Dueling Trigger Finger

by draconichero21

Worlds collide as a twisted tale interlocking the fates of both universes begins with the retelling of Battle City, but will cover the wide expanse of the plot of both series. Rated M due to profanity, Junko, sexual themes, Junko, murder, Junko, nightmarish imagery, and did I mention Junko?

33. Like a Lamb to the Slaughter

(A/N: Special shout-out to The Apocryphal One for her entertaining review that really made me want to get right into this chapter. And rather than talk about what you're in store for, let's just proceed. After all, given the title of this chapter, you and I both know we're all in for some despair).

---

When it came to Komaru, Makoto looked after her like any good big brother should. His parents had told him: be good to your little sister, Makoto, but they hadn't anything to worry about. Although Komaru and Makoto, like all brothers and sisters, didn't always get along, Duel Monsters was something they could bond over. Makoto, the superior player, Komaru always felt had a sharp increase in his coolness factor—something the poor kid lacked from day to day. And Komaru liked cheering her big brother on every step of the way. Now more than ever, she wanted to see Makoto succeed.

And that was precisely why, now, more than ever, Komaru was shaken up in silence as she watched Makoto go through his deck in neat piles, organized by category of 4-star or lower monsters, 5-star or higher monsters, spells, traps and cards he was "considering".

Finally, Komaru found her voice, "How can you still be considering going into this tournament after everything that just happened?"

"Huh?"

"We don't belong here! We're just kids, nobodies!" Komaru exclaimed, freaked out. "You should really just forfeit. Duel Monsters is supposed to be fun. It isn't worth your soul."

"Kaiba's not backing down and neither will I," Makoto said.

Komaru responded so quickly that if Makoto had uttered one syllable more she would've cut him off, "You're not Kaiba!" She shouted, slapping the table and crushing Makoto's "considering" pile. Tears started to fall from her face as she balled her fists up by her neck. "You're my brother and I don't want to see you risk your life over some stupid game. That Chiaki girl barely got away with her life she said, and she still has an injured leg. What if it takes your life? How do I explain that to mom and dad?"

Makoto pushed his chair back and stood up, barely coming up equal in height to his younger sister. "Chiaki said that as long as Marik is defeated that things will go back to normal, right?"

"Well yeah, but…"

Makoto put a hand on his chest, "Then I should stay in the tournament. Then there's one more person unwilling to let Marik do what he wants. Marik still hasn't dueled yet. What if I'm next? I don't just want him to ascend to the next round if I can do something about it."

"Makoto..." Komaru said, concerned.

"I've gone every duel so far risking Alexandrite Dragon and the other cards I've won across this tournament. Like Chiaki said, if the stakes are increasing, then we need to fight harder. Sure, maybe I was in it for glory before, but until Marik's out of the picture, I have to do my part as well. How can I look Yugi in the eye if I don't?"

"I don't think even Yugi would want you to take a risk like this," Komaru told him.

"Maybe, but it's my body and mind, my choice," Makoto told her sternly and balled a fist. "I won't run scared and hide under the bed. I want to do my part to put an end to the dark, twisted turn this tournament has taken."

Komaru wrapped her hands around the back of Makoto's head and gave her brother a hug, nuzzling her head into his shoulder, tears still forming in her eyes. "Just make sure that, in the end, you'll still be here as my big brother."

Makoto put a reassuring hand on Komaru's back, "I promise, Komaru. I won't leave you to go home alone."

---

Makoto was not the only one with concerned siblings. As Espa stood in the middle of the room, feeding his youngest brother the baby formula he packed, warmed up in the microwave, his eldest younger brother said to him, "Are you sure you want to go through with this big brother?"

"You shouldn't take the risk, Espa," his next youngest brother said, "What if something happened to you?"

Espa was silent for a moment only to hand off his youngest brother to his eldest younger brother, bottle and all. He rubbed the heads of his younger siblings and crouched down to their level. "My entire dueling career has been centered around keeping you guys safe," he said. "Marik is no different from a big bully. If I can defeat him, even if I don't win the tournament, no one will ever mess with you guys again. But," Espa said and took his hands off their heads as he put one arm over his knee. "If I turn and run from this tournament, then how does that make me look? I'll be chastised for being nothing more than a big coward that runs at the first sign of danger. Ness," he said to his eldest younger brother, "Clarence," he said to the next youngest, "You guys have given everything you can so that I can have this chance. We all worked together," Espa said taking his deck out of his pocket, "So that I could build this deck. And, regardless of strategy, Marik will get a serious headache from my new Jinzo deck."

---

As Espa and Makoto explained to their younger siblings why they weren't quitting the tournament, there were still others affected by the incident quite differently from the Naegi and Roba families. Mahiru Koizumi had been the unfortunate victim of putting herself in someone else's business, albeit for a good reason, and had got to experience firsthand what being in the shadow realm was like.

She could still see it clearly, her rags that were called clothes, Natsumi holding the leash to her slave collar and issuing unruly demands. It was like Cinderella with no fairy godmother in sight. Her friends abandoned her, spewing out every insecurity Mahiru had about herself, from her constant acting like a mother hen to not being girly enough because she was too proud.

"Her pride got her here"
"This is what she gets for trying to change other people"

Her closest friends had said these exact words and although Mahiru knew none of her friends, especially not Hiyoko and Sato, would ever say any of these things, it didn't make her experiences feel any less real.

Now she was sitting on the floor of the shower, letting the hot water wash over her unclean body. She had rinsed the water down her throat and spat it into the drain multiple times to get the taste of vomit out of her mouth. But right now, she just sat with her head in her knees, arms wrapped around her legs, tears mingling with the shower water.

"Mahiru!" Serenity's voice suddenly pierced through the air, reminding Mahiru that the auburn haired girl had been calling her name for quite a while now.

"Ah, huh?" Mahiru uttered.

"You've been in there for twenty minutes," Serenity called, "Are you okay?"

"Um, y-yeah, I'll um…" Mahiru stared at the ground, "be right out."

Out in the room proper, Téa, Ibuki and Serenity were all standing idly by wondering if Mahiru was going to be okay. The redhead came out wearing nothing but a towel, sopping wet and looking like she was in a trance.

"Um, do you…want to talk about it?" Téa asked, really not sure how to broach the subject.

Mahiru looked at Téa with half dead eyes. "Have you…ever been there before…the shadow realm I mean?"

Téa shook her head.

"What happened in there, anyway?" Ibuki asked, cocking her head to the side. "One minute it's lights out, the next minute your hurling over the side of the blimp, and the next you just said you wanted to take a shower. What's the deal?"

Mahiru just covered her shoulders with her hands and shuddered. She really didn't want to talk about it in detail.

Serenity gave her a reassuring hug. The towel making a squishing sound as her body pressed firmly into Mahiru's. "We're all here for you, Mahiru. We're your friends."

Friends. That was right. She had friends. Good friends that would never abandon her, especially not this one, not sweet innocent Serenity.

Mahiru practically bear hugged Serenity and just cried into the side of Serenity's neck, saying nothing. Téa and Ibuki just stood by awkwardly, figuring they should just let Mahiru cry.

Well, until Ibuki said something inappropriate. "Sheesh, between the showering, the vomiting and not talking to us, you'd think we were consoling Mahiru for something else."

"Ibuki!" Téa shouted in chastisement.

"Well I mean, it's not like that actually happened, you know. It just…"

Téa reluctantly put her hand on Ibuki's mouth. "Ibuki…just stop talking please."

In the middle of Mahiru's crying fit, a knock came to the girl's door.

"Yes?" Téa asked. "It's unlocked. You just have to hit the enter button."

The automatic door slid open, revealing Celeste looking quite solemn. "May I come in?" The faux French maid asked calmly.

"Oh, um, sure, Celeste," Téa said, finding Celeste's presence unexpected.

Celeste walked in and immediately became distressed upon gazing at what had become of Mahiru.

"You all right?" Téa asked the gambler.

"Me? Oh yes, I'm perfectly fine," Celeste said, her voice dripping with sarcasm, "Almost got my mind sent hurtling into a dark void where the nicest thoughts are a galaxy away." She looked at Mahiru, "But then she stepped in." She strolled closer to the photographer. "You saved my life. You don't even know me."

Mahiru let go of Serenity and rubbed her eye with the side of her hand, sniffing to do her best to gain her composure. Celeste's presence was reassuring. It made Mahiru realize that all that pain and suffering had had a purpose. "Yes, well," Mahiru said, pulling up on her towel and avoiding eye contact, "You were in danger. I guess I just…acted automatically."

"I've hardly spoken a sentence directly to you, you know. Not to mention that I really was working with Marik until that moment."

"That's got nothing..." Mahiru began only to realize the fallacy of what she was about to say and changed her phrasing, "Well..." she continued to avert eye contact, "It had nothing to do with me though. I couldn't let you get hurt because that guy's a maniac."

Celeste took a deep breath and spoke to Mahiru seriously. "Words will never be enough to express how truly grateful I am for your kindness. I am in your debt, Mahiru Koizumi. If not for you t'would be I aimlessly wandering the Shadow Realm. Although, I would've been released upon Marik's defeat. To show my gratitude, once we finish this tournament for every second of every minute of every hour that I would've spent in the Shadow Realm, my life," she said, curtsying to Mahiru, "Is entirely in your hands. You can bully me, order me around, force me to make you meals, tie me to chair and make me watch B-list horror films."

