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

Mime Control Part III

'Yugi, prove that you're worthy of your reputation and take down this Egyptian God card. Unless…you don't have what it takes. Maybe your Duellist Kingdom Championship victory was just a fluke.'

The Pharaoh had no doubt that Kaiba wanted him to win so he would get the card. Then Kaiba would try to win it off of him. All the same, he was right. This was no time to drop to his knees and give up. The pain in the Pharaoh's mind began to fade away as his resolve returned.

The Pharaoh stood up. 'I will defeat him, Kaiba. I assure you.' He then called to his distant opponent. 'Marik, it's over!'

'Ha!' Marik scoffed. 'My Egyptian God Card is unstoppable.' He had his mind-slave look up at Kaiba. 'Ah, and you're my next victim, Kaiba.' He chuckled. 'Once Slifer the Sky Dragon annihilates Yugi, I'm coming after your Egyptian God Card.'

But Kaiba has always been hard to intimidate. 'Save your breath. Your empty threats don't scare me.'

'They will in time, fool!'

The Pharaoh called his opponent's attention back to himself. 'This duel isn't over yet, Marik.' He looked at the cards in his hand.

I've got to figure out a way to defeat his Egyptian God Card. But it has ten thousand attack points. None of my monsters even come close to that.

The Pharaoh looked back up at Slifer.

Plus it grows stronger with every card he draws. It must have some weakness, and I'll find it!

'I draw.' The Pharaoh did so. He looked at the card in his hand.

Hm. Monster Reborn could come in handy.

The Pharaoh set it on the field. 'I place one card face-down.' He held up his next card. 'And I summon Big Shield Gardna in defence mode.' He set that and both cards were on the field. The Gardna emerged from his card, crouched behind his large shield.

'Don't tell me that you've forgotten that by summoning a monster, you activate my Dragon's special ability?' Marik asked. Slifer was already beginning to attack. 'Let me remind you…by blasting your monster!'

The Pharaoh as the blast came down, grinding his teeth. No, he hadn't forgotten. But the Gardna had over the number of loss so he'd still be there. It would last the Pharaoh out the turn.

'This surge of energy from my Dragon's second mouth will drain your Big Shield Gardna of 2000 defence points.'

The smoke cleared and the Gardna's defence points dropped down to 600.

'Your Big Shield has been cut down to size.' Marik gloated. 'And my Egyptian God Card will continue to automatically devastate your monsters as soon as they're summoned to the field.' He laughed. 'Just one more attack and your only defence will be demolished, leaving nothing in between you and Slifer. Where's your faith in the cards now, Pharaoh?'

The Pharaoh ground his teeth and braced himself for the next attack.

The mind-slave drew. 'Now, observe…while I draw!' He added the card to his hand. 'And, as you know, Slifer gets 1000 attack points for every card in my hand. I count eleven, giving my Dragon 11000 attack points.' He laughed as Slifer's attack points shot up.

YGO

'Wow! 11000 points?' Mokuba demanded. 'That's already more than three times the attack strength of your Blue-Eyes White Dragon, Seto.'

'And it'll only get stronger,' Kaiba said. 'Yugi's opponent has Infinite Cards in play, allowing him to hold as many cards as he wants.'

Mokuba looked up at his brother, alarmed. 'Oh, and the more cards in his hand the more attack points his Dragon has. That means there's no limit to how strong his Egyptian God Card can grow.'

Kaiba suddenly looked thoughtful. Shamee was getting sick of this, she huffed. Both of the Kaiba brothers looked at her. She turned and, deciding against having to explain a five thousand year old story to them, called down to the Pharaoh.

'Yugi, I just had a thought!'

'Hm?' He looked up at her.

'Maybe, to win, you don't have to attack!'

There was a moment and then the Pharaoh's eyes widened. His gaze snapped back to Marik's side of the field and pure calculation was written across his features. Then his eyes snapped down to the cards in his hand. His expression tightened for a moment and then he looked at his deck.

'Huh?' Mokuba asked. 'What do you mean?'

