Rewritten: (27/12/13)
Author's Note: Hey guys! I'm back! Isn't this going by a little bit faster? I think it is. I mean, lately understood chemistry so maybe the updating is going faster because of some stress disappearing. Oh yeah! XD lol. Enjoy this next chapter for Season 2! And thanks to those of you who reviewed for the first chapter! That was so heart warming to see them after just posting it! XD It was quite ironic too. :P lol jk. Hope this one's good! ^^ Thanks! ^^
Summary: Somebody stole the Millennium Puzzle! What could they possibly want with it? Sarah and Yugi weren't going to go easy on whoever was behind this. His cloak was strange, and an aura Sarah hadn't felt before radiated off of him like a fever. There was strong magic in play. Would they be able to seek it through?
Is this chapter rewritten?: Yes, it is!
Disclaimer!: Fanfiction, and I do NOT get any money out of this either. Thanks. ^^
Battle City-New Evil Emerges, Old Friends Reunite Chapter 2
Yugi and I were walking down the twisted alleyway, thinking since the cloaked man wanted us to follow him, we should take a little time to course our way through this maze. It wasn't long before we found ourselves facing a worn out shack in the middle of a small clearing, hidden between buildings for who knew how long. The wood it was made of was now dark and chipped with wear, and the whole shack looked like it was barely standing. Except for some beams keeping it up from collapsing.
I clenched my fists in fury. The man who stole the Puzzle was beyond those doors. We saw one last arrow drawn on the wall beside the loose planks. Who else could have put it there? That man was going to pay for ever laying his eyes on the Millennium Item.
We walked up to the doors. Before opening them, I placed a gentle hand onto Yugi's chest to keep him slightly behind me. He blinked at my sudden reaction, but what I said made him well aware instead of confused.
"Just because I'm the spirit of the Millennium Puzzle's Guardian, that doesn't mean that I won't protect you as well," I said. I showed him a small but confident smile, which earned me a nod and smile back. Together, we pushed open the doors and went inside.
It was dark. Dark and evil. I felt a shadowy presence in the room and it made me shiver. Again, that same two-person feeling came back. I didn't understand it at all. Even if I couldn't, I didn't even think of letting my guard down for one second.
"We know you're in here!" I shouted into the darkness as clearly as I could. What a coward to hide in the dark.
"Show yourself!" came Yugi's shout next. We looked around, but found nothing.
Suddenly a spotlight appeared in the middle of the room. It shown down on an object that we wanted back safe. Yugi's Millennium Puzzle was attached to a pole that was lodged into a blue wall of some sort.
"So… you finally decided to show up," sneered the man's voice somewhere nearby. I strained my eyes to look through the darkness to catch a glimpse of the man, but found nothing.
"Give me back the Millennium Puzzle!" Yugi yelled, taking a step forward.
"It's not yours to take!" I said, trying my best to back my friend up. The man only chuckled malignantly.
"Unless I win it in a duel, of course," the man suddenly said. My eyes widened with the lights being turned on to completely illuminate the old warehouse.
There was a dueling platform sitting in the middle. The man we faced earlier and tried to find was standing on the opposite end from the doors we just entered from. There was a perimeter storey near the roof of the shack and a bunch of generators sat comfortably next to one wall as if they didn't give a care to the world. What scared me into keeping my eyes open was the Millennium Puzzle hanging to one side of the platform.
This man was not ordinary. He knew how to obtain a Millennium Item. In order for someone to have one of them and be able to use it on their own, they have to beat the original owner in a duel. Just who was this guy?
"So… you want a duel for it?" I smirked and pulled out my deck from my thigh sheathe, forgetting for a moment of the card Ishizu gave me that was at the bottom of it. I dropped my shoulder bag onto the floor by my feet. "Then let's go. I have had it up to here with your demented attitude."
The man shot up a hand signalling me to stop. I was about to step onto the platform. "Not you, guardian," he said, smirking slyly. My breath hitched. He knew who I was too?
"You of all people should know the ancient scriptures," he continued in his slick tone. "It's said that the owner of the Item has to duel for it. Don't you know?"
"I know perfectly well!" I almost spat. "But I don't want Yugi..."
