Chapter 7

"I'm sure by now everyone knows the rules?" Pegasus asked. "When one partner loses all their life points, that team loses."

"It's just like the Paradox brothers, but without the stupid rhyming riddles," Joey said from the sidelines.

"We'll let the Pharaoh go first," Te'Os sneered. Yami nodded and drew a card, checking over what he had.

"I'll lay one card face-down, and summon Gaia, the Fierce Knight." Instantly the monster on the card leapt off of it, landing with a thud of hooves on the field.

"My turn," Pegasus said as he drew. "Hmm, what a pity. I play Dark Rabbit in defense mode. I'll also lay two cards face down on the field." A dark-blue rabbit in overalls popped out of its card, curling itself up on the field and grinning at Yami. "Your move, my dear Hunter."

"Don't smile just yet, Pegasus. The duel has hardly begun." She drew a card and looked at her hand, scanning the field as well. Suddenly she felt a throbbing in the back of her mind, like someone was driving a chisel into it. Looking up, she caught a faint glow coming from Pegasus' Millennium Eye, and knew in a moment what he was doing. The Millennium Ankh flared to life in response to the mental attack, and everyone averted their eyes for a moment. "Do you find my thoughts hard to probe?" she asked. The millionaire appeared startled, but quickly regained his composure.

"I wasn't aware you could sense it."

"Are you that ashamed of your dueling abilities that you'd cheat even now?" Yami demanded, crossing his arms.

"You promised me an honorable duel, Pegasus. Now reign in that Eye of yours before I cut it out of you myself." All three men stared at her, mouths slightly agape. Te'Os and Yami couldn't believe that Niahla had said those words.

'She isn't the sweet, naïve girl I'd hoped for,' Te'Os thought. The Millennium Eye stopped glowing, and Amber continued the game. She had not endured countless centuries of loneliness just to watch her brother and herself be beaten by a cheater. The mystic powers of the Eye let its bearer see beyond mere mortal abilities. That Pegasus squandered its power by cheating at duels was a crime in itself.

"I summon the Whiptail Crow, and place one card facedown." The orange bird-fiend landed on the field, wings flared in an attack position.

"Are you declaring an attack?"

"Not at the moment, so it's your move, Te'Os."

"Why thank you, lover." He put enough emphasis on the word that time seemed to stop. Amber paled as she turned to see her brother with a look of horror on his face. Even Pegasus was a bit surprised at the statement, placing his cards down and looking from her to the thief."

"Well, that was unexpected," Mai noted, staring at the silent duelists.

"Hey Bakura, you know anything about this?" Tristan asked.

"It's… Ancient history," the white-haired boy replied.

"You slept with the same thief that was caught in our father's tomb?" Yami demanded. "How could you?"

"It was a long time ago, brother. I was a different person."

"Yes, you weren't a monstrous freak!" Te'Os shouted. "Yet you walked in like I was supposed to comfort you, and understand what happened." He had panicked when Amber had first returned to her quarters after the change. She had been pretty as a human, but the change had mutated her into something hideous. He'd bolted from her chambers, and she'd cried out his name and sobbed.

"I loved you, Te'Os. I never asked for this!" Her wings flared as tears of anger and frustration burned in her eyes. "I hated the Shadow Games, hated what they did to people. My father died because he lost a Shadow Game, and I was cursed for being compassionate in one. Neither my brother or lover could stand to look at me, and I was more or less forced to live in the Shadow Realm. At least there the other monsters accepted me." The Whiptail Crow turned and made a sound low in its throat, and Amber smiled at her monster. It was why, even now, she found it hard to lose one in a game. Long ago, she'd regarded them as pets, even going as far as to just call them to an empty field to make sure they were all right. Now there more like her friends, and she would fight for them as fiercely as she fought for her brother. "Your move, graverobber."

"Very well." Te'Os drew and looked at his hand, smiling. "I lay one monster in defense mode." A square on the field began pulsating, but no monster materialized. Immediately, the twins became suspicious. Yami had played against Te'Os' deck before, and he had monster that relied on others to attack them.

"Amber, don't attack him just yet," he cautioned.

"Wasn't planning to, but thanks." Yami drew again, and called another creature:

"I summon the Curse of Dragon! Attack the Dark Rabbit." The yellow Dragon opened its mouth, and a stream of dark energy vaporized Pegasus' creature. "Your turn."

