Akia had decided to go sleep in her brother's room, leaving hers for Ishizu and Rishid. She also opted to give the Millennium Ring to Yugi, so that he kept it safe with the Millennium Necklace.
"Yugi, there's a lot that I didn't tell you about since Bakura was around," Akia told her brother.
"Yeah, I figured," he answered, "you can tell me now if you want."
The red-eyed girl nodded. "In the darkness, I hear two voices. By deduction of what they're saying, one of them is the Dark Lord's, the one that Ishizu told me about and one belonging to my past life."
"What were they saying?"
"The Dark Lord's voice was calling me the Dragon Maiden, saying that I was its priestess as well. It was... unsettling. As for the other voice, it was urging me to save Marik and was guiding me on how to navigate the darkness."
Yugi looked at his Millennium Puzzle. "What you're describing about that second voice is similar to when the pharaoh guided me to complete the puzzle the first and second time. Do you think there's a Spirit hidden in your Millennium Scale as well?"
Akia shook her head, "no, I think... I think her spirit is lost in the darkness. She only appears when a Dark Game is in session. I don't know what happened in the past, but... I hope I can save her from there one day."
After talking for a little more, the twins decided to finally go to sleep so that they could be rested for the battles ahead.
In the early hours of the morning, turbulence caused almost everyone on the ship to wake up suddenly. Honda and Otogi were too engrossed in a dream that involved Shizuka, much to Jounouchi's dismay, to notice what was happening, only waking up when the latter forced them awake.
Yugi quickly got out, Akia taking a bit longer to freshen up. Once she was ready, she headed out, only to find Marik waiting for her at the door. She flinched, not expecting him to be there.
"Where's the Millennium Ring?" Marik demanded.
"I don't have it anymore," Akia responded.
"What do you mean-?!" As the young man was asking her, the blimp shook hard, causing Akia to lose her balance.
His body acting on reflex, Marik held her by her arm, steadying her.
"Thanks..." She mumbled, not really pleased with thanking Marik's evil personality. "I'm going to go the command room to see what the hell's going on around here."
As she went, she was surprised to see the man follow her without saying a word, his arms always steadying her any time she would lose balance because of the intense turbulence that was only getting worse. Every time he touched her, her heart would leap and her face would warm up. When they both arrived at the command room, everyone else was there already asking about what was happening, so nobody really noticed them coming in.
"What's with the shaking?" Jounouchi asked Kaiba.
"Is this ship okay?" Honda displayed his skepticism.
The ship then tilted to one side, as if redirecting its course, causing a few people to stumble.
Like the previous times, Marik made sure Akia didn't lose her balance, grabbing her by her shoulders.
"What the hell are you doing?!" Kaiba yelled out at Fuguta, who was trying to pilot the blimp.
"I can't change it to Manual Mode! I've lost control!" The man answered in panic.
"What?!" The young CEO exclaimed.
"The Alcatraz computer also denied me access!" The pilot continued, "there's no signal from the tower!"
"That's impossible!" Mokuba expressed his disbelief.
At the sight of the island, everyone questioned Kaiba of what it was. He replied, telling them it was the location of the finals, and the Kaiba brothers explained its origins, being built on the wreckage of his step-father's buildings. Mokuba exposed further how Seto changed Kaiba Corp from a military production company into a gaming company after he took control of it.
"I figured out the cause! A hacker invaded our computer and got access to the ship!" Fuguta informed them, "he is controlling the system and steering the ship off-course."
"Then do something about it! We need to land on Alcatraz on schedule!" Mokuba ordered.
The ship then quickly descended, causing everyone to scream, except for Marik who was too focused on keeping his and Akia's balance, holding her by the waist while she held onto him, wrapping her arms tightly around his waist too. They both definitely didn't hate the closeness. Shizuka clung to her brother and Anzu was clinging to Shizuka for support. The ship beeped, signaling an error of access.
"Who the hell did this?!" Kaiba exclaimed.
The Ship then came into a sudden impact with the water below, causing almost everyone to lose their balance. Marik stuck his back to the wall as support and kept Akia close, who had her face now buried in his chest, clinging on for dear life.
The ship finally steadied, giving everyone a chance to breathe.
"What the heck's going on here?!" Anzu asked.
"You trying to kill us?!" Honda yelled.
"Do something, Kaiba!" Jounouchi said.
"Is there really no way to override control?" Mokuba inquired.
"It's not working!" Fuguta responded.
Suddenly, the display screen that showed their original destination distorted and a young boy with light turquoise hair appeared on it.
"Who the hell are you?!" Seto demanded to know.
The boy chuckled, "I was waiting for you, Seto. And I welcome you duelists as well. My name is Noah. Let's see, if I put it in simpler terms, I'd say I'm a far greater person than you ever were, Seto. Now, shall we get to the point?"
"You sure like to hear yourself talk, you little punk," the young CEO scoffed.
