First off, I would like to thank Mousou who worked diligently to help me with different suggestions on attacks for May and Max's Pokémon. This chapter is in dedication to him.
And to everyone reading this, Happy Holidays.
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Between my Brother and Me
by Green Phantom Queen
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Chapter 10-Dangers across a Moonlit Battle
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"Do you really have to go?" said May as the group left the secret room. "It'd be fun if you could travel with us."
"Well." said Mokuba. "I'd like to...I want to try out my new deck against the both of you. However..."
Mokuba stared at his brother who had been silent for quite some time. May sighed; as long as Mokuba's older brother was around, he'd never let him go out on adventures.
"Oh come on, Kaiba." said Max. "Let your brother travel with us for a while; May and I promise to make sure no one hurts him."
"Max!" May hissed, dragging her brother away. "Now Kaiba's never going to let Mokuba go with us! You see what you did?"
"Well at least if we asked him instead of trying to drag Mokuba away, then we'd have a better chance of getting a 'yes' then getting ourselves defeated against Kaiba's Blue Eyes White Dragons." Max replied.
"Please Seto?" asked Mokuba. "Can I travel with them? After all, all three of us are needed to stop this evil....and I can take care of myself; I have my friends and my Deck to duel the bad guys with."
Kaiba stared into the eyes of his brother, seeing the amethyst orbs full of promise and determination. Even though he hated it, he did accept his brother's role—a little bit.
"Fine." Kaiba stated simply. "But if anything ever happens to you..."
"I said I'll be fine!" Mokuba replied. "Just get back to Kaiba Corp., Seto. As long as I have the guidance of the Moon...nothing will stop me."
May and Max swore they saw a smile crept on the older brother's lips, they then sighed as the two brothers hugged once more.
"Take care." Kaiba said simply, ruffling his little brother's hair. His smile turned to a scowl once more as he walked past May and Max. Then, he left the office, closing the door behind him.
"This is awesome!" said May. "You're traveling with us now!"
"I know!" Mokuba replied. "Say, why not we check out my deck?"
The siblings nodded as the three children sat upon the floor. Pulling out the deck, Mokuba flipped a card open that read, "Celestial Sign-Scorpio".
"Wow!" said May. "Look at the image on this one, it's so cute!"
Max did a double-take on the card: it was depicting a girl in a black dress with long red hair kept into two pigtails. She had a slight scowl on her face as her hands grasped onto a an iron rod. Next to her was a scorpion that looked three times bigger than a normal one, and the girl had a sign that looked like an 'M' with a pointed arrowhead on the end of the letter painted onto her forehead.
"It looks like some of them are going to be human, and the others animal." Mokuba replied as he drew 'Celestial Sign-Aries' and 'Celestial Sign-Gemini'. "I'm going to have a pretty big deck; I think they're around 80 constellations in the night sky."
"Then you can switch out cards for another." said Max. "With 80 constellations, you'll have hundreds of possibilities."
"But that doesn't mean it'll stop us!" said May. "My Ancient Egypt Deck will cut it down to size!"
"Speaking of that," said Mokuba. "Why do you call it an Ancient Egypt deck? Since it has the Heart of Chaos in it, why don't you call it a 'Heart of Chaos' deck?"
"Nah." Max replied. "She should call it the 'Pharaoh's Prophecy' deck! You know, because it tells about Atem's journey..."
"Good idea." said May as she drew a card from her deck. She smiled a bit when she saw the image of Atem on the card. "And I think Atem likes it too."
Suddenly, a loud whirring noise was heard. The three looked up to see the giant Blue Eyes White Dragon jet ascending into the air.
"Oh no!" The three children turned to see Tristan and the others running toward the window, as Tristan pressed his hands on the glass. "Hey! We need a ride!"
"You do." said May as the jet soared into the sky. "But Max and I can travel on our own."
"Huh?" asked Mokuba. "How so?"
"With our Pokémon!" Max answered. "They're sort of like Duel Monsters, but the difference is that they're real creatures that people use to fight in Pokémon battles."
"Or in Pokémon Contests." May added before turning to Mokuba. "Don't worry, we'll explain on the way there."
"Well, so much for that idea." said Joey, oblivious to the three children.
"No sweat." said Duke. "We can take my car."
"Good idea." said Téa. "But are you sure that we can all fit?"
The five teenagers soon turned to see Weevil and Rex standing there.
"Well, the five of us can fit there no problem." Duke replied. "And based on what May and Max said, they can travel on their own without worry."
"Well what about us?" asked Rex.
"What are you guys doing here, anyway?" asked Tristan. Then an idea hit his head.
"Hold on...I've got a spot for them."
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"It's good to be back on the road again." said Rex as both he and Weevil were trapped amongst luggage in the open trunk of Duke's car. May, Max and Mokuba were in front of the convertible, as the group traveled along the dusty road.
"This is amazing!" said Mokuba as he and Max were riding Absol. "I feel like a knight riding his trusty steed into battle."
"Yeah." said Max. "Absol has above average speed, so he can take us to wherever we need to go to in no time."
"And as long as we're leading the front, we'll make sure nothing stands in our way." May added, riding on top of Altaria. "From what Yugi told us, we're off to visit Professor Hawkins."
"I heard of him." said Mokuba. "He recently found what people think is the lost city of Atlantis. That's one big discovery."
"And from what that hologram said, Duel Monsters existed 5,000 years before Ancient Egypt." said Max. "But we still have the Winged Dragon of Ra, so we're safe."
"What?" Mokuba gasped. "How did you two get an Egyptian God Card?"
"To put a long story short, we swapped it." May explained. "Those bikers we kept talking about stole the cards from Yugi's Game Shop. But Max and I found a fake God card to swap it with...by distracting them using Beautifly and Shuppet's Psychic attack, and Vigoroth's Focus Punch, I swapped the cards without them knowing."
