All right, enough blandness...now we need some explanations to what's going on.
You ready?
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Between my Brother and Me
by Green Phantom Queen
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Chapter 13-Weaving Tragedy amongst Sorrow
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At the mobile home, Tèa and Rebecca were waiting outside for everyone's return. Rebecca was typing away on her laptop when she looked up, seeing four figures heading toward them.
"Look over there!" She cried, seeing the group. "They're back!"
"I told you they'd come back son." said Tèa, standing up.
May on Altaria and Max and Mokuba on Absol arrived first, the three of them staying completely silent. Then, Duke, Tristan and Joey arrived as Duke slowed his car to a halt. Last but not least, Yami arrived on Rebecca's horse Copernicus, the steed letting out a whinny as it stopped. Max, Mokuba and May got off of their rides and let out some sighs.
"Take a good rest, Absol." said Max, returning his Disaster Pokèmon into its Pokè ball.
"You too, Altaria." said May, repeating the same motion her brother did.
"You three!" said Tèa, noticing May, Max and Mokuba. "Where have you been?"
None of them said a word, as if they were scared to talk. May bit her lip, knowing that in any moment, her monsters would jump out and attack. Tèa looked at them and repeated her question.
"Where have you been?" She said to them once more. "We've been worried sick when you all decided to leave and not give us any indication of where you're going!"
"Yugi didn't and he went on his own adventure." Max retorted. "And besides, it's better that we actually did something instead of just waiting here, doing nothing."
Tèa wanted to say something, but then turned her eyes to Yami who had been silent even as Rebecca embraced him.
"Yugi," said Rebecca, noticing how quiet her 'boyfriend' had become. "What's the matter?"
"Is everything all right?" asked Tèa, coming up to them. "You did win that duel, right?"
"Not quite." said Joey, replying to his friend's question. "We've got a problem guys."
"What do you mean?" asked Tèa with some confusion.
"Yugi didn't win." Duke replied, his hands resting upon the steering wheel of his car.
"He's gone." said Tristan. When Tèa tried to ask how that happened, Tristan just added: "You heard me; Yugi got beat, Tèa!"
"You're wrong!" Tèa replied. "If Yugi really lost that duel, those creeps would've taken his soul with their freaky Magic card, Tristan!"
"So, what's your point?" asked Joey.
"My point," said Tèa. "If he's lost, how can he be standing right....behind me?" She turned around, soon understanding what had happened. "Oh no..."
"Yugi, talk to me." said Rebecca, starting to get a bit concerned. "What's wrong? Why are you acting so strange?"
Yami let out a sigh. "Rebecca, they got him." He said to her.
"Got who?" asked Rebecca.
"They got Yugi..." May said silently, as everyone else turned their attention to her. "Yami lost the duel to Raphael...and for that, his soul would've been sealed by the Orichalcos..."
"But Yugi stepped in and sacrificed himself." Mokuba added. "Now his soul has been taken away..."
"I know this whole thing is my fault." said Yami, guilt eating away in his heart. "I'm the one who unleashed the magic that took Yugi away."
"You knew that card was evil and you still played it?!" Rebecca exclaimed. "If you really were a great Pharaoh, you would never have done something like that to poor little Yugi!" She began to sob, pounding a fist against Yami's chest. "This just isn't fair! I want my Yugi back! It should've been you, not him!"
May walked toward the young college student. "Now hold on..." She stated. "I know you feel upset, but it was for a good cause..."
"What good is it when it took Yugi away?!" Rebecca screamed, staring into the Pokémon Coordinator's eyes. "What would you know about losing someone you love?!"
May's face shifted to anger.
"I know a lot on losing someone you love!" She replied. "I got separated from my brother countless of times, and I nearly lost a friend when he saved someone who was special to me! And it doesn't stop there! Mokuba had been kidnapped countless of times by mean people, but he always returned to his brother in the end! So just because Yugi is gone for now, doesn't mean he's never coming back! The person you see in front of you did play the Orichalcos, but don't immediately assume that he's evil!"
"Speaking of evil," said Yami, lifting his head to stare into the young girl's eyes. "You said that I was an evil ruler 5,000 years ago...is that true?"
May immediately fell quiet; she didn't mean to blurt out that piece of information. But now Yami would most likely ask her what was going on, and if he discovered his true origins—that he was just half of a person this whole time—then things would be catastrophic.
"Well," said Yami. "Is it true or not?"
"Um...." said May, sweat pouring down her face. "I...just told that to make sure you understand what you were doing. And Raphael must've added onto that so you could...wake up and realize what was happening."
"Lies....you're lying to me, aren't you?"
May gulped, recalling how Yugi asked that same question regarding her deck of monsters. She looked to see Joey walking up to her, grabbing onto her wrist.
"You've been hiding something from us ever since you came here." said the blonde duelist. "Now it's time to spill the beans; what's with the cards you used when you fought Yugi a couple of days ago, and what's with the big secret you're hiding from us?"
"I...have no secret." May answered. "Now please...let go of my wrist..."
Joey clenched onto the wrist tighter, anger boiling inside of him. Max and Mokuba prepared their weapons—a star wand and crescent blade—ready to take action.
