain for good but couldn't help being concerned that he was having some trouble. 'I know it's to be expected, though. After all, Marik fights dirty and is a major troll. At the same time, he's got nothing on Yuge.' Feeling like some encouragement was in order, he belted out, "Come on! I know you can beat this guy, Yugi!" He hated to think of what would happen if the ancient pharaoh lost.
The soul of normal Marik had been observing the duel through half-lidded eyes. He had been trying to have faith that Odion would arrive soon to give Yami the necessary strength to help him vanquish his dark side, but he had no way of knowing if his words reached the older man or not. 'He may not awaken until it is too late and I do not wish to be a hindrance to the pharaoh. There is one thing left to do. ' His essence materialized, uttering a "Help me, Tèa," before entering the brunette's body. She let out a soft grunt and her eyes went blank.
'Huh?' All the fellow spectators but the Kaiba brothers heard the grunt and turned to face Tèa, confused frowns crossing their features at the change in the state of her eyes. It seemed odd to them that one moment she was lucid and the other, dazed. "What's wrong? Are you okay, Tèa?" asked Duke, looking concerned.
The possessed teen girl did not respond. Instead, she turned towards Yami, clearing her throat. He turned around slightly, his eyes meeting hers. He knew what the change in them signified, so he didn't question it. "What is it?"
Marik/Tèa had to admit, it felt nice that the ancient pharaoh was so approachable after everything that had happened, but it also increased the level of regret. 'Never mind that. It is time to move forward. No more dwelling in the past.' Marik/Tèa waited for the inner voice to fall silent before speaking. "Hold on…listen, please. I want you to know how much I appreciate you protecting me. However, I do not wish to be responsible for holding you back, so it is all right if you must attack me. I want my evil side defeated at all costs."
Joey's eyes bulged out, looking as if they were about to fall onto the ground. He placed his hands on the girl's shoulders and shook them, ignoring the protests from Serenity and Mai to take it easy. "Eh? Say what? You're losing your marbles, Tèa, snap out of it!"
Marik/Tèa ignored the blonde's pleas, despite smiling inwardly at his feistiness. "There is no time left. Once again I have borrowed your friend's body in order to reason with you. Destroy my evil half, and let the shadows take me!"
Yami's violet eyes widened with shock. He hadn't expected his new ally to make such a request, given his plan to make up for his past transgressions. "Marik, what are you….?" he began.
Vicki, having recovered from her squeamish moment, directed her attention towards her possessed friend, her ears jumping at the sudden change in tune. She blinked in surprise, wondering what had caused it. 'Don't tell me the laddie has decided to give up. I expect more from him.' She had a sudden urge to rush over to the girl and pull a Joey, as well as question normal Marik about what he was thinking, but decided against it since Tèa's body had taken quite a beating earlier. She shot a pleading look in Yami's direction that read, 'Please convince him to hang on a bit longer.' She had seen his potential to be good and didn't want anything ruining his chances. She looked wistful at the thought. 'It would be a shame if he is destroyed before he is able to get his life back together.'
Ishizu, who had been observing the duel without so much of a word, got a worried look on her features. "Oh no," she mumbled.
Mokuba frowned, not entirely sure what to make of Tèa's sudden change in behavior. He had witnessed Marik's mind control before, but it usually caused the "host" to be menacing. 'Not that I'm complaining…all that talk about him sending people to the Shadow Realm always scared the be-jeezus out of me.' His frown fading, he turned to his brother with a puzzled look. "Seto, what's going on?"
The young CEO stood there pokerfaced, inwardly rolling his eyes. He appeared to be in his own world, despite hearing the question. 'The hell should I know what's going on with these dorks. What a waste of my time. To think I allowed Ishizu to drag me out here just for this all because of her predictions…but whatever.'
Dark Marik smirked at his weaker half before letting out a sinister chuckle. "So, it seems like my weak side still wishes to resist me. Well, no matter. He'll soon be out of my way for good."
Despite Yami's forgiving nature, a part of the original Marik was still haunted by his past wrongdoings to the extent where he couldn't rest easy. He knew there was a chance he would not survive the battle, and he wanted to make sure nothing on his heart went unsaid. 'Even if that were not the case, a proper apology is still in order. I won't feel whole until I deliver it.' Ignoring the evil entity's taunts, Marik/Tèa continued, "Please forgive me for putting you in this situation, Pharaoh. My family and I have been entrusted with protecting your tomb until your return, and I had always resented this task." The possessed teen girl brought up a finger to point at Dark Marik, knocking Joey over in the process and causing the blonde to give a yelp of pain. "He was created as a result of my anger, but I take full responsibility for it. I am willing to sacrifice myself in order to show how much I regret causing you so much pain and suffering."
Yami drew in a deep breath, ready to protest but before he could, Joey scrambled to his feet and rubbed his sore backside, looking at the brunette as if she had grown an extra head or something. "Come on, Tèa, snap out of it!" he begged, waving his hands in front of her face. "You're not making much sense right now!" There was no response, but more silence.
Joey gritted his teeth in frustration at the fact that his efforts seemed to be in vain. 'Geez, what is it gonna take to wake her up? I must have to pat her cheeks or something, but that's not the right way to treat a lady. I don't think I have much choice, though.' From the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of Mai watching him intently to make sure he didn't do anything out of line, which caused a nervous look to materialize. 'Then again, Mai would have my hide and she has whacked me enough for one day.' He shuddered at the thought of being berated by her again. 'I know she cares, though.'
