Disclaimer: Still don't own Yu-Gi-Oh, only the original characters and cards we created.
…
FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT IS HOLY! SOMEONE SELL US THE RIGHTS TO YU-GI-OH!
(Older Hokage is sedated by Hikari and Younger Hokage)
Sorry about that.
A/N: No dueling in this chapter, but some interesting plot stuff. Hope you enjoy it, 'cause Hikari spent a lot of time writing, and Younger Hokage and I did a lot of editing and re-reading to make sure it was good.
Chapter 9
Recoup and Regroup
Celeste gasped as she recovered from that last blow to her life points. Looking up she noticed the ceiling was starting to sink inward
"Well that's not good." She thought.
Yami and Yugi both breathed a sigh of relief as the circle of light passed over them and moved toward Celeste. The platforms and duel mats began to vanish, and two more pairs of hands made of yellow light materialized and grabbed hold of both decks. As Yami reached forward to claim his cards, the left hands suddenly snatched a card from his deck!
"Hey, what are you…" He shouted.
The hand turned the card around, revealing the Cestus of Dagla Celeste had given Yami during their duel. It then flew towards Celeste, placing the card back into her deck as one of the hands that was in front of Celeste came toward Yami, holding his Book of Secret Arts, which it placed back into his deck.
As this was happening, the platforms of light they had been standing on were lowering both players gently to the floor as the circle shrank around Celeste, who looked at the wall of light around her, then back up at the sagging ceiling.
"Well it's been a blast but I've got to be going." Celeste shouted to her opponent
With that, she swung her right fist and backhanded the wall. The entire room lit up as the wall of light flared up with increased intensity, causing Yami, Joey, Tea, and Tristan to all cover their eyes.
Joey was the first to pull his hand away from his face, and sighed as he saw the seal and all traces of it were gone, Celeste was standing in the center of the room with no evidence of any foul play (other than the mess of tables and chairs pushed against the walls).
"I figured you'd be able to break you're seal." Joey sneered, "So I take it you're gonna run away now."
"Actually I think you should be the ones running." A voice echoed from the corner.
Looking toward the corner, Joey and the others gasped as Brian stepped out of the shadows. His black shirt and blue jeans were covered in ash, and he was holding Tim by the back of his shirt collar.
"In case you haven't noticed Joey, this building has been set on fire, mostly thanks to Tim here." Brian said, holding up the pyromaniac for emphasis.
"I blame the modern educational system." Tim protested, "What are they thinking keeping such hazardous chemicals where anyone can get to them?"
"We'll discuss this later." Brian grumbled, "In the meantime, in case you didn't notice, the fire seems to have spread rapidly, and the roof of this room is in danger of collapsing."
Looking up, Yami and his friends noticed for the first time the cracks appearing along the ceiling above them, and the flakes of plaster and ash, which were beginning to fall off of it. They also noticed that the ceiling was being supported by what seemed to be a yellow force field.
"The only reason it hasn't collapsed yet is because Celeste is concentrating on holding it up." Brian explained, "Though I don't think she can keep this up for long."
"Thanks…for…the vote of …confidence!" Celeste panted.
"Well, like I said before, you guys should probably go. Now." Brian stated.
"You heard the man, let's go!" Tea shouted, running for the door with Tristan right on her heels.
Joey looked at Brian with a suspicious glint in his eye.
"How do I know you won't attack us again the minute we leave the school?" He asked.
"We won't." Brian said, "Celeste and I are both tired after our recent duels, and there'll be too many people around to make a move against you anyway."
Joey frowned, and opened his mouth to speak again when he felt Yami's hand rest on his shoulder. Turning around, Joey looked at Yami, who gave him nod. Joey nodded and the two of them ran for the doorway.
Once they were out of sight, Brian smiled, and then glared at Tim.
"What?" Tim asked.
"It's later." Brian growled as his shadow lifted off of the floor and grabbed all three of the teens left in the room.
The shadow fell away, and the ceiling quickly followed suit.
-----------------------------------------
Needless to say, classes were cancelled for the rest of the day. Yugi and his friends agreed it would be best to rest and discuss matters with the others tomorrow.
That had been hours ago. Now, it was about six o'clock, and Yugi was looking over his cards again.
"Looks like none of them were damaged." He said with a sigh of relief.
