May has completed her first duel, but there are still questions unanswered. What's going to happen next?
Well, read and find out.
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Between my Brother and Me
by Green Phantom Queen
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Chapter 4-Legends and Myths
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"Seeing these carvings confirms what I suspected all along, Yugi." said Professor Hawkins. "You share a common bond with a 5,000 year old Pharaoh! Do you know what this means?"
"Yeah, that my life is more confusing than most kids." Yugi replied—whether there was sarcasm laced in the statement, May and Max weren't sure.
"Technically, he's sharing a common bond with half of a 5,000 year old Pharaoh." Max whispered to his sister. "And don't forget, we can't tell him about that."
"I know..." said May in reply. "If we do that, chaos will erupt."
"Let me explain." said Professor Hawkins. "I've spent the latter part of my career studying Duel Monsters. It started as more than a game; Egyptian Sorcerers discovered a way to seal real monsters away within stone tablets. They would then summon them to display their great power amongst the people. But as more monsters were collected, the sorcerers' powers grew with it, until eventually, the Shadow Magic spun out of control and threatened to destroy all life on Earth."
"But then, one brave man—the Ancient Pharaoh—was able to face the menace, and turned the darkness into light." May added, interrupting the archaeologist. "And now his power resides in Yugi's Millennium Puzzle, am I right?"
"That's exactly right!" Profess Hawkins replied, but there was no shock shown his face. "How did you know that?"
"I...I..." May tried to say something, but she couldn't reveal the truth about the Pharaoh; she did make a promise to him after all.
"I told her!" Max replied. "I read about them in some old books back the library where May and I lived. Then I told her all the information...that's all..." There was some silence for a while as Max and May started to sweat a bit...
"Well, I say that you two must be interested in Duel Monsters to have read all those books." Max and May sighed in relief when they heard the answer, glad that Professor Hawkins wasn't going to evaluate on that subject any further.
"how does that explain what's happening now?" Yugi asked with worry. "Did these ancient monsters come back for revenge?"
"I'm afraid so." said Professor Hawkins, sadly. "But before I can explain any further, have you heard of the lost city of Atlantis?"
"Pokélantis?" May and Max asked simultaneously, recalling how the King of Pokélantis possessed Ash and made him fight against the Battle King, Brandon.
"No, Atlantis." Téa replied. "I remember reading a great book about it once."
"What? You nerd..." Was Tristan and Joey's reply to the comment.
Professor Hawkins could only laugh before he continued. "In my latest expedition, I may have discovered that very city; an underwater world that existed long before Ancient Egypt. But what really puzzled me were the carvings I saw on the wall."
"Take a look..." He pulled out a few photos to Yugi who gasped in surprise.
"Duel Monsters?" Was the reply of the King of Games.
"Precisely." Was the archaeologist's answer. "So these monsters didn't originate 5,000 years in Ancient, they lived over 10,000 years ago in what I believe is the Lost City of Atlantis."
"Atlantis...was real?" Téa said in shock.
"Do you know what this means?" said Solomon. "Your discovery could completely rewrite history!"
"There's still quite a bit I don't know." Professor Hawkins said in reply.
Yugi looked through the photos, then stopped at one with a purple eye and a few meteors raining down on the city. A tidal wave was about to crash down on it also.
"Look at this," He said. "Looks like the monsters are attacking the city!"
"Actually, it looks like only a couple of them are attacking them." said Max, staring at it closely with his glasses.
"You're right, Max." said Yugi, after peering at the photos. "So...if some of these monsters appear to be evil, does that mean some of them are good?"
"Where this is good, there's evil." May replied. "And I guess if there's darkness, then there's light."
"You have a point there, miss." said Professor Hawkins. "I believe that there's a parallel world of monsters that exists alongside our world. And throughout history, certain people have been able to release these monsters; some of them have helped mankind, others have tried to destroy it."
Tristan laughed. "You're kidding!" He cried. "You nutty professor!"
And that was all he said before Rebecca kicked him in the shin.
"OW!" Tristan replied, hopping on one foot. "The pain!"
"Good!" said Rebecca. "'Cause that's my grandfather you're talking about! Anybody who messes with him, messes with me! So keep your comments to yourself, got that punk?"
"Won't happen again." said Tristan, wincing in pain,
"Don't worry," Professor Hawkins said calmly. "I'm no stranger to ridicule; besides, it is a bit of a far-fetched theory."
"But it's true!" Rebecca exclaimed.
"I believe you, Professor." said Joey, who had been silent the whole time.
"Figures." said Tristan with some disdain.
"After all the weird stuff we've been through, I'll believe anything." Joey continued. "Like the time I fought Marik in that Shadow Game; all those monster attacks felt pretty real to me. And do you remember the times that both Mai and Bakura got blasted into the Shadow Realm? Let's face it, there's plenty stuff out there that can't be explained.
"Um, wait." said May, interrupting the Blonde duelist. "Marik, Mai and Bakura...weren't they all contestants in the Battle City Finals?"
"What happened?" asked Max. "What's with this 'Shadow Game' and being blasted into the Shadow Realm?"
"It's...a long story." said Téa. It was then that the siblings knew that it wasn't the time to discuss that particular subject. There was some silence for a while.
"So...I guess for a fact that there's a Pharaoh inside Yugi's Millennium Puzzle counts as 'unexplainable stuff', right?" asked May, after a minute or two.
"Actually, our hypothesis suggests that the supernatural phenomena that you all experienced yesterday may actually find its roots in Atlantis." Rebecca stated as if she were some sort of College Professor.