Mahiru looked slightly distressed at Celeste's suggestions, "I'd never do any of those things! And besides that's not...strictly necessary."

"Nonsense," Celeste said with the utmost seriousness, "My life is very important to me. It's only fair I respond in kind."

"Well, what about your obligation to Yugi? You know, because of that bet you lost?"

"Ah, we already spoke of that in the hallway."

---

"Yugi, a moment," Celeste called out to him, though it was Yami in control.

"Oh, did you need something, Celeste?"

"I…" Well, she was talking to him, now what?

"Yes?"

No backing out of it now. She had to speak directly from the heart, otherwise she'd never get her message across, a rarity for the Queen of Liars. "You didn't have to say any of that. I was working with Marik. Don't you hate me?"

"You also brought Téa safely to me and you helped rescue Joey," Yami said. "You're a better person that you give even yourself credit for and it was truly an honor to duel you. I know liars and cheats, you're not one of them, Celeste, no matter how much you pretend to be."

"Yugi…" She was truly moved by his words. No one had ever said those things to her before.

"And regarding our bet," Yami said. "All I want, Celeste, is for you to be my friend."

Celeste blinked, dumbfounded. "That's it?"

"That's it."

---

"Honestly, how boring. I was more than ready for whips and chains and the like."

What exactly did you think Yugi was going to do to you? Téa wondered.

"So does this mean you're not working for Marik anymore?" Ibuki asked.

"Quite," Celeste said. "Now that that rampaging monstrosity has come out in his place, I don't intend to get myself involved in his dark counterpart's schemes. Marik was fun to toy with. This one saw fit to take me out at a moment's notice. And now that Yugi knows he's the real Marik, I've lost the only usefulness I possess to him now that I'm out of the tournament."

"Sounds to me like you're sucking up to Yugi for security," Téa said harshly.

Celeste chuckled. "Well I won't deny that he and Joey make for excellent bodyguards."

Téa looked annoyed as she growled, eyebrow twitching.

Celeste sighed, holding her hands to her chest. "Look, we got off on the wrong foot with that whole kidnapping business. I saw a chance to get some easy rare cards and I took it. I never imagined I'd get myself involved in such a nefarious plot. By the time I wanted out, I was in too deep and had to keep helping Marik to ensure I did not meet the same fate as those that have failed him. Honestly, until Mahiru jumped in to save me, I thought it was all over. And..." Celeste said, now looking nervous, "Yugi called me his friend. He and Joey have been good to me, in spite of my cold demeanor. I'll be honest...I've never had friends. I have knights, C-rankers who do my bidding for me because I see a special quality in them that I hope to have in my vampire castle someday with all the money I've earned. So...I guess...what I'm trying to say is..."

Ibuki started laughing. "We'll be happy to show you what having friends is like, right Téa?"

"Yeah," Téa nodded. "You're in good hands, Celeste." Man, two female friends in less than a day, she thought. I should tag along with Yugi and Joey to tournaments more often.

---

Unbeknownst to Téa, Joey was currently engorging himself on pizza from the main hall that he'd brought back to his room. He was on the last slice when Mai stopped by the opened doorway.

She peered inside, "You know, for not liking you, Kaiba sure gave you a lot of space."

And suddenly his meal felt ruined. "What do you want, Mai?"

"Water's busted in my bathroom," She said, rubbing her hands through her well-kept blonde hair, "As if Kaiba needs more pressure. Mind if I use yours to freshen up?" she asked, holding up and indicating a small makeup kit.

"Knock yourself out," Joey said, leaning back in his chair.

"Thanks, Joey, you're a real pal sometimes," Mai said.

"What do you mean sometimes?" Joey asked, but he wasn't given an answer.

Mai entered his bathroom and left the door open, opening her makeup kit and adjusting her mascara.

"So, you managed to avoid getting the short straw this time, didn't you, Joey?"

"What do you mean?" Joey asked, turning his head to look at the blonde.

"I mean, you didn't have to go up against, me, Yugi, Kaiba or Marik in the first round. And you took out a high competitor, Byakuya Togami." Mai blinked a few times to make sure her makeup was properly applied and then broke out the lip gloss. "That's some lucky angel you got watching over you." She began applying it.

"What? Are you saying you're worried?" Joey asked.

Mai put away her makeup and entered out into the room. "Would you make fun of me if I said I was, just a little?"

Joey had turned his head back to drink from the soda can accompanying his pizza and after hearing Mai say those words, almost choked on it. His head whipped around to look at her. "You? Scared?" His mind drifted back to PaniK. "Well, okay, I guess I can see that." He stopped thinking down memory lane and looked at Mai, turning his chair to do so. "But I would've figured with us on yer side you wouldn't have anything to worry about."

Mai took a seat on the foot of Joey's bed. "Why do you think I stopped by?" She asked, crossing her legs. "I mean, really? Water not working? Kaiba would have a field day if this blimp wasn't working perfectly," she said. She smiled at Joey. "I just wanted an excuse to chat with a friend." She then quickly added with concern. "We are friends, right?"

"Of course we are, Mai. What kind of question is that?"

"Then, do you mind if we talk a little?" Mai asked, shifting her seat to another chair at the table. Her body was so close to Joey he could reach out and grab it as her well-endowed chest hovered over the round table.

Joey got a little flustered as his teenage brain now got a good look at the older woman sitting next to him. "Well you uh, you have my undivided attention for the moment."

Mai stared straight ahead at the open doorway, looking serious. "Those girls…Mahiru and Chiaki. This Shadow Realm business sounds like bad news."

"You bet it is," Joey said decisively, "I haven't experienced it first hand, but Yugi has and it ain't anything you want a part of."

"I had a feeling you might say something like that," Mai said with a rather unusual look in her eye. Joey didn't really know how to describe it with his limited vocabulary. However, her eyes were closed slightly and her lip slightly pursed. Mai seemed, almost gentle compared to her usual, snootiness and rowdiness that annoyed the hell out of him.

However, the look in her eye faded quickly and Mai simply said, "Joey, do you think I should drop out for my own safety?"

"Heh?" Joey sounded confused. "Mai, come on, this doesn't sound like you at all."

Mai got snappy. "I didn't say I was considering dropping out! I was asking for your opinion! For crying out loud, Joey, I even gave you and Yugi a signal that I was sticking through this for better or for worse! Give me some credit! I'm not a bed-wetting middle schooler that checks her closet for the boogey-man!"

"All right, all right I get it," Joey said and sighed, thinking about it as he slumped back in his chair, thinking about it, though that didn't take long. He leaned forward onto the table. "Mai, you should stay in the tournament if that's what you wanna do. Sure, Marik's scarier than any summer horror flick, I've ever seen, but that doesn't mean I ain't afraid to face him in spite of that. And even if I was scared, Yug's countin' on me, I'm sure of it." Joey made a fist. "And you know he'll take that creep down no matter what happens to the rest of us. Yug could be the last man on Earth and he'd keep fightin'."

Mai chuckled as she looked at Joey with a peculiar smile and leaned on the back of her left hand. "That does sound like Yugi all right."

What's with that look she keeps giving me? And why does it make me feel… Joey didn't realize it, but he was leaning forward a little in his chair. Unfortunately, the chair gave out below his weight and he fell over, chair and all.

Mai covered her eyes with her hand and sighed. And there goes every positive point he'd been earning right down the drain, she thought.

"Surprised you're not laughin' at me," Joey said as he got back in the chair.

"It was more pathetic than funny," Mai chuckled, clacking her nails on the table.

"Yeah, yeah," Joey said, unaware of Mai's flirty face for the third time in a row. "Anything else you wanna tell me?"

At this, Mai was taken off guard. "Huh?"

"Come on, it sounds like you got a lot on your mind," Joey said and jerked a thumb at himself. "Tell yer pal Joey what's eatin ya. I'm a really good listener."

At this, Mai swallowed. She did want to talk to Joey about his relationship with Ibuki and Celeste, but…she wasn't sure what she would do depending on Joey's answers.

"Ibuki? Yeah, she's my girl. We've been dating since long before I met you."
"Oh, Joey, you're so rad!"

Mai had to shake the image from her head only to make things worse.

"Sorry, Mai, but I'm only interested in girls with pigtails that know how to treat me right."

Mai's active imagination zoomed out to reveal some…inappropriate leather wear on Joey with Celeste holding a leash attached to a collar to his neck.

"AGH! No!" Mai shouted, not realizing she blurted it out loud.

"Sheesh, sorry for asking," Joey said, not sure what sort of landmine he'd just set off.

"N-no," Mai said, waving her hands in front of her chest to defend herself, "I-I wasn't saying Agh, no, there was nothing. I…uh…you see…"

"If you're going to scream like that, at least have the courtesy to close the door."

Mai and Joey looked towards the doorway to see none other than Byakuya Togami standing in it.

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything," Byakuya said.

"What do you want, Byakuya?" Joey asked with about the same lack of thrill he'd asked Mai minutes ago.

Arms folded, Byakuya spoke with what appeared to be an annoyed expression on his face, or perhaps that was how he always looked. "I've been doing a lot of thinking since our duel. Yugi's grandfather taught me about the heart of the cards, same as he taught you. I consider myself superior to you in practically every way and yet, despite my best efforts, I lost. After much deliberating, I remembered you talking about how you don't fight for fame or for glory, but for your little sister. And in the time I've had to sit on it, I've come up with a working thesis on how much heart and emotion correlate to being good at Duel Monsters. Unfortunately, I lack any real data aside from our duel and my own abilities."

