Weeee, another chapter in only a few days! Anyways, I once again thank my beta, cause she's awesome :)
I own nothing...
'This virtual world is much more confusing than it needs to be.' Marik thought as he continued to walk. He had gotten out of the forest, but now found himself on the edge of a cliff. The cliff led down to the ocean below, its waves crashing violently against the rocks.
"Heh, some drop that would be. Perhaps when all this is over, I should push the pharaoh off a cliff…or off the blimp…either one would suffice." He said to himself, feeling moderately warm inside as he imagined the ex-pharaoh's demise.
However, it was cut shot when a small black and white bird waddled up to him, its lifeless black eyes staring up at him and its stubby wings flapping almost excitedly. The tomb keeper had never seen such an animal before and cocked his head to the side, his lilac eyes betraying child-like curiosity.
"Hmmm, you seem harmless enough." He said to the bird. He stiffened sharply when the penguin suddenly waddled closer to him and wrapped its short flippers around his leg, trying to grip the kaki material that covered it.
"Uhm…hello there, would you mind telling me if you've seen a slut around here recently?" he asked, mentally smirking as he imagined Tea, (he actually remembered her name), lying below him in a pool of her own blood…the life leaving those blue eyes…
He was so preoccupied with these happy thoughts that he failed to notice the penguin trying to pull him until it got behind him and pushed him forward. He let out a grunt of surprise before turning around to face the little bird. "Pardon me, but that was a little rude, don't you think?"
The bird didn't seem to care for it pointed towards what looked like a building on top of the highest cliff. "Ohh I see, you want me to go with you, is that it?" When the penguin continued to point and chirp, he shrugged. "Well it's better than standing here and doing nothing…"
"Let me guess, you've had enough suffering and you want to give up." Gansley said, clutching his cards a little tighter as he watched the ex-pharaoh struggled to stay upright.
"Guess again Gansley." Yami said, his voice filled with determination as he slowly stood up straight.
"Fine…you're only 500 lifepoints away from annihilation anyways."
"Trust me, I've been in tougher spots before; now make your move." The former pharaoh said, his crimson eyes narrowed slightly.
"Very well." Gansley said as he drew another card. He continued to stare at it, contemplating, before placing it in his hand and placing another card on his duel disk. "I summon Melchid the Four-Faced Beast in attack mode."
At the name of the monster, Yami was suddenly reminded on Marik. Turning around, he felt a little anxious that the younger, psychotic yami had not returned yet…that is, if he ever returned. However, he was snapped out of his anxiousness at the sound of the businessman's command.
"Melchid, eliminate his Celtic Guardian with Quadruple Smash Attack!"
The ex-pharaoh could only watch helplessly as the four-faced monster spun around and slammed into his elf solider. He groaned as he felt the attack take a tool on his own body and he fell to the floor. Kuriboh peeped worriedly, staring at his master with sad eyes.
"What's this? Are you one of the victims that have come here to duel me?"
"Not quite, old man. I have somewhat of a…proposition for you."
"I'm listening."
"Had enough, Yugi?" Gansley taunted, watching with sadistic amusement as the ex-pharaoh shook with pain.
Kuriboh whimpered, begging his master to get up so that they could win. However, Yami remained flat on the ground.
"What's that? I couldn't here you, what with your face in the dirt and all." The Big Five member snickered. "It looks like you're down for the count."
Yami moaned softly before one of his crimson eyes opened slowly. "Never!" he ground out.
"Pardon?"
"You heard me; I'll never give up." The former king said, standing up and facing his opponent with angry eyes. "As long as I have lifepoints, it's still on."
A mock sigh of sadness came from the larger man. "You're even more foolish than I though…even the most experienced businessmen know when it's time to close up shop."
Yami staggered, catching himself just in time. The pain was slowly eating away at his will and he knew that if he didn't win the duel soon, it would be too late for him.
"Not that it matters to me, for your lifepoints will be gone soon anyways." Gansley continued.
Kuriboh chirped worriedly at the ex-pharaoh, watching as Yami breathed in and out heavily as he tried to stay on his feet.
