(AN/ I got an offer, which I took. E-100 Alpha and I will be using each
others original characters. He owns Drake, Lara, and their items. If you
want to see Tempest make a guest appearance read E-100 Alpha's Legend of
Dragoon, sequel to the Dragon Duelist. Because of this, I will be changing
one of my eliminators, the black-wearing linebacker one, for this purpose.
On with the fic!)
"As the final round draws to a close we will be having a brief intermission for dinner as our two final duelists prepare themselves," Croquet announced.
"What?! What do you mean we have to wait?!" demanded Joe, but he was ignored. Croquet and Kemo stepped forward and ushered the remaining people back into the party room for another buffet.
"How are we supposed to eat?" whined Joe as they walked, "I am too nervous to eat."
"That is a first," snickered Tea.
"Hey," protested Joe.
"Well, its true," replied Tristan. Yu-Gi slipped back.
"Hey, we never congratulated the two of you," he said to Tempest and Mai.
"Um, Thanks," replied Mai.
"And you too, Tempest. You did awesome, considering this is your first tournament," Yu-Gi addressed Tempest.
"Thanks," she said simply, remembering her plan to drop out. They entered the party room and lined-up at the buffet.
The meal progressed slowly, well, at least too slowly for the impatient Joe. He whined through the whole meal, but was still able to polish off several plates of food. It was Tempest who could hardly eat, she was afraid that she had gotten in over her head. The remaining two eliminators ate in silence, in separate parts of the room. Mai was gloating about her victory, and Tristan, Tea, and Bakura were trying to psyche-up their friends.
"Thank you all for participating. The next round will be Yu-Gi Motuo versus Drake," announced Croquet as the meal ended.
"It looks like I am next," muttered Yu-Gi. He got a distant look in his eyes as he thought to himself. "I have to be careful this duel. I can't let what happened last time repeat itself. This presence inside of me can't be allowed to harm anyone. I have to control it, because it almost hurt Kaiba last time."
"Wow! Good luck Yu-Gi," encouraged Tea, and the others agreed.
"I can't believe I have to wait until the end!" exclaimed Joe.
"Hey, this is in the bag," said Tristan, "The eliminator doesn't stand a chance. This is Yu-Gi he is going up against."
"I appreciate it," said Yu-Gi with a smile.
"Just remember why you duel," said Tea.
"Yeah, grandpa," said Yu-Gi.
"Come on, Yug, or we are going to be left behind," said Joe as the two of them were the last left in the party room. They raced out. Unknown to the duelists, two zombie-like figures were left with their dishes. One was washing in his blue trench coat. The other was left to dry. There was little point in this, since the last one desperately needed a shower.
Back in the arena......
(AN: This / means thoughts between Yami and Yu-Gi.)
Joe and Yu-Gi just raced in, and everyone else was in place.
"It is very tacky to be late for your own duel," said Drake from his platform, as Yu-Gi climbed his. He was by far the youngest eliminator yet. He looked about the age of Yu-Gi and his friends. He had on blue jeans and jacket, which had a strange symbol on its back. He had the typical, double row dueling glove that all the eliminators wore. But his was on top of a golden gauntlet.
"Its time to duel," Yu-Gi and Drake said together as they each received 2000 life points and the duel started.
"This is perfect," said Tea.
"What do you mean?" asked Joe.
"I mean, everyone is going to be watching this duel, even Pegasus. It is perfect for us to try to find where they hid the Kaibas!" she explained.
"Of course! That's brilliant!" said Tristan.
"Let's go," suggested Joe.
"But we can't all go and leave Yu-Gi," Bakura pointed out.
"Joe can stay here," suggested Tristan, "That way he won't miss his duel."
"Great idea," said Bakura.
"Aw, man," groaned Joe. The three slipped out; Tea, Tristan, and Bakura. They left the side door partially opened, hoping that they would be able to get back in later.
"I play the Beaver Warrior in attack mode," declared Yu-Gi, beginning the duel. His first monster appeared in a flash of light. It was a gray beaver, complete with bucked teeth and broad, flat tail. It wore bluish medieval armor and walked upright. In its one hand was a sword and in the other was a shield. Its stats were 1200 and 1500.
"A wussy rodent is your first monster? I have seen better in my sleep," said Drake, "I play the Lesser Dragon in attack mode, along with this magic card, which I will play face down." With the stats of 1200 and 1000 it stale-mated the Beaver Warrior. It had scaly green armor and many spiky points. It also walked upright. "Your move."
"I wouldn't brag so much if I were you," said Yu-Gi. "Our monsters are equal. But that is about to change. I play the Winged Dragon and Guardian of the Fortress #1 in attack mode!" His dragon appeared next to the Beaver Warrior. It was sky blue. Its front appendages were wings and it had a mouth full of vicious teeth. This dragon's stats were 1400 and 1200. "Winged Dragon attack!"
"I don't think so," smirked Drake, "You completely forgot about my magic card, which is Spell-Binding Circle. Your monster has lost 500 attack points."
"No! My dragon!" cried Yu-Gi as the Lesser Dragon and Winged Dragon clashed. The blue dragon lost, taking 300 points off of Yu-Gi's life points.
**************************************************************************
"Do you have any idea where we are at?" complained Tea as they got further lost in the labyrinth like passages of Pegasus' castle.
"Sure, I have an excellent sense of direction," said Tristan.
"Then it is official, we are lost," said Tea.
"Well, either Pegasus is keeping his prisoners at the top of the castle or the bottom," Bakura said, logically.
"I am not heading back into that maze! We almost got trapped forever there!" screeched Tea.
"OK, OK, we'll head for that tower," said Tristan pointing out of the window. A lone tower stood higher than all of the other points in the castle.
"And how do you plan on getting there?" asked Tea.
"I have an idea, follow me," said Bakura as he went down another corridor.
**************************************************************************
"Mr. Pegasus, sir, sorry to interrupt," said Kemo as he entered Pegasus' private dining area. There, Pegasus was watching the duels from a large screen. "Several of the guests have wondered off."
"I know that already," snapped Pegasus, "I will take care of them myself, you are to watch the duel between Drake and Yu-Gi."
"Will Drake win?" asked Kemo.
"I trained him, myself," said Pegasus, "He stands the best chance of anyone."
"Yes sir," said Kemo, "I'll return to the arena." He left.
Pegasus stood up and grinned evilly, planning something for Yu-Gi's friends.
**************************************************************************
Outside of the castle......
"Sorry, miss," said one of the lower ranked guards, "You can't enter, the tournament is over."
"But I am friends with Drake and......" she began.
"No one is allowed in," said the guard, "I have to deport you."
"Too bad," she said, stepping back. A figure was in shadows behind her.
"What the?!" exclaimed the guard.
"Succubus Knight, knock out this idiot!" ordered the girl. The figure proceeded to do so. Then the girl stepped over the unconscious form and entered the castle.
**************************************************************************
"Wow, Bakura," complimented Tea, "You were actually able to get us here!" The trio was standing on the terrace, looking up at the lone tower.
"It wasn't that hard," said Bakura, turning slightly pink.
"Well how do we get in?" asked Tea.
"The door is locked," said Tristan, futilely trying to open it.
"Then we could try to climb up," suggested Bakura.
"Climb! I am wearing high heels!" complained Tea.
"Then you can go back with Joe and Yu-Gi," said Tristan, pulling himself onto the growing vines. Bakura followed.
"No way!" exclaimed Tea, kicking off her shoes and following them. It was quiet a climb and they were all grateful when they landed on the inside.
"I think we found Pegasus' personal study," muttered Bakura.
**************************************************************************
"Don't worry Yug," said Joe, "The duel is just beginning, you can still win this."
"I can't believe Yu-Gi walked into such an obvious trap," muttered Mai, "He seems a little distracted."
