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

Double Duel Part IV

'One of you two fools is about to feel the fury of my creature, Des Gardius,' Lumis said, gloating. 'But which one?' His eyes flickered between the both of them. 'If I attack you, Yugi, my beast will wipe out the rest of your life points. And if I choose you, Kaiba, your Blue Eyes will be a meal for my Des Gardius.'

'And don't forget what happens when your life points reach zero!' Umbra felt the need to remind them. 'Your Shadow Box will destroy the surface below you and send you plunging into the Shadow Realm for eternity!'

Kaiba gritted his teeth.

Lumis added his two cents in. 'And your friends will join our army of Rare Hunters and serve Master Marik. Now the time has come for me to decide which one of you pathetic nitwits to attack with Des Gardius. Who will it be?' It was clear he'd already decided. 'Do you give up? I choose you, Yugi Moto.'

Yugi growled.

Umbra glared at him. 'Wait. We're supposed to be a team, Lumis. That means we both get a say in this decision. While I agree we have to destroy Yugi, leaving Kaiba's Blue Eyes White Dragon on the field would be an extremely foolish mistake.'

Kaiba had already been thinking.

Lumis didn't agree. 'No! It's my move and I choose Yugi.'

'I knew it.' Kaiba also knew if he didn't speak up now, they'd lose the duel and he'd lose his chance to save Mokuba. That was all there was to it, he swore. Kaiba closed his eyes and smirked. 'I was wondering whether you'd have the guts to challenge my Blue Eyes White Dragon and now I know.'

Reasoning would clearly have no effect on him.

Lumis looked at him. His face was a picture of disbelief and outrage. 'Know what?'

'That you're all talk and no action.' Kaiba goaded him. 'Only a coward would take the easy way out. Instead of flexing his muscles and attacking my monster.' He watched Lumis, daring him to attack. Kaiba could see him falling for it.

'All right! There's been a change in plans.' Lumis gave the order. 'Des Gardius, destroy Kaiba's Blue Eyes!' Des Gardius attacked and the Blue Eyes White Dragon was shattered in front of him.

Kaiba winced. That had hurt to do, but it had to be done. His life points dropped to 1800.

Lumis laughed. 'Guess you were wrong, Kaiba. No one calls me a coward and gets away with it.'

Kaiba ignored him. Yugi better not make me regret saving him. 'Destroy them, Yugi.'

'Yes.' Yugi turned and faced the Rare Hunters again.

'Remember,' Lumis said. 'Thanks to Mask of the Accursed and Mask of Dispel you lose another thousand life points.'

Yugi drew as his life points dropped to 500. Regardless of what he did here, this was his last turn. Knowing Yugi, this was probably going to be a good one. After all, they were in the brink of losing if he was subjected to another turn. As Kaiba had once said, Yugi had an uncanny ability to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.

Yugi knew it too. 'Fine, this duel is almost over anyway.' He looked at the card he'd drawn. He pulled another card from his hand. 'You'll regret not attacking me…' Oh, so he did have something. '…when I play the card in my hand and destroy you!' The statement clearly scared Lumis.

'What?' Lumis demanded. 'It can't be!'

'Attacking Blue Eyes was a big mistake,' Kaiba said. 'Cause now Yugi has something even worse in store for you.'

'It's a lie!' Lumis insisted.

Umbra didn't seem to want to believe it either. 'You can't summon high power monsters because of my trap card!'

Yugi stated what they were overlooking. 'Your trap card only prevents us from sacrificing, but that's not the only way to summon powerful monsters, Umbra.' He played the card. 'So I play this: Gamma the Magnet Warrior!' The card appeared on the field and the monster emerged from it. 'And now that I have three Magnet Warriors on the field at the same time, I can activate their special ability. Monster Transform!'

Both Lumis and Umbra started. 'Transform? What?'

'Yes.' All three of Yugi's monsters came apart and reformed as one. 'All three creatures will transform into one mighty warrior with triple the attack strength.' The Mask on Alpha was destroyed by the effect. The creature assembled and appeared on the field.

'What is that?' Lumis demanded as it glowed brightly.

'Behold, Valkyrion the Magna Warrior!'

It had a destructive power of 3500. 'Consider this attack payback for destroying my Blue Eyes, Lumis,' Kaiba said.

'Fine, Kaiba.'

