Chapter Fourteen
Holding Your Own
Deirdre stood in the center of a pitch-black room, one not unlike several others he had been in so far. In fact, it was becoming somewhat redundant and the level of fright that it once added was quite a bit scaled down. Though his memory about a few of the recent events was a bit fuzzy, many of the key events seemed drilled into his mind, like they had been put there by someone else's imposing hand.
And then Deirdre got a fresh reminder about why he preferred to be alone so much. In a small arms-reach circle, lighted from an unknown source high above, three other individuals appeared. One was the disappointed face of Yami Yugi, another was the sinister grin and cocky drawl that Yami Bakura always wore, and the fourth and final was the originator of the gathering in the first place, Marik. The four men bore holes into one another with their eyes as the field grew wider, as if seeking to accompany something in the near future.
"Do I need to explain this or shall we just get started?" Marik mocked, his hands were surprisingly devoid of the Millennium Rod. And only when Deirdre noticed that did he see that Yugi didn't possess the Millennium Puzzle nor did Bakura hold the Millennium Ring around his neck. Of course he was also not holding his item, but it didn't much seem like it mattered. Ahmose wasn't in his mind at the moment but the others showed that the original occupants of their bodies had left for the time being.
"It isn't midnight, Marik," Yami Yugi scolded, half-turning on his heel to face the man. "You are jumping the gun. Doesn't that go against your vaunted prophecy?"
Marik grinned and shook his head, his characteristic grin playing upon his lips. "I simply grew impatient, and now seemed like the perfect time. Everyone is incapacitated on the outside and will battle for their minds on the inside." Marik took a step back, and the others mimicked him. A Duel Disk appeared on everyone's arm with a whoosh of air and again the playing field expanded. "The rules are simple: No battling for sanity today, this is simple supremacy. The last man standing will claim all prizes in the end, the three losers will have their memories of this event erased," when he said that Marik gave Deirdre a very odd look, "and they will be stripped of their Millennium Item. Also, if you planned on winning the Battle City tournament you will find yourself out of luck because your locator cards will be destroyed before you awaken."
Marik cast a glance around at the other competitors; all who fixed him with a stony, expressionless stare. Even Bakura's generally cocky attitude was replaced with a British stiff upper lip. Yugi stood with his arms crossed over his chest, unmoving, and Deirdre had yet to move anything except for his feet when the time came to take a step. Satisfied, Marik pulled his dueling deck from his back pocket and locked it securely into the card reader. The others did the same.
"Let's duel." Marik said with a chuckle and began pulling his starting hand. "Ah, I love a good cliché."
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"Serenity!" A voice called, coming progressively closer. The person called her name again and this time she didn't mistake it for a coincidence. Joey's little sister looked up from her spot watching over the unconscious Tristian to see Espa Roba making a mad dash towards her. Duke Devlin, who was also nearby leaning up against the wall and watching the police battle, in vain, a giant Egyptian monster.
"Espa?" Serenity called, looking around blankly. With her bandages still on, she saw nothing but darkness. He found her hand though and knelt down to her level. "That is you, right Espa?"
"Yes, it is. Sorry that I left you at the station so abruptly like I did." He cast a venomous glare at Tristian, who didn't seem capable of retaliating at the moment. "I accidentally tripped and fell into a storage locker."
Duke caught the exchange and stifled a laugh of his own.
"Oh, well it's all right, and I could certainly use you around right now. When Tristian touched that scale," she fumbled around for the Millennium Balance still held tightly in Deirdre's cold hand, "he just passed out. Duke said he was fine though, like he had just fallen into a trance. Right, Duke?"
Duke looked over and nodded, then remembered she wouldn't be able to see it so he spoke up. "Uh, yeah...yeah he's fine. Don't worry about it, I'm sure he'll wake up soon, get this problem fixed and we can be on our way to finding your brother again."
Serenity beamed at hearing the mention of her brother and Espa took her by the hand and led her to sitting across from the unconscious Tristian. He took an aching seat down next to her, let out a sigh and let his hair cushion the impact as he purposely thumped the concrete wall behind him. "I tell ya, this tournament is stressing me out. It'll be nice to get home and spend some time with my family once it's all over and done with."
