The Master of Magicians

Both Yami and Emily were glad that things turned out well for Joey in his duel with Esper Roba. Not that they expected any less from their friend. They came to a small park in town and decided to relax for a little while. They still had to be careful. Marik's Rare Hunters were all over the city and there was no telling when they would attack.

"Red-Eyes Black Dragon is Joey's favorite card," Emily was saying. "But I guess it was wise of him to give it to you. Besides, like he said, a part of his heart lives in your deck so he'll be able to support you. And with Marik and his Rare Hunters looking for us, we'll need all the support we can get."

"Yes, and Joey will do very well on his own as long as he continues to believe in himself and in the Heart of the Cards," Yami added.

Just then, a strange man in a jester costume came before Yami and Emily. "Hello, my friends," he greeted unpleasantly. "We've been looking for you."

"Who's 'we?'" Emily asked.

"You'll find out eventually, just turn around and walk into that tent," he said, pointing to what looked like a circus tent across the street. "My master is waiting inside. It's in your best interest to go." The jester jumped into a bush behind him. Yami and Emily weren't sure what this was about, but they crossed the street and entered the tent.

It looked like a circus, all right. There were so many obstacles and contraptions. But there wasn't a show going on. "There's no one here," Emily said as she looked around. The lights turned on and the stage was lit up. Above was a sign that read: 'Magic Show'. In the middle of the stage, there was a Mystic Box and the same jester came out.

"Enter here, my friends," he called and waved his hand. "My master's waiting." Yami and Emily followed the jester into the Box. It actually turned out to be an elevator and brought them to what looked like the lower level of a building.

Yami and Emily stepped outside from the elevator wondering where they were. Then they saw a light in one of the rooms in the hall. It was coming from a computer. They looked and saw Yugi's image on the screen. "Hacking into Battle City database," the computer was saying. "Duelist profile for Yugi Muto. Dueling Level: five stars. Rarest monster: Dark Magician."

Then a red light flashed and Dark Magician emerged from the screen. He didn't look anything at all like the noble mage they knew. This Dark Magician had dark skin, silver hair, and red armor. "I have been waiting for," he was saying to Yami. "You are not worthy of having me in your deck, so prepare to lose me forever. You're not the only duelist with my power in your deck, Yugi, and you're certainly not the best. It's time you met the true master of the Dark Magician."

But Yami wasn't fooled by this mage for an instant. "All right, enough of your tricks."

Then they heard cackling and saw a masked man in a red suit. "Welcome, Yugi Muto. I am the illusionist known as Arkana and soon your favorite card will be dueling for me. Only a true master of magicians deserves the power of the Dark Magician. You will never know his true potential. Oh, I know it must be hard to think of your favorite card residing in another duelist's deck. I challenge you to a duel in which the winner will take the loser's Dark Magician."

Emily scoffed. Master of magicians? Please. As a child, Emily always liked magicians and thought about becoming one once her career as a performer would begin. But first she had to fully understand the magic qualities she already had.

Yami accepted Arkana's challenge. "You must know that when a duelist builds his deck, he chooses his favorites from many types of cards. But sometimes, a card can choose a duelist. When they are connected, the duelist can tap into the card's true power because each is bound by the Heart of the Cards and the Dark Magician has chosen me." He shuffled his deck and drew his favorite card. "He has never let me down and I place my complete trust in him."

"So it's true," said Arkana. "The great Yugi Muto never backs down from a challenge. But this isn't the perfect place for us to have a show. Fortunately, I know a better place for us and our only audience member." Then Arkana started leading Emily and Yami down the stairs. "Hurry, it's almost curtain time. I have orders from my superiors to make this a show to remember."

Emily stopped. "What do you mean you have orders? Who are you working for, Arkana?" Then she wondered, Could this deranged showman be working for Marik?

"Relax, my dear." Arkana said mockingly. "Forget who's backstage and just worry about me." And he led his two guests to his personal dueling arena. It was decorated like a real magician's stage with all the curtains and contraptions. "I arranged this just for us, Yugi. We're completely alone and our only audience member is our dear Emily. Now let's shuffle our decks and let the show begin." And Arkana and Yami exchanged decks.

