Episode #23- Dark Rage, Part 1
Kaiba was sent immediately to his room, still unconscious by Yami Marik. In Room 1, everyone crammed themselves in and bordered the walls; including myself, excluding Yami Marik.
Mokuba stood bedside with Kaiba's white vest in his arms and tears welling in his eyes. "No, how could this happen, Seto? You were the best Duelist I've known." He muttered under his breath. Kaiba stayed motionless under the white sheets of his bed. Mokuba began to whimper and wiped a tear with his sleeve.
"This is unreal; I never thought this is the punishment of a...Shadow Game?" Duke commented and tried to get the term right.
"You!" Mokuba turned around instantly, staring in anger at Ashley, "Why didn't you let my big brother win?!" Mokuba dropped the vest and was ready to take a swing at Ashley. Yami stepped in front of her and stopped Mokuba. "Yugi, move. Ashley deserves to be hit in the jaw."
"It's not going to help Kaiba at all." Yami stated calmly, trying to settle Mokuba, "It was one way or the other. I think Miranda would be in your position if Ashley lost the Shadow Game."
"Any idea how long Kaiba will be in this condition, Yugi?" Mai asked while sitting in one of the chairs.
"No, but if Marik upholds his word on it, Kaiba will be stuck like this." He replied.
"Seto..." Mokuba sighed.
I stayed my distance from that group, hearing Mokuba gave the worst-case scenarios I could think of. After some more exchange of dialogue, everyone stirred and began to move out of the room.
"Well, my opponent is Marik." Mai commented as they walked down the hall.
"Just be careful, Mai." Joey advised.
I waited in the room until the hall was clear of the chatter. For some odd reason, I knew Yami Marik hasn't gone up yet. After silence stood for a moment, I slowly made my way out the door and closed it behind me. I shuffled down the hall until I came to Room 5, Marik's room. I bit my bottom lip and knocked on the door twice. The door slid open and I saw Yami Marik in one of the chairs of his room.
He gazed back at me and got himself to his feet, "Is my opponent ready?" He asked. I could pretty much get what he's saying.
"More than likely." I replied. Yami Marik nodded and walked out the door with his head held up high. I followed him toward the elevator in step behind him, even through the doors. The doors closed and the carrier began its ascend towards the Duel arena.
Mai was looking around behind her for her opponent, "Hey guys; where's Marik?" She asked from the Dueling platform.
"Where's Miranda?" Ashley followed. Yami didn't exactly have an answer until the elevator doors began to slide open. Yami Marik came out first with me behind him.
'Well, here comes the freak show.' She thought as we exited from the elevator. Yami Marik walked up towards the platform and I stayed on the other sideline from the others with my black cloak hiding my trembling hands.
"So, you're my opponent?" Yami Marik asked.
"I don't see anyone else volunteering." Mai replied from the snap.
"Amusing, though I was hoping for a real opponent." Yami Marik said, "You have no hope against my Egyptian God Card."
The platform began to rise to its level of combat. "The Duel between Marik Ishtar and Mai Valentine will now begin." Roland declared.
'This is it. From here on out, I'm Dueling my way.' Mai thought and engaged her Duel Disc.
"It's not too late to quit this Duel if you're scared of the stakes." Yami Marik said and engaged his own.
"Get real, sweetheart. I'm not about to quit a Duel I haven't even started." Mai answered.
'Yami Marik's going to turn this Duel into a Shadow Game. I can feel it.' I thought.
"Now, ladies first." Mai made her draw, "And I play, Dunames Dark Witch in attack mode." She called as an 1800 attack monster appeared on the field.
"Starting things off a little fast, aren't we?" Yami Marik commented and drew his sixth card, "Now let's see what my Deck has. I'll play Revival Jam in defense mode, play Jam Breeding Machine and another card faced down." He announced. A blue, plasmatic monster formed on the field next to an odd- looking machine, "At each one of my turns, I'll gain a Slime Token. So you might want to attack before my monsters far outnumber you."
'I get it; Marik's trying to summon enough monsters to summon The Winged Dragon of Ra!' Yugi panicked, 'We have to warn Mai!'
"Mai, stop the Duel, he's trying to summon his God Card!" Yami called.
"I'm not going to quit a Duel I barely begun." Mai barked back.