"He's just getting warmed up," said Joe.
"Now, I play," said Drake, "The Koumori Dragon in attack mode!" His dark violet dragon appeared, ready for action. It spread its wings wide. Its attack was 1500. "Destroy the Beaver Warrior!" The dragon launched a flame of pure fire, and the Beaver Warrior disappeared with a shriek. Yu-Gi was down to 1400 life points.
/Let me help you, Yu-Gi,/ said a voice in Yu-Gi's mind. /No. I won't let you hurt anyone./
"I play," declared Yu-Gi after he had drawn his next card, "The Giant Soldier of Stone in defense mode." His monstrous monster appeared. It looked like a large humanoid statue that was made with no curved lines. It had a defense of 2000.
"Good move Yug," said Joe, "Build your defenses."
"It isn't a good move," said Mai. "He needs to start paying attention or he is going to get his butt kicked."
**************************************************************************
"Well," said Tristan, "It is obvious that none of the Kaibas are here."
"Maybe there is a key or a hint as to where he is holding them," suggested Tea. Her eyes were then drawn to a beautiful painting of a woman. She had creamy brown hair and the pretty almond eyes. She looked at the viewer with a sad, sweet smile and an expression of true love.
"That is a beautiful painting," commented Bakura.
"How dare you break in here," said a new voice.
"Uh-Oh," muttered Tristan. Pegasus was standing in the doorway, blocking the only escape, save for the window.
**************************************************************************
"Defending?" asked Drake, "Are you that afraid of me? Fine, I play Ryu- Kishin Powered in attack mode and defend my Lesser Dragon and Koumori Dragon." His new monster appeared. It was pale pink in color and strongly resembled a mecha. It had wicked claws and jaws. Several of its joints were dark violet. Its attack was 1600, but its defense was only 1200. "Your move, but you had better play better. I thought I would be dueling a tough opponent, but apparently I was wrong."
"You won't be bragging for long," said Yu-Gi, "I play the Curse of Dragon in attack mode." His next monster appeared. It was the skeleton of a dragon, the resembled the ones in Japanese mythology, having no rear feet. Its wings filled most of the available space.
"He needs to start using magic cards," muttered Mai.
"Curse of Dragon, destroy the Ryu-Kishin!" ordered Yu-Gi. It soared high and incinerated Drake's monster, taking him down 400 life points.
"Great job, Yug!" encouraged Joe.
"He's just lucky," muttered Mai. "He is holding back."
One of the side doors of the arena opened and in walked a girl, who looked around with apprehension. No one noticed her arrival, which she was grateful for. She had silky violet hair, which was hanging on her neck in strings. It perfectly matched her violet sweater, which had seen better days. She wore blue jeans, but the right leg was completely missing just above the knee. Around her neck was a golden locket with something indistinguishable carved on the front. She slipped in quietly. The guards were to busy with the duel to notice her as she sat down in the dwindling audience. She sat next to Tempest and Martin. Martin saw her and looked away, shyly. Tempest heard someone sit down and turned her attention away from the duel.
"Who's there?" asked Tempest.
"Shhh," cautioned the newcomer. "I'm Lara."
"I am Tempest," said Tempest, "Are you a finalist or an eliminator?"
"Um, neither," Lara replied, "I am here to visit a close friend."
"Here?" asked Tempest.
"Yes," she answered.
"I play Dragon Treasures!" declared Drake, "It raises the attack of my Koumori Dragon by 500, equal to your Curse of Dragon because I am switching it back into attack mode."
"Drake!" Lara exclaimed at a whisper.
"He's your friend?" asked Tempest.
"Yes," replied Lara. "I missed him so much." She said this with a note of longing in her voice.
"You love him, don't you?" asked Tempest, recognizing the tome instantly.
"....Yes," she replied. "We used to be a couple until his dad forced me to leave."
"That is so tragic," replied Tempest, thinking of Luther, "It sounds like Romeo and Juliet."
"I guess so," agreed Lara.
"If you are done, then I play the Feral Imp in attack mode. Plus I use the Horn of the Unicorn to raise its attack by 500!" yelled Yu-Gi, "And I also play another magic card face down."
"Way to turn it around," encouraged Joe as his friend's monster appeared. It was a green canine like gargoyle creature with grass green wings and a spiral white horn on its forehead. Its eyes went pure white as the Horn of the Unicorn was activated. Its stats went from 1300 and 1400 to1800 and 1900.
"Attack the Lesser Dragon," ordered Yu-Gi. The imp summoned a strong burst of light from its horn and the dragon dissipated. But because it was in defense mode Drake's life points remained the same at 1600, while Yu-Gi only had 1400.
**************************************************************************
"So, you have nothing to say for yourselves," said Pegasus. He threw Tea's shoes at her disdainfully.
"Pegasus, you sleezball," snarled Tristan.
"You sneak into my room, and yet, I'm the sleezball," mocked Pegasus.
"Give Mokuba back," said Tea, "Yu-Gi won his freedom in a duel. He isn't you prisoner any more!"
"No, I won't," said Pegasus. "And you shall all be punished for trespassing!" His Millennial Eye began to glow and before any of them could react they were surrounded by shadows.
"EEK! What is this place?!" screamed Tea.
"It is the Shadow Realm," answered Bakura, with a note of fear in his voice.
"This can't be good," muttered Tristan.
"You'd better learn to like it," said Pegasus with a smile that made you want to strangle him. "You will be staying here for a very long time."
"I don't think so!" cried Tristan as he charged Pegasus. But another light came from the Millennial Eye and Tristan froze, paralyzed.
"You make it seem like I am giving you a choice," said Pegasus.
**************************************************************************
"Kaiser Dragon, attack mode," declared Drake as he made his next move. The next dragon appeared. It was golden and serpentine and lacked wings. Its stats were 2300 and 2000. He still had his Koumori Dragon as well. Yu-Gi had his Giant Soldier of Stone, Curse of Dragon, and powered-up Feral Imp. "But I won't stop there. I play Remove Trap to eliminate your face down magic card."
"How did you know it was a trap card?" asked Yu-Gi.
"Because you are playing like an amateur. I was expecting more from the duelist who beat Kaiba," said Drake.
"Grrr," growled Yu-Gi. /Let me help you,/ the spirit asked again.
/No! I can do this on my own! I do not need you to hurt someone else,/ Yu- Gi retorted.
/If you don't let me help, everyone is going to lose!/ the spirit protested.
"Mai is right," thought Tempest, "Yu-Gi does seem distracted."
"Drake is going easy on him," muttered Lara.
"What?" asked Tempest.
"Drake is better than this," she explained, "I think he is holding back. It probably has something to do with his father....."
"Who is his father?" asked Tempest.
"You don't want to know," Lara replied.
"Why?" asked Tempest.
"I'll tell you, but you have to promise not to tell anyone," said Lara. Tempest agreed. Lara whispered the name in her ear.
"WHAT!!!!!????" cried Tempest, attracting unwanted attention.
"I told you, you didn't want to know," replied Lara.
"And to finish my turn," declared Drake, "Kaiser Dragon destroy the Feral Imp." Yu-Gi cringed from the intense light and when it stopped he was down to 900 life points.
"Still believe me that Yu-Gi isn't holding back?" Mai asked Joe.
"It is just luck," replied Joe. Louder he said, "Come on Yug, do this for Gramps!"
"HA! I play Gaia the Fierce Knight in attack mode," said Yu-Gi. His next monster wore blue and violet armor and carried two lances. He rode on a deep violet horse and had an attack of 2300.
"Big deal, it still can't beat my Kaiser," remarked Drake.
"Not yet," said Yu-Gi, "But I use the magic card Polymerization and combined it with my Curse of Dragon, creating Gaia the Dragon Champion." A swirling vortex engulfed both monsters and when it was done the knight was on top of the Curse of Dragon. Its attack was raised 2600 and its defense was 2100.
