Chapter 19
"Prelude to the Eighth Duel"
Blitz walked into the tournament pyramid, his sister following sullenly behind him. Standing squarely in the middle of the dark lobby, his voice rang out, bouncing off of the walls, "Vitani!"
Howa looked up, surprise and a hint of fear evident in her eyes, "Blitz!" She said in a hushed voice, hurrying over to him, "What are you doing!?"
Before he could answer there was the sound of a cloak sweeping on the floor, and the highest servant of Lord Jetsu was standing in front of Blitz. He smirked, "Prompt as always, I see."
She gave him a fake smile, "Welcome back to headquarters, both of you. Fuego arrived before you, but had nothing to offer my master. Mistress Terra personally assured him that the two of you wouldn't fail him as the Fire Elemental had," Her phony smile nearly dropped as she surveyed them, "And where are the fruits your ventures?"
Blitz stared coldly back at her, "I have not faced Yugi Moto or Bakura Ryou in duels yet. I wish to meet with my master at once. The situation has become slightly more complicated."
Vitani looked past him, to where Howa was shrouded in the darkness of her cloak's hood now, "And you? Surely you have something to offer the almighty Lord Jetsu?"
Blitz spoke before she could explain, "She couldn't even defeat the pharaoh's bodyguard." Howa gasped slightly, then smacked her brother upside the head in anger.
Vitani dropped her act, now visibly upset, "All three of the Elementals turn up empty-handed? Quite a disappointment, really." She moved towards Howa, but Blitz blocked her way.
"I will escort her to Master Terra myself. Report back to Lord Jetsu. Tell him that Blitz, the Lightning Elemental, shall defeat Yugi Moto and claim the Millennium Puzzle in his name by any means necessary. Just get him to promise the freedom of my siblings. He will have his magic." Blitz grabbed Howa by the arm and began to pull her quickly down the many, twisting hallways, leaving Vitani to head off in the opposite direction, back to the top of the structure.
Howa scowled as her younger brother dragged her along. Of course the Master would agree to his plan. Blitz had always been the favorite – the Prodigal Son who'd never left. But what had become of Fuego? And what would become of her?? She probably wouldn't even get a chance to warn the Master about the strength of the Pharaoh and his loyal followers. And that could be the downfall of them all.
Soon they'd reached a large stone door. Blitz punched in the access code and it swung open. He stepped inside, yanking Howa in behind him. "Master Terra…" he said, "…Mother, I'm afraid to report that Howa has failed you."
Standing at the only window in the room, watching the sky, was Master Terra. A tall woman with brown hair that matched her cloak, Terra was an intimidating figure. She turned on them with deep green eyes, glaring coldly at the both of them. "I see…just as Fuego has failed…" she said.
"Mother!" Howa cried, breaking free of Blitz's grip and running to the older woman's side, "We underestimated the Pharaoh greatly! You have to believe me, he –" A look from Terra caused her to fall silent.
"You knew the consequences when you agreed to this assignment," Terra said, and then a brief wave of sadness passed across her face, "We all did. You will accept your fate, Howa, and hopefully with more dignity than Fuego did."
"Is Fuego…dead…?" Howa asked, going pale.
"No…not yet," Terra said. She turned to her youngest son, "It's up to us now, Blitz. We must finish what we've started."
Blitz nodded determinedly. He hadn't even needed to suggest it. The Master already had a plan formulated. He wondered briefly how close it was to his own idea.
At that moment there were footsteps in the hallway and Vitani appeared in the doorway. "Howa…" she said, "Come with me."
Howa nodded and followed obediently. The remaining two Eliminators watched as the two women walked down the torch lit corridor, slowly getting smaller, the disappearing around a corner.
Blitz gulped, frightened. He turned to his mother as soon as they had gone, "Mother! Why did we ever accept these terms? No reward is worth this!" He faltered, then placed his hand in his pocket, over his deck, "I… I don't think I can defeat the Pharaoh! I've only seen his minions duel and they beat Fuego and Howa with ease! But if I don't, Lord Jetsu will… he'll…" He had fallen to his knees, shaking and with a tear rolling down his cheek.
Terra looked down at her son, and her face softened. "You really care about your siblings this much, Blitz? From the way you talk, I wouldn't have thought it."
"Of course I do!" Blitz cried, "Don't you?!"
Terra didn't respond for a long moment. At last, she said, "That is why we must not fail…"
* * *
The rest of the day passed without incident, so night fell peacefully. The gang had freshened up at the hotel, grabbed a bite to eat and then headed back out into the city. The streets were lit brightly, and nearly everyone was out. A cool breeze swirled through the streets, causing much billowing of cloaks and much relief at the temperature drop. The gang was seated at one of the open-air cafés, sipping odd drinks and sampling Egyptian desserts.
