Hi everyone! I apologize for the long wait of this upload. This lack of writing motivation hit me hard so I've been unable to continue my current stories lately.
I also want to announce that this story is now named "The Curse". It fits better since it mostly follows Jessica and Malekos.
Usual reminders:
Italics are thoughts or word emphasis. Bold is Malekos' speech.
"Attention duelists, we are six miles from KaibaCorp Island. Prepare for descent."
The announcement roused Jessica from her nap and she groaned into the pillow. More duels. She could hear chuckling from across the room and she lifted her head to stare groggily at Yugi, who was walking over to her. "Whatchu laughin' at?" She slurred in her half-asleep state, which only made him laugh more as he sat down on the bed next to her.
"If you want to sleep more, you can." He told her as he reached out to brush some of her bangs from covering her eyes.
She groaned quietly as she pushed herself to a sitting position, shaking her head slowly. "Nuh uh. I'm not missing your duel for anything." She crawled to the edge of the bed and stood up. "Just lemme freshin' up first…" She went to the bathroom, hearing an 'okay' from Yugi before the door closed.
After washing her face to help her wake up, which helped, she fixed her hair so it didn't look like she just woke up from a nap. When she was satisfied with her appearance, she joined Yugi back in the room. She saw the determined look on his face as he was talking to a detached Yami, and they turned towards her when they noticed her arrival. She smiled at them and was about to greet Yami when Duke, Tristan, and Téa appeared at the doorway.
"Hey, Yugi, Jessica," Téa greeted them with a smile.
"It's almost that time, dude," Tristan told Yugi. "So grab your dueling deck and let's go!"
Yugi led the way to the door and they joined their friends. He turned to them with a clenched fist and a grin. "Joey and I have some duels to win and we need your help!"
"You bet!" Téa readily agreed. "We'll be right there on the sidelines!"
"You can count on us!" Tristan added.
"For sure," Duke agreed.
Jessica smiled at them and turned to meet Yugi's gaze. "We'll always believe in you both." He returned her smile and the announcer came over the speakers.
"We are now descending upon KaibaCorp Island for the conclusion of the Battle City Finals. When we touch down, please exit the aircraft and await further instructions."
"Let's go!" Yugi said and they met up with Joey as the ship landed. They exited the ship as instructed and then stopped to admire the tall tower in front of them. "Whoa, check it out, guys!" Jessica whistled at the vast size, and had to shield her eyes to stare at the top where the sun was glaring down at them.
"That must be the duel tower Kaiba was yappin' about," Joey said. "Now what?"
"I'm sure we'll find out soon enough."
They turned as Kaiba joined them outside and started speaking. "Look. The island you're standing on is the site of the original Kaiba Corporation. But I tore it down."
"And is that-"
He cut Yugi off rudely, "Yes. That's my duel tower and I plan to defeat you at the very top, Yugi!"
Yugi switched out with Yami immediately and Jessica was slightly disappointed. As Joey and Kaiba bickered she whispered to Yami, "Yugi." Yami glanced at her over his shoulder and then nodded, and Yugi detached from Yami. When she wiggled her finger for him to come closer, he walked over to her so she could whisper to him without anyone noticing. With a glance to make sure nobody besides Yami was watching, she smiled at him and placed a quick kiss on his cheek. "I love you, and good luck."
Yugi's face flushed red and he gave a flustered nod. And he quickly disappeared before his embarrassment could explode.
Jessica was blushing as well but she held a hand to her mouth to hide her smile, holding in a laugh. His flustered face is adorable! She caught Yami's amused stare and she ducked her head slightly.
"Whatever. We're wasting time here so let's go," Kaiba snapped and led the way to the tower.
They didn't get very far before Marik appeared on a piece of rubble off to the side and laughed. "It's a lovely day, isn't it, pharaoh? Too bad some of your friends can't enjoy it from all the way in the Shadow Realm."
Jessica growled but Joey beat her to a retort as he stood in front of Yami. "Hey, artichoke-head! You're going down!"
"Then let's get on with these duels. When do I find out who my next victim is?" He looked over at Kaiba and Mokuba.
"Just chill out," Mokuba told him with clenched fists. "We'll tell you inside the tower! Is that clear?"
Marik chuckled. "Then why don't we proceed so the fun can begin?"
The rest of the walk to the tower was tense and Jessica made a point to stick close to Yami's side. She was clearly uncomfortable with Marik's presence, but so was everyone else. They stopped at the doors and waited for them to open. There was a small bicker between Joey and Kaiba again before they stepped inside, where the referee was waiting for them.
"Your attention please. Step to the center of the tower. The second half of the Battle City Finals will take place right here."
"So far it's not so impressive." Joey said as they all looked around.
"This place doesn't look like a dueling arena," Téa commented.
"Oh yeah?" Mokuba was grinning with his arms crossed. "Just wait and see."
The referee spoke again. "As you know, there are four finalists remaining. Yugi, Joey, Marik, and of course, Mister Kaiba. You'll notice we're surrounded by four doors. Each finalist must choose a door with which to enter. Choose wisely."