"Now then," Noah ignored that remark, "I would like to invite you as my guests."
The display then cut out and showed the ocean ahead.
"What is he planning...?" Akia whispered.
Finally, her friends noticed her there, and they were not at all pleased to see Marik there as well.
"What's this asshole doing here?" Jounouchi was the first to show his displeasure, "Akia, get away from him."
Marik chuckled and pulled Akia closer by her waist, "I think she's happy being right here with me."
"What...?!" Jounouchi was about to walk up to them, but Yugi stopped him, knowing the full story behind Akia and Marik's strange relationship.
"Jounouchi-kun, it's okay, trust Akia. She'd never betray us like this," Yugi defended his sister.
Jounouchi clenched his fists then turned around. "Fine. I trust Akia, but I don't trust that bastard."
"Big brother..." Shizuka whispered.
Before anyone could inquire further about what was happening between Akia and Marik, a circular structure started surfacing from the water beneath them.
"W-What is that?!" Otogi exclaimed.
"You're kidding me...!" Mokuba expressed his disbelief.
"It's huge!" Honda interjected.
An entrance then opened up at the top where the blimp was directed to land inside, with Fuguta still unable to prevent it. Marik had a big smirk on his face, finding this whole occurrence interesting, especially with how strongly Akia was gripping to his shirt, since she was starting to seriously panic.
"Big brother!" Shizuka called out, feeling just as distressed.
"D-Don't worry, I'll protect you...!" Jounouchi stuttered, not wanting to show how scared he was as well.
When they finally landed, Noah demanded them to all get off the ship. When Kaiba refused, the boy told them that they had no choice in the matter, and guns came out of the wall surrounding the blimp, aiming straight at it. Everyone gasped in fear, except for, again, the young Egyptian man.
Kaiba then started heading outside, telling everyone else to stay on the blimp. When he questioned Noah further, the boy shot the guns in response, causing them all to scream or grit their teeth. Marik enveloped Akia in his cape since she was now shaking in fear. His warmth and pleasant scent calmed her down as she felt more protected in his arms than she would've liked to admit.
Noah demanded everyone to get off the blimp, not leaving them much of a choice. As they walked out, the boy told Fuguta and Isono to stay behind. Ishizu had also stayed in Akia's room to take care of Rishid. Yugi, Anzu, Jounouchi, Honda, Shizuka, and Otogi followed closely behind the Kaiba brothers who led the way. Marik and Akia were right after them, with Akia clinging to the young man's muscular arm for a sense of safety. Marik noticed how cold her hands were, but didn't do much about it, not wanting to give into his surfacing feelings for her. He hoped that once he got rid of his dominant half for good, he'd finally be free of that bond they shared, which held him back from getting rid of her. He, however, decided to indulge these desires since it made him feel good for the time being.
Going through a huge door that opened up for them, the group found themselves in a long corridor where they had no choice but to keep going forward.
"What are you planning to do to us?" Yugi said out loud.
"There are a few people who've been eagerly waiting to see you," Noah answered, "they're just a bit up ahead. They'll be able to explain everything to you."
As they reached the end of the corridor, another door opened up to them, which led to a giant dark room made out of steel.
"What is this place?" Mokuba inquired.
"It's so dark, we can't see anything." Jounouchi stated.
"If there's someone here, come out already," Anzu called out.
The room then got brightly lit all around.
"My eyes! At least give us a heads up or something!" Akia yelled out, finding her courage back, enough to finally let go of Marik's arm, to his mild disappointment.
When their eyes got adjusted to the light, they saw the silhouettes of five individuals coming into view.
"Kaiba Seto and his little friends... It's been quite a while," the shorter one in the front said.
"It can't be...! You guys...! The Big Five!" Kaiba exclaimed.
"Huh? The Big Five?!" Honda expressed his disbelief.
"Do you guys know them?" Otogi inquired.
"They're the group who betrayed Kaiba-kun and were controlling Kaiba Corp for a bit," Yugi answered.
"They used dirty tricks to try to take over my brother's company!" Mokuba interjected.
"Didn't they lose in the game they set up back then and weren't able to come back to the real world?" Jounouchi asked.
"Oh yeah, now I remember! It's those losers that I beat up back in Kaiba's virtual game," Akia said as she finally remembered them.
"Akia-chan, you just recalled that?" Anzu sighed.
"I mean, they were a forgettable bunch..." Akia replied in her defence.
"They almost killed me and Mai!" Jounouchi retorted.
"No, you guys were just banished for a bit because of my Banisher's effect. It all went according to my great master plan!" The red-eyed girl replied smugly.
"I mean, yeah, you did save the day there, I'll give you that," Yugi told his sister.
"Guess I still kind of owe you one for it," Kaiba muttered.
As the Big Five were listening, they started getting more and more irritated at how they were being so easily dismissed. "Shut up! This time, it will be different. You won't escape this time! Especially you, you arrogant disrespectful brat with the red eyes!"
