The Mystery Duelist

"Where are you hiding?" Emily called out. "Whoever that guy is, he's leading us like lab mice through a maze. But it doesn't make sense. I mean, why would a thief want his victim to follow him?"

Yugi wondered the same thing. The last arrow led them to an abandoned warehouse. They opened the doors and walked inside. "My Millennium Puzzle is here," he told Emily. "Even though we're apart, I can sense it. But I don't see it." He raises his voice. "We know you're in here!"

The sound of sinister laughing filled the room. "Congratulations, little Yugi. You've found me. Or should I say I've found you and the Millennium Puzzle."

Yugi looked and saw his Puzzle pinned to a wall. "Give it back to me."

"It's not going to be that easy for you," said the thief's voice. "If you want it back, you're going to have to fight me for it. That's right, Yugi, you and I are going to duel and the winner gets to keep your Millennium Puzzle. Are you up to the challenge, Yugi? I've waited a long time for this."

The whole room was finally lit up and Yugi and Emily saw a dueling arena. They faced their front and saw the cloaked man they were pursuing. "Who are you?" Emily demanded.

"And what do you want with my Millennium Puzzle?" Yugi added.

"I desire the power your Item contains within. But according to the rules of its ancient magic, I have to win it from you in a duel." He paused for a moment, then continued, "As for who I am, let's just say that I am the one who shall control your destinies as I have controlled others' and that I am not unfamiliar with the power of a Millennium Item. Indeed, I understand more about the hidden mysteries than you will ever know. Take your Puzzle; there are many secrets within it of which you and even the spirit that inhabits it are unaware. That's why I will add it to my collection."

"Yugi shouldn't have to duel you for his Millennium Puzzle," Emily debated. "It already belongs to him."

"It's in my possession now," the thief reminded her. Seeing that he has a point, Yugi accepts his challenge. Pleased with his decision, the thief walks up to his side of the arena.

Yugi knew that if he were to have a chance against this mysterious opponent, he would need Yami's help. But the spirit of the Millennium Puzzle could barely hear Yugi's thoughts and was having difficulty trying to communicate. Yugi was going to have to hold his own this time. He was worried because losing the duel meant losing his Puzzle forever. Before their brief communication ceased, Yami encouraged Yugi to have faith in the Heart of the Cards.

"Prepare to lose your Puzzle," the thief said as he and Yugi took their places in the arena.

"I don't think so," Yugi argued.

"Remember, Yugi, I have seen your future, foretold your fate, and this duel will be your last."

Emily thought that while Yugi and his opponent were occupied with their match, she could find a way to pry the Millennium Puzzle off the wall. She was too short to reach the Puzzle, so she decided to find something she could use to break the chain.

It was hard for Yugi not to be nervous. He didn't know who he was up against and not all of his friends were present to support him. But he was going to give it his best shot. To start, he played Celtic Guardian in attack mode. His mystery opponent played a monster in defense mode.

"What's the matter," Emily taunted, "Don't you have the courage to face Yugi head-on?"

He heard her and replied, "I don't need to. It's your boyfriend who'd better go on the offensive if he hopes to win back his Puzzle."

Yugi saw that he was right and declared an attack. His attacked revealed the hidden monster. It was Cyber Jar and when revealed, destroyed itself and all other monsters on the field. After that, both players were required to draw five new cards. Yugi decided to change his strategy and play a monster in defense mode. His opponent summoned two monsters called Mechanicalchaser and Ground Attacker Bugroth. Recognizing that they're machines, Yugi wonders if his opponent is who he thinks he is. "Show yourself, Bandit Keith!" He does as told and pulls his hood back. Neither Yugi nor Emily could believe it. The last time they remembered seeing Keith was when he lost to Joey in the Duelist Kingdom finals and was banished from the island for cheating. "What happened to you?"

"I am not Bandit Keith. I only speak through him since he's become my mind-controlled slave."

Emily gasped hearing that. "What do you mean? How can this be?"

He explains his story. "After Bandit Keith was removed from Duelist Kingdom by Pegasus, he fought for his life against the harsh ocean waters. My followers and I were on our way to retrieve some very special items when we fished him out of the sea. I'm always looking for new minds to control and Bandit Keith seemed like the perfect puppet to do my bidding. And as fate would have it, he led me to the boy who possesses the legendary Millennium Puzzle. Is it all sinking in now, little Yugi? Now that I have found you after all these years, I will stop at nothing to make your Puzzle and all of its ancient powers mine."