Yugi and Tsuki were ecstatic, having never been allowed to stay up and "hit the town" as late as this (it was 9:30 PM, Egyptian time ^_^). Yugi was going through his deck for the third time that night, making sure he'd be ready when he found Kaiba. Tsuki was fingering her gold chain, now adorned with three mini-items. When they'd been at the hotel, Mai had given her the extra item she'd won after the Bandit Keith ordeal. She wondered if she'd ever actually win enough items on her own to make it to the finals. Even if she didn't, that would be alright. She would be just as happy as long as Yugi made it.
Sitting across the table from each other were Mai and Joey, arguing about something, while playing footsies under the table at the same time. Tristan was blowing bubbles in his drink through his straw while Tea tried hard not to laugh (so as not to encourage him).
A little ways off, sitting together on a low wall, unseen by everyone else, were Yami and Dedi, holding hands and watching the mortals with a sort of nostalgic affection.
"What a day…" Dedi said, leaning her head against her husband's shoulder.
Yami nodded, "Yes…I never expected things to be quite so…eh…eventful."
"I'll be glad when the kids are ready for bed," she said, putting her free hand on his leg, "Won't you?"
Yami felt his cheeks redden, "Y-yes…" he said, "I suppose…must you always bring this up…?"
"Well, what else is there to talk about?" Dedi asked, squeezing his thigh, "I know I'm gonna sleep well tonight."
Yami couldn't help but smile guiltily at her. For the first time since he had awakened, he had someone he could truly talk to, who could make him forget about all his worries. He released her hand and put his arm around her shoulders warmly. "I may be too tired for anything but sleep tonight," he admitted.
She shrugged. "That's alright," she said, "Just being close to you is enough for me." She wrapped her arms around his stomach and squeezed him gently.
It hadn't taken Yugi long to grow bored checking over the deck that he had memorized, so he had begun to wander off on his own. There was so much to see in a city at night! Mesmerized by the many new wonders surrounding him, he didn't notice the two cloaked figures following him. At least, not for the first minute or so. Soon however, the young man realized he was being followed and began to take different twists and turns to try and lose the beings that tracked him like his own shadow.
As he hurriedly turned one corner, Yugi ducked into what he thought was an abandoned warehouse (they just show up everywhere, don't they?). However, the lights inside flashed on and walls rose around him. The child began to panic. What was all this? Had he been led into a trap? Spotlights flashed down upon him, and he looked around the large arena. He was amazed to see a huge crowd ready and waiting, some in regular tournament cloaks, but others with the emblem of the Millennium Shield upon them. And others were not in cloaks at all, but rather in business suits.
Blending in among them was Seto Kaiba. With the hood of his cloak pulled over his head, Yugi wouldn't have noticed him even if he had been the only one there. He leaned back in his seat, smirking. He'd left Mokuba at the hotel with rented video games. It was best his little brother wasn't introduced to the corporate underground too quickly.
The two figures walked into the chamber, unfazed by what was around them and making Yugi back up several steps. They took off their hoods; the taller was a full grown woman and the other was a teenage male with long, blonde hair.
The woman fiddled with what was undoubtedly a small, hook-on microphone, raised her hands and filled the street with her projected voice, "Friends! Duelists from all across the world, hear me! As promised I have brought you the Duel Monsters Champion for your entertainment tonight! Can the world's greatest duelist defeat two Eliminators at once? Place your bets quickly, the duel will begin in five minutes!"
Yugi, having gathered up his courage, ran over to the woman as she was walking away (though he stopped short, still standing several feet away), "Hey! Who are you? I never agreed to this! What kind of a place is this anyway?"
The woman turned, glaring at the boy coldly. "I am Terra, the Earth Master. And you, young Yugi, are our guest of honor tonight. The Lightning Elemental and I will show you what you get for allowing your friends to disgrace Fire and Wind." Then she turned sharply and left the arena.
Up in the stands, the high-rollers were eagerly placing their bets and discussing who they thought had the better chance of succeeding. All but one, that is. Kaiba was staring at his betting-pad, not touching in. Inside him, a conflict was rising. More than anything he wanted to see Yugi crushed in a humiliating defeat. But…two against one wasn't fair…and it would certainly be a hollow victory.
