(A/N: Hey, folks! How are we all doing today/tonight/whenever you're reading this? I would like to inform you all that I started a Patr eon—yes I have to separate it like that or the website gets mad. You can find a link to it on my profile page or my twitter or you can just go to Patr eon and add /draconicherostudios. It's an NSFW blog so searching for it won't work. I also brought in my good friend and co-contributor—not exactly co-author—to this story, Setsubou. She's an amazing fan artist and I'm glad to have her on the team. Please consider helping both of us out as she has student loans to still pay and I quit my part-time job—cause it was driving me crazy—and the Patr eon is just something for me to earn some income while I pursue publishing my novel and finding a full-time job. There's cool rewards in it for you if you can donate more, but if you can only contribute just $1 that's fine by us. Thanks, guys and enjoy this very first post-Patr eon chapter).
After returning to his room and making sure the door was locked, Byakuya sat at the card table in his room, contemplating his loss and trying to figure it out…all while drinking from a bottle of wine and staring out the window at the passing Domino City.
How could I have lost to Joey Wheeler? It doesn't make any sense. Skilled our not, I am more than his superior. Byakuya took another sip. Let's recap this a moment. I learned the Heart of the Cards from Solomon Mutoh, the man who more or less invented the philosophy. I'm already more skilled than Joey Wheeler by default and with the Heart of the Cards that would make me superior in every way. I already know I can execute it flawlessly and the deck I made I put the utmost faith in. He drank more than just a sip this time. So how did victory manage to slip from my grasp? Is there more to Duel Monsters than the Heart of the Cards, skill, and a good deck? And if so, how can I learn these techniques? What's different between me and Joey Wheeler? Does Yugi Mutoh also possess such skill? I must be better than them all. I must be on top!
Byakuya's fist pounded in frustration against the windowsill. He took a moment to take note of his actions and looked at the wine in his hand. He stood up and set it down on the table. He then began rummaging the cabinets for a cork.
A little too much, he thought. Suppose I'll have to watch the next duel from here. I have a reputation to keep. Can't have my composure reduced over something so trivial. It's just a game, Byakuya thought as he grabbed a cork. A game I must be better at. A Togami is perfect in every way, Byakuya thought as he corked the wine and as he slammed the fridge shut with the bottle inside, thought, Duel Monsters is no exception.
After close to an hour had gone by, the duelists of the finals were once again assembled in the main hall for the announcement.
"Where's Byakuya?" Makoto asked.
"Why are you worried about that guy?" Ibuki asked. "Besides, he's out of the finals, not like he has to be here."
"I…suppose that's true, but…"
"Worry not for the wolf that has been disgraced by the pack, else you be gouged by the young bull and its mighty horns."
"Ummm…" Makoto didn't understand what Gundham meant.
"You should not worry about Byakuya when there are several prospective opponents here in this room," Sonia explained.
"Ah, right, yeah…that makes sense," Makoto said.
Kaiba cleared his throat, indicating he wanted the commentary to cease.
"The first duelist is now being selected," Roland said. All the duelists waited with baited breath as the little lottery system blew the balls around inside the dome until one of them was swallowed by the middle blue-eyes head. Roland picked up the small, hard object. "The next duelist shall be duelist number 14, Marik Ishtar."
By Marik, Roland of course was referring to Odion, but only the real Marik, Odion and Celeste knew about that.
"Man, I do not envy the poor sap that has to fight that guy," Tristan said.
"Think it might be Kaiba," Yugi asked Yami.
"I suppose we'll know in a moment," the active counterpart responded.
Everyone watched as the balls rolled around until one of them was finally selected. "This match has been decided," Roland said as, much to the shock of everyone, the next round appeared on screen. "Duelist Number 14, Marik Ishtar, versus Duelist Number 2, Nagito Komaeda!"
"Oh. Oh my. That's er, quite the luck of the draw," Sonia said, looking a bit pale.
"Are you kidding? I couldn't be happier," Nagito said, with a big grin, "I told Marik I was all right with losing to him if he gave it his all."
"Wait, you dueled him already?" Kaiba asked.
"Sort of," Nagito explained, rubbing his chin with the side of his index finger and glancing sideways, "He was dueling me through a mind slave of his so I didn't get to see his god card you all seem to be so thrilled about." He went back to looking positiviely ecstatic. "But now I get to see the might of Marik's Egyptian God Card firsthand. I'm so lucky."
This fool seems eager to be destroyed. Kind of takes a little bit of the fun out of it, but after all the problems he caused me, it will be enjoyable to see him lose, Marik, the real Marik, thought. Show no mercy to this fool, Odion. Show him why you're my most trusted ally!
Odion nodded and approached Nagito as the two of them stood face to face. The bald, ponytailed Egyptian towered over the pale skinned, pale haired schoolboy.
"Gotta say," Nagito said as he gazed up at Odion, "You're not exactly what I pictured when I spoke to you earlier."
"Oh? And how did you picture me?" Odion asked.
"Well if you were this intimidating why all the mind slaves?" Nagito asked, causing a moment's gasp from the real Marik as he thought Nagito was going to expose him with intuition alone. Fortunately, or perhaps unfortunately, this was Nagito that Marik was dealing with so not only did he look happy and smile at Odion, he followed up with, "Not that I'm complaining about the mind slaves. Someone like you deserves them after all."
"Nagito, that's a horrible thing to say!" Téa chastised.
"You're best off just ignoring him," Ibuki told her. "Nagito's like super weird. Even Ibuki can't follow him."
"That...says way too much," Mai said as this was the same girl that wanted to see how much of a smoothie she could drink with two straws at once. Then, after downing almost the entire smoothie she had what looked like an epileptic seizure and almost fell out of her chair at the restaurant due to the brain freeze.
"Good luck, Nagito," Mahiru said. "Er…"
"It's okay, I knew how you meant it. Besides, considering my luck up until now, having my luck bolstered by a classmate is a bit reassuring."
"Oh then, um, you're welcome," Mahiru said.