'That's it, foolish girl. Use that stubborn mind of yours; it'll be your undoing in this Duel.' Yami Marik thought with the most of his satisfaction.
"My turn." Mai declared, "And I see nothing to be careful about yet. So now my Dark Witch, attack Revival Jam with Spellbinding Flux." Mai commanded, her monster deployed a shroud of dark magic and destroyed Yami Marik's only monster. "There goes Revival Jam."
"Oh, really? Perhaps you should take a closer look." said Yami Marik. In front of him, scattered blue plasma regrouped and reformed the Revival Jam.
"What?" Mai gasped.
"This monster can regenerate itself whenever it's attacked." Yami Marik explained.
"Hm, in that case, I'll end my turn." Mai stated.
"It's my turn, and I gain one Slime Token from the Jam Breeding Machine." He announced as a smaller plasma sphere appeared. "But just to keep you guessing, I'll place one card faced down and end my turn."
'Marik is up to something. He can't be throwing out weaker monsters for no reason.' Yugi pondered.
"Alright." Mai drew her next card, "Now I play Harpie's Feather Duster. This magic card will wipe your field clean of all magic and trap cards." Mai announced as a whirlwind blew against Yami Marik and destroyed his two faced-down cards. "Now the coast is clear, so attack his Slime Token with Spellbinding Flux." said Mai and her Witch attacked again, decreasing Marik's Life Points by 1300.
"Yeah, Mai's in the lead." Joey cheered.
"Then I'll place one card down and end my turn." Mai announced as a card settled itself behind the Dunames Dark Witch.
"Heh," Yami Marik smirked, "First I'll summon Melchid the Four-Faced Beast in attack mode." He stated and another bizarre monster appeared, "And now I'll sacrifice both of them to summon Masked Beast Des Guardius." He instantly sprang up another summon. This time it was a hideous creature with three masked heads and lethal claws.
'Two sac's (slang for 'sacrifice') for a monster with 3300 attack points?' I thought, 'There has to be some negative effect for Yami Marik to play a card like that.'
'He can try to attack me. But once he declares an attack, my Mirror Wall will stop him.' Mai looked down to her trap card.
"Masked Beast Des Guardius, attack now!" Yami Marik commanded and his monster charged in with one hand ready to strike down on Mai's Dunames Dark Witch.
__________
'Bad idea, bad i-de-ya.' I commented to myself as I saw Des Guardius going straight for a trap.
"I activate Mirror Wall!" Mai announced as a jagged sheet of glass rose up in between Des Guardius and Dark Witch, "Your monster attacked its own reflection, its attack points are cut in half." As she said it, Des Guardius hit head-on to its own reflection, even cracks began to form on its body. After the strike, the Mirror Wall fell as quickly as it rose up, showing the Dark Witch unharmed. "Now Dark Witch, attack the Masked Beast!" Mai commanded. Again, her Witch attacked, knocking another 150 off Marik's Life Points.
"Foolish girl," Yami Marik commented as a mask jettisoned from the destruction and smacked on to the Dark Witch.
"What's going on?" Mai questioned.
"When you deliberately destroyed Des Guardius, it left behind the Mask of Reminisce which allows me not only to shuffle my own Deck, but it controls your Dark Witch." He explained as Dunames Dark Witch floated to his side, "Heh, now you have no monsters on the field. So I'll play my Remove Trap magic card, it'll destroy your Mirror Wall."
'If he's going to turn this Duel into a Shadow Game...' my thoughts trailed off.
'Why stay so silent? Can't you see I've been leading this poor girl all through the Duel?' Yami Marik entered my thoughts with his satisfaction, 'I have assured that Possession has been easy for the both of us, especially when the owner of a vessel steps down.'
'I'm only here to see The Winged Dragon of Ra.' I answered back.
'It'll come in due time, just be ready for your ESP to be overwhelmed by Ra's high energy output.' said Yami Marik, 'I know for a fact you couldn't exactly handle Slifer when it first appeared before you. As for the Shadow Game...'
"Well, Mai does have a good point lead against Marik." Tristan commented.
"But with no monsters on the field, Mai's open for a direct attack." Yami added on.
"To end my turn, I'll place one card faced-down and send this Duel in the Shadow Realm." Yami Marik held the Millennium Rod out in front of him.
"Not this again." Tea panicked.
"Joey, I'm scared." Serenity embraced Joey.
