L stared down at the Millennium Puzzle, shimmering in the glare of the interrogation light. It again rested in the middle of the table in the center of the cell, L perched on the chair in front of it, one finger out, touching the face of the Puzzle.
His posture straightened and he faced ahead, challenging anyone who dared question him. "If it was you who interfered with the ancient tablet and unleashed these monsters upon the world, I will give you the retribution you are due!"
When the spirit of the Puzzle was done, L reclaimed control and asked, "Do you know what could have caused it?"
"There is a man, Rafael, who has been extending a dark influence over Yugi. I have felt the corruption seeping into his soul, not dissimilar from the dark force I felt devouring the power of the Egyptian God Cards and reaching into the Millennium Puzzle. I do not know how, but I would swear that it is Rafael who is responsible for corrupting the ancient tablet as he has done to Yugi!"
L chewed at his thumb in consideration.
"Allow me to find him and right that which has been debased!"
L wondered what the spirit of the Puzzle would actually do if given the chance.
"Chief Yagami would like to speak with you," Watari reported when L had returned to sit at the console from which he observed all the Millennium Items, sitting motionless in their cells.
L let in the call with the press of a key and picked up a headset so the speaker dangled in front of his mouth.
"L speaking."
"L, I've been trying to get ahold of you! You must have heard about all of the monsters suddenly appearing all over the world, apparently they have some connection to the game Duel Monsters that you brought on Matsuda to investigate. Speaking frankly, our department is at a loss. If you could share with us anything you've uncovered that could point to a solution or even an explanation it could save countless lives."
L chewed at the skin of his thumb for a moment in thought before reopening the connection. "It is probably not caused by the Millennium Items."
"You mean those ancient Egyptian artifacts you wanted confiscated?"
"Yes."
There was an expectant pause before Chief Yagami finally gave up on waiting and asked the question he was really getting at, "Do you know if this could be the work of Seto Kaiba, whose company makes highly sophisticated Duel Monsters holograms? Or Maximillian Pegasus who invented the game of Duel Monsters? They both have… unusual reputations."
"No, neither of them is responsible."
"Do you know who else could be?"
"The prices of shares in Kaiba Corp and Industrial Illusions have dropped as expected, and they are all being bought by the Paradius Corporation."
"You believe that this Paradius Corporation might be behind it somehow?"
L shrugged. "Possibly."
"Thank you, I will ensure that this lead will be followed up on. Is there anything else you have uncovered?"
"You may want to look into a recent article by Professor Arthur Hawkins about ruins that may have come from the city of Atlantis and were subsequently destroyed."
"Atlantis? I don't mean to be rude, but this is a serious matter; the whole world is being overrun."
"I am serious."
"You think this may have some connection to the lost city of Atlantis?" Chief Yagami sounded no less skeptical.
"The timing is suggestive."
Again, there was an expectant pause. When it was clear that L would say no more, Chief Yagami asked again, "Is there anything more you can tell us."
"No, I don't think so. I will need Touta Matsuda again for an indefinite time."
"Alright. Thank you. You can reach me any time if you uncover anything else at all."
L ended the call with the press of a key.
The world is rotten.
"Monsters have been spotted across the globe," the newscaster declared, as though there were people who could not see the apocalypse taking place outside their very windows.
Schools were all closed until further notice. At one time, Light may have spent the day diligently doing his homework, but that, in the end, accomplished nothing and now it was time he could not afford to waste, not when he had come so close already. The world was finally coming to an end, Light only needed to ensure that a new, perfect world emerged from the ashes of the old. And for that, all he needed was the right tool.
He told no one he was leaving the house. His father had spent the night in the office and was unlikely to return before the crisis was over and there was no reason to worry his mother. Outside, the suburban streets were deceptively quiet. Aside from a few trampled cars and damaged trees, it looked like it could have been any ordinary weekday. High above, Light could see a dragon circling, searching for its next target. Light moved quickly.
Beyond all reason, the officials who had confiscated the Millennium Items after the Battle City tournament had trusted Yugi Muto with the Millennium Puzzle, and he was the one who had been contacted by that ridiculous biker with promises of even greater power - probably all fake. So, it was to Domino City that Light went.
As he neared the city center, he glimpsed more monsters, all Duel Monsters cards come to life, rampaging through the streets. A few blocks away, emergency personnel were trying to corral a giant purple three-headed dragon that was stomping through the streets, but it seemed not to even notice them on its mindless rampage. Light wondered if he may have been able to use the Millennium Puzzle to direct the monsters toward more productive ends, if only Officer Touta Matsuda had not foolishly insisted that Yugi Muto be the only one to handle it.
Light carefully circumnavigated the monsters until he reached the Kame Game Shop. It was still intact for the time being. The sign on the door read "Closed," but he pushed inside the dank, dark game store. Of course, he wasn't the only one there. Standing around the counter at the back were all of Muto's friends. The only one missing was Muto himself.
"We're closed," Muto's grandfather called out from the back as Light entered.
"It's just me," Light replied as he crossed the store. "I'm looking for Yugi."
"Join the club," Tristan Taylor said.
"We haven't seen Yugi since everything that happened at the museum yesterday," Tea Gardner explained.
"He didn't come home last night, and I haven't heard from him at all since," Mr. Muto said. "I know how teenagers can be, but this isn't like Yugi. He hasn't been himself lately."
"I know what you mean!" Joey Wheeler said. "Something's been wrong with Yug and it's up to us to find out what! The next time I see that Rafael creep, he'll have another thing coming!"