"Gaia, eliminate the Kaiser Dragon!" ordered Yu-Gi. This move sent Drake down to 1300 life points.
"Then I counter with Ryu-Ran," declared Drake. (AN/ Joe Marusa, author, told me Ryu is Japanese for dragon.) His next monster appeared with an attack of 2200 and a defense 2600. It was a strange dragon, hiding inside of a blue spotted white eggshell. Reddish wings and legs poked out, as well as demonic red eyes in shadows, but that was it. "Destroy the stone soldier!" And it was done. Yu-Gi's life points were unharmed, though.
"And to end my turn I move the Koumori Dragon to defense mode," finished Drake.
**************************************************************************
"Enjoy the rest of you lives," gloated Pegasus as he prepared to leave the three teens in the Shadow Realm.
"Pegasus, no," said a strange voice. All eyes turned to Bakura. He had an evil gleam in his eyes and was smiling. His hair was spikier and his voice had lost its accent, and grown more sinister. His Millennial Ring was glowing softly. "This isn't over."
Both millennial objects began to try to over power the other. In a sudden flash of light everyone cried out. An exit was opened to the real world and they all got sucked through.
Yami Bakura raised his head, exhausted. Everyone else was unconscious. Bakura last thoughts were on the Millennial Eye.
"They must not remember this," he said. His ring again began to glow, wiping everyone's memories of the incident. Pegasus was left alone in his private study. The teens were sprawled out in the hallway, and Bakura collapsed. His hair reverted to normal as his spirit lost control.
**************************************************************************
"I play the Dark Magician in attack mode," declared Yu-Gi as he played his favorite card. A black haired humanoid monster appeared on the field. It had intense blue eyes and carried a blue staff that looked like a cornucopia at the top. He was wearing a strange violet outfit with a matching conical hat. He also had a darker violet cape. Its attack was 2500 and its defense was 2000.
"Say good-bye to your Ryu-Ran. Dark Magician, Dark Magic Attack!" ordered Yu-Gi. A wave of darkness eliminated the secretive dragon and brought Drake down to 1000 life points.
"I play the Red-Eyes Black Dragon in attack mode!" said Drake, starting his next turn.
"Wow! Good card," muttered Joe. It was in his deck as well. A angular dragon appeared, sheer black, of course. It had sheek black wings and an attack of 2400.
"Then I play two magic cards and end my turn," finished Drake.
"Then I play a magic card too," declared Yu-Gi. /Yu-Gi, no!/ the spirit pleaded. /Let me help you./
/I can't risk it. You would do anything to win, even if it meant hurting someone. I can't trust you,/ replied Yu-Gi.
"And now Gaia attack the Red-Eyes!" ordered Yu-Gi.
"Do you deliberately like triggering my traps?" asked Drake in disbelief. "Acid Trap Hole activates. Gaia goes to the graveyard."
"Then Dark Magician attack," said Yu-Gi.
"Negate Attack," said Drake, revealing his last magic card. "And now, I play the Flute of Summoning Dragon and add another Red-Eyes Black Dragon on the field."
"Grrr," Yu-Gi growled.
"I see you like that so much, so I will make it even more interesting. I use Dragon Claw and raise one of their attacks to 2900," said Drake, "And I know you played a trap card last turn, so I'll have my weaker dragon activate it." The first Red-Eyes went to attack, but as Drake predicted, it was instantly sent to the graveyard. "I play another magic card. Your move, since that was the dragon I summoned this turn and it can't attack yet."
"I play the Summoned Skull in attack mode and combine it with the Magical Mist, raising its attack to 3000," declared Yu-Gi. "Attack!"
"I just played another Negate Attack," declared Drake, "No damage done."
**************************************************************************
"What? Where are we? What happened?" asked Tea as she woke up.
"I don't know," replied Bakura, rubbing his scalp.
"Weren't we looking for Mokuba and Seto?" asked Tristan.
"That's right!" exclaimed Tea.
"I wonder how Yu-Gi is doing?" Bakura thought out-loud.
"Tea, you go check on him. Bakura and I will head to the dungeons," said Tristan.
"OK," Tea said as she ran off. After several turns she stopped. "What am I doing? I am completely lost."
"Do you know where to go?" Tristan asked Bakura.
"Of course," replied Bakura as his spirit took over again.
"What happened to your voice?" asked Tristan, getting nervous. Bakura just chuckled.
"Come on," said Yami Bakura as they headed to the dungeons.
**************************************************************************
"I play the Meteor Dragon in attack mode and use the magic card Polymerization," said Drake, "Melding my Red-Eyes with it, creating the unstoppable Meteor Black Dragon!" His monsters merged and a dragon with 3500 attack was created. It stood upright and was as intense as molten lead. It bellowed shaking the arena.
"Go, Drake!" whispered Lara.
"Meteor B. Dragon attack the Summoned Skull," ordered Drake. Yu-Gi was sent down to 400 life points.
"Come on Yu-Gi, you can do it," said Joe.
"Not if he doesn't face his fears," muttered Mai.
Yu-Gi, stop holding me back,/ begged Yami. /If not you will lose your Grandpa, Mokuba, and Seto!/
/I can't trust you! You almost seriously hurt Kaiba!/ replied Yu-Gi.
"Come on Yu-Gi, pull yourself together and quit acting like an amateur who is afraid of his own shadow!" yelled Mai.
"He doesn't need your help!" snapped Joe, "Quit messing with or minds. He doesn't need you to throw off his game like you tried on me."
"You are off kilter enough without me," Mai shot back. "And I am not trying to discourage Yu-Gi. The two of you taught me more in one duel than I have ever learned in all the duels I won. I realized that I only used those cheap tricks because I wasn't confident enough in myself, or my skills. I was forced to examine myself when I lost to you. I was jealous of the confidence that you had in yourself, and the confidence your friends had in you. I completely changed my strategy since then, and now trust myself completely. When Yu-Gi lost to Kaiba he lost that confidence in himself. He needs to get it back and realize how much he has going for him."
"Wow, Mai," said Joe, blown away by her speech.
/Yu-Gi,/ the spirit said again, /I never meant to hurt anyone. I was only trying to help your grandpa. Did he once tell you to trust in the power of the Millennial Puzzle?/
/Yes,/ confirmed Yu-Gi.
/Please, we need to work together. I vow never to do anything again that is against your will. Will you please let me help?/
/OK, but as long as I am running the show,/ replied Yu-Gi. He drew his next card. "I use the magic card Magical Boxes." Tempest noticed his voice had changed again.
"What?" asked Drake.
"Watch. First a box is formed around my Dark Magician. Then another one forms around your Meteor Black Dragon," explained Yu-Gi.
"What are you doing?" asked Drake.
"Then, swords rain down on the box with my Dark Magician in it," said Yu- Gi.
"Are you sacrificing your own monster!?" exclaimed Drake.
"Did I?" asked Yu-Gi as the boxes opened. The monsters had switched placed. The Dark Magician exited the dragon's box unharmed. The dragon was shish-kabob inside of the other one.
"No!" cried Drake. "Fine! Hyozanryu in attack mode, with Dragon Nails!" His new monster was diamond blue with the typical dragon anatomy. Its raised attack and defense was 2600 and 3300. This was his only monster, just like Yu-Gi only had the Dark Magician. Drake was leading; 1000 life points to 400.
"Hyozanryu destroy the Dark Magician!" ordered Drake. Yu-Gi's remaining monster was obliterated, bring him down to 300 life points.
"It isn't over yet!" yelled Yu-Gi. "Mystical Elf in defense mode, plus the magic card Just Desserts. You lose 500 life points for each monster you have in play." Drake was down to 500 life points, total.
