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

The Dark Spirit Revealed Part I

Shamee was in control of the body.

The Pharaoh knew her conversation currently going on with Téa was about discovering how they met "Namu". From the look on her face…Marik's true identity should be quite obvious. As for him, the Pharaoh was talking to Mai. There was a spread of food out for everyone. He supposed it was a common curtesy. Either that or Kaiba didn't want to listen to anyone moaning about being hungry.

'I have to admit, the blimp is a nice touch,' Mai said. 'And Kaiba spared no expense, but I'm ready to stop schmoozing and start duelling.'

Or course she was. 'Well, I wish you the best of luck in the Finals, Mai.'

'Who needs luck?'

A few minutes later, Mai had gone off to look at some of the food. Shamee came over to tell him what Téa had told her. By the end of it, the Pharaoh was face-palming. If they hadn't been so concerned with Bakura, they may have noticed. It was so obvious that he'd have thought Joey would've at least considered it.

Speaking of Joey, he called out across the room to Kaiba. 'Hey, what's the hold-up? When are we gonna find out who we duel, Kaiba.'

'Hmph. You're in quite a rush just to lose, Wheeler.' All the same, Kaiba activated his collar device. 'Let's begin this now.' There was some mumbling from the collar before he responded to whoever he'd called. 'Yes, now.' He then spoke to the one they'd called Roland. 'Let's go.'

YGO

Shamee watched as the device rose up. She wasn't really surprised to see it was in the shape of a Blue Eyes White Dragon. It looked like one of those Superdraw things they did on TV for the lottery. Yet, still, Shamee wasn't really all that surprised. This would all come down to luck. She narrowed her eyes as the match was decided.

Yugi Moto versus "Bakura".

It's probably for the best. He was the only Finalist who actually knew who was walking around as their friend. Looking at him, the Pharaoh also seemed pleased with the outcome of this lottery. Shamee was pleased to note one other thing. While Téa, Tristan and Duke were worrying, Joey had a suspicious look on his face. He knew something was up.

Shamee zoned out as the security guard told them all what they already knew.

Roland, if she'd heard Mokuba right, raised his arm and pointed. 'The Battle City Finals are about to begin. The arena is located in the upper deck.'

YGO

They stood in the lift as it ascended.

I know that's not Bakura, Yugi thought. It's the Evil Spirit of the Millennium Ring, and I bet he's still after the seven Millennium Items. This duel's gonna be tougher than everyone thinks.

The lift stopped and the door opened. Roland stepped out first. He turned and gestured to the arena. 'I welcome you to the Stratos Duelling Arena.'

The two of them walked onto the arena and took up their places. Roland walked over and stood on the section off to the side that was obviously meant for the referee. The Pharaoh stared across at his adversary. 'I must win this. The fate of the world depends on it.'

Roland projected his voice. 'Duellists, take your marks!'

The Pharaoh stood on the blue triangle on his side of the field.

'Elevate the playing field.'

The arena lifted up, taking them with it. The other lift must've been located underneath because his friends emerged from below, followed by Marik. They stopped and turned around, looking up at the duel. Several of them made sounds of awe. The Kaiba brothers came from another life and stood on the other side of the arena.

'All right, I'll make this speech quick so we can begin this duel,' Kaiba said. 'Kaiba-Craft 3 is now cruising at an altitude of four thousand feet. The strong winds and cold air will test your strength and stamina. If you can't take it, you don't belong here.'

Tristan apparently liked it. 'Yeah! I dig this little twist.'

'I have to admit, Kaiba does know how to throw a Tournament.'

'Are you prepared to lose it all?' The Evil Spirit, it seemed, was ready to abandon his charade.

'I won't lose,' the Pharaoh said. 'Before we begin this duel, why don't you tell who you really are and stop this charade.'

The Evil Spirit chuckled.

'All right, have it your way then, but I think I know who you are.'

The Millennium Ring took form around his neck and flashed with its golden glow. He lifted his head, lips twisted into a smirk. That was a face that the Pharaoh remembered. It was the very same one who he had defeated and banished last time. He wasn't very surprised, but he had to keep something up his sleeve.