"That's good to hear." Yami sighed, "But things were very dangerous for a minute their."
"Why do you suppose they decided to save us?" Yugi asked.
"Under normal circumstances, I'd say so they can try to defeat us later." Yami theorized, "But I have a feeling that they wanted to help us because they knew it was right."
"Well, at least they're honorable." Yugi commented as he held up the card he had given Celeste earlier, "Take a look, not a scratch on it! And the card she gave me in that duel was in pristine condition as well."
Suddenly, a beep began to fill the room. Yugi looked up with a start, and then looked toward the new computer his grandpa had got him after the Kaiba Corp. Grand Championship to help his studies in High School. It had a flat screen fifteen-inch monitor with dual speakers. The hard drive sat on the floor beneath the desk, and the green light indicated that it was on.
"Oops, I forgot to turn it off before dinner!" Yugi realized.
Yugi got up and quickly turned the screen on, and as he did he saw that the video chat option was lit up, indicating he was receiving a message!
Yugi didn't use the chat that often. None of his friends had it, but his grandpa had insist that he have it on the new machine. Yugi had only used it once before, and upon seeing the icon lighting up he could only think of one person who could be trying to contact him.
Clicking on the icon, Yugi smiled as the face of a man about as old as his grandfather filled the screen. He had kind eyes, and a gray mustache, and at the moment appeared to have his attention focused on the camera on top of his computer rather than the screen.
Yugi flicked on his own camera and microphone, then sat down in front of the computer.
"Hi there Professor Hawkins!" Yugi said enthusiastically.
The professor's eyes focused on the screen and he smiled.
"Ahh, Yugi! So good to…" He began
The professor was cut off however, as a blond haired girl (about Yugi's age) wearing glasses and jungle gear suddenly jumped into his lap. Her pigtails were practically bouncing with energy, and her blue eyes were sparkling with excitement.
"Rebecca!" Yugi shouted in surprise.
"Yugi! Great to see you again! It's been what, a year since we really saw you at the Grand Championship?" Rebecca cheered.
"Come to think of it, yeah!" Yugi exclaimed, "So I guess you and your grandpa have been busy?"
"Have we ever!" Rebecca exclaimed, "Just try and guess where we are! You're never gonna guess!"
Yugi looked at the background behind the two.
"Let me see…I see a canvas flap, a lantern, a cot with a sleeping bag on it, a small card table with a half finished game of Duel Monsters sitting on it and a support pole." Yugi observed, "So I guess you're in…a tent?"
The Rebecca giggled, and suddenly let out a yelp of surprise as Professor Hawkins pushed her out of his lap.
""You're really getting to big for that Rebecca." He panted, "And Yugi, you're right, we are in a tent. But were also in the eastern jungles of Brazil. And I've…"
Rebecca cleared her throat from off camera, and Professor Hawkins blushed a bit.
"That is, We've made the most amazing discovery! Rebecca and I believe that we have found a city which belonged to an amazingly advanced civilization that died out before the Aztecs even came into existence!" He explained.
"Really!" Yugi shouted, "Professor, that's amazing! But shouldn't you be contacting museums and magazines and stuff like that?
"I've already taken care of all that." Professor Hawkins assured Yugi, "But I thought you might be interested in this given your…unique relationship with the past."
Yugi smiled and glanced over his shoulder, knowing full well that only he could see Yami's spirit standing there.
"So how long ago do you think they existed?" Yugi asked.
"This is something you may not believe." The professor said, "According to our tests and observations we believe that this civilization must be at least seven thousand years old!"
Yugi gasped, then adopted a serious expression.
"Um…I don't mean to be a mood killer professor, but how could a city exist in the middle of a rain forest? With all of the flooding and such wouldn't an actual city be impossible to build?" He pointed out.
"I considered that as well, until I saw it for myself." Professor Hawkins explained, "We came down here investigating the reports of this city from satellite images, and we believe we discovered how this area may have become inhabitable."
"Do you recognize this?" asked Rebecca.
She moved back onto the screen, behind her grandfather, holding up a fist sized chunk of strange blue-green stone for the camera to see
Yugi felt his eyes widen in fear as he stared at the gem in his friend's hand
"Rebecca put that down! It's dangerous! You do realize that's Orichalcum right?" He screamed.
"Don't worry all the Orichalcum around here seems inactive. I've done everything but drop it in acid..." Professor Hawkins explained.
