DISCLAIMER: If you recognise it from somewhere else, it isn't mine.

The Master of Magicians Part I

Computer Lab, Pertinicle Main Manor House, USA

Shauna Pertinicle looked at the readings on the screen as she sipped on an iced latte. The God Card Obelisk the Tormentor had appeared on the field. Just as Sharee had told her, Seto Kaiba had it. Poor idiot probably thought that he'd get all the God Cards but, if the ancient inscriptions were to be believed, they were the servants of the Pharaoh and only him. Once they were returned into his hands, they would obey no one else.

That'd be a nasty shock.

Battle City, Domino City, Japan

The Pharaoh was standing in the park, looking at the card in his hand.

I'm glad Joey let us hang onto his Red Eyes Black Dragon. That's his favourite card. And, now that we have it, it's like his heart's in our deck. Now matter where we are, Joey will be with us. And if we have to face Marik and his army of Rare Hunters we're going to need all the support we can get. I just hope that Joey can survive the tournament without his Red Eyes.

'He can.' The Pharaoh looked at Yugi. 'Joey is a great duellist and he seems to get better with every duel he fights. He just has to keep believing in himself.'

Yeah, Joey has come a really long way since his first duel. And he just defeated Espa Roba without needing his Red Eyes. Maybe we need Joey's card to help save the world from evil. Yugi suddenly looked worried. Speaking of evil, how will we know where Marik will strike next? We still don't even know what he looks like.

No, but Sharee and Shamee do.

Demented laughter to the left drew the Pharaoh's attention and he turned his head, tucking the card away. 'Hm?' There was an equally-demented looking clown across the clearing. 'Who are you?'

'Ha!' It straightened up and hopped about. 'Hello, Yugi.' The clown bowed. 'We've been looking for you.'

'Hm?' The Pharaoh turned fully. 'Who's "we"?'

'You'll find out if you walk that way.' The clown pointed and the Pharaoh looked. 'Fifty-three steps forward and into that tent. My master is waiting for you inside.'

The Pharaoh looked back at him.

The clown bowed again. 'It's in your best interest to go.' He gave another demented laugh and disappeared behind a bush.

'Hm.' The Pharaoh was definitely curious. He walked forward.

YGO

Sharee was just finishing off an egg and lettuce sandwich, her lunch, when her phone rang. She pulled it out of her pocket and checked the name across the screen before answering it. 'Hi, Shauna.'

'Sharee, you're gonna hate hearing this,' Shauna said. 'Yugi's duel disk just disappeared right off the map.'

'What?' Sharee did hate hearing that. 'Just now?'

'Just now. I don't think there's anything wrong with the system but the technology won't trace him. So you better check it out.'

'I'm already gone.' Sharee hung up and bolted from the table. She relinquished the control of her body to Shamee.

YGO

The Pharaoh stepped out of the box that he'd stepped into. He had felt magic working and he knew he was no longer in that tent. Instead, he stepped out into what seemed to be an office of some sort.

Where am I?

'Huh?' The computer screen in front of him flicked on.

'Hacking into Battle City database,' the interface reported. 'Duellist Profile for Yugi Moto.' Sure enough, his profile appeared on the screen. It showed his picture, his rarest, and favourite, card and how he was ranked. 'Duelling level: five stars. Rarest card: Dark Magician.'

Then something strange happened to the image of his Dark Magician. It shifted and changed form to another person's. Then it shifted, smirking widely. 'My Dark Magician!'

At that moment, the Pharaoh quickly took in all his surroundings. Aha, a scare tactic. Apparently, this fellow thought he could psyche him out just by this. The foreign Dark Magician emerged from the screen and hovered over the computer. Someone had gone to the trouble of giving it a voice – and the wrong one. It chuckled. 'I've been waiting for you. You are not worthy of having me in your deck so prepare to lose me forever! You're not the only duellist with my power in their deck, Yugi, and you're certainly not the best.' It pointed with its staff. 'It's time that you met the true master of the Dark Magician!'

