20. Rerun

Mai stood in a dark, vacant lot, a gray Duel Disk strapped to her arm. Unlike the usual Duel Disks put out by Kaiba Corp, this one was rounded, the field section curving around the main casing and ending in a menacing point like an animal's tusk or claw. Paradias's Duel Disk.

She bit her lip, troubled. This isn't right. I don't duel with this kind of Duel Disk. I don't. But when she looked up, she saw her opponent and knew that she did, in fact duel with this kind of Duel Disk. And with the Seal of Orichalcos card that went with it.

"I realize something now." Joey was across the lot, his own Duel Disk, the normal kind, at the ready. "As long as that Orichalcos thing has control of your mind, I'll never be able to talk any sense into you."

The challenge made her blood run cold. She didn't want to do this. She didn't want to duel him, didn't want to call on the Seal of Orichalcos and lock them into a battle where one of them would lose their soul. But she felt like an actress in a play who could only recite the lines that had been prepared for her by someone else. "So you beat this loser and now it's gone to your head?" A toss of her own head indicated Valon, who was slumped on the ground behind her. "Why else would you be dumb enough to challenge me to a duel? You should've learned your lesson from our last duel."

Joey took his deck and slotted it into his Duel Disk. "The only way I can get through to you is to duel you."

It wasn't right. She knew it wasn't right. She knew she had to stop. But the words that came out of her mouth were an acceptance of his challenge, and she slotted her own deck into her disk, then went first, drawing six cards and summoning her Cyber Harpie Lady on her very first turn.

Joey drew, his hand shaking as he did, and Mai felt sick. He's weak from dueling Valon. It bothered her to see him like this, and it was her denial of that, the fact that he meant something to her, that had gotten her into this mess. He played Blue Flame Swordsman, equal in strength to Cyber Harpie, and ended his turn.

"You'd better not be taking it easy on me again." Her voice sounded hard and brittle to her own ears. "I want a real duel." No, she thought, struggling to get control of herself. She shouldn't be dueling at all! Why was she doing this?

"It's a real duel," Joey said, a weariness in his voice that made her heart hurt. "No one's going easy on anybody. I'm dueling you with all my heart and soul. It's the only way to save you."

She felt like she was underwater, trying to control her own actions, her own voice, but she couldn't. Instead, she shouted at him. "Try saving yourself! I'm doing just fine by myself. If you cramp my style, you'll end up in a world of hurt!" An image of him losing, the Seal of Orichalcos claiming his soul, rose before her. It was so clear, as if she'd already seen it happen, and she shuddered, but still she couldn't control her own actions or stop herself from playing.

She drew and summoned a second Cyber Harpie onto the field, equipping it with Arrow Nail to boost it by 300 attack points. She attacked Blue Flame Swordsman, destroying it and bringing Joey's Life Points down to 3700. The destruction of Blue Flame Swordsman activated its special effect, however, allowing Joey to special summon the original Flame Swordsman in its place. It, too, was equal in strength to the un-equipped Cyber Harpie.

He taunted her, trying to goad her into attacking him. "Is your other Cyber Harpie ready to dance?"

But Mai refused to be baited. Setting her Nightmare Tri-Mirror trap card facedown, she ended her turn.

Joey drew, then sacrificed his Flame Swordsman to summon Cyber-Tech Alligator with 2500 attack points. He destroyed her equipped Cyber Harpie, bringing her down to 3600 Life Points, but she only laughed. "Not too bad! Finally, you're giving me a real challenge! But you'll have to do better than that, because before my Arrow Nail goes to the graveyard, it transfers its power to my other Harpie."

Joey set one facedown card. "Gimme all you got."

"You're pretty confident for someone about to lose." She drew, then smiled as she looked at her new card. "I drew it."

Inwardly, she recoiled. The Seal of Orichalcos! If she played that, one of them would lose their soul! I can't play it, she thought, struggling with herself. But she did, crowing triumphantly as a glowing green seal drew itself around them, boosting all of her monsters' attack points by 500. She could feel the burning in her forehead as the matching seal there began to glow. "We're locked in the Seal, and only one of us will escape. No one can come to your rescue now, Joey. It's just you, me, and the most powerful magic card that's ever been created!"

"I was expecting this," he said with a look of grim determination, and she knew he didn't care if he lost his soul, so long as he saved her from the darkness.

The part of her that was on the outside, the part that was playing out the drama as scripted, was angered by this. Who did he think he was, saving her? She was no one's damsel in distress. But another part of her knew she needed saving. She was drowning in the darkness, and she didn't want to go under. She wanted to reach out, to grab the hand he was holding out to her, to let him pull her free of the darkness controlling her. And yet, she could do nothing but continue to duel, making him the enemy she knew he'd never really been.

She had another Cyber Harpie in her hand and she summoned it, planning to use the other Harpie equipped with Arrow Nail, which now had 2600 attack points, to destroy Cyber-Tech Alligator and then the new one could attack his Life Points directly, bringing him all the way down to 1300. She called out the first attack and the souped-up Cyber Harpie Lady charged, destroying Cyber-Tech Alligator and knocking Joey down to 3600 Life Points. She started calling out her second attack, but she caught his eye across the field, watching her with grim determination despite the fact he could barely stand after the abuse he'd already taken from Valon. In that moment, she knew she would rather die than let anything happen to him. She'd rather lose her own soul than watch him lose his. With a huge effort, as if trying to speak underwater, she got control of her own voice. "I end my turn."

