Scott and Jericho's Duel Disks activated as they took their places.
"Uh oh, we've got trouble!" Tea alerted the others as the gang of Rare Hunters drew closer. "Rare Hunters!"
Scott groaned. "Already? Christ, the tournament literally just started! Sorry, dude, but I guess we'll have to wait on our duel just a little longer."
"It's alright. I didn't want to eliminate you this early yet anyway," Jericho joked.
Tristan and Joey stepped in front of Tea protectively.
"Yugi Moto! We are Rare Hunters and we want that Dark Magician you have," announced the closest hunter. "Duel me!"
Yugi's Millennium Puzzle lit up and soon the pharaoh took his place, looking with disdain at his adversaries. Before he could make his move, Jacob stepped in front of him.
"Not so fast!" he shouted firmly. "If you want a duel, I'll be your opponent!"
The Rare Hunters laughed to themselves, irritating the young duelist.
"What's the matter? Are you afraid of a high school kid making you look like a fool?"
"You're the fool for challenging me! I am Devero, number one Rare Hunter!"
"I don't really care who you are. When you threaten my friends, you cross the line. Let's do this!"
Yugi asked from the background, "Jacob, are you sure you want to do this? These Rare Hunters can be cunning."
"I'm sure," Jacob responded flatly, drawing his opening hand.
"Jacob, be careful..." Susan worriedly said. This is your first serious duel, and if you lose this, you'll be out of the tournament right away! Please, watch yourself and pay attention.
The KaibaCorp tower stood at the center of Domino City, conspicuous and overbearing, almost like Kaiba was compensating for something. It stood above even the clouds, barely touching the sun.
Inside its main control room, dozens of computer screens lit up with graphs, charts, videos of various Duel Monsters cards, statistics, and views of different sections around the city. Each screen had a female attending it.
The CEO of the company, Seto Kaiba, stood at the helm of the room, Mokuba at his side. He pompously smiled at his creation.
"Detecting activation of Duel Disk battle system," a mechanical female voice rang out through the speakers in the room. "Competitors: Jacob McKnight versus Rare Hunter. Beaming duel status to KaibaCorp mainframe."
Kaiba had no idea who that was. "Pull up the duel on monitor one. I want to see who the first people are to participate in my tournament." I'm surprised Yugi isn't one of the duelists.
"Right away, sir," responded one of the women.
As the duel was shown on the biggest screen in the room, Kaiba snickered when he noticed Yugi standing on Jacob's side.
"Figures he'd be involved somehow."
Mokuba excitedly leaned into a small monitor in front of him. "Hey, the other duels are coming in now, too! Our system is recording all of the cards being played. If anyone uses one of the two remaining Egyptian God Cards, we'll know exactly where it is!"
Perfect. My plan is coming along nicely. As soon as one of the Egyptian God Cards is played, I'll be right there to take it from the winner. Once I have all three, I'll be completely unstoppable. Every duelist will shudder in my wake. Kaiba chuckled ominously to himself.
"Let's see what Yugi's involvement is in this."
Devero had naturally decided to go first in his duel with Jacob. With six cards in hand, he plucked one card and placed it face-down.
"Let's see you get past my face-down monster," he sniggered.
"I will," Jacob said, drawing a card. He's wide open apart from that one face-down. I have to capitalize on this and give myself the advantage first. He pushed a card into the bottom of his Duel Disk, waiting for it to materialize face-down in front of him. "I play one face-down card, and then I summon Command Knight (1200/1900) to the field in Attack Mode!"
Decked out in dark red armor lined in gold designs and with a purple cape fluttering behind it, Command Knight marched to the field, one hand grasping the hilt of its sword as it awaited orders from its king.
"My monster's ability gives each Warrior-Type monster 400 extra attack points, including itself (1200 = 1600)!"
The Rare Hunter hardly seemed concerned.
"Command Knight, attack his face-down monster!"
The knight leapt forward and removed its sword, stabbing into the face-down card near Devero. It flipped over, revealing a simple koala with a twig of bamboo in its mouth – Des Koala (1100/1800).
Yugi's pupils dilated as he saw which monster it was. "Jacob, watch out! That monster has a nasty special ability!"
"He's right!" Devero laughed. "My Des Koala inflicts 400 damage for each card in your hand, and I count four. Plus, he has higher defense than your pathetic knight's attack, so you lose an additional 200 Life Points. What a loser."