Kaiba had no doubts that Yugi would lose – the child was glancing around nervously like a mouse with its tail caught in a trap. But something about it didn't feel right, and wouldn't let him enjoy the moment. He put his pad back into its slot on the back of the seat in front of his, and groaned. Damn moral dilemmas. He looked at the clock at the head of the arena that was counting down the time. He had three minutes and forty-two seconds to decide what to do, before the Eliminators came back.
Yugi had already activated his Duel Disk 2, and had walked over to one side of the arena. He had begun to stare at the Puzzle unconsciously, lost in thought. Can I beat two Eliminators at once? The other two nearly beat Bakura and Joey, but I know that if Yami was here- Wait, where is Yami? It's like ever since he met Tsuki's Spirit he's just forgotten about me…
3 minutes later, the Eliminators walked back into the arena. The Lightning Duelist walked several paces away (closer to Yugi) while Terra addressed the crowds once again, "All bets are locked in! And now, let the duel-"
"WAIT!" A voice rang out across the large room and Yugi saw that a single cloaked man had stood up. The man pulled off his hood, nearly making Yugi fall over in surprise.
"Kaiba? What are you doing here?" he asked incredulously.
The young billionaire ignored him and strode down to the fence that separated the audience from the duel. Glaring icily at Terra (who was glowering back), he began to make his way over to the gate that allowed access to the action, "Two against one is no contest, even for Yugi Moto! The bets will be boring if such a one sided duel is held. Reopen the ballots, but put me into the mix. I will duel with Yugi!"
All at once the crowds were on their feet, some cheering, and some protesting. Terra attempted to maintain order, as Kaiba entered the ring and approached Yugi. The young teen gazed at him curiously, "Why are you helping me?"
Kaiba scowled, "Don't get all sentimental, Moto," he snapped, "I'm doing this for the reasons I just stated – not because I like you. Understand?"
Yugi nodded, a little hurt, but all in all feeling much better. With Kaiba filling the gap Yami had left, at least now he'd stand a better chance.
"What did she mean you'd 'disgraced Wind and Fire'?" Kaiba asked suddenly, not making eye-contact, "Have you been taking care of other Eliminators?"
"Not me," Yugi said, "It was Joey and Bakura."
Kaiba sniggered, "That's a surprise. Ah, well…Any idea what their strategy will be?"
"I'm guessing it'll fit their titles," Yugi shrugged, "At least, that's how the other two had built their decks."
Kaiba snorted, "Theme decks. What a ridiculous waste of time."
"I wouldn't be so sure," Yugi said, "You of all people should know by now that powerful cards don't make the deck invincible…"
Kaiba's eye twitched slightly and Yugi knew that he had hit a sensitive spot. The older man snorted and activated his Duel Disk 2, "Where did those fools go? They're wasting my time. We should be dueling, not just standing idly and waiting for them to stop cowering."
Terra was listening into what Yugi guessed was an earpiece. A second later, she addressed the crowd, "The bets have been re-entered and finalized. The duel between Yugi Moto, Seto Kaiba, Earth and Lightning will commence at the sound of the buzzer!"
"We don't even get a say in any of this…" Yugi said.
"Quit whining," Kaiba said, "Where's that second personality of yours? At least he would handle this like a man."
Yugi sighed and didn't reply. Yami… Yami! Oh, it's no use. I guess I won't be needing this then. Yugi took off his Puzzle and stuffed it in the pocket of his cloak, feeling much contempt. Suddenly, a loud buzzer sounded. The holo-projectors activated on their opponents' Duel Disks; the duel had begun…
* * *
Back in the bazaar, Dedi moved to plant a kiss on Yami's cheek…and went right through him! With a startled yell, she backed up, eyes wide.
"What?? What happened?" Yami asked her. He'd felt something strange, but hadn't thought anything of it until she'd cried out.
"You're…fading away!" she said.
"Huh?" Yami looked down at himself. It was true. The tips of his fingers had already vanished completely, and the edges of his entire body were more translucent than normal. "I…don't understand…why is this happening…?"
Dedi shook her head, unable to answer. Then they both heard Tsuki ask, "Hey…where'd Yugi go? He said he was going to explore a little, but I thought he'd be back by now…"
Yami's face paled (though he wasn't sure if it was concern or otherwise that caused it), "Something must have happened to Yugi…" He stood up, his feet almost completely gone, "We have to find him, quickly! Dedi, take control of Tsuki and probe her mind to find where she was last with Yugi!"
Dedi nodded, and vanished, reappearing in physical form where Tsuki had been sitting and fretting. She stood up, declared, "I'm going to find him," to the others, and took off down the crowded street, with fading Yami hurrying behind her.