Under the control of his master, Keith plays Machine King in attack mode. Its special ability gave it 100 attack points for every machine monster in play. With 2500 attack points, its Jet Punch defeated Yugi's hidden monster Silver Fang. Yugi didn't have a card in his hand strong enough to attack. So he continued to defend himself. Keith played Megasonic Eye to raise Machine King's attack points once again. Its Jet Punch destroyed the Giant Soldier of Stone.

With his defenses being taken down, Yugi decided to take it to the offense. So he played Curse of Dragon and Gaia the Fierce Knight and merged them together to form Gaia the Dragon Champion. By attacking Mechanicalchaser, Machine King lost 100 attack points and Keith lost 750 life points. It was impressive, but not good enough. First, Keith switched his weaker machines to defense mode to protect his life points. Then he played Machine Conversion Factory to raise their attack and defense points by 300. Machine King was once again the strongest monster in play and attacked Yugi's Dragon Champion. Yugi drew his card and saw it was the Summoned Skull. He had an idea how to trash the machines. "Your machines might be the most impressive monsters I've seen, but they're still made out of metal. So I play Makiu the Magical Mist."

"You think a little mist will destroy my machines?"

"It won't destroy them, but it will cause them to rust and lower their power." Just like Yugi said, the machines began to rust and their power dropped back down to their original value. "My Mist turns your machines into one gigantic lightning rod, making them the perfect target for my Summoned Skull." And thanks to the Mist, Summoned Skull's attack points were raised to 3250. Its Lightning Strike destroyed Machine King and Keith's life points went down to 500.

Emily jumped and cheered. "All right! Any more machines for the junk heap?"

"You little-" Keith snarled. Yugi was playing impressively so far, but his opponent had a few hidden surprises in store.

Téa made it to the school and told Joey and Tristan that Yugi and Emily were in trouble and needed help. They were on their way until they were stopped by Coach Morty and reminded that they volunteered to help for the soccer game. Joey and Tristan told the coach they needed to attend to an emergency, but stretched the truth a little and said Téa's kitten Fluffy was sick and needed to be rushed to the veterinarian's. The coach burst into tears and told the three of them they were excused. It wasn't cool to mislead Coach Morty, but they had to do it. It was still an emergency.

Back at the abandoned warehouse, Keith finally drew his card and activated the magic of Graceful Charity. Now he could draw three new cards and discard two unneeded ones. Under the control of his master, Keith lowers his hand and three cards slide from his wrist. He places his hand over his deck to convince Yugi that he's drawing the cards from it. "Your fate is sealed, Yugi. I've drawn the ultra-rare Zera Ritual card."

Emily steps back and trembles. "Yugi, I've never heard of the Zera Ritual card before."

"Me neither," he tells her, "but I've got a sneaking suspicion that we're about to learn more about it than we really want to know."

"How perceptive. Once I put Zera Ritual into play, this duel is over."

"Activating a ritual card takes more than talk," Emily remarked.

Yugi agrees. "You also need to have the right monster in your hand and what are the odds of that?" Keith holds the card up to show him. "No way!" gasped Yugi.

"Maybe now you finally realize the power you're up against." By sacrificing his two remaining monsters, Keith brought forth a terrible fiend known as Zera the Mant. With an attack strength of 2700, its Jagged Claws tore through the Summoned Skull like it was a curtain.

Téa finally brought Joey and Tristan to the alley where she and her friends split up. "So they went running down this alley," Joey asks. "These arrows. Hey, you think Yugi and Emily tagged these up for us?"

"I don't think they had the time, Joey," Téa answered. Tristan called for their attention and told them to look ahead. The posted arrows pointed in many different directions. "Oh, no," Téa moaned worriedly. "How are we going to find them?"

Now that Yugi knew what he was up against, it was clear there wasn't a card strong enough to take Zera down. He stared at his deck for a while and finally drew. It was the Koumori Dragon and it was too weak. But Yugi placed it on the field to protect his life points.

To strengthen his forces, Keith played a pink dragon named Seiaryu, but didn't attack yet. He played a card face down. Next, he played Stop Defense to reveal Koumori Dragon and switch it into attack mode. Zera used its Jagged Claw to rip through the Koumori Dragon and deal serious damage to Yugi's life points. Yugi was down to his last 300. In hopelessness, he played a monster in defense mode. Seiaryu attacked and engulfed the Mystical Elf in its Razor Flare Blast. To end his turn, Keith placed two more cards face down and switched Zera into defense mode.