'Yugi's Valkyrion has 200 more attack points than your Des Gardius, so with one swing of its sword it can completely annihilate your Masked Beast.' Kaiba smirked again. 'Tough break, Lumis.' Kaiba looked over. 'Yugi, it's time to take our revenge for my Blue Eyes White Dragon, so what are you waiting for?'

Yugi looked at him.

'I've been patient long enough,' Kaiba insisted. 'Stop stalling and attack them! Now, prove you're not scared and avenge the destruction of my Blue Eyes White Dragon.'

Yugi looked at the opposing monster. His eyes then locked on Lumis's face, then Umbra's. Clearly, he was judging whether or not the attack was a wise one. Kaiba, quite frankly, didn't care.

'Do it, Yugi!' Kaiba snapped. 'Destroy their monster now!'

'Go ahead, Yugi,' Lumis said. 'Make your move.'

Yugi's eyes narrowed in suspicion.

Umbra pressed next. 'Make your move, Yugi.'

Still, Yugi did nothing but stare.

'What are you waiting for?' Kaiba demanded. 'I gave up my Blue Eyes for you and let you summon your monster and this is the thanks I get? Now, destroy their monster so I can move one step closer to finding my little brother!' He ignored Sharee's scowl at him. Would Yugi just hurry up? 'And do it right now or you'll be sorry!'

'Geez, Kaiba!' Sharee told him. 'Wind down. You know how good Yugi is. If he's hesitating, there's a reason for it.'

Yugi simply closed his eyes and took a card from his hand. 'I'll place one card face-down.' The card appeared on the field. Yugi then looked over at him. 'Kaiba, if you ever want to see Mokuba again we'll have to duel intelligently. Anger will only cloud your reason.'

Kaiba faced him. 'You're wrong!'

'You must try to put your frustration aside and trust in the Heart of the Cards,' Yugi said. 'Unless you do, you'll be playing right into the hands of the Rare Hunters.'

Kaiba wasn't having any of that. 'That's nonsense! We have to crush them now!'

'You're losing focus, Kaiba!' Yugi snapped. 'If you want to win, you must believe in your deck.'

Kaiba ground his teeth. Heart of the Cards! Who needs it? Kaiba may have liked to pretend he didn't believe in it, but really he did. He'd seen it work himself. After all, during that duel with Pegasus, what were the odds of him pulling those cards? The Blue Eyes White Dragon and Shadow Spell? But Kaiba wasn't going to admit he believed in it. The only way to win this duel is to play my Egyptian God Card, Obelisk the Tormentor. It was sitting in his hand. But it order to summon it, I need to sacrifice three monsters and as long as their Mask of Restrict is in play we're not allowed to sacrifice anything! It suddenly hit him. That's it! It's right in front of me! A way to summon my Egyptian God Card even with their Mask on the field. He looked over. But it can only work if Yugi's willing to give up his monster. I gave up my Blue Eyes White Dragon to help him so it's only fair that he makes a sacrifice. Kaiba looked back across the field again. I don't like depending on anyone but myself, but I'll do what I have to do…to save my brother. 'Yugi, we can win.'

Yugi looked at him and smiled. 'Right.' Somehow, he seemed to understand. 'Valkyrion the Magna Warrior, attack their monster now!' Valkyrion charged. The blade lit up with electricity and sliced through Des Gardius. The monster was destroyed. 'It's gone.'

Lumis's life points dropped to 3800. 'You may have destroyed my beast, Yugi, but you've also activated its special ability.'

'What special ability?' Kaiba demanded. Was this what Yugi had been hesitating about? Had he been worried about doing what'd just been done?

'When Des Gardius is sent to the graveyard it leaves behind three masks…' All of them were lying on the field in front of him. '…which combine to form a new, more powerful mask: the Mask of Remnants!' Just that happened and the Mask appeared on the field. It was an ugly, horned thing. Lumis laughed in triumph.

Yugi made a surprised sound.

'As revenge for your attack, this Mask allows me to control one of your monsters as if it were my own,' Lumis said. The Mask launched forward. 'And since you only have one monster, it's a good thing "one size fits all".' It clamped itself onto Valkyrion. Yugi's Warrior crossed the field as the Mask took effect. Lumis cackled. 'Valkyrion the Magna Warrior belongs to me now, and you're in trouble.'

'Excellent work,' Umbra said.