"You won't win…"
"Oh but I believe I will. Once I wipe out your last 400 lifepoints, I will escape from this world in that scrawny body of yours. It all happened when I launch my next attack. So now, it's time to make your final move, so chose your next card wisely!" Gansley said.
"Alright, here it goes." Yami said as he put all his faith in his deck and drew his next card. Looking at it, he was rather surprised that it was a Rainbow Blessing magic card. "This won't help me now! I need something powerful if I'm going to beat Gansley." He thought helplessly.
"Well? Stalling won't help you, Yugi. Success comes to men on action. You are riding down the rode of defeat and there is no stopping it. And to think, you are the so called 'King of Games.' I wonder what everyone in the real world would think of you now…" Gansley said snidely, grinning maliciously.
Almost at once, the brown duel monster next to the ex-pharaoh started to bounce around, peeping excitedly. Yami turned to look at him, frustration clear in his voice. "Not now Kuriboh, I'm trying to concentrate on this duel!"
/Hold on! I think Kuriboh is trying to tell us that Rainbow Blessing can help us after all!/ Yugi said, appearing beside his yami in spirit form.
When the puffball gave one smaller peep, Yami sighed and turned to him. "Well, I have nothing to lose. I said I have faith in my deck master and now it's time to put that to the test."
/That's right, now let's do it!/ Yugi declared.
"Alright Gansley, I place one card face down. Make your move."
"So, you're sure this will work?"
Marik grinned evilly. "Of course it will. Trust me; I know how this bitch thinks about the pharaoh. I know how much she looks up to him. This will work."
The Big Five member narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "Are you certain this will get me her body?"
"Would I lie to you?"
"Yes. I trust no one anymore."
"Well, if you want to get out of this virtual hell, I suggest you put that pride of yours away and trust me."
"Yugi, the end is near." Gansley said, drawing his next card and looking at it with a small smirk. "I activate the magic card, Offerings to the Doomed!" he said and the card activated, standing face-up on the field.
"This card allows me to destroy any monster on your side of the field so say goodbye to your Chimera!" he shouted. At once, a pale blue beam shot out of the card and tore through the winded monster, sending it to the graveyard.
"Now all your monsters are gone!"
"Wrong, you forgot about the special ability of my mythical beast! Now, I revive Berfomet from the card graveyard!" At once, the red monster returned to the duel in a swish of crimson light, crouched down.
"That was pointless. The end result will be the same once I play this card!"
Yami stared in surprise. "What?"
"I sacrifice Wall of Illusion and Melchid the Four-Faced Beast to summon my Rainbow Snake Eingana!" Immediately, a rainbow snake slithered out of the water and onto Gansley's side of the field. Towering over Yami and Kuriboh, it hissed dangerously, its fangs shining against the water.
Both the ex-pharaoh and his deck master recoiled in shock.
"Now Eingana, destroy his Berfomet and rid the field of his defenses!" the Big Five member shouted. The huge snake quickly grabbed the red creature in its mouth, crushing it easily with its strong jaws.
"It's almost done, Yugi. One more attack to your lifepoints and this duel it over!"
'This can't be how it ends…' the ex-pharaoh thought helplessly, his amethyst-crimson eyes burning with disbelief.
"It's time to make my finishing move. Ruclomba, win me my freedom and strike him down now!" Gansley ordered. His green monster opened its mouth a stream of pink energy shot out, heading straight towards this former pharaoh.
"No, it can't end like this!" Yami shouted, followed by a huge flash of light emitting from his side of the field.
Marik, who had found his way back to the duel, could only stare in shock as the blast sent off a light so bright it forced him to cover his eyes. Looking back, he was surprised to see something he really didn't expect; millions of Kuribohs.
"What's going on?" Gansley asked, watching at the millions of tiny duel monsters were destroyed by the blast, shielding Yami…well, everyone thought it was Yami…
"Hello, pharaoh brat!" the tan yami called cheerfully, snickering as Yugi stared at him with a bewildered expression.
"I've had enough of this foolishness; attack his lifepoints now!" the Big Five member said angrily as his monster once again attacked. However, once the smoke cleared, Yugi's lifepoints were untouched and Kuriboh was one again.
"Nice job, Kuriboh!" the amethyst-eyed hikari said, smiling when the small duel monster let out a happy cheep.
