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Fanfic Chapter 109: The Third God Pt 3: The Ancient Text
Episode Basis: Mind Games Pt 3

Previously on Yu-Gi-Oh! Yami-Marik's Shadow Game was leaving Mai but a shadow of her former self. But Yami-Yugi, being one of the only ones whom Mai still had a memory of, entered her mind and bestowed upon her the light Mai needed to rally to the cause. Thanks to her Amazon Chain Master, Mai was able to take control of Yami-Marik's Egyptian God Card, but as Mai summoned it, it was revealed that it wouldn't be that easy. The God appeared as a round orb, and if Mai doesn't want to end up taking up a summer residence in the Shadow Realm, she needs to bring out its true form.


Everyone stared with shock and awe at the giant golden orb that was floating above the field. Yami-Marik chuckled, "What are you waiting for, my dear? Now that you have stolen my Egyptian God Card, why don't you try using it against me? It would be the ultimate irony."

"That's… the Winged Dragon?" Mai asked.

"Marik's Egyptian God Card is locked inside that thing," Harold said.

"I don't remember it looking like that," Joey said.

"Mai better release it fast," Tristan said.

"There's one more thing you should know: I'm the only one who knows how to release it."

And soon, I'll learn how to control its unstoppable force, Kaiba thought.

"How come Yugi didn't encounter this when he summoned Slifer in his duel with Bakura?" Amara asked.

"Even among the Egyptian Gods, Ra is special," Yami-Yugi muttered.

"Don't forget, my dear, this is a Shadow Game." He aimed his Millennium Rod at Mai. "Once I win, your mind will be locked in the Shadow Realm forever!"

"We can't let Marik win," Joey complained.

Kaiba tapped his finger against his arm, eager to see the God Card in action.

That cursed Pharaoh may have given Mai the power to summon an Egyptian God Monster, but fortunately, other precautions have been set to keep it from being summoned. "Only someone with ties to the ancient scriptures can control an Egyptian God Card."

"You're just jealous I got to summon the Egyptian God before you did."

"Oh really, then how about reading the ancient text used to awaken Ra!"

"What text are you…" Mai looked down and saw that in the spot where the attack and defense numbers should be was some strange form of ancient writing. "That wasn't there before!" Is this another of Marik's mind games?

"If you can't recite the text, I will, and then Ra will obey me!"

If Marik recites the text, the dragon will obey him and then Mai would be in a world of danger! Yami-Yugi realized.

"What do you think that card says?" Mokuba asked.

"I'm not sure, but I intend to find out. Scan the card using our satellite network and then use the onboard database to translate it."

"I'm on it," Mokuba said as he went down to the computer room.


"It's as I feared," the Tenth Duelist said. "If Marik releases the Egyptian God from its containment, she won't survive its onslaught, especially in a Shadow Duel." The other person who was with her turned and ran out.
"Stare at that card all you want, you'll never be able to read the text! It's written in a special form of hieroglyphs. My family is descended from one of the original priests during a time when Shadow Magic was abundant throughout the land so it is my birthright to be able to read the text. A normal person like you shouldn't even be able to summon an Egyptian God, it's only through fortune that you did. But Ra is much more powerful than any of the other two Egyptian God Cards. In fact, it was so powerful that Pegasus put an extra precaution in when he made the card. The card could only be summoned by those who were endowed with the powers from the Millennium Items!" He gave Yami-Yugi a dirty eye, "I think I know where you got the ability but only those who are descended from Egyptian Nobility can decipher the text and control the dragon. Myself, the Pharaoh, and possibly even Seto Kaiba."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Kaiba snapped.

"Several people on this vessel can trace their lineage back to Ancient Egypt, so only they can control the Egyptian God Cards. To everyone else, it would just appear as gibberish"

Marik wasn't worried from the start, Yami-Yugi realized. He knew that even if Mai got the ability to summon an Egyptian God Card, even if she dared to summon it, she wouldn't be able to read the text and control it.

Defeated, Mai said, "I place one card face-down and end my turn." My trap card Gravity Bind should keep him at bay. It prevents all high-level monsters from attacking.

