Hello once again everyone. Well, life has settled out somewhat since last time. My mate's mom was sent to a different hospital due that the one she was at thought she was getting ready to have another heart attack. She was nauseous, which is a small sign of a heart attack apparently. Anyways, at the other hospital, they found out that really, she hadn't had a heart attack. Apparently, the bone above her heart has been broken previously, and once and a while, it pains her at certain times. Well, early Tuesday morning, that apparently happened, plus she had the signs of the stomach flu starting, which probably made it seem worse. Really, the doctors at this other hospital couldn't understand why she was transferred to them… Pending on tests, she could be out today, or within the next few days if they do a certain procedure on her due to her tests. Either way, she'll be home soon, which my mate was really relieved to hear. Myself, I was happy to hear that too.
Also, last night, I talked with my friend from Kentucky. It was great to hear from her once more, and she invited me and my mate up for her wedding in August. Hehe, she made sure we had plenty of notice. Anyways, she was doing great, which I was happy to hear. Several of my friends that I've known online off of a site we all were on will be there, and if my mate goes, it'll make it so much better. Last time I went, my mate couldn't go, and in a way, I was miserable without her. I'm typically quiet and shy, but without my mate, I feel somewhat lost and even more timid I suppose. Heh, I suppose it's a trait both me and story Illidan share.
Writing wise, more Another work is done. I've been thinking on things for Minutes to Midnight, but I've been a bit lazy I suppose and haven't done any serious writing on it. Lol, doing 2 stories at once is not a wise idea my mate told me, but did I listen, NOOO!!! Lol, anyways, I have had some ideas and thoughts on some of the duels and stuff, so no worries.
Last time, Jaden managed to finish up his duel with Roxas, thus earning him soundly a victory. Now with the three Egyptian God Cards collected, what of the fourth? Can it be retrieved, or is it a hopeless dream?
Time once more for that best part of the day! Review Time!
Nathan: Thanks, and yes, true, I don't think I've ever seen a duel where Slifer only had 1000 attack points, well, other than with Yugi in Battle City. But he purposely did that one, lol. Yeah, Hero Kid was the easiest way to summon Slifer. Yep, they're moving onto the biggest challenge yet. Heh, yes, Metal Overlord's duel is certainly heating up.
Metal Overlord 2.0: Lol, Plasma is not up for you Marik. Interesting new weapon for Marik to be using, lol. Man, I remember Janempa from that movie. That thing was so annoying, and even worse in the video games. The freaking thing just wouldn't stay down! Well, not easily, lol. Thanks for the compliment on the duel. True, I was going to have Slifer play a bigger role originally, but then I figured, eh, Jaden could do it on his own, that he didn't need to rely on the power of Slifer, kind of like how Illidan didn't always rely on the power of Anubis. Still, I had to have him summon it, just to prove he could, and to use it a bit. Yes, Plasma is much more manageable than Dreadmaster. Dreadmaster is somewhat good, but not nearly as good as Plasma. Yes, obtaining Anubis is next. Who will do it, we'll see.
Knives91: Lol, thanks. It's cool to be hyper, although my mate doesn't like it when I am and it's bed time. Just because I ate 6 or 7 high in sugar popsicles before bed and am on a sugar high doesn't mean I can't sleep, right? (/Smacked in the back of the head by mate.\) Maybe not…
x-knight20: Thanks. It's cool about not reviewing. Life happens, which I knew it would for many, including me, lol. Yep, only one card left. Hmm, Illidan ask Atticus to duel Anubis… That would be interesting. Actually, no he wasn't an Anubis Dorm Student. The dorm was closed before he came to the school. There goes that plan, maybe…
Ultimate Legendary Master: Yep, the 3 are saved once more, lol. Good question about Legato taking over since Zell has failed him. Maybe he'll challenge Illidan… Yep, the truth is out there, and coming here soon, lol. Thank you about my mate's mom. She's feeling much better, so we're all just thinking it was the broken bone thing that was really hurting her.
pink-kiss-candy: Thanks, and yeah, grandpa is faring well for now. Lol, Ryon, learn to quit picking fights.
