Disclaimer: We still don't own the rights to Yu-Gi-Oh, but we have good news! We just saved a bunch of money on car insurance by switching to Geico (Not really!)! Also, we only own the characters and cards that aren't on the show/manga/card game unless otherwise noted.
Previously,
According to Brian, it would seem that Needlez has kept his Elemental Duelists in the dark as to his true intentions. He's really the reincarnation of the Elemental Master, with plans to subjugate the entire world once he gets his old body back! Heading by train to the mountains, our brave adventurers are ambushed by Tim and Zeffie, who have been named the new Duelists of Darkness! With Brian being forced to watch as his monsters are corrupted by the dark, and Yugi's favorite monster removed from play, can our heroes win this tag team…
Chater 15
Train of Terror
"My…my Dark Magician…" Yugi gasped.
"Is gone!" Zeffie cheered as she jumped up and down, "Hooray! Zeffie got rid of the best monster in Yugi's deck! Hooray for Zeffie!"
Looking over the field, Brian winced.
"This is not good." He thought, "Zeffie got the advantage with that move!"
He turned his gaze toward his empty portion of the field.
"I've got nothing on the field, and five cards in my hand…" He thought.
He glanced at Zeffie, who was deep in thought and had a young woman in a purple body suit in front of her.
"She's got her Seal of Wind and Darkness, plus Lady Ninja Yae (1300/200), and two cards in her hand…"
He looked at Yugi, who was staring at his empty field.
"Yugi's got nothing on the field, but six cards in his hand…"
Brian finally looked at Tim, whose giant boar looked fairly distraught.
"And Tim has Great Angus (2000/600), his Seal of Fire and Darkness, and four cards in his hand."
Brian finally looked at the Millennium Puzzle, which he wore around his neck.
"And the pharaoh can't help us here." He realized, "Only Yugi knows how to reach him…"
Zeffie in the meantime, was looking between Brian and Yugi.
"Zeffie really wants to beat Yugi…but Needlez said to take Brian first." Zeffie stated with a nod, "So Yae, attack Brian with wind jutsu!"
The ninja girl held up her hands, and a rush of wind flew from them! Brian screamed as the winds tore at him, pushing him to the edge of the seal.
Zeffie: 7600
Brian: 6200
Tim: 6800
Yugi: 7700
"That's all from Zeffie!" The young girl cheered.
Brian drew, and looked over his cards.
"I have to play something, I can't let Zeffie win." Brian thought frantically.
"I summon Vampire Lady (1550/1550), in attack mode!" Brian declared as he placed a card on his disk.
Out of the column of shadows around the field stepped a young woman with pale skin. She wore an alluring, purple dress…
And Brian groaned as he saw that her eyes were nothing but shadows, and her fangs were dripping with blood.
"Remember, Zeffie said that all your monsters would reflect the darkness in your heart!" Zeffie shouted, "You can't get away! You tried to escape your darkness by surrendering your crystal, and now it will consume you."
"Vampire Lady…" Brian muttered, looking at the ground.
"I don't have a choice…I have to!" Brian thought.
"Attack Zeffie's ninja, with kiss of the vampire!" Brian shouted.
Vampire Lady lunged forward, and sank her fangs into Yae's neck! The ninja girl moaned, then shattered into pixels!
Zeffie: 7350
Brian: 6200
Tim: 6800
Yugi: 7700
"And, since my vampire damaged your life points, you have to discard one kind of card from your deck. I choose trap card!" Brian declared.
"Okie-dokie!" Zeffie cheered as she picked up her deck.
She leafed through it, and eventually pulled out a Compulsory Evacuation Device. She slid it into her graveyard.
"Zeffie didn't think you'd give into the darkness so easily after working so hard to cast it off." The girl giggled, "Guess that old saying Goldie told me is true: A leopard never changes its spots!"
"Shut up!" Brian shouted, "I'm never letting the darkness consume me like that again! I set this card facedown again and end my turn."
Brian slid a card into his disk, and its holographic replica appeared behind the vampire. At the same time, the eye of the puzzle began glowing with a dim light.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Needlez sighed as he watched the match. He was sitting on the ebony throne in the throne chamber. Mako and Gold, after cleaning the debris left from their fight, had been sent to clean the seal room, much to their disappointment.
"Oh please Zeffie, that saying is so old I learned it back in Brazil!" He muttered as he shook his head, "Of course, there we said it was a jaguar that never changed its spots but…"
"Lord Needlez!" Celeste shouted as she appeared back in the cave, "I'm back!"
"Ah, Celeste." Needlez grinned as he turned to her, "Have ye done what I asked of ye?"
"Of course." The light duelist said with pride, "Our secret weapon is prepared. But may I ask why we're utilizing this plan?"
"It's a precautionary measure." Needlez explained, "Just in case Zeffie and Tim can't cut it."
"She won't…get hurt, will she?" Celeste asked as she looked toward the back of the cave.
Needlez smiled.