Dark Marik smirked, just barely managing to suppress the raucous laughter that threatened to explode out of him. Still, a contemptuous snort escaped, as he was clearly amused by the change in tune. "What a pathetic sight. You've rejected the pharaoh for your entire life and now you beg for his forgiveness and join forces with him? I'm afraid it's a little too late for that, you fool. You've already created me and now your body belongs to me. Just look at yourself. You're a mere shadow of the person you once were. You could never stop me, and you'll need much more than that imbecilic pharaoh's help to even try. You might as well let me finish what you started."
The soul of the reformed tombkeeper glared daggers at his dark side, inwardly cursing him a long string of expletives. If looks could kill, he would have been consumed by the darkness. As aggravating as the endless taunting and smug demeanor was, the young man despised his helpless state even more. There was nothing he wanted more than to silence the villain once and for all. 'It isn't that I do not appreciate the pharaoh's assistance…I do, more than I can ever express…but I sincerely wish I could be of use. After all, this beast was my creation alone.' He never liked feeling like a burden.
Tristan remained silent, mentally comparing his possessed friend's utterances with what she had said earlier before being attacked by Dark Marik. He glanced over at Joey, who looked frazzled about not being able to get through to the brunette. "She's under Marik's control again."
"But she must be in there somewhere," responded Joey, the frustration showing in his voice.
"Earth to Tèa," yelled Duke.
To hear the reformed tombkeeper talk about sacrificing himself was too much for Ishizu to bear. She hated to see him throwing his life away after coming so far in redeeming himself. "Marik, don't do this!" she called out in an earnest tone. She dashed over to the possessed girl with pleading eyes. Her gaze was deep enough to penetrate her brother's soul. "Please don't!"
Marik/Tèa turned to face the young woman, giving her a disoriented look. "Do what?"
"Surrender your own life to stop him."
Marik/Tèa saw the pain in Ishizu's eyes, which tore at the young man's heart. He hated to cause his sister grief, yet at the same time wanted Yami to be able to duel with all his strength. "Sorry, sister, but there isn't another way. " Before Ishizu could make a contradiction, the possessed teen girl faced Yami once again. "All right! You must take down the evil force controlling my body, Pharaoh, even if you have to destroy me in the process! Also, please give the message to Odion and Keren that I'm sorry I won't be able to repay them for their kindness." The last statement sounded somber.
"Marik," Yami began. He clenched his fists and teeth, trembling as he was struggling within himself to decide whether he should comply with his ally's request or not. While it was reassuring to know he had permission to attack if he had to, he wasn't sure about utterly annihilating the young man, for he wanted him to have that second chance. Not to mention destroying him would be breaking the promise he made. 'No, I cannot. I made a promise to him as well as Ishizu, and I won't go back on my word.'
The ancient pharaoh's thoughts were interrupted by Dark Marik tilting his head to the side and snickering. "How poetic. My weaker half would rather be swallowed by the shadows than see me win. However, I'm afraid this is just a waste of time. There's no way I can lose. Not even that fool Odion or his worthless girlfriend have the power to stop me, even if they did arrive before your inevitable destruction. It's my move now! " He pulled a card from his deck, bearing a toothy evil grin as he held it up to glance at. "I activate the magic card, Mining for Magical Stones! After discarding two cards, it allows me to bring back one magic card from my graveyard to my hand. I choose my Monster Reborn!" At that, Yami let out a horrified gasp and he got an uneasy feeling in his chest. Dark Marik laughed. "I see you are aware of what's in store for you. I hope you're prepared to meet your doom. I'll set one card face down and end my turn."
Yugi, looking worn from the stress of the shadow game, turned to the ancient pharaoh with worry in his eyes. "This looks bad. I think we're running out of options."
"No," corrected Yami. "There is one chance left, but it won't be easy." He directed his attention towards Tèa to see if she was still under the influence of normal Marik. Luckily, she was. His tone became firm, but he kept it gracious. "Marik, while it is noble of you to sacrifice yourself to vanquish the evil inside of you, I cannot allow you to throw your life away." Marik/Tèa was wide-eyed with shock, for it was usually Keren, Ishizu and Odion who uttered words to that effect. "It will do nothing but bring grief and suffering to your remaining loved ones. Remember, you are not alone in this battle. Your family stands beside you, and so do I. I have a plan to defeat your dark side and save you."
A silhouette of Marik's original self appeared next to Tèa, his mouth slightly open. He didn't expect Yami to still be so determined to protect him, though why he should be surprised, he had no idea, since the ancient pharaoh had shielded him from the millennium rod. At the same time, though, it was heartwarming for him. 'Something tells me this is no bluff and that he really has found a way.' He made a "hmmm" noise before responding, "Well, I hope it does work." With that, he released his control of Tèa, who blinked in confusion and then took a quick look around. "That's weird. Why do I keep blacking out?" she wondered aloud.