"That's 1,800 Life Points altogether!" Susan cried. "You have to be more careful, Jacob!"
[Jacob: (8000 = 6200) / Devero: (8000)]
"Damn, that's brutal," Jericho said. "And it's only his first turn."
"He can turn it around," Scott added. "He has to if he wants to face me in the finals! Come on, man!"
Jacob grunted as his Life Points took a big hit. Susan's right. I have to take it a little slower if I want to last in this duel. He looked over his hand. "I end my turn."
"That's it, huh?" Devero laughed. "Fine, then." He drew. "I place two cards face-down, then I summon another monster face-down as well."
Another face-down monster. He must think I'll blindly attack it. But what if he's expecting me not to attack it so he can sacrifice both of them for a much stronger monster next turn? He snarled, looking over his hand as he drew his next card. I have to figure out his strategy and quickly, but I can't neglect mine either. For now, I'll just have to build up my forces.
"I summon Marauding Captain (1200/400) in Attack Mode!"
Next to Command Knight appeared another soldiers laden in thick silver armor and holding two long swords.
"And his special ability allows me to Special Summon another Warrior-Type monster from my hand as long as it's Level 3 or lower," Jacob explained, laying another Marauding Captain onto his Duel Disk. "Now that I've got two Marauding Captains on the field, you're done."
"And why's that?" asked Devero, humoring the young boy. "They're both still weaker than my Des Koala even with your Command Knight's power-up."
"I'll tell you why. Marauding Captain's second special ability makes it so that when you attack, you can't attack another Warrior-Type except him! And since I have two on the field, their abilities cover for each other, so you can't attack any of my monsters, and my Life Points are safe!"
"Alright, man! That's the way!" Scott shouted.
"He's got nothing on you now!" Joey joined in. "Kick that slime ball's ass!"
Despite the impressive combo his friend had pulled out, Yugi couldn't help but worry still. That Rare Hunter isn't concerned at all that he can't attack with his monsters, but then again, he's not trying to. What's his strategy?
Devero laughed, partially in part because his opponent was playing right into his hands and partially to irritate him.
Something's up. I just pulled out two more monsters and effectively built an impenetrable wall, yet he's laughing at me. "What gives, Rare Hunter?" Jacob asked.
"You'll see when I activate this – Secret Barrel!" With a press of a button, the Rare Hunter's trap card flipped upwards, and a multi-barreled machine gun pelted Jacob.
The boy fell to one knee, eliciting cries from his sister and best friend. He rubbed his chest where the bullets had hit and tried to regain his breath. The Life Point counter on his Duel Disk beeped and began to go down rapidly.
"Secret Barrel blasts away 200 of your Life Points for each card on your side of the field and in your hand," Devero clarified with a devious grin on his bony face.
Scott clenched his fist. "That's another 1,400 Life Points gone!"
Tristan chimed in, "He's lost 3,200 Life Points already, and the Rare Hunter hasn't even attacked with a single monster!"
"I've deduced that Jacob's strategy is to swarm the field with Warrior-Type monsters," elucidated Aaron. "The Rare Hunter's strategy is to chip away at the opponent's Life Points with cards that deal effect damage, therefore he doesn't need to attack with his monsters. Unfortunately, that means he can win the duel without being affected by Jacob's monsters."
[Jacob: (6200 = 4800) / Devero: (8000)]
This guy is pissing me off! He hasn't attacked once yet he's gotten rid of almost half of my Life Points! I need to figure out a way to get to his Life Points before he depletes all of mine. I know there's something in my deck that can help me here. He drew his card, disappointment showing on his face quickly after.
"Didn't draw what you needed, huh? Too bad," said Devero insincerely.
"I end my turn," Jacob said glumly.
Devero gladly drew his next card. "Alright, I think it's time I went on the offensive! I sacrifice my face-down monster, Sangan, to summon Raiza the Storm Monarch (2400/1000)!"
A whirlwind kicked up, blowing the trees in the courtyard around. The wind was so powerful that the cloth roof of the hot dog stand ripped off, flying away into the sky as the hot dog guy chased after it. Jacob and the others covered themselves with their arms as Devero's monster appeared. It was a tall humanoid creature completely covered in metallic armor in varying shades of green, a long cape behind it that was separated down the middle to give the appearance of wings.
