Chapter 3: Hero

Mai stood off to one side standoffish , watching Yugi and the others mingled in the dining hall. The crowd seemed to be getting smaller and smaller with each duel and it worried her a bit. There were only a quartet of duelists left, one of which being the sociopath that was once Marik and the other being Joey. She worried little about Kaiba; in fact she was growing quite a distaste for the man, especially when it came to his callousness and rude nature. As for the eighth duelist, Mai had no idea who they were, so why fret about someone you didn't know?

"Could everybody gather around?" Roland coughed, one hand resting on the Blue Eyes bingo Machine. Thankfully it wasn't so loud in the hall that he had to raise his voice. It grew strangely quiet and Roland continued. "Yes, er. We will be drawing the lot for the next duel!" The machine rumbled to life, spitting out two numbers. Roland reached in, plucking a number from one of the mouths. "The first number is number two, Mr. Joseph Wheeler!

"Eh heh!" Joey high fived Tristan and Yugi, before accidentally locking eyes with Mai. She coughed and turned away hastily, a twinge of guilt in her chest. He looked away as well, before adding. "Looks like I'll be seeing you in the finals Yuge!"

"Don't get too ahead of yourself Joey," Yami Yugi chuckled in warning.

Mai began to fret for some unknown reason. Now there was a one-in-three chance that his opponent could be the sociopath—Kaiba or Marik—pick your poison. She stopped herself suddenly. "Why am I so worried about him?" She asked herself. "He can take care of himself." Once again, the dream reared its ugly, yet lovely head and she inhaled deeply, clearing her head. "Now was not the time to think of such childish, wistful notions" she chided. "You came here for a reason and that was to win. You can think of that later."

"And the second duelist will be number five, Marik Ishtar!"

Her heart sank.

"Whoa, wait a minute," Tristan argued. "He lied about his name. Shouldn't he be disqualified or something?"

"Yeah, I totally agree with that!" Joey added.

"Hmph. I didn't realize that you were that big of a coward to resort to technicalities to win," Kaiba sneered.

Joey growled under his breath before speaking. "Fine. You know what, I'll duel his creepy little ass and win that God card right under your nose!"

"Good luck with that," Kaiba dismissively waved a hand before sauntering off, towards the elevator that lead to the field.

"I'm going to win this whole thing, just to prove a point," he grumbled, shaking a clenched fist at the back of the retreating figure. He crossed his arms, fuming."I ain't some no name duelist."

"We know that," Serenity said in an effort to cheer him up. "You got second place in Duelist Kingdom."

Joey bit his lip. "I guess. . ."

"Then go out there and prove them all wrong!"

Whatever displeasure mood Joey had had evaporated, "Yeah. . .I will show all of them who's number one!"

Tristan punched him playfully in the arm. "There you go!"

Mai hung back a few feet behind them as they left the hall for the elevator, feelings of guilt still plaguing at her. She coughed to get the attention of Joey, who was towards the rear of their group. He stopped and turned about. "Hey," he waved, plastering a fake, cheery smile that didn't reach his eyes.

"Hey, I uh. . ." Mai bit her lip, thinking. "I just wanted to wish you the best of luck."

"Um, thanks." He paused "See you in the semi-finals?"

"Yeah, see you on the other side."

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

The air was crisp, a breeze whistling through the crevices of the platform when Joey stepped on it. He shivered, wishing he had brought his jean jacket. He looked upwards, at the multitude of stars above. It was harder to see them from the city due to the light pollution but here, the stars were out by the thousands. He inhaled deeply, centering himself for the duel. Marik was tricky and devious, probably impulsive in his dueling strategy as well. He saw the sight of his friends and sister to his left, cheering and whistling for him. He felt buoyant in that moment and he flashed them a thumbs up. Mai gave a thumbs-up as well, an almost guilty smile on her lips. Joey turned away, facing straight, trying to ignore the pain in his chest. It was obvious that she didn't care for him like he though she did.

"Guess I was just too stupid to believe otherwise," he thought.

Marik stepped onto the platform shortly thereafter, that manic look in his eye even more evident than before. His hair was wild, whipping in some non existent breeze, as the wind seemed to have vanished entirely, the air even colder than before. The Millennium Rod was stashed in a belt loop at his side and now he was wearing a cape. "Where did he get that cape is what I wanna know."