The boys let out giant sighs of relief as if to say, 'Finally.' Vicki could tell Tèa truly had bought her explanation from earlier, but knew at some point she would have to tell her what really happened. 'She's going to have a fit, I'm sure.' Mai released a shiver she had been holding back. 'It's good that Marik is becoming sane for once, but hearing Tèa talk in that voice still makes my skin crawl.'
Dark Marik's lips curled into an evil smile. "Ha!" he scoffed. "Regardless of your so-called winning strategy, you're finished! I am invincible!"
Yami gave the demonic being a hard look, though he could feel the ends of his lips twitching. His foe's tendency to underestimate him never failed to amuse and amaze him. "That's where you're wrong!" he declared, pointing a finger. "My plan to stop your Egyptian God Slime is about to begin!"
A small sneer formed on Dark Marik's lips. "Oh, is that so? If you are so sure you can stop me, then go ahead and make your final move! I can see your confidence is nothing but a façade!"
Yami narrowed his eyes. "That's what you think! It's my turn now. I draw!" He pulled a card from his deck, smiling slightly as he held it up to glance at, causing his opponent to raise a confused eyebrow. "First I'll place two cards face down and then summon Gazelle the King of Mythical Beasts in attack mode!" (1500 attk) The lion-like beast emerged onto the field, releasing a feral growl and baring his claws. The ancient pharaoh's lips curled up slightly at the move he was about to make. "I now activate one of my face down cards, Remove Trap! I'll use it to eliminate your Jam Defender card."
The sneer disappeared from Dark Marik's features, replaced by a look of horror. "Oh no!"
"Oh yes," confirmed Yami, his smile widening a bit. "That means you can no longer block my attacks with your Revival Jam!" He watched with a satisfied expression as the trap card disappeared.
Joey's lips spread into a wide goofy grin. He clenched his fists at the corrupted tombkeeper in a rude gesture. "In your face, Marik! You're finished!" he declared, tittering like an idiot.
Dark Marik gripped the rod in his hand, letting out a low growl at the fact that his strategy was foiled. His angry look turned back into a sneer. 'Let that fool celebrate. It will be that much more devastating once I destroy the pharaoh and cast everyone into everlasting darkness!' He directed his sneer at Yami, who glowered at him in turn. "Clever move, Pharaoh. But it will take much more than that to defeat me."
"I'm well aware of that, Marik. My onslaught is just beginning, so I hope you're prepared. " The ancient pharaoh let out a light chuckle. "Now my Gazelle, rip his Bowganian into shreds with Claw of Destruction!" The lion-like beast pounced forward and gave a powerful swipe at the eye-shaped creature, reducing it to pixels. Dark Marik covered his face to block the winds that blew, grunting. "That ends my turn."
Joey raised a fist in the air. "Yeah, Yuge! Way to send that eyesore packing!" He started grinning like an idiot. "Get it? Eye? Sore?"
Duke, Tèa, Mai and Vicki rolled their eyes at the pun, whilst Tristan groaned and answered, "Yeah we get it. Not your best attempt at making a joke, dude!"
Joey's grin faded and he faced his friend with a mock glare. "Says who? You?"
"Says everyone who doesn't share your sense of humor!"
"Whatever." Joey wasn't in the mood to argue. Instead, he directed his attention back towards the duel, frowning when he noticed Dark Marik had a rather unnerving smile on his features...one he didn't trust at all. "Hey, what gives? A monster with one of those annoying special abilities was just destroyed and yet Marik doesn't even seem worried. It's so mindboggling."
"Huh," Mai snorted. "So what else is new with the cocky prick?"
Dark Marik chuckled to himself before shooting the couple a nasty smirk, and couldn't resist ogling at Mai. Her feistiness was a turn on to this day, especially when deep down she was terrified. 'Once I defeat the pharaoh, she will experience the same fate as before, along with her pathetic boyfriend. '
Upon feeling the demon's eyes on her, Mai returned a disgusted look and turned away, which only served to increase his amusement. He faced the ancient pharaoh with a smug grin on his face. "So you managed to destroy my Bowganian. That's of very little concern to me, for I have other methods of depleting your life points and banishing your pathetic friend to the darkness. Remember, my deck is filled with immensely powerful cards waiting to crush you. My turn." He pulled a card from his deck, his grin growing even wider as he took a glance at it. 'Surprise Attack from Beyond...this may prove to be quite useful very soon...but I have something different in mind at the moment. This fool is finished.' He bit his lip to keep from laughing uproariously and fixed his eyes back upon Yami. "Pharaoh, the time has come. I hope you are prepared to take a permanent trip to the dark abyss!" Unable to contain himself any longer, he let out a cruel laugh.
At this point, Yami was on the verge of wanting to silence his foe forever. "Marik, just go," he growled.
Dark Marik smirked, finding the ancient pharaoh's impatience amusing. "Just as you wish, although I would learn patience if I were you. I activate the magic card, Monster Reborn! I'll use it to revive Ra!"
The friendship gang let out groans of chagrin, Joey muttering, "Again?"
It was Mai's turn to give a "why are you surprised" look. "Well, originality and variety have never been a part of his game." She brought up a hand to wearily rub the bridge of her nose.
Vicki nodded her agreement. "Word. If it hadn't been for Yugi's performance, I would have dozed off long ago."