"First thing's first," Devero continued. "Whenever Sangan is sent from the field to the Graveyard, I can take a monster from my deck and put it in my hand as long as it has 1,500 or less attack points." He sifted through his deck, admiring the cards he had available to him.
Jacob gritted his teeth, trying to remain calm in the face of his opponent's newly summon beast. That monarch has way more attack points than any of mine, but it still can't attack due to Marauding Captain's effect.
"Ah, I think I'll choose Giant Rat," said Devero, taking a card from his deck and showing it to Jacob. "With that out of the way, my Raiza the Storm Monarch's special ability activates when it's successfully Tribute Summoned!"
Oh, shit, Jacob thought, his calmness slowly slipping away. That can't be good.
Devero smirked. "I can choose one card on the field and return it to the top of the deck, and guess which card I choose? It's gonna be one of your Marauding Captains! Time to break through that wall, kid." He began laughing maniacally.
Reluctantly, Jacob removed one of the Marauding Captains from his Duel Disk, sliding it back onto the top of his deck. He bit his lower lip.
"Raiza the Storm Monarch, get rid of that other pesky Marauding Captain with Storm Whirlwind!" Devero called out.
The green armored humanoid slowly raised its arms, extending them out and opening its palms. The wind kicked up again, at first a bit breezy and then suddenly powerful enough to knock one off their feet. Two small tornadoes developed on either side of the Marauding Captain, coming together and picking it up. Several lightning bolts struck the flailing warrior, burning it to a crisp before it dematerialized.
[Jacob: (4800 = 4000) / Devero: (8000)]
Watching the battle from the control room of KaibaCorp, Seto Kaiba enjoyed watching one of Yugi's friends squirm, but he had no clue who the duelist was that was inflicting this pain.
"This Devero guy is making Yugi's friend look like a complete joke," he said as a picture of the man was pulled up on the big screen. "What information do we have on him?"
One of the dime a dozen employees responded, "Very little. He wasn't listed in your tournament database until about two days ago."
Kaiba sold shock. "What?! How's that possible?"
"He must have hacked into the system and added himself."
"That's illegal!" Mokuba protested.
The woman elaborated, "He calls himself a Rare Hunter. That's about all the information we have on him. Sorry, sir."
Mokuba turned on his heel to leave the room. "We'll disqualify him! Right, Seto?"
"Wait." He lowered his head, realizing that the presence of Rare Hunters was in his best interest. "They took my bait. It's just as I planned."
Seto Kaiba wasn't the only one observing the duel. From the security of his hideaway, Marik Ishtar also took entertainment to watching his servants terrorize Yugi and his friends. Odion stood by his side.
"It's not Yugi, but this could be even better," remarked Marik, folding his hands together on his lap.
"What do you mean, master?"
"By taking out his friends, Yugi's confidence will be crushed. When I finally make my move, he'll be nothing more than a pushover."
"Hmm."
Marik continued, "It's all falling into place, Odion. First, I'll have my Rare Hunters dismantle his group of friends, crushing his spirit. Then, I'll go after Yugi himself and claim his Millennium Puzzle! All the while Kai will have gotten Obelisk the Tormentor from our tournament host, Mister Seto Kaiba. When I have all three Egyptian God Cards and the Millennium Puzzle, I'll have the power of the pharaoh at my fingertips. I'll be unstoppable and this world will finally be mine!"
Back in the duel, Jacob stood with 4,800 Life Points, one Command Knight on the field, one face-down card in his back row, and four cards in his hand. On the other side, Devero was on the offensive with all of his Life Points intact, Raiza the Storm Monarch and Des Koala on his field, two cards in his back row, and four cards in his hand.
It was Jacob's turn again and he knew it would over soon if he couldn't find a way to fight back and get an advantage.
"You can still win this, man!" Scott yelled.
"We believe in you!" added Susan.
Believe…believe…that's it! Yugi said all I had to do was believe in my cards and I couldn't be beat. He drew his card, which was the Marauding Captain sent to the top of his deck by Raiza's effect. It's time to rebuild my wall.
"I play The Warrior Returning Alive!" he proclaimed loudly. "With this, I can take one Warrior-Type monster from my Graveyard and add it to my hand, and the only one in there is Marauding Captain." The card ejected from a slot in his Duel Disk, falling into his hand.