'It is you! The Spirit of the Millennium Ring.'

YGO

'Hey, look at Bakura,' Téa said.

'Aw, man.' Joey saw it too. 'He's wearing that Millennium Ring again.'

'That can't be!' Tristan insisted. 'I got rid of it at Duellist Kingdom. I tossed that thing into the deepest part of the woods! Miles from anywhere! I don't know how Bakura got it back, but I know it's not a good thing.'

'Yeah.' Shamee scratched the back of her neck. 'I didn't have the heart to tell you that wouldn't last.'

Joey, Tristan and Téa spun around. 'You knew?' they demanded.

'Of course I knew!' Shamee snapped. 'It's a freaking artefact from the freaking Shadow Games. Throwing it away isn't going to get rid of it.'

'You got a point,' Joey said.

'So why all the fuss?' "Namu" asked.

Shamee rolled her eyes, but gave an answer before any of the others could. They were just plain embarrassing her. 'Long story, but it ties into a five thousand year old Egyptian Legend.'

'Let's just hope he doesn't drag Yug to the Shadow Realm again.' Joey said. 'That's not a place you wanna be.'

'What do you mean "hope"?' Shamee asked. 'You know he'll do it.'

YGO

'Well, then,' the Evil Spirit said. 'Now that the introductions are over and done with, why don't we begin this duel?'

'First, tell me why you've entered the Battle City Finals,' the Pharaoh snapped, 'and what it is you hope to gain. Is it about the Millennium Items?'

'Huh. Perhaps,' he said. 'Yugi, perhaps there is something else that I am planning to take away from you, besides your Millennium Puzzle.'

'What are you talking about?' the Pharaoh demanded.

'You ask a lot of questions, don't you?' the Spirit mused. 'There is so much about this Tournament that you are unaware of. So many secrets being kept from you. For instance, how do you know that I am working alone? And are you sure that one of the people you believe to be your friend isn't really your greatest enemy.'

He'd just basically told him that he was working with Marik.

Couldn't let Marik know that yet though. 'I don't believe you. Lies are a part of your game, but they won't help you in this duel.'

Roland raised his arm. 'And, now, the first duel of the Battle City Finals will begin! It's time to duel!'

Their life points flew up to 4000. They drew their hands.

Tristan called out from the sidelines. 'Finish this Evil Spirit, Yug!'

'Come on, Yugi!' Téa called out too. 'We're with you!'

The Pharaoh looked across at the Thief King as a strong wind rushed over them. 'Just know, whatever it is you desire you will fail!'

'Not quite,' the Thief King said. 'It is you who shall lose – everything you have!' He drew. 'Yugi, I can assure you that the first duel of the finals will also be your last.' He looked at his card and played it. 'I shall begin with this.' The card appeared face up on the field and the monster emerged. 'The Portrait Secret in attack mode. That'll do for now.'

The Pharaoh and Yugi both analysed it.

He played a really weak monster in attack mode, Yugi remarked. That's not a smart move at all. He must be up to something. But what?

Joey raised his voice so he could hear. 'Dismantle that possessed picture frame!'

'Is that really all you've got?' The Pharaoh doubted it, but to find his strategy, he'd need to attack him. He pointed across the field as he made his move. 'Then now I'll summon Gizelle, the King of Mythical Beasts!' He played the card and his monster appeared on the field, emerging from his card with a roar. 'Attack his monster, now!' Gizelle crossed the field and slashed across the Portrait, easily destroying it.

The Thief King's life points dropped down to 3700.

'Now I'll place one card, face down.' The Pharaoh did just that to end his turn. The card appeared in front of him. 'Why don't you try again?'

The Thief King glared at him. 'Fine. Now I shall play the Gross Ghost of Dreams in attack mode.' He played the card and it flipped up. It appeared on the field in a theatrical manner, emerging from the mouth of a sleeping figure which only appeared on the field for that one purpose.

