Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-gi-oh! If you haven't figured that out yet you're either stupid or a lawyer trying to make me slip up so you can make some money off me. Well don't count on it punk! I don't intend to slip up anytime soon!

Author's Note: This chapter took me a while to write, and hence caused the delay in the posting of chapter fifteen. This was because of a great amount of work I had to do, including make-up work I had from being sick and out of school for most of a week. I hope this chapter doesn't dissapoint you, and it lives up to your expectations of my work. Thanks, and please review. In fact, if you get the chance, would you mind dropping a line to some other people out there so they might review my story as well? Thanks! Oh yes, I know you've done that Time Mage, so you are excused from this requestion. Thanks!

P.S.: In this chapter the second effect of Dark Ruler Hades is ignored as it was in the previous chapter. Note to all readers: Dark Ruler Hades cannot be revived from the cemetery, it just doesn't work. Thank you, and please continue. Don't let such a thing make your opinion of the story.

Author's Advertisment: I'd like to take this moment to advertise a great story called Tokyo Tournament by G.O.T. Nick. Ironically he's one of the few people who review my story, but hopefully when other people start reading they'll see this advertisment and go read. Its got some really interesting OCs(though there are a lot of them), and good duels. He's also got humor and a great backstory that hasn't been fully revealed yet. If you catch up now you'll find yourself in his finals, which he's just started!



"...before I can live with other folks I've got to live with myself. The one thing that doesn't abide by majority rule is a person's conscience."-Atticus Finch in Harper Lee's "To Kill a Mockingbird"

Chapter Eighteen: Rising Darkness-Struggle of Life and Death

"When you're thinking strategically you need to remember to think three dimensionally...maybe fourth dimensionally would be better." The look of confusion on Serenity's face was enough to tell Drake that he'd have to explain what he meant. Usually when he was teaching duelists he had to do that, as the concept wasn't one duelists usually thought of. It had been his sister who first taught him the concept.

"When you look at a graph, you've got the X, which is the horizontal or length. Then you've got Y, which is the vertical or the height. Z is width or depth and is the third dimension. The fourth dimension doesn't have a letter, but you might call it T, as the fourth dimension is time."

Serenity continued to give him a confused look, glancing down at the deck of cards that sat between them on the bed. After going into card types and some basic strategy, Drake had used his own cards as an example of how cards could connect together, and what sort of plays you should make. They had a couple of practice duels, cutting his deck in half to do so, and Serenity seemed to be improving. However she had a tendency to forget certain rules.

"Okay, when you think of each of the dimensions in dueling, they all have to do with time I guess. The first part is what was. You have to remember what cards have been played and what cards are in both players cemeteries. Next part is what is, or in other words, the cards that are currently in play. You have to think about the cards you have in your hand, the cards that are on the field, and how they can be used together.

The last part is what might be, the cards that are remaining in your deck. If you know every card in your deck, what cards you've already used, and so on, you can determine what the chances are of you drawing a card you need , or what useful cards you still have left. If you remember what was, what is, and what might be, then you've taken your first step to being a pro duelist."

The sudden crackle of the intercom interrupted their discussion, and they looked around to find the source of the static. When a very distinctive voice came over the intercom they realized that something was wrong, and that very soon things would get worse.

"Ladies and gentlemen...if you could be called such things...this is your new host, Taichi Nobuki. I'm sorry, but your regularly scheduled announcer has taken a vacation. However I'm sure at this point he's reached his destination at the bottom of the duel tower. If it makes you feel better I'm sure it was painless, unless of course he didn't die on impact, then he'd still be suffering right now."

A murmur of anger and despair swept through all present on the tower. Each person who heard these words felt something different, but all of them knew that nothing good could come of Taichi decided to speed things up, and taking over.

As they thought these things, the sky above the duel tower started to darken as clouds rolled in to cover the light of the sun. Citizens in Domino City looked up at a now black day, fearing for their lives even more when the beam of light split the towers above. The cries of apocalypse filled the air, and even the calmest of people would be ready to believe if the moon appeared red as blood.

Thankfully for the calmer citizens of Domino City, the moon was not out, as it was still in fact daytime. But that didn't stop the terror that swept through the country side as the blackness blanketed everything in its heavy grip. Something was afoot, an apocalypse or some terrible evil, and only a group of a dozen or so teenagers actually knew what was going on.

"I'm sure everyone is wondering why I've chosen now to make my move. The answer is quite simple really. Its my turn to duel again, and this time I intend to give you all quite a show. I will first crush Drake in a humiliating defeat, break his spirit, then kill him. After that I'll do the same with Dalin, and move on to every other person in this tower, starting from the strongest and making my way down the ladder. So when you're ready to die, please feel free to step into my parlor little Drakey!"

Serenity stared hard at Drake as the older boy clenched the bed sheets in his hands, his teeth grinding together as he stared up at the intercom with hatred on his face. She had seen that look before, seen it when he lost all control and unleashed that huge monster on Autumn. "Drake...you can't go."

"The hell I can't! Toss me my pants and turn around, I need to get ready for my duel with Taichi." Drake's intense violet orbs met Serenity's liquid brown one's, and the young girl looked deep into those eyes. She realized quite suddenly that underneath all the hatred and anger that Drake displayed on the outside at these moments, that he was really a frightened boy, barely sixteen, and not ready for this sort of conflict.

She sighed as she got up from the bed and walked over to the chair. She hastily tossed him the jeans that sat on top of the chair and turned away, letting him change. She winced as she heard him suck in his breath upon trying to stand. She knew that there was still severe bruising to his spine and ribs, and the medical staff had said that such injuries were intensely painful, especially when standing or walking.

"Its okay, you can turn around now." Serenity turned and saw Drake standing there, fully dressed but without his jacket or necklace. The other thing she could see was the suppressed pain in his eyes, and she instinctively knew that the act of just standing there was killing him. She didn't know him too well, but she had realized that he was very stubborn.

"Drake...you can't do this. You can't go duel Taichi. If you do...you'll die." The older boy grimaced and turned away, grabbed his necklace up from the bedside table. He quickly placed it over his shoulders and limped over to the chair to grab his jacket. With painstaking slowness he pulled the jacket on, and she saw him hold back the shudder of pain.

"I have to face Taichi. He deserves everything I can dish out and more. As for my current state...I've been thinking a lot about the Millennium Disc and how it's supposed to be driven by emotions. I figure I can use my own emotions to charge its power and keep me going. You know...suppress the pain till I've beaten Taichi. Once that bastard is dead and Kirani is free, then whatever happens..."

The punk duelist sat down on the bed, biting back a cry of pain as a shimmering web of fire sliced through his back and his ribs, shattering his mind into thousands of pieces for that brief moment. He leaned over, ignoring the twist of agony that shot through his gut, and started to pull his boots on, one at a time.

Drake yelped in surprise as Serenity gently but forcefully pulled him upright so she could look him in the eye. The intense look that he found in those brown eyes shocked him, and he realized abruptly that he wasn't the only one who cared about the outcome of this duel. The young teenage girl in front of him cared as well, and it seemed to him that she cared about everyone and everything. She was...an amazing person. But she was young and she didn't understand a lot of things.

"The reason you can't go is more complex then what I said before. Even if you were in perfect condition I'd still say you can't go. If you go out there, duel your hardest, get your revenge by killing Taichi and then freeing Kirani...what then? Do you honestly think that she'd be willing to accept you after you killed someone to bring her back? Kirani wouldn't want anyone's blood spilled on her account!"

The thought struck Drake like a ton of bricks. He had been focused this whole time on getting revenge and had never considered what Kirani might think of that revenge. She had been furious with Malik when the traitorous asshole had started killing off his own Rare Hunters, how would she react when she discovered that he had killed a possessed boy just so he could save her soul? "I...I can't help it. I have to go. Its something I have to do, and I don't have much of a choice."