"So, what? You want a rematch or something?"

"In a sense," Byakuya said, tilting his head back, "But not here or now. It would prove nothing whether you won or lost. After this tournament is over, you will come with me to the Canadian National Tournament for Duel Monsters next month. I will pay for all of your travel expenses, including whatever you shove into your mouth that you call food."

"What for?" Joey inquired.

"You want to be a pro duelist?" Byakuya asked. "I already am. Let's see if your luck and skill actually measure up in a true tournament."

"I fought in the regionals you know. Got my ass kicked in the third round," Joey told him.

"That was before Duelist Kingdom, wasn't it? You didn't have Red-Eyes or Time Wizard and you lacked experience. Not to mention, you did wind up beating one of the finalists. I'd say you should take a fresh start, get your name back out there."

While Joey's dad wasn't good for a whole lot, he did give Joey one piece of advice that Joey could trust: if something sounds too good to be true, it is. "Okay," Joey said, narrowing his gaze, "What's the catch?"

"Naturally as we will be the most talented duelists there, you and I will face off in the finals. The Heart of the Cards, far as I can tell, resonates better when there is more on the line. A simple no-strings attached duel wouldn't work. We need another grand stage, another tournament for me to test my thesis. And if I lose to you again, then there is something you possess that I lack. And I aim to find out what it is. A Togami is perfect in every way, Duel Monsters is no exception and I refuse to believe that I could not have beaten you when I know yours and Yugi's philosophy, let's call it. If the playing field is even, then I should be superior. To that end, I'll do whatever it takes to get there, climb any ladder, leap over any chasm. And you're going to help me."

"And what's in it for me besides skipping school and free room and board?"

Byakuya thought on it for a moment. He had considered needing compensation for Joey's services. He had been hoping though that the sheer generosity of paying all expenses would be enough. "Hmm, how about 400,000,000 yen, will that satisfy you?"

"F-f-f-f-f-f..." Joey began to stutter, eyes one second away from turning into Yen signs.

"Too little? I can raise it."

"How high are we talking?" Joey asked smoothly.

"Joey!" Mai snapped at him. Even if she herself lived for money, even she knew proper etiquette than to take advantage of someone saying "Is this too little?" Not to mention Byakuya was offering practically 80% of Joey's winnings from Duelist Kingdom. While it was true that one could never have enough money, any more than that would just be excessive.

"400,000,000 is fine," Joey said plainly.

"You're welcome to come along too, Miss Valentine, for the same fee if necessary. A duelist of your caliber will greatly help with my experiment. I just can't have Yugi or Kaiba involved since either one would knock Joey out of the tournament and dueling them would lead to inconclusive results, especially Kaiba because he does not believe in the Heart of the Cards.

"A free trip to Canada, 400,000,000 smackaroos and the chance to take a crack at beating Joey into the dirt?" Mai asked with the biggest of smiles on her face, "Count me in. Sounds like a good time."

"Most excellent," Byakuya said, "Then on the morning of the 20th, next month, be at the Domino Airport at 7am sharp.

"You got it," Joey said with a confident smirk. "You know, you ain't such a bad guy after all."

Byakuya grunted at the absurdity of Joey's implications. "Please, don't think this means we're friends. I'm simply using you for my own ends. Money just happens to be no object for someone like me. Speaking of which, I hear Marik's true identity is running amuck."

"Huh? Oh yeah, where were you earlier? Did you miss the duel?"

"No, I happened to watch Nagito Komaeda's...rather eye opening display of summoning Exodia from the comfort of my own room."

"Why didn't you join us?" Mai wanted to know. "Didn't stop you during Celeste's duel."

"I was unpresentable due to some...wine ingestion," Byakuya said, glancing aside.

"You were drunk? Aren't you a minor?" Mai shrieked.

Byakuya pointed decisively at Mai with his index finger and said sternly. "I am Byakuya Togami."

"Is...is that supposed to be some sort of justification?" She stuttered.

"Whatever my reasoning," Byakuya said, tilting his head back to look down at her and Joey, "It doesn't change facts. If we're all squared away here, I need to be moving on. I intend to give Celeste the same proposal given she can push Joey and Yugi to their limits."

"Celeste, huh," Mai said, suddenly looking ill-tempered.

The hell is her problem? Joey wondered, looking at the sinister expression on Mai's face.

"Indeed," Byakuya said, "Now then, if you'll excuse me." He then walked away.

"Say, Joey," Mai said with sharp crispness like a fresh, wet celery stick being broken in half.

"Uh, yeah?" Joey said, sounding jumpy.

Mai winked at him, fingers raised in a V, "You think I'm a much better friend than that Celeste girl, right?"

Joey suddenly felt put on the spot, as though he was made to stand trial for a crime he didn't commit and hadn't been read the rights to, "I uh, well, I mean, I've known you for longer," Joey said, making his comment sound hopeful, only to ruin it by then saying, "But you're both kind of a pain in the neck."

Unknowingly sticking his foot in his mouth, Joey was not prepared when Mai growled, slapped him across the face and stormed off.

"Ow!" Joey exclaimed, rubbing his sore cheek, "What'd I do?"

Jerk, Mai thought as she stormed off in a huff.

---

While Joey had already escorted his snack back to his room, Yugi was currently in the main hall plating up. To ensure the safety of all passengers on board, Kaiba wanted to have time to scan for weather reports…and investigate Odion's broken duel disk.

"When will Kaiba realize that it was the power of the Egyptian Gods that caused Odion to come to harm?" Yami asked.

"I guess around the time he starts believing in the heart of the cards," Yugi said, taking a spoonful of mashed potatoes.

"Speaking of which," Yami said. "I'm concerned about Nagito's possession of Exodia. He will be a fearsome opponent should we have to do battle."

"Well, we stopped Exodia before, right pal? We can do it again."

"But Nagito did not use any special cards other than Cup of Ace to draw two extra cards and then seemed to draw the rest of Exodia as though it was as simple as breathing air."

"You don't think he stacked the deck, do you?" Yugi asked.

"We watched Odion shuffle the cards with our own eyes, did we not?" Yami asked. "And his classmates have called him Hope's Peak's Ultimate Lucky Student. I must be honest, I'm not sure how we will vanquish such a foe."

"You're worrying too much," Yugi said. "If we're lucky, maybe Joey or Kaiba can knock him out of the tournament and we can just focus on Marik."

"I'd say that's wishful thinking," Yami said with a smile, "But I'll take your reassurance for what it was meant for."

"Hmm?" Yugi then looked over to the hallway leading to the main hall.

"What is it?"

"Someone's coming," Yugi said.

Yami's astral form receded into the depths of Yugi's mind as a figure emerged from around the corner. Yugi recognized the teenage boy straight away in his green hoodie and messy white hair.

"Oh, hey Nagito," Yugi said.

"Oh, Yugi, you remembered my name," Nagito said, sounding positively enthused.

"Well, I mean, you just won a major duel by summoning Exodia, be hard not to remember that."

Nagito began hugging himself. "The King of Games took note of me. Man, just thinking of the bad luck that's going to follow this..."

And now Yugi was decisively creeped out. "Are…you okay?"

"Me? I'm fine. Couldn't be better, especially now that Marik's out in the open and I can finally see the two of you clash. Marik's hope vs your hope. I can finally see which is stronger!" Nagito exclaimed.

Yugi felt rather off put by the situation, "Um, how is this amusing to you? And how does Marik have hope?"

"Because I love hope," Nagito said calmly like some sort of messianic priest, "And everyone has hope, Yugi. Even Kaiba has hope that he can beat you someday."

"I suppose there's no arguing that much," Yugi said, referring to Kaiba.

"I love it when two hopes collide, it's such a spectacle. Because as long as you cling to hope, you can do anything," Nagito said with a bright smile.

"Speaking of hope, do you mind if I ask a question?"

"Sure, go ahead. I'll do my best to answer," Nagito said.

"Where did you get your Exodia cards?"

"Hmm?"

"Well, it's just, they're the rarest cards in the whole game, right? And the last guy I dueled with them used counterfeits. I mean, I'm not calling yours such, but..."

"Oh, is that what this is about?" Nagito asked with a smile. He pulled out his deck and removed the 5 Exodia cards from it, fanning them out in front of Yugi. "Here, examine them for yourself. I trust you."

Yugi gasped when he saw three of the pieces. They had decisive water damage, but there they were, Exodia's left arm, right leg and head in all their glory. "What happened to these three? They look like they've seen better days. Are they old or something?"

Nagito put the cards away, "Nope, found 'em like that," he said matter of factly, "I was down at the beach one day and they just washed up on shore. I thought about asking if anyone was missing some cards, but who would throw away perfectly good Exodia cards like that? Not to mention they were the three pieces I was missing to finish my collection."

"Huh, wait a sec, those are also the three pieces I'm missing too!" Yugi exclaimed.

Nagito nodded knowingly, "I had a feeling you might say that. Yugi," he said, head tilted down, finger against his chin, "I think these water damaged Exodia cards...used to belong to you."

Both Yami and Yugi were shocked by this revelation.

"I'd gladly give them back to you if you want them now that I know they're yours," Nagito said. "After all, they belong with the most hopeful person here, don't you agree?" he asked with a smile.