"Yeh needn't worry Celeste. I promise ye, she won't be hurt." Needlez said as he gestured to the image in front of him, "Now, would ye care to watch the duel with me?"
"I'd love to." Celeste said as she took a seat.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tim drew his next card.
"Brian, I'm sorry." Tim apologized, "I summon Hand of Nepthys (800/600)."
The woman in the golden bird mask slowly faded into view.
"Uh oh." Brian gasped.
"Now I'll use her special ability." Tim stated, "By offering her and Great Angus…"
The bird woman placed one hand on Angus's shoulder. Both monsters nodded, and then vanished in a column of golden fire. Tim slid a card from his deck, and placed it on his disk.
"To special summon: The Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys (2600/1600)." Tim concluded.
The immense, golden bird soared onto the field. Rather than singing however, it let out a mournful sigh. It lowered its head till it was next to Tim. Tim stroked her beak.
"And now, my Phoenix will attack Yugi." Tim declared, pointing at the spiky haired kid.
Yugi looked up at the mention of his name. The phoenix opened its beak, and shot a blast of fire at him! Yugi carefully slid a card into his graveyard…
And a furry brown monster jumped in front of him! The monster squeaked bravely as it was struck by the fire, and collapsed into ash!
"Hey what the…" Zeffie protested.
"I may have lost Dark Magician, but I'm not out yet." Yugi growled as an angry glare appeared on his face.
Zeffie gasped as Yugi turned his gaze on her.
"Don't think you've won just by getting rid of one of my best monsters." Yugi declared, "He may be gone, but his sprit will still guide me!"
"Was that piece of dryer lint what I thought it was?" Tim asked as he looked at Yugi's graveyard.
"Yep, it was Kuriboh (300/200)." Yugi explained, "And when I discard him, I can negate any battle damage inflicted on me by one enemy monster."
"Close one." Brian thought, wiping his brow.
"Anything else?" Yugi challenged.
"I reset these two cards and end my turn." Tim declared.
Two cards materialized in front of him.
Yugi drew, and smiled as he saw what was in his hand.
"I should be wary of Tim's cards." Yugi reminded himself, "But I can't miss a chance to even up the score a little."
"I summon Queen's Knight (1500/1600) in attack mode." Yugi declared as he placed a card on the field.
A young woman in scarlet armor jumped onto the field. She held up a long sword, brandishing it at Zeffie.
"Oh boy…" Zeffie muttered.
"But instead of attacking and risking Tim's facedown cards, I'll lay these two cards facedown. That's all." Yugi declared as he slid two more cards into his disk.
Two more cards appeared behind the knight.
Zeffie breathed a sigh of relief as she drew.
"Zeffie summons Chaosrider Gustaph (1600/1500) in attack mode!" Zeffie declared slamming the card onto her disk.
A roaring sound filled the area, and out of the tornado surrounding the field flew the green skinned motorcyclist. He revved his engine, and the black infinity symbols appeared on his body.
"And now, Zeffie removes Graceful Charity and Gust Fan from her graveyard." Zeffie declared as she slid two cards from her grave.
"Wait, we never put Gust Fan in your graveyard!" Brian protested.
"But Zeffie did when she played Graceful Charity." Zeffie giggled, "So now Gustaph gets a power boost! 300 attack points for every spell Zeffie removed!"
Gustaph's (2200/1500) engine roared, and Zeffie pointed straight at the vampire.
"Attack Vampire Lady with exhaust rush!" Zeffie ordered.
Gustaph charged forward, heading straight toward Vampire Lady. Brian shuddered a bit.
"Would protecting her be good, or bad?" He asked himself, "If I protect her, would it mean that I'm letting the darkness take root?"
"I activate, Reverse of Reverse!" Yugi shouted, pressing a button on his disk.
His facedown card lifted, and Zeffie and her monster both stared at it.
"What's that?" Zeffie asked.
"Reverse of Reverse let's me activate one of my opponent's facedown cards as if it were mine." Yugi explained, "And I'll choose Tim's facedown card on my right!"
Tim's eyes widened.
"But that's my…" He started.
The card crackled with energy, then lifted up. A blast of energy shot from in front of Gustaph, taking out him and the Phoenix!
"Mirror Force!" All four of them shouted at once.
"NO!" Zeffie screamed.
Both of her crystals flashed, and her gaze turned toward Yugi. Her eyes were filled with anger and frustration, which seemed to pour out toward the game king. Tim's crystal also flashed with intense, purple light, but then it immediately went out. Tim blinked in confusion, as Zeffie let out a low growl.
"I'll make you sorry you ever touched that stupid trap!" Zeffie growled angrily.
"We'll see." Yugi challenged.
Zeffie growled again as she slid a card into her disk.
"One facedown, and now Brian can go." Zeffie declared.
Brian drew, and looked at his facedown card.
"I wonder if Yugi knew that I had this facedown." He thought.
"Tim's phoenix would normally comeback next turn." Brian declared, waving a hand over his disk, "But thanks to my trap, that won't be an issue."