Everyone stared at her in shock. "Wow," said Tristan. "Those are pretty big words; especially coming out of a little kid."
"A KID?" Rebecca yelled, angry at Tristan's comment. "I'm a college student, thank you very much!"
"College student?" Everyone else repeated in shock.
"Um, not to be rude or anything." asked Max. "But how old are you, Rebecca?"
"I'm only eight." Rebecca replied with confidence. This made Max a bit ticked off, as he himself was only 7.
"My granddaughter is quite gifted." Professor Hawkins stated.
"Oh grandpa!" Rebecca continued. "I'm just your average child genius. Genius: G-e-n-i-u-s."
"Very cute." May muttered with sarcasm under her breath to her brother.
"Bet you my Silent Magician LV 8 that she can't spell 'obnoxious'." Max added.
"I HEARD THAT!" Rebecca snapped back at the siblings.
"Now, Rebecca," Professor Hawkins exclaimed. "Is that the behavior of a college student?"
Rebecca, embarrassed, bowed her head.
"Sorry, Gramps, go on." She answered. Professor Hawkins sighed a bit before continuing.
"Now, the point that I'm trying to make is this." He explained. "When the Egyptian Sorcerers conjured these monster 5000 years ago, the Pharaoh was there to save mankind from destruction." He then turned to Yugi. "Now it seems that that Pharaoh's reborn in you; which means, mankind needs his help again."
"Yeah, but I don't know where to start, Professor." said Yugi. "Do we try and get these monsters to go back to their own world? Or should we focus on finding out what that weird motorcycle gang is up to?"
"I vote on beating that motorcycle gang." said May, raising a hand in the air. "If I see those jerks again, I swear that the next thing they see is Blaziken's Flame Wheel incinerating them! Then I'll use Munchlax's Solar Beam on them, followed up by Squirtle's Ice Beam and then..."
"Um, that's not a good suggestion, May." said Max, interrupting his sister. "And you remember what Raphael did to Blaziken, he knocked it out cold! Can you imagine what he could do to poor Munchlax and Squirtle?"
May gulped as she saw Squirtle getting punched into the air and Munchlax also being kicked into the air in her mind. "Never mind..." She stated.
"Wait a second...I may have something." said Yugi, pulling out something from his pocket. It was a necklace with a green glowing stone.
"That's awesome..." Rebecca replied in awe.
"May found something like that too, Professor!" Max added, pulling out something from his backpack—a similar necklace with the same green stone. "She picked it off after beating one of those motorcyclists. It was also on the neck on the guy Yugi dueled, so it can't be coincidence!"
"Incredible." said Professor Hawkins, picking up Yugi's necklace. "This stone is remarkably similar to something I discovered on my expedition. Would you mind if I hold onto this stone, Yugi?"
"No, of course not." Yugi answered.
"I'd like to take it back to my lab." Professor Hawkins explained. "I have a feeling that it may hold the answers to many of our questions."
May and Max stared at their own necklace, before looking up at the frozen Tablet of the Pharaoh...as if it was some strange omen of sorts...
Sunset appeared as the group exited the museum. A white limousine was in front of them as both Professor Hawkins and Solomon entered.
"You kids be careful." said Solomon. "I'm going to take Arthur and Rebecca to the airport."
"Goodbye, cutie." said Rebecca, kissing Yugi on the cheek before heading into the limo. This act only caused Téa to look at her with anger.
"Ta-ta." was the last thing the young girl said before the door closed. The limo drove off as May and Max replied, "Good Riddance."
Yugi stared at the car driving off, lost in thoughts. Just as I thought things were getting back to normal, things get ten times weirder...
Yes. Was Yami's reply. And this time the situation seems more treacherous than ever...
May stared at her Atem-The Ancient Pharaoh card, seeing the image of the Pharaoh staring back at her. Atem...is it right for me to truly not tell Yugi about his fate? She asked the card.
With the situation at hand, it is a good idea not to tell. Atem replied. And don't forget, both you and your brother promised not to say anything about it...the less he knows about his past, the better. If he should know that he truly was an evil ruler, then I fear that things will get out of hand, and he may fall into his own vices.
"You okay, May?" Max asked his sister. "You've been lost in thought for some time now."
"Sorry." said May. "I've...just been thinking about...you know..." Max nodded his head, not wanting to divulge in the subject.
Yugi looked around, as if he heard something. "Did you guys hear someone ask for help?" He asked.
"Nah," Tristan replied. "This place is a ghost town."
"Don't say ghost." said Téa as they stared at their surroundings. It was completely bare, no human was around and the birds were silent.
"Anyway, it's been an exhausting day." said Joey, stifling some yawns. "Let's go catch some Zs."
"Easy for you to say," said Téa as she followed Joey and Tristan. "After hearing that story, it's going to be nightmare central for me."
Yugi continued to stare at the distance, trying to figure out the voice while May and Max looked at him with worry.
"I...didn't hear any voice." said Max. "Did you, May?"
"No...none at all." May replied. "But, I'm afraid all the same."
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After dinner, the three residents of the Kame Game Shop soon went to bed. May and Max shared a room next to Yugi's, the King of Games himself tossing and turning in bed.
There's a world of monsters that exists alongside our world... The words of Professor Hawkins swarmed the young duelist's head as he stared at the ceiling.
Can't sleep, can you? Yugi sat up to see Yami staring at him.
"Nope." Yugi answered. "Right now, all I can think about is what Professor Hawkins said."