Yugi shook his head. "No, you keep them, Nagito. It must be fate that they ended up in your hands rather than being lost to the ocean forever. If I want them back, I'll have to win them fair and square from you if we duel."

Yami, however, did not agree, "Yugi, wait a second."

"Huh? What is it?"

"The Exodia cards are the most powerful cards in all of duel monsters. With them and Osiris, it could be just the edge we need to take Marik down. You didn't lose Exodia to anything other than trickery and Nagito is willing to return them to you. Why not take him up on his offer?"

"It just doesn't feel right," Yugi said, "Nagito's had these cards since we set sail for Duelist Kingdom. The heart of Exodia is probably with Nagito by now and we've done all right for ourselves without them."

"But we have failed to defeat Kaiba without them," Yami said, referring to how the duel in Duelist Kingdom ended. Sure, Yugi technically could've won the duel, and Kaiba didn't consider it a legitimate prevailing win over Yugi, so both of them, secretly, considered it a loss in their book. "I still say this is too big of a risk to take. There's so much at stake here, Yugi. What if Nagito duels Marik in the next round and they fall into Marik's hands? Then he'll have Exodia and an Egyptian God Card. Or, alternatively, what if they Kaiba won them?"

"Are you talking with the Pharaoh?" Nagito asked, noting how Yugi looked distracted and seemed to be talking someone that, frankly, wasn't there.

"Um, yeah," Yugi said, "He thinks I should take them back from you, but I think you should keep them," he said with a smile.

"Is that so?" Nagito asked and then smiled brightly. "Then I suppose I'll hold onto them for a little bit longer."

Yami's eyes trembled, his lips sneering, teeth grit in frustration. He believed Yugi had made a terrible error.

"Me holding onto them would cause the Pharaoh some despair would it not? Then if you want me to keep them so you can win them back, you can win them from me in the name of hope. I think that would be a far more hopeful situation than if I were to simply give them to you if you two are having an argument," Nagito said.

Again, Yugi was put off by Nagito's antics. "Um, are you okay?" Yugi asked.

"I've never felt better!" Nagito exclaimed, "I get to make myself useful by being a stepping stone towards yours and the Pharaoh's hope and I haven't even dueled either of you yet! This is great!"

"Okay, um, I'm going to get my food and go back to my room. See you later," Yugi said and quickly retreated from the main hall.

"Sure, sure. See you later!"

---

If Kaiba had seen Yugi turn down perfectly good Exodia cards, he would've had a few choice words for his archrival. Fortunately for Yugi, Kaiba was preoccupied with matters unrelated to trading cards…well not entirely unrelated.

He was sitting at his desk, hunched over Odion's duel disk, trying to figure out what caused the damned thing to break the way it had, split straight down the middle as if it was a wooden board broken over a martial artist's knee.

How did this break? Kaiba thought angrily. He was replaying the footage of the last turn of Odion and Nagito's duel over and over again. Even if it was struck by lightning, this duel disk should be unbroken and even if it was damaged it shouldn't have broken quite to this extent. I made this to be able to withstand a wrecking ball so how did this happen? Growing increasingly frustrated, he all but shouted internally. It's impossible! Fairy tales and magic don't exist! No, it just has to be a faulty, 2% chance of shoddy craftsmanship. I refuse to believe in these Egyptian fairy tales! Ugh! Kaiba pounded his fist on the desk.

Kaiba knew that the duel disk was beyond repair, but at least its owner lost so he had until the end of the tournament to return it to Odion. However, fixing this broken duel disk was beyond even his ability. The only thing he could do would be to salvage the ownership data from the motherboard and transfer it to an unprogrammed duel disk. And only one person on board this ship, besides himself, was cut out for that sort of work.

Kaiba pressed the button on the collar of his shirt. "Chihiro."

"Yes, Mr. Kaiba?"

"Come to my office immediately. I need you to salvage the data from Odion's duel disk and transfer it to a new, unprogrammed duel disk. We have spares on deck three. Use one of those."

"Yes, sir!" Chihiro responded. "I'll be right there."

Kaiba sighed in relief. Having Chihiro around was a boon. The young programmer was almost as smart as he was and since Chihiro was an intern, that meant Kaiba could push grunt work onto the short teen. Plus, Chihiro never complained about anything. Chihiro was reliable and Kaiba valued that and competence the most in any employee. This is one intern that's getting a full-time position as soon as they're out of school. It'll be nice to have a proper replacement for that hack Nezbit, Kaiba thought.

He then cracked his knuckles and accessed the KaibaCorp livestream, preparing it for the next duel. "Roland," he said, "Let's end this unscheduled delay. Make the announcement."

"Yes, sir," Roland said.

Show time, Kaiba thought as he made for the main hall.

---

It didn't take long for all the duelists to assemble in the main hall, minus Ishizu of course, knowing that, yet again, it was not her turn. And Chiaki too was absent due to her injury.

The 10 present of the 12 remaining finalists eyed the lottery carefully, watching and waiting, wondering if their ball was going to drop next. Most waited with baited breath and determined gazes while Marik looked with mild amusement.

"The first duelist has now been selected," Roland stated. "Duelist number 8, Marik Ishtar!"

"Anyone else getting the weirdest feeling of déjà vu?" Duke asked.

"We all are, we're just not vocalizing it," Mahiru said.

"Man, this time, for real, I don't envy the person that has to duel him."

"At least Chiaki is safe, cute girls deserve to live longer," Duke said.

"And what about me? Don't I qualify?" Mai asked.

"I object to your statement as well," Sonia said. "Although, I suppose some would less describe me cute and more…elegant."

"Er, I mean, I was just saying."

"See, Duke, this is what trying to act smooth with the ladies gets you," Mahiru chastised calmly. "You dug this hole, now bury yourself in it."

"Ouch, Ain't no Goblin's Secret Remedy curing that one," Tristan teased.

"I swear, every time we hold one of these selections it's like a three-ring circus after the first announcement," Kaiba snapped. "Can't you all zip it for five minutes? If the world's most energetic rock star can stay silent, so can you dorks."

"Did…did Kaiba just pay Ibuki a compliment?" Ibuki asked, pushing her fingers together.

Mahiru suddenly felt very embarrassed at being made out to be less composed than Ibuki.

"I suppose that was rather unladylike, I apologize," Sonia said.

"Don't apologize," Mai said. "It's Kaiba. He's kind of like the fun police."

Kaiba merely growled.

"Ni-hice," Joey chuckled. "Up high." He and Mai slapped five at Kaiba's expense.

Kaiba now glared at Roland for taking so long who frantically gazed at the lottery and, fortunately a number was finally being selected. Picking it up and nodding, Roland raised an arm to the air as the images of both duelists appeared on the screen behind him. "This duel has been decided: Duelist Number 8, Marik Ishtar, versus Duelist Number 5, Sonia Nevermind!"

And like that, the mood plummeted in seconds. Ominous air hovered over the main hall at the declaration. Sonia Vs Marik? It was akin to sending a lamb to the slaughter. Even if Sonia was skilled, was she skilled enough to handle a god? Judging by the faces on the looks of Yugi and her classmates, the answer was no.

"The Dark Queen against the savage demon himself?" Gundham puzzled. It seemed even he was not entirely certain of Sonia's ability to pull this off.

"Heh heh heh," Marik chuckled. This was his chance to truly show what happened to the fools who crossed him. Sonia would be the first victim of many.

"Sonia, you should reconsider going forward with this duel," Yami said. "You—"

Gundham cut him off, "Ha! Worried for the Dark Queen's safety, Pharaoh? You waste your breath! She is far more powerful than you could hope to imagine. Marik will tremble before her power, you'll see!"

Sonia now looked nervous. "Gundham, I don't exactly need more pressure." She took a deep breath and spoke to Yugi seriously. "But it is as you say. Yugi, I appreciate the concern, but I'll be fine." Sonia flexed her right arm and grabbed her bicep. "This rose has more than a few thorns."

"Yeah, don't count Sonia out!" Ibuki exclaimed.

"Participating duelists please follow me," Roland said, "All other duelists, please use the main elevator if you'd like to speculate the match."

---

Back at Hope's Peak, having just sent an e-mail to Kaiba, Yukizome managed to sneak back to the main building and headed for her classroom for her purse and class notes, only to find sleeping backs an active TV, chips and dip and freshly brewed ice cream. "What's all this?" she asked.

"Duh, we're staying here to watch the tournament," Kazuichi said. "What's it look like?"

"Um, tomorrow isn't Sunday. You all have class bright and early."

"Huh? Where have you been?" Nekomaru asked. "Headmaster Kirigiri said he left a note on your desk, school's closed tomorrow too. Unsurprising since four members of our class managed to get into the finals and three of 'em are spectating live. Almost half our class won't be back till late tomorrow."

"Hmph," Hiyoko said, grouchily, looking rather adorable with long hair and pink, bunny print PJs if not for her horrible attitude. She was still miffed about Mahiru abandoning her.

"Oh you know…places," Yukizome said, sounding vague. "So, what's been happening?"

"Sit down, I'll fill you in," Fuyuhiko said. Yukizome took a seat next to Fuyuhiko as they chatted calmly, Fuyuhiko having received several texts from Chiaki to keep him updated on things going on behind the scenes.

"So, who do you think is next?" Hiyoko asked. "I mean jeez, it took like three duels for one of our classmates to duel and it was Nagito of all people. And what the hell was up with that freak lightning storm anyway?"

"Freak lightning storm?" Yukizome asked. "Is everyone okay?"