The trap lifted, showing a dragon fading into mist.
"It's called, Disappear!" Brian declared, "And once activated I may select a monster in the graveyard and remove it from play. So goodbye phoenix!"
The ghostly image of the Sacred Phoenix appeared behind Tim, and then shattered into pixels.
"That's an unusual card." Yugi commented.
"I know," Brian confessed, "But I got tired of Tim always clobbering me with his Phoenix. I always keep it in my deck and hope for a chance to use it."
"I guess it's not so bad that one of our opponents is his brother then." Yugi thought, "Still wish I didn't have to do this."
"Alright, to continue my turn I summon Mystic Tomato (1400/1100) in attack mode." Brian declared, putting a new card on his disk.
Next to the Vampire Lady materialized a new creature. It looked like a giant tomato, with eyes and a mouth full of sharp teeth. It hissed, and stuck a forked tongue out of its mouth as black markings appeared on it.
Zeffie snickered a little as she looked at the creature.
"You don't get it, do you?" She asked, pointing at Brian, "You're just sealing your own fate."
"What do you mean?" Brian shouted.
"Every time you attack…every monster you summon…" Zeffie continued, "Each one of them embodies part of the darkness in you. And the more you use them, the more it takes hold!"
Brian drew back, staring at his two monsters in fear. The creatures were both eyeing Zeffie and Tim hungrily…
"Could she be right?" Brian wondered, "Am I just letting the darkness take me again…"
Tim turned toward Zeffie, and shot her a fearsome glare.
"Leave him alone Zeffie." Tim ordered, "Let him finish his turn."
"It's not my fault if he loses his nerve 'cause he can't handle the truth." Zeffie sneered in response.
"I…choose to end my turn by playing one card facedown." Brian sighed as slid a card into his disk.
The facedown card appeared behind his monsters, which looked very disappointed that they wouldn't be tearing Zeffie apart. Tim just frowned at the snickering girl, and drew a new card.
"I play Card of Sanctity to reload our hands." Tim said, sliding the card into his disk, "Of course, this is more a benefit for me and Zeffie."
"Damn it!" Brian thought as he drew three cards, "He always does this. Play a card that affects both players but only helps him."
"Now I summon my second Raging Flame Sprite (300/200)!" Tim said, slapping a new card onto his disk.
In front of Tim appeared another brown clothed pixy. The little monster just sighed and, like the first one, drifted lazily to the roof of the train.
"Tim's monsters don't seem very enthusiastic about dueling us." Yugi observed, "Zeffie said the monsters reflect our hearts. I wonder…"
Yugi's train of thought was interrupted by Tim.
"Flame Sprite, attack Yugi." Tim ordered as he pointed at the boy across from him, "And don't forget, she can attack directly."
The pixy waved her wand, and a shower of sparks flew toward Yugi. Brian waved one hand over his disk, and his facedown card lifted.
"I activate, Sakuretsu Armor to block your attack!" Brian gasped as the stony, black armor jumped in the way.
Zeffie sneered, and her own trap lifted. A large pocket knife flew out of it, and struck the armor.
"I use Seven Tools of the Bandit to negate your trap." She stated, energy wafting from her body, "And it only costs me one-thousand life points."
Suddenly, Yugi's facedown card lifted. The boy smiled as a purple mist wrapped around the knife, which began to shudder.
"Sorry Zeffie," Yugi said, pointing at his trap, "But my Trap Jammer negates any trap activated in the battle phase, including your seven tools. And since the last card activated in a chain is the first one to count, Brian's trap works!"
"So wait, that would mean…but what…and then…" Tim muttered, holding his head, "Ah, screw it. Between dueling my brother and chaining traps, I'm way too confused!"
Tim pressed a button on his disk, lifting his facedown card. A blast of wind shot out, and blew away Yugi's mist! The armor then shattered, and Yugi covered his face as several embers hit him.
"There, my Dust Tornado counted first, since it activated last." Tim explained as the life points readjusted, "So I could destroy Yugi's trap, which let Zeffie's work, and destroyed Brian's. Now let's not do that again."
Zeffie: 6350
Brian: 6200
Tim: 6800
Yugi: 7400
"Sorry Brian." Tim sighed as he put two more cards into his disk, "I'll end my turn with these two cards, facedown."
Two cards appeared behind the flame sprite (1300/200), who just sat down in front of them. A small fireball now orbited around her body. Yugi frowned as he drew a seventh card.
"I summon King's Knight (1600/1400) in attack mode!" Yugi declared, sliding a card onto his disk.
Next to the Queen's Knight, appeared a man in yellow armor. He had a blond beard, and carried a dazzling sword and shield. He and Queen's Knight looked at each other, nodded, and crossed their swords. Yugi slid another card from his deck, and placed it onto the field.
