Author's Notes: I decided to finish the three-way duel before continuing with the Eikyuu duel. Sorry.

Chapter Forty-One: Three Way Battle to the Finish

Taichi glared at his former comrade and held up his newest card, revealing a familiar grinning jar. "Pot of Greed!" He drew twice and instantly threw down one of them. A black furred creature with a bandana and an eye patch appeared.

"Kuri Bandit(1000/700) appears only to vanish as I sacrifice him to draw five cards!" The pirate monster popped in a puff of smoke, and then Taichi slid five new cards off his deck. He looked them over and then shoved two of them into the cemetery.

"All monsters drawn by this effect are discarded, so I lost two. Not to worry though, because they're about to come back with a vengeance! This is the revenge of the Kuriboh, Monster Reborn!" A shimmering glow covered one spot of his field, and then it took shape as a massive furry monster that vaguely resembled a Blue Eyes.

"Blue Eyed White Kuriboh(2400/2000) who gains two hundred attack for every Kuriboh monster on the field, putting him at twenty-eight hundred. Now...get me my revenge. Destroy Maenae the Thorn! Bubble Burst Stream!" The monster opened its jaws wide and sprayed bubbles at the thief.

Nick grimaced as the female thief was blown apart by the attack. His life points dropped steadily, and Taichi smirked. "I set one card face down and end my turn. Now you're the one in trouble pathetic thief!" (NLP: 2300)

Drake held up his drawn card and shifted his gaze to Nick. His eyes met with Nick's one eye, and sparks flew. "Now it's my turn to heat things up. So get ready to feel the pain Nick!"

He took the card and slammed it down onto his duel disk, picking up the monster he had on the field previously. "By sacrificing Angel Magister I can summon Black Sorcerer(2200/2000) to the field! And since Angel Magister went from the field to the cemetery I gain its defense as life points." (DLP: 5900)

"Here's my strategy, and it's brutally simple. Black Sorcerer will destroy Chick the Yellow!" The sorcerer held up his right arm, and opened his hand. Floating above his palm was a sphere of black energy which he proceeded to hurl at the blonde haired monster. Chick shrieked and was promptly blown away by the attack. (NLP: 1400)

"Since Black Sorcerer did damage to your life points, take a trap from your deck and send it to the cemetery." The thief complied, sliding a spare Skull Invitation into the graveyard. His eye twitched as Drake nodded to him, signaling the end of his turn.

Nick took another card that he had seen in his deck and held it up, showing it to his opponents. "I forfeit my draw phase to have Den of Thieves let me place one card referring to the dark scorpions into my hand. I choose Dark Scorpion Reunion."

"Now! I activate Dark Scorpion Reunion and discard the last two cards in my hand to special summon Maenae the Thorn(1000/1800) and Chick the Yellow(1000/1000) from the cemetery to the field!" Two cards popped out of his grave and he slapped them onto the Duel Pod. Both thieves returned to their previous positions.

He flipped over the two cards that he were in his hand, the cards that he was going to be discarding. "I choose to discard Repayment of Losses and Thieve's Demise. Repayment of Losses is first so I can draw one card."

Barely had he glanced at the new card before he moved on to explain Thieve's Demise. "When this magic card is activated or goes to the cemetery I can sacrifice a Dark Scorpion to destroy two magic or trap cards on the field. But keep in mind I never recklessly sacrifice a scorpion."

Chick the Yellow vanished just as quickly as he had reappeared. The two set cards on Taichi's field exploded into fiery shrapnel, leaving nothing but his mighty dragon Kuriboh and his weaker Cyborg Kuriboh. Taichi sneered. "You think that's going to help you? How pathetic! You can't defeat Blue Eyed Kuri Dragon!"

Nick didn't say anything, instead he held out the card he had drawn from Repayment of Losses' effect. It was Pot of Greed, so he drew twice. He looked over his two cards and proceeded to toss on onto the field. "Meet the group's trap master, Cliff the Trap Remover(1200/1000)!"