"Did Yugi leave any indication of where he may have gone?" Light asked in an attempt to direct their blind flumbling.
Mr. Muto shook his head. "A package arrived in the mail this morning from Industrial Illusions, but I haven't even had the chance to give it to him."
"All these Duel Monsters flying around and now a package from Industrial Illusions? Sounds pretty fishy to me!" Taylor said.
"Maybe there's some clue inside," Light suggested. Perhaps Pegasus had learned some new tricks since Light had claimed his Millennium Eye - the Millennium Puzzle certainly couldn't be responsible for the sudden onslaught of Duel Monsters on its own.
"I knew that creep Pegasus had to be behind it! I'm gonna give him a piece of my mind!" Wheeler was already gearing up for a fight.
"Don't get ahead of yourself," Gardner cautioned.
"Let's see what he's got to say for himself," Taylor said.
Mr. Muto led them all upstairs, into a small living room directly above the shop. Inside the package was what looked like a Duel Monsters card with an image of a key on it, on top of a VHS tape, as apparently it was beyond the inventor of the game of Duel Monsters to send an ordinary letter. The teenagers crowded around the television as Mr. Muto put in the tape.
Light readied for another Shadow Game as the image of Pegasus, sitting behind a desk, almost like an actual business man, appeared on the screen.
"Greetings, Yugi-boy," Pegasus said in that same sing-song voice he had used when he had challenged Light, "it's been so long."
"Not long enough, if you ask me," Taylor said, even though it was only a recording, and Pegasus didn't even have the power of his Millennium Eye any more - the empty socket remained carefully concealed behind his hair.
Pegasus continued without pause, "Now, of course, I know who's really behind these Duel Monsters running amuck all around this world of ours and I must put a stop to them! Luckily for me, Kaiba-boy's been taking most of the heat for this recent state of affairs, but they're ruining the reputation of my game and I'm afraid that's just not good for business. The only catch is, it's too risky for me to leave you any information on this tape. So, that means you'll have to see me in person. It's the only way to ensure complete secrecy."
Wheeler jumped to his feet. "There's no way we can trust that guy! He's probably got Yugi locked up in that compound of his!"
"I don't know," Gardner said. "I don't like him either, but he seems worried about all this too, in his own way." She glanced back at the screen as the image of Pegasus frowning into the camera gave way to static.
"And why would he send a tape to Yugi if he'd already kidnapped him?" Taylor added.
"I don't like this any more than you do," Light said, "but this is the only lead we have for where Yugi may be, and at least Pegasus may have some answers." And knowing what was really behind this was the first step to claiming its power so that Light would be the one to reshape the world as it crumbled around them.
"Chief Yagami said you wanted me back on the case full time?" Matsuda asked as he sat down next to L at the console overseeing the cells that housed the Millennium Items.
L took a sip from his teacup - not quite sweet enough - and dropped in another cube of sugar. "Light Yagami will be flying to America with the friends of Yugi Muto. You will go with them."
"To America? With all of the monsters still flying around?"
"I believe they have been invited to the headquarters of Industrial Illusions - or at least Muto has been invited."
"You mean Pegasus is behind all this? I was sure it would have been Kaiba! What does he want with Yugi now?"
"It is unlikely that Pegasus is responsible. He is aware that Muto has a connection to the Millennium Puzzle, and Muto is the Duel Monsters champion, otherwise I am not one hundred percent certain what he wants." L thoughtfully took a small cookie from the bowl in front of him and bit it in half.
"So you want me to keep an eye on things and figure out what's going on?"
"I want you to observe Light Yagami. You will also bring the Millennium Puzzle."
"The Puzzle? Didn't it cause enough of a mess last time we took it out?"
"I believe that this is not the spirit of the Puzzle's doing. I want to see what it will do."
"If it'll go after more criminals you mean?"
L gave a shallow nod. "Keep it away from Light Yagami. I want to know what they do separately."
Before Matsuda could make another argument, Watari entered with a briefcase in hand. He presented it to them, holding it on its side between L and Matsuda while he undid the latches with a gloved hand. It opened to reveal the Millennium Puzzle, sitting on the soft velvet lining.
"You're sure this was your idea; that it's not messing with your mind?" Matsuda asked, his hand already halfway to the golden puzzle.
"Yes." L took another sip of tea.
Finally, Matsuda reached out the rest of the way and lifted the Millennium Puzzle from the briefcase.
He was running out of time.
It was late. The sky outside his wide, upper-story window had long since darkened. Maximillian Pegasus, the inventor of the game of Duel Monsters, sat bent over his desk, frantically getting everything in order before the inevitable blow fell. How far he had fallen. He was afraid of every shadow against the too-large windows and flinched at every creak in the dark. His Millennium Eye and all the power he had possessed was gone, taken by force. Now even his fortune was fast slipping away; his company's stock was bought up as quickly as it plummeted, as outside the monsters he had shared with the world rampaged, burning it down. It wasn't the lights of the sleepless city that lit up the night from below, but dragons' fire and rescue crews racing to put them out. Sirens blared through the night.
Almost ready…
He jumped at a sudden noise. It was probably just the wind rattling against the windows. He would need to have them looked at - if he could still afford to have someone come to look at them come morning. He glanced nervously over his shoulder, just to be certain.
Silhouetted against the glass was a small figure, like a demon with wild hair, emanating a sickly green glow.