"Until now." Max finished. "Also, Yugi didn't want us to come with him on this journey...but after May and I dueled him, we got our chance to to go."
"So who won that duel?" asked Mokuba.
May and Max flinched at the question. "You surrendered, didn't you?" Mokuba replied.
"Well, if one of us won, then we'd be given that title of King/Queen of games." May answered. "And since Kaiba was his number one rival..."
"Oh." said Mokuba. "That makes a lot of sense now."
"Al!" said Altaria. "Altaria! Al!"
"What is it Altaria?" asked May. "Is it something about Marius?"
"That guy was super tough." Max commented. "Lapras are rare Pokémon...and the fact that it used Sheer Cold against Altaria was amazing."
"If Blaziken didn't learn Flare Blitz, we might've been in trouble." May added. "Which reminds me...when we get to Professor Hawkins, I want to try out some new ideas!"
"Good idea, May!" said Max. "It's been a while since your Pokémon did some training. And it'll give me time to work on some more moves with my Pokémon."
"So, how many Pokémon do you guys have?" asked Mokuba.
"Right now, I have six on hand." May answered. "But I have a Skitty back at home and a Bulbasaur at Professor Oak's lab."
"I have three on me right now." Max answered. "My Shiny Absol, my dad's Vigoroth and a Shuppet. Of course, it doesn't matter how many Pokémon you have on hand...all it matters is how you train them."
"Yeah." said May. Then she stayed silent as something came into her mind.
"Hey, May," said Mokuba. "What's wrong?"
"It's just..." May let out a sigh before continuing. "Raphael mentioned something about the Guardian of the Sea before he left...and for some reason, I just can't help but think what could've happened to him."
"You're worried about a guy who doesn't care that souls are taken?" Max exclaimed. "That's like feeling compassion for Team Aqua and Team Magma!"
"Your sister might have a point though, Max." said Mokuba. "When Seto dueled Alister, Alister mentioned about how Gozaburo took his brother away...that might be why he went to the Orichalcos."
"Marius mentioned about his father's death." May replied. "And didn't Arkana say something about getting a woman Katherine?"
"It seems as if they were all struck with tragedies from the looks of it." said Max. "But...I have a very bad feeling about this...."
"What do you mean by that?" asked Mokuba.
"For some reason, I feel as if someone is pulling a lot of strings." Max answered. "And it's amazing that anyone hasn't realized it yet."
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"What were you thinking?!" Mai yelled at Valon amongst the mesa top. "I was just about to finish about Wheeler, and then you had to butt in and ruin everything!"
"You're a real piece of work." Raphael commented. "He saved your soul, and this is how you repay him?"
"Who asked to be saved?" asked Mai. "Maybe next time he'll learn to butt out."
"Next time, we'll just let you lose." said Raphael.
"That's enough!" said Valon, interrupting the two. "I'm fine."
"Yeah, clam up. Or you'll end up just like your friend here." said Mai with some annoyance.
"You have no idea of the danger you were in." said Raphael. "Do you remember that Hermos card Wheeler played? It's an ancient dragon that can only be controlled by a chosen duelist."
"Ha!" Mai scoffed. "Yeah, he was chosen all right; chosen to get his scrawny butt kicked by a real duelist!"
She ran off and sat herself upon Valon's yellow motorbike—her bike was still back at the foyer of Industrial Illusions.
"Later losers!" She cried as she turned the ignition on the bike.
"Hey wait!" said Valon. "That's mine!"
The rest was lost as he was coughing from the smoke of the exhaust pipe. Mai drove the motorbike off of the mesa top, falling down onto the ground below.
"I can't let Mai get hurt." said Valon, getting onto his feet. "I have to stop her."
"Forget about the girl." said Raphael. "Let's focus on the Pharaoh."
"But Master Dartz said to wait." Valon explained.
"Well, Master Dartz doesn't always know what's best." Raphael replied. "We should take the strongest soul first, and once we get him out of the way, the rest of them will fall into our hands one by one."
"But how do you know that the Pharaoh's going to duel?" asked Valon.
"Because my plan is already in place." Raphael answered with a grin. "It's only a matter of time."
"Really?" said Valon. "What about your plan to get the Winged Dragon of Ra? Those two kids have the card in their pocket, and I don't think they're just going to hand it to you willingly."
"Those two will be dealt with soon enough." Raphael said in response. "I'll make sure they suffer along with the Pharaoh...and maybe then the Guardian of the Sea will return."
"Will you quit it with this Guardian of the Sea garbage?" Valon exclaimed. "I don't care what that girl said, but she's no longer here!"
"Of course she is!" Raphael snapped, grabbing Valon's shirt collar. "That May girl...she was the one the Guardian of the Sea was talking about...'The girl dressed in blue holds all of your answers, she is the path to discover my identity'...that is what she said before she fell. I bet she knows what happened to the Guardian of the Sea."
"You've been obsessed with the identity of this 'savior' of yours for years!" said Valon. "Even if you get the girl to confess, what good would that do? She's just not going to willingly give you the answers to your questions!"
"She'll have to in the end." said Raphael. "The Guardian of the Sea 'died'...but she didn't truly die...she must be waiting for me to discover the people who injured her...and she was my only one who comforted me on that island..."
He pulled out a knife stuck into his boot, staring at his reflection through the blade.
"And I swear that that Guardian of the Sea will be avenged...." He whispered.
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Hours had passed when the group finally made it to Professor Hawkin's laboratory. May—who had been trying not to fall asleep on Altaria, lest she'd fall onto the road—pointed to the remains of a burnt building.
"Guys!" Said May. "Looks like something happened!"
"You're right!" said Max. "Where's Professor Hawkins?"