The lithe blonde haired thief darted out onto the field, looking back and forth over the gathered monsters. Don and Maenae nodded to him. "Remember how I said I don't sacrifice a Dark Scorpion without a thought? Well by removing Dark Scorpion Reunion I can revive one Dark Scorpion, so Chick the Yellow returns!"

Drake, Taichi, and the stranger all watched as Nick assembled four of the five Dark Scorpions. It seemed that nothing could stop him from getting them all into play. "I may not be able to destroy many...but I can deal some serious damage. Don Zaloog attacks Cyborg Kuriboh!"

The thief king leveled his gun and fired, directly into the Kuriboh's mechanical eye. Servomotors whirred as the damage took its toll, and finally the Cyborg Kuriboh exploded. Taichi growled as burning parts rained down around him. "You'll pay for that..." (TLP: 200)

"I doubt it. Thanks to the effects of my traps and Don Zaloog I'll now have you discard one card from the top of your deck and two from your hand!" Once again the Kuriboh duelist snarled and dumped the remainder of his hand into the graveyard along with a card from his deck.

"One card face down. Now we'll see what you can do Taichi." Nick settled back on his heels to wait for Taichi's move. His lips curled up into a smirk at seeing the other former Knight of Order squirm.

Taichi drew and then burst out laughing. "Forgot how well I can top deck didn't you? Go, Twilight Renewal!"

According to its effect he drew five brand new cards, increasing his options. Both Drake and Nick scowled at seeing him renew his chances so easily. "Ah, this will help. Kuri Birth revives Cyborg Kuriboh(1000/700)!"

Nick glanced down at his face down card and reached to press the button on his duel disk. Whoever got their first would make the grade. "Not so fast Nick! You won't win this one, go Cyber Hack!"

The face down card began to shake as Cyborg Kuriboh used its effect. But suddenly it stopped shaking and flipped up, spraying purple gas all over Taichi. "What the hell?"

"Looks like you didn't get there first. Dark Scorpion Poison is a trap card that inflicts one hundred damage to you for each Dark Scorpion I have on the field and prevents there from being a battle phase until my next turn. Of course four hundred damage finishes you off." Taichi snarled and waved his hand, using his wind powers to blow away the poison gas.

"Don't act like I'm easy to knock off Nick! I discard Soul Kuriboh(300/200) to save myself from one instance of effect damage, so I'm safe." Nick frowned at seeing his chance at finishing off Taichi postponed. It looked like he would have to wait longer than he thought.

"Now if you're done being an arrogant little shit I'll summon Kuri Defender(300/200) and set one card face down. With this monster's presence my dragon has three thousand attack points. More than anything you can summon, and I know your weak deck!" His laughter was cut off by the sound of Drake clearing his throat.

"I'm sure that's all very impressive, but is it my turn or not?" Taichi scowled and slashed his hand at Drake, intending to blast him with wind. But a golden barrier formed around the other duelist, protecting him from the attack.

"I'll take that as a yes. But don't worry, I just switch Black Sorcerer to defense mode and set a monster face down. End." Nick drew, and felt glad that his Dark Scorpion Poison's second effect was able to save him.

"Here's an interesting card. Hammer Shot! This automatically destroys the strongest monster in play, regardless of who has it. And I think that's your dragon!" Taichi went bug-eyed as Chick produced an enormous hammer out of nowhere and proceeded to slam it down on his monster's head, blowing it apart.

He took a glance at Drake's set, and saw the look in the duelist's eyes. He narrowed his one eye and glanced at Taichi for a brief second. But he saw Drake's eyes flicker in response. 'So that's his game huh? I guess I'll play!'

"Don Zaloog! Attack Drake's set monster and destroy it!" A single bullet tore through the card, and a skinny man in black robes briefly appeared before turning into nothing but holographic dust in the wind.

