"Now what?" groaned Joe as the sky turned violent violet. The clouds thickened almost instantly. Not only was it unnatural, it was eerie.

"You have failed me for the last time Noah!" shouted a deep voice.

"That voice! It can't be!" gasped Kaiba, his blue eyes going wide.

"Father! No! Give me another chance!" protested Noah, shouting up at the sky.

"Too late for that!" shouted the voice. The clouds parted and a face appeared in the sky. It was of a middle-aged man with salt and pepper hair. However, that was all anyone could tell, since they couldn't see a body.

"Gozaburo!" exclaimed Mokuba, who was beyond shock.

"What?! What is he doing here?" asked Drake.

"Out of the frying pan into the fire…" muttered Kevin.

"Wait! Not yet! I need time!" Noah continued to protest.

"More time! Grrr!" growled Gozaburo. "You've had more than enough time to prove yourself! It's time for me to finish things off now! That's why I digitized my own mind when Seto disgraced me by taking over my company. I wanted revenge! Now the time has come!"

"Digitized his own mind?!" gasped Duke.

"So, you've been behind this the whole time!" snapped Kaiba.

"He has! Right father?" said Noah, happily. "And now you're going to give Kaiba Corp. to me!"

"You had your chance Noah!" snapped Gozaburo. Noah gasped in surprise. "And you failed, son!"

Mokuba looked at his step-brother sympathetically. Noah had been cruel to them, but that had only been for one day. The Kaiba brothers had to put up with Gozaburo's cruelty for years. They were against him above everyone else.

"Look pops, you had your chance also!" shouted Kaiba. "You failed when you lost Kaiba Corp. to someone more fit for the job!"

"I taught you everything you know, Seto! You fool!" countered Gozaburo.

"That explains a lot," muttered Joe.

"You thought you could outsmart me! It's about time you learned the truth about why I adopted you," growled Gozaburo. "When you beat me at chess I thought you'd be the perfect person to motivate my real son, Noah, who was quite a slacker."

"You just used him!?" cried Téa.

"People aren't pawns, chess head!" shouted Lara.

"How mean!" agreed Serenity.

"Talk about dysfunctional," muttered Tristan, mingling with monkey chatter.

"Noah needed to work harder on his studies," continued Gozaburo in the sky. "I thought Seto could give him the push he needed to take over Kaiba Corp., but then he had his accident and his body was rendered useless. I tried to preserve his mind in cyber space, but I soon realized he'd be the same spoiled brat, unworthy of inheriting my company!"

"You only have yourself to blame for that!" shouted Drake.

"Yeah," agreed Lara. "That's Noah's problem. Not enough spankings when he was little."

Gozaburo continued as if he had not heard them. "So I turned my attention to you, Seto! I thought that maybe you could be the heir to my fortune. So I pushed you to your limit!"

"That was child abuse," growled Téa.

"You gave up on your own son and left me all alone in cyber space!" cried Noah, who seemed to be in a state of shock.

"Poor guy…" muttered Mokuba.

"Not at first, originally I thought I could use Seto to help you," said Gozaburo.

"You? Help someone?" asked Joe, incredulously.

"Use me?!" exclaimed Seto. "And what was it you were planning on doing with me, Gozaburo?!"

"Even if Noah could learn to run a multi-billion dollar corporation, he lacked one major thing, a body!" explained Gozaburo, heartlessly. "And that's where you came in Seto."

There were gasps from all over the field at this news. Kaiba seemed to be the most horrified of all.

"That's sick!" exclaimed Téa, finding her voice. "You were going to transfer Noah's mind to Kaiba?!"

"Talk about a fate worse than death…" muttered Kevin.

"I think it's time we bail," said Joe. "These whack jobs keep getting nuttier!"

"Relax, that plan only lasted a short time. Noah's mind," chuckled Gozaburo. "Why would I give you Noah's mind when yours was perfectly fine? So I concentrated on training you, Seto. I thought you could inherit my empire, but then you stole it! So using the same technology I used to download Noah's mind into my computer network, I digitized my own mind into cyber space to plot my revenge. Then I built this place for my final plan. I'll take over your body myself!"

"He's mental!" gasped Duke.

"Father…so you used me to trap them here…" said Noah, who was completely horrified.

"That was the only thing you did right!" accused Gozaburo. "But I'll take it from here! The fun and games are over!"

"You snake!" shouted Seto.

"I can't believe that you have the nerve to call me a snake!" retorted Gozaburo. "I'm the most powerful human being on this entire planet, until you came along and stole that power away form me Seto!"

"Okay, this guy is not right in the head," said Joe.

Yami raised an eyebrow. "I agree. We must be careful."

"Don't you realize that I treated you better than my own son?!" Gozaburo shouted at Kaiba, once again ignoring everyone else

"That's not saying a lot," muttered Lara.

"Thanks…for nothing," retorted Kaiba. "And I'll make sure you never regain your power!"

"You're too late!" A screen showing a satellite in orbit appeared next to his large head.

"What's that?" asked Tristan.

"Hahaha, just look! It's part of my newest plan!" laughed Gozaburo. "It's one of the many satellites Kaiba Corp. put into orbit when I was still in charge."

"What are you going to do with that?" asked Joe, skeptically.

"I can guarantee you it won't be good," said Drake, noticing the look on Gozaburo's enormous face.

"These satellites can beam signals to every computer system on earth and back to my underwater base that holds my super computers," explained Gozaburo. "No one on earth will escape me! I'll have access to every home on the planet! Hahaha!"

"Pull-eze!" said Noah. "That has to be the most ridiculous plan I have ever heard!"

"I'm surprised you feel that way, Noah," said Gozaburo. "After all, the idea came from you, remember my son?"

Noah's eyes went wide. "NO!" He had told his father that he could expand the virtual world by connecting to other networks, but he had never intended it to be used like this. He only wanted to fix the glitches in his world.

"And so Seto, I'm no longer interested in taking control of your body to regain Kaiba Corp., I've set my sights on bigger things!" said Gozaburo.

"Lunatic," muttered Seto.

"No, he makes lunatics look sane," said Duke.

"Believe whatever you want to about me Seto," said Gozaburo. "Because once my plan works, I'll be the most powerful being on the planet once again! No one on earth will be able to stop me this time! Seto! Noah! This is about so much more than acquiring just one company! When I'm finished, everyone on earth will become virtual! I plan to digitize the entire world! And I will reign as the cyber ruler of a new planet earth!" He continued to laugh insanely as his face vanished from the clouds.

"Get back here now!" ordered Kaiba. He got no response.

"That has got to be the most absurd plan I have ever heard," said Duke.

"The worst part is, Gozaburo Kaiba is serious about it," said Drake.

"Gee, that guy makes Kaiba look humble and Noah look sane," commented Kevin.

"What do we do now?" asked Joe.

"We get out of here!" replied Lara.

CRASH! A bolt of thunder struck the ground right in the middle of the cluster of teens. They were fortunate enough that no one got hit. Though they were all more than surprised. One would think they would be numb to surprises after a day in the virtual world, but that wasn't the way.

"No! I don't want to be a stone monkey," complained Tristan.

"It's my father!" exclaimed Noah. With that he began to pulse with bright energy. The teens gasped and shielded their eyes as it engulfed them. By the time the next bolt of thunder hit they were all gone.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Shayla had the look of a cornered animal. She had heard everything Gozaburo had said to her friends, since he was still using the terminal below her. Needless to say, she wasn't too happy about what she heard. In fact, that was a major understatement. Every instinct was telling her to get out, but there was no way she could. She still had absolutely no idea why Noah had taken her prisoner in the first place, which continued to bother her.

"That traitor," grumbled Gozaburo as the group disappeared from his screen. Then he smirked. "Luckily, I have a back-up plan." His eyes swept across the room and landed on Shayla.

Shayla didn't notice this. However, she couldn't miss what happened next, even though she couldn't see. She could feel as everything around her dissolved as Gozaburo took both of them to a different place. The cage floor disappeared from beneath her. Shayla tensed up for a moment, but she hit the ground before she could scream. She hated the sudden falling sensation, it caused her acrophobia to kick in. She knew no matter how many times it happened, she could never get used to a world where the very ground you were walking on vanished beneath your feet.

Shayla stood up quickly. As she pushed against the ground her sensitive fingertips could tell that the ground was now covered in a thick carpet. She stood, her legs grateful to stretch. The cage had been too small for her to do more than sit. She could sense nothing else defining about the place she had been taken too.

"Welcome to my office," said Gozaburo, turning his attention to her.

Shayla, remembering her promise to herself, took a deep breath to try and steady her jangling nerves. It did little to help. Her hands were still clenched tight, one around her backpack, the other around the virtual walking stick.

"What do you want with me?" asked Shayla, trying to keep her voice level.

"You personally? Nothing," replied Gozaburo in a calm business-like tone. "However, I am very interested in your rescuer. Noah might have hidden them all from my grasp at this moment. But I know he won't leave this world without you."

Once again, Shayla was stunned. "He's using me for bait?! I'm the bait here?!" She seemed to be having a hard time processing that information. "But…why me? Everyone forgot about me. I can't be the best choice for bait…Me?! A…a…a hostage?!"

"You seemed shocked," smirked Gozaburo.

"You won't get away with any of this," she said with more determination than she felt.

Gozaburo laughed. "I already have." Shayla could hear his heavy footsteps walking towards her. "And there's nothing you or your friends can do about it. You are all prisoners in my virtual world, and soon the entire world will join you!"

Shayla said nothing; she just continued to tighten her grip around the items in her hands. Gozaburo was close now; she was guessing about seven feet up and to her right.

"I've sealed every exit to reality, none of you will ever escape!" Gozaburo continued. "Not even Noah will be able to get past my barricades. Now there's only one matter to deal with before I become the most powerful man in cyber—!"

WHAM! SNAP!

Gozaburo was suddenly cut short when Shayla lashed out with her walking stick. When she got very stressed and cornered, Shayla acted exactly a trapped animal. Just like she had done in the Duelist Kingdom, she aimed high and managed to hit him directly on the right side of his head. The snap was from the virtual walking stick breaking completely in two from the force of connecting with Gozaburo's skull. The end piece sailed across the room and landed with a clatter against the wall. Gozaburo brought a hand to his face, feeling the welt that had formed there. Shayla was breathing a bit heavier than usual, a bit taken back by her actions.

Gozaburo glared venomously at her. Lucky for Shayla, she wasn't able to see it.

"I've been more than fair!" he growled.

Shayla cut him off before he could say more. "You don't know what fair is. Trust me. I know fair."

"You need to learn respect!" snapped Gozaburo.