Pegasus quickly straightened his posture, as though he had not been caught by surprise, and turned his chair to face his visitor in a deliberate motion. "I've been expecting you, Yugi-boy."
The boy stepped into the dim light of the lamp over the desk. It was, of course, the diminutive Duel Monsters champion, dressed in black leather - there was no accounting for style. But the boy's usually wide eyes, arched with determination as they often were, now had an unfamiliar cruelty, and, even more ominous still, in the center of his forehead was a glowing green sigil.
His time had come.
Pegasus did not miss the irony that it was Yugi Muto, whom he had turned to in this desperate hour, who now arrived as the messenger of his demise.
"It's time for you to pay the price for all you've done to me and my friends!" Yugi's sneer echoed with the dark power that sealed Pegasus's fate.
Matsuda ran through the international terminal of the Domino City airport. It was almost entirely empty and many areas were roped off where the floor had been torn up and furniture upended as the rampaging Duel Monsters had been pushed out of the airport, to all be cleaned up when the world was no longer coming to an end. Through the gaps in the reinforcement around the windows, Matsuda could see dragons still circling against the blue sky above.
"Almost there," he panted, directed as much at himself as L, who may or may not have been listening over the wire.
He jogged around another corner, winding deeper through the labyrinthine airport, until finally, at the last gate at the end, he could make out a handful of teenagers. He hoisted his duffel bag onto his shoulder and put on a final burst of speed.
"Hey!" he called out as he got closer and slowed to a painful speed walk, fueled by the dregs of momentum.
The kids glanced up and there was a general outcry of "Matsuda!"
"What're you doing here?" Joey asked.
Matsuda came to a stop and doubled over to catch his breath. "I heard Pegasus called. Thought you might want backup."
"How did you hear about it?" Light asked, his voice even, but with an undercurrent of suspicion. Somehow he reminded Matsuda of the few glimpses he'd had of the spirit of the Millennium Puzzle.
Matsuda gave an awkward shrug. "My boss has been keeping an eye on things, especially with everything that's happened." He glanced at the covered windows.
"You've been keeping an eye on the Millennium Puzzle?"
Thankfully Matsuda was spared from answering beyond a reluctant "Yeah," by the arrival of a pair of men in black suits who he recognized as Pegasus's employees. Matsuda hoped L was right and Pegasus wasn't the one behind this.
"It's time to depart. Mr. Pegasus is not to be left waiting."
They led the way outside onto the tarmac where a single small plane was waiting for them. The rest of the planes were either in pieces or safely away in their hangers. Matsuda lingered toward the back of the group, Light with him. Light still seemed to be watching him suspiciously, which was awkward, but at least Matsuda hoped it would make it easier to keep an eye on him.
They climbed aboard the plane, as Joey exclaimed, "Just like movie stars!"
Inside, it looked like they really were getting the movie star treatment. The teenagers gushed as they fell into the plush seats and Matsuda even relaxed a bit as he settled in for a comfortable ride across the Pacific. They didn't waste any time on the tarmac, and were soon airborne, gliding high above even the most powerful dragons.
Light was still eyeing Matsuda like he was about to ask another pointed question at any moment and Matsuda braced himself for whatever was coming, already trying and failing to figure out how to weedle out of this one.
However, Tristan beat Light to the punch. "So, what are you doing here?"
Joey jumped on it, "Does this mean it was Pegasus who kidnapped Yugi?"
"I don't know," Matsuda admitted. "We're just hoping maybe he knows something about what's been going on, since he's the one who invented Duel Monsters, and he did call all of you to meet him, right?"
"That's what he said, but it's hard to believe," Tea said. "It could just be another trap."
"I can't help but think the Millennium Puzzle must be behind everything somehow," Light said. "Has anything unusual happened while you've had it?"
"No," Matsuda hastily replied, "other than all the Duel Monsters appearing, I mean. But my boss thinks the Puzzle might not actually be behind it."
That seemed to have the opposite effect of assuaging Light's fears and apparently despite himself, he insisted, "Don't underestimate it."
Matsuda held up his hands defensively. "Don't worry, I won't!"
Light didn't look any less weary, but he didn't press any further either. Matsuda found himself wondering what the chief's son was really up to, but L didn't prompt him to ask any questions. He was just there to watch. Matsuda nudged his bag with the Millennium Puzzle inside a little further out of Light's way and leaned back in his seat as the teenagers bickered about Pegasus's private jet's ridiculous amenities.
After a brief stop in Los Angeles, the plane finally touched down at their destination. As the wheels hit the tarmac, Matsuda was jarred into awareness. They wasted no time hurrying through the airport, which was in no better shape than Domino City International. Thankfully, there was a sleek black limo waiting for them outside, alone in the dusty loading area outside of arrivals, under one of the few awnings that hadn't been destroyed. They all stuffed their luggage into the trunk and piled inside. Matsuda kept his duffel bag at his feet, just in case.
As soon as they were all inside, the driver stomped on the gas and they raced off, just in time to get out of the way of a giant bug that had been slowly advancing on them. They weaved wildly through the airport, out onto the freeway. Through the tinted windows, they could see out into the desert that rose into rough, mountainous peaks in the near distance.
They didn't have much time to gawk at the scenery, however, as a low, rumbling roar came after them, quickly advancing on the empty freeway.
"Tell me it's not another monster!" Joey exclaimed as they all frantically glanced around.
But the sound was unmistakable. "It's a motorcycle gang!" Tea said.