I feel the same way, Yugi. Yami replied. If his theory is correct, then this could be our toughest fight yet.
In another bedroom, both May and Max were getting ready for bed as their Pokémon were scattered across the room. Eevee and Squirtle were nestled asleep on May's sheets, Blaziken and Vigoroth were sitting side-by-side asleep on the floor, Altaria was nestling on top of May's pillow and Munchlax was was resting at the foot of the bed. Beautifly and Shuppet were resting on the dresser in between the beds.
"Hey, May." said Max. "What did you think about Professor Hawkins's theory?"
"Well..." May began. "He may be right...but he still doesn't know everything. He still doesn't know about the Heart of Chaos, or the fact that Atem was one of the carriers for it. Plus, he doesn't know about Samiya, Manaphy and Jirachi."
"We should leave that to ourselves." said Max. "It's no use to explain stuff that the Professor's not going to be figuring out anytime soon. I mean, you saw the look on everyone's faces when we showed them our Pokémon; what do you think would happen when Professor Hawkins gets his hands on something as rare as Manaphy or Jirachi?"
"At least he'd take better care of them, then whomever is hurting them. But...how does Duel Monsters relate to Pokémon in the first place? There's nothing in common! Monsters like them existed in this 'Shadow realm' while Pokémon are here on this planet!"
"Maybe not all Pokémon came from this planet. I mean, Deoxys came from a meteor, and that's the same with the Clefairy family. And don't forget Mewtwo, who was a clone created by people-"
"Okay, aside from them, then." May replied, interrupting her younger brother. "Don't you find it a bit strange?"
"I do." said Max. "And yet...after what happened with Kyogure and Groudon, and Celebi and all of the other Legendary Pokémon...it doesn't seem as strange anymore."
"You do have a point." said May, as she laid her head on the pillow. "Well, goodnight Max."
"Goodnight, May." Max replied, before turning off the lights.
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Stormy clouds hung around the top of the conical tower. On top of it was an ancient temple with a yellow dome and spires. Deep inside its chambers, three stone serpents and many stone tiles were lit by torches, giving it an ancient glow. The three motorcyclists walked into it, greeted by the white robed man from before.
"We located the Pharaoh, master." Raphael stated. "Unfortunately, we weren't able to capture his soul."
"Well, I didn't expect you to defeat him to this soon." The man answered back. "We've only just begun."
"But you know me, Master." Raphael continued, walking up the steps with a wooden jewelry box in hand. "I never come back empty handed."
He opened the box, revealing the three Egyptian God Cards. The robed man smirked as he saw the prized monsters.
"Excellent." Was his response as he took them into his hand. "The Egyptian Gods; at long last, I waited an eternity to have their powers in my hands." The cards began to glow as he continued. "I finally possess the supreme force necessary to awaken the great beast. Soon, we shall rid the Earth of mankind; and rebuild civilization as it once was!"
He proceeded to place each of the God Cards within the open mouths of the serpents as he continued to speak.
"Serpents of the Orichalcos, hear my cry." He called out. "I offer thee the Gods of Egypt; use their divine might to unlock the sacred chamber of the great beast! Awaken from his ancient slumber by accepting my offering."
Three beams of light escaped from the cards, soon shooting out into the sky while the white robed man laughed.
"The time has arrived my friends." He finished. "Finally, after 10,000 years, the Great Leviathan shall rise again!"
Unfortunately, what he didn't notice was that the glow on the Winged Dragon of Ra was starting to dim...
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"Pharaoh, we need you!" A voice cried while Yugi tried to sleep. The Millennium Puzzle began to glow as Yugi found himself deep within the Labyrinth of the Millennium Puzzle.
"Help us!" The voice cried once more as Yugi noticed Yami standing next to him.
"Someone needs us." Yami stated while Yugi nodded his head.
"Yeah but where are they?" asked the young vessel, looking around.
"Please, where are you?" The voice replied, echoing across the chambers.
"The person could be almost anywhere." Yami muttered, staring at the labyrinth of bricks and metal doors.
"Can you hear me?" The voice cried again.
"Any ideas?" Asked Yugi, turning to the Pharaoh.
"Let's split up." Yugi nodded his head as he ran toward one of the doors.
Meanwhile in the real world, both May and Max were asleep. Their duel disks were set on a wooden chair, both of their decks kept in the deck holder. Suddenly, cards in May's Duel Disk started to glow.
Goddess of Joy...please wake up...
May ignored the voice, as she rolled over to the side of the bed. Even if she was half-conscious, she knew that the voice wasn't Atem or Kura's.
"Go away, Harley..." She muttered under her breath. "Altaria, attack his Cacturne with Sing..." She grumbled a bit as she fell back to sleep.
Goddess! This is important! Please wake up!
May gritted her teeth as Altaria started to wake up, adjusting its eyes to the light. Staring at the glowing cards, it scooted its way out of the bed and gently flew over to the wooden chair. It stared at it closely before pecking at the glowing cards in its master's Duel Disk.
"Al?" It said in confusion. It then looked up to see two spirits standing there, both staring at it with confusion.
"ALTARIA!" The Humming Pokémon screeched, causing the residents in the room to wake up.
"What's going on, Altaria?" asked Max. He then looked up to see the spirits. "Oh my gosh..."
May rubbed one of her sleepy eyes with a hand. "What's with the screech, Altaria?" She then stared at the spirits dumbly before it registered into her mind.
"GHOSTS!" May screamed, pointing to them. "Eevee, attack with Shadow Ball!"
