Finally, I find time to update! In this chapter, the gang head on over to challenge the Judgemaster's guardian to release Mai from the prison, has Joey bitten off more than he can chew?



So we're all still clear on this, I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! or any of that jazz. I'd sure like to, but I'm afraid I just don't.





During times of great despair, it is not uncommon for a person to seek refuge with others. Sadly, the times have become so dark and so hopeless, that all a person has left that keeps them going is the company they keep. Be it friends, be it relatives, or someone in desperate need of reassurance, one can scarcely find themselves alone. It is comforting to know that, despite the troubles that they all face, they know they can all face them together. Indeed, every person to behold is family. Family is all the people have left, indeed, all the people need to continue their sorry existence. It is fortunate then, for Joey Wheeler, to be surrounded by his family. Mokuba, despite their differences they have established a bond of friendship that will see them to the end be it for better or for worse. Tristan, his oldest and most constant companion through the hardest times has not wavered in his devotion. Tea, her devotion to friends can be counted on no matter what. It seems to Joey, however, that Tea has taken more interest in the young man than she had ever before. She would at times cast him glances that he knew were once reserved for their lost companion Yugi. Could she merely be turning some of her reserved affections towards Joey due to the young Muto boy's absence? Could perhaps the hardships she faced made her yearn for a more intimate relationship with all her friends? Could the hardships made her realize she yearned for a more intimate relationship with only one of her friends?



Joey sat silently in bed, pondering these questions and others that were plaguing his mind. It was early in the morning, a time Joey usually reserved for sleeping, followed by a late breakfast and early lunch all in one. He sorted through his deck, looking at the new cards and formulating combos. Today he would face one of his most important duels, nay, the most critical duel he had ever fought. Failure would effectively doom any chance that may exist to rescue his lost companions, therefore success was paramount. He observed the new cards thoughtfully. Before now he had seen only a couple of his new cards in passing, so he questioned how he was able to dream about them in the first place. Whatever divinity was guiding him he hoped it would not lead him astray.



Tristan's loud voice from outside the room broke Joey's concentration. "Hey everybody! Outta bed! Come on, let's go, get the lead out!"



Joey groaned. He stacked his deck and gave it a few well-practised shuffles and returned it to his pocket. He stepped outside of his room to the main living area of Tristan's quarters. Mokuba was sitting at the small table, sipping on something hot. His hair was dishevelled and he had a sour look on his face that his brother would have been proud of. Apparently he was not a morning person. Tea exited her room behind Joey, and she grabbed the blond in a soft hug from behind. This surprised him, but he returned the hug regardless.



"Mornin' Joey. Hey Mokuba." She said. Mokuba offered a slight groan in response.



"Hey there Tea, sleep well?" Joey asked, even though he knew the answer from peeking into her room the night before.



Tea let Joey go and shrugged. "No different than usual. Where's Tristan? I heard him yelling a moment ago."



At that moment, Tristan entered from the training hall. He was carrying barbells that looked to weigh as much as a car. "Oh hey you guys, I was just about to try to wake you again. Better start getting ready, we have a big day today." A loud crash and a yelp of pain came from somewhere behind him. Tristan turned around and walked back out the door. "Come on, I told you to spot that guy! I knew it was too heavy for him..."



Mokuba cleared his throat and opened his laptop. "For once one of you two stooges has come up with a good idea." Joey narrowed his eyes dangerously at him. "We need to start getting ready for today's duel. Unfortunately I couldn't find a whole lot more about the Judgemaster Guardian's deck, though I did manage to confirm one card, Iron Blacksmith Kotetsu. That card lets you search for an equip card in your deck and put it in your hand, and I think that means the guardian cards are based in some way around equipment magic cards. So Joey, I suggest you modify your deck accordingly, but keep in mind that beyond that one card I still have no clue what you're up against."



Joey nodded. "No worries man, I'll keep ready for any of them magic cards that may come up."



"Good. Now, I also studied the KaibaCorp's security layout and I think I've managed to come up with a route through the building that will keep you as unnoticed as possible. One of you two may wind up running into a guard, but that won't be until you've nearly reached the top. The longer we can keep you guys unnoticed until you get to the top three, the better. However..." Mokuba closed the laptop. "That's for later. Right now, Joey, you need to focus on winning today."