Serenity continued to look straight forward as she spoke, figuring that it couldn't be considered rude if she was blind anyway. "You did get six locator cards, right? Are you going to the finals?"
Espa didn't answer for a moment but ultimately shrugged. "I got five. One more and I'll make the finals so I'm kind of hoping those two wake up soon." He nudged Deirdre's arm with the sole of his shoe. "They can watch my triumphant accent into the finals, where I will defeat all challengers an--"
"--And you'll loose again, just like you did the first time you battled Wheeler. I caught the show on T.V. down at my shop." Duke said, causing Espa's face to burn red and his fingers to curl into a very ungentlemanly hand gesture. Duke started laughing, as did Espa. Serenity, not catching any of that, simply rocked her head back and forth, hoping that whatever was so funny would be made clear to her one way or another.
"You know," she started, still not moving her head to face them, "it's times like this when I wish I had a camera. Maybe then I could piece together all of these conversations that I don't understand later on when I can see again."
Duke and Espa had stopped laughing the moment she began to speak and heard her clearly, and both looked at the same time to a electronics store across the street. A camcorder was displayed in the window. The two grinned mischievously at each other then looked back at her. "I think we can work something out."
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"I summon Alpha the Magnet Warrior in defense mode!" Yugi slapped down his monster, along-side its manufactured brother, Beta the Magnet Warrior. "I also place two more cards face down and end my turn."
The duel hadn't been going on long and already it seemed that Bakura, who was currently building up an incredible defensive line, was doing the best and playing the best game. Marik had made no secret of his strategy, getting out the necessary number of sacrifices to use his Egyptian God card, The Winged Dragon of Ra. Yugi had also put Slifer the Sky Dragon in his deck but was certainly not thinking of relying on it. Deirdre had taken and inflicted Life Point damage but only had one Darkfire Soldier #1 monster on the field and it had been weakened by a trap card, decisively played by Bakura.
"Just like before, you are nothing in this duel, Deirdre. You'll be the first to fall and us big boys can get on with it. So draw your card and make your move, it's not like it'll matter anyway."
"It'll matter more then you think," Deirdre grumbled and drew a card from his deck, which happened to be the Lady Assailant of Flames. Not a deciding card. He cast a quick glance over his hand, seeing the amused stares from Bakura and Marik, and the slightly concerned one from Yugi. "All right, I play the Lady Assailant of Flames in attack mode." His monster appeared, dusting off the embers from her clothes and crouching down, crossing her knives in front of her. "And I set down one more card and end my turn."
Bakura watched and turned to face Deirdre, somewhat breaking the circle the four men had made. "This is too easy." He drew his card and laughed wickedly at the results. "Ha! I'll be the victor of this duel all in one move. I play Destiny Board!" The ghostly image of an "F" appeared, hovering in front of Bakura. "I'll humiliate you with the same move I used to beat you last time, Deirdre! And at the same time I'll defeat the other two as well! This couldn't be simpler!"
Deirdre never flinched and activated his facedown card. "Riryoku Field activates, negating the Destiny Board before you can lay down any other pieces."
Bakura shot him a startled glance, then one of absolute rage. "H-how dare you! I was offering you the chance for an easy way out you idiot, now I will simply enjoy wrenching your heart and snuffing out all hopes you might have of winning!"
Yugi clicked a button on his Duel Disk as well. "I activate Grid Bypass, which allows an intervening Battle Phase to commence for the operator of this card and the person who's turn it currently is!"
"Don't forget Yugi, it also allows direct Life Point attacks during that turn, meaning we don't have to destroy his monsters to attack him!" Deirdre said, pointing his finger menacingly at Bakura, who only grinded his teeth with anger, absolutely furious that he had been upstaged during his moment of gloating.
"Darkfire Soldier, Lady Assailant, attack Bakura's Life Points directly!" His first monster, the Darkfire Soldier, took a sliding rush forward, propelled by a gout of flames, and slashed hard at him, knocking Bakura right down to the ground. His second attack, which came from the Lady Assailant of Flames, was an acrobatics display. The duel monster back flipped over Bakura's defending monsters and threw a collection of three knives, causing even more harm. In the end, Bakura went from a commanding 4000 to a struggling 1000 Life Points. Of course, it could have been more but Bakura's last hurrah, the trap card on Deirdre's monster, took away 200 attack points.
