"Why are we here?" Téa asks, gazing around at her surroundings as she sits in a small, cozy coffee shop that only has room for a few barstools at the counter and two tables. The walls are heavily adorned with rusty street signs that the owner has obviously collected, along with old pictures of the owner's father who opened up the very shop they are sitting in.
Mai leans back in her chair and takes a sip from the warm, white mug in her hands, leaving her lipstick prints on the rim. "We haven't really gotten to know each other. And you had quite the outburst a few days ago at the dinner."
Téa rubs her arm with embarrassment while looking away. "Yeah…that really isn't like me."
"I could tell."
"I really didn't mean what I said…about them being inconsiderate and all. They really are good friends. It's just…" She sighs and looks up at Mai with a frown. "Hanging with them can get so exhausting."
"I see…"
"…And sometimes I think they forget that I'm just a normal human being. They get bored with normal activities and they can't seem to have fun without getting competitive." She cups her coffee mug with both hands and looks down at her reflection. "Something that would typically scare a normal person, doesn't scare them at all. They practically laugh in the face of danger…while I'm…"
Her voice goes lower, causing Mai to tilt her head. "Helpless?" Mai guesses and Téa gasps, quickly looking up to the blonde haired woman.
"N-No! That's not it!" Téa exclaims defensively before sighing. Who is she kidding? She's totally helpless in those situations. From the incident at the convenience store to the one at Kaiba Corp., she either stood in the background or had to wait to be saved.
"I hate to state the obvious, Téa, but your friends aren't normal. They look like normal human beings, but deep inside, they're just built differently. They can't help it," Mai shrugs. "Should they maybe make more of an attempt to do more things that can truly include you and actually stick to it? Yes. But have you ever tried to level the playing field?"
"What do you mean?"
"Just because you're an ordinary woman doesn't mean you have to wait around for someone to save you. You can still kick ass!"
"Yeah, but—"
"No buts!" Mai raises to her feet and leans over the table with an intense gleam in her eyes that causes Téa to sweat and edge back. "I went toe to toe with Mana and even managed to snatch her wand!"
"You what?"
Mai stands up straight, placing one hand on her hip and scratching her chin while looking up. "Okay, maybe I had help from Harpie Lady, but I still swiped her wand. And I wasn't afraid to do it!"
"Uh…"
"I'll whip you into shape in no time!" Mai suddenly appears behind Téa, wrapping an arm around her neck. "Just stick with me and I'll teach you all the little tips and tricks I know!"
"Um…okay?"
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Cairo sits down at her desk during a short break period before lunch, leaning her chin on her hand as she stares out the window. A group of her classmates huddle together in their seats, beginning to gossip and chatter amongst themselves.
"I heard they might cancel the trip to Kaiba Corp.," one boy says. "Apparently there was an incident that happened a few nights ago and the school is contemplating just cancelling it altogether."
"No way! I was looking forward to that!" a girl with brown hair says with disappointment. "I wanted to meet Yugi and Atem in person."
"Yeah. And apparently they added two new mentors too. Hopefully they'll reconsider."
Seeing Cairo from the corner of her eye, the brown haired girl calls out to her. "Hey! Are the rumors true? Did something happen at Kaiba Corp.?"
Cairo's eyes scroll over to her. "I don't know."
The girl frowns. "Really? I assumed you would've been there."
Cairo doesn't answer. At the time, she was too immersed in her video games with Espa, she hadn't realized something was going down in the lobby. It wasn't until later into the night that Yugi and Téa left her with Arcana until her own parents got back, that she suspected something was amiss. When she saw her parents the following morning before school, they looked to be downright exhausted, so she didn't bother asking them what happened. But now she's wishing that she did.
Just as she is about to turn her head, a pair of hands slam on her desk and she looks back over to see Rex. Her surprised look goes to perplexed, seeing how he looks at her with panic and a trickle of sweat goes down his temple. Right when he opens his mouth to speak, she averts her gaze, blowing a strand of her hair out of her face followed by a groan.