A sudden tremor through the ground threw Shayla off of her feet. She fell backwards, bracing herself with her hands. Beneath her fingertips the thick carpet dissolved, replaced by very familiar cold steel. The room dissolved around them as well, though they didn't travel very far. They were now in the room of Kaiba Corp. with the very first ever holo-field.

Shayla braced her hands against the cage bottom as she felt it start to swing from side to side. Her equilibrium was telling her that the entire cage was being raised into the air. That wasn't good for someone with a fear of heights. When it finally stopped Shayla could tell she was a considerable distance from the floor, which wasn't very reassuring.

"You'll remain up there until I need you!" snapped Gozaburo. The location of the sound of his voice only confirmed how high she was. "Consider it punishment for your brazen behavior!" With that he turned and walked away. There was a loud thud as two thick doors closed behind him.

"I am in so much trouble," thought Shayla.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Noah was leading everyone else through a dimly lit underground cavern. The low light cast a blue hue on everything. The teens were all following him, somewhat uncertainly.

"Gozaburo can't get away with this," Noah was saying. "You have to stop him, and I know the way out so follow me."

"And why should we believe you, Noah?" asked Joe, skeptically.

"I'm with Joe on this," said Kevin. "It's been nothing but one deception after another in here."

"What choice do we have?" sighed Duke.

"That's another good point," groaned Téa.

The end of the cave came into view. There, oddly, sat a large computer terminal. It was a virtual world, no one said it had to make sense.

"There it is! A possible exit!" exclaimed Noah, racing to it. He hit a few buttons. His shoulders slumped forward, disappointed. "Never mind, this is one of several remote network stations built by my father. It can give us access to all of the program's emergency exits, but it appears that my father has locked the system and closed off every exit to prevent us from escaping. When he showed up again after so many years he promised to help me. But he was lying. My father was using me." Noah was still somewhat in shock over his father's betrayal.

"Gozaburo treated Noah the same way he treated Seto, with no respect!" thought Mokuba. "Noah…are you okay?"

"Are you sure you used the right password?" asked Drake.

"Are you sure there are no other exits around here?" asked Joe.

"Yeah, maybe there's a way out of here you're not thinking of," agreed Téa.

"Enough of this monkey business, I want to wake up in my own body!" added Tristan.

"Don't worry, Tristan," reassured Serenity.

"We got to stop his old man from digitizing the world!" continued Joe.

"And we can't do that from in here," finished Téa.

Noah chuckled. "Very perceptive."

"Are you sure that psycho plan of Gozaburo's is even going to work in the first place?" asked Lara, mostly to herself.

"Every virtual reality program has more than one emergency exit system, so why don't you try thinking harder, Noah!" snapped Kaiba, who was starting to sink into angry mode.

"What's wrong Seto?" asked Noah, sounding a bit out of it. "Don't you want to stay a while? I won't be alone in this virtual world for very much longer." He started laughing, and laughing hard. It was an insane laugh. "My father says he's bringing the whole world in here, and that means I never have to be alone again! We'll be one big happy family!" He continued to laugh.

Mokuba walked up to him, grabbed his shoulders, and started shaking him. "Noah stop! You have to get a hold of yourself! You're in danger too and we all have to work together now!"

"Moki, you're right," answered Noah. But he didn't use his own voice. He used Kaiba's voice from when he was twelve.

"Seto?!" gasped Mokuba, pulling away. He turned away from Noah, desperately shaking his head. "Now I think I'm going nuts!"

"Calm down Mokuba, it's me," said Noah in his own voice.

"I can see that Noah!" snapped Mokuba, turning completely away from him. "I know Noah is an evil jerk, but it's not his fault, maybe we can help him."

"What are you trying to pull now, Noah?" asked Kevin.

"Just let us out of here! We had a deal!" snapped Duke.

"Calm down guys," encouraged Yami.

"Wait a second…something has just occurred to me," said Noah. "There's one more escape route here."

"Where is it?!" demanded Joe.

"Tell me!" ordered Kaiba.

"You had better not be lying!" added Lara.

"It's a doorway that I created and it leads directly to the real world," explained Noah. "I'm quite sure my father has no idea that it exists. You can escape and warn the world of his plan."

"Then what are we waiting around here for? Let's go!" cheered Joe.

"Why would Noah make a door he would never be able to use?" wondered Drake. "Is this a trick? Well…maybe he did it because he was bored, which is within the realm of possibilities. We still have to be careful."

"We're waiting," said monkey Tristan.

"Then follow me," said Noah as he started back-tracking, walking through the group. "Once I claim a body I'll be making my escape alone."

"Guys, Shayla is still missing," commented Mokuba.

"Yeah, that's right," said Téa, biting her lower lip. "Where could she be?"

"I already answered that," said Noah. "We let her go back to the real world a long time ago."

"I'm finding that hard to believe," said Kevin, who had more experience in Noah's tricks than the rest.

Noah shrugged. "No one wanted to bother with her. Her body wasn't suited for use."

"How mean!" protested Serenity.

"I don't believe you Noah," growled Seto, his hands clenched into tight fists. "You're lying! Where is she!?"

"Kaiba, chill," said Joe, which earned him the death glare.

"How can you be so sure?" asked Lara. Kaiba didn't answer her, he was too busy focusing on Noah.

"I told you, she's in reality now and you can all join her soon," said Noah. He looked back at the group and noticed all of their disbelieving expressions. "That's the truth! And the truth doesn't change based on who believes it and who doesn't!"

Kaiba was so surprised he actually stopped walking. "That is exactly the kind of thing Shayla would say! She's the one who cares about truth. Noah wouldn't know what truth was if his life depended on it!"

"Now I know you're lying, Noah!" growled Kaiba. The edge in his tone was enough to cause the whole group to stop and stare.

"Believe what you like," shrugged Noah. He wasn't exactly sure why he was still playing his father's game and not letting them know about Shayla, but he was a bit annoyed at her about everything she said to him.

"Joe's right, you need to chill, Kaiba," said Drake as they continued to follow Noah.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Things were still happening in the real world. The blimp had been locked in the hangar, but that didn't stop everyone. Yami Marik stepped off of the blimp and looked around at the cold steel walls.

"What is keeping those fools?" thought Yami Marik, with his temper flaring. "I am sick of waiting. I want to claim the power of the pharaoh!" He entered the first hallway he came to. However, he didn't get far before his way was barred. "What's this? A locked door? This might hold some answers…"

A number pad was next to the door. He hit some random numbers.

"Incorrect password," said a feminine computer voice. A thick glass case slid over the number pad, preventing him from trying again.

(AN/ Celebration! This spot marks the 500th page of the entire Shayla Saga! xthrows a big partyx)

If Yami Marik was mad before, he was fuming now. He pounded the glass case with his fist, but it didn't break. However, it did have another effect. An alarm started to sound. Responding to the call, several robots hurried to the source of the problem.

"Intruder alert, Intruder alert!" said the robots.

Yami Marik looked at them for a moment, then started laughing. "Come get me!"

The robots were a build a bit like a cream colored beetle that had been folded over, then made to walk up right. They scuttled along on needle-like legs that didn't seem to fit the rest of the body. The upper bodies were covered in thick armor. Every arm totted a powerful, high-tech gun. They opened fire.

Yami Marik raised the Millennial Rod. Not only did he cause the attacks to be reflected, he added his own power as well. The robots were reduced to smoldering scrap metal.

"Well that was amusing. Now to find those fools!" he said to himself.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"It's not to far from here," said Noah to the duelists as they continued to travel through the cave. They were now walking up a slight incline. Noah was leading, followed closely by Mokuba. Joe and Duke were next, keeping an eye on him. Drake and Lara were behind them, walking hand in hand. Serenity and Téa were walking together, Serenity still holding monkey Tristan. Kevin was with them, looking for an opportunity to flirt. Yami was hanging back with Seto Kaiba.

"Kaiba, something's not right," Yami said. "I think Noah's lying to us. He's not to be trusted."

"Try telling me something I don't already know Yu-Gi," replied Kaiba.

"If you are so sure this is a trick then why are you following him?"

"I was always taught to keep my enemies close by."

The cave suddenly ended. Bright sunlight pierced the underground gloom. The blue stones gave way to yellow sand. The group had reentered the desert section of the virtual world.

/Maybe Kaiba's wrong. Maybe Noah is trying to help us now,/ Yu-Gi said to Yami.

/But why?/ asked Yami.

/His dad betrayed him again, so Noah must want to stop him as much as we do./

/Perhaps./

/Come to think of it, Noah and Kaiba really have a lot in common,/ continued Yu-Gi. /They were both mistreated by Gozaburo, and they need our help our help to defeat him./

/You're right, we're all on the same team now, so why don't you take it from here?/ Yami suggested.

/Sure,/ said Yu-Gi as he took back control.

Noah led them into a deep canyon in the middle of the desert. This seemed to make Téa a bit jumpy. She kept glancing up at the edges of the high, sandstone walls around them.

"Are you okay, Téa?" asked Kevin.

"Fine…just fine…" she stammered.

"Are you sure? Something seems to be bothering you," said Kevin.

"It's just…well…this is a bad place for us to be, we might be ambushed," she managed to say. She didn't know how to word the fact that Hitotsu-Me Giants lived in the area.

"Don't worry, I'll protect you," said Kevin.

"Oh brother," groaned monkey Tristan.

"All right, where is this exit already?" asked Joe, impatiently.

"There," said Noah, gesturing to the back wall of the canyon. A large door was embedded into the rocks. It stood out. The bricks around the door were grey, while the canyon was sandy yellow. It looked like someone had set part of a wall of a medieval castle in the middle of the canyon. "Your freedom lies beyond this door. Once you walk through you'll wake up in the real world."

"You had better be keeping your word, Noah," threatened Lara in a low voice.

"I don't know about this guys…" said Téa, trailing off.

"I agree," said Drake. "Can we have some kind of—"

Before he could finish, the door swung open on its own, engulfing them all in a blinding white light. There were cries of surprise as they all shielded their eyes from the flash. The world around them dissolved.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"What's going to happen now?" wondered Shayla. Since she was no longer in the surveillance room, she couldn't hear what was going on. She was worried about the others and she was worried about herself. Shayla was starting to have doubts if they would ever escape. She knew they would never be able unless Noah or Gozaburo allowed them, and the odds of them doing their were minuscule.

"Don't forget me guys," she thought, desperately. "I need your help to get out of here!" Her lips were moving silently in a prayer for all of them.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Things weren't going much better for everyone else. Noah's newest computer program had trapped them all within their own memories of Battle City. Well, that is, most everyone was trapped.