Joey smiled. "Thanks a lot Mokuba." He stood up, and stretched slightly. "I dunno about you guys, but I'm ready to kick some butt right now!" He flexed his muscles and growled fiercely.



Tea stood up. "No sense in putting it off until later. If you're ready Joey, I say we go for it!"



Mokuba sighed. "Yeah, I suppose you're right. I know the safest route there, so let's grab Tristan and get on our way. Where is that musclehead anyway?"



They looked out the door into the training hall. Tristan was there, however, he was balancing six or so people on his broad arms, much to the crowd's amusement. Joey shook his head. "Ya showoff."



Soon, they got on the road. Mokuba led them through the underground tunnels for the better part of a half hour before signs of civilization had completely vanished.



"Nobody lives out around here." Mokuba said. "Even in the relative safety of the underground, nobody wants to risk living so close to the heart of the city. If anyone finds out that people live down here, we'd have nowhere left to hide from their precious elite society."



Finally they had reached their destination. The four climbed out through a sewer manhole, a tough squeeze for Tristan, and there they stood in the heart of downtown Domino. What stood before them seemed shockingly out of place compared to the relatively advanced architecture of the surrounding buildings. It looked like a large castle, tall enough to rival skyscrapers. Against the dark sky and brilliant flashes of lightning it looked like something right out of a horror movie. The four reluctantly approached the building and stood before it's massive iron door. Mokuba reached forward and timidly knocked on the door, and a moment later it slowly swung open. Behind it stood a man fully dressed in medieval armour. The dark armour was polished to a luster and it reflected the little light there was to make him look like he was glowing. He stood towering over even Tristan and had one hand around the hilt of a huge sword.



"State your business." The knight spoke, his voice robotic and cold.



Mokuba turned away slightly and stammered. "We... we are here to... uh..."



Joey stepped forward. "I'm here to rescue my friend from this here prison! So call out that guardian of yours and let's get this thing started!" Everyone froze.



There was a tense moment, then the metal goliath spoke once again. "Very well. Follow." With that, he turned slowly and began marching into the depths of the castle and they slowly followed behind. The exterior of the building belied it's interior, which was filled with glowing monitors and flashing lights and whirring computers. Soon they reached a large room, the middle of which was taken up by a giant duelling arena, like the ones they had first seen at Duelist Kingdom.



"Remain here." The knight spoke. "The guardian will be summoned." He then walked back out the door and disappeared from sight.



Joey looked up at the arena with some apprehension. He hadn't been before, but now that he was only a minute or so away from the duel he had become nervous. He began shaking slightly, but did his best to hide it.



Tristan leaned in beside him. "You doin' okay dude? You're looking a little green around the gills."



Joey nodded and took a shaky breath. "Oh yeah, I'm just peachy."



Tea gave his hand a gentle squeeze. "Don't worry Joey, we're all here for you."



Joey nodded. Just then, two of the armoured knights returned with a much shorter person with them. She was dressed in similar armour and had a flowing purple cape. She also wore a helmet that obscured her eyes, it had small blinking lights and indicators that seemed to mean that the helmet was for more than protection. She stood before the four and looked them over.



"Which of you is the challenger?" She asked. They all looked at Joey, who was staring wide-eyed at the guardian. He looked as if he had seen a ghost, his skin was pale and he was sweating profusely.



He reached out his hand toward the guardian's face. "Could it be?" he asked aloud. He took a slow step towards her, and she frowned at him. "Is that you under there, Serenity?"



Mokuba, Tristan, and Tea all gasped collectively. They had not seen it at first but now it was clear as day to them. A tear ran down Joey's face as he approached her. "I can't believe you're here! You're okay!" He reached out and tried to hug her, when one of the large guards brought down his massive hand and shoved him aside.



She looked coldly at her fallen brother. "The designation 'Serenity' is no longer valid. I am the Judgemaster guardian. Take your place in the arena and prepare to duel." She strode past the shocked group and rose up to the duelling platform. She stood in place, waiting patiently for Joey to take his.



