Italics indicate thinking


Yuki's POV

These two guys are so intense, I feel kinda out of place.

I nervously sat in the helicopter as we looked down for Yugi's friends, apparently Kaiba was only helping us so that Yugi could get focused and duel with him, he wanted my God card too, he just didn't say it. From the sounds of it the three of us and Marik were all tied up in some ancient clash that none of us knew much about.

"Down there!" Mokuba, Kaiba's brother, pointed out the window to a blonde-haired boy standing on the pier near a ship.

The Helicopter landed and we all jumped out. The boy's eyes looked dull yet angry.

"I've been waiting for you, Yugi!" the boy yelled.

"Joey." Yugi glared.

Yugi said this was his friend right…so Marik must be controlling him.

"You have to snap out of it." Yugi said "Wake up!"

"Wake up, I'm wide awake." Joey told him "Awake enough to beat you into a pulp!"

"Is there something we can do?" I asked Cleopatra.

"No…" she paused.

"You can't run away from this duel!" Joey yelled "A duel with our lives on the line!"

Seriously…these two are gonna fight?

"Joey, I want to duel you in Battle City but as true duelists, not like this." Yugi told him "The reason I've come this far is because of our promise."

"Hmm…" Joey walked away "Follow me Yugi. The Stage of our Death Duel is right over there."

"Joey!"

"It's no use Yugi." Another voice spoke "You can't escape this duel with Joey, he is my puppet now."

I looked back and there was a girl walking out of the tanker ship nearby.

"Tea!" Yugi yelled.

Another one of his friends.

"Now go Yugi! Joey is waiting for you!" Marik yelled through the girl.

Down the walk was a smaller outcropping with a huge anchor suspended in the air.

"Before the Duel starts place these handcuffs on your ankles." The girl said in Marik's tone.

"Those cuffs are attached to that huge anchor." I pointed out "If it falls…"

"When a players life points hit zero a bomb on the Anchor will explode and drop it into the water." Joey said "The box with the key will only open when you beat your opponent."

"Someone…is really gonna get killed!" I gasped "No!"

"There's no escape!" Marik yelled as the girl was tied to a chair with a shipping crate held over it "If you interfere I'll have my underlings crush this girl. You only have 40 minutes to Duel. It's simple, if you want to save your friend, just lose."

"He's not messing around." I shivered.

"What a vile man, I haven't seen a duel like this in many years." Cleopatra hummed.

"I won't allow this!" Kaiba yelled "You don't run this city Marik!"

"I told you to stay out of it." He had a Hunter position the crane.

"We're not!" I yelled "We'll…we'll stay out of it okay!"

"I can't have you taking Slifer with you Yugi." Joey said "Put it on the ground."

"Fine, I don't keep it in my deck." Yugi said taking a belt off and throwing it to the side.

With that the duel started, the first few turns were mostly throw away until Joey played the card Hinotama which deals 500 points right to Yugi's life.

"Magic Cards that deal direct damage are banned in this tournament!" Kaiba yelled.

"Do you seriously expect him to play fair!" Cleopatra took over my body and yelled at him "The Rare hunters use fake cards all the time, why would they change that now!"

Another few turns passed and it became clear what the strategy Marik was using was, he was gonna burn through Yugi's life with a bunch of damage dealing magic cards. I noticed about halfway through the duel Yugi's expression changed to a softer one, and even when he tried to get Joey to take a card from his hand he wouldn't.

Is he trying to break through to him?

"I'm going to the finals." I turned away "I can't keep watching this."

"Running away?" Kaiba asked.

"No, I just see no reason to waste my time, I can tell this will…end well." I took a breath "I hope."

I walked away and used the Locator Cards I earned to see where to go next, an abandoned stadium outside of the main downtown area.

"No use waiting." I looked back one las time "Good luck."

"We should stay." Cleopatra said.

"I have no desire to risk seeing someone die." I frowned "You got me mixed up in this! Protecting your Pharaoh and your God Cards! Can't you just leave me some semblance of freedom!"

"Hmm…" she paused "I see, very well we shall depart for now."

"R-Really?" I gasped seeing her willing to work with me.

"There's nothing that can be done anyway." She looked back "Let's prepare as best we can for the finals, that's where our attention needs to be, Pharaoh can look after himself."

"Why did the Gods choose me for this? What even are they?" I asked.

"There are five mighty Gods, they exist outside of Existence, they are not merely Egyptian in Nature but all of existence is their doing, they've gone by many names in many cultures." She said "They are Kindness, Sadness, Anger, Fear and Apathy, each choosing to deal with Humanity in a different way, and since they are in constant disagreement, I am sent to act as their will, as to you being chosen as well." She paused "I truthfully know nothing. But the odds are…we will be working together forever."


AN

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Till Next Time!