"... To lose the duel?" The man chuckled darkly. My anger only boiled. He wanted me to be angry. I wasn't about to give him the satisfaction of that.
"I trust him," I said finally, my anger slowly subsiding. I knew he was trying to push me around so I would do something stupid and have him to win the Item automatically, but I wouldn't let that happen. I had to stay calm.
I turned a bit to give Yugi a soft look. "I know you would never let anything happen to the Puzzle. I just don't want you to get hurt..." My expression suddenly saddened. "But Yugi. He's right. You'll have to duel him in order to get the Puzzle back."
Yugi tried to read my expression, but he couldn't understand what was behind my eyes. I probably looked a little scared. He didn't quite understand the reality of the situation. Whoever won this duel, will keep the Millennium Puzzle forever. That was how Items were given to people in Egypt. The person to win, gets it. Even if Yugi didn't know, I knew in my heart that he wouldn't want to keep his Item out of sight.
Yugi nodded and pulled out his own deck. I put mine back into my thigh sheathe and gave him a pat on his shoulder. "I'm sorry I can't help much here," I sighed. "And the connection between you and Yami might not be strong enough to switch places in order to duel because the Millennium Puzzle is so far from you. I also feel another presence. It won't be safe for Yami to be out here for them to see. But remember, Tristan, Joey, Téa, Yami, and I are by you no matter what." I pointed to his chest then. "In your heart," I said with an encouraging smile. "Good luck."
Yugi's worried expression turned into a hopeful one. "Thanks Sarah," he said. "I'll get the Puzzle back." With that, he went to his side of the duel platform. I watched him cautiously place his school bag onto the floor by his feet and put his deck onto the mat. I stood at the sidelines, ready to give Yugi the encouragement he needed.
Glancing towards the Millennium Puzzle hanging on his side of the platform, Yugi said to the man cloaked in purple, "It was already my Puzzle. I didn't have to say yes to this duel, but I guess I don't have a choice now, since you pinned it up like a trophy." So he drew his hand and started the duel. He glanced nervously towards the Puzzle again and this time it glowed. My Locket glimmered as well, and Yugi looked over his shoulder at me.
That second aura that I felt from the mystery man… it gave me the feeling that we were being watched. I kept my head turned to look at the platform but I actually stole a glance at Yugi's opponent. I tried my hardest to focus my energy on him, to try and pinpoint the location of the second aura, but with no luck. I could only sense the other presence. Unable to find anything at the moment, I went back to watching the duel.
LP: Mystery Duelist: 2000/Yugi: 2000
Speaking of the duel, Yugi started his move. "I play Celtic Guardian in attack mode," he said, and his monster came to life on his side of the field, holding his sword by his side.
The mystery duelist drew his first card. "I place a monster in defence mode and end my turn," he said in monotone as the chosen card appeared face down and sideways on the field.
"Then I attack your defence!" Yugi threw up his hand. "Celtic Guardian, take out his monster!" he ordered and the elven warrior raised his sword over his head and brought it down with brute force, slashing the card in half. But when the monster he destroyed showed itself, I gasped.
"Cyber Jar!" I said aloud. Then I turned my anxious eyes to Yugi. "That means all the monsters on the field are destroyed!"
Right when I said that, both the Celtic Guardian and the Cyber Jar burst into pixels and disappeared from the field. The mystery duelist chuckled darkly.
"Not only that," he claimed when he placed his hand onto the Graveyard pile after his monster. "But both of us have to discard our entire hands and start fresh!"
Yugi abided by the rules and discarded his whole hand to the graveyard before drawing five more cards. He didn't look happy. His expression showed a mixture of sadness, guilt, and anger. I felt the same emotions running through my veins. I should have been more careful. Maybe then he wouldn't have been in such a situation.
"It also requires both duelists to summon level-4 monsters to the field," I said almost automatically. Now that I became used to playing Duel Monsters from all the practice in Duelist Kingdom, some effects of cards came naturally to me. Especially random ones that I had come across during my time as Modern Sarah. Yugi decided to place his monster face down in defence mode while the mystery duelist summoned Mechanical Chaser and Bugroth, both of them machine monsters.