"Don't worry, I've got ya." Joey wrapped his arms around her.
Already, the skies darkened with the familiar violet fog. As my form was enveloped by the thick atmosphere, I felt weights going at my wrists-the same black shackles that I have been held in since I was stranded in the Shadow Realm. All of its darkness giving me sickening memories that have occurred. Making those deals with Yami Marik was like making a deal with the Devil himself.
"Huh? What's going on?" Mai looked confused and glanced at all of us.
The dark fog shrouded itself all across the Dueling arena and on the sidelines. I felt another presence besides those witnessing the Duel. I looked outside the sidelines and saw a figure suspended like he was chained and shackled to a brick wall by the wrists and ankles. Some of the fog cleared and all of us recognized him off the back.
"Kaiba!" Yami called. Kaiba was hung by the wrists next to my side of the sidelines, weakened by his transition from his body to the Shadow Realm. Like me, our view of him is only an illusion created by Yami Marik.
"Big Brother!" Mokuba cried. His voice was enough to at least stir Kaiba from unconsciousness.
"Mokuba?" He muttered and lifted his head. He squinted and looked out to the far side of the arena, "Mokuba..."
"Heh, I like a reunion like this." Yami Marik commented after completely darkening the field with his Shadow Magic, "However, your brother remains trapped her, little Mokuba. His mind belongs to me now. Now then, shall we continue our Duel? I believe it's your turn now, my dear." Yami Marik looked towards Mai.
'If it means freeing Kaiba, then I'll do it.' Mai thought and drew her next card, "Now I play The Unfriendly Amazon!" She declared as another one of her female monsters appeared; a rogue warrior with a thick purple braid behind her back. Seconds after she appeared, a violet aura emitted from her body.
'This isn't good...' I thought to myself.
"Huh? Why is she glowing?" Mai questioned.
"Each monster we play holds within it a memory of someone we hold in our mind." Yami Marik answered, "So when that monster is destroyed, the person we remember is also gone."
"What does Yami Marik mean by that?" Joey asked.
"In the Shadow Realm, anything can happen." answered Yami with a trance into the Duel.
"You think a little purple fog is going to scare me?" Mai asked insultingly, "Go Unfriendly Amazon, attack the Dunames Dark Witch!" She declared. Her Amazon warrior jumped up with the sword high over its head. After a swift landing, the Amazon struck down on the Dark Witch and destroyed it instantly.
I sighed and still kept myself hidden from the others, 'There goes Tea...'
__________
Yami Marik's Life Points dropped another 200 with the destruction of the Dunames Dark Witch. I could tell this didn't faze him at all.
"You're first mistake today was choosing to face me, and now your second is recklessly attacking my monster." Yami Marik stated, "Though the Dark Witch was your monster to start."
"Huh?" Mai gave him a confused look.
"You've forgotten already? I told you, every monster we play holds a memory of a person we know. When that monster is sent to the Graveyard, that person it erased from our mind." He replied, "And since the Dunames Dark Witch was your monster to start, you lose memory."
"You can't be serious." Mai rejected.
"You think I was serious when I sent Kaiba to the Shadow Realm?" Yami Marik mocked, "Now it's time to see who will go first." I got the sense that all of Yami Marik's shadow powers were focusing towards Mai.
Kaiba gasped to himself, just remembering the battle. "Ashley!" Kaiba cried. Ashley's attention was snatched from the Duel. "Get Obelisk from my Deck, it's yours for the tournament."
"Are you crazy?!" Mokuba questioned just as Ashley rushed through the elevator and the doors closed.
"I lost that Duel and because of my transition, I doubt Ashley thought of her chance to get the God Card she waged against." Kaiba replied.
"Touching. But I will achieve Obelisk and Slifer from those two mortals you call 'Duelists.'" Yami Marik answered, "Now then, it's time to see the first person that will be erased from your mind." A panel appeared in between Mai and Marik, spinning vertically until it stopped with Tea's picture facing Mai.
"No, not Tea." Mai gasped.
"Yes, she will be the first to be erased from your mind." Yami Marik stated.
"This can't be..." Mai mumbled. Her frightened eyes reminded me how unusually calm I was against Yami Marik when I first heard of him.