"Now, when King's Knight is summoned when I have Queen's Knight on the field, I'm allowed to special summon Jack's Knight (1900/1000) from my deck." Yugi stated as a blond haired knight in blue armor leapt onto the field. He joined his own sword with the other two, and the three let out a battle cry.
Yugi smiled at his warrior trio, and looked around the field. A look of horror crossed his face suddenly.
"EVERYBODY GET DOWN!" Yugi shouted, falling down flat on his stomach.
The other three looked at Yugi, then they looked in the direction they were going. They gasped, and quickly lay down as well (the monsters following suit) as a low hanging rock formation passed through the seal, and over them. Getting back to their feet, everyone checked to make sure they were all still in one piece. The monsters all got back up, and all of them looked at Yugi with appreciation on their faces.
"Oh yeah, we're on a moving train." Tim mumbled to himself as he watched the rock disappear into the distance.
"Well that was exciting." Zeffie scowled, "Now are you done with your move!"
"Not yet." Yugi said, sliding another card into his disk, "I activate, Polymerization!"
The other three stared at him as they saw a vortex of swirling energy appear above Yugi's head. The spiky headed boy took a card from his deck case on his waist, took the three knights off of the duel tray, and placed the knights in his grave.
"What are you doing?" Zeffie sneered, "You don't have anything to fuse!"
"Yes I do Zeffie." Yugi announced as he placed the fusion monster on his tray, "I fuse King's Knight, Queen's Knight, and Jack's Knight…"
The three monsters were pulled upward, into the vortex. A strange light began to shine down from the portal, and from it emerged a woman in purple armor. She had a small shield attached to her left arm…and in her right hand she hefted a massive sword!
"And summon, Arcana Knight Joker (3800/2500)!" Yugi finished.
"Woah!" Brian gasped, "What is that?"
"Proof that Zeffie didn't cripple my deck as much as she thought." Yugi explained, "I'm more than just the Dark Magician Zeffie, every card in my deck is powerful if used the right way."
Zeffie was gaping at the monster. She opened her mouth, but it snapped shut immediately.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Holy crap!" Needlez and Celeste both shouted as the Arcana Knight Joker appeared.
"That is one hell of a monster!" Needlez gasped.
"Wait," Celeste muttered, scrunching her forehead in concentration, "That thing has 3800 attack points, but Yugi's three knights had a grand total of 5000 between them. Why would he give up 1200 attack points and two extra attacks like that?"
Needlez looked at the monster on the screen.
"I honestly don't know lass." He sighed, "But I get the feeling I've heard of this monster somewhere…"
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Back on the train, Yugi pointed right at Zeffie, who meeped in fear.
"Alright Joker, attack Zeffie directly now!" Yugi ordered.
The knight lifted her blade, and started to charge forward, when Tim suddenly lifted one of his facedown cards! A rocky suit of armor jumped in front of the female knight, and lifted its fist.
"Sorry Yugi, but you just went through a lot of trouble for nothing." Tim explained sadly, "My Sakuretsu Armor will destroy the Joker!"
"Guess again!" Yugi declared as he slid a card into his graveyard.
The warrior swung its blade, and shattered the armor. Zeffie screamed in terror as the rocks flew toward her, only to be deflected by a blast of dark wind.
Zeffie: 2550
Brian: 6200
Tim: 6800
Yugi: 7400
"What just happened?" Tim asked.
"YOUR STUPID TRAP DIDN'T WORK, THAT'S WHAT HAPPENED!" Zeffie screamed at him, "AND I ALMOST GOT KILLED BECAUSE OF IT!"
"Speaking of which, everyone duck!" Brian shouted as he fell to the ground again.
The other duelists and their monsters followed suit, as another rock formation passed over them.
"Now what happened with that trap!" Zeffie shouted at Yugi.
"Arcana Knight Joker can, once per turn, negate the effects of one card that targets her, as long as I discard a card of a matching type." Yugi explained, getting to his feet, "Since she was targeted by a trap, Sakuretsu Armor, I discarded my Chain Destruction trap to negate it."
Zeffie was just glaring at Yugi as he slid another card into his duel disk.
"Now I'll set this card facedown and end my turn." Yugi declared as the card appeared behind his knight.
"Then it's my move!" Zeffie shouted as she drew a card.
Looking at the card, Zeffie began to chuckle. Then she just burst into all out laughter.
"Too perfect, I know just how to handle your knight!" She shouted, placing a card on her disk, "I summon Flying Kamakiri #1 (1600/900) in attack mode."
In front of her materialized a large, green bug. The creature looked like a cross between a praying mantis and a hornet, and was buzzing angrily at the Joker.
"And now I use Creature Swap on Yugi!" Zeffie continued, sliding another card into her disk, "So that means the two of us each select a monster on our side of the field, and trade them. And since this card doesn't technically target, I get control of your knight!"
The knight looked sadly at Yugi, and then she and the insect faded away. The two of them reappeared, Kamakiri (1400/900) now hovered in front of Yugi, and the Knight (4000/2500) stood before Zeffie. The knight screamed as black tattoos were etched into her face and hands, but she stopped as her eyes turned into pools of shadow.