"So what?"
"Are you forgetting what you just did last turn? You sent my other Marauding Captain to the top of my deck, and I just drew it. Now I have both of them back to stop you from attacking once more!"
Devero shrugged. "Big deal. Go ahead and summon them again. It won't matter."
Jacob placed his two monsters on his Duel Disk, both of them summoning almost simultaneously. A barely visible gray aura surrounded them and Command Knight as they appeared.
"Once again, you fell into my trap!" Devero activated a face-down. "Go, Secret Barrel!"
"Another one?!" Joey gasped. "That's not good!"
Jacob lifted his arms up to cover his chest and face as the turret bombarded him with bullets. He stood his ground this time, though the hit to his Life Points wasn't favorable.
[Jacob: (4000 = 2600) / Devero: (8000)]
"That chode!" Jericho angrily murmured. "It doesn't matter what Jacob does! If he stays defensive, that ass clown will just use his traps to take out Jacob's Life Points, but if he goes on the offensive, his monsters' special abilities will do the same thing!"
"There's gotta be a way for him to win this," Tea said, half-wondering and half-stating.
"That was cheap," Jacob hissed. "But I'm not out yet. I place one card face-down. It's your move now."
"If you think that was cheap, wait till you see this." Devero jammed a card into his Duel Disk, snickering mischievously. "Say hello to Dark Hole! This wipes out every monster on the field!"
He leaned forward, holding his gut as he laughed uncontrollably, watching Jacob's face contort more with each monster sucked into the black hole in the middle of the field.
"You just wasted all of that!"
"Your monster is gone, too…" Jacob said, trying to convince himself that something good came out of that.
"Good, because now I can summon an even more powerful monster in its place!"
Jacob's pupils dilated. What's he talking about? How can he summon something stronger with no monsters to sacrifice?
"I can tell by the look on your face that you're frozen in fear," Devero said. "It's quite simple. The effect of this monster allows me to Special Summon it when one of my Beast-Type monsters is destroyed, and all I have to do is give up 1,000 Life Points. Quite a deal for this monster."
[Jacob: (2600) / Devero: (8000 = 7000)]
After Devero placed the card on his Duel Disk, a behemoth stepped out of the hologram card's borders. Its skin was dark green, and it had some form of armor on its shoulders and around its forearms. In its left hand it wielded a big wooden club.
"What the hell is that?!" Jacob screeched, dread overcoming him.
"That is my Green Baboon, Defender of the Forest (2600/1800)!"
"This Rare Hunter isn't half bad," Seto Kaiba commented. "Of course, he'd be no match for me, but against someone like that Jacob McKnight kid, I can see why he would look fairly imposing. That's a strong monster he summoned, and he did it while clearing the opponent's field as well. The only Life Points he's lost so far have been the ones he gave up to bring that monster out."
Mokuba huffed loudly as he noticed something on the screen. "Seto! His cards!"
Kaiba pulled up a separate screen on the monitor below him, observing the Rare Hunter's cards closely. It took a moment, but then he realized what the problem was.
"He marked his cards, and that's why he's been so confident this whole time. He always knows which card he's going to draw next, so he can always be one step ahead of his opponent."
"This guy's a menace! First he hacks into your system and now this? Come on! I'm going to disqualify him before this duel goes any further, Seto!" Mokuba avowed.
"Let it go, Mokuba," Seto said coolly. "I'm aware of his shenanigans, but I'm willing to let it slide this time."
Mokuba held out his arms in objection. "Sorry, big brother, but you made me Battle City Commissioner, so it's my duty to uphold the rules! Give me one good reason why I shouldn't flush that turd right out of Battle City!"
"Because I need him. This Devero guy may have something I want." Besides, I can't wait to see how Yugi deals with one of his friends being eliminated right off the bat.
Smiling widely, Devero gave Jacob a thumbs down.
"One attack from my Green Baboon and you're finished, kid! Then you'll hand over your rarest card and your only locator card, and then we're coming after you, Yugi!"
"You won't get past my friend, Devero!" Yugi retorted. "I can assure you that!"
"By the look of this duel, yes, I will," Devero said snidely. "Now, Green Baboon, attack and finish off this twerp!"