"Professor don't you realize how dangerous working with Orichalcum is? You could make a monster!" Yugi shouted, his mind flashing back to the stories an ancient king had told him one year ago.
"A bit late for that isn't it? After all, my granddaughter is right here!" Professor Hawkins joked
Rebecca huffed angrily and stomped off screen, carrying the stone with her
"I am sorry dear, just couldn't resist. Why don't you get the other samples?" The professor requested, "You see Yugi, we've found many machines that are similar to ones from Atlantis, though much more primitive. Based on some of the carvings I've seen around here, I theorize that this civilization used the powers of the Orichalcum not just to make the area a suitable place for a city, but also for more spiritual purposes."
"How do you know this professor?" asked Yugi, "And for that matter, what were these people called?"
"They don't have a name as of yet. But as for your first question, let me explain. You see Yugi, this particular area seems to be a bit of a nexus for natural disasters, not just floods either! You name it, this area has probably been hit by it!" Professor Hawkins explained, throwing up his hands for emphasis, "For instance, the last three weeks it has rained almost constantly, we've been hit by at least a half dozen minor earthquakes, and just yesterday a tornado threatened our camp! But some of the carvings I've found prove that this had happened in the past. This extreme weather should have made this area uninhabitable but the people didn't just live here they thrived, take a look at these images I'm sending you!"
"You've got mail!" And electronic voice beeped.
Yugi quickly reduced the size of the conference box to about a quarter of the screen and opened his mailbox. Finding the new e-mail, he quickly opened the attachment and gasped as he saw some of the photos. The first showed a girl holding her hands over a man with an arrow in his side, and standing behind the girl was a human with feathery wings!
The next photo showed a man pointing at a huge tornado, and a gigantic bird was flying toward the whirlwind as if under the man's control.
Next came the image of several burning trees, which were being doused by a group of serpents in the nearby river, which were accompanied by a man. All the figures in the river were spraying water onto the flames.
"I shouldn't have to tell you what the creatures in these carvings remind me of." Professor Hawkins stated.
"Professor, are you telling me these people knew of duel monsters?" asked Yugi
"Yes. I believe that the powers of the Orichalcum allowed them to call forth the monsters in times of need." Responded the professor.
He turned away from the camera and looked off screen.
"Rebecca? Do you have those other samples? You can explain your findings better than I could." He shouted.
"Right here Grandpa!" Rebecca responded.
Professor Hawkins backed away from the camera and Rebecca bounced back into view holding a tray with six gemstones resting on it.
The first was a deep indigo purple, Yugi could almost swear he saw shadows shifting in the darkness within the stone.
The next stone was a blood red ruby-like crystal that was amazing to see, the more Yugi focused the deeper the color seemed to become.
Next on the tray was an azure stone with waves of cerulean blue and seafoam green rippling through it
After that came an emerald colored stone with swirls of jade green that appeared to playfully reflect light and change hues.
Lying next to that was a dark sepia stone with veins of burnt sienna running through it.
The last one looked to be a simple ball of gold at first, until Yugi realized he could see through it.
Rebecca sat down at the computer, and placed the tray of stones off to the side.
"You see Yugi, these people not only used Orichalcum but somehow managed to convert it to something even more useful. We found them at different spots around the site, and each one seems to have been for a different purpose." Rebecca explained, "The blue one was in the aqueduct systems, while the brown was buried in what we think was a farm land."
A bulb went on in Yugi's head.
"So these crystals could change the elements around them somehow?" He guessed
"I think it may have worked both ways." Rebecca explained, "It seems that as these little pieces of Orichalcum remained exposed to one element, they would slowly become accustomed to it and begin to change and affect it specifically."
"And I'm guessing these stones could pass these powers on to people who touched them right?" Yugi asked
"Bingo. Apparently, with some talent and the right training, using these crystals could make controlling monsters and the elements as easy as hacking into Kaiba Corp." Rebecca giggled, "However, it looks like certain people could only work with certain crystals, those who could use these would learn to control their specific element and use it to help the people. And the people would in turn pay them a tribute of food and other supplies."
She paused to take a breath and type something on the keyboard in front of her. A picture of yet another clay tablet appeared on Yugi's screen, next to Rebecca's face. The image showed a young boy of about 10 surrounded by several strange creatures Yugi had never seen.
