Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh or Nick who is owned by Phoenix727.
Chapter 18: Enter the Underworld
Artemis and I walked together out of the chamber after we admitted to each other that we both loved one another. We hadn't known each other for too long. This off-world journey somehow made us both confess our feelings, like we were meant for each other. I knew Pluto wouldn't stand a chance, and even if he had the Millennium Puzzle, he still wouldn't win!
We finally made it to the exit as the others were waiting for us. Tristan had already wakened up, and he didn't understand why Nick was alive and where were we. Joey explicated everything to him, but Tristan didn't believe the part where he was killed. Both of them fought briefly, and it seemed they were back to normal. We all laughed at their antics except for Kaiba.
"Are we going to find my brother, or what?" he interrupted.
"Lighten up, Kaiba." Artemis replied. "It's been rough for all of us already!"
"We have to find Pluto!" I said. "Where would he be?"
"We know he's no longer in his castle, and finding him is not easy." Orpheus pondered.
"I hope he has not gone to the Underworld!" Nidoki cried.
"Yukai, use those Dragon Eyes of yours and locate him." Forseti ordered.
"I'll try." Yukai said as his eyes glowed.
"Dragon Eyes?" Atem questioned.
"That is what we call Yukai's special ability. He can see other worlds before him." Artemis explained.
"Well, that's useful." Nick replied.
Yukai's eyes returned to normal. His expression on his face didn't seem good. "Bad news," Yukai said. "Pluto is in the Underworld, and he has Mokuba. I saw two other people as well."
"What did they look like?" Tea asked.
"One was a girl with long red hair, and the other was a boy with long white hair."
"Those wouldn't happen to be Serenity and Ryou, could they?" I said worriedly.
"My sister's with that lunatic!" Joey shouted.
"What would he want with Ryou?" Tea asked.
"The Millennium Ring," Forseti concluded. "Pluto was the original owner of it."
"Then we have no choice!" Yukai declared. "We must go to the Underworld!"
"We cannot have the mortals come with us!" Nidoki reminded. "The Underworld is too dangerous and they will be killed!"
"We'll go, even if it will cost us our lives!" I yelled with confidence building in my voice. "You all can't do it alone."
The Millennium Guardians stared at me with surprised looks. They couldn't believe what I was saying, and it didn't take them long to reconsider.
"If you all agree to this, there's no turning back." Artemis warned. "Maybe you should discuss this with each other."
The others and I huddled together except for Kaiba, which seemed obvious that he wanted to go. I have already decided that I wanted to go, and also Joey since he has to save Serenity. I wonder what Nick, Tea, Atem and Tristan think.
"Yugi, are you sure you want to go through with this?" Atem asked with concern.
"I have to." I said. "I need to get back the puzzle."
"Looks like Kaiba's going because Mokuba is with Pluto." Nick replied.
"Not to mention poor Serenity." Joey added.
"I'll be there, buddy." Tristan offered.
"Nick, Tea, Atem, what have you decided?" I questioned.
"Of course, I'll go. I must help Artemis and the other Millennium Guardians." Atem explained.
"I'll go too." Tea decided.
"You all are not going anywhere without me!" Nick said. "I can't have Pluto harm Tea after all the damage he has done!"
"Then it's decided!" I cried cheerfully. "We're going!" The Millennium Guardians looked up.
"But one question." Joey asked. "How are we to go to the Underworld?"
"You obviously haven't heard of warp travel!" Apollo snickered.
"How did you humans get here?" Forseti laughed. "You all didn't just travel through space, have you?"
Artemis, Nidoki, Orpheus and Yukai began laughing as well. What could be so funny? Joey looked annoyed at the sneering group as he grabbed Yukai by the collar of his crimson robe.
"What's so funny?" he demanded.
"Don't you all remember how we got here in the first place?" Artemis calmed down.
"I wasn't here, so don't ask me." Nick reminded.
"That vortex!" I said out loud.
I remembered how we got here. The black tunnel that led us to Animus was the reason. Pluto somehow was able to create one, and maybe… that black hole which appeared beneath Mokuba! He was the cause. Ryou and Serenity were probably captured the same way.
"What did you mean by 'travel through space'?" Atem questioned Forseti.
"Must we go into the discussion of astronomy?" Apollo complained.
"Artemis, why don't you explain it to them? You're an expert on this sort of thing." Orpheus said.
"You see, four worlds surround the Mortal World which are Animus, Elysium, the Pokemon World and the Underworld," Artemis began. "No mere mortal can see these planets since they are hidden by a powerful barrier. To get to these worlds, we use warp travel, sort of like you see on those sci-fi shows."
"Fascinating!" Atem spoke. "You do know how to open a warp tunnel?"
"We would not be here right now." Nidoki answered.
"Well, let's get started!" I yelled excitably.
Meanwhile in the Underworld, Pluto was hidden yet again in his castle. Pluto was in his chamber, and hanging on the wall in chains were Mokuba, Serenity and Ryou.
"Let us go, you monster!" Mokuba shouted. "My brother will save us, just you wait!"
"It's no use, we won't be freed…" Ryou said sadly.
"You mean there might be a possibility we won't live?" Serenity cried.