Mokuba looked around, puzzled. He was once more standing in the center of Domino. He was complete alone, and he knew he had yet to make it back to reality.

"Hello! Where is everyone?! They're gone…that's weird…Seto! I hope they didn't leave without me…" called Mokuba. Little did he know that there was a separate trap in store for him.

"Mokuba!" exclaimed Noah, appearing out of nowhere and running to him. "What are you still doing here?"

"Where else would I be?" asked Mokuba, a bit dejectedly, a bit sarcastically.

"They made it out already," lied Noah. He gestured for Mokuba to follow him. "Come on." They both started walking up the street. "Your friends may think they're free, but they're really trapped in their own memories."

They didn't walk too far before Noah entered the Domino Arcade. Mokuba followed. The arcade had some of the most high tech games made, but it was eerily empty.

"We're here Mokuba. The secret exit to the real world is located inside of this arcade," said Noah.

"It's inside one of these video games?" asked Mokuba, who was already running to the nearest one.

"Yes," lied Noah. "Right there."

Mokuba started playing the game, eagerly. "Where is it? I can't wait to get back home!"

"I'm sorry to say you won't be going home Mokuba," thought Noah, evilly, smiling wickedly behind his back.

"Hey Noah, I can't find the exit in here…" said Mokuba who was still playing the game. He was quite skilled with video games, after helping his older brother test so many. "This video game has so many levels… Do you remember which one you hid the secret doorway in."

"You'll never find out you fool," thought Noah, still smirking while Mokuba wasn't watching. "You're close."

"Close to having your body taken over that is," thought Noah. He reached out a hand to take control of Mokuba's body.

"I just remember…you can't escape to the real world with us without a body…" said Mokuba, causing Noah to hesitate. He wanted to wait until Mokuba was completely distracted. "But I bet Seto can make you a body! I mean, you're our family Noah." Noah was so surprised by this comment that he actually put his hand down and continued to listen. "It won't be the same as your old body, but at least you'll be in the real world. I'm sure that the tech experts at Kaiba Corp. can construct some type of a robot body! Hey, maybe we can be twins!" He jumped up from the game and turned to Noah, chuckling happily, not suspecting a thing. "After all Noah, we are brothers, aren't we?" He smiled and continued to laugh good-naturedly.

"Mokuba still likes me after all I've done to him? I almost feel bad," thought Mokuba.

Mokuba turned his attention to the room. "There are so many games in here…maybe you hid the exit somewhere else."

"Oh. Yeah! I did!" said Noah, as if he had suddenly remembered that fact. He pointed to the back of the room, where there was a large Dance Dance Revolution stage. "It's in that one!"

"Thanks Noah!" exclaimed Mokuba, turning and running onto the stage.

"Now, where is the exit?" asked Mokuba as he leapt up the steps of the stage.

"Right here!" exclaimed Noah, sticking both of his hands right into Mokuba's back.

Mokuba's face showed an expression of pure shock for a moment. Then, both of them disappeared completely in sparkles of light. The arcade was as eerily empty as it had been when they entered. There was no sign that they had even been their in the first place.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The rest of the group was breaking free of Noah's illusions. It wasn't one of his best tricks, it was just meant to get them out of the way long enough. There was a bright flash of light and they all completely broke free, ending up in the town square, right where Mokuba and Noah had been minutes before.

"Can anyone tell me what's going on?!" exclaimed monkey Tristan, who sounded very ticked.

"I don't know…" said Duke, looking around.

"My head…" complained Kevin.

"I know what happened," said Yu-Gi. "Noah must have tricked us!"

"That rotten little brat!" shrieked Lara.

"Let's find that punk! Right now! Where is he anyway?" demanded Joe.

"This time, we're using the belt," agreed Drake.

"Hey! Kaiba's gone too!" exclaimed Téa, looking around.

"And Mokuba!" added Serenity.

"What is Noah trying to pull now?!" growled Duke.

"I know it's not good," said Drake.

"We need to bail. Now," said Lara.

"But how?" asked Serenity. No one had an answer for that.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Noah never intended to set us free," thought Seto Kaiba. The moment the large door in the canyon started to open, he had turned and walked away. He was now entering the business district of virtual Domino City. "He claimed that doorway led back to the real world, but it was just another trap! He's done nothing but lie to us since the beginning! He was also lying about letting Shayla back into the real world. She's still a prisoner here." His eyes suddenly went wide. "Why didn't I realize it sooner?! Noah's virtual software has been going through my memories. He would have found out I liked her, regardless of the fact she has no idea. They're using her to get to me, just like they did Mokuba! I won't let them use all of us like this! Now, it's time to go straight to the source and take down the man behind all of this mess, my step-father Gozaburo Kaiba. If he thinks his ridiculous plan to drag the entire world into this digital dump is going to succeed, then he's more senile than I thought."

Kaiba had just reached the skyscraper that functioned at the head quarters of Kaiba Corp. He looked up it, his hands clenching into fists. "I bet that old fool is sitting in my office right now!"

"I've taken him down once before and I'm planning on doing it again, this time for good," Kaiba said out-loud as he pushed open the large glass doors and entered the building.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"That scrawny little twerp double-crossed us again! I knew we shouldn't have trusted him. He's toast!" exclaimed Joe.

"No, he's worse than toast!" agreed Kevin.

"Once a traitor always a traitor, just like the Big 5," grumbled Drake.

"Let's pulverize him!" Joe continued to fume.

"Wait Joe, we have to come up with a plan that makes sense!" cautioned Yu-Gi.

"I already have. We shake Noah upside down until he tells us the way out!" said Joe.

"I have to agree with Joe on this one, only Noah knows where the exit is," said Duke.

"No, that's to good for that spoiled brat," said Lara, venomously.

"We're running out of time, because pretty soon the whole world will be trapped…" Téa trailed off.

"Do you really think Gozaburo would succeed?" asked Tristan, talking half in chimp.

/I guess I shouldn't have trusted Noah, this is all my fault,/ sighed Yu-Gi.

/That's not true, you believe there is still good inside of Noah, there's nothing wrong with that,/ said Yami.

/But no one else does…/

/Give them time, after everything he's done it's hard to believe he can change. Noah's acts of rage are fueled by an anger deep inside, but we can help him see the light./

/I hope so…and soon./ Then, out-loud, Yu-Gi said, "All right, let's go find Noah and figure out a way to get out of here so we can stop Gozaburo's plan."

"But…how?" asked Téa.

"Once we are in the real world we can warn people about Gozaburo's plan to digitize the entire planet!" said Yu-Gi.

"Who's going to believe that?" asked Drake.

"And how are we going to get out in the first place?" asked Kevin.

Tristan started to chatter away, but the only words distinguishable from the monkey chatter were "Stop" and "That."

"Tristan, I couldn't understand a thing you just said. You're almost all chimp now!" said Duke, looking over at monkey Tristan, who was on his shoulder.

"Poor Tristan…" said Serenity.

Little did they know that they were about to be in a whole lot more trouble. Gozaburo was sitting behind a chess board, moving the pieces across the field. Every time he moved one, a set of monsters appeared around the duelists with a bright flash of light. Five Rock Ogre Grottos (800/1200) formed, followed by a small platoon of Lizard Soldiers (1100/800), and then a group of female monsters (1200/1900). The duelists were surrounded before they knew what was happening.

"What gives?!" exclaimed Kevin.

"Someone doesn't want us to escape!" exclaimed Drake.

"It's butt kicking time!" exclaimed Joe, readying his duel disk. Yu-Gi and Drake were doing the same, since they were the only ones who still had their virtual duel disks. The rest had been lost along the way.

"We need to get out of here! Now!" exclaimed Téa.

"I hope this works…" said Yu-Gi, holding up the first card he drew. "Curse of Dragon!" In a flash, his skeleton dragon appeared above him.

"All right!" cheered Duke.

"Nice choice," complimented Drake. "Grey Wing!" His dragon appeared with Yu-Gi's.

"Dragon Flame Attack!" ordered Yu-Gi. The Curse of Dragon raised its head and showered the ground with flame, taking out some of the Lizard Soldiers.

"My turn!" exclaimed Joe. "Axe Raider!" His warrior monster appeared on the ground, battle axe ready. It charged through the Rock Ogre Grottos.

"This is our chance! Run for it!" exclaimed Lara, noticing the gap in the ring of monsters.

The non-dueling teens followed her lead and darted through the monsters, trying to avoid being slashed.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Thanks Mokuba, I owe you my life!" laughed Noah as he stepped out of the virtual pod in Mokuba's body. "It's good to be back in the real world. Mokuba's body was a perfect fit!" He started down one of the corridors of the submarine. He reached the same door that Yami Marik had trouble with. However, Noah knew the password. "Now I can move on with my plan and stop my father form completely his."

"Access confirmed. Welcome to central command," said a feminine computer voice.

The room was filled with large computer terminals with a large screen on the back wall. Noah walked directly up to the central terminal and started entering things on the keyboard.

"It's so simple. I destroy the central computer that allows my father's virtual world to exist, thus destroying every mind that's trapped there; my father's, Seto's, and all of Yu-Gi's friends."

"Those fools, actually thinking I was going to help them escape is the last mistake they'll ever make. Now it's time. The past is over. And I'll take my father down with his own satellite," said Noah. The screen flickered to a satellite that was orbiting the earth. It was the same one Gozaburo had shown them in the virtual world.

"Initiating satellite reprogramming. Preparing for attack," said the computer.

"The satellite is almost reprogrammed for destruction!" exclaimed Noah, happily. At that moment, an alarm started blaring. Noah looked up at the screen. It had switched from showing the orbiting satellite to showing a section of the ship. Yami Marik had gone on a rampage, destroying whatever he saw fit.

He laughed as he blew a heavily armored door right off of its hinges. "I'll find you pharaoh," he said, continuing to laugh. "Even if that means shutting this place down!" He raised the Millennial Rod and blasted the power core in the center of the room.

"Warning, main power is offline. Warning, main power is offline," said the computer voice as the lights flickered, then died entirely.

"No! I was almost finished!" exclaimed Noah in Mokuba's body. He pounded the keyboard futilely with his fists.

"Releasing magnetic docks," said the computer voice. The machinery holding the blimp down went offline.

"Hey! We're no longer locked down!" exclaimed one of the pilots.

"Excellent, now we have to find the other passengers," said another.

"Marik…" thought Ishizu, her face marked with concern.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Seto Kaiba was waiting impatiently for the elevator to take him to the top floors of Kaiba Corp.. He was slowly sinking into angry mode the more he thought about Gozaburo's plans.