"From what we've been able to translate, this is a picture of a person known as the Elemental Master, and he could draw power from regular Orichalcum rather than the specified stuff the others had to use. What's more, the regular stuff gave him the power to control all elements." Rebecca explained.
The image of the carving vanished, and was replaced by a picture of a woven piece of cloth; the dye was still as vivid as the day it had been made. It showed people kneeling before the same person only in this interpretation he was older.
"I believe the saying 'absolute power corrupts absolutely is appropriate here." Professor Hawkins explained from off screen, "You see, after a number of years this Elemental Master began to abuse his powers. The mystics who used the crystals had a pledge... a code of honor you might say. One, they must never use their powers to harm the people. Two, they are guardians not governors. They cannot use their power to rule the people. Third and final, they must never fight amongst themselves."
"Why not?" Yugi asked.
"Considering the fact these guys could throw natural disasters at each other if they wanted to, I'd bet they were afraid that if they did fight among themselves they would do a lot of damage." Rebecca explained.
"So what happened to the Elemental Master?" Yugi gulped.
"Eventually, the other mystics realized they had to stop him for the good of the world." Professor Hawkins explained, "According to several more carvings which we are still photographing, they lured him into some sort of ambush. Once there, the good mystics unleashed their most powerful spells and monsters upon the Elemental Master, but he was too strong."
"Thankfully, they managed to get the better of him somehow." Rebecca continued, "But all the powerful mystics were killed in the battle, and without them to control the crystals the remaining people were wiped out by the return of the natural disasters."
Yugi was paling as he recalled Celeste's ring and Brian's necklace, as well as the damage Tim had caused
"What did they do to the Elemental Master once he was defeated?" Yugi asked.
"According to a scroll we found, his body was mummified, and the mystics used the last of their strength to seal his powers away within six magical runes, controlled by a greater rune." Professor Hawkins answered, "But when we checked the room where the seals and body were supposed to be kept, there was nothing but a large monolith with seven massive holes."
Yugi was a ghostly white now and breathing hard.
"Were these runes giving a specific name?" He choked out.
"Yeah, they were called the 'Elemental Seals' but the name of the greater rune is never given and…Yugi?" Rebecca started.
Yugi was breathing very hard now, and finally fell off his chair in a dead faint!
"YUGI!" Rebecca shouted.
A flash of light filled the camera lens, and Yami got to his feet.
"Professor, I think we may have a problem…" Yami explained, as he looked over toward the unconscious astral form of his other half.
-------------------------
In a dark cave somewhere, inside a featureless chamber about the size of an average living room, a column of light shot out of the ground.
Mako (who was now wearing a blue vest, shorts, and sandals) was leaning against the wall of the chamber, and looked up as the column faded, leaving Celeste standing where it had been. Her clothes had change from the school uniform to a yellow tank top with matching shorts. She was carrying a simple white backpack which bulged in the shape of a duel disk.
The shadows in the cave then began to shift, and Brian slid out of the floor, still holding Tim by the back of his shirt. Both brothers were wearing the outfits they had on during the first attack, although Brian had put a light weight black jacket on over his shirt. Tim was smiling, and singing a song that sounded a lot like "I've Been Working on the Railroad."
"Oh I've been blowing up the chem. Labs, All the live long day! I've been blowing up the chem. Labs just to pass the time away!" Tim sang.
Brian smacked Tim in the back of the head.
"Ow! What was that for?" Tim shouted.
"Do you have any idea how much I hate having to cut a duel short?" Brian shouted.
"What does…" Tim started.
"When the fire alarm went off I knew I had to find you and Celeste so we could get of there, and so I could throttle you!" Brian yelled, "I had to stop my duel with that Bakura kid and call it a draw just as I started to win!"
"Whoops." Tim said with a sheepish grin, "But at least we kept Celeste's duel from being interrupted."
Mako looked over at Celeste.
"Things didn't go like you planned?" He asked.
Celeste glared at Mako, then walked over and sat on the floor next to him, turning her glare toward Tim.
"You know Tim, the only thing I find worse than you setting everything on fire, is someone who would forfeit in the middle of a duel." She cooed in a sweet tone, "What do you think Mako?"
Mako gulped and turned pale.
"Of course! I would never think of doing such a thing. Why, anyone who does that does not deserve to duel!" He declared.