"Oh no…" Brian muttered, "She actually did it…"
"Joker, attack Kamakiri!" Zeffie ordered.
The knight leapt forward, and swung her blade through the bug. It shrieked in pain, and shattered. As it did though, one of its clear wings floated to Zeffie's side of the field, and a tornado flew from it.
"And since that send Kamakiri to my graveyard, I can choose a creature of wind with 1500 attack points or less to summon right now!" Zeffie laughed, sliding a card from her disk, "And I choose the Little-Winguard (1600/1800)."
A small knight, only about two feet tall, wearing a winged helmet descended from the tornado. He brandished his sword, and pointed it at Brian's Vampire lady as black infinity symbols appeared on his armor.
"Attack Vampire Lady!" Zeffie ordered.
The tiny knight flew forward, slashing his blade through the vampire's stomach. The pale woman screamed, and shattered into fragments. Winguard floated back to Zeffie's side of the field.
Zeffie: 2550
Brian: 6150
Tim: 6800
Yugi: 4800
"Now then, in case either one of you comes up with anymore bright ideas, I'll set one card facedown and move my Winguard to defense mode." Zeffie finished, turning the card on her disk and sliding one into it.
The little knight crouched down and shielded himself, and another card appeared behind it.
"Wait a minute, you can't just switch a monster to defense mode in the same turn it attacked." Brian protested, pointing at the tiny knight.
"Normally, no." Zeffie nodded, "But Winguard's effect lets me change his battle position once during each of my end phases. Now take your turn! Or are you still afraid of the dark?"
Brian gulped, and drew his seventh card. Looking over the field, he closed his eyes.
"What am I supposed to do?" He thought "I've got to find a way to stop this but…"
Brian felt his whole body shaking.
"I'm scared…" He realized, "I don't want…my judgment…my mind…my heart to be consumed by darkness again!"
Brian was breathing heavily, and beginning to hyperventilate. He fell to his knees, and then face down onto the train, the Millennium Puzzle being forced to his right as he fell. It settled to the ground next to his right arm, the eye still shimmering a little bit.
"Brian!" Yugi shouted, trying to run over to him.
"Stop right there!" Zeffie shouted, raising her hand, "We're still dueling here, and if you try to get too close to your partner during a tag team match you automatically lose."
"But he may be hurt!" Yugi protested.
"Then he has two minutes to get up, or I'm gonna say he forfeits." Zeffie grinned.
Tim's fist was shaking as he stared at his brother's prone form…
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Brian opened his eyes.
All around him was nothing but an inky darkness. No sign of the others, the train, or anything for that matter.
Brian struggled to his feet, and gasped as he felt something pull him back down. Looking at the ground, he saw that his feet and hands were being held by black chains!
"No!" Brian screamed as he struggled against the chains, "Let me go!"
The bindings held fast however. The teen winced as he felt them bite into his wrists…
"Need a hand?" A smooth, friendly voice asked.
Looking up, Brian gasped as he saw a pale man in a black tuxedo standing over him! He wore a blood red cape, and a pair of fangs extended from under his upper lip.
"Vampire Lord!" Brian exclaimed.
"That's right!" The zombie-type said, "Here let me help you…"
"Stay back!" Brian shouted, pulling away as best he could, "I'm not letting the darkness take me…Ah!"
The chains tightened around his wrists, pulling down even harder.
"Did you forget Brian?" Vampire Lord asked, "Forgot about the promise you made?"
Brian looked at the vampire.
"You know about that?" He asked, "But how?"
"I'm part of the reason you made it." Vampire Lord laughed, sweeping out his cape, "You said you wanted to prove that darkness could be used for more than just evil, right?"
"Yeah…" Brian muttered, looking at the ground, "But…I was wrong. And now I'm going to be lost to it again…"
"No, you're not." Vampire Lord said stepping forward, "And the reason is simple: You were right."
Brian stared at his monster in disbelief. The chains began to loosen a bit.
"How do you figure?" Brian asked.
"Don't you remember what Yugi just said?" The undead king asked, "Any card can be powerful if used right. Well, the same applies to the elements, and whether they're good or evil. Any element can be used for good, even darkness. Just look at Yugi, some of his best monsters draw their powers from the dark. And while they are tempted down the path of evil, they can resist because they believe, like you, that the darkness can be used for good."
Brian nodded in agreement, his shackles loosening even more.
"The same applies to creatures of every element, and to people and animals outside this game. We all do things using our own methods, and those may not seem like the right way to others." Vampire Lord continued, kneeling down next to Brian, "We all feel the temptation to do evil, but we each fight it in our own way. Even the creatures of the deepest darkness can use their powers for good if they desire."
"But all those stories about the darkness being used for evil…" Brian started.
"It was never the darkness itself that was evil." Vampire Lord grinned, "Darkness is just another method to do what you have to do, and its power is at your command if you can handle it."