"Shuppet, use Will-O-Wisp!" Max commanded. "Blast those spirits away!"
Eevee opened its mouth as a sphere of black energy appeared. Shuppet's eyes began to glow as blue flames circled it.
"FIRE!" The siblings cried as their Pokémon launched the attacks. The blasts neared the spirits...
But they were soon blocked by an invisible force field, soon transforming into nothing but motes of light. Both May and Max started to tremble as the spirits took a step toward them.
"Beautifly!" said May to her Butterfly Pokémon. "Use Silver-"
Enough of this foolishness! Barked a voice. May flinched at the tone...now that she had calmed down, she was able to see the two spirits well.
The first one was tall—about 5'8—with short brown hair and fierce blue eyes. A tall blue hat with a golden cobra and rays covered the side and back of his head, while his tan arms had golden bracers and gripped onto a golden staff with winged blades at the side. A blue tunic, wrapped by a golden belt and a tan shenti draped his entire body, the blue tunic having golden shoulder pieces, and a golden ankh wrapped around his neck.
The second spirit was in contrast with the taller spirit. He had golden hair and amber eyes and was wearing a red tunic instead of blue and a white shenti instead of tan. He had no hat but also had a pair of golden bracers and was wielding a glass orb with a small flame inside.
May gulped as she scooted back, only to find herself trapped in the corner. It also didn't help that the brunette spirit grabbed her wrist, and stared at her with his own eyes.
"So...this is the Goddess of Joy?" He replied. "She doesn't seem so special to me." May's breath came in short pants, recalling how Raphael had grabbed her wrist like that—twice.
"Get away from me!" She cried, trying to push the person away...only to find that her foot went through him.
"Why do people always have to do that?" The spirit cried as May screamed. "Now will you just calm down and listen?"
"Atem! Atem!" May screamed. Max tried to help, but his wrists were also grabbed by the red dressed spirit, but unlike his partner, he was gentle, and whispered something into the boy's ear.
"Goddess, please calm down." May opened her eyes to see Atem sitting near the Pokémon Coordinator. Blaziken and Vigoroth were up, ready to strike if those spirits hurt their masters while Squirtle and Eevee growled in anger. Altaria flew to Beautifly and Shuppet, who were also ready to attack and Munchlax was retracting his fist, ready for Focus Punch.
"It's okay, everyone!" said May to her Pokémon. "Atem is a good guy, he's a friend of mine."
"'Atem is a good guy'." The brunet spirit mocked. "Guess you haven't heard what he's done."
"Yes she has, Seth." May turned to see Kura sitting at the edge of Max's bed. The Thief Lord turned to the blonde spirit, who had been silent the whole time. "And don't be so modest, Jouno, after all...she is a Goddess."
"Sorry." Jouno muttered under his breath.
"The gang is back together again." Kura muttered with sarcasm.
"What gang?" Max asked with confusion. "And is there something you guys haven't been telling us?"
Atem sighed as he waved his hands against May and Max's Duel Disks. They disappeared but soon reappeared on both of the sibling's arms. The Ancient Pharaoh soon stood up as the Millennium Puzzle on his neck started to glow.
"When Kura and I were possessed by the Chaos Heart, there were two people who were responsible in not only breaking the spell temporarily, but also sealing half of my soul into the Millennium Puzzle." Atem explained. "Seth happened to be my cousin and also the wielder of the Millennium Rod, while Jouno was a loyal servant who could interpret dreams.
May looked into her deck, immediately revealing two monster cards similar to both Seth and Jouno. Seth's card stated him as "Priest of Dragons", while Jouno was entitled the "Sorcerer of Dreams."
"I don't understand, though." said Max. "What's going on?"
"You'll see when we get there." said Jouno. "Now come on..."
"Wait, what are you—whoa!" That was what both May and Max said when a glowing portal appeared under Atem's feet. The two were then pushed in. soon followed with the four spirits. The portal closed before Altaria had a chance to jump in, causing the other Pokémon to act confused on what happened.
Both May and Max soon found themselves teleported into a strange land. It was a kingdom with mountains, forests and a river. A floating chunk of land was near a white castle with orange roofs and many windows.
"Where are we?" asked May, looking around. She turned to see Atem appearing behind her, a small smile on his face.
"You are here in the realm of Monsters, Goddess of Joy." said Atem. "You and the Prince of Wisdom have been sent here because it is important that you learn what is happening."
"Wait, did you just call me 'Prince of Wisdom'?" asked Max. "Since when did I get some sort of title? And why do you keep calling May a Goddess?"
"Because Goddess is Goddess." Jouno explained simply. "She has powers that even we cannot comprehend. As for you being a Prince..."
"It's only because you have a considerable amount of knowledge." said Seth, finishing the Dream interpreter's words. "But now is not the time...follow us."
"This way, you two." said Kura as both May and Max grabbed onto his hands. As they were zooming toward the castle, brother and sister stared at a huge yellow eye with a black slit staring at them amongst purple clouds. Yellow meteors were being sucked into its center as the two could only stare in horror.
The six soon made it into the inner chamber of the castle. White pillars surrounded the area while three huge dragon sculptures made out of crystals were at the center. May and Max soon found themselves hiding behind a few of the pillars, seeing both Yami and Yugi talking to the Dark Magician Girl.
"There's Yugi!" May said in a low voice. "And that guy next to him..." He pointed to the spirit of the Millennium Puzzle. "He must be Atem's other half."
"But why are we hiding here?" asked Max. "Something isn't right."