Sitting a few seats back, Yufi looks up from her deck of cards that she is going over, noticing how Rex is trying to get her cousin's attention and Weevil being noticeably absent. She cocks her head to the side with confusion.
'I know I've been sick, but I haven't been sick that long, have I?' she thinks to herself, wondering if Cairo and Rex have some sort of newfound friendship. But telling by the way Cairo is trying to ignore him, she quickly comes to the conclusion that isn't the case. Leaning forward, she attempts to listen in on their conversation.
"Look, I know we've gotten off on the wrong foot, but can you at least look in my direction?" Rex pleads.
"Denied," Cairo replies simply, continuing to gaze out the window with a annoyed expression.
Rex growls inwardly, resisting the urge to raise his voice. He needs her help, but he knows going off will get him nowhere except possibly being thrown across the room like Bonz did in that incident at the gym. He exhales deeply to calm himself down and speaks in a lower tone between clenched teeth. "There's something going on with Weevil."
"So?"
"So, I need you to help me."
Cairo scoffs. "You're seriously asking me to help you after everything you two put me through?"
"Hey, for the record, your problem is with Weevil," Rex says, earning a annoyed grunt from Cairo that causes him to flinch a little. "Okay, mainly with Weevil."
"Because of you, my cousin and I aren't speaking on speaking terms."
Rex blinks and points to himself. "Me?"
"You both were after my dad's puzzle," Cairo continues.
"That was all him, not me!" Rex waves his hands in front of himself defensively. "Quite frankly I don't get what his obsession is with that thing."
"Right," Cairo replies sarcastically, not quite believing his story.
"You gotta listen to me," Rex pleads, his tone sounding a little more desperate. "He's got this new thing and I really think he's lost it."
"Your problem. Not mine."
The bell rings, signaling the start of lunch and Cairo stands up, walking toward the door along with the other classmates. Yufi's eyes follow Rex as he moves quickly to catch up with Cairo.
'So Cairo was telling the truth after all?' she asks internally as realization sets in. She is beginning to feel guilt after not believing Cairo all this time. Even going as far as not talking to her. She lowers her eyes, vowing to talk to Cairo as soon as she gets the chance.
Rex narrowly misses being hit by Cairo's locker door when she swings it open, reaching inside to get her boxed lunch. Then she slams it before continuing down the hall, trailing further behind the other students.
"He said there was a voice speaking to him," Rex goes on. "And somehow he thinks he's unstoppable!"
"Well I'd agree with you on one thing—it does sound like he's lost it..."
"See?!" Rex exclaims, believing that Cairo is finally starting to get the point.
"…how amusing."
Rex drops his head, stopping briefly as Cairo walks past a few rooms that are used for various clubs. What does he have to do or say to get her to take him seriously? He runs up in front of her, outstretching his hands in an attempt to stop her from going any further. "You of all people should know how dangerous that thing is!"
Cairo raises her eyebrow. "What are you going on about?"
"You seemed to have a hunch at the museum of how much we really didn't know about that blue pyramid..."
Her eyes widen. "Hold on…You're not saying…"
"Weevil has it and—"
They hear the sound of Weevil's laughter and they both turn to the door of the dueling club, looking through the window as Weevil sits across from one of the members, engaging in a duel. Cairo's gaze goes down to the artifact hanging around his neck and she drops her lunch box, a gasp escaping from her lips.
She quickly looks to Rex. "He's got the Pyramid of Light?!"
"I tried to tell you!"
"That should've been the first thing you mentioned!" she snaps. But before she can go on, a bright lights begins to fill the club room as the club member trembles with fear.
"You've mocked me for the last time," they hear Weevil say as the light grows brighter. "This game is over."
The floor below them starts to tremble, causing Cairo and Rex to look around in alarm. A muffled scream from the boy dueling against Weevil comes from the other side of the door, but by the time Cairo opens the door, they are greeted by a blinding light and a strong gust of wind that shatters the glass all throughout the school and blows them both back into the lockers behind them.