"Participating duelists, please follow me. Finalists and guests, please see yourselves to the main elevator if you'd like to spectate the match."
As Nagito and Odion headed into the elevator, Nagito remained ever suspicious if he was dueling the real Marik. Sure, the timing seemed appropriate. He would get to duel Marik, and potentially lose, like he wanted, but when did things ever go exactly as he planned. Not to mention, this person claiming to be Marik didn't seem like the same person Nagito dealt with earlier. And if that was the case, where was the real Marik? Namu seemed a bit suspicious, but Yugi and his friends vouched for him and who was Nagito to doubt Yugi?
As the finalists assembled and Nagito and Odion shuffled each other's decks, Nagito said to him, "Hey, I have to know something."
"What is it?" Odion asked.
Nagito handed the deck back to Marik. "Do you mind showing me your god card?" Nagito asked, hands clasped in front of him in prayer.
"Hmm?"
"It's just…I'm not entirely convinced you're really Marik," Nagito said.
"You doubt my claim? If I am not Marik, then who am I?"
"You tell me," Nagito said.
As if Odion would fall for such a pathetic verbal bait. He rummaged through his deck and showed Nagito Ra, though it was the counterfeit version. "See here now!" he declared to the spectators. "This is my god card, the Winged Dragon of Ra and with it, I shall destroy you all!"
A for acting, Odion, Celeste thought. But of course… Celeste turned her body away from the stage and began curling her finger around the edge of her right hair extension. That was Odion's cue. During the recess, the two of them had whipped up a little show and practiced it perfectly in the hopes that they could convince everyone of their ruse.
"But if you still doubt my power," Odion said, bringing out his counterfeit Millennium Rod, "Watch as I demonstrate a power only I, Marik Ishtar, could possess!"
Celeste stumbled backwards as she made her eyes shrink in and contorted her face to look zombified. She and Odion then spoke in unison. "See now how I control your former adversary, Pharaoh, Celestia Ludenburg! Her mind is mine to do with as I see fit. She thought she escaped my power, but she is just as susceptible to it as any other."
"Wow, talk about creepy," Makoto said.
I remember this, Hajime thought. Marik did this when I rescued Chiaki.
"What is going on?" Sonia asked.
"Hypnosis, powerful levels at that," Gundham explained. "These Millennium Items our comrades spoke of are no laughing matter it would seem."
"You're really buying into all of this?" Kaiba barked. "It's just some cheap trick!"
"Marik! Leave her alone!" Yami shouted, ignoring Kaiba. "She has nothing to do with this! She's no longer a threat to you!"
"Aw, what's the matter, Yugi? Not a fan of a little puppet show?" Kaiba asked.
"Kaiba!" Yami growled.
"I agree with Yugi, Celeste is hardly involved in this anymore, but, you've convinced me. All right," Nagito said with a smile, "Let's duel." Still, something about that display just now seems…off.
"Glad you could see things my way," Odion said and swung out his millennium rod to indicate the end of his charade with Celeste. The faux French girl pretended to faint as Joey ran towards her and caught her.
"I gotcha," he said. "Celeste! You okay? Talk to me!"
"Ugh," she scoffed. "What did you eat? Your breath reeks. Unhand me this instant."
"Well excuse me for being concerned," Joey responded, letting go of Celeste as she stood on her own two feet and fanned out her skirt.
"I don't need you to be concerned about me, Joey," Celeste said. "We are not friends."
Joey stuck his hands in his coat. "Yeah, whatever. Last time I try to help you out."
"I never asked you too in the first place."
"Would you two save your lover's spat for another time," Kaiba said, grouchily. "Some of us have a duel we'd like to watch."
"Kaiba, much as I respect you, if you mistake my biting irritation with this buffoon as a lover's spat again, no lawyer in the world will save you from the litigation I bring upon you."
"I'd like to see you make good on that."
"All right, as vice-commander of the Battle City committee, everybody needs to take a chill pill and calm down," Mokuba said. "Er, sorry, Seto, I just…"
"No, thank you, Mokuba," Kaiba said, his tone of voice relaxing a little. "It's good I have you to reign me in when I'm wasting too much time on those beneath me."
"Hmph," Celeste said and darted her gaze away from Kaiba, hands folded neatly in front of her stomach.
By this point, Nagito and Odion were taking opposite positions on either side of the arena.
"Let's duel!" they declared at the same time. The battle was now underway.
"You may have the first move," Odion said. "Consider it my mercy."
"All right," Nagito said. "If you insist. Draw." Nagito drew the top card of his deck. He looked at his hand and then plucked a card from it. "I set one monster face-down on the field." The appropriate hologram appeared. "I end my turn."
"My turn," Odion said. He looked at his own hand. "I set one card face-down onto the field." Odion placed a card in his spell/trap zone. "I end my turn."
"Only a spell or trap card?" Makoto sounded perplexed.
"Then, Nagito could attack directly, couldn't he?" Komaru asked.
"Sure, if he was an amateur," Celeste said. "You really think a duelist of Marik's caliber would play only a face-down and not be prepared for something like that?"
"Celeste is right. Marik's trickery knows no limits. Let's just see if Nagito is smart enough to understand that."
Nagito drew the top card of his deck. "I place another monster face-down and end my turn," Nagito said.
He didn't take the bait, Marik thought, Nagito is just as cunning as I remember. Odion! Marik commanded telepathically. Show this fool no mercy!
Yes, Master Marik, Odion thought and drew the top card of his deck. "I set two more cards face-down and end my turn."
"Well, if Nagito had an opportunity to attack, it's long gone now," Celeste said.
"Agreed," Sonia said.
Mahiru snapped up a photograph despite there not being much to show.
Nagito drew the top card of his deck. "I place one card face-down and one monster card face-down," he said. "My turn is over."
"Sheesh, talk about a cold opening," Joey commented.
"Nagito and Marik must be planning something big," Ibuki said with an unusual amount of seriousness.