The Pharaoh smirked and closed his eyes. Before Battle City began, Sharee had told Yugi about the sorcerer she met. He clearly remembered what she'd said. 'He was completely loyal to the Pharaoh and you know what the scariest part was? He looked exactly like the Dark Magician.' If she was correct, and the Pharaoh was sure she was, that meant he was the Master of the Dark Magician. Also, there was the man to his left again.

The Pharaoh looked over. 'All right, enough of these tricks.'

The man emerged from the shadows with that demented laugh. He had a duel disk with this Dark Magician. 'Welcome, Yugi Moto.' It had been his voice. 'I am the Illusionist known as Arkana. And soon your favourite card will be duelling for me.' He laughed again. 'Only a true Master of Illusion deserves to hold a Dark Magician. You will never understand its full potential.'

The Pharaoh forced back a growl and faced Arkana. 'That is enough, Arkana.'

Arkana walked over to stand opposite him. 'Sorry, Yugi. I know it must be hard to think of your favourite card in another duellist's deck.' He stopped in front of his Dark Magician. 'Well, I challenge you to a duel! The winner will take the loser's Dark Magician.'

'And I accept. You must know that when a duellist builds his deck, he choses his favourites from many different types of cards. But sometimes a card can choose a duellist. The two are connected and the duellist can tap into the card's true power.' The Pharaoh drew his deck from its case. 'Because each is bound by the Heart of the Cards.' He shuffled his cards. 'And the Dark Magician has chosen me.'

Arkana glared at him.

The Pharaoh took his card from the top. It was the Dark Magician. 'He has never let me down and I place my complete trust in my Dark Magician.' He felt rather than saw his Magician appear behind him. And he knew, unlike Arkana's Dark Magician, his was as solid as it could be in this dimension, not flickering like a bad computer graphic.

'So it's true,' Arkana said. 'The great Yugi Moto never backs down from a challenge. Very impressive.'

The two Dark Magicians vanished.

'But this room's a little cramped, don't you think? Fortunately, I know of a special duel ring close by.' He gestured dramatically. 'Follow me.'

'Hm.' The Pharaoh looked to where he was gesturing. There was a set of stairs leading down into the floor.

Arkana turned and led him down them. 'Hurry! It's almost curtain time.'

The Pharaoh followed.

'I have special orders from my superiors to make this a real spectacle.'

Rat rot! The Pharaoh stopped. 'What do you mean when you say you have orders from your superiors? Just who is it that you're working for, Arkana?' And he had a nasty suspicion he knew.

'Relax and enjoy the show.' Arkana turned. 'Forget who's backstage. Just worry about me.' He laid his finger on the rim of his hat and chuckled.

Could this deranged showman be working for Marik? If he is then there could be much more at stake here than just my Dark Magician.

The Pharaoh ground his teeth.

They came down to the landing. 'Ta-dah!' Arkana crowed. 'Beyond that door lies my duelling ring!' The door was solid and metal, with a large red question mark on the top section. Arkana opened the door and led him in.

The Pharaoh sucked in a breath when he saw the ring. It was large and circular. A small table with the Millennium insignia was in the centre. He looked around some more, but there wasn't much else here.

'I had it specially made for this match!' Arkana boasted. He cackled gleefully as he crossed to the other side of the table. 'It's almost time to raise the curtain and start the show. I hope you enjoy a good matinee, Yugi. You'll notice we're completely alone. There are no screaming fans and no cameras.' He gestured around. 'Yes, it's the perfect setting for our private performance with so much on the line!' He had a big smile for something behind him.

The Pharaoh walked to the nearest side of the table.

'We'll duel according to Battle City Tournament rules.' Arkana turned back to him. 'But thanks to our location, not even Kaiba knows we're here.'

