Original Yu-Gi-Oh Series

Parallel

Chapter 040

Originally Written: Saturday, April 16, 2022 923AM to 951AM

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A/N: As I noted in my profile, 'Parallel' is not the lightest of stories. It is not 'Daddy Dearest' triggering, but it is still potentially triggering and dark. So take caution while reading, especially from now on. Thanks for reading!

"We will be your new ruler!" Marik spoke prophetically, already waiting for Mai in the dueling area, "And you will bow to our might!"

"Sorry, bud, but I don't think you've won any elections recently." Mai stepped up onto the dueling field, and didn't even flinch when Marik activated a shadow duel.

"You follow the Pharaoh blindly, yet protest us? We'll show you the error of your ways."

"First off, Yugi isn't actually a Pharaoh. That's just his dueling nickname. He's my friend. You're trying to kill him and his friends. That includes me. I disagree with that. Therefore, I'm protesting you. Second off, Pharaohs don't exist as rulers anymore. You're a few thousand years behind the times. Now I feel a little bad. Apparently you were stuck living under a rock for ages." Nor did she flinch when Marik started wiping people from her memories.

"We'll kill you for mocking us!" Marik raged. "Let's see how much your friends mean to you when you can't remember them!"

"I'm not mocking you. I'm being completely honest here. And what about your friends? Don't you have any? Can't you think of at least one? Not even the other person in your head with you? Wouldn't you be upset if someone tried to do this to you?" She did flinch when she took Ra from Marik and realized she couldn't even read the card's description.

"...A ruler doesn't need friends!" Marik spread his arms wide, "A ruler has subjects!" He laughed.

"What the hell is this!?" She ignored his ranting, and stared at the card. She had a feeling he was lying anyway. "How am I supposed to play a card I can't read!? Where's the official version?"

Marik laughed. A belly aching laugh that dropped him to the floor on his butt. "That is the official card. The official card made by Maximillion Pegasus himself. Its description is in Ancient Egyptian, and a blind peasant like yourself will never be able to play it." He moved so he was kneeling. "We're going to make you burn for thinking you could take our power from us."

That gravely threw off much of her strategy. She almost believed him. Then he tied her up to a literal stone tablet, and she couldn't play a single card. "I know I'm in a duel." She murmured. "This doesn't make sense. Duels aren't this real...The cards aren't real." She pulled her hand holding her cards, but it didn't budge.

"Joey!" An unfamiliar set of voices called out.

A relatively handsome teenage male with blond hair and honey brown eyes suddenly blocked her vision. "Mai!" He called. "Mai!" He pulled at the restraints on her arms.

She looked at him, but she didn't recognize him. "Who...?"

"Ma name's Joey. Joey Wheeler! I'm an amateur duelist playing for fun. We met at the Duelist Kingdom Tournament." The boy turned away and spoke to the referee, a man she could barely remember the name of. It started with an 'F' though. He had short brown hair and was dressed in an immaculate black suit. "Ref! If I hold her cards and play them for her, can she continue?"

The man folded his arms, "I'll allow it, but if I see you looking at any of her cards besides those on her duel disk, she will be immediately disqualified."

"Got it!" The boy, Joey, turned around. "I'll draw and play your cards for you, Mai. Just tell me what to play."

"Why?" She looked at him in confusion.

"I'm your friend. You said you were gonna stop him. Ya gotta beat him. I know you can. Ya just need help right now, and I'm gonna help ya."

"My...friend?..."

"How dare you!" Marik glared at Fuguta. "What is this!?"

Fuguta, the brown haired man, sharply turned to Marik. "I am not Roland, nor am I as polite. You should be disqualified for the previous duel many times over. Once for dealing with fake and stolen dueling cards that are probably littering your deck as we speak. Another for blackmailing another finalist into playing your fake and stolen cards. And yet again for attempting to murder another finalist. Don't get me started on the nonsense going on in this duel. Be glad you can still play, you pompous brat!"

Mai looked at the small crowd standing to her right off the dueling field. They all looked shocked and ecstatic. Three were missing? Or was it two? A tall one was missing. A shorter one that looked a little like a punk rocker was missing too. The ones there started cheering, and calling her name. Were they her friends too? Where were the dice? The thick eyeglasses?

Marik snarled and clouds of black and purple swirled around him. "You'll regret your words."

"With the current ongoing events concerning Duel Academics I'm certain I will, but that time is not now. Shut up and duel." Fuguta turned away from Marik. He raised an arm. "It is currently Mai Valentine's turn. The timer for her turn has been reset due to my disruption. On behalf of Ms. Valentine's current disability, Joey Wheeler will draw and play her cards. Only Ms. Valentine will be allowed to look at her cards unless they are placed on her Duel Disk. If Mr. Wheeler attempts to look at her cards in any other situation or give her advice concerning this duel, Ms. Valentine will immediately forfeit the duel." He dropped his arm. "Five minutes on the clock!"

"Ready?" Joey looked at her.

"Yes." She looked at her trapped arm.

"Mai draws!" Joey shouted as he drew a card from her deck. He took the cards from her other hand and held them out in front of her. "What would you like to do?"

A/N: I always felt it was a little stupid that no one could think to do that for Mai during her duel against Marik, but they all thought to shield her from Ra's attack. Don't tell me Marik's shadow game prevented that either. Mai didn't lose because they shielded her from Ra's attack. She wouldn't have lost because someone else drew and played her cards for her. What would they do in tournaments with an individual with a medical disability preventing them from moving, or if they were missing an arm?