And, sure enough, on Odion's next turn, that "something big" happened. After drawing the top card of his deck, he declared, "I activate Temple of the Kings!" A gigantic mausoleum front was erected behind Odion, adding a very nice thematic backdrop to the duel and Mahiru was ever quick with her camera.
"Ooh! Ooh! This is just like that movie with the treasure hunter. Oh, what was his name?"
"Wait, I think I know which one you're talking about," Joey said. "Wasn't it something like, Plunderers of the Lost Temple or something."
"Yeah! Yeah, you seen it? Ibuki totally loves the part where the guy rips out the other guy's brain and it's still pulsating. It's so spine-tingling chilling."
"Sure, if it wasn't sparking with electricity."
"Could you two have your nerd session later, some of us are trying to watch the duel," Celeste snapped.
"So, what's this fancy temple do?" Nagito asked.
"This field-spell allows me to activate a trap card once per turn on the turn it is played, it also limits to your spell and trap card activation to only two per turn."
"That suits me just fine. I don't plan to go over that much anyway," Nagito said.
"You will come to regret that nonchalance," Odion said and threw another card into his spell/trap zone. "I now activate the Cup of Sealed Soul! This with my face-down spell card, Seal of Serket, allows me to summon Mystical Beast Serket from my hand!" From the back of the temple, a gigantic, scorpion looking monstrosity began scuttling its way down the temple steps. It had 2500 attack points.
"That thing is gross," Téa commented.
"We're gonna need a bigger fly swatter."
"Oh, you've seen that shark move too, huh?" Joey asked, rubbing his nose.
"Oh wow, you're a pretty big cinephile, aren't you, Joey? Ibuki knew there was a reason she liked you."
Celeste sighed. Ignore them, Celeste. They aren't worth your time.
"With Mystical Beast Serket, I attack your first face-down monster!" Odion declared.
"Right into my trap card, I activate Skull Dice! With this I roll a six-sided die and your monster's attack power is divided by the number I roll." The little gremlin holding the dice appeared and a 2 appeared.
"Just a two, huh? Oh well, it's enough."
Odion watched as Mystical Beast Serket's power was cut in half to 1250 and was buffeted by the reveal of Giant Soldier of Stone. Its 2000 defense points were more than a match for the now weakened mystical beast.
Odion's life points fell to 3250.
"I set one more card face-down onto the field," Odion said. "And I'm ending my turn." Odion now had no cards in his hand.
"Fine by me," Nagito said and drew the top card of his deck. He nodded as he saw what was in his hand. I switch my two monsters, Prevent Rat and Aqua Madoor to attack mode, Nagito said. "And then, I activate the ritual spell, Ritual of Destruction!"
"A ritual spell?" Téa asked. She wondered what sort of monster Nagito was bringing out.
Unfortunately, Odion didn't intend to find out. "I don't think so!" he bellowed. "I activate my face-down card, Judgment of Anubis! This special and powerful counter trap card activates when you play a spell card. It destroys every single monster on the field and you take life point damage equal to half the attack points of all monsters on the field. It may cost me my Mystical Beast Serket, but it will be enough. Every single monster on the field was blasted apart by Odion's trap card, which then flooded Nagito with dark energy and brought his life points all the way down to 1250.
"How fortunate for you that your monsters were so weak in attack power," Odion said. "But now, you are wide open and I will be sure to take advantage of that."
"Don't be so sure about that," Nagito said. "I still haven't summoned a monster this turn. Thanks for getting rid of your Mystical Beast Serket for me though. Because now I summon Sonic Bird to the field!" An anthropomorphic bald eagle with a scarf and a pair of goggles appeared. It had 1400 attack points and 1000 defense points. "And when Sonic Bird is successfully summoned in attack position, I can search my deck for a ritual spell and put it into my hand."
A ritual spell? But why? Marik thought. Ritual of Destruction helps him summon Garlandolf, which is exactly what Odion prevented. Does he have another ritual monster in his hand?
"Every good ritual summoner knows you should always have a backup plan and I have mine in the form of this ritual spell, Contract with the Abyss."
"A ritual spell is fine and all, but you don't have nearly enough monsters to perform such a powerful ritual, if your aim is to summon Garlandolf of course."
"That's where your wrong, Marik. Or have you simply forgotten about my favorite little stepping stone, Ritual Raven?" Nagito declared, holding up the weak 1-star monster.
Odion just glowered at Nagito.
"Now, to pick up where I left off," Nagito said. "By sending Ritual Raven to the graveyard, I activate Contract with the Abyss!"
A portal to another dimension opened on the arena floor, sending out wispy shadows towards the sky, causing Nagito's Sonic Bird to flinch.
"Come forth, Garlandolf, the King of Destruction! And now, Garlandolf's ability activates, he automatically destroys every monster on the field with less defense than his attack, even my own. Go, Garlandolf! Unleash your fury with Destructive Energy Wave!"
The massive, tyrannical fiend unleashed a dark pulse of energy that destroyed Nagito's Sonic Bird and raised Garlandolf's power up to 2600.
"And now, I attack you directly!"
"I don't think so!" Odion declared. "I activate a face-down card, my trap card, Embodiment of Apophis! This trap card becomes a monster with 1600 attack and 1800 defense when activated. It may not be strong enough to stop Garlandolf, but my life points will be safe."
The two-headed, snake-like being, carrying a sword and shield, and crouching behind the latter, appeared in Garlandolf's path and was destroyed with one mighty punch.
Nagito merely smirked. He had to admit, "Marik" was clever. "Your turn, Marik."
Odion drew the top card of his deck. "I place one card face-down onto the field and end my turn."
"Not gonna play a monster, huh?" Nagito asked. "Oh well."
He drew the top card of his deck.
"Like Celeste before me, I'll activate this spell card, Cup of Ace. Now, I flip a coin and if it's heads I can draw two cards, otherwise you draw two cards." Nagito rummaged through his hoodie pocket. "And what do you know, I have a ten-yen coin on me right here. Number side up will be heads, all right?" Nagito, unlike Celeste's professionalism, simply hurled the coin through the air with a flick of his thumb and let it clatter on the ground, number side up. "Looks like it's my lucky day," Nagito said, bending down to pick the coin up. "I draw two cards." He drew the top two cards of his deck. He smirked when he saw what he'd drawn, though he didn't intend to play anything. "I attack your life points directly with Garlandolf, King of Destruction!"