Looking away from the brunette, Drake started in on his laces and in under a minute both of his shoes were tight and ready. The better question however, was whether he was ready for this or not? His deck was in tip-top shape that was sure, and from his past several duels he was in top duel readiness. But physically he was in no condition for this. Kaiba's system generated a physical impact. Nothing from the DD2 was incredibly physical or painful, but in Drake's sad state it might be too much.

Brushing these thoughts out of his head, Drake stood and started for the door, ignoring the slight limp he felt. He knew that now was not the time to start using his disc to help him. If he couldn't make it to the dueling arena without the support of his item, how could he possibly win a duel with it? Certainly Dalin and the others had said he was powerful, but he had no idea how to control that sort of power. All he could do was feel things out piece by piece.

Grimacing in pain as he shifted his weight in a quick turn, realizing he was leaving something behind. He limped over to the dresser and grabbed up the DD2 that sat on top of it, and fitted it over his left arm. The device automatically adjusted itself to his arm as it had been programmed to do. He shuffled his deck a couple of times and then shoved it into the deck holder.

As he turned to go for the second time a thought suddenly popped into his mind. Something he needed to say before he left. It was something he felt he had to say...no. Not just had to, but needed to.

"Serenity...you're a good and pure person. Its been a long time since I've met someone as pure of heart and innocent, I might never have before even. And I don't want you to lose that. So promise me you won't watch the duel, because I don't expect anything that happens there to be pleasant. Not in the least."

The fourteen year old brunette turned away from him, and dropped her head to stare at the floor. It was obvious from her stance that she was thinking about something. What she was thinking about Drake couldn't be sure. He wondered if it would be another blow like the last one she had given him, or whether she was just contemplating whether or not to agree to his request.

In fact Serenity at this moment was considering what her next action should be. She could tell by the tone of Drake's voice that he was fairly certain he wouldn't make it back in one piece. The truth was that she wouldn't be able to stand it if that happened. He didn't deserve to die, no matter what things he had done out of anger. He deserved to live.

"Drake....I...I'll agree to not watch the duel, but only on one condition. I want you to promise that you'll come back, for Kirani's sake if nothing else." Now it was Drake's turn to drop his head, not only to think her words over, but to think about whether he thought he could really make such a promise and keep it. In his condition could he honestly promise to come back alive?

The answer was no. In this case he couldn't promise such a thing, because it wouldn't be right to lie to her. The chances of him returning alive from this duel were so slim that even he was certain he wouldn't be able to make it out of the duel alive. "I promise I'll come back. And I can't break a promise to such a cute girl can I?"

The comment was meant to be a joke, to lighten the mood. It was the sort of pointless joke that Drake would make in any sort of situation where he was flirting with a girl. Just slide a compliment into the conversation for added effect. Of course he was telling the truth, she really was cute. But he hadn't meant it in any sort of serious way, it was just something to relieve tension.

Whether this was a sign for Serenity or whether she just did it on impulse, moments after he made the promise the brunette teen acted. Drake's eyes widened in shock as her lips met his and she leaned against him, her soft body against his. On instinct he wrapped his arms around her and returned the kiss. It was a sweet and gentle kiss, spurred on by whatever reasons a young girl might have, and though it lacked experience it was a good kiss.

When they broke apart Drake could only stare blankly at the younger girl. He had returned the kiss because that was his natural reaction to a kiss. It was hardly his first, and not the first time he'd kissed a younger girl, but he was interested in Kirani, foolish as the notion was. Did he tell her the kiss couldn't mean anything, or did he just leave and act as if nothing had happened? "Serenity..."

"For luck. Now get going." Drake closed his mouth in mid sentence and caught her eyes. A small smile touched his lips as he nodded in agreement to her statement. For luck. Now get going. With that last smile he turned and limped out the door, holding in the pain and the surprise that still filled him. Yet somehow, it seemed that the little piece of luck was just what he needed to get his spirits up.

As soon as Drake was out the door Serenity dropped onto the bed and stared straight at the door. A trickle of salty liquid slid down her cheek as she tried to hold back the tears that threatened to break free. He had promised her he would come back, even though the look on his face said he was sure he wouldn't be coming back.

"You promised me you'd come back Daisuke Ihachi, and even if you don't come back for me I'll just be happy if you come back. You promised, and you can't break a promise sealed with a kiss, everybody knows that." And then she could no longer hold back the tears she had been keeping inside since he first started getting dressed for the duel ahead. She cried because she knew the truth. She would never see Daisuke Ihachi again.

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Drake's limping gait had hardly gotten him ten feet when he was forced to stop because someone was blocking his path. Joey Wheeler stood in front of him, and a bit farther up the hall were Tristan, Tea, and Duke. What did they want. "I have to get to the duel."

The blonde Japanese teen didn't given any sign that he intended on moving along. In fact he seemed perfectly happy with just standing in Drake's way. Though why Joey was standing in his way like this he had no idea. "Look, I really have to get to the duel, so if there's something you need to say or do, get it over with."

Joey's usually happy grin was nowhere to be found. Instead a somber frown dominated his facial features, standing out. As the blonde began to speak he shoved his hands in his pockets and leaned back slightly, almost as if relaxing. But there was nothing relaxing in the way he was speaking, or in the words he was saying.

"I've had to deal with a lot of crap from plenty of people. My parents divorced early in my life and I lost the person who meant the most to me, my sister. She wasn't dead, but I was forced to know that I though she lived, I couldn't be around her. While she's here I've been forced to deal with a bunch of idiots trying to win my sister's heart. It ain't like they're no good, its just I don't think they deserve her, and she doesn't seem to return their feelings."

As Drake listened he managed to survey the hallway around them, and found a single television screen set into the wall next to Joey. Seeing that screen and hearing Joey's words gave him the realization that Kaiba considered him dangerous. Joey, being the concerned brother that he was, would have forced Kaiba to monitor his sister while in the room with a potentially dangerous person. Kaiba probably would have done it anyways.

Since that was the case it meant...damn, it meant that Joey had seen everything that had happened in the room. "Listen up. I know you lied to Serenity, and that you don't think you keep that promise you made. I may not necessarily trust you, and I don't think you deserve someone like Serenity, but I do know that she has feelings for you, and I won't let you die and leave her to grieve."

Drake grimaced and shut his eyes, turning his head away from the blonde. These were things he didn't want to hear right now. Serenity couldn't have feelings for him, that would complicate things, and he already had too much complication. It had just been a good luck kiss right?

Drake's brain provided the answer, whereas his heart had given him the question. A good luck kiss was a short peck on the cheek or lips at the most. The kiss she had given him had been no peck. It had been a full-fledged passionate kiss from a sad teenage girl. A sad teenage girl who was worried about whether he would live through the next hour. Her comment about coming back for Kirani's sake if nothing else should have tipped him off. "I...I'm sorry Joey. I made that promise because I didn't want to disappoint her, and I didn't want her coming to see me...well, see whatever happens. I really want to come back, but I don't know if it's a promise I can keep."

The blonde stepped to the side and leaned back up against the corridor wall. Drake blinked in surprise, having expected something of a more severe reaction from the other duelist. Joey's comments had been sincere and serious, so how was he being so relaxed now?

"I needed to know how you felt. Now I do. So just don't disappoint her, and try and do me a favor would ya? Kick Taichi's ass for me." Drake blinked for a few seconds, trying to process this sudden change in direction. Joey had just been trying to figure out how Drake felt about his sister? That was all?

"Don't worry, I'll do that and more." Drake flashed Joey a thumbs up and then started limping off down the hall. However he knew ahead of time that the three people ahead of him had something to say as well, and every second that was wasted was another ounce of strength leached from his body. But there was nothing he could do.

Tristan was the first one of the three to speak. "You plan on taking this duel all the way. One of you walks away, the other gets carted off on a silver platter. You or Taichi? I get that whole idea, but do you really think its necessary?"