"Well, since apparently your creatures overpower mine, it's time to send out a new creature. Dark-Eyes Illusionist, appear!" An odd-looking creature rose up from the field, its head bouncing and rotating. "Meet one of my newest creatures, created specifically for this duel."

"Cheater!" Joey screamed before Kaiba elbowed him. "What was that for?"

"They won't be able to concentrate with you yelling. Besides, you can't do anything to really help them."

"I'm afraid he's right, Joey. We're only the cheerleading squad," Mai agreed.

"Still, I don't like the look of that creature," Tristan said, warily eyeing the field.

"Pegasus, is this a joke?" Te'Os demanded. If his screen was reading true, then the monster his "ally" had just placed on the field was totally useless.

"Certainly not, dear boy. Dark-Eyes has a very powerful ability that makes up for its non-existent attack and defense points."

"Did I just hear that right?" Kaiba asked, shaking his head in disbelief.

"Zero attack and defense points? What kind of wimpy monster is that?" Joey added. Yugi however, was not about to write off one of Pegasus' special creations.

"Yami, Amber, keep your guards up!" he shouted.

"Oh yes, I definitely will. Whiptail Crow, switch to defense mode. And Island Turtle, come forth in defense as well." A huge turtle, covered with trees and brush, crawled onto the field, quickly pulling all limbs into its shell. The Whiptail Crow crossed its arms, folded its wings, and dropped to one knee.

"Still not attacking? You haven't changed at all, Amber," Te'Os said as he drew his card. "Well, looks like something will finally get done around here. I summon the Reaper of Cards!" But before the monster could appear, Amber flipped over her facedown trap card.

"Trap Hole says otherwise." With a banshee-like shriek, the Reaper was pulled into the graveyard through a large hole that manifested on the field. But the thief was still grinning as he flipped over his first monster.

"My Man-Eater Bug will make sure my Reaper has company. I activate its effect to send your Turtle to the graveyard!" A dark light pulled the shelled monster beneath the field as both Amber and the Whiptail Crow watched in horror. The Bug waved it claws at the Crow and made clicking sounds. "That ends my turn."

"I'll use my turn to attack your monster, Pegasus. Go, Curse of Dragon!" The Dragon swooped down with a shriek, ready to annihilate the Dark-Eyes Illusionist. But just before its attack reached, the creature stopped dead in its tracks. "What's going on?"

"You attacked my Dark-Eyes, and in the process activated its special ability. Any monster that attacks my creature is paralyzed while Dark-Eyes is on the field. Your Curse of Dragon just became useless."

"Cheater!" Joey screamed again.

"Calm down, Joey," Yugi said. "They're not beaten yet.

"Still, this new monster will be tough to defeat," Kaiba noted with a frown.

"Are you done, Pegasus?" the Game King asked. The other man looked up as a smirk twisted his mouth.

"Done? My dear Pharaoh, I'm just getting started. First, I'll play the magic card Dark Illusion Ritual, which requires a sacrifice. For that I'll use my Dark-Eyes Illusionist. Now, you must think me mad to sacrifice such a useful creature, but it's all for the best." A yellow container appeared on the field, flanked by torches. The Dark-Eyes jumped into the container, and black fire shot out. The container then began contorting, changing its shape until a strange white and green monster floated just above the field's ground.

"What is that thing?" Tea wanted to know.

"Meet Relinquished, the absolute newest addition to the Duel Monsters' family. Isn't he simply wonderful?" Pegasus questioned everyone.

"Yes, like a sand flea," Amber whispered, though Yami heard the comment and smiled in spite of the situation.

"Pegasus, we aren't going to win this duel if you keep throwing out monsters with no attack and defense," Te'Os warned, staring alternately at his screen and the creature.

"Patience, dear partner, and all will be revealed. In the meantime, it's Amber's turn." She drew, and then looked at her cards, casting an unapproving glance at the field.

'Black Pendant, Mystical Space Typhoon, Aqua Madoor, Kisetai, and Shift. Not my best hand, but I'll make it work.' She was not a strategist by any means, but she could build defenses until her most powerful card showed itself. "I lay two cards down, and place a monster in defense mode." A square on the field began glowing, indicating that was something was hiding beneath it.

"Another defender? You won't get far with moves like that." Te'Os sneered.

"We'll see. Call your monster."

"Fine. I place one monster facedown, and lay one magic card on the field. Your move, Pharaoh."