"Should be. KaibaCorp would be in pretty hot water if something happened to their participants and they failed to do something about it," Nekomaru said.

"Huh? Hey! Is that Miss Sonia up there?" Kazuichi asked.

Hiyoko sighed. "Oh boy, here we go again. I swear you get a freaking hot boner every time she appears. You're such a perv. Besides, it's just Sonia, why can't Chiaki be dueling?"

"Didn't Fuyuhiko said she injured herself or something?" Nekomaru asked.

"I know that, but it's just a leg wound right, what's that stupid nurse doing? I swear, when she gets back for making me wait for Chiaki dueling, I'm going to cut off all of her hair and then feed it to Mahiru for abandoning me."

"Of course you do," Akane said, patting Hiyoko on the head. "Now come on, pass that popcorn and let's check this out."

And, like that, Class 77-B, or what was left of it off site, of Hope's Peak Academy, sat and watched Sonia's duel with Marik, live.

---

Before the duel could even begin, ominous purple darkness began to coat the arena. Fog and thick shadows obscured the sky above and around the blimp. All of it was created by Marik.

"Holy crap! Are we trapped in Silent Hill?" Ibuki exclaimed.

"No, Ibuki," Yami said, "This is the shadow realm."

Ibuki sounded disappointed. "…Oh. Well that's not nearly as terrifying."

"I concur," Gundham said with a chuckle. "This place is actually quite welcoming. I feel right at home."

"Uhhh, are they okay?" Joey inquired.

"Oh just ignore them," Celeste said. "I think they've long since firmly established their eccentricities."

"Speaking of feeling right at home," Marik chuckled, grinning sinisterly, "I'm sure little Miss Mahiru feels welcomed home like seeing an old friend."

Mahiru shrank away in fright, but Mai put a firm arm around her. "Don't you listen to a word he says," she told her, "We're all right here for you." She gazed sternly up at Sonia. "Take him down, Sonia!"

"I will give it my all," Sonia said, looking sternly at Marik, completely unafraid of him or the shadows.

"I expect no less from you, my dear," Marik said to her, "But of course, this will be no ordinary game, Princess Sonia." Marik's grin was now so wide an alligator could get jealous, "It will be a shadow game."

Hajime gulped. Was he about to watch first hand he kind of thing Chiaki went through?

"If Chiaki could survive this endeavor, so can I," Sonia said. "We members of the Novoselic royal family are exposed to minor levels of torture when we reach a certain age so that we are less likely to give out key information to enemies of the crown should we become captured. A little pain is nothing to me."

"Pain?" Marik chuckled. "Do you really think that what happened to poor, pitiful Chiaki is all the shadows are capable of? Oh no, my dear, the darkness holds far greater tricks than mere pain and injury. For in this shadow game, whenever one of your monsters is destroyed, the memories of a person you hold near and dear to your heart will be gone forever!"

Shocked faces went all around the roof. There was no way Sonia could agree to this. There was no way Sonia should agree to this.

"The shadow realm is capable of such things?" Sonia asked.

"It is indeed, my dear as you'll soon find out first hand. Of course, you could always walk away from this duel and hand over your rare card, but I prefer to do things the fun way." Marik then activated his duel disk.

"S-Sonia," Mahiru said, concerned for her safety, "I-It's not too late to back out. You don't have to go through with this! Trust me, you don't want to—"

"I'm sorry, Mahiru," Sonia said, "I'm afraid I can't do that." Her gaze was firm and unflinching. "Back down? Never!" She activated her duel disk and gave her toughest look to Marik. "This is for what you did to Mahiru earlier, Marik! It's time to face up to your crimes! As Princess of Novoselic, I dedicate this victory my countrymen, my family and my friends and classmates. I…Princess Sonia Nevermind shall defeat you!"

"Let's duel!" Both Sonia and Marik declared simultaneously.

"It's my turn first," Yami Marik said. "I draw!" He drew the top card of his deck and then slapped a monster onto the duel disk. "I summon Melchid the Four Faced Beast in attack position." The strange monster with 1500 attack points and 1200 defense points appeared. "Next, I set two cards face-down," Marik said as he placed the cards in the spell/trap zone. "My turn is over."

Sonia drew the top card of her deck and looked at her starting hand. If I act carelessly, I could lose my memories and with two face-down cards that prospect is very troubling. I should play things close to hand and not show Marik an ounce of fear. "I place a monster face-down in defense position," Sonia said, setting the monster. "And next, I'll set a card face-down. My turn is complete."

"How pitiful," Marik chuckled. "I draw." He plucked the card from the top of his deck to his hand. "I sacrifice Melchid the Four Faced Beast to summon Great Maju Garzarett." A hulking fiend with fuzz all over its body, a blue body covered in an armored carapace and pink armor resembling a demon knight appeared. It was a towering behemoth of a creature, almost completely hiding Marik behind its size. "And thanks to its special ability," Marik chuckled. "Great Maju Garzett gains twice the attack of the monster used to summon it." The monster's 0 attack points surged to 3000 though its defense remained 0.

"Then I shall activate my trap card," Sonia declared, "Intercept." A trap card with the card image of a net being thrown over a soldier appeared. "Whenever a monster is tribute summoned to the field, Intercept allows me to take permanent control of that monster."

"What?!" Marik exclaimed.

"An excellent move," Celeste said. "She's rendered Marik's field barren. She could win this on her turn if she's lucky."

"I'm not so certain of that, Marik would not have summoned that monster if he was not prepared to deal with Sonia's face-down. I have a bad feeling about this," Yami said.

"I end my turn," Marik said.

"I draw then," Sonia said and drew the top card of her deck. Hmm, Marik is wide open, but those two face-downs worry me. I am not going to fall for this. "I attack with Great Maju Garzett! Attack Marik's life points directly."

"Heh, heh, heh," Marik chuckled. "I activate the quick-play spell: Spell of Pain!" Marik revealed the green face-down card. "This magic card causes any damage I would take to be reflected in you, Princess."

Shocked faces went all around the audience.

Sonia's monster slammed into Marik's chest, but felt nothing as Sonia was flung backwards and hit her back on the railing behind her, feeling as though she were sucker punched in the stomach.

Her life points fell to 1000.

"Sonia!" Ibuki and Gundham shouted at the same time.

Mahiru ran towards Sonia's edge of the arena. "Are you all right?"

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Marik cackled. "The sheltered princess walking straight into a trap, how very poetic."

"Nngh," Sonia said, clutching her stomach. Then, with a deep breath, she was once again completely composed. "Do not underestimate me, Marik," she said, slowly walking back to her initial position. "I summon Zolga to the field this turn in attack position!" The cloaked fairy with 1700 attack and 1200 defense points appeared.

"Very clever, waiting to summon your monster. Unfortunately, I planned for that as well." Marik held his hand over his trap card. "I activate Nightmare Wheel." Sonia watched in horror as a giant wheel erected itself from the ground, binding Zolga to it with chains and stretched the monster over the wheel like a torture victim. "Now Zolga is prevented from attacking and during my turn you lose 500 life points as long as it remains on the field

"Foul Demon! He has her trapped!" Gundham gasped.

"So much for all of that "I dedicate this victory to my countrymen", don't you think so, my dear?" Marik chuckled.

"I end my turn," Sonia said calmly. She had not given up hope yet.

"Of course you do," Marik said. "I draw! And now, Nightmare Wheel's effect activates and you take 500 life points of damage."

Zolga was stretched slightly by the internal turning of the wheel and Sonia's life points descended down to only 500.

"All I have to do is inflict damage and you'll lose the duel. Fortunately for you, your eternal suffering has been delayed. I summon to the field Makyura the Destructor," A fiendish creature with two claw weapons on its wrists and metallic black head with a single green eye on its face appeared. It had 1600 attack points and 1200 defense points. "And end my turn."

I must fight back, Sonia thought, If Marik has driven me to such a corner, then my offense must be, how it is said, taken to the next level! "I draw." Sonia drew the top card of her deck. "I sacrifice both your Great Maju Garzett and my Zolga in order to summon Darklord Ixchel to the field in attack position!" Sonia declared as an elegant looking dark-attribute fairy with four, big, beautiful, black wings appeared. It had 2500 attack points and 2900 defense points. "And, since Zolga was just sacrificed, I gain 2000 life points." Sonia's life points ratcheted back up to 2500.

"All right, she's back in the game!" Ibuki declared.

"And since she tributed her monster rather than letting it be destroyed, Marik's little shadow game can't affect her, right?" Tristan asked.

Yami nodded in confirmation.

"As expected from the Ultimate Princess," Nagito said.

"Next, I discard Darklord Superbia and Darklord Edeh Arae from my hand so that I may special summon Darklord Nasten!"

A horned, bestial faced darklord appeared. It had pearl white skin, big, white feathery wings, a malevolent sun-shaped red halo, and wild black hair that could be mistaken for a mane. It was adorned with regal looking pants and blue fur atop its shoulders and neck. It had 2600 attack and defense points.

"And now, I attack your Makyura the Destroyer with Darklord Nasten!" Sonia declared.

With a powerful punch, Nasten destroyed Makyura and caused it to blast into tiny shards. Arkana's spiritual image appeared and then faded into particles.

"Oh well," Yami Marik said, as his life points fell to 3000, "I never cared much for that fool, Arkana, anyway."