The Pharaoh knew that Kaiba wouldn't react well to that. He was smarter than Arkana gave him credit for. He didn't doubt someone would be beating the door in at some point during or after the duel. They both set their decks down on the table.

'Now, let's shuffle our decks and let the show begin, shall we?' Arkana rifle shuffled his cards.

The Pharaoh's own overhand style didn't require a thought, so he could turn his mind to other things. 'I'm watching you. Don't try any slight of hand, Arkana.'

'Card tricks are strictly for amateurs, Yugi Moto,' Arkana said. They both laid their duelling decks down on the table again.

'Just to be sure, I'll cut your deck.'

'Of course. You know, there is an old saying among high rollers and card sharks: always trust your opponents, but only after you've cut their deck!'

'Ha!' The Pharaoh had noticed as he cut the deck. 'Here's another: never trust a masked man.' He pushed it back at Arkana and picked up his own deck.

Arkana picked up his deck. 'Heh! I'm offended!' He spread his arms. 'Besides, you and I are a lot alike. We both play to win. Of course, in this duel performance you'll find there's an extra downside to losing.

The floor under the Pharaoh's feet shifted and he felt himself going back. 'Huh?' Arkana was going back too. There were platforms under their feet, moving them to the edge of the duelling ring. The table was descending into the floor. He hadn't been kidding when he said he'd had this place specially made.

'Get ready,' Arkana said. 'The show – I mean, duel – is about to begin!'

Shackles came out and clamped around the Pharaoh's ankles. 'Wha…? No!'

'Relax.' Arkana was enjoying this too much. 'We're both locked in, which means neither of us can escape.'

The Pharaoh felt his temper burn as he looked up at Arkana.

'See, there's an extra twist. We're not just playing for what's inside your deck. We're playing for what's inside your mind!'

Two energy saws appeared at the side half-way points. They buzzed loudly and spun fast. There was also a line that each saw could go. This line went right to their legs. At the same time as he noted this, the Pharaoh knew that they weren't actual saws. 'What's that?'

Arkana cackled. 'It's a dark energy disk, Yugi. And I wouldn't get too close. One touch and your mind's banished to the Shadow Realm! But don't worry, Yugi. I'll explain the rules to you, before you lose. See the numbers written above the energy disks?' He was right.

There was 4000, 3000, 2000, 1000 and 0, all evenly spaced. Rat rot! 'Ah, those are life points. The closer the number gets to zero, the closer the disk gets to us.'

'Precisely,' Arkana said. 'And then you can say hello to the Shadow Realm.' He pointed. 'All right, now look down between your feet.'

The Pharaoh did and a small box rose up there. It had 4000 across the lid.

'You'll see each of us has a key box.'

'A key box?'

'Yes, and inside is a key to unlock the shackles around your legs. Your box displays your opponent's life points and will only open if you win the duel.' He cackled again. 'Only then can you save yourself.'

The Pharaoh clenched his fists. 'You're insane!'

'Think of it as a hope chest, really, because that key is your only hope!' He sniggered again and that turned into demented cackles.

'What kind of person would toy with someone's mind?' the Pharaoh asked softly. He glared at Arkana. 'Are you some kind of demented madman?'

'No. I'm a man who's undefeated.'

'Not for long, Arkana!'

'Heh!' Arkana sneered.

'You've met your match. So, get ready. It's time for us to duel, Arkana!' The Pharaoh held his arm up and the duel disk slid into active mode. The holographic projectors in the ring lit up.

'The spotlight's on us. It's showtime!'

The Pharaoh drew. 'Then draw your cards!'

'As you wish, Yugi.' Arkana drew and looked at them.

The Pharaoh looked at his own cards. Very good. He may have been thrown off-guard by most of this demented style, but he had noticed what else Arkana had done prior to the start of the duel. His suspicions were just confirmed from the way his opponent was smirking at him. He pulled a card from his hand. 'And now, I'll start this duel by placing one card face-down.' He set the card and it appeared on the field. He took another card from his hand and played it. 'And then I'll summon Alpha the Magnet Warrior in defence mode.' The card appeared on the field and the monster emerged from it.