"Thanks Nick, you flipped Black Magic Summoner(500/1200) who now lets me add a magic card from my deck to my hand." A card popped out of the middle of his deck and he caught it. Then he tucked it into his hand next to his two other cards.

"No magic card you take can hurt me, so I feel confident in ending my turn right now." He laughed on the inside, wondering exactly what Drake was planning. 'That magic card might not hurt me, but I get the feeling it's going to destroy Taichi.'

Taichi frowned, looking back and forth between his two opponent's. He knew neither of them held any particular like for him, so it was likely they both had it in for him. He didn't let his uncertainty show, knowing that if it did show he'd truly be at a disadvantage. 'No matter what the situation is, I'll crush them both with the power of Kuriboh!'

He looked down at his newly drawn card and smirked, knowing where this would be going. "First I'll activate the ability Cyber Hack and blow away Robbin' Goblin!"

Nick didn't even blink when his face-up trap card was blown into a million pieces. All he did was take it off his Duel Pod and send it to the cemetery. "Is there anything else, or are you finished?"

"I'm perfectly ready for whatever you have planned. All I have to do is set this one card face down and I'll be completely safe. Now, end turn!" Another card appeared behind Cyborg Kuriboh, and if his comment wasn't a bluff then it would be used to protect him.

Drake slipped another card off the top of his deck, and then shot a glance over at Nick. The thief was watching Taichi out of the corner of his eye, showing that he understood. "Your defenses are about to come crumbling down Taichi! Watch and learn!"

He took a different card from his hand and held it out. "I play Birth of the Magician, which lets me sacrifice one magician on the field to special summon another of equal or lesser level to the field. So say goodbye to Black Sorcerer!"

The named monster was swallowed up by a vortex of energy, and that vortex was pulled into Drake's magic card. "Now by the power of my magic card I summon the monster that will begin your undoing! Guardian Magician of the Day(1400/1900)!"

Taichi and Nick gave him a strange look as the magician in sky robes appeared. He whipped his staff around and pointed to the space next to him, which instantly started to glow. "Now one of his special abilities activates! Since he was special summoned to the field I can special summon a Guardian Magician of the Night(1900/1400) into play!"

The punk duelist threw the chosen card down onto his duel disk, and a magician that in appearance was identical to the first one appeared, only this one had robes like the night's sky. "Together Guardian Magician of the Night and Guardian Magician of the Day are my deadliest Unity Magicians!"

Taichi folded his arms, a cocky smirk on his face. "Talk all you like, but even their special abilities won't defeat me. Go ahead and waste life points, but if you try to use their effect you will only pay the price."

Drake nodded and took the farthest left card in his hand and pulled it aside from the others. Both other duelists noticed that this was the card he had chosen from his Black Magic Summoner's effect. "You're absolutely right. These two monsters can't stop you like this. But when they join their powers I think they can. Prepare to meet the second deadliest monster I can produce. Go, Chaos Fusion!"

As Nick and Taichi watched, the two magicians broke down into their individual types of magical energy. The magician of the night became a black column of energy, and the magician of the day became a white column. "The forces of light and dark intertwine, creating a power like no other. A power that eclipses virtually every monster in the game of Duel Monsters!"

The two separate columns of energy slammed into each other, merging their powers. Nick, Taichi, and the stranger all could feel the power flowing off of the monster that was being created. Less than a minute later it had taken shape as a magician in glowing robes, holding a staff in each hand. "Meet Guardian Magician of the Eclipse(3200/3200) the monster that will be your end!"

Taichi felt his hand shake slightly, and he clenched it tight to stop the shaking. He stared at the monster, feeling fear form at the pit of his belly. Yet he couldn't understand why. 'This monster...it's power is huge, and I feel something from it. Can this one monster really defeat me?'

"As I said, this monster eclipses any power you've faced before. Witness its awesome special ability as I sacrifice two thousand of my life points! Eclipsing Chaos Attack!" The powerful magician crossed its staffs together, and then pointed them at Taichi. The duelist couldn't help himself as an enormous wave of raw energy shot towards him. He cried out in terror.

