A/N: Okay!! Summer Vacation starts tomorrow, so hopefully, we'll get around to everything we've been meaning to do, i.e. R&R your story, Time Mage, and bring you all more frequent updates with this story. We had a bunch of this section written already, a long while ago, and we've been going through it now, realizing that it's crap, and trudging through it all, fixing it. Anyway, sorry for all the delays and such, but I had Finals, and Shaun had end-of-school work to do as well. We promise we'll try to be better organized now. lol.

Chapter 23

"The Tenth Duel: The Longest Fall…"

The hospital was quiet when they arrived, and the nurses were happy to help. They diagnosed Void with heat stroke, and took him away. Dedi and Yugi stood in the hallway, watching as he was rolled away on a stretcher. Yugi looked up at Dedi, almost surprised at how shaken she seemed. "That was a good thing you did…" he told her quietly.

"I agree," Yami (in his spirit form) added, from the other side of Yugi.

Dedi started to reply, when another voice interrupted her, "I though so too." They all turned to see Tsuki, in spirit form, standing on the opposite side of Dedi, smiling at them.

"Tsuki!" Dedi gasped, "How long have you been here?"

"Since the start of the duel…" Tsuki said, "It was the strangest thing, but it finally made everything make sense." The young girl turned shining eyes on Dedi, "I know who you are now…and how you're the one who helps me when I'm in trouble." She glanced past Dedi towards the boys and added, "Now I know why Yugi seems different sometimes, too."

Yugi grinned, "I'm sorry I didn't explain all this to you earlier."

"It's okay…" she said, "I kinda wanted to find out on my own."

"Living with a spirit isn't always easy, Tsuki," Yugi said, "It's a lot of work and things can get pretty crazy." Yami cuffed his counterpart on the shoulder playfully.

"Yeah…I figured that…" Tsuki said, "But if you can do it, then I can too!" She wrapped her arms around Dedi's mid-section, "Now I have a friend who won't ever leave me."

Touched, Dedi put her arms around the younger girl, holding her even though she wasn't physically there. "Thank you…" she said, "I'll try to be that for you."

"I know you won't let me down," Tsuki said, backing up a few steps, "I can feel it." In the next instant, Tsuki and Dedi had changed places, switching forms voluntarily for the first time. Then Tsuki took Yugi's hand in hers. "Come on…" she said, "Let's go."

Yugi nodded, and as they started to leave, an orderly came rushing up to them. "Miss! Wait!" They both turned as the orderly held out Void's gold chain with his Mini-items on it. "The patient awoke just for a moment and asked me to give these to you," he said, placing the chain in Tsuki's hand, "He said to tell you thank you again, as well."

Tsuki's slender fingers closed around the chain, and said, "Send a message to us when he wakes up, okay? I… know someone that'll wanna talk to him again…before we leave."

"Of course," the orderly nodded, and then trotted off down the hallway.

"Congratulations," Yugi said, "This means you're qualified for the finals now."

"Hey, yeah!" Tsuki said, grinning, "Wow!" She hooked Void's chain around her neck along with her own and then grabbed Yugi's hand again, "And it's all thanks to you."

"M-me…?" Yugi asked, blushing, as the two of them headed out again.

"Yeah," she nodded, "If you hadn't fixed my deck, I never could've won!"

"I guess that's true…" Yugi said.

A short ways behind the kids, Yami and Dedi were mimicking them, walking hand-in-hand. Dedi smiled, "It's so good to see her so happy."

"I know what you mean," Yami said, "Sometimes I think 'friend' isn't a strong enough word to describe how close you become with your counterpart."

Yugi glanced back for a moment and just smiled at Yami.