Joey cried out in fright from the sidelines. 'That's foul!'

'Attack my monster if you dare,' the Thief King said.

That didn't make sense. It only had an attack strength of 1300. 'Your Ghost is no match for my Gizelle, and with no trap or magic cards you can't stop my attack.' Still…He must want me to destroy him for some reason. I just have to wipe out his life points before he finishes his strategy. The only way to do that was to attack. 'It's time to extinguish your Ghost, leaving your life points wide open.' He drew and looked at the card. 'And I'll do it with this.'

'Then what are you waiting for?' the Thief King demanded.

'Nothing!' The Pharaoh played the card. The monster appeared on the field. 'I summon Gamma the Magnet Warrior. Attack his Ghost, now!' Gamma charged and struck. The Ghost was destroyed. 'Now, King of Mythical Beasts, attack his life points.' Gizelle charged next, and attacked the Thief King directly.

The Thief King stumbled back a step. His life points dropped to 2000.

YGO

Sharee watched all of this with one eyebrow raised.

'Come on!' Duke called. 'Crush this guy, Yugi!'

'He's not even fighting back.' Tristan's tone implied disbelief.

Téa, on the other hand, sounded confused. 'Yugi's wiped out half his life points and the duel just started.'

They're right. This is too easy.

Kind of makes you suspicious, doesn't it?

Very.

Well, that's their problem. Ours is standing behind you.

Don't worry. I'm watching him.

YGO

The Thief King drew. 'All right, Yugi, perhaps I made things too easy for you. Not anymore.' He added the card to his hand.

'That's what you think,' the Pharaoh said. 'Let's see what you've got.'

The Thief King took another card from his hand. 'As you wish.' He played it. 'I summon the Headless Knight, in attack mode.' The card flashed onto the field and then disappeared.

The Pharaoh scowled. 'I'm afraid I don't see your monster.' There was a strange fog on the ground at their feet though.

'Perhaps that's because he's a spirit,' the Thief King said. 'He hides in the shadows until the time is right.' He laughed.

'Hm.' The Pharaoh narrowed his eyes as he observed the monster slowly appearing on the field. When it took full form, he observed its to be little more than a suit of armour without the helmet. Its attack power was 1450. 'This spirit may be stronger than your last two monsters, but it's still weaker than mine.'

'Then why don't you attack it?' the Thief King asked for the third time.

The Pharaoh drew. 'Take this!' He didn't play anything yet. He pointed to the spirit and called to his monster. 'Gamma the Magnet Warrior, attack!' Gamma charged forward and destroyed the Headless Knight.

The Thief King ground his teeth.

The Pharaoh called to his other monster. 'Now, Gizelle, attack his life points directly!' The King of Mythical Beasts let out a cry and struck.

The Thief King's life points dropped down to 450.

'Now, you've lost most of your life points,' the Pharaoh said. I can win this duel with one more attack. Unless his strategy kicks in now, he's finished. 'Time to make your final move!'

Either they went through a cloudbank as the Thief King chuckled…or he was exercising his Shadow Powers. 'All right, then.' As soon as they passed through the clouds, the Evil Spirit started laughing. His Millennium Ring glowed brightly. Now, he was using his Shadow Powers. His expression became wild and fearful. 'It's time.' A blue glow covered his pupils. 'You've done exactly what I wanted you to do. Now your destruction begins.' He drew. 'It's over.' He paused. 'I hold a card in my hand with dark powers beyond your wildest imagination. But first, before I put-play this all-powerful card, I needed a bit of assistance.'

The Pharaoh's eyes widened.

'Thanks for helping me destroy you,' the Thief King said. 'Three of my monsters needed to be destroyed before I could bring forth my Dark Destructor.' He pulled a card from his hand. 'You made that possible. Now I summon the beast that will cause your demise.' He raised the card and turned it around. 'Dark Necrofear!' He played the card and it appeared on the field. The first thing to emerge from the card face was a purple tendril of light. It whirled through the air as the energy gathered. 'You have no idea what you are about to experience.' The light stopped in front of him and the beast took form. It was shrouded by a black energy.