Joey did not move from the cold ground. His eyes were unfocused and tears continued to drip down his face. He remained silent as his friends surrounded him. They helped Joey get to his feet, but he still did not move.



Tristan shook him gently. "Joey? Hey, come on dude, snap out of it. I know you're freaked, I am too, but you need to get your head back in the game."



Joey turned his head slightly, he tried to refocus his eyes but he was still too shocked. "Why?" he muttered. "What happened to you sis'?"



Mokuba looked up at Serenity. "I knew I recognized the technology. That helmet she's wearing has put her under a sort of hypnosis. It alters a person's self, giving them new skills or even a new personality. Only one exists because of the rarity of it's components, I guess it could have fallen into worse hands than the Judgemasters."



Tea looked him in the eyes, which still refused to focus. "Joey, listen to me. I know it hurts right now, but unless you snap out of it and win this duel then you'll never see her again. There will be no chance of getting her out of here or anyone else for that matter. Do you understand? You have to be strong right now, strong for Serenity and strong for your friends."



Joey blinked a few times. He nodded slowly and walked towards the duelling arena. He gripped the rails and the elevator brought him up to the platform. He took a deep breath and steeled himself. "All right, I'm ready when you are."



She nodded. "Very well. We will play a single duel match. No time limit. If you win you may select prisoners to go free as long as you know them personally. If you lose you will be imprisoned and your deck confiscated. Do you understand?"



"Yeah, I gotcha." He set his deck down on the console.



"Very well."



The arena hummed to life. The lifepoint counters rose to 8000



"Duel!"

"Duel!"



"You may go first, challenger."



Joey nodded and looked at his hand. "If I'm gonna get through this, I have to be careful. If it's one thing about decks that need equip cards, it's that the monsters are generally weak and rely on other magic cards to support them as well. Hm, let's open up some more options first."



"First I'll play Graceful Charity, allowing me to draw three cards then discard two." He looked at his new hand critically. "Hm, let's try this new guy here."



"I'll play the Blindly Loyal Goblin in attack mode!" The field shimmered and in a burst of light, there stood a particularly homely goblin brandishing it's wooden club. "No matter what you do, you can't take control of this guy with any of your magic cards. That means the only way to me is through him. Make your move!"



Serenity nodded. "You seem very confident of my strategies. The Kaiba boy down there must have given you a few hints before you came here. Rest assured they will be in vain. I set this monster in defence mode then one card face down and end my turn." Two face down cards appeared before her.



Joey looked at her uncertainly. "Man, still no idea what her strategy is. Well, if her deck is based more around magic cards then that trap she set probably isn't all that bad."



"All right Blindly Loyal Goblin, turn that face down monster into mush!" The goblin nodded, then waddled over to the defending monster and slammed it with it's club. The card revealed itself to be Cyber Jar. The Jar exploded, taking the goblin with it. "Okay, no big deal, we draw 5 cards and summon any of the level 4 monsters." Joey drew his cards and revealed them to his opponent. "Beastking of Swamps, Swordsman of Landstar, Giant Trunade, Polymerization, and Fairy Box. Not too shabby." He looked at what Serenity drew. "Gravity Axe Grarl, Shooting Star Bow Ceal, Butterfly Dagger Elma, Twin Swords Tryce, Wicked-Breaking Flamberge Baou. All equip cards. This means that she has no monsters to protect her right now!" he summoned his Beastking and Swordsman.



"Now I'll summon Panther Warrior to the field, and set this card face down." The armoured feline snarled and readied it's weapon. "Now I'll sacrifice Swordsman of Landstar so Panther Warrior can attack! Go Panther Warrior and Beastking of Swamps!"



The swordsman vanished, and Joey turned his eyes away as the monsters attacked his sister. Her lifepoints dropped to 5000. He turned back and Serenity was somewhat dishevelled. Joey sighed remorsefully. "I'm sorry, but I hafta win this Serenity."



