To Fight or not to Fight

Back at the palace, Shada watched over Aknadin as he was recovering from Max and Bakura's attacks. Will Max and Bakura's evil rampage never cease? He wondered to himself. First Mahad was attacked, and now Master Aknadin? He holds his Millennium Key up to his master and prays, "Please, Great Goddess Millennia, guide his spirit."

Aknadin groans and regains consciousness. Shada lowers his Key and reacts in surprise. "Aknadin, are you all right? Please speak to me."

"Shada," Aknadin groaned. "Have you found many strong souls?"

"Yes. As a matter of fact, Seto and Joseph and I discovered that Lady Kisara and Lady Freya are each harboring a creature so powerful; they could not be measured."

Interested in the matter, Aknadin wonders if it's true. "Their powers were even too strong for the Millennium Key to detect?" Deciding he wants to find out for himself, he lifts himself out of bed.

Seeing that he's still feeling a little weak, Shada tries to stop Aknadin. "Please, with all due respect, you need your rest, sir."

"Out of my way," Aknadin demands and pushes Shada aside.

"Wait, Master," Shada calls back, but his master keeps marching in search of the cousins. It turned out that they had just woken up as well. Aknadin finds the girls and asks them to follow him.

Dawn had broken by the time Seto, Karim, and Joseph returned to the palace. Soldiers were still searching for the royal family along with the help of the legendary beasts. Keldeo came before the sacred court and gave them a report on the search. "My apologies, sir. We have scoured the kingdom and there is still no sign of the royal family."

"Even if you have to drain the river Nile, I want all three of them found!" Seto demands. Keldeo nods and promises he and his friends will find the royal family. "Know this," Seto adds, "Their majesties still walk, fly, and crawl on this earth. And if we expect Egypt to survive, they royal family must return to the throne!"

Joseph faces Isis and asks her, "Isis, are you receiving any visions of the future from the Great Goddess? Visions that can help us find the royal family?"

She opens her eyes and responds by saying, "One tiny ripple moves across a sea of shadows. As it spreads, one among us will vanish. More ripples will follow and before long, they will merge to form a devastating force. Time is running out!"

"Isis," gasps Joseph, "does this foretell the fate of our kingdom?"

She sighs and replies, "Joseph, I fear this foretells the fate of the entire world."

Shimon sighs as well. "The order brought about by the Great Goddess Millennia is falling apart. And I thought it would last forever. How could one man and woman have caused all this?"

"By fulfilling the wishes of the Dark Lord," Joseph was telling him, "It all begins by attacking his enemy's family. Starting by bringing harm upon an innocent little baby." Then a tear runs down his face.

Seto approaches him and rubs his shoulder. He said nothing, but his silence spoke more than a thousand words. After knowing each other for several years, they both felt like they knew what they were thinking and feeling. Unable to stand still and wait any longer, they agree that Bakura and Max have to be stopped and the royal family has to be found and rescued. But the two men were also concerned about their fiancés and hoped that nothing happened while they were away, so Seto and Joseph decided to check up on them.

Walking through the halls, Shada follows them and tells them what happened earlier this morning with Aknadin.

Seto faces him and asks, "What do you mean Aknadin is gone?"

"When he awoke, I told him what I found out about Kisara and Freya and he stormed out in a fit of rage."

The three men stop in front of a room. Seto is the first to look inside and see that it's empty. "Oh, no. Guards, what happened to Lady Kisara and Lady Freya?"

One guard answers nervously, "I thought you knew, Master Seto. Aknadin took them to the subterranean battlegrounds."

Seto's eyes widen. "He did what?"

"Did he say why," Joseph wondered.

Before the guards can answer, Barasuishou arrives and says, "Perhaps I can clarify the situation, Master Seto." She turns around and asks her superiors to follow her as she leads them below the palace. The subterranean battlegrounds were an arena where prisoners matched wits against each other in a Shadow Game. Their Shadow Creatures would grow stronger and those who were defeated would fall in the Pit of Shadows.

When Seto and Joseph walked through the doors, they saw that a battle was going on between two brutally scarred men. "No," Seto whispered in shock, "this can't be."

"Master Aknadin has gone mad," Joseph told him, seeing the old man in sitting in a grand chair and barking demands for the opponents to fight. What really surprised the two men was seeing their fiancés locked in a cage. What was going on here?