Cairo flinches when she feels cold water spraying down on her and the school alarm echoes through the halls. As she slowly begins to look up, someone runs past her, snapping her out of her small daze. Rex comes to shortly after, looking down the hall and seeing Weevil running out the emergency door.
"We gotta go after him!" Rex yells, beginning to run off.
Cairo stands up straight and starts to take off too, until she sees the boy Weevil dueled against, laying on the floor, causing her to stop right at the doorway. Her heart drops and her mouth goes agape as she looks down at the boy who lays unconscious.
It is similar to how the woman at the museum looked.
"This isn't good…" she says to herself. There is no doubt about it. With the Pyramid of Light in Weevil's possession, he has now inherited whatever abilities it has.
"Come on Cairo!" Rex yells back at her and she reluctantly leaves.
Just as she runs out the emergency exit with Rex, Yufi steps into the hall. "Cairo, wait!" she calls after her, but the door already slams. She can hear the panicked screams of her school mates, followed by teachers who calmly tell them to exit the building. Her eyes go over to the dented lockers and the broken windows. Then she cautiously goes to the open door of the clubroom, gasping with horror at what she sees.
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Mana leans up against a building while sipping her drink out of a foam cup. Her eyes go over to Atem who is surrounded by kids as he signs his autograph on things ranging to duel disks, card cases and paper. She smiles, watching him engage with them and giving them encouraging words of wisdom and advice. After being hurried away by their respective parents, Atem goes over to join Mana again and they walk side by side.
"My apologies. They sort of came out of nowhere," Atem tells her, putting his hands into his pockets.
Mana giggles. "Why are you apologizing? You know I'm used to it by now. It doesn't bother me one bit."
He extends his arm out from his side, just enough for her to interlock hers with his, flashing a smirk and she returns a happy grin of her own. She looks down to the puzzle hanging around his neck before looking back at him. "So you're going to wear it from here on out?" she asks.
"Yes," he replies. "As intense as that simulation training you put me through, it has made me realize that I truly won't be able to get comfortable with it unless I keep wearing it."
"Well I'm glad it was helpful!" she exclaims before clenching her free hand with a look of accomplishment and pride. "Take that Arcana. My trainings are super useful," she mutters to which Atem rolls his eyes with an amused smile.
They walk past a window with multiple televisions. But one in particular causes Atem to stop and Mana stops as well as he looks at a new broadcast. The reporter goes on to say how the Pyramid of Light is still missing from the museum and how there is still an active search for it. His expression becomes more serious as he places a hand on the Millennium Puzzle. The Pyramid of Light is out there somewhere and the more time passes by, the more likelihood that it could get in the wrong hands.
"It's probably already in the wrong hands," Mana says suddenly, bringing him out of his thoughts and he looks over at her. It's almost as if she is reading his mind. She sports an equally serious expression on her face as she looks at the television. She is regretting not telling Atem the incident that happened at the museum with Cairo. But he was going through so much at the time, she didn't want to stress him out even more.
"This is all my fault…" she says in an audible whisper with her eyes lowered and narrowed.
Overhearing her, Atem opens his mouth to speak until a jolt shoots through his body, jerking him backwards much to Mana's concern. He manages to keep his balance as he holds onto his chest while breathing heavily.
"Atem!" She immediately goes to his side and helps hold him up by the arm.
"I'm fine," he grunts. "But I'm sensing an evil presence nearby."
They hear the sound of an alarm coming from around the corner and they briefly exchange looks before running in that direction. Their eyes go wide with horror when they realize that it's coming from the elementary school that Cairo and Yufi attend. Chaos ensues as the building seems to sway in the wind. Every single window is broken and there are a few cracks on the building that trickle upward. Teachers try their hardest to keep students calm as rescue workers go inside to save anyone remaining inside.
Yufi walks outside of the building, moving past other students in search for her cousin, but there is no sign of Cairo anywhere. Instead, she sees her uncle and aunt standing at a further distance and she runs toward them.