"I don't like the looks of this." said Mokuba. "Max, can you get Absol to move faster?"
"Absol's at his limit, Mokuba." Max replied. "He's been running for at least 4 hours."
"Max!" said May, bringing out her Pokéblock case. "Give it this!"
Flicking the Pokéblock case at her brother, a Purple Pokéblock began to descend onto the ground. Max caught it in his hand and placed it in front of Absol.
"Dig in!" Max said simply as Absol swallowed the treat. With a burst of energy the Disaster Pokémon began to run faster than before!
"Altaria." said May, giving her Humming Pokémon a Pink Pokéblock. "Have a taste."
The Dragon and Flying type Pokémon swallowed the food with a gulp and began to follow Absol.
"Hey!" said May, turning to Duke and the others. "Something happened at the lab! Speed it up, will you?!"
Eventually, the group made it to the smoldering remains of the building. The three children got down and looked for any sort of clue.
"Professor Hawkins!" said May. "Hello? Is anyone there?"
The search lights on Duke's convertible turned on, helping in the search. The five teenagers—minus Weevil and Rex—got out of the car, trying to understand what had happened.
"Professor Hawkins?" asked Yugi, heading toward the remains of the laboratory. "Rebecca? Where are you?"
"Yugi..." Yugi turned to see Rebecca facing him. Instead of her college uniform, she now had a brown skirt, cowboy boots and a pink top that was accented with a vest and yellow handkerchief.
"What's going on, Rebecca?" asked Yugi. "What happened here?"
"They took him," Rebecca answered. "My poor grandpa!"
She ran up to the King of Games and sobbed, wrapping her arms around him.
"It's not fair!" She exclaimed. "He never hurt anybody! Why would someone take him?"
"I'd say because of his discovery of Atlantis." said Mokuba to May and Max. "Something that connects that to the Great Leviathan or that Seal of Orichalcos."
"Don't worry," said Yugi, reassuring the young girl in his arms. "we're going to find him."
"Thank you!" Rebecca replied. "But who could do something like this?
Minutes later, the group soon made it inside a mobile home, sitting themselves comfortably amongst a couple of sofas there.
"I still don't get it." said Téa, watching over a whistling kettle. She turned the heat off before continuing. "Who would kidnap the professor?"
"It had to be Dartz!" Joey answered. "Either him or his gang of thugs anyhow."
"Why?" asked Tristan. "I mean he's just an archaeologist."
"But didn't you guys say he made some big discovery?" asked Duke.
"Yeah, he found Atlantis." Yugi answered back.
"Wait a minute." said May. She stood up and looked at Rebecca. "Rebecca, do you remember that stone that Yugi gave to your grandfather back at the Museum?"
"Yeah, I have it around my neck." Rebecca answered, showing it to the group. "Gramps told me to hold on to it."
"That might be what Dartz is after." said Max. "But then again...they would've been after us also. We also have a necklace like you do, Rebecca."
May pulled out a similar looking stone from her waist pack, the only difference to the one Rebecca had on her was that it was around a chain.
"Plus May and Max, you guys have the Winged Dragon of Ra." Mokuba added. "Should anything happen to you, then it will be over."
"Be careful with it, Yugi." said Rebecca, as she removed her necklace. "I don't want you to be hurt either."
She placed the necklace into Yugi's open hand, the amethyst-eyed teenager nodded his head in reply.
"So, what do we do now?" asked Téa, facing the group.
"Simple." Duke replied. "We find where this Dartz guy hangs out, we bust in and nab Professor Hawkins."
"Easier said then done, Devlin." Mokuba replied sarcastically. "I doubt we're going to find him in a phone book or anything."
"Mokuba's right, Duke." said Yugi." And since Professor Hawkins doesn't have what they want, they're going to come back for us."
"So all we can do is sit around and wait?" asked Joey. "That's boring..."
"You guys can do that." said May. "Max and I will be outside training our Pokémon."
It was at that moment that her stomach started to growl.
"On second thought," said May, "Max and I will be training our Pokémon while we wait for tonight's dinner."
"Let me into that kitchen." said Joey. "I'll cook up something for all of us."
"Oh no you don't!" said Tristan, dragging his friend away. "I'm not going to be eating what you're cooking!"
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While Weevil and Rex were searching the remains of Professor Hawkins's laboratory outside—and while Duke, Téa, Tristan and Joey were helping prepare dinner for the group—May and Max were a little farther away from the group, Poké balls in hand. Mokuba was sitting on the ground, waiting eagerly for the show.
"Everyone come out!" the siblings shouted as they tossed the Poké balls into the air. They opened, revealing all nine Pokémon.
"Wow!" said Mokuba, staring at all of them. "They're all so interesting!"
"Okay, then!" said May to her Pokémon. "We're going to work on some new strategies to wow the judges at the next Pokémon contest!"
"And I'll be working on some attacks with my Pokémon." said Max. "This is going to be fun!"
"All right, Blaziken!" said May. "Use Flare Blitz!"
The Blaze Pokémon closed its eyes as it surrounded itself with a cloak of flames. May then smiled as she pointed toward a rock near the side of the road.
"Jump into the air and then use Mega Kick on that rock!"
"Blaziken!" the Pokémon cried as it jumped into the air. One of its legs began to glow blue as it brought it back. Then with a mighty swing, the foot connected, causing the rock to crack and then smashed into pieces!
"Wow!" said Mokuba, staring at the site. "That attack made it look like he was some sort of super hero or something!"
"Follow up with Sky Uppercut!" said May.
Blaziken took a few quick jabs at the falling stones, crushing it into nothing but gravel and dust. Then with a mighty roar, Blaziken's Flare Blitz died down.
"Amazing!" said Max. "That's going to give you major points in the appeal round!"