Green Baboon shrieked and ran at Jacob, raising its massive club.
"I activate Negate Attack!"
A vortex of colors swirled in front of Green Baboon, absorbing its attack and sending it back to Devero's side of the field.
"You've only delayed the inevitable," the miffed Rare Hunter said.
Jacob ignored the Rare Hunter's taunting and pressed his fingers against his deck. Believe in my cards. Come on!
He ripped a card out, hesitating to look at it immediately.
"Yes! I summon Gearfried the Iron Knight (1800/1600)!"
Purple rays poured out of the materialized card as a tall being stepped onto the field, covered in iron armor. Large iron shields concealed its arms.
"That thing is too weak to do anything," Devero claimed.
"You're almost right," Jacob said. "He's too weak to attack you with, but he's exactly what I need to use this card!" He slid a green-bordered card into its slot. "Release Restraint! It allows me to take Geafried the Swordmaster from my deck and summon him to the field."
"Hell yeah!" Scott cheered. "That's Jacob's ace combo right there!"
Light shone out of the cracks in Gearfried's armor, soon enveloping him. Purple electricity crackled around the mass of light. Seconds later, a different warrior appeared in Gearfried's place. It was a physically impressive man wearing nothing but a cloth around his waist. He had long dark hair that came down to his tailbone. Held in both hands was a thin sword that was the length of half his body.
"Who the hell?" Devero asked.
"That's Gearfried the Swordmaster (2600/2200)! He's strong enough to end your monster, but that's not what I have planned." Jacob slid another card into his Duel Disk's bottom row. "I activate Fusion Sword Murasame Blade!"
Geafried the Swordmaster's weapon dissolved, being replaced by a thicker and slightly shorter sword that fused with its right arm.
"That sword increases Gearfried's attack by 800 points (2600 = 3400)," Jacob said triumphantly. "Now he's more than enough to deal with your Green Baboon, but I'm not gonna attack just yet. Gearfried's special ability lets me destroy one of your monsters each time I equip him with an Equip Spell Card."
Devero complained, "That's bullshit!"
Gearfried's sword shot a purple-orange laser right through Green Baboon, slicing it in half effortlessly and ridding the field of its presence.
Yugi smiled as Jacob declared his attack, finally cutting into the Rare Hunter's Life Points.
[Jacob: (2600) / Devero: (7000 = 3600)]
"Wow! Now the Rare Hunter's Life Points are only 1,000 higher than Jacob's!" Tea exclaimed joyfully.
Susan heaved a sigh of relief. There you go, Jake. Don't let up now!
Devero's eye twitched as he grasped his next card. I-I can't let him beat me or Master Marik will be furious! "Argh, I summon Neo-Spacian Grand Mole (900/300)!"
A furry little creature drilled out of the ground with its nose, swiping at the air with its claws as the two drills on its shoulders spun in intervals.
"Attack his Gearfried, my Mole!" Devero ordered.
"What are you thinking?" Jacob questioned as their two monsters collided.
When neither monster took was destroyed or took any damage, Jacob's brow raised almost to the top of his forehead.
"Neo-Spacian Grand Mole's ability gives me the option to return both of our monsters to our hands without taking any battle damage," Devero explained, gaining a toothy grin akin to that of the Rare Hunter Yugi had fought in the warehouse.
Damn it! Just when I get some momentum going, he has to go and ruin it. Luckily for me, his field is wide open next turn. Jacob replaced Gearfried the Swordmaster in his hand, eyeing the other card he had been holding.
"Just in case you were thinking about ending this duel on your turn," Devero started, pointing to his face-down card, "here's a little surprise for you – Gravity Bind!" Hehe. Now he won't be making any of those plays again. My Life Points will be safe, at least until I can summon something to protect them.
From Devero's side of the field came a magnificent blue orb, static electricity crackling inside of it. It sent a small wave outward, but this didn't seem to have an effect on anyone.
"What does that card do?" Jacob asked.
"It stops all Level 4 or higher monsters from attacking," replied Devero. "That means you won't be repeating any of that Gearfried nonsense again!"
Jacob considered this, then peered at his hand as he drew his newest card. His Gravity Bind would definitely put me in a troublesome situation if I had some Level 4 or higher monsters on the field, but I don't, and the only one in my hand is Gearfried the Swordmaster. He's in for a rude awakening now.