"Seiyaryu attack mode and destroy the Mystical Elf," ordered Drake. "You can't beat me, you cards are to weak!"
/Trust me,/ said Yu-Gi's spirit.
/I do,/ replied Yu-Gi. He breathed in and drew his next card.
"Swords of Revealing Light!" he declared as he played it.
"Grrr. So you stalled for three turns, my monsters will only get stronger," Drake said.
**************************************************************************
"Bakura, where are you?" called Tristan. Somehow the two of them had been separated.
"Hey you! You aren't supposed to be here!" yelled a guard as he caught Tristan.
"Um," muttered Tristan before turning and running.
**************************************************************************
"Tristan?" wondered Yami Bakura, looking around. He touched his Millennial Ring and began to sense where everyone was. He quickly found Tristan who was quickly running out of room to run to. "That baka," muttered Bakura before following.
"I warn you, I know karate," said Tristan as he was cornered by three guards.
"Get him," one guard ordered as they all charged forward, Tristan cringed.
"Chain Destruction!" yelled a new voice. Tristan turned and saw Bakura, holding a card over his head. A glowing chain encircled the guards. They tried to break free, but the chains were to strong. Their protests fell on deaf ears.
"Come on, the boy isn't far away," said Bakura as he brushed passed Tristan and turned a corner, completely ignoring the whining guards. There, in a jail cell was Mokuba, who was sitting there like a zombie.
"Come on! Let's get him out of here!" said Tristan as he tried to tug on the bars. Yami Bakura walked forward with the key, which he had pilfered from the guards and opened it. Tristan raced in and picked up the small boy.
"Now I have what I want," said Yami Bakura. "That boy will be my new host. This body betrayed me. I will take one that has no spirit, no mind, no will of its own. I will rule without a struggle."
"What? Bakura?" asked Tristan. He began to remember about Bakura's dark side. "What did you do with him!? Let him go!"
"I don't think so!" Yami Bakura yelled back. His Millennial Ring began to glow.
"Hey! What are you punks doing?!" another guard yelled. He was standing with two other guards.
"Out of the frying pan and into the fire," muttered Tristan. He shifted Mokuba so the boy was easier to carry and began to run.
"Man," he complained, "I should have been on the track team."
"Hey! Where are you going?!" yelled two other guards as they appeared in front of Tristan. Blocking his exit.
"Not this way," he replied before doing a 180 and sprinting away. Bakura was on his heels, so were the five guards.
Tristan turned a sharp right and found himself on a narrow ledge of land, outside of the castle. "I need a plan."
"We have you cornered, there is no where else to go. Give up," ordered one of the guards.
"Why when we can have fun?" said Yami Bakura, who was between Tristan and the guards. "Man-Eater Bug." He held his next card high. His Millennial Ring was glowing. A circle formed in front of him. It looked like black mist. A shadowy figure stepped out of this circle.
"What is that?!" exclaimed on of the guards as he saw this happen.
"He just brought the monster on that card to life!" exclaimed another.
"He's going to sic it on us!" added a third.
"Way to be pessimistic," muttered the fourth.
"RUN!" yelled the leader. The five turned and ran, the Duel Monster right on their heels. In a few seconds they were out of screaming range.
"Gotta think of something," thought Tristan as he watched this. He was backing up outside, onto the narrow ledge above the ocean.
"Present day humans are so fun to terrorize, don't you think?" asked Bakura, with his back still to Tristan.
"No, but then again, I am just a present day human," replied Tristan as he took his position. He set Mokuba down and pressed himself with his back flat against the castle.
"And now to deal with the boy," said Yami Bakura. He stepped outside and blinked into the sunlight. Tristan used this time to attack. He jumped and knocked Bakura to the ground. He ripped the Millennial Ring off of his friend's neck and threw it into the sea. Bakura shook, then went back to normal.
"Good-bye evil spirit and don't come back," said Tristan
"Tristan?" he asked, still disoriented, "What happened?"
"I'll explain on the way back," said Tristan as he picked up Mokuba again.
**************************************************************************
"Fine, I will prepare my forces," said Drake, still mad about being frozen for three turns. "Serpent Night Dragon in attack mode and Dragon Treasure on the Seiyaryu." His new dragon had the stats of 2350 and 2150. The Seiyaryu had an attack now of 3000.
/Is there anything we can do to beat him?/ Yu-Gi asked the spirit of the puzzle.
/Yes, watch,/ he replied.
"Reborn the Monster," declared Yu-Gi, "Return Gaia the Fierce Knight."
"A waste of a move, it is still too weak," said Drake, "And now I play Mountain. It changes the terrain to a mountain, raising the stats of my dragons by 500 each! And I also play the Stone Dragon in attack mode." His new monster had raised stats of 2500 and 2800. (AN/ I am not describing these because I already did in earlier chapters.)
/This isn't good,/ Yu-Gi thought.
/There is only one thing we can do,/ Yami Yu-Gi replied, /We must open the Gates of Chaos and summon the Black Luster Soldier./
/Gates of Chaos! You mean a ritual?/ asked Yu-Gi.
/Exactly, but we many not have enough turns,/ the spirit sounded worried.
/We can do it. Everyone is counting on us, and we aren't going to disappoint them,/ Yu-Gi replied.
/Of course, it is silly of me to doubt,/ Yami Yu-Gi replied. /But now we must take a risk./
"I play Kuriboh in attack mode," announced Yu-Gi.
"Kuriboh!" cried Joe.
"That little hair ball is good for nothing, except maybe choking a cat," muttered Mai.
"Are you trying to mock my dueling skills?" asked Drake.
"Not at all," replied Yu-Gi with a smile.
"Very well. I play the magic card Stop Defense. As long it is in play you cannot defend any monsters. And next turn my dragons will be free and they will obliterate you," said Drake.
"Then for my turn I will play two magic cards and end this duel," announced Yu-Gi.
"You are bluffing!" cried Drake.
"Watch. First I play Brain Control. It lets me control one of your monsters for my turn, and I chose your Serpent Night Dragon," said Yu-Gi. Drake gave him an evil eye. "Next I play the Black Luster Ritual." He held up the card he had just drawn.
"A ritual!?" cried Drake.
"The legendary Black Luster Soldier," muttered Tempest.
"The three monsters I control are sacrificed and that energy is used to open the Gates of Chaos, releasing the Black Luster Soldier," said Yu-Gi. The holo-field recreated this powerful magic. In a flash of light the Serpent Night Dragon, Gaia the Fierce Knight, and Kuriboh disappeared and melded together. A doorway with crossed swords appeared. The light grew brighter, then faded, revealing the legendary Black Luster Soldier. It wore evil looking gold and blue armor and carried a large curved sword and shield. It stats were the same as the Blue-Eyes White Dragon at 3000 and 2500.
"No! Drake!" cried Lara.
"So that is the legendary Black Luster Soldier," muttered Mai in amazement.
"Black Luster Soldier destroy the Stone Dragon!" ordered Yu-Gi. The soldier lacerated the dragon and knocked Drake down to 0 life points.
"Way to go Yu-Gi!" cried Bakura, Tristan, and Tea, who had all just entered. Bakura and Tristan had found Tea on their way back. She had gotten hopelessly lost. Tristan had stopped by his room and put Mokuba's unconscious body in it.
"Yeah! You did it Yug!" cried Joe.
"The midget was actually able to pull it off," muttered Mai as the two duelists exited the platform.
"Good duel," said Drake, shaking Yu-Gi's hand. "I haven't seen better."
"Thanks, you put up a good match yourself," replied Yu-Gi, being normal again.
"Wow, one of the eliminators actually knows how to be civil," said Joe as he approached.
"Hey, the stadium is all yours," smirked Drake.
"What? Oh, yeah....." muttered Joe, he was the next and last finalist. The duelists seemed to be gathering in one spot to congratulate Yu-Gi. Tempest, Martin, and Lara were the last over. No one saw them approach. Lara went up and tapped Drake on the shoulder and he turned around.