Isis the Sphinx: LOL! It could be Yugi… It's Friday now, so you happier? Thanks for the comments.
Okay, that's it for me today. Thank you everyone for your reviews. I really do appreciate them. They're very helpful in helping me determine how good a job I'm doing, and apparently, I'm doing a decent job on my writing thus far, lol. But really, thank you all for your help and reviews. Well, anyways, I'm headed out, so have a great weekend and enjoy!
Chapter 60
Sniffing the ground once more, Pharaoh examined the mouth of a cave he had found. Staring into the darkness, he took another sniff and swiveled his ears, making sure there was no one close by.
Satisfied at last, he began to slowly move into the cave. Cautiously, he continued to move through the cave, glancing left and right occasionally.
"There it is! Her scent if most definitely in here." Banner quietly thought.
Moving deeper into the cave, he found a scent that hung heavily upon the cave, telling him it was the kidnapper. "Most definitely, this is Master Legato's scent. I'd recognize it anywhere. He stayed here, but it seems his scent goes further back into the cave."
Creeping along, the cat followed the scent. Finally coming upon a cavern, a new scent, yet familiar one, permeated his senses.
Looking upon the wall, he saw the one he desired to find. Rushing up to stand in front of the young woman hanging from the wall, he called out "Marie!"
Opening her closed eyes, Marie blurry eyes saw a figure that looked like a cat. After a moment of concentrating, it became clear to her it was Pharaoh.
"Is that really you Banner?" she weakly asked.
"Yes, I'm here! Thank heavens I found you. Let's get you down and leave here, post haste!"
Sighing, Marie shook her head and dejectedly said "I can't."
Bristling up, Banner growled out "And why not!? I went to a lot of trouble to track you down! We have to get you out of here before Legato returns and finds out I found where you are. Now come on, I need you to break those bonds with your Shadow Powers."
"You don't understand Banner. I've been poisoned. The more I use my Shadow Powers, the more it accelerates the poison."
Taking a moment to ponder her response, Banner remarked "That is a problem."
"Yes, it is. Besides, I can't feel anything below my waist. All I'd be able to do is crawl away, and I highly doubt I could get away before Zell returns."
"Zell?" Banner questioned.
"The body Legato is in belongs to a person I knew in the past known as Zell. Legato has apparently commandeered it now since Zell is proving unreliable." she mused.
Grumbling for a moment, Banner swished his tail back and forth, trying to think of what to do. Finally, he came up with a plan, saying "I'll go get Illidan. He'll be able to carry you out of here."
"But I don't know if there is time. Please, be careful. Don't lead Illidan here if Zell is." Marie protested.
Nodding, Pharaoh turned around, saying "Can do. Please, stay strong a bit longer. I promise, I'll get help."
"Right." Marie whispered.
Rushing off back through the caverns, Pharaoh made his way for the door, but was cautious along the way, occasionally stopping to sniff the air. Finally making it outside, the cat let out a small sigh of relief.
"Well, well, what have we here?" a voice calmly asked.
Flinching, Pharaoh slowly turned around to find Legato staring at him in the moonlight. Unsure what to do, he did the only thing he could think of to make himself less noticeable. Simply meowing, he stood there, hoping it would cause Legato to move on.
"You can drop the act Banner. I know it is you." Legato coolly said.
"Meow?" Banner playfully said, hoping it would pass for a cat's real meow.
Chuckling darkly, Legato shook his head, saying "You can't fool me. Last I had heard, you passed on during the duel Jaden Yuki had with Kagemaru. Interesting, you yet survive, but in a cat's body."
Seeing his ruse wasn't working, Banner replied "Not by choice."