'Thank you.' Lumis turned back to them. 'You're through, Yugi. Your defences are gone and the Shadow Realm awaits. Destroy Yugi on this turn, Umbra, then I'll take out Kaiba myself.'

'With pleasure.'

'I'll make sure Kaiba never sees his runt of a brother again, and then I send him to join Yugi in the Shadow Realm!'

Kaiba's muscles tensed at the "runt of a brother".

'Let's do it.' Umbra drew. He looked at his card. 'Perfect.' He made his move. 'Farewell, Yugi.' A card appeared on the field, face-down. It flipped up. 'I activate Masquerade. The effect flowed out of the card and covered Valkyrion. With this magic card in play, I'm able to control one of Lumis's monsters as if it were my monster.' He called out the attack and it charged. 'So, my Magna Warrior, attack and destroy your former master, Yugi!'

Kaiba looked over at Yugi. He couldn't help him this time.

Lumis and Umbra were both grinning in triumph. 'Goodbye.'

Yugi smirked. 'Don't celebrate just yet.'

Why did Yugi always have something?

'Huh?' Lumis demanded.

'Reveal my face-down card!' The card in question flipped up. 'De-Fusion! It will break down your monster into its three separate parts and destroy your Mask.' As he said it, that all happened.

'Oh, no!' Lumis cried.

Umbra stated the obvious. 'Our attack just failed!'

'Are you shocked?' Yugi asked. 'I'm afraid you're no match for our combined skills, Rare Hunters.'

'It's my turn.' Kaiba drew. 'Behold my Egyptian God Card.'

'Not quite!' Even as Lumis denied it, he looked nervous. 'As long as my Mask of Restrict is in effect, you can't summon it. You would have to sacrifice three monsters and my Mask prevents that!'

'Wrong,' Kaiba said. 'Your Mask only stops me from sacrificing my own monster. But I plan to sacrifice your monsters instead, Lumis, with this card.' He played the card he'd just pulled from his hand. It appeared on the field and flipped up. 'Now, I activate the magic card Soul Exchange, which lets me sacrifice your three Magnet Warriors.' The effects of the card crossed the field in energy rings. It encompassed all three monsters.

'Don't let them get away with this!' Umbra yelled. 'Do something, Lumis!'

'We're finished!' Lumis insisted. 'If Kaiba summons Obelisk the Tormentor we'll have no hope of winning this duel! We must stop him or Marik will be furious.'

Yugi was watching with a satisfied smirk.

The three Magnet Warriors were swept up in a tornado as the sacrificing came to a finish. 'I warned you two clowns,' Kaiba said, relishing their unhidden fear. The wind of the summoning blew all of their clothes back. 'This is for my little brother!' The field lit up. Obelisk the Tormentor began to rise out of the field. 'You've been talking about winning my Egyptian God Card this entire duel. Now it's time for you to experience its power!' Kaiba laughed.

YGO

The Pharaoh watched Obelisk the Tormentor rise up onto the field. He also watched Kaiba out of the corner of his eyes. If he had been asked, he'd say Kaiba was a bit too drunk on the power from that God Card. It would definitely be bad for him to get the other two.

Kaiba called out his order. 'Obelisk the Tormentor, arise and wreck your ultimate revenge!' He watched the Rare Hunters gawk in horror. 'It's payback time for kidnapping Mokuba, so prepare to feel a force like no other.' He called the attack. 'And now, it's time. Obelisk, attack Umbra's life points directly!' Obelisk punched, throwing all of his Godly power behind it. Umbra screamed when he saw it coming at him. The blast the came from his fist entirely enveloped the Rare Hunter.

'Umbra, no!' Lumis called, but the Pharaoh couldn't see him through all the light.

The attack ended and Umbra collapsed. He wasn't gone, but he would be soon. The field smoked from the attack. Umbra groaned, stunned and pained. The Pharaoh did feel sorry for him, but he had brought it upon himself, really.

'Hey, Umbra.' Lumis stepped towards him. 'Are you all right?'

Kaiba spoke up again, somewhat back to normal. 'He's fine for now, but thanks to my Egyptian God Card, his life points don't look so good.' He waited until Lumis turned and looked at him before he continued that one. 'It seems like you've fallen victim to your own trap, Rare Hunters.'

