I come bearing more cheese! The holidays are approaching and I don't have a PS 5 secured. *Sigh* oh well, I'll save up more to get one later. I continue to hope you all are doing well and staying safe!

*I don't own Yu-gi-Oh! I only own my OC, Christine. If you recognize anything, I don't it either.*

We hit the ground with a painful thud. At least I landed on my butt rather than on my head.

"Owwww…" I whined as I sat up, rubbing at my lower back. "A little warning next time, Honda."

"Sorry…" Honda managed back. "Got excited."

I accepted his apology but was still very much sore from the harsh landing. My head was also starting to ache. Ick! This sucks!

"Where are we?" Anzu asked, still rubbing at her tailbone.

I looked up to see we were surrounded by trees again. We were in another forest? I'm getting sick of trees if I was being honest. I went to stand up but bonked into some rather large and cumbersome on my forearm. Anzu must have noticed it as well as she questioned it aloud. It looked like a silly blaster. What was it though? There was even an addition to my outfit of a belt with large circles on it. A holster for lots of… things? Am I Batman now? No one had an answer so we started on our trek to find Jounouchi and Grandpa.

We walked down the beaten path, each of us calling out for Jounouchi or Grandpa. There was no sign of either of them. Just trees for what seemed like miles.

"So, I think maybe we need a plan other than yelling their names." Honda suggested.

"Maybe we should look for clues or something?"

Yugi then elbowed me, pointing to something on the ground. It was a large stone capsule of some kind.

"That would definitely count as a clue." I replied.

Anzu and Honda both turned to look at the capsule on the ground. There were even more of them laying around the sides of the path. How come I didn't see them before? I watched as Yugi reached out to touch it but Honda's voice stopped us.

"I hear something." Honda breathed.

I tried to focus on my ears but nothing hit me. Anzu and Yugi agreed that they heard nothing. Honda then got onto the ground; his ear pressed to the dirt. "It's getting closer." I still didn't hear anything. I was concerned for Honda's mental status until I saw the large bouncing beetles headed right for us.

"It's definitely not nothing!" Yugi gasped.

"Run!"

We all turned tail and ran further into the forest. The bouncing only got louder as they got closer. I was definitely not liking how this trip was turning out.

"I recognize those things! They're from the Capsule Monsters Board Game!"

We ran a few yards more until a large Mantis stepped into our path. I gave a shriek from the surprise. "That looks familiar too!"

"Let's not stay and reminisce!"

I don't know how but, when the Mantis swung its large claws, our small group was separated. Honda had taken Anzu while Yugi had taken me and we were both headed different directions. The Mantis stayed following Yugi and I while the beetles chased Anzu and Honda. Now we had to look for even more people!

I could hear as the Mantis cut down trees behind us, hoping to catch our clothes or skin. With a tug of my hand, Yugi and I plunged into the cold river next to the path we had turned down. The current of the river was strong, strong enough that I lost my grip on him and was sent away downstream. The current was strong but I fought as hard as I could so that I wasn't pulled underwater. When I could finally pull myself out of the water, I was cold and absolutely soaking. Thankfully, my bag was magically waterproof so all my stuff would be safe.

But now I was alone.

"Yugi!" I cried into the forest. "Yugi!"

Nothing. "Ok. Time to be brave, Christine. Hunt for your friend. The river couldn't have taken him far." Taking comfort from that, I did my best to dry off and walk down river.

It was utterly hot now. The river water wasn't cooling anymore. It wasn't like this when I was with the others. I fanned myself but that brought no relief. I even tried to settle a cold hand over my forehead but it only felt even hotter. That was when I noticed it. The normal chill of my hands and skin was gone. I tried to create a snowflake, thinking I was just going a little crazy from the heat, but nothing appeared. I then felt the familiar block of my powers but this time… it felt more secure than ever. The last time something like this happened… I quickly shook off the thoughts. I didn't have time to think about this. I had to find Yugi!

Well… my task was getting harder the longer I walked. I was starting to get achy and my vision was beginning to spin. Could it really be happening again? There was no emotional block this time! Why was this happening?! Unable to walk anymore, I slid down against a tree. I was sweating bullets now.

Christine…

I looked up at the sound of my name but saw nothing around.

"Who…?"

There are better places to take a nap than on the ground, you know?

I knew that voice… It was Isis'. I gave a scoff.

"Who made you a comedian?"