"I'll draw, and then attack your Relinquished, Pegasus. With the Dark-Eyes Illusionist no longer on the field, my Curse of Dragon is free to move. Destroy his monster, my Dragon!" But just as the yellow Dragon swooped in for the kill, Relinquished perked up. A circular panel below its head opened, sucking in air with powerful force. Yami's Dragon attempted to fight the vacuum, but its efforts were in vain. The closer it got to Relinquished, the smaller it became until it was sucked all the way into Pegasus' monster.

"Dear me, did I forget to tell you that Relinquished had an effect too?"

"What kind of screwy duel is this?" Joey demanded.

"One where Pegasus seemed to make up rules as he goes along," Kaiba clarified. He placed a hand on his deck reflexively, and it felt warm to the touch. In fact, he could swear he felt it pulsing beneath his hand, as if it had a… Heartbeat? In this strange world, could his cards actually sense what was happening? Amber had mentioned something about Duel Monsters being living creatures, so did that mean his three Blue Eyes were around somewhere? "Joey, try to summon a monster." Six pairs of puzzled eyes turned to stare at him, and Kaiba sighed heavily.

"But Joey isn't dueling," Tea pointed out.

"I don't think that matters."

"What are you getting at, Kaiba?" Mai asked point-blank.

"You're thinking of using your monsters in the duel?" Yugi wondered. "But you can't. That isn't right."

"Neither is this duel. But if my theory is correct, help is just a summons away."

"It isn't that easy," Bakura said softly. He was sitting beside Yugi, and it felt odd when everyone looked down at him.

"If you know something, Bakura, then tell us," Mai urged. "This mindless standing around is bothering me."

"To summon monsters in the Shadow Realm takes incredible amounts of mental concentration and magic power. Normal humans can't handle it." Bakura shivered as he remembered the one time he had tried to have a duel with Te'Os. He had collapsed after only a few minutes, the strain of summoning his monsters too much for his mind. And the Spirit of the Ring had laughed at him, calling him weak and a puppet.

"Wait, so then why isn't Pegasus under stress?" Tristan pointed out.

"He must know how to control his Millennium Item properly," Yugi realized. "Which means that this is one duel where we're all out-classed."

"The Millennium Items hold power, but only if you know how to access it properly. The Spirits of the Items are better suited for Shadow Games. I don't think we'll be much help," Bakura added. Kaiba clenched his fists, feeling anger race through his system. Pegasus would win this duel, and there nothing he could do to stop it.

"You can't cheat your way to the top this time, Pegasus," Yami said. "Gaia, attack Relinquished!" The Knight readied his lance as his horse charged forward. But the millionaire was still smiling.

"Relinquished, defend yourself." At his master's command, the twisted creature lowered a bony plate over its body. But when Gaia struck, the image of the Curse of Dragon flickered for a moment, its death-scream forcing Amber to turn away.

"My Dragon! But how?" Yami demanded, slamming a hand on the panel in front of him. He'd been played for a fool, and had walked right into the enemy's trap.

"Relinquished's ability allows him to take on the attack and defense of whatever creature he sucks up. Oh, and as an added bonus, the damage it takes is taken out of the opponent's life points instead of my own!"

"What?" the former ruler asked in disbelief, even as he watched his life points drop to 1700.

"Starting to get nervous?"

"This duel isn't over yet, Pegasus. It's your turn."

"All right, young Pharaoh. Relinquished, take his Gaia." Immediately the monster opened its vacuum, pulling both horse and rider in. "Now, destroy the Hunter's Crow!"

"NO!" Amber yelled even as Relinquished shot a bright beam of light at her monster, vaporizing it. The Whiptail Crow gave a desperate cry as it was destroyed, and Tea turned away from the fight.

"How horrible. She thinks of her monsters as friends, so losing even one must be so hard on her."

"But if Amber loses focus, she'll lose the duel," Yugi reminded them.

"I think that might be Pegasus' plan. He seems to delight in breaking people, and she's the easiest target."

"Don't be so sure, Kaiba," Mai argued. "Women are a lot more complex than you think. She could just be biding her time."

"Hold on, Amber," Bakura whispered. "You must be strong."

"You'll pay for that, Pegasus," the winged girl promised.

"Better make it soon, dear girl. I've just rendered your brother defenseless. And I've also taken one of his more powerful monsters. I doubt anything you have can stand up to Relinquished now."

'He's right. Even if I manage to destroy that thing with a monster, Yami will lose the life points. By all the magic of Egypt, give me an answer!' She placed a hand on her deck, taking a deep breath to calm herself. The cards pulsed warmly beneath her hand, and a slight tingle ran down her spine.