Celeste got up flipping her hair behind her shoulder.
"Really." She said, "Then why did I hear that you forfeited to Mai Valentine?"
"Um…yes, well I uh…" Mako stumbled.
"Let's face facts, we're all screwed." Brian pointed out.
"Not me, I actually won my duel." Tim laughed.
"That ye did laddy!" A voice echoed from a nearby tunnel.
"Lord Needlez!" The other three exclaimed.
"I need all of ye to come in here, right now." The voice said, sounding quite impatient.
The four duelists looked at each other, and then made their way through the tunnel. Soon they emerged into a new chamber. This one had about as much space as the previous one, but the ceiling was much higher up. Across the chamber from the tunnel was a large black throne with torches planted in the walls every ten feet or so. Sitting on the throne, was an elderly gentleman who seemed to be in his early sixties. He had gray hair which was neatly trimmed and a matching mustache. He wore a simple gray business suit with black loafers, and was holding a golden pocket watch in his right hand. A chain led from the watch to the chest pocket of his suit, and glittering in the center of the watch was a shimmering blue-green stone about the size of a marble.
Two more figures were already in the chamber. The first was Zeffie who was still wearing her outfit from Egypt, but now had her shoulder length blond hair pushed back to show off the silver circlet around her forehead, with a small jade green stone glowing in the center.
Gold was leaning against the wall, nervously scratching at his brown hair. He was now wearing a simple white t-shirt and brown jeans, giving the others a good look at his well muscled arms. He waved to Brian and the others as they walked in, allowing them to see the golden bracelet with a small brown stone on his right wrist.
The man sitting on the throne stood up, a frown plastered to his face. Mako immediately ran up to him, and fell to one knee.
"Lord Needlez please forgive me for my abysmal failure!" Mako pleaded.
Needlez calmly looked down at Mako, and held out his watch. The stone in the watch began to shimmer…
And Mako began to scream in pain as blue electricity coursed over his body, originating from the crystal around his ankle!
After a second or two, the electricity stopped and Mako got back to his feet, a few wisps of smoke rising from his clothes.
"I really don't like having to punish you." He sighed, "But sometimes I'm afraid it's the only way kids learn their lessons."
He looked toward Tim and Zeffie, both of whom smiled at him.
"You two needn't stay, this only concerns the others." Needlez sighed.
"But Zeffie wants to watch!" The young girl whined.
Needlez smirked a bit.
"Very well lass, you can watch. Tim too, if he wants." Needlez agreed.
"Thanks!" Tim smiled.
Gold, Brian, and Celeste all walked forward and stood next to Mako. The four of them each went to one knee and Needlez frowned at them.
"Yew know why I'm disappointed?" He asked.
"Because we failed to get the talent you require." Brian stated, looking up at Needlez with a hint of fear.
"Not just that." Needlez sighed, "It's also because yew each failed because yew made AN AMAZINGLY BONE-HEADED MISTAKE!"
Needlez took a few deep breaths and turned to Brian. He held up his watch again, but this time Brian's crystal began to project an image into the air in front of him, showing his duel with Joey!
"Neat!" Zeffie said with a grin.
"I'd like to think yew four can learn from yer mistakes." Needlez explained, "So I had yer crystals record yer duels. Anybody want to guess what Brian's biggest mistake was?"
"He never used any of his own spell or trap cards?" Zeffie pointed out.
"Exactly!" Needlez beamed, "Trying to duel with just monsters gives new meaning to the phrase 'not playing with a full deck.' Not to mention, Brian, yew completely ignored your opponent's facedown traps!"
Brian watched as his recorded image pointed straight toward Joey, commanding Zorc to attack with a look of pure rage on his face.
"Is that really me?" Brian thought, "Ugh…I've never dueled like that before! I was always the one reminding Tim not to lose his temper when we started playing."
The image changed suddenly, showing cards on the ground between Brian and Bakura!
"This is what really got to me lad." Needlez frowned, "Yew went to duel someone who was NOT YOUR TARGET!"
Brian drew back, and Needlez took a deep breath.
"Joseph is yer target. JO-SEPH, yew understand?" Needlez shouted.
"Yes sir, I'm sorry sir. I thought maybe that other boy could be of some assistance since he knew Yugi." Brian explained.