"I summon Holding Legs (1) in attack mode! Holding Legs' carries the ability to return all magic and trap cards on the field to their owners' hands. So say good-bye to your face-down card." Mai's Gravity Bind ejected from its slot. "Plus when it's on the field with Holding Arms, it brings forth the Sacred Stone of Ota!" A large stone tablet rose from the ground behind Mai. "Now, Holding Arms and Holding Legs, attack her directly!" The leg manacles and arm manacles clamped on to Mai's arms and legs and embedded themselves within the stone. Mai was now chained to the tablet.

"Hey, what's going on here?" Mai demanded to know. "What kind of hologram is this?'

"Whoever said this was a hologram? We're playing a Shadow Game, so everything here is real including the attacks!"

Mai screamed out in pain as she was shocked with lightning.

(V: 900)
(I: 1050)

"Mai, are you all right?" Joey asked.

That voice… it sounds familiar… like an old friend…

"You're all alone, my dear, with nothing but darkness around you!" The mist started to close in on Mai again.

"No she's not!" Yami-Yugi announced. "Mai is never alone!"

"You have already interfered enough, Pharaoh!" Yami-Marik used his Millennium Rod to telekinetically pick up Yami-Yugi and hold him five feet in the air. "She will always be alone."

Yes, I will always be alone.

"MAI!" A new voice cried. Everyone turned to see the new figure making his way from the elevator.

"Kevin?" Harold's eyes bugged out. "What the heck are you doing here?"

Kaiba cursed, "They're coming out of the woodwork like cockroaches."

"I'm calling security," Roland said and reached for his phone.

Tristan and Duke stepped in front of him, "Go ahead and try," Duke dared. Tristan cracked his knuckles.

Numbers was what won this battle.

"I know that voice," Mai said as she struggled to look over her shoulder. "Kevin, you came."

"Of course I did," Kevin said like there shouldn't have been any doubt. "We're family, Mai, win or lose, I wanted to see you in the finals."

"Another witness to my triumph; how fortuitous. It's time to recite the ancient text and regain control of my Egyptian God!"

"Oh no!"

"This isn't good!"

"Yikes!"

"Finally."

Yami-Marik crossed his arms and stared straight ahead as he began chanting, "Great Beast of the Sky, please hear my cry, transform thy self from orb of light and bring me victory in this fight!"

Yami-Yugi tried his hardest to break free from the hold but it was no use.

"Envelop the desert with your glow and cast your rage upon my foe! Unlock yourself from deep within so that together we may win!" The orb started to unfold itself

"Here it comes!" Duke announced.

"Appear in the Shadow Game as I call your name… WINGED DRAGON OF RA (2)!" The real Ra was enormous compared to its fake counterpart. It had a vaguely mechanical look to it. It still had the head of a bird and the body of a beast. It was a golden color and had a large circle crest on top of its head.

"I think I just wet myself," Tristan gawked.

"Same here," Amara agreed.

(WDR: 5400)

"Stop this duel, Marik!" Yami-Yugi called. "Your grudge is with me, not her!"

"True, but I'm just having a little fun. Don't worry, we'll face each other soon enough. It's something I've been waiting for ever since my family forced me to carry the secret of the Pharaoh on my back. This burden has brought me nothing but trouble ever since. Why should I devote the rest of my life to some stupid Pharaoh who hasn't returned for over 3000 years? So I've decided to become the Pharaoh, but to do that, I need the power of the former Pharaoh, the power in your Millennium Puzzle!"

"What's he talking about, Harold?" Kevin asked.

"Long story short: schizophrenic with a god complex has a grudge against Yugi's puzzle and thinks that by causing others misery, he can make himself feel better."

"And Mai chose to duel this psychopath?"

"It wasn't her choice, it was chance," Amara commented.

"More like fate," Harold corrected.

Yami-Marik aimed his Millennium Rod at Mai, "Now it's time to banish her mind to the Shadow Realm!"

Joey ran up to Roland, "You have to end this duel now before he banishes her!"

"I can't!" Roland argued.

"Bah, what good are you?" Joey asked rhetorically. "Hang on, Mai, I'll get you out of there!"

Mai struggled to remain conscious even as Joey's voice penetrated the shadows. It's that voice again…

"That's right, Mai, listen to my voice," Joey said as he pulled at the chains. "I won't let anything happen to you! We're friends, Mai, and nothing can ever change that." He grabbed Mai's face and turned it so she was looking straight at him, "When I was K-Oed by that fake Ra, I had a dream I was in school and couldn't get up. All my friends were there and they helped me up. You were there, Mai, it was your hand that I took and helped me up. When I took your hand, I knew that I would have to do anything to protect my friends, especially you, Mai, because that's what friends do, they protect each other no matter what!"