"Well, well, well, it would seem that the disobedient child has come home to roost." Marik laughed. "I'm going to love ripping you apart. Nobody gets to beat the Millennium Rod twice," his hand went to the Rod.

"There's always a first time."

"Would the duelists please exchange decks and shuffle them." Roland cringed as both men shot him a dirty look. "I'm just relaying the rules," he added apologetically.

They walked to the center of the field, their decks in hand. Impatiently, Joey snatched Marik's deck from him and began to angrily shuffle for a few seconds. Almost childlike did Marik hand his over. Joey grumbled under his breath as he yanked his deck from Marik's open palm, stomping away.

"Duel!"

"Perhaps you should go first," Marik offered with a wave. "How does the saying go?" He tapped his chin thoughtfully. "Losers first, right?"

"More like winners!" Joey countered cockily. "I place Flame Swordsmen in attack mode and two face down cards!"

"Pitiful first move," Marik remarked scornfully. "I play my Revival Jam in defense mode and place the Magic card, Jam Breeding Machine, which allows me to summon one Slime Token per turn."

"Said the pot calling the kettle black," Joey sniffed. "Flame Swordsmen, slice through that little wad of snot!" Flame Swordsmen charged Revival Jam, cleaving it in two. The smug look on Joey's face quickly disappeared when Revival Jam joined back together, undamaged and whole. His face went blank. "What the?-"

Marik clapped his hands. "Oh, this is going to be so much more fun than I expected!"

"Shut your mouth!" Joey hissed. "I play one more card face down and end my turn.

"Joey's losing his cool," Tristan said worriedly. "He never does it this early in a duel."

"What is Marik planning?" Mai asked YamiYugi. "Is he just creating a shield or something else?"

"Yes he is using it as a shield, but he's also delaying the inevitable."

Mai jumped to the conclusion. "Using the tokens to summon Ra."

"Precisely."

"I play my Pot of Greed, and since I'm quite positive you know what it does," Marik drew two cards from his deck. "I place one card and end my turn." As he finished, the Jam Breeding Machine, which looked to be an aesthetic cross between cyberpunk and Lovecraftian mythos, spat out a small, translucent blob which hovered weakly in the air.

Joey angrily drew a card, thinking. "What is this nutjob planning? Why have all these weak monsters on the field—Oh." He stopped. Marik already had two monsters on the field, with Jam Breeding Machine churning out more with each turn. "He's tryin' to summon Ra right off the bat. Well, we gotta put a stop to that don't we?" He looked down at the card he just drew. It was Giant Trunade. "First I play Alligator Sword in attack mode, then I activate Giant Trunade, which wipes out all of your Trap and Magic cards! Booyah!" A typhoon swept through the field, taking up Marik's face down card and the Jam Breeding Machine with it. "In your face, you freak! Flame Swordsmen, take out Slime Token now!" This time, flame Swordsmen attack was successful and Marik snarled as his Life Points went from 4000 to 2700.

"Nice job!" Tea cheered.

"He figured it out quicker than I did," YamiYugi said admiringly. "Excellent job."

"Looks like the brat actually has a set on him after all. But you know what? What fun is a game if there aren't any stakes?" Marik reached for his Rod, brandishing it in the air. "Let's kick it up a notch, shall we?" The Rod glowed gold and the area dropped in temperature drastically, the air still and stifling. Shadows writhed and grew about Marik's presence like living being, before shooting forward and blanketing the field in oily looking shadows the shades of violet, black and blood red.

Joey looked frantically about in the fog. "What's going on, Marik? Explain yourself!"

"This, my dear boy, is only the beginning. We are entering a Shadow Game like none that you've faced. The loser well," Marik chuckled. "The loser gets his soul ripped out of him and sent to the Shadow Realm! That's not all though," Marik laughed insanely, tossing his head back "But it wouldn't be very nice of me to spoil it for you, now would it?"

"Marik!" Yami Yugi roared, eyes narrowed. "End this madness right now! He did nothing to you to deserve this!"

Marik tilted his head to one side like a marionette, the whites about his eyes visible."On the contrary, he deserves every bit of what I'm going to inflict on him. Nobody defies the power of the Rod and gets away from it. But don't worry Pharaoh," he said disdainfully, "You'll be joining him shortly."