"So, you want to deplete my lifepoints before I am able to implement my strategy? A bold decision, but you are too late. I shall play Dark Hole, which will remove your monsters from the field. I shall now summon Maha Vailo." The magician appeared on the field, it's arms crossed and it's eyes cast downwards. "You see, in order to use my guardian monsters, their corresponding equip cards must already be on the field. So, I equip Maha Vailo with Gravity Axe, Shooting Star Bow, Butterfly Dagger, and Twin Swords of Flashing Light." The various weapons appeared, sheathed and ready to be used by the monster. "I shall now activate Ultimate Offering, and pay 1500 lifepoints to summon Guardian Elma, Guardian Ceal, and Guardian Baou to the field." Her lifepoints dropped to 3500 and the three monsters appeared.



Joey took a breath and studied the monsters. "They don't seem especially strong, they probably have some sort of effects that will mess me up if I give her the chance. Then there's all those equip cards on Maha Vailo, I bet that thing has all sorts of crazy abilities right now. Then there's my more immediate problem, being that there's nothing between me and her monsters!"



"Guardians, attack his lifepoints directly!"



"Until now."



Joey's Scapegoat card activated and three of the four fluffy defenders met with a gruesome fate. The pink scapegoat floated harmlessly about the field, like it hadn't a care in the world. "Hah, looks like my lifepoints are safe this round. Tough break, but I guess I was just too quick for ya."



"On the contrary, you are far from safe. Maha Vailo has acquired a few abilities from the equip cards. The Butterfly Dagger, as well as Maha Vailo's special ability, has given it an extra 700 attack points. The Shooting Star Bow decreases it's attack by 500 but gives it the ability to attack directly. The Gravity Axe gives it an extra 1000 attack power and forbids you from switching the battle position of your monsters. Finally, the Twin Swords allow it to attack twice in one turn at the cost of one card in my hand. All together, Maha Vailo is able to attack you directly twice with 2850 attack. Go, Maha Vailo, attack him directly!"



The magician looked up at Joey and smiled menacingly. It drew the sheathed weapons and placed them upon the Shooting Star Bow. The weapons then glowed a dark red and instantly fired a bolt of lighting at Joey, past his scapegoat. Joey yelled out in pain, and had no time to recover before the second bolt struck him. He slumped over the dueling field, his lifepoints dropping to 2300.



"I set three cards and end my turn. This battle will be over the moment my next turn begins, so I ask that you make haste."



Joey realized he had stopped breathing and sucked in a forceful breath. He took a moment to recover himself from the devastating blows he just received. He coughed hard and nearly fainted. Taking one more deep breath to steady himself, he drew his card and looked at his hand.



"Man, I sure hope I don't feel anything like that again. That seriously hurt! I need to get that Maha Vailo off the field or it'll finish me off single-handedly." He eyed one of the magic cards in his hand, then looked at his only monster on the field. It was still floating harmlessly a foot or so off the floor. "Maybe I can do better than just getting it off the field."





"I hope you enjoyed that souped up Maha Vailo of yours, because it's about to give you a taste of your own medicine. I play the magic card Creature Swap! This card will switch control of two of our monsters. So I'll take your Maha Vailo, and you can have my scapegoat." The card appeared, and a soft blue light illuminated the two monsters. They both shimmered out of sight briefly, then reappeared on the opposite sides of the field. "You ain't so tough without your shiny toys, are ya?"



"I'm sorry, but you may not use my own equipment cards against me like that. I activate Collected Power to pull the equip cards onto my Guardian Elma."



"Aw man, I was hoping to end this duel right here. Well, unlike Maha Vailo, I don't think that Elma gets additional attack power for every equip card. That makes it a pretty easy target."



"I'll summon Ninkendog in attack mode!" In a burst of greenish smoke, a dog-like ninja stepped forth and took a kung-fu stance. "Ninkendog, destroy Guardian Ceal! Then Maha Vailo, waste that Guardian Elma and all the magic cards with it!"



The canine ninja swiftly pulled shuriken from it's pocket and threw them at Ceal, destroying it. As Maha Vailo prepared to attack, Serenity activated another Collected Power and switched the equip cards onto the remaining Guardian Baou. Her lifepoints dropped to 3150.



"Huh, you had another Collected Power waiting. Well, no problem, I've still got down for the count. I'll set one card and end my turn."



