Chapter 2

The duel was dragging on; it had already lasted ten turns. Joey held on to 550 points and Marik still stood tall on his 2000-point lead.

Marik drew his eleventh card, he looked at it, staring and thinking of what to do.

"I play a monster card face down and I end my turn. Let's see what the little squirt can pull off now"

Wiping his tear-filled eyes he drew another card. His eyes were like a swarm of bees, stinging, and because of that, water-filled.

Yugi noticed right at the start it got tiring for Joey, he tripped a little, swerved from side to side occasionally.

What Yugi thought was true.

Joey could hardly think, his sight was blurred so much that he couldn't even see his cards never mind Marik.

"What's the matter Joey? Getting worn out already!" Marik mocked.

Joey felt woozy.

The sight in his eyes felt they were swirling out of control like a tornado.

He felt his knees hit the ground. Or what he thought was his knees. Something was knocking him back.

"Marik…" he growled.

Tristain couldn't help but try to keep his best friend in the game.

"Joey!" Tristain screamed "Come on, get back up, we're all rooting for you!"

Joey was getting more and more dizzy every second, he could hear Marik's deep chuckles echo through his mind, not going away for nothing.

Yugi knew Joey's mind was weakening.

"We need to give him our full support, his free will is disappearing from us."

Everyone gasped

"His free…will?" Tea stuttered.

Yugi turned to face Tea.

"That's what Marik was talking about…taking something away from him and if we don't do something now, we'll lose him forever. All we can do now is give him our full support."

Back on the stadium, Joey was felt like he was at death's door. He couldn't move, couldn't draw.

"You pathetic fool Joey. The biggest mistake you made was making friends with the so-called winner of Duellist Kingdom! Yugi Motou!"

"That's…not…" he didn't have the strength to even finish his sentence, maybe he wasn't up to the full standard of duelling.

But wait, he couldn't start thinking like this! Whatever happened in Duellist Kingdom wasn't just an illusion. He fought for his sister's operation, for the money to afford it. No way he was backing down now. No way, no how.

His eyes were clearing; he could now hear the supports from his friends combat the deep voice of Marik.

Yugi finished his mind's battle by shouting up to him:

"You can do it Joey!"

As soon as this was said, he could already feel his balance returning back to him. Trying to get back up, he used his right leg to steady himself while using the other to stand up on his own two feet again. He could hear the cheers to the right of him growing stronger, he knew his cavalry had come.

"Time to finish this off once and for all Marik!" He spoke as Marik stood amazed at what was happening before his eyes.

He yanked a card from his deck.

It was his most loyal card in desperate times, The Red Eyes Black Dragon.

He had enough sacrifices on the field, Marik had no traps or spells to surprise him this time, and he had the right card to clear all of Marik's monsters, Raigeki. Without hesitation he played the magic card on the field.

"I play Raigeki! Destroy Marik's monsters!"

As quick as lightning, and nothing more, All Marik's defence were cleared, he was open for a direct attack.

"I sacrifice my two monsters, Time Wizard and Swamp Battleguard to raise from the depths, Red Eyes Black Dragon!"

Marik raged at this new offence, thinking it not to be real. But this dragon was quite real and ready to prey on his new found target.

"Red Eyes Black Dragon, attack!"

Marik shrieked as the fierce dragon took the rest of his life points, making the duel as good as his.

"No!" Marik sunk to his knees "This can't be happening!"

He won. He couldn't believe it. He won.

Through the weariness, the taunts and the pain, he won.

He turned to his friends; they were cheering like crazy animals, ready for the feed. Joey pulled out the card that Yugi gave to him and admired its shine on his eyes.

He couldn't feel anything now, nothing but happiness and the numbing sensation that he never had to fear again.

The sky suddenly went dark like night. He looked at his watch, it was only two o' clock. He felt dizzy and tired.

"I need to rest" he thought "Just a couple of minutes"

He shut his eyes and drifted to sleep.

The last thing he heard was the wailing of his friends.

The last thing he felt was the crashing on his knees and then the stumble on the floor.