The Pharaoh seized the new monster up. 'I knew you were planning something!'

It had an attack power of 2200. 'It doesn't matter. You still fell into my trap and now you're about to pay the ultimate price!' He laughed again. 'This is it. Your finished, Yugi. Dark Necrofear is one of the most destructive cards in my deck. You'll never stop it.' He launched into his mocking. 'Stare into the face of defeat. You see? Not only is my monster strong, possessing more attack points than either of your monsters, but it also possess a dark magic hidden within, waiting to activate and destroy you.'

'Your monster maybe powerful, but it's not unbeatable!' the Pharaoh snapped.

'I'm not ready to attack yet.' Bakura slapped two cards into his duel disk. 'So, I will end my turn.' The cards appeared on the field in front of him.

Why didn't he attack me? It was a good question. His monster could easily destroy my Magnet Warrior or my Gizelle, and seriously damage my life points. Is he worried about my face down card, or is it something else?

The Thief King was obviously growing impatient. 'Make your move!'

'When I'm ready.' The Pharaoh glared at him. 'You were foolish enough not to attack me when you had the chance. Now, you shall pay the price as I drew this!' He pulled a card. Yugi was impressed. Awesome. This card will destroy his Dark Necrofear, allowing me to wipe out the rest of his life points. It's time to win this duel! The Pharaoh pulled one card from his duel disk. 'I sacrifice Gizelle, the King of Mythical Beasts…' The monster shattered on the field. '…in order to summon my Dark Magician Girl!' The new monster appeared on the field in her usual cute way.

'Fool,' the Thief King said. 'I'm afraid your magical fairy is too weak to destroy my monster.' He chuckled.

'That's true.' The Pharaoh acknowledged the point. 'But apparently you've forgotten about my face down card.' That silenced him. 'It looks like you're the fool.' He pointed to the card in question. 'Behold, my Magic Formula card!' The card flipped up.

'No!' the Thief King cried out.

The book appeared on the field and unlocked, opening to allow the Dark Magician Girl access to its magic. 'Yes.' She grabbed the book and started speed-reading. 'Magic Formula raises Dark Magician Girl's attack power by 500 points,' her attack flew up to 2500, 'making her more powerful than your Necrofear.'

'Yeah!' Joey called. 'Attaboy! Put that big creep six feet under!'

The Pharaoh issued the command. 'And, now, attack his Necrofear – with Dark Burning Attack!'

The Dark Magician Girl attacked, shooting the blast out with a wave of her wand. Dark Necrofear let out a pathetic grizzle as it was destroyed. When the blast cleared, though, the Pharaoh found his friends' cheers in poor taste. The Thief King was still smirking about something.

He chuckled. 'Thanks. Once again, you've done exactly what I wanted, Yugi.'

What?

'Don't you realise that I've manipulated every move you've made so far?' He drew and lifted the card. 'Including destroying Dark Necrofear, so I can play this.' The field magic slot slid out and the Thief King injected his card there. It closed up again. The card appeared next to him.

The Pharaoh gasped. 'What's going on?'

'Watch as the entire playing field is engulfed in a shroud of dark magic, known as Dark Sanctuary.' As the Thief King spoke, just that happened. He laughed as everyone around gasped in horror and shock – except the stone-faced Kaiba, of course. The entire air seemed to vibrate now and the sky became red, filled with eyes and mouths, and, in some cases, eyes in mouths. The Thief King went on. 'Look around you. There's no escaping the magic of Dark Sanctuary. Well done. Everything had to go just right for this to work and played your part perfectly.'

'Now what?' the Pharaoh asked.

'Just wait,' the Thief King said. 'You have no idea what you've just helped me to unleash.'

Rat rot!

'I also wouldn't be counting on that urchin and your loose-lipped cow to show up,' he said. For some reason, the Pharaoh felt anger at the woman and child being spoke of in such a way. The Thief King went on relentless. 'Prepare to experience an evil like you've never seen before!'