Here's the next chapter! I swear you're gonna love this part. We're going back to Joey's group. Enjoy and review please!
Everyone was excited to have only one door left before Joey would gain the entrance to the lab. Serenity led everyone to the next person Joey would have to duel. Though, there was one little issue. This duelist didn't have the key card to unlock the lab and there was no key card to the lab. It could only be opened through security codes. If Serenity hadn't picked up on this, nobody would have known.
Though, there was still another way. Serenity knew where Atem's employers were being held hostage and did keep a key to that room, since it was also the lunch room. Atem gave Serenity that key for when she ever got hungry. The lunch room was where Yako kept the hostages, so they wouldn't starve to death. Serenity would've mentioned that earlier, but the only way to get to that room was to gain the key card to that room before dueling the last duelist for the key card to the lab, which she never had.
Serenity's job was to free the employers, while Joey distracts the last duelist. This had to be done at the same time or it would be too late for Atem. Nobody was willing to let Atem die on them, not even for Pegasus. Hopefully, the employers could help unlock or hack into the security to the lab to free Atem. At least this was what Serenity was hoping for.
Joey and Tristan ran to the next guard they had to duel while Uka and Serenity did their job by freeing the hostages. Serenity told Joey the location of the woman he's supposed to duel. She was located at the entrance to the lab. They ran to the entrance and couldn't find anyone around.
"Damn, Serenity said she was here!" Joey complained.
"How are we supposed to find-" Tristan question before being interrupted.
"Um excuse me," a woman called, which to the boys' guess was their next opponent. They turned and saw a beautiful and shy young lady. She looked like some sort of secretary or assistant. She had dark red hair, hazel eyes, glasses on the tip of her nose, and a meek face. She seemed to be wearing a long-sleeved shirt, black vest with a red tie underneath, a red skirt, and high heels. "A-Are you the duelists I'm s-supposed to be dueling?"
"You're the one guarding this place?" Tristan asked with furrowed eyebrows.
"Y-Yes," the woman replied, clearing her throat. "Yes, I am. My name is Riko Kitamori." She bowed to the boys to show respect.
"Wow, first I run into a guy that doesn't have any manners, now I run into a girl that's too formal," Joey responded as Riko blushed.
"I... came here by accident. M-My friends told me I should be dueling at this point, that I would be good. I don't want to let them down so..." Riko explained before shrugging. "Yeah."
"Then, let's duel," Joey smirked as Riko got out her duel disk, both of them turning it on. They both drew five cards into their hands.
"Y-You can go first," Riko said, looking at each of her cards carefully.
"Wait, are you reading your cards?" Tristan asked as the woman blushed in response.
"I just started about a month ago," Riko confessed.
"HOLY SHIT! YOU SERIOUS?"
"I-I-I'm sorry, I promise it won't take long!" Riko said, sweat pouring on her face and rushing through her cards.
"Calm down, Riko. I'll go first, just take your time," Joey encouraged Riko as she smiled and nodded. Even he remembered when he used to have to read his cards when dueling. "I'll start by placing one card face-down, then I summon Alligator's Sword in attack mode!" An alligator with a long sword in its hand and armor on its body. "I end."
"Um... can I see your card? I just need to know how many attack points Alligator's Sword has," Riko asked kindly as Tristan slapped his face with the palm of his hand.
"Sure! You know, this would be easier for you, if it was just table dueling!" Joey advised as the woman nodded, then walked up to him and looked at the Alligator's Sword card before nodding, than placing the card back in its slot. "Anyways, it's your turn!"
"Right!" Riko said as she looked at her cards with sweat pouring down her neck. She was trying to think of a strategy to fight against Joey with. Though, it was taking a while.
"How long as she been looking at her cards?" Tristan asked in a complaining manner.
"Tristan, she's new, of course it's gonna take her a while! For the record, you take longer to decide!" Joey rebuked as Tristan shot daggers at his friend.
"I summon Puppet Pawn in defense mode!" Riko declared as a checkerboard colored monster appeared on the field that looked like a pawn chess piece with a sword and shield. "Then place this card..." She placed one card in her Spell and Trap Card Zone, then took one other card in her hand and held it for about three seconds before deciding. "and this card face-down! I end!" The other card was placed in her Spell and Trap Card Zone.
"Okay, then it's my turn!" Joeys smirked, drawing his next card. "I summon Little Winguard in attack mode!" A little soldier with a helmet, armor, sword, and shield appeared on the field in attack mode. "Little Winguard attacks Puppet Pawn!" Little Winguard flew up after Puppet Pawn for an attack until...
"I play my trap, Blue on Blue! Your monsters attack each other!" Riko declared, revealing her face-down card, as Little Winguard turned to attack Alligator's Sword.