Horror took hold of both their faces as they realised what was about to happen. As Kaiba had said, they fell into their own trap and they would soon learn what a sick one it was. The life point counter hit zero and the glass cracked. It gave way beneath him and Umbra fell with a cry of one, drawn-out, word. 'No!'

'Umbra!' Lumis called.

The Pharaoh looked down and watched him fall. Partway down, a parachute was released from his back. It saved his life but nothing could save his mind. The parachute got caught on a flagpole, stopping Umbra's descent. He hung there, limply. The Pharaoh knew that he would never move again. His mind was gone.

Lumis still called down to him in desperation. 'Umbra, come back, please! You can't leave me here!'

The Pharaoh looked back at him. 'Too late for that.' He did regret the loss but if one brought it upon themselves, it was their just desserts. 'It looks like you're duelling alone now, doesn't it? The odds are certainly against you, Lumis.'

Lumis spun around. He ground his teeth and growled audibly.

The Pharaoh threw the last bit in. 'And you're powerless against our Egyptian God Card. If you want to avoid any further danger, then you'd better surrender.'

Lumis dropped to his knees.

'Don't let him off the hook yet,' Kaiba said, temper clear in his voice. 'My monster is just getting warmed up. And Lumis needs to pay for what he's done.' He glared at the Rare Hunter in question. 'He disrespected my family!'

'Stop, Kaiba!' the Pharaoh snapped at him. He always could mention how Marik had his Rare Hunters attack Sharee's family too, but Kaiba likely wouldn't care about that. It was better to just say the important thing. 'Revenge isn't going to help you find Mokuba. Perhaps if we allow him to surrender, he'll tell us where they're hiding the prisoners.'

Kaiba let out a "hmph". 'Yugi, wise up. We must destroy right now.'

Lumis suddenly cried out.

'Too late,' Shamee said.

'No, master!' Lumis begged and grabbed his head. 'Please don't be angry! We tried our best!'

'What now?' Kaiba demanded irritably.

Shamee gave him a flat look. 'I believe Marik is using him as a median.'

Lumis kept begging. 'Master, please don't! No!' He cried out. 'Marik, I'm sorry!' His body suddenly went limp but he remained on his feet.

Marik laughed and began speaking through Lumis. 'I see that you have defeated my Rare Hunters. That's all right. They did their job.'

'What have you done with my friends, Marik?' the Pharaoh demanded.

Marik chuckled.

'This Rare Hunter's gone mad!' Kaiba insisted.

'Luck is not so kind,' Shamee said.

The Pharaoh knew what she meant by that. 'He hasn't gone mad, Kaiba. This Rare Hunter is under the control of a man named Marik.'

Kaiba drew back. 'That is ridiculous, Yugi!'

'Marik's power is very real,' the Pharaoh said. 'And he is the one holding Mokuba captive.'

This got Kaiba's full attention. 'Well, tell me where this so-called Marik is hiding!'

Marik chuckled again. 'Wouldn't you like to know, Kaiba? Well, I'll give you a hint. I'm closer than you think I am. I hope you enjoyed the special duel I set up for you. You fared better than I thought. But don't think just because you beat my Rare Hunters that you'll be rescuing your friends and family anytime soon. You see, I've been preparing for the next phase of my plan. And I've been studying each of your deck through the eyes of my Rare Hunters. As for your Egyptian God Card, Kaiba, Obelisk pales in comparison to my Winged Dragon of Ra Card. I'm afraid there's no way it can stop me.'

Kaiba ground his teeth.

Marik went on, unhindered. 'And once I defeat you, Obelisk will be in my deck. And I haven't forgotten you, Yugi. Your Egyptian God Card and Millennium Puzzle will be mine as well. And since my Rare Hunters failed, I've come up with the perfect plan to defeat you once and for all, by playing upon your greatest weakness: your loyalty to your pathetic friends.'

'Please!' Shamee scoffed. 'You've already proved to me that your planning skills are terrible. This is the second time you've done the same thing. Maybe this time you'll learn.'

Marik laughed at her. 'Oh, don't worry. They're safe and sound right here with me, but I don't think they're on your side anymore. It seems their allegiance lies with me. It's funny how our friends are so quick to turn.'

The Pharaoh's gut tightened.

'You used the Millennium Rod on them.' Shamee sighed. 'In one ear, out the other.'