* * *

Meanwhile, across town in a very poorly kept (despite the best efforts of the cleaning crew that worked the hotel) room, Weevil Underwood reread the anonymous note that had been sent to him through the hotel staff:

Mr. Underwood-

It has come to my attention that you are the first duelist to qualify for the finals in my tournament. Although the rules state that the tournament pyramid won't be opened until tomorrow for qualifiers, I would like to present you with a special prize for your excellent dueling. Report to my grand chamber in top of the building by tomorrow or that which you treasure will be lost. Do not show this note to Rex. He need not know of this. I'll be waiting…

-Lord Jetsu

The boy refolded it and pocketed the scrap of yellowed paper. He had read it dozens of times now, but still couldn't decipher its meanings. The boy genius adjusted his glasses nervously, pushing them up on his nose, but the sweat that made his skin glisten in the afternoon heat did not allow for them to stay there. It was a habit that he had developed whenever under particular stress of having feelings of anxiety.

Why did the man behind this grand event want a private meeting with him? Weevil had considered telling Rex about the note several times, but despite his front to others, he really did care for Rex. Kind of like the brother he never had, and the bug duelist wished no harm befall his false brethren. He had a sinking suspicion that this had something to do with the woman he won his first item from. Her and her… magic? Illusions?

Weevil stood up and left the too-stiff couch and headed for the door. The note had been delivered last night, when he won his seventh item. So if he went now, it would be for the best. Besides, he thought with a slight shudder, what could happen? As he pushed the door open, the arthropod master heard a voice from behind him, "Hey! Where are you goin'? I thought you were done collecting items…"

The tired voice had drifted in from the bed rooms, but Rex's head was now sticking out of the doorway, one eyebrow raised at the retreating brown cloak of his closest childhood friend. Weevil said nothing for a moment, a strange premonition hitting him swiftly, almost causing him to lose his voice, "Nowhere… I'll see you later, Rex…" he pulled his hood up and left the room, leaving his half-drunk-on-root-beer comrade alone in their room.

* * *

Jetsu sat alone in the highest chamber of the grand tournament pyramid. His men had constructed it down to the last detail, although this one was obviously more intricate than those actually made in the time of the great pharaohs and duel games. Only the top competitors playing for the highest stakes now remained in his tournament and the sooner they finished the better.

There were three holders of millennium items here: the Pharaoh, his Queen, and a thief who possessed two of the fabled creations. Each was a powerful innovation, unique in its own way. As a holder of one of the items, he knew what unimaginable magic they could provide. The Millennium Shield was, however, not one of the more commonly known items. It, along with six others, came from a different time in the history of Ancient Egypt, after the time of the legendary pharaoh, in a time when the collapse of Egypt to the Greeks was imminent and the final powers had to be sealed away as well, so their might would not be unleashed upon the other countries through the hands of the ancient Greeks. These final pieces of magic were left to be uncovered as well. If these more modern powers were to be combined with their older cousins, their powers together would be tremendous. With the Shield's protection, there was nothing that could stop him from removing the items from the hands of mere children.

A rap on the door interrupted his thoughts. His calm voice filled the room, "Come in."

The door swung open and Vitani stepped inside. "He has arrived, Master. He's awaiting you in the main entrance."

"Excellent," Jetsu said, getting to his feet swiftly, "Have my evening meal prepared as usual, Vitani," he said as he strode past her, "This shouldn't take long."

"Yes, Master," she said, bowing deeply and then exiting the chamber after her lord.

* * *

Weevil stood in the lobby of the huge pyramid, glancing around at the torch lit walls warily. All of a sudden, he was seriously wishing he hadn't come at all. He hadn't trusted the cryptic note to begin with, so why was he here??

His nervous fidgeting was interrupted by footsteps approaching. In mere seconds, a young woman with short blonde hair had appeared out of the darkness of one of the surrounding corridors. She was dressed in a crème colored cloak and the symbol of a gold shield shone on her chest. "Mr. Underwood," she said, bowing slightly, "My master has been expecting you. I am Vitani, the tournament coordinator. If you'll come with me, I will take you to my master."

He nodded grimly, expecting as much. However, some part of him still wanted to believe that this was just a fun gathering of card players together and Weevil spoke before he could be convinced to move, "The note said there'd be some sort of prize…"

"This is it," Vitani said, smiling at him, "A private audience with my master. I must say, he is very anxious to meet you. Now follow me, and stay close. It's very easy to get lost in the pyramid."