Mai muffled a giggle. She couldn't say she felt differently, though her duel with the evil entity was considerably more action-packed. 'Of course it was only because I had been the one providing the excitement.' She shook her head, not wanting to think too much about her duel, lest it would trigger another flashback. "Hopefully it will be all over soon." She had to convince herself of that, too, as she was mentally cursing herself for not bringing a magazine to keep occupied. She averted her gaze towards Yami with pleading eyes. The look read, 'Please end this duel with a bang. I just know you have a big surprise planned that will finish Psycho-boy.'
For a moment, Dark Marik got an "Are you finished" expression on his face before he felt a lustful smirk escaping his lips at Vicki's cracks about him. 'It's official...I shall spare her life and once my pathetic weak side is disposed of, I can have my way with her...no, stop it, Marik! She is only good for being a slave and now is not the time for that!' He inwardly growled at his conscience but reminding himself of his reward for defeating his enemy brought a wicked grin to his lips. "Where was I? Oh yes. I was about to send you away to oblivion with my unstoppable Egyptian God monster. Once again, I transform it into its Phoenix mode!" Everyone silently observed as for the second time during the duel, the chicken-like beast dissolved into fire, stretching out its wings once the transformation was complete.
Mokuba had chills going down his spine. The awed expression had materialized on his features, but on the other hand he couldn't deny how scared he felt for Yami. 'I hope he does something soon.' He shot a sideways glance at his elder brother. A small excited smile was forming on the CEO's lips and his eyes had brightened. Though a bit unsettling, he knew not to be too surprised by it since the young man seemed to love that particular form. 'I just hope he hasn't changed his mind about wanting Yugi to win.'
Seto felt his brother's eyes on him as he gazed upon the creature. He didn't have to hear the young boy say anything to get the feeling there was something on his mind. 'It's probably in regards to whether I believe Yugi can still win this duel, to which I cannot say for certain. All I know is Yugi had better find a way so I can strip him of his title and the Egyptian God cards.' Having to wait longer than he intended to was stretching his patience thin.
Yami eyed the creature with a stony look on his face. He then made it as stoic as he could, for he had several plans up his sleeve and there were certain moves he was counting on Dark Marik to make. Not to mention he was aware of Ra's capabilities in its invincible mode. 'Just three more cards and my strategy will be complete.' He peered down at the cards in his hand, then back up at the corrupted tombkeeper with his sharp gaze. "Go on. I'm prepared for your assault."
Dark Marik tilted his head and smirked evilly. "Oh, is that so? Well let's see how ready you are. I give up 1000 of my life points to transform Ra to its Phoenix mode!" His life points dropped to 3400 as a result, causing a small portion of his light half's arm to be engulfed by the blanket of darkness. The smirk on the villain's face grew. "All right, my Egyptian God Phoenix, incinerate Obelisk the Tormentor and drain the pharaoh's soul!"
Everyone, save for Kaiba, held in their breaths and watched as the flaming bird-like beast soared towards the behemoth, hoping and praying that Yami had a way to stop it. As the phoenix hit its target, a massive explosion ensued. Dark Marik grinned so widely that his face distorted, revealing the veins in both of his eyes. He licked his lips as if he had just eaten something tasty. "I can taste the sweetness of victory! Your Obelisk has been annihilated!" However, when the smoke cleared, it was Slifer being destroyed, whereas Obelisk was unharmed. The friendship gang let out deep sighs of relief, despite disliking how close it was.
Dark Marik's grin faded, replaced by a perplexed frown. "What's going on? Why is Slifer being destroyed instead of Obelisk?"
Yami fought to keep an all-business expression, but felt the edges of his lips curling up. "While you were calling out your attack, I was activating a magic card to stop it. I played Monster Reborn, using it to revive Slifer for that one turn to shield my monster," he explained.
Dark Marik clenched his teeth, growling, as he was clearly displeased about having his attack foiled. "Impressive. However, you won't escape my assault next time."
"We'll see!"
Duke and Tristan let out excited hoots, whilst the girls grinned from ear to ear. Joey pumped a fist forward and grinned his macho-grin. "Way to go, Yuge!" He couldn't resist flipping off Dark Marik. It brought him great pleasure to see the bronze skinned villain looking so cross. 'I hope Yuge doesn't let up, either.'
For the first time since the duel began, Mokuba got an excited look on his face. Of course the move had not been surprising for him as he knew Yami was not the type to go down without a fight. He turned to his elder brother with a grin on his face. "Seto, did you see that?"
Seto inwardly smiled at his brother's enthusiasm, but kept a neutral expression as he responded, "Yes I did, Mokuba. He saved himself. At least for now." Although he would not outwardly admit it, he felt a sense of relief as well. 'Still, it remains to be seen if he lives up to his reputation at Duelist Kingdom. He had better prove it.'
Mokuba had to resist the urge to give the CEO a funny look upon seeing him act like Yami's move was no big deal. Instead, he watched the serpentine creature and Ra disappear from the field. "Slifer was hit by Ra, and Obelisk escaped without a scratch," he said with an awed expression on his face. The massive cerulean colored creature let out a mighty roar, causing shivers to go down the young boy's spine. 'Man it seems like Obelisk is angry.' He barely held back a tremble. "I wonder what Yugi is gonna do now."