Arkana drew. 'Brace yourself. I'll summon my Legion the Fiend Jester, also in defence mode.' The card and monster appeared in front of him.

'You won't be smiling for long.' The Pharaoh drew.

To defeat this trickster, I'll have to think like a trickster. Here goes.

The Pharaoh took a card and smirked. Very good. 'Since I don't trust your hand, I'll play this magic card.'

'Don't trust my hand?' Arkana demanded.

'Take this.' The Pharaoh played the card and it flipped up in front of him. 'Card Destruction!'

Arkana drew back. 'Not that! My precious hand!'

'Both players must discard their hands now!' The Pharaoh pointed at him. 'That means you, Arkana!'

Arkana shook and looked down at his hand. It confirmed what he'd thought.

'Ha! You've been deceiving me from the start. I thought you'd fixed your first hand.' He'd trimmed his Dark Magician so it would be on the top. The Pharaoh had felt the smaller card as he'd cut the deck. 'So rather than take my chances at falling victim to another one of your tricks I destroyed both our hands so we can discard our old cards and start over with a clean slate. Say farewell to the cards in your hand, Arkana.' He folded his cards.

'Ugh!' Arkana reluctantly discarded his hand and drew a new one. 'You'll pay for that, when I claim your Dark Magician and send you to the Shadow Realm.'

The Pharaoh put his cards into the discard slot and drew a new hand. 'I wouldn't count on that yet, Arkana. Reveal the face-down card!' The card flipped up. 'Brain Control!'

Arkana cried out in alarm.

'This card lets me control any of your monsters, like Fiend Jester!' The hands reached out and grabbed the Jester and pulled it to the Pharaoh's side of the field.

'My monster!'

The card and the hands disappeared. 'Now, I'll sacrifice your Fiend Jester and my Magnet Warrior!' A vortex appeared and swallowed back of them up. 'Which allows me to summon my ultimate monster.' The aforementioned monster appeared out of the smoke. 'Fear the power of my Dark Magician!'

The Dark Magician stood on the field, calm and stoic.

YGO

Shamee had found the place. It was pretty deserted for the corporate offices it looked like. She looked around. The Pharaoh's – and Yugi's – heart signature was around here somewhere but it was below it. Knowing her luck, it was probably in a room with only one entrance.

Shamee suddenly heard a girlish giggle from behind her. She spun around. A cloth of pink material disappeared into one of the rooms. For some reason, she wasn't the slightest bit wary of this. She ran after it and into the room. It led into an office that contained a computer, turned on but buzzing with nothing but static, and a stairwell that led into the floor.

Shamee ran around and down the stairs. She could feel it. The Pharaoh was just through this door. It was solid and made of metal, with a big red question mark on the top section, so it wouldn't be easy to get through. Shamee grabbed the handle and gave it a turn. The door was bolted shut.

Rat rot!

Shamee looked around and smiled at what she saw in the upper wall. 'Aha…'

YGO

The Pharaoh leaned forward. 'When you believe in the Heart of the Cards, Arkana, you don't need to cheat! You believe in nothing except trickery and winning at all costs. But now you'll see what happens when you have faith in your cards, Arkana!' He called out for the attack. 'Dark Magician, show him some real magic…'

Arkana screamed. The Dark Magician leapt forward and made his assault.

'…With a direct attack on his life points!'

The magic shot out of his Magician's staff and struck Arkana. The illusionist covered his face and cried out. His life points dropped to 1500. Then the Dark Magician returned to his place, standing protectively in front of the Pharaoh.

'You've already lost more than half of your life points, Arkana,' he said. 'Now, I'm still waiting for this grand magic show you promised me.'

Arkana drew back, making a sound of despair as he looked down. 'The dark energy disk is getting closer!' He shook for a moment before he gave the Pharaoh a demented smirk.