"C'mon heart of the cards," Yugi prayed. Amber drew a card and stared at it for a moment, then smiled.

"I play the magic card Pot of Greed, and draw two more cards."

"Nice one!" Joey cheered. Pegasus considered trying his Millennium Eye again, but knew it was useless. From the bright smile on the Hunter's face, it was clear she'd pulled something good.

"I told you before that you'd pay, Pegasus. Now meet the monster who will guarantee that." I summon Maha Vailo!" A human-type monster rose from the field, blue robe swirling around it. Long blonde hair was pushed back from his face to show two massive red earrings. Assuming a cross-legged position, and adjusting his blue, pointed cap, the Maha Vailo floated slightly above the field. "I'm also equipping him with a Black Pendant." A dark jewel on a gold chain appeared around the creature's neck, but his eyes remained closed, like he was in a meditative trance.

"Is that the best you've got?" Te'Os wondered. "That pathetic monster will never get through Relinquished."

"Did I ever say I was aiming for Pegasus' monster?" The thief seemed confused by her question, but then took another look at his side of the field. The Man-Eater Bug, one of his pride and joys, was still sitting on the field, in attack position. He'd forgotten to switch it to defense mode after getting rid of the Island Turtle. The Bug turned towards its master, making a clicking sound that sounded like a call for help.

"You wouldn't dare."

"Watch me. I'll also use Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy your facedown card. Maha Vailo, attack his Bug!" The blue-robed monster never moved, but two fireballs shot from the red spheres on his earrings, enveloping Te'Os' creature and destroying it. Now his life points hovered at a mere 100.

"How is that possible? With the Black Pendant, your Maha should only have an attack of 2050, which should leave me with 600 life points."

"Actually, Maha Vailo has an effect that allows him to take an extra 500 attack points for every equipped card on him. So he's actually 2550." Amber leaned back and smirked at her opponent, who was staring dumbstruck at her monster.

"You realize that all this is pointless?" Pegasus spoke up. "Your brother is still undefended, and the next attack will probably kill him."

"Not if your Relinquished isn't on the field."

"And how to you plan to get rid of him?" Amber held up a card and placed it on the board, still smirking.

"With Fissure, which kills the monster with the lowest attack power. But since your monster is the only face-up one on your side, your Relinquished is destroyed."

"Nice play, Amber!" Yami commended as they watched the green and white creature fall into a crack that ripped across the other side of the field.

"My beautiful monster!" the man whined, in slight shock over this turn of events.

"I lay one card facedown, and then call for your final turn, Pegasus."

"Leaving your brother high and dry? What a pity."

"I'd worry more about yourself," the Game King warned, looking through his cards. Pegasus smiled, drew a card, and then looked at the field. Both of his opponents had one magic or trap card down, but only the Hunter had monsters on the field.

"I play the magic card Monster Reborn, to bring Relinquished back."

"Damn, that thing just won't die!" Tristan yelled as the creature once again graced the field. "And Yami has no monsters."

"Worse than that, Relinquished needs to absorb a monster before it attacks. The Maha Vailo is the only thing it can take," Kaiba explained.

"You mean, they could lose?" Joey asked softly.

"Unless those facedown cards are some killer traps, I'd say it's a possibility," Mai replied. She didn't want to admit it, but her friends were in serious trouble.

"I can't let this continue," Bakura said softly, looking at the others. They were busy watching the duel, so he began to slowly crawl towards Te'Os. Every movement felt like a knife sticking him, but the thought of Amber and Yami losing was much worse. 'Even if I can only distract him, it might be enough to let my friends win.' Te'Os felt a twinge run along his midsection, and he steadied himself on the dueling platform.

"Now what's wrong with that idiot?" But when he looked towards the children, he didn't see Bakura! 'You fool, stay still!'

'No, I won't let you hurt them!'

'I'm not the one you should be worried about, Bakura. Pegasus could end the duel here.' The pain stopped, and the thief could sense that the boy was thinking of another way to help. 'Give it up, weakling. Once Pegasus defeats the Pharaoh, it's all over. We'll have his soul, the two Millennium Items, and you'll be back to being my slave. And maybe I'll take Amber as well. She can be my little pet monster.'

"She's not a monster!" Bakura yelled aloud, drawing everyone's attention to him. Amber and Maha Vailo looked over in concern, and he could hear the others running over. "You can't let them win! I can't stand being Te'Os' slave anymore." He curled into a little ball, and the graverobber doubled over in pain as spasms racked his body.