Tea stepped forward to take up the second part of a series of virtual interrogations that Drake was almost certain had been planned ahead of time. Honestly he wondered which of them had written the lines, or if they were just improvising off of a general idea they had thought up before hand.

"There's another option you know. You don't have to duel Taichi, since in your condition it isn't safe. All you have to do is forfeit, and Taichi advances to the finals. Then Dalin can take care of everything. He's in much better shape and would stand a better chance against Taichi. Just forfeit, that's all it takes."

Finally the third of the trio stepped up to the podium to give his speech. What the dark haired dice boy had to say that could possibly interest him, Drake had no clue. But he was about to find out. "I don't trust you. You nearly killed Autumn and you've shown a number of signs of being mentally unstable. I want you to forfeit, because I don't trust you not to blow everything out of proportion and make the situation worse then it already is."

Drake grimaced and brushed past the trio, not even bothering to look back as he continued his way towards the arena, limping as he went. Why the hell had they even bothered? What did they think they were going to accomplish by shooting these little tidbits of crap at him? Was what he was doing necessary? Should he forfeit? Would his efforts just make the situation worse? It was all damned pointless!

"There isn't a better way that I can think of, and it's the only way that seems right. As for a forfeit, I don't forfeit anything, and this is no different. Besides, I can't let Dalin take the burden on his shoulders when I've already sworn that Taichi won't make it past me. And as to you not trusting me Duke. Frankly dice boy, I don't give a damn."

As Drake made it around the second corner on his march through the annoying corridors that were between him and the elevator that led to the top of Duel Tower he encountered another small group standing in his path. This one consisted of Autumn, and Mai who was helping the injured Autumn stand.

Physically Autumn seemed in perfect condition, there were no visible injuries. But her skin was pallid and her hair was damp against her skull, slick with sweat. She was weak and feverish, and it was all because she had almost exhausted all her physical and magical energies to keep from being killed by Obelisk.

She was in a terrible condition, and it was all his fault. If he had only been able to control his anger, his hatred, not only would Autumn be okay, but he'd be better as well. If he had been able to hold his emotions in check then he'd be in perfect condition for his duel with Taichi, and none of the things he'd gone through so far would have happened. Serenity wouldn't...she wouldn't have to grieve for him.

"I know what you're thinking Drake. It isn't your fault. You don't have to feel guilty. I was hurt, you got hurt, things are looking bad. But blaming yourself is only going to distract you from the real issue. And the real issue all comes down to the simple fact that there is one person who is at fault in all these instances. Every bit of pain, both physical and emotional that each of the people on this Duel Tower is feeling, it all leads back to that one person."

Drake clenched his fist as he traced those feelings back, his disc naturally reacted to his anger and flashing a dim golden glow. And in that moment he saw a flash of the emotions coming from the two people before him. It was like a vibrant array of colors that he could both see and feel, a whole new sense of perception opened up by the power of his Millennium Disc.

Despite her outward appearance Autumn was burning with confidence. Confidence in him, confidence that everything would work out, confidence that he would survive, confidence that she would get better.

From Mai he garnered a similar determination, and a ray of sadness directed towards the younger girl that she supported. Mai felt terrible that such a thing had happened to someone so young, but the feelings that Mai had in response, feelings of anger, were not directed at Drake.

Instead they were directed at, "Taichi. He's the one responsible for all of this. I've been letting that slip from view and now, thanks to you, I just got the reminder I needed. And its all I need to reinforce my determination to beat him into a bloody pulp. Thanks Autumn, I needed that, and I truly am sorry for what happened."

The young girl smiled weakly in response, and the two girls...no, two women, stepped aside to let him pass. And he knew that now was not the time to dawdle any longer. Whatever things lay ahead he had to continue onwards, else he'd never reach them. Whether he was interrupted again or not, he would always continue to press on towards his ultimate goal.

Drake had been right when he had guessed that he would face other interruptions. His next one was from a face more familiar then those he had encountered already. It was the face of an opponent, the face of a rival, the face of a friend. "Hey Kensai."

The martial artist returned Drake's greeting with a solemn look, like he had just watched someone die, or was expecting to see such a thing. Then again, Drake was pretty certain of the same thing. "So, what's this lecture got for me?"

Kensai flashed him a brief smile at the joke, showing Drake that Kensai had known about the other's intentions of talking to him about whatever issues they felt they needed to discuss. Maybe they had all even decided on the order ahead of time...though he doubted the part with Serenity was planned ahead of time.

"I wish only to offer a simple idea to you. It is this simple fact that any warrior should know. To achieve victory you cannot simple use force and skill, for sometimes something more is needed to win. The truth is that you cannot achieve victory without first discovering who your opponent is. Now you must discover who your opponent is."

Drake furrowed his brow in confusion, not understanding what Kensai was getting at. What did he mean he had to discover who his opponent is? It was an obvious question, of course Drake knew who his opponent was. How could he possibly not know who his opponent was? What sort of idiotic thing was that to ask?

"My opponent is Taichi! Why the hell did you bother to ask me such a stupid thing? Of course I know who my opponent is, I've been spouting it since before it was even my time to duel him. Hell, he just announced over the intercom that he was my opponent. How much more obvious could it be?"

Drake stomped forwards, ignoring the flash of pain that swept through him as he stepped down to heavily, and walked around Kensai. He could understand interruptions like Autumn's, but he couldn't waste his time on such a pointless question as Kensai's. He didn't have time for such idiotic interruptions!

"If you duel Taichi without first discovering the true answer to my question...you will lose." Drake whirled around to give Kensai a piece of his mind, but upon twisting around he discovered that Kensai was no longer anywhere in sight. The hallway was empty, and there were no hiding places, yet Kensai was simply gone. Shaking his head in confusion Drake continued on, and it wouldn't be long before again he got a lecture of a different sort.

There were only a few turns left before he reached the elevator. As he neared his goal with no interruptions for nearly a minute he became aware of the aching sensation in his hips. Walking was hurting him...so how was he going to manage to make it through getting knocked around in a duel with someone as skillful as Taichi was?

"I've lost track of destiny. From what I had been told it would be me who would save the world from an ancient darkness that was returning to threaten the world. But I lost my duel to Dalin, and you move onwards to face that ancient darkness in a duel that could mean the fate of the world. The question that I have to ask myself is whether my destiny doesn't refer to this evil, or if the darkness is so powerful that its interfering with fate itself."

Drake glanced over his shoulder to find Yugi, in his Yami form, standing there. The look on Yami's face told Drake that the King of Games was truly worried about what the answer was. There was no answer that Drake could give that would totally satisfy the other duelist, but he had to look inside himself for an answer he felt applied to himself.

"No fate but what you make right? If some blonde American woman can make her own fate, then I can do the same. So can you. So don't give in to all these stupid ideas about things being determined ahead of time. Nothing is decided until the last act, and we can never know before hand how things will happen. That's what makes life both interesting and difficult. But we have to live with that."

Satisfied with the answer he had provided, Drake looked away, and continued on his painful journey towards the destiny that he would determine for himself. He was going to show Taichi that sheer determination and will power could where more powerful then anything else, just like Joey had said in his duel with Yami.

As Drake walked away Yami smiled to himself, and glanced over his shoulder at the shimmering spirit form of his partner, Yugi. Though Drake was unable to see the young boy as he stood there listening in Yami had been fully aware that Yugi was waiting to find out how Drake felt about destiny. "Well, you got your answer Yugi. Whether he's right or not doesn't matter. As long as he believes."

Drake groaned as he came across one of the last people he had expected to see on this little trek through lecture land. Why would this guy have come to give him a lecture? Kaiba wasn't the sort of person to lecture others, and he wasn't exactly a good role model to be preaching anything of any sort to anyone. Besides, Drake had punched Kaiba and beaten him in a duel. It wasn't like Kaiba had a history of being forgiving.