Yugi draws his card and figures he might have a plan to turn the duel around. He plays Dark Magician in defense mode, Magical Hats to protect him, and a card face down. But Keith saw that move coming and revealed one of his traps. It was Magic Jammer and by discarding one card from his hand, Keith could cancel the effects of the Magical Hats and expose the Dark Magician. He revealed his next hidden card. It was Curse of Fiend and it had the power to force monsters to switch into the opposite mode they were in. So Seiaryu switched into defense mode and Zera and Dark Magician switched into attack mode. Zera was about to attack, but Yugi was ready. He activated his Mirror Force trap to reflect Zera's attack back at him and Seiaryu. But Keith removed Mirror Force's effect by playing Solemn Judgement. For the price of half of his life points, Mirror Force was removed and Dark Magician was destroyed. It was a small price for Keith to pay. He was down to his last 250, but Yugi was down to his last 100.

Emily could see that Yugi was overwhelmed by Zera's power and really needed the support of his friends. "Don't give up, Yugi! You've lasted this long and you can make it through to the end! I'm here for you and so are the rest of our friends! We believe in you, so don't give up!"

Easy for her to say. She was the only one cheering from the sidelines. Yugi tried to believe that the others were with him as well, but it would be a lot easier for him if he heard words of encouragement from Joey, Tristan, and Téa. But he tried to believe. He really needed to believe in the Heart of the Cards right now. He slowly drew his card. Seeing that it just might help, Yugi places it on the field and plays a monster in defense mode.

It didn't matter what kinds of cards Yugi had in play. Keith was going to end the duel. He played another rare magic card called Tribute to the Doomed. By sacrificing a card from his hand, Keith could destroy any card Yugi had on the field. But Yugi revealed his hidden card. It was the Living Arrow and he used it to backfire Keith's magic card and destroy Zera.

The evil spirits possessing Max and Bakura made it to the warehouse. When they got there, they began to sense dark magic. They went to the upper deck and sensed where it was coming from. "Fascinating," the spirit of the Millennium Ring whispered. "The dark energies we detected are within Yugi's opponent. Bandit Keith is just a puppet under the control of an evil master."

"Well, this puppet show's over. Only we shall possess the Millennium Puzzle," his partner decided. Her eyes glowed and she began tapping into the powers of her Cobalt Star shard. "Star shard, sever the strings that bind this man. Free his mind from the Shadow Realm."

The man controlling Keith felt his spell over him break, but didn't know what happened or how. Only another Millennium Item or another object with the power of the Gods could sever a connection so strong. That made him wonder if someone else was after the Millennium Puzzle.

Keith began to snap out of it. "Where am I? And what on Earth am I wearing?"

"It looks like you're so-called unbeatable Zera the Mant is ancient history," Yugi cheered. "Now it's time for me to win this duel once and for all and take back my Puzzle!"

"Yugi Muto? What are you doing here?" Then Keith began to lose it again as his master tried regaining control over his mind. He placed his hands over his head and cried out, "There's someone inside my head!"

"Shut up and duel," his master ordered, speaking through him.

Keith continued to try to resist. "Go away!"

"Bandit Keith, who is it that's controlling your mind?" Emily asked.

Keith's brainwasher regained control over his mind, but knew it wouldn't last long. He left the platform, pushed Emily aside, and grabbed the Millennium Puzzle. "If I can't have the Millennium Puzzle, then no one can!"

"No! Keith, wait! Don't!" Yugi cried. But it was too late. Keith smashed the Puzzle against the wall of the platform and the pieces came apart. "NO-O-O!"

Emily tried to gather the pieces, but Keith grabbed her by the neck and pushed her against the wall. "I can't have you standing in my way again. But perhaps I can use you to my advantage."

Emily struggles as she tries to make him lose his grip. Gathering all of her strength, she cries out, "Yugi!"

Suddenly, the pieces of the Millennium Puzzle start glowing. On the upper deck, the Millennium Ring and Cobalt Star shard start reacting as well. What's going on? The man controlling Keith's mind wondered. I sense a powerful magic within this girl. It's too strong to be the magic of a Millennium Item. Ah! Could she be? He began speaking through Keith once again. "Yes! Yes, she is! At long last, I've found you," he paused for a second, then finished and said, "Princess Emily!"

"What?" Emily gasped, feeling his grip on her neck loosening a little. "What are you talking about? I'm not a princess!"

"Your petty tricks cannot deceive me. Tell me, if you're not the Egyptian princess, how is it you possess a shard of the Millennium Star?"