"Lara?!" he cried in surprise, shock and wonder.
"As the final round draws to a close we will be having a brief intermission for dinner as our two final duelists prepare themselves," Croquet announced.
"What?! What do you mean we have to wait?!" demanded Joe, but he was ignored. Croquet and Kemo stepped forward and ushered the remaining people back into the party room for another buffet.
"How are we supposed to eat?" whined Joe as they walked, "I am too nervous to eat."
"That is a first," snickered Tea.
"Hey," protested Joe.
"Well, its true," replied Tristan. Yu-Gi slipped back.
"Hey, we never congratulated the two of you," he said to Tempest and Mai.
"Um, Thanks," replied Mai.
"And you too, Tempest. You did awesome, considering this is your first tournament," Yu-Gi addressed Tempest.
"Thanks," she said simply, remembering her plan to drop out. They entered the party room and lined-up at the buffet.
The meal progressed slowly, well, at least too slowly for the impatient Joe. He whined through the whole meal, but was still able to polish off several plates of food. It was Tempest who could hardly eat, she was afraid that she had gotten in over her head. The remaining two eliminators ate in silence, in separate parts of the room. Mai was gloating about her victory, and Tristan, Tea, and Bakura were trying to psyche-up their friends.
"Thank you all for participating. The next round will be Yu-Gi Motuo versus Drake," announced Croquet as the meal ended.
"It looks like I am next," muttered Yu-Gi. He got a distant look in his eyes as he thought to himself. "I have to be careful this duel. I can't let what happened last time repeat itself. This presence inside of me can't be allowed to harm anyone. I have to control it, because it almost hurt Kaiba last time."
"Wow! Good luck Yu-Gi," encouraged Tea, and the others agreed.
"I can't believe I have to wait until the end!" exclaimed Joe.
"Hey, this is in the bag," said Tristan, "The eliminator doesn't stand a chance. This is Yu-Gi he is going up against."
"I appreciate it," said Yu-Gi with a smile.
"Just remember why you duel," said Tea.
"Yeah, grandpa," said Yu-Gi.
"Come on, Yug, or we are going to be left behind," said Joe as the two of them were the last left in the party room. They raced out. Unknown to the duelists, two zombie-like figures were left with their dishes. One was washing in his blue trench coat. The other was left to dry. There was little point in this, since the last one desperately needed a shower.
Back in the arena......
(AN: This / means thoughts between Yami and Yu-Gi.)
Joe and Yu-Gi just raced in, and everyone else was in place.
"It is very tacky to be late for your own duel," said Drake from his platform, as Yu-Gi climbed his. He was by far the youngest eliminator yet. He looked about the age of Yu-Gi and his friends. He had on blue jeans and jacket, which had a strange symbol on its back. He had the typical, double row dueling glove that all the eliminators wore. But his was on top of a golden gauntlet.
"Its time to duel," Yu-Gi and Drake said together as they each received 2000 life points and the duel started.
"This is perfect," said Tea.
"What do you mean?" asked Joe.
"I mean, everyone is going to be watching this duel, even Pegasus. It is perfect for us to try to find where they hid the Kaibas!" she explained.
"Of course! That's brilliant!" said Tristan.
"Let's go," suggested Joe.
"But we can't all go and leave Yu-Gi," Bakura pointed out.
"Joe can stay here," suggested Tristan, "That way he won't miss his duel."
"Great idea," said Bakura.
"Aw, man," groaned Joe. The three slipped out; Tea, Tristan, and Bakura. They left the side door partially opened, hoping that they would be able to get back in later.
"I play the Beaver Warrior in attack mode," declared Yu-Gi, beginning the duel. His first monster appeared in a flash of light. It was a gray beaver, complete with bucked teeth and broad, flat tail. It wore bluish medieval armor and walked upright. In its one hand was a sword and in the other was a shield. Its stats were 1200 and 1500.
"A wussy rodent is your first monster? I have seen better in my sleep," said Drake, "I play the Lesser Dragon in attack mode, along with this magic card, which I will play face down." With the stats of 1200 and 1000 it stale-mated the Beaver Warrior. It had scaly green armor and many spiky points. It also walked upright. "Your move."
"I wouldn't brag so much if I were you," said Yu-Gi. "Our monsters are equal. But that is about to change. I play the Winged Dragon and Guardian of the Fortress #1 in attack mode!" His dragon appeared next to the Beaver Warrior. It was sky blue. Its front appendages were wings and it had a mouth full of vicious teeth. This dragon's stats were 1400 and 1200. "Winged Dragon attack!"
"I don't think so," smirked Drake, "You completely forgot about my magic card, which is Spell-Binding Circle. Your monster has lost 500 attack points."
"No! My dragon!" cried Yu-Gi as the Lesser Dragon and Winged Dragon clashed. The blue dragon lost, taking 300 points off of Yu-Gi's life points.
**************************************************************************
"Do you have any idea where we are at?" complained Tea as they got further lost in the labyrinth like passages of Pegasus' castle.
"Sure, I have an excellent sense of direction," said Tristan.
"Then it is official, we are lost," said Tea.
"Well, either Pegasus is keeping his prisoners at the top of the castle or the bottom," Bakura said, logically.
"I am not heading back into that maze! We almost got trapped forever there!" screeched Tea.
"OK, OK, we'll head for that tower," said Tristan pointing out of the window. A lone tower stood higher than all of the other points in the castle.
"And how do you plan on getting there?" asked Tea.
"I have an idea, follow me," said Bakura as he went down another corridor.
**************************************************************************
"Mr. Pegasus, sir, sorry to interrupt," said Kemo as he entered Pegasus' private dining area. There, Pegasus was watching the duels from a large screen. "Several of the guests have wondered off."
"I know that already," snapped Pegasus, "I will take care of them myself, you are to watch the duel between Drake and Yu-Gi."
"Will Drake win?" asked Kemo.
"I trained him, myself," said Pegasus, "He stands the best chance of anyone."
"Yes sir," said Kemo, "I'll return to the arena." He left.
Pegasus stood up and grinned evilly, planning something for Yu-Gi's friends.
**************************************************************************
Outside of the castle......
"Sorry, miss," said one of the lower ranked guards, "You can't enter, the tournament is over."
"But I am friends with Drake and......" she began.
"No one is allowed in," said the guard, "I have to deport you."
"Too bad," she said, stepping back. A figure was in shadows behind her.
"What the?!" exclaimed the guard.
"Succubus Knight, knock out this idiot!" ordered the girl. The figure proceeded to do so. Then the girl stepped over the unconscious form and entered the castle.
**************************************************************************
"Wow, Bakura," complimented Tea, "You were actually able to get us here!" The trio was standing on the terrace, looking up at the lone tower.
"It wasn't that hard," said Bakura, turning slightly pink.
"Well how do we get in?" asked Tea.
"The door is locked," said Tristan, futilely trying to open it.
"Then we could try to climb up," suggested Bakura.
"Climb! I am wearing high heels!" complained Tea.
"Then you can go back with Joe and Yu-Gi," said Tristan, pulling himself onto the growing vines. Bakura followed.
"No way!" exclaimed Tea, kicking off her shoes and following them. It was quiet a climb and they were all grateful when they landed on the inside.
"I think we found Pegasus' personal study," muttered Bakura.
**************************************************************************
"Don't worry Yug," said Joe, "The duel is just beginning, you can still win this."
"I can't believe Yu-Gi walked into such an obvious trap," muttered Mai, "He seems a little distracted."
"He's just getting warmed up," said Joe.