* * *

Weevil now stood alone in the middle of the top chamber in the pyramid, a single light shining down, fixated on him. He glanced around, surveying his new surroundings. A voice broke through his thoughts, seemingly coming from nowhere, and yet everywhere at the same time, "Welcome, duelist, to the grand chamber. I've been waiting for you…"

Weevil didn't flinch at the sound that rippled through the room, but his eyes began to dart about, trying to locate the sound, "Who are you? I came, just like you asked! Now, what is it you want?"

Chuckling filled the room, "Who am I? I am Lord Jetsu, overseer and creator of this tournament that you have spent the last several days competing in. And as for what I want…" A spotlight flashed on, revealing a figure clad completely in a sparkling black armor, and holding a golden shield, with red markings filling up the middle of the shield and a strange golden eye in the middle. His face was hidden by a helmet of the same shining black metal, "I would like to duel with you."

Weevil was taken aback by this strange new figure. What kind of normal person wore that type of outfit anymore? Normal? Maybe that was the word that threw off that statement… He gulped and nodded, once again placing his deck in the slot, allowing the machine to shuffle it, and it launched its holo-projectors around the room.

The other pulled out his deck, and followed suit. In unison, their voices echoed around the room, "Duel,"

The older man called out to the boy, "You may begin this duel. I did, after all, challenge you."

Weevil drew his opening hand (DNA Surgery, Parasite Paraside, Killer Needle, Laser Cannon Armor, Soldier Ant, and Ant Reproduction) and boldly announced his move, "I play the Killer Needle in attack mode, equipped with Laser Cannon Armor (1500/1300)!" The large yellow-jacket appeared with a large, metallic ray gun attached to its back and buzzed noisily in front of Weevil, who had selected another card from his hand, "And I'll lay one card face-down (DNA Surgery) for later…"

The knight drew his cards (Exodia the Forbidden One, Jar of Greed, La Jinn the Mystical Genie of the Lamp, Revival Jam, Graceful Charity, and Nightmare Steel Cage) and watched as Weevil began to sweat. His shield began to glow silently, and placed a card into one of his monster slots, "I play La Jinn, the Mystical Genie of the Lamp in attack mode (1800/1000), and use him to destroy your Killer Needle." Jetsu watched as his magical genie was summoned onto the field and unleashed a blast of magical energy. The energy smashed into the Killer Needle, breaking it into a thousand pieces. But instead of disappearing after it hit the monster, it continued on its course, and smashed right into Weevil.

The bug brawler cried out in anguish and fell to his hands and knees. What had happened? Sitting back, Weevil felt something warm trickle down the side of his face. He went to brush it away, and the child's fingers came back slick with blood. Eyes wide, he slowly stood back up, gaping at La Jinn and his master.

Behind his helmet, the man smiled, "Surprised? This is much more than just a simple game for fun, you know. You just lost 300 Life Points and every single one was drawn from your blood. That was a minor blow, which was quite fortunate for you. As the game progresses, our life points will get lower… and lower… until someone reaches zero. Can you guess what happens then?"

Weevil said nothing and struggled back to his feet, using anger to mask his feelings of dread and despair, "Just finish your move!"

A cold, short laugh emitted from inside the dark, metallic head covering that masked the self-appointed Lord Jetsu, "Very well, I'll lay one card face-down (Jar of Greed) and end my turn."

Weevil carefully selected his next card (Dark Piercing Light), "I'll lay this one monster face-down (Soldier Ant (500/1200)), but use the Dark Piercing Light magic card to reveal it!" The bright light swept through the dim room and exposed his simple, green ant. The bug master grinned and his shifty eyes narrowed slightly, "Then I'll use the card Ant Reproduction to create an ant colony of my insects!" Very rapidly, his one ant became ten, breaking the limit of five monsters per side. It was a simple matter to do: two ants per one monster space. It was a great defensive shield for desperate times.

The blue-haired boy continued to smirk at the much older duelist facing him, trying his best to ignore the slight trickle of blood that was matting a bit of his hair to the side of his head, "Let's see your mighty La Jinn defeat these 'pests'! HA!"