"I'm watching you, Arkana," Yami warned. "Don't try any slight of hand."

"Card tricks are simply for amateurs, Yugi," said Arkana.

"Just to be sure, I'll cut your deck," Yami insisted as they placed their decks on the table.

Arkana accepted. "There is a saying among card sharks and high rollers: trust your opponent, but only after they've cut your deck."

"Here's another," Emily was saying. "Never trust a man wearing a mask."

Arkana growled. "That's offensive, Emily. Besides, your boyfriend and I are a lot alike. We play to win. And in this performance, the both of you will find there's an extra downside in losing." Then the ground below his feet and Yami's pulled them into their positions for the duel. Then shackles came out and locked themselves around their ankles.

"Relax," said Arkana. "We're both locked in, which means that neither of us can escape. Remember that extra twist I was mentioning? We're not just playing for what's inside our decks, but also our minds." Then a disk glowing with a blue light appeared. "That's a dark energy disk, but I wouldn't get too close. One touch and your mind is banished to the Shadow Realm!"

"Are you serious!?" Emily snapped, seeing that her assumptions were right.

"Just let me explain the rules. The numbers you see in the ring of the arena display our life points. The closer the disk gets to zero, the closer it gets to us. Now, if you'll look down, Yugi, you'll see a key box. It displays your opponent's life points and will only open if you win the duel."

Emily growled. "You're insane!"

Yami agreed. "What kind of person would toy with someone's mind? Are you some kind of demented madman?"

"No, I'm a man who's promised a show to remember. But don't think you're merely a spectator in all of this, Emily," Arkana was saying. "I'm afraid that Yugi and I won't be the only ones trapped." As Emily asks Arkana what he means, he counts to three and a platform appears behind her. As Emily is bound to the platform by its shackles, she's taken to the wall where the exit is. "Consider this a special seat for you, my dear. It's showtime."

Arkana drew his cards and looked at his hand. To his delight, one of the cards was his own Dark Magician and he would be ready to play it. Yami made the first move by playing a card face down and summoning Alpha the Magnet Warrior in defense mode. Arkana also summoned a monster in defense mode. It was a Fiend Jester. All he needed was another monster on the field so he could summon his Dark Magician.

But that wouldn't happen. Yami knew that the only way to defeat this trickster was to think like a trickster. Yami didn't trust Akrana's hand, so he played Card Destruction. Now Arkana and Yami had to discard their hands and start over with a clean slate. After that, Yami played Brain Control and took control of Arkana's Fiend Jester. By sacrificing the two monsters, Yami summoned his Dark Magician to the field. Arkana was certainly not expecting this.

"You believe in nothing but trickery and winning at all costs," Yami was telling Arkana. "Now see what happens when you believe in the Heart of the Cards." And the Dark Magician showed Arkana some real magic by dealing 2500 points of damage to his life points.

"You've already lost more than half of your life points, Arkana," said Emily. "And we're still waiting for this grand magic show you promised us."

Arkana recovered from the attack. "That was just the opening act, my dear," he said calmly. But it was actually hard for him to keep calm as he saw the dark energy disk coming closer to his ankles.

Emily saw the same thing. "Why don't you set us free and end this madness, Arkana?" she asked, concerned not just for Yami, but for the showman as well. True, he was mad, but not even he deserved to be in the danger he was putting himself in. "If you receive another direct attack, your mind will be banished to the Shadow Realm!"

"My mind?" Akrana asked and laughed. "Never! I promised you a show to remember, Emily, and I never disappoint my audience. And your boyfriend should only worry about himself as well. It's my show and I can't lose."

Yami sighed in disappointment. "We gave you a chance to save yourself, but now I have no choice. Prepare to lose it all, Arkana."

