A/N: This is it; the big finale. Nearly a year ago, I started Dragon Duelist on shaky ground. I had created a pair of what I considered VERY cool OCs, but I doubted I could ever find an explainable link to connect them to one important other universe; the universe that would START all my crossover ideas. Then, in the finals of the duelist kingdom tournament, it came to me!
Yami Alpha: Besides inserting a more humanoid version of his so called Ultimate Lifeform self, he put in the best duelist of the Digimon dimension-
Both: RYO AKIYAMA!
Alpha: Sad to say, but looks like I owe him one.
YA: ALL Rukato fans owe him one, Alpha! It's not like dearest Ms. Nonaka would still be kicking, alive or referring to Kazu's butt, without Mr. Perfect saving her hide without permission!
Final Disclaimer: I have never owned Yu-Gi-Oh!, nor do I intend to [too many English dubbers would be screwing my story into oblivion!]. I do, however, own all of my OCs, and their Items, except for the Eye. Gema J. Gall owns Shayla and Martin.
Alpha: Now, we'll all put in our final thanks to all the people who read this fic! Cept' me; you'll see me soon enough anyway. But, since not everyone will be in all of my future crossovers, here's our entire cast!
Yugi: Thanks for standing by us, and applauding when I gained temporary tallness.
Yami: Thanks for support, and not auctioning off my most necessary ownings.
Joey: Thanks for helping us out, and supporting the UnPuppy Movement!
Marik: Thanks for the lack of flames, and abundance of volunteers to be my mind-controlled slaves! *laughs maniacally*
Keith: Thanks for all the good laughs, and for telling me I at least have a FEW fans out there.
Mokuba: Thanks for not trashing my brother too much. And for the funds for my plushie!
Seto: Thanks for nothing, ALL of you! Especially those that think reviews are unimportant.
Mai: Thanks for..... did most of these things actually happen?
Dead Ted, O and K, Paradox Bros., Random people everywhere: Thanks for not acknowledging our existance!
Mike: Thanks for the obvious displays of affec- *gets strangled by Zeph*
Ryo: Thanks for MY obvious rewards of affection, and for those wise enough to be silent about what I've said concerning Rika.
Helios: *grumbles* Thanks for despising me like a real villain, even though my career ends today.
Zera: I STILL haven't been paid, ingratable mortals!
Martin: Umm, thanks for reading.
Shayla: Gema..... Help........
Seth/Sephiroth: noun, synchronym, see Seto.
Prima: Sheesh, can't we just start this stupid fic?
Lara: I'm with her! Then we can get to the epilogue......
Lance: Oh, I can already see Drake collapse from heat!
Max: Thanks for all the flames I forwarded to Helios!
Dragons: *roar appreciatively, then collapse from exhaustion*
Other Millenium Item users: [They actually left already, stupid mysterious creeps......]
Drake: Thank you, everyone who's read our deeds and supporte our adventures! It's only just beginning, thanks to Alpha, so keep your eyes peeled to his lonely fic list for new, more exciting tales!
Roan: Drake....... as much as I'm glad to now be your friend, YOU'RE GIVING HIM A REASON TO TYPE US MORE HORRIBLE EXPERIENCES!
Drake: Yeah, yeah, but at least they're better than just reading other fics!
Alpha: And so, here it is! The final, non-epilogue chapter, of the Fellowship of the Dragoon! Stay tuned for Battle City renditions, and crossovers abound! Goku, would you so the honors?
Goku: Sure! *starts to power up* All right, HERE WE GO! AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
***************************************************************
The crack of dawn. An army of monsters surrounded a fortress that looked like the remains of an ancient, mishapen beast.
Atop a high cliff, several monsters and a handful of empowered humans prepared for battle. The humans were immersed in difficult, last-minute training.
Unknown to any of them, a large rift in the dimensional pattern had been formed. The approaching battle would influence so much, and so many, that fate itself was unprecedently waiting, ready to make any sort of change. Through this great gap, almost all of who it would influence could see.
Within a desolate, barren prison of the Shadow Realm, an entire stadium's worth of people looked up at the hole in their card-like jail.
A yami, an ancient priest, and a human could sense it, though the blue-eyed human was currently using projections of his blue-eyed monsters to reduce his opposition to cowering worms.
A group of people, all failures of a demented contest, watched from within the millionaire teen's building, though also laughing at the screaming oppressors.
Seven others watched, six of them in entirely different dimensions.
Three powerful beings in a world of data watched on. Two hoped for a heroic victory, while the other wished the forces of darkness to conquer.
A blindfolded, green-skinned man looked into one of many glowing crystals, ready to plan his future goals.
A blue-haired man blinked as he stood atop a tall cerulean lighthouse. As his two mailcious companions smirked in pride, he threw a blue stone into a deep crevice, and jumped back as the tower began to shine like the sun.
Something stirred in the darkness of the fourth other dimension. Miles under the earth, a shapeless demon slumbered, feeding off energies from unknowing suppliers. It barely noticed the force, it was too busy regaining its former strength, using the deceived prayers of millions, and its guardians on the world above.
And finally, an evil fully refused to acknowledge this peril. In the dimension where it was actually happening, the monster completely ignored it. If the forces of good won the day, it would merely mean one more swift battle. If Zera won, then its task in this world, in BOTH realms, would be finished as well. It dissapeared in what would be known as a flash, had it not been too dark and terrible for the sun's light to reach.
The outcome simply did not matter.
***************************************************************
A snoozing Skull Stalker heard the first yell. It looked up in time to see the blast of power that shattered him into pieces.
The Shadow Scout that was supposed to have warned the defense let out a strangled cry as one of Yugi's lances went through him.
Thus did the battle begin.
"Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeehaw!" Joey yelled, throwing flame from his sword even as he leaped down.
Or, maybe that began the battle.
Drake finally proved that he did practice martial arts after all. Surrounded by an aura of flame, he burned fiends at a touch, performing complex moves at the same time. He smirked as he pushed off a nearby fiend, igniting it, and using the gained momentum to perform a spinning kick through a small group of Skull Servants.
A MetalZoa suddenly burst through the fortress's opening, just in time to be hurled by Drake into the air. Lara added to the burning hot metal with her own flame, pushing the Fiend into a Blast Sphere.
The Kurama that was prepping said spear was one of the twenty or so caught in the blast. Blue tail feathers burned as they hovered in the air.
The Divine monsters raged through the battlefield, easily gaining them the advantage. Super-War Lion and Chakra clamped hard on the heavier foes, splitting them apart. Garma Sword, Performance of Sword, and Skull Guardian ripped through opponents with complicated sword manuevers, often attacking the most defended spots of the fiends.
Another Fiend trump card burst through the entrance: a very menacing Shadow Goul. Empowered by the uncounted casualties of its allies, it-
Fell to the ground, bursting into brittle pebbles. Shayla smiled as she petrified more enemies, avoiding attacks on her Mystical Sand broomstick.
The Cosmo Queen quickly transformed the molecules of a nearby area, turning it into pure water.
As the Crab Turtle came out, clamping monsters in two, the Fortress Whale blasted countless rounds from its cannon.
The Baron of the Fiend Sword met the blunt end of a Dark Magician's Staff. Yami then blasted several other fiends out of the way, not moving from that same spot.
Yet another secret weapon appeared, a Black Skull Dragon. It hurled a shot toward the Puzzle's spirit.
Suddenly, a HUGE sword burst into the flaming rock, forcing it backward. The Sword and the Stone left a gaping hole in the dragon's back, though none of the fiends under it managed to fit inside the hole as it fell.
Roan's blade flew back to his outstretched hand, and he quickly turned around and swiped the silent Shadow Specter behind him.
Two non-human, un-Divine monsters also pulled their share.
Darien had his unwilling audience tied up in a Chain Destruction, which he promptly hurled in the air. He and Dia combined power, blasting the mass of monsters into dust.
Drake jumped into the air and let loose a massive Starfire Blast, which reduced the remaining enemies to ashes.
Well, almost all of them.
As Yugi shooed a cooing Kuriboh away, Joey said, "That was it?! That barely lasted five minutes!"
"I guess," Drake answered, looking toward the Fortress, "but now we have something else to worry about."
"True," Simon agreed, floating over from his 'vantage point' on the cliff. "We must be very careful now. we can't jus-"
They had entered the Fortress. The Cosmo Queen burst into dust.
"AGGGGGH!" Lara screamed, jumping- I don't really need to finish that.
"What happened!?" stammered Drake as he let Lara down.
"It appears to be a barrier that is terminal to Divine types," Skull Guardian observed from the outside. "Argh. Zera has wisened up since our last battle. I'm afraid you'll have to do this on your own."
"Exactly....." came a hoarse whisper. The group turned to see the malformed Lord of Zemia behind them.
The doorway dissapeared. Simon, who had actually been outside, stared as the Fortress was covered in darkness.
"Great..." he groaned, "Those kids, all alone, the world at stake..... I'm too old for this crap."
***************************************************************
Roan growled as they faced Zemia. "I suppose that barrier is YOUR handiwork, trickster?"
"You bet!" he cackled evilly. "My, Buster, how pathetically innocent you seem to have become. I wonder... would you care to guess what's happened since you were gone? Your little fangirl seems to enjoy the torture chambers..."
"Beautiful Headhuntress!?" he yelled, then scowled as his blade swiped through thin air.
"I'm afraid you'll have to do better than that," the fiend said, reappearing. "My job is over, strike me down if you desire, Zera's back! Not one of you has the strength to destroy him, but go ahead: Add me to your list of victims, Slade!"
"Fine," Roan spat, causing the LoZ to widen his eyes in surprise.
"No, wait, I didn't me- AHHHHH!!" he screamed as he split in two.
Buster grimaced as he stepped up, then looked to the path in front of them, which split into three halls.
"The torture room is to the left, sorry guys but I have to help her!" he yelled, before running down the path.
"Wait, Roan!" Yugi called, before sighing, asking in spite of himself, "What way leads to Zera?"
Drake thought for a moment, before throwing two rocks down both other paths. The right one burst the rock into flames, while the middle did nothing.
"Well, that settles that," he sighed, turning to Dia. "I doubt they'll need our help much, why don't we help Roan?"
"Splitting up? Sounds like a bad idea, which most likely means it's right!" Dia smiled. "Let's do it."
That left the six other humans looking to the middle path.
"Well, I think we have our only choice in front of us," Lara sighed.
"Seems that way," Shayla agreed, before giving one glance to the left path again.
"Let's do it," Yami said briefly, which the others were thankful for. They didn't really want to stand much more in their minds at the moment.