"How?" Brian asked, looking right into the vampire's eyes.
"Just stop being afraid of it." Was the answer, "Know that you have darkness inside, and accept it. Do that, and it can be your greatest asset."
The chains began to crumble away, and Vampire Lord helped Brian to his feet.
"You'd better get back, or Yugi will be in a world of trouble." Vampire Lord advised.
"But what about you?" Brian asked.
"I'll be there shortly, don't worry about a thing." The vampire answered.
As Brian vanished, the Vampire Lord smiled, and turned to a shadowy figure with a golden eye on his forehead. The figure stepped forward, revealing Yami!
"Thank you for allowing me to help my friend." The zombie lord said with a bow, "I'll never forget what you've done for us."
"Think nothing of it." Yami replied, "I should really thank you. I wanted to offer assistance in this duel, but I'm incapable of communicating directly with anybody but Yugi. Fortunately, it seems I could still contact Brian through his favorite monster."
"Do you think what I said will really help?" Vampire Lord asked, "He was pretty nervous…"
"As long as you truly meant it, and I can tell you did, you should have nothing to worry about." Yami assured the zombie, "Now you'd better get out there. But do me a favor, and kick Zeffie's butt for me."
Yami vanished in a barrage of golden sparks.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
On the train, only thirty seconds had passed. Tim started to take a step forward, but a blast of wind forced him back! Tim looked over to Zeffie, who was glaring at him now.
"What do you think you're doing?" The blond girl growled.
"I'm checking on my brother." Tim stated, pocketing his cards, "Now let me go to him."
"Forget it." Zeffie sneered, raising one hand, "You can check on him after the seal takes his talent."
"Zeffie, let me go." Tim threatened as his hands ignited, "Or, so help me, I'll burn your entire deck into ashes!"
"Umm, guys…" Yugi started.
"Stay out of this!" Both of the other two shouted.
"It's my turn." A second voice declared.
"What!" Zeffie gasped, turning away from Tim…
To see Brian getting back to his feet! The teen held up his seven card hand, and smiled as he saw the card he had just drawn. At the same time, the Mystic Tomato's tattoos faded away, and its angry sneer was replaced with a goofy grin.
"Hey!' Zeffie shouted, "What's happening, how could your monster get rid of the darkness?"
"It didn't Zeffie, and neither did I." Brian explained as he switched the monster on his disk for the card he had drawn, "I'm accepting the darkness in me, not running away from it any more."
The tomato winked, and faded away. In his place appeared a swarm of bats. The bats swooped around in a circle, forming a column of beating wings before they dissipated…
Revealing a pale skinned vampire in a night black tuxedo.
"I've sacrificed Mystic Tomato to summon Vampire Lord (2000/1500) in attack mode!" Brian declared, "Now get ready Zeffie, because I'm about to show you what darkness is really capable of!"
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"I honestly didn't expect the lad to git up." Needlez mused.
"This should be interesting." Celeste said with a smile.
Needlez cradled his chin in his hand. Then he slowly shook his head.
"No, I don't think it is." He frowned, "I can already tell, Zeffie is going to lose…"
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Zeffie stared at Brian, and started laughing again. She fell to her own knees, holding her sides as she did, and continued laughing hysterically.
"You've (hahahahahaha) got to be (Heeheehee) joking!" She choked out, "That monster (hahahaha) doesn't have a chance!"
"Oh yeah?" Brian challenged, sliding another card from his hand, "Let me show you something. I activate Brain Control!"
A large brain appeared next to the vampire, who smiled as glowing energy flowed from Brian into it.
Zeffie: 2550
Brian: 5350
Tim: 6800
Yugi: 4800
"I just pay 800 life points to take control of Arcana Knight Joker." Brian declared.
A pair of misty hands extended from the brain, and reached for the knight. Zeffie just shrugged, and shoved a card (another Gust Fan) into her graveyard. The Joker laughed insanely, and swung her weapon through the hands, dissipating them and the brain.
"Did you forget that I could discard a card of the same type to negate yours?" She laughed again, "That was pretty…"
"I didn't forget Zeffie." Brian interrupted as he slid another card into his disk, "But I did have a back up plan in case you could stop Brain Control. Now try Snatch Steal on for size!"
A shifty looking man in red clothes materialized next to Vampire Lord. The man looked at Brian, who smiled and pointed at the joker again.
"There's your target." Brian said.
The man nodded, and dashed toward the heavily armored monster…
"Sheesh, what a pest!" Zeffie sighed as she picked another card from her hand, "Fine, I'll discard Premature Burial to…"
"You can't!" Yugi interrupted as he turned to Brian, "Arcana Knight Joker can only use her special ability once per turn, remember?"
"What!" Zeffie gasped, "But that means…"
The man continued, and vanished into the knight's body! Arcana Knight Joker blinked in surprise, then stumbled to Brian's side of the field, standing next to the Vampire Lord. Both creatures looked toward Zeffie, who drew back in horror.