"How is it that you're still standing? Your lifepoints should be gone!"
"My Deckmaster saved me! Kuriboh's special ability allowed him to form a protective wall to shield me from your blast!" Yugi declared, the furry monster agreeing with him.
~/Yugi, why did you take over?/~ Yami asked, his eyes shining with confusion as he hovered next to his aibou in spirit form.
"I just figured you could use a rest, you know after all those direct attacks." The tri-haired light said brightly. "I wouldn't want anything to happen to you."
Yami gave a small smile. ~/Thank you, you're very brave./~
"Don't thank me, you should thank Kuriboh. Without his special ability we both would have been finished by now!" Yugi said as the furry Deckmaster peeped brightly.
~/That's true. I guess some things are more powerful than they appear./~
Yugi turned to face his yami. "You can say that again! It turned out that Kuriboh was one of the best monsters to have a Deckmaster. Getting him wasn't just some tick that Gansley played on us."
The ex-pharaoh nodded. ~/You're right; it was the heart of the cards that guided Kuriboh to us./~
Both Yugi and Kuriboh smiled brightly, the mood suddenly brighter. However, the little hikari gave out a weak groan suddenly and fell unconscious, his form falling towards the ground.
"Yugi!" the former king called out as he caught his aibou in his now solid arms as they both switched control of the body. "It looks like this duel is effecting you as well…let me take over and finish this." He said, his eyes slightly sad and worried as he held his hikari up. "Alright Gansley, this duel is not done yet!"
"Your furry little powder-puff blocked one attack and you think you've won? I'm afraid nothing could be further from the truth. Because of the Deckmaster rule, your Kuriboh has now been introduced to the playing field which now allows me to attack the fur ball directly." Gansley smirked. "Last I checked, my serpent has more than enough points to wipe out that pathetic monster of yours. This duel is over!"
"Last time I checked, it was still on!" Yami shouted back.
"You tell that old fool, pharaoh!" Marik called from behind the force field. The tri-haired yami blinked in surprise at the other yami's voice and turned around.
"Marik, when did you get back?"
The younger yami's face twisted into an expression of mock sadness. "I'm hurt pharaoh; it took you this long to notice me?"
"It didn't take me that long. Why can you not take a hint and leave?" the Big Five member hissed in annoyance.
"Make me." Marik growled back.
"Oh I will, once I'm done with your friend here."
Yami turned back to his current enemy, his crimson eyes narrowed. Gansley also turned back to the duel, his constant smirk never ceasing. "It's time to make your last, pathetic move…not that you have any options left. All you have is that puny Kuriboh and what can he do?"
When the brown monster looked at his master sadly, Yami spoke in a determined tone. "You'll see."
Kuriboh seemed to understand what the ex-pharaoh was implying and brightened. The tri-haired dark nodded once to his Deckmaster before turning back to his opponent. "You do a lot of talking Gansley," he said, drawing one card and mentally smirking once he saw what it was, "but now it's my turn to give the advice."
Gansley was silent as he continued to stare at his opponent suspiciously.
"Misjudging the small can be quite a mistake; in business and duel monsters." Yami stated while the Big Five member growled.
"Yeah, just look at the pharaoh's runt!" the younger yami piped in. The former king rolled his eyes and shook his head before turning back to his fellow dark.
"Now is not the time, Marik."
The tomb keeper snickered. "Well, you know it's true!"
"Enough! I'm done with these childish games! Either make your next move or forfeit the duel. Although, I highly doubt any card in your deck can save you now…" Gansley said, his hand clenched tightly in a fist.
Yami allowed his smirk to form. "Oh really?" he asked, holding up his chosen card.
The businessman took one look at the card and burst out laughing. "Is that Swift Gaia the Fierce Knight? That card is useless! Attack me with whatever monster you like; I'll just reflect the attack back at you. With only 400 lifepoints, it will be all over for you!"
"I wouldn't be so sure." The ex-pharaoh said, exchanging a knowing glance with his Deckmaster, who peeped excitedly. "I activate my face down card; Rainbow Blessing!"
The card that was spoken rose face up on the field and began to glow.