Then again, I knew Marik before this, and Yami Marik seemed no different until now. Though not a whole lot surprised me anymore, since I lost both of my parents within the same year. Both of them, their mortal bodies gone from my life. But they're just ghosts; I still had to fend for myself. Having just spirit parents isn't the same as having real parents who are still alive. They can't go to parent/teacher conferences, which is one thing I had to be thankful for, but they can't take you to your favorite amusement parks either.
"Mai, what is going on?" Joey called.
"Come on; snap out of it, Mai!" Tea followed. Mai looked down to the crowd with a blank stare of confusion.
'Whose voice is that?' She thought as she looked at the group below: Yami, Joey, Tristan, Serenity, and Duke. But none of them were making a cry towards her.
"Surprised, my dear?" Yami Marik asked tauntingly, "This is only a taste of the despair you'll be experiencing for eternity."
Mai returned from her dazed look and opposed Marik once more. "Hm, I'll beat you, there's nothing you can do to stop me. So I'll place one card faced down and end my turn."
"Then why do I see so much fear in your eyes?"
Ashley dropped to the second floor and entered the room at the end of the hallway. Room 1's door had a small crack in it and she forcefully opened the door like Joey did. The room was very well lit in its florescent lighting. Inside, Kaiba slept without any disturbance. Next to him, on a chair, was his vest and his Duel Disc.
"I just need to borrow a card, Kaiba..." Ashley whispered to herself and walked in. She quietly paced towards the chair and grabbed Kaiba's Duel Disc. She ejected the Deck from the machine and flipped through it, 'Which card am I looking for again? Obelisk the...Tormentor?' She thought as she continued flipping through his cards until she came to one with a bluish border and a picture of a large demon. 'Well, this IS Obelisk the Tormentor.' She returned the Deck to the Duel Disc and inserted the card into her own Deck.
She was about to walk out the door until she took a second glance at Kaiba. 'Kaiba, both of us have had our differences. You and your brother are the only family you have left.' Ashley sighed, 'Yet, Miranda has nothing, no younger brother or sister. She just lives with her half-sister and her aunt and uncle. Maybe I'm the one who should have lost. I know Miranda is still a prisoner to the Shadow Realm. If I go, I can see her again.' Ashley speech herself and turned away, closing the door behind her.
To be continued...
Kaiba was sent immediately to his room, still unconscious by Yami Marik. In Room 1, everyone crammed themselves in and bordered the walls; including myself, excluding Yami Marik.
Mokuba stood bedside with Kaiba's white vest in his arms and tears welling in his eyes. "No, how could this happen, Seto? You were the best Duelist I've known." He muttered under his breath. Kaiba stayed motionless under the white sheets of his bed. Mokuba began to whimper and wiped a tear with his sleeve.
"This is unreal; I never thought this is the punishment of a...Shadow Game?" Duke commented and tried to get the term right.
"You!" Mokuba turned around instantly, staring in anger at Ashley, "Why didn't you let my big brother win?!" Mokuba dropped the vest and was ready to take a swing at Ashley. Yami stepped in front of her and stopped Mokuba. "Yugi, move. Ashley deserves to be hit in the jaw."
"It's not going to help Kaiba at all." Yami stated calmly, trying to settle Mokuba, "It was one way or the other. I think Miranda would be in your position if Ashley lost the Shadow Game."
"Any idea how long Kaiba will be in this condition, Yugi?" Mai asked while sitting in one of the chairs.
"No, but if Marik upholds his word on it, Kaiba will be stuck like this." He replied.
"Seto..." Mokuba sighed.
I stayed my distance from that group, hearing Mokuba gave the worst-case scenarios I could think of. After some more exchange of dialogue, everyone stirred and began to move out of the room.
"Well, my opponent is Marik." Mai commented as they walked down the hall.
"Just be careful, Mai." Joey advised.
I waited in the room until the hall was clear of the chatter. For some odd reason, I knew Yami Marik hasn't gone up yet. After silence stood for a moment, I slowly made my way out the door and closed it behind me. I shuffled down the hall until I came to Room 5, Marik's room. I bit my bottom lip and knocked on the door twice. The door slid open and I saw Yami Marik in one of the chairs of his room.
He gazed back at me and got himself to his feet, "Is my opponent ready?" He asked. I could pretty much get what he's saying.
"More than likely." I replied. Yami Marik nodded and walked out the door with his head held up high. I followed him toward the elevator in step behind him, even through the doors. The doors closed and the carrier began its ascend towards the Duel arena.