"It's alright…" She thought, looking to her facedown card, "You still have that Sakuretsu Armor facedown, when he attacks, you'll just wipe out the joker. And if that doesn't work, then you still have Tim's."
"And now, I play my own Premature Burial." Brian announced, sliding yet another card into his disk, "So let's give a big round of applause for the return of my Pitch Black Warwolf (1600/800)!"
Zeffie: 2550
Brian: 4550
Tim: 6800
Yugi: 4800
There was a growling noise, and out of Brian's graveyard slot leapt a black furred wolfman. It raised its sword, pointing it at Zeffie who cringed.
"Thanks to his special ability, no traps can be used in the battle phase…" Brian began.
"Which renders my Widespread Ruin, and most likely Zeffie's facedown card, completely useless." Tim thought with a smile, "Man it's good to have my bro back!"
The Raging Flame Sprite perked up, and jumped excitedly into the air. She began to hover there, watching as the three monsters prepared for battle
"…and next I'll activate Dark Core!" Brian continued, dropping a card from his hand into the grave, "This will remove Little Winguard from play, at the cost of one card from my hand!"
An orb of black energy surrounded the tiny warrior, who screamed in terror as it vanished! Zeffie stared up at the joker, as Brian slid his final card into his disk.
"And my final card is was a special gift from Needlez, one that I really should thank him for." Brian concluded, "It's called Negative Energy, and it doubles the attack of every dark monster in play."
A large orb with a green N on it appeared behind Brian's monsters. It began to pump out bolts of energy, causing Vampire Lord (4000/1500) and Pitch Black Warwolf (3200/800) to both throw back there heads in laughter. Their laughs sounded more joyous though, like they were thankful of the gift. Both of them looked at Brian appreciatively then turned to Zeffie and Tim.
"That's Brian for ya." Tim thought as he shook his head, "He'll play a card that affects everyone, and make sure it only affects him."
"Course, this card makes the duel a little boring. But I needed something to take the place of Zorc." Brina said with a shrug, "Maybe I'll sell it on line after Needlez is gone…Well, more on that later. Vampire Lord, attack Zeffie with Children of the Night!"
The vampire smiled, and opened his cape. A swarm of bats swooped out, and dove at Zeffie who screamed in horror as they surrounded her! She fell facedown, and moaned as her life points slipped away.
Zeffie: 0
Brian: 5350
Tim: 6800
Yugi: 4800
The black circle closed in around Zeffie, leaving Yugi, Tim, and Brian in a red one. A point of purple light floated from Zeffie's prone form, and hovered for a minute before floating down and vanishing as it touched the chain of her necklace.
"Now, Arcana Knight Joker, wipeout Raging Flame Sprite!" Brian ordered.
The knight leapt forward, toward the brown clothed pixy. She swung her sword through the tiny creature, who screamed in pain as she vanished in a burst of pixels.
"Sorry Bro." Brian apologized.
"Do what you gotta do." Tim said with a smile, "You always say that you never take it easy on anybody."
"Yeah, I do say that don't I." Brian nodded, "Warwolf, attack directly with pitch black sword attack!"
The wolfman charged forward, and swung his sword across Tim's chest. The red-head gasped, and stumbled backward, but at the same time his smile never wavered.
Zeffie: 0
Brian: 5350
Tim: 1700
Yugi: 4800
"Great work Brian!" Yugi cheered, "I'll be able to handle things from here."
"I hope so Yugi, I just ran out of cards in my hand." Brian stated, "Your move Tim."
Tim drew, and looked at the card. He smiled a bit, then placed the card back and held his hand over his disk. Yugi's eyes widened in shock at the sight of what duelists officially accepted as a sign of surrender.
"Sorry guys, but I'm not done breathing yet." Tim joked, "I think I'll surrender before Yugi remedies that."
The Seal of Fire began to flare up, but Tim calmly snapped his fingers. The seal immediately shattered into fragments, leaving all three duelists unharmed.
"Well that was kind of disappointing." Yugi muttered, "And neither of us even lost half of our life points."
"Things did seem pretty grim for a moment though." Brian pointed out as the holograms faded away.
Zeffie gasped for breath as she got to her feet, looking at the shimmering crystal around her neck. She stared at it for a moment, and then began to cry!
"WAAAAH!" The little girl sobbed, "Zeffie doesn't want to lose her talent!"
Zeffie grabbed hold of Tim's hand, as he walked over to comfort her.
"There, there." He sighed, "I guess you should have stuck with your own element. Then you could have broken the seal like I did. The wind and fire crystals still have the power to break their seals, remember?"
Zeffie just continued to sob, and buried her face in Tim's chest. Tim's face went into a look of shock as the front of his jacket was quickly soaked.
"Okay, we'd better just leave." Tim said as flames licked around his feet, "But we should tag team again sometime, that was actually fun!"
"Umm…sure, you got it?" Yugi said, looking at Brian.
"Hey Tim!" Brian shouted.
Tim turned to his brother as the flames climbed up around him.