"I play my trap card, Dramatic Rescue! With this, I can send Little Winguard back to my hand!" Joey declares as Little Winguard disappeared from the field and the card was back in Joey's hand. "Then, I summon Little Winguard back to the field!" Little Winguard was resummoned back on the field in attack mode.
"Um wait!" Riko cried out as she looked back over her face-down card, then pressed the button to activate it. "I activate Battlefield Tragedy! When each of us battle, we must send 5 cards from our deck to the graveyard!"
"Gee, you serious?" Joey asked with two bug-eyes as Riko chuckled in response before shrugging. "Dang!"
"Anyways, it's my turn," Riko said as she drew her next card, then looked at it. Her eyes darted from one card to another before deciding her strategy. "I place two cards face-down, then I activate Promotion from my hand! This lets me tribute Puppet Pawn to special summon Puppet Queen in defense mode!" Puppet Pawn disappeared from the field and was replaced with a queen chess piece monster with a scepter in one hand and a shield on the other. It was in a defensive position. "I end!"
"You're not gonna attack?" Joey asked as Riko shrugged.
"I have a more defensive strategy. I just thought I'd have a better win, if I never attacked and have higher defensive monsters," Riko explained.
"My turn!" Joey declared, drawing his next card. "I summon Gearfried the Iron Knight in attack mode!" An armored soldier appeared with a sword and shield. "Turn e-"
"Wait!" Riko cried out, looking through her face-down cards. "Um... what's your monsters' attack points again?"
"Little Winguard has 1400 and Gearfried has 1800!"
"Good! I activate my trap card Rear-Guard Action!" Riko sighed in relief as she activated her trap card. "This forces Little Winguard to attack Puppet Queen!" Little Winguard flew up to Puppet Queen and attacked it before bursting from the field and leaving Joey with 2900 life points remaining. Riko pumped her arm. "YES! You also have to discard five cards from your deck to your graveyard!"
"Shit!" Joey complained as he sent his five cards from his deck to his graveyard.
"I also activate my other face-down that's also Battlefield Tragedy! You have to discard ten cards now!" Riko smirked excitedly as Joey discarded another five cards. Sweat was pouring from his face.
"Oh shit, don't tell me you're going easy on her!" Tristan yelled at Joey, who just rolled his eyes.
"Shut the f*** up!" Joey shouted, then sighed. "I'm never gonna get used to this anti cursing method! Seriously, how does Atem do that?" Truth be told, he was going easy on Riko, but only because she was a beginner and she was cute. "It's your turn."
"Oh... right," Riko said as she drew her next card. "I summon Puppet Rook in defense mode, then end my turn!" The chess piece rook appeared on the field in a defensive position.
"Aren't you bored?" Joey asked.
"Huh?"
"Don't you get bored from always having your monsters defend all the time without doing much? I mean I don't know about you, but... the whole defending thing is getting kinda boring, no offense."
"Non taken, but every time I attack, I'm always afraid that my opponents may have some sort of trap that destroys my monsters. With defending, I feel more in control."
"If you don't attack, it won't be as fun. In fact, losing is how you get better!"
"I guess," Riko shrugged.
"Anyways, it's my turn!" Joey declared, drawing his next card. "I sacrifice Little Winguard to bring out Giltia the Dark Knight in attack mode!" A warrior appeared on the field with armor and a scepter in his hand. "Giltia attacks your Puppet Rook!" Giltia the Dark Knight shot a blast from its scepter right at Puppet Rook and burst it from the field. Joey, then placed ten cards from his deck to his graveyard. "See how more fun it is to attack than just being a sitting duck?"
"Joey, your deck is low! How many cards do you have?" Tristan asked in a panic mode. Though, Joey wasn't too worried, since Riko wouldn't help in rescuing Atem anyways.
"I think ten!" Joey replied before continuing onto his second main phase. "I place two cards face-down and end!"
Riko drew her next card and declared, "I place one card face-down, then... Puppet Queen attacks!" Puppet Queen took its scepter and unleashed a huge blast at Alligator's Sword, bursting it from the field, and leaving Joey with 2200 life points left. Riko began laughing victoriously. "Wow, I didn't know my Puppet Queen could do that! Awesome!"
"See! It's more fun when you attack!"
"You were right!" Riko agreed, then sent the top 10 cards from her deck to her graveyard. "Okay, I'm done!"
"Cool! I place one card face-down and end my turn from here!" Joey declared after drawing his next card, since he didn't want to waste his ten remaining cards until the time was right.
"My turn!" Riko declared, drawing her next card. She looked at the card, then decided her strategy. "I sacrifice Puppet Queen to special summon Puppet King!" Puppet Queen disappeared from the field and was replaced with a king chess piece monster with a red cape around it and a scepter in its hand.