Yami grimaced at this. He remembered Arkana and how much he'd come to view the magician as a tragic figure. He'd brought Arkana straight to a hospital, where he now rested, though time would tell if he would ever recover. How could Marik view these people as mere pawns?

"And now, I shall definitively reclaim this duel from the jaws of defeat. Ixchel, attack Marik directly!" Sonia declared. "Darklord Magical Force!"

Ixchel gathered dark power in between her hands and then unleashed it in a continuous, concentrated wave at Marik.

"Not so fast!" Marik shouted. "I activate Makuyra's special ability!"

"What? But that monster was just destroyed," Sonia said, confused.

"Exactly!" Marik shouted and then whipped a card from his hand into the spell/trap zone to be activated. "When Makyura is destroyed, I am then allowed to activate one trap card from my hand for the remainder of the turn, and I choose Mirror Force!"

"No!" Sonia shouted.

The sinister, reflective trap card appeared, blocking Ixchel's attack and redirecting it at her and Nasten, both of which screamed in pain and shattered into nothing.

"Heh heh heh heh. It looks like your carelessness just cost you two monsters and two precious people worth of memories! AHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Ibuki and Mahiru's images appeared from the destroyed bodies of Nasten and Ixchel.

"No! Ibuki! Mahiru!"

"Hey! That was me up there a sec!" Ibuki shouted. "When did I become a hologram? Hey, Sonia! Are you okay? Sonia!" Ibuki hollered, hands cupped around her mouth.

However, when Sonia looked over at Ibuki, she appeared as a hollowed out ghost, her voice distorted and barely recognizable.

"Who…is that?" Sonia wondered aloud in confusion.

"Shouting won't do any good," Yami said solemnly. "Sonia's memories of you...are gone."

"Whaaaaaat? How can she just forget me? I mean...I'm me!" Ibuki exclaimed.

"Not just you, but me too. What the hell kind of game is this?" Mahiru shouted, looking pale and shivering. As if the shadow realm needed to freak her out more than it already had.

Duke put a reassuring hand on Mahiru's shoulder. "Relax," he told her. "As long as Sonia wins, this Shadow Game nonsense should wear off, right?"

"In theory," Yami said.

"See? So there's nothing to worry about," Duke said.

"There's plenty to worry about!" Mahiru shouted, only to calm down and say while avoiding eye contact, "But," she briefly glanced at Duke only to look away, "thank you, Duke. I appreciate you trying to cheer me up."

"Anything for you, Mahiru my dear. Perhaps you would be so kind as join me in the dining hall later for a private meal?" He asked with a sweet smile on his face.

"Don't push it!" Mahiru snapped, hands on her hips.

"All right. All right," Duke said, waving his hands back and forth.

"I activate Darklord Contact to bring Ixchel back to the field in defense position!" Sonia declared as Ixchel now sat crouched on the ground, using her wings as shields. "That ends my turn."

"Heh heh heh heh heh heh," Marik chuckled. "You're doing well to resist, my dear, but your demise is inevitable." Marik drew the top card of his deck and grinned. "I activate the spell card Tribute Burial. This allows me to remove one monster from both of our graveyards and summon a monster from my hand without having to pay normal tribute. I'll remove my Great Maju Garzett and you must remove your Darklord Nasten."

Sonia did precisely as Marik requested.

"And now, I summon to the field Greed Quasar!" A fiendish looking monster that appeared to be composed of one part rock with a demonic skull for a face with little appendages attached to it, and one part monstrous flesh and sharp teeth appeared. "Greed Quasar is a special type of monster. Its attack and defense are equal to 300 times its level and right now its level is 7. That makes its attack and defense 2100. But that's not all, Greed Quasar grows stronger with every monster it devours! Observe as I destroy your face-down monster! Go, Greed Quasar!"

Greed Quasar dashed forward to destroy Sonia's face-down Radiant Jeral and proceeded to unhinge its jaw and swallow the creature whole, an image of Yukizome lingering in the beast's maw before Greed Quasar clamped down on it.

"No! Not that one!" Sonia shouted, dropping to her knees, tears forming in her eyes, "You said it was random, so why...why do the shadows keep removing the memories of my most precious friends?" She shouted in agony.

"I suppose being the Ultimate Princess doesn't lend you to having very good luck. Or perhaps you create so many bonds that all of them are precious to you," Marik chuckled.

"LYING CUR!" Gundham roared.

Sonia's head picked up and gazed towards her most precious memory, Gundham Tanaka.

"Hmm?" Marik looked at Gundham with an almost bored expression.

"You are choosing precious memories by having domain over the causality brought about by your own power. You care not for your own memories and so you let the whims of fate fall where they may, but to skew battle against your opponent, you pick away at her precious bonds to demoralize her. Nay, I say, Nay! You call this a fair game, but your trickery is your own making!"

"If you would claim I've done wrong, let's see proof. Or perhaps you'd like to convince our resident non-believer of a tournament host that I am capable of such things," Marik chuckled.

This resulted in Gundham and Yami giving both Marik and Kaiba a case of stink-eye.

"As I thought," Marik chuckled. "Now then, my dear. I believe it was your turn."

"But I…"

"Do not despair, Dark Queen," Gundham said. "I am still here."

"Gundham," Sonia sniffed.

"Heh, fear not. My own dark powers shall protect me from this fiend's magic. As long as I bear the mark of the beast, his fell fangs cannot pierce my flesh."

"Is that a fact? Perhaps I shall make an example of your defiance and make you next," Marik said.

"Good luck with that," Gundham said. "Now that the Dark Queen has experienced your foulness firsthand, I decree that she will not let a single monster more of hers be destroyed this duel! Your evil ends here, Marik!" Gundham bellowed.

Gundham is right, Sonia thought, balling her fists. I cannot sink into despair. I must fight and cling to my hope of victory. Sonia pushed herself to her feet one leg at a time and prepared to draw. "My turn, Marik, I draw!"

Sonia examined the card in her hand and nodded. "I set a card on the field," she said, placing a trap card face-down. "And next, I activate the spell card Pot of Greed so that I may draw two more cards." Sonia became intrigued at one of the two new cards in her hand, the spell card: Pot of Exchange.

This card…this would let me draw two cards from Marik's deck, but it would also let him do the same for my deck. Sonia gazed at Marik's mighty monster of 3300 attack and defense strong. I cannot destroy that monster as it stands. She gazed at her face-down card, Call of the Haunted. If I am to turn this duel around, she stared holes at Marik's deck. Then I must use Marik's own power against him. I may not have Nagito's level of luck, but I believe I can pull this off. I just need the ability to special summon one more monster. Sonia looked at her other card. Or perhaps I don't have to.

"I activate the spell card, Horn of Light," she declared, "This equip-type magic card raises Ixchel's defense by 800 points, making its defensive power capable of blocking an attack from your Greed Quasar!"

Marik frowned as a blue horn adorned itself to Ixchel's forehead, glowing with a gentle glow and raising her defense points to 3700. "Your move, Marik," Sonia told him.

Marik drew the top card of his deck. "Heh," he smirked, "I activate the spell card Jam Breeding Machine. Every turn, I can summon to the field a small slime token with 500 attack and defense points. Oh, but what's this, my monster is incapable of defending itself if Ixchel were to attack it." Marik chuckled. "What will you do, Sonia dear?"

Marik is baiting me, Sonia thought, He wants me to attack so that he can destroy Ixchel. Well, I will not fall for it.

Marik must be planning to summon the Winged Dragon of Ra with his slime tokens, Yugi thought, just like how he did it when we dueled to summon Osiris the Sky Dragon.

"Ha! The same gimmick as before?" Celeste mocked. "Though…I suppose that was the one part of your plan against Yugi that worked."

"Next, I set a card face-down," Marik said, thereby emptying his hand. "And like that, I conclude my turn."

It all comes down to this then, Sonia thought. She placed her hand on the top card of her deck and drew it. It was nothing noteworthy, but that didn't matter. I must activate Pot of Exchange this turn and hope that I am able to draw the Winged Dragon of Ra, else I will be completely unable to turn this duel around. It's a risk, if I fail, that simply makes it easier for Marik to draw it and I will need to draw for Magician of Faith if I want to have another chance to use Pot of Exchange and doing so will cost me the precious memories of another friend. Chiaki and Gundham in particular lingered in Sonia's mind. I must avoid that at all costs! "I activate the spell card Pot of Exchange!" Sonia declared triumphantly.

"Pot of...Exchange?" Celeste questioned with a small gasp and equal amount of shock. She knew the card well. She used to run it when her deck was much less…well-structured than what it was now. After all, it gave you the ability to use your opponent's power against you. It was a situational card, but in this case, it could save Sonia's life.

"What's that card do?" Joey inquired.

"It lets both players draw two cards from the other's deck," Yami said.

"To put it simply, it's like a fusion of Pot of Greed and the card Exchange," Makoto explained.

Mai gasped, "Wait, is Sonia attempting what I think she's attempting?"

"A bold move for our foreign princess," Byakuya noted, "She intends to swipe the Winged Dragon of Ra from the one place Marik has no control over it: his deck."

"It's a risky move though," Celeste said. "If Sonia fails to draw it, she's only made it easier for Marik to draw it."

"Sonia already knows the risks," Nagito said. "That's why she's doing it. Let's just see if her hope shines bright enough."

Marik and Sonia approached each other so that they could reach out and touch each other's decks.

"On the count of three, ready?" Sonia asked.

"One," Marik said.

