"It is good to see you again my pharaoh." Isis turned to face Yugi as he approached the two. The swirling dome of malevolent energy seemed to fade slightly as Yugi came closer.
"Isis, Shadi. What are you two doing her?" Yugi asked, confusion showing in his voice.
"I have left Malik in charge of guarding your tomb while I attend to this matter." Isis spoke as she turned her attention back towards the dome.
"The young man, Robert was chosen to wield the God card Ra. If he is unable or unwilling to then he will lose this duel. Only the card that chose him can win this shadow game for him." Shadi explained as he too turned his attention to the dome.
Yugi followed suite and found that he could see through the swirling mass as clearly as a window.
"I summon my Warrior from the dark and per its effect I remove one monster card from my hand from the game, I'll just set my Vampire Genesis out there with Vampire Lord." Bakura declared, his creature forming, seemingly, of the very substance that surrounded them.
The creature was without distinguishing markings, no face or hands, almost a shadow standing in three dimensions. Until it began to shudder and the forms of both Bakuras Vampire Genesis and Vampire Lord flashed on the field behind it.
"You see Robert my Warrior from the Dark gains the combined attack and defense of every monster I have removed from the game. And since I have to remove a Monster from the game every turn to keep it out I'll never be without a powerful monster. Sadly I can't summon any other monsters while he's out but it's fair. Oh, and be careful not to attack him. Just a friendly Warning." Bakura explained and smiled again that greasy dark smile of his.
The creature meanwhile was morphing slightly, long pointed fangs framed a gaping mouth, massive black wings sprouted from its back and those same blood red eyes Genesis had sported returned.
Warrior from the Dark
5000/3600
"Oh I'm well aware of what it does Bakura, I was one of the members of the development division that tried to keep it from being released. We couldn't stop it entirely but we were able to limit it's release to three national tournament winners. I'm fairly sure you weren't one of them." Robert spat as the creature finished it's metamorphosis.
"Yes, they weren't much of a challenge. Some Champions they turned out to be." Bakura laughed.
"I also know it can't attack this turn or directly. Some of the limitations we slapped into it before production." Robert replied, to which Bakura nodded his head in a sign for Robert to take his turn.
Roberts smile returned as he drew his card.
"I summon, Manju of the ten thousand Hands and thanks to its effect I can pull one ritual magic or monster card from my deck to my hand. And I choose, The Paladin of white Dragons!"
Robert wasn't done there however.
"I then Sacrifice my Manju the the effect of White Dragons Ritual to special summon my Paladin, but don't get used to him because I'm activating one of his effects to special summon my Blue Eyes White Dragon to the field in attack mode!" Roberts hand was a blur as he carried out the rapid switching of cards.
"While it is an impressive dragon it can't stand against my Warrior." Bakura spat snidely.
"I'm not done yet, Now I play my magic card Pot of Greed." Robert drew his two cards and beamed brightly at his luck.
"Now where was I? Oh that's right Playing the Magic card Monster Reborn to bring back my Paladin and use it's effect again!" Robert's eyes were shinning brightly despite his growing fatigue.
Even as his knees began to buckle as his second Blue Eyes White Dragon formed on the field with a mighty roar his eyes shone brightly, their emerald hue almost glowing in the dim light of the dome of swirling blackness.
"One more to go Bakura. Ready?" Roberts voice cracked as he posed the question to his foe.
"More than. I know you don't have Blue eyes Ultimate even if you did it would still be six hundred points too weak to destroy my monster and you said it yourself you refuse to use the God Cards again." Bakura smirked.
"But you see that's just it Bakura. That's why I went for my little walk. I needed to make something clear to myself, I needed to weigh the pros and the cons of using such powerful cards, Know what I decided?" Roberts smile had taken on a predatory appearance and bakura took a step back at the sight of him.
With that smile and his gleaming green eyes he looked a bit like a panther ready to pounce.
"Like I said, one more card to play before I finish this combo. That will answer the question I've posed to you." Robert spoke as he held up another card, leaving only one in his hand.
"Nothing you play can save you, you're only trying to get inside my head!" Bakura shot back, even with the Shadow game wearing him down Robert seemed at the top of his game, Bakuras taunts and incredibly powerful creatures hadn't seemed to unnerve him one bit.
"It's a Magic card Bakura, it's called Premature Burial and by paying eight hundred life points I can bring back a monster. Guess what Monster I'm calling out?" Robert shouted across the field, his voice echoing inside of the dome as a faint golden form flashed on his head for only a microsecond.
"It's my paladin again but oh look, there he goes again off to draw out yet another Blue Eyes White Dragon. You can thank Kaiba's over confidence for this little three-peat of mine." Robert spat as his last Blue Eyes formed on the field between it's brothers, all three staring at Bakura as though he we dinner.
"But unfortunately they're not going to stick around, you see it's time I filled you in on what I decided." Robert spoke as he slid the three powerful beasts into the graveyard. A slight pang of guilt ran through him as he did so.
"No, You said you'd never!" Bakura stumbled back as Robert slid the glowing gold card into his Duel Disk.
"Great beast of the sky, hear my cry,
Transform thyself from orb of light and lend your power to me in this fight.
Envelope the desert with your glow and cast your rage upon my foe.
Unlock your powers deep within so that together we may win.
Appear to me as I call your name.
The Winged Divine Dragon of Ra!"
As Robert finished the chant the huge Sphere of light unlocked and transformed once again into the great golden dragon, Ra.
"Now I sacrifice all but one of my remaining six thousand six hundred lifepoints to Ra's effect!" Robert declared as his lifepoints dropped to one.