Marik directed his attention back to Joey. "Now boy, where were we? Ah yes. . .let the real games begin!"

"Joey, be careful!" Mai called out.

"I'll be fine!"

Mai frowned. "Fine, be like that! We're just supporting you, you idiot!"

"If you're done with your lover's spat," Marik twiddled his fingers, "I summon Melchid the Four Faced Beast!" The monster reminded Joey of a jar, with red and yellow masks on four sides. "Then I sacrifice Melchid and my Revival Jam to summon Masked Beast Des Gradius!" It was a hideous thing, with thick claws and muscular limbs. Blue masks were built into its torso as well as having one for a face. "Attack his Alligator Sword!"

"You just fell into my trap, you dick! Activate Skull Dice!" Joey smirked. "Let's see what Lady Luck has in store for us shall we?" The red dice rolled on the floor, before landing on a three. "Yes! Masked Beast Des Gradius gets it's attack points by three!" The 3300 Attack Points of Masked Beast were sliced in thirds to 1100. "Finish him off Alligator Sword!" Masked Beast screamed in misery as Alligator Sword ran him through. It exploded on impact, dropping Marik's points by another 400, to 2300.

As the dust cleared, a mask of gold and red shot out, latching onto Alligator Sword's muzzle. It writhed, trying to pulling the smothering object off. The mask went back to Marik's side, dragging Alligator Sword with it. "What's this?"

"You activated the ability of Masked Beast," Marik crowed. "When it's destroyed, I can play "Mask of Remnants, which latches on the monster that killed it, then I get to control it!" Joey frowned. "And I end my turn," Marik said.

"My move. I set two card face down. Flame Swordsmen, attack Alligator Sword!" The two warrior monsters dueled with the blades before Flame Swordsmen disarmed and gutted it. When he did so, a faint wispy cloud appeared over it.

Marik laughed. "And now you get to see firsthand what this Shadow Game is really about! Whenever one of our monsters is destroyed, the memories of one of your friends is wiped from your mind. So lets see who the unlucky customer is today, hmmm?"

"You can't do that!" Joey shouted. "That's not right!"

"A lot of things aren't right today, but we can't change it," Marik shrugged. The image coalesced into one of Tristan. "Ooh, Tristan is his name, right?" At Joey's stunned silence, he continued, "Say goodbye to your little friend!" Joey reached out as the image shattered into nothing. He staggered, before sinking to his knees. The empty gaze was more than enough for Marik, who laughed like a hyena.

"I wouldn't worry too much about it. It's not like you realized what happened anyway."

"What?" Joey asked blankly, staggering upright.

"Marik!" Yami Yugi was furious. "How dare you tamper with someone's mind like that! You end this madness right now!"

"I could, but it's just too much fun!" Marik cackled.

Serenity let out a choked sob, burying her face into Mai's side. "He's gonna be alright, isn't he? He's gonna be alright, right?"

"Joey's going to be alright, I promise," she whispered soothingly, stroking her hair.

"My move! I summon Makyura the Destroyer in attack mode and equip Black Pendant to it! Makyura wipe out his Swordsmen and another one of his memories!"

"Not so fast! I play Kunai with Chain, which forces Makyura back into defense mode!"

"Remove Trap!"

"No!" The bladed chain in Flame Swordsmen's hand vanished, leaving him vulnerable to Makyura's attack. Makyura gutted him easily, Joey dropping in Points from 4000 to 3700.

"Let's see who the memory is this time!" Marik laughed. Joey watched in horror as he saw the ghostly image of Mai.

"No," Joey begged, hand outstretched. "Please no. Please, anyone but her!" He wailed, tears leaking from his eyes.

"This is going to be even more fun than I thought! Say goodbye to your lover forever!"

"Nooo!" He cried out like his heart was getting ripped out from his chest. He moaned, sinking to his head and knees, tears dripping onto the field.

Mai grew furious, seeing Joey in his broken state, on his hands on knees, eyes blank as the lively spark that defined his character was gone. "You bastard!" She screamed at Marik. "How could you?"

"It's the price you pay for playing with the big boys. Maybe he should have stuck to the kiddie duels, like Duelist Kingdom," Marik shrugged. "I've never had this much fun in a long time! Look at him so helplessly lost. I've already won the duel and I haven't even summoned the god card yet!"