The spirit of the Millennium Ring was surprised, but his partner knew this would come eventually. But they agreed they had to stop this. Still in control of their vessels, but easing the control a little bit, they swing in for the rescue. Max pushes Keith aside, causing him to lose his balance and fall from the arena.

Emily coughed a couple of times and cleared her throat. "Where'd you guys come from?" she asked, startled.

"Hi, Emily," Bakura said, helping her up. "Téa told us what happened and we came to help." He and Max helped gather all the pieces of the Millennium Puzzle. "Oh, my. Keith certainly did a number on your Puzzle," he told Yugi.

Max smiled. "Well, better shattered than stolen, I suppose."

Yugi came down and took the pieces in his hands. "Yeah, I guess you're right. It took me forever to solve the Millennium Puzzle the first time."

Emily finished rubbing her neck. "Well, since you did it before, maybe solving it now will be a little easier."

And once you've completed it, we'll be sure to take it from you, the spirit of the Millennium Ring wondered. But in order to make sure that nobody stands in our way, we'll need to manipulate a piece or two. Yugi, you and Emily are such naïve fools. You have no idea of the ancient powers your Millennium Puzzle contains within. For when combined, all seven Millennium Items unleash a great power. The pharaoh and his loyal minions thought they could banish the power of the shadows forever by dividing it among the seven Millennium Items and hiding them away. But the time has come for us to claim that power and use it for ourselves.

The spirit of the Cobalt Star shard began to join in the matter. The time has also come for the power of the Stars to be unleashed into this world once again.

Her partner remembered. Yes. To protect his daughter, the pharaoh destroyed the Millennium Star and sent her to a new home in hopes that she would never be found. But she has been and it's time for her to awaken and face her destiny. But for now, we'll keep our intentions on the Millennium Items. The two fiends grasped the Puzzle pieces in their hands and began transferring portions of their spirits within them.

Unbeknownst to Yugi, a part of us will live within the Millennium Puzzle. From within these pieces, we shall explore the Puzzle's mystical components and one day, claim them for ourselves. Max and Bakura walked up to Yugi and gave them the pieces in their hands.

"Thanks, guys. The last thing I need is to lose a piece or two."

Bakura chuckles. "Yes, you can't complete it without them all."

"Thanks a lot," Emily told them. "You guys totally saved the day." Max and Bakura climbed down from the arena, but fell and softly hit the ground. "Are you all right?"

They rubbed themselves to ease the pain. "Yes, we're fine. We've got to get back to school."

"We'll be right behind you guys just as soon as we unhook our chain," Yugi called. With his hands full of the Millennium Puzzle pieces, Emily decided to find something she could use to pry the chain from the wall.

Keith groaned and stirred. He could feel that someone was still in his head and trying to control him again. Unable to calm down, he yells and swings a pole around, paying no attention to what he's attacking. Yugi and Emily saw that there was fuel and machinery in the warehouse. They begged Keith to stop, but as he continued to swing, sparks of electricity flew and wires came apart and came into contact with the fuel and immediately, the place was set on fire.

Téa, Tristan, and Joey wandered in circles as they followed the arrows on the walls. They were exhausted and irritated. Téa was the first to notice black smoke rising in the distance. They decided to check it out.

The fire was spreading rapidly. Yugi tried to undo the chain, but it was too tight. He told Emily to find a way out and escape, but she refused to leave without him. The problem was she had asthma and if she continued to inhale the smoke, it would take its toll on her lungs and kill her. She placed her handkerchief over her mouth, but it was doing so little to help.

The trio came to the burning warehouse and knew someone was in danger because they could hear screaming. Téa rushed back to call the fire department while Joey and Tristan tried breaking down the door to get in.

Yugi remained where he was trying to reassemble the Millennium Puzzle. He thought that if he solved it and he didn't survive, then maybe the spirit would. But it was hard for Yugi to focus. The heat made him dizzy and the smoke made his eyes sting. Emily continued to hold on for Yugi despite her condition. He was more important than her health now. And if this fire was going to kill him, then she wanted to stay with him to the end.

Joey and Tristan finally broke down the door and made it inside. At the same time, Keith ran past them and charged outside, obviously still driven mad. He was out, but Joey and Tristan looked around to make sure no one else was in danger. Then they saw Yugi and Emily at the arena. "Yugi, Emily, what are you doing?" Tristan asked.

"Let's go," Joey called.

"We can't leave yet, guys," Emily told them and began coughing again.