Kaiba spoke in his usual gruff and terse tones, leaving his feelings clear. It didn't take a Millennium Disc to know that Kaiba was holding back anger, but anger that wasn't directed at Drake. It didn't take a genius or the disc to know where that anger would be leading. It had to be leading to Taichi. But why it was leading towards Taichi...he had no clue.

"You'd never expect that we would have anything in common. But we do. During Duelist Kingdom Pegasus stole my brother's soul and kept it imprisoned in a card. The same situation as you have with Kirani, and a situation somewhat similar to your's and your sister's. I know what its like to see eyes normally filled with life blank and dull, worse then dead."

This was not what Drake had been expecting. How could he possibly have known that Kaiba had experienced what he had? There was no way he could have known that he and Kaiba had lived through extremely similar situations. But a better question was why Kaiba was telling him this now. Kaiba wasn't exactly Mr. Touchy Feely.

"I...I understand. But why? Why did you tell me? Why bother? I don't get it." To say that Kaiba smiled would have been an overstatement. To say that he smirked would probably have been rude. To describe the expression on his face you'd probably have to invent a new book on Kaiba-expressions. It was somewhere between anger and happiness, a very strange expression indeed.

"Because I know that you feel the same way in your situation as I did in mine. You want the person who did this to suffer. You want to hurt Taichi as badly as you can, kill him even. I also know that in simulated test runs in my computer that you're screwed. With all the cards in your deck, including Obelisk, you only stand a 2.14% chance of victory against Taichi and his Exodia."

Drake grimaced as he glanced down at the deck in his duel disk. Was that really the best chance he stood against Taichi while the other duelist wielded Exodia? According to Kaiba's calculations that was only cards stacking up against each other, it didn't include the fact that Drake was in terrible condition. What did that drop his chances to? .01%?

"Damnit! I refuse to believe that mathematic equations have anything to do with Duel Monsters! You can't compute duels like they were facts and figures, it just doesn't work out that way. There are too many other factors to think about to truly find any true percentage. It can't work."

Kaiba smirked and extended one hand forward. Drake blinked and looked down at the hand, surprised to see a single Duel Monsters card. "Of course I can't factor in those outside influences. But I did factor in that with this one card your chances increase from 2.14% to 11.83%. Its nothing impressive, but its certainly better then the previous percentage. I'd say even not considering those outside factors that it will be useful."

Drake stared at the card for a minute before taking it from Kaiba's hand. Without looking at it he slipped it into his deck. He gave Kaiba simple nod of acknowledgment and continued on his way, knowing that the simple nod was all that Kaiba required. Like he had previously stated, Kaiba was no Mr. Touchy Feely.

Less then a minute later Drake stood in front of the elevator. However one last obstacle stood between him and his goal. The last person he had to speak was the one he knew the least, and he stood right in front of the elevator door, preventing Drake from passing.

Dalin looked Drake in the eyes and held the punk duelist's gaze for several seconds before he spoke. When he did he spoke in a quiet and calm voice that pierced into Drake's heart and soul for reasons unknown to him. Whatever the reason, Dalin's voice was able to cut straight past Drake's barriers and to his deepest core.

"If you could save the world, perhaps cure it of a disease that would kill everyone within one week, could you do so if it required that you sacrifice the life of a single child, or yourself?" Dalin fell silent and then stepped aside, ready to allow Drake to pass. But Drake wasn't fully ready to pass...he needed to answer the question.

"Don't you think you have the situation a bit reversed? I'm about to risk the lives of thousands of others, including myself, for the fate of one person. If I lose then Taichi is one step closer to his goal and gains my power for his own. But I'm not doing this to save the world, I'm doing it to save Kirani."

Drake pressed the button for the elevator and stepped on as soon as it opened. He turned around so he could press the button for the floor he wanted. As the doors started to close Dalin got in one last comment. "I know the situation I gave was the reverse. But you still didn't answer my question."

The doors closed and the elevator started to rise, pulling Drake away from the strange duelist and his puzzling question. If he could save the world by sacrificing the life of a child or his own life, could he do it? "I don't know."

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The arena was dark. A purple fog cascaded around Drake's feet and his body, making it harder to breath then it should have been. As soon as he stepped into that fog and saw the person standing at the other end of the arena he started to draw upon the power of his Millennium Disc. "Welcome little Drake. Is the little boy ready to face his deat...oops, I mean his destiny. Well, are you?"

Drake let his anger surround him and flow into him, powering himself through the ability of his item. He hated Taichi, and he wanted him to die. It was that simple. "Taichi, I'm ready to face whatever you can throw at me. So lets get this thing going already so I can kick your ass!"

The other duelist laughed, his ice blue eyes reflecting with an inner darkness as the fog passed by. Taichi reached into his pocket and pulled something out. Drake watched with interest as the dark duelist raised the objects and displayed them, revealing two needle like machines. Whatever the little things were, they looked complex and high-tech.

"Its not that simple Drake. You see, since I'm now in charge of this tournament I've decided to add a little extra spice to it. A new requirement of the tournament is that each competitor must use one of these nifty little devices. All you do is slap it onto your neck and that, as they say, is that."

Drake caught one of the little things as Taichi threw it to him. Unfortunately the action stretched his arm out a bit too much, pulling on the muscles attached to his ribs. Doing so caused a flash of hot fire across his right side. Surprisingly the fire was dulled almost instantly by the magical energy coursing through him. The energies surged towards the injured spot and supported it, enforcing its defenses.

"What exactly is this thing?" Drake knew that he was going to have to use it no matter what, so even as he asked he pressed the thing against his neck. He gasped as sharp needles dug into his neck and prongs of some sort widened whatever hole was made. The device collapsed in on itself and wormed itself into his neck, closing up the wound after itself. The machine had just burrowed into his neck!

Taichi's laughter at Drake's surprise only helped to reinforce Drake's determination and anger. The golden energy of his magic flowed lightly into that spot and tried to remove the threat, but a black cloud of energy struck back, keeping his energy at bay. The device was protected by Shadow Magic.

"It's a rather simple little toy invented recently by a military company in order to be used for interrogation. Of course I altered it to suit my purposes. Using nano-technology the device will respond to certain stimuli and send tendrils of nano-probes throughout your system each time some item of stimuli occurs. Sadly the process of extension is enormously painful and has been known to kill eventually."

Drake cursed Taichi under his breath as he realized the implications. Whenever those stimuli came into play the device would burrow further through his body, and it would inflict massive amounts of damage as it went. Weakened as he was even his magic might not be able to hold up against the device, not when he couldn't effect it. "What's the stimuli?"

Taichi grinned viciously as he activated his duel disk, the panels shooting together to form the playing field. It lit up with the numbers reading 4000, meaning that Taichi was ready to go. In response Drake activated his own duel disk, which quickly counted up to 4000 life points. "The stimuli Taichi! What are the stimuli?"

When Taichi started to draw his opening hand, not even bothering to look at the cards, Drake began to get truly irritated. The asshole was trying to piss him off deliberately! He thought it was funny keeping Drake in the dark about the stimuli.

In order to satisfy the increasingly infuriating duelist, Drake drew his own hand of five cards. Following in Taichi's example he too didn't look down at his cards. Instead he kept his gaze on the other duelist, his eyes attempting to bore holes into Taichi's forehead.

"The stimuli are a few simple things. The first is destruction. Whenever one of your monsters is destroyed, that is by battle or effect and not simply going to the cemetery as would happen by tribute, then the device will activate. Then there is forceful impact. If you get struck at a force above a certain level, the device will activate. Finally there is the most painful and dangerous. Life point damage. Now that we've got that out of the way, why don't we set the conditions for the winner and loser shall we?"

The two duelists faced each other, Shadow Realm twisting around them, as they contemplated what would happen next. The terms in Drake's mind, were simple, at least from his end. He could guess what Taichi would want, but he'd have to wait and find out. "If I win, then you have to release Kirani's soul and every other soul you've taken. You'll also have to relinquish the Millennium Items you have. Of course, after that I'll kill you."