"Shh..." Kura hissed at the children. "Quiet, you're about to hear some critical information."
"Pharaoh, both of our worlds are in danger." said the female Spellcaster. "And without your help, we will all cease to exist."
"So what Professor Hawkins said was true." said Max, hearing the words. Seth came and clamped a hand over the boy's mouth so he wouldn't speak.
"As long as mankind has walked the Earth, the dominion of beasts has existed alongside the human world." Dark Magician Girl continued. "We have lived this way for thousands of years, but although our worlds are separate, we depend on one another in order to survive. But now something is threatening that survival and it must be stopped. A gateway between us has opened, and now the great beast will swallow us all."
May and Max could only gasp in shock...both of them thinking if this Great Beast was the same one whom they had seen on their way to the castle.
"It lives above the sky, feasting upon the life force on both humans and monsters alike. We need you, Pharaoh...all of us need you. If this continues...we'll be gone forever. You two are our only hope."
May and Max stared at all of the Duel Monster spirits...they looked so sad and scared. They wanted to do something, but all they could do was watch as they saw Dark Magician Girl instruct the Pharaoh and Yugi to pull out a sword from the eye of one of the dragon statues.
Yugi and Yami pulled the sword out of the dragon, the statue soon breaking apart into hundreds of pieces. Appearing before them was a blue-green dragon with a slash going down its right eye like a scar.
"A dragon..." May gasped. "It looks even bigger than Dark Horus!"
"Timaeus!" Yami and Yugi shouted, bonding with the dragon. The dragon let out a giant roar as a blinding light surrounded the area. May and Max couldn't see anything else as the dome of light blanketed the area.
"Too bright!" Max replied, covering his eyes. "I can't see what's going on!"
"It's about to be over," said Atem. "Then your role in this story shall commence."
May opened her eyes to see the dragon, Yami and Yugi had vanished. It was then that she felt her body move toward Dark Magician Girl, despite not wanting to go there in the first place.
"What's going on?" she asked as Max and the four spirits also came to the center of the area. Many of the monsters were now staring at the Pokémon trainers in wonder as Dark Magician Girl flew down to them.
"Goddess of Joy," said the Spellcaster, bowing to May. "It has been a long time."
"Um...I guess it has been." said May, trying to act calm. "What is it that you wanted to ask me?"
"And why am I involved in this?" asked Max.
"The Prince of Wisdom...you have arrived also." Max looked in confusion at the title. "You two are needed because of your bonds."
"So...you know about Manaphy and Jirachi then!" May gasped. "What's going on?" Dark Magician Girl looked at the two with some sadness, but otherwise did not respond to the question.
"I said tell me!" May yelled. "What's happened to them?" There was still no answer as tears fell down the Pokémon Coordinator's eyes.
"You're keeping something from me, aren't you?" May exclaimed, becoming hysterical. "Aren't you?"
"May..." Max whispered, seeing his sister in her panicked state. "Please calm down...there has to be a logical explanation for all of this."
"I'm afraid that's the problem." said Dark Magician Girl. "Goddess of Joy, this 'Manaphy' and 'Jirachi' that you speak of may be keys for the destruction of our worlds. I believe that whomever is summoning the Great Beast may seal them in order to use their powers."
"No...that can't be..." May said softly. "Manaphy...MANAPHY!"
One of the cards in May's deck started to glow; May pulled it out to reveal the image of Dark Horus staring at her. Then, a harsh wind began to blow and a loud screech accompanied it. The imposing figure of the black dragon flew down from the sky,
"Dark Horus?" Jouno gasped. "How did she gain that monster?"
"It was from one of the Booster Packs she got." Max explained. "She asked me if I wanted it, but I stated that it would work better for her deck. But...why is it here?"
"We best be careful." Seth muttered under his breath. "This could get dangerous."
"Dark Horus..." May whispered, wiping a tear from her eye.
"Goddess of Joy." said Dark Magician Girl. "Even with this plan, I am sure that both of these people that you care for are all right." May wanted to object that both Manaphy and Jirachi were Pokémon, but decided to keep her mouth shut. "However...there is another reason why you are here, and why you are entitled as the 'Goddess of Joy'."
Goddess...your power has been known to bring happiness to the lives of other people. May and Max gasped at the booming voice of Dark Horus. You were an inspiration to everyone around you, and even to me. You could make them all forget their sorrows for a short while, by lifting their spirits. Even I can show you my respect, as do all the other Monsters.
May turned to see the group of monsters cheering for her, a small Kuriboh floated towards her and sat on her shoulder.
"Do I really have that power?" May whispered to herself. Atem and Kura knelt to her while May looked at the act with some shock. "Whoa..."
Goddess of Joy...the Pharaoh will soon be in grave peril. You must make sure that he shall be protected when the time is right. Said Dark Horus. Right now, your powers is at a level that you can summon monster from your Deck into your realm. Everyone has decided that I shall be a representative from your deck to protect you, just as you brought me back to life twice during your fight.
"But what about me?" asked Max. "Why am I called the Prince of Wisdom? I don't have knowledge about Duel Monsters at all!"
It's true, but you are able to think on your feet when the time is right. Wisdom means knowing when to use your knowledge at the right time.
Max gasped to see the figure of Silent Magician LV 8 summoned in front of him. She was tall with a white peaked hat and tunic with a blue design on it. She was also wearing blue boots, white gloves and had white hair covering one of her eyes. She placed her staff into Max's hands as he saw Seth and Jouno soon got one one knee and bow to him.