"Moving on," Neddlez sighed as Gold's crystal shimmered, "Mr. Gold demonstrates another way you can lose at this game."
The image of Gold laughing at Ishizu came up, as Zeffie ordered Zephyros to attack. The young girl had a cold, evil look in her eye.
"Oops, one sec I need to fast forward." Needlez frowned as the images began to flash by.
Brian shivered a bit though. He glanced at Zeffie who was watching the flashing images and bouncing excitedly on her toes, her eyes trying to follow the video's progress.
"What happened to Zeffie in that duel?" Brian thought, "That girl in the recording…Just by looking in their eyes I can see that there is a major difference."
"Here we are!" Needlez announced.
Everyone watched as Ishizu activated Card of Sanctity, and then Card Destruction. Gold and Zeffie were left with nothing in their decks and Ishizu still had some cards left. Gold then broke his seal and charged at Ishizu, a look of pure anger and rage on his face. The video quickly faded.
"Okay, attacking someone like that just isn't like Gold." Brian thought, "I mean sure, he used an underhanded tactic to start the duel based on what Zeffie told me yesterday when they got back, but Gold never struck me as the type to react so violently to losing a card game. He's very patient, rarely even raises his voice to Zeffie!"
"Now then, Gold, yew remember the game is called 'Duel Monsters' don't yew?" Needlez asked.
"Yeah." Gold muttered nervously.
"That would imply that players summon monsters to fight each other." Needlez pointed out, "But yew didn't attack, YE LET WEE ZEFFIE DO ALL THE WORK!"
"But if Zeffie hadn't taken out Marik, I could have won 'cause the countdown would've ended on my turn!" Gold shouted.
"I don't need yer excuses, yew may run Final Countdown but that doesn't give ye an excuse to not attack. If yew had done as good a job at lowering Ishizu's life points as yew had lowering yer own you could've won easily!" Needlez pointed out.
Gold fell silent and Celeste's ring began to glow. The crystal displayed Celeste and Yugi facing off, just as Celeste sacrificed St. Joan to Cruz. The recorded Celeste had a blank, uncaring expression her face. Once more, Brian grew concerned.
"Celeste was in two minds in that duel." He thought, "She was usually so angry when one of her monsters got wasted, but then she went all stoic. Something is very wrong here…"
"Celeste, ye did a fine job on Yugi, and yew almost won, too!" Needlez grinned.
Then the elderly gentleman frowned.
"Unfortunately, I believe that this move blew it for ye. If yew had a little patience yew could have used Manju and the others to defend until yew drew Premature Burial or such, and brought back Joan. Then she could have attacked and you'd have Cruz to help finish off Yugi. DID YE EVER STOP TO CONSIDER DOING THAT!"
"It's hard to consider waiting for a card when the building is falling down around you!" Celeste declared, glaring at Tim.
Tim smiled and began to hum his version of the railroad song again. Needlez ignored them both as Mako's crystal began to shine, projecting him surrendering to Mai.
"Now that really doesn't make sense." Brian thought, "Mako is a professional, I'll bet he's faced worse than that dragon. But for some reason he chickened out! I don't get it, why would he do something like that. Especially given what he said in the other room."
"Mako, yew do remember Hydros had a special ability which could have stopped Mai right?" Needlez asked.
"Yes…" Mako confessed, cringing in fear.
"THEN WHAT HAPPENNED, DID YOU FORGET ABOUT IT?" Needlez yelled.
"Actually, yes." Mako squeaked, "I panicked and…"
Suddenly he stopped. Everyone looked over at Celeste who was rummaging through her backpack.
"Celeste, what exactly do yew think yer doing, lass?" Needlez asked
Celeste looked up and held up a white hair accessory.
"Oh I was just looking for scrunchy for my hair. Sorry please continue your rant." She explained.
"My, My, umm... Lass what did ye do with that hair clip I gave ye? I hope ye did what I asked ye to do with it." Needlez said.
Celeste stood at attention, quickly pocketing the scrunchy.
"Of course, secondary mission completed as you instructed." Celeste announced
Needlez actually smiled. Turning back to the rest of the group
"Well, it seems that we'll have a second chance at salvation my Elemental Duelists." Needlez announced.
"What did you do?" Brian whispered.
"Sorry, top secret." Celeste answered.
Needlez was smiling as he turned around and walked toward a passage behind the throne.
"This way everyone!" He ordered.