"Of course." Legato remarked with a smirk. "So, the rumors were true. There is a talking cat on the island."
"Oh no, I can't talk to anyone. I've tried and tried, but no one hears me. It must be due to your impressive Shadow Powers that you can hear me my wonderful Master." Banner rambled on. In his mind, he was sick to say the words, but knew it was better to keep playing dumb.
Raising an eyebrow, Legato asked "Really? I believe those rumors are more than likely correct."
"No, no, no one can understand me. Believe me, I've tried very hard to get everyone's attention, but no one hears me."
"Is that so?" a voice asked.
Turning to face the new voice, Banner saw who the voice belonged to, and said with wide eyes "It can't be…"
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Slowly, Jaden began to stir from his sleep. Opening his eyes, he saw he was in a different bed than his own. Sitting up, he walked out of the room and realized he was in Illidan and Marie's house. Searching out Illidan, he walked downstairs to find him in a meditative state.
"Illidan?" he cautiously asked.
Opening his eyes, Illidan smiled at Jaden. "Good to see you're up. I was starting to think you were going to sleep all day."
"How long was I out?"
Thinking for a moment, Illidan finally replied "Since last night. It's three in the afternoon now, so over half a day."
"Oh…"
"How do you feel?"
Smiling, Jaden responded with "Better. I was so exhausted when that duel ended last night."
Chuckling, Illidan replied "I couldn't tell. I'm glad you're alright though."
"Thanks."
"Hungry?"
Nodding eagerly, Illidan said "Alright, I'll whip us up something."
Nearly ten minutes later, the two were sitting at the table eating beef flavored Ramen. The pair ate in quiet for the most part.
Finishing up, Illidan broke the silence. "Well, there is only one last thing to do now that we have the three Egyptian God Cards."
"Oh? What's that?" Jaden asked, curious to what Illidan meant.
"I'll tell you soon. Chazz and Alexis should be coming back soon. Both went to get cleaned up before you woke up."
"Ok. I guess I should clean up a bit myself." Jaden said after taking a glance at himself.
Nodding, Illidan smiled, saying "Go ahead. I brought some clothes from your room over. They're in the room you stayed in last night."
"K." Jaden simply replied as he got up and headed upstairs.
Picking up the bowls, Illidan took them into the kitchen and washed up the dishes. Seeing no one was around once more, Illidan decided to continue his on going search he had begun the night Marie was kidnapped.
Stretching out with his Shadow Powers, Illidan scanned the island for Shadow Powers, but like always, found no unusual fluctuations. Pushing harder, he frantically searched for any residual signs of her energy, but like before, nothing showed up.
Letting out a light growl of frustration, Illidan opened his eyes. Sighing, he looked out the window. "Where could she be? Surely if she was on the island, I'd be able to sense Marie's Shadow Powers."
Frowning, Illidan silently pondered a new thought. "Unless, Zell decided to hide her energy. He knows I have the ability to sense Shadow Powers, so he'd try and hide her I'm sure. He must be using a barrier like I used on the shrines to hide her. That would explain why I can't sense her."
Heavily sighing, Illidan stood up and glanced out the window. "Only one more obstacle stands in my way from getting Marie back. I have to overcome it, no matter what. This will be my greatest challenge probably. The last time I faced this creature, it took all I had and then some to win. I only hope I can win this duel."
Looking back at the table that held his deck, Illidan walked over to it and picked up his deck. Rummaging through it, he stared at the three cards he had just added within the last few nights.
"These three cards have served me well in the past, and I know they'll serve me well once more. I just have to believe in myself, in my deck, and that I can save Marie. I promised long ago to protect her, and I still mean to fulfill that oath. No matter the cost, I will save her."
Hearing a knock at the door, Illidan set his deck back down and went to the door. Opening it, he saw Alexis and Chazz both standing there. "Come on in." Illidan kindly said, opening the door fully.
Walking in, Chazz and Alexis took seats on the couch. Coming downstairs, Jaden smiled, saying "Hey guys!"