'I'm the one you want, Marik!' the Pharaoh snapped. 'So leave my friends alone!'

'Too late,' Marik said. 'I'm afraid those fools belong to me now, Yugi!' He cackled in laughter.

'You're a coward,' the Pharaoh stated. 'Why don't you face me already instead of hiding behind your mind slaves? Leave my friends alone, Marik, and tell me where they are!'

Kaiba strode forward. 'Look, I don't know who you are but you better tell me where Mokuba is.' He grabbed Lumis by the collar and hauled him up in a threatening way. 'I won this battle, so release my little brother just like you said you would, Rare Hunter. Right now!'

'You trust me?' Marik mocked him. 'What a fool.'

Kaiba tightened the collar around Lumis's neck. 'Let him go!'

The Pharaoh walked over, Shamee at his shoulder. He lifted his hand. 'Stop. You're wasting your energy, Kaiba. He obviously has no intention of helping us find Mokuba and the others.'

'Very perceptive,' Marik sneered.

Kaiba reluctantly dropped him. The Rare Hunter fell to his knees. Marik laughed maniacally for a moment. Then, suddenly, it stopped. Lumis slumped to the ground fully. Shamee stepped around the Pharaoh and, leaning down, felt his neck. As she bent over, the Pharaoh noticed, she placed a bracing hand on her side.

Shamee nodded to herself and straightened up. 'He's in a coma.'

Kaiba growled in annoyance.

The Pharaoh turned to Kaiba. 'All right, then, we're going to have to track them down on our own, Kaiba. Maybe your satellite system can help.'

Shamee huffed.

'Look, Yugi, first thing's first.' Kaiba looked down. 'I think this Rare Hunter owes us something.' He knelt down and, after rolling Lumis over, pulled two locator cards from the Rare Hunter's cloak. Standing up again, he turned to the Pharaoh. 'This was an official Battle City duel. That means the losers have to give up one locator card each to the winners. There's one for each of us.' He gave one of the cards to the Pharaoh. 'That means we both have six. We're each guaranteed a spot in the Battle City Finals now.'

'Kaiba, how can you begin to think about the tournament after what Marik just said?' the Pharaoh asked. 'We have to find my friends and your brother right now.'

Kaiba turned away. 'Hmph. I'm well aware of that, Yugi.'

'Then help me think of a plan,' the Pharaoh said. 'Every second counts.'

Suddenly they all heard helicopter blades.

Shamee lifted her arm to shield her eyes as the KaibaCorp chopper descended. 'Well, that's one outta three.'

YGO

Shamee wasn't surprised when the chopper landed and Mokuba came out. She'd sensed his heart signature in there. As she'd said, that was one out of three. She was perfectly sure the ones who'd been captured were Joey and Tea. Marik really did have a lot to learn if he seriously expected world domination. Mokuba hopped out of the chopper and ran over to them.

'Tell me, are you all right?' At least that was Kaiba's first concern.

Mokuba nodded. 'Mm-hm. But I had to leave Téa behind.'

'Is Téa okay?' the Pharaoh asked. 'And what about Joey and Tristan?'

'Well, I'm not so sure about Joey or Tristan,' Mokuba said. 'But up until she helped me escape from the Rare Hunters, Téa was doing all right. We gotta go back there.'

'Get in the chopper now,' Kaiba told them.

Shamee and the Pharaoh both looked at him in confusion.

Kaiba didn't hesitate in explaining. 'Sounds like your friend, Téa, saved Mokuba's life and, as much as I hate getting involved, I hate owing someone a favour even more.'

'Thank you,' the Pharaoh said.

Shamee was the last one to climb into the chopper, careful not to put too much stress onto Sharee's wound. Soon, they were up in the air. There were only three seats so Shamee sat against the door after she closed it behind her. Mokuba was already on the computer, doing something or other.

'Is our satellite tracking system working?' Kaiba asked.

'Yes,' Mokuba said. 'I'm picking up a weak signal from Joey's duel disk. It's coming from the same spot where those Rare Hunters were keeping me and Téa. We should be there in about fifteen minutes.'

Shamee and the Pharaoh both looked over at him.

'Where was that?' Shamee asked.

'At the pier,' Mokuba said.

Shamee smirked. 'Brain the size of a gnat.'

Sorry this took so long to get out, guys. I've been weighed down by schoolwork the past few weeks.