Usual reminders:

Italics are thoughts and word emphasis. Bold is Malekos' speech.

Noah laughed at what he had done. "That was so much fun I think I'll transform you all into stone one by one with each turn I take. What do you say?"

"I say I'll rearrange your face, you little brat!" Joey told him.

"And I'll help," Jessica told him, growling.

"Silence! Or you'll be next to go!" Noah growled, grinning. "Since you're all so confident that Yugi's going to win, I've decided to put your fate in his hands. So with every turn that Yugi fails to defeat me, another of you will be turned to stone. You'll be frozen in time with the look of despair on your face!" He looked at Yami. "Because Yugi failed to save you! And in the end, Yugi, you'll be left in the middle of a circle of motionless statues that were once your friends."

Jessica growled and was about to shout something but she paused, hearing Yami chuckle. She blinked in surprise, letting herself relax in her confusion.

"What's so funny?"

"You're nothing but a child," Yami told him. "Six years may have passed, but I'm afraid you haven't matured at all. You're a weak boy!"

"I am strong!"

"Well, not strong enough!" Yami gestured with his hand down to his friends, where everyone not turned to stone stood with defiance as they stared up at them. "Just look!"

"Come on! You can still beat this lame-o!" Joey called.

"That's right, so don't you even think about giving up this fight, Yugi," Téa added.

Jessica only smirked as Noah scowled down at them.

"This can't be! They still have faith!"

"Noah! You wouldn't be so surprised if you had been given the chance to experience true friendship! You're just bitter," Yami told him.

Noah growled and drew a card. "The only thing I need to know about friendship is how to destroy it!" He activated his trap card on the field and the swords surrounding him disappeared a turn early. "My Pyro Clock of Destiny trap card causes time to move faster, so they expire one turn sooner!" He summoned a monster in attack mode and its special ability allows him to switch one of Yami's monsters' positions on the field. He chose Kuriboh, and then sacrificed his own two monsters to summon the eight-headed dragon from earlier.

"It's his Yamada Dragon!"

"The time is finally here! This duel has come to an end! My dragon will wipe out your Kuriboh and your life points!" With a crazed look in his eyes, Noah sent his dragon to attack poor little Kuriboh. "Victory is mine!"

Téa, Serenity, Joey, and Jessica all shouted, "Yugi!"

"I win the duel! Now you and your friends are trapped here forever!" Kuriboh was destroyed and left a cloud of smoke in its wake. "I've finally proven my point! See, Yugi? No one's superior to me!"

Jessica growled as she glared up at Noah, but gasped when she saw that Yami was still in the duel. She sighed in relief. "Thank goodness!"

Yami smirked at Noah's shocked expression. "What's the matter? You look shocked!"

"You should've lost the rest of your life points!"

"Take a closer look, Noah."

"You activated a trap!"

"That's right. It's a card known as Nutrient Z! Since your attack was strong enough to wipe out 2,000 of my life points, I was able to activate it to protect me! So I was able to receive an additional 4,000 life points before your attack did any damage. You can't get rid of me that easily, Noah. Thanks to my cards and my friends!"

"Yeah!" Jessica shouted her agreement, grinning as she pumped a fist into the air.

"But not for long, Yugi!" Noah's laugh caused her to frown. "Did you forget? Every time one of your turns comes to an end, I'll transform another one of your friends into stone!"

Jessica gasped, wondering just who would be next.

"Relax, Yugi. 'Cause my turn is far from done." His deck master's special ability boosted his life points once more, and an additional card was activated to give him the same amount of life points that Yami had just lost. Then he called his dragon back to his hand, giving him even more life points.

Yami summoned a monster and sent it to attack Noah directly, but Noah didn't even flinch.

"I have so much power I barely felt a thing."

Yami growled, along with Jessica. "Fine. Your move."

"Not just yet. First I have to keep my word. By encasing one more of your friends in stone now!"

Jessica braced herself and gasped as she saw Tristan get turned to stone with one final shout, "Don't let him win, Yugi!"

"Noah! This must stop!" Yami growled, his anger flaring.

"It will stop when I win! But by then you'll all be trapped here."

"Look," Joey said. "Yugi's gonna shut this place down and we'll all be free. So you can threaten whoever you want, Noah!"