"I've got to finish putting the Millennium Puzzle back together," said Yugi. Carefully, Joey and Tristan walked to the arena to get them out. Yugi finally finished solving the Puzzle, but was about to lose consciousness. Emily was on her knees and about to pass out as well, but she continued to hold on to Yugi.

Seeing that Emily wouldn't leave without Yugi and he wouldn't leave without his Puzzle, Joey and Tristan decided to help them pry it from the wall. They could reach the chain, but had a hard time unhooking it. It was actually too hot to touch. Then they found poles like the one Keith was swinging around. They hit it against the chain, but still had no luck. Then Joey got an idea. The bar Yugi's Puzzle was attached to had a hole big enough to fit the pole inside. So he and Tristan put the pole through the hole and pulled together. Finally, the bar came lose and they could escape.

Téa watched as the firemen doused the flames. "Oh, please hurry up," she begged. "My friends are in there!" Then she saw Joey and Tristan come out of the warehouse carrying Yugi and Emily with them. "Yugi! Emily!"

"Don't worry, Téa," Joey sighed. "They're safe and sound now. Hey, Tristan, not for nothing, pal, but let me tell you, you and I are heroes."

Yugi and Emily were rushed to the hospital. They were placed in rooms across from each other. The doctors also patched up Joey and Tristan's burns. Yugi regained consciousness and was happy to see his friends. "How can Emily and I ever thank you for saving our lives back there," he said gratefully to Joey and Tristan. "You put yourselves in danger to make sure we were okay. You're the greatest friends anyone could ever have."

"That's what friends are for," said Joey.

Tristan nods. "It's a good thing I spotted them."

"And what about me," Joey asked. "Thanks to my brilliant idea, we were able to pry your Puzzle off the wall."

"Yeah, brilliant," Tristan chuckled. "Let's stick the pole into the hole and we'll both pull on it really hard."

Joey growls at that. "Say what?"

"Say nothing. You heard me."

They were about to start fighting, but Yugi knew how to stop them. "Knock it off or I won't share my food with you." Hearing that, Tristan and Joey immediately broke it up. Yugi turns his attention to Téa and asks her, "Are you okay, Téa? You seem kind of quiet."

"Yeah, I'm fine. It's just been a long day." She got up and decided to go check up on Emily.

Max came by with a tray of food for Yugi. She did volunteer work at the hospital and was helping to look after her friends. Though Yugi promised Joey and Tristan that he would share his lunch with them, they had their own ideas on how to split the meal. "I'll take the sandwich," Joey decided.

"What about me?" Tristan asked.

"You can have the Jell-O," Joey told him.

Max had a better idea. "Yugi's the one in the hospital bed. Why don't you guys split the Jell-O and let him eat the sandwich?" Yugi appreciated Max's help and agreed with her. So the meal was spilt as she decided.

Téa left the room and saw the doctor coming out of Emily's room with his charts. "How is she?"

"She's stable," he answers. "It's a good thing she got here when she did. After inhaling all that smoke, a minute later and she wouldn't have made it. But amazingly, she's going to be just fine. But she'll have to stay here for a while."

Téa sighs of relief. "Thank God."

The doctor smiles at her. "She's awake if you want to see her. But keep it brief. She needs to take it easy." And with that, he went on his way to his office.

Téa quietly steps inside and sees Emily lying in her bed with an oxygen mask over her face. She was also given fluids to rehydrate. Téa sits down at her bedside. "Emily?"

She opens her eyes and smiles. "Hi, Téa. It's good to see you."

Téa smiles back. "There's nowhere else I'd rather be."

Then Emily remembers. "Yugi, is he-?"

"He's okay," Téa tells her. "Joey and Tristan are too. The doctor said you're going to be back to normal soon."

"Well, physically, yes, but…" she sits up and removes her mask to speak clearly. "I'm scared, Téa. Someone's after Yugi's Millennium Puzzle."

Téa sighs and looks away. "I know and because of that, I almost lost you guys today."

Thinking about how worried she had her friend, Emily apologizes. "I'm sorry, Téa."

She holds her hand and tells her, "No, it's not you. I would have done the same thing if I was in your place. It's just that, ever since Yugi bonded with the spirit of the Millennium Puzzle, everyone's been out to get him."

Emily nods. "That's why I'm afraid. I fear that this time, we're in more danger than ever. And I know we haven't seen that last of whoever it is that's after Yugi."

This was as brief as the conversation was going to go. Emily didn't want to bring up what happened when she was called a princess and was assumed of having Millennia's power. That would frighten Téa even more. Relaxing wouldn't be easy either for any of the friends.