"What's behind them?" Yami asked, staring at each door.
Joey was scratching his head. "How am I supposed to know which door to pick? What do you think, Yug?"
Yami glanced at him over his shoulder. "I don't think there's a wrong choice."
"Well, here it goes…" And Joey started a comical way of choosing a door by counting potatoes. The one he ended up landing on was the one Marik started walking into, and Kaiba had already chosen his own door. Yami walked over to the door that was nearest to him.
"Just choose the door closest to you, Joey."
"But what about my potato song?" Joey whined, and then headed for the last door.
"Everyone else, come on and follow me!" Mokuba announced excitedly as he walked over to an escalator between Joey and Yami's doors.
One by one, they boarded the escalator and made jabs at Joey as they went. Jessica glanced over at Yami examining whatever was inside his door and she smiled. He looked so serious.
At the top of the escalator, they joined Mokuba at the center of the room and stared up at the ceiling high above their heads. Jessica whistled, and she heard it bounce off the walls and fade near the top. She grimaced at the sound, not expecting it to echo that much. And soon the duelists appeared on platforms that moved along the wall in a vertical motion before locking into place next to life point counters.
Kaiba and Joey had their usual bicker before Roland, the referee, continued with the rules. He explained how the next duels and the current one will work, as well as how the terminals worked and what would happen when they lose life points. When it was finally time to start the match, they each had to draw a monster card and they would go in order of highest to lowest attack points. But that monster card would be sacrificed and unplayable for the rest of the duel. The order was decided with Kaiba being first, then Marik, then Yami, then Joey.
And the duel kicked off without missing a beat. Joey was the only one who didn't play a monster on the field, and Kaiba took advantage of that. He sent his monster to attack him, but Yami stopped the attack with a trap card.
Jessica smiled as she listened to Yami claim that he and Joey are a team, and that he'd always protect him. She couldn't tell if that was Yami or Yugi speaking, or both, but she thought that it was a very noble thing for them to say. She watched the duel with crossed arms, eyes flicking between each duelist as they took their turns, and some started to ascend as they lost life points. She stayed quiet as the rest of the gang gave their comments, figuring they were saying enough and she didn't want to repeat anything too much.
Soon, all four duelists disappeared at the top of the room and Mokuba led the way to the roof of the tower, where the actual duel ring was. The first duel would be Joey against Marik, and the second duel would be Yami against Kaiba. Exiting the elevator and walking up the last of the stairs to the top of the tower, Jessica noticed the tense atmosphere and Kaiba walking away from both Joey and Yami, while Joey looked like Kaiba had just rattled his nerves. They headed over to them and Mokuba split to join his brother.
"So, what did we miss, guys?" Téa asked.
"Yeah, I sense tension!" Tristan commented.
"Is Kaiba bugging you?" Duke asked Joey.
Joey crossed his arms with a growl and walked away from them, and Jessica stood beside Yami. "The usual?" She asked, glancing at him. Yami simply nodded in response and they focused their attention on the duel that was beginning.
The duel platform rose into the air just as it did on the blimp, and Marik was chosen to make the first move. Jessica stuffed her hands inside her hoodie pocket as she watched, already feeling her stomach tighten with nervousness. Judging by how Mai ended up after her duel against Marik, this duel would be no different if Joey lost. She shuffled her weight on her feet, hoping that Joey would win the match and that everything would turn out alright.
As soon as Joey finished his turn, a black fog erupted behind Marik and surrounded the top of the duel tower. It sent shivers down Jessica's spine and she stepped closer to Yami until their sides were touching. She felt his arm wrap around her waist, but her gaze never left the field as it felt like it was almost suffocating her.
"Is this a Shadow Game," she asked him, her voice almost a whisper.
"Yes," he told her, and she could hear the growl in his voice. She shuddered as Marik lifted the Millennium Rod.
"The shadows hunger for your mind and your soul," he told Joey with a smirk. The blonde tried to say that he wasn't scared, but Marik claimed that his fear was in his eyes. His laugh turned into that of a maniac's as he mentioned Mai in the Shadow Realm.
"We can't let Joey go through with this," Tristan said. "It's too dangerous!"
"So let's step in," Duke suggested.
"Joey's already made up his mind," Téa told them. "Didn't I tell you what he said to me?"
That caught both Yami and Jessica's attention. "What's that?" Yami asked.
Téa dropped her head apologetically, her eyes closed. "Sorry, Yugi… I should have told you about this before. Joey and I had a conversation after Mai's duel with Marik." She explained how Joey claimed that he was going to beat Marik and bring Mai back from the Shadow Realm. He was keeping a few promises he had made, and he wouldn't be able to forgive himself if he backed out. "So Joey's trying to rescue Mai out there. And nothing we say can stop him."
"I thought so," Yami narrowed his eyes, glancing at the field. A distant look clouded his crimson eyes, and Jessica guessed that he was having a mental conversation with Yugi.