"Hey Jaden! You doing alright?" Alexis asked with concern.
Nodding, he smiled once more, saying "Yep, I'm doing great. That nap really helped me out."
"Good to hear you're not down and out yet Slacker." Chazz commented.
"Thanks Chazz." Jaden replied with a smile.
Clearing his throat, Illidan said "Now that everyone is here, I need to tell you all something important.
With everyone seated, Illidan smiled, saying "First of all, I'm very proud of all three of you. Each of you has done amazing things to get the Egyptian God Cards, not to mention I'm very impressed that each of you can summon the card you received."
Turning serious, Illidan added "Although the three Egyptian God Cards are collected, there is one more task to perform before we can try to save Marie. We must collect the fourth Egyptian God Card from it's resting place."
"Fourth!?" Alexis sputtered.
"But there are only three!" Chazz exclaimed.
"Professor Illidan, there are only three! Right?" Jaden questioned.
Shaking his head, Illidan sadly smiled, saying "No, there are four."
"But the fourth has never been mentioned!" Alexis countered.
"True, there has never been mention of the fourth, but for good reason." Illidan replied.
Taking a deep breath, Illidan slowly began explaining. "As you know, the three Egyptian God Cards were at one time wielded by three duelists. Obelisk the Tormentor was in Seto Kaiba's possession, Yugi Moto controlled Slifer the Sky Dragon, and Marik Ishtar had ownership of The Winged Dragon of Ra. After the Battle City Tournament though, Yugi Moto possessed all three."
"Right, I watched that on television." Jaden chimed in.
Alexis and Chazz nodded too, each saying "We did too."
Nodding in return, Illidan continued on, saying "A few months later, another tournament was thrown, one that wasn't made public. Before the start of the tournament, Yugi returned two of the cards to their previous owners. Seto and Marik each received the card they once controlled."
"Why?" Alexis asked, curiosity brimming from her eyes.
Smiling, Illidan responded with "He felt as if something big was about to happen. He also returned the Millennium Items to their previous owners."
"Not long after that, a tournament known as Tournament of Power was created by a mysterious host. Ten of the world's strongest players were selected for it. The ten consisted of Seto Kaiba, Yugi Moto, Marik Ishtar, Joey Wheeler, Noa Kaiba, Mai Valentine, Bandit Keith, Bakura Ryou, and finally, the last two were no names to the main dueling world."
Softly smiling, Illidan said "Those two no names were myself and Marie."
"WHAT!?" the three screamed at once.
Chuckling, Illidan responded "I thought you all might say that, but believe it or not, it was true."
"So, why you two? If you two weren't major duelists, why the two of you?" Chazz asked.
Shrugging, Illidan remarked with "I'm unsure, but I think it had to do with the tournament host. His name was Gozaburo Kaiba. No one knew he was the host till we arrived at the island. Anyways, before we left for the tournament, I received the Millennium Key, a Millennium Item I possessed in my past life. I was warned then that something big was going down at the tournament."
"The tournament went on for nearly two or so weeks. At the end, I stood on top and was set to face the champion, Gozaburo."
"You beat Yugi!? And Seto!?" Jaden asked in shock.
Nodding, Illidan smiled, saying "Yes, I did. I beat everyone at the tournament."
"No way…" Chazz murmured.
Lightly chuckling, Illidan replied "Yes way Chazz. I know it's hard to believe, but it happened. Anyways, I faced Gozaburo, who was the descendant of the man whom I had faced in my past life. He used an evil Millennium Item known as the Millennium Crown. That Item had been sealed away long ago by me and others in my past life, but unfortunately, this Gozaburo found it, along with something even worse. We came to find out there was a fourth Egyptian God Card."
Frowning, he continued, saying "Pegasus had apparently created it right before he created the other three. The card was named Anubis, The God of Life and Death. After creating it, Pegasus lost complete control of it. The card was far too powerful for him to control with the Shadow Magic in his Millennium Eye."