But Arkana wouldn't let that scare him. He saw he was in a tight spot and needed to protect himself. So he summoned Mystic Tomato in defense mode. It only had 1100 defense points and wouldn't be enough to protect him. To end his move, he played a card face down. It wouldn't be worth the effort of attacking with Dark Magician, so Yami summoned Beta the Magnet Warrior to the field. This was what Arkana wanted to happen. He activated his trap card Dark Renewal. A coffin appeared and drew in the Mystic Tomato and the Magnet Warrior. In exchange, Arkana's Dark Magician emerged from the coffin and appeared on the field.

"You have your wish," Yami said as the two mages stood face-to-face against each other. They were equal in power, so both duelists had to think strategically. Yami played two cards face down on the field. Arkana decided to mimic Yami's move and play two cards face down as well. They did the same thing in their next turn and saw that their Dark Magicians were on the field protected by four magic and trap cards. It was now time to see who the real master of magicians was.

Arkana revealed his first magic card. It was Mystical Guillotine. The blade was about to sever the head of Yami's Dark Magician, but Yami saved his mage by playing Magical Hats. Arkana wouldn't waste his efforts by playing guessing games. He activated his second card Thousand Knives. The daggers detected Yami's mage and were lunged for the Magical Hat they were aiming for. Yami saved his mage once again by playing De-Spell to destroy the Magical Hats and the daggers. Destroying the Dark Magicians wouldn't be easy for either of the two duelists, but they had their mages attack.

"They'll destroy each other!" Emily cried, watching the Dark Magicians clash in magic and disappear from the field. But Arkana and Yami brought them back to the field by playing Monster Reborn.

"It looks like we're back to where we started," said Arkana.

"Yes, a stalemate," said Yami. "Why don't you set us all free and duel with honor?"

"With honor?" Arkana echoed. "And ruin all the fun? Never!"

"Have it your way," Yami said and drew his card.

"Arkana, wait," Emily was saying, "I have a question. Why did you bring us here and force my friend to a duel in which the loser's mind is sent to the Shadow Realm?"

"I'm just following my master's orders," he plainly answered.

"Enough secrets, Arkana," Yami demanded. "Tell us what this is about."

"Take a look at my face," Arkana said, removing his mask.

Yami and Emily gasped, seeing the scars all over his eyes. "Oh, my God," Emily whispered. "What happened to you?"

Arkana explained his story saying he was a wonderful magician who had what every performer did; fame and fortune. But what he loved more was his assistant and fiancé Katherine. They were going to get married until Arkana's last performance met with an accident, leaving him injured and scarred. In pain, he pushed Katherine away and didn't want her to see him in his condition. But when he realized he wanted her to stay by him, she was already gone. Then he met Marik. Marik offered Arkana a deal and promised to reunite him with Katherine if he could defeat Yugi in a duel.

Emily found herself feeling sorry for Arkana and wanting to help him. "You're making a mistake, Arkana. Working for Marik will only bring you greater pain and suffering."

"She's right," said Yami. "Marik cares about no one but himself. He'll say and do anything to get what he wants."

Arkana placed his mask back over his eyes. "It's a cruel world, my friends. There are few people you can rely on. But I am counting on Marik to reunite me with Katherine." Then a light turned on behind him and Yami and Emily saw a girl sitting in a chair behind a curtain. "Marik's a man of his word. You shouldn't be so quick to judge."

But Emily stood by her word. "You're a fool to trust Marik, Arkana. You should trust in yourself and in your cards."

Yami agreed. "You rely on tricks and illusions instead of your deck and that will be your downfall."

"They're just cards, you fools," Arkana argued.

"No, they're not," Emily said, her voice now stronger. "Yugi and I put our hearts in our decks and that's something you'll never understand."

Arkana just laughed. "Putting his faith in his cards will be Yugi's downfall," he countered.

But Emily wouldn't give up. "Set us free, Arkana," she said again. "It's not too late to stop this."