"The school looks like it's on the brink of collapse!" a fireman yells, looking upward as a pearl of sweat trickles down his face. "We have to get everyone out of the area at once!"
'Could this be what I sensed earlier?' Atem asks himself.
"Aunt Mana! Uncle Atem!" Mana and Atem both hear a voice calling out to them and they turn toward the source, seeing Yufi running their way.
"Yufi!" Atem exclaims, crouching down just as she reaches them. "Are you alright? What happened?"
"I don't know! We were just about to go to lunch when some weird earth quake shook up the entire place!" she explains before looking down. "The last thing I saw was Cairo running out the door, but I haven't seen her anywhere. I'm sorry."
"Don't worry. I'll find her," Atem reassures her before looking over at his wife, knowing that she will be the only one able to stop the building from collapsing. "Mana?"
"I can handle things from here," Mana says, materializing her wand in her hand with her eyes set on the school building. "Find our daughter."
Atem nods, standing up straight before setting his sights on Yufi. "Stay here with Mana," he says and Yufi nods her head.
YGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGO
Weevil pants as he walks into in abandoned warehouse that is located two blocks away from the school. He climbs two flights of stairs, taking a moment to catch his breath before slowly making his way over to one of the cracked windows, gazing down at the lake. After he brings his heart rate back to normal, his eyes lower to the Pyramid of Light hanging around his neck.
"What kind of phenomenon was that?" he asks out loud. He knew the pyramid would be extraordinary, but he really wasn't expecting that to happen. And what became of his opponent? He takes the pyramid into his hand and the eye glows briefly, sending chills up his spine. "This Pyramid of Light thing truly is powerful." He's not sure if he would have been able to beat his opponent without it.
"And it can become even more powerful," a deep and grainy voice says and he quickly looks around for the source. He has heard this same voice in his head when he first got the pyramid, but it's almost as if the source of the voice is in the same room.
"H-Hello?" Weevil stutters, searching every dark corridor in the old and dusty room.
He hears the sound of someone dragging their feet and he looks to the right of him, only to see no one there. But as soon as he turns to his left, he is immediately met by a tall mummy, gazing down at him with its red eyes. Weevil jumps back, feeling his heart nearly pop out of his chest as he shrieks.
Outside of the building, Cairo and Rex hear Weevil's screams and they both look at each other before turning toward the building's partially boarded up entrance. Peeking inside, there isn't much light except for the sun that shines through it's dilapidated floors and roof that has holes in them.
"Darn it, why would he go in here?" Rex asks, beginning to tremble. To his surprise, Cairo silently walks in and he gulps, reluctantly walking in behind her. The first floor is completely empty with worn out, toppled furniture in various areas. That's when they set their sights to the stairs and they creep up, hiding behind the metal banister when they see Weevil and what looks like a mummy.
Rex opens his mouth to scream, but Cairo quickly covers it with her hand. Her eyes go big when she recognizes the mummy standing feet away from them, although its appearance is different from when she first saw it. Initially it was frail and had no eyes. But this time around, she sees traces of skin and blonde hair.
"The possibilities of the Pyramid of Light are endless," the mummy continues. "As long as you do as I say."
"A-Are…are you the voice in my head? The one who told me that I could have…anything I desire?" Weevil stutters.
"That is correct."
"Who are you?"
"I am Anubis. I am a powerful sorcerer that once lived centuries ago," Anubis explains.
Weevil's mouth drops. "Centuries ago?!" he repeats before squinting his eyes and adjusting his glasses. "That would explain your current appearance, I suppose."
"I only seek to restore peace to the earth as I did all those years ago. However, it appears that I have re-awakened due to another ancient item known as The Millennium Puzzle. It is an item that has only caused destruction."
Cairo's brows furrow with confusion as she overhears Anubis speak on the puzzle that belongs to her father. Is he basically saying that the Millennium Puzzle is evil?
"I believe it," Weevil says, looking down at his clenched fist. "My father told me the same thing. In fact, he was a victim of the puzzle's dark powers."