Taichi merely smirked at Drake, some sort of darkness flashing behind his eyes. Whatever Taichi had in mind, Drake knew it wouldn't be good. But then again, nothing Taichi did was good. "You know, I like your style. We're actually quite similar to each other in some ways, both being able to kill and having done so before."

"Shut up! I'm nothing like you! What I did before was retribution pure and simple. You kill people for the fun of it, and that is one of the many things that separates me from you!" As Drake spoke, waves of power flowed into him from his anger. However he lacked the control of that power, just as he had against Autumn. If he lost complete control over that influx of magical energies, he'd be crushed under the weight of his own power.

"Believe what you like, but I still see similarities. Not that those things will keep me from killing you and stripping you over your item and every ounce of your power. For that will be what happens when I win this duel. Your great power will be a big step towards accomplishing my task. I'd also like to mention that not only will your body die when you lose, but your soul will be destroyed as well. So...accept the terms?"

"I accept! Now lets get this duel started already!" In this instance Drake's anger was focused more to himself then to Taichi. He needed to get the duel started because he was being sapped of his strength faster then he could draw it. He had forgotten the fact that the Shadow Realm required those within it to give up magical or life energies in order to keep from being absorbed into it.

Taichi's grin swept aside the minimal hope Drake had that the Shadow Realm would help even the odds by weakening Taichi. What Drake didn't know was that Taichi's magic was of a different variety, and tied more to the Shadow Realm then anything else. So the power of this place, a leakage from his master as it was, merely served to sustain him, feed him even.

"I shall begin this duel with the magic card, Demon Fallout. By discarding one demon sub-type from my hand I can draw two cards. I merely discard Skull Knight #2 in order to get myself two more cards." The punk duelist watched as Taichi deposited one of his cards into the cemetery and then drew two more cards from his deck to add to his hand, replenishing it to a total of six cards.

"Now that I've gotten that out of the way, I can set a single card down on the field. To end my turn I'll summon a monster you should be familiar with. Demon Soldier(1900/1500)!" A face-down card appeared on the field, and then was followed by the ever familiar Demon Soldier. The purple skinned demon flung its cape over its shoulder and unsheathed its sword, ready to take action. Oddly enough, its feet were directly on the ground instead of floating a few feet above the ground as was normal.

Drake shook the thought off and finally took a look at his hand. It was a good group of cards, but he didn't have any basic monsters to summon, so he had to hope for one in his draw. Starting off a duel without any monsters was not a good thing. "Draw!"

Glancing down at the card he had just drawn, Drake felt a twist in his gut as he realized how like his current situation the card was. However it was just what he needed in this instance to get a quick head start, and deal some serious damage to Taichi. "I bet you anything that my first card comes back to bite you more then once during this duel. I'll consider it an omen that I'll be cutting your life points down by more then half in the first turn. So go, Change of Heart!"

As the two duelists watched a half angel, half demon creature swooped down from the sky and collided with Demon Soldier. The demon tried to fight the power of the magic, but it was too great. Drake smirked as the demon staggered over to his side of the field, under his command for this whole turn. "Your demon is a disgrace to me, so I'll sacrifice it to summon Chaos Magician(2400/1900)!"

The black-robed magician stepped onto the field shortly after the Demon Soldier shattered into thousands of pieces. The emotionless look on the magician's face was exactly the opposite of Drake's expression, which was filled with rage. "Now I'll show you how to win a duel! Chaos Magician will attack directly!"

The magician swung his staff up over his head and started gathering energy. A pinpoint of light quickly gathered together into a basketball sized sphere of energy. Once the spellcaster was ready to go he let the sphere drift down towards his mid-section before swinging his staff like a bat, sending the energy ball careening towards Taichi.

"Go face down card, Mirror Force!" Drake gasped as the sphere of light collided with an unbreakable barrier. He watched as the blast reversed directions and collided with his magician, shattering it instantly. The leftover energy swept through the magician and struck drake in the chest, knocking him off his feet and back nearly a meter. Then the device kicked in.

The pain was beyond anything he had ever experienced. He couldn't even describe what was happening to him. On the outside his body twitched violently as the device sent thick tendrils down his neck and into other parts of his body, leaving dark trails as they went. His magic naturally tried to ease the pain and destroy the device, but the machine's dark magic barrier again repelled the attack. His magic was also forced to deal with the damage his twitching was causing to his already injured body.

It took a few minutes, but finally the pain subsided and Drake was able to drag himself back onto his feet. He collected his cards from where they had been scattered and looked down at them, trying to focus enough to decide his next move. "I...I'll set two cards face down. End turn."

It became Taichi's turn again, and as soon as he saw the card he had drawn he smiled wickedly as if he had something deadly in mind. "Monster Reborn on Skull Knight #2(1000/1200)." The skeletal warrior shimmered into view in the exact same spot that Demon Soldier had previously occupied, ready to fill the stronger creature's shoes.

"Now I sacrifice it for Dark Ruler Hades(2450/1600) activating its effect to special summon another Skull Knight #2 from my deck to the field!" The blue-skinned demon ruler replaced the skeletal warrior, and then was joined by a new skeletal warrior. The skeletal creature tried to advance on Drake, but Hades snapped a single hand out, knocking the creature flat on the ground.

"I'll continue my turn by setting two cards face down on the field. Now that I've emptied my hand of all but one card, its time to activate that single card. Treasure From Hell!" Drake and Taichi both ejected their decks from the holders and started drawing cards from the bottom of their decks. Taichi drew six cards and Drake drew four cards, giving them each a total of six cards. Then the replaced their decks in their normal spots.

"I suppose you're curious as to why I'd give you more cards. Well this next move should help you figure it out. The magic card Peer Pressure allows me to force the activation of one card on the field or in a player's hand. If the timing is wrong that card is removed from the game. However I'm activating my face down Demon Catapult!"

A catapult that seemed to be formed of corpses and skulls reared up on the field, its every motion sending a wave of sickening smells to assault Drake's senses. He blinked tears out of his eyes as Skull Knight #2 set himself in the catapult and then threw his sword at the little lever that would launch it.

Drake threw up his hands in a feeble gesture of defense as the demon was hurled across the field with tremendous force. The punk duelist instinctively set up a barrier of magical energy, thereby further straining his limits. The demon struck the barrier and as it exploded a ripple went across the barrier. Moments later the barrier was pricked like a bubble, and the remaining force hit Drake.

That single strike sent Drake tumbling end over end for several feet, each bouncing motion further worsening his deteriorating condition. The impact set off the machine in his neck for the second time, and sent him into a world of pain. This time he couldn't even begin to guess how long it lasted.

As he finally returned to the world of consciousness he discovered that Taichi was already making his move. Worse yet, three cards had already vanished from his hand, courtesy of Demon Catapult's effect. "My next card is called Big Bad Voodoo. Now for its effect I can discard any number of cards from my hand to force you to discard the same number. So I'll part with three cards to eliminate the rest of your hand!"

Drake groaned as he lost three more good cards. He shoved them into the slot for his cemetery and waited for Taichi to finish his turn. There couldn't be much left, not with only one card in his hand. "Now, I already know you've got some kind of card face-down to stop my attack. I didn't bother to read your mind because I already know the outcome of the duel, so I don't need that extra help. So I'll just use the last card in my hand before passing the turn to you. I'll play Twilight Renewal, a magic card that I can play when I've got no other cards in my hand. Its effect lets me draw five cards, replenishing my hand!"

Drake was forced to take in a deep breath to keep himself moving, because his power was running lower and lower with each turn. He turned his gaze down upon the single card he now held in his hand, and then heaved a sigh of relief. "Pot of Greed."