"I'm going to put an end to my step-father's non-sense once and for all," he told himself. "He'll regret ever taking Mokuba and Shayla prisoner. I'm going to save her, then I'm going to make him pay."

He boldly approached the doors to his own office and threw the doors wide open, causing them to slam into the walls.

"Don't you know how to knock?!" snapped Gozaburo. The large chair behind the desk turned around and Gozaburo glowered at his step-son.

"I guess you never taught me manners pops," said Kaiba, sarcastically. Then his tone went deadly serious. "Where is she?"

His eyes scanned the room for any sign of Shayla. They came to a rest on the broken half of her walking stick. His eyes narrowed. His suspicions had been confirmed. He looked back up at Gozaburo, noticing the welt on the side of his face for the first time. Kaiba repressed a smirk, secretly impressed at what Shayla managed to do. He had been more than surprised when she did the exact thing at the Duelist Kingdom, though he completely agreed with her actions then and now.

"Have a seat. It's time for a father-son chat!" ordered Gozaburo.

"In your dreams," shot Seto. His frosty tone dropped a few more degrees. "Now answer me! Where is she?"

"Just give in now," said Gozaburo, ignoring him. "You'll make things much easier on yourself." He moved a piece on the chessboard in front of himself, causing more monsters to appear and give the duelists grief. "Or you can chose to meet the same fate as your little friends." A screen rolled down behind Kaiba. He could hear the cries and exclamations from everyone else as Gozaburo's monsters continued their attack. However, he did not turn around to look at the screen. Seto wasn't about to turn his back to Gozaburo.

"Take a look. My army of monsters is about to wipe them out," Gozaburo urged, but Kaiba didn't budge.

"You're little threats don't scare me at all. Why don't you let us go before I really get angry?" said Kaiba.

"You haven't change a bit," said Gozaburo, standing up. He walked around the desk and started to walk passed Kaiba. However, he stopped just as he entered Kaiba's peripheral vision. Kaiba did not turn to meet him in the eye. "All right, I know the perfect way to settle our differences. Do you recall the chess match we had the day I met you? Well I propose a rematch!"

Kaiba repressed a chortle. "You are not worth my time. Why would I want to play chess against someone who couldn't even beat me when I was twelve?"

"What makes you think that I'm talking about you and I playing another chess game Seto?" smirked Gozaburo.

Kaiba was so surprised by this he actually turned and faced his step-father. "Then what did you have in mind, Gozaburo?"

"Take a guess," replied Gozaburo, arrogantly. "It's a game you're quite fond of. Duel Monsters!"

"Really? What are you up to?" challenged Seto Kaiba.

"You seem mad," said Gozaburo with mock naiveté. "I thought you'd jump at the chance to duel your step-father to win your freedom and that of the girl you love."

"You thought wrong Gozaburo!" shot Kaiba. "You can't play with our lives like they're a game."

"That's exactly what you did to me Seto! On the day you stole Kaiba Corp. from me!" accused Gozaburo.

"How heart breaking. You're here because I outsmarted you and took away your precious little company."

"I'm here because the virtual world gives me limitless power! Soon I'll use it to digitize the world! But first I'll get rid of you!"

"And why do you have to beat me in a duel to do that?" asked Kaiba, a bit coyly.

"To humiliate you like you humiliated me!" shouted Gozaburo. "Once I beat you at your favorite game I'll make sure you never stand in my way again! I'll erase your mind and reprogram you as my servant who will obey my every command, just like the rest of the world!"

"I have never served anyone but myself. I have never backed down from a challenge, either, Gozaburo," replied Kaiba. "So let's duel."

-x-x-x-x-x-

They entered the large arena that Seto Kaiba had set aside for duels in the Kaiba Corp. HQ. Gozaburo flicked on the lights and Kaiba couldn't help but gasp in surprise. There, hanging directly above the field in the middle of a cage, was Shayla. She was sitting directly in the middle of the cage, as far as she could get from all side, looking very tense.

"Shayla!" exclaimed Kaiba. "Are you okay?!"

"K-Kaiba?!" gasped Shayla, completely surprised. "Is it really you?!"

"Yes, are you okay?" he repeated.

"I've been better…" she trailed off.

"Gozaburo! Let her down from there this instant!" ordered Kaiba.

"We had an agreement," said Gozaburo, walking over to the left handed duel platform. He was talking with his back to his step-son. "In order for the two of you two go free, you must beat me in a duel. Until that happens, you both remain right where you are."

"Kaiba's going to be the one to free me?!" thought Shayla, more than stunned. "I think it is absolutely impossible for this day to get any weirder." Pity she didn't knock on wood.

Kaiba started towards the right-hand dueling platform. "Hang in there Shayla, we'll both be out of here soon."

"Are you ready to humiliate yourself, Seto?" asked Gozaburo as the holo-field activated.

"You tell me," replied Kaiba.

"Let's get this duel started. Now then, I'll go first!"

"And you criticize me for having no manners?" countered Kaiba. "Go ahead and make your move."

"I activate the magic card Painful Choice," said Gozaburo. "This card lets me draw five cards from my deck. Then you choose one to go to my hand. The rest are sent to the graveyard."

"I know what the cards does you fool!" snapped Kaiba. "So pick your cards so we can get this duel over with."

"Have it your way Seto. Feast your eyes on my five cards. I have a feeling you've encountered them before," said Gozaburo. The holo-field showed five large holograms of the cards Gozaburo had chosen. "Take a close look. Do these five cards seem familiar to you?" The five cards were none other that the five pieces of Exodia.

Kaiba couldn't help but be shocked. "It can't be! Not those cards! It's the five pieces of Exodia the forbidden one!"

"Exactly and I know all about your painful history with Exodia," gloated Gozaburo.

Kaiba frowned, remembering how he had lost his first duel ever to those cards. "Your point? That's history! Besides, I'm about to send four pieces to the graveyard."

Gozaburo laughed. "Then what are you waiting for?" Kaiba paused a moment, trying to figure out if there was anything Gozaburo was trying to pull.

"Having the five pieces of Exodia in one's hand ensures an automatic victory," thought Kaiba. "But since Gozaburo used a Painful Choice magic card, he won't win that instant victory, and all but one piece will be in the graveyard. What is he trying to pull? Gozaburo is no fool, he wouldn't just throw away his best cards."

"Didn't I teach you that hesitation is a form of weakness when facing down your enemies Seto?" Kaiba didn't reply, he was still trying to consider all of his options.

"Kaiba!" called Shayla as Gozaburo held up the five pieces of Exodia. "Be careful! He's planning on…"

Before she could finish, Gozaburo caused the cage to swing wildly from side to side.

"EEP!" Shayla braced her hands on the bottom, trying to keep from shaking herself.

"Silence you!" snapped Gozaburo.

Kaiba glared at his step-father. "Leave her alone! She's not part of this! If you have any problems here, I'm the one you want!"

"Kaiba…" whispered Shayla, again surprised by his attitude.

"Shayla said Gozaburo has a plan…And she does know her cards…" Kaiba thought. "Does that mean Gozaburo wants Exodia in the graveyard? It doesn't make any sense!"

"Come on, Seto," said Gozaburo, impatiently.

"I choose the Right Arm of Exodia," said Kaiba. "The other for pieces are sent to the graveyard. Gozaburo put the one card in his hand and discarded the rest.

"Kaiba…be careful…" murmured Shayla. She said it quietly because didn't want to cause Gozaburo to swing the cage again, it only made her acrophobia worse.

"Gozaburo, you are a fool if you think you can take me down," said Kaiba.

Gozaburo laughed once again. "I play this card face down. You might think you have the upper hand now, but it won't be long before you hear me say check mate."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The light on the submarine flickered back to life. "Emergency backup generator activated. All systems operating normally," said the computer.

"Good, where was I?" Noah asked himself. "Once that satellite attacks the entire virtual world will instantly shut down along with every mind inside." With the power back on, Noah also had access to the surveillance system again. The cameras were all focused on Yami Marik, who was laughing as he continued to blast the robots that came to stop him. "An uninvited guest. It's not like it matters. This place is history." He hit the 'Enter' key and finished him command.

"Thirty minutes until satellite attack," said the computer.

Noah laughed and walked out.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"The coast is clear! Let's go!" said Joe as he finished blasting a monster. He motioned for everyone to dart down the alley.

"Are those monsters coming back?" asked Serenity.

"Don't worry Serenity, it seems like we're safe for now," comforted Duke. A Lizard Soldier approached the alley. "Or maybe not…"

"Persistent nuisances…" muttered Lara, feeling the loss of her duel disk.

"Looks like our works not done," commented Yu-Gi, reaching for his deck.

"All right, lets do our thing, guys," said Joe.

"I'm ready," said Drake. "The rest of you be careful and try to find cover."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"25 minutes until satellite attack, evacuate virtual stimulators," said the computer voice.

Yami Marik blasted his way into the main control room. "I must find those fools. Hmmm, what's this?" He walked over to the computer terminals.

"Satellite set to destroy central computer," said the computer.

Yami Marik started laughing and laughing hard.

-x-x-x-x-x-

"23 minutes to satellite attack," announced the computer as Noah in Mokuba's body rode the elevator to the upper deck of the sub.

Noah was still mulling over his father's betrayal. "He's lied to me for the last time!" A hatch built into the submarine opened and a helicopter was raised to the top. It started automatically.

"It's time to make my escape and leave those fools behind," thought Noah, viciously. But then his thoughts wandered to Mokuba, and how he had tried to help him when he was having a fit of insanity underground. Noah shook Mokuba's head. "Mokuba's a fool." But still, his thoughts dwelt on the youngest prisoner in the virtual world. Noah simply couldn't forget what his step-brother told him in the arcade. "Why can't I stop thinking about this?"

"He trusts me, after all I did," Noah muttered to himself as he stepped into the helicopter and strapped himself in. "Brotherhood? Family? Who needs it? That's behind me. Soon my so-called family will be gone for good."

"21 minutes to satellite attack, evacuate virtual stimulators," said the computer.

Noah's tough façade feel and he quit denying his heart. "What have I done?!" In that instant he was flooded with guilt. "Oh no…"

He leapt out of the helicopter and hurried back the way he came, waiting impatiently in the elevator and racing through the halls.

"18 minutes to satellite attack," the computer counted down.

"My brother believes in me, I can't let him down! I have to stop that satellite!" thought Noah, desperately, as he hurried back to the control room. He was more than horrified to see every terminal broken and smoldering. He gaped for a few seconds before he could recover. "The controls! I can't stop the attack! No! That intruder must have done all of this! Mokuba and the others are doomed! It's all my fault!" He cried out in anguish and raced from the room.