She turned her attention back to the field and let out a breath to calm her nerves. "Then all we can do is put all our faith in him. The best thing we can do for him now is to let him know that we're here for him, and nothing short of that."
"You're right." Yami nodded his agreement and tightened his grip around her waist as he felt her shiver again.
The other three agreed and shouted their encouragement up to Joey. And they watched as a glowing purple line connected his monster to his chest, and the same thing happened to Marik.
"Didn't I tell you that this duel is a bit different? I decided to raise the stakes by adding these energy streams to our game," Marik explained, his smirk never faltering. "Now whenever your monster's attacked, your body will be drained of a little more energy. Leaving you weaker than before!"
Jessica bit her lip. "That sounds like what happens when Malekos uses my body. All my strength gets zapped," she whispered so only Yami could hear her. "This is going to test his endurance."
"Then we're going to see just how tough Joey really is," Yami said, his eyes never leaving the field.
When Marik destroyed Joey's defense monster, the energy string that connected the two shattered and Joey cried out in pain. Both Jessica and Yami tensed as they watched him kneel down.
"That wasn't fun," Joey groaned.
"Come on, Joey!" Yugi had detached on Jessica's other side and called encouragingly to his best friend, even though only she and Yami could hear him. She felt his warm presence at her side as he wrapped his arm around her waist as well, making a small blush dust her cheeks as now both boys were hugging her. But she focused on the duel instead.
When Marik ordered his monster to attack directly, and Téa called out worriedly, Joey activated his Scapegoats spell card and four fluffy, brightly colored little goats stood in a line to protect his life points. One was sliced and Joey's life points were spared, much to the gang's relief and Marik's shock. It also spared him from being zapped of any energy.
"Nice move, Joey!" Yami called out, proud of his friend.
"Well, it looks as though I've underestimated you," Marik admitted. "Make your move."
"Oh, I will." He summoned his Panther Warrior in attack mode, and an energy stream attached itself to them both. He sacrificed one of his Scapegoats to power up his monster and destroyed one of Marik's monsters, making him stumble with a grunt. But he was back to smirking as he clutched at his chest where the other energy stream was still attached. "That one was for Mai!"
"Speaking of Mai, her mind should be empty by now!"
"Your head games won't work on me. My turn is done!"
Good. As long as Joey doesn't allow Marik to rattle him, he should be fine. Malekos growled his agreement to Jessica's thoughts.
When Marik played a spell card, she was confused until he explained what it does. It brings back one monster from each of their graveyards and he can sacrifice them to summon a stronger monster. It looked like a zombie strapped to some sort of stone. Yet he didn't attack with it, and that was the big question everyone was asking themselves. Why didn't he?
As soon as Joey summoned a weaker monster to deal with whatever trap Marik had planned with the stronger monster, he sprung a different trap that attached a metal leech to Panther Warrior. And as it drained its attack power, Joey's strength was also zapped in the process.
Jessica gasped as she watched Joey get zapped and dropped to his knees, grunting in pain. The gang shouted encouragement up to him, telling him to hang on and fight it. No way! Their monsters' attack strength is also directly linked to their own?
It appears so. Malekos scoffed in her mind as Marik laughed.
"You'll never break my spirit, Marik," Joey grunted, clutching his head. "I made a promise!" He then rose to his feet and spread his arms out like he was breaking free of an invisible binding with a shout. "You can't keep me down. Not as long as I have somethin' to fight for!" He used Rocket Warrior's special ability to drain Marik's stronger monster, draining the Item user's strength in the process.
Tristan pumped his fist. "Not only did he drain that monster's strength, he drained Marik's too!"
Joey sacrificed a third scapegoat to power up his Panther Warrior and attacked, destroying the zombie-like monster and snapping its energy stream in the process. "Eat that!"
Marik clutched at his chest and groaned before chuckling, making the gang gasp and confusing Joey. "Thank you, little Joey. By attacking my beast, you caused your own demise!"
"How's that?"
"It's simple. When you sent my beast to the card graveyard, you activated its special ability."
Joey narrowed his eyes and braced himself for what to come. "What's its special ability?"
"Patience, my boy! You're about to find out. And I doubt you'll like it." A ghost-like entity dove into Joey's duel disk and spit out the exact card Marik had been holding. "It's in your graveyard now! It gets much better. Now it can destroy you from within your own duel disk! Say farewell to a random card from your hand!"
Jessica gasped as a ghostly hand appeared from Joey's duel disk and snatched one of his cards in his hand, before slithering back into the graveyard slot of the duel disk along with its chosen card. His cry of 'not that card' told them that it was a card he had intended on using later.
"Yes! And I'm afraid there's plenty more where that came from. For as long as my beast remains in your card graveyard, you'll lose one card every turn!" Marik chuckled. "This is even more amusing than my duel against your friend, Mai! But in the end, I'm afraid your fate will be exactly the same as hers. An eternity in the Shadow Realm!" His sinister laugh echoed through the air.