Even in the dark across the vacant lot, she could see his eyes widen in surprise. "That's it, Mai? I thought you wanted a real duel!"

"Just make your move!" She lost control of herself once more, but inside, she reveled in her small victory over the darkness. She and Joey were tied and, knowing him, he'd find a way to bring her down. He wouldn't lose, not the duel, not his soul.

"I miss the old Mai," Joey said sadly as he drew, then played Swordsman of Landstar in defense mode. His hands were shaking so hard that he was having trouble getting two magic or trap cards into the correct slot on his Duel Disk, but he finally managed it, then ended his turn, wobbling like he was about to fall over.

She wanted to drop her cards and go to him, to steady him, but the darkness was forcing her to play her part. "So typical of you, Wheeler. You put on this tough guy show, but inside you're just a scared little kid. Do you honestly think you can win this duel?"

"That depends on what you mean by the word 'win.' To me, winning's about more than cards and Life Points."

"Spare me," she said, but inside she knew he was right. She'd already learned this lesson, hadn't she? Why was she learning it again?

He shook his head. "When I first met you, you told me you only cared about yourself and had no friends. I told you you should hang out with me and the others. After we dueled side-by-side, I thought you'd discovered something more important than winning—something called friendship. But I guess I was wrong. Or maybe you just forgot."

It was a sappy speech, but that was part of Joey's charm. He cared about his friends. He cared about something more than himself. He cared about her. She gritted her teeth, trying to break free of the darkness enveloping her so she could stop fighting, but it was too thick. "Save it! I've come too far to turn back now."

"I'll always stand by you, no matter what, and I'll never forget our friendship."

She faltered, feeling herself breaking free a little. "I… Joey… help…"

"Mai?" Concern etched his features and then he flashed a tired but broad smile. "Come on, Mai, fight it! You can fight it! Don't let the darkness control you! You can beat it!"

"I—" She struggled, wanting to forfeit. If she just put her hand on her deck, it would be over and she wouldn't have to watch the Seal take his soul. But she didn't forfeit. The darkness pulled at her and she drew, turning the card to look at it.

What the hell…?

The card she just drew was Dark Magician.

"Mai, fight it. You can beat this!"

She tuned him out, staring at the card in her hand. Dark Magician. Never in her life had she ever owned a Dark Magician card, and she certainly didn't have one in her deck. How the hell did it get there, then? She looked up at Joey, confused.

"Mai, what's wrong?"

"I… I don't understand." She wavered, immobile. The darkness in her was telling her it didn't matter. If she sacrificed her two Harpies, she could play Dark Magician, and the Seal would boost him up to 3000 attack points. Better yet, she had Elegant Egotist in her hand. She could multiply one of her Harpies into three first and then sacrifice two of the four to summon Dark Magician. Joey would be hard pressed to defeat a monster with that power, and she still had Nightmare Tri-Mirror, which would allow her to create as many copies of her own monsters as he had monsters on his side. If he had Scapegoat—and knowing Joey, he would—then she'd get a Dark Magician for each of his four Scapegoat tokens, giving her five total. Five monsters with three thousand attack points! He'd never be able to beat her!

Her heart, however, fought this. Something was very wrong if she had Dark Magician in her deck, and beating Joey would mean losing his soul. She'd do anything to prevent it. Anything.

But… Dark Magician. How the hell did it get in her deck?

"Mai, are you going to play?" Joey asked, and she looked up at him, frowning.

For a moment, she thought he looked different—sturdy and angry instead of shaky and exhausted. It was gone in an instant and she thought her mind—or the darkness of the Seal of Orichalcos—must be playing tricks on her, but she looked at Dark Magician again and wavered. It almost seemed to call out to her.

"Mai, are you forfeiting?"

She caught the barest glimpse of a victory smile, and the darkness won out. "You wish, Wheeler. First, I play Elegant Egotist. I believe you're familiar with that card? It multiplies one of my Harpies into three Harpie Lady Sisters, giving me four total. Then I'll sacrifice my two newest Harpie sisters to play Dark Magician!"

She didn't know whether to feel satisfied or horrified by the look of utter shock on his face. "You sacrifice… say what?"

She didn't answer him, instead motioning to the field as her two Cyber Harpies disappeared and in their place stood a tall, purple-robed wizard.

Joey's face darkened to look of pure fury. "Where did you get that card? You don't have a Dark Magician card!" And then the concern was back, as if he'd slipped on a mask. "Mai, don't you see what the darkness of the Orichalcos is doing to you? You're playing cards you don't even have! This isn't right! You know this isn't right!"

She felt herself break through the darkness again and she faltered. It wasn't too late, she could still forfeit…. Struggling with herself, she pushed her hand out towards her deck, trying to surrender so the Seal would take her and leave Joey alone.

"Mai! Don't listen to him! That isn't Joey! You have to fight him and win this duel!"

Mai stopped, startled, looking for the source of the new but familiar voice. It took her a moment to realize that it was coming from the field—from Dark Magician! Only… he'd turned to face her and what she saw made her jaw drop in surprise.

Standing on the field looking at her with fierce determination and wearing Dark Magician's robes stood Yugi Mutou.