"All right, Beautifly!" said May to the Butterfly Pokémon. "Let's start with Whirlwind!"
"Beautifly!" said Beautifly, flapping her wings. A gust of wind began to kick the gravel into the air in a small tornado.
"Add in Silver Wind!" May added. Beautifly flapped its wings once more as silver crescents combined with the rocks in the wind.
"Then use Psychic!"
Beautifly became wrapped in a blue outline as the tornado stopped and became nothing more of specks of sand and Silver Wind. The Psychic attack moved them all around, swirling in the air as if to look like stars and moons in the sky.
"You're not the only one who can put on a good show, May!" said Max, seeing Beautifly's trick. "Shuppet use Will-o-Wisp!"
"Shuppet!" said the Puppet Pokémon as blue balls of fire began to form. Then, two rings of Will-o-wisp flames appear—one big and one smaller one inside it. "Shuppet, Shup!"
"Then let's use Night Shade!" Max added. "Then combine that with Psychic!"
"Shuppet!" Shuppet let a black laser beam out of his eyes. Then, a blue aura surrounded the attack as the black line soon ran through the rings of fire as if it was playing a game of connect the dots.
"Ta-dah!" said Max, bowing to May. May looked up to see that Max had created a giant Pokéball from the attacks! If it wasn't for the fact that it was so big, she might've mistaken it for a constellation or something,
"That's amazing!" said May. "How did you think of that idea?"
"I guess I just did." said Max.
"Shuppet!" said Shuppet as the Psychic attack died down; unfortunately, that caused the Will-o-wisp flames to fall onto the ground! All of the Pokémon ran away, all except for Eevee who immediately began to dig underground. It was too late however, as one of the flames hit as Eevee was halfway done with the hole.
"Eevee!" said May, running up to the hurt Evolution Pokémon. "Are you all right?"
"I'm so sorry May." said Max. "I didn't mean for that to happen!"
"Is it going to be all right?" asked Mokuba.
"I think so." said May in reply.
"Eevee..." Eevee said sadly, staring at one of the stars in the sky. "Eevee...."
Suddenly Eevee began to glow and stars swirled around its body. It stood up, shaking its fur as the light dimmed.
"Is that what I think it is?" asked Max. "That's Wish, a special move that causes a Pokémon to recover from any damage it takes."
"It looks really pretty though." said May. "All right then! I'm going to practice on a show with Eevee's Wish and Shadow Ball next time!"
Absol, who was asleep as all of this was happening suddenly open its eyes. Standing up, it immediately began to ran away from the group.
"Huh?" asked Max. "What's wrong Absol?"
"It looks like Absol's sensing something." said Mokuba. "Let's follow it."
"Everyone return." said May, as her six Pokémon return into their balls. "Come on, let's get going!"
"Vigoroth, Shuppet...let's go!" said Max, returning both the Wild Monkey and Puppet Pokémon.
The Disaster Pokémon began to pick up speed as the three children followed it to its destination. Everything was still as the wind whistled amongst the scene.
A few seconds later, Téa walked out of the trailer with a bowl of food in her hands.
"Hey guys." She said, walking toward to the spot where the three were seconds ago. "I brought you some food so come..."
She stopped when she saw that no one was there.
"Oh dear..." said Téa. "I don't like the looks of this! Where did they go?"
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"Absol!" said Max. "Come back here!"
Absol stopped where it was and looked to its left and right. May, Max and Mokuba came seconds later, all of them catching their breaths.
"What's wrong, Absol?" asked May.
The Shiny Disaster Pokémon growled as the winds started to pick up.
"It seems like your Absol is good at sensing me out." said a voice. "Hope it can predict to my victory!"
Looking from one of the rock formations, underneath the moonlight was a young girl in her early teens with black hair going down past her shoulders. She was wearing a purple zippered blouse and black mini skirt and fishnet stockings which were covered with boots. She even had a purple scarf around her neck as she jumped off of the formation, landing on the ground gracefully. Her grey eyes stared at the three children with anger.
"And who are you supposed to be?" asked Mokuba.
"Maria." The girl stated simply. "And you're going to pay for what you did to Marius!"
"Marius got what he deserved!" May said in response. "How could he do something so evil by letting his Pokémon be tainted by that evil seal!"
"My little brother could be like that sometimes." Maria replied. "Which is why I'm the smarter twin in the family."
"Twins?!" Max gasped out. "Marius didn't say that he had a twin sister."
"Let me guess," said Maria. "He told us the basis of our little story, didn't he? Well, I'm here to tell the rest of it!"
"After our father's death, Marius and I did a little bit of research, and found out that Norman—your father—was part of the group who caused him to be sent to jail. And he didn't even pity us nor helped us since we didn't have any money! And when we heard about you two coming here, we knew what to do...all we had to do to get our revenge was take your souls!"
"Oh no you don't!" said Max. "I'm going to fight you so you won't harm us anymore."
"Seriously?" asked Maria with a laugh. "You're not even an official Pokémon trainer! You're going to get yourself defeated by moi!"
"We'll see about that!" Max snapped as he brought out a Pokéball. "Now Shuppet, I choose you!"
The Poké ball opened, revealing the happy Puppet Pokémon. It grinned at Maria who just scowled at it.
"How cute." said Maria as the Seal of Orichalcos began to shine on her forehead. "Let's see how it deals with my Pokémon! Let's begin our three-on-three match!"
The Seal of Orichalcos appeared beneath the competitors' feet. Max growled seeing the familiar seal; it was because of this seal that he nearly lost that duel with Arkana.
"Is your brother going to be okay in there?" asked Mokuba. "He's never been in an official Pokémon battle, right?"
"Max survived that duel with Arkana, so he'll be fine." said May. "At least...I really hope he will be."
"Now Espeon!" said Maria. "Appear now!"