"Wait, I thought Millennium Items helped control the Egyptian Gods?" Jaden asked.
Nodding, Illidan replied "Correct, but this card was too powerful for that. You see, this Egyptian God was the original Egyptian God of Egypt. He was split into three due that he was far too dangerous. Hence, the three became Slifer, Ra, and Obelisk."
"Oh…" Alexis muttered.
"Yeah, big oh." Chazz sarcastically added.
Lightly chuckling at them, Illidan said "Since the card was too dangerous for Pegasus, he sealed it away. Gozaburo though found it, and took control of it. I barely managed to beat the card due to it's unique abilities."
"Abilities?" Chazz asked with a furrowed brow.
In a serious tone, Illidan said "It has the powers of all three Egyptian Gods and then some. It's far too dangerous."
"After beating the card, I took possession of it. I sparingly used it, trying hard not to reveal it. About eleven years ago, when the other three Egyptian God Cards were being sealed away, I sealed that card away also, but not in the same area as the others."
"So, where is it?" Chazz asked, unsure what Illidan was saying.
Sighing, Illidan said "It's buried in the abandoned dorm."
"That explains what happened last year." Jaden murmured.
Curious, Illidan asked "What do you mean?"
"Me, Alexis, Sy, and Chumley all went to that dorm last year." he slowly responded.
Looking down, Alexis added "I went there in search of some clues to my brother's disappearance."
Continuing, Jaden said "She instead got kidnapped by this guy who claimed to have a Millennium Item, but he was just a fake. His item was made out of papier-mâché for crying out loud! Once I found that out, I exposed him thoroughly. Only problem was, once exposed, a real Shadow Game began. The Shadows somehow took his body over, but I won the duel. Winged Kuriboh protected me from the results I'm guessing."
"I see." Illidan murmured, seemingly lost in thought. Waking from his thoughts, Illidan said "Well, the abandoned dorm once had a name. When the school first opened, it was known as the Anubis Dorm. It was the top ranked dorm instead of Obelisk."
Lightly sighing, Illidan continued on, saying "I buried the card within the bottom of the dorm, thinking it would be safer if it was separated a bit from the other Egyptian God Cards. I'm guessing I was wrong."
Frowning, Illidan added "The guardian most likely was overwhelmed by Anubis, hence why so many terrible things have happened in that dorm."
Patting Illidan on the shoulder, Jaden softly smiled, saying "You didn't know it would happen."
"Yeah… But I should have anticipated it." Illidan countered.
"Well, there is no sense in worrying about it now. What's done is done." Chazz stated.
Nodding, Illidan smiled, saying "Yes, that's true. Anyways, tonight, we must go to collect this last card."
Standing up, Alexis asked "Who is going to duel for the card?"
Also standing up, Illidan replied "Myself."
"Huh?" the three asked simultaneously.
"I will duel the guardian for Anubis. There are no restrictions on who duels the guardian, unlike the others. The only stipulation is that the three Egyptian God Cards are gathered and used to open the doorway to where this card lies." Illidan explained.
"But are you sure you want to duel the guardian? Without an Egyptian God Card, you might not be able to handle this guy." Jaden argued.
Smiling, Illidan replied "Actually, when I defeated Anubis last time, I didn't use an Egyptian God Card. I had tried using all three against Anubis, but none of them were strong enough to beat him. In the end, I used my three Chaos monsters to beat Anubis. The guardian was the actual monster that landed the final blow to win me the match."
"What monster is it!?" Jaden asked, seemingly excited.
Lightly chuckling at his enthusiasm, Illidan waved him off, saying "You'll see soon enough. This monster was the closest to me. He was the Duel Spirit that accompanied me throughout this life and my previous life."
"Cool." Jaden simply replied.
Looking at a clock, Illidan calmly said "Let's get moving."