Shamee smirked. 'Provided he can get the right card out of the deck, you'll see shortly.'

YGO

Marik laughed. 'Now, my Sky Dragon, attack!' He called the order and Slifer released the attack. 'Eradicate his Shield, the only thing that stands in the way of his destruction. Soon that Puzzle, and the world, will be mine!'

The Pharaoh jammed his eyes shut as the Gardna was destroyed. He lifted his head and looked at Marik through his mind-slave. Shamee was right, but it would take one more crucial card to win this duel.

Marik was either unaware of his own flaw, or thought it was beyond anyone's capabilities. 'You're completely defenceless, Pharaoh. The next time my Sky Dragon attacks, you'll be finished. It's undefeatable, you fool!'

The Pharaoh smirked. 'And that is why I will make Slifer destroy itself.'

'What makes you think you can?'

'Ah, it's a simple matter of common sense. If all of my monsters are too weak, then I must use your monster to destroy itself!'

'Haven't you realised yet that an Egyptian God Card cannot be controlled?' It looked like Marik simply didn't know about his own weakness. 'It's much too powerful, Pharaoh!'

'We'll see.'

'Huh?' The mind-slave drew back. It was a safe bet Marik did as well.

'Perhaps you don't have as much knowledge about the Egyptian God Cards as you think you do.'

'How dare you challenge my wisdom of the ancient ways!' Marik yelled. 'I know all!'

'We'll find out how much you know soon enough, Marik.'

'I'd like to see you try to turn Slifer against me.' Marik seemed to have calmed himself down. 'Time for you to make your move. I promise it will be your last.' He chuckled, ignorant to what was about to happen.

'Is that so?' The Pharaoh reached for his deck. 'We'll see, Marik.' If I don't draw the right card now, his Sky Dragon will crush me. But I know the Heart of the Cards will guide me. With Yugi's thought ringing in his head, the Pharaoh drew. 'Now!' He looked at the card in his hand. 'Perfect!' He raised the card up.

'Well?' Marik demanded. 'What is it?'

The Pharaoh smirked. 'Just what I need to take you down. Time to lose.' He hit a button on his Duel Disk. 'I reveal my face-down card.' It flipped up. 'Monster Reborn!'

'What good will that do?' Marik asked.

'This magic card allows me to bring back one monster from the graveyard,' the Pharaoh said. The card began to glow, activating. 'And I choose to resurrect my mighty Buster Blader! Return!' The Buster Blader emerged and stood on the field.

'What?' Marik asked. 'My Dragon's already destroyed that monster once. Plus, summoning to defend your life points will only delay your ultimate defeat.'

'It's not defending,' the Pharaoh calmly pointed out. 'Take a closer look, Marik. Buster Blader has been summoned in attack mode!' He waited for Marik to absorb it. 'I know I can't win by just defending my life points.' He lifted his cards. 'That's why I'm risking this entire duel on one final sword attack by Buster Blader.'

'You're more of a fool than I thought.' Marik chuckled. 'You've left yourself wide open for my Egyptian God Card to defeat you. Have you forgotten about my five-card combination that make Slifer the Sky Dragon completely indestructible? Perhaps you need a reminder, Pharaoh. First, my Card of Safe Return allows me to draw three cards whenever a monster is revived. Since you resurrected Buster Blader I can now draw three more cards from my deck to increase the number of cards in my hand.'

The Pharaoh wondered if Marik knew anything about thinking outside the box. 'Yes, and the more cards you hold the stronger your Dragon becomes.'

'Right. So Slifer gains 3000 additional attack points…' The mind-slave drew. '…giving it a total of 14000 attack points!' The points went up and Marik laughed again. He wouldn't be soon. 'And then, you forgot that bringing Buster Blader back from the graveyard activates Slifer's second mouth.' Slifer began its attack, firing at the Blader again. 'Blasting 2000 attack points away from your monster.' Just that happened.

'Buster Blader's strong enough to survive your attack,' the Pharaoh said.