"I am not 'down for the count' as you so put it. I will now reveal to you the special ability of one of my Guardian monsters. I will summon another Guardian Ceal in attack mode." The grotesque wolf-like creature reappeared on the field. "I will now activate my final Collected Power trap to give the equip cards to Ceal. I now activate it's special ability that allows it to destroy one monster on the field every time I destroy a magic card equipped to it. So, I destroy the Gravity Axe and the Shooting Star Bow to destroy your Ninkendog and the traitorous Maha Vailo.



Guardian Ceal held the two weapons in it's hand. They began to glow, and so did Joey's monsters. Ceal snarled triumphantly and smashed the weapons in it's hand, and Joey's monsters were similarly crushed and destroyed. "Now Guardians Ceal and Baou, finish him off!"



The two monsters reared up and prepared to attack, when Joey revealed his face down card. A large pinkish whack-a-mole game appeared in front of Joey. Little moles popped up and down, and a small doll shaped like Joey was also popping out of random holes. "We're gonna play a little game with my Fairy Box first. It's called whack-a-Joey. It's quite simple, if you hit that handsome little Joey doll there, I take damage from the attack. If you miss, well, it's not my fault your monsters didn't play more arcade games.



The two Guardians looked confusingly at the game in front of them. They stepped forward and executed their attacks. Much to Joey's relief, his lifepoints remained unscathed. "Your tricks will only last you for so long. Soon they will run out and you will be defeated."



Joey drew his card, a confident smile on his face. "Man, all those jitters I had before the game are gone. I'm totally gonna win this, and then I'll get Serenity back to normal. Things are gonna work out just fine."



"Hey 'Guardian' I've got a question for ya."



"This is highly unorthodox, but you may ask."



Joey played his magic card. "I've got a Question magic card for ya, is more like it. I'm gonna ask you a simple question, and it would be in your best interests to guess right, because you'll be in a world of trouble if you get it wrong. I hope you've been studying."



"Very well. What is the question?"



"What's the name of the monster on the bottom of my graveyard? You're not allowed to peek, by the way. If you get it right, then the monster is removed from the game. If you get it wrong though the monster will be summoned to the field and it'll teach you a lesson or two."



She thought a moment. "Your Blindly Loyal Goblin was the first monster to enter the graveyard due to my Cyber Jar's effect. That is my answer to your question, the monster is Blindly Loyal Goblin."



"Well, if you're that sure then. Let's take a look here and see if you were right." Joey took the monster from the bottom of his deck and looked at it. "Well, you get an A for effort, but I'm afraid that you still failed the test. The correct answer was; the Red Eyes Black Dragon!" With that the massive black dragon appeared and let out a triumphant roar.



"That isn't possible! The first monster you played I destroyed myself."



"True, the first monster I played hit the graveyard thanks to your Cyber Jar. Think a little farther back though. I played my Graceful Charity card first, which I used to discard this beauty here. Now he's back and ready for some monster chomping action! First, I'm gonna make a little addition. I'll play Monster Reborn to bring back my Beastking of Swamps. Ya see, this little swampy guy is what is known as a fusion substitute. When I use Polymerization here, the Beastking can substitute for one monster needed in the fusion. In this case he will be taking the place of the Summoned Skull, to form Black Skull Dragon!"



The fusion was a success, and much to everyone's amazement, there stood one of the strongest duel monsters out there under the command of Joey. The Black Skull Dragon howled, a sound that pierced through everyone there and made them shudder.



"What do ya think of that? Now for a little demonstration. Black Skull Dragon, destroy Guardian Ceal!"





The mighty dragon took a deep breath then fired a large, hot ball of flaming molten lava at Guardian Ceal. The monster had no chance and it was vaporized immediately and Serenity's lifepoints dropped to 1450. "That takes care of that little problem. I guess your guardian cards weren't as good as you thought. I one card face down and that'll end my turn."