Sure enough several motorcycles came to circle around the limo, threatening to push it off the road.
Light seemed to be readying for a fight, even though he didn't even have the Millennium Puzzle any more. "I wonder what they want."
Matsuda thought he may have felt the Millennium Puzzle pulling at him from inside his duffel bag. If he just put it on, it could deal with the motorcyclists. But, despite L's instructions, he wasn't quite ready to see what it would do, especially not with all the questions Matsuda just having it with him would raise.
"Pegasus said he was in danger, maybe they're trying to stop us from finding out whatever he wants to tell us!" Tristan said.
One of the motorcyclists revved his engine and careened toward the limo, threatening to crash into it.
"I can't watch!" But Tristan's eyes were still glued to the window, just like the rest of them.
"I knew we shouldn't have listened to Pegasus!" Joey's hands were clenched together in front of him, as though praying to any gods that could possibly be listening. Matsuda was tempted to join him.
"Hold on!" Tea said, gripping her seat so tight that her knuckles had turned white.
Only Light remained silent, glaring daggers out the windows, as though his gaze alone could stop them in his tracks. Matsuda found himself wishing it could.
There wasn't much Matsuda could do; he didn't even have jurisdiction here. He was afraid using the Millennium Puzzle may have been their only chance.
Then, suddenly, another motorcycle cut in front of the limo with a roar. Matsuda had only half a second to glimpse its surprisingly small rider, dressed all in black, as the limo swerved. There was a flash of purple light, tinged green at the edges, and suddenly the noise stopped as all the bikers around them skidded to the ground. There was only the sound of a single motorcycle roaring into the distance.
"Step on it!" Joey shouted and the driver didn't need to be told twice.
As they bolted down the freeway as fast as the limo would go, Tea asked quietly, "Do you think that could have been...?"
"But what would Yugi be doing on a motorcycle?" Tristan said.
"He has been spending a lot of time with that biker, Rafael," Light pointed out.
But Tristan was unconvinced. "How could he have chased away that whole gang?"
Hesitantly, Joey said, "It sounds crazy, but for a moment I thought I saw the Dark Magician."
"The Dark Magician? You really have lost it!" Tristan agreed.
"I don't know…" Tea said. "With all the Duel Monsters flying around, it doesn't sound so farfetched."
Out the window, Matsuda could still make out the lone motorcyclist racing ahead of them, down the straight, flat freeway. Around them the desert had already given way to a dusty city of washed out, low buildings. In the distance, even the freeway seemed to merge with the sandy rock that surrounded the city.
"Hey! Where did he go?" Joey shouted abruptly.
Matsuda had seen it too. He was just thinking he'd somehow blinked and missed the lone motorcyclist turning off the freeway, because the small, dark figure in the distance had suddenly swerved and then the next moment he was gone.
"Guys, are you seeing what I'm seeing?" Tristan asked, backing away from the windows as though they weren't racing forward at over 100 kilometers per hour.
Tea nodded in mute terror.
The vanished motorcyclist was the least of their worries. The dusty road seemed to rise up ahead like the mountains around them, but it wasn't the road; there was a giant sand creature sprawled across the freeway, with sharp spikes like bones coming out of its back, and a featureless head that was just a horrifying tubular mouth, facing them as though it was going to suck them straight off the freeway.
"We never shoulda listened to Pegasus!" Joey cried.
Tea found her voice. "Turn around! Let's get out of here!"
Even Light was gripping his seat.
Again, Matsuda glanced at his bag, which concealed the Millennium Puzzle. He didn't even know if it could do anything, but it was better than nothing - or maybe it was just the Puzzle making him think that.
Just before they rammed into the creature, the limo took a hard turn. Matsuda sprang upon his bag as they all went flying. With a sudden burst of speed they scraped past the creature's tail and careened back on to the open freeway.
"Wahooo!" Joey and Tristan leaped up and high-fived, bumping their heads on the roof of the limo.
"I think he's still there," Light said, pointing at a dark speck disappearing down the road.
"Follow that bike!" Joey shouted at the driver.
"Oh, I hope Yugi's alright," Tea said.
Light nodded. "So do I." He just seemed like a concerned friend. It was hard to believe all of L's suspicions about the chief's son.
They followed the motorcyclist, barely gaining on him if at all, into the center of town. They wove past emergency vehicles that were racing between monster sightings without lights or sirens - Matsuda wondered if they were worried about attracting monsters.
The skyline grew up around them like tall, thin mountain peaks made of metal and glass and they descended after the motorcycle into an urban cavern.
"It's the Golden Gate Bridge!" Joey exclaimed, pointing out the window.
"What? Let me see!" Tristan tried to push past Joey.
"It's just a replica," Light said. "The real one is in San Francisco, we're in Las Vegas."
Light was right. There wasn't even any water there for a bridge to pass over.
In the distance they also glimpsed the tip of the Eiffel Tower, a great pyramid with a giant sphynx sitting out front - Matsuda thought he felt something tugging at him from within the Millennium Puzzle as they passed - and the statue of liberty, with an ape monster hanging from its arm. At last, the limo pulled to a stop in front of the comparatively sedate headquarters of Industrial Illusions.
"Where did he go?" Joey exclaimed, as they all piled out of the limo, onto the sidewalk.
They all glanced around but the motorcycle was nowhere in sight. They must have lost track of him as they wove through the dazzling urban jungle, overtaken by the rampaging Duel Monsters.