'This is the beginning of the end for you, Pharaoh.' Marik mocked him again. 'My Egyptian God Card has weakened your monster into the pathetic mess barely standing before you. My next attack will finish you off forever!'

The Pharaoh just watched him grandstand.

'Your Buster Blader may have survived that blast,' Marik said, 'But it's still no match for my Egyptian God Card. Your reign as Pharaoh is almost over, so prepare to surrender your Puzzle. In my next turn, your monster and your life points will be completely wiped out.'

No, they won't. 'I'm afraid that there isn't going to be a next turn for you. Once Buster Blader attacks your Egyptian God Card, you'll be defeated, Marik. Now, watch as my plan to slay your so-called indestructible Dragon begins. Time for me to win this duel right now.'

'I'm ready for your pathetic attack,' Marik said.

'Buster Blader, attack Slifer the Sky Dragon with your powerful blade!' The Pharaoh gave the order.

'Watching your puny warrior try to take down my unstoppable Egyptian God Card is actually quite amusing,' Marik said.

The Buster Blader charged forward.

'Have you forgotten that my Sky Dragon is protected by my ultimate defender, the shape-shifting Revival Jam?'

No, he hadn't. The Pharaoh calmly watched as the plasma creature shot forward and absorbed the blade strike.

'Your attack's been blocked and my Revival Jam will reform itself,' Marik said. 'After that, I can draw yet another three cards and Slifer's power will grow even greater, preparing itself to destroy you once and for all with a force more intense than anything you've ever seen!'

The Pharaoh closed his eyes and smirked. 'I'm afraid that it's still my turn, but before I make my next move I need Revival Jam to revive.' He opened his eyes. 'Observe.' Revival Jam came back together and reformed. 'And now the stage is set for this card.' The Pharaoh pulled it out of his hand and played it. 'Magic card, Brain Control! Now I'll control your monster.' The card appeared on the field and flipped up. It glowed as it activated.

Marik chuckled. 'It's not quite that simple. Sorry, Pharaoh, I'm afraid all magic cards are completely ineffective against Egyptian God Monsters.'

The Pharaoh just watched him. Marik had assumed exactly what he'd intended.

'And now you'll pay the price for making such a fooling mistake.' Slifer rose up and roared.

The Pharaoh smirked. 'Don't be so sure. Who told you I was after your Dragon?'

'You're not?' Marik demanded.

'No, Marik. There's another monster on your field I'm after,' the Pharaoh said. 'And, I'll control him. My Brain Control card will seize your Revival Jam!' The Revival Jam came apart, crossed the field and reformed directly in front of his Brain Control card.

'What can you possibly do with my Revival Jam card?' Marik asked in genuine confusion. Yes, he'd been completely unaware of his weakness. 'It can't hurt my Dragon, so it's of no use to you.'

This was highly amusing. 'You still don't get it. Since Revival Jam reformed, draw your three new cards, Marik.'

'I will,' Marik said. 'Which raises my Egyptian God Card another three thousand attack points. With every card I draw, my monster will get even stronger!' He took the three new cards from the deck. 'One, two, three. That brings Slifer's attack points to 17000.' The points went up. 'And now, Pharaoh, the time for me to destroy you has finally arrived. Slifer, wipe out his Buster Blader and his life points!'

The Pharaoh raised his hand. 'Hold on, Marik!' He smirked. 'Your Sky Dragon's special ability means its second mouth means that it has to attack any new monster that appears on my side of the field.'

Marik gasped, finally understanding. Sure enough, Slifer's second mouth was open and it was attacking the Revival Jam. That'd worked much easier than he'd been hoping. And now there was nothing Marik could do to stop the cycle that was about to begin.

The Pharaoh watched in full satisfaction. 'That means before you can destroy me, your monster must attack my Revival Jam.' The blast sailed out of Slifer's mouth and at the Revival Jam. It was destroyed. 'You know what happens now.'

'Revival Jam revives itself again.'

The monster came back together.

'And each time a monster regenerates, you have to draw three more cards from your duelling deck,' the Pharaoh said.