"Why are these spirits bowing down to us, May?" Max asked his sister.
"It is because you are the representatives of the original beings of Joy and Wisdom." Dark Magician Girl explained. "The Goddess of Joy and the Prince of Wisdom were once important figures in Ancient Egypt. The 'Prince of Wisdom' was represented by the god Thoth, while the 'Goddess of Joy' was truly Isis, the husband of Osiris. These two would ultimately help bring about the end to the darkness, and now their powers are passed onto you."
"So if we were some sort of deities, why are our powers revealed now?" May asked with some shock. "Why didn't anyone tell us sooner?"
"Just like the Pharaoh has no memory of his past, so did the reincarnations of Joy and Wisdom." Atem explained. "Both of these happened and became part of mankind multiple times in the past...and it was then that mankind has prospered, while everyone here also were at peace."
"Have you two ever heard of the Renaissance?" asked Dark Magician Girl. May and Max shook their head in reply. "It was symbolized as the Rebirth after the Dark Ages, where knowledge and happiness were at its highest, and where many humans interacted with Duel Monsters to help benefit the world."
"There must've been lots of beings of Joy and Wisdom at that period." Max murmured. "So...what happens now?"
"Mana! Mana!" May gasped at hearing the voice. "Momma! Momma!" A small glowing figure flew through the pillars and circled around May, who only replied with shock.
"Mana! Mana! Mana!" The glowing stopped as May could only stare in shock...it was Manaphy, and it looked happy to meet her.
"Manaphy..." May gasped. "You're okay!" She grabbed the Seafaring Pokémon into her arms and began to cry, many tears falling down her face.
"Momma...sad?" asked Manaphy when it was hit with some of the tears. "Momma...not happy?"
May sniffled as she wiped the tears away. "No...I'm happy, Manaphy." She replied. "These are tears of happiness...showing that you're alright...I'm glad..."
"Momma is happy! May is happy!" Manaphy cheered. The other Duel Monster took heed as May felt a rush of energy surrounding her. As if the happiness she had felt when holding Manaphy had increased so she could not help but laugh a bit.
"There's the power of the Goddess of Joy." said Kura. "Now if she could only remember those lines..."
"What lines?" asked Max. "And what about me?"
Max...Max...
Max whirled around when he heard that voice. "Jirachi?" He asked, looking to his left and right. "Jirachi, is that you? Where are you?"
Behind you!
Max whirled around to see both Seth and Jouno grasping onto a sleeping figure. It was white with some sort of hat that looked like a star and three blue tags on the points. Two blue marks were under its eyes as it slowly awakened.
"Jirachi, what's going on?" asked Max.
Something is coming after you two... Jirachi explained telepathically, its eyes still not opened. It is because of your bonds with us that you are soon being hunted. Perhaps it was destiny that you were two were sent to Domino City...and perhaps it was destiny that you stop whomever is trying to hurt you.
"But what about those dreams, Jirachi?" asked Max. "It showed Samiya destroyed by a large shadow, and someone stealing you away!"
Samiya is important to Manaphy, just like May was to him. Jirachi added. And you considered me a best friend, Max...think for a minute Max, I know you understand what's going on.
Max rubbed his chin in thought, trying to recollect the dreams. May's dream was similar to what she explained when the two were with Lizabeth and her family, while his own dream was him meeting up with a sleeping Jirachi amongst a mountain side...then it all make sense.
"The dreams aren't talking about Manaphy and Jirachi being captured." Max explained, putting things together. "It may mean that something that is important to us is going to be taken away, not you guys!"
Correct, Max...I knew you were smart.
More of the monsters were now whispering amongst themselves about Max's knowledge, the young boy just blushing to himself. Dark Magician girl laughed a bit at the site.
"What did I tell you?" She said. "Both of you are definitely representatives of the beings of Joy and Wisdom. And it appears that these two creatures are 'Manaphy' and 'Jirachi', right?"
"Yes." said May, hugging her beloved child. She looked down to see herself dressed in a light blue hooded robe with a red border. Her gloves were no longer there, and a pair of sandals replaced her sneakers. Beneath the robe was a white tunic that went down to her ankles—her Duel Disk was still on her arm though, its colors were now blue and red—and she even had a necklace with a small yellow heart around her neck. "Wow...is this my outfit?" She asked.
"That was the outfit from the Goddess of Joy 5,000 years ago." said Atem while Dark Horus bowed down to her. May soon found some of the monsters also bowing down to her as well. "It looks beautiful on you, Goddess."
"He's right, May." said Max. "It looks great on you." Jouno could only chuckle, seeing how oblivious the young boy was.
"But what about you, my Prince? Have you not seen your outfit?" Max blinked in confusion until he looked at his own outfit. He was now wearing a green tunic with a brown belt around it and a green cape was draped around his neck. He also had a circlet that was decorated with seven colored stars, and Silent Magician's staff was now completely blue with a yellow star that was on top of it. His Duel Disk was now yellow and black, the center now shaped like a star, and the disk being curved to make it look like an arc.
Suddenly a huge rumbling appeared, causing everyone to be in shock. Dark Magician Girl looked up, seeing parts of the castle starting to collapse.
Goddess! We must go now! May looked up at Dark Horus who soon scooped the young Coordinator into his arms.
"But..." May stared to ask, but was interrupted when she saw Silent Magician LV 8 grabbing onto Max who had grabbed Jirachi into his arms. Both siblings stared at the sight while Dark Magician Girl waving at them.