He deposited his used magic card in the cemetery and then drew two cards off the top of his deck. Even that motion seemed to drain him. He would have to end this as quickly as he could. Now he knew how to. "I'll start by play the magic card Dark Magic Revival. By its effect I can play a magic card from my cemetery which after activation will go to your cemetery. But the card I'm reviving is a permanent magic card, so I don't have to worry about that. I put Mystic Funnel into play, a key card to my strategy!"

Right in front of Drake the fog between to twist as a vortex started to open. Drake smirked as the vortex reached its full width and dominated half the field. This card was indeed one of his key cards, and this was the first time he had gotten to use it during the entire Battle City tournament. It was a good time for it too. He was going to need it to win this duel.

"My next card is called Instant Replay, which lets me reuse the effect of any card that has been played during this turn. I reuse Dark Magic Revival, so I can play Change of Heart on Hades!" This time around it was the demon ruler who was assaulted by the half demon, half angel creature. Drake smirked as what was perhaps Taichi's most powerful monster, aside from Exodia, joined his side for the duration of the turn.

"And now that you've done that, Change of Heart goes to my cemetery. Thanks." Drake grinned as Taichi confidently watched the Change of Heart card fall towards Taichi's cemetery. Once it slipped into the slot, obviously by magic, Drake was free to activate one of his face down cards.

"In response I'll chain with Zombie's Jewel! When a card goes to your cemetery I can use Zombie's Jewel to put it in my hand and let you draw one card. So I'll bring back Change of Heart for future use." The card that had just gone to Taichi's cemetery zipped out and deposited itself in Drake's hand, much to his satisfaction. He'd be able to use it again in his next turn, but now he had to inflict some serious damage.

"Dark Ruler Hades, strike down your former master!" Hades grunted in response and charged across the field, intent on taking the life of his former master. Hades was the ruler of all demons, and gladly took up the chance to attack one who had dared to command him. Taichi however, was perfectly prepared for such a traitorous action.

"Reveal face down card, Weakening of Attack! This quick play magic card will negate the attack and end your battle phase!" Drake grimaced as Hades slowed as it slogged through air that seemed thicker then water. Finally Hades stopped struggling to get forward, and just stood there, waiting for Drake's turn to end so it could return to Taichi. Then it would get revenge upon Drake for trying to command it.

"End turn." As soon as Taichi started his move, Drake was in action. If he couldn't win quickly by pure force then he was going to have to try an underhanded move. His Millennium Disc could manipulate the emotions of others, so he just had to manipulate the emotions of his opponent, and force him to do what Drake wanted him to do.

Taichi grabbed the first card off the top of his deck and then perused his hand for several seconds before finally looking back up at Drake. The waiting didn't bother the punk duelist, because it just gave him more time to work his magic. "You helped me you know. Now I've got more then enough cards to carry out my plan. You see I knew ahead of time what one of the cards I would draw would be, so I didn't use any cards of the five I had."

With those words Drake felt a surge of confidence from the other duelist. Taichi had been confident the entire time, but this most recent part was just the added boost that Drake needed to track Taichi's confidence, and boost it to the point where Taichi would start to slip up. "Go ahead, whatever your plan is, I'm ready."

Taichi grabbed five of his seven cards and then shoved them into his graveyard slot as he slipped a sixth card into one of the magic/trap slots on his DD2. "The reason I needed those cards was so I could activate Treasure of Demon God. By discarding five cards I can draw two cards from the bottom of my deck, and from now on I draw two cards from the bottom of my deck as my draw phase each turn!"

He ejected his deck and drew two cards from the bottom before shoving it back in. He now had three cards in his hand, and the ability to get two cards each draw would seem to give him an added advantage. But Taichi would see that the advantage didn't really exist. "I shall set two cards face down, and then summon the second Demon Soldier(1900/1500). Watch and learn fool, as I destroy you once and for all! Demon Soldier, Hades, kill him!"

The monsters charged. That was the only way to describe it. Feet pounding against the ground as they swiftly closed the gap between their deadly weapons and Drake's vulnerable flesh. The Demon Soldier raised its sword high overhead as it came in on the approach, and Hades stretched out his arms, ready to squeeze the life out of Drake. There was nothing in between them and him. Nothing that Taichi could see.

"Your overconfidence will be your undoing! Activate quick-play magic card, Trap Reflector! Now I copy the effect of your Mirror Force!" Drake smirked triumphantly as the two startled monsters stumbled into the barrier that was put up by a massive mirror, his Trap Reflector which allow him to copy the effect of any trap card in his opponent's cemetery.

The two monsters let out eerie howls as the barrier forced them backwards, sending them tumbling end over end across the ground. The hit the ground hard in front of Taichi's feet and exploded into dust. Upon their destruction Taichi's own device activated, but the psychotic duelist didn't even flinch. All he did was grit his teeth and stand their as the veins in his neck turned black as the macrobiotics spread into his body.

Even when the device had deactivated he continued to grit his teeth, but it seemed to Drake to not be caused by any sort of pain...but rather by anger. His thoughts were confirmed when Taichi turned his eyes upon Drake, and a black cloud erupted from him, becoming a dark aura that swirled around him like a swarm of locusts.

As he watched golden streams of energy burst forth from the dark aura and swam around it, like large golden snakes caught in a maelstrom. He recognized that power, the power of the Millennium Items. Worse yet, there were six streams total, and he was certain that the six streams meant Taichi had the power of six of the Millennium Items.

The maelstrom of dark power whipped Taichi's hair about his head, clearly revealing a blazing red eye upon his forehead. Within the duelist's eyes Drake could see the same eyes burning like fire, a symbol of the twisted Millennium power that he possessed. All told it was a power greater then anything Drake had ever believed possible, and the magical senses he was starting to control told him that the power was easily enough to shatter the island they stood upon with plenty of power left over.

"YOU! HOW DARE YOU?! YOU WOULD DARE TO MANIPULATE ME?! FOR MILLENNIUM I HAVE TWISTED YOUR PATHETIC SPECIES' ENTIRE HISTORY TOWARDS THE DARKEST PATH POSSIBLE FOR ONE SINGLE GOAL, THE RESURRECTION OF MY MASTER AND THE END TO ALL THINGS!"

Taichi thrust one arm forwards and a blast of dark energy slashed out like a cluster of blades, heading straight for Drake. He pulled upon his emotions to supplement the power of his disc as he erected a barrier in front of him. Despite the extent of the power he put into the barrier he was still barely able to hold back any of the force that Taichi was exerting, and it was becoming obvious that the blast was merely Taichi lashing out with a fraction of his power.

"I POSSESS POWER BEYOND ANYTHING YOU HAVE EVER ENCOUNTERED, THE GREATEST POWER OF ALL, THE POWER TO DESTROY! YOU, A PATHETIC MORTAL, DARED TO MANIPULATE ME, AND FOR THAT SLIGHT I SHALL MAKE SURE YOU SUFFER GREATER TORMENT THEN I HAD ORIGINALLY INTENDED! I WILL NOT GIVE YOU THE REPRIEVE OF DESTROYING YOUR SOUL, INSTEAD I SHALL LOCK IT INTO A CYCLE OF ETERNAL TORMENT, DAMNING YOU TO FOREVER SUFFER!"

A second blast forced Drake's entire body backwards, the barrier barely holding up as he slid foot by foot, struggling to keep his balance. If he lost his balance he'd fall, and that would make him lose the concentration he needed to stay alive under the enormous assault that Taichi was exerting.

To Drake's surprise the assault ended abruptly, and Taichi's face settled into an angry snarl, as opposed to the confident amusement he had been displaying before hand. The confident amusement that he had displayed in each of his duels so far, the confident amusement that he had while he took Kirani's soul, while he took Shadi's last breath.