The limo driver didn't wait around. As soon as they were all out, he drove off without another word, leaving them stranded in the middle of the city, with nowhere to go but inside.
"Pegasus better have some answers," Tristan said.
"There's clearly something going on here," Light agreed.
"Guys," Tea interrupted, "maybe we shouldn't wait around to be invited in!" She pointed down the street with a shaking arm, at a translucent creature, like a drawing of a ghost with circles for its eyes and mouth, which would have been funny had it not been slowly floating toward them, brandishing a scythe.
Joey let out a scream and made straight for the front door. He pounded at the glass. "Pegasus! Let us in!"
Tristan was right behind him. "It's not very nice to leave your guests waiting on the stoop!"
Matsuda was trying to figure out if there was any way he could break the lock when he saw Light walk calmly to the other door and with a little bit of effort, pull it open.
They all rushed inside and Joey and Tristan wrestled the door shut after them. They all let out a breath of relief as the ghost drifted past the glass door, down the empty street, apparently none the wiser, leaving them alone to get their bearings.
Under normal circumstances, the atrium of Industrial Illusions headquarters would have been like the lobby of a fancy hotel; all sleek chrome with golden accents. The centerpiece was a giant modern chandelier hanging from the high ceiling at least four stories up. But now, with the place abandoned and the only light coming from the wall of windows behind them, the metal looked dulled and was dwarfed by the shadowy spikes it cast on the walls, which amplified the chandelier's most miniscule movements as it shifted, suspended above them. Even the quietest shuffling of their feet echoed against the hard walls like a beacon, alerting all present or absent to their arrival.
Matsuda tightened his grip on his duffel bag, as though the Millennium Puzzle inside could help somehow, and wouldn't just make things worse.
Joey summed it up in a whisper that carried around the room regardless, "Is it just me, or is this place kinda creepy?"
"No kidding," Tristan said.
"What did you expect? This is Pegasus we're dealing with," Tea said.
"Yeah, for him this is downright sedate."
Matsuda glanced over at Light, who was still standing silently by the door, examining the room as though he were looking for something. A few times Matsuda wondered if he had seen the glint of Pegasus's golden Millennium Eye, but Pegasus didn't have it any more - if the spirit of the Puzzle was to be believed, Light had taken it.
"Light, is something wrong?" Matsuda asked, he hoped encouragingly. In the silence, his voice was louder than he intended.
Light shook his head. "We should just be careful."
"Let's get the info we came for and find Yugi," Joey declared, stepping forward with surprising resolve, though his hands were still clenched in fear at his sides.
Suddenly, Matsuda saw something moving out of the corner of his eyes. He turned reflexively, and for a moment, he thought he saw a short silhouette, like an imp, standing on the balcony above. And then he blinked, and it was gone. But he could still feel the spirit's unease from inside the Millennium Puzzle - it wanted to come out.
"Did you see…?" Tea began to ask.
However, she was cut off by a sudden metallic rattling that echoed around the lobby.
"It's a trap!" Tristan exclaimed.
They had all turned, too slow to stop the metallic grates that unfurled over the entire wall of windows, blocking off any chance of escaping back through the front doors.
"You better watch out, Pegasus, because you messed with the wrong duelists!" Joey shouted at the ceiling.
"I'm not sure Pegasus is the one behind this," Light said, searching the darkened lobby for any sign of anyone else hiding in the shadows.
"Maybe we can call someone for help." Tea took a step toward the front desk.
However, before she could take another there was a muted roar and a motorcycle skidded out of the darkness, cutting her off in her tracks as it came to a stop just in front of her. She stumbled back with a shout. It was the same small, black-clad biker who they had chased down the freeway, who had somehow saved them from the motorcycle gang.
"Yugi!" Joey was the first to rush forward, just as the biker began to pull off his helmet. "We've been looking for you everywhere!"
"You came all this way for me?" Yugi Muto asked. His spiked hair seemed only slightly squashed from spending so long under a motorcycle helmet.
Matsuda wondered if the others also heard a strange, almost mocking note in Yugi's voice, or if it was the Millennium Puzzle - or this whole investigation - just making him paranoid. The boy had been through more than enough already.
"Of course, Yug!"
"You gave us a scare vanishing like that!" Tristan said.
"What are you doing here?" Tea asked.
"Did you get that creepy message from Pegasus too?" Joey asked.
Yugi's expression turned serious. "You don't have to worry about Pegasus any more."
"What'd you mean?"
It wasn't Yugi who answered. "Little Yugi did us all a favor and took care of him." A sneering voice echoed around the dark lobby.
With a jolt, Matsuda realized that they weren't so alone after all. There were two young men standing on the balcony a story or two up, overlooking the lobby. A boy Matsuda didn't recognize, with wild brown hair, leaned forward to watch them with a jeering smile, while the enormous, blond Rafael stood beside him, stoically unamused.
"Come down and face us yourselves, or are you afraid!" Joey shouted up at them.
Yugi stepped in front of Joey, looking almost like he was ready for a fight. "Joey, don't butt into things you don't understand."
"What don't I understand? That they dragged you across the ocean just to face Pegasus again?"
"Pegasus got what he deserved," Yugi said darkly. For an instant, it almost looked like a green shadow crossed over his forehead.
Tea stepped forward too. "Yugi, are you sure Pegasus is the one behind all this? He just said that he knew something."
On the balcony above, Rafael gave a low, humorless chuckle that wouldn't have sounded out of place coming from Seto Kaiba. "This is bigger than anything Pegasus ever dreamed of."