Something clicked at the back of my mind, like a door being unlocked from a distance. Machine monsters so far. Cyber Jar first, then Mechanical Chaser, and then Bugroth. Those were cards this "mystery duelist" used so far in the game. I know it was the beginning and that it could be a coincidence, but I've seen something like this before.
Then I remembered that stupid blond from Duelist Kingdom who decided to trick Joey into dueling. I glared suspiciously at the cloaked man, taming my anger before stealing a glance towards Yugi. He was looking my way in the same manner. I saw the surprise and anger in his eyes which mirrored my own. Then we gave each other a simple nod.
"You're not a mystery anymore," I said, turning back to give the mystery duelist a triumphant smirk.
"Show yourself!" Yugi cried. "Bandit Keith!"
The man simply smirked as he pulled back the hood of his cloak to reveal who he really was. A tall blond with deep blue eyes. He still wore his American bandana over his hair but this time he didn't have his sunglasses. With that cloak draping over him, he looked odd.
Bandit Keith. Didn't think we'd run into him again. But his eyes seemed lifeless.
"You!" I yelled, outraged, pointing at him accusingly. "First you threaten my friends and now you steal a priceless artifact. You are going to pay..."
"This isn't Bandit Keith," The blond suddenly said and I immediately looked confused. What could he possibly be talking about? Wasn't it Keith himself standing before Yugi? Who could forget such a forceful guy? "I'm simply controlling this foolish boy's mind after I found him swimming in the ocean near Duelist Kingdom. He's come in handy so far."
"Wait," Yugi said confused. "Controlling his mind? How?" I couldn't understand it myself. Being able to control people's minds was impossible! Unless...
"... He has a Millennium Item," I said in sudden realization. Yugi cast me a careful glance.
"Another Millennium Item?" he asked hesitantly. I nodded.
"Each Millennium Item made," I began, "had their own ability of sorts. They can each do something different." I closed my eyes and tried to see all the Items in a line-up. I furrowed my brow when I opened my eyes, discouraged. "But I can't seem to remember which one had the ability to control minds. It's eluding me."
Yugi's confused expression tore me. I wish it was easy to explain everything. I knew he understood the gist of who I was, but he probably wanted to know how the Millennium Items were connected as well. He wanted details. He needed them. In order to fully understand the gravity of the situation and be able to help the Pharaoh, he needed to fully understand everything. When I thought about all the things he had to know, the list went right off the page. There's just too much to tell him. I think I was afraid of telling him all at once because it'll seem like too much. Maybe if I told him in bits here and there… during certain situations that were relevant to various concepts… he would remember them better because he'll have a scenario to compare to. He must know that I was trying my best. I was grateful for his patience. He hadn't pushed me after Duelist Kingdom, possibly because of my amnesia. He was also trying to understand the Pharaoh's current state of memory. He didn't know anything about himself and Yugi needed to know that he depended on him. His motivation to help might even grow.
Keith had a Millennium Item. The Pharaoh and I were involved, no questions asked. I hoped that I could tell the Pharaoh who I really was sometime soon, because we need to be aware of each other's presence in order to come up with solutions to our problems. And when I tell him, I will have to confess to the others as well. I wasn't sure how they would take it. I kept it a secret from them all this time, hoping it was for the best until the right time came.
Regardless of what it might do… I had a job. And I couldn't let Yugi or the Pharaoh down. I just hope Grandpa, Téa, Joey, and Tristan will understand...
"Ah, I knew you looked familiar," the man controlling Keith said through him. "At first I thought you were a normal palace guard's reincarnation, but now I know that you are someone completely different. You're the Pharaoh's Guardian, correct? His personal servant. Of course you will know about the Millennium Items."
I stood frozen, feeling my blood run cold. I thought he knew who I was completely, when he told me to back off from dueling him, but if he just figured out that I was the Pharaoh's Guardian then he might use it to his advantage now. This man knew me. Could he be someone from my past? Or was he someone who was told of who I was? My head was reeling with too many questions. Who in Ra's name was this man? And why did he know me? Why did he know of the Pharaoh and the Millennium Items?
"You are." Keith's small smirk turned into a sly one. "The Ancient Scriptures weren't lying then. You're back from the past. Ready to give your life for the Pharaoh once again?" he asked, menacingly.