"And don't forget that I get a turn as well, tomb robber!"
Bakura seethed, looking up at Yugi with madness flaring in his eyes.
Yugi gestured his knight towards the foe, like a general commanding his troops. "Alpha, attack and obliterate Bakura's remaining Life Points!"
The monster buckled down with its shield and used it to defend just before the attack. It leaped into the air and came down upon Bakura, slashing him from the top of the head to the ground and depleting his score. With a howl of absolute fury his Duel Disk, and his cards, vanished, and Bakura was sucked out of the black world like water through a funnel. Deirdre and Yugi realigned, forming a triangle pattern with Marik, who was not at all pleased with what had just occurred.
"Wise you are to remove my ally, Deirdre." He said, sounding every bit like the madman everyone called him. "But this is no longer your duel. I must battle the pharaoh now. You understand, I'm sure."
"I am not just giving up and leaving, Marik. You put me into this duel and if you want me gone you are going to have to defeat me." He locked eyes then with the wannabe dictator, and a light grin marred his usually serious expression. "And it's your turn, so if you would be so kind?"
Marik nodded and drew one card, then set down another. "I play Pyramid Turtle in defense mode!" Marik summoned a giant brown tortoise with a massive golden monolith attached seamlessly to its back in place of a shell. "And I will also lay down this card," Marik gingerly picked one more card from his hand and slid it into the reader. "Spy Glass, activate!"
A telescope appeared on the field and zeroed in on Deirdre's hand not unlike the reticle of a missile.
"The effect is that whomever I choose must show me their hand and I am able to pick one card from it to use as my own. And guess who I am using this handy little item on?" Marik pointed at Deirdre and threw back his head for a laugh. His victim knew better then to consider this the end of the match and briefly paused before walked forward, meeting Marik halfway in the center of the arena. Deirdre held up his hand, revealing the four available cards, and Marik certainly took his time making his decision. Ultimately, his fingers landed on the leftmost card.
"I pick this, Prestidigitation."
Deirdre raised an eyebrow at the choice but didn't question it. In fact he smiled and the two duelists stepped back in position.
"That was a dumb choice, Marik. Your chances of correctly naming the next card in my deck are non-existent."
Marik shook his head and slid the pilfered card into the reader. "I beg to differ. I can guarantee that I know exactly what card is next in line." The symbol of the Millennium Item, the ornate eye, blazed like fire on Marik's forehead, and snuffed out as quickly as it appeared. "I say that the next card in your deck is Barrel Dragon!"
Deirdre scoffed at his presumptuous guess and reached down to his deck, slipping out the very next card and looking at it.
"N-no...way. How can it be?"
He was right. He glared right at the Barrel Dragon card and Marik laughed at him for placing such horrific doubt. Not putting it past Marik to cheat but also knowing that he could do little about it in a place that was obviously outside of Battle City commission, Deirdre walked forward and relinquished one of his most prized monsters over to the enemy.
"And now I can play it without sacrificing two weaker monsters. So Barrel Dragon, come out and serve your new master!"
The imposing creature appeared in a shower of white pixels, the iron comprising its body shined with fresh polish and each of its three long rifles began to power up, humming as they charged up and prepared for the moment when they might be needed.
Which was immediately.
"Barrel Dragon, attack and destroy all of Deirdre's monsters!" Marik said, his eyes wide and his teeth barred, even his clenched fist screamed "insanity". For that brief moment, Deirdre pitied him. He was so blindly lost in his conquest of the world that nothing else seemed to matter, including the people he rolled over in the quest to achieve his goals.
The dragon's rifles all simultaneously fired a bolt of smoking hot energy, crashing against the Darkfire Soldier #1 and obliterating it. Deirdre felt the holographic, though still very real feeling, sting of pain as his Life Points got a large bite taken out of them.
3100.
The Lady Assailant of Flames only let out a soundless gasp of pain as she was struck, the bolt burrowing deep into her chest. She doubled over and vanished into technological oblivion the moment she collided with the ground.