Seto wasn't waiting to find out what the meaning of it all was. He had to bring his master back to his senses. He approaches him and asks, "Master Aknadin, have you lost your mind? Forcing prisoners to engage in battle for your own amusement? No, I cannot allow this. You must cease at once."

"Silence, Seto," the old man firmly demanded. "Can you not see that I am executing your idea? Observe." Then they both watch one of the monsters grow in size a little bit. Seeing Seto's surprised and impressed reaction, Aknadin explains, "I took your plan to the next level; forcing prisoners to fight for survival. You see, as their rage increases, so does the strength of the being that dwells within their hearts."

Seto was impressed, but not amused. He did say he wanted to build an army of powerful Shadow Creatures, but not according to his master's cruel methods.

Seeing the two prisoners continue to put their rage against each other, Aknadin changes the subject. "Now, I understand the royal family is gone, meaning it's time we made the necessary provisions."

Upset with what his master just said, Joseph debates, "The royal family is out there! The royal guard is searching for them as we speak!"

Aknadin disagrees and tells him to be realistic. "The time has come to call a new king to the throne; one who can save us from the darkness." He turns to Seto and tells him, "Someone like you, Seto. But you cannot lead this empire alone. You will need an army of Shadow Creatures whose might rivals that of the Egyptian Gods themselves. And that is exactly what I am creating for you."

Seto and Joseph turn around and silently speak to each other. They shared the same concerns for their master; wondering what dark forces were at work. They both also knew that Aknadin didn't have a reputation for cruelty and would never treat prisoners in such a harsh manner. No, he would treat them like he would any innocent being. Something was wrong, but what?

"Now for the real battle." Then Aknadin orders the guards to bring forth Kisara and Freya. "Lead our next prisoners into the battlefield."

"All right, let's go," they say as they open the cage. Kisara and Freya keep holding each other; frightened and not knowing what they did to deserve this. They wondered if their secrets had been discovered after all and now they were being forced to fight for it. The cousins knew now that they were left with a choice; to protect their secrets or themselves. Kirara and Sakuya growl at the guards for taking their masters. They try to restrain the beasts, but Sakuya tries to bite them and Kirara keeps arching her back and hissing.

"You cannot be serious about this!" gasped Joseph.

"Joseph, I can assure you and Seto that your friends are not the meek young women they appear to be. They each harbor the most dangerous Shadow Creatures we are told of."

Seto and Joseph were well aware of Kisara and Freya's powers, but they weren't going to stand by and let the women they loved be forced to fight. Just as Seto feared, his master was after their beasts. He knew right away that he had to save the girls. "This is an outrage!" Seto exclaimed. "I will not stand here while you endanger two of our own kind! Even if they are powerful, they have done nothing to deserve this!"

"Enough! Both of you, stop being so naïve," Aknadin demands. "In this case, the innocent must be punished in order to benefit the greater good of our kingdom. Trust me, these women may be the key to the survival of Egypt."

The cousins turn and face their lovers. Quietly, they beg for Seto and Joseph to help them, but their voices are too low. One guard pushes Kisara and she starts walking to the center of the battlefield. Freya follows her cousin. When they get to the center, they stand with their legs shaking and hold each other.

"There is no other way," said Aknadin. "Now let the battle begin!"

One of the prisoners just laughs as he sees the frightened cousins. "They're our opponents? Surely they jest. I could defeat them with my arms in shackles! I'll teach these fools to mock me!"

"Get them!" the other prisoner cries, and their monsters ready themselves to attack.

"Don't hold back your rage, my dears," Aknadin told the cousins. "Show us the beasts that dwell within."

Seto and Joseph silently speak to each other once again as they turn around. They had never seen their master bring harm upon the innocent before. Other than that, Aknadin had never been so heartless towards Kisara and Freya before. He was always very kind and protective of them even when they were children visiting the palace.

Aknadin keeps observing the cousins, wondering why they're still frozen in fear. When in danger, anybody would do anything to protect themselves no matter how frightened they were. He starts to wonder if he was lied to until his Millennium Eye starts glowing.

Assuming that Kisara and Freya are refusing to fight back, one of the prisoners orders his monster to attack. The pale maggot shoots silk from its mouth and ties the cousins together. "Now finish them off!"