Bad choice of words. Noah controls this world, Jessica thought with a growl.

"Whoever I want? So I guess that includes your sister, Serenity! Fine. If Yugi doesn't win this turn, she's next."

"Enough, Noah!"

"There's still a chance to save them, Yugi. All you have to do is beat me. If not, then too bad! Your friends will be a bunch of stone stiffs forever!" Noah laughed. "Soon I'll prove that no one's better than me!" He drew and summoned another spirit monster that allows him to attack Yami directly. It attacked him, slamming into his back and knocking the breath out of him.

"Yugi!" Jessica called, worried.

Noah called back his spirit monster and gained life points. Then Yami placed a card face down and sacrificed one of his monsters to summon Dark Magician Girl. She attacked Noah's life points, but he still didn't flinch.

"That's your best shot? If you wanna save Joey's sister, you'll have to do better than that." Noah smirked. "So why don't you try again?"

Yami closed his eyes. "I can't… I have to end my turn."

Noah laughed, "Very well, then. Time to lose another friend! Goodbye, Serenity!"

Joey had been holding onto his sister, but she pushed him to the side so that he wouldn't get hit too. And she was turned to stone.

"Serenity, no!" Joey knelt beside his sister, mourning for her.

Jessica squeezed her eyes shut as she listened to Yami apologize to Joey, tears pricking the edges of her eyes. Noah's laugh made her look up again, glaring at him.

"If you really cared you wouldn't have let that happen, Yugi. Now, time to bring back an old friend." He summoned the same spirit rabbit from earlier. "You remember my Inaba White Rabbit, don't you?"

Yami smirked. "I do, and I'm glad to see him again! His arrival has triggered my trap card, Dark Renewal!"

"And what is that?!"

"Once you summon a monster, Dark Renewal allows me to bring a spellcaster back from my graveyard! But first I must sacrifice one of your creatures and one of mine! So why don't you and I get down to business, Noah?" He sacrificed the rabbit and his defense monster, calling forth his faithful Dark Magician from the coffin. "Now I have the power of two Dark Magicians on my side of the field, Noah. And it looks to me like you have no monsters left!"

Noah begrudgingly placed a card face down and ended his turn.

"You have nothing to defend you, so your life points are wide open! And it's about time I turned this duel around! So stand back, Noah!" Yami's confident smirk sent excited shivers through Jessica, waiting for his next move. "Alright. Prepare to release me and my friends from your twisted game." He played a ritual card and sacrificed a monster he had in his hand in order to bring out a third magician, the Magician of Black Chaos. "This monster completes my trio of magical beasts that will combine forces to take you down! When added together, Dark Magician, Dark Magician Girl, and Magician of Black Chaos have over 7,000 attack points! Almost enough to wipe you out!"

Jessica's green eyes glimmered with awe. "Incredible…" She breathed. Please, let this work!

"Noah, this is for my friends!" Yami commanded his three magicians to attack, but Noah unfortunately activated a face down card. It made it so that Dark Magician Girl appeared on Noah's side of the field, and Magician of Black Chaos' attack destroyed her. "I don't believe it!"

"It's true, your big plan to defeat me failed miserably!"

Jessica clicked her tongue in contempt. "So close!"

"Bravo, Yugi, bravo." Noah clapped slowly. "You've put on such a great show I see no need to continue. So I will transform your friends back to normal and we can end this duel."

Yami glanced over his shoulder at his friends. "Don't toy with me…"

"I ask only one little favor in return, Yugi. That you forfeit the duel and admit that I am superior to you. It seems a small price to pay for your friends' safe return, doesn't it? Of course, Seto and Mokuba will remain as they are and stay with me."

Jessica growled and was about to shout when Joey beat her to it. "You slime ball!"

"Watch what you say," Yami warned him.

"You'll be next," Téa told him.

"He can't play with people's lives like this," Joey said. "Yug! You can beat this little twerp fair and square and end his sick game!"

"What if I'm defeated?" Yami asked, looking doubtful.

Jessica called out to him. "You won't lose!"

"I don't remember asking for your opinion, you fools! So say goodbye!" Noah called forth another lightning strike, turning Joey to stone.

"Joey!" Jessica joined Téa at his side and growled, clenched her fists.