"I don't think so!" Odion shouted. "I activate Mirror Force!"
Garlandolf was powerful, but its destructive fist slammed into the overwhelming power of Mirror Force and it was consumed by the blast.
"Oh dear, Nagito is wide open," Sonia commented.
"Relax," Ibuki said. "Marik's got no cards in his hand and Nagito's got that super-duper Ultimtate Luck. There's no way Marik would be able to draw a summonable monster and take advantage of the situation."
What Ibuki said was drew. Though, while Odion did not draw a summonable monster, he instead drew the Winged Dragon of Ra. "I end my turn," Odion said.
Nagito drew the top card of his deck. In his hand now sat four pieces of Exodia. "I end my turn."
Odion drew the top card of his deck. It was Swords of Revealing Light. "I set one card face-down," he said. "And end my turn."
Nagito drew the top card of his deck, which, fortunately for Odion was not the final exodia piece, the head. Instead, it was Bright Star Dragon. "I summon Bright Star Dragon in attack position!" Nagito declared as the powerful 1900 attack point monster took to the field with its yellowish body and elongated crest.
"I activate Swords of Revealing Light!" Odion declared. "This magic card will prevent you from attacking for three whole turns."
"All right then," Nagito said.
Odion, you fool! Marik chastised. He might already have some pieces of Exodia. You're just giving him more time!
Fear not, Master Marik. I will crush him before that happens.
You'd better.
On Odion's turn, he drew Soul Exchange. All I need to win, as long as he keeps playing monsters. "I end my turn."
Nagito drew the top card of his deck. "I play Gear Golem the Moving Fortress in defense mode," he declared as the defensive wall of 2200 defense strong appeared.
Odion drew the top card of his deck. It was Embodiment of Apophis and, thanks to Temple of Kings he could activate it immediately. It was time to end this duel. "Your hour of reckoning is upon you, Nagito Komaeda. Behold a power too mighty for you to comprehend!"
"Oh my, is Marik planning to summon the Winged Dragon of Ra?" Sonia asked.
"But how? He needs three monsters on his field to do that," Yami said.
"I activate, thanks to the effects of Temple of Kings, Embodiment of Apophis. This gives me a monster on my side of the field. And, with the power of Soul Exchange, I can now tribute your monsters as well."
"Oh no!" Yami exclaimed. "Marik has everything he needs to summon Ra."
"I tribute Embodiment of Apophis, Gear Golem the Moving Fortress and Bright Star Dragon to summon the Winged Dragon of Ra!"
Behind the temple, a faint image of the mighty monster garbed in gold and eyes piercing red appeared on the battlefield. It loomed over temple like a kaiju, its presence magnificent. With the power tributed to Ra, its attack power should've read out at 4300, but something was wrong.
Though, this didn't seem to bother Nagito at all. "Ehee AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! The Winged Dragon of Ra!" Nagito exclaimed in joy. "I'm so happy to see it! How wonderful, how beautiful it is! You're going to finish me off with your god card, I'm so honored!"
"He's lost it," Joey commented.
"No," Mahiru said, sighing as she scratched her temple. "He's always like this."
"Your fate has been delayed, Nagito," Odion told him. "Because of the effects of Soul Exchange, I can't attack this turn. But on my next turn, you will know true suffering."
"Will I now?" Nagito asked, turning calm on a dime. "I wonder about that."
"Hmm?"
Nagito sighed. "I'm disappointed Marik. I thought you would've learned from our last duel. A cycle of bad luck for me is always followed by some good luck. So now, I draw!"
Nagito drew the top card of his deck and looked at it: Witch of the Black Forest. Witch of the Black Forest, huh? With Ra in play, playing this would ultimately win me the duel. But…that can't be. Marik's hope should be greater than mine. I should be the stepping stone towards Marik's, Kaiba's or Yugi's hope. Nagito thought about the situation a little more.
"What's the matter?" Odion asked. "Realizing the futility in resisting."
Ra's stats didn't display when it hit the field. I'd call it a glitch, but the Kaiba Corp system is too sophisticated for that. Nagito scanned the audience, catching a momentary glimpse of Namu standing in the back and trying not to be noticed as he stared up at Marik with cross eyelids. Or maybe it was just at the duel. Nagito took a deep breath. I hope I'm right! "I play Witch of the Black Forest in defense mode!"
The purple haired spellcaster appeared with her hands together in prayer.
"It's your move, Marik, if that is who you truly are. Make my day."
"Fool, you doubt who I am, having come this far?"
"If you're really Marik then attack me, defeat me!" Nagito shouted. "I dare you!"
"What's up with Nagito?"
"He must be on the verge of winning," Mahiru said.
"How do you figure?" Gundham asked.
"Based on Nagito's…eccentric behavior, he probably had every notion to lose this duel so long as he didn't just give up. He's already suspicious of Marik so he's probably trusting his intuition that something's wrong."
"I do not understand," Sonia said. "Marik has done everything he is said to be capable of: he wields the Millennium Rod, controlled someone with it, and summoned the Winged Dragon of Ra."
"Look, I barely understand Nagito as it is," Mahiru said. "You think I have any idea what he's thinking? But, regardless," Mahiru snapped a photograph. "Ain't no way I'm missing my shots."
"Winged Dragon of Ra!" Odion thundered. "I command you, release your anger and your rage upon this mortal and destroy his monster!"
The Winged Dragon of Ra merely roared and, suddenly a freak lightning storm began, the bolts hitting the dueling arena.
"Lightning?" Téa shouted.
"That looks far too real to be a hologram."
"Kyaah!" Komaru shouted as the wind began pushing up her skirt. Makoto stood in front of her to help preserve his sister's modesty.