"Then, I activate my face-down Polymerization by combining Gearfried and Giltia to bring out Gilti-Gearfried the Magical Steel Knight!" Joey declared as Gearfried the Iron Knight and Giltia the Dark Knight fused together in the light and appeared as a mighty soldier with steel armor, sword, and shield.
"But my Puppet King is still stronger than your knight!" Riko smirked victoriously. "He attacks your Gilti-Gearfried!" Puppet King shot a blast out of its scepter directly at Gilti-Gearfried the Magical Steel Knight until...
"I activate my spell card Extra Boost to increase the attack of Gilti-Gearfried by half of its defense points!" Joey declared as he activated his face-down card and Gilti-Gearfried the Magical Steel Knight's attack rose to 3500. Riko gasped as Puppet King's blast bounced off Gilti-Gearfried the Magical Steel Knight's shield and aimed for Riko's monster before it blasted from the field, leaving Riko with 3300 life points remaining.
"Then, I activate Rope of Life to bring back Puppet King and increase its attack by 800!" Riko declared, activating her face-down card. Puppet King returned back on the field. She also placed ten of her cards from her deck to the graveyard.
"I also activate Relentless Attacks! This lets my monsters attack you directly despite this being your turn!" Joey declared, revealing his trap card, before Gilti-Gearfried the Steel Knight charged up and slashed its sword across Riko and taking away the rest of her life points. "That was fun! Good game! Try to attack more often!"
"Okay!" Riko replied, then sighed. "I have a confession to make. I don't have the key card you're looking for!"
"I know! That's why my sister's not here!"
"Huh?"
"Joey!" Serenity called out as Joey and Tristan turned around and found Uka and Serenity with all of Atem's employees behind her. Riko backed up slowly with frozen shock written on her face. "We brought out the hostages!"
"Hostages? What's going on?" Riko asked dumbfounded.
"Yako, your boss, he's using Atem to resurrect his dead Daddy!" Joey explained as Riko looked at him like he was crazy. "I'm not joking. Atem's in the lab unconscious! We're not sure if he'll be able to wake up or not!"
"But... I thought Yako was just doing a project on some projector or something!"
"That is his project!"
"But... won't that be dangerous on Mr. Moto?"
"Why do you think we're stopping him?" Tristan asked sarcastically. "Listen maim, if we don't get Atem out of that f***ing laboratory, Yako's gonna kill him!"
"I never agreed to this!" Riko glared furiously, hands balled into fists.
"Then help us get our boss back!" Catherine, a tall brunette woman, responded with furrowed eyebrows.
"I don't know how to get to the laboratory, but I will help you the best that I can!" Riko promised.
"No need to worry about opening that door, you leave that to me!" Catherine smirked as she walked to the door, bringing out her laptop. She connected the wire from her laptop to the security pad with a card slider. It took only a few minutes before the door automatically unlocked and they all opened the door to the laboratory.
Inside the laboratory was a uncontious Atem in some sort of pod and five other men that seemed to be security guards. They all glared, then got out their guns, pointing them at the group. Everyone put up their hands, since their weapons were taken when being imprisoned. The men smirked widely with low chuckles. Joey recognized them as Seto Kaiba's former employers, the Big Five. There was no way for anyone to get passed them.
"End of the line for all of you!" Kimo smirked.
"Why am I not surprised to see you here?" Serenity asked sarcastically with glaring eyes.
"Say, I don't remember you! Who are you supposed to be?"
"Serenity Wheeler! Atem's girlfriend!"
"The big man's girlfriend eh, how romantic! The girl saves her man! Unfortunately, everyone knows that it's the girlfriends that get kidnapped often. You should know your place, girly!"
"Yes, Kaiba Corp, that's where we're at," a low voice responded. Kimo glared angrily as he pushed through the crowd to spot a woman, seemingly young for her age, with curly brown hair and eyes, glasses on her face, and a Kaiba Corp. uniform. She was talking on Riko's cell phone, which she happened to borrow while Catherine was trying to unlock the lab door, to call the police. She froze with widened eyes as Kimo shot the girl right on the chest while her hand clutched tightly around the phone. She fell on the floor face-down and eyes wide open with blood spilling on the floor. She was breathing chokingly for only several seconds before her movement suddenly stopped.
"Hello? Miss Polizzi, are you there?" the police asked before everyone began to attack, despite not having any weapons with them.
The Big Five tried to shoot every one of the employers, and killed some, but were all overwhelmed by the mass of employers fighting back. Every employer of Kaiba Corp. would use their own natural abilities or find some sort of weapon in the lab to fight the Big Five. Nobody was going to let their boss die in the hands of Yako.