"Right!" the three said in unison.
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About dark, the group was trekking their way across the forest towards the abandoned dorm. Soon enough, they arrived at the eerie dorm. It was bathed in moonlight, giving off it's strange glow.
"That's just freaky looking." Chazz noted aloud.
"Tell me about it." Alexis added.
"Ah, it's not that bad. It's the inside that's worse." Jaden commented.
Lightly chuckling at the three, Illidan called out "Come on, let's go on in."
Leading the group, Illidan made the way into the dorm. Following a set of stairs towards the lower level, Jaden commented "This is the same way I went when I took on Professor Banner."
"Yes, it's nearly the lowest part of the dorm. Here, the Shadow Magic is stronger." Illidan stated.
Calmly walking on, the group came into a large room with a strange mark in the floor. Walking to the center, Illidan held out his hand, which glowed light black.
"Guys, draw your Egyptian God Cards and hold them over my hand." Illidan commanded.
Each nodded and drew the card in their possession from their decks. Holding them over Illidan's hand caused a reaction on the ground. Opening up before them was a hole, which had stairs at a diagonal.
Moving forward, Illidan slowly made his way down the stairwell. The others followed closely, each on guard.
Finding a larger room at the bottom of the stairwell, the group saw a figure on the far end of the room, seemingly staring towards them. The figure was dressed in tight fitting white leather armor, had blue skin, white hair, and had a strange mage's hat on his head.
Motioning for the others to stay back, Illidan moved forward towards the figure, which seemed to pay no heed to him. With only ten feet of distance separating the two, the figure opened his eyes, revealing yellow corneas with white irises. Raising his hand, the figure aimed his palm at Illidan.
Seeing this, Illidan only continued on, but prepared to use his Shadow Powers just in case. Nearing the figure, a sphere of white energy formed within the figure's palm. Without warning, the sphere of white energy went flying towards Illidan. At the last moment, Illidan raised a barrier, which absorbed the blast.
"What do you want?" the figure hissed.
Slowly moving forward till only five feet separated the two, Illidan said "I've come to relieve you of your duties my old friend."
"I'm not your friend!" the figure venomously spat.
Seeing the hostility reflecting in the figure's eyes, Illidan sadly smiled, saying "Anubis has corrupted you."
"HE'S FREED ME!" the figure yelled back while white bolts of energy began coming off of his body.
"No, he's corrupted you and taken control of you." Illidan sadly replied.
Growling, the figure snapped back "He opened my eyes! He showed me that you've done nothing but manipulate me and control me for the last five millennia! My mind has been freed from your view, and I see that Anubis is correct. You are the evil, not him."
"I'm sorry you feel that way." Illidan replied in a small voice. Looking at the figure, he brokenheartedly said "I have never used you. You're my oldest friend. Please, don't let Anubis control you."
"More lies!" the figure snapped angrily.
Lowering his eyes, Illidan sadly said "I see. Then I have no choice."
Raising his eyes up once more, he said with great determination "I must duel you to set your spirit free! I challenge you to a duel for possession of your Egyptian God Card!"
Chuckling darkly, the figure said "I gladly accept your challenge, my former master. I, Dark Magician of Chaos, shall destroy you and offer your soul up to Anubis!"
"That's the Dark Magician of Chaos!" Jaden exclaimed to both Chazz and Alexis.
"Seems so. Man, he's in a bad mood." Chazz remarked.
Nodding, Alexis added "Yeah, and here I thought you was always in one."
Noise was heard and the three saw Illidan and the mage taking up dueling stances. Pulling his deck out, Illidan shuffled it and stuck it into it's slot on his Duel Disk. The mage held out his left arm, causing a strange looking Duel Disk, one that was similar to the previous guardian's, to appear. A deck formed within his right hand, and he jammed it into his Duel Disk.
Each Duel Disk expanded and came to life. Both drew five cards, saying at the same time "Duel!"