With some haste in their step, Yugi and company moved to the King of Games's bedroom.
Jacob stopped in the doorway, admiring the space before him. It was nothing like he'd expected. The walls weren't covered in obnoxious trophies, there weren't piles of fan mail on the small desk against the far wall, and there weren't expensive gadgets and trinkets everywhere. It was rather simple – some posters of different games spread around the walls, shelves lined with books and board games, a twin-sized bed in the corner, and a small television set on the floor facing the bed.
So this is the King of Games's room, he thought, gazing over every inch of it like a mechanic at a car show.
"Hey, other people still need to get in," Scott reminded his friend, nudging him forward so he and Susan could enter.
Tea, Tristan, and Jericho took their seats on Yugi's bed, while the others sat in front of it. Yugi slipped the disc into the player on top of the television, grabbing the remote as he sat back.
"Well, here goes," he said, clicking the power button.
The screen fizzed for a moment before it went black.
"What's the deal? Why would someone send us what's basically a blank disc?" Tristan wondered, folding his legs up on the bed as he got more comfortable.
After a few seconds of nothing, a thin horizontal light shone in the middle of the screen, illuminating what appeared to be two hands holding it.
"…The f*** is this?" Scott questioned, his brow raised.
A voice finally broke the silence on screen. It was nasally, yet dominant and commanding in its direction. "Yugi Moto! I'll keep this simple. If you value your friends' lives and your cards, you'll enter Seto Kaiba's Battle City Tournament and forfeit your Millennium Puzzle to my Rare Hunters. If you don't, your friends will pay dearly for your mistake. You have two days to make your decision. The choice should be obvious."
The video cut out.
Yugi sat and processed what had just been explained to him.
"That was creepy," remarked Susan. "Who was that guy? And what was he holding?"
Joey huffed. "I bet he's the guy that ordered those Rare Hunters to attack us!"
Scott and Tristan stood up, speaking in unison. "Then let's get him!"
The two turned to each other. "I'll kick his a*** while you kick his face in!"
"Yeah!"
Tea, trying to stop a lynch mob from forming, stood in between them and held out her hands. "Guys, calm down. We don't know anything for sure yet. We can't act too quickly. Right, Yugi?"
~*~*~*~
Several Rare Hunters surrounded two duelists like they were observing a street fight. On one side, Odion had two face-down cards in his back row and on the frontlines was a giant multi-legged scorpion-like creature, coiling its tail back in preparation for what was sure to be a nasty attack. Opposite of the bald Egyptian was Kai, who had two cards face-down in his back row and two half-beast-half-animal looking creatures defending his Life Points. Above them all, nearly touching the ceiling, was an effulgent golden pyramid, turning even the darkest of crevices in the warehouse to brightly lit areas. Some of the Rare Hunters had their hoods up to block out the immense light.
"This duel is nearing its end," Odion declared. "By devouring your monsters, my Mystical Beast of Serket has already amassed 4,600 attack points, far exceeding those of your Sphinx Teleia and Andro Sphinx."
"Yeah, get him, Odion! That bug is f***ing sick!" screamed one of the Rare Hunters in the crowd.
Odion continued, "Once it destroys your two monsters, it will have 7,350 attack points, higher than anything you can muster."
With 5,000 Life Points still left in the duel, Kai didn't feel as threatened by Odion's seemingly ever-powerful monster as one of the lesser Rare Hunters would. He calculated his strategy, planning for Odion's attack and the aftermath of it.
"You're right, Odion," Kai said. "This duel is nearing its end, but I won't be the loser. Your monster doesn't scare me and neither do you."
"Fine, then, Serket, devour his Andro Sphinx so that your strength may grow!"
"Activate face-down card - Super Rush Recklessly!"
Kai's face-down card responded by standing vertically next to him, depicting a tomato red boar goring a man at supersonic speed.
"With this card," Kai began, "I can return your Serket to your deck by destroying one of my monsters, meaning your attack doesn't go through and your field will be wide open on my next turn."
Odion wasn't fazed by this. "I figured you had something waiting for my attack, so I, too, had a counter-measure! Behold my Trap Jammer!"
Odion's card activated, and out of its purple confines came a circle with ancient writings throughout its body. Inside the circle lay a bear trap that jumped out, expanding and chewing Kai's card to shreds.
Kai grimaced slightly. Figures he had that waiting for me, but that's alright. I can still pull off my strategy.
"Your trap was negated by mine, and now my Serket is once again free to grasp its next meal!" Odion proudly tossed his hand out, signaling to his monster to continue its attack.