But he still stubbornly refused to listen. "Not until I win your boyfriend's Dark Magician!" He drew his card and placed it face down. It was Yami's turn again. He placed two cards face down and ended his turn. Arkana revealed his hidden magic card Back into the Dark. A red arm stretched down from the sky to take Yami's Dark Magician to the graveyard. Yami revealed his hidden trap card. It was Mystical Rift Panel, a trap that allowed him to redirect whatever spell was being used against him somewhere else. But Arkana's card was a decoy to get Yami to use his trap. He used his second hidden card Nightmare's Chains to capture Dark Magician. He was bound to a platform just like how Emily was, with nothing to do but watch the duel helplessly.

Arkana's Dark Magician attacked Yami directly, dropping his life points to 1500 and evening the score between the duelists. Yami didn't know how to free his Dark Magician. For now, all he could do was protect his life points. He summoned Big Shield Gardna in defense mode. It had a strong defense of 2600 and would be able to protect him. Arkana summoned a monster known as Doll of Demise. It had 1600 attack points and 1700 defense points. Next, he played a magic card called Ectoplasmer. He was going to use it to drain the life essence of his monsters and fire it to deal damage to Yami's life points.

"If you turn your monsters into hollow shells, they'll be of no use to you," said Yami.

"Maybe so, but once I've destroyed you, I'll have no use for them anyway." Listening to what his master's saying, Arkana's Dark Magician reacts in shock. Seeing Arkana extract the soul of the Doll of Demise and use it to attack Yami, the mage begins to realize what kind of duelist he is and believes Yami and Emily to be right. The Doll's soul passed through Big Shield Gardna and dropped Yami's points down to 700. Seeing Yami in danger, Dark Magician and Emily both grit their teeth and react in fear.

"You played well, Yugi," Arkana admitted, "but do you know why you and your beloved Dark Magician couldn't defeat me? You're too soft. In battle, monsters react best to fear. You have to make certain that they are afraid of you. You will never command their respect with kindness and trust. Just look at your Dark Magician. You are the master and they are the servants. They should ensure your victory even if it means being sacrificed to get you there."

"You're a sick man!" Emily snarled, seeing the expression on Arkana's Dark Magician. It was actually the mage himself she felt sorry for. She felt sorry for the Dark Magician for having to reside in the deck of someone like Arkana and having to put up with his cruelty. She could read his expression, saying, 'how could he use me and betray me?' and 'am I really nothing more to him than a servant?' Especially as Arkana continued to boast that it was his show and admit that his Dark Magician was no more than a pawn. The cruelty wouldn't stop as Arkana used his magic card to drain the soul of his Dark Magician. Having completely lost it now, Emily bursts into tears and begs Arkana to stop. "Please stop it! This has gone far enough!" She just couldn't stand to see a monster loyal to Arkana being taken advantage of.

But just as the soul of Arkana's Dark Magician fired for attack, the soul of Yami's Dark Magician shielded him. Both mages ended up being destroyed. "You're so busy disrespecting your cards that you fail to use them properly," Yami was telling Arkana. "When there's more than one of the same monster on the field, they're all affected by your Ectoplasmer card in the same way. So my Dark Magician's soul was drained as well."

"Can't you see that you've already lost this duel, Arkana?" Emily asked. "I mean, do you really think that by defeating Yugi, Marik will reunite you with your lost love Katherine? If so, you're more of a fool that we thought."

"For once, listen to us and set us free!" Yami demanded.

But he wouldn't. Arkana continued to stubbornly refuse to listen to reason. He played a card face down and ended his turn. "Remember, this is my show and the grand finale is so close. Don't forget I'm a master of magicians; the king of Dark Magicians."

Emily glared in disbelief. "You're not even close. What kind of king would extract the soul of his own Dark Magician? You disrespect your cards and rely on tricks to win."

"But I'll make sure you lose," Yami finished and drew his card. He summoned Gazelle the King of Mythical Beasts in attack mode. Arkana activated his trap card Shadow Balance. A scale appeared on the field and drew Yami's monsters in. The trap was to set the number of monsters Yami had on the field equal to Arkana's and since he didn't have any monsters, the scale destroyed Gazelle and Big Shield Gardna.