"15 minutes to satellite attack, evacuate immediately," said the computer, emotionlessly.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"I play my Vorse Raider in attack mode," announced Kaiba as he started his first turn. His monster appeared in front of him with 1900 attack points. "He had a monster in defense mode. It could be stronger than my Vorse Raider, but knowing Gozaburo, he's bluffing."

"Kaiba…he's stringing you along," thought Shayla, biting her lip. "I know the monster Gozaburo summoned is Exodia's Right Hand."

"All right Vorse Raider, attack his face down monster!" ordered Kaiba His monster raised its blade and charged forward, slicing the card hologram in half. Shayla was right. The monster was revealed to be the Right Arm of the Forbidden One before the hologram broke apart.

"Why did you put Exodia's right arm on the field?!" demanded Kaiba.

"Kaiba, you have to be ready for anything!" said Shayla, no longer able to keep quite. "This is really bad!"

"You're about to find out how bad!" laughed Gozaburo.

"What are you waiting for?" asked Kaiba, his eyes narrowing.

"Nothing now that I have what I need," said Gozaburo, as he drew a card. "I activate the magic card Contract with Exodia!"

"I've never seen that card before! What is it!?" gasped Kaiba. Shayla's worst fears had been confirmed.

"Contract with Exodia is a rare magic card that can only be activated when all five pieces of Exodia are in the graveyard. It costs half of my life points, but it allows me to summon a monster more powerful than Exodia itself!"

"What on earth are you talking about?!" exclaimed Kaiba.

"Meet Exodia Necros!" an enormous monster rose out of the ground. It was an exact image of Exodia, except its skin was charcoal black. It had the muscular limbs of Exodia, and even the headdress, chains, and shackles. It was so tall its forehead was even with Shayla's cage. It's stats were 1800 and 0. "Check mate Seto!"

"Exodia Necros?! It looks just like Exodia!" gasped Kaiba. For him, it was like a blast from his first duel with Yu-Gi, something he had tried very hard to forget.

Gozaburo was laughing like a nut. "Well son, are you frightened?"

"Not quite!" snapped Seto. Exodia Necros's appearance had caught him off guard, but like any professional duelist, he regained his composure and was already trying to figure out a way to beat it. "Some all powerful monster. My Vorse Raider still has more attack points than it! Vorse Raider! Attack his monster!" His Vorse Raider leapt into the air, slicing Exodia Necros from top to bottom. However, Gozaburo's monster did not burst into data. Gozaburo laughed, though his life points dropped by 100 to 1900.

"I'm sure you want to know why Exodia Necros is still standing," said Gozaburo. "That's because of its special abilities. It gains 1000 attack points every time it is in battle! And it can't be destroyed by a monster! I told you Exodia Necros was invincible!" His monster now had 2800 attack points.

"No monster is invincible," replied Kaiba. "It's only a matter of time until I find your monster's weakness!"

"I know you can do it Kaiba, but it won't be easy," called Shayla. She wanted to say more, but she could feel Gozaburo's eyes on her.

"Give up now Seto, you'll never stop Exodia Necros because it can't be stopped!" snapped Gozaburo.

"Just watch me bring it down," countered Kaiba. "I summon Spirit Ryu to the field!" His first dragon of the duel appeared. Its attack equaled its defense at 1000. "Then I play the card Burst Breath! This card requires me to tribute one dragon in order to send all monsters on the field that have a defense less than my dragon directly to the graveyard. Spirit Ryu has 1000 defense points, but Exodia Necros has none! So your 'invincible' monster is destroyed!" Spirit Ryu vanished from the field and Kaiba waited for Exodia Necros to do the same. However, it remained standing.

Gozaburo laughed his insane laugh. "Exodia Necros has more special abilities, one for each piece that is in the graveyard. Exodia's Left Leg means it can't be destroyed by magic cards. Its right leg means it can't be destroyed by trap cards. Having Exodia's Left Arm in the graveyard means it can't be destroyed by the special effects of a monster. Its right arm gives it 1000 attack points every time it is in battle. And Exodia's head prevents it from being destroyed in battle!"

"That's insane! The five pieces of Exodia are still powerful when they've been sent to the graveyard!" thought Seto. His eyes went wide as he frantically scanned his mind for a way to beat the creature that now stood in front of him. He could find nothing, though.

"Kaiba!" called Shayla. "Listen to me! You're one of the best duelists I know, and I know you can beat that thing! I believe in you!"

Kaiba's eyes locked on her, briefly taking in her serious expression. He knew she wouldn't lie. A small smile danced on his lips for a moment and a glimmer of hope sparked in his eyes. He turned his attention back to the duel. "I refuse to be beaten by you, Gozaburo. So I play one card face down and move my Vorse Raider to defense mode."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Let's fry this creep, Yug," said Joe. The monsters were progressively getting stronger.

"Right, Dark Magician!" said Yu-Gi, holding up his favorite card. "Dark Magic Attack!"

"Rocket Warrior, Invincible Attack!" ordered Joe.

"I can't keep running like this," complained Serenity, who was getting tired.

"Hang in there, Serenity, we'll get out of here," said Duke.

Tristan agreed, in monkey.

"Let's have some fun!" exclaimed Drake. "Tyrant Dragon!" His favorite monster appeared and instantly started thrashing Gozaburo's monsters.

"We need a better plan," said Téa. "We can't keep running and fighting."

"We need an exit," agreed Kevin.

"Come on! We have to keep moving!" called Lara.

"Guys! Can you hear me!" came Noah's voice from the sky. He had found a working terminal by the virtual pods. It allowed him access to the virtual world, but he couldn't stop the satellite from it.

"Ten minutes to satellite attack," the computer said in the background.

"Noah?!" exclaimed the group.

"Come here you little punk!" exclaimed Joe.

"You are in serious trouble!" shouted Lara.

"You don't have any time!" Noah continued. "There is a missile heading towards the mainframe. When it hits the entire computer that supports the virtual world will be destroyed! If you don't get out before then, you're minds be destroyed with it!"

"Here that guys?" asked Yu-Gi.

"Yeah, this virtual world is about to go bye bye," said Joe.

"And when it's destroyed it's take our minds with it," added Duke.

"Things always seem to get worse around here…" muttered Téa.

"Don't give up, pretty lady," said Kevin, taking her hand, causing Téa to sweat-drop. "We'll get out of here."

"Listen to me; I can help," continued Noah. "The only exit is in the Domino Arcade. Hurry! Time is running out! "

"Can we trust him?" asked Téa.

"No," replied Lara, instantly.

"Again, we're in the 'no choice' dilemma," said Duke.

"Well...Joe?" asked Serenity.

"Trust Noah? Forget about it," replied Joe.

"Duke…no choice…Joe," Tristan managed to get out over the ape talk.

"You're right! We have nothing to lose!" said Yu-Gi.

"That's not quite how I see it," said Drake.

Téa bit her lip. "Let's go!"

"Yeah…" agreed Duke, reluctantly.

"All right, but I'm warning you! You better not pull any of your dirty tricks Noah!" Joe shouted up at the sky before running with the group to the arcade.

"Hurry! You have to get out of there! Now!" called Noah.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Hurry! You have to get out of there! Now!" finished Noah.

Shayla buried her face in her hands. "I can't take much more of this…" she moaned.

"Shayla!" called Kaiba. "It's your turn to listen to me! You said you believed in me, and I haven't give up yet! I'm going to win this duel and get you down from there! Then we will escape this nightmare together!"

Shayla nodded.

"Father, your plan to digitize the entire planet had been squashed!" Noah said, directing that comment to the arena only.

"What?! How could you betray me?! After everything that I've done for you!" shouted Gozaburo. It was finally his turn to be shocked.

"What things?" wondered Kaiba and Shayla.

"It's called payback! You used me and everyone around you for your own selfish goals!" snapped Noah. "But not any more! Now your own satellite will destroy your central computer that runs your virtual world."

"You can't do that son! If you call off your attack I'll make sure you and I rule this cyber universe together when I bring the entire world here!"

"It's too late. It's over," said Noah as his voice faded.

"Once a traitor always a traitor," said Shayla. "Gozaburo can't be trusted any more than the Big 5." She was still tense from the news of the impending attack, added to the stress of the height she was suspended at.

"Well it looks like you've failed again. So there's one thing left to do," said Seto to Gozaburo.

"Yes there is! Escape to the real world!" exclaimed Gozaburo. His human formed melted away and blurred until it was no more than a large red figure with all the form of a paper doll that hadn't been cut out properly. However, he had grown considerably in size. He stretched across the field, trying to attack Kaiba. "And since I have no body, I'll use yours!"

Shayla screamed as he swept under her, causing the cage to swing again.

Kaiba, however, was perfectly calm. "Hold no! Not so fast!" Much to everyone's surprise, Gozaburo stopped, only a few feet away from his target. "Just look at yourself! Your nothing but a corrupt computer file infecting this system! If you want to prove your power then get back in your corner and duel me! The winner gets to escape in my body! Let's continue and find out who deserves to be president of Kaiba Corp. and who deserves to be deleted."

Gozaburo did exactly what Kaiba said, to further their amazement. He condensed back into his human form. "I accept your foolish challenge and I'll make sure it's your mind that gets erased! Here's goes."

"That has got to be one of the best bluffs I have ever heard," thought Shayla, who was struggling to keep her promise to herself.

"Exodia Necros, attack his Vorse Raider!" ordered Gozaburo.

Exodia swung a massive fist across the field. A cry escaped Shayla before she could cut it off. Exodia Necros was so tall that every time it moved it threatened to knock into her cage.

"Shayla!" exclaimed Kaiba, feeling momentary panic for her. He almost missed activating a card, his attention was focused above the duel.

"I activate Negate Attack," said Kaiba. "Just like I thought." Exodia Necros froze where it was, then went back into a ready position. "Gozaburo said his Exodia Necros couldn't be destroyed by trap cards, but I can still stop its attacks with them."

"All you're doing is delaying your eventual defeat! My Exodia Necros is unstoppable!" snapped Gozaburo.

"Not for long," said Kaiba. "I activate the magic card Shrink, which cuts your monster's attack points in half!" Exodia Necros now had 1400 attack points until the end of the turn. "Then I tribute my Vorse Raider for my Luster Dragon!" This monster had lovely scales that shimmered a deep color. It was shaped like a normal, European dragon. Its stats were 2400 and 1400.

"I knew he'd figure out something!" thought Shayla, who was more than eager to get out. "Great play!"