The voracious arachnid screeched as all of its legs pushed it forward. The rabid lion Andro flexed its large biceps as it got into a defensive position, grabbing both of Serket's large pincers in each hand. Unfortunately, Serket's tail was still free, and stabbed into the bipedal lion's neck, its lethal barb injecting fast-acting venom that sent Andro into a series of severe convulsions. As Andro shook on the floor, Serket gobbled it up, growing even bigger and more powerful, its attack points shooting up to 6,100 and Kai's Life Points dropping to 3,400.
Serket returned to Odion's side of the field as he motioned for Kai to take his turn.
The young adult drew his card, adding it to the four others he had in his hand while double-checking his strategy. I've got everything I need to end him right here and earn my shot at taking down Kaiba in the tournament.
"You have 2,200 Life Points left," Kai reminded his opponent, plucking a card from his hand and sliding it into a back row slot of his dueling device. "Soon you'll have none… You may be Marik's top duelist, but that won't stop me from taking you out."
One of the Rare Hunters near the back of the crowd shouted out, "Don't let him talk to you like that, Master Odion! Kick his a*** and show him why you're number one!" His comments began to rile up the crowd.
"Silence, you fools!" Odion ordered, quelling the uproar immediately. The rest of these lowlifes here cower at my feet, but you, Kai, you're different. You show no fear, despite knowing my status. Certainly from having seen me duel, you should know how powerful I am, yet you haven't given an inch in this battle. You're a competent adversary. Regardless of this test, you should go far in the Battle City Tournament.
"This card spells your Mystical Beast of Serket's demise," Kai said confidently, sliding his finger over the top of a particular card in his hand. "Now, first I need to bring back the monster you just destroyed, and I'll do it with Monster Reincarnation!"
He played his card, a teal metal cross with two sets of wings floating down from below the Pyramid of Light, being almost enveloped in its rays. It stopped a few feet from the floor, then lit up in its own teal rays, rising back up toward the ceiling. As it rose, the floor cracked apart and Andro Sphinx climbed out from the crevice, then dematerialized as Kai put the card in his hand after discarding one other.
"Since Andro Sphinx can't be brought back from the Graveyard by conventional means, I had to think outside the deck box a little with Monster Reincarnation instead of simply using Monster Reborn. Now, since he's back in my hand, I can give up 500 Life Points to summon him to the field again!"
Rubble fell off of its armor and mane as it positioned itself next to Teleia once again, the two monsters giving one another a look of welcoming.
[Kai: (3,400 = 2,900) / Odion: (2,200)]
"Welcome back, my Andro Sphinx."
"Why did you bring back a monster that will only be destroyed and have its power absorbed again?" wondered Odion, genuinely bewildered by this tactic.
Kai held up another card from his hand. "You'll see. Now, I activate Wild Nature's Release!"
Andro was overtaken by a sudden rush of power, a blazing orange aura surrounding it, causing Teleia to hop back a couple feet from its sheer temperature.
Odion just stood silently, still wondering what his opponent was up to. Despite that power-up, it was still weaker than his Serket.
"That card?" Odion asked. "But even with that, your monster is still weaker than mine by 600 points, and it'll be destroyed at the end of your turn. What are you up to?"
"You're missing the bigger picture. Wild Nature's Release adds my monster's current defense points to its attack points, giving it 5,500 points, but do you really think I'm finished pumping him up yet?"
Some of the Rare Hunters ooh'd and ahh'd as Kai smiled coyly.
Odion's sweat glands began to act up, a small drop forming on the back of his head. If he's not bluffing, his monster will become more powerful than mine! He glanced at his face-down card. My Mirror Force Trap Card will be able to destroy both of his monsters at once, but if his Andro is just going to be destroyed at the end of his turn anyway, is it worth it? I may need it after this turn if Serket is destroyed since I'll have no monsters to defend my Life Points from another assault. The cards in his hand – Seven Tools of the Bandit, Embodiment of Apophis, and another Trap Jammer – weren't going to help him out of this particular bind.
Kai looked down at the one card left in his hand, then pointed to the card he had had face-down on the field for a few turns now.
"Activate face-down – Axe of Despair!"
More sweat developed on Odion's rough skin as an axe appeared on the field, the handle looking as if it were constructed out of burnt skin. All this time I thought that was a Trap Card, but now I find out it was a simple Magic Card? I could have destroyed that thing at the beginning of this duel had I known!
"Equipping this to Andro raises his attack points by 1,000 (5,500 = 6,500), giving him enough to rid the field of your pesky Serket. Oh, and don't forget Andro's special ability – whenever it destroys one of your monsters, half of that monster's attack points are deducted from your Life Points. In simple terms, your own monster will be your undoing."