Jetsu ignored the child; such banter was a waste of time. However, this defensive move had played right into the master's hands. La Jinn was a deception. While his single powerful monster would make his opponent believe that his deck was a typical beat-down type, the game would slow down and allow for him to slowly gather the needed pieces of his puzzle… He picked up his next card in his 40-card deck (Sangan), "I activate the Jar of Greed, which allows me to draw another card (Backup Soldier)" The purple rimmed card revealed his metallic jar card, which disappeared now that he had his new card. The black gloved right appendage placed an additional card on the field, "And I set a monster (Sangan (1000/600)), before I attack again with my mighty fiend." One of the Soldier Ants was enveloped in another wave of magical energies.

The boy started to fiddle with his glasses but stopped himself and selected a card (Javelin Beetle Pact). He grimaced worriedly. The Ant Reproduction card would destroy his Soldier Ant clones within two turns, because he had too many monsters on the field, so he had to use them up as fast as he could, "I pass this turn."

Jetsu drew another card (Cold Wave), "I activate the magic card Cold Wave, which will render all magic and trap cards useless for one turn!" Immediately, the ants reverted back down to a single insect, much to Weevil's dismay. The knight moved another card and placed a monster down on the field, "Next, I summon Revival Jam (1500/500) in Attack mode, and switch my Sangan into attack mode!" The furry, green-limbed creature revealed itself and the blue, nearly shapeless blob appeared right next to it.

Raising an armored arm, the black knight pointed directly at Weevil, "Revival Jam, attack that pitiful defense of his…" With a blur of speed, the blue plasma monster rushed forward and wrapped itself around the ant, slowly squeezing the life out of Weevil's only defense. With a short laugh, another order was barked out, "La Jinn, Sangan, attack now!"

Two simultaneous attacks smashed into Weevil at once. As his life points dropped down to 900, the insect duelist didn't even have time to yell. He was barely able to stand; his head was swimming so badly. He felt something hot and salty trickling into his mouth and knew he was bleeding from somewhere on his face. His glasses were cracked, not that he could see very clearly with them anyway. He wobbled slightly, feeling nauseous and realized the searing pain that was coming out of his chest. Weevil vaguely became conscious of the fact that one of his ribs must have been broken.

Off on the sidelines in the shadow, stood Vitani, watching everything. Her own stomach was doing summersaults as she watched, and she had to fight the urge to cry out for her master to stop. If she did, surely he would send his monsters on her. She found her heart (which had been dormant for so long) going out to the boy, admiring his bravery. She turned her head away, wishing Jetsu would hurry up and get it over with.

The boy spat several times, trying to get the taste of his own liquids purged from his mouth. He drew a card (Cocoon of Evolution) and grinned slightly, "I'll set… a monster in defense mode (Cocoon of Evolution (0/2000))…"

The Egyptian lord drew another card (Right Leg of The Forbidden One), "First, Graceful Charity, which allows for me to draw three new cards…" He slipped three cards from his deck (Left Leg of the Forbidden One, Millennium Golem, Monster Reborn), then pushed two (Nightmare Steel Cage and Millennium Golem) of his older ones into the graveyard, "…In exchange for two cards previously in my hand. Now, with this next magic card, the Monster Reborn, I'll revive my lost Millennium Golem (2000/2200) in attack mode!"

The large stone warrior with the Millennium eye symbol on its squarish head appeared on Jetsu's side of the field. With a simple gesture the monster rushed forward, shaking the ground with each step, "My rock warrior will attack your only defense and then-"

Weevil would have laughed, but he was in too much pain. He could only get some grim satisfaction when the Cocoon of Evolution revealed itself and stopped the attack. He moved to draw a card, but a searing pain ripped through the child's right arm as he did so. After another try, he managed to wrestle the next card free from the machine (Javelin Beetle). The ground at his feet was scattered with tiny puddles that were forming from his blood, and the boy coughed up a bit more violently, which dropped him to his knees. Lifting his head up he addressed Jetsu again, "I pass again…"

The knight's cold laughter filled the room, "Not putting up much of a fight, are you? I though I would get more challenge out of the regional champion, Mr. Underwood. But if this is the best that you can do… I really do wonder just how weak the Queen is…" he picked up his card (Millennium Shield), then placed it on the field, "I sacrifice my Revival Jam for a monster in defense (Millennium Shield (0/3000)) and end my turn.)