You did, darling. Now get up, you have to keep moving.

I was amazed I could shake my head in response.

"I can't… It's worse… My powers…"

Isis' lack of reply made it very clear she knew exactly what was going on. I tried to get up on my own but my head kept spinning the moment I moved to get my feet under me. "I need help…" A hand was then placed on the top of my head.

You don't have to ask, darling. I don't know what is causing this nor can I hold it back forever but I know you'll find a way to keep it at bay until you escape.

The heat and dizziness then retreated; the hand disappearing just as quickly as it had come. I could feel it at the edges of my mind but I was free enough to move. I quickly got to my feet, not wanting to waste what time I was given, and continued to search for Yugi.

"Thank you, Isis."

There was no response but I'm sure she heard me.

I walked for ages, calling out Yugi's name. There was no response. I hoped he was ok. I only stopped when there was movement behind me. I stopped dead, not wanting to turn around. What on earth could be behind me? I took a deep breath after gathering my courage and peeked over my shoulder. Shuddering out of the woods was a large creature of some kind but I didn't want to get a good look at it. That was my cue to leave! I turned back around to dash away again but the slice of a sword stopped me. I turned back to see the shadow had disappeared and what was now walking out of the woods was the token monster of the first deck I had ever created. "Getsu Fuhma?"

The redhaired female samurai was sheathing her katana as she approached. I was so confused now. How was she -. Wait… Yugi recognized the monsters chasing us as pieces on that board game he and Anzu had been playing. Was Getsu Fuhma one of those monsters? I said nothing as she approached and watched as she gave a deep bow.

"You are a hard woman to find, mistress." The monster said in a firm voice.

I immediately huffed.

"Well… What do you want me to do?! I had to find Yugi!"

The monster said nothing else to berate me – the quirk of her lips betraying her amusement. She simply moved so that she could walk alongside me.

"Then let us search for him. I do not think he is far; I heard the noises of battle as I followed you."

That didn't bode well. There was no argument from me as we walked further into the woods. By the third turn, I could hear the sounds of battle, as well as the sounds of something burning. I could also smell some smoke. A tree was burning? I tried to turn the last corner but Getsu Fuhma stopped me. "Wait here." I didn't argue. Once she was gone, I peeked as she stepped into the clearing where the smoke smell was most prevalent. There were more monsters here!

Celtic Guardian seemed to be catching his breath while a giant fire ball was quite pleased with himself based on the large smile on the fiery face. In the center of it all was Yami. He was looking around as if to see if there was more danger. He turned around just as Getsu Fuhma came into view. I couldn't let her attack him!

"Wait!"

The monster stopped dead as I ran past her and over to Yami. "Yami!" The spirit's expression softened into relief.

"There you are!" He breathed as he wrapped me up in a tight hug. "Where have you been?"

"Looking for you, duh!"

There was another sigh but it wasn't of annoyance, just more relief. I pulled away from him to look over the monsters nearby. "And I see that you've made some new friends."

"And so have you."

I gave a laugh, looking back at Getsu Fuhma. She was still looking very concerned but she didn't pull out her sword. "Mereret…" I looked back to my boyfriend, his face now a steel wall of concern. "Are you ok?" I tilted my head in confusion. "Your face is all red. I've barely said anything to make you blush." Of course Yami would notice immediately. He was good at noticing when something was wrong. "Mereret…"

"We can't worry about me right now. We have to find the others."

Yami obviously didn't like dropping the conversation but he did so when I gave a quiet 'please'. He acquiesced rather easily in fact. He gave Yugi control again and we excused our monsters. It was wild that I was holding the redhaired samurai in the palm of my hand. After doing all that, we raced back into the forest. A large lightning crash sent us hurtling down another path. Hopefully that was one of our friends kicking butt and not something kicking theirs.

We made our way down a path that reached a large beach. Based on the bits of debris, this was where the lightning strike hit. Laying in the sand was Anzu and Honda. "Hey!" I dashed over to see if they were ok. They were both breathing so that was a relief. There were a few scrapes and bruises but nothing terrible.

"Don't worry!" A chirpy familiar voice cried. "They just needed a little rest is all!"

Yugi and I both turned to see Grandpa. His hair was an absolute mess but he was smiling away like we had bumped into him at the store. "Howdy! Know where I can find a headband around here?" Yugi jumped into his grandfather's arms immediately.