"I'm not weak little Yugi any more, who can be pushed around or lied to! If you don't get out of my way, I'll have to make you." Somehow, it was hard not to believe Yugi when he said it.
Joey shook his fist up at the balcony. "What did you do to him?"
"Nothing," Rafael said. "It was Yugi's decision."
"I can speak for myself," Yugi snapped. "I claimed the power of the Orichalcos. Now, you'd better all run home before you're in over your heads."
"Whatever you've done to Yugi you better fix it or I'll duel you and make you undo it!" Joey readied his Duel Disk - of course, they were all always ready to duel.
"Get out of here while you still have the chance. You wouldn't be here at all if not for me."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Joey demanded. "We're not going anywhere without you, no matter how many bikers I have to go through!"
"And he's not alone," Light spoke up. "We're all here for you, Yugi."
"Yeah!" Tea and Tristan cheered in agreement, though Matsuda found himself wondering what Light was really up to.
Matsuda wanted to intervene before things escalated, especially with the bikers looming overhead, but L had sent him specifically to watch and see what happened, and maybe they just needed to work through a few things, hopefully without resorting to dark ancient magic.
"You're making a mistake," Yugi threatened.
From the balcony above, the boy Matsuda didn't recognize called down, clearly getting impatient, "If you don't want to duel, Yugi, I'd gladly take care of them for you."
"No, they're mine!" For an instant, Yugi almost sounded panicked, and then it was gone. "Not that you'd stand a chance against the power of the Orichalcos. You'd better leave now before suffering defeat."
"Bring it on!" Joey said. "If that's what it takes to snap you out of this, I'll gladly trounce you at Duel Monsters. You won't even know what hit you!"
"What about Rafael?" Light spoke up - to Matsuda it seemed to be very deliberate.
"This is my fight, not his!" Yugi insisted.
However, Joey ignored him. "Oh yeah! Rafael, you're not getting away with this!"
Rafael gave a dismissive grunt. "Two on one isn't necessary."
Light stepped forward, his own Duel Disk ready. "Make that two on two."
"Fine." Rafael jumped from the balcony, down to the ground level. "We'll take two souls with one stone." His smile was like an eerie grimace.
All of their Duel Disks automatically unfolded. Yugi's and Rafael's were an eerie dark grey, with spikes coming out of the end that looked like they could really hurt someone. All four duelists stood at the ready, eyeing their opponents and allies alike.
Joey was the first to break the tense silence. "Wait, what was that about souls?"
But the duel was already beginning.
Everything was falling perfectly into place. If he was fortunate, Light would even get to see first hand what this power that Rafael claimed to offer really was.
They all drew their starting hands.
"Let's see what kind of people your friends really are." Rafael put one card face down.
"Is that all you've got?" Joey Wheeler summoned his Rocket Warrior, and sent the cutesy warrior charging straight at Rafael.
It was a reckless mistake. Rafael revealed a demonic guardian that destroyed the Rocket Warrior on impact.
"Bullies and liars are no friends of mine," Yugi Muto said and summoned a robot monster of his own that went for Wheeler's life points directly.
Light discreetly played a trap card face down.
"He's just like the rest of the world, recklessly sacrificing the monsters at his command without care," Rafael declared, sending an even stronger monster of his own after Wheeler.
Even as he reeled from the barrage, Wheeler insisted, "Yugi, don't you remember, we swore we'd be there for each other no matter what because we're best friends, and I won't let you down now!"
He summoned another warrior, this one a purple man with a panther's head, dressed in armor and wielding an ornamental scimitar. It charged at Muto's robot, destroying it and taking a few of Muto's lifepoints with it. Wheeler was a convenient distraction, but at this rate, he would be out before the duel had even truly begun.
"Remember, he's not in his right mind," Light said. Clearly something had happened to Yugi Muto, or maybe he'd just gotten tired of his foolish friends after Rafael had awakened his thirst for power.
"You say you're my best friend, but then how could you forget how we met? How you and Tristan tormented me at school, pushing me around and stealing my puzzles?" Muto taunted.
"Hey, we were just doing it for your own good, toughening you up so you'd be ready for the real world," Wheeler said, but he wasn't fooling anyone.
"So I'd be ready for bullies like you? See what it feels like getting a taste of your own medicine!" Muto played Card of Destruction, forcing them all to discard their hands.
"You're right," Wheeler admitted as he picked up new cards to replace the ones he had lost, "we were mean, but that's all in the past now, isn't it Yug? The truth is, you're the toughest guy I know, and the nicest, not to mention the best friend I've ever had. And I won't let Rafael take you away!"
That was Light's cue. "What did you do to him?" he asked Rafael evenly as he lay down another trap card, letting a subtle hint of curiosity seep into his voice.
Rafael summoned another monster, a lizard man, to join his demonic guardian, but before he had a chance to attack or answer Light's question, Muto turned on Light, "I'm not putting up with any more of your lies, Light! What is it that you're really after?"
"You have so little faith in your deck that you won't even play your cards," Rafael mocked him. "Let's see what you've really got hidden under there." He launched a foolish attack.
Light flipped over a trap card that turned Rafael's own attack back on him. "I just want to help you, Yugi," he said, almost as earnestly as Wheeler's impossible declarations of friendship.
"You and the Millennium Puzzle," Muto sneered.