Seto stared ahead at the creature with a pensive look on his features, masking how wowed he was by the force of its anger. However, his brother's ponderings still managed to register in his mind, though he didn't respond. 'If he's smart, he'll take advantage of Obelisk's rage and tap into his true power.'
Dark Marik faced the ancient pharaoh, his scowl disappearing. "You won't be fortunate enough to escape my clutches again, Pharaoh! And don't think you've seen the last of my unstoppable Egyptian God monster, either!"
Yami gave Dark Marik another hard look whilst clenching a fist to try and keep calm. "I'm not through with you yet, Marik! Now go!"
Dark Marik's lips curled into an evil grin, opting not to poke fun of his foe's impatience this time. "With great pleasure. I'm about to send you to oblivion, starting with this card." He turned the card he had drawn around to show Yami. "Have you ever seen it?"
Yami furrowed his brow slightly as he leaned forward to scan the card. "Surprise Attack from Beyond!" he stated. Though he never saw the need to keep one in his deck, it came as no shock to him that his greatest enemy did.
The corrupted tombkeeper gave him a sinister smile. "I'll take your response as a yes. I am sure you know what's next, and if you don't, allow me to inform you." He set the card in the magic/trap zone of his duel disk. "I'll use it to revive Ra once more! Return to the field, my great beast of the sky!" The bird-like creature reappeared onto the field in its spherical form this time. Mai lowered her eyes to look at her shoes. She felt a flashback from her duel being triggered. 'Lord, please, make it stop!'
Yami saw the expression on Mai's face change, his eyes filling with worry. 'Mai…' He knew seeing Ra trapped in the ancient sphere would bring back unpleasant memories of her duel with the corrupted tombkeeper. 'The trauma for her is greater than I feared…I must find a way to defeat Marik once and for all.' He put his focused look back on. "I see. You intend to unlock Ra from that sphere with the ancient text."
Dark Marik let out an evil chuckle. "That's right, so I hope you're prepared." He fixed his eyes upon the golden ball. "Great beast of the sky, please hear my cry, transform thyself from orb of light and bring me victory in this fight! Envelope the desert with your glow and cast your rage upon my foe!" As he uttered the chant, Ra emerged from the sphere, unleashing a fierce roar once completely free. "I activate my monster's Point to Point Transfer ability, giving it all but one of my life points!" The Winged Dragon of Ra had 3399 attack points as a result, causing the darkness to engulf a massive portion of normal Marik's body, with the exception of his eye. An aura surrounded the creature and it let out a resounding roar as its strength increased.
Yami let out a horrified gasp at seeing Marik's good side almost completely engulfed by the shadows. The bind he was in from the beginning of the duel had just become tighter as he realized he had to be even more cautious. He peered at the face down cards still on the field, his expression changing to look hopeful. 'Those should be able to help, regardless of what Marik has planned, but my timing must be precise when activating them.'
Kaiba got a subdued expression on his face whilst folding his arms. His lip quirked up slightly. 'So Marik has merged with his monster again. Interesting. If I were Yugi, I would make use of Obelisk's special ability and use it to win me the duel. At this rate, it's his only hope.'
Dark Marik gave a loud diabolical laugh. "This is the beginning of the end for you, Pharaoh! You are about to lose everything!"
Yami's lips curled up slightly and he laughed a short sound. He couldn't help being amused by his foe's cockiness. "I wouldn't count on that just yet, Marik!"
A confused frown crossed the possessed tombkeeper's features. "What is that supposed to mean, Pharaoh?"
Yami gave an "I'm glad you asked" smile. "You'll see." His voice then boomed as he announced, "I activate the magic card, Soul Taker!"
The business tycoon looked relieved at that, for he felt like he would burst while waiting for Yami to make a move. 'Finally. Smart move for once.' From the corner of his eye, he spotted Mokuba turning to him. He turned to see what the young boy wanted, inwardly smiling at the look in his eyes.
"Hey Seto, what card is that?" Mokuba asked, his eyes full of genuine intrigue. 'It definitely sounds like it's powerful.'
"Just what Yugi needed. While it may grant Marik 1000 life points, it gives Yugi the ability to sacrifice one of Marik's monsters," answered the CEO. "I just wonder which one Yugi will choose." He shot a glance at his rival, who had a purposeful expression his face, the one he wore when he had something ingenious planned. He got a knowing look as the realization hit him. "Wait, I think I know!" Once again, one corner of his lips curled into a half-smile. 'Perhaps he may have a shot at defeating Marik after all.'
Yami stared Dark Marik in the face, giving him a devious smile. "You do realize I can sacrifice any monsters I wish, do you?"
Seeing the pharaoh's confidence return was enough to make Dark Marik nearly quake in his boots. He made a horrified sound before asking, "Does that mean you're going to sacrifice Ra?"
Yami had to resist the urge to smirk at how freaked out the evil entity appeared. He had spent the entire duel gloating over his victory and playing head games that he failed to be attentive. 'It is only fitting he gets a taste of his own medicine.' He got a shifty look in his eyes as he responded, "Anything is possible, Marik."
"But why? That won't save you."