An invisible hammer hit Odion right in the chest, making it hard to breath. He's right! If I allow my Serket to be destroyed by that beast, I'll lose the rest of my Life Points. I have no choice.
Andro gripped the axe in its clawed hands, snarling mischievously as Kai called for it to attack Odion's Serket. It let out a battle roar, then jumped twenty feet in the air, bringing the axe down as hard as it could on Serket, only…
Odion was ready for the attack, springing his Mirror Force up just in time. A reflective mirror-like substance formed in front of Serket, shielding it from Andro's foray.
"My Mirror Force will protect Serket and destroy every monster on your side of the field that's in attack position!" shouted Odion, clenching his fists as a small feeling of relief came over him. He'll only have one card left in his hand after this, and on my next turn I'll be able to set more traps to bounce back and claim victory. I'll show Master Marik that I am truly the best suited for protecting him and taking down his adversaries.
Kai snickered calmly as Andro Sphinx and Sphinx Teleia burst into what looked like glass pieces, catching Odion's interest.
"Why are you laughing?!" asked Odion, becoming flustered by Kai's behavior.
"You forget who you're dueling," Kai explained, shifting the card in his hand between his fingers as he surveyed the field. "I've seen you battle some of these clowns before. I know your strategies and I know which cards you have in your deck. I knew you had a Mirror Force that you hadn't yet used and, knowing your strategies, I figured that face-down had to have been it. You probably wanted to save it for later, but once I reminded you of Andro's effect, you had no choice but to use it this turn. And you know what?"
He paused, building up anticipation for his next words. The Rare Hunters watching the duel were entranced, having not seen such a good duel in many months.
Kai shook his head slowly. "It was a waste."
This insulted Odion, and he spat back, "Impossible! I destroyed your only two monsters, leaving you with nothing to defend yourself against my next attack! You're just trying to rile me up!"
"It's working," Kai murmured to himself.
"Explain your empty words!"
Kai took the last card in his hand and flipped it so that it was facing Odion. "You did exactly what I needed you to do so that I could use the trump card of this deck."
~*~*~*~
Contemplating his next move, Yugi stood up from the floor. He looked up at all of his friends, who were waiting for his input.
"Well, Yug?" Joey asked.
"It's just like he said," Yugi replied. "The choice is obvious."
"What? So you're gonna give up your Millennium Puzzle to those crooks?!" Tristan said with concern in his voice.
Yugi shook his head. "Not quite. I'm already entered in Kaiba's tournament, but I'm not going to give up my puzzle. If he wants it, he'll have to win it from me, and I'm not going to let that happen!"
Joey jumped with joy. "I knew you wouldn't give up that easily! Don't worry, Yug. You got me by your side throughout this whole thing. I won't let those guys touch your puzzle!"
Scott and Jacob joined in the pep talk.
"Yeah, we're with you, too, dude!" Scott said excitedly.
"Those Rare Hunters won't stand a chance against all of us!" added Jacob, taking out his deck and sifting through his cards. Doing this, he noticed the time on his watch – it was past midnight. "Oh, crap! Sorry, guys, but me and Susan have to get going. Our mom is probably worried sick about us." He bowed his head to Yugi. "Thank you for everything you've done for us. I owe you one…no, more than one. I owe you my life."
Yugi chuckled, holding up his hands. "No, it's okay. Don't mention it!"
Susan yawned, stretching out her legs as she stood up and neared the door. "Phew, I'm exhausted. Thank you again, Yugi, Joey, Tristan, Tea, Jericho. I'll see you at the tournament!"
"For sure!" Tea said, giving her a thumbs up.
Susan and Jacob exited the room, but Scott was stopped in the archway by a hand on his shoulder. He turned to find Jericho in front of him.
"Don't forget, we still need to have a duel," the man said.
Scott nodded affirmatively, then headed out.
"We have two days before Kaiba's tournament starts. Let's make the most of them, alright, guys?" Tea mentioned, gathering everyone's attention.
Yugi smiled. "Yeah. It looks like I have a lot more to prepare for than I thought going into this tournament. But I'm glad I'm not alone."
~*~*~*~
Odion was silent, trying to calm himself down. He was Marik's right-hand man, his most trusted advisor and duelist ever since they were children growing up together. Marik entrusted him to test Kai, one of their most recent acquisitions. He knew going in that Kai was a skilled duelist, but he didn't think he'd be as good as he was. From the moment the duel started, Kai held his own against him, despite their difference in battle experience.
They fared mostly evenly for most of the duel up until Kai managed to summon his top tier Sphinxes. The older duelist's experience and trap-heavy deck were the only things that kept him from being demolished early on. Summoning his Mystical Beast of Serket turned the tide, though, and kept Kai on the defensive up until recently.