Nick stared in shock as the huge blast collided with Taichi and detonated, covering one third of their total field in fire and smoke. "What awesome power!" (DLP: 3900)

Drake smirked and stood waiting for the smoke to clear. He knew what he would find when it did clear, so he was in no rush. Eventually it was blown away by a gust of wind, and a burnt and irritated looking Taichi was revealed, coughing up smoke. "Bastard! You've hurt me, but my life points are intact! You spent two thousand life points for nothing!"

"Did I? Take a look at your field and tell me that I wasted them, go ahead and try." Taichi blinked and took his attention away from Drake and back to his field. When he saw what was there he stepped back in fear.

"My...my entire field...all my cards are gone! You mean your monster can destroy my entire field in one shot?" Drake nodded, and Taichi took another step back. Yet despite his supposed fear, Drake knew he was faking it. But that false attitude wouldn't last for long.

"Knowing you one of those cards in your hand is a Kuriboh, so even if I could attack it would be fruitless. But since I used my magician's ability I lose my battle phase for this turn. Of course guess whose turn comes after mine?" Nick smirked, and Taichi fell to his knees in horror. He could see what was coming.

"Take it away Nick. Finish him off." Nick nodded and motioned to his deck, which spat a card out at him. His eye turned cold as he looked down at Taichi's fallen form, ready to strike the finishing blow.

"I play Dark Scorpion Gang! This magic card lets me select one Dark Scorpion in my deck and bring it into play, provided I have two or more of the Dark Scorpions in play already. So meet the brawn of the group, the final member. Dark Scorpion Gorg the Strong(1800/1000)!" A behemoth of a thief joined the other four, holding a huge hammer in his hands.

"This is the end for you Taichi! Don Zaloog(1700/1800), Maenae the Thorn(1300/2100), Chick the Yellow(1300/1300), Cliff the Trap Remover(1500/1300), and Gorg the Strong(2100/1300)! All of you, attack Taichi directly!" The five thieves fell upon the former Knight of Order, pounding on him repeatedly. Finally they backed away, and Taichi was left unconscious on the ground. (TLP: 0)

The stranger turned his gaze towards the two remaining duelists, knowing that it would just be those two who would face off. The winner would be the one who was meant to go, just like he had known all along. 'But which one is destined to take that path?'

"Thanks for the courtesy kill Drake, but don't think I'll go easy on you." The other duelist smirked and picked up a new card, adding it to his hand.

"I wouldn't dream of it. Now, let's get this party really going! Eclipsing Chaos Attack!" The mighty chaos fusion monster unleashed its unbridled power upon Nick, bowling him over and consuming his field in magical fire. (DLP: 1900)

Drake blinked in surprise, realizing that Den of Thieves was still in play. Which meant his monster's effect hadn't worked. "What's going on here? Why isn't your entire field wiped out?"

The smoke cleared and Nick stood behind all five of the Dark Scorpions, all of them smirking at him. "Den of Thieves cannot be destroyed by any effect provided all five of the Dark Scorpions are in play. Also, if they would all be destroyed by an effect I can pay half of my life points to prevent them from being destroyed." (NLP: 700)

"I see. Well, since my battle phase is forfeited I guess I just end my turn." Both he and his chaos fusion monster crossed their arms across their chests, awaiting Nick's move. They knew quite well that although Nick had saved his thieves, he was still at a disadvantage.

"I use Den of Thieves to select one card related to the Dark Scorpions and add it to my hand. Now I set that card face down and end my turn!" One card appeared behind the scorpions, provided them with a singular defense against whatever Drake had to throw at them.

"You're safe for the moment from his effect since I don't have the life points for it, but Guardian Magician of the Eclipse still has thirty-two hundred attack points, more than enough to finish you off. But just in case I'll summon Demon Magister(1900/700) in attack mode!" A horned and dark robed monster appeared, holding a wand that had a bladed end to it.