2000.
Unfortunately he knew all too well what his own monster was capable of. The final shot hit him directly and knocked him down. Yugi screamed his concern but it didn't register too clearly. Everything was swimming in his vision and all outside sounds seemed insubstantial. The last hit depleted his score and his Duel Disk vanished. He followed its journey into nothingness shortly thereafter.
Deirdre awoke what seemed to be mere seconds later, looking around his very own bedroom. It was dark and seemingly very late at night. Rubbing his pounding migraine he leaned over, ignoring the odd sensation of pain in his shoulder, and clicked on the lamp that sat at his bedside. His dueling deck, seemingly unaltered, sat in its plastic case like it always had. He picked it up and popped it open, then rummaged through each section, finding every card, as it should be, including Dark Necrofear and Toon World, the two cards he had won at Battle City. And Barrel Dragon, the card he handed over to Marik, was centered on the top of his deck.
However, he couldn't seem to locate his Duel Disk from his spot in bed. But when he stood to move, he found his legs did not respond to his commands. In fact they didn't even feel like they were there. If he couldn't plainly see them with his own two eyes he'd think they had been amputated.
Suddenly, the light in the hallway clicked on and creeped in from his half open door. Leaning against the wall near the door were a pair of foam- padded crutches.
"What is going on?" He whispered, then looked up when his reliable hinges creaked from old age and Skylar stepped in, covered in nasty purple bruises and a few bandaged cuts. It was at that moment when Deirdre felt the worse he had ever felt in his life. He remembered what Ahmose did when he took over and remembered Skylar being one of the first casualties of his onslaught.
She smiled at him faintly, then set down the bowl of soup she had been carrying on his night stand. "Hey, feeling any better?"
Deirdre didn't respond or even blink, he simply stared up at the ceiling from his laying down position on the bed and thought about all that he could, trying to make sense of it all. He remembered the final duel so clearly it was like he was still in it. But obviously he wasn't so one of the first questions that came to him was the outcome. Did Marik win? Did he claim the Millennium Puzzle and fulfill his goal to become pharaoh? Was everyone on Earth now a thrall to King Marik?
What happened to the monster he released? Where was his Millennium Item, the Balance? He couldn't seem to locate it either in ring form or otherwise, and the evil, conniving spirit inhabiting it wasn't speaking to him. How long had he been asleep, and how did he break both of his legs and honestly not be able to remember? Was the Battle City tournament over, and if so what was the outcome?
However, none of those problems seemed to trump Skylar's condition then. He had physically assaulted her and felt like his heart had been beaten with a meat tenderizer. She looked at him like he was out of his mind and turned to walk away, but was stopped when his arm reached out and took her by the shoulders, pulled her back and kissed her long and passionately on the lips. A move that neither of them had expected.
She was genually surprised and rightfully so, but after a second of second-guessing she let him embrace her. Deirdre spent the next few minutes making it all up to her as best he could.
Though eventually he did let her up for air but she didn't seem to want to be released. Deirdre set her down on his bed and comforted next to her, letting out a deep breath before he said anything. "I'm sorry...I'm so...so sorry, Sky. I didn't mean to do it."
She nodded and patted his back warmly, pressing his head against her shoulder so he could openly cry for the first time in years beyond remembrance. "Shh...it's okay. I don't blame you." Skylar waited a few minutes for Deirdre to stop, and at one point she think he had fallen asleep but he rolled over and wiped his eyes with his sleeve. She caught the look in his eyes that stated, "If you tell anyone I'll kill you" and let out a light chuckle.
Offering him one of her most reassuring smiles, she leaned back and cleared her throat. "So, I'll explain everything from the top. Get comfortable 'cause it might take awhile."
Author's Note: To whatever reader's I have left, this is the second-to-last chapter in my story so I hope you all enjoyed it. I know the big fight was a bit on the short side but I didn't think it needed to be stretched out over three or four chapters, and honestly I think that the connection with all the characters was more important then the duel. So flood me with all the hate reviews you want, I probably deserve them.
The next chapter will not take long so don't get too comfortable, I'm probably gonna screw that one up too.