"It's over, Devero," he asserted firmly.
In disbelief, Devero scoffed. "You're bluffing. You can't summon anything powerful enough to wipe out my Life Points while I have Gravity Bind on the field."
Adjusting his glasses, Aaron decided he should comment on the situation. "Jacob doesn't need to summon a very powerful monster at this point. I think I know exactly what he's got in mind to finish this Rare Hunter off."
"Yeah? What's that?" Joey asked.
"His whole strategy is basically swarming the field with Warrior-Type monsters. That hasn't changed since the duel began as far as I've seen."
"You mean he's gonna summon more than one monster again?"
"Precisely. That Gravity Bind card is overall useless against someone like Jacob, whose monsters are mostly Level 3 and below from what I've observed, which is exactly what that Trap Card can't stop."
On the battlefield, Jacob picked a card from his hand and showed it to the Rare Hunter. "Remember this guy?"
Devero squinted his eyes to see the card. It resembled something familiar from earlier in the duel. It was definitely another Warrior-Type. Wait a minute. Is that…? No!
"I summon Marauding Captain (1200/400) to the field in Attack Mode!"
Returning to the field for a third time was Marauding Captain, swinging his sword with a purpose, ready for revenge.
"And with him I can summon another of my monsters," Jacob noted, placing another card onto the dueling device. "So I bring forth Mataza the Zapper (1300/800)!"
Out of Marauding Captain's shadow came a seventeenth century warrior decked out in samurai armor and weaponry. It sneered at Devero.
"Together they only have 2,500 attack points," Devero said. "I'll still survive another turn, and that'll be long enough to come back and destroy you."
"We'll see. Marauding Captain, attack him directly!"
The blond warrior's sword flung forward as it dashed into Devero, jabbing him without mercy.
[Jacob: (2600) / Devero: (3600 = 2400)]
Devero shook off the attack, motioning for more. "Come on, twerp!"
Jacob smirked. "I think now would be a good time to tell you Mataza the Zapper's special ability. It gets to attack twice each turn." He gave his opponent a thumbs down. "You're done."
Devero shrieked and fell to his knees as Mataza the Zapper went in for the kill, slicing at him ruthlessly and efficiently until his Life Points were gone.
The two warriors sheathed their swords, bowing their heads in respect and dissipating into tiny data particles as the duel came to an end.
Mokuba smiled as he saw justice being served to the Rare Hunter. "That should show him. Now he's eliminated from the tournament and shouldn't bother anyone else."
Kaiba stood indifferently. So he didn't have an Egyptian God Card. That must mean they're still out there.
Susan ran over to her brother, hugging him like she hadn't seen him in a year. Scott also joined in the congratulatory embrace, patting his friend on the back.
"I gotta say, that was some smart thinking there at the end," Joey admitted. "I thought he had you but that Mataza the Zapper card really came through for you."
"Nice duel, man," Tristan said.
Jacob laughed and blushed simultaneously, unsure of how to process all of the praise he was receiving at one time. "Thanks, you guys. I couldn't have done it without your support. Oh," he faced Yugi, "and thank you for what you told me about believing in my cards. It really helped me out there."
Yugi smiled, then held out his hand. In his palm were two Duel Monsters cards.
"What's this?" Jacob wondered. "Cards?"
Yugi nodded. "Mhm. Watching your duel today made me think these cards would be put to better use in your deck instead of mine."
Jacob took the two cards from Yugi, admiring the endowment. "Wow, Celtic Guardian and Obnoxious Celtic Guardian. Jeez, I-I don't know what to say. I'll definitely treat them well!"
The two Rare Hunters that were with Devero snuck off while the others were distracted, knowing the numbers weren't in their favor. Devero wasn't so lucky.
The man let out a stark cry of agony, gripping his head with both hands and yelling into the sky.
"No, master! I'm sorry! I did my best! Please, spare me!"
Yugi and the others noticed, wondering what in the world was going on with their fallen opponent. Was he going insane?
Devero stood up, still screaming. "Don't! No! Please, master!"
"What the hell is going on with him?" asked Scott. "Is he on PCP?"
"I've seen this before," Yugi replied. That's the Millennium symbol! He thought as a golden eye appeared on the Rare Hunter's forehead.