"Guardian Magician of the Eclipse, attack Don Zaloog with Eclipse Energy Flare! Demon Magister, cut Maenae down with your Magic Demon Blade! Finish Nick off for good!" Demon Magister jumped forwards, swinging his bladed wand at the female thief. At the same time the other magician pointed both staffs at Don and a pitch black circle of magic fired at the king of thieves.

"I won't die here and neither will Don Zaloog! Dark Scorpion Skill Test activates now! I'll now return Guardian Magician of the Eclipse to your hand, but since it's a fusion it returns to your fusion deck instead!" The attack faded mid-way to Don Zaloog, and then the attacker himself faded away.

"You may have stopped my chaos fusion, but you haven't stopped Demon Magister! Take down Maenae the Thorn now!" Nick grimaced as he watched his female thief be cut in half by the demonic magician. The four other scorpions stared in horror at the sight of their companion dying. (NLP: 100)

Drake frowned when he saw the monster's reactions. 'They act almost as if they were alive, which means that they share such a bond with Nick' soul that they react as he would. What is it about these monsters that makes them so precious to him?'

"Go ahead, take your turn Nick. It seems to me that we're reaching the end game portion of this duel. All that's stopping you is this one face down card and Demon Magister. Can you beat that?" Nick hesitated for one moment, and then nodded.

"I can defeat you, and I will! Treasure of the Dark Scorpions is a magic card that lets me draw one card for each Dark Scorpion on the field plus one. So I draw five cards!" He drew five cards in a single pull, and then fanned them out so he could see what they were.

"Perfect. Den of Thieves allows me to discard a card from my hand to revive a Dark Scorpion, so I discard Dying to Steal to revive Maeane the Thorn(1300/2100)!" The dark haired thief appeared once again, and snapped her whip in the joy of being back. To Drake's surprise the four other scorpions embraced her.

"Now, Dying to Steal's effect is that when it goes to the cemetery you must either discard two cards from your hand or three from your deck. I choose to have you discard your remaining hand." Drake nodded and ditched his hand, sending it to the grave.

"Gorg the Strong is more powerful than your Magister, so he'll crush it. Skull Shattering Hammer!" The thief roared and leapt directly in front of the Demon Magister. He held his hammer up, and then swung it down, pulverizing the magician. (DLP: 3400)

"When Demon Magister goes to the cemetery I gain its attack strength as life points, so I think I'm safe." Nick shook his head, and then made a slashing motion with his right hand.

"You're not safe at all! Cliff the Trap Remover, start the all out assault off! Attack Drake directly!" Drake grunted as the trap master belted him in the face, knocking him backwards. (DLP: 1900)

"Cliff's effect destroys your face down card. Then Maenae the Thorn will get revenge by attacking you directly!" The thief swung her whip, wrapping it around Drake's throat. She pulled hard with it, bringing him down to his knees, gasping for air. (DLP: 600)

"This is the end! Don Zaloog, attack Drake's life points directly! Finish him off!" The thief king approached and leveled the gun at Drake's head. Drake stared up at it with wide eyes, and then the thief pulled the trigger. Nick didn't even flinch as blood splattered across the ground. (DLP: 0)

"I did it...I won. Thank you Dark Scorpions, your efforts have granted me the chance to face Eikyuu and undo the damage that I have caused." He bowed his head to the five monsters, and in turn each of them bowed back.

"That's really sweet and all, but what makes you think this duel is over?" Nick's head whipped up in shock at the sound of the voice. Standing up ahead of him was Drake Ihachi, with his back leaning against the wall of the Den of Thieves.

"But...you...what?" Drake chuckled at Nick's confusion. The thief pointed to the body that was lying on Drake's field, with a bullet hole in its head as proof. Drake just smirked and walked up to that spot and snapped his fingers, banishing the body.