However, despite the lightning and Odion's command, Ra did not attack. "How peculiar," Nagito said, looking rather disappointed as he shoved his hands in his pockets, only to quickly point an accusatory finger at Odion. "Like I thought, you're not Marik!"
"Again you slander me with—"
"Save the speech, I know you're not him!" Nagito declared. "Marik, the real Marik, would've taunted me about my fruitless struggle several times throughout this duel already and was prone to fits of laughter similar to my own. I have to admit," Nagito smiled, "the Millennium Rod routine was a nice touch, but now that I think about it harder, Celeste's eyes weren't glowing and she didn't have a weird eye symbol above her head like Steve did. And now, Ra won't attack, likely a counterfeit given to you by the real Marik. What do you have to say to that, Marik?" Nagito shouted, finger pointed directly at him.
A bolt of lightning struck down in front of Odion as Ra let out an unearthly roar. Nagito watched as the front of Odion's duel disk fractured a little.
What the…? Kaiba noted. It's…cracked? How? And where did all this lightning come from?
Marik looked at his duel disk where his deck was jammed it. It was vibrating out of control, blue and yellow light resonating from the anger of the real Winged Dragon of Ra. It's as if the real Winged Dragon of Ra in my deck is angry that Odion played a copy, Marik thought.
"Say, Celeste," Nagito said. "Would you be so kind as to point out the real Marik for us."
"Oh? You think I know his identity?" Celeste asked.
"Celeste, you cooperated with Marik's stand-in here. You have to know the identity of the real thing," Nagito said.
"Fine," Celeste said, looking up and away from Nagito, finger brace blade along her cheek, "If it's come to this, so be it. My apologies, Marik," she said, smiling at Namu, "But it looks like our little collusion is at an end." She sighed. "Honestly, I'm surprised you managed to keep up the act for this long, you're very bad at this deception thing." Celeste chuckled, putting a hand over her mouth as she stepped behind and to the left of Yugi. "Being your queen would've been nice." She placed a hand on Yugi's shoulder. "But as a gambling woman, I think I can safely hedge my bets on Yugi defeating you once and for all."
"Celeste, what are you talking about? I'm Marik," Marik, still pretending to be Namu said, refusing to yield to his identity, lest Odion sold him out. "That's preposterous."
"Enough of this foolishness!" Odion bellowed. "I am Marik and I shall prove it!" He turned to face the Winged Dragon of Ra, clenching a fist. "Winged Dragon of Ra, attack! Claim victory for me in this duel!"
However, Ra only roared again and lightning struck the battlefield in bigger bolts this time, missing Odion and Nagito at a much more narrower margin, causing the former to flinch.
"I'm scared, Makoto," Komaru said, clinging to her big brother.
Espa Roba's little brothers all hugged their big brother as though he had an invisible umbrella upon his head.
Mahiru and Joey stood with their backs to Serenity to protect her fiercely.
"I must admit, I find this truly fascinating, don't you, Dark Queen?" Gundham asked, chuckling.
"Gundham, this is no laughing matter!" Sonia exclaimed, pale in the face. "That's real lightning!"
"All the more reason to find it amusing. There was nary a cloud in the sky when this duel began no rain is falling. It feels as though the gods themselves have been angered and I am in euphoria to see this otherwise mediocre show of affairs come to a roaring, electrifying conclusion!"
"Sonia!" Hajime exclaimed, waving her over.
Sonia trekked over to Hajime and stood behind him. "Hajime, you are a true gentleman, thank you."
"Yeah, no problem," Hajime said.
Bolts of lightning continued to strike the blimp, one bolt colliding with the railing and causing part of it to melt.
"Mr. Kaiba!" Roland declared, "Should we alter our course?"
"To where, Roland? In case you haven't noticed there are clouds in the sky for miles. Call engineering and tell them to be prepared to switch to auxiliary power on a moment's notice. This blimp does not go down on my watch!"
"Undestood," Roland said and made the quick call via his wireless headset while still monitoring the duel.
Fierce winds blew from behind Odion towards Nagito, ruffling his open hoodie and the strings attached to it.
"So what now?" Nagito asked. "You can try and try to attack until you're hoarse in the throat, but I'm telling you it won't work."
With one last burst of his powerful lungs, Odion shouted, "Winged Dragon of Ra! Attack Witch of the Black Forest now! Do it!"
Odion's response was a big bolt of lightning striking him in the back. The occurrence caused Marik great mental pain as he could feel his dark half beginning to demand release. He pressed his palm to his eye. Fortunately, the others were too focused on the lightning to notice him.
Another bolt of lightning came down on Nagito's side of the field, missing the boy's right foot by meter centimeters, though it blinded him momentarily due to the bright light.
Down in medical, Chiaki Nanami was forcing herself out of bed.
"Ch-Chiaki what are you doing?" Mikan asked.
"Everyone's…in danger," Chiaki said as she grabbed a pair of crutches and began to hobble for the door.
"You need to rest!" Mikan exclaimed. "It's dangerous out there!"
"That's precisely why I'm going. My class needs me and Nagito might get hurt!"
"You might get hurt!" Mikan exclaimed. "Think rationally about this, I'm begging you!"
"Then come with me," Chiaki said. "I can't stand by here like this."
Mikan gulped. "Okay."
Back above deck, Odion was recovering from the lightning strike. Surprisingly his robes had not caught ablaze, but his fake Millennium Rod shattered into a million pieces.
That Millennium Rod was a fake! Yugi exclaimed.
"Nagito, are you okay?" Ibuki called out to him. She'd seen the lightning come down, but didn't know if it had actually hit Nagito or not.
"So, since we've firmly established that you're not Marik, what's your real name?" Nagito asked Odion.
"He seems fine to me," Mai said.
With his fake rod shattered and Ra disobeying him, Odion had no choice but to own up to his actions. "I…am Odion," he said dejectedly.