"Joey! Joey get up and finish him off!"

Joey paused, looking out. He heard a voice, a woman's voice, shouting his name, yet he saw no one he recognized. It certainly wasn't Tea nor Serenity who had that tone and timbre. "So who is she? I hope she's not a ghost." he shuddered. "I don't really like ghosts. She sounds beautiful though."

"Yami, we need to do something about this," Yugi thought.

"I think so too," The Millennium Puzzle flared to life, briefly banishing the darkness.

Joey felt the presence of something inside his head. The duel fell away in his mind's eye.

He was standing alone in an empty space, occupied only by the shadows that swirled around him. He tripped and stumbled about, hands waving wildly in front of him as he attempted to make his way through, whatever this place was. He caught sight of something far away, a man, with arms crossed and laughing at him. Joey wanted nothing more then to choke the hideous, high-pitched laughter out of him but the problem would be to reach him. He floundered about in the dark, until he felt the warmth of light on his back, the light casting shadows in front of. He looked over his shoulder to find Yugi there, cupping the Puzzle in one hand.

"Joey," he spoke, the tone imperious and ringing throughout the battlefield. "Stand up, Joey."

Wordlessly, he stood up. "Pharaoh, what are you doing here?"

"That, is an excellent question." The other man stepped from the shadows, lavender eyes narrowed with displeasure. "You shouldn't interfere with this game, Pharaoh."

"I have every right to. He is my friend." The Puzzle flared brighter. "And I will defend him from your evil machinations!"

Marik recoiled as parts of his skin burned from the rays, pieces of his flesh sloughing off. He waved his cloak about him and he dissolved with the shadows, leaving the Pharaoh and Joey alone.

"You mustn't give in to the darkness," the Pharaoh told him, "You are much stronger than you believe."

"But, but I keep hearing voices," Joey said, almost fearfully. "One of them, she's a lady."

"Those voices are your friends, memories of those Marik has taken from you," the Pharaoh explained. "They are there to encourage you to victory. Trust them."

"Okay. . ."Joey agreed skeptically. "I believe you."

"Then go and win the duel, and regain what you have lost."

The vision faded as quickly as it came and Joey staggered upright, a renewed fire in his eyes. "I'm not going to let you take any more of my friends Marik! I summon Panther Warrior in attack mode! Then I play Scapegoats and I finish with a card face down! Your move, ya sleaze!"

"I summon my Drillago in attack mode. Makyura, destroy Panther Warrior."

"Activate Magic Arm Shield! Take his Drillago and use it as a shield!"

"What?"

"Should I explain, or would you like to see a demonstration?" Joey sneered. Drillago protested as the clamps of Magic Arm Shield dragged him to the other side, just in time for Makyura to gut it. Marik hissed in frustration as his points dropped by 500 to 1800.

Joey watched an image of a man with multiple piercings hovered over Marik's head dissolve in an instant. "You lose one of your memories too!"

Instead of watching Marik fret and worry, Marik merely shrugged, rather apathetic towards the whole thing. "The memories in my head, they aren't worth much anyway, so I must thank you for cleaning it up for me. I would have hated to do it myself."

"Grrrr," Joey growled. "I play my Gearfried the Iron Knight in attack mode! Then I play the equip card Legendary Sword, which I equip to my Panther Warrior and increase his points by 300. Next I activate Panther Warrior's ability, which requires me to sacrifice one monster for him to attack and I use one of my Scapegoats for that. Panther Warrior, attack his Makyura the Destroyer! Then I'll finish you off with Gearfried and win back my memories!"

Marik said nothing as Panther Warrior sliced through his Makyura the Destroyer, leaving him with only 1600. Another memory vanished, one of a man in a mask, but again, Marik showed little concern for it. "Hm, I don't think you should have done that." he tsked, wiggling a finger mockingly.

"What do you mean—why did my Life Points go down?" The counter on his Disk ticked away from 3700 to 3200.

"When Black Pendant is destroyed or sent to the Graveyard, you lose 500 points."

Joey shrugged his shoulders. "500 is nothin' when I finish you off. Go Gearfried!"