"We're all here to help you!" Wheeler emphatically punctuated the statement with another attack from his panther monster, but it was blocked by one of Rafael's guardians.
"How do you know you can trust Rafael? What has he told you?" Light asked.
"He's more trustworthy than you are!" Muto likewise threw away a monster, sending a large shaggy creature with a horn and fangs charging at Light, but it only triggered another trap card that destroyed the monster and continued to whittle down Muto's lifepoints.
"I am not afraid of your judgement. I care for my cards and they protect me." Rafael resurrected the monster that Light's attack had sent to the graveyard. "It's your own souls you should worry about."
Light nearly laughed at the absurdity of the notion of Rafael judging his soul.
However, before Light could inquire further, Wheeler shouted, "If you're trying to scare us into surrendering, it's not gonna work!"
"It's no empty threat," Rafael said with a painful-looking smile. "Say good-bye to half your remaining lifepoints, Wheeler. And all I have to do is sacrifice a card - and I choose the Seal of Orichalcos." He held up a card with a glowing green sigil on it, composed of a circle with a geometric figure inside. "It holds an ancient, unbreakable power that strengthens each monster under its power by 500 attack points."
Wheeler eyed the card hungrily, already down to less than a thousand lifepoints. "Then what're you throwing it away for? Going easy on us?"
"You should be grateful. There is no way that you could win without it."
"Hey! We'll show you, right Light? Your loss is our gain! Sorry, Yug."
"You think that will make a difference? Why not surrender now while you have the chance?" Muto taunted.
"I'll never surrender! I'll show you a real duel, and maybe then you'll remember what it's all about! I play Graverobber to take the Seal of Orichalcos out of your Graveyard and play it on my side of the field!"
As he activated the card, the earth began to rumble beneath their feet. A column of green light erupted, surrounding Wheeler, and then it rushed outward, consuming the entire field with its blinding glare and powerful winds that almost threatened to knock Light from his feet. This could only have been the work of Seto Kaiba and his unnecessarily dramatic holograms.
All of the light and wind dissipated as quickly as they had arrived and Light quickly regained his footing. Now, their dueling arena was surrounded by the same glowing green sigil that decorated the card, with all of the participants on the inside of the circle and the observers on the outside, with a wall of diffuse green light between them. A matching sigil had also appeared on Wheeler's forehead and the foreheads of his purple panther warrior, to ensure that no one lost track of who had played the card.
As the dust settled Muto let out a cry, "No! Joey, what have you done? Rafael, please, stop it before someone loses their soul!"
"You are still blinded by your lingering feelings of friendship, but it's as you said, they're no friends of yours. They're no better than the rest of humanity; they're the ones destroying the world. I'll show you the truth."
Rafael raised up the green stone hanging around his neck, that glowed the same color as the seal on the ground, and a column of dark smoke erupted around him, consuming the arena until everything gave way to darkness...
—
Light's eyes blinked open.
It was dark, but no more so than any ordinary night. The ground beneath him was soft, cushioned by springy grass. What he had first presumed was a wall, was in fact a row of thick green bushes, which divided up an elaborate garden, of which this was only a small corner. Either Rafael had somehow teleported him there, or it was all an illusion as the duel continued around him - a distraction. Light's Duel Disk was still on his arm.
A yellowish-green glow emanated from a little ways away. If there was anything to be found, that was doubtless where Light would find it. So, he brushed himself off and made his way, winding between the dark hedges, toward the source of the light. He could make out no flowers in the darkness, but it was impossible to miss how ostentatiously elaborate the garden was; the work of someone with more money or time than they deserved to waste.
As he neared the source of the light, he discovered that there were two sources of illumination; a warm golden glow from the high windows of a manor just as wasteful as the rest, that loomed over the gardens, and a sickly green light, the color of the Orichalcos, which came from the gardens themselves. He proceeded toward the green light, which seemed brighter with each step he took toward it.
His path through the garden took him along the side of the manor, until he reached a large fountain filled with unnatural green water that looked more like liquid light. The fountain was made up of a pool of water with a large bowl in the center, encircled by a giant snake with the glowing green water pouring out of its mouth. Stairs led up into the fountain, as though the water was ordinarily fit for swimming and he heard quiet splashing noises, as though someone had actually gone for a swim.
Light lingered between the hedges, out of sight, as he watched a human figure wading through the fountain, toward the center, their features bathed in the green glow. Between the stark light and shadows, Light could make out long hair that seemed to go all the way down their back, and loose robes that starkly contrasted the modern, western style of the manor and its grounds.
Near the center of the fountain, the figure stopped and stooped over as though to reach for something underneath the glowing water. And then, just after they had righted themself again, they made a sudden movement and gave a shout of pain. They stood frozen, their eyes fixed straight ahead with a strange green sheen, and their hands open at their sides.
"What's going on?" Yugi Muto emerged from the hedges. He was mostly in silhouette, but the green light of the Orichalcos was reflected in his eyes, giving him an almost demonic appearance.
The figure standing in the fountain seemed to reanimate and slowly turned to face Muto - Light saw a green glint in the person's eyes that had not been there before. "You have been sent by the Orichalcos to aid in my mission? I sense its power within you."
"Who are you?" Muto asked, taken aback.
The man seemed to be surprised by the question, but answered proudly, "I am Dartz, King of Atlantis!"
"And what's this mission of yours?" Muto appeared no less dubious.