"Two," Sonia stated.

"Three," they declared together and plucked two cards off the other's deck.

Everyone waited with baited breath as Marik and Sonia pulled the cards from the other's deck. The entire duel could be decided in a moment of one fateful draw. Marik looked at the cards in his hand that he had gained from Sonia: Trap Jammer and Fairy Wind.

"Well, well, well," Sonia said and flipped the first card around in her hand, "Look what I drew. Thank you, Marik."

In Sonia's hand was none other than the Winged Dragon of Ra.

Impossible! Marik declared internally, eyes shrinking inward.

"She did it! She drew the Winged Dragon of Ra!" Joey declared.

"Well now," Kaiba said with a smirk, "This duel just took a rather interesting turn." The duel was a lamb to the slaughter all right, but now no one could quite be sure just which duelist was the lamb.

"Hrrrrrrrrrn!" Marik growled in frustration.

"Take that, ya creep!" Joey shouted. "Where's your god card now? Oh right," Joey pointed at the card, "It's in Sonia's hand!"

---

"Whoa, what's that card in Miss Sonia's hand?" Kazuichi asked. "I've never seen it before."

"I dunno, but she seemed to know what it was," Nekomaru said.

"So the legends were true," Fuyuhiko said.

"Legends? What legends?" Yukizome asked.

"I heard about it from some underground duelists in the clan, but…I thought they were just myths."

"Out with it, Shorty!" Hiyoko shouted.

"Don't call me, Shorty!" Fuyuhiko snapped at her. "And you're one to talk, you're about as tall as I am!"

"Fuyuhiko," Yukizome said his name calmly.

The Yakuza sighed, lowering his temper at his teacher's implied request. "It's called the Winged Dragon of Ra. I found out about it when I investigated Marik earlier. Apparently Maximillian Pegasus made three powerful cards based on Egyptian Gods: Ra, Osiris, and Obelisk is either based on the God of Earth, Geb, or possibly even Set. They are said to be the most powerful cards in the game, second only to Exodia since they can't instantly win duels, but where Exodia is a force of nature, these are actual monsters."

"Sounds like heavy stuff," Nekomaru said.

"I know more, but it's largely unconfirmed," Fuyuhiko said. "I'm not the type to go spreading around baseless rumors. Besides, it's not like Egyptian History has any sway in what's going on right now."

"So…this one, which is it?" Akane asked.

"What are you, blind? It's Ra!" Fuyuhiko shouted. "Ra the sun god!"

"Jeez, calm down, I was just asking."

"Ra! Ra! Sis boom bah!" Hiyoko laughed her ass off just to needle Fuyuhiko further.

Fuyuhiko groaned and massaged his forehead. "Look, point is if Sonia can play that card, the duel's as good as won." Fuyuhiko chuckled. "Because trap cards don't work on the Egyptian Gods."

---

Back on the blimp, Marik had finally recovered from the shock of losing Ra to Sonia. "Hmph," he said, "It matters not. Even if you hold Ra in your hand, you cannot summon it without three tributes and last I checked, you only have one monster on the field and any attempt you make to summon another will be completely run over by my Greed Quasar!"

"Is that a fact?" Sonia asked with a calm, determined stare.

"Hmm?" Marik uttered, raising an eyebrow.

As though she were pulling on an invisible puppet's strings, Sonia raised her arm over her face-down card, "I activate my trap card: Call of the Haunted! This allows me to bring back a monster I sent to the graveyard earlier when I activated Darklord Nasten's effect. So say hello to Darklord Superbia!"

"WHAT?!" Marik shouted.

"And since Superbia was special summoned from the graveyard, I can bring back another fairy-type monster from my graveyard, so say hello to Darklord Edeh Arae!"

Sonia had pulled off her favorite combo and now, she had three monsters on the field.

"Two monsters in one turn? And you have yet to normal summon a monster this turn!" Marik growled.

"She's going to summon it!" Kaiba exclaimed excitedly.

"Uh, ladies and gentleman, this is your flight attendant speaking," Joey said, "We advise that you all cling to the closest person to your left as we're about to hit some major turbulence of god-like proportions."

"Now, I sacrifice Darklord Ixchel, Darklord Edeh Arae and Darklord Superbia in order to summon the Winged Dragon of Ra!"

A bright light shined forth as Ra began to emerge forth from seemingly an alternate dimension. However, when it appeared, it was but a gigantic golden sphere, surprising all, but Marik.

"What?" Sonia gasped. "What is wrong with Ra? Why has it not appeared?"

"Somehow the dragon is locked inside!" Yami declared.

"Well, Sonia better set it free, and quickly if she wants to win this duel," Mai said.

Marik chuckled. "Only I know how to tap the power of the Winged Dragon of Ra!"

Maybe for now, but soon I'll learn to control its unstoppable force, Kaiba thought.

"I told you this isn't a mere duel," Marik told Sonia. "We're playing a shadow game with ancient magic beyond your understanding. Not only am I erasing your memory with every monster I destroy, but once you lose this battle to me, your mind we'll be trapped here, confined in isolation for eternity. Now as for my Egyptian God Card, you were a fool to think you would be able to use it. Only individuals with knowledge of the ancient scriptures can wield the power of Ra."

Sonia stroked her chin and appeared…reflective perhaps? Marik couldn't tell, not that it mattered to him. "Ancient scriptures, you say?"

"Indeed. Try reading the text on the bottom of the card."

Sonia now looked confused. "Text on the bottom of the…" her gaze trickled down to the card on her duel disk. "Oh! Oh my," she said, surprised by what she saw. "I do not believe that was there when I was holding it in my hand."

"That's because Maximillian Pegasus inscribed the card with a special ink so that that chant would only appear when the card was played. He did this due to his research that only those of special power were worthy of being able to control Ra. Behold the ancient chant used to call on the hidden powers of Ra, scripted in Ancient Egyptian so that only those worthy can read it!"

The phrase "that's not what I expected" can result from a myriad of circumstances. Ramming a car into a tree and not suffering any damage as the tree falls into the yard next to it, impaling itself on the wooden fence for instance. However, in this case, Marik had expected some variation of that phrase to be spoken by or an expression that would imply this kind of statement to be metaphorically written on Sonia's face.

Unfortunately for him, that was not what happened. Sonia burst forth with cheer, exclaiming, "Oh, I love Ancient Egyptian!"

"You...WHAT?!" Marik shouted, his face astrally distorting again. He took a moment to calm down and then cleared his throat. "Perhaps you do not understand," he said with a cruel smile. "That text is written in a special hieroglyphic script used only by high ranking Egyptians!"

Once again, Sonia defied expectations. Her eyes were now practically shining as a pleased gasp escaped her lips. She seemed positively ecstatic, "You mean the special dialect reserved only for the Pharaoh and his most trusted priests?"

"Yes!" Marik exclaimed, "I do!" He then added in great confusion, "Why do you look so happy about it?"

"I've studied that since I was five!" Sonia exclaimed. "We of the Novoselic royal family must know many languages by the time we come of age must be able to speak over 30 languages. And while German, English, French, Japanese, Chinese, Spanish, Arabic, Hebrew, Russian, Sweedish, and Korean are a must, the other 19 are left entirely up to the prince or princess' discretion. And I learned Ancient Egyptian. I just love secret occult stuff like that! I know every last dialect."

If they listened close enough, the spectators could hear what sounded like a mirror cracking. That was the sound of Marik's already fragile sanity breaking further. "WHAT?!" he roared.

"Sonia can read Ancient Egyptian!" Yugi exclaimed, though since Yami was in control of their shared body, only he heard that.

"Whoa, talk about a hobby," Makoto said.

"BAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Gundham laughed. "How amusing, Marik! You belittled the Dark Queen only to find yourself with your back to the wall, trapped by her mystic arts, including the very one you thought would save you."

"Impossible!" Marik exclaimed, backing up slightly and looking petrified. "It has to be!"

"Then why don't I read this chant you seem so fond of and prove it to you?" Sonia asked.

"Can she really do it?" Téa asked Yugi.

"I have no idea," Yami said honestly, "But if she can, Marik's plans could be over before they've even begun." If Sonia can summon the Winged Dragon of Ra, not even Marik's trap card could save him then. Come on, Sonia!

"How about it, Marik?" Nagito asked. "Do you have hope that you can win? Otherwise you're about to get crushed by the hope of my classmate, lover of ancient ruins and everything occult."

"Indeed, Jester," Gundham chuckled, "Indeed. Dark Queen, punish this non-believer of power!" Gundham exclaimed.

"I shall," Sonia said as she looked at the text, "Um, one moment. It is still difficult for me to read this upside-down. Um, Mr. Kaiba, sir? May I remove my duel disk a moment? If the text is only visible when the card is in play, I cannot simply pick up the card to look at it."

"Just don't drop it," Kaiba said with a glazed look.

"Certainly not," Sonia said with a smile.

This has to be some sort of joke! Marik exclaimed internally, still looking nervous. There's no way a mere peon, even a foregin princess, should be capable of reading the complex language of the ancient scriptures! It's just not possible!

Marik watched Sonia take off her duel disk and spin it around to look at the chant, studying it intensely.

Marik began to lose patience, "I am giving you three minutes, princess, exactly three minutes, or I will consider your little declaration one giant bluff."

"Do not rush me," Sonia said, looking up from the card, "I wish to make sure I do not slur my words.

She's actually reading it? This is ridiculous!