Devero seemed to calm down and stop struggling. When he spoke, his voice was distorted and much lower-pitched. "We meet again, pharaoh! Remember me? Actually, perhaps you don't. You were trapped in the puzzle when I dueled little Yugi. Congratulations on defeating my Rare Hunter, you fools; but that's not saying much. He was one of the weakest duelists in my crew. My other minions will prove much more formidable."
Joey whispered to Yugi, "What is with this gum ball?"
"Pharaoh, I've waited for you for years. Finally, after all this time, I will destroy you. I will not allow my other Rare Hunters to fail me like this one did. I have little time for his kind of foolishness, so I've taken over his body and trapped his mind in the Shadow Realm!"
"How do you control him?" said Yugi, unsure of what was really going on.
"Each of the Millennium items contains its own unique power, so mind control is a simple task with my Millennium Rod."
He must be the great evil Ishizu spoke about, Yugi thought, standing stoically in front of his friends.
The possessed Devero continued speaking. "Remember my name…Marik!"
Yugi stepped forward. "Marik! What is it you want from me?"
"I want what belongs to me, and I'll take it using the strength of the Egyptian God Cards!"
"Egyptian what?"
"Millennia ago, a trio of powerful behemoths rampaged throughout ancient Egypt. These Egyptian God Monsters spread destruction throughout the world until the pharaoh sealed them away for eternity! But when Pegasus created Duel Monsters, he resurrected these mighty beasts as cards. With these Egyptian Gods, I can destroy you and claim the power I deserve!"
"You'll never claim the Millennium Puzzle!"
"You misunderstand. I want more than the power of the puzzle. I want the pharaoh's power, the boundless energy of the ancient ruler himself! With it, no one will stand in my way. I'll use the almighty magic I gain to conquer and lead the world. I will be unstoppable. The end is near, pharaoh. It's my world now."
"Not yet, Marik…" He thrust out his hand, pointing at Devero. "I'm beginning to understand why Ishizu asked me to participate in this Battle City tournament. It's my destiny to stand between you and the powers you seek, and I will."
Devero chuckled. "Then your destiny is easier said than done, you jackass."
With that, Devero fainted, falling to the ground in a heap.
"Well, that was odd," Tristan said. "Is anyone hungry?"
"Now's not the time for jokes," Tea hissed.
Joey put his hand on Yugi's shoulder, turning him around. "You alright, Yug?"
"I'm fine. I'm just thinking about what the future of this tournament holds."
"Don't worry about it. All of us are here to help. There's no way that Marik creep can beat all of us as long as we're here for each other."
"Hm. You're probably right."
Jericho cleared his throat, getting the group's attention. "Obviously today's been pretty crazy so far, but I think Tristan and Joey have the right idea. We can't be too stressed out about this. It'll just hinder our collective performance. So what I think we should do is relax and enjoy the tournament. Speaking of the tournament, I think we should split up."
Susan instantly objected to this idea. "How can you suggest splitting up when there's a madman after us?"
"I don't mean every one of us has to go their own way, but all of us sticking together in this large group is just as bad an idea. If we want to get locator cards and reach the finals, we need to branch out and find opponents. We can't do that if we're all in one big group. Nobody will wanna take on a gang of duelists, especially when Yugi and Joey are a part of it."
Susan moaned, silently admitting that he had a point.
"I'll go on my own," he finished. "I work better that way. Besides, we have our phones if we ever need help."
"I think I'll go solo, too," Scott said.
"Susan will stick with me, then," said Jacob. "There's no way I'm leaving her side after everything that's happened so far."
"As much as I'd like to stick with you guys, I gotta head out on my own as well," stated Joey.
"I'm going with you, buddy," Tristan said, stepping over to Joey.
"Tea, if you don't mind, I'd like to be on my own." Yugi held out his hand to the brunette, who hesitantly accepted and joined up with Joey and Tristan.
Cleaning his glasses off, Aaron inhaled and exhaled deeply. "That leaves just me, which is fine. Hopefully I will see all of you in the finals."
They said their goodbyes, then each headed in their own direction, hoping to claim victory and return with access to the tournament finals. The road ahead would be filled with obstacles and pot holes, though.
"How touching."
Putting his hands in his pants pockets, Kaiba spun and headed for the door.
"Come on, Mokuba. I'm going to duel."