Mai was looking around behind her for her opponent, "Hey guys; where's Marik?" She asked from the Dueling platform.
"Where's Miranda?" Ashley followed. Yami didn't exactly have an answer until the elevator doors began to slide open. Yami Marik came out first with me behind him.
'Well, here comes the freak show.' She thought as we exited from the elevator. Yami Marik walked up towards the platform and I stayed on the other sideline from the others with my black cloak hiding my trembling hands.
"So, you're my opponent?" Yami Marik asked.
"I don't see anyone else volunteering." Mai replied from the snap.
"Amusing, though I was hoping for a real opponent." Yami Marik said, "You have no hope against my Egyptian God Card."
The platform began to rise to its level of combat. "The Duel between Marik Ishtar and Mai Valentine will now begin." Roland declared.
'This is it. From here on out, I'm Dueling my way.' Mai thought and engaged her Duel Disc.
"It's not too late to quit this Duel if you're scared of the stakes." Yami Marik said and engaged his own.
"Get real, sweetheart. I'm not about to quit a Duel I haven't even started." Mai answered.
'Yami Marik's going to turn this Duel into a Shadow Game. I can feel it.' I thought.
"Now, ladies first." Mai made her draw, "And I play, Dunames Dark Witch in attack mode." She called as an 1800 attack monster appeared on the field.
"Starting things off a little fast, aren't we?" Yami Marik commented and drew his sixth card, "Now let's see what my Deck has. I'll play Revival Jam in defense mode, play Jam Breeding Machine and another card faced down." He announced. A blue, plasmatic monster formed on the field next to an odd- looking machine, "At each one of my turns, I'll gain a Slime Token. So you might want to attack before my monsters far outnumber you."
'I get it; Marik's trying to summon enough monsters to summon The Winged Dragon of Ra!' Yugi panicked, 'We have to warn Mai!'
"Mai, stop the Duel, he's trying to summon his God Card!" Yami called.
"I'm not going to quit a Duel I barely begun." Mai barked back.
'That's it, foolish girl. Use that stubborn mind of yours; it'll be your undoing in this Duel.' Yami Marik thought with the most of his satisfaction.
"My turn." Mai declared, "And I see nothing to be careful about yet. So now my Dark Witch, attack Revival Jam with Spellbinding Flux." Mai commanded, her monster deployed a shroud of dark magic and destroyed Yami Marik's only monster. "There goes Revival Jam."
"Oh, really? Perhaps you should take a closer look." said Yami Marik. In front of him, scattered blue plasma regrouped and reformed the Revival Jam.
"What?" Mai gasped.
"This monster can regenerate itself whenever it's attacked." Yami Marik explained.
"Hm, in that case, I'll end my turn." Mai stated.
"It's my turn, and I gain one Slime Token from the Jam Breeding Machine." He announced as a smaller plasma sphere appeared. "But just to keep you guessing, I'll place one card faced down and end my turn."
'Marik is up to something. He can't be throwing out weaker monsters for no reason.' Yugi pondered.
"Alright." Mai drew her next card, "Now I play Harpie's Feather Duster. This magic card will wipe your field clean of all magic and trap cards." Mai announced as a whirlwind blew against Yami Marik and destroyed his two faced-down cards. "Now the coast is clear, so attack his Slime Token with Spellbinding Flux." said Mai and her Witch attacked again, decreasing Marik's Life Points by 1300.
"Yeah, Mai's in the lead." Joey cheered.
"Then I'll place one card down and end my turn." Mai announced as a card settled itself behind the Dunames Dark Witch.
"Heh," Yami Marik smirked, "First I'll summon Melchid the Four-Faced Beast in attack mode." He stated and another bizarre monster appeared, "And now I'll sacrifice both of them to summon Masked Beast Des Guardius." He instantly sprang up another summon. This time it was a hideous creature with three masked heads and lethal claws.
'Two sac's (slang for 'sacrifice') for a monster with 3300 attack points?' I thought, 'There has to be some negative effect for Yami Marik to play a card like that.'
'He can try to attack me. But once he declares an attack, my Mirror Wall will stop him.' Mai looked down to her trap card.
"Masked Beast Des Guardius, attack now!" Yami Marik commanded and his monster charged in with one hand ready to strike down on Mai's Dunames Dark Witch.