The mind-slave drew the cards. Because there was a new monster on the field again, Slifer automatically attacked the Revival Jam again. It was destroyed and it reformed. The mind-slave drew three new cards. It happened over and over again in a never-ending cycle. The deck Marik had assembled for this duel got smaller and smaller and more and more cards were added to his victim's hand. The Pharaoh watched this go on and on until his opponent realised how badly his plot had backfired.

Marik yelled. 'There's no way out!'

'That's right, Marik,' the Pharaoh said. 'Once you run out of cards to draw, you will automatically lose this duel.'

'No!' The mind-slave dropped all the cards in his hand. 'This can't be happening!' The cards hit the ground.

'As powerful as your Egyptian God Card is, no monster is without weakness,' the Pharaoh stated. 'And the Sky Dragon's flaw lies within its special ability: its second mouth attack!'

The deck slot was empty. 'No!' Marik yelled again.

'I turned your Dragon against you,' the Pharaoh said. 'Causing you to use up all the cards in your duelling deck.'

'No!' Marik growled it this time. The mind-slave fell to his knees and dropped the rest of the cards.

'That means I win,' the Pharaoh said. 'It's over!'

'It can't be!' Marik yelled. 'How could I lose with an Egyptian God Card in my deck? You'll pay, Pharaoh.' The Sky Dragon began to smoke as it was destroyed. 'You may have defeated Slifer, but I hold another Egyptian God Card – a much more powerful one!' Slifer fell to the ground with a thud and disappeared. 'So savour this victory while you can, for it will be your last!'

The Pharaoh watched the mind-slave as he was released. He just stayed there, though. Turning his head, the Pharaoh noticed both Mokuba and Shamee sliding down the barrier to where he was. Mokuba was fast and less coordinated than his Right-Hand. He headed over to the cards while Shamee came over to the Pharaoh's side.

'Hand over your Egyptian God Card to Yugi. Tournament rules.' He didn't respond. 'Come on, snap out of it. I mean, no one likes to lose but rules are rules you know.'

'I don't think he's conscious,' Shamee called.

Mokuba looked over and nodded. Then he knelt down and picked up the God Card and a locator card. 'As commissioner of the Battle City Tournament, I have to hand this card over to you, Yugi. And that's not all.' He walked over and handed the card to the Pharaoh, along with the locator card. When he took them, Mokuba grinned. 'Just don't get too attached, cause my brother's got his eye on that Dragon too.'

'Aware of it.' Shamee chuckled and came over to take a look. 'But I'm afraid you'll just have to wait, Kaiba.' She turned her head.

The Pharaoh looked over and saw Kaiba was coming over – and he was wearing his duel disk.

'And why is that?' Kaiba asked, scowling at her.

Shamee grinned. 'Aw, stop being a drama queen, Kaiba. Both of you are too good of duellists to hash this out so soon.' She held up her finger. 'Wait for the finals.' Folding her arms across her chest, she went on. 'Besides, I knew the God Cards were the whole reason you organised this tournament in the first place.'

Kaiba studied her for a moment. 'That crazy woman in the museum. I see. Your father is an archaeologist so he works in the Domino Museum. You would have met her.'

'I met her two years ago,' Shamee said. 'And I wouldn't go about calling her crazy. She knows precisely what she's doing. Look just because you don't believe what you saw on those stone tablets doesn't mean it didn't happen.'

'Those rocks were fake,' Kaiba stated.

'No.' Shamee shook her head. 'My father's examined them carefully. They're as real as this city. You have two other options. Either it's a cosmic coincidence, that you and Yugi happen to look exactly like those figures, or there's an inexplicable connection between the here and now and 3000BC Egypt.'

'Those are my options?' Kaiba asked.

Shamee nodded once. 'Those are your options.'

The Pharaoh watched this with…some amusement. He knew Shamee had merely put the situation in a light wherein Kaiba could easily understand it. Since he was unwilling to admit that this all had a magical reasoning, she gave him those options. Kaiba knew two things for certain in this. One: Dennis Pertinicle was the top of his field. He was the top expert in Egyptology for this time. Two: Sharee preferred being brutally honest over lying to make a situation easier.