Serenity sighed and shook her head slowly. "My guardian monsters were not my only means of destroying my opponent. It is rare that I have to use this, usually people are unable to fight past my guardians. I see now that I have little choice. First I shall use Curse of Fiend, this card will switch your Black Skull Dragon into defence mode. Now I shall play Delinquent Duo, which will remove the last two cards from your hand at the cost of 1000 lifepoints, and the stage is now set. Prepare yourself for a force the likes of which none may compare. It's power is absolute, not even your mighty dragon will withstand it's crushing might. I play Shinato's Ark!"



With that, a large boat appeared behind Serenity. It looked to be gently rocking in the nonexistant waves. There were large doors on the bow of the ship. It appeared harmless, almost waiting for something.



Joey did not want to put anything to chance. "I'll activate Poison of the Old Man and use it to give me an additional 1200 lifepoints." His lifepoints rose to 3500, putting him a little more at ease.



"It matters not! Once I make the offering, the Ark doors will open to reveal your destruction! I offer Guardian Baou and your pathetic scapegoat on the field as well as Guardian Elma in my hand!" The monsters were pulled into the Ark by a soft blue light. The three offerings were accepted. The room seemed to darken all of a sudden, the light looked like it was being drawn into the Ark itself. The seams in the doors began emitting a harsh yellow light. A moment passed as the light grew and grew, until the doors burst open, blinding all those present with a scorching amber light. Joey squinted through the light, trying to make out the figure emerging from the ship. The light settled and everyone was shocked at what the Ark had produced. It looked to be somewhat angelic, it wore a soft blue robe over indigo clothes and a mask permanently fixed in a frown. It's six massive golden wings were spread out and took up nearly all the space in the room. The Black Skull Dragon looked short compared to this new creature. "I beseech you all, feast your eyes upon ultimate power, Shinato the King of a Higher Plane! When this mighty monster destroys your defence mode monster, it deals damage equal to the monster's attack points!"



Joey looked at the monster in horror. He had not felt this intimidated since he faced the Winged Dragon of Ra way back in Battle City. "Shinato, destroy the Black Skull Dragon!" The large angel brought it's hands forth and meditated a moment. A ball of blue energy began growing between it's hands, then it thrusted it's hands forward and a beam of iridescent light burst forth and the Black Skull Dragon melted away into nothingness. The beam continued past the dragon and Joey was awash in the light as his lifepoints dropped to 300. To say that what Joey felt at that moment was painful would be an understatement. His body and his mind were both burning hot with agony. His senses overloaded by the intensity, he could do nothing but silently cry out. The pain of the attack kept building and building, until the light began to fade away.



Joey was on his knees. His clothing was burned and torn, his forearms that he futilely used to shield himself were similarly scorched. His senses returned, quite dulled by the experience. He looked around in a daze. He could barely remember his own name at the moment, to say nothing of recognizing his surroundings. After a few minutes of dead silence in the room, he regained some of his wits. He shakily rose to his feet and groaned loudly as he clutched the panel in front of him to keep from falling over. He looked down at his friends, Mokuba, Tristan and Tea. They were all shouting something at him, he could not make out any words but they looked very upset. He looked up at the frightful angelic monster before him, and looked at Serenity. Her expression was cold and uncaring, very unlike the Serenity Joey remembered. Joey thought back to when they were just kids. Playing on swings in a park, laughing, enjoying their time together. When their parents divorced Joey was not sure if he would ever see Serenity again. Then, years later, Serenity had gone to a hospital in Domino city for her eye surgery. Joey was so excited, he would finally get the chance to catch up on old times with her. The Battle City tournament got a little out of hand, with Marik using his mind control powers left and right, then the Battle City finals coming up. Serenity managed to stay with him, though. Even through his toughest Battle City duels, Serenity was always there for him somehow. Then, when they finally had time to be together, they had been caught up once again in a different event that had separated them across time. Then, when they had finally been reunited once more, yet another circumstance kept them apart.