"The Orichalcos has revealed the true, evil nature of the people of Atlantis. As we speak, my subjects are burning their own city to ashes! Now they must be wiped out so we can start over again! You must aid me in summoning the Great Leviathan and then we can recreate civilization on Earth!" He spoke with the fervor of a cult leader in the midst of a revelation.
However, for all of King Dartz's obvious madness Light saw a glimpse of sanity in his words. He was plainly unsuited to bringing about a new, truly civilized world, but the ideas he expressed were ones that had roiled in Light's mind for years. He had tried to use the Millennium Puzzle, but it was weak and ill-suited to the task, but perhaps with the power of the Orichalcos and this Great Leviathan, Light could finally create a new, perfect world.
"I don't care about Atlantis! I just want to protect my friends!" Muto endeavored to protest against the most noble calling he could have ever answered - but few had the strength to do what was really necessary and fewer still deserved such power.
"What is this weakness in the emissary of the Orichalcos?" King Dartz demanded.
Before Muto could begin to attempt to argue his way out of his treason, there was a shout and Joey Wheeler came running down from the manor, toward the fountain, with all of his characteristic subtlety, his forehead still glowing with the sigil of the Seal of Orichalcos. He stopped as he came upon the glowing fountain, glancing one way and then the other as though incapable of making even the simplest decision of which way to run. Then his eyes landed upon Muto and King Dartz and he stepped toward them, his urgency nearly forgotten.
"You are another solider of the Orichalcos?" King Dartz asked, still standing knee-deep in the glowing fountain.
Wheeler ignored him. "Yug, what is this crazy place?"
However, again, any reply was cut short by more shouting, as a squad of guards in loose tunics covered with plates of armor and armed with spears, came running after Wheeler. As they approached, their bodies twisted and they transformed into monsters; a demonic guardian and a lizard-man wielding an ax, who both charged at Wheeler, ready to skewer him on their claws. He cowered under their assault.
But the blow never came. The third guard, now transformed into a purple-skinned creature with the head of a panther, bearing the Orichalcos sigil on its forehead, had leaped in front of Wheeler to shield him. It was destroyed by the onslaught and disintegrated just like an ordinary holographic Duel Monster, but it gave Wheeler enough time to stumble back, away from the attacking creatures.
"What's going on here?" Wheeler demanded. "What happened to those guards?"
"The Orichalcos revealed their true, monstrous nature," King Dartz said, "just as it has done to all the unworthy in Atlantis."
They truly looked monstrous; standing in front of Wheeler, snarling and gnashing their teeth. From behind them, Rafael steadily approached the fountain. These were Rafael's monsters; their duel had not been interrupted, only relocated. Light still had all of his cards in his hand and his traps were all still there on the field, just waiting to be triggered.
"You!" Wheeler shouted. "You haven't seen the last of Joey Wheeler! Fiend Megacyber, do your worst!"
The final remaining guard, who had been cowering by the hedges, hoping to go unnoticed, now transformed into a giant yellow mecha with metal spikes coming out of its back. It let out a mechanical roar as the Seal of Orichalcos appeared on its forehead and its dark eyeholes gleamed with a red light.
"Even with the power of the Orichalcos, your monster doesn't stand a chance," Rafael taunted.
"Wanna bet?"
The mecha charged and Rafael's lizard-man rushed to meet it. Both monsters disintegrated on contact. But before the dust could clear, a hidden magic card activated, tearing out a thousand of Rafael's lifepoints for the life of his card, and his lizard-man rematerialized; Wheeler had lost this round even with his newfound power.
"You're sending your monsters like lambs to the slaughter," Rafael taunted. "Do you see your friend's true nature now, Yugi? At least when it's taken by the Orichalcos, his soul will be put to good use."
"It was just weak!" Wheeler insisted. "And what's with all this talk about taking souls? You sound just like Pegasus!"
"Joey, I told you to stay out of this! You should never have played around with the power of the Orichalcos."
Wheeler immediately turned on Muto. "What're you calling playing around? I'll show you real power!"
Light could have laughed at that proclamation coming from Joey Wheeler. However, Light's amusement was cut short by the sound of someone coming up behind him; a towering woman in an elaborate suit of red and black armor brandishing a bulky sword and shield. She looked like she could have been a Duel Monster herself, but Light wasn't about to test her weapons. He backed away slowly.
"How nice of you to join us, Light," Muto sneered. "But I've had enough of your lies! Queen's Knight, attack!"
So this was Muto's monster. In that case, Light believed his trap cards would be enough to stop her.
She took another step toward Light, but the ground was no longer there beneath her feet; it tore itself open into a deep, dark hole that swallowed her up. The ground sealed up around her, as though the Trap Hole had never been there at all.
"So, you are still dueling, you're just letting Joey take all the heat while you hide behind your traps!"
"You mean we're still dueling, in whatever this place is?" Light asked, his eyes wide.
"You can try, but it's time to end this duel," Rafael declared and his lizard-man charged at the defenseless Wheeler.
"No!" Muto shouted helplessly as the lizard-man swung his axe at Wheeler, taking the last of his lifepoints.
A Seal of Orichalcos appeared around Wheeler's feet and rose into a green column of light that surrounded him and rocketed up into the dark, cloudy sky. And then, the light faded away and Wheeler collapsed to the ground.
Muto let out a howl of pain, as though it was his own soul that had been taken, and not Wheeler's. The green crystal around his neck began to glow and in a blinding flash of green light, the garden with the fountain vanished and they found themselves back in the lobby of Industrial Illusions Headquarters.