"What are they talking about?" Rex whispers over to Cairo. "In the videos I've seen, it looked like your dad was using that golden puzzle for good." Cairo only stays quiet, listening onto their conversation.
"Unfortunately, I am too weak in this current state," Anubis tells Weevil.
"What do you need? I want to help!" Weevil volunteers.
"You have already helped with your previous duel."
Weevil's eyes widen. "What?"
"I assume that boy caused you trouble, did he not?"
"Well…"
"The pyramid grows stronger when you defeat those who are evil, however you choose to do so. And the more you do that, the more I can regain my true form and rid the world of evil once and for all."
"And…what about me?"
"You can have whatever you desire," Anubis responds, looking down at the pyramid. "I'm sure you noticed a change within yourself when you had your duel."
Weevil gasps lightly. "As a matter of fact, I did. The strategies just seemed to come with ease!"
"And there is more where that came from." Anubis folds his arms and looks toward the stairwell. "I'm sensing the presence of another sorcerer in this room."
Cairo narrows her eyes and comes out into the open with Rex following close behind.
Weevil's eyes widen. "Rex? And Cairo? What are you—"
"Weevil, this has to stop now," Cairo says, cutting straight to the chase. "I'm not sure how you got your hands on the Pyramid of Light, but it needs to be returned immediately."
"She's right, dude! This is nuts!" Rex chimes in, taking a step forward. "You're literally helping a walking mummy hurt people!"
"If you were around for our conversation, then you'd know that isn't the case!" Weevil snaps back.
"Tell that to the guy you dueled who's probably on their way to the hospital right now," Cairo tells him.
"He was just being dramatic because he wasn't expecting me to beat him! There's nothing wrong with him!" Weevil spats.
"I was worried about you before, but this is ridiculous!" Rex says.
"So now you're on her side? Didn't you hear what Anubis said? Her father has that evil puzzle and we gotta—"
"You don't know what you're saying," Cairo intervenes. "Nor do you have a clue what you're getting yourself into. And if you don't return the Pyramid of Light, then—"
"You'll do what?" Weevil interrupts, his sights going from Cairo to Rex. "You'll turn me in? Is that what you'll do?"
Rex frowns. "Come on, man..."
"Some friend you are."
"It doesn't have to be this way!"
"I don't want to hear anymore of your blabber!" Weevil snaps, causing the pyramid to activate. He holds out his hand toward Cairo and Rex and a dark aura appears around them.
"What's going on?" Rex gasps.
'Some sort of spell?' Cairo thinks to herself, going on guard.
"I suggest you stay out of my way," Weevil says grinning while Anubis stands behind him. He can hear the voice of the mummy instructing him on what to do in his head and he can tell that he will not have any issues getting a grasp on the Pyramid of Light's powers. "If you even try to expose me, one of your loved ones will pay the price."
"You're bluffing!" Rex shouts.
"It would be wise for us not to take any chances." Cairo tells Rex who clenches his teeth as Weevil turns away to leave. She doesn't know if his words hold any truth to it, but she can tell that he has placed a spell on them somehow.
Showing no signs of giving up on his friend, Rex maneuvers around Cairo's arm and begins to run toward Weevil. "You don't have to do this!"
"Rex wait!" Cairo calls after him.
This time, Anubis intervenes, his eyes glowing and his hand aimed at Rex as he shoots out a moderate sized magical attack. Rex stops in his tracks, covering his face with his arms as the blasts approaches. He feels his body being collided into shortly after, but not by the attack Anubis sent out. He lands on the floor with a thud and looks over to see Cairo laying next to him, beginning to stand on her feet to go on the defensive.
"You…saved me?" Rex says, shocked that she would do such a thing. After everything he and Weevil put her through, he wouldn't really blame her if she didn't jump in.
Cairo narrows her eyes and Weevil and Anubis and goes into a fighting stance. "This ends here."
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Sorry for another long update! I tend to do a lot during the holidays. What will happen in the next chapter? Stay tuned!