The Elemental Duelists quickly followed Needlez through the short tunnel, and soon arrived in another chamber. This one was considerably smaller, around the size of a college dormitory room. In the center was a large pillar made of strange green crystal with a stone tablet at the base, and inside the pillar was a mummified corpse. The desiccated body was clothed in fine white robes, with several golden necklaces and a fist sized piece of green rock in a large, golden headdress.
Surrounding the pillar itself were six stone tablets, spaced evenly around it in a circle. Each one had a different symbol on it.
One had a carving of an infinity symbol, the second was a flame, next came one with three jagged lines, and after that was a five-pointed star. The fifth one depicted three wavy lines, and the last had a cloud shape on it.
"Tim, Zeffie, if yew would." Needlez grinned.
Tim and Zeffie nodded and stepped forward. Tim stood facing the pillar, with the fire tablet between it and him, and Zeffie did the same with the cloud tablet.
"Just like I taught ye." Needlez requested.
Tim raised his hands toward the ceiling, the gem in his manacle blazing with red light. A column of flame immediately leapt up around him (during no harm to him or his clothes) as he began to speak.
"To the Elemental Master, I offer the power of fire. A greater strength than what is held within this tablet, may the warmth of life that was taken from him be returned!" Tim declared.
A marble sized orb of red light floated out of the gem, and hovered down into the flame tablet. The fire symbol began to glow red, and a beam of red light shot from the tablet, connecting to the pillar.
The body in the pillar began to glow with a red aura, and the pillar radiated a gentle heat which spread across the room.
Zeffie raised her arms, and a tornado shot up around her body, blowing her hair up and allowing the green stone in her circlet to shine through.
"To the Elemental Master, Zeffie offers the power of wind. A greater power than what is held within this tablet, may the breath of life that was taken from him be returned!" Zeffie intoned.
Like Tim, a sphere of green light floated out of Zeffie's crystal and into the tablet, which began to glow green. A beam of green energy shot from the cloud tablet, and a shuddering gasp could be heard from the column. Soon the room was filled with the sound of a steady breath.
"Music to me ears." Needlez smiled, "Soon my former body, the body in which I was known as the Elemental Master will be restored. With it I will do what my enemies stopped me from doing 7000 years ago. I will finally be able to turn this world into the Utopia it was meant to be, and yew six will receive yer rewards!"
Zeffie and Tim walked back to the group, both seemingly exhausted but proud of what they had accomplished.
"Now then, I'm sorry I snapped at ye." Needlez apologized to the other four, "But it is for the good of the world that we are fighting. So you'll excuse me if I seem a touch…"
"Uptight?" Celeste finished for him.
"Aye, that's the word I wanted!" Needlez smiled, "Such a clever girl ye are Celeste, that's why you're the best of my duelists! Now why don't the six of ye head to the card library down the hall. Help yourselves to whatever ye think may help take down Yugi and his friends, because as soon as we know when the best time to strike is, yew four are going to get yer rematches!"
Celeste raised her hand.
"Umm, I think that I've got that covered." She said.
Everyone raised an eyebrow at this statement.
"When I was hanging out with Yugi and his friends, they mentioned meeting at Kaiba Corp.'s Research Facility downtown, so if we strike all at the same moment, we can separate them and have the element of surprise." She suggested.
Needlez turned to the others.
"Yew hear that? You have 'til tomorrow to prepare so git moving!" Needlez ordered.
"Yes sir!" The Elemental Duelists chorused.
The six of them headed down another tunnel, but as they did Brian stopped and looked back toward the column.
"Something is wrong here." He thought as he fingered the crystal in his necklace, "Since we met Needlez I've felt something…strange. The others may have their doubts about him, they may not, but I can always sense when someone isn't telling me the whole story."
"Hey Brian, get in here or you'll miss all the best cards!" Tim shouted from down the hall.
Brian walked toward the others, lost in thought.
"I don't know what Needlez is really planning, but something just doesn't fit with all this. I'll go along for now, but I'll need to keep an eye open…"
Next time, it's time to go on the offense! The Elemental Duelists are moving in, and nothing will stop them from taking what they want! Can Yugi and crew weather these next attacks, or will Needlez be saying hello to his Utopia? The story continues with Brian and Joey's rematch in our next chapter:
Darkness Revealed
See ya then.