"I'd like to see you try laying a finger on her," Marik chuckled, to everyone's surprise, "I won't guarantee your survival if you do, though."
"Is he... acting protective of Akia right now?" Jounouchi whispered to Yugi.
"I think so... I mean, I don't know if she told you, but those two have some shared past life that's gravitating them to each other," Yugi answered.
"Like fate?" Shizuka asked, "that would be so romantic if he wasn't so evil..."
"Poor Akia-chan must be feeling horrible about all of this..." Anzu sympathized.
Their attention then went back to the Big Five, who had started explaining their motive. "We wandered the Virtual World for ages after you defeated us! In a world where you eventually lose all sense of who you are, only driven by our anger and desire for revenge against you. You're not the only one that we hate, Kaiba Seto. Mutou Akia is the main cause of why we lost, but also all your little companions who got in the way. You will all pay."
"I'll take you all on again and it will be the same result," Akia challenged, "I'm the Queen of Games for crying out loud."
"Akia-chan! So cool!" Shizuka exclaimed.
"Don't encourage her bragging habits," Jounouchi and Yugi sighed.
The Big Five scoffed, "keep telling yourself that. Noah-sama promised to help us take over Kaiba Corp if we beat you all fairly in a Duel. Though we'd give anything to snap your little neck right now, we cannot disobey Noah-sama. If you want to get out here safely, the only way is to duel us."
"There's no way I'm losing against you bastards!" Jounouchi yelled out.
"Now then, we invite you to be our guests in the Duel World," as the five men said that, everyone's view began to distort, knocking them all unconscious.
When they woke up, they found themselves in a tropical jungle. Questioning their surroundings, Kaiba deduced that they were already in the Virtual Space. Shizuka clung to her brother as they spotted dinosaurs flying around. Anzu pointed out how everything seemed so real, even down to the smells.
A ferocious-looking dinosaur then walked up to them, causing everyone apart from Seto and Marik to panic and run back. Akia pulled the young Egyptian man along, not wanting him to get hurt. The dinosaur then attacked Kaiba, who stood there, unphased, as the dinosaur's claw went right through his, being only an illusion.
"Threatening me with such childish holograms that can't even project the sense of touch?" Kaiba scoffed. "At any rate, this is nothing more but a childish copy of the Solid Vision that I created."
A hologram of Kaiba was then materialized, along with a hologram of a warrior-type monster to demonstrate how duels worked in the virtual world.
"Our duels are based on the deck master system," the Big Five explained, "we'll present a simulated system duel so you can understand. Total Defense Shogun will act as his own Deck Master. We'll set the Blue Eyes White Dragon as Kaiba's deck master."
As the duel was simulated, it was demonstrated that each deck master had a unique special ability that the duelist could use. The deck master could also be summoned to the field. However, if it was defeated, the duelist who owns that deck master would automatically lose the duel.
"Screwing with us like that!" Kaiba retorted, "if you want to play fairly, why make up such ridiculous rules?! Big Five! I will take you all down!"
The world then distorted once more, bringing everyone back to the previous location in the room where the Big Five had first appeared. There, they were standing in the light once more.
"Will you accept our challenge? It's not like you can get out of here if you don't though," the five men stated.
"Let's get this over with already," Akia told them.
"I'll take you on!" Jounouchi stated.
"Big brother!" Shizuka looked worried.
Her brother then put his hands on her shoulders to comfort her. "Don't worry, Shizuka. I'll make sure to protect you and win this thing."
Shizuka smiled and nodded at her brother's confidence.
"Wait a second! What will happen to us if we lose?" Anzu asked.
"You bring up an excellent point," the Big Five answered. "If you do lose to us, our minds will enter your bodies and take control of them. Your minds will then be the ones to wander the Cyber World for eternity!"
Everyone gasped.
"You scumbags!" Seto insulted them.
"No way!" Anzu exclaimed.
"That's playing dirty!" Mokuba yelled out.
"This is our revenge against you all!" The men replied as they laughed maniacally.
"Bring it on, then! I'll be your first opponent!" Jounouchi challenged. As soon as he did, a hole opened up under him, making him fall down into it.
"Big brother!" Shizuka ran to where he fell, calling out to him as the hole closed.
Anzu was then the next one to fall down a hole.
"Anzu!" Yugi yelled out, too late in reaching her.
In quick succession, Shizuka also was sucked into a hole, but Honda and Otogi were able to follow her in.
Mokuba and Seto fell together as well, leaving only Marik, Akia, and Yugi.
A hole then opened up under Akia's legs as well, Marik quickly grabbing her, both of them falling through together while she screamed her brother's name.
"Akia!" Yugi called out to his sister as he finally got sucked in as well.
All of them then got transported to different parts of the Virtual World where they would have to Duel to return to the real world in their bodies.