"They've wasted enough of my time," Aknadin impatiently growled. "I must see their powers!"

Seto and Joseph knew Kisara and Freya too well. The cousins would only fight if their friends or loved ones were in danger, not to defend themselves. Because of that matter, they were vulnerable to fight. Unable to take much more, Seto and Joseph agree that they have to help the women they love before they lose them to the shadows. So they summon their Shadow Creatures, Duos and Flame Swordsman. "That's enough!" Joseph cries. "If you want to fight, then fight us!" Then the two men jump down to the battlefield and get in front of Kisara and Freya.

"Seto, Joseph," Aknadin cries, "get back here!"

"Fear not," Joseph says as he cuts the silk around the girls. "You are safe now."

"Thank you both," the cousins say gratefully.

Seto and Joseph smile at them, then turn their attention to the prisoners. "All right, call off your beasts," Seto ordered.

The prisoners laugh again. "You two have a lot of nerve showing your faces here."

"You're the reason we were forced to live in this dungeon in the first place. Now it's time to return the favor. Let us show this sacred guardian and his friend how things are done below the palace."

Aknadin jumps out of his seat and cries out, "Seto, for the last time, don't do this!"

"Quiet, old man!" one prisoner shouts. "The pharaoh's servants want to be heroes, so who are we to stand in their way? Go ahead, Seto. You too, Joseph. Save them."

Putting their eyes on each other, Seto and Joseph nod. There was one way to save themselves and their fiancés and that was by destroying the entire arena. Duos and Flame Swordsman cut the chains holding the platforms, causing everybody to fall into the Pit of Shadows. Quickly, Seto and Joseph grabbed the cousins and held on to the chains that had not been cut loose. Kisara and Freya were losing their grips, but Seto and Joseph refused to let them go. They felt like their arms were going to be torn from their bodies, but the men continued to hold on.

As it turned out, one of the prisoners saved himself. Thanks to his maggot-like creature, he was secure in a web. Duos and Flame Swordsman were also caught up in a web, unable to move and fight. They were easy targets, the Shadow Creatures and humans.

Frightened and seeing that their lovers are in danger, the cousins look at their amulets and notice that they're glowing. Sensing that it's their time to shine, blue and red lights surround Kisara and Freya and the Red-Eyes Black Dragon and Blue-Eyes White Dragon appear. The prisoner is amazed, but still thinks he can win, so he orders his monster to attack. The two Dragons launch their White Lightning and Inferno Fire Blast; destroying the maggot and sending the man to the Shadow Realm.

"Incredible!" Aknadin gasps. "I've never seen such power!"

When the attacks finally subside, the Dragons carry everyone back on the ledge and disappear. Feeling exhausted from the battle, Kisara and Freya find themselves about to collapse. With the help of one of the guards, Joseph takes the cousins and their monsters out of the battlegrounds and up the stairs.

Aknadin approaches Seto and asks him, "Do you have any idea what we now hold in our hands? Those girls each wield a beast with enough power to annihilate Bakura's Diabound and Max's Angel of Death with one blast. Of course, we would have to take their powers from them in order to defeat our adversaries; which would mean sealing their souls in stone. So I suggest-"

"Have you lost your mind?" interrupted Seto.

"Don't let your emotions cloud your reasons, Seto. Those girls are your key to the throne."

Seto couldn't believe what he was hearing. "We already have a pharaoh! And I intend to find him and his wife and child, not replace them! Our princess was just brought into this world and she remains in it."

Aknadin continues to explain his reasons. "Seto, when our princess was born, the Battle of the Gods started to begin again. The fate of the entire world is depending upon your strength and intellect now. Besides, you shouldn't waste your time. Rumor has it that the royal family lost their spirits in the Pit of Shadows and Egypt cannot survive without a king. Do what's right for your country and take the throne."

"That is enough!" Seto protested. "I refuse to listen to another word of this! You have disgraced the name of the pharaoh and I won't be a part of it. My place is beside the throne, not upon the throne. And when I locate the royal family, that is where I shall stand. Now if you'll excuse me," he says and begins walking towards the stairs.

"Seto, wait," Aknadin called, but Seto didn't stop or look back. The old man knew that from here on out now, he would have to start taking matters into his own hands. If you will not seize your destiny, then I have no choice but to seize it for you, my son.