Tossing a Poké ball into the air, the Sun Pokémon appeared, mewing at Max. Then it screamed in pain as the Orichalcos appeared around the jewel on its forehead, and its purple eyes became red.
"Espeon, use Swift!"
"ESPEON!" said the Psychic Eeveelution. Opening its mouth, a flurry of yellow stars appeared, all aimed toward Shuppet.
"Shuppet, counter with Shadow Ball!" said Max.
A black orb of energy appeared on top of Shuppet's horn. Then it flew toward the volley of stars, colliding until it made what seemed like a shower of fireworks!
"Now use Faint Attack!" Max continued.
Shuppet disappeared in front of Espeon, the Sun Pokémon trying to figure out where it went.
"Espeon," said Maria. "Try to detect Shuppet's movements!"
The jewel on Espeon's forehead began to glow as Espeon looked around. Unfortunately, Shuppet appeared behind Espeon and gave it a nice head butt.
"Shuppet, use Night Shade." said Max. "Fire at its forehead!"
"Shup...Pet!" cried Shuppet as two black beams from its eyes fired at the Psychic Eevee.
"Dodge it Espeon and use Psybeam!" said Maria.
Espeon jumped into the air as a multicolored beam appeared from its jewel. Shuppet was unable to move as the attack hit dead on so all it could do was scream in pain.
"Not bad." said Maria with a smirk. "You're actually a lot better than I thought you'd be."
"Thanks." said Max. "But don't forget, only one of us can win! So Shuppet, use Dark Pulse!"
"Say what?" Maria exclaimed.
A purple orb was formed in front of Shuppet as Espeon began to sweat. Then, the orb transformed into purple glowing circles, hitting Espeon in the chest, causing it to fly in the sky before collapsing a few feet near Maria.
"That's amazing!" said Mokuba. "How did Max know how to pull off that move?"
"Max knows almost everything about Pokémon." May explained. "And he knows that Dark type moves are extremely effective against Psychic types; this battle is in the bag!"
"Get up, Espeon!" said Maria, seeing her feline Pokémon slowly getting on its feet. "Use Morning Sun!"
"Espe..." said Espeon as a white outline surrounded its body.
"Oh no you don't!" said Max. "Shuppet, burn Espeon with Will-o-Wisp!"
"Shuppet..." said Shuppet as a circle of blue flames surrounded it. Then the flames disappeared and wrapped themselves around Espeon who was cringing in pain.
"All right!" cheered May. "Espeon is as good as done!"
Suddenly the flames were blown back, hitting Shuppet and knocking it to the ground. The Ghost Pokémon closed one of its eyes and began to sweat.
"What?!" said Mokuba. "How did Espeon do that?"
Maria laughed at the shocked faces of the three children. "It was Espeon's Synchronize ability." She explained. "Espeon can return any status ailment that it gains; because you burned it with Shuppet's Will-o-Wisp, Espeon was able to burn it instead."
"What a dirty trick." May snarled. "And Max doesn't have any potions to heal it."
Max was trying to think of something, but could only stare as Shuppet started to get burned. That's when he remembered something...the berries from May's gift basket, he kept some in his bag!
"Hold on, Shuppet!" Max cried, putting his backpack to the ground. Unzipping it, he searched through the bundle of clothes and blankets kept inside until he found the berry pouch.
"Take this!" Max tossed a Rawst Berry at his Puppet Pokémon who immediately swallowed it whole. The flames disappeared as May and Mokuba sighed in relief.
"Are you okay, Shuppet?" asked Max.
"Shuppet...shup." Shuppet replied weakly.
"Take a good long rest." said Max, returning Shuppet to its Poké ball. He placed the sphere onto one of his pockets as he pulled a second one out.
"Now Vigoroth, it's your turn!"
A second Poké ball appeared, opening to reveal the Wild Monkey Pokémon. It let out a mighty roar as Espeon growled at it.
"Vigoroth," said Max. "Use Slash!"
"Vigor...roth!" Vigoroth screamed as its black claws began to glow white. Swiping its arm down, Espeon yelled out its name as it fell on the ground once more.
"Espeon!" said Maria. "Use Confusion!"
"Espe...." Espeon whispered as a blue outline surrounded surrounded Vigoroth. Vigoroth was lifted into the air, tossed about like a rag doll amongst the Seal of Orichalcos.
"Don't give up, Vigoroth!" said Max. "Use your Yawn attack!"
"Vigoroth...." Vigoroth yawned as a pink bubble escaped its mouth. The bubble gently floated down to Espeon, popping when it was in front of the Sun Pokémon's face. Espeon yawned and soon fell to the ground asleep.
"Oh no!" Maria gasped out.
"That was an awesome move!" said May. "That Vigoroth evolved from one of Dad's Slakoth, so it still was able to retain the ability to use Yawn!"
"Wait." said Mokuba. "Pokémon can evolve?"
"Some can." May explained. "And they can evolve by leveling up, by having certain items, or by increasing its happiness."
"Interesting." said Mokuba.
"Now, Vigoroth." said Max. "End this with Focus Punch!"
"Vigoroth!" said Vigoroth as one of its fists began to glow white. Then with a mighty punch, Espeon soon hit the barrier of the Seal of Orichalcos, its closed eyes now replaced with swirls.
"Yeah!" said Max. "Great job, Vigoroth!"
Maria returned her Espeon before bringing out another Poké ball.
"I'm not done yet!" said Maria, tossing the Poké ball into the air. "I choose you, Pikachu!"
"Pikachu?!" May exclaimed. "No way...."
The Poké ball opened to reveal a Mouse Pokémon, similar to the one that was always with Ash. The only difference was that its lightning bolt tail had more of a heart shaped tip.
"It looks different that most Pikachu." said Max.