"Good luck, Goddess of Joy and Prince of Wisdom!" She cried. "Help assist the Pharaoh in his darkest hour."
"We will!" May replied. "We promise!"
"Bye-bye!" Manaphy replied, waving at the site. That was the last thing both siblings heard before a bright light surrounded them.
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May slowly opened her eyes, finding herself blinded by a strange light. She woke up to find herself on her bed once more, dressed in her original blue outfit. All of the Pokémon in the room were fast asleep.
"Man, is it morning already?" She asked herself. She then looked at the window, seeing multi-colored lights that looked similar to the Aurora Borealis. "Wait...it can't be!"
"May, look at this!" May turned to her brother, seeing that he had two new cards now: A ritual monster and its ritual spell card. The Ritual monster looked a lot like Jirachi, while the ritual card was of a meteor streaking down from the sky. "I got a card based on Jirachi! And it looks like you got cards from Manaphy!"
May looked down, seeing two cards also staring at her. One of them was of Manaphy with its happy grin staring at her, the other was a picture of Samiya. It seemed impossible...but it was staring right in front of her.
"Maybe Jirachi and Manaphy want to help us in some way." said May, looking at the cards. "They can't be with us physically, so they could be with us spiritually..." That was when she remembered the lights outside of the Game Shop. "Max...something must be going on outside."
"What are we waiting for?" asked Max, as he got his sneakers on. "Let's get going!"
May nodded as she got out of bed, immediately strapping on her sneakers. Before she got out of the door, she grabbed onto her yellow waist pack, wrapping it around her hips, placing her two new cards into a separate pouch.
The two ran outside to see other people staring at the site. They could see monsters of different varieties being sucked into the grey clouds. The two immediately found Yugi and his friends at the center of town, with a tall silver clock. Both of them were exhausted but were at least glad to have found the King of Games.
"What's going on here?" asked May. "What's with this light?"
"Not sure." said Tristan, pointing to the sky. "But look."
May and Max looked to see a huge collection of green crystals descending from the sky. Motes of light—millions of them—were being drawn into the gems and were absorbed, causing the light to glow brighter.
May looked down at her waist pack and opened one of the pouches. She immediately pulled out the Winged Dragon of Ra she had snatched and stared at it closely, before staring at the giant crystals.
"Ra was going to be used for that?" Max whispered. "That's so scary."
"Hey..." said May, peering at the card. "There's some writing on here. It says: "Great beast of the sky, please hear my cry. Transform thyself from orb of light, and bring me victory in this fight."
A large golden orb soon started to materialize in the sky as May continued to chant. Yugi looked at it with shock.
"Is that the Winged Dragon of Ra?" He gasped. "But I thought it was stolen by that biker gang."
"Envelop the desert with your glow, and cast your rage upon my foe." said Max, reading the next line. It was strange, but it was if he could read it like it was plain English. "Unlock the secrets deep within, so that together we may win..."
The golden orb started to open as the dragon started to emerge from its slumber. Both May and Max nodded their heads as they finished the chant amongst the shock and gasp of everyone else.
"Appear in this shadow game, as we call your name...Winged Dragon of Ra!" They chanted.
With the final chant the Golden dragon appeared in all its glory. It let out a loud screech as it flew toward the menace in the sky.
"All right, it worked!" said May. "It's appeared!"
"Those motorcyclists are going to be in a world of hurt when they realize what they have!" Max added. Unfortunately the victory didn't last long as the crystals soon fell onto the ground like missiles, revealing the yellow eye from before.
"Oh, no!" May cried, placing the Winged Dragon of Ra card onto the top of her deck. "It's here!"
A beam appeared from the eye as a huge vortex of wind descended from the sky. Téa, Tristan and Joey moved out of the way while May, Max and Yugi were trapped within the eye of the storm.
"Get out of there, Yugi!" Joey replied, trying to keep his ground. The winds were very strong and he soon fell to the ground on his rump.
"Yugi," said May to the King of Games. "Let us help you with this battle."
"That thing's targeting us also, and Ra needs our help!" Max added.
"Wait...how is Ra here in the first place?" asked Yugi. May and Max gulped at that, not wanting to explain the whole process of switching the real card with a counterfeit.
"That's not the point." May replied. "We have to stop this monster now!" She brought out her new ritual card and lifted it into the air.
"I call upon Samiya, the Sea Crown!" May replied. It was then that she read the fine print of the card; she could only summon Manaphy if she had two Water type monsters, which she didn't have.
"May, take these!" Max tossed two cards into his sister's hands. They were both the same type of monsters: a green cloaked magician with spiky blue hair and a white mask covering its face with red eyes. "Use my Aqua Madoors to summon Manaphy!"
May nodded, lifting the two monsters into the air. "I sacrifice these two monsters to summon Manaphy, Prince of the Sea!"
The two Aqua Madoors lifted into the air as Yugi stared at what was happening: a glass dome holding some sort of underwater ruins appeared into view. Then a small blue light escaped from the dome, floating toward the group.
"Mana!" The Seafaring Pokémon replied. "Mana! Mana!"
"Manaphy, help Ra!" said May, pointing. Manaphy nodded its head as it flew toward the larger dragon who let a huge ball of flames attack the menace. A yellow beam appeared in front of Manaphy, and it was soon fired at the eye, hitting it dead on.
"All right!" said Max. "A direct hit!" Unfortunately the monster didn't seem faze by this, hitting both Pokémon with two beams of light.