"Nightmare Wheel! Thanks to you destroying Makyura, I can play a trap card from my hand to field and I target Gearfried." Joey watched helplessly as Gearfried was strapped on to a wheel studded with spikes. "Now for every turn Gearfried's on there, you lose 500 points." Joey's points ticked away once again, down to 2700.

"I end my turn." Joey grumbled.

"You're doing great Joey!" Mai cheered. "Just one more attack and he's through!"

"There's that voice again," Joey thought, almost dreamily, looking out to where his friends were. "That beautiful, familiar voice, cheering me on. Wish I could remember who she was though. . ."

"Good, because it's about to get much worse, boy." Marik drew a card and his eyes lit up. "Oh yes, it's about to get much worse here. I summon Holding Arms to attack your Panther Warrior."

"Psh, as if, that thing's only got 500 Attack Points!" Joey scoffed, but whatever taunts he had on his lips died as Holding Arms latched onto Panther Warrior, restraining its wrists.

"Holding Arms cannot be destroyed in battle," Marik explained slowly, as if he were speaking to a child. "Nor do I lose any Life Points in the process. Oh, and one more thing,"Marik trailed off. "Your Panther Warrior cannot attack me either."

"Fine," Joey drew a card, studying it. It was Card Destruction. It would be useful, Joey admitted to himself, but how? Then he remembered the manic light in Marik's eyes and a strategy began to formulate in his mind. "If I can get him to discard the Winged Dragon of Ra, then steal it from him using Graverobber, then I can use it against him!" He giggled. "Now, all I got to do is believe in the Heart of the Cards. Activate Card Destruction and now you have to discard your hand! For the record, you have a really crappy poker face, so say good bye to your Winged Dragon of Ra." Joey stashed his hand in the graveyard, drawing the same amount of cards. "Yes!" It worked, for he drew Warrior Returning Arrive and Hayabusa Knight. "This is gonna be good," he cackled. "First I summon my Hayabusa Knight and then I activate Graverobber, which steals one card from your graveyard and I choose Winged Dragon of Ra."

"How did he-?" Marik panicked, taken aback.

"Really. Bad. Poker. Face." Joey reminded him, shaking his head. "Finally, I play The Warrior Returning Alive, which summons one monster back from the Graveyard back to the field and I choose Flame Swordsmen!"

"Yes, Joey has three monsters on the field," Mai laughed. "He's going to summon Ra and win the duel!"

"Yeah, I'm gonna do it," Joey thought upon hearing that voice. "I'm doing it for you. Maybe I'll be able to see your face once it's over and I can remember you again."

Serenity clapped excitedly. "You go Joey!"

"I sacrifice all three of my monsters to summon Winged Dragon of Ra!" All three monsters vanished, their life essences leaving their forms and joining together into a beam of light. The light shot into the playing field where Joey slapped down the Winged Dragon of Ra. The shadows began to part as beams of warm golden light shot through them.

"I can't believe he's gonna do it," Mokuba told Seto, fully impressed with Joey's efforts. "He's actually going to use the God Card."

"Hmph," Seto snorted. "He maybe able to summon it, but will he be able to use it is the question. I highly doubt that he will though."

"But he could," Mokuba argued.

"Mokuba, get the satellites to take as many pictures of that card as you can then upload it to our computers.

"Alright!" Mokuba ran off, leaving Seto alone.

Seto said nothing in reply, facing the field. "Show me the God Card, Wheeler. Show it to me."

Joey looked upward, face full of hope as light shone down all about him. "I'm doing it. I'm summoning Ra! I'm summoning—what?" His face fell as he caught the sight of what fell from the sky. "Why is there a damn glowing soccer ball floating in the sky?"

Marik began to chuckle, then laugh manically, tossing his head back. In between bouts of laughter, be gasped, "Maybe you should take a look at the card on the disk."

Joey looked down at the script underneath the card. "It's in pictures!" He cried out, confused.

"Correction, Hieratic Text," Marik replied condescendingly. "Only those who can read the Text can control the card!"

"That's cheating!" Joey protested. "They weren't there before I played it!"

"It was a measure built in by Pegasus himself to prevent those who were unworthy from abusing its power. In fact, there are quite a few people on this blimp that can read it, the Pharaoh being one of them and Seto being the other one."

"Marik this isn't funny any more!" YamiYugi shouted. I'm the one you have the grudge against! Not him!"