'Then I call it a coincidence,' Kaiba said.

'I thought you would.' Shamee paused to scratch her shoulder. 'Now, on to the next part. I know how bad you want all three Egyptian God Cards, Kaiba, but your ego will just have to wait.'

'What do you mean?' Kaiba asked, glaring at her.

There was suddenly laughter from Strings and he rose again. 'Silly fools.' Clearly, Marik had control of him again. The Pharaoh, Shamee, Kaiba and Mokuba all turned their attention to him. Mokuba even jumped away from him.

'That,' Shamee said.

'I've had enough of your mind tricks, Marik!' the Pharaoh snapped. 'It's time for you to show yourself.'

'Not to worry, Pharaoh. You'll meet me sooner than you think. I'm on my way to Battle City as we speak. Once I'm there, the next phase of my plan begins. I assure you the power of the Pharaoh will be mine! My loyal mind servants are preparing for my arrival right now.'

'Where are they, Marik?' The Pharaoh wouldn't call them loyal or servants. He'd call them brainwashed and slaves. From the look of Shamee's posture, she completely agreed with him.

'I have Rare Hunters everywhere in Battle City,' Marik said. 'And I can see all! I see the Millennium Puzzle that will be mine, I see a defenceless city waiting to be conquered and I see potential mind-slaves in every crowd. I'm always searching for new servants to add to my army of Rare Hunters. I wonder who'll be next.'

Worry began to churn its way in the Pharaoh's gut.

'So, tell me, Pharaoh, which of your friends would make the best mind-slaves?'

That was what he was afraid of.

'Um…' Shamee gave Strings an odd look. 'None.'

Marik went on like she never spoke. 'Tea? Joey, perhaps? Or maybe your Right-Hand there?'

'You leave them alone!' the Pharaoh ordered. 'Understand? I'm warning you!'

'Well, it appears I've hit your sensitive spot, haven't I, Pharaoh? Perhaps I could use your friends to get what I want from you. Namely, your Puzzle and the Egyptian God Card you've won.'

'I told you, leave my friends out of this!' The Pharaoh knew he didn't have to worry about Sharee or Shamee, but all the others were fully vulnerable.

'Or else you'll what?' Marik mocked him. 'Your friends are meaningless to me, besides I have nothing to lose and whole world to gain.' He laughed again.

The Pharaoh growled. 'Do not test me! If any harm befalls my friends you will regret it, Marik. They did nothing to you, so you settle your score with me!'

Instead of answering, Marik made a statement. 'Just as my Dragon's one weakness destroyed it, your loyalty to your friends will soon destroy you.' This time Marik really let go of his mind-slave and the poor guy fell face-first to the ground.

Shamee looked at him. 'I think I remember which way there were going when I left them.'

'Good,' the Pharaoh said. 'Go there. I'll look around the duelling areas.' They both turned to go.

'Just a minute, Yugi,' Kaiba called.

They stopped and looked back at him. They both knew what he wanted anyway. Shamee rolled her eyes and stepped towards him, glaring. 'Is this about your stupid ego again?'

'No, this is about a duel,' Kaiba said.

'Same thing.' Shamee face-palmed. 'Okay, Kaiba, let me put this into perspective for you. Marik not only wants Yugi's Millennium Puzzle, but also the three God Cards. He has one, Yugi now has another and you have the third. He has just made it clear that he would willingly and maliciously attack our friends and family to get them. That includes Mokuba, you know. After all, he's the one you care most about.'

'He wouldn't dare,' Kaiba said.

'Kaiba, this guy is not of sound mind,' Shamee said. 'Never say "he wouldn't dare".'

That was right. The Pharaoh turned to his Right-Hand. 'Sharee, our friends are in great danger and they're completely unaware of it. We must find them.'

Shamee nodded. 'Let's go.'

The Pharaoh ran one way and Shamee ran the other, back the way she came.

I'm just going to apologise for the delay.