"All that you saw was a Mirage, a very special one. It comes from a quick-play magic card called Mirage of Soul, which can be activated when I would lose the duel. Instead I remain safe for the rest of the turn, and my life points are set at exactly the level of my opponent's." To demonstrate he held up his duel disk, displaying the life points. (DLP: 100)

"I see, so apparently you're better than I anticipated. Well either way I don't care since I hold field and hand advantage. Top decking won't save you against me. Especially since I set two cards face down to protect me. Now, let's see if you have what it takes to make a comeback." Sparks flew between the two duelists as they knew that this truly was approaching end game.

"Maybe top decking won't help me, but there's a card in my deck that can. I forfeit my draw phase to add that card to my hand, one of two cards I have that can do so. Here's the first one, Shining Soul Manipulator(1200/1400)!" A serene looking Buddhist monk now floated in front of him, a heavenly glow surrounded his body.

"Each turn this monster lets me take the top card of my deck and the top card of your deck and exchange them, putting them in our hands. If it's a magic or trap card that I get my monster gains two hundred attack points." Both duelists snapped a card off their deck and tossed them to each other.

"Looks like my monster gains more attack power. Just enough to do you in. Shining Soul Manipulator attacks Chick the Yellow!" Nick frowned and motioned to one of his two set cards which proceeded to flip up. Shining Soul Manipulator exploded violently.

"You triggered Sakuretsu Armor, which destroys the attacking monster. Care to try anything else?" Drake nodded and flipped the top card of his deck to Nick, who caught it in surprise.

"When he's destroyed his effect activates again, so send me the top card of your deck." Nick complied, and Drake easily caught the card. He now had two cards in his hand, one was a magic or a trap card, and the other was a total mystery to Nick.

"Hmmm, interesting cards. Looks like you've got a better deck then I would have thought. So I set these two magic or trap cards face down, and that will be all for now." Drake flashing Nick a grin, who just frowned and drew a new card.

"You're so confident with that shit-eating grin of yours, but let's see what happens to your confidence when I eliminate one of the last chances of a threat from you! Reveal face down card, Dust Tornado!" Drake grimaced as a black tornado emerged from the trap card, and hovered in place.

Drake's grimace shifted into a grin immediately as he realized what was going on. "You've got quite the choice don't you? Do you destroy my left set card, or my right? Which one is the most dangerous? Are they both dangerous, are they both bluffs? If you choose wrong, this duel could be over for you now couldn't it?"

"I won't pick wrong! Dust Tornado eliminates the second card you got from my deck, the one on the right!" The tornado hurtled across the field and slammed into the set card. It flipped up, and Nick smirked at what he saw.

"Magic Cylinder...that was my best chance at winning the game. Looks like you picked right Nick. It's still your turn though." Nick nodded and looked over his Dark Scorpions. Finally he made his last decision for the duel.

"Don Zaloog will finish it. Guns of the King!" Drake's eyes widened as the barrel of Don's right-handed gun was pointed at him. Then the thief pulled the trigger five times in a row, almost completely emptying the revolver at the punk duelist.

Suddenly Drake's eyes hardened and his confident grin reappeared. "Gotcha! You couldn't possibly have picked right with Dust Tornado, because here's my other set card. Mirror Force!"

Nick felt a flash of red hot rage pulse through his body as the five bullets were reflected back at his Dark Scorpions, blowing them each away, leaving his field barren except for Robbin' Zombie. "You...you'll pay for that!"

"Go ahead and make me...if you can." Nick's body shook with rage, and he held up his hand of cards, five in total. Then he slammed them together and shoved them into his cemetery slot all at once.

"I discard all five of my cards to revive the five Dark Scorpions! Return to me Don, Chick, Cliff, Gorg, and Maenae!" Drake grimaced as the five cornerstones of Nick's deck returned to the field, each as strong as ever. It was like he couldn't kill those monsters at all.

With nothing left to play and his battle phase already ended, Nick's turn was officially over. Which gave Drake one chance to top deck for a way to get victory. "Let's get this duel back on track. Draw!"