__________
'Bad idea, bad i-de-ya.' I commented to myself as I saw Des Guardius going straight for a trap.
"I activate Mirror Wall!" Mai announced as a jagged sheet of glass rose up in between Des Guardius and Dark Witch, "Your monster attacked its own reflection, its attack points are cut in half." As she said it, Des Guardius hit head-on to its own reflection, even cracks began to form on its body. After the strike, the Mirror Wall fell as quickly as it rose up, showing the Dark Witch unharmed. "Now Dark Witch, attack the Masked Beast!" Mai commanded. Again, her Witch attacked, knocking another 150 off Marik's Life Points.
"Foolish girl," Yami Marik commented as a mask jettisoned from the destruction and smacked on to the Dark Witch.
"What's going on?" Mai questioned.
"When you deliberately destroyed Des Guardius, it left behind the Mask of Reminisce which allows me not only to shuffle my own Deck, but it controls your Dark Witch." He explained as Dunames Dark Witch floated to his side, "Heh, now you have no monsters on the field. So I'll play my Remove Trap magic card, it'll destroy your Mirror Wall."
'If he's going to turn this Duel into a Shadow Game...' my thoughts trailed off.
'Why stay so silent? Can't you see I've been leading this poor girl all through the Duel?' Yami Marik entered my thoughts with his satisfaction, 'I have assured that Possession has been easy for the both of us, especially when the owner of a vessel steps down.'
'I'm only here to see The Winged Dragon of Ra.' I answered back.
'It'll come in due time, just be ready for your ESP to be overwhelmed by Ra's high energy output.' said Yami Marik, 'I know for a fact you couldn't exactly handle Slifer when it first appeared before you. As for the Shadow Game...'
"Well, Mai does have a good point lead against Marik." Tristan commented.
"But with no monsters on the field, Mai's open for a direct attack." Yami added on.
"To end my turn, I'll place one card faced-down and send this Duel in the Shadow Realm." Yami Marik held the Millennium Rod out in front of him.
"Not this again." Tea panicked.
"Joey, I'm scared." Serenity embraced Joey.
"Don't worry, I've got ya." Joey wrapped his arms around her.
Already, the skies darkened with the familiar violet fog. As my form was enveloped by the thick atmosphere, I felt weights going at my wrists-the same black shackles that I have been held in since I was stranded in the Shadow Realm. All of its darkness giving me sickening memories that have occurred. Making those deals with Yami Marik was like making a deal with the Devil himself.
"Huh? What's going on?" Mai looked confused and glanced at all of us.
The dark fog shrouded itself all across the Dueling arena and on the sidelines. I felt another presence besides those witnessing the Duel. I looked outside the sidelines and saw a figure suspended like he was chained and shackled to a brick wall by the wrists and ankles. Some of the fog cleared and all of us recognized him off the back.
"Kaiba!" Yami called. Kaiba was hung by the wrists next to my side of the sidelines, weakened by his transition from his body to the Shadow Realm. Like me, our view of him is only an illusion created by Yami Marik.
"Big Brother!" Mokuba cried. His voice was enough to at least stir Kaiba from unconsciousness.
"Mokuba?" He muttered and lifted his head. He squinted and looked out to the far side of the arena, "Mokuba..."
"Heh, I like a reunion like this." Yami Marik commented after completely darkening the field with his Shadow Magic, "However, your brother remains trapped her, little Mokuba. His mind belongs to me now. Now then, shall we continue our Duel? I believe it's your turn now, my dear." Yami Marik looked towards Mai.
'If it means freeing Kaiba, then I'll do it.' Mai thought and drew her next card, "Now I play The Unfriendly Amazon!" She declared as another one of her female monsters appeared; a rogue warrior with a thick purple braid behind her back. Seconds after she appeared, a violet aura emitted from her body.
'This isn't good...' I thought to myself.
"Huh? Why is she glowing?" Mai questioned.
"Each monster we play holds within it a memory of someone we hold in our mind." Yami Marik answered, "So when that monster is destroyed, the person we remember is also gone."
"What does Yami Marik mean by that?" Joey asked.
"In the Shadow Realm, anything can happen." answered Yami with a trance into the Duel.