Yami's smile turned cocky. It gave him great satisfaction to be able to know something his foe didn't. "Well, I disagree. Due to my magic card's special effect, I can sacrifice any opposing monster I wish." Just to tease him, he flipped the card around so that it was facing Dark Marik, causing a mini-sandstorm to swirl towards him. The latter covered his face to shield it from the dust. Yami heard some giggling nearby, and when he turned his head to see who it was, he saw Vicki with her face buried in her hands, which seemed to be turning red. Despite trying to remain serious, he couldn't help chuckling a little as he figured she was most likely laughing at Dark Marik's demeanor.
"You can't do this!" protested the possessed tombkeeper. Of course, although there was some anger, all the fear he was displaying was merely an act to cover up his real plan. He smirked inwardly. 'Let him gallivant for as long as he wishes. He is in for an unpleasant surprise. Once I activate my face down card, all of his hard work will be for naught.' He smiled a bit when he saw his life points climb up to 1001.
Joey began to snicker at Dark Marik's little meltdown. It always tickled him when the corrupted tombkeeper was scrambling for cover after spending so much time torturing his opponents. After several minutes he managed to calm down, though a big grin still remained on his face. "Now that's what I'm talking about, Yuge!" he blared with a pump of his fist.
"Mmm, it seems Yugi has decided to go after Ra itself. If it works, he'll win the duel. Not what I would have done, but still very clever. " At this point Seto was beginning to become so anxious it was all he could do not to start pacing. 'Looks like I did the right thing by sticking around.'
Dark Marik let out another loud scream as the mini-storm travelled closer to him. "This will never work, Pharaoh! Your magic card is no match for my Winged Dragon of Ra!"
Yami shot his foe a sly grin, almost wanting to laugh at his poor listening skills. "I never said I was targeting your dragon."
Dark Marik furrowed his brow in confusion. "You're not?"
"No, I have something better planned. My target is your Egyptian God Slime." The mini-dust tornado swirled behind the sinister personality towards the plasma monster. It struggled against the storm, but to no avail. The slime creature proceeded to separate into its two original forms.
"And then what? I still don't understand the point of all this!"
Yami mentally sighed in frustration, becoming weary of explaining things to his enemy just because he didn't wish to pay attention. "It's simple. Your slime creature was made up of two monsters, which will serve as the perfect sacrifice to activate Obelisk's hidden power. "
Dark Marik took a quick peek at his fused monster to see that its separation was nearly complete. His eyes looked as if they were about to bulge out, almost as if he had seen a ghost. "You're activating the special ability of Obelisk?" he asked in disbelief.
Yami smiled at the fact that his archenemy was finally catching on, and also because he was proud of himself for finally finding a way to dispose of the obstacle. "That's precisely what I'm doing, in order to wipe you out!" With the slime beast disjointed, the massive behemoth grabbed each creature in his large hands, causing them to dissolve and his attack power to sky rocket.
Vicki, who had since gotten her laughter under control, wiped the remaining tears away and gave Yami a thumbs up sign. 'Good riddance to that putrid monstrosity.' Her eyes widened and her mouth made an O shape when she saw how high Obelisk's attack strength had climbed thus far. 'Wowee…and here I thought Ra was ridiculously powerful. But if it sends the slimeball packing for good, I don't care.' To say she had her fill of the villain trying to seduce her and hearing his voice, among other things would be a serious understatement.
Seto watched intently as the attack strength of Obelisk continued to increase. 'When two monsters are sacrificed, Obelisk's attack power becomes infinite,' he recalled. While somewhat impressed that his rival was duelist enough to figure it out, he was still sore about having lost it to someone else. 'No matter. Soon it'll be back in the hands of its rightful owner.' As soon as he made that resolve, Obelisk the Tormentor reached its infinite strength. "Wow!" Mokuba exclaimed softly.
For awhile, all Dark Marik did was stand there and stare at the creature, feeling a sweatdrop pop out on his forehead. 'Impossible! He actually succeeded!' His body then began to shake, at which he growled and pulled out his millennium rod, using it to cease the trembling. 'Those fools have celebrated long enough. In the end, it is I who will have the last laugh.' He quickly wiped away the bead of sweatdrop from his forehead and redirected his attention towards Yami, his look of dread morphing into a sneer. "I commend you on your valiant effort, Pharaoh. However, that won't be enough to stop my indestructible monster!"
Yami's eyes turned into that of a hardened warrior's. "We'll see about that! I see you still have yet to accept reality. How sad. Well, allow me to prove you wrong as I activate yet another ability which allows Obelisk to destroy all of your monsters! Since you are fused with your only one, you know what that means!" He inwardly gave a satisfied smile to see Dark Marik squirming a bit. "Go Obelisk the Tormentor, attack Ra with your Fist of Fate!" Obelisk gave a mighty battle roar before thrusting out his fist at the bird-like creature, about to blow it to smithereens. "Your Egyptian God monster has been defeated!"
The friendship gang had their fingers crossed throughout the entire process. They started jumping up and down and letting out cheers, Joey yelling, "Aww yeah!" Mai chuckled a bit, though she secretly adored his enthusiasm.
Dark Marik's lips curled into a devious grin. 'I have this fool right where I want him,' he mentally gloated. "Wait, Pharaoh! There is still time for me to give up the 1000 life points your magic card granted me. " Ra's attack strength increased to 4399 as a result.
Joey had to bite his lip to keep from bursting into laughter at the sinister personality's desperation. "That glowing eyeball on your forehead must be frying your brain! Ra is still weaker than Obelisk!"