"Don't you ever do that to me again!" Yugi snapped at him.

Grandpa only laughed at the treatment. Thank goodness. Grandpa was ok! I had never been so relieved before.

Now we only had to find Jounouchi.

When Anzu and Honda woke up, we all moved to set up camp in a seemingly safe spot. Honda and Yugi even set up a fire to keep us warm. Not like I was having trouble with that. My fever was starting to come back; Isis' gift was starting to fade. By dark, I was absolutely miserable.

"So we entered the pyramid and," Anzu was explaining to grandpa what had happened, "long story short, we were here."

"Same with me." Grandpa replied. "The important thing is that we're all together now."

"Not all." Yugi jumped in. "Jounouchi got here first which means he's still out there!"

"I hope he's having more fun than we are." Anzu hummed.

That made Honda huff.

"Well it's his fault we're stuck here." Honda huffed.

"Honda!"

I wanted to be as mad as Honda but my spinning head let me say nothing. The two tried to comfort Yugi some more and I felt bad that I couldn't help. The frustration bubbled inside me until I felt tears prick at my eyes; the liquid brought no relief. What knocked me out of my stupor for a moment was Jounouchi falling out of the sky and being caught by Baby Dragon right in front of Anzu's face.

Jounouchi then proceeded to eat through the loaves of bread that we had. He was the one to bring up my quietness.

"What's up with Christine?" Jounouchi asked, mouth full of food. "She's being too quiet."

"That's what I'd like to know too." Yugi agreed.

I gave a sigh, not saying anything. Grandpa gave the hum that I have equated with 'Talk' but I didn't. All eyes moved to Honda as he jumped to his feet.

"Alright!" Honda barked. "Since Nurse Christine is out of commission, Dr. Honda will now take –"

He tried to touch my forehead but stopped a few inches away as if he was scalded even that far away. "What the… She's burning up!" That sent panic roiling through the campsite. Honda then touched my forehead. "She's practically on fire! Sweating bullets too!" I hated the absolute panic in Yugi's eyes. This is what I wanted to avoid…

"Anyone have a thermometer?" Anzu asked.

Grandpa had one in his bag and he handed it as well as a couple of covers to Anzu. "Here." Still not saying anything, I popped the thermometer in my mouth. While we waited for the thermometer to finish, the gang tried to talk strategy in how to get out. Yami came out quickly, adjusting so that I could lean into his shoulder. It was still hot but it was comforting.

"It may have been simple for us to arrive in this world but I have a bad feeling that leaving is going to be a bit more challenging." Yami explained.

"Why's that?" Jounouchi asked.

"For one: we don't know our way around here. And, there's something else: as strange as this sounds, I have a theory that we've become a part of some sort of real-life version of the Capsule Monsters board game and the only way out may be to win. But this place is enormous! And navigating through it might present a bit of a problem. Plus…"

I felt Yami look down at me. Great… I was being a hamper on the whole operation. I hid my face as best as I could. Jounouchi took my silence as a moment to pull out a map. Based on what Grandpa said, it was the same one from the pyramid. The thermometer then beeped and all eyes were back to me.

"And the number is….?" Honda breathed.

Yami took the thermometer and read out '98.6'.

"What?!" Anzu gasped. "That's a normal body temperature!"

"Not for Christine it isn't." Grandpa interjected.

All eyes went to him. "I was there for a majority of her physical to get into your school and her body temperature is a lot lower than a 98.6. I had been asked to keep an eye on her temperature those first few days after she arrived in my care. On any given day, it's a high 95 at best." I remembered that. The old man stared at me after the doctor not so subtly requested he kept an eye on me like he was expecting me to freeze solid at a touch.

"That's so low!"

"It gets worse. Since 95 is her base temperature, a 98 like that is a fever."

Yami's hand then lifted to my forehead, remaining there; he then put the thermometer into my bag for safe keeping. I didn't argue with him as he was actually pretty cold despite being near the fire so I moved to keep his hand at my skin.

"Well… What do we do?!" Jounouchi barked. "We can't leave her!"

There was silence at that. The dark side of my brain tried to suggest that I was left behind but Anzu perking up stopped it from coming out of my mouth.

"I have an idea!" She shrieked, popping one of her capsules into her gauntlet.