That seemed to tick something off inside. He knew of the Ancient Scriptures. He knew of the Pharaoh. He knew of the Millennium Items. In fact, he might even have one. And he knows of the devotion I kept for the Pharaoh.
I shot a quick glance to Yugi. He had his eyes widened in surprise. I bet there were now millions of questions swimming around in his mind too. Ra… what was I going to do?
Suddenly, a smirk pulled at my lips and I couldn't help in containing it. I wasn't going to let this man get to my head, because that was exactly what he wanted me to do. I've had too much training in keeping calm during troubling situations like these to lose my cool now. Especially when all this man did was make us chase him to an abandoned warehouse in the middle of nowhere by first stealing what wasn't his to begin with. All he had so far was cheap shots. I wouldn't even be surprised if he was cheating in the duel.
"Of course," I said, crossing my arms, not even fazed by his low-level taunts. "I'm also back to stop scumbags like you from getting what you want."
I thought I saw one of Keith's eyes twitch in annoyance. Score.
"Let's continue this duel then," Keith said, looking down at his hand of cards. He drew his next card. "I summon Machine King in attack mode and its special effect activates automatically; for every machine monster on the field, Machine King's attack power increases by 100 points!"
Machine King's attack points raised to 2500. Then Keith ordered it to attack Yugi's defensive monster, which turned out to be Silver Fang. He disappeared in a shower of pixels.
"Don't worry Yugi," I said, looking at him. He seemed slightly distraught. "You can beat both Bandit Keith and the person controlling him."
Yugi nodded. He drew his card for the turn and then placed another monster in defence mode. I kept my faith in him. If there was something else he could do, he would have done it.
Keith summoned another machine monster to the field, Megasonic Eye, which raised Machine King's attack power to 2600. Then he attacked and destroyed Yugi's defensive minster which was the Giant Soldier of Stone.
"Don't lose focus," I said, seeing his discouraged reaction. "He's just trying to scare you with his huge, burly monsters."
"I'd appreciate it if you didn't interfere with destiny, Guardian," Keith said in a low voice.
I glared at him. "It's not interfering if it was meant to be."
The aura around Keith darkened fiercely.
"Just make your move, little Yugi," Keith said venomously, through clenched teeth.
That second presence I felt was definitely the person controlling Keith. So they had a Millennium Item at their disposal to invade minds. That was crazy power in a person's hands. I wished that I could do more to help Yugi than just stand on the sidelines. But I suppose giving advice and lending a supportive hand is just as important as physically doing something.
Yugi drew his next card. As he did, I saw a small smile appear on his face.
"This should get rid of you Machine King," claimed Yugi as he played a series of cards in a combination. "I use Polymerization to fuse Curse of Dragon and Gaia the Fierce Knight together to form Gaia the Dragon Champion!" Gaia appeared onto the field on Curse of Dragon instead of his deep violet steed. Now Yugi had the strongest monster on the field.
"That's it, Yugi!" I cheered. Keith didn't look too happy.
"Attack the Mechanical Chaser!" Yugi told his Champion. Curse of Dragon flew right at the directed monster and with one poke of his lance, Gaia destroyed Keith's monster, bringing Keith's life points 750 points lower.
LP: Mystery Duelist(Keith): 1250/Yugi: 2000
"Grr… you'll pay for that!" Keith growled, pounding his fists against the dueling station. As he calmed himself down, he switched all his monsters into defence mode. "I play the magic card Machine Conversion Factory. It allows me to raise any machine monster's attack and defence by 300." He chose to equip the ability to Machine King, making his attack points now at 2900, more than enough to destroy Gaia the Dragon Champion.
"Attack Yugi's monster!" Keith ordered. He didn't put Machine King in defence mode, I noticed. So he could play the magic card and raise his power.
The robot man raised a fist toward the dragon and his rider. His clenched hand flew off his arm like a rocket and bashed Yugi's monster to pieces, reducing his life points.