Téa turned, tears pricking her eyes. "Noah! You think you're really tough, don't you?"

"Why, yes."

"Well, I think you're just a spoiled brat who's got no guts." Téa was glaring up at him. "If things aren't going your way, you just keep changing all the rules until they are."

Noah laughed. "Do you think I really care what you think of me, Téa? I've already proven that there's no one out there who's better than me." He pointed at Yami. "Now it's up to Yugi to admit the same. Then I'll gladly reverse the damage that's been done!"

"Well, it looks like I've got some disappointing news for you then." Yami told him. "I still plan to win!"

"What? You do?"

"You tell 'em, Yugi!" Jessica threw a fist in the air, her green eyes unwavering.

"Then suit yourself! I tried to make things easy for you. But you chose the hard way." He drew and threw a monster down in defense mode and another card face down. "Now, since I won't lose, there's no harm in showing you the next card I'm about to play, Yugi. So get ready!" He held it in front of his face and flipped it so Yami could see it. "Tada. When your turn starts, I'll use this to bring back one of my spirit monsters. A little critter known as Inaba White Rabbit. He possesses 700 attack points, which is more than enough to wipe you out. So once he attacks you directly, you're finished!" He placed it face down on the field. "Now make your final move, Yugi!"

"You haven't won this yet, Noah!" Yami drew a card and Noah activated the trap he had shown them, bringing his spirit monster back to his hand. "I activate Card Destruction! Now you must discard your entire hand, including your White Rabbit! Then draw four more cards!" He pointed at Noah. "It all stops here!" He ordered his stronger magician to attack, but it was Otohime, which caused his Dark Magician to be switched to defense mode before disappearing.

But Noah activated another trap card. "Vessel of Illusion allows me to summon a monster." He summoned Otohime back to the field in defense mode. "Your turn's over, Yugi. And it looks to me like I've got quite the choice of friends down there. Téa or Jessica?" Jessica growled, glaring at Noah as Téa gasped. "Soon they'll be nothing but a statue of their former selves!"

"In your dreams, you creep!" Téa defiantly stood her ground. "Yugi's gonna crush you! Then he'll set us all free, you got that?"

"Téa!" Yami warned her.

"Téa, you're antagonizing the brat," Jessica whispered.

"Well, someone's gotta teach him a lesson," she shot back, not backing down.

"Ha!" Noah laughed. "Goodbye, Téa." He sent a lightning bolt down to strike her.

"No!" Jessica could only watch as Téa turned to stone before her eyes. All of her friends were now statues. All of the people who had accepted her. And she couldn't do anything about it. She hung her head as she clenched her fists, hearing Noah laugh above. A growl rose in her throat as she felt tears prick the corners of her eyes. She whirled around and stared up at Yami, her eyes flashing red briefly. "Yugi! Don't you dare give up, you hear me?"

Yami stared down at her, his eyes uncertain. "But, Jessica…"

"No buts! He's long overdue for an ass whooping!"

"Quiet!" Noah growled. "This duel is going to end very soon!" He played the magic card Change of Heart and took control of Yami's Dark Magician. "And now your favorite monster stands by my side, Yugi." He sacrificed both monsters on his side of the field in order to summon the most powerful spirit monster he has. He added a power booster to his monster for one turn and sent it to destroy Yami's only monster. The attack went through his monster and knocked him onto his back.

"Yugi!" Jessica cried out, worried.

"It looks like my newest spirit monster has destroyed all your monsters." Noah continued to gain life points. He then played a magic card that lets him keep his monster on the field after discarding one card. "You may as well stay down, Yugi. It's all over!"

"Don't listen to him, Yugi!" Jessica called out, seeing Yami struggling to push himself off the ground. "Get up and keep fighting!"

Jessica! Malekos' warning growl rang in her head, but it was too late.

It wasn't even time for him to do it, but Noah sent a lightning bolt to strike Jessica anyway. She could feel it rising from her feet quickly and it was difficult to move, but she forced herself to. She stared defiantly up at them and let a smirk play on her face, holding a thumb up towards Yami. "I still believe in you!" She felt it reach past her neck and she called out once more, "Ya...mi!" And everything went black for her as she was entirely encased in stone in her stance of confident defiance.

Oh no! Now Jessica's been turned to stone!