Out popped Happy Lover who immediately looked around for a threat. "Ok, little bud! If you can heal monsters, can you also help people?" The monster tilted on its large wings before nodding. "Ok! Let's try it!" There was a soft noise and the heat slowly began to recede. It was rumbling in the back of my head but it was far enough away that I could sit up. "Yes! It worked!" I gave her a smile as she returned Happy Lover to its capsule.

"Thanks, Anzu." I said. "Sorry for the scare."

"But what's going on?" Yami jumped in. "Were you hurt in the chase earlier?"

I shook my head, averting my eyes from him. "Mereret…." Ooooohhh… Darn it… I went to open my mouth to speak when a rustle stopped me. We all looked around but saw nothing there. Only a large array of pink to purple flowers.

"Uh… When did those flowers get here?" Anzu then asked.

"They weren't here when we hunkered down…" I added on.

"Come on!" Jounouchi tried to reason with us. "Flowers don't just appear out of nowhere!"

"Well, apparently in this world, they do!" Anzu snapped back.

I was able to jump to my feet thankfully, throwing my bag over my shoulder. Yami had his eyes narrowed on the flowers.

"We seem to be surrounded!" He growled.

"Look!"

I watched as glowing eyes popped out from the roots of the large moving flowers. That's not normal!

"I say we ask questions later!" Jounouchi huffed as he threw a lit stick that had been in the fire.

The flaming stick flew for a second and I watched as the flowers moved to avoid it. Illuminated by the small blaze, the small dog like bodies that carried the flowers gave an even louder growl. Great…

"What do we do?!"

"We play the game!" Yami replied.

He loaded one of his capsules into his gauntlet and fired out Celtic Guardian. Jounouchi and Honda responded with Baby Dragon and Thunderkid themselves. Seeing Grandpa unable to summon his monster and Anzu only had a healer, I decided I had to play as well. I popped out Getsu Fuhma's capsule and fired it as well.

It was insanity from then on. I had to keep an eye on myself as well as my monster and my friends. Getsu Fuhma sliced through dog after dog as fast as she could, jumping to me whenever one got too close. I felt the pain the others had when I sent her over to help Celtic Guardian when he was nearly overwhelmed; a dog had jumped onto her back and went right for her neck. The pain was so intense I nearly fainted from it. I was kept on my feet by Yami, who gripped onto my waist with the strength of a python. "We need to blind them long enough to escape!" He then called for Celtic Guardian to toss his sword into the air where Thunderkid blasted it. It would definitely blind those dogs enough long enough that we could high tail it out of there.

It was only when we stopped that I realized that the rest of the gang had left their bags behind. They all had snacks in them but mine didn't… I gave a heaving sigh at that. At least Happy Lovers' healing power was holding on. Yugi and Grandpa were seated on the roots of the nearby tree while Anzu and I were standing. Jounouchi and Honda were collapsed on the ground.

"The next time I see a garden with man eating wolves growing out of it, I'll know exactly what to do!"

"Yeah." Honda mused. "Blind them, then run for your life!"

"Bingo!"

Jounouchi's head then perked up. His smile turned near insane as he jumped to his feet.

"Hey!" He exclaimed. "We just won a fight!"

Honda got the same smile on his face and jumped up as well.

"Victory Dance!"

They started on a little parody of the Can-Can before collapsing a bit on themselves.

"So… What exactly was that?" Anzu asked.

"Whenever we kick some can…" Jounouchi began.

"We do a victory dance!" Honda finished.

They went back into their parody, complete with the kicking. I couldn't stop my laughter, both at the hilarity of my two friends and the absolute confusion on Anzu's face. I didn't see Yugi looking over at me, almost like he was concerned.

By the end of their song, they had fallen back to the ground. The suddenness made me stop laughing.

"Guys?" Anzu called to them. "Are you ok?"

"Say something!" Yugi called out as well.

I was laughing again when their stomachs growled loudly. Those boys and their stomachs. They didn't like it when Grandpa said they could last weeks without food so they started to race off to find food, calling out something about Finders Keepers. They didn't get far as they both bumped into branches and fell back to the ground. I followed at Anzu, Yugi and Grandpa went to walk over to them. I couldn't listen to the sudden argument as Grandpa quietly handed me a bag of crackers.

"After you." He said.

I took them with a quiet thanks, happy to finally get something in my stomach. Anzu then teased the hungry boys by being handed her own bag of chips. Jounouchi and Honda were practically salivating at the sight. "Can of baked beans?" He offered the can to Yugi who took it with a smile.