"Now, I play," said Drake, "The Koumori Dragon in attack mode!" His dark violet dragon appeared, ready for action. It spread its wings wide. Its attack was 1500. "Destroy the Beaver Warrior!" The dragon launched a flame of pure fire, and the Beaver Warrior disappeared with a shriek. Yu-Gi was down to 1400 life points.
/Let me help you, Yu-Gi,/ said a voice in Yu-Gi's mind. /No. I won't let you hurt anyone./
"I play," declared Yu-Gi after he had drawn his next card, "The Giant Soldier of Stone in defense mode." His monstrous monster appeared. It looked like a large humanoid statue that was made with no curved lines. It had a defense of 2000.
"Good move Yug," said Joe, "Build your defenses."
"It isn't a good move," said Mai. "He needs to start paying attention or he is going to get his butt kicked."
**************************************************************************
"Well," said Tristan, "It is obvious that none of the Kaibas are here."
"Maybe there is a key or a hint as to where he is holding them," suggested Tea. Her eyes were then drawn to a beautiful painting of a woman. She had creamy brown hair and the pretty almond eyes. She looked at the viewer with a sad, sweet smile and an expression of true love.
"That is a beautiful painting," commented Bakura.
"How dare you break in here," said a new voice.
"Uh-Oh," muttered Tristan. Pegasus was standing in the doorway, blocking the only escape, save for the window.
**************************************************************************
"Defending?" asked Drake, "Are you that afraid of me? Fine, I play Ryu- Kishin Powered in attack mode and defend my Lesser Dragon and Koumori Dragon." His new monster appeared. It was pale pink in color and strongly resembled a mecha. It had wicked claws and jaws. Several of its joints were dark violet. Its attack was 1600, but its defense was only 1200. "Your move, but you had better play better. I thought I would be dueling a tough opponent, but apparently I was wrong."
"You won't be bragging for long," said Yu-Gi, "I play the Curse of Dragon in attack mode." His next monster appeared. It was the skeleton of a dragon, the resembled the ones in Japanese mythology, having no rear feet. Its wings filled most of the available space.
"He needs to start using magic cards," muttered Mai.
"Curse of Dragon, destroy the Ryu-Kishin!" ordered Yu-Gi. It soared high and incinerated Drake's monster, taking him down 400 life points.
"Great job, Yug!" encouraged Joe.
"He's just lucky," muttered Mai. "He is holding back."
One of the side doors of the arena opened and in walked a girl, who looked around with apprehension. No one noticed her arrival, which she was grateful for. She had silky violet hair, which was hanging on her neck in strings. It perfectly matched her violet sweater, which had seen better days. She wore blue jeans, but the right leg was completely missing just above the knee. Around her neck was a golden locket with something indistinguishable carved on the front. She slipped in quietly. The guards were to busy with the duel to notice her as she sat down in the dwindling audience. She sat next to Tempest and Martin. Martin saw her and looked away, shyly. Tempest heard someone sit down and turned her attention away from the duel.
"Who's there?" asked Tempest.
"Shhh," cautioned the newcomer. "I'm Lara."
"I am Tempest," said Tempest, "Are you a finalist or an eliminator?"
"Um, neither," Lara replied, "I am here to visit a close friend."
"Here?" asked Tempest.
"Yes," she answered.
"I play Dragon Treasures!" declared Drake, "It raises the attack of my Koumori Dragon by 500, equal to your Curse of Dragon because I am switching it back into attack mode."
"Drake!" Lara exclaimed at a whisper.
"He's your friend?" asked Tempest.
"Yes," replied Lara. "I missed him so much." She said this with a note of longing in her voice.
"You love him, don't you?" asked Tempest, recognizing the tome instantly.
"....Yes," she replied. "We used to be a couple until his dad forced me to leave."
"That is so tragic," replied Tempest, thinking of Luther, "It sounds like Romeo and Juliet."
"I guess so," agreed Lara.
"If you are done, then I play the Feral Imp in attack mode. Plus I use the Horn of the Unicorn to raise its attack by 500!" yelled Yu-Gi, "And I also play another magic card face down."
"Way to turn it around," encouraged Joe as his friend's monster appeared. It was a green canine like gargoyle creature with grass green wings and a spiral white horn on its forehead. Its eyes went pure white as the Horn of the Unicorn was activated. Its stats went from 1300 and 1400 to1800 and 1900.
"Attack the Lesser Dragon," ordered Yu-Gi. The imp summoned a strong burst of light from its horn and the dragon dissipated. But because it was in defense mode Drake's life points remained the same at 1600, while Yu-Gi only had 1400.
**************************************************************************
"So, you have nothing to say for yourselves," said Pegasus. He threw Tea's shoes at her disdainfully.
"Pegasus, you sleezball," snarled Tristan.
"You sneak into my room, and yet, I'm the sleezball," mocked Pegasus.
"Give Mokuba back," said Tea, "Yu-Gi won his freedom in a duel. He isn't you prisoner any more!"
"No, I won't," said Pegasus. "And you shall all be punished for trespassing!" His Millennial Eye began to glow and before any of them could react they were surrounded by shadows.
"EEK! What is this place?!" screamed Tea.
"It is the Shadow Realm," answered Bakura, with a note of fear in his voice.
"This can't be good," muttered Tristan.
"You'd better learn to like it," said Pegasus with a smile that made you want to strangle him. "You will be staying here for a very long time."
"I don't think so!" cried Tristan as he charged Pegasus. But another light came from the Millennial Eye and Tristan froze, paralyzed.
"You make it seem like I am giving you a choice," said Pegasus.
**************************************************************************
"Kaiser Dragon, attack mode," declared Drake as he made his next move. The next dragon appeared. It was golden and serpentine and lacked wings. Its stats were 2300 and 2000. He still had his Koumori Dragon as well. Yu-Gi had his Giant Soldier of Stone, Curse of Dragon, and powered-up Feral Imp. "But I won't stop there. I play Remove Trap to eliminate your face down magic card."
"How did you know it was a trap card?" asked Yu-Gi.
"Because you are playing like an amateur. I was expecting more from the duelist who beat Kaiba," said Drake.
"Grrr," growled Yu-Gi. /Let me help you,/ the spirit asked again.
/No! I can do this on my own! I do not need you to hurt someone else,/ Yu- Gi retorted.
/If you don't let me help, everyone is going to lose!/ the spirit protested.
"Mai is right," thought Tempest, "Yu-Gi does seem distracted."
"Drake is going easy on him," muttered Lara.
"What?" asked Tempest.
"Drake is better than this," she explained, "I think he is holding back. It probably has something to do with his father....."
"Who is his father?" asked Tempest.
"You don't want to know," Lara replied.
"Why?" asked Tempest.
"I'll tell you, but you have to promise not to tell anyone," said Lara. Tempest agreed. Lara whispered the name in her ear.
"WHAT!!!!!????" cried Tempest, attracting unwanted attention.
"I told you, you didn't want to know," replied Lara.
"And to finish my turn," declared Drake, "Kaiser Dragon destroy the Feral Imp." Yu-Gi cringed from the intense light and when it stopped he was down to 900 life points.
"Still believe me that Yu-Gi isn't holding back?" Mai asked Joe.
"It is just luck," replied Joe. Louder he said, "Come on Yug, do this for Gramps!"
"HA! I play Gaia the Fierce Knight in attack mode," said Yu-Gi. His next monster wore blue and violet armor and carried two lances. He rode on a deep violet horse and had an attack of 2300.
"Big deal, it still can't beat my Kaiser," remarked Drake.
"Not yet," said Yu-Gi, "But I use the magic card Polymerization and combined it with my Curse of Dragon, creating Gaia the Dragon Champion." A swirling vortex engulfed both monsters and when it was done the knight was on top of the Curse of Dragon. Its attack was raised 2600 and its defense was 2100.
"Gaia, eliminate the Kaiser Dragon!" ordered Yu-Gi. This move sent Drake down to 1300 life points.