"Perfect draw. I play Soul of Chaos, which costs half my life points and the removal of two unity magicians from the grave. So Guardian Magician of the Day and Guardian Magician of the Night are removed!" He held up the two cards and then slid them into his back pocket. (DLP: 50)

"Now it's power kicks in, special summoning one Chaos Fusion monster from my fusion deck to the field. That monster leaves play at the end of the turn, but can activate its effect once with no backlash. So get ready to meet your end at the hands of Guardian Magician of the Eclipse(3200/3200)!" The familiar monster once again stood on Drake's field, prepared to attack.

"Eclipsing Chaos Attack!" Magical energies blasted over Nick's field, but to no avail. The smoke cleared quickly and all of the Scorpions remained, thanks to one of the effects of Den of Thieves. (NLP: 50)

"That's what I thought, but remember, no backlash for me, so he attacks Don Zaloog!" Nick frowned, seeing the attack coming straight for him. He sighed and pressed a button on his disk. Light flared up in front of the magician, and he stopped in his tracks.

"I can sacrifice Den of Thieves to immediately end your battle phase at any point in time. So I remain safe, and your monster will soon be gone." Drake frowned, and snapped his fingers together. His powerful monster faded away, leaving his field completely empty.

Confident of victory, Nick drew. But to his surprise Guardian Magician of the Day and Guardian Magician of the Night immediately appeared on Drake's field, crouching. "During my opponent's standby phase after playing Soul of Chaos the two removed monsters return to the field, only they lose their effects for the rest of the duel and have no attack or defense points."

"That hardly saves you! Chick and Maenae attack your two monsters!" His two thieves raced across the field to attack the monsters, but both of them vanished in a flash of light, and were instantly replaced by a single monster holding a huge shield in front of him.

"They might not, but this will. Chaos Defender(0/4000) can be special summoned to the field from my hand or deck by removing two monsters on my field from play. Let's see you get past this monster." Nick frowned, realizing that for the moment he had no way of defeating the powerful defender. He would have to sit and wait.

"I set one card face down. Although my turn is over and I can't finish you yet, I know that it doesn't matter, since one powerful defender won't save you. Go ahead and draw, it won't help." Drake placed two fingers on his deck and drew. Nick frowned as he felt the power flowing off of Drake during that draw.

"Activate magic card, Ultimate Revolution! By sacrificing my Chaos Defender I can shuffle all face down cards on the field back into their owners decks, and then I get to draw five cards!" The defending magician vanished, and so did Nick's face down card. At the same time Drake was able to draw five cards from his deck.

With no face down card to protect him Nick knew that the duel would be determined by whether or not Drake drew a monster that had thirteen hundred and fifty attack points or higher. 'It all comes down to this. I put all my faith into you five, so no matter what happens, it's okay.'

Drake closed his eyes and took one card from his hand and slid it onto his duel disk. "Defeat you means defeating the Dark Scorpions, all of them. So that's what I'll do. First stage is this card, Effect Economics!"

Nick nodded, recognizing the card. It was an extremely rare card that allowed both players to use effects without paying life points to activate them. It was so rare and powerful that it had been restricted by Industrial Illusions to one per deck. "And what effects need payment?"

"This one doesn't really need it, it's for what comes after. Now here it comes, Curtain of Chaos Magic! Normally this card costs half of my life points, but now it comes without a cost. Its special effect lets me special summon Black Magician of Chaos(2800/2600) to the field!" A skull carrying a curtain appeared, and the curtains parted, letting the leather clad blue-skinned magician make his way onto the field.

A card shot out of Drake's cemetery and he caught it immediately, holding it out for Nick to see. "Black Magician of Chaos returns one of the cards you discarded from my hand with your Dying to Steal card. This card will be your undoing! Go, Diffusion Wave Motion!"