"When this card is combined with Kuriboh, a great power is unleashed." Yami said. Immediately, the small duel monster began to change. His fur became rainbow-tinted and more individual beams of light shot out of the card.
"What? You expect to win with rainbows and fuzz balls?" Gansley demanded. "What kind of stunt is this?"
Kuriboh rose up in the air, his tiny form shaking with concentration. The former king took in a deep breath before he spoke, "Alright Kuriboh, form the Rainbow Arch!"
His Deckmaster obeyed, sliding across the sky and dragging a line of rainbow color with him. Everyone that was watching, other than the ex-pharaoh, stared in confusion.
"What is he doing?" the businessman asked, watching the monster in anxiousness.
"Perhaps you should have checked your own Deckmaster rule book…however, now I summon Swift Gaia the Fierce Knight in attack mode!" Yami shouted, slapping the card on his duel disk. At once, the tall knight that was seated upon his violet steed appeared in front of his dueling master.
"What?"
"And I'm afraid that your monsters are not the target of my knight; I'm aiming straight for your lifepoints!" the former king said. His monster quickly leapt onto the rainbow and began galloping towards his enemy, his jousting lance raised in attack.
"B-But how? I analyzed every aspect of this duel!" Gansley protested.
"Well, you seemed to have missed this one. Now my knight, follow the path of the rainbow arch and destroy his lifepoints!" Yami shouted.
"No, this can't be! My Deckmaster's special ability doesn't work on direct attacks!" Gansley shouted, flinching back as he saw the duel monster coming for him at full speed.
"Yes I know…thanks to Kuriboh; I was able to figure out your weakness. Now prepare to be crushed by the competition!" the former king said.
"Ha-ha-ha, bye bye now, you wanna-be lemon!" Marik said in a sing-song voice, trying to hold in something that looked like laughter.
The knight thrust his pointed weapon towards the Big Five member, impaling him instantly. Gansley screamed in both pain and disbelief, the red light that was coming from his opponent's monster blinding him.
"You little brats! I was so close…so close!" was the last words the virtual man said before he disappeared, as well as the other elements of the now finished duel.
Yami sighed in relief before he fell to one knee, quite glad that the duel was finally over. While he was still catching his breath, he didn't notice that Marik had walked up behind him until he turned around, meeting amusement-filled lilac eyes.
"That was possibly the funniest ending I have ever seen in my whole life, pharaoh. It's not every day you get to see an opponent crushed by ponies and rainbows." The younger dark said, snickering.
The ex-pharaoh smirked before standing up and brushing himself off. "Well, now that that's over, it's time to find my friends. There is no telling what Noah is putting them through."
"When we find this brat, would it be too much trouble if I sent his soul to the Shadow Realm?" Marik asked somewhat hopefully.
"No you may not. I have a feeling that Noah isn't the one that's really behind all of this. He's just a pawn in a much bigger plan."
"Fine, have it your way." The tan yami said, pouted mockingly before crossing his arms and staring off across the lake again. Yami looked back, smiling gratefully at the now brown furry monster.
"Thank you Kuriboh." He said. The Deckmaster nodded with a satisfied peep before he too disappeared.
"Hey pharaoh, look at that."
At the darker yami's voice, the former king turned around and saw that Marik was pointing towards a wooden door. Both of the yami stared at it as it seemed to float in midair above the waterfront.
/It looks like a passage way…/ Yugi said, appeared in spirit form in between the two yamis.
"Well said, pharaoh runt."
Both the tri-haired teens stared at Marik in shock. "How can you hear him?" Yami asked, narrowing his eyes in confusion.
Lilac eyes rolled dramatically. "Hello? I'm a yami too, in case you forgot. Seeing and hearing another hikari is just like seeing and hearing my own."
The ex-pharaoh was still a little suspicious, wondering if maybe it was the virtual world that was manipulating what they saw. However, he pushed those thoughts out of his mind as he remembered what was in front of them.
"Let's just hope that this door leads us to the others…who knows what kind of dangers they're facing." The former king said, walking up to the door and reaching for the handle. Once he opened the door, he took a cautious step inside before he continued on, Marik following close behind with narrowed eyes and he looked around continuously.
"Let's hope this leads us on the right path…"
R&R, please...it makes me very happy :D