Taichi, the monster that he was, was no longer amused. That simple fact might have frightened someone else, but knowing that Taichi was taking him serious was enough for Drake. He wanted Taichi to be trying his hardest when he lost. Only then would he be satisfied. He had to break Taichi, because nothing would please him more then to see all that confidence vanish, and to see the bastard lose all heart and become a worthless shell of a being.

"I hope you're ready Drake, because now its back to business. Because you sent two of my monster's to the cemetery in this turn, I can revive two monsters in their place using my placed magic card, Revival Corpses. Now rise, Skull Knight #2(1000/1200), both of you!" One of Taichi's cards flipped up, revealing a graveyard with torn soil with various skeletal hands reaching up. Drake grinned as two plots of ground exploded as two skeletal knights rose up and stood before Taichi, crouching in defense.

Drake smirked as he drew his next card and then started on his strategy with his key card. The vortex of his Mystic Funnel started glowing, and a massive brown-backed card forced its way out, moving towards Drake. He grinned and ejected a card from his cemetery at the same time as the massive card shrunk down and merged with his hand. "Now the effect of my Mystic Funnel comes into play. During each of my standby phases I can select one magic card in my cemetery and put it in my hand. So you'll have to greet my card again as I set one card face down. Next I'll set a monster in defense mode."

He looked over Taichi's field, at his single face down card and his two monsters. The Skull Knights weren't exactly impressive monsters, and unfortunately for him both of them were in defense mode. If he used Change of Heart he could take control of one and switch it into attack mode, but the defensive strength of the Skull Knight#2 was greater then its attack, so controlling one wouldn't accomplish anything. There wasn't anything else to do this turn. "End."

Taichi didn't even bother looking down at his deck as he ejected it and drew two cards from the bottom of his deck. It was figuratively like taking power from the depths of Hell, represented by the depths of Taichi's deck. "I'll activate my face down card, Guardian of Demon God. By discarding one magic card from my hand I can set one trap card from my cemetery onto the field."

He deposited a card in his cemetery and a card appeared in front of him, and to Drake's mind it was obvious that the card was Mirror Force. That fact would make this more difficult, but not impossible. At least it would have... "Sadly I must tell you what card I've set, and its Demon Catapult. But I'll give you more to worry about with this second face down card. Now shall come the creature that will end you. Say goodbye to my pathetic knights, and hello to Invader of Darkness(2900/2500)!"

A black cloaked figure emerged from a card, and stepped down onto the field. Next to him appeared another skeletal knight as the final Skull Knight#2 was summoned from Taichi's deck. To Drake's surprise Taichi's newest monster waved one clawed arm towards Drake's face down card, and glowing chords wrapped around it. "What the hell?"

"Obviously your face down card you returned from Mystic Funnel, its quite obviously Trap Reflector. But it's a quick-play magic card, and no quick-play magic cards can be used while Invader of Darkness remains face-up on the field. That power will give me the advantage as I use him to attack your face down monster!"

Drake cast up a barrier to protect himself from the force of the swipe of the Invader's claws, a single sweep that crushed his monster and sent particles flying towards Drake. In his weakened state the barrier was barely able to keep him safe, and even then it didn't protect him from the pain that erupted throughout his body as the device activated.

An interminable time later he was able to focus well enough to see the skeletal knight coming in with a sweep of his blade, ready to deal serious damage to Drake. But Drake didn't have such an ignominious end in mind. Instead he activated the ability of his destroyed monster, Apprenticeship Magician. The skeleton slashed its sword through his new face down monster, Magician of Faith. Drake managed to take a card from his cemetery before the pain kicked in, leaving him a shuddering mess.

Drake grimaced in pain as he forced himself to act, drawing a card and then taking a card from his cemetery by his Mystic Funnel's effect. Looking down at the cards in his hand he began to formulate a plan that might very well be able to finish Taichi off once and for all. "To start off I'll play Pot of Greed, giving me a total of five cards."

He sent his drawing card to the grave and then picked two cards up off the top of his deck. He looked down at them and his plan truly came together. He now had all he needed to put a stop to Taichi once and for all, within this hand of five cards. "I'll set a single card face down, and then I'll remove Apprenticeship Magician and Magician of Faith from the cemetery to special summon this...Chaos Sorcerer(2300/2000)!"

The air in front of Drake rippled, and like a mirage the Chaos Sorcerer shimmered into view, leaving behind a wake of disrupted air. The purple skinned sorcerer stood strong in his black garb, each hand glowing with the chaotic energies that he wielded with incredible effectiveness. Drake had three cards left in his hand, and already he had summoned what was perhaps his deadliest monster.

"Now I'll play Change of Heart to take control of Invader of Darkness!" The hybrid creature burst from the card and collided with the black cloaked creature's chest, knocking it backwards slightly. Twin glowing eyes peered out from underneath the Invader's cowl as it rose up off the ground and floated over to Drake's side, settling down next to Chaos Sorcerer.

"It doesn't stop there Taichi, because now I'm going to play Double Spell! I discard one magic card from my hand, and copy your Monster Reborn!" Taichi remained blank-faced as the fanciful ankh card appeared on the field and its magic activated. Rising up from the grave was Dark Ruler Hades, as deadly as ever and ready to kill. Drake's hand was now empty, and now he had the opening he had been hoping for.

"Chaos Sorcerer, destroy his Skull Knight#2. Then Invader and Hades will follow up with a direct attack. Finish Taichi off once and for all!" Invader of Darkness and Dark Ruler Hades flanked the Chaos Sorcerer as it charged its chaotic energies and cast them out to destroy, the two demons waiting for their chance to strike. The attack committed everything Drake had to this single strike, because if it didn't work then he'd have two monsters open to an attack by the stronger Invader of Darkness.

"Chain with By Demons Be Driven (A.N.: I don't own Pantera or any of their songs. Though I do have a few on my play list)! I sacrifice Skull Knight#2 to negate your attack, end your battle phase, and destroy all non demon sub-type monsters on your field! So say goodbye to your strategy!" One of Taichi's two face down cards flipped up, revealing a human grimacing as it trudged forwards under the lash of a whip carried by Dark Ruler Hades.

A giant whip erupted from the card and swept across the field, stopping the three monsters in their tracks. Skull Knight#2 grabbed up the whip and then snapped it sharply, creating a whip-crack sound as the whip broke the sound barrier. The Chaos Sorcerer grunted as it was destroyed by the lash, and moments afterwards the skeletal knight followed suit.

The pain hit Drake hard and fast, so fast that he didn't even know it had struck until he found himself struggling back into consciousness, blood dripping from his mouth. He drew further upon the power of his disc to give himself the strength to stand, even as his body continued to weaken. What was worse was that his power reserves were almost completely drained, and using life energy would just quicken the process. He was in a jam, and there was no way out of it.

Taichi's amused grin reappeared as he drew his two cards, Invader of Darkness now back under his control. The source of his amusement wasn't obvious to Drake until his foggy mind was able to wrap around the concept Taichi had mentioned earlier. Life point damage was the most painful of all under the ministrations of the device, and he was about to lose a monster and life points.

"I'll set a card face down, and then I'll go in for the kill. Invader of Darkness, Blades of Blood!" Drake gasped as the cloaked monster slashed its sharp claws across its belly, drawing black blood to drip down the claws. The creature pulled back its arm and slashed with it, sending arcs of that black blood towards Dark Ruler Hades.

A golden barrier burst up in front of Drake as the blood blades sliced Hades into gruesome little quarters that dropped to the ground with a messy sound. The blades hadn't stopped after Hades' death, and they were coming right for him.

Drake pushed his last energy reserves into the barrier, knowing that those blades were real enough that they could cut him down if they hit. The blades struck the barrier and stopped...for about a second. Then his energy ran dry and the blades slashed through his barrier and surged right towards him.

Drawing on his own physical strength he reacted and hurled himself to the side, desperately hoping to avoid the blades. He was mostly successful, as he avoided nearly all of them. However one of them managed to catch him in the side, slicing straight through the flesh. The force of it sent him into a spin as he tumbled through the air.