"That's because this one's a girl." Maria explained. "But this little girl is going to rock your world when she gets done with Vigoroth!"
The female Pikachu squealed in pain as the Seal of Orichalcos appeared on her forehead. Opening her eyes, black was replaced with red.
"Now Pikachu!" said Maria. "Attack with Thunderbolt!"
"Pika...chu!" said Pikachu as a bolt of lightning headed toward Vigoroth.
"Vigoroth, dodge!" said Max.
Vigoroth jumped to the left at the last second, the thunderbolt narrowly hitting its right arm.
"Now Vigoroth, use Fury Swipes!" said Max.
"Vigor..." said Vigoroth, its claws glowing white once more. Charging up to Pikachu, it began to repeatedly scratch the smaller opponent.
"Pikachu, use Agility!" said Maria.
Pikachu vanished in front of Vigoroth in a blink of an eye. Vigoroth turned to its right, seeing Pikachu right there and slashed her with its claws, only for Pikachu to disappear once more.
"W-where did she go?" asked Max, looking around. Vigoroth turned its head left and right, not knowing that Pikachu appeared behind it.
"Pikachu, use Thunder!" said Maria.
"Pika....CHU!!!!" said Pikachu as a massive beam of electricity fired at Vigoroth.
"Vigoroth isn't going to survive!" said May.
"That attack's been super powered by the Orichalcos." Mokuba added. "Watch out, Max!"
"Vigoroth!" said Max. "Use Crush Claw!"
Vigoroth's claw began to glow in a blue-white light as it smashed Pikachu down onto the ground. Vigoroth screamed as the Thunder hit it and was pushed down onto the ground.
"You're done!" said Maria. "Pikachu, use Volt Tackle!"
"Pika, Pika...." said Pikachu, as she ran toward the fallen Vigoroth. Sparks of golden electricity covered it as Vigoroth began to slowly stand up.
"Vigoroth, use Endure!" said Max.
"Endure?" asked Mokuba. "That's like telling a Kuriboh to withstand an attack from a Blue Eyes! That thing's going to get toasted!"
Pikachu jumped at Vigoroth, about to tackle it to the ground, when Vigoroth caught the Mouse Pokémon in its paws! With a good throw, Pikachu was thrown near Maria's feet.
"Pikachu!" said Maria. "Volt Tackle again!"
"Vigoroth!" said Max. "Use Reversal!"
Pikachu became wrapped in golden electricity once more as she charged toward Vigoroth. Vigoroth brought its arm back, then landed a good punch, colliding with Pikachu's head.
"Do you see why I used Endure now?" said Max to his opponent. "It lets Vigoroth survive that critical attack from Pikachu's Volt Tackle. And when I use Reversal, the attack was stronger depending on how much damage Vigoroth has. And since Vigoroth's been fighting both Pikachu and Espeon, then Reversal is now super charged!"
The electricity around Pikachu died as everyone held their breath. Then Vigoroth fell to the ground, swirls replacing its eyes.
"Great!" May exclaimed, seeing the Wild Monkey Pokémon on the ground. "Vigoroth's fainted!"
"It seems as if your little plan failed." said Maria, commenting about the situation.
"Really?" said Max. "What about your Pikachu?"
Maria looked down, seeing that Pikachu also had swirls around her eyes. Apparently, the attacks took a lot out of her.
"Maria's down to one Pokémon now!" said Mokuba. "Max has this in the bag!"
"I still have doubts, though." said May. "That last fight they had reminds me of Ash fighting my dad..."
Max returned Vigoroth into its Poké ball before turning to Absol. The Disaster Pokémon had been silent the whole time, waiting patiently for its turn to attack.
"Ready to fight, Absol?" asked Max. Absol nodded its head, walking into battle.
"Absol, huh?" said Maria as she returned her Pikachu to its own Poké ball. "It's not going to beat my Pokémon! So have a good welcome....to Mawile!"
Tossing a Poké ball into the air, the small Deceiver Pokémon appeared. It gripped its head as the Orichalcos appeared on its forehead.
"A Steel type huh?" said Max. "No matter, Absol will defeat it easily! Absol, attack with Future Sight!"
"Absol..." said the Shiny Disaster Pokémon as its eyes began to glow blue.
"Quick Mawile!" said Maria. "Use Bite!"
"Maw...ile!" said Mawile, turning its body around so its steel jaws was facing it. It then bit down upon Absol's head as Absol growled in pain.
"That's it Mawile!" said Maria. "Keep on biting!"
"Absol!" said Max. "Use your Night Slash!"
"Ab..." Absol reared its head as the scythe on its head began to glow purple. "SOL!"
Mawile screamed when a purple crescent of energy hit its back, causing it to release the Bite attack.
"Get up Mawile!" said Maria, the Deceiver Pokémon slowly getting on one knee.
"Now let's use Stockpile, Mawile!" Mawile began to glow purple and wrapped its body with its arms.
"Stockpile?" asked Mokuba. "I've never heard of that move."
"Whatever it is, it can't be good!" said May, hands pressed against the barrier made by the Orichalcos. "Be careful!"
"Absol!" said Max. "Use Razor Wind!"
Absol's blade began to glow white as it reared its head. Then, Absol lowered its head as a white crescent-like blade was hurled at the Steel type Pokémon.
"Now use Spit Up, Mawile!" Maria commanded her defending Pokémon. "Follow that up with Swallow!"
Mawile turned its body around, opening the jaws as a purple beam of energy cut through the Razor Wind. It didn't stop as it hit Absol square in the chest! Then, the steel jaws closed as the Deceptive Pokémon closed its eyes.
"Surprised, aren't you?" said Maria. "If Spit Up is used after my Mawile uses Stockpile, then I can return damage depending on how many times I use Stockpile! Then if I use Swallow after Spit Up, my Mawile recovers from any damage it gained."