"Then I counter with Ryu-Ran," declared Drake. (AN/ Joe Marusa, author, told me Ryu is Japanese for dragon.) His next monster appeared with an attack of 2200 and a defense 2600. It was a strange dragon, hiding inside of a blue spotted white eggshell. Reddish wings and legs poked out, as well as demonic red eyes in shadows, but that was it. "Destroy the stone soldier!" And it was done. Yu-Gi's life points were unharmed, though.
"And to end my turn I move the Koumori Dragon to defense mode," finished Drake.
**************************************************************************
"Enjoy the rest of you lives," gloated Pegasus as he prepared to leave the three teens in the Shadow Realm.
"Pegasus, no," said a strange voice. All eyes turned to Bakura. He had an evil gleam in his eyes and was smiling. His hair was spikier and his voice had lost its accent, and grown more sinister. His Millennial Ring was glowing softly. "This isn't over."
Both millennial objects began to try to over power the other. In a sudden flash of light everyone cried out. An exit was opened to the real world and they all got sucked through.
Yami Bakura raised his head, exhausted. Everyone else was unconscious. Bakura last thoughts were on the Millennial Eye.
"They must not remember this," he said. His ring again began to glow, wiping everyone's memories of the incident. Pegasus was left alone in his private study. The teens were sprawled out in the hallway, and Bakura collapsed. His hair reverted to normal as his spirit lost control.
**************************************************************************
"I play the Dark Magician in attack mode," declared Yu-Gi as he played his favorite card. A black haired humanoid monster appeared on the field. It had intense blue eyes and carried a blue staff that looked like a cornucopia at the top. He was wearing a strange violet outfit with a matching conical hat. He also had a darker violet cape. Its attack was 2500 and its defense was 2000.
"Say good-bye to your Ryu-Ran. Dark Magician, Dark Magic Attack!" ordered Yu-Gi. A wave of darkness eliminated the secretive dragon and brought Drake down to 1000 life points.
"I play the Red-Eyes Black Dragon in attack mode!" said Drake, starting his next turn.
"Wow! Good card," muttered Joe. It was in his deck as well. A angular dragon appeared, sheer black, of course. It had sheek black wings and an attack of 2400.
"Then I play two magic cards and end my turn," finished Drake.
"Then I play a magic card too," declared Yu-Gi. /Yu-Gi, no!/ the spirit pleaded. /Let me help you./
/I can't risk it. You would do anything to win, even if it meant hurting someone. I can't trust you,/ replied Yu-Gi.
"And now Gaia attack the Red-Eyes!" ordered Yu-Gi.
"Do you deliberately like triggering my traps?" asked Drake in disbelief. "Acid Trap Hole activates. Gaia goes to the graveyard."
"Then Dark Magician attack," said Yu-Gi.
"Negate Attack," said Drake, revealing his last magic card. "And now, I play the Flute of Summoning Dragon and add another Red-Eyes Black Dragon on the field."
"Grrr," Yu-Gi growled.
"I see you like that so much, so I will make it even more interesting. I use Dragon Claw and raise one of their attacks to 2900," said Drake, "And I know you played a trap card last turn, so I'll have my weaker dragon activate it." The first Red-Eyes went to attack, but as Drake predicted, it was instantly sent to the graveyard. "I play another magic card. Your move, since that was the dragon I summoned this turn and it can't attack yet."
"I play the Summoned Skull in attack mode and combine it with the Magical Mist, raising its attack to 3000," declared Yu-Gi. "Attack!"
"I just played another Negate Attack," declared Drake, "No damage done."
**************************************************************************
"What? Where are we? What happened?" asked Tea as she woke up.
"I don't know," replied Bakura, rubbing his scalp.
"Weren't we looking for Mokuba and Seto?" asked Tristan.
"That's right!" exclaimed Tea.
"I wonder how Yu-Gi is doing?" Bakura thought out-loud.
"Tea, you go check on him. Bakura and I will head to the dungeons," said Tristan.
"OK," Tea said as she ran off. After several turns she stopped. "What am I doing? I am completely lost."
"Do you know where to go?" Tristan asked Bakura.
"Of course," replied Bakura as his spirit took over again.
"What happened to your voice?" asked Tristan, getting nervous. Bakura just chuckled.
"Come on," said Yami Bakura as they headed to the dungeons.
**************************************************************************
"I play the Meteor Dragon in attack mode and use the magic card Polymerization," said Drake, "Melding my Red-Eyes with it, creating the unstoppable Meteor Black Dragon!" His monsters merged and a dragon with 3500 attack was created. It stood upright and was as intense as molten lead. It bellowed shaking the arena.
"Go, Drake!" whispered Lara.
"Meteor B. Dragon attack the Summoned Skull," ordered Drake. Yu-Gi was sent down to 400 life points.
"Come on Yu-Gi, you can do it," said Joe.
"Not if he doesn't face his fears," muttered Mai.
Yu-Gi, stop holding me back,/ begged Yami. /If not you will lose your Grandpa, Mokuba, and Seto!/
/I can't trust you! You almost seriously hurt Kaiba!/ replied Yu-Gi.
"Come on Yu-Gi, pull yourself together and quit acting like an amateur who is afraid of his own shadow!" yelled Mai.
"He doesn't need your help!" snapped Joe, "Quit messing with or minds. He doesn't need you to throw off his game like you tried on me."
"You are off kilter enough without me," Mai shot back. "And I am not trying to discourage Yu-Gi. The two of you taught me more in one duel than I have ever learned in all the duels I won. I realized that I only used those cheap tricks because I wasn't confident enough in myself, or my skills. I was forced to examine myself when I lost to you. I was jealous of the confidence that you had in yourself, and the confidence your friends had in you. I completely changed my strategy since then, and now trust myself completely. When Yu-Gi lost to Kaiba he lost that confidence in himself. He needs to get it back and realize how much he has going for him."
"Wow, Mai," said Joe, blown away by her speech.
/Yu-Gi,/ the spirit said again, /I never meant to hurt anyone. I was only trying to help your grandpa. Did he once tell you to trust in the power of the Millennial Puzzle?/
/Yes,/ confirmed Yu-Gi.
/Please, we need to work together. I vow never to do anything again that is against your will. Will you please let me help?/
/OK, but as long as I am running the show,/ replied Yu-Gi. He drew his next card. "I use the magic card Magical Boxes." Tempest noticed his voice had changed again.
"What?" asked Drake.
"Watch. First a box is formed around my Dark Magician. Then another one forms around your Meteor Black Dragon," explained Yu-Gi.
"What are you doing?" asked Drake.
"Then, swords rain down on the box with my Dark Magician in it," said Yu- Gi.
"Are you sacrificing your own monster!?" exclaimed Drake.
"Did I?" asked Yu-Gi as the boxes opened. The monsters had switched placed. The Dark Magician exited the dragon's box unharmed. The dragon was shish-kabob inside of the other one.
"No!" cried Drake. "Fine! Hyozanryu in attack mode, with Dragon Nails!" His new monster was diamond blue with the typical dragon anatomy. Its raised attack and defense was 2600 and 3300. This was his only monster, just like Yu-Gi only had the Dark Magician. Drake was leading; 1000 life points to 400.
"Hyozanryu destroy the Dark Magician!" ordered Drake. Yu-Gi's remaining monster was obliterated, bring him down to 300 life points.
"It isn't over yet!" yelled Yu-Gi. "Mystical Elf in defense mode, plus the magic card Just Desserts. You lose 500 life points for each monster you have in play." Drake was down to 500 life points, total.
"Seiyaryu attack mode and destroy the Mystical Elf," ordered Drake. "You can't beat me, you cards are to weak!"
/Trust me,/ said Yu-Gi's spirit.
/I do,/ replied Yu-Gi. He breathed in and drew his next card.