He crashed down on his side, shoulder shifting with the impact. Drake's scream of agony as his shoulder blade broke and a few of his ribs shattered was enough to let all the other people in the tower that the duel was not going well. Drake's agonized screams only grew louder as the device tortured him with a new level of pain beyond anything that he had encountered so far. It was utterly beyond description. (DLP: 3550)

Taichi announced the end of his turn, and waited, watching Drake lie there. But there was no response. Drake was completely out of it, and it was doubtful that he was alive. In a few minutes he'd be sure, and then he'd be able to declare himself the winner. This had been all to easy.

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Drake stood on the streets of Domino, facing off against his first Battle City opponent, Lucas Braunham, the German Champion of Duel Monsters. So far he had been faring well, though the advantage currently rested in Lucas' hands. But Drake was confident, he knew that he could win the duel.

"I'll start my turn by using Graceful Charity to draw three cards and then discard two. Now watch and learn as I revive my Dark Magician with Monster Reborn!" With a bright flash the purple robed magician appeared on the field, facing opposite of the Twin Mages, two brown-robed little magicians who used their joint power to support each other, creating a force to be reckoned with.

"Now I'll flip my face down monster, Magician of Faith, to recover Megamorph! Because my life points are lower I can equip it to my magician to double his points a second time. Lets end this Lucas. Dark Magic Attack!"

The field inverted colors for a brief moment, and the Twin Mages exploded, leaving no trace behind, and taking with them what remained of Lucas' life points. Drake had just won his first Battle City duel, and he had done it all on his own. He didn't need anybody's help to be powerful.

***********************************

Drake was on a different street of Battle City this time, and his opponent was now an old acquaintance named Kensai. They were dueling for the stakes of the finals, the winner would get the necessary locator cards to reach the finals, and the loser would be left with nothing.

Drake was now forced to face Kensai's strongest monster, and his favorite at that. An incredibly powerful force called Chaos Soldier-Messenger of Creation. Its overwhelming strength and its deadly effects had already dropped Drake to a measly nine hundred life points.

"Damn, how did he manage to get a hold of a monster like that? It makes the situation practically hopeless!" Drake felt his confidence slip away, shattering into pieces. He was about to lose to someone that he knew he was better then. It just didn't seem possible that his Battle City escapades could end here, before he managed to prove his strength to everyone. He had to get stronger, and to do so he had to win this, but there was no way left to win!

"Don't you dare give up Drake. If you beat me then you can certainly beat this amateur. If you lose then you'll become a disgrace to me and every other duelist you've ever beaten. How would the other people you've beaten in Battle City feel if they knew you were losing hope just because you were facing off against a strong monster? I know you're stronger then this Drake, I believe that, I know it."

Standing behind Drake was Kirani, her dark hair whipping in the wind, framing her beautiful face. Her confident smile gave him strength, made him feel like he could do this, made him believe that he had what it took to become stronger then he already was. It felt like her smile was just for him, and he wouldn't let her down.

Within a few moves Drake managed to regain the lead and defeat Taichi using the two cards he had won so far in Battle City. Mirror Wall and Twin Mages. He had won his way into the Battle City finals, and he had done it with the help of an amazing woman. A friend who he could trust, and might one day be able to call more then a friend. He had been wrong, he needed her to be strong.

***********************************

Taichi's breath left him as Drake started moving. Worse yet, surges of energy were sweeping into the room and into Drake's body. He sent his senses out and traced those bits of energy, finding where they originated. He grimaced as he found all those who knew him, whether friend or not, supporting him with their feelings, displaying their trust in him, their confidence. Their power and their emotions surged through the Millennium Disc, giving strength back to Drake.

The punk duelist slowly pushed himself up off the ground, ignoring the pain that lanced through him as he did so. He was able to do so because of the huge amount of energy that was surging through his body, creating a golden glow that surrounded him, giving him a heavenly appearance. He was regaining his power, regaining his will to continue.

Taichi grimaced as he saw Drake move to continue the duel. This wasn't supposed to happen, Drake couldn't just suddenly recharge himself and continue on. The end was supposed to be the end. If Drake wasn't willing to admit that, Taichi would just have to make him lose hope.

Drake's mind flickered with faint voices, voices of those he knew. Serenity, Kensai, and others, all of them. They told him that it was hopeless, that if he continued to duel he would lose, and if he continued to duel he would die. There was no chance, he should surrender while he still had the chance. He had to face the music and admit defeat.

Drake grinned, revealing teeth stained by his own blood. He stood tall and strong, the golden glow that surrounded his body expanding as his determination settled in, giving him the full strength provided by those that had feelings for him, that trusted him to win this. That knew he could. And with their help he knew he could win as well.

"It may seem hopeless to some Taichi, but not to me. A real man faces the music, even if he doesn't like the tune. The question is, are you a real man, or just a walking corpse? I guess I'll find out when the final note is played. Now lets duel!"

Drake confidently drew a card from the top of his deck, trusting that whatever the card was it would allow him to recover and help him move towards victory. His friends, his opponents, even the person he could possibly call his rival, they were all there, adding their strength to his. With their supportive power he could accomplish anything.

Drake opened his mouth to announce his move, and discovered that the air he had used to speak just moments before was now no longer there. He tried to draw in breath, but discovered that all he could do was gasp as air passed into his body, but didn't remain. His draw had also reopened the wound on his side which had closed briefly because of the power he had drawn from his friends.

He tried to force the words out, to announce his move, to get the air he needed. He drew on the power given to him by the people he cared about and the people who cared about him, but still nothing. He tried again to speak, but all that came up was blood, bubbling forth from his throat, welling up from his gut.

Eyes widening in shock the once confident duelist looked down at himself, discovering dozens of little red dots peeking through his shirt, quickly spreading to turn his gray shirt red. The wound on his side was making it work quicker. He gulped, trying to gather air, and discovered the pain in his ribs as the power started to fly from him.

Things were becoming blurry, the power was becoming hard to hold onto, he couldn't focus. He tried again to speak, then tried to draw air. Still all that came up was blood, and the pain that followed it. Steadily the pain increased as the power left him, his body no longer able to support it. He felt the weakness and tried to hold strong, but his knees couldn't support him.

He didn't notice falling, but he suddenly became aware that he was doubled over, clutching his stomach with his knees on the ground. A small pool of blood was forming around him, some of it dripping from his lips, other parts of it coming from the various wounds in his side. As the pool grew things became foggier and foggier.

Taichi's insane laughter cut through his foggy brain, straight to the most aware parts, the parts that still drew upon the remaining power that had been provided to him. "Don't you understand? That fall you took shattered your ribs, and the pieces of bone ripped through your flesh and punctured your lungs. All that power you were getting from your friends? Useless! Not even a million times as much power as you had been given could undo the fact that your body is mortal. Its all over!"

Drake found himself face down in a steadily growing pool of his own blood, the world going dark around him. He could no longer hear Taichi's laughter, he could barely remember his own name. He had only time for one last thought before the world went dark. 'Kirani...forgive me, but I tried. At least I tried.'

Daisuke Ihachi, sixteen years of age, holder of the Millennium Disc, a fighter and a lover. He had bargained his life in order to restore the life to a woman he cared about, to save that woman and a few others from the fate that had befallen his beloved sister. He had gambled with his life, and he had lost.

Daisuke Ihachi, sixteen years of age, holder of the Millennium Disc, fighter and lover, was dead.

______________________________________________________________________________

Author's Note: None! Ha! Think what you like!

Original Cards

Drake: Trap Reflector, Mystic Funnel, Instant Replay

Taichi: Demon Fallout, Demon Catapult, Treasure From Hell, Peer Pressure, Big Bad Voodoo, Twilight Renewal, Treasure of Demon God, Revival Corpses, Guardian of Demon God, By Demons Be Driven