A/N: Okay...we all know the episode. We all know that if it wasn't for the whole Shadow Game thing (and that little thing known as plot armor) that Joey would have whupped Yami Marik like boyo owed our puppy some money. As I've been rewatching the series (trying to get back some inspiration for my other fic "We Are Not Alone") I realized that I really, really wanted to do an AU bit for that ending to the duel. I hope everyone enjoys and, hey, maybe I'll write an idea for an epic Battle City finals duel between Yami Yugi and Joey just for funzies.
Pain.
Just pain...indescribable, burning pain.
Moving hurt, yet he still forced himself to draw and place Gearfried on the field...
Breathing hurt, yet he still forced himself to announce his monster in attack mode...
And the pain became overwhelming as his vision began to tunnel and blur as if the shadows were trying to blind him so that they could forcefully drag him down. Distantly, he thought that he heard the voices of his friends cutting through the tomb-like silence that had overtaken his hearing in the wake of the unbearably loud crackling flames that no longer burned around him...and he felt himself beginning to fall, the darkness and silence closing in...
'No.'
He barely caught himself, locking his knees to keep them from buckling further. He thought that he heard the Pharaoh yelling out his name, but was that real or was it just a trick of the shadows trying to beckon him to fall to them and never return? He thought the shadows would be cold, but this? It was like a warm blanket trying to wrap around him and drag him into the darkness.
Maybe...
'No. I...gotta win. Gotta do it fer Mai...'
He forced himself more upright, exhausted brown eyes glaring at nothing from under thick blond bangs, yet he just could not find the strength to stand at his full height. Everything in his body, his mind...in his very soul was desperately screaming for him to just close his eyes and lay down for a little while.
Just...a few minutes...
'No. I...gotta...I can't let Serenity see me fall...'
"...Gearfried...attack Marik's..." Desperately, he tried to wet his lips and parched throat; had his throat been burned? It must have. "...Attack Marik directly."
Over the rush of blood pounding in his ears, he didn't hear the Iron Knight's shift of position as it launched itself forward to attack the insane one across from him.
Over the struggling beat of his own heart, he didn't hear the strike nor the shout of pain as Gearfried connected solidly with the Millennium Rod wielder and knocked the Egyptian to the floor of the arena.
Over the shuddering wheeze of his own breathing, he didn't hear the cards fluttering to the ground nor the other's violent gagging and retching from the blow.
He did, however, hear the telltale sound of a lifepoint counter hitting zero and, after a pause in the silence, the stunned voice of the so-called referee, Roland...
"Joey Wheeler is...the winner of this duel."
Joey took in a pained breath as he tried to force himself more upright just as Gearfried vanished into the aether. The silence returned. Was everyone really so stunned that he was still alive? Or just that he was still standing? Or...was it just because he had beaten Marik instead of the Pharaoh having to save the day once again?
Maybe all of the above? He didn't know.
Thinking was starting to hurt.
Despite the pain lighting every nerve in his body, the blond forced himself to step forward to claim his prize. He didn't care about the Winged Dragon, things like that were meant for the Pharaoh to have, not him...and he couldn't care less about trying to take the Millennium Rod as those golden items were so much trouble. Too much trouble.
No...he had only one thing on his mind.
"Free her, Marik."
The insane one stared up at the worn teenager standing over him; the madman trying to wipe away at his mouth with the back of his hand in an attempt to get rid of the evidence of the toll that the duel had taken on him. "You think-"
"I won." Was all that he could force himself to say through the pain and exhaustion. He wanted so badly to fully demand Mai's freedom, maybe even throw in a good old-fashioned 'reason you suck speech' just to add extra insults to injury...but he just didn't have the strength to do it. It was taking everything that he had in him to just keep himself conscious and on his feet...but he needed to keep standing.
'Please...body...just a bit longa...'
He needed to...just keep himself up and going just long enough to walk off of the platform by himself. He couldn't...no, he wouldn't look weak in front of everyone. Not now. Not after he had survived a Shadow Game and come out on top against all of the odds...
He didn't hear whatever Marik's response was...outside of the other's desperate yell when the shadows finally got tired of waiting and converged on the Egyptian, dragging his mind into the darkness, leaving only a soulless body behind, and the fog finally began to vanish from the arena...only for a different fog to begin overtaking the blond's vision even further when, as if on autopilot, he managed to kneel and carefully picked up Ra from where the god card had fallen.
Joey tried to blink away the growing foggy feeling in his mind, but he felt like he was being dragged back underwater. Distantly, he felt his knees beginning to buckle once more and a part of him wondered if he would land on the Egyptian's comatose body...only for a strong arm to catch him around the chest as a second arm wrapped around his waist from behind. Blinking once more, half-lidded brown stared at the Pharaoh supporting his body.
"I have you, my friend. Let's get you somewhere safe so that you can rest."
"...Mai...?"
"You freed her, Joey. With Marik gone, she will wake soon."
A small pleased sound left the blond at that. He swore that he would free Mai, that he would get her out of this whole mess...and he had managed to keep his word. "...beat Kaiba, Yug'...then...me an' you jus' like Duelist Kingdom."
"I look forward to it, Joey." Was all that the Pharaoh could say through the proud smile forming on his face as he helped the blond walk off of the platform while Tristan and Duke jogged up onto the platform to remove Marik's body while Ishizu took care of securing the Millennium items left behind. Serenity all-but sprinted over to offer her own aid in helping the Pharaoh and Joey walk to the infirmary, with Tea rapidly joining them just in case they needed extra hands with the blond.
Left behind at the platform stood both Mokuba and Seto Kaiba, the latter of whom was staring in blatant shock as he processed what all he had witnessed before... "He withstood an assault from a god and still won the duel...maybe Wheeler isn't the third-rate hack I thought he was."
A/N: Why yes, the title is a play on the title of the four episodes this duel spanned. Cheesy and a little uninspired I know...but eh. It works.