Yami gave a light shake of his head in dismay, thinking to himself his foe would never learn. "I'm afraid it's too late!" His monster's fist collided with Ra, creating a massive explosion. This prompted all the spectators to bring their hands up to cover their faces.
"Did we win?" asked Joey, slightly out of breath.
"This duel is over!" proclaimed Yami. But when the smoke dissipated, Ra was still there, unharmed. The ancient pharaoh's smile faltered. "What?! Ra should have been destroyed! What's going on?" He gave Dark Marik a stern look that demanded an explanation.
The smiles disappeared from the friendship gang's faces. "Yeah, that's what I'd like to know, too," chimed in Mai. She wasn't thrilled about having to deal with the evil entity for one moment longer. 'I wish he would die and stay dead already.'
Dark Marik broke into raucous laughter, reveling in seeing his adversary fall flat on his face after appearing to be on top. "Allow me to fill you in. At the last moment I activated my magic card, Class System."
"No, this can't be!" cried out Yami, stunned and frustrated that his plan had not worked.
"Oh, but I'm afraid it can. This card allows me to negate your attack when my beast is targeted by a monster unless its level is higher than mine."
Yami got a look of horror, as he knew that despite Obelisk's special ability, it was still technically a level ten monster. "So Ra was spared from Obelisk's assault." He silently cursed himself for not better preparing for that possibility, appearing stone faced when his creature's attack points returned to its original four thousand.
Dark Marik gave the ancient pharaoh a malicious smirk. "Very perceptive, Pharaoh. So now your monster is once again weak enough for me to defeat. Good try. But not good enough. I told you before, you are no match for me."
Seto heaved a heavy sigh. The duel was becoming super drawn out and he was unsure of how much more he could take. "So now that Ra has cancelled out the attack, Obelisk's power has returned to its original state. Guess you missed your chance, Yugi." He kept his tone nonchalant to disguise the disappointment that was really arising inside of him.
Mokuba bit his lip, trying to keep his spirits up despite his elder brother sounding so flat. "So Yugi's gonna lose?"
The CEO didn't know how to answer that. He was aware of how much faith Mokuba had in his rival and he refused to accept possible defeat himself, but on the other hand, he learned not to have high hopes. 'I do know there is a chance, albeit bleak that Yugi will find a way out of this, but time will tell if he does.'
The possessed tombkeeper let loose a gleeful laugh. "You are about to fall at the mighty hands of Ra!"
Yami grunted in response, then closed his eyes to block out the taunting and clear his mind. 'Remain calm,' a voice inside his head advised him. Although easier said than done, he knew his inner voice spoke the truth. After all, there were still cards waiting to be played that he had intended to be his tickets to victory in the first place. 'Marik, you leave me no choice. You may think you still have control of this duel, but it is on the contrary.' He slowly reopened his eyes, shooting the bronze skinned young man the stare of death.
Dark Marik quirked an eyebrow before laughing maniacally, merely ignoring the funny looks he received, as well as whispers that he had officially lost it. "Pharaoh, this is it! Your time has run out. There is no escaping your destruction now! Winged Dragon of Ra, unleash your wrath upon this fool and cast him into the pits of hell!" The bird-like creature opened its jaws wide, generating a fireball to shoot at its fellow god.
Yami's lips quirked up slightly. "Not so fast, Marik!"
All traces of glee disappeared from Dark Marik's face. "Huh?"
"I reveal my face down card, Magical Dimension! I need a spellcaster to activate it. My Dark Magician Girl will do." A mirage of sparkly stars surrounded the female mage as she did a pirouette, twirling her scepter around and sighing happily. "There is more, for this card also allows me to sacrifice two monsters, enabling me to block your attack. I choose Gazelle and Obelisk!" The baby-blue colored deity blew several mighty winds as it proceeded to disappear from the field with Gazelle.
Dark Marik blinked several times before looking at the ancient pharaoh as if he had completely lost his mind. "What's this? You're sacrificing an Egyptian God?"
Yami bowed his head slightly with a solemn expression on his features. "Yes. Obelisk has served me well, but I must give him up in exchange for one last chance." He watched as his two creatures disappeared. Confidence and reassurance arose inside of him, as if telling him this move was the right course of action to take.
Dark Marik burst into derisive laughter. "How foolish of you to sacrifice an Egyptian God monster. Without him, you are powerless!"
Yami glowered at the evil entity until his laughing ceased, all the while suppressing a chuckle at how off base he was. "I have plenty left! Look around! I have every one of my friends to give me support, and I have the Heart of the Cards to give me strength! All of that combined is more than enough to overcome your evil!"
The sinister personality smirked. "Oh really? Well then, proceed with your pathetic move. It will be your last."
"I don't think so! My Magical Dimension card has one more effect. It allows me to summon a spellcaster from my hand."
A look of horror crossed Dark Marik's features. "Oh no!"
"Oh yes! I play my Dark Magician!" The veteran mage clad in purple materialized into the rectangular shaped box. A tiny smile graced his lips, as if he was happy his master had called upon him.
The trademark half-smile returned to Seto's face, his disappointment fading considerably. "Well, well. It looks like Yugi is smarter than I thought," he remarked. He, too, wondered why his rival would give up his most powerful monster.