"Luster Dragon, attack!" ordered Kaiba. Luster Dragon fired a multi-colored beam at Exodia Necros. It remained standing, as expected, but Gozaburo's life points dropped to 900. "Ah, so even though your monster seems to be invincible it does have a weakness after all. It's just as I suspected."

"What weakness!? Tell me!" demanded Gozaburo.

"Even though Exodia Necros can't be sent to the graveyard, if I attack it with a more powerful monster you still loose life points," answered Kaiba.

"Get to the point Seto!" snapped Gozaburo.

"It may be true that Exodia Necros is invincible, however, that doesn't mean you are," smirked Kaiba.

"Kaiba, I know you are capable of destroying that monster!" called Shayla.

"Huh?" asked Kaiba. "Does she mean there's actually a way to destroy it?!"

"Exodia Necros, attack!" ordered Gozaburo. His monster now had 4800 attack points. It easily destroyed the Luster Dragon, bringing Kaiba down to 2600 life points.

"Seto, prepare to sink into virtual darkness while my strength grows!" said Gozaburo.

"True duelists don't claim victory until the duel is over," shot Shayla.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"There it is!" exclaimed Téa as the arcade came into view.

"Get inside, quick!" said Duke as Gozaburo's monsters continued to pursue them.

"We made it…" said Lara, breathing hard.

"But the exit could be anywhere in here," said Serenity, looking over all the games.

"Listen closely, you must proceed to the stage in the back of the arcade to escape," said Noah. They all turned and looked at the DDR game.

"All right guys! Let's go!" said Téa, instantly trusting anything with dancing.

"Let's do this!" agreed Serenity.

"Stand on the red platform and I'll upload you back to the real world," said Noah.

"You ladies go first," said Kevin.

"Right," agreed Téa and Serenity as they hurried to the back of the arcade. Serenity had taken over holding Tristan. They both leapt up the stairs and disappeared in a flash of light.

"I hope this isn't another betrayal…" said Lara.

-x-x-x-x-x-

"Now uploading brainwaves from virtual environment to stimulation pods," said the computer.

"Where am I?" asked Téa as she woke up. The glass case of the virtual pod opened. "We really have been here all along."

"It looks like we all made it back without any problems," commented Serenity.

"Yeah, speak for yourselves," said Tristan. He looked normal, but he was still making monkey noises.

"Tristan your fine, you don't look like a robot monkey any more," said Serenity.

Kevin's virtual pod opened.

Tristan answered Serenity in monkey noises before he caught himself. "I mean that's great!"

"He doesn't look that different to me," teased Téa.

"I don't know," said Kevin, walking over. "I think he looked better as the robot monkey."

Tristan fell, anime-style. "I'm fine," he said, continuing with the chimp talk.

"Are you sure the monkey thing wasn't just an act?" asked Kevin. "He seems to fit the roll."

"Um…where are the others?" asked Serenity, changing the subject. "Are they coming soon? What about my brother?"

"Joe, Drake, and Yu-Gi are still trying to stop the monsters from entering the arcade," said Kevin. "And Lara wanted to wait for Drake. Duke was right behind me…"

"Excellent the others are ready. It seems everyone's made it to the arcade," said Noah as Mokuba. He was sitting in a computer chair with his back to them. He had a headset on.

-x-x-x-x-x-

The Dark Magician, Flame Swordsman, and Tyrant Dragon were all fighting side by side in front of the entrance to the Domino Arcade, prevent Gozaburo's army from entering.

"Nice job, guys!" cheered Joe.

"Come on! Come on!" called Lara as Duke vanished.

"Proceed to the stage immediately," said Noah.

"Yeah, we need to get out of here," said Drake. "Hold them off a little longer!" His dragon bellowed in agreement.

The remaining duelists hurried to the back of the arcade.

"That must be it," said Joe, pointing to the DDR game.

"You go first, I'll be right there," said Yu-Gi.

"Don't wait too longer!" cautioned Drake. Lara took him by the hand and they hurried up to the platform.

"You had better be right behind me," Joe said.

"Come on!" called the couple as they vanished.

"Dark Magic Attack!" shouted Yu-Gi, still holding the monsters off.

"Let's go! Hurry up!" shouted Joe as he vanished.

Yu-Gi turned from the battle and started up the steps of the DDR machine.

"Yu-Gi wait. I have a favor to ask," said Noah.

-x-x-x-x-x-

"Upload successful," said the computer.

Joe sat up instantly and smashed his face up against the glass. "It's great to be back in the real world," he groaned.

"Joe!" exclaimed Serenity, running to him.

"Serenity!" said Joe, jumping out of the pod to embrace her. "I told you everything would be okay!"

"Joe! You made it!" exclaimed Kevin. "That's almost everyone!"

"Kevin? You mean you're really real?" gaped Joe.

"Yes I am!" said Kevin. "Don't tell me you're still hung up on the virtual spy thing?!"

"Yu-Gi, Mokuba, Shayla, Kaiba are still in there," said Lara, looking at the unmoving figures that remained in the pods.

"I thought Noah said they let her go!" exclaimed Téa.

"He lied…" growled Drake.

"So let me get this straight…" said Duke, who was talking to the person in the chair. "If you're Noah, then where's Mokuba?"

"There!" said Noah through Mokuba, pointing at the screen. "Inside the virtual world with Yu-Gi, Seto, and Shayla. That's why I needed Yu-Gi to stay back."

Hearing this, Joe raced over. "What?! That's why he stayed back?! Because Kaiba didn't have enough brains to find the exit on his own!!!"

"Kaiba went to save Shayla," said Noah. "She's in a really tight spot and if he can't rescue her, she's liable not to get out."

"It's that bad?" asked Serenity.

"She's Gozaburo's prisoner," said Noah, pointing to the screen.

"Oh no!" gasped the group.

-x-x-x-x-x-

"Kaiba is trapped in a duel with Gozaburo to save Shayla. You have to find them!" Noah said to Yu-Gi.

"How will I do that?" asked Yu-Gi, looking at the ceiling.

"I'll use the computer to create a virtual short cut so you can reach them at Kaiba Corp. head quarters."

"All right," agreed Yu-Gi.

Another solid oak door appeared next to the DDR stage.

"Go through that door and you'll find Seto and Shayla," said Noah.

"Okay! I won't come back without them!" said Yu-Gi as he raced to the door before the monsters could come.

-x-x-x-x-x-

"I have a question: why are you trying to rescue Kaiba and Shayla? Last I checked you hated your step-brother," asked Téa.

"I was wrong Téa," apologized Noah with absolute sincerity. "I shouldn't have treated you guys the way that I did. I was jealous and angry. I'm sorry."

"Erm…I'm sorry too. For everything I said about you," stammered Joe.

"Yeah, me too," agreed Kevin.

Lara was giving them all looks like they were insane.

"I deserve it," said Noah.

"Four minutes to satellite attack. Evacuate now," said the computer.

"Time is running out everyone should return to the blimp immediately. It's not safe here now," said Noah.

"And leave them?!" exclaimed Drake.

"Noah's right! Come on you guys!" said Joe, starting to the door.

"Does anyone know the way out of this place?" asked Kevin.

"Just follow the halls," said Tristan.

"What happened in here?" asked Duke, noticing the destruction. Their voices faded as they left.

"Come on brother!" said Serenity when Joe lingered back.

"Noah, you're the only one who can get them out of there now. It's all up to you," said Joe before following his sister.

"I know," replied Noah, focusing on the computer.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The virtual door opened and Yu-Gi found himself standing outside of the Kaiba Corp. building. "I hope I'm not too late! I'm coming, guys!" He raced inside.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Warning, two minutes until satellite attack," said the computer

"Time is running out Yu-Gi. If you guys don't get through the exit soon your minds will be lost forever," Noah said into the headset.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"I activate Pot of Greed!" announced Kaiba. "This allows me to draw two more cards! Then I play one monster face down and one magic card face down."

"How can you be so confident when it is obvious that I have the advantage, Seto?!" taunted Gozaburo. "My Exodia Necros is already stronger than any monster you can summon! And none of your magic or trap cards will destroy it!"

"A deck based around one monster is never an advantage," called Shayla.

"That's right," agreed Seto. "You have a lot to learn about Duel Monsters, and the first rule is never rely on a single monster to win a duel!"

"Prepare to lose your body, son! Exodia Necros attacks his face down monster!" ordered Gozaburo. The monster was destroyed, raising Exodia Necros's attack up to 5800.

Kaiba drew his next card. "My Blue-Eyes! This duel is far from over!"

"I activate Monster Reborn to revive my Ancient Lamp," said Kaiba. "Ancient Lamp as the special ability to summon La Ginn the Mystical Genie of the Lamp to the field!" An elaborately engraved lamp appeared in front of him. A fog leaked out of the lamp, forming into the green La Ginn. Its attack was 1800.

"Come on Kaiba…" thought Shayla, anxiously.

"There's a reason I haven't been able to destroy your Exodia Necros," said Kaiba. "I've been attacking its body when I should have been attacking its soul! So I activate Soul Demolition!"

"Soul Demolition?!" exclaimed Gozaburo.

"You heard me," replied Kaiba. "This card allows us to remove the monsters from our opponent's graveyard from play for 500 life points. My graveyard doesn't contain much, but yours has the five pieces of Exodia!"

"No! You can't do this!" cried Gozaburo.

"I knew you'd figure it out!" exclaimed Shayla.

"Everything was worth it just to see her smile now," thought Kaiba. He turned his attention back to Gozaburo. "I'm afraid I can. I know that the soul of your monster lies in your graveyard. Now, at the cost of 500 life points, I remove Exodia's Left Leg, which makes it immune to magic cards. Next, I'll destroy its right leg, making it vulnerable to trap cards! I'll also destroy its left hand, meaning it can be affected by my monster's special abilities. Destroying Exodia's right arm means it loses all the attack points it gained in our battles! And finally I'll destroy the head, meaning Exodia Necros can now be destroyed in battle!" His life points dropped to 100.

"No! NOOO!!!" screamed Gozaburo as the dark pigment in his monster's skin vanished, making it mortal.

"Yes!" cheered Shayla.

"Now, I have two monsters on the field, and I tribute them for my Blue-Eyes, White Dragon!" exclaimed Kaiba.

"Finish him!" encouraged Shayla, who was anticipating freedom.

Kaiba was beaming. "And I'm afraid that's checkmate! White Lightning!" His favorite monster bellowed and blasted Exodia Necros and Gozaburo's life points into oblivion.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"One minute to satellite attack, evacuate immediately," said the computer.

"Those three had better escape soon!" Noah said to himself, anxiously.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Shayla!" exclaimed Kaiba as the cage disappeared around her when Gozaburo's life points hit 0. The problem was she was so high off of the ground. She started to drop, screaming, her acrophobia in overdrive.