"Finish the duel, Pegasus," he said through gritted teeth.

"Relinquished, take the Maha!"

"Bad move," Amber said, flipping over her facedown card. "I use the trap card Shift so that Relinquished takes my facedown monster instead. You aren't the only one who can predict moves."

"Impossible!" But the trap shifted the vacuum onto the facedown monster, sucking it up. The ghostly figure of a worm-like creature was soon sucked into the twisted monster.

"What was that thing?" Mai asked.

"Kisetai, my little parasite. Normally he would suck out half the life points of the creature that attacked him. Today he was a diversion," the Hunter explained.

"Now either summon a monster or end your turn. You're wasting time, Pegasus," Yami admonished.

"Even if you aim for Relinquished, your sister will still take the damage. You're at a stumbling block, my young Pharaoh."

"It's like he's holding Amber hostage," Tea whispered as she tried to uncurl Bakura without hurting him further.

"He only thinks he is," Kaiba argued. "Yami's sister has been playing him this whole time. Brilliant."

"How so?" Yugi asked, staring up at his other half as he waited to go.

"Every monster has limitations, and Relinquished is no different. It gains power from the monster it absorbs. But I wonder: How powerful can a ghost be?"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means that Pegasus is in for a surprise," Mai told Joey. Meanwhile, Yami was debating what to do. He held the Dark Magician in his hand, but was hesitant to summon him. Funny, he hadn't wasted a moment in any of previous duels. But now his sister's life hung on the line, as well as the lives of his friends. He didn't trust the thief not to have a trick to stop his attack, which meant that Pegasus was the only likely target.

"You only have one option, and that's to attack me. But if you do, your poor sister will fall with me," the millionaire taunted. Yami glared at him, and then drew a card. He stared at it for a moment before smiling at Yugi.

"Heart of the cards," he whispered, setting it down. "I'll use my own Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy your equipped card, Pegasus."

"But I don't have-" And then his face turned as white as his hair. Yes, Relinquished sucked up the powers of monsters, but they became like equipments to him, and were subject to all the rules of magic and trap cards. And the only "magic" card he had was the facedown Kisetai he'd taken from the Hunter. Relinquished writhed as the parasite floated back to Amber, leaving the green and white creature defenseless.

"I summon forth the Dark Magician to end this." The purple-robed monster materialized on the field, glancing around for a moment. The Maha Vailo turned and bowed, and the Dark Magician nodded in kind. "Destroy Relinquished!" Yami commanded as his chief monster raised his hand, glaring at Pegasus and Te'Os. A moment later Relinquished shattered, and its master dropped to his knees in defeat.

"I… I lost?"

"We won!" Joey shouted, pumping the air with a fist.

"You incompetent fool! Your ego cost us the duel." Te'Os stood and advanced on his "partner", but Joey and Tristan stepped between them.

"It's over," Tristan said, reaching for the thief.

"It's never over, mortal." He jumped back and held up a card. "Back off, or I use this on Bakura." Both boys paled when they saw the Man-Eater Bug on the card.

"You wouldn't dare. He's your host," Kaiba reminded him.

"Was my host. When the Millennium Ankh released me, it severed my reliance on the body. Now it's more of an annoyance." Yugi moved between his still-injured friend and the thief, holding out his arms as if to ward off an attack.

"Leave him alone! He's never done anything to you."

"Yugi!" Yami was now moving towards him, the Dark Magician following close behind his master.

"Touch either of them, and I will kill you here and now," a soft voice whispered in Te'Os' ear. The point of a blade pressed against his throat, and his Ring began reacting to the Ankh that was pressed to his back.

"Are you sure of that, lover?" The blade pressed harder, drawing blood.

"Positive."

"Then you leave me no choice. Dimension Hole!" A portal appeared beneath Te'Os' feet as he grabbed the card, and he slipped away from Amber into the void.

"May Anubis hound your steps, graverobber!" she yelled into the darkness, replacing the dagger in her boot. Kaiba strode up to Pegasus, grabbing him by the collar and hoisting him up.

"Release Mokuba!"

"And my grandpa," Yugi added.

"But-"

"We had a deal, Pegasus," Yami reminded him. "Now free the souls you've taken." The white-haired man hung his head, the Millennium Eye glowing softly. A moment later the Shadow Realm brightened into reality again.

"Sunlight!" Tea cheered, hugging Joey and Tristan.

"My captives have been freed. Now what?"

"Now you will be judged," a new voice said from the hallway.