Yami's ears jumped at the CEO's comment. 'Kaiba...he's still here.' He turned briefly to give him a small, reserved smile for his "praise" before directing his attention back to Dark Marik. "To complete my strategy I play my final card, which is Ragnarock!" The ancient pharaoh proceeded to remove the cards from his deck. "Watch closely as a great power is released. Every monster on your side of the field will be crushed, including your Winged Dragon of Ra, and since you are merged with it, that means you'll be destroyed as well. " He gave Dark Marik a smug look that dared him to make some sort of contradiction, especially since the evil young man had no more face down cards on the field to stop his attacks.
Dark Marik chuckled softly. "True, I am defenseless this time, but remember that not only would you be destroying me, but you will also destroy my weak half."
"That's not true. After I defeat you, he'll have one life point left."
"Ha!" scoffed Dark Marik. "That doesn't matter! Once he's that weak, the darkness will consume him with ease. However, if you wish to break the promise to Ishizu by destroying her brother, go ahead. Just ask yourself if you would be able to live with crushing an innocent soul."
Yami growled, both at his enemy's goading and the dilemma he faced. It was greater than the time he had to make a decision on whether to attack Bakura's wounded form or not, which was trying enough. He knew the old him would have had no reservations about sacrificing an innocent life to save the world, but he saw the problems that degree of ruthlessness could cause. Not to mention the thought of breaking his promise pained him. 'While Marik's good side is anything but innocent, I do not wish for him to suffer any longer. '
Yugi turned to his alter-ego with worried eyes. As furious as he was about the dueling set up, a part of him knew he would have to risk normal Marik losing his body unless Odion was present, which he had yet to be. "What if our move does send Marik's good side to the Shadow Realm?"
Yami clenched his fists and teeth, trembling as he struggled to make the right decision. 'Yugi's concern is valid, but then what choice do I have at this point? If only Odion was awake…' He let out a heavy sigh.
After what seemed like a lengthy journey, Odion and Keren finally made it to the duel tower. Odion sluggishly climbed up the steps with his female companion on his trail in case he stumbled or worse. The young man felt his heart leaping in his stomach and mild queasiness in the pit of his abdomen. He picked up the pace as best as he could, which was extremely difficult given that he was still hurting. 'I hope I'm not too late. If I were to allow Marik to slip into the shadows, I could never forgive myself…' The words of his master's apology replayed in his mind. Although he found it to be quite touching, he hated the thought of losing his adopted younger brother. He felt a hand on the small of his back as he made it to the top step. Unable to stand it any longer, he belted out, "Master Marik! I shall protect you!"
Everyone turned around at the sound of the familiar deep, gravelly voice, Ishizu gasping as it filled her ears. "Huh? It's Odion and Keren." A small smile of relief crept upon her lips that the older man was finally awake and would be all right, then it faded upon seeing the poor shape he was still in, what with him looking so worn. Even so, she didn't have it in her to advise him to head back to bed, as she knew he was on a very important mission. 'I know he is determined to protect Marik, no matter what the cost. He is as strongwilled as Joey is.' Not to mention him being accompanied by Keren made her a bit less worried to a certain extent. She did, however, worry about Keren being in harm's way as she couldn't be positive her possessed brother wouldn't try anything with either of them. She clasped her hands and closed her eyes, beseeching Ra to watch over them.
Yami felt a wave of relief washing over him upon seeing Odion, just as he was worrying about whether he should go through with his move or not. He smiled knowingly when he spotted Keren as well. 'It is no surprise that she would not allow him to come alone. I can see it in her eyes that she deeply cares for him.' He smiled a bit at Keren's devotion to the tattooed face man. 'I hope they will be all right.'
Dark Marik did not share the same sentiments as Ishizu and Yami. In fact, he looked furious. It took everything inside of him to not throw his rod down on the ground in a fit of rage or start blowing things up. 'Grrrr, what's that fool doing here?' He ground his teeth together. 'If he thinks he's going to restrain me again, he's wrong.' His eyes landed on Keren, and a devious smirk escaped his lips. 'Keren is here as well…how appropriate...she can die with the man she loves.' He chuckled quietly to himself as a heinous scheme on how to cause misery to the couple was formulating in his mind.
What was left of the original Marik had been on the verge of fading into unconsciousness, but hearing the voice he had been waiting to hear gave him a massive burst of energy, causing his eyes to pop open wide. 'That voice…it can't be...but it is…' He looked to make sure his best henchman had really shown up and it wasn't just wishful thinking. To his relief, the older man was there. 'Odion!' A sharp pain shot through his chest when he saw that Odion was obviously still in distress but mostly he was so ecstatic he could jump for joy. Though hidden, he smiled at seeing Keren as well.
Odion stood in place, trying to catch his breath. Walking up the small flight of stairs had knocked the wind out of him. "Master Marik, please don't give up! There's still time!" he begged, panting.
Dark Marik shot his "hindrance" a nasty smirk, feeling a laugh at the tattooed face man's weakened state rippling through him like a river. "Nonsense! The darkness is here to stay. There's no turning back now!"
A/N: Hopefully this chapter isn't sucky, as my heart hadn't fully been into it, but I'll let you guys be the judge of that! The story is nearly over! Just three more chapters to go!