The Blue-Eyes White Dragon moved forward and caught her before she had fallen more than fifteen feet. Shayla landed right on its snout. She stopped screaming and dug in, not wanting to fall again. The sheer bizarreness of her being on the face of a Blue-Eyes boggled her mind.

The Blue-Eyes stepped backwards and craned its long neck around to its master. It leaned forward and slid Shayla off, landing her on the dueling platform with Kaiba. She landed on her feet but was unbalanced and began to fall forward. Kaiba took one of her hands to help stabilize her. She straightened up. They had to stand close together because the platform was so small. Not that Kaiba was complaining, and Shayla still seemed a bit out of it.

"Are you okay?" he asked, gently.

"I hate heights…," she moaned.

"We'll be leaving soon," stated Kaiba. Yami Yu-Gi watched the exchange between them, knowing that something had to be going on for Seto to be so civil. But he did not reveal himself from the control room he was waiting in.

"How could I lose this?" moaned Gozaburo.

"That's what happens when you challenge someone who is superior to you in every way," replied Kaiba, offhandedly. Most of his attention was on the girl in front of him.

"I'll show you who's superior!" shouted Gozaburo, changing back into his virus mode. "By taking over your body Seto! And you!" He turned his attention to Shayla. "You'll never be leaving! You'll die here!" He charged across the field, ready to attack.

"You can't do this! I won! What about our agreement?!" Kaiba yelled, pulling Shayla behind himself.

"The agreement is off!"

As Gozaburo came close, the dueling platform lurched under their feet, lifting them out of the way of Gozaburo. Shayla held on tighter to Kaiba's arm, and he placed his other arm around her waist, holding her close and making sure she wouldn't fall.

"What's going on?" asked Shayla, scared.

"Yu-Gi?!" gasped Kaiba, turning around and seeing him in the control room, keeping the platform away from Gozaburo.

"Jump guys!"

"I will trap you in here forever!" yelled Gozaburo. With that he charged the walls and disappeared into them.

"What does he mean?" asked Yu-Gi, lowering the platform to the ground and heading towards Kaiba and Shayla

"I don't know, but we aren't waiting to find out. Come on!" Kaiba said. He started to lead Shayla to the staircase at a rather fast pace. He did not trust the elevators. Yu-Gi nodded and quickly caught up with them.

"This has left bizarre in the dust," thought Shayla as they began to run down the stairs, trying to get out. She felt a little awkward about being led by someone older again. She was used to Martin or being alone. But she was more eager to leave the place then worry about that.

"We have to hurry!" Seto announced to them. "We don't have much time left."

"Those missiles…." mouthed Shayla.

"We only have minutes!" exclaimed Yu-Gi.

"We'll be gone by then," he answered. Nonetheless, he started running faster. Shayla found that she had to completely trust where he was leading her. If she hesitated she would probably fall. They were going down that stairs now, and she was nervous that she might sprain an ankle.

They all stopped short when a loud rumble shook the very foundations of the virtual Kaiba Corp. headquarters.

"What was that?!" gasped Yu-Gi.

"A sign that we should be leaving," answered Seto as he once more started running, faster than ever.

"Satellite attack in three…two…one…targetting central computer network. Commencing launch sequence," said the computer. The missile had been launched.

"You have got to escape! Head to the Domino Arcade immediately!" Noah's voice came through to them.

CRASH! The ceiling overhead began to crumble. Kaiba came to a halt, whirled around, and braced his right arm against the wall, his left hand was still holding Shayla's. Shayla was a bit slower stopping and crashed right into his chest. But that was the least of their worries, because at that very same moment a large portion of the ceiling collapsed in front of them. Kaiba winced as a chuck of stone hit his shoulder, but he tried not to look like it hurt. This all happened within a few seconds.

"What just happened?" asked Shayla, rubbing her nose.

"Gozaburo is in the foundations! He's trying to destroy this place!" snapped Seto. He looked over his shoulder at the debris on the staircase. "We aren't getting out this way. Turn around and find another exit!"

"Right!" agreed Yu-Gi who started the group running again, this time in the lead. The whole building was trembling as they ran and it could be heard crumbling.

Yu-Gi tried several doors, but they all either opened to dead end offices, or halls that were blocked with debris.

"We are running out of options!" exclaimed Yu-Gi. "And time! This place is going to shut down any second!"

Shayla was uneasy, but after having so much time alone to think, and now being with her friends, she wasn't gripped with terror like she thought she'd be. Kaiba was tense with determination. He wasn't going to let his step-father trap him here. Yu-Gi was thinking as fast as he could for a possible way out.

They reentered the room that the duel had taken place in.

"We're trapped!" exclaimed Yu-Gi, although that was far from a sign that he had given up.

"Head to the roof!" exclaimed Kaiba. "We don't want to be in here when it falls."

They quickly found a staircase leading up. They were all getting winded, but they knew better than to stop. They had to dodge large pieces of dry wall and even run on a sliding staircase before they reached the roof.

"This is nuts!" gasped Shayla as they all tried to catch their breaths.

"Now what?" asked Kaiba as he looked around for any possible means of getting away from the rooftop.

"Well done, Seto," came the voice of Noah from somewhere in the sky.

"Noah!" gasped Yu-Gi.

"Where the heck are you?" demanded Kaiba.

"I'm going to have to open a portal for you here," stated Noah. "Just head to the edge of the roof and jump."

"What?!" gasped Shayla.

"Thanks, but why are you doing this?" asked Yu-Gi.

"Listen, no hard feelings, okay?" asked Noah, shrugging off the last comment.

"Here you are! You are going nowhere!" bellowed Gozaburo, erupting out of the stairwell still in virus monster form. He leapt at them, but he was too big to fit out of the doorway. He was stuck tight, but as he struggled the doorway began to break around him.

"Jump!" urged Noah.

"Forget it!" snapped Kaiba.

"Come on, Kaiba! We have no other choice! We have to trust him!" said Yu-Gi as he took a position on the edge of the roof. Kaiba nodded and ran over, leading Shayla.

They made it to the edge when Shayla jerked back, memories of her trip with the rare hunters pouring over her. She pulled away from the edge of the roof; bring herself closer to Gozaburo.

"Shayla!" gasped Yu-Gi and Kaiba when they noticed she was shaking.

"I-I-I don't think I can do this," she stammered. "I hate heights!"

Kaiba hopped down and hurried over to her. He took her hand again. "I know you're scared, but you are going to have to jump, it's the only way!" he started to bring her to the edge again, hoping to get out before Gozaburo could break free and charge again. "You said you trusted me once, you are going to have to do it again!"

Shayla nodded, but she tightened her grip on his hand. He led her over to the edge again. Shayla didn't pull back this time. Yu-Gi watched them, suspicions growing in his mind.

"On three," said Yu-Gi. They both nodded. "One. Two. Three!" With that they all jumped. Gozaburo broke free and charged them, but they were already plummeting.

Shayla had brought her other hand up and was digging into Seto's forearm. As she jumped, she started screaming as she felt nothingness slip past her. Kaiba and Yu-Gi remained much calmer, but Kaiba couldn't help but grin a bit when he felt her grip on his arms. A swirling vortex opened under them and they fell into it.

"Look! Noah opened another exit!" exclaimed Yu-Gi.

After what seemed like falling for an eternity it all went still.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Thank you Mokuba," said Noah as he entered one of the virtual pods. "For everything…"

"Satellite attack approaching," said the computer.

They all woke back in reality as the virtual pods were opening. Yu-Gi and Kaiba both leapt out of theirs. Shayla stood, a bit slower.

"We're back in the real world," Yu-Gi said.

"It's about time. Are you okay?" Kaiba asked Shayla as he helped her out, since his pod had been right next to hers.

"I-I think so," she answered, but she still sounded shaken.

Kaiba looked down at her and he wanted nothing more than to hold her close until she was calm, to feel her weight in his arms. It felt so right last time he did on the skyscraper rooftop. He wanted to protect her and keep anyone from hurting her. He knew she was the most genuine person he had ever met. He cared about her, it was as simple as that.

"Mokuba is still here!" gasped Yu-Gi, surveying the empty pods.

"Mokuba?! He's still back there!" gasped Kaiba, racing over. Shayla was right behind him.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Noah and Mokuba were talking in the in-between haze between the virtual world and reality. They were about to permanently part ways.

"Thank you for helping me Mokuba. I'm glad I got to know my brother," said Noah with no hint of regret in his tone.

"So, does this mean you're not coming back?" asked Mokuba, sounding concerned.

"I must return to cyber space."

"But it's shutting down Noah!" cried Mokuba, his voice echoing strangely.

Noah turned away and started to disappear in the fog. "It has to be this way.

"No, come with me now!" insisted Mokuba.

"There's something I still have to do Mokuba. You believe in me and you treated me like a brother. Now it's my turn to return the favor." He vanished completely.

"Noah! Don't go! Noah!" screamed Mokuba.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Mokuba! Come on! Wake up! Open your eyes!" urged Kaiba.

"Huh….?" asked Mokuba, starting to wake up.

"Mokuba! Are you okay?" asked Kaiba.

"Seto!" exclaimed Mokuba, standing up and hugging his older brother. "I'm fine…but Noah's still inside!"

"Satellite attack approaching," said the computer.

"We need to leave!" yelled Kaiba. They all started running again, Kaiba once more leading Shayla.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"I can still upload my mind to another network!" said Gozaburo, who was still on the virtual roof, after just having broken himself free.

"Fat chance!" shot Noah, who appeared in front of him.

"You!" growled Gozaburo.

"I've sealed off all of the exits so there is no way you can escape! I'm afraid it's all over for you!" shouted Noah.

"I cannot be stopped!" countered Gozaburo, snatching Noah with a clawed hand. "How can you think you have the power to keep me here?!"

Noah merely teleported out of his grasp. "I can control this place as well."

"Noah! You choose them over me?!" shouted viral Gozaburo.

"At least they believed in me! I can't let you hurt them!" said Noah. Ropes of light pulsed by his feet and grew up Gozaburo like veins, binding him where he stood. "I'm keeping you trapped in here! Does that sound familiar?!"

"What are you doing?! I command you to release me immediately!"

"I am going to make sure you never harm anyone again!"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Alert, central computer network will destruct. Evacuate the base immediately," said a computer voice.

The remaining four were running through the base as quick as they could. Kaiba was in front, trying to lead Shayla around the debris Yami Marik left. Yu-Gi and Mokuba were directly behind them.

"Why did Noah have to go back to that place guys? It's not fair!" said Mokuba.