The humans walked through their chosen path, eventually reaching a small room. It resulted in a newer corridor, filled with mostly darkness, but every ten feet there was a pillar. There were seven total.
"This seems a bit too easy," Yami stated, waving his staff in front of the mirror. Nothing happened.
"Then again, maybe that's a goo- WHOA!"
The mirror suddenly left the pillar, expanded so that it could be looked in by all of them, and they gasped.
Their images had suddenly changed, and greatly at that. All of them looked to be wearing luxurious jewelry, and fine clothes fit for rulers. They had their faces in the air, refusing to look at each other.
While the others could only stare, the Wardrobe Resistant Shayla used her Duel Monster eyesight to look at the label of the mirror.
"Vanity..... come on, is that the best they can do?"
The mirror shattered, its pieces disappearing in light.
"Uhh, what just happened?" Joey asked, before anyone else could.
Shayla sighed slightly, "Seeing as how there are six other mirrors, and that just said VANITY on the front, these mirrors are trying to confuse us."
"With what?" Lara asked, bitterly remembering the ugly Queen's robes her image cast.
"Zera's trying to make us believe we're seeing our real selves. What these mirrors are portraying us doing are the seven deadly sins!"
"Argh, so much for the matter of luck, then," Drake groaned.
They moved on, keeping their eyes closed, with only a few inturruptions. [Lara sadly broke at LUST, and after getting an eyeful, regretted trying to see Drake when the others were nearby.]
***************************************************************
Roan slashed through the final guard, then quickly cut the lock off the only occupied cell.
The Beautiful Headhuntress was definetly worse for the wear. She was colored by several bruises, her kimono was torn in several un-wanted areas, and her hair had fallen out of her ponytail. This caused Roan to flush slightly, as the complete appearance actually made her look very beautiful, indeed.
Seeing that she was unconscious, he carefully lifted her into his arms, and started carrying her off.
"Nice form, Mr. Link!" Darien joked as they started toward the entrance.
"Ignore the Zelda-loving idiot, lets get out of here!" Dia groaned.
"We can't yet," Roan interjected." We have to save her sister, the Warrior of Tradition!"
"She has a sister?!" Darien joked. Dia, however, was not amused. Darien would spend the next few weeks with a smashed helmet and a red bump on his head.
***************************************************************
"Well, I'll give this to Zera: he knows how to annoy his guests," Drake groaned as they entered a hallway exactly like the previous one, except without mirrors.
The others couldn't voice their opinions, as they were too startled by the event that happened immediately after Drake spoke.
Shayla dissapeared in a flash of light, a glowing hole underneath her shrinking into nothing afterward.
As the others looked on with open mouths, Lara bashed him on the head. "DRAKE! Can't you ever shut up?"
"Yeah, everytime we say these kinda things, something worse happens!" Joey griped.
Immediately, a loud roar sounded from within the chamber, and a pair of gleaming red eyes shone from the right.
If looks could kill, Joey would be a cross between a pile of sludge and a speck of dust, and his soul would be jammed in the narrowest entrance to heck.
"You three go!" Yugi said, motioning to Drake, Lara, and Joey. "Yami and I will take care of this!"
"No way!" Drake protested. "We won't leave you guys!"
"Yugi's right!" Yami yelled, positioning himself. "You three need to go on and face Zera! There's every chance we won't be able to win this fight!"
"Exactly! We should-" Drake started, before Lara grabbed his shoulder.
"Drake, they're right. Besides, they can take whatever this is! We need to go on!"
"But! I...." He struggled to try and find the words to fit what he was trying to say.
"Enough talk, let's go!" Joey yelled, taking one last look at the two remaining before running ahead.
Lara followed, immediately proceeded by a reluctant Dragoon.
Yugi glanced at Yami, who nodded silently. Though the two had only known each other a few short weeks, and Yugi only aquainted with the Puzzle for a couple of months, they both felt they could do this, if they worked together.
They charged forth, leaving the others to combat the evil that had caused all of this.
***************************************************************
Zera didn't move as he heard Helios run up to him.
"Master! They're here!"
"I know, fool. You think the noise of my army's demise wasn't proof enough?"
Helios growled, slightly embarassed. "But they're closing in! There's only two more rooms seperating them from here!"
"Then go defend the last room, Helios!" Zera spat. "I shall prepare for your probable failure. That reminds me...."
Suddenly, the tyrant plunged his hand into the darkness across from him, and lifted, by the neck, the Warrior of Tradition into the air.
"I've known of your treachery since day one, you daliant harlot. It seems my waiting until now to show you your consequence was a tad arrogant on my part. No matter, 'twas a simple miscalculation, with a simple solution!"
He threw the choking bladeswoman across the room, into a deeper darkness. A sickening crunching sound and a scream signified her contact with a wall.
Helios flinched, but quickly recovered. "I shall destroy the fools, my liege. You can count on that."
"I never was good with numbers," Zera said, to Helios's comeuppance. "Go, before I decide to subtract you from the problem I now face!"
***************************************************************
Seto Kaiba grinned as the police car took the five away, and, swirling the key he had acquired from them, he walked back into the mansion.
*You still should have kept your eye on the thief: he escaped in the confusion!* Seth complained.
"He isn't a problem right now," Seto said, reaching the hidden door the groveling fools had told him of. "Besides, it will take a lot more than a pickpocket to make ME fall to the ground!"
At that moment, a brown-haired girl appeared on the air, fell on to him, and resulted in him falling to the ground after all.
"Oops, I'm sorry, I didn't mean for that to happen!" Shayla hastily apoligized, standing up. She was fully human again, and her Scales' power had gone blank. She could no longer see, and had no idea who she had smashed to the floor.
"I would ask you how the heck that happened, if I wasn't preoccupied," Kaiba growled as he stood up. "Hey, weren't you in the Shadow Realm?"
"That's what I'd like to know," she grumbled, still slightly confused. "I hope Yugi and the others are alright."
"I wouldn't worry about them," Seto sighed, slipping the key into the lock. "Millennium duelists seem to be able to take care of themselves. Heck, I've never beaten one, though it's true cheating had some factor in a few duels."
The wall he had unlocked slid to the side, revealing several familiar faces on the floor.
"Big brother!" Mokuba cried, jumping from his spot of the floor. "You're here! {Jeez, I have to say that a lot!}"
"Sure am, little bro!" Seto smiled, embracing his little brother. "Is everyone else here, too?"
"Darn tootin', we are," Keith griped. "How long did it take you to figure that out? Hopefully not as long as it took to find us, our your genius must be leaking out."
"I'm here, too," Mike said, sitting back down. "No one with a Millenium Item seems to be here. There was this strange, white-haired girl, but she disappeared a few days ago."
"And what's this?" Kaiba asked, looking at the swirling image in front of them.
"Heck if I know, but it seems to be showing some place in the Shadow Realm," Mike answered, turning back to the picture of the Skull Fortress.
"It must be where Yugi and the others are!" Seto said, also sitting down.
As the small group watched, [except for Shayla] a helicopter took off from the roof, silenced by the many stories the building had above them.
Ryou smirked as he guided the pilot's direction at Ring-point. {While the others are busy, there's a group of unguarded bodies at Duelist Kingdom! The Mant may win the battle, but I'll be one step closer to winning the war!}
***************************************************************
Drake looked around. The new room they were in was finally different, modeled in the form of a real, ancient coliseum.
"This doesn't bode well," Lara whispered, looking around. "Especially considering the last coliseum we were in."
"Man, can't anything be easy?" Joey asked. "It's getting too repetitive, and I can't tell if that's good or bad!"
Drake looked down. He didn't really hear them, he was too busy with the thoughts in his head.
*Drake, I know you have some problems with this, but you can do it!*
*Lance, I don't think you get it! We're about to fight a great evil for the fate of the earth, and my form's the strongest! That makes me, by some sick, twisted rule, the leader!*
*So?*
*SO, I'm not cut out for this! Yami's the one who lead us before, and he was exceptional at it! He had years of experience, or at least it seemed like it! I don't think I can handle this responsibility: What if I mess up? What if I make a wrong decision? What if-*
*What if we stand here all day and LET Zera win? Get this stupid idea that you're a failure out of your head, Drake! I've been trying, but it seems impossible to get into your stone-enforced head what should be obvious to everyone: YOU. ARE. A. FRICKIN'. GOOD. FIGHTER! You can lead, and you can suceed at doing it too! Did you give up when Helios forced Lara out of your life?*
*N-n-no!*
*Did you let yourself fall short of victory when Ryou was trouncing your dragons, and it seemed like you would lose me, and forfeit Bakura's freedom?*
*No way!*
*Then get the frickin' lead out, and go save the stupid world, you idiot!*
*HOW did you become my motivational Millennium Speaker, again?*
*When you get bored in Limbo, you'll sign anything.*
*........*
*Just kidding! Now, MOVE!*
"Ah, how I love listening to those private conversations you have, Drakey-boy!"
By instinct, Drake looked around as soon as he heard that stupid nickname.
"Helios, where are you?" he demanded. Joey and Lara looked around too.
"Perhaps the appropriate question should be, where are you? Stalking around this Fortress without permission? My, you ARE such a naughty little boy!"
"Can it, jerk, just show yourself so that we can fight!"
"Very well! You're long overdue for a good spanking, anyway!"
A loud roar was heard, and Helios descended.
***************************************************************
Meanwhile, Yugi and Yami were having a rough time. Panting, they both looked to see their scratchless opponant leer at them.
It was a dragon, but not any dragon that they had encountered in a duel. It was truly the stuff of fairy tales, large and majestic, it's scales a brownish red. It was exactly the same height as a Blue Eyes, and stood erect with a human-like intelligence brimming in it's red eyes: Eyes that actually looked human, as well.
"Well, nice knowing you, Yami," Yugi grunted, twinging from the multiple burns on his body.
Yami groaned as he tried to sit up, his tattered purple robe mostly burned off, his armor in several pieces all over the floor.
Suddenly, a loud voice said, "REALLY, IS THAT THE BEST YOU CAN DO?"
The two looked up, and noticed it was the dragon speaking.
"NOW, I ENJOY A GOOD LUNCHEON AS MUCH AS THE NEXT DRAGON, BUT I CAN'T KILL OPPONENTS WHO ARE TOO WEAK TO EVEN FIGHT BACK!"
"You...aren't going to fry us?" Yami asked, quite taken aback.
"NO. THERE WOULD BE NO HONOR IN DEFEATING YOU NOW. *grumble* I HATE THIS STUPID JOB."
Yugi, confused, asked, "What? You don't like working for Zera?"
"WHO DOES? I, IN FACT, AM MUCH STRONGER THAN THAT STUPID MANT, BUT I HAVE TO WORK FOR HIM BECAUSE OF A STUPID BET I LOST."
"A bet?" Yami asked, disbelievingly.
"YES. HE AND I WAGERED AGAINST EACH OTHER THAT THE MORTAL WITH ALL THREE BLUE EYES WHITE DRAGONS WOULD WIN A DUEL WITH SOME UN-NAMED KID. IF I EVER GET MY HANDS ON THAT SHRIMP, THERE'LL BE ONE LARGE BARBEQUE!"
Both aforementioned 'shrimps' sweatdropped. "You seem to be more intelligent than most dragons, though."
"I SHOULD SAY SO! I AM THE TYRANT DRAGON, AND EVEN THOUGH I'VE BEEN TIED TO THIS BET FOR SO LONG, I BELIEVE TODAY MAY BE THE DAY ZERA IS DESTROYED, SO I'M LEAVING. I CAN TAKE YOU TWO OUT WITH ME, ON ONE CONDITION!"
"What's the condition?" both asked simultaneously.
"I WILL TURN INTO A CARD AFTERWORDS, AND YOU MUST GIVE ME TO A DUELIST WHO WILL RESPECT AND HONOR ME, AS WELL AS USE ME TO MY FULL POTENTIAL IN A DUEL. OF COURSE, THAT KIND OF PERSON MAY BE TOO HARD FOR YOU TO-"
"Actually, that may be the easiest thing we can do," Yami smirked.
***************************************************************
Helios stood tall, riding his mighty beast. All three heads of the Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon roared, looking toward Drake. Helios, wearing the armor of the Black Luster Soldier, sneered at his hikari's son. He was the Dragon Master Knight.
"Uh, Drake? How are we going to do this, again?" Lara asked, stammering.
"Jeez, I thought his EGO was big enough, but....." Joey started.
Drake bared his teeth. "Helios! Enough games, we need to settle this here and now!"
"Too true, this bitter exchange has gone on long enough! However, I will miss your pathetic attempts at gaining independance, Drakey-boy!"
Drake quickly turned to the others. "Lara, Joey, get out of here. I have to fight him alone!"
"ARE YOU INSANE!?" Lara yelled, half-resisting the urge to slap him. "You'll be creamed! I couldn't bear living without you for three years, how am I supposed to wait a lifetime?"
"Lara's right! I'm not gonna stand by while you get blasted to bits!" Joey protested. "We're helping, too!"
"JUST GO!" Drake yelled, startling them both. "This is my fight, he's responsible for EVERYTHING that's gone wrong with my life since I was 12. I will NOT let him get away with it."
Both were silent, before reluctantly moving into an out of the way corner.
"All this bravery, all of this sacrifice, really, Drakey-boy, what makes you DO these stupid things?"
"You really never DO look in a mirror, do you?" Drake asked, gripping his fists. "You're the reason, the reason I've done all this! Without you, we'd never be in the Shadow Realm, and I wouldn't have spent the last three years hating my own father!"
"And now you've come here, to rescue him?" Helios chuckled. "How sad. Drakey lives his whole life as a lie, and now he seeks the truth! You always did make me laugh, son!"
"I'M NOT YOUR SON, YOU FREAK!" Drake screamed, throwing his fist up in rage. "I'm going to kill you, save my father, and then save the entire frickin' world! After that, I'll make sure to bury your body in some dung covered pigsty, with half the dictionary of a rapper written on your headstone! I'm saving my father's life, and ending yours, TODAY!"
At this, Helios finally went silent in the volley of insults. His normally arrogant face suddenly twisted into a temented sneer. He looked more evil than ever in those moments, and the dragon didn't help.
"You foolish boy.... How ignorant you prove yourself to be every suceeding day..."
"What do you mean?" Drake demanded, confused.
"You can't save your father's life, there's nothing left to save!"
"WHAT?!" came the shockd reply of the other three humans in the room.
"True, my stupid hikari is alive and well, but your father, and for that matter, ANY relations you have, aren't! Haven't you ever wondered, fool, or even tried asking yourself?"
Lara got it first, and gasped, silent tears starting to form.
Drake slowly understood. He had never heard anything about his mother, not even her name. Also, except for the rich red eyes and determined personality they sometimes had, he was almost nothing like his father.
"I see. I'm adopted," Drake said slowly, causing Joey to get it and gasp in surprise as well.
"That's right, idiot!" Helios cackled. "Your real parents vanished of the face of the earth, according to that low-life orphanage Pegasus found you in! You were only a few months old, and the pathetic fool took pity on you. Such a confused fool, he actually believed he could get over the death of his wife by finding another person to care about! Mortals never seem to cease their stupidity, the man actually DID start caring for you, that's when I knew his weakness was slipping, and I had to take him!"
Drake remained silent for a long time. Finally, he smiled, and said, "Thanks, Helios."
"WHAT?!" came the reply again.
"If you hadn't spilled this to me, I might have never known. Now I have twice the reason to beat you to a pulp!"
"What are you talking about?" Helios growled, confused. "I've just told you that your father-figure has lied to you your entire life, and that you've experienced self-rage of being his son for nothing! HOW can you possibly thank me?!"
"Because now I know he cared for me, and adopted ME. I know he tried his best to give me a good life, and I helped him try to have one, too! He IS my father, because he cares for me! And no difference in blood will change that! You've just signed your own death certificate, Heli!"
A moment of deadly silence followed.
"So be it. Come, my 'son'," Helios whispered, before screwing his face up in rage. "Come, and experience true pain!"
***************************************************************
Ryou quickly ran through the abandoned hallways of the Duelist Kingdom's castle.
"In a few short moments, all of my elaborate plans will no longer be necessary! Two Millennium items, and two with the power to match a real one, will soon be mine! THEN, no one will stand against my power, and the rest of the real items will soon be mine!"
He reached his destination. The waiting room was vacant, except for five people who were currently deeply out of it. Yugi was out cold on the table, and Joey's rotating chair had carried him into a corner with the momentum.
Ignoring the others, Ryou stepped over Lara and Drake, who, in a Romeo and Juliet fashion, had collapsed on each other. Sitting on a throne-like chair was the unconscious form of Pegasus.
Just as he was about to take the Eye, Ryou suddenly realized the obvious. "Helios would not be as blind as this. There must be a few traps woven with dark energy. This will require a different tactic."
***************************************************************
Helios pulled the rein of his beast, and the dragon lurched forward, all three mouths open. Drake quickly took off, barely avoiding losing a wing from the left head.
Helios threw a Chaos Blade attack, which Drake sharply dodged. Drake then countered with a Starfire Blast, which Helios deflected with his blade.
Each dragon shot a White Lightning, and met a Fire Wall around Drake. As the wall disappeared, Drake flew around the beast, only to come face-to-face with another Chaos Blade.
"Give it up! You can't even get enough time to attack, and barely have the speed to dodge!" Helios laughed. "How do you think you can win against the strongest dragon in Duel Monsters?!"
"The strongest dragon? Not quite!" Drake yelled, dodging another attack, "The rider is the monster here, and that's YOU! And while your breath may match it, you definetly aren't a dragon!"
"Watch what you say, Drake, you're a dragon too!"
Drake couldn't reply for the barrage of attacks that were coming in every direction. The dragons seemed to know where to shoot, and Drake was doing more braking than dodging.
Suddenly, that gave him an idea. He burst forward, moving up before he hit the ground. All three heads had lunged when he neared the floor, and all three smashed into the ground.
At the speed he was going, Drake couldn't stop or turn. The speed, however, would easily strengthen the punch he had ready, and Helios would be finished.
Helios, taking careful timing, aimed his blade.....
***************************************************************
"Ryou, you ARE a genius! By putting a piece of my soul into the Puzzle, I can keep exploiting it's strengths if the Eye assaults me! And if the Eye destroys this body completely, the copy of my memory that I placed in one of Yugi's friends will allow me to control the person, and take the Puzzle anyway!"
Laughing evilly, the yami pulled out the Eye with great effort. There was a blinding flash of light...........
***************************************************************
And threw his hands to his eye, which suddenly erupted with a fire-like pain.
Drake hit him with perfect accuracy, spinning off down to the floor when he did. Helios smashed into the wall, and fell the full 20 feet down to the floor.
"Yay! Drake did it!" Lara cheered, running over to her boyfriend. Drake, tired but happy, smiled as he pulled Lara into his embrace.
Helios reverted to human, and Pegasus appeared beside him, who quickly looked up, confused.
"Dad! You're okay!" Drake cheered, running over to him.
"Drake, I-oof!" Pegausus breathed as Drake hugged him.
"Dad I...I know the truth now. But I wan't you to know, I still think of you as a father, no matter what! Helios told me everything, and I'm glad he did! Thank you, father!"
Lara and Joey smiled. Except for the time when they learned Helios was controlling Pegasus, they had never seen Drake so happy. Seeing him hug the guy they had once considered an enemy WAS kinda weird, but Pegasus's actions had been explained.
"W....why?" Came a stuttered cry from the ground. Helios was moaning, his body slowly dissapearing. While Pegasus had his Eye, Helios's was gone, leaving only an empty socket that was brimming with fading light.
"I...I tried to rule the world...just like my ancestors....It was my RIGHT! They had always succeeded, and I was on the verge of doing it with eternal life! Why did I have to fail...."
Drake stepped up, smirking at the remainders of his foe. "Because you ticked me off. Word of advice: NEVER tick a Dragon Duelist off!"
"C...c-c-c-curse you...E..t..e..r..n..a...l....D..u..e..l...i...s...t...." whispered nothing more than air, as Helios faded to nothing. The words were too soft for anyone to hear, but if they had heard, they would have heard a phrase uttered countless other times in the past, at every death of every dueling dictator.
"What did he say?" Joey asked. The others shooked their heads, confused.
"Dad, you'd better get going, this still isn't over," Drake said, concerned.
"All right, I suppose that's for the best," Pegasus sighed. "Be careful, Drake, I don't want saving each other to become a necessary tradition!"
Drake laughed as he, Lara, and Joey ran into the final chamber.
***************************************************************
The final chamber was large, empty, and dark. As they entered, Drake heard a familiar voice moaning.
The Warrior of Tradition was lying, pale, and very pained, in an unnatural position.
"Ack! This is where I come in," Lara said, placing her fingertips on the Warrior's skin. They glowed a bright red, and in an instant, the Warrior was fully healed.
"Wh-what? How did you do that?" she asked. Drake fully recognized the voice now.
"Hey, you're the one who warned me about Zera before!" Drake said, smiling. "I'd say thanks, but I get the feeling that it isn't needed now."
"True, fool. In fact, thanks is the last thing you should give her, considering it brought you here, to your demise.
They all turned to the owner of the horrid voice. The creature was tall, it's body like blue armor. It had an elongated face, like a crocadile's, and it's red eyes were reflected by the dramatic cape it wore. It's claws were very intimidating, as was it's bulky, jagged build.
"You must be Zera." Drake said, slightly shocked but unafraid.
"What an incredible gesture, Mr. Pegasus. It's quite queer how you can be so deductive, and yet you can be so incredible blind to the truth around you!"
"Hey, Drake's paid for his mistakes, and your about to recieve the check!" Joey snapped.
"Ah, the pup speaks out. It's to bad the one you're fighting for won't be able to see you fall. Oh, sorry, pardon the pun!" The Mant cackled.
"You won't beat us!" Lara yelled. "Not only are we the good guys, as you may or may not have noticed, but we don't waste time showing off with big words! I can't tell if even that mouth is big enough for them, or the head!"
"And of course, the literal, and figurative, dragonlady. Tell me, how does your boyfriend get up in the morning? I imagine he has several whip scars...."
The Warrior of Tradition had ran out, knowing she wasn't going to do much except get in the way. For a moment, both sides gleared at the other, Zera's burning eyes matching the three other pairs.
Then...
All three jumped for the Mant at high speed.
Reacting quickly, Zera grab Joey's sword, span him around with it, knocking Drake and Lara back, then throwing it and Joey in the opposite direction.
Drake opened his wings, using the momentum to pull himself into the air. He turned around, then attempted the move that finished Helios.
Zera dodged, which resulted in Drake craching into the ground. Chuckling, the Mant kicked him over in another direction.
"Pathetic." Zera said, looking at the group pick themselves up. " I'm not even going on the offensive, and you can't injure me in the least.
He then caught the blade Joey threw toward him in mid-sentence, and casually tossed it back with impaling speed.
Lara barely shot it out of the way, then sped for Zera. He countered this easily, spinning her around by the leg much the same way he had with the sword.
She crashed into the wall, and struggled to get up.
Zera lifted a finger, blocking the jab Drake used. At that range, Drake attempted a kick, which Zera jumped over, kicking Drake backwards as he did so.
"You three are powerless against me! How can you really expect to win?"
That's when he noticed. Drake, Lara, and Joey were all charging their energy.
"Flaming Sword of Battle!" "Dragon Maiden Flash!" "Starfire Blast!"
The Mant was quickly engulfed in a sea of fire and red light.
The three humans, exhausted, watched the fire nervously. Then all three gasped in fear, as the energy converged into a sphere, held in the Mant's hand.
"Thanks for the gift, but I'm not interested." He turned to Lara, grinning darkly." Catch!"
Drake's heart froze in the next few seconds. Though the moments that followed were agonizingly long, he couldn't even see the energy move before it exploded. Lara screamed, then a bright light blocked their vision.
When the light dimmed, Lara was on the ground, burnt and unmoving.
Drake and Lance fused forms, but tehy hardly noticed. They sped toward her, not seeing Zera jump in his way as he did.
There was no contest. Zera was shoved out of the way by a close-range blast that made Drake's face burn, but he felt nothing.
"Please......no......." he sobbed cradling her head in his arms. " Lara........Prima.......you two can't leave us......you can't....."
Zera roared as he jumped up from the ground. A human had damaged him. A HUMAN!
"I won't let it end this way...I promise you......"
Drake's face then turned emotionless. He stepped up, and turned around to face the Mant.
"It's over. You've done too much damage, and caused too much pain, to be allowed to walk amongst the living. I'm going to end this, now."
"And what makes you think you can do it, mortal!" The Mant bellowed." I am Zera, ruler of the Fiends! You cannot defy my will!"
"Let's see about that-SMASH."
That was the speed that Drake slammed his fist into Zera, causing him to cry out in pain.
The beast retaliated furiously, slamming his fist down. The fist was stuck in the grund, though, as Drake had already jumped away.
Drake got an idea. He quickly charged energy, and shot a volley of multiple, small blasts, each one concentrated enough to be as strong as a normal-sized attack.
Zera screamed through the pain, finally getting his fist free, which caused the impact of the blasts to push him into the air.
Drake jumped up, and started smacking Zera around with every punch-kick combo he knew. When he finally stopped, he flew to the ground about ten feet away from Zera, ready for the final strike.
The beast managed to get up, and saw Drake's body glowing with the energy of an attack, only it was covering him entirely.
"My newest attack.....my strongest attack........let's see your will match this! DRAGON DRIVER!"
If anyone looked close enough, they would see Drake jumping toward the Mant at incredible speed, surrounded by a glowing, burning light. However, the only thing anyone saw was the hole Drake left in Zera's stomach, spinning and landing as the energy dissapated.
The beast's eyes went dim, and it fell to the floor, never to come up again.
Drake broke down." Lara, I'm so sorry! I failed, I was right: I'm not a leader!"
*Prima..... I never knew how much it could hurt...... I died on you last time ,but now........ I'm so sorry, my love.....*
"Drake, what's wrong? You just defeated Zera the Mant, you should be happy!"
Drake, startled, grinned weakly." Great, I've already started to hear her voice."
"Started? I hope you don't plan on quitting any time soon!"
Shocked, Drake turned around.
A radiant beauty looked down to him, smiling. Granted, a radiant beauty who needed a bath, as well as some un-burnt clothes, but a live beauty.
"LARA!" Drake yelled in joy, and before she could speak he was on is feet, had her in his arms, and had her halfway to the floor in the most passionate kiss he had ever given her.
"How did you do it? I thought you were dead..." Drake asked softly, running his hand threw her silky[albeit sooty] hair.
"I don't know....' Lara answered weakly, immersed in the intimacy. "The last thing I remember was a big, bright light..."
"Which is what I'm seeing now." Came Joey's voice from the floor." I'm tempted to go into it, so can someone please help me?"
Lara reluctantly let go of Drake, and healed Joey.
Looking around the slowly brightening room, Drake sighed.
***************************************************************
About a day later, the entire group met near the field where they had first entered the Shadow Realm. All those in the real world [except for the ever mysterious Millenium Holders] came for the final few moments in the unique world.
It was a warm reunion, to speak for most of it. Tea gave both Yami and Yugi an embarrassing hug, around the same time Mai bopped Joey on the head for 'leaving her' to lose her soul with the audience.
"Well, is everyone ready to go?" Pegasus asked, avoiding another bout of adoration and questioning from Duke. His cheerleaders were debating their job, and wondering if they could work for that Marik guy they had seen.
"Not yet." Roan answered as Zeph, Warrior of Tradition, and Beautiful Headhuntress came into the clearing. All three had decided to live in the Real World: Zeph to be with her boyfriend, and the two warriors because their old home was nothing more than an empty skull.
All Millenium Items glowed, and Drake and the others gave one final look to the dark, yet strangly entertaining world, they were leaving behind.
***************************************************************
Several hours of partying followed. Bakura apparantly was unharmed, lying unconscious next to the others. Of course, no one realized he hed fallen facedown, not faceup.............
Yugi/Yami got the duel they had tried so hard for, and whipped Drake's dad with ease. They were presented with the card called The Ties of Friendship, and the title that was soon to be coveted by all, or at least most, the King of Games.
Drake recieved a rare and powerful card from Yugi, the Tyrant Dragon. For some reason, he felt as though he had always had it, and immediately liked it. Yes, he pulled another fave card switch, but he kept one Red Eyes in his deck, his favorite, the one that won him most of his Eliminator duels.
All too soon, however, it was time to go. Croquet supervised the forklift that placed Kaiba's copter on the homebound ship.
"Well, I guess that this is goodbye. I'm sorry, again, for all the trouble I've caused." Pegasus said to the group.
"Think nothing of it, my friend, you've been forgiven! I hope we meet again, you're the only guy that ever beats me anymore!" Solomon laughed.
Yugi smiled. He was at his normal height now, but he felt even taller than he had been. With Yami back as a part of him, both he and the ancient duelist knew they could conquer anything that came their way.
The boat was ready, and all who were leaving stepped on, except for Yugi. He quickly joined with Yami, and looked to his new friends.
"Drake, Lara, Pegasus, Roan, AND ANYONE ELSE WHO'S WATCHING!" He yelled, startling several Eliminators out of trees and shrubbery.
"Anyway, I want all of you to know that the events that took place here, and in the Shadow Realm, will never leave my mind. Pegasus, Roan, I forgive you both of any crimes you've commited against me and my friends, and hope I can cal you allies again in the future. Lara, that duel in the Shadow Realm was truly a challenge, and I hope to fight with you, and beside you, again one day."
Here, he turned to Drake, hand outstretched.
"And Drake, I know that I've been given the title, King of Games, and I vow to wear it with pride. However, the deeds you have commited far out-weigh mine so far, and I for one believe it is an ill-earned title. I greatly hope our paths will cross again. Maybe we can actually duel one-on-one! Then, we can truly decide which of us is King of Games!"
Drake grinned happily, shaking his hand. "I'm sure we will, my friend! I'll never forget you, the others, or anything you've done for me! Til next we meet, seeya later!"
Yugi grinned, and suddenly the ship started sailing. "Oops!"
"Great. Don't worry, I'll call it back!" Drake started.
"No need. After all, when have I ever failed?" Yugi joked, the JUMPED of the cliff, landing perfectly on the boat.
Drake chuckled as the boat sailed away. He and those left on the island watched as the boat dissapeared into the sunset.
In fact, Drake remained at the spot as the others went in, the Eliminators perticularly glad that Yugi had left.
"So, what did you want to talk about?" Drake asked as Simon Muran appeared and apprached him.
"First of all, I'm very proud of you. You've done permanantly what took two divine's lives to do temporarily! Zera is gone forever!"
"Anything else?" Drake asked, before grabbing a card quickly thrown at him.
"Mirror Wall!? This is so rare, even my dad won't give me one! Of course, I HAVE sworn him off from giving me any cards directly, but-"
"In ancient times, only the pure of heart could wield this card." Simon interjected." Only the greatest. And you have proven yourself worthy of it, in my opinion. Use it well, and may it, like a mirror, always remind you of what you truly are."
He then dissapeared.
Drake smiled, then waled into the castle.
For the first time in his life, he felt totally relieved.
***************************************************************
TO BE EPILOGUED/CONTINUED
Yami Alpha: Besides inserting a more humanoid version of his so called Ultimate Lifeform self, he put in the best duelist of the Digimon dimension-
Both: RYO AKIYAMA!
Alpha: Sad to say, but looks like I owe him one.
YA: ALL Rukato fans owe him one, Alpha! It's not like dearest Ms. Nonaka would still be kicking, alive or referring to Kazu's butt, without Mr. Perfect saving her hide without permission!
Final Disclaimer: I have never owned Yu-Gi-Oh!, nor do I intend to [too many English dubbers would be screwing my story into oblivion!]. I do, however, own all of my OCs, and their Items, except for the Eye. Gema J. Gall owns Shayla and Martin.
Alpha: Now, we'll all put in our final thanks to all the people who read this fic! Cept' me; you'll see me soon enough anyway. But, since not everyone will be in all of my future crossovers, here's our entire cast!
Yugi: Thanks for standing by us, and applauding when I gained temporary tallness.
Yami: Thanks for support, and not auctioning off my most necessary ownings.
Joey: Thanks for helping us out, and supporting the UnPuppy Movement!
Marik: Thanks for the lack of flames, and abundance of volunteers to be my mind-controlled slaves! *laughs maniacally*
Keith: Thanks for all the good laughs, and for telling me I at least have a FEW fans out there.
Mokuba: Thanks for not trashing my brother too much. And for the funds for my plushie!
Seto: Thanks for nothing, ALL of you! Especially those that think reviews are unimportant.
Mai: Thanks for..... did most of these things actually happen?
Dead Ted, O and K, Paradox Bros., Random people everywhere: Thanks for not acknowledging our existance!
Mike: Thanks for the obvious displays of affec- *gets strangled by Zeph*
Ryo: Thanks for MY obvious rewards of affection, and for those wise enough to be silent about what I've said concerning Rika.
Helios: *grumbles* Thanks for despising me like a real villain, even though my career ends today.
Zera: I STILL haven't been paid, ingratable mortals!
Martin: Umm, thanks for reading.
Shayla: Gema..... Help........
Seth/Sephiroth: noun, synchronym, see Seto.
Prima: Sheesh, can't we just start this stupid fic?
Lara: I'm with her! Then we can get to the epilogue......
Lance: Oh, I can already see Drake collapse from heat!
Max: Thanks for all the flames I forwarded to Helios!
Dragons: *roar appreciatively, then collapse from exhaustion*
Other Millenium Item users: [They actually left already, stupid mysterious creeps......]
Drake: Thank you, everyone who's read our deeds and supporte our adventures! It's only just beginning, thanks to Alpha, so keep your eyes peeled to his lonely fic list for new, more exciting tales!
Roan: Drake....... as much as I'm glad to now be your friend, YOU'RE GIVING HIM A REASON TO TYPE US MORE HORRIBLE EXPERIENCES!
Drake: Yeah, yeah, but at least they're better than just reading other fics!
Alpha: And so, here it is! The final, non-epilogue chapter, of the Fellowship of the Dragoon! Stay tuned for Battle City renditions, and crossovers abound! Goku, would you so the honors?
Goku: Sure! *starts to power up* All right, HERE WE GO! AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
***************************************************************
The crack of dawn. An army of monsters surrounded a fortress that looked like the remains of an ancient, mishapen beast.
Atop a high cliff, several monsters and a handful of empowered humans prepared for battle. The humans were immersed in difficult, last-minute training.
Unknown to any of them, a large rift in the dimensional pattern had been formed. The approaching battle would influence so much, and so many, that fate itself was unprecedently waiting, ready to make any sort of change. Through this great gap, almost all of who it would influence could see.
Within a desolate, barren prison of the Shadow Realm, an entire stadium's worth of people looked up at the hole in their card-like jail.
A yami, an ancient priest, and a human could sense it, though the blue-eyed human was currently using projections of his blue-eyed monsters to reduce his opposition to cowering worms.
A group of people, all failures of a demented contest, watched from within the millionaire teen's building, though also laughing at the screaming oppressors.
Seven others watched, six of them in entirely different dimensions.
Three powerful beings in a world of data watched on. Two hoped for a heroic victory, while the other wished the forces of darkness to conquer.
A blindfolded, green-skinned man looked into one of many glowing crystals, ready to plan his future goals.
A blue-haired man blinked as he stood atop a tall cerulean lighthouse. As his two mailcious companions smirked in pride, he threw a blue stone into a deep crevice, and jumped back as the tower began to shine like the sun.
Something stirred in the darkness of the fourth other dimension. Miles under the earth, a shapeless demon slumbered, feeding off energies from unknowing suppliers. It barely noticed the force, it was too busy regaining its former strength, using the deceived prayers of millions, and its guardians on the world above.
And finally, an evil fully refused to acknowledge this peril. In the dimension where it was actually happening, the monster completely ignored it. If the forces of good won the day, it would merely mean one more swift battle. If Zera won, then its task in this world, in BOTH realms, would be finished as well. It dissapeared in what would be known as a flash, had it not been too dark and terrible for the sun's light to reach.
The outcome simply did not matter.
***************************************************************
A snoozing Skull Stalker heard the first yell. It looked up in time to see the blast of power that shattered him into pieces.
The Shadow Scout that was supposed to have warned the defense let out a strangled cry as one of Yugi's lances went through him.
Thus did the battle begin.
"Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeehaw!" Joey yelled, throwing flame from his sword even as he leaped down.
Or, maybe that began the battle.
Drake finally proved that he did practice martial arts after all. Surrounded by an aura of flame, he burned fiends at a touch, performing complex moves at the same time. He smirked as he pushed off a nearby fiend, igniting it, and using the gained momentum to perform a spinning kick through a small group of Skull Servants.
A MetalZoa suddenly burst through the fortress's opening, just in time to be hurled by Drake into the air. Lara added to the burning hot metal with her own flame, pushing the Fiend into a Blast Sphere.
The Kurama that was prepping said spear was one of the twenty or so caught in the blast. Blue tail feathers burned as they hovered in the air.
The Divine monsters raged through the battlefield, easily gaining them the advantage. Super-War Lion and Chakra clamped hard on the heavier foes, splitting them apart. Garma Sword, Performance of Sword, and Skull Guardian ripped through opponents with complicated sword manuevers, often attacking the most defended spots of the fiends.
Another Fiend trump card burst through the entrance: a very menacing Shadow Goul. Empowered by the uncounted casualties of its allies, it-
Fell to the ground, bursting into brittle pebbles. Shayla smiled as she petrified more enemies, avoiding attacks on her Mystical Sand broomstick.
The Cosmo Queen quickly transformed the molecules of a nearby area, turning it into pure water.
As the Crab Turtle came out, clamping monsters in two, the Fortress Whale blasted countless rounds from its cannon.
The Baron of the Fiend Sword met the blunt end of a Dark Magician's Staff. Yami then blasted several other fiends out of the way, not moving from that same spot.
Yet another secret weapon appeared, a Black Skull Dragon. It hurled a shot toward the Puzzle's spirit.
Suddenly, a HUGE sword burst into the flaming rock, forcing it backward. The Sword and the Stone left a gaping hole in the dragon's back, though none of the fiends under it managed to fit inside the hole as it fell.
Roan's blade flew back to his outstretched hand, and he quickly turned around and swiped the silent Shadow Specter behind him.
Two non-human, un-Divine monsters also pulled their share.
Darien had his unwilling audience tied up in a Chain Destruction, which he promptly hurled in the air. He and Dia combined power, blasting the mass of monsters into dust.
Drake jumped into the air and let loose a massive Starfire Blast, which reduced the remaining enemies to ashes.
Well, almost all of them.
As Yugi shooed a cooing Kuriboh away, Joey said, "That was it?! That barely lasted five minutes!"
"I guess," Drake answered, looking toward the Fortress, "but now we have something else to worry about."
"True," Simon agreed, floating over from his 'vantage point' on the cliff. "We must be very careful now. we can't jus-"
They had entered the Fortress. The Cosmo Queen burst into dust.
"AGGGGGH!" Lara screamed, jumping- I don't really need to finish that.
"What happened!?" stammered Drake as he let Lara down.
"It appears to be a barrier that is terminal to Divine types," Skull Guardian observed from the outside. "Argh. Zera has wisened up since our last battle. I'm afraid you'll have to do this on your own."
"Exactly....." came a hoarse whisper. The group turned to see the malformed Lord of Zemia behind them.
The doorway dissapeared. Simon, who had actually been outside, stared as the Fortress was covered in darkness.
"Great..." he groaned, "Those kids, all alone, the world at stake..... I'm too old for this crap."
***************************************************************
Roan growled as they faced Zemia. "I suppose that barrier is YOUR handiwork, trickster?"
"You bet!" he cackled evilly. "My, Buster, how pathetically innocent you seem to have become. I wonder... would you care to guess what's happened since you were gone? Your little fangirl seems to enjoy the torture chambers..."
"Beautiful Headhuntress!?" he yelled, then scowled as his blade swiped through thin air.
"I'm afraid you'll have to do better than that," the fiend said, reappearing. "My job is over, strike me down if you desire, Zera's back! Not one of you has the strength to destroy him, but go ahead: Add me to your list of victims, Slade!"
"Fine," Roan spat, causing the LoZ to widen his eyes in surprise.
"No, wait, I didn't me- AHHHHH!!" he screamed as he split in two.
Buster grimaced as he stepped up, then looked to the path in front of them, which split into three halls.
"The torture room is to the left, sorry guys but I have to help her!" he yelled, before running down the path.
"Wait, Roan!" Yugi called, before sighing, asking in spite of himself, "What way leads to Zera?"
Drake thought for a moment, before throwing two rocks down both other paths. The right one burst the rock into flames, while the middle did nothing.
"Well, that settles that," he sighed, turning to Dia. "I doubt they'll need our help much, why don't we help Roan?"
"Splitting up? Sounds like a bad idea, which most likely means it's right!" Dia smiled. "Let's do it."
That left the six other humans looking to the middle path.
"Well, I think we have our only choice in front of us," Lara sighed.
"Seems that way," Shayla agreed, before giving one glance to the left path again.
"Let's do it," Yami said briefly, which the others were thankful for. They didn't really want to stand much more in their minds at the moment.
The humans walked through their chosen path, eventually reaching a small room. It resulted in a newer corridor, filled with mostly darkness, but every ten feet there was a pillar. There were seven total.
"This seems a bit too easy," Yami stated, waving his staff in front of the mirror. Nothing happened.
"Then again, maybe that's a goo- WHOA!"
The mirror suddenly left the pillar, expanded so that it could be looked in by all of them, and they gasped.
Their images had suddenly changed, and greatly at that. All of them looked to be wearing luxurious jewelry, and fine clothes fit for rulers. They had their faces in the air, refusing to look at each other.
While the others could only stare, the Wardrobe Resistant Shayla used her Duel Monster eyesight to look at the label of the mirror.
"Vanity..... come on, is that the best they can do?"
The mirror shattered, its pieces disappearing in light.
"Uhh, what just happened?" Joey asked, before anyone else could.
Shayla sighed slightly, "Seeing as how there are six other mirrors, and that just said VANITY on the front, these mirrors are trying to confuse us."
"With what?" Lara asked, bitterly remembering the ugly Queen's robes her image cast.
"Zera's trying to make us believe we're seeing our real selves. What these mirrors are portraying us doing are the seven deadly sins!"
"Argh, so much for the matter of luck, then," Drake groaned.
They moved on, keeping their eyes closed, with only a few inturruptions. [Lara sadly broke at LUST, and after getting an eyeful, regretted trying to see Drake when the others were nearby.]
***************************************************************
Roan slashed through the final guard, then quickly cut the lock off the only occupied cell.
The Beautiful Headhuntress was definetly worse for the wear. She was colored by several bruises, her kimono was torn in several un-wanted areas, and her hair had fallen out of her ponytail. This caused Roan to flush slightly, as the complete appearance actually made her look very beautiful, indeed.
Seeing that she was unconscious, he carefully lifted her into his arms, and started carrying her off.
"Nice form, Mr. Link!" Darien joked as they started toward the entrance.
"Ignore the Zelda-loving idiot, lets get out of here!" Dia groaned.
"We can't yet," Roan interjected." We have to save her sister, the Warrior of Tradition!"
"She has a sister?!" Darien joked. Dia, however, was not amused. Darien would spend the next few weeks with a smashed helmet and a red bump on his head.
***************************************************************
"Well, I'll give this to Zera: he knows how to annoy his guests," Drake groaned as they entered a hallway exactly like the previous one, except without mirrors.
The others couldn't voice their opinions, as they were too startled by the event that happened immediately after Drake spoke.
Shayla dissapeared in a flash of light, a glowing hole underneath her shrinking into nothing afterward.
As the others looked on with open mouths, Lara bashed him on the head. "DRAKE! Can't you ever shut up?"
"Yeah, everytime we say these kinda things, something worse happens!" Joey griped.
Immediately, a loud roar sounded from within the chamber, and a pair of gleaming red eyes shone from the right.
If looks could kill, Joey would be a cross between a pile of sludge and a speck of dust, and his soul would be jammed in the narrowest entrance to heck.
"You three go!" Yugi said, motioning to Drake, Lara, and Joey. "Yami and I will take care of this!"
"No way!" Drake protested. "We won't leave you guys!"
"Yugi's right!" Yami yelled, positioning himself. "You three need to go on and face Zera! There's every chance we won't be able to win this fight!"
"Exactly! We should-" Drake started, before Lara grabbed his shoulder.
"Drake, they're right. Besides, they can take whatever this is! We need to go on!"
"But! I...." He struggled to try and find the words to fit what he was trying to say.
"Enough talk, let's go!" Joey yelled, taking one last look at the two remaining before running ahead.
Lara followed, immediately proceeded by a reluctant Dragoon.
Yugi glanced at Yami, who nodded silently. Though the two had only known each other a few short weeks, and Yugi only aquainted with the Puzzle for a couple of months, they both felt they could do this, if they worked together.
They charged forth, leaving the others to combat the evil that had caused all of this.
***************************************************************
Zera didn't move as he heard Helios run up to him.
"Master! They're here!"
"I know, fool. You think the noise of my army's demise wasn't proof enough?"
Helios growled, slightly embarassed. "But they're closing in! There's only two more rooms seperating them from here!"
"Then go defend the last room, Helios!" Zera spat. "I shall prepare for your probable failure. That reminds me...."
Suddenly, the tyrant plunged his hand into the darkness across from him, and lifted, by the neck, the Warrior of Tradition into the air.
"I've known of your treachery since day one, you daliant harlot. It seems my waiting until now to show you your consequence was a tad arrogant on my part. No matter, 'twas a simple miscalculation, with a simple solution!"
He threw the choking bladeswoman across the room, into a deeper darkness. A sickening crunching sound and a scream signified her contact with a wall.
Helios flinched, but quickly recovered. "I shall destroy the fools, my liege. You can count on that."
"I never was good with numbers," Zera said, to Helios's comeuppance. "Go, before I decide to subtract you from the problem I now face!"
***************************************************************
Seto Kaiba grinned as the police car took the five away, and, swirling the key he had acquired from them, he walked back into the mansion.
*You still should have kept your eye on the thief: he escaped in the confusion!* Seth complained.
"He isn't a problem right now," Seto said, reaching the hidden door the groveling fools had told him of. "Besides, it will take a lot more than a pickpocket to make ME fall to the ground!"
At that moment, a brown-haired girl appeared on the air, fell on to him, and resulted in him falling to the ground after all.
"Oops, I'm sorry, I didn't mean for that to happen!" Shayla hastily apoligized, standing up. She was fully human again, and her Scales' power had gone blank. She could no longer see, and had no idea who she had smashed to the floor.
"I would ask you how the heck that happened, if I wasn't preoccupied," Kaiba growled as he stood up. "Hey, weren't you in the Shadow Realm?"
"That's what I'd like to know," she grumbled, still slightly confused. "I hope Yugi and the others are alright."
"I wouldn't worry about them," Seto sighed, slipping the key into the lock. "Millennium duelists seem to be able to take care of themselves. Heck, I've never beaten one, though it's true cheating had some factor in a few duels."
The wall he had unlocked slid to the side, revealing several familiar faces on the floor.
"Big brother!" Mokuba cried, jumping from his spot of the floor. "You're here! {Jeez, I have to say that a lot!}"
"Sure am, little bro!" Seto smiled, embracing his little brother. "Is everyone else here, too?"
"Darn tootin', we are," Keith griped. "How long did it take you to figure that out? Hopefully not as long as it took to find us, our your genius must be leaking out."
"I'm here, too," Mike said, sitting back down. "No one with a Millenium Item seems to be here. There was this strange, white-haired girl, but she disappeared a few days ago."
"And what's this?" Kaiba asked, looking at the swirling image in front of them.
"Heck if I know, but it seems to be showing some place in the Shadow Realm," Mike answered, turning back to the picture of the Skull Fortress.
"It must be where Yugi and the others are!" Seto said, also sitting down.
As the small group watched, [except for Shayla] a helicopter took off from the roof, silenced by the many stories the building had above them.
Ryou smirked as he guided the pilot's direction at Ring-point. {While the others are busy, there's a group of unguarded bodies at Duelist Kingdom! The Mant may win the battle, but I'll be one step closer to winning the war!}
***************************************************************
Drake looked around. The new room they were in was finally different, modeled in the form of a real, ancient coliseum.
"This doesn't bode well," Lara whispered, looking around. "Especially considering the last coliseum we were in."
"Man, can't anything be easy?" Joey asked. "It's getting too repetitive, and I can't tell if that's good or bad!"
Drake looked down. He didn't really hear them, he was too busy with the thoughts in his head.
*Drake, I know you have some problems with this, but you can do it!*
*Lance, I don't think you get it! We're about to fight a great evil for the fate of the earth, and my form's the strongest! That makes me, by some sick, twisted rule, the leader!*
*So?*
*SO, I'm not cut out for this! Yami's the one who lead us before, and he was exceptional at it! He had years of experience, or at least it seemed like it! I don't think I can handle this responsibility: What if I mess up? What if I make a wrong decision? What if-*
*What if we stand here all day and LET Zera win? Get this stupid idea that you're a failure out of your head, Drake! I've been trying, but it seems impossible to get into your stone-enforced head what should be obvious to everyone: YOU. ARE. A. FRICKIN'. GOOD. FIGHTER! You can lead, and you can suceed at doing it too! Did you give up when Helios forced Lara out of your life?*
*N-n-no!*
*Did you let yourself fall short of victory when Ryou was trouncing your dragons, and it seemed like you would lose me, and forfeit Bakura's freedom?*
*No way!*
*Then get the frickin' lead out, and go save the stupid world, you idiot!*
*HOW did you become my motivational Millennium Speaker, again?*
*When you get bored in Limbo, you'll sign anything.*
*........*
*Just kidding! Now, MOVE!*
"Ah, how I love listening to those private conversations you have, Drakey-boy!"
By instinct, Drake looked around as soon as he heard that stupid nickname.
"Helios, where are you?" he demanded. Joey and Lara looked around too.
"Perhaps the appropriate question should be, where are you? Stalking around this Fortress without permission? My, you ARE such a naughty little boy!"
"Can it, jerk, just show yourself so that we can fight!"
"Very well! You're long overdue for a good spanking, anyway!"
A loud roar was heard, and Helios descended.
***************************************************************
Meanwhile, Yugi and Yami were having a rough time. Panting, they both looked to see their scratchless opponant leer at them.
It was a dragon, but not any dragon that they had encountered in a duel. It was truly the stuff of fairy tales, large and majestic, it's scales a brownish red. It was exactly the same height as a Blue Eyes, and stood erect with a human-like intelligence brimming in it's red eyes: Eyes that actually looked human, as well.
"Well, nice knowing you, Yami," Yugi grunted, twinging from the multiple burns on his body.
Yami groaned as he tried to sit up, his tattered purple robe mostly burned off, his armor in several pieces all over the floor.
Suddenly, a loud voice said, "REALLY, IS THAT THE BEST YOU CAN DO?"
The two looked up, and noticed it was the dragon speaking.
"NOW, I ENJOY A GOOD LUNCHEON AS MUCH AS THE NEXT DRAGON, BUT I CAN'T KILL OPPONENTS WHO ARE TOO WEAK TO EVEN FIGHT BACK!"
"You...aren't going to fry us?" Yami asked, quite taken aback.
"NO. THERE WOULD BE NO HONOR IN DEFEATING YOU NOW. *grumble* I HATE THIS STUPID JOB."
Yugi, confused, asked, "What? You don't like working for Zera?"
"WHO DOES? I, IN FACT, AM MUCH STRONGER THAN THAT STUPID MANT, BUT I HAVE TO WORK FOR HIM BECAUSE OF A STUPID BET I LOST."
"A bet?" Yami asked, disbelievingly.
"YES. HE AND I WAGERED AGAINST EACH OTHER THAT THE MORTAL WITH ALL THREE BLUE EYES WHITE DRAGONS WOULD WIN A DUEL WITH SOME UN-NAMED KID. IF I EVER GET MY HANDS ON THAT SHRIMP, THERE'LL BE ONE LARGE BARBEQUE!"
Both aforementioned 'shrimps' sweatdropped. "You seem to be more intelligent than most dragons, though."
"I SHOULD SAY SO! I AM THE TYRANT DRAGON, AND EVEN THOUGH I'VE BEEN TIED TO THIS BET FOR SO LONG, I BELIEVE TODAY MAY BE THE DAY ZERA IS DESTROYED, SO I'M LEAVING. I CAN TAKE YOU TWO OUT WITH ME, ON ONE CONDITION!"
"What's the condition?" both asked simultaneously.
"I WILL TURN INTO A CARD AFTERWORDS, AND YOU MUST GIVE ME TO A DUELIST WHO WILL RESPECT AND HONOR ME, AS WELL AS USE ME TO MY FULL POTENTIAL IN A DUEL. OF COURSE, THAT KIND OF PERSON MAY BE TOO HARD FOR YOU TO-"
"Actually, that may be the easiest thing we can do," Yami smirked.
***************************************************************
Helios stood tall, riding his mighty beast. All three heads of the Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon roared, looking toward Drake. Helios, wearing the armor of the Black Luster Soldier, sneered at his hikari's son. He was the Dragon Master Knight.
"Uh, Drake? How are we going to do this, again?" Lara asked, stammering.
"Jeez, I thought his EGO was big enough, but....." Joey started.
Drake bared his teeth. "Helios! Enough games, we need to settle this here and now!"
"Too true, this bitter exchange has gone on long enough! However, I will miss your pathetic attempts at gaining independance, Drakey-boy!"
Drake quickly turned to the others. "Lara, Joey, get out of here. I have to fight him alone!"
"ARE YOU INSANE!?" Lara yelled, half-resisting the urge to slap him. "You'll be creamed! I couldn't bear living without you for three years, how am I supposed to wait a lifetime?"
"Lara's right! I'm not gonna stand by while you get blasted to bits!" Joey protested. "We're helping, too!"
"JUST GO!" Drake yelled, startling them both. "This is my fight, he's responsible for EVERYTHING that's gone wrong with my life since I was 12. I will NOT let him get away with it."
Both were silent, before reluctantly moving into an out of the way corner.
"All this bravery, all of this sacrifice, really, Drakey-boy, what makes you DO these stupid things?"
"You really never DO look in a mirror, do you?" Drake asked, gripping his fists. "You're the reason, the reason I've done all this! Without you, we'd never be in the Shadow Realm, and I wouldn't have spent the last three years hating my own father!"
"And now you've come here, to rescue him?" Helios chuckled. "How sad. Drakey lives his whole life as a lie, and now he seeks the truth! You always did make me laugh, son!"
"I'M NOT YOUR SON, YOU FREAK!" Drake screamed, throwing his fist up in rage. "I'm going to kill you, save my father, and then save the entire frickin' world! After that, I'll make sure to bury your body in some dung covered pigsty, with half the dictionary of a rapper written on your headstone! I'm saving my father's life, and ending yours, TODAY!"
At this, Helios finally went silent in the volley of insults. His normally arrogant face suddenly twisted into a temented sneer. He looked more evil than ever in those moments, and the dragon didn't help.
"You foolish boy.... How ignorant you prove yourself to be every suceeding day..."
"What do you mean?" Drake demanded, confused.
"You can't save your father's life, there's nothing left to save!"
"WHAT?!" came the shockd reply of the other three humans in the room.
"True, my stupid hikari is alive and well, but your father, and for that matter, ANY relations you have, aren't! Haven't you ever wondered, fool, or even tried asking yourself?"
Lara got it first, and gasped, silent tears starting to form.
Drake slowly understood. He had never heard anything about his mother, not even her name. Also, except for the rich red eyes and determined personality they sometimes had, he was almost nothing like his father.
"I see. I'm adopted," Drake said slowly, causing Joey to get it and gasp in surprise as well.
"That's right, idiot!" Helios cackled. "Your real parents vanished of the face of the earth, according to that low-life orphanage Pegasus found you in! You were only a few months old, and the pathetic fool took pity on you. Such a confused fool, he actually believed he could get over the death of his wife by finding another person to care about! Mortals never seem to cease their stupidity, the man actually DID start caring for you, that's when I knew his weakness was slipping, and I had to take him!"
Drake remained silent for a long time. Finally, he smiled, and said, "Thanks, Helios."
"WHAT?!" came the reply again.
"If you hadn't spilled this to me, I might have never known. Now I have twice the reason to beat you to a pulp!"
"What are you talking about?" Helios growled, confused. "I've just told you that your father-figure has lied to you your entire life, and that you've experienced self-rage of being his son for nothing! HOW can you possibly thank me?!"
"Because now I know he cared for me, and adopted ME. I know he tried his best to give me a good life, and I helped him try to have one, too! He IS my father, because he cares for me! And no difference in blood will change that! You've just signed your own death certificate, Heli!"
A moment of deadly silence followed.
"So be it. Come, my 'son'," Helios whispered, before screwing his face up in rage. "Come, and experience true pain!"
***************************************************************
Ryou quickly ran through the abandoned hallways of the Duelist Kingdom's castle.
"In a few short moments, all of my elaborate plans will no longer be necessary! Two Millennium items, and two with the power to match a real one, will soon be mine! THEN, no one will stand against my power, and the rest of the real items will soon be mine!"
He reached his destination. The waiting room was vacant, except for five people who were currently deeply out of it. Yugi was out cold on the table, and Joey's rotating chair had carried him into a corner with the momentum.
Ignoring the others, Ryou stepped over Lara and Drake, who, in a Romeo and Juliet fashion, had collapsed on each other. Sitting on a throne-like chair was the unconscious form of Pegasus.
Just as he was about to take the Eye, Ryou suddenly realized the obvious. "Helios would not be as blind as this. There must be a few traps woven with dark energy. This will require a different tactic."
***************************************************************
Helios pulled the rein of his beast, and the dragon lurched forward, all three mouths open. Drake quickly took off, barely avoiding losing a wing from the left head.
Helios threw a Chaos Blade attack, which Drake sharply dodged. Drake then countered with a Starfire Blast, which Helios deflected with his blade.
Each dragon shot a White Lightning, and met a Fire Wall around Drake. As the wall disappeared, Drake flew around the beast, only to come face-to-face with another Chaos Blade.
"Give it up! You can't even get enough time to attack, and barely have the speed to dodge!" Helios laughed. "How do you think you can win against the strongest dragon in Duel Monsters?!"
"The strongest dragon? Not quite!" Drake yelled, dodging another attack, "The rider is the monster here, and that's YOU! And while your breath may match it, you definetly aren't a dragon!"
"Watch what you say, Drake, you're a dragon too!"
Drake couldn't reply for the barrage of attacks that were coming in every direction. The dragons seemed to know where to shoot, and Drake was doing more braking than dodging.
Suddenly, that gave him an idea. He burst forward, moving up before he hit the ground. All three heads had lunged when he neared the floor, and all three smashed into the ground.
At the speed he was going, Drake couldn't stop or turn. The speed, however, would easily strengthen the punch he had ready, and Helios would be finished.
Helios, taking careful timing, aimed his blade.....
***************************************************************
"Ryou, you ARE a genius! By putting a piece of my soul into the Puzzle, I can keep exploiting it's strengths if the Eye assaults me! And if the Eye destroys this body completely, the copy of my memory that I placed in one of Yugi's friends will allow me to control the person, and take the Puzzle anyway!"
Laughing evilly, the yami pulled out the Eye with great effort. There was a blinding flash of light...........
***************************************************************
And threw his hands to his eye, which suddenly erupted with a fire-like pain.
Drake hit him with perfect accuracy, spinning off down to the floor when he did. Helios smashed into the wall, and fell the full 20 feet down to the floor.
"Yay! Drake did it!" Lara cheered, running over to her boyfriend. Drake, tired but happy, smiled as he pulled Lara into his embrace.
Helios reverted to human, and Pegasus appeared beside him, who quickly looked up, confused.
"Dad! You're okay!" Drake cheered, running over to him.
"Drake, I-oof!" Pegausus breathed as Drake hugged him.
"Dad I...I know the truth now. But I wan't you to know, I still think of you as a father, no matter what! Helios told me everything, and I'm glad he did! Thank you, father!"
Lara and Joey smiled. Except for the time when they learned Helios was controlling Pegasus, they had never seen Drake so happy. Seeing him hug the guy they had once considered an enemy WAS kinda weird, but Pegasus's actions had been explained.
"W....why?" Came a stuttered cry from the ground. Helios was moaning, his body slowly dissapearing. While Pegasus had his Eye, Helios's was gone, leaving only an empty socket that was brimming with fading light.
"I...I tried to rule the world...just like my ancestors....It was my RIGHT! They had always succeeded, and I was on the verge of doing it with eternal life! Why did I have to fail...."
Drake stepped up, smirking at the remainders of his foe. "Because you ticked me off. Word of advice: NEVER tick a Dragon Duelist off!"
"C...c-c-c-curse you...E..t..e..r..n..a...l....D..u..e..l...i...s...t...." whispered nothing more than air, as Helios faded to nothing. The words were too soft for anyone to hear, but if they had heard, they would have heard a phrase uttered countless other times in the past, at every death of every dueling dictator.
"What did he say?" Joey asked. The others shooked their heads, confused.
"Dad, you'd better get going, this still isn't over," Drake said, concerned.
"All right, I suppose that's for the best," Pegasus sighed. "Be careful, Drake, I don't want saving each other to become a necessary tradition!"
Drake laughed as he, Lara, and Joey ran into the final chamber.
***************************************************************
The final chamber was large, empty, and dark. As they entered, Drake heard a familiar voice moaning.
The Warrior of Tradition was lying, pale, and very pained, in an unnatural position.
"Ack! This is where I come in," Lara said, placing her fingertips on the Warrior's skin. They glowed a bright red, and in an instant, the Warrior was fully healed.
"Wh-what? How did you do that?" she asked. Drake fully recognized the voice now.
"Hey, you're the one who warned me about Zera before!" Drake said, smiling. "I'd say thanks, but I get the feeling that it isn't needed now."
"True, fool. In fact, thanks is the last thing you should give her, considering it brought you here, to your demise.
They all turned to the owner of the horrid voice. The creature was tall, it's body like blue armor. It had an elongated face, like a crocadile's, and it's red eyes were reflected by the dramatic cape it wore. It's claws were very intimidating, as was it's bulky, jagged build.
"You must be Zera." Drake said, slightly shocked but unafraid.
"What an incredible gesture, Mr. Pegasus. It's quite queer how you can be so deductive, and yet you can be so incredible blind to the truth around you!"
"Hey, Drake's paid for his mistakes, and your about to recieve the check!" Joey snapped.
"Ah, the pup speaks out. It's to bad the one you're fighting for won't be able to see you fall. Oh, sorry, pardon the pun!" The Mant cackled.
"You won't beat us!" Lara yelled. "Not only are we the good guys, as you may or may not have noticed, but we don't waste time showing off with big words! I can't tell if even that mouth is big enough for them, or the head!"
"And of course, the literal, and figurative, dragonlady. Tell me, how does your boyfriend get up in the morning? I imagine he has several whip scars...."
The Warrior of Tradition had ran out, knowing she wasn't going to do much except get in the way. For a moment, both sides gleared at the other, Zera's burning eyes matching the three other pairs.
Then...
All three jumped for the Mant at high speed.
Reacting quickly, Zera grab Joey's sword, span him around with it, knocking Drake and Lara back, then throwing it and Joey in the opposite direction.
Drake opened his wings, using the momentum to pull himself into the air. He turned around, then attempted the move that finished Helios.
Zera dodged, which resulted in Drake craching into the ground. Chuckling, the Mant kicked him over in another direction.
"Pathetic." Zera said, looking at the group pick themselves up. " I'm not even going on the offensive, and you can't injure me in the least.
He then caught the blade Joey threw toward him in mid-sentence, and casually tossed it back with impaling speed.
Lara barely shot it out of the way, then sped for Zera. He countered this easily, spinning her around by the leg much the same way he had with the sword.
She crashed into the wall, and struggled to get up.
Zera lifted a finger, blocking the jab Drake used. At that range, Drake attempted a kick, which Zera jumped over, kicking Drake backwards as he did so.
"You three are powerless against me! How can you really expect to win?"
That's when he noticed. Drake, Lara, and Joey were all charging their energy.
"Flaming Sword of Battle!" "Dragon Maiden Flash!" "Starfire Blast!"
The Mant was quickly engulfed in a sea of fire and red light.
The three humans, exhausted, watched the fire nervously. Then all three gasped in fear, as the energy converged into a sphere, held in the Mant's hand.
"Thanks for the gift, but I'm not interested." He turned to Lara, grinning darkly." Catch!"
Drake's heart froze in the next few seconds. Though the moments that followed were agonizingly long, he couldn't even see the energy move before it exploded. Lara screamed, then a bright light blocked their vision.
When the light dimmed, Lara was on the ground, burnt and unmoving.
Drake and Lance fused forms, but tehy hardly noticed. They sped toward her, not seeing Zera jump in his way as he did.
There was no contest. Zera was shoved out of the way by a close-range blast that made Drake's face burn, but he felt nothing.
"Please......no......." he sobbed cradling her head in his arms. " Lara........Prima.......you two can't leave us......you can't....."
Zera roared as he jumped up from the ground. A human had damaged him. A HUMAN!
"I won't let it end this way...I promise you......"
Drake's face then turned emotionless. He stepped up, and turned around to face the Mant.
"It's over. You've done too much damage, and caused too much pain, to be allowed to walk amongst the living. I'm going to end this, now."
"And what makes you think you can do it, mortal!" The Mant bellowed." I am Zera, ruler of the Fiends! You cannot defy my will!"
"Let's see about that-SMASH."
That was the speed that Drake slammed his fist into Zera, causing him to cry out in pain.
The beast retaliated furiously, slamming his fist down. The fist was stuck in the grund, though, as Drake had already jumped away.
Drake got an idea. He quickly charged energy, and shot a volley of multiple, small blasts, each one concentrated enough to be as strong as a normal-sized attack.
Zera screamed through the pain, finally getting his fist free, which caused the impact of the blasts to push him into the air.
Drake jumped up, and started smacking Zera around with every punch-kick combo he knew. When he finally stopped, he flew to the ground about ten feet away from Zera, ready for the final strike.
The beast managed to get up, and saw Drake's body glowing with the energy of an attack, only it was covering him entirely.
"My newest attack.....my strongest attack........let's see your will match this! DRAGON DRIVER!"
If anyone looked close enough, they would see Drake jumping toward the Mant at incredible speed, surrounded by a glowing, burning light. However, the only thing anyone saw was the hole Drake left in Zera's stomach, spinning and landing as the energy dissapated.
The beast's eyes went dim, and it fell to the floor, never to come up again.
Drake broke down." Lara, I'm so sorry! I failed, I was right: I'm not a leader!"
*Prima..... I never knew how much it could hurt...... I died on you last time ,but now........ I'm so sorry, my love.....*
"Drake, what's wrong? You just defeated Zera the Mant, you should be happy!"
Drake, startled, grinned weakly." Great, I've already started to hear her voice."
"Started? I hope you don't plan on quitting any time soon!"
Shocked, Drake turned around.
A radiant beauty looked down to him, smiling. Granted, a radiant beauty who needed a bath, as well as some un-burnt clothes, but a live beauty.
"LARA!" Drake yelled in joy, and before she could speak he was on is feet, had her in his arms, and had her halfway to the floor in the most passionate kiss he had ever given her.
"How did you do it? I thought you were dead..." Drake asked softly, running his hand threw her silky[albeit sooty] hair.
"I don't know....' Lara answered weakly, immersed in the intimacy. "The last thing I remember was a big, bright light..."
"Which is what I'm seeing now." Came Joey's voice from the floor." I'm tempted to go into it, so can someone please help me?"
Lara reluctantly let go of Drake, and healed Joey.
Looking around the slowly brightening room, Drake sighed.
***************************************************************
About a day later, the entire group met near the field where they had first entered the Shadow Realm. All those in the real world [except for the ever mysterious Millenium Holders] came for the final few moments in the unique world.
It was a warm reunion, to speak for most of it. Tea gave both Yami and Yugi an embarrassing hug, around the same time Mai bopped Joey on the head for 'leaving her' to lose her soul with the audience.
"Well, is everyone ready to go?" Pegasus asked, avoiding another bout of adoration and questioning from Duke. His cheerleaders were debating their job, and wondering if they could work for that Marik guy they had seen.
"Not yet." Roan answered as Zeph, Warrior of Tradition, and Beautiful Headhuntress came into the clearing. All three had decided to live in the Real World: Zeph to be with her boyfriend, and the two warriors because their old home was nothing more than an empty skull.
All Millenium Items glowed, and Drake and the others gave one final look to the dark, yet strangly entertaining world, they were leaving behind.
***************************************************************
Several hours of partying followed. Bakura apparantly was unharmed, lying unconscious next to the others. Of course, no one realized he hed fallen facedown, not faceup.............
Yugi/Yami got the duel they had tried so hard for, and whipped Drake's dad with ease. They were presented with the card called The Ties of Friendship, and the title that was soon to be coveted by all, or at least most, the King of Games.
Drake recieved a rare and powerful card from Yugi, the Tyrant Dragon. For some reason, he felt as though he had always had it, and immediately liked it. Yes, he pulled another fave card switch, but he kept one Red Eyes in his deck, his favorite, the one that won him most of his Eliminator duels.
All too soon, however, it was time to go. Croquet supervised the forklift that placed Kaiba's copter on the homebound ship.
"Well, I guess that this is goodbye. I'm sorry, again, for all the trouble I've caused." Pegasus said to the group.
"Think nothing of it, my friend, you've been forgiven! I hope we meet again, you're the only guy that ever beats me anymore!" Solomon laughed.
Yugi smiled. He was at his normal height now, but he felt even taller than he had been. With Yami back as a part of him, both he and the ancient duelist knew they could conquer anything that came their way.
The boat was ready, and all who were leaving stepped on, except for Yugi. He quickly joined with Yami, and looked to his new friends.
"Drake, Lara, Pegasus, Roan, AND ANYONE ELSE WHO'S WATCHING!" He yelled, startling several Eliminators out of trees and shrubbery.
"Anyway, I want all of you to know that the events that took place here, and in the Shadow Realm, will never leave my mind. Pegasus, Roan, I forgive you both of any crimes you've commited against me and my friends, and hope I can cal you allies again in the future. Lara, that duel in the Shadow Realm was truly a challenge, and I hope to fight with you, and beside you, again one day."
Here, he turned to Drake, hand outstretched.
"And Drake, I know that I've been given the title, King of Games, and I vow to wear it with pride. However, the deeds you have commited far out-weigh mine so far, and I for one believe it is an ill-earned title. I greatly hope our paths will cross again. Maybe we can actually duel one-on-one! Then, we can truly decide which of us is King of Games!"
Drake grinned happily, shaking his hand. "I'm sure we will, my friend! I'll never forget you, the others, or anything you've done for me! Til next we meet, seeya later!"
Yugi grinned, and suddenly the ship started sailing. "Oops!"
"Great. Don't worry, I'll call it back!" Drake started.
"No need. After all, when have I ever failed?" Yugi joked, the JUMPED of the cliff, landing perfectly on the boat.
Drake chuckled as the boat sailed away. He and those left on the island watched as the boat dissapeared into the sunset.
In fact, Drake remained at the spot as the others went in, the Eliminators perticularly glad that Yugi had left.
"So, what did you want to talk about?" Drake asked as Simon Muran appeared and apprached him.
"First of all, I'm very proud of you. You've done permanantly what took two divine's lives to do temporarily! Zera is gone forever!"
"Anything else?" Drake asked, before grabbing a card quickly thrown at him.
"Mirror Wall!? This is so rare, even my dad won't give me one! Of course, I HAVE sworn him off from giving me any cards directly, but-"
"In ancient times, only the pure of heart could wield this card." Simon interjected." Only the greatest. And you have proven yourself worthy of it, in my opinion. Use it well, and may it, like a mirror, always remind you of what you truly are."
He then dissapeared.
Drake smiled, then waled into the castle.
For the first time in his life, he felt totally relieved.
***************************************************************
TO BE EPILOGUED/CONTINUED