"Tell Needlez we're coming for him." Brian warned, pointing his thumb straight down.
Tim smiled, as he and Zeffie vanished in a flash of fire.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Wow, poor Zeffie." Celeste muttered sympathetically.
"Ye should be saying poor Tim." Needlez grumbled as he got to his feet.
"Why?" Celeste asked, the image from the train fading away, "He didn't lose his…Oh."
A look of realization crossed the light duelist's face.
"He kept the seal on fire mode." She realized, "It's like he never expected to win in the first place."
Needlez nodded his head as he headed to the seal room, with Celeste following behind him. Upon entering, they found Gold and Mako scrubbing a perfectly smooth floor. The only oddities were, of course, the stone tablets on the ground, and the entombed body in the center of the room.
"Somethin' up?" Gold asked as he got to his feet, "You look upset over something."
"Two things." Needlez corrected, "One, it seems yeh'll have to keep an eye on Tim, and two…"
Needlez rubbed the sleeve of his jacket over a smudged portion of the crystal pillar.
"Yeh missed a spot."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Back on the train, Brian and Yugi were carefully working their way over to the end car. They had been at it for about ten minutes, and they hadn't made much progress.
"Hey Yugi!" Brian shouted over the roar of the passing wind.
"Yeah!" Yugi shouted back.
"Sorry if I upstaged you back in that duel!" Brian yelled.
"That's okay, you did great!" Yugi shouted, "Besides, it's not like I didn't help. You used my monster, remember?"
"Good point!" Brian responded, "Hey, does it feel like we're slowing down to you?"
Both of them stopped, and realized that the train was indeed, slowing down. The winds passing over the two died down, and they sat on the train as it finally came to a complete stop two minutes later. The two sat down, and looked around at the canyon they had stopped in, Brian fingering something around his neck…
"The Millennium Puzzle!" Brian gasped as removed the sacred item, "Sorry Yugi, I forgot Zeffie put it on me."
"That's okay." Yugi smiled as he donned the puzzle, "I'm just glad she didn't throw it off the roof."
"That makes two of us." Yami commented, projecting himself next to Yugi, "So, how was dueling without me?"
"Not to bad actually." Yugi thought with a grin, "Maybe I'll try it more often once all this is over…"
"You're joking, right?" Yami asked, a look of shock on his face.
Joey and Kaiba both stepped out of the private car, and turned to the roof. Joey cupped his hands around his mouth, and took a deep breath…
"Hey Yugi, you okay?" Joey shouted, causing Kaiba to wince.
"Not in my ear!" Kaiba yelled at him.
"I'm fine guys, and so is Brian." Yugi responded, "Now how about a hand down?"
"Sure thing!" Joey agreed with a smile.
It took about five more minutes to get both Yugi and Brian down safely, both of them finally deciding to jump down. Brian crouched as he landed, and winced as he fell on his behind. Yugi…
Landed on Joey, plowing him facedown into the ground.
"Sorry Joey." Yugi apologized as he got up, "You okay?"
"Just fine." Joey groaned as he got to his feet, "So is this the place?"
Brian looked around. They were standing in what appeared to be a canyon, with smooth cliff faces rising up on either side around them. The ground was amazingly smooth, like a paved road. Not a single stone or stray twig lay on it.
"Yep, this is the place." Brian confirmed, starting down the path, "Gold evened this area out so we could find our way to it with no problems. The cave lies at the end of this canyon."
"Needlez is probably expecting us…" Kaiba pointed out, turning to the others.
"Then let's go!" Joey cheered as he started moving forward, "And I call dibs on the next evil duelist!"
Boy, is Joey gonna wish he never said that…
If you want to find out why, you'll have to wait for our next chapter, titled:
It's Back…
And no, we won't tell you anymore about it.
See ya then…
---
Original Cards
---
Arcana Knight Joker
LIGHT
Warrior/fusion/effect
9 stars
3800 attack
2500 defense
King's Knight + Queen's Knight +Jack's Knight
This card can only be fusion summoned using the proper fusion material monsters. When this card is targeted by the effects of an opponent's spell, trap, or effect monster card, discard one card of the same type to negate the effect.
This card is an actual, promotional card in Japan. It has never been used in the anime, though it has been used in a Japanese Yu-Gi-Oh Manga known as "Yu-Gi-Oh R."
---
Negative Energy
Spell
Image of a large green orb with an N in the center of it.
Double the attack of all DARK attribute monsters in play.
This card was first used in the anime by Pegasus in the episode "Champion vs. Creator (Part One)." All creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.
A/N: Not the most impressive duel, I know, but what do you expect from a two-on-two duel where Yugi has a partner who's familiar with both of his opponent's decks? Don't worry, our next duels will be more impressive.
---
Reverse of Reverse
Trap
Activate one of your opponent's facedown cards as if it were yours.
This card was first used by Yugi in "Yu-Gi-Oh: The Movie" All creative credit goes to the writers of the movie