Robert: 0001
Bakura: 5600
Ra
15599/14099
"Can you guess what I decided Bakura?" Robert asked calmly as Ra launched it's attack at the white haired duelist.
The four people watching outside the huge dark mass gazed on intently.
"Humph, So he's decided to use them after all." Willem spoke as he turned and went back into his room.
"The decision has been made. Yugi," Shadi turned to the spikey haired Duelist, a grim expression upon his darkly tanned face. "This is but the beginning. There is much more at stake in the future than you can possibly know." With that the white robbed man stepped away from the dome and into the shadows cast by the moonlight upon the towering hedge walls of the maze.
"Isis, Why are you here?" Yugi asked the dark haired woman to his left.
"I am here to deliver a warning. The God cards have found their masters and must be returned to those whom they have chosen within forty eight hours. If you do not obey this time limit great catastrophe's will befall the Earth." Isis turned her gaze back upon the swirling dark mas only to gasp and quickly retreat, dragging Yugi by the arm with her.
Duelist Haven Resort hotel
Sammantha was beginning to get worried, Robert had been gone for well over two hours and it was quickly approaching one in the morning.
"Maybe I upset him more than I thought... I should probably..." Her words were cut off as the ground seemed to heave out from under her. The entire building shook as if in an Earthquake.
Rolling towards the bathroom door she fought her way into a standing position bracing her arms and legs against the framework. Casting her gaze out the open doors to the balcony she was greeted to an intense light. Almost as if the sun had risen six hours early.
All around the island Duelist felt the tremors, however only the ones at the resort actually felt as if the very ground they stood upon was going to tear apart beneath their feet.
As the rumble of the Earth died down Sammantha heard a knock at her door, rushing over stepping carefully around the fallen, shattered vase she found Joey, Mai, Kelly and, Ryu on the other side of the door.
"Are you alright? We... What's that?" Kelly began to ask only to get distracted by the sight outside.
The five Duelist all looked on in awe, the visage before them was that of Ra, easily three times larger than the last time it was seen and surrounded in a fiery halo.
Maze, center area
Bakura: 0000
Robert: 0001
As Robert Duel Disk shut down the glowing form of Ra slowly faded, the darkness of th night crashing back in like water through a destroyed dam.
Bakura lay twenty feet away on his back, smoke issuing forth from his clothing, unconscious. Robert, though the victor, wasn't in much better shape. His face was pale and drawn. Sweat poured from his body matting his hair and clothes. His breathing was labored and ragged.
"Wasn't fast enough." He mumbled before passing out face first into the charred ground below him.
As the rest of his travelling party arrived Yugi was already busy pulling the two fallen Duelist out of the black scored trench Ra's attack had created. Water was already beginning to rush into the newly created channel causing steam to blast out from the super heated rocks in the ground.
The five new arrivals beheld an incredibly site. The attack had forged a ten foot wide canal from the center of the maze out to the ocean. The edges of the new passage still glowed a bright red, a testament to the sheer heat Ra's attack had created.
"Yugi what happened here? Is that Bakura?" Joey asked as he rushed over to help the smaller man pull Bakura further from the rising waters.
"Yeah, he challenged Robert to a Shadow Duel." Yugi answered as he nodded his head towards Robert who was sitting up against a greek styled pillar on the outer edge of the mazes center.
"Robert are you alright? God you look like crap." Sammantha asked, kneeling next to her fiancé.
"I'm a little tired, and hungry but yeah otherwise I'm fine. How's he?" Robert answered motioning weakly towards Bakura.
"Bakura's going to be fine with some bed rest. Luckily you don't have any Shadow powers or he might have been sealed. Why did he challenge you?" Yugi asked as he walked over and crouched near Robert.
"He said that if I wasn't going ot use the God cards I shouldn't have them. That they'd be better off finding new masters or something like that. Honestly it's pretty hazy what ever he did in that Duel really took it out of me." He answered, green eyes locked on Bakura's still form.
"Let's get everyone inside before Kaiba's goon squad shows up. That little light show of yours lit up the sky so brightly it looked like it was noon." Joey called out as he and Ryu hefted Bakura onto their shoulders.
Kelly and Sammantha helped Robert to his feet and the eight Duelists made their way back out of the maze in time to hear the approach of several helicopters.
Luckily for them they were able to duck in a side entrance of the Hotel before they were spotted by the security forces.
"Man, Kaiba was already pretty pissed about the loss and the damage to his Colosseum. But now you went and tore a chunk out of his island." Ryu commented as the group took a service elevator up to their floor.
"I thought you said you weren't going to use the God cards anymore?" Kelly asked as Robert leaned against the elevator wall.
"I wasn't. I still don't plan to use them too often but I figure if I can finish the battle fast with them then I will. Only drawn out usage like with Kaiba or that one turn thing I used against Bakura really drain me. That black dome of his didn't help matters any." Robert replied.
"Why was Ra's attack so much more powerful this time? I mean last time it put a sizeable crater in a wall but this time." Mai asked and whistled as she recalled the new inlet on the island.
"It must have been the environment. When a God card is summoned normally it's incredibly powerful. maybe a Shadow Duel amplifies their powers." Yugi put forth.
"I wouldn't doubt it. Those shadow powers are freaky" Joey added, shifting his feet a little to reposition Bakura.
As they elevator doors opened the eight made their way down the hall. Ryu was the one stuck with Bakura, being the only one with a room to himself.
"You should have a snack and rest up. The Finals begin tomorrow." Yugi suggested as Robert and Sammantha broke off from the group to enter their room.
"Good idea. You and Mai too." Robert called over his shoulder to Yugi as Sammantha closed the door.