Now, without Serket, Odion was on the defensive once more.
Cracking his knuckles, Kai went on. "You see, in order to summon Theinen the Great Sphinx, both Andro and Teleia have to be destroyed simultaneously. Then I can give up 1,000 Life Points to bring him out, which I'll do now!"
[Kai: (2,900 = 1,900) / Odion: (2,200)]
The Pyramid of Light dimmed, almost as if it had been doused with dirt. Seconds passed and then it began rumbling. The bottom split open, and the pyramid lit up once more, shining down on a descending creature that Odion had only witnessed once in his lifetime before now.
The beast was seemingly a hybrid of Kai's previous two monsters, with Andro's upper body and Teleia's lower body. The only notable differences were the definition of the monster's physique, the armor it wore, and the two feathered wings sprouting from its back.
"Meet Theinen the Great Sphinx (3500/3000)!" Kai announced, basking in its glory. "His special ability allows me to sacrifice another 1,000 of my Life Points to increase his attack by the combined attack points of every monster in my Graveyard until the end of my next turn!"
[Kai: (1,900 = 900) / Odion: (2,200)]
Thick beams of dusty light flickered out of Kai's Duel Disk, zapping into Theinen the Great Sphinx. Each zap appeared to increase the beast's already impressive muscle mass and height. Soon it towered over Serket, who had previously been the largest monster on the field.
Kai closed his eyes, counting in his mind how many of his creatures had been wiped out since the start of the duel. Andro Sphinx, Sphinx Teleia, Guardian Sphinx, Criosphinx, Enraged Battle Ox, Sea Koala, two Unifloras, two Dust Knights, Gigantes, two Warrior Lady of the Wastelands…
Odion stood still, awaiting the beast's attack. He knew his key monster was about to be wiped from the field as well as the rest of his Life Points.
"Thirteen monsters with a whopping total of 20,800 attack points. Add that to my Theinen's 3,500 and he's got 24,300 attack points. Your Serket barely has a quarter of his strength!"
Odion recalled perfectly how many monsters he'd taken out before this moment, and how powerful they were. He didn't think he'd have to deal with a situation like this from his destruction, though.
"And since I'm still technically in my Battle Phase, I can finally eradicate your monster for good!"
Kai ordered his attack, to which Theinen merely stepped on the bug, squashing it with little effort.
[Kai: (900) / Odion: (2,200 = 0)]
As Odion grasped how the duel had turned out like this, Kai deactivated his Duel Disk, collecting his cards and stuffing them into a shiny bronze deck box, which he placed in a pocket in his pants.
"As per Master Marik's directions, you were tested," Odion spoke in an almost robotic tone, putting his deck away as well. "And it's obvious that you passed."
A large number of the Rare Hunters that were gathered around the two started conversing amongst themselves, bewildered by the overwhelmingly powerful final attack from Theinen the Great Sphinx.
"Remind me not to screw with these guys again," said one.
"Goddamn, I thought Odion would have won easily."
"Tch. You're telling me. I just lost twenty bucks."
"Those Sphinx cards are incredibly powerful. I hope I don't have to face anybody with them at Battle City."
"Odion almost had that kid a few times. If it weren't for that Theinen Sphinx thing, he would have won. Guaranteed."
Ignoring the Rare Hunters' chitchat, Odion turned and headed back toward his master's chamber, Kai following close behind, the Rare Hunters parting as they moved.
In Marik's dwelling, the mastermind Egyptian was still observing the wall of television monitors, wagging his Millennium Rod around.
"Master Marik, he is ready," Odion affirmed, kneeling and bowing down as Marik spun his chair to face them.
Marik examined Kai. "Excellent. If you could defeat Odion using that Sphinx deck, you will certainly be unstoppable in the tournament with your real deck."
Odion perked up. His real deck? Could that mean he's even stronger than what he showed in our duel?
Kai looked at his former opponent, relishing in his curiosity. Heh. He has no idea. That Sphinx deck was just a backup. I have yet to reveal the deck I'll actually be using in the tournament, the one that will humiliate Kaiba...
Odion pondered to himself as Kai moved closer to the monitors. Regardless, I trust Master Marik's decision.
Marik observed Kai viewing the monitors, enjoying the feeling of control he had over him. The boy is so determined to duel Seto Kaiba, he's left himself completely open to my control. He'll be easy to manipulate once the tournament starts.
"The tournament begins in two days. I want both of you ready. Yugi's Millennium Puzzle and Kaiba's Egyptian God Card will both be mine, and if those four girls interfere again, I'll kill them."