"Don't mind if I do!" Yugi chirped in reply.

"You had a bag of food all along?!" Both Jounouchi and Honda barked.

"I never said I didn't." Grandpa innocently replied. "All you boys had to do was ask nicely."

"Pretty please!"

They never did get their food as Yugi noticed a sound. Then Jounouchi noticed the mountain that was moving. I was pretty sure mountains didn't move… so were we? I stuffed the back of crackers back into grandpa's bag and followed after Yugi and the rest of the gang.

Jounouchi and Honda nearly ran so fast that they fell off the side of the island. Which was a couple dozen feet from the water!

"Seems peaceful enough now!" Jounouchi breathed.

Something breaking through the water seemed to correct him immediately. "I stand corrected!" When the water finally broke completely, a giant turtle's head had appeared out of the water.

"This isn't just an island, it's an island turtle!" Yugi gasped.

I froze when the turtle looked back at us, like a mom did at her kids making noises in the back seat of a car. Jounouchi and Honda tried to threaten it but Yugi stopped them. The two considered it a victory and began another victory dance. Anzu and I both sighed.

"We need more female friends." Anzu sighed.

"And I agree with you." I nodded my head.

We were all spooked when the turtle gave a loud roar of almost disapproval.

"Something tells me he's not a fan of your song!" Yugi gasped.

"Well who asked?!" Jounouchi huffed back.

There was a loud rumble and the island shook dramatically. I noticed that the water was steadily rising now. Oh boy… Our turtle friend was going for a dip!

"Land ho!"

"Abandon ship!"

I was nervous with jumping into the water with my, even low grade, fever but I had no choice. It was this or drown! I chose jumping. The water was freezing but thankfully we weren't pulled away from each other like Yugi and I had been in the river.

"He left us high and dry…" Anzu muttered.

"No! He left us low and wet!"

"Well, at least we're not stranded!" Honda then called out before an argument could appear. "It looks like that turtle tossed us towards a tremendous temple!"

I heard Jounouchi mumble about saying that five times fast… I tried and I only ended up making myself confused. The temple Honda was talking about was a crumbling white building with large minarets, some of the crumbling or broken entirely. Not exactly a very inviting place.

We waded through the water a little before hitting the sand of the beach. Gods, I was cold and it wasn't a refreshing feeling.

"We're not going in there, are we?!" Anzu bemoaned.

The large wooden door opened then.

"Well it seems like someone wants us to."

"So now what?" Jounouch asked.

Yami came out then, his hand gently pressing to my back to help me through the last few feet of water.

"Follow me." He said. "If we truly have become part of some ancient game, then we need to play along if we expect to escape."

Nobody argued with that. I stayed in the back of the group with Anzu and Grandpa but I immediately noticed the large golden lamp that was settled nicely at the back of the temple. That's not good.

And then the doors shut behind us.

"Brilliant!" I hissed angrily.

"Why am I not surprised!" Honda added on.

We all looked back to the lamp as it sat innocently on the small dais.

"So… what's up with the giant tea pot?" Jounouchi asked.

"That's no tea pot." Yami corrected. "Stand back!"

Out of the spout of the lamp, a green mist shot up until it created the form of La Jinn, the Genie of the Lamp! He was not a welcome sight to see. None of our monsters could handle him!

Yami then tried to take on the monster by himself! I nearly snapped at him but Jounouchi and Honda beat me to it. I simply went with dirty looks. Celtic Guardian could hit the genie but could do no damage. My dirty looks faded with each hit Yami sustained. The genie, probably seeing my concern, then blew a blast of fire right at me. I ducked at the shout of my name and dashed to a corner of the room where I could hide.

It seemed I ran at just the right time. The doors of the temple opened with a bang as water pounded through. I never thought I could fear the crackling sound of ice as it froze. I screamed as it slid up Anzu and Grandpa's body. I wasn't given much time to stare as La Jinn came back for another crack at me, blowing another spout of flames at me.

"Christine!" I heard Yami cry. "Get out of here!"

I considered it for a second before the large ice monster popped out of a large spout of water. It was effectively blocking the exit.

"Would love to, Yami, but….!" I snapped back.