Joey shook his head. "It's a funny thing, isn't it Serenity?" he spoke out loud, not sure if Serenity could actually hear him. "It seems that every time we're together, something tries to keep us apart. It started with divorce, then all that mayhem during Battle City, and now a crazy future run by duelling and brainwashing. What may try to keep us apart next one can only guess. I do know one thing for sure, though." Joey let out a yelp of pain as he flexed his muscles hard, getting his adrenaline flowing. "I know that I'm gonna win this duel and I'm gonna get you back! Even if I have to tear this universe another black hole I'm going to set everything right again, and then nothing will stop us from being together! Now!" Joey drew his card. He slammed it face down. "Serenity, listen to me. This card I set needs me to have at least one card in my hand to work. Right now I'm completely defenceless. Another attack from that Shinato thing will not only cost me this duel, it may cost me my life. I know you can hear me under that brain bucket you got there! Please! I know you can fight whatever they've done to you!"



Serenity drew her card then stared at Joey, perplexed. "I... should not attack? Yes... yes it's true. Another attack would probably hurt you really badly."



"That's right Serenity! Just end your turn, and we can put this entire thing beside us! I'm your brother, you can't just attack me in cold blood like that!"



"Brother? I have a brother..." the lights on the helmet she wore began to flicker slightly. "Joey. That is your name, isn't it?"



"That's right! You see, you can fight it! Now come on, don't attack me, just end your turn and I promise everything will be okay!"



"I... Shinato, prepare to... no..." She looked about helplessly, her mind locked in a desperate battle against itself. The lights on the helmet continued to flicker, fading in and out as she struggled to find her true self. She gave out a small cry, and suddenly the lights went out. She gasped and looked up. "I end my turn." She quickly said.



The angelic Shinato looked confused, but stood down from it's attack preparation. The lights on the helmet came back on and Serenity looked about, confused. "What? What happened? Shinato attack now!"



Joey laughed loudly. "Too late! You Judgemasters may think you're all that with your fancy shmancy mind control, but nothing can truly beat who a person really is!" He drew his card, then activated his face down card. "I activate Rope of Life! This card requires me to discard my entire hand, namely this one card, then it brings back one monster from my graveyard and gives it an extra 800 attack points! I'll give ya three guesses what I'm gonna revive." The air vibrated as the shriek of the revived Black Skull Dragon echoed throughout the room. "Darn, he went and spoiled the surprise. Now that his attack points are 4000 strong, your Shinato with only 3300 is gonna get a taste of what true power means! Black Skull Dragon, finish it off!"



The dragon reared it's head back, then blew forth a mighty fireball that quickly incinerated Shinato. Serenity's lifepoints dropped to zero and the triumphant dragon vanished. Joey pocketed his deck and descended the elevator. He hit ground floor and looked to one of the Judgemasters standing guard. "I want the prisoner Mai Valentine released. And my sister... I want her back too..." Joey could not speak anymore, the exhaustion and pain quickly putting him into a deep sleep. Tristan caught him before he could hit the ground, and carefully slung him over his shoulder.



Serenity stood before them. "It seems the challenger has won. Therefore the prisoner known as Mai Valentine shall be released under your care." She signalled one of the guards to retrieve her. I'm afraid his second wish cannot be granted. I am needed here perhaps more than he realizes. He cares a lot about his sister, which is commendable, but without me the Judge system may break down and anarchy would rule the duels. In these desperate times I am sure you all agree, I must remain here." The guard returned, wheeling an unconscious Mai in a wheelchair to the group. "She is unconscious at the moment. She became rather violent today and she had to be sedated. She will wake in a few hours." The group quietly thanked her and left. "Be strong Joey." she said as they walked out of the castle.



Nothing was said by the three companions as they made their way back to the training hall. To break the silence after the intense emotional moment they had just witnessed would seem somewhat sacrilegious. Once they had returned, Mokuba quickly locked himself in his room, apparently he wanted to be alone for a while. Tristan and Tea set about getting Mai comfortable in her room before working on Joey. His clothing had been practically destroyed during the duel. Tea politely turned away while Tristan cut the ruined clothes off him and wrapped him in the bed sheets. They carefully treated his burns and quietly left him to sleep off the events of that day.







Definitely a dark chapter. Joey was briefly reunited with Serenity and managed to rescue Mai, but at what cost? Will Joey be able to continue the struggle after the intense battle, for that matter, will any of them want to go on? With so much at stake, let's hope so. Keep reviewing, everyone!