LP: Mystery Duelist(Keith): 1250/Yugi: 1800
I was just as devastated as Yugi was. That was his strongest monster so far and now it went off for an early grave. "If there was one move like that, then there's bound to be more." I still assured. I had to stay strong and keep encouraging Yugi so he wouldn't break down or forfeit. Then I remembered something very faint from one of my adventures during Modern Sarah's time. I was in a classroom, probably acting as a student, which was why I was able to be in a more advanced class with Yugi. "Machines have a huge flaw… based on their chemistry..."
At first Yugi was confused about what I was trying to say. He glanced at his hand, then back at the monsters. Then his gaze fell on me, and his mouth broke into a small grin.
"I get it," he said and I smiled just as broadly. Then he chose two cards from his hand and placed them onto the dueling mat. "I summon the Summoned Skull!"
His skeleton monster materialized onto the field in a flash of lightning, matching in size to Machine King, but not matching in points. Something Keith noticed.
"Are you getting behind in math, little Yugi?" Keith scoffed.
"I'm not done, Keith," Yugi retaliated as he proudly activated his second card which was a magic card. "I play Makiu the Magical Mist!"
Dark clouds formed high above the monsters' heads. Soon they began to roar and a waterfall of rain came pouring down on top of them. All of Keith's monsters' attack points began plummeting down and their colour turned to light brown.
"What? My monsters are rusting!" he yelled in outrage.
"That's right," I said with a smirk, my arms still crossed over my chest. "Like I said; it's a flaw based on chemistry. When metals come into contact with water, they begin to rust. That's why Makui made your monsters weak."
"And now that your monsters are in the middle of a lightning storm," Yugi said, continuing our little 'game' within a game. He had his own smirk dancing across his lips. "They make them lightning rods to channel my monsters' attacks. Summoned Skull, attack Keith's Machine King!"
The demon monster drew his hands together and brought about a ball of electricity through his claws. He shot it directly at his target's chest and made it crumple on contact. His metallic body shattered and was destroyed.
LP: Mystery Duelist(Keith): 0500/Yugi: 1800
This was why school was so important.
"Damn… you're a far better duelist than I gave you credit for," Keith said, smirking lethally even after the loss. He must have found Yugi annihilating him funny, thinking that it was all luck, but it was really Yugi's skill defeating Keith and the person controlling him.
"The Millennium Puzzle will be mine!" he still claimed.
"Don't count on it!" Yugi said, gritting his teeth. The determination in his eyes almost surprised me. They were almost the same eyes as the Pharaoh when he was up against a predicament.
I saw the edge of Keith's mouth twist in anger and annoyance. "Now that you turn is over," he said, drawing his card. "I can begin mine. First, I play the magic card Graceful Charity. It allows me to draw three cards, as long as I discard two." He did just that, and by the look on his face, I got the feeling that we were in trouble. He was smirking.
"Next I play the Zera Ritual magic card," he said, playing his selected card. "To summon my most powerful beast! However, I need to sacrifice my two remaining monsters in order to summon it." The two monsters sitting lonesome on his side of the field disappeared into two balls of light. Slowly, shadows began swirling over one spot on the field and what stood there looked like a blue and black Pterodactyl wearing a purple cape.
"Introducing, Zera the Mant!" Keith began chuckling darkly. "Attack Summoned Skull!" The Pterodactyl creature did what it was told, materializing Yugi's monster into pixel dust. His life points decreased and Keith had the strongest monster on the field.
LP: Mystery Duelist(Keith): 0500/Yugi: 1500
I began getting anxious. That monster of Keith's had 2800 attack points. What could beat that? And I still didn't understand why anyone would want to take the Millennium Puzzle for themselves. Just who was it that could possibly want to to control Keith to try and win Yugi's Item? I had so many questions to ask, but no one could answer them. And even if someone could, they might not be willing to. This was getting much more serious.
(Latest) Author's Note: Hey everyone! Yes! The second chapter of Past Repeating 2 has now been cleaned up as well! Making more sense with grammar and running much more smoothly than before. I hope that you agree! Thank you so much for reading! And enjoy the winter holidays! :)
(First) Author's Note: Hope you liked that chapter guys! Wow… three day holidays can keep you at this, eh? HAPPY THANKSGIVING GUYS! I'm so thankful for you guys being there to support me through this story! THANKS SO MUCH GUYS! ^^ Reviews are appreciated! ^^
"... Yugi... Can you hear me?"