With another spout of flame sent my way, I was sent on a retreat. Even with Yami distracting him, I was slowly getting surrounded by the flames. "Nek!" My mouth cursed for me. The more I ran, the closer they became. The heat was starting to elevate my fever again as well as my fear but I had to push through; now wasn't the time to cry out and cling to something. When I was pushed against a wall, I finally decided that I had had enough. I was afraid, yes, but I was tired of being chased! Not even caring anymore, I ran towards the flames and leapt through them. I managed to land on a non-burning piece of tile and could run more.

Just as I reached the main section of the temple, both La Jinn and the ice monster were exploding into dust. I gave a dizzy whoop before sliding down the column.

"Mereret!"

Yami helped me back onto my feet and, after checking me over for any injuries, we went to greet the unfrozen Anzu and Grandpa. He let Yugi take control when he was sure I could stand.

"Hey, guys…" Anzu beamed up at us.

"You're alright!" Jounouchi gasped.

"Thanks to you all." Grandpa beamed as well.

The two were helped onto their feet and Anzu came to look me over. She was wonderfully cold! I clung to her as tightly as I could.

"Looks like your fever is back…" Anzu hummed.

"Leaping through a bunch of flames will do that." I replied as clearly as I could.

My friend gave a sigh before placing her freezing hand on my neck. It was wonderful!

There was a loud rumbling sound then from behind us and we all turned, even me! A large tablet was rising from the ground, covered in pristine Egyptian hieroglyphics. If I had a clearer head, I could have attempted to read them but that was out of the question for the moment. We stepped forward to try and see it more clearly.

"Hey, gramps." Jounouchi huffed. "Aren't you the one who always knows how to read this junk?"

Junk?! Anzu stopped me from flopping over to him and smacking some sense into him. Hieroglyphics weren't junk! Grandpa didn't take offense from his words as he stepped closer and read the words.

"Before the shadows blanket the land, go to the Fortress of Fear. Locate the place where the spirits' sleeps and the pathway you seek will appear." Grandpa then tilted his head. "But what does it mean?"

"You're asking us?!"

"Well it says 'before the shadows blanket the land'…" Yugi hummed. "I bet that means sunset! Now if we could only figure out what it means by the phrase 'where the spirits' sleeps'."

"Maybe it's some kind of casket?" Anzu suggested.

"But what about this 'Fortress of Fear?" Grandpa interjected.

Jounouchi then pulled out his map. I could finally look at it this time and I saw the large house like structure they had been talking about before. If we were right on the coast, we had a long way to go if we wanted to reach it, if it really was the Fortress of Fear.

And we didn't have a lot of time until sunset.

Anzu and I spent a little time while the boys searched for a way across the river with Happy Lover as we tried to lower my fever again. This time, though, it didn't lower it as much. I was able to move around again but it wouldn't last for too long. It wouldn't help if we actually had to swim across it. Yugi eventually came back saying that there wasn't even anything resembling a boat.

Honda made my hope come back. We followed him back into the temple to see he had found a hidden tunnel underground. It could have possibly gone under the river and back to the mainland. It was much better than swimming so I agreed immediately.

It was a really long tunnel! I would have thought that we'd be let up on the beach just on the other side of the river but apparently not. I tried not to laugh when Grandpa called out that Motous had really short legs as we were running.

"I see a light!" Jounouchi called.

He lifted up on the small lid covering the end of the tunnel and we all piled out. "Does anyone else find this place creepy?"

"No!" Honda huffed back. "After everything we've been through, it'll take more than a bunch of rocks to creep me out."

"Where are we anyway?" Anzu asked, hands clenched together.

"A graveyard?" I suggested.

Thank goodness Meg wasn't here; I think she'd have a heart attack. I heard Jounouchi rustle with the map for a second.

"As usual, Christine is right!" Jounouchi whined.

"I am?"

The cawing of a bird scared Jounouchi out of his mind then.

"Ghost!"

Ghost? Really, Jounouchi? He was grateful Meg wasn't here to hear him say that; she'd probably kick his butt.

"How about it's a bunch of crows?" Honda huffed again.

He and Anzu began to tease Jounouchi for being scared of nothing while I giggled at his bright red face. The hilarity didn't last long as Yugi and I heard a cackle just over the ridge.

"Anyone else hear a cackle?" I asked.

"I heard it." Yugi replied.

"Could it just have been crows?" Anzu suggested.

"Nah, that was a cackle." I shook my head. "That was most definitely a cackle."

I was a witch for the gods sake! I knew cackling!