It was time for Arkana's biggest move. He may have considered himself to be a master of magicians, but he knew every trick in the book and had more than one Dark Magician in his deck. And he had the card that would allow him to summon his second mage without the need of a sacrifice. It was Dark Magic Curtain. For the price of half of his life points, Arkana's second Dark Magician appeared on the field. But Arkana didn't forget about Yami's two remaining hidden cards. To destroy them, he played Anti-Magic Arrows, leaving him wide open to attack.

But just as the Dark Magician was about to attack, the Dark Magic Curtain appeared on Yami's side of the field. "You really should pay closer attention to how your cards work, Arkana. The Dark Magic Curtain can work for both players who have Magicians to summon," said Yami. "And just like you did, I'll pay half of my life points to summon another Dark Magician."

"Wait a minute," Arkana was saying, "I was told you only had one Dark Magician in your deck!"

"Well, you're half right, but also misinformed. The Dark Magician I plan to summon is of a different variety and it is more powerful than yours."

"You lie!" Arkana yelled. "I'd know if another kind of Dark Magician existed! It can't be!"

But Emily knew what Yami was talking about. "It is." And her favorite and most trusted monster emerged from the curtain.

"It's true!" Arkana gasped. "A female Dark Magician! But you're wrong about one thing: her attack points are less than that of my Dark Magician's and is about to lose in a head-to-head battle!" But Arkana was the one who was wrong again as his Dark Magician was defeated by Dark Magician Girl.

Since this was Emily's favorite monster, she decided to explain. "Dark Magician Girl gains 300 attack points for every Dark Magician in the card graveyard, Arkana."

"It still doesn't add up," he protested. "Yugi had only one Dark Magician in his graveyard, so his Dark Magician Girl had 2300 attack points."

"Open your eyes," she scolded. "If you truly were a master of magicians, then you would know that Dark Magician Girl's ability applies to both players. She gains 300 attack points for every Dark Magician no matter whose graveyard he's in. So when you selfishly sacrificed your first Dark Magician, you helped to raise her strength." Then Arkana's Dark Magician appeared and tightened his eyes with an expression that read: 'that's what you get for mistreating me.'

"And now, Arkana, prepare for my grand finale as I wipe out the rest of your life points," Yami said and declared an attack. "When you mistreat your cards, you pay a high price; you lose."

Emily agreed. "It was because you disrespected your Dark Magician that you lost, Arkana."

"That can't be," Arkana argued. "I am the greatest magician the world has ever known. You two are nothing!"

"What we are is very sorry for you," Emily said. Then her shackles unlocked themselves and she was set free. Yami's key box opened as well and revealed a key and a locator card. Arkana continued to cry for help, but remembered he had a spare key hidden in his sleeve. He was about to free himself until he felt Marik's presence. Marik warned Arkana that he didn't hold his end of the bargain and now he had to pay by surrendering himself to the Shadow Realm. Marik even tormented Arkana's mind by convincing him that the key in his hand was no more than an illusion.

Yami unlocked the shackles around his ankles and set himself free. Hearing the voices of his friends on the other side, he let Yugi take over. Yugi and Emily agreed to save Arkana. He wasn't in his right mind and brought great cruelty upon himself and his opponents as well as the cards in his deck. But even so, he didn't deserve to go to the Shadow Realm.

Arkana didn't bother thanking Yugi or Emily for helping him. He ran to the other room where the woman was sitting. What Arkana thought to believe was Katherine was actually a doll. He kept speaking to the doll even after realizing he was tricked, begging Katherine to come back into his life.

It pained Yugi and Emily to see him like this, heartbroken and driven mad. "Arkana, are you going to be all right?" Emily asked as she approached him. "Is there anything we can do? Arkana?"

"Arkana is gone," Marik said as he began speaking through him. "So we meet again, Emily and Yugi. I'm sure there's no need for introductions."

"Show your face to us, you coward," Yugi growled.