"You're lying." Joey growled. "Tell the truth, what have you been hiding?"
May grit her teeth as she used her other hand to pull Joey off of her. Unfortunately, it was pretty strong and she wasn't as strong as the grabber so it was no use.
"I never liked them in the first place." said Tristan. "The fact that you came to Domino because of your parents--"
"We did!" Max answered, interrupting him.
"It sends weird vibes that means you're up to something." Tristan ended. "And in my book, that counts as something we need to inspect."
"Téa..." said May, turning to the dancer. "Tell them we're innocent! Please...."
Téa glared at her as May continued her struggle. She stared into the young girl's eyes as she pointed a finger at her.
"First of all, I understand that your parents sent you to Domino for vacation." She replied. "But going off on something dangerous and not telling us where you're going makes me feel as if you really have some secret agenda....so tell us, what are you hiding?"
May felt as if the whole world was against her....she was truly afraid...how was she going to get out of this?
"May's hiding nothing!" said Mokuba, running to Joey, pulling his sleeve. "So get away from her! She's done nothing wrong!"
Joey pushed Mokuba away, the young boy hitting the dust. Max ran up to him, hand on his shoulder.
"Get out of this, Mokuba." said Joey. "You have no idea what's going on!"
"That's a total lie!" Max replied. "Mokuba is in this as much as May and I am!"
"So you are hiding something!" said Duke, staring at him. "What is it?"
At that, Max and Mokuba became quiet.
"Just as I thought." said Duke. "All of you are nothing but liars!"
"STOP IT!" May screamed. "Please understand that we're here to save the world! Stop asking us all these questions!"
"Not unless you tell us what we need to know!" said Rebecca. "Do you know what happened to Yugi?! Do you?!"
"Don't do this, guys!" said Max. "If you do, then bad things are going to happen!"
"Oh, you bet things will happen!" said Joey, before turning to May. "Now tell us! TELL US!"
As Max and Mokuba tried to tell everyone else to be quiet, May felt herself nearly crying. She couldn't tell about the Heart of Chaos; the source of Yami being the 'evil ruler' he was 5,000 years ago. If he found out about that, there would be no doubt that he would eventually find out about Atem...and if that happened, things would spiral out of control.
Someone help me.... She said in her mind. Atem...Kura...please tell them to stop!
As you command, Goddess of Joy.... said Atem, in response. It is time for the truth to be revealed....
Suddenly, Joey felt someone punch him...causing his grip on May to be released. Everyone looked to see the blonde duelist on the ground, clutching is stomach.
"Ow...." Joey hissed as he stood up. "Who did that?"
Then, there was laughter as the wind started to pick up. Two voices were heard as two orbs escaped May's Duel Disk. There was a chill in everyone's spine as the orbs circled around Yami.
"Oh no..." May whispered. "What are you doing..."
"Get ready, Max." said Mokuba to the younger boy. "This could get ugly."
"I agree with you." Max replied. "Anything can happen now."
The lights soon took into the shapes of two figures, dimming until the features of both of them were seen. They had their hands grasped upon Yami's shoulders, smirks on their faces.
"Atem..." May gasped. "Kura....."
"There are two Yugis?" said Duke with shock. "What the heck is going on here?!"
"And there's a monster that looks just like that snake, Bakura!" said Joey, staring at the white haired Thief Lord. "All right...start talking!"
Yami was in shock...these two beings were grabbing onto him looked familiar...
"We'll talk," said Kura with a grin, brandishing his dagger. "But first, we must have our guests of honor be dressed in their robes."
"Goddess of Joy, if you would do the honors." said Atem, staring at May. "We want to see you in your splendid garbs."
May looked at her monsters, before turning to Max and Mokuba, who also had no idea what to do. They looked at each other, trying to find a solution, but there was none. They decided to do the next best thing...fake it.
"Uh...." said May, extending her hand out, the music note sign shimmering on the back of her hand. "I...the Goddess of Joy...have arrived...so please, send me a sign...to show that I am worthy...of this power."
"I, am the Prince of Wisdom." Max added, hands trembling as the star mark was revealed. "I ask for the light's power to give me the knowledge needed..."
"I, the Defender the King have a wish." said Mokuba, bringing out his pendant while the crescent moon appeared. "I, the reincarnation of Moka, ask for his power and magic once more...."
The clothing around the three shimmered in a brilliant light as if they were made of rainbow-colored threads. Then they were replaced with their tunics as their hands grasped their special items. Everyone else gasped in shock.
"W...what's going on?" asked Duke. "What's with the tunics?"
"That's what I saw yesterday," said Joey with disbelief. "What...are you?"
Atem went to May, bowing at his Goddess. May began to sweat...whether due to what Atem was going to do to Yami, or because of his loyalty to her...she just wasn't sure.
"Goddess...I am at your command." said the Ancient Pharaoh. "I and my friend wait for what we shall do to this traitor."
"Traitor?" asked Rebecca. "What are you talking about? And who are you?!"
"Atem, the Ancient Pharaoh." said Atem. "And my friend is known as Kura, