The man slowly raised the Millennium Rod, which he had found laying on the floor in the boiler room. Yami Bakura had been so worried about his young friend that he had forgotten to retrieve the powerful item before leaving.
"And that mistake," the man purred now, "will be all of your undoing!"
There was a flash of light and another man appeared. "What are you going to do with that Millennium Item?" he demanded.
The first man grinned evilly. "I will use it to collect the others as well," he replied.
"Fine," the second man grunted. "But don't forget our original plan!"
"You have nothing to worry about. I have not forgotten. You will get your revenge and I will get what I desire as well!"
****
Yami Bakura stood up, looking anxious.
"What is it, Yami?" Bakura asked.
The thief growled and didn't answer, instead going to the door and pressing his body against it. I sense a dark presence, he said to himself silently. Someone is approaching!
"Yami, is something wrong?" Bakura cried, starting to climb out of the bed.
"Don't get up!" Yami Bakura growled in such an angry tone that the boy quickly obeyed, leaping back under the covers and watching the old thief with concern.
"Yami, what is it?" Bakura asked again. "Please tell me!"
Yami Bakura grunted. He was tempted to just leave the boy and go seek out this dark force by himself, but he wasn't about to make that same mistake again. Bakura, he vowed, would not be allowed out of his sight until the villains were caught.
****
As Mai and Rex chased the strange woman down the hall, the ship continued to tilt back and forth wildly.
"Why does it keep doing that?!" Mai cried in frustration.
Rex didn't answer as he watched the sobbing lady vanish around another corner. "There she goes!" he yelled.
The two teens soon followed after her and then glanced about in confusion when they found the corridor empty.
"Man, not again!" Rex growled. "She's disappeared!"
"Hey, she's over there, lamebrain," Mai replied in irritation, pointing at a nearby room where the crying woman was sitting near a porthole.
Quickly they ran inside and over to her.
"What's wrong?" Mai asked.
"Oh . . ." The woman sniffled, and then suddenly took on a completely different tone. "Nothing is wrong with me . . . but both of you will soon be under the sea!" She whirled to face them, no traces of tears on her cheeks. That had been a bluff to get them to follow her.
"Hey!! What kinda dirty trick are you pullin'?!" Rex demanded, taking a step forward.
"I've led you both into my trap, just as I wanted to," the woman purred. "And now you will both die!"
****
Marik bent over Rishid again, his lavender eyes shining worriedly. "Rishid! Wake up!!" the boy pleaded. It seemed that they had been there for ages trying to rouse their brother, but so far they hadn't had any luck.
Ishizu looked at them both in concern. "He must have inhaled more of the fumes than either of us," she said softly. "He was trying to save us from danger." Inwardly she knew it was possible that Rishid might die, though she couldn't stand to dwell on such a thing.
"He has to be alright," Marik said defensively, tears in his eyes. "Oh Rishid . . . please!"
At last Rishid groaned and coughed, and then his golden eyes fluttered open. "Master? Lady Ishizu?" he said weakly, managing a smile. "You are alright!"
Marik brightened. "You saved us, Rishid," he replied, embracing his friend.
****
"This is all so confusing," Tea said as she and the others in her group followed Yami Yugi down the hall.
The ancient Pharaoh was still studying the spell they had found in the janitor's closet. "I know," he agreed softly. "I feel like there is something I'm supposed to know, but I can't quite place it."
"I wonder how these fit in with everything," Yugi mused, taking out the bag of golf balls and staring at them.
Simon stared with goggle-eyed interest. "Where did you find those?!" he demanded.
Yami Yugi turned to look at him. "In the library that was ransacked," he said carefully. "What do you know of them?"
Simon looked immensely flustered. "Nothing," he insisted. "I was only curious because I . . . I enjoy golfing."
"I never knew that about you, Simon," Captain Hardy remarked. "I thought the sea was your whole life!"
Seto looked at Simon suspiciously. It seemed as though he was making up the golfing story, judging by the way he continued to be so extremely nervous and jumpy about the subject. Could he be involved with everything?
Mokuba was studying the man as well, feeling frustrated. When would anything start making sense?
As they turned a corner, the group suddenly met up with Joey, Tristan, and Shadi.
"Did you guys have any luck?" Tea asked hopefully.
Tristan looked serious. "Well, yes and no," he replied.
"Bakura's back to normal," Joey put in, "but the guy who was mind-controllin' him has pulled a Houdini act!"
"That can't be good," Tea said, shaking her head.
"Hey," Yugi noticed suddenly, "the ship's stopped rocking!"
"Does that mean that Marik's okay?" Mokuba asked hopefully.
Seto pulled him close. "It means that someone has taken control of the ship again, kid," he said softly, "and we can hope it was Marik."
Yami Yugi walked up to Shadi. "We found this in a janitor's closet," he said gravely, holding out the piece of parchment.
Shadi took it and read it over quickly, his blue eyes narrowing. "This is the counterspell to the evil incantation," he confirmed. "But what would it have been doing in a janitor's closet?"
"That's exactly what we'd like to know," Yami Yugi replied.
Yugi seemed to be deep in thought. "Hey," he said now, "what if we've been going about this all wrong?"
"Huh? Whaddya mean, Yug?" Joey demanded.
Yugi paused. "What if all these 'accidents' aren't to get revenge on the Captain—but instead are to get revenge on us?"
Everyone stared.
"That sounds kinda weird," Mokuba said at last.
"I know," Yugi was quick to agree. "Most of the strange things that have happened seemed to be where lots of people would be affected, and not just us. But we've gained lots of enemies over the past few months, and . . ." He paused, exchanging a glance with Yami Yugi.
"What's going on?!" Captain Hardy wanted to know. "Are you two keeping something from us?"
Yami Yugi sighed. "Yugi was threatened earlier today," he admitted finally.
"What?!" Tea cried. "Yugi, why didn't you tell us?!"
Yugi blushed. "Well, there was so much else going on that I never had a chance," he explained. That was only part of it, however. What with Bakura acting so odd earlier, Yugi hadn't wanted to add to his friends' worries by announcing that his life had been threatened.
"What did they say, Yugi?" Seto asked. He, too, had been threatened, but he hadn't particularly wanted to say anything either. If his own life was threatened, that was his business, and no one else's.
"They said that Yugi wouldn't be around once these events had all come to a close," Yami Yugi replied. "And they sounded as though they were familiar with the previous mysteries we've solved."
Seto grunted. That was almost the exact same thing that the person who'd called him had said.
Yugi played idly with one of the golf balls, wondering what significance it could possibly have. He also wondered why Simon was watching him like a hawk.
Suddenly the man reached forward and grabbed the small sphere away from Yugi. "I'll take this now," he said firmly.
Yugi blinked.
"What the heck do you want with that thing?!" Joey cried. "It's a golf ball! What's so important about a GOLF BALL?!"
Simon looked flustered. "Nothing," he growled, holding the golf ball out of Joey's reach.
Joey, undaunted, grabbed for it anyway and it wound up flying across the hall, where it crashed against the wall and broke open. Everyone turned to stare as a huge ruby fell out.
****
Rex backed up, his brown eyes flashing angrily. "Just try offin' us," he growled, getting into a defensive stance. "You won't stand a chance!"
Mai glared as well. "Hey, if you're gonna kill us, at least tell us why!"
The woman shrugged. "I have my orders. You kids are too nosy!"
"Hey, we don't know anything!" Rex protested.
"You're Yugi's friends, aren't you?" the woman said smoothly.
Mai blinked. "Well . . . yes," she admitted.
"Then I've been told that you're responsible for helping to put criminals in the clink," the woman informed them.
"Hey, I've never been involved!" Rex said in frustration.
Suddenly a change seemed to come over the woman and she gasped, her eyes widening. "Help me," she begged.
"What?!" Rex cried. "I don't get it! First you wanna kill us and now you suddenly want our help?!"
"You . . . you don't understand," the woman said softly.
Mai stared. "You're right, I don't."
"It's . . . it's mind control!" the woman gasped. "Just like what happened to your friend Bakura!"
That piqued the teens' interest. "Mind control?!" they cried in unison.
The woman nodded shakily before her eyes turned dangerous again and she once more advanced on Mai and Rex.
"You'd better have a brilliant idea," Mai grumbled.
"Of course I do," Rex replied defensively, taking a step forward. "I'm gonna fight her!"
"What?!" Mai screamed in disbelief. "You idiot!"
Rex only grinned. "Just watch me," he said, trying to deliver a punch to the woman's stomach. Instead he was thrown violently against the wall as she protected herself.
Mai stared at him, shaking her head in disgust at his pitiful attempt, and then kicked out hard to hit the woman squarely in the gut. With a gasp, their attacker fell to the floor, clutching her stomach in pain.
Now Mai turned back to Rex, tossing her hair. "You have no concept of fighting," she said smoothly.
Rex growled in frustration.
****
Almost as soon as Yami Bakura turned away from the door, it was shoved open by a dangerous-looking Egyptian man in a turban.
"Yami!!" Bakura cried.
Yami Bakura growled, whirling around to face the intruder. "How did you get in?!" he demanded. "That door was locked!"
"I don't need doors," the man hissed, pulling out a mysterious sceptre.
"That's what was used on me!" Bakura said in horror, pointing at the staff.
Yami Bakura's eyes narrowed. "Who are you?" he wanted to know. "You are not the same man from the boiler room!"
"You're right," the man said amiably, "I am not. But I am the current owner of this staff." He raised it high and pointed it at Yami Bakura, his tone changing to a deep, menacing growl once more. "I only let my associate borrow it for a bit, but his idiocy has annoyed me to no end! He can't even use the sceptre of Khu accurately!"
Yami Bakura took a step forward. "What are your intentions here, mortal?"
"I want your Millennium Ring," the man replied.
"You shan't have it," Yami Bakura growled, pulling it out and activating its powers.
Bakura sprang up, his sweet eyes wide. "Yami!!" he screamed.
"Stay back, you dolt," the thief hissed. "You don't know what you'd be up against!" He paused. "It's been many years since I have seen the staff of Khu, and I'm certain it's just as deadly now as it was then."
Bakura stood back and watched in horror as the two began their battle. Ceramics shattered and wood splintered as the blasts missed their targets.
"You have not mastered the powers of your staff," Yami Bakura observed.
"Oh, I haven't?" The man smirked, sending out a burst of energy that caught Yami Bakura right in his chest. With a cry of pain, the thief slumped back against the wall and was still. "I have mastered it enough to win, it appears." He laughed wickedly, reaching for the Ring.
"Yami!!" Bakura screamed, running forward with tears in his eyes. He looked up at the wielder of Khu's sceptre. "I can't stand idly by and watch this! My Yami saved me earlier—and now I will save him!" He grabbed for the staff, taking the man by complete surprise.
Yami Bakura stirred slightly, moaning as he opened his eyes. "Bakura . . . don't," he managed to say.
Bakura barely heard him. "I can't let this continue!" he sobbed, struggling with the man, who then angrily tried to shoot the boy down with the staff's powers. Somehow, however, the staff's powers turned against him and the man was struck down instead.
Bakura gasped. "Oh my!" he exclaimed, watching the Egyptian fall to the floor. Quickly he turned to look at his Yami, who was still slumped over and seemed to be in pain. "Yami, you're hurt!" the boy cried, running over to help him stand.
Yami Bakura grunted. "You shouldn't have tried to fight with him," he growled, wincing in pain. "You could have been shot down yourself!"
Bakura tried to help the tomb raider over to the bed, his soft eyes glistening. "He was hurting you, Yami! I couldn't just stand by and let it continue!"
Yami Bakura groaned, struggling to stay conscious. "Take the staff from him," he ordered.
Bakura hesitated.
"Take it!!" Yami Bakura yelled forcefully.
Gently Bakura laid the thief down on the bed and then shakily turned to look at the dazed man on the floor.
"And that mistake," the man purred now, "will be all of your undoing!"
There was a flash of light and another man appeared. "What are you going to do with that Millennium Item?" he demanded.
The first man grinned evilly. "I will use it to collect the others as well," he replied.
"Fine," the second man grunted. "But don't forget our original plan!"
"You have nothing to worry about. I have not forgotten. You will get your revenge and I will get what I desire as well!"
****
Yami Bakura stood up, looking anxious.
"What is it, Yami?" Bakura asked.
The thief growled and didn't answer, instead going to the door and pressing his body against it. I sense a dark presence, he said to himself silently. Someone is approaching!
"Yami, is something wrong?" Bakura cried, starting to climb out of the bed.
"Don't get up!" Yami Bakura growled in such an angry tone that the boy quickly obeyed, leaping back under the covers and watching the old thief with concern.
"Yami, what is it?" Bakura asked again. "Please tell me!"
Yami Bakura grunted. He was tempted to just leave the boy and go seek out this dark force by himself, but he wasn't about to make that same mistake again. Bakura, he vowed, would not be allowed out of his sight until the villains were caught.
****
As Mai and Rex chased the strange woman down the hall, the ship continued to tilt back and forth wildly.
"Why does it keep doing that?!" Mai cried in frustration.
Rex didn't answer as he watched the sobbing lady vanish around another corner. "There she goes!" he yelled.
The two teens soon followed after her and then glanced about in confusion when they found the corridor empty.
"Man, not again!" Rex growled. "She's disappeared!"
"Hey, she's over there, lamebrain," Mai replied in irritation, pointing at a nearby room where the crying woman was sitting near a porthole.
Quickly they ran inside and over to her.
"What's wrong?" Mai asked.
"Oh . . ." The woman sniffled, and then suddenly took on a completely different tone. "Nothing is wrong with me . . . but both of you will soon be under the sea!" She whirled to face them, no traces of tears on her cheeks. That had been a bluff to get them to follow her.
"Hey!! What kinda dirty trick are you pullin'?!" Rex demanded, taking a step forward.
"I've led you both into my trap, just as I wanted to," the woman purred. "And now you will both die!"
****
Marik bent over Rishid again, his lavender eyes shining worriedly. "Rishid! Wake up!!" the boy pleaded. It seemed that they had been there for ages trying to rouse their brother, but so far they hadn't had any luck.
Ishizu looked at them both in concern. "He must have inhaled more of the fumes than either of us," she said softly. "He was trying to save us from danger." Inwardly she knew it was possible that Rishid might die, though she couldn't stand to dwell on such a thing.
"He has to be alright," Marik said defensively, tears in his eyes. "Oh Rishid . . . please!"
At last Rishid groaned and coughed, and then his golden eyes fluttered open. "Master? Lady Ishizu?" he said weakly, managing a smile. "You are alright!"
Marik brightened. "You saved us, Rishid," he replied, embracing his friend.
****
"This is all so confusing," Tea said as she and the others in her group followed Yami Yugi down the hall.
The ancient Pharaoh was still studying the spell they had found in the janitor's closet. "I know," he agreed softly. "I feel like there is something I'm supposed to know, but I can't quite place it."
"I wonder how these fit in with everything," Yugi mused, taking out the bag of golf balls and staring at them.
Simon stared with goggle-eyed interest. "Where did you find those?!" he demanded.
Yami Yugi turned to look at him. "In the library that was ransacked," he said carefully. "What do you know of them?"
Simon looked immensely flustered. "Nothing," he insisted. "I was only curious because I . . . I enjoy golfing."
"I never knew that about you, Simon," Captain Hardy remarked. "I thought the sea was your whole life!"
Seto looked at Simon suspiciously. It seemed as though he was making up the golfing story, judging by the way he continued to be so extremely nervous and jumpy about the subject. Could he be involved with everything?
Mokuba was studying the man as well, feeling frustrated. When would anything start making sense?
As they turned a corner, the group suddenly met up with Joey, Tristan, and Shadi.
"Did you guys have any luck?" Tea asked hopefully.
Tristan looked serious. "Well, yes and no," he replied.
"Bakura's back to normal," Joey put in, "but the guy who was mind-controllin' him has pulled a Houdini act!"
"That can't be good," Tea said, shaking her head.
"Hey," Yugi noticed suddenly, "the ship's stopped rocking!"
"Does that mean that Marik's okay?" Mokuba asked hopefully.
Seto pulled him close. "It means that someone has taken control of the ship again, kid," he said softly, "and we can hope it was Marik."
Yami Yugi walked up to Shadi. "We found this in a janitor's closet," he said gravely, holding out the piece of parchment.
Shadi took it and read it over quickly, his blue eyes narrowing. "This is the counterspell to the evil incantation," he confirmed. "But what would it have been doing in a janitor's closet?"
"That's exactly what we'd like to know," Yami Yugi replied.
Yugi seemed to be deep in thought. "Hey," he said now, "what if we've been going about this all wrong?"
"Huh? Whaddya mean, Yug?" Joey demanded.
Yugi paused. "What if all these 'accidents' aren't to get revenge on the Captain—but instead are to get revenge on us?"
Everyone stared.
"That sounds kinda weird," Mokuba said at last.
"I know," Yugi was quick to agree. "Most of the strange things that have happened seemed to be where lots of people would be affected, and not just us. But we've gained lots of enemies over the past few months, and . . ." He paused, exchanging a glance with Yami Yugi.
"What's going on?!" Captain Hardy wanted to know. "Are you two keeping something from us?"
Yami Yugi sighed. "Yugi was threatened earlier today," he admitted finally.
"What?!" Tea cried. "Yugi, why didn't you tell us?!"
Yugi blushed. "Well, there was so much else going on that I never had a chance," he explained. That was only part of it, however. What with Bakura acting so odd earlier, Yugi hadn't wanted to add to his friends' worries by announcing that his life had been threatened.
"What did they say, Yugi?" Seto asked. He, too, had been threatened, but he hadn't particularly wanted to say anything either. If his own life was threatened, that was his business, and no one else's.
"They said that Yugi wouldn't be around once these events had all come to a close," Yami Yugi replied. "And they sounded as though they were familiar with the previous mysteries we've solved."
Seto grunted. That was almost the exact same thing that the person who'd called him had said.
Yugi played idly with one of the golf balls, wondering what significance it could possibly have. He also wondered why Simon was watching him like a hawk.
Suddenly the man reached forward and grabbed the small sphere away from Yugi. "I'll take this now," he said firmly.
Yugi blinked.
"What the heck do you want with that thing?!" Joey cried. "It's a golf ball! What's so important about a GOLF BALL?!"
Simon looked flustered. "Nothing," he growled, holding the golf ball out of Joey's reach.
Joey, undaunted, grabbed for it anyway and it wound up flying across the hall, where it crashed against the wall and broke open. Everyone turned to stare as a huge ruby fell out.
****
Rex backed up, his brown eyes flashing angrily. "Just try offin' us," he growled, getting into a defensive stance. "You won't stand a chance!"
Mai glared as well. "Hey, if you're gonna kill us, at least tell us why!"
The woman shrugged. "I have my orders. You kids are too nosy!"
"Hey, we don't know anything!" Rex protested.
"You're Yugi's friends, aren't you?" the woman said smoothly.
Mai blinked. "Well . . . yes," she admitted.
"Then I've been told that you're responsible for helping to put criminals in the clink," the woman informed them.
"Hey, I've never been involved!" Rex said in frustration.
Suddenly a change seemed to come over the woman and she gasped, her eyes widening. "Help me," she begged.
"What?!" Rex cried. "I don't get it! First you wanna kill us and now you suddenly want our help?!"
"You . . . you don't understand," the woman said softly.
Mai stared. "You're right, I don't."
"It's . . . it's mind control!" the woman gasped. "Just like what happened to your friend Bakura!"
That piqued the teens' interest. "Mind control?!" they cried in unison.
The woman nodded shakily before her eyes turned dangerous again and she once more advanced on Mai and Rex.
"You'd better have a brilliant idea," Mai grumbled.
"Of course I do," Rex replied defensively, taking a step forward. "I'm gonna fight her!"
"What?!" Mai screamed in disbelief. "You idiot!"
Rex only grinned. "Just watch me," he said, trying to deliver a punch to the woman's stomach. Instead he was thrown violently against the wall as she protected herself.
Mai stared at him, shaking her head in disgust at his pitiful attempt, and then kicked out hard to hit the woman squarely in the gut. With a gasp, their attacker fell to the floor, clutching her stomach in pain.
Now Mai turned back to Rex, tossing her hair. "You have no concept of fighting," she said smoothly.
Rex growled in frustration.
****
Almost as soon as Yami Bakura turned away from the door, it was shoved open by a dangerous-looking Egyptian man in a turban.
"Yami!!" Bakura cried.
Yami Bakura growled, whirling around to face the intruder. "How did you get in?!" he demanded. "That door was locked!"
"I don't need doors," the man hissed, pulling out a mysterious sceptre.
"That's what was used on me!" Bakura said in horror, pointing at the staff.
Yami Bakura's eyes narrowed. "Who are you?" he wanted to know. "You are not the same man from the boiler room!"
"You're right," the man said amiably, "I am not. But I am the current owner of this staff." He raised it high and pointed it at Yami Bakura, his tone changing to a deep, menacing growl once more. "I only let my associate borrow it for a bit, but his idiocy has annoyed me to no end! He can't even use the sceptre of Khu accurately!"
Yami Bakura took a step forward. "What are your intentions here, mortal?"
"I want your Millennium Ring," the man replied.
"You shan't have it," Yami Bakura growled, pulling it out and activating its powers.
Bakura sprang up, his sweet eyes wide. "Yami!!" he screamed.
"Stay back, you dolt," the thief hissed. "You don't know what you'd be up against!" He paused. "It's been many years since I have seen the staff of Khu, and I'm certain it's just as deadly now as it was then."
Bakura stood back and watched in horror as the two began their battle. Ceramics shattered and wood splintered as the blasts missed their targets.
"You have not mastered the powers of your staff," Yami Bakura observed.
"Oh, I haven't?" The man smirked, sending out a burst of energy that caught Yami Bakura right in his chest. With a cry of pain, the thief slumped back against the wall and was still. "I have mastered it enough to win, it appears." He laughed wickedly, reaching for the Ring.
"Yami!!" Bakura screamed, running forward with tears in his eyes. He looked up at the wielder of Khu's sceptre. "I can't stand idly by and watch this! My Yami saved me earlier—and now I will save him!" He grabbed for the staff, taking the man by complete surprise.
Yami Bakura stirred slightly, moaning as he opened his eyes. "Bakura . . . don't," he managed to say.
Bakura barely heard him. "I can't let this continue!" he sobbed, struggling with the man, who then angrily tried to shoot the boy down with the staff's powers. Somehow, however, the staff's powers turned against him and the man was struck down instead.
Bakura gasped. "Oh my!" he exclaimed, watching the Egyptian fall to the floor. Quickly he turned to look at his Yami, who was still slumped over and seemed to be in pain. "Yami, you're hurt!" the boy cried, running over to help him stand.
Yami Bakura grunted. "You shouldn't have tried to fight with him," he growled, wincing in pain. "You could have been shot down yourself!"
Bakura tried to help the tomb raider over to the bed, his soft eyes glistening. "He was hurting you, Yami! I couldn't just stand by and let it continue!"
Yami Bakura groaned, struggling to stay conscious. "Take the staff from him," he ordered.
Bakura hesitated.
"Take it!!" Yami Bakura yelled forcefully.
Gently Bakura laid the thief down on the bed and then shakily turned to look at the dazed man on the floor.