Slowly, the fog cleared from her eyes. And Mai truly looked at him. "Joey… you're here… but… I thought you didn't care…"

"Where did you get that idea? I was willing to face Marik so that you wouldn't have to… because I care about you."

"Joey…" Joey embraced her as best he could.

"That fool broke through my mind control," Yami-Marik said angrily. "It doesn't matter, Ra will destroy them both!" Ra opened its mouth and fired an enormous energy blast.

"Joey!"

"Don't worry, Mai, I'll protect you."

"But what about you?"

"I guess this is where I come in," Harold said. "I'm going in, people!"

"Stop!" Roland commanded. "You can not interrupt this duel!"

"I can if it means saving a life!"

"If you go up there, you'll be disqualified."

Harold said something that caused Tea to cover Serenity's ears. "I don't care about this crummy tournament any more, I won't stand by and watch people I care about get hurt!" Using his Armlet, Harold propelled himself onto the platform. He set up a shield between Joey and Mai and the blast. "I may not be able to stop Marik from winning the duel, but the least I can do is lessen the physical damage!" His shield pushed back the blast.

(V: 0)
(I: 1050)

But the blast began pushing back. Harold's feet began dragging.

"Harold!" Mai called out.

"Hold on, man," Joey cheered.

Yami-Marik's eyebrow twitched.

Yami-Yugi was finally able to break free from the Rod's hold. He too leapt onto the field and touched his puzzle to Harold's Armlet. The symbols became gold-colored and successfully shielded them from Ra's blast.

"We did it," Harold said gasping for breath. He dropped to one knee. "We saved them."

"Maybe not," Yami-Yugi said also on one knee. Yami-Marik was standing over them.

"You've interfered with my plans for the last time, Pharaoh, now you and your little playmates will be punished!" Using the Millennium Rod, he held the two in the air. Yami-Yugi and Harold felt like they were choking, like they were being smothered.

"Yugi!"

"Harold!"

"I think that's enough punishment for one night," Yami-Marik said as he their bodies were thrown unceremoniously from the platform and landed on the ground near Kaiba. He turned to Joey and Mai.

"Stay away," Joey commanded standing between the evil Marik and Mai.

"I think you need some punishment too," Yami-Marik said as he used the ball end of the Rod to bat Joey off the platform.

"Joey!"

"Now for you, my dear, I'll be taking my card back. Penalty Game: Darkness Consumption!" Mai collapsed.


The dark clouds began gathering around her. Mai screamed as she began to feel like someone was eating her.

She could hear Yami-Marik's voice, "The shadows will consume you bit by bit until there's nothing left!"

"NO!"


Every time I use my Rod, I grow stronger. Soon, I won't need to fear that weak fool any more. Yami-Marik turned and walked off the platform casting an evil glance in Kaiba's direction.

By this time, Yami-Yugi and Harold had woken up.

"Are you two okay?" Tea asked.

"I'm fine," Yami-Yugi said.

"Me too, what about Joey and Mai?" The two looked over to see Joey kneeling besides Mai's body.

"Mai, speak to me, Mai! Mai!"

"Forget it, Joey, it's no use," Duke said solemnly.

Joey sobbed as he held Mai's body close.

Kevin dropped to both knees. "It can't be… Mai can't be…"

"Seto, do you read me?" Mokuba asked over Kaiba's radio.

"Go ahead."

"I did as you asked and scanned the Winged Dragon of Ra card. The text appears to have more than just the chant on it. I'll hack into Industrial Illusions and see if Pegasus placed a translation of it in his database."

"Very good, let me know what you find. All right, dweebs, clear the field for the next duel!"

"Kaiba…"

"Save it, Yugi, it's my turn to duel so let the torment begin!"

The End


Duel Monster Database

(1)
Name: Holding Legs
Level: 3
Type: Fiend/Effect
Attribute: Dark
ATK: 800
DEF: 500

(2)
Name: Winged Dragon of Ra
Level: 10
Type: Divine-Beast
Attribute: Divine
ATK: XXXX
DEF: XXXX