"That was a good strategy." said May. "It's a perfect strategy; Mawile's Defense goes up, then Mawile attacks the opponent before healing itself."
"Come on, Absol!" said Max, kneeling close to his Shiny Pokémon. "Are you alright?"
"Ab...sol..." Absol replied as the wind began to blow.
"Huh?" said Mokuba, looking around. "Where's this breeze coming from?"
As if to answer his question, an orb of multicolored energy appeared out of nowhere, hitting Mawile in the chest! It fell on its bottom as the light dissipated.
"All right!" said May. "Absol's Future Sight was a direct hit!"
Maria growled. "Mawile!" She cried. "Attack with ViceGrip!"
"Ma...wile!" said Mawile, jumping into the air once more.
"Absol!" said Max. "Use Psycho Cut!"
"Ab...SOL!" cried Absol as a wave of psychic energy escaped its red blade.
"Dodge it Mawile, then use Iron Head!" said Maria.
Mawile moved to the right just as the Psychic attack was about to hit it. Then, Mawile's head began to glow blue, and it nose-dived toward Absol. Without missing a beat, the heads of the combatants collided!
"Absol!" said Max. "Are you okay?"
Absol stood there in a daze as Mawile did a back-flip, landing gracefully near its trainer. Seconds past before Absol collapsed onto the ground unconscious.
"No!" May exclaimed. "Max lost!"
"No he didn't!" said Mokuba. "Max still has his Shuppet! He recalled it after it got burned!"
Max recalled Absol before bringing out Shuppet's Poké ball. He stared at it for some time before tossing it into the air.
"Shuppet!" Max cried. "It's all up to you!"
The Poké ball opened, revealing the somewhat happy Puppet Pokémon. Maria just laughed, seeing the weakened state of the Ghost Pokémon.
"So this is how it ends." said Maria. "It's been a fun battle, but now we must say au revoir. Mawile, attack with Crunch!"
"Ma....wile!" screamed Mawile as its sharp jaw appendage clamped onto Shuppet. Shuppet began to sweat, weakly trying to pull Mawile off of it.
"Shuppet!" said Max. "Use your Night Shade!"
"Shup...pet..." Shuppet whispered as black beams escaped its eyes. Mawile barely flinched when the attack hit.
"Mawile!" said Maria. "Attack with Iron Head once more!"
The jaws opened as Mawile's real head began to glow once more. Then, its head charged against Shuppet as the Ghost Pokémon screamed in pain. Shuppet fell onto the ground, its eyes shut.
"Shuppet..." Max whispered. "Please Shuppet...get up!"
Maria laughed at the pitiful Shuppet, Mawile joining in on the festivities.
"Face it, Maxie." Maria said mockingly. "You were three years too young before fighting against me. Now it looks like your soul will be given to the Great Leviathan."
"Shuppet..." Max whispered. "Please...."
Tears fell down his eyes as he clenched his fists. "DON'T LEAVE ME, SHUPPET!" Max screamed.
At the cry Shuppet became encased in a white light.
"W-what the?" May gasped. "Is Shuppet...evolving?"
Shuppet's ghost-like body began to change into a humanoid-like shape. It soon had arms and legs, a spiked head and some sort of streamer like appendage. The light dimmed, revealing pink eyes and a zipper-like mouth amongst the black colored Pokémon.
"BANETTE!" The newly evolved Marionette Pokémon screamed.
"No way!" Maria gasped. "That thing evolved!"
"So that's what evolution looks like." said Mokuba. "It looks so cool!"
"Ba...nette." said Banette to its owner. "Banette...bane..."
"You're right, Banette!" said Max. "Let's beat her together!"
Banette nodded its head as its shadow extended, reaching under Mawile's feet. Then it vanished.
"Huh?" said Maria, looking at the dusty earth. "Where did it go?"
Mawile also looked confused, looking to its left and right. Unfortunately, it didn't see Banette slowly rising from beneath the shadows until the last second, getting a punch in the face when Banette fully appeared behind the Steel type Pokémon!
"What type of move is that?" said May, opening her Pokédex.
"Shadow Sneak." said Dexter. "This Ghost type version of the basic Quick Attack will always goes first regardless of the user's speed. This attack is unavoidable."
"Wow!" said Max. "Banette can use Shadow Sneak, that's amazing!"
"Sneak attack or not, Banette's still weak from Espeon's battle with it!" Maria snapped. "Mawile, use Double Team!"
"Ma...wile!" said Mawile as copies circled the Marionette Pokémon. Despite the setback, Banette was still grinning.
"That's unfair!" said Mokuba. "Banette can't tell which is the real thing!"
"I know!" said Max. "Banette, use Will-o-Wisp! Make two rings of the fire and combine that with Psychic!"
"Banette..." Banette whispered as two huge rings of Will-o-wisp float above Banette like halos of blue light. The flames began to glow in a blueish aura as they fell down on the Mawile clones. Each of the disappeared when hit, until all one was left.
"Mawile!" said Maria, sweat pouring down her face. "Use Faint Attack!"
"Mawile..." Mawile said simply, vanishing from sight. Banette looked to its left and right, trying to detect its opponent. A hand poked its shoulder; Banette looked to his right, only to met up with a nice slap from the Deceiver Pokémon.
"There's got to be something Max can use against that thing." said May, looking through her Pokédex. "Something that could punch Mawile's lights out!"
"Banette," said Max. "Don't stop now! Use Shadow Ball!"
An orb of black energy was formed between the Marionette Pokémon's hands. Then, Banette hurled the attack at Mawile!
"Not so fast!" said Maria. "Mawile, end this with Giga Impact."
"Ma....." said Mawile, as an orb of purple energy wrapped with beams of yellow-orange energy appeared in front of its hands. Banette began to sweat as the orb got bigger and bigger.