"Hmmm," Sonia said as she studied the language. "Ah, I have a question."

"I'm not going to help you read it!" Marik growled.

"No, but you can answer this much: Does the chant work regardless of what language it is spoken in? Pronunciation is a bit difficult and it might confuse the watchers at home. Also, judging from the actual scripture itself, the translation can be interpreted in about four different ways."

Marik looked positively irritated. How did Sonia know so much about an otherwise well-kept secret to the Egyptian lore?

"Answer the question, Marik," Kaiba said, his voice dripping with smug amusement, "It's not polite to withhold this type of information."

Now even Kaiba is twisting my arm! Marik quickly composed himself. "The chant can be read as long as it is remotely accurate. I, in particular, have memorized one of the ways the chant is recited."

"Then I shall go with the plainest interpretation possible. Will that satisfy?"

"It would, if you can actually read the scripture." Denial was Marik's last weapon. This could not be real.

Sonia slipped her duel disk back onto her arm. "Do not underestimate me. Here goes!"

One hand on Ra, she chanted, "Almighty protector of the sun and sky, I beg of thee, please heed my cry. Transform thyself from orb of light and bring me victory in this fight."

I don't believe it! She can actually read it?!

"Envelop the desert with your glow and cast your rage upon my foe. Join with me in this fight and together we shall unleash your might!" Sonia raised her arm to the sky, palm extended, "I call out your name! WINGED DRAGON OF RA!"

She translated the whole thing! Marik declared in a panic.

The spectators became awash in awe as the sphere began to burst forth with a golden light and a giant, magnificent, golden, metallic dragon emerged with an ear-piercing cry and roar.

Ra emerged with 7700 attack points and 8100 defense points.

"Whoa, check it out," Mokuba said, absolutely in awe of Ra's presence.

"Can it truly be?" Gundham gaped. He shielded his eyes in a cross pattern, though was still able to barely peek through the gap as he said, "My devilish eyes dare not gaze upon such dazzling purity!"

"There it is!" Kaiba exclaimed with absolute glee.

Down in medical, even Chiaki was hopeful of Sonia's situation. "Come on, Sonia."

"Sonia," Mikan said in concern, hands clasped together in prayer.

"It's over, Marik," Sonia said. "Ra has 7700 attack points and your slime token only has 500. Now, bow down before your princess!" She declared, extending her arm forward as a golden aura enveloped both her and Ra. It was a symbol of her dominion over the Egyptian God, that it recognized her as worthy.

"This can't be!" Marik shouted. "Ra is my obedient servant!"

"I am his master now," Sonia said. "The Egyptian God Ra now serves the Kingdom of Novoselic!" With a sweep of her arm, Sonia made a divine decree, "Go, Winged Dragon of Ra! Attack! Almighty Blaze Cannon!"

"It's over, Marik," Celeste said calmly. "You said it yourself that the gods are immune to trap cards. Accept your defeat!"

"No!" Marik shouted. "If only I knew a way to defeat my own Egyptian God Monster!" Marik declared in absolute panic, only for his lips to break out in the most satisfied of wide, Cheshire Cat-like grins. "Oh wait, I do!" Marik activated his face-down card.

Celeste blankly stared at Marik. "What?"

Ra's attack destroyed Slime Token, but Marik's life points did not drop and Ra's blast seemed to continue to get enveloped straight into a hole in the ground.

"What's going on...what happened to Ra's attack?" Sonia inquired. "And why have you not taken any damage."

"I sent it to another dimension," Marik chuckled. "With this trap card, Dimension Wall!" Marik's trap card showed a picture of the monster Warrior Dai Grepher attacking itself through a cut in the dimensional boundaries.

Yami, Mai, Joey, Celeste, Byakuya, Kaiba, and most of Sonia's classmates, even those not present on deck, gasped at this turn of events.

"It's true that the gods themselves are immune to the effects of trap cards and the like, but their attacks are not nearly as omnipotent. For with Dimensional Wall," Marik said as a crack in the boundaries between time and space appeared above his head, angled down at Sonia with the way it was form, "I'm not targeting Ra with its own power." The crack burst wide open into the atmosphere as a golden light seemed to be rapidly approaching the entrance. "I'm targeting you. My trap card allows me to redirect battle damage I would take from a single bout of combat, right at YOU!"

"NO!" Sonia gasped.

"Have a taste of Ra's power that you so vainly coveted!" Marik exclaimed as Ra's attack barreled out of the alternate dimension "So sorry, my dear princess, but this duel is over. Farewell."

"SONIA!" Gundham shouted in alarm.

"SONIAAAAAAAAAAA!" Ibuki shouted louder and longer.

The attack barreled into Sonia, consuming her entire body as she screamed so loud and in so much agony it was as if her very existence itself was being torn apart by Ra's attack. Her life points plummeted all the way down to 0.

When the attack ceased and the monsters vanished, Kaiba could only stare in disbelief at the state of Sonia's body. She had been covered in burns and bloodied wounds, some of which were on her head. Her clothes had been ripped to shreds, leaving barely enough to preserve her modesty. Sonia looked absolutely traumatized as she stood, still conscious for the moment. Even as she fell to the ground, succumbing to her injuries, Sonia remained conscious, defiant to stand, but finding she hadn't the strength to do much more than struggle in great pain. Her vision was in a daze, her body battered worse than a car wreck.

"No…" Komaru uttered, covering her mouth. "We…she was going to win," she sobbed.

Hajime just looked distraught. It was hard to see this. Sonia…the princess of Novoselic, such a gentle, kind person, just couldn't be…gone.

"For me, any friend of Chiaki's is a friend of mine."

"Hajime, you are a true gentleman, thank you."

She'd made him feel welcomed despite only being a reserve course student.

The true terror of the shadow games was finally beginning to sink in.

"No…" Chiaki's lip trembled as she saw what happened. "NOOOOOOOO! SONIA!" she shouted in alarm, tears coming down her face.

Unable to do much else other than do his job, Roland declared, "This duel is over, the winner is Marik Ishtar!"

Marik approached the downed Sonia as she struggled to look at no more than his foot. However, Marik was not done playing with his food as he grasped Sonia's head and pushed it back so that the princess of Novoselic could gaze up at his terrifying visage, the gleam of the Millennium Rod clearly visible despite her hazy vision.

"You lose, my dear. So now it is off to the Shadow Realm with you."

Unable to resist, Sonia barely managed a weak cry as the last thing she saw before her very soul was banished from her body was the glow of the Millennium Rod and Marik's villainously satisfied smile.

"Kaiba! Do something!" Yami shouted. Sonia needed medical treatment fast. Shadow Realm or not, those were bad wounds.

However, Kaiba just stood there, shaking like a leaf. How could Sonia have come to so much harm? His hologram system could not do that to living people and he, at no point, received an alert that the hard light hologram system had been compromised. Thoughts raced through his head about Ancient Egypt. It couldn't be true, could it? Was this real? Was this reality?

As Kaiba stood there, petrified, the only voice he could hear was the Pharaoh's screaming at him, lost in the abyss of Kaiba's tumulted thoughts, "KAIBAAAAAAA!"

---

(A/N: Oh. Oh dear. I've made quite a mess. Show of hands, how many of you thought that, for a moment, Marik was going to lose? NONE OF YOU saw this coming, both the duel and what Sonia managed to accomplish. I bet none of you thought, for a moment, that Sonia's omnilingual abilities combined with her occult fetish would spawn the ability to be able to summon Ra. If any of you had, you might've guessed this. Too bad it amounted to nothing in the long run. Like I'd really let Marik get kicked out this early with no Junko to replace him...yet. But I just wanted the terrified look on his face when Sonia came within a hair's breadth of victory if not for Dimensional Wall, one of the few work arounds to the mighty Egyptian Gods. And I say few because we'll see another work around like this when we get to Kaiba's duel.

Sonia had best thank her lucky stars Marik only wanted her memories because if this had been Bakura's shadow duel, she could've lost her life just now to Ra's power.

Aside from the most shocking duel end in this story up until now, let's talk about Mai and Joey a sec. After a conversation with a few friends we agreed that, if Mai felt threatened, she might become more sexually aggressive/assertive leading up to marking her territory. Speaking of which, since Joey didn't stick his foot in his mouth regarding the whole dream sequence with Odion, Mai's here to stay and will be joining us for the trip into Noah's virtual world—yes I'm doing something with that arc.

Other than that, quick special shout out to my two patrons: Goshinzilla and DarkJade aka EmeraldDarkKnight. You guys are a big help in helping me along during my time of need. And I encourage anyone else that wants to support me to make a pledge as well, but like I said before, it's not mandatory. I'll be doing this with or without money.

Next time, Gundham will get his chance to chase after Marik. Will he succeed in getting to the next round so that he might have the opportunity to enact vengeance upon the foul Marik Ishtar? Or will his opponent prove too much for him? Keep the guesses coming regarding who you think is next up to duel. After all, with Gundham going next and Chiaki going last, that regulates Hajime and Makoto to the 6th and 7th duels of this round. With Ishizu, Mai, Kaiba, Espa left to duel them, start hedging your bets. It's 2-2 YGO Vs DGR. Do you think I intend to make the next round an even 4/4 split? Or could the results be skewed? Comment on what you think, or don't if you're shy and/or don't feel like it, and until next time, as always, from all of me, to all of you, let your hearts stay human and your wrath draconic. Ja ne!)