"Well, Odion," Nagito said, looking unusually sympathetic. "This isn't typically my style, but I have to give you a little bit of credit. Marik must've put a lot of faith in you for standing-in for him. I can respect that." He smiled. "He used you to help with his hope. But you were only meant to be Marik's stepping stone," Nagito held his arms out wide as his eyes seemed to resemble a hypnotic spiral, "To inflict despair on us so that we could overcome it and reach the hope that we'd defeated you, only for your master to tell us we were wrong. His hope is our despair and our despair is his hope. It's truly a beautiful sight, really. So, don't feel bad. Your part in this is over. I'm sure Marik isn't disappointed in you for trying your best, well, if he cares about you at all that is."
Odion looked towards Marik to be consoled, but Marik was too busy fighting off the dark, foreboding power of his inner darkness. Odion balled a fist. He could not fail. If Ra would not attack, he'd just have to find another way to win. "We shall treat Ra as though it is still in play!" Odion shouted. "It is your move!"
"As head of the Kaiba Corporation, I—" Kaiba tried to shout, but was drowned out by a bolt of lightning coming too close to him for his liking. "Well, Mother Nature sure knows where she stands on the situation."
"Marik needs me to succeed, but now, with Ra in play, you cannot attack my life points directly and I still have plenty of them. You however, barely have a quarter of your life points remaining."
"And see, Odion, that right there," Nagito said as a bolt of lightning landed behind him, "Is hope. And yours suits me just fine because, since you're not the real Marik, I intend to turn this duel around with one fateful draw!" He ripped the top card off of his deck. There it was, the final piece of Exodia. "Well, well, well, what do you know? Looks like this duel really is over after all."
"Over?" Tristan shouted over the storm. "How's he plan to take out a monster that huge?"
With a smug smirk, Kaiba said, "Indeed, how else does one conquer a god without a god of their own?"
"You talk as if you already know the answer to that," Yugi said to Kaiba.
"The answer is quite simple really," Kaiba said, "You summon something that goes beyond a god's power."
Nagito began pressing down each card in his hand onto the duel disk. "I summon, the unstoppable Exodia!"
Kaiba was enthralled when he saw the looks on the faces of everyone in the crowd.
"Nyeh, Exodia?" Joey exclaimed, getting Rare Hunter flashbacks.
"Nagito…has Exodia?" Hajime whispered, and gulped. Well…these finals just got a whole lot harder.
Makoto just gasped in awe as the pentagram to summon Exodia appeared.
Mahiru wasted no time snapping up photographs.
"Is he really gonna summon the most powerful monster in Duel Monsters?" Ibuki asked.
"I suppose we'll all know in a moment," Yami said.
I can't believe there's someone out there that actually has Exodia, Yugi told his counterpart.
Indeed, though I suppose it was bound to be existent somewhere, Yami replied.
As the gigantic orange monstrosity appeared, towering behind Nagito, it and the counterfeit Ra stared each other down. The fake Ra roared at Exodia, which only proceeded to stomp its foot on the side of the arena.
"Exodia!" Nagito shouted. "Obliterate!"
Creating a powerful sphere of energy in between its hands, Exodia reared back one arm and then thrust it forward, letting the attack loose in a powerful burst of completely unstoppable energy. However, Exodia did more than just destroy Ra. Odion's duel disk was split completely in half and he was thrown back against the edge of the arena as the Temple of Kings was completely disintegrated.
The duel disk broke?! Kaiba thought, too shocked for actual words. I built the duel disk to withstand a wrecking ball falling on it. How can it crack in two like that?
Odion slumped against the back of the arena as Roland held a knife-shaped hand out to Nagito. "This duel is over. The winner is Nagito Komaeda."
"I would say congratulations are in order, but we may have more important things to worry about," Sonia said. Although the lightning was calming down, Marik appeared to be in great pain.
Nagito got down from the arena and approached the hostile, pained Egyptian. "You okay, Marik?" he asked him. "I mean, I'm disappointed you didn't have the courage to face us all outright, but I'm not bothered by the deception. It was a pretty good plan. It's okay," Nagito said, putting a hand on Marik's shoulder. "You can overcome the despair of your friend's defeat and shine brighter with hope!"
Marik's eye bulged out and with his fist clenched tightly around the Milennium Rod, shoved Nagito away.
"Twould be wise to get back, Jester," Gundham said as he was now the closest person to Marik aside from Nagito, "The foul king's inner darkness is seeping out and soon it will explode with a power we mere mortals cannot readily comprehend."
Fighting his dark impulses for a moment, Marik managed to look at Nagito and the others, arms lowered at his side. "I admit, I did not think Odion would be defeated so soon. I had hoped to keep up the facade for longer, but between Odion and Celeste that doesn't seem like an option anymore."
"He's the one who brainwashed you!" Yami shouted to Joey.
"You little worm," Joey said, making a fis.
"Master…" Odion said weakly, reaching out to him.
"So, Pharaoh, we finally meet face to face," Marik said, looking down the aisle and completely ignoring Nagito and Gundham. "I can now finish the job my pathetic servants couldn't! Yugi, your puzzle and your power," Marik's forehead seemed to leap off his head, or rather a visible astral shape of it did so like it was some sort of hologram, "will soon be where they belong." Marik pressed his palm to his face as the words came out deeper and more sinister than his natural voice could carry.
"Whoa, what was that?" Ibuki gasped. "It was all echoy and menacing."
"Oh no, I was afraid of this," Odion said, trying to get up. "We're all in great danger. Celeste...please...help me." He stumbled towards her.
"Help you?I thought our deal was finished," she said.
"You don't understand," Odion said, limping towards her, "Master Marik has a darker side and I am unable to contain it anymore."
"And how am I supposed to contain it?" Celeste asked, actually looking nervous.
"You," Odion said, his foot sliding along the ground, "You must..." The massive man dropped to his knees and collapsed face-down on the ground.
"Well…this bodes poorly," Celeste said, wincing.
Marik continued to grunt in pain.
"Let me out," his inner darkness told him. "You can't restrain me anymore."