"I know Mokuba," said Shayla. "I know…"

"Warning. Missile approaching," said the computer.

They made it to the top of the submarine where Kaiba Craft 3 was beginning its take off sequence. The rest of the group was waiting anxiously by the entrance to the airship.

"Here they come!" exclaimed Joe, stepping to the edge of the stairs.

"Hurry up guys! Let's go!" called Duke.

"You can make it!" shouted Téa.

"Keep running!" encouraged Drake.

The blimp was starting to gain altitude.

"Pick up the pace you guys! You're almost here! We got you!" called Joe. He was leaning out so far he was almost off of the stairs. Tristan had him by the arm, extending the chain so they could reach further. Duke was down on the steps also, arm out. The others were inside, calling out to them. Drake was by the controls, ready to shut the door the moment they were all inside.

"Let's go!"

"Grab on!"

"Hurry!"

"You're going to make it!"

"Don't give up!" called the teens.

"Come on Yu-Gi!" yelled Joe. The blimp was starting to hover.

"We're coming!" yelled Yu-Gi.

Kaiba's blue eyes were burning with determination.

Shayla was mouthing a silent prayer.

The blimp got closer, but it also got higher.

"I…don't think…I'm going…to make it," panted Mokuba.

"Yes you will!" exclaimed Kaiba. He reached down with his free hand and grabbed his little brother by the back of his vest. "Catch him!" With that Kaiba help Mokuba jump onto the blimp, where Duke caught him. Kaiba himself then jumped. He was still holding Shayla's right hand with his left. So he took his now free right hand and wrapped it around her waist, pulling her up with him. He then let go her hand and grabbed on to one of the supports for the door and held on tight. Yu-Gi leapt too. Joe grabbed his arm and pulled him up. Tristan was holding Joe to make sure he didn't fall off.

"They're in, now let's get out of here!" shouted Joe.

SLAM! Drake slammed the door shut. Everyone was laying in the interior hall in a heap. The blimp was speeding away from the submarine.

BOOM! The missile hint, completely destroying the submarine, the machinery, the virtual world, and anything still connected to it.

"Oh gosh…that explosion," groaned Shayla, digging into Kaiba's arm as the whole zeppelin lurched.

Some people were screaming, others were clinging to each other. Some of the group looked ready to faint, while others looked sick. Some were all of the above. In other rooms, the staff looked scared, Ishizu was tense, and Yami Marik was laughing his head off.

Kaiba stood, prying Shayla's fingers away. As much as he wanted to stay with her, he knew there was something he needed to do. He raced down the hall with surprising agility. Everyone else could hardly stand, and those that were were clinging onto the walls for dear life

"Mr. Kaiba I am afraid this ship is too slow to escape the explosion," said one of the pilots in the cockpit.

"I'm taking control! Sorry old man, but there is no way I'll let you win!" exclaimed Kaiba, jumping into a seat. He slammed his fist onto a button enclosed in a glass case, breaking the glass and hitting the button. The entire blimp began to transform into a plane. The jet zoomed out of the blast, barely missing being engulfed in flames itself. Then, the wave of fire died, leaving a column of smoke from the remains of the submarine

Kaiba walked back to the group, intent on seeing only one person.

"Is everyone okay?" asked Drake, helping Lara to her feet.

"Ugh…" groaned Téa, looking green.

"I'll be fine, I just want to stay sitting a bit longer," said Duke.

"We…we made it!" exclaimed Joe.

"I really didn't think we would…" said Tristan.

"That was close…way too close," agreed Kevin.

"Never, never, never again," moaned Shayla.

"Poor Noah…" said Mokuba, sadly.

"Yeah…he came through in the end," said Lara. "Now's the time he deserves a second chance."

Kevin offered a hand to Shayla, to help her up. However, she didn't see it. Kevin looked puzzled and waved a hand in front of her face, but she didn't respond. Téa prodded him.

"What? I'm just trying to be nice," he said.

"She's blind!" Téa hissed.

"Oh…" said Kevin. He couldn't tell before because of the dark sunglasses she always wore.

"Is everyone okay?" asked Kaiba, approaching.

"Seto!" exclaimed Mokuba, running to him and hugging him tight. He was most upset about Noah's sacrifice.

"Fine, fine," shrugged Lara.

"Yeah, for the most part," agreed Tristan.

The rest nodded and started to spread away from the door. Most of them headed to the windows to survey the destruction.

"Noah may have been a spoiled brat when we met him, but he turned out to be all right," commented Joe, looking down at the smoldering sub.

"Do you think he mind was deleted when the computer was destroyed?" asked Téa.

"Maybe…I don't really know," said Yu-Gi.

"Guys…" said Serenity, gesturing to Mokuba, who was still upset.

No one seemed to know what to tell him. There was no need. A few moment's later Mokuba hurried down the hall and out of sight.

"What was that about?" wondered Téa.

"All right, that little detour was a complete waste of my time," said Kaiba. "So let's move on and pretend that nonsense never happened. It's time for us to continue the Battle City finals." He turned to the microphone hidden in his collar. "Set us back on course to Kaiba Corp. Island." The group was giving him looks of disbelief.

"So this is where the Battle City finals are," said Kevin, looking around curiously.

"I don't believe you!" Shayla exclaimed. "My stomach hasn't caught up with us from that explosion, and you're trying to tell me to forget!?"

Kaiba seemed completely taken back by her tone. "I thought, after everything she had to go through, that she would want to forget."

"You know, that's a very good point," agreed Lara.

"It's time to move on, and that means erasing the past," said Kaiba, his cold tone returning.

"Things don't work that way Kaiba," said Shayla. Normally she would never use the tone she was using, but her nerves had been pushed to the limit. "You can't run from the past! It's part of you! You can't ever run fast enough to out run yourself!"

The rest of the group was giving them space.

"Why is she so mad?" Duke whispered.

"Don't know," replied Tristan.

"It's kinda amusing watching Kaiba get chewed out," smirked Joe.

"I thought you would want to forget that nightmare," said Kaiba to Shayla, more harshly than he intended. "That's all it was, a nightmare. It's over with and it's time to move on with life. It is not part of me."

"Deny it if you will, but it is part of me!" shot Shayla. "You might not like it, but it is a part of you as well! You have to accept the bad with the good, that's life!"

"Why don't we give them some space?" suggested Drake.

"This is too interesting," said Kevin, who was like Joe and enjoying Kaiba getting chewed out.

"Come on Drake, let's have some 'alone time,'" said Lara, pulling him down the hall.

"Well, Téa and I are going to the hospital wing and check on everyone," said Yu-Gi, the two of them walking away as well.

"You're wrong Shayla," snapped Kaiba, the two of them continuing their argument without noticing what everyone else was doing. "There's a reason it's called the past! It's over, it's done with, and it's meant to be buried. The only things that matter are the future and the present. The sooner we bury this incident the better off we will all be! It was nothing more than a distraction from my tournament!"

"That stupid tournament!" snapped Shayla. "How can you possibly say that this wasn't important?! You found out you had a step-brother, and you found out what happened to your step-father! That has to count from something!"

"That's family business! So stay out of it!" snapped Kaiba.

"Fine! You're right! I don't know why I even bother!" shouted Shayla, turning and leaving with one hand on the wall. "But I can guarantee you this, Seto Kaiba, you can try to bury this incident, but it will come back to haunt you."

Kaiba's eyes narrowed as she turned the corner. The remaining teens recognized his temper when they knew it and quickly made excuses and hurried away.

Mokuba returned at that moment, carrying a bouquet of white lilies.

"Where did everyone go?" asked Mokuba. "What was the yelling?"

"Nothing Mokuba," replied Kaiba. "What's with the flowers?"

"…For Noah," replied Mokuba, looking down to repress tears.

Kaiba said nothing, he just gave a small nod. Mokuba walked over to the window and pulled it open. He threw the bouquet out of it, where it landed, floating on the waves.

They were the only ones left in the entranceway. Kaiba remembered as Shayla slipped silently down the halls, a thought occurring to him that he didn't quite know how to deal with.

"I can't deny it any more," he thought. " I still really care about her. I can't ignore that……So what am I going to do about it?" While it made him mad that she could be so bold to speak to him that way, he also knew, deep-down, that she was right. He had nothing but admiration for her when she was directly honest. He had never known anyone before that he knew would always be truthful. It was a rare gift that he valued in her. He was already feeling guilty for yelling at her, though his pride would prevent an apology.

"Come on, Seto!" exclaimed Mokuba as he began to pull his big brother to another part of the ship.

"I'm coming, Mokuba," said Kaiba. He was having a sinking feeling that Mai had been right all along, and that he would have to confront Shayla.

AN/ This song was recommended by one of you reviewers as Shayla and Kaiba's theme for the time being. And it definitely fits this situation. (modified to fit Kaiba's POV)

Mirror, Mirror

Mirror, Mirror lie to me. Show me what I want to see.

Mirror, Mirror lie to me. Show me what I want to see.

Why don't I like the guy I see?

The one who's standing right in front of me?

Why don't I think before I speak?

I should have listened to that voice inside of me.

I must be stupid, must crazy, must be out of my mind

To say the kinds of things I said last night

Mirror, Mirror hanging on the wall

You don't have to tell me, who's the biggest fool of all

Mirror, Mirror I wish you could lie to me

And bring my baby back

Bring my baby back to me.

Mirror, Mirror lie to me. Show me what I want to see.

Mirror, Mirror lie to me. Show me what I want to see.

Why did I let you walk away?

When I all I had to do was say, "I'm sorry."

I let my pride get in the way

And in the heat of a moment, I was to blame.

I must be stupid, must crazy, must be out of my mind

Now in the cold of the day I realized

Mirror, Mirror hanging on the wall

You don't have to tell me, who's the biggest fool of all

Mirror, Mirror I wish you could lie to me

And bring my baby back

Bring my baby back to me.

If only wishes could be dreams

And all my dreams could come true

There would be two of us

Standing here in front of you.

If you could show me

That someone that I used to be

Bring back my baby

My baby to me

Mirror, Mirror hanging on the wall

You don't have to tell me, who's the biggest fool of all

Mirror, Mirror I wish you could lie to me

And bring my baby back

Bring my baby back to me.

Mirror, Mirror hanging on the wall

You don't have to tell me, who's the biggest fool of all

Mirror, Mirror I wish you could lie to me

And bring my baby back

Bring my baby back to me.

Mirror, Mirror lie to me. Show me what I want to see.

Mirror, Mirror lie to me. Show me what I want to see.

To me…

Mirror, Mirror lie to me. Show me what I want to see.

Mirror, Mirror lie to me. Show me what I want to see.