"Swords of Revealing Light!" he declared as he played it.
"Grrr. So you stalled for three turns, my monsters will only get stronger," Drake said.
**************************************************************************
"Bakura, where are you?" called Tristan. Somehow the two of them had been separated.
"Hey you! You aren't supposed to be here!" yelled a guard as he caught Tristan.
"Um," muttered Tristan before turning and running.
**************************************************************************
"Tristan?" wondered Yami Bakura, looking around. He touched his Millennial Ring and began to sense where everyone was. He quickly found Tristan who was quickly running out of room to run to. "That baka," muttered Bakura before following.
"I warn you, I know karate," said Tristan as he was cornered by three guards.
"Get him," one guard ordered as they all charged forward, Tristan cringed.
"Chain Destruction!" yelled a new voice. Tristan turned and saw Bakura, holding a card over his head. A glowing chain encircled the guards. They tried to break free, but the chains were to strong. Their protests fell on deaf ears.
"Come on, the boy isn't far away," said Bakura as he brushed passed Tristan and turned a corner, completely ignoring the whining guards. There, in a jail cell was Mokuba, who was sitting there like a zombie.
"Come on! Let's get him out of here!" said Tristan as he tried to tug on the bars. Yami Bakura walked forward with the key, which he had pilfered from the guards and opened it. Tristan raced in and picked up the small boy.
"Now I have what I want," said Yami Bakura. "That boy will be my new host. This body betrayed me. I will take one that has no spirit, no mind, no will of its own. I will rule without a struggle."
"What? Bakura?" asked Tristan. He began to remember about Bakura's dark side. "What did you do with him!? Let him go!"
"I don't think so!" Yami Bakura yelled back. His Millennial Ring began to glow.
"Hey! What are you punks doing?!" another guard yelled. He was standing with two other guards.
"Out of the frying pan and into the fire," muttered Tristan. He shifted Mokuba so the boy was easier to carry and began to run.
"Man," he complained, "I should have been on the track team."
"Hey! Where are you going?!" yelled two other guards as they appeared in front of Tristan. Blocking his exit.
"Not this way," he replied before doing a 180 and sprinting away. Bakura was on his heels, so were the five guards.
Tristan turned a sharp right and found himself on a narrow ledge of land, outside of the castle. "I need a plan."
"We have you cornered, there is no where else to go. Give up," ordered one of the guards.
"Why when we can have fun?" said Yami Bakura, who was between Tristan and the guards. "Man-Eater Bug." He held his next card high. His Millennial Ring was glowing. A circle formed in front of him. It looked like black mist. A shadowy figure stepped out of this circle.
"What is that?!" exclaimed on of the guards as he saw this happen.
"He just brought the monster on that card to life!" exclaimed another.
"He's going to sic it on us!" added a third.
"Way to be pessimistic," muttered the fourth.
"RUN!" yelled the leader. The five turned and ran, the Duel Monster right on their heels. In a few seconds they were out of screaming range.
"Gotta think of something," thought Tristan as he watched this. He was backing up outside, onto the narrow ledge above the ocean.
"Present day humans are so fun to terrorize, don't you think?" asked Bakura, with his back still to Tristan.
"No, but then again, I am just a present day human," replied Tristan as he took his position. He set Mokuba down and pressed himself with his back flat against the castle.
"And now to deal with the boy," said Yami Bakura. He stepped outside and blinked into the sunlight. Tristan used this time to attack. He jumped and knocked Bakura to the ground. He ripped the Millennial Ring off of his friend's neck and threw it into the sea. Bakura shook, then went back to normal.
"Good-bye evil spirit and don't come back," said Tristan
"Tristan?" he asked, still disoriented, "What happened?"
"I'll explain on the way back," said Tristan as he picked up Mokuba again.
**************************************************************************
"Fine, I will prepare my forces," said Drake, still mad about being frozen for three turns. "Serpent Night Dragon in attack mode and Dragon Treasure on the Seiyaryu." His new dragon had the stats of 2350 and 2150. The Seiyaryu had an attack now of 3000.
/Is there anything we can do to beat him?/ Yu-Gi asked the spirit of the puzzle.
/Yes, watch,/ he replied.
"Reborn the Monster," declared Yu-Gi, "Return Gaia the Fierce Knight."
"A waste of a move, it is still too weak," said Drake, "And now I play Mountain. It changes the terrain to a mountain, raising the stats of my dragons by 500 each! And I also play the Stone Dragon in attack mode." His new monster had raised stats of 2500 and 2800. (AN/ I am not describing these because I already did in earlier chapters.)
/This isn't good,/ Yu-Gi thought.
/There is only one thing we can do,/ Yami Yu-Gi replied, /We must open the Gates of Chaos and summon the Black Luster Soldier./
/Gates of Chaos! You mean a ritual?/ asked Yu-Gi.
/Exactly, but we many not have enough turns,/ the spirit sounded worried.
/We can do it. Everyone is counting on us, and we aren't going to disappoint them,/ Yu-Gi replied.
/Of course, it is silly of me to doubt,/ Yami Yu-Gi replied. /But now we must take a risk./
"I play Kuriboh in attack mode," announced Yu-Gi.
"Kuriboh!" cried Joe.
"That little hair ball is good for nothing, except maybe choking a cat," muttered Mai.
"Are you trying to mock my dueling skills?" asked Drake.
"Not at all," replied Yu-Gi with a smile.
"Very well. I play the magic card Stop Defense. As long it is in play you cannot defend any monsters. And next turn my dragons will be free and they will obliterate you," said Drake.
"Then for my turn I will play two magic cards and end this duel," announced Yu-Gi.
"You are bluffing!" cried Drake.
"Watch. First I play Brain Control. It lets me control one of your monsters for my turn, and I chose your Serpent Night Dragon," said Yu-Gi. Drake gave him an evil eye. "Next I play the Black Luster Ritual." He held up the card he had just drawn.
"A ritual!?" cried Drake.
"The legendary Black Luster Soldier," muttered Tempest.
"The three monsters I control are sacrificed and that energy is used to open the Gates of Chaos, releasing the Black Luster Soldier," said Yu-Gi. The holo-field recreated this powerful magic. In a flash of light the Serpent Night Dragon, Gaia the Fierce Knight, and Kuriboh disappeared and melded together. A doorway with crossed swords appeared. The light grew brighter, then faded, revealing the legendary Black Luster Soldier. It wore evil looking gold and blue armor and carried a large curved sword and shield. It stats were the same as the Blue-Eyes White Dragon at 3000 and 2500.
"No! Drake!" cried Lara.
"So that is the legendary Black Luster Soldier," muttered Mai in amazement.
"Black Luster Soldier destroy the Stone Dragon!" ordered Yu-Gi. The soldier lacerated the dragon and knocked Drake down to 0 life points.
"Way to go Yu-Gi!" cried Bakura, Tristan, and Tea, who had all just entered. Bakura and Tristan had found Tea on their way back. She had gotten hopelessly lost. Tristan had stopped by his room and put Mokuba's unconscious body in it.
"Yeah! You did it Yug!" cried Joe.
"The midget was actually able to pull it off," muttered Mai as the two duelists exited the platform.
"Good duel," said Drake, shaking Yu-Gi's hand. "I haven't seen better."
"Thanks, you put up a good match yourself," replied Yu-Gi, being normal again.
"Wow, one of the eliminators actually knows how to be civil," said Joe as he approached.
"Hey, the stadium is all yours," smirked Drake.
"What? Oh, yeah....." muttered Joe, he was the next and last finalist. The duelists seemed to be gathering in one spot to congratulate Yu-Gi. Tempest, Martin, and Lara were the last over. No one saw them approach. Lara went up and tapped Drake on the shoulder and he turned around.
"Lara?!" he cried in surprise, shock and wonder.