Marik placed both his hands on his head, tilted his head up to the point that his chin was at eye level to onlookers and screamed. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA—"
As he continued to scream, Joey butted in with, "I'm gonna file this in the category of "Not good"."
Komaru and Espa's Roba's siblings continued to hide behind their respective older brothers. Ibuki was also now using Joey as a shield. Even Gundham and Nagito had decided it was a good idea to back away towards their comrades.
"What clued you in?" Celeste asked Joey, "The screams of our adversary or the frightened small children," she then glanced at Ibuki, "plus one teenage girl?"
"Marik, what's going on?" Yami demanded to know.
Marik chuckled, but his voice sounded different. "I'm finally free again." The weird thing that had happened to his forehead before, happened again, but now his voice was completely dark and sinister. "Which means, I can do things my way."
"How are you doing that thing with your face? Looks painful," Ibuki said. Marik's darker half only so much as glanced at Ibuki before she then blurted out, "Eeek! Please don't sacrifice my virgin blood to your Ancient Egyptian God!" She crouched behind Joey so that only her eyes were visible. "I'm not even a virgin!" She then stood completely behind Joey and pushed him forward with both hands. "Here! Take Joey!"
"Hey! What?" Joey shouted, craning his neck to look back at Ibuki's petrified, trembling face.
Marik ignored them both. "I was restrained for many years by that fool, Odion."
"Who are you?" Yami demanded to know.
"I'm the true Marik and I'm not as kind as the one you've come to know. And soon, I'll finish the job he couldn't complete and strip you of your powers. For I deserve to be Pharaoh." His face distorted itself again. "Not you. And when I'm through with you, your puzzle will be around my neck where it belongs. And you will be trapped forever in the realm of eternal darkness, along with your friends and Odion as well.
"Yes, because kidnapping, assault, terrorism and counterfeiting are all acts of kindness," Celeste said sarcastically, "Besides, even if you're...less kind than the real Marik, Yugi is still a better duelist than you. He'll win," she said staring Marik down.
This new, darker Marik, was in no mood for her games however. "Ah, Celestia Ludenburg. You are neither Yugi's friend nor my comrade. You're just an eyesore." Veins began to become noticeable on Marik's face as he grinned demonically. "And now," he said, holding up the Millennium Rod. "I'm going to make an example of you, of all who CROSS ME!" The millennium rod gave off a powerful flash of light as its magic sped towards Celeste's eyes attempting to banish her soul to the shadow realm.
And it would've done precisely that, if someone else hadn't jumped in front of her.
"Mahiru!" Serenity shouted in pure agony and fear and rushed over to the redhead as she fell backwards, eyes dead and cold.
Marik had no sympathy. "Foolish girl. Your sacrifice will mean nothing once I—"
"Stop, Marik!" Yami shouted. "I'm the one you want, leave Celeste out of this!"
Celeste winced, but was utterly touched by Yugi's kindness. "Yugi…" Anyone else would've left her to her fate after everything she'd pulled. Why was he being so nice.
"If you try to send anyone else to the Shadow Realm, so help me we will have our battle here and now!" Yami shouted as his puzzle gave off a bright glow and the Millennium symbol appeared on his forehead, "regardless of Kaiba's rules!"
Hajime too also had his two cents to put in, "I don't know about you, but I'm not keen on letting Marik do what he wants. Let Mahiru come back, she's got nothing to do with this!"
"And why should I?" Marik asked, taking the wind out of both of their sails.
Clenching her fists, Celeste suddenly snapped, "Kaiba! Unless you want me to bring down a social media fueled PR nightmare on the KaibaCorp, tell Marik he's disqualified if he doesn't undo what he did to Mahiru this instant!" Celeste was not without her gratitude and Mahiru had just saved her life. She'd do whatever it took to get her back and this much she could still accomplish.
"And why should I?" Kaiba asked, arms folded. "You think I'm going to lose my chance to get my hands on a rare card just because Marik used some hocus pocus hypnosis? It'll wear off. Just put her in medical with Chiaki."
"Kaiba! Open your eyes!" Yami shouted.
"No, you open yours!" Kaiba replied back harshly and with no hesitation. "There's no such thing as these Egyptian fairy tales or Ancient Egyptian Magic! Our fair photographer will be just fine with medical attention so stop acting like it's some big tragedy! This tournament stops for no man, or woman, unimpeded on schedule! Is that clear?"
Suddenly, the elevator door opened up and the sound of crutches echoed on the otherwise silent blimp roof.
"Then," a calm, gentle voiced pierced through the silent chaos, "Maybe you'll listen to me, Kaiba."
Everyone's attention was grabbed to see Chiaki standing on her good leg with crutches being used as support so that she didn't have to stand on her bad one.
"Chiaki..." Hajime was absolutely shocked to see her.
"Chiaki, what are you doing? You should be resting!" Ibuki shouted, looking panicked.
"When that lightning storm hit, I got a pair of crutches and came up here to survey the situation. Tell me, Kaiba. Do my injuries look fake to you? Do you think this," she said, moving her injured leg to show the blood all over the bandages, "Could be caused by a KaibaCorp hologram? I dueled with my very life and barely made it out thanks to my belief in my friends. So, if you don't act in turn," with a deep breath, Chiaki then bellowed, "I'll disqualify myself from this tournament!"
Shocked faces went around the deck from Chiaki's classmates, even Makoto and Espa Roba were surprised by how far Chiaki was willing to go.
"I refuse to participate in a tournament that gambles with people's lives just so you can improve your deck!"
Kaiba too was shocked, eyes wide with surprise at Chiaki's declaration. "You're bluffing," he said, "You specifically stated you wouldn't want to be disqualified because of your promise to Hinata."
"Try me," Chiaki said.
She and Kaiba stared each other down. His blue eyes that always protruded a cold, stoic glare met Chiaki's pale pink eyes full of determination.
"Man, check her out," Tristan said, knowing how much guts it took to stand up to Kaiba like that and not flinch.
"She single?" Duke asked, but was given no response.