"You think a little purple fog is going to scare me?" Mai asked insultingly, "Go Unfriendly Amazon, attack the Dunames Dark Witch!" She declared. Her Amazon warrior jumped up with the sword high over its head. After a swift landing, the Amazon struck down on the Dark Witch and destroyed it instantly.
I sighed and still kept myself hidden from the others, 'There goes Tea...'
__________
Yami Marik's Life Points dropped another 200 with the destruction of the Dunames Dark Witch. I could tell this didn't faze him at all.
"You're first mistake today was choosing to face me, and now your second is recklessly attacking my monster." Yami Marik stated, "Though the Dark Witch was your monster to start."
"Huh?" Mai gave him a confused look.
"You've forgotten already? I told you, every monster we play holds a memory of a person we know. When that monster is sent to the Graveyard, that person it erased from our mind." He replied, "And since the Dunames Dark Witch was your monster to start, you lose memory."
"You can't be serious." Mai rejected.
"You think I was serious when I sent Kaiba to the Shadow Realm?" Yami Marik mocked, "Now it's time to see who will go first." I got the sense that all of Yami Marik's shadow powers were focusing towards Mai.
Kaiba gasped to himself, just remembering the battle. "Ashley!" Kaiba cried. Ashley's attention was snatched from the Duel. "Get Obelisk from my Deck, it's yours for the tournament."
"Are you crazy?!" Mokuba questioned just as Ashley rushed through the elevator and the doors closed.
"I lost that Duel and because of my transition, I doubt Ashley thought of her chance to get the God Card she waged against." Kaiba replied.
"Touching. But I will achieve Obelisk and Slifer from those two mortals you call 'Duelists.'" Yami Marik answered, "Now then, it's time to see the first person that will be erased from your mind." A panel appeared in between Mai and Marik, spinning vertically until it stopped with Tea's picture facing Mai.
"No, not Tea." Mai gasped.
"Yes, she will be the first to be erased from your mind." Yami Marik stated.
"This can't be..." Mai mumbled. Her frightened eyes reminded me how unusually calm I was against Yami Marik when I first heard of him.
Then again, I knew Marik before this, and Yami Marik seemed no different until now. Though not a whole lot surprised me anymore, since I lost both of my parents within the same year. Both of them, their mortal bodies gone from my life. But they're just ghosts; I still had to fend for myself. Having just spirit parents isn't the same as having real parents who are still alive. They can't go to parent/teacher conferences, which is one thing I had to be thankful for, but they can't take you to your favorite amusement parks either.
"Mai, what is going on?" Joey called.
"Come on; snap out of it, Mai!" Tea followed. Mai looked down to the crowd with a blank stare of confusion.
'Whose voice is that?' She thought as she looked at the group below: Yami, Joey, Tristan, Serenity, and Duke. But none of them were making a cry towards her.
"Surprised, my dear?" Yami Marik asked tauntingly, "This is only a taste of the despair you'll be experiencing for eternity."
Mai returned from her dazed look and opposed Marik once more. "Hm, I'll beat you, there's nothing you can do to stop me. So I'll place one card faced down and end my turn."
"Then why do I see so much fear in your eyes?"
Ashley dropped to the second floor and entered the room at the end of the hallway. Room 1's door had a small crack in it and she forcefully opened the door like Joey did. The room was very well lit in its florescent lighting. Inside, Kaiba slept without any disturbance. Next to him, on a chair, was his vest and his Duel Disc.
"I just need to borrow a card, Kaiba..." Ashley whispered to herself and walked in. She quietly paced towards the chair and grabbed Kaiba's Duel Disc. She ejected the Deck from the machine and flipped through it, 'Which card am I looking for again? Obelisk the...Tormentor?' She thought as she continued flipping through his cards until she came to one with a bluish border and a picture of a large demon. 'Well, this IS Obelisk the Tormentor.' She returned the Deck to the Duel Disc and inserted the card into her own Deck.
She was about to walk out the door until she took a second glance at Kaiba. 'Kaiba, both of us have had our differences. You and your brother are the only family you have left.' Ashley sighed, 'Yet, Miranda has nothing, no younger brother or sister. She just lives with her half-sister and her aunt and uncle. Maybe I'm the one who should have lost. I know Miranda is still a prisoner to the Shadow Realm. If I go, I can see her again.' Ashley speech herself and turned away, closing the door behind her.
To be continued...