Weevil grabbed another card, still wincing in pain (Gokibore), "I play… the Javelin Beetle Pact, which sacrifices my monsters in my hand and on the field for… Javelin Beetle (2450/2550)!" He had to pause every so often now, to catch his breath. Talking for too long would wear him down even further.

As he was about to declare his attack, something caught his eye. There was that women, watching them passively, coldly. How could she just stand there? How could anyone ignore the plain and simple fact that this man he faced was just a cruel, sadistic maniac? She worked for him? Why?? The bug brawler hoped that he had put enough hatred into the look that he gave her, as he began to struggle back to his feet, feeling too strange kneeling in his own bodily liquid substance, "Javelin Beetle! Attack Sangan now!"

A brief wave of surprise crossed Vitani's face as the boy glared at her. She found herself turning her eyes to the floor, unable to watch him any longer. More than anything she wanted to flee from the area, but her master was sure to see it as a sign of weakness…and he would punish her. It was her concern for her own hide that kept her in her place. And she was ashamed of it.

The powerful blue beetle destroyed the small creature, and continued onward towards the powerful overlord. Suddenly, the golden shield on his arm began to glow brightly, and he raised it above him. The insect monster bounced off of the safeguard and hit the ground in front of Weevil, where it slowly rose again.

Jetsu's life points dropped sharply: Weevil: 900 – Jetsu: 2550. The master drew his card from Sangan's effect (Right Arm of the Forbidden One) then drew his card for the turn. Before he had a chance to look at it, he heard a small bout of laughter from his opponent. Raising an amused eyebrow (though the boy wouldn't be able to see), he spoke softly, "What's so funny?"

The insect duelist grinned, hiding the pain he was still in, "Your deck has no strategy! You can't possibly hope to defeat my Javelin Beetle. I'm going to wipe the floor with you, and then force you to end this tournament with me as the victor!"

Jetsu laughed once more, grinning savagely behind his mask, and began placing the pieces that he had collected on the field. His deep voice filled the room as he announced, "I summon Exodia the Forbidden One!" His hysterical laughter filled the room, "To think that you defeated the holder of the Millennium Scale! Laughable! Extracting that Item won't be any trouble at all! Now, Mr. Underwood, enjoy your flight!"

"No, it can't be… I had it won… And what do you mean flight?" Weevil slumped over in disbelief. Exodia!!! The unstoppable Exodia was going to attack him!!!!!!! The great Egyptian beast raised its arms, and fired its prevailing blast, disintegrating his mighty Beetle, and carrying him, Weevil Underwood, right out of the top of the pyramid in a blaze of orange fury, leaving a trail of blood on the floor up to the hole that was made in the wall.

The evil overlord watched as his victim flew through the air. Now, to claim his prize. The Millennium Shield glowed impossibly for but an instant, then stopped. One more mind in the Shadow Realm; every one increased his power, even the unfocused energies of a child would help him. If that boy survived, he would not wake, no matter what the fools in Al Karnak tried.

Jetsu smiled coldly behind his helmet, then turned and strode out of the room, "Vitani!"

"Master" she said, stepping out of her shadowed place and hurrying after him into the corridor, "Was all that truly necessary? The boy was clearly no threat. You could have taken his soul easily enough without –"

Jetsu stopped short and wheeled on her. Through the slit in the helmet, his dark eyes bore right through her and she swallowed hard. "Was that…questioning…I heard…?" he asked calmly.

Vitani could feel herself shaking under her cloak, knew he could sense her fear. "No, master…" she said after a moment, bowing her head, "It was nothing…"

"Too right, girl," he said cuffing her lightly on the chin, "Nothing…just like you." He turned with a swirl of his cape and strode off, "Now get the men to repair the tip of the pyramid!"

Vitani slowly headed off in the opposite direction. She'd barely made it around the nearest corner when she fell to her knees and was violently ill. All the fear, anger and revulsion consumed her and for what seemed like forever, she could not raise herself up again.