Black Magician of Chaos pointed his staff at Maenae the Thorn on the far left of the scorpions, and energy began to charge at the tip of the weapon. "This magic card normally costs one thousand life points, but now I can go without. It allows one level seven or higher magician on the field to attack every monster on the opposing player's field. So it's over. Black Magician of Chaos, wipe them all out! Streaming Chaos Magic Attack!"

Nick felt it as if it happened to him as one by one his Dark Scorpions were blown apart by the magical attack of Drake's favorite monster. In mere seconds all five of his treasured monsters were gone. "It's over...you win." (NLP: 0)

He dropped his head in shame, knowing that he had lost his last chance for taking on Eikyuu. To his surprise a hand appeared in his plane of vision, and when he looked up Drake was standing right in front of him, grinning as usual. "It was a great duel. And don't worry, I'll make sure Eikyuu gets his ass kicked."

Nick returned the grin and grasped hands with the other duelist. Although they were very different people, in the end they were still just duelists. "It was indeed a great duel. Go on, get out there and destroy him."

Drake nodded and turned towards the stranger. The man in the hoody smiled slightly and snapped his fingers. Nick blinked his one eye, realizing that in just that brief second the two men were gone from sight. "Good luck Drake, you'll need it. All of you will need it to defeat Eikyuu."

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Drake frowned as he looked around at his surroundings. Instead of being in a frozen wasteland he was in the middle of a city, with people bustling all around them. Standing next to him was the strange man. "I thought you said there were no strings attached! What the hell am I doing here?"

"I apologize for the deception, but it was necessary to discover which of the three of you was destined to come to this place. All I knew is that one of you three would be destined to come to this place and help prevent something terrible from happening. So I gathered the three of you together and had you duel and now I know. You were destined to be here." Drake frowned at the man's explanation, and looked around at the city once again.

"And where exactly is here?" He glanced to his right, and discovered that the strange man was gone. But a voice spoke in his head that sounded exactly like that man.

"Welcome to another dimension." Drake sighed and shoved his hands into his pockets, leaning up against the nearest wall. Teenagers and kids kept running past him, so he eventually decided to follow them out of sheer boredom.

When the kids stopped they were in front of a tall building and all of them were chattering incessantly. As Drake stood and listened, one of the kids turned to the others and spoke. "Did you hear? They're holding the qualifiers for the Japanese National Dueling Championship here tomorrow! And whoever wins that tournament gets an invitation to the World Championship!"

Drake grinned and stared at the building for a second, and then reset his duel disk into place. "Might as well do something to pass the time while I figure out why I'm supposed to be here. I guess this dimension is about to have another World Champion of Duel Monsters."

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Author's Notes: That's that, and a bit of an explanation of other things. Also, in the next chapter the duel against Eikyuu will begin its path towards greatness.

Review Response

G.O.T. Nick: That's not exactly what was there, you should read that last line again.

The White Mage: Hehehe, don't worry the duel will get a lot better in the upcoming chapters. This was just the tip of the iceberg.

WolfGeneral: Again thanks. And I can't guarantee that Dalin will reveal what he learned.

Time Mage: Yeah, I pretty much explained everything to you when we talked.

VoidTemplar: Nope, not Drake.

Original Cards(If I put a TM next to a card, that means it was created by Time Mage who created Kai, if it has WG next to it, it was created by WolfGeneral)

Drake: Angel Magister, Black Sorcerer, Black Magic Summoner, Birth of the Magician, Guardian Magician of the Day, Guardian Magician of the Night, Chaos Fusion, Guardian Magician of the Eclipse, Demon Magister, Mirage of Soul, Shining Soul Manipulator, Soul of Chaos, Chaos Defender, Ultimate Revolution, Effect Economics, Curtain of Chaos Magic

Nick: Dark Scorpion Reunion, Repayment of Losses, Thieve's Demise, Scorpion Poison, Dark Scorpion Gang, Dark Scorpion Skill Test, Treasure of the Dark Scorpions, Dying to Steal

Taichi: Twilight Renewal, Kuri Birth, Kuri Defender, Soul Kuriboh