"True, but he's so much fun to toy with! Look at him!" Marik gestured to Joey, looking exhausted on the other side. First, I play my monster Holding Legs in attack mode. Thanks to its ability, I send all your magic and trap cards to your hand. And then, I can summon Stone of Ojhat from my deck! Joey looked behind as a stone slab inscribed in hieroglyphics emerged. "Now My Holding Arms and Legs, attack him now!"

Joey flinched as the chains clamped about his wrists and then his ankles. "Let go of me!" Joey snarled, struggling to get free. He fell backwards as the chains stuck themselves to the stone, leaving him hanging there off the stone like a scarecrow. "Let me go you freak! You spiky haired freaky bastard!" he spat.

"I don't really appreciate that impudence," Marik chided. "Holding Arms and Holding Legs, attack his life points directly!" Joey screamed in agony, back arching as his Life Points dropped from 2700 to 1400. The cards in his hand slipped out of his grasp, floating to the floor. Joey sagged forward, ankles and wrists crying out in agony. "And now the finale! Say goodbye to your friend, Pharaoh!" Marik began to chant:

"Great Beast of the Sky,

Hear my Cry.

Transform thyself from Orb of light,

And bring me victory in this fight.

Envelop the desert with your glow

And put your rage upon my bow.

Unlock your powers from deep within,

So that together, we may win.

Appear in the Shadow Game as I call your name!

Winged Dragon of Ra!"

The orb in the sky began to shift, pieced extending outwards like a giant puzzle. Beams of light shot through the gaps. Joey looked upward just in time for the final step of the process, the body flexing into shape, those otherworldly eyes locking gazes with him. He closed his eyes, waiting for the inevitable. "I'm sorry Pharaoh. I'm sorry that I failed you, all of you guys."

"No!" The scream ripped from her throat unconsciously. Mai shoved Yami Yugi and Duke aside, making a one handed leap onto the dueling platform.

Roland shot a fearful glance to Kaiba. "Should I. . ." he began to ask, but was silenced by a withering stare from Kaiba. "Never mind. . ."

"Mai, be careful!" Tea called out.

Mai ran across the field, hair streaming behind her. She slowed to a stop in front of Joey. She cupped his face with her hands. "Come on Joey. Wake up. We gotta get you out of here!" She patted his left cheek in an effort to stir him but there was little response.

He glanced upwards, his eyes dull and lifeless. "What. . .who's there?"

"It's me Joseph, it's me, Mai. Come on, please snap out of it!"

"That voice," Joey murmured, "That beautiful voice. . .so familiar. . ."

"Please Joseph!" Mai begged. "Please." she inhaled sharply, tears threatening to spring forth. "Joseph, I'm so sorry!"

"Sorry?. . ." he asked blankly. "Sorry. . .for what?"

"I lied, Joseph, I lied to you," she sobbed. "When I had that dream, I lied. I said I couldn't remember whether you were there and I lied! I was so ashamed. . .you were there Joseph. You were there the whole time. You're my closest friend!"

Mai's heart sprang to her throat as she saw the spark of recognition in his eyes. "Friend?. . .Dream?" Joey's eyes flickered to life. Wait, there was someone there," he could tell. Somebody was there, standing in front of him. . .touching his face. He felt the cool flesh of fingertips on his cheeks, the exquisitely soft skin cupping his face. "My friend?. . ."

"Yes, Joseph, you're my closest friend, my best friend. You're always there for me and I'll always be there for you. It's me, Mai."

He saw the twinkle of violet eyes at first, the rest of her facial features following shortly thereafter. "Mai. . Mai, is that you?"

"Yes Joey! It's me!" She laughed with relief, a tear running down her cheek.

Marik was stunned. "How? How did she break the Shadow Game? Nobody can!" He growled. "No matter, I'll destroy both of the little lovers. Ra, attack Wheeler's Life Points directly!"

"Mai!" behind her, he caught the glimpse of Ra preparing its attack. "You need to get out of here! He's going to kill you with Ra!"

"I'm not leaving without you!" Mai began to tug on the chains, but they refused to budge. "These chains, they're so bloody tight."

"Go Mai!" Joey shouted, "Please go!"

"Like hell I'm leaving you to die here!" Mai planted her feet squarely, her hands just above his shoulders, effectively turning herself into a human shield as she braced for the blast from Ra. "Not this time!"