Much to everyone's surprise, it was Kaiba who finally gave in. He leaned back and scowled deeper. "Fine. If you're willing to go so far, I suppose I'll play ball, but only because you're so adamant about it." He raised his voice. "I still don't believe in any of this nonsense, are we clear?" He turned his attention to Marik, "Marik, Mahiru Koizumi is unaffiliated with this tournament. Whatever spell you put her under, I suggest you undo it before I bring the full power of the Kaiba Corporation down onto you," he declared. Then, lowering his voice to a sharp, verbal threat, he added, "And then I'll just take Ra after your hands have chained together by the authorities."
Marik chuckled, finding all of this amusing. "You couldn't hope to harm me, Kaiba," he said, finding Kaiba's threats empty. "Really now, all this trouble over one little girl?"
"I wouldn't test me if I were you," Kaiba said. "One word and I'm tossing you from this blimp and you can feel free to rely on your Ancient Egyptian fairy magic to save your skin. Oh well, I suppose if you bite the dust, we could just clap and bring you back to life."
"Um, I don't think Marik is actually a fairy," Komaru said, doing her best not to whimper.
Marik chuckled, again finding Kaiba's comments amusing. "Well, I suppose the girl was not my intended target anyway. Fine. Consider this a one-time act of mercy, Kaiba, and to you too, little Chiaki. For any duelist that gets in my way after this is going down with no exceptions. And no matter how much you beg or cry they will remain trapped in the shadows forever!"
"If the stakes are increasing," Chiaki said, glaring at Marik, "Then we just have to fight harder. Going by my duel with Bakura, once you're defeated, everything will go back to normal." She raised her voice. "But I won't allow you to drag someone who hasn't done anything to you into this."
"And that goes for Celeste too, Marik," Yami spoke up. "You said she was neither my friend, nor your ally, but you were wrong. Celeste is my friend! Understand? Any action taken against her will be action taken against me." Yami cupped the Millennium Puzzle. "And you still want my puzzle fair and square, do you not? So," Yami said as he pointed at Marik, "Release Mahiru and let's play by the rules of Kaiba's tournament or there will be no mercy even from ME!"
With the way Yami emphasized his threat, Yugi's mind could only trace backwards to what happened to Toko and Genocide Jill. While the Shadow Game had bothered Yugi previously, if that was what it took to save everyone from Marik, so be it.
"I never expected you would be such a bleeding heart, Pharaoh," Marik said, chuckling. "Oh well, I suppose my actions have attained the desired effect. I will free the girl as promised, but let this be a warning to you all," Marik said, catching the attention of every remaining finalist participant. "That by the end of this tournament, you will all be in the shadows of despair." Marik's face contorted into a mad, happy, psychopathic grin, "And I will stand upon my throne laughing at your misery. AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
When he finished laughing, Marik pointed his Millennium Rod at Mahiru. With a wave of energy from its eye, rod gleamed with a golden glow and Mahiru's eyes fluttered to life.
"Mahiru," Serenity sobbed and hugged her new best friend.
Still in a daze, Mahiru just instinctively put her hand on Serenity's hair, stroking it as Joey came over to help her to her feet. She only saw Marik walk away and enter the elevator before realizing what had happened. She then clutched her head and sweated profusely, feeling unwell. The awful visions still swirling about her head had been no mere illusion. She could still see Natsumi's mad grin and hear her satantic laugh, the image of Mahiru herself in shackles, forced to cater to the Yakuza's whim.
This coupled with the blimp still moving, caused Mahiru to push past Joey and then Mai as she hurled over the side of the blimp. Sonia, being the closest person to her, put her hand on Mahiru's back to calm her down.
At the sight of Mahiru, a feeling of dread hung over the top of the blimp like a bad smell. This tournament had gone from fun and games to life or death. Any one of the remaining finalists, barring the victors Yugi, Joey, and Nagito, could fall victim to Marik. Sonia, Gundham, Makoto, and Chiaki. Kaiba, Hajime, Espa Roba, and Mai. And, of course, Ishizu. Any of them could be Marik's first victim unless they won. The price to pay for failure was already plain as day. They'd end up like Mahiru, but this time they would not be so mercifully brought back.
Chiaki knew, better than anyone aside from Yugi, that the Shadow Realm was a serious matter. To that end, a glare of determination was sent from her to Hajime. He saw her face and he nodded at her. Neither one had any intention to let Marik get away with this.
They weren't the only ones. Since they were both already in the next round, Yugi and Joey nodded at each other, knowing it would likely fall to one of them to take Marik down. Both of them then looked at Mai, who nodded at them, understanding the risks and signaling that she was all for this, despite the danger.
Celeste could only wince at the state of affairs. Where before it mattered not if Marik was beaten or not, now it was crucial he be taken out of the tournament as soon as possible. And with Yugi and Joey already advancing, the one who stood the best chance at beating him was Kaiba. And that was a very slim chance. That meant someone would be sent to the shadow realm, no doubt. And that feeling, coupled with a feeling that she was a contributor to the root cause of the problem caused a knot to form in Celeste's stomach. A knot…of fear and despair.
(A/N: AHAHAHAHA, you all thought it was going to be Hajime. Lol, nope. Surprise, bitches! Nice job breaking it, Nagito. Kind of true to form for you though XD. Next time on Dueling Trigger Finger, Marik, the real one, takes to the arena, just like how he followed suit to Odion in canon. And with Chiaki still not well enough to duel, that only leaves us with four potential lambs to the slaughter: Hajime, Makoto, Gundham and Sonia. Yes, Mai will be spared from the shadow realm this time. She'll actually be dueling after Marik for chapter 34. I hope that is enough of a hint to see where this is going. And by "this", I mean the rest of the round. Feel free to adjust your guesses accordingly.
And please, if you like what I do and want to support me, please consider donating to my Patr eon. While I still intend to make this story money or no money, a little drop in the bank makes me smile and then makes my fingers loose all over my keyboard.
But until next time, as always, from all of me, to all of you, let your hearts stay human and your wrath draconic. Ja ne!)