"That just made it mad!" exclaimed May, the twister growing larger and larger. "Max, bring out Jirachi!"
Max drew three cards: The ritual spell and his two Emissary of the Oasis cards. "I play Millennium Comet!" He exclaimed as a large black stone appeared. "Now, I'll sacrifice my two Light monsters to summon Jirachi, Wish Granter, onto the field!"
Two blue skinned Spellcasters, both draped in yellow dresses appeared, transforming themselves into orbs and absorbed themselves into the comet. The comet soon broke open, revealing the Wish Pokémon. It opened its eyes as it stared at Max.
"Jirachi, use Doom Desire on that eye!" Max commanded. Jirachi soon turned toward the monster, the eye on its stomach opening as it let out a streak of white light. Then, waves of multicolored light soon flew into the sky attacking it dead on. Explosions were seen as shooting stars fell down onto the earth like rain.
"That did it!" May cheered. "We defeated the menace!"
"I wouldn't be sure about that." said Yugi. "Look!"
A low growl escaped the eye as three lightning bolts hit the three monsters. Manaphy, Jirachi and the Winged Dragon of Ra soon disintegrated into particles, May and Max screamed as three orbs shot back into their Decks.
"What now?" asked Max. "That thing's unstoppable!"
Suddenly, a beam of light fell and hit Yugi's deck. Both siblings turned to see Yugi draw a card and looked at it with interest.
"It's that dragon we released." Yugi gasped, showing it to May and Max.
"You mean Timaeus, the dragon that you and the Pharaoh released." May replied, correcting him.
"Yeah...wait, how did you know of all of this." May immediately clamped a hand over her mouth as Max sighed.
"We saw the whole thing because Dark Magician Girl sent us to the realm of the beasts." Max explained. "Apparently, we were sent here to Domino City to protect you...but now is not the time to explain! Play the card!"
Yugi nodded his head as he lifted the card into the air. "Now I summon Timaeus!" He cried.
A gust of wind escaped the card as the large teal dragon appeared in the sky, dispersing the twister that had entrapped the three. Seeing it closer, both May and max noticed the spikes trailing down its back and tail.
"Look at the size of that thing!" said Joey, staring at the monster in awe.
"Timaeus, protect us from that monster!" said Yugi as the dragon soared into the air. The eye noticed this and soon let out a huge gust of wind yet again. Timaeus was prepared and opened its mouth, letting a huge blast of fire escape. The two attacks combined as a bright light engulfed the radius.
"Is it working?" asked May, trying to see the two monsters battle. "I can't see a thing!"
Timaeus reared its head before letting out a more powerful blast of fire at its opponent. It broke through the twister and hit the eye dead on! Within seconds, shards of green crystals fell onto the earth similar to the attacks of Jirachi's Doom Desire.
"We did it." Yugi whispered as Timaeus returned to its card as a bolt of lightning. May and Max sighed in relief, glad that the menace was gone. Then, they looked up to see Dark Magician Girl staring at them all.
"We've only just begun." She began. "The great beast is still weak, so he retreated for the moment. And for that, my companions and I are truly grateful, my Pharaoh, and Goddess of Joy and Prince of Wisdom."
"What's next for us?" asked Max. Dark Magician Girl bowed her head sadly as she continued.
"The great beast will return again." She added. "And his power will grow; he must be stopped before he is fully restored. Time is running out!"
She disappeared into particles of light as she finished the last sentence. Yugi stared at Timaeus as May and Max looked up into the sky.
"That dragon was stronger then both Ra, Manaphy and Jirachi combined." said May. "But then again..."
"If we didn't attack it first, then Timaeus couldn't have finished it off with one blow." Max finished. "And it looks like our vacation here has taken a turn for the worse."
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"Raphael!" The robed man roared at the tall motorcyclist. "How could you betray me?"
Raphael was slapped across the face with a fierce hand at that statement. The Winged Dragon of Ra in front of him was disintegrating into nothing but ashes.
"What the?" Valon asked in shock. "How the heck could that be a fake! I swear I grabbed it out of the old man's hands!"
"Of course you stole the real thing..." Alister retorted. "But apparently we ended up with a fake..." Then his grey eyes widened at a memory; how May and Max utilized their Pokémon to lift the three into the air, and then create a huge dust covering. He growled as he muttered, "Those kids..."
"Those kids must've exchanged the Winged Dragon of Ra for a fake they had in their hands." said Raphael, realizing his mistake. He soon got on one knee. "Forgive me, master...I was foolish to think that we had succeeded in retrieving all three gods."
The robed man growled, seeing the two remaining Egyptian God cards. "Those two brats...outsmarting my own swordsmen..." He said, anger still on his face. "I'm sure that those two will be punished soon enough...after all, Joy and Wisdom are very powerful allies to have with you..."
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Max: I'm the Prince of Wisdom, and you're the Goddess of Joy, May!
May: It's still hard to believe, especially now that we have Manaphy and Jirachi as Duel Monster cards.
Max: Hey, there's a package sent to Yugi by someone named Maximillion Pegasus; wait, he's the Creator of Duel Monsters!
May: And he's asking us to head off to this place called America! I'm in!
Max: What? Yugi says it's too dangerous? But we promised Dark Magician Girl to protect the Pharaoh!
May: He says that because we're not experienced duelists, then we wouldn't survive! I'll show him!
Max: Me too! Let's duel him together, sis!
May: Next time, "Between my Brother and Me" chapter 5: Brother and Sister unite!
Max: Ready for a little tag-team action, May?
May: Am I ever, Max!