Joey opened his mouth to protest her decision but decided against it, his head sagging. "Thank you," he said softly, so that only she could hear. "You're the best friend a guy could ever have."

"Don't mention it," Mai joked weakly. She reached out with her left hand, tilting his face up. "Now look at me, and don't pay attention to Ra." Her face softened. "It'll be alright, I promise." Joey nodded, locking gazes. She was beautiful, he thought to himself, even if she was on the verge of breaking down in tears. He wanted to wipe away her tears, not wanting to see her cry. He was going to be strong but she was more than strong enough for both of them. She was the bravest person he had the pleasure to meet.

"Thank you," he whispered.

"No!" YamiYugi sprang onto the field, his back turned to Marik as he took the brunt of the blast. Joey failed to feel the heat, so intent on keeping his gaze with hers.

"Yugi!" Mai shouted, noticing his presence at last.

"Your game. . ." YamiYugi roared over the blaze. "Is. . .over!" When the attack was over at last, Yami Yugi took a few steps forward, before sinking to his knees and falling unconscious.

The stone of Ojhat and the chains faded and he collapsed into her arms. "I got you Joseph," she whispered tenderly as she got down on her knees, easing his fall to the earth. "I got you."

"And the winner of this duel is Marik Ishtar!" Roland shouted, shattering the unearthly still that fell over the field.

Mai could hear Marik's footsteps behind her, pausing only to nudge the unconscious YamiYugi callously aside with a foot. "I'm here to claim to claim my prize," Marik sneered at her.

"I'm not moving," Mai growled, her hands clutching his shirt just a little tighter.

"I said-," Marik grabbed her shoulder, his fingernails digging into her flesh. She cried out as he managed to draw blood, "-Move!" He forcibly flung her aside, into the railing where the middle struck the middle of her spine. She began to go back to him when she heard the subtle hiss of metal being drawn. There had been a dagger hidden in the shaft of the Millennium Rod the entire time, and he was brandishing it at her throat, the tip just barely touching her jugular artery.

"Leave her alone!" Joey shouted. "It's me you want!"

Marik smirked, pulling the knife away from her bare neck. He sheathed the knife back into the shaft. The head of the Rod began to glow ominously. "You're right," he began, tilting his head to one side, his eyes filled with bloodshot veins. "It is you I want. It's time to pay the price for this Shadow Game!" The Rod flared to life, enveloping the entire battlefield.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Joey found himself chained to a board, his hands strapped above him. Shadows swirled and danced about him, the sound the wailing wind in his ears. The board dangled from another, larger chain of bronze, the links soaring skyward to places unknown. He took a curious glimpse downward to find a pool of bubbling liquid under his feet two feet away. The liquid reminded him of oil slicks on water, of all the colors of the rainbow. This was the color of blood red, black, and a vile shade of purple.

He found Marik standing at the edge of the pool, hands interlaced behind his back. "Hello there," Marik laughed, "So nice to see you here."

"Go to hell!" Joey snarled, snorting his nose. He then spat, sending a globule of saliva and mucus dribbling down Marik's chest.

Marik looked down at the offending saliva, before using the hem of his cape to wipe it away. "A feisty one, aren't you? This is going to be particularly fun."

"What's the meaning of this?" Joey asked, looking up at the chain.

"The meaning of this Penalty? I'm glad you asked," Marik cracked his knuckles. "You see, the liquid underneath you is designed for one purpose: the corruption of memories. Every success you have achieved in life will be corrupted into failures, just like what you are in real life. You are a failure, a boy masquerading a something he is not. The deeper you plunge into the pool, the more memories will be corrupted to the point that they would be deemed unrecognizable! By the time your precious friends will save you, it will be too late! That is, if you even see them as friends any more." Marik turned his back on Joey and began to walk away. "Have fun!"

Joey watched in horror as the bronze chain creaked and groaned slowly. The board inched ever so slowly towards the bubbling, roiling liquid. Joey tried swinging the board he was chained to, hoping that he would be able to delay it a little longer but his efforts were in vain.

His screams of agony and pleas of mercy were like music to Marik's ears.

Okay, I think that this Shadow Game is worse than Mai's was in the original. . .I should probably not be allowed to write Y. Marik ever again.

"Hero": Skillet