Joey stared after Dedi as she ran off again, "Hey, wasn't that just a little girl??"
"It's her spirit," Mai said, "Remember? She must know something! Come on!"
"Right!" Joey said. They both leapt to their feet, heading after Dedi.
"Where are you going!?!" Tea yelled, as she and Tristan also got to their feet and ran off as well.
* * *
Terra addressed Kaiba and little Yugi, "The rules are standard for a tag team duel. I will play first, then Yugi, then Blitz, and lastly Kaiba. No one can attack first turn. Both players on a team must be defeated for a team to lose. The winners of this match may claim anything they want from their opponents. Now let's proceed,"
The other three duelists nodded. Terra glanced down at her opening hand (Protector of the Throne, Queen of the Cosmos, Lightning Blade, The Regulation of Tribe, The Eye of Truth, and Queen's Double), "To start, I'll play one monster in Defense Mode (Protector of the Throne (800/1500)) and two cards face-down (R. of T./ E. of T.)" The three brown cards appeared in Terra's corner of their square arena. The grown women pushed her hair behind her and folded her arms across her chest, "Mr. Moto? Our crowd is waiting, you know."
Yugi apprehensively drew his six (Kuriboh, Life Force Sword, Light of Intervention, Curse of Dragon, Alpha the Magnet Warrior, and Dark Magician) At least I can always count on my Dark Magician! "I'm also placing two cards face-down (L.F. S. / L. of I.) and a monster in Defense mode (Alpha the Magnet Warrior (1400/1700))!"
Blitz didn't wait for the foolish child to give him the signal to go. He could tell that there was nothing else the boy was going to do. (Oscillo Hero #2, Thunder Dragon, Polymerization, Negate Attack, Pinch Hopper, and Sanga of the Thunder) The blonde-haired punk selected two cards from his hand and placed them on the field, "I summon the Oscillo Hero #2 (1000/500) in attack mode! While you guys might want to waste your time playing defense, I'm going to light the place up! Last, I play one card face-down (Negate Attack)." The field of play was now littered with different brown-backed holographs, but the little, spherical red warrior on the Lightning Elemental's side stood out from the rest, small bolts of electricity dancing around it.
Seto Kaiba laughed softly, "Brave, but foolish. Still, I admire your initiative. Now let's see…" Kaiba surveyed his options briefly (Cyber Stein, Battle Ox, Cyber Jar, Return of the Doomed, Solemn Wishes, Bell of Destruction), "I'll lay two cards down (S.W. / B. of D.) and summon the mighty Battle Ox (1700/1000) to the field!" The cynical billionaire sniggered to himself, "I believe it seriously outstrips your pathetic Hero, Lightning."
Before he could reply, Terra interrupted them, "Enough idle chatter," the cloaked female selected her next card (Exchange), then grinned at Kaiba, "Mr. Kaiba, I wonder if we might make an exchange of sorts?"
"What are you talking about?" he cried out furiously at her, "This is a duel, not a trading expo!"
"But this magic card says I can! The "Exchange" card allows me to make a card-for-card switch with another player!" Two large, translucent hands appeared on the field and all the cards that Kaiba and Terra were holding became enlarged and stood behind their masters.
They observed each other's cards for a moment, with Kaiba speaking first, "You expect me to want something from your pathetic hand? What a waste of my time! You don't have anything worth me taking from you!"
"That may well be, Kaiba," Terra said, "But this wasn't supposed to benefit you. I choose to take your Cyber Jar. Whenever you've decided which of my 'pathetic' cards you want, the switch will be made automatically." She smiled cruelly, "Take your time. I know what a difficult choice this must be for you…"
"Your Queen my not compare to the Blue Eyes White Dragon, but it'll still be enough to defeat any of your other monsters," The two hands picked the cards from them and switched them around.
Terra smirked and put Cyber Jar face-down on the field, "That ends-"
"Hold on!" Yugi's voice surprised everyone.
The older woman glared at him, "What is it boy?"
"That activates my trap: Light of Intervention!" All of the defensive monsters flipped face-up on the field, revealing his Alpha and her Cyber Jar and Protector of the Throne, "Now your choice was wasted! The Cyber Jar card as a monster is too weak to be of much use without its effect!"
Kaiba smiled, "Well, now it's a different story, Terra. You traded me a monster with 2950 attack power for mine with 900," Kaiba put a hand to his mouth in mock surprise, "Oops, I think that does benefit me!"
Terra's clenched fists shook with fury. An instant later, she composed herself, swinging her head back. "You may have won the small toss, Kaiba. But don't get cocky. This is barely beginning!"