"Be cautious just in case." Grandpa interjected.

To be on the safe side, I reached for my Getsu Fuhma capsule. It didn't pull it out for fear that it would cause everything to fall apart but I probably should have. Yami came out with the next cackle.

"Stay close and follow my lead." He ordered gently. "Whatever's out there doesn't sound too friendly."

I blamed the cackles for that.

A couple seconds later, a bunch of zombies and other spirits jumped out from behind the rocks and ridges of the graveyard to surround us. I was really getting tired of this! Now I plopped Getsu Fuhma's capsule into my gauntlet and fired. She took out four zombies with her first swing and I gave a loud whoop. Her special effect worked even here! She even helped Celtic Guardian when he was about to be overrun with them. I gave Yami a bright smile at that before turning back to help Anzu. I was definitely in for a blush later for that.

Eventually, there were just too many of them.

"I think we need some backup!" Anzu suggested.

"I agree!" Jounouchi then dived for the nearest capsule.

The light was blinding but I heard Jounouchi give a laugh when Flame Swordsman popped out. I then noticed Yami grab Anzu out of the grip of one of the zombies that was trying to pop out of the ground. As they slid away, they pressed on two more capsules, releasing Kuriboh and Dark Witch.

"Awesome!" I cheered.

With their help, we were able to clear the zombies with quick efficiency. With the pathway clear, Yami let Yugi take control again before we all raced up the rest of the mountain to where we thought the Fortress was.

My one thought for the way up was 'Why are there so many stairs?!' There were way too many; I thought I was gonna die!

Waiting for us at the top of the hill was a beautiful Ionic style Greek temple. The statues in the pediment weren't painted so I wasn't sure what they were supposed to represent. When you're expecting a fortress, a temple is a bit of a surprise.

"It's amazing!" Anzu gasped.

"Yeah?!" Honda huffed back. "Well, it would have been just as amazing at the bottom of the hill!"

"Amen!" I called back.

"Come on!" Jounouchi tried to cheer us up while still gasping for air himself. "This was a piece of cake!"

"Actually, with our luck," Honda went to agree, "it could have been far worse."

He just had to say something. Just then, a rumble echoed through the ground. We had to jump back a bit before we were hit by a bunch of walls coming out of the ground. They completely enclosed the entirety of the temple! We tried to push the wall down, per Jounouchi's advice, but only succeeding in hurting Grandpa's back again. I glared as Jounouchi had the gall to ask whose idea was it.

We then spent a bit of time trying to find an opening in the walls. The statues at the four corners were beginning to creep me out and I heard Anzu saying the same thing. Jounouchi's next hair brained scheme was to try and fly over the walls. It didn't work as there was apparently an invisible forcefield surrounding it. Good to know. Grandpa then tried to blast the door open with his…. Summon Skull?! WHAT?! Why couldn't I get him?! I could feel Yugi's eyes roll at my dramatics at my favorite Duel Monster. Sadly, even that didn't work.

"I think I know what's going on here!" Yugi then gasped.

He dashed over to where one of the small dots on the entrance wall was lit up. The moment I could see it clearly, it stopped glowing. "Did you all see that!"

"Do you know what this all means?" Anzu asked.

Yugi explained how the small boxes at the corners of the large rectangle on the door were supposed to represent the four statues settled there. Anzu was quick to realize that when all four of the boxes were glowing, we could get in. Sweet! Wait… did they have to keep glowing in order to stay open? Yugi had Grandpa move back to where he had been standing before and in the same position. After a few seconds, the same box lit up again.

Thankfully, I was excused from playing charades with the statues. I was given door duty with Yugi. When all of the lights lit up, the door slid up and out of the way.

"You go in, Yugi!" I told him. "I'll stay out here and keep watch.

"You sure?" Yugi asked.

"Course! I can handle myself after all!"

He gave me a look of hesitation before nodding and dashing inside the temple. "Touch nothing but the lamp!" I cried after him, hearing a laugh. I gave a giggle once he was gone.

"Christine?" I heard Grandpa call from where he was standing in front of his statue.

I stepped over, thinking he needed some help, but had actually just walked into an interrogation. "What is going on?" I flinched and looked away. "Don't pull that with me, young lady. All of us are worried." I gave a sigh and spilled the beans.

"This place… It's somehow locked away my powers."

"Has this ever happened before?"

I gave a nod of my head.