"Banette!" said Max. "Try to stop Mawile's attack!"
Banette nodded its head, staring at Mawile intently. Then, Mawile was pushed back a few feet, screaming in pain. The giant orb of energy dissipated.
"WHAT?!" Maria screamed. "What did you just do?"
"I don't really know myself." said Max.
"Sucker Punch." said Dexter, answering Maria's question. "This very accurate move only works if the opponent is readying an attack. It allows the user to go first, surprising the opponent before it can attack."
"Mawile!" Maria yelled, getting on her knees as she knelt near her Pokémon. "Are you all right?"
"Banette!" said Max. "Finish this with another Shadow Ball!"
"Ba....NETTE!" Banette screamed, hurling another ball of black energy at Mawile. Mawile didn't even try to defend as it struck the barrier once it collided with the Shadow Ball. Then, swirls replaced its eyes when it fell.
"Oh no!" said Maria. "I lost!"
"YEAH!" May and Mokuba cried, jumping for joy. "He did it! He did it!"
Maria recalled her Mawile as the Seal of Orichalcos shrank. It soon appeared under feet as she stared at Max.
"You win." She said. "But you haven't seen the worse of it...trust me...you haven't seen the worse of it."
And that was all Maria said before her body slumped onto the ground.
"Banette!" said Max, hugging the Marionette Pokémon. "You were awesome! I didn't know you could do those moves!"
"Banette!" said Banette as it lifted Max in the air. Max could only laugh as Banette's Psychic attack caused him to fly amongst the group. Seeing May and Mokuba, Banette grinned as the two were also surrounded in a blue light.
"This is awesome!" said Mokuba. "It's like we're really flying!"
"I just love it!" said May, doing a back flip in mid-air. "Banette's Psychic attack is so strong!"
"Whee!" Max cheered. "This is better than any Carnival ride I've ever been on!"
As the three children circled around Banette, Duke's convertible soon came into tow, carrying Duke, Joey and Tristan. They were about to say something, but couldn't find the words to say when they found the three children flying in the air.
"Guys..." said Joey. "Am I seeing things, or are three little kids flying in the sky?"
"You're not seeing things." said Tristan. "Because if you weren't, then I wouldn't be seeing them either."
"Should we tell them that dinner's ready?" asked Duke.
There was some silence as they heard the laughter of the three innocent children.
"Nah." said Joey. "Let them have their fun. They deserve it."
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After dinner—which was filled with Max telling his tale on defeating Maria—the group soon fell asleep. May, Max and Mokuba decided to stay outside since there wasn't any room for the three to sleep in. The three had snuggled amongst a few blankets and pillows, being warmed by a smoldering campfire made from the remains of Professor Hawkin's laboratory.
May was currently dreaming about flying through the sky like she did earlier with Banette...then it changed with her flying through time, until she landed at Ancient Egypt, seeing the pyramids being built. Then, darkness covered the sky...fire rained down and screams filled the air.
The Pokémon Coordinator began to float gently down, until her feet was on the ground. Walking amongst the panicked villagers, May made her way into the Pharaoh's palace. Seeing the darkness hung like some sort of aura, she opened the doors, seeing a figure sitting upon a throne.
"Hello?" She whispered. "Who's there?"
Eyes opened, red as blood. May gasped as she stepped back, but it only caused the person to come closer to her. May soon ran, trying to get out of the room before she found herself in a position that she didn't want to be in. The doors leading to outside were slowly starting to close; May heard laughter as she was running.
"Don't worry." The voice replied. "You'll soon understand about the darkness...the ancient magic I contain will give me the power to exact my revenge!"
May was inches away from the door, when someone grabbed her arm. The young girl slowly turned her head as she was able to see who was in that room...Raphael.
And with that, May screamed and woke up from her nightmare. Panting for breath, she looked down to see both Max and Mokuba asleep, oblivious to the girl's dream.
"Great." May said to herself. "Now he's in my dreams..."
Hearing a door open, May turned to see Yugi walking out of the mobile home. She immediately let her head lay on a pillow, giving the illusion that she was asleep. Observing the King of Games, May saw a flash of gold as Yugi switched places with the spirit of the Millennium Puzzle.
What's he up to? May thought to herself. I better check it out.
Hearing the whinny of a horse seconds later, May heard the horse go farther and farther away, until all was still. Then, she went to Mokuba, trying to wake him up.
"Mokuba," May hissed. "Wake up!"
"Huh?" said the young Kaiba brother, rubbing an eye with the back of his hand. "What's going on?"
"Yugi left for somewhere." May replied. "We need to get going!"
"May," said Max, covering his mouth so he could yawn. "How are we going to get there? We can't drive, and if we use our Pokémon, we'll wake everyone up."
May rubbed her chin in thought, before an idea got into her mind. "I think I know how!" She replied.
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May: What's gotten into Yugi? It isn't like him to go on his own.
Max: I don't know...but it seems like something's wrong...
Mokuba: This Raphael is stating that Yugi was an evil king! Well then again, he was...
May: Atem senses something is wrong...Mokuba, I need your help on something.
Mokuba: What's that?
May: I need you to duel me, I fear that Atem might descend into evil once more. With this duel, we could lift his spirit.
Max: Is this really a good time to take a break and duel, May?
Mokuba: No, your sister's right. Yugi is the King of Games...he's going to be fine.
Max: I still don't think it's a good idea.
May: Next time, Between my Brother and Me chapter 11: "Guardian encased in Evil"
Max: Um guys, don't look now, but is Yugi activating the Seal of Orichalcos?
Mokuba: We need to do something! That thing is nothing but evil!
May: But what can we do? It seems as if Yugi doesn't need our help...
Max: Either way, let's get to that duel and end it in a draw!