"Such fragile creatures," Pluto said, stepping out from the shadows. He held the Millennium Puzzle, but he also wore around his neck the Millennium Ring. "I still need to find the other items and take the Millennium Rod from Yukai!"
"What happened to the evil spirit?" Ryou asked.
"That tomb robber?" Pluto replied. "Heh, he is joining you at this very moment."
The evil spirit suddenly appeared through the walls like a ghost. He was chained, and he looked weak.
"Ryou, that person kinda resembles you, in an evil way" Mokuba stated.
"Who is he?" Serenity questioned.
"A dark spirit that resided within the Millennium Ring." Ryou explained. "He ruthlessly took over my body whenever I had these blackouts. All I can remember are bits of pieces of the past from Duelist Kingdom, then I lost consciousness when Battle City started. I can recall some things from it like I was hurt and taken to the hospital, but that is all."
"The thief Bakura," Pluto began. "For nearly 3000 years, you had dwelled within the very item I once possessed."
Bakura's eyes began to open. He stared at Pluto angrily, but quickly realized he wasn't alone. Bakura noticed he had a body of his own. He began to struggle with the chains, which he couldn't budge. "You! What is the meaning of this!" Bakura yelled.
"You'll find out soon enough. In the meantime have fun spending your time with the rest of my guests." Pluto muttered and turned his back from them.
"Then where are Yugi and the others?" Ryou asked.
"If I am correct, they all will be coming here, and unfortunately meet their demise!" Pluto answered. "But I must make sure that I have the power of Ra the Golden Phoenix Dragon!"
Artemis and the other Millennium Guardians were preparing the warp tunnel to transfer all of us in one trip. They also wanted to make sure no one was to become lost in the Underworld. I watched them choose a spot for the warp-tunnel, and noticed that Orpheus was giving Artemis a hard time. I overheard their conversation without them knowing.
"What took you so long to get out of the chamber?" Orpheus asked.
"I was talking to Yugi, that's all." Artemis responded.
"You don't have to be afraid to tell me that you love Yugi," Orpheus said. "I'm your older brother, and I need to know these things. Were you frighten that Father wouldn't approve of your affection to him?"
Artemis gazed up at the night sky as the wind blew. "You know he's still watching us, even if he has passed on."
Did that mean their father was dead? To kind of mention, Artemis never did say anything about her parents when she moved to Domino City. She lived by herself in her own apartment, and whenever she invited my friends and I over, I didn't see any pictures of her parents. All I seen were photos of her friends, hometown, travels and some celestial objects like the moon. I backed away from them when I bumped into Nidoki who was spying on me.
"You are a very curious boy." Nidoki observed.
"What did happen to Artemis's parents?" I asked.
"Her father passed away when she was born and her mother was brutally murdered by the one person we are fighting against - Pluto."
"Pluto killed Artemis's mother!"
I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I felt so sorry for her, having to lose her father when she was only a baby. She hid her sadness well, and maybe that was why she never told us about her parents.
"We Millennium Guardians come from a long line of royalty, and Horus was well-known as the first ruler of Animus." Nidoki explained. "I have to go help the others, see you in a bit."
"Yugi," Artemis replied as I turned to face her. "I was eavesdropping and heard Nidoki telling you about my parents."
"I'm sorry that you lost both of your parents." I said. "You've been alone ever since the Final Battle."
"I'm never alone," Artemis assured. "With all of you as my friends, I can never forget what great times we had, good or bad. Besides, Luna was with me and together witnessed the changes around Earth."
"Well I'm glad to be your friend." I said.
"Even in Egypt, Atem wasn't alone. He had me and the other priests to help him defeat their enemies." she added. "One more thing, Yugi. Keep the Millennium Necklace with you at all times. Pluto may take it next."
"Shouldn't I give it to Nidoki?"
"No, when it's time for her to use it again." Artemis answered.
The Millennium Necklace began to glow as I began to receive visions of the future. I saw Pluto whose Ka was hidden in shadow, and behind him was a black aura. Pluto was holding an orb of light that he sacrificed to the dark being. We were in the Underworld, and all life was dead. The vision disappeared as I found myself screaming in pain.
"Yugi, calm down!" Artemis begged.
"Was that the Galactic Dragon you saw in your vision?" I asked.
"That's what Pluto's trying to resurrect!"
"Hey, we are not leaving you two behind!" Yukai called out.
"We'll talk later." Artemis said as we walked towards the others.
"We're about to embark to the Underworld, and we must stay together once we get there." Yukai warned.
We all stood in a circle as the warp tunnel began to open. I could feel myself falling into the cold, black vortex, and the others probably felt the same. It was like falling into an endless tunnel with no way out. We finally arrived to the Underworld safely as I stared into the dead life. The earth looked spoiled, and the air around here felt cold like ice. Trees were dead and the sky was covered in darkness. How are we to find Pluto?
"Everyone must stay together, and don't go wandering off," Apollo advised. "We don't want to attract any demons or lost souls."
"Demons!" Tea shrieked. "You didn't say anything about that!"
"That's why we said we didn't want to bring you all here." Forseti replied.
The Underworld was not a place you would want to be in. No wonder Pluto chose to hide here. Maybe finding him wouldn't be easy. We had to find him, and get Ryou, Mokuba and Serenity back. I hoped we could survive long enough in this realm.