"I'll reveal myself to you when the time is right and no sooner," Marik promised. "Once I obtain what's mine and I'm sure the both of you know exactly what I want. The unlimited power of the ancient pharaoh; the spirit that lives within the Millennium Puzzle."

"Never, Marik," said Yugi.

"You can't stop me. Do you remember when I took control over Bandit Keith? I almost succeeded in separating you from the Millennium Puzzle forever. And I could have taken you with me, Emily, after I discovered you were the Egyptian princess I had been searching for. But now that you have the Millennium Star and its powers are slowly restoring, I can come after you as well."

"Tell us why you want my power and Yami's," Emily demanded.

"Because your powers are rightfully mine," Marik answered. "And once they fall into my hands, I will be unstoppable. The world will be mine and no one will be able to stand in the way of my destiny; especially not the two of you."

"Oh, yeah? Watch us, Marik," Yugi tested.

"Listen to me, you two, my family has served the pharaoh for centuries, protecting his tomb until his return, and for what? I should be pharaoh!"

"Never," Yugi promised. "You won't get the power of the pharaoh and we'll make sure you don't."

Emily agreed. "That power belongs to Yami, not you."

Marik laughed at that. "Well, we'll just see about that, Princess. Little Yugi is nothing more than a vessel for your father's spirit. He could never comprehend his strength nor could he stand in my way of getting it. You don't stand much of a chance either. You've only begun to understand your own power. My family has given up too much to let someone else claim the throne. I was raised on the ancient scriptures learning everything there is to know about King Yami and the Shadow Games. The key is to obtain the Millennium Puzzle and the three Egyptian God cards. But I can't just take the Puzzle. According to the ancient scriptures, I have to defeat little Yugi in a duel. Then I'll banish him to the Shadow Realm."

"But why would you do that?" Yugi asked.

"To make sure you stay out of my way," Marik told him. "And once I'm through with you, little Yugi, I'll come after the princess and seize the Millennium Star. But the power I already have isn't enough to match the power of the Star. That's why my first intention is obtaining the power of the pharaoh. And once I obtain your Puzzle and the three Egyptian God cards, I will be king. And a much more worthy king than your counterpart Yami. He doesn't even know how to harness the great powers that lie dormant within. I, on the other hand, know full well how to take them from him. And my Millennium Rod will make sure I get everything I need."

"Who has these Egyptian God cards?" Emily asked.

"I already possess two of them and I know where to find the third one," Marik answered. "Soon enough, my loyal team of Rare Hunters will bring the final card to me. It's only a matter of time until I take what is rightfully mine and banish your father and boyfriend to the dreaded Shadow Realm where they will spend the rest of eternity while the rest of the world is kneeling before King Marik! You and Yugi are powerless against me, Princess. My destiny can't be stopped. The three Egyptian God cards and the Millennium Puzzle will belong to me. And I will strip the pharaoh of his ancient powers and use them for myself."

Yugi places his hand over the Millennium Puzzle. He had to keep Marik from obtaining the power he wanted. History is repeating itself and the world is depending on Yami and Yugi's victory. For now, Yugi had to make sure that Marik couldn't defeat him in a duel. "You'll never beat me in a duel, Marik, so you'll never get your hands on my Puzzle."

Marik laughed. "I promise you by the sands of Egypt, the pharaoh's power will be mine. Another one of my mind slaves is already in Battle City waiting to defeat you and take your Puzzle and he holds an Egyptian God card."

Yugi and Emily gasped. "And what is the name of this card?"

"You'll find out soon enough, Princess. Until then, beware the quiet one."

"What do you mean?" Yugi asked. "Who is the quiet one?"

But Marik wouldn't answer. "We'll meet again, Yugi and Emily."

Then Arkana fell to the ground. Yugi and Emily caught him. "We're not afraid of you," Yugi warned. "Next time, show us your face, you coward!"

Tristan broke down the door and charged in followed by Téa, Solomon, and Mokuba. It was hard to explain everything that happened down here. Emily and Yugi decided it would be best not to mention Marik and the dangers he put everyone through the duel. For now, it would be best to get out of the arena and back into the city.