"I've told the gang about it but… it was never this bad."

Grandpa remained silent so I continued to speak. "An emotional block had sealed away my powers when I was in middle school. Every day was a little fever and lots of frustration. This time…" I lifted my hand like my snowflake would appear. "The fevers are high enough that I'm dizzy; I collapsed while trying to find Yugi. Something about this place has seen to it that the block is stronger than ever. I don't know why…"

"If I may approach a theory…"

I said nothing to stop him. "That battle at the temple. There was a fire monster and an ice monster." He didn't have to remind me of that; I had no trouble remembering it. "From what the boys said, they had to use their powers against the other in order to succeed." That made me think of something.

"Are you saying that my powers were sealed so that we couldn't cheat in that one thing?"

"I wouldn't put it past the person who has made these already complicated rules."

I gave a hum. Great… For one little section, I was at risk of overheating via fever. "Don't worry, Christine. We will get out of here." I smiled at the elderly man, thankful for his words, before I walked back to the door to wait for Yugi.

It was a few minutes after that something went wrong. I heard Jounouchi fall over from across the Fortress and the sounds of crumbling rock took over my ears then. That wasn't good. I turned to see the statue that Grandpa was standing in front of start to move, the rock combining together to make it one living thing.

While everyone else summoned their monsters, I kept mine back so that she was ready for anything. I regretted that quickly as all of the monsters summoned were getting their butts whuped. The moment I reached for my capsule a bright light appeared from the top of the Fortress. I looked up but could see nothing. Then, from the corners were the monsters all were, another dark red light appeared. It took a couple of seconds but they all began to crumble. Grandpa tried to have Summon Skull take it out but accidentally got his monster destroyed.

Aw… There went my favorite monster.

I snapped myself out of that, this was hardly the time to mourn, and dashed over to the elderly man. He gave soft groans of pain from the destruction of his monster and I did my best to help. When the rest of the gang came over, we helped him up and into the temple. Yugi had done it! The large casket inside the large room had been opened and a piece of golden armor was floating out of it. It was adjusting so that it was almost a portal, like an Illuvian!

"Yugi!" Jounouchi cried.

The boy turned around. "Gramps' monster got smashed by one of those statue freaks!"

"Oh no!" Yugi gasped.

Grandpa shook out of my grip and made his way carefully up the dais with Yugi.

"We've got more important things to worry about!" Grandpa huffed. "Like deciphering this message!"

The old man read it over for a moment before reading aloud. "Pass through this doorway and thy journey shall start. Five trials will follow to test thy heart. But I warn you, this journey is not for the weak, only a true warrior can unearth what you seek." The moment he finished, the armor glowed and flew to settle onto Yugi's body. Looks like it'll be hard to hug my friend and boyfriend for a while.

"What's up with the armored vest?" Honda asked.

"Whatever that thing is: I have to say it's quite the fashion statement." Anzu added on.

"Don't you see what's going on here?!" Grandpa snapped at us. "It mentioned a true warrior! So you can't enter without that armor!"

The look on Yugi's face would have been laughable had it been a better time. Right now, he looked horrified.

"What?!" Yugi gasped. "This is crazy, guys! I'm not a warrior!"

"Yugi, please! Taking this journey is our only way of escaping!"

Yugi still looked concerned as Jounouchi jumped up the dais.

"He's right, Yuge!" Jounouchi cheered. "Let's do this!"

Yugi stared at his friend like he was insane.

"Are you sure?" Yugi asked.

"Of course not but what the hey, right?"

I giggled at that. Jounouchi was quite the spirit raiser.

"Oh well…" Honda gave a playful sigh. "What are you gonna do? To tell you the truth, it wouldn't be normal if we weren't on some crazy adventure anyway!"

"That's right!" Anzu cheered then. "Let's go out there and do what we do our thing!"

Yugi didn't agree just yet. I was elbowed by him then. Was he expecting me to talk too? The expectant eyebrow said yes. I gave a playful sigh but did.

"Even with a raging fever, you aren't getting rid of me that easily." I then gave a tease. "So, get moving, warrior boy!"

There was an eyeroll at that but Yugi did nod. We all followed behind as Yugi stepped through the glowing portal.

Got anything to say?

Yami Bakura through chomps of extra cheesy nachos: Nope.

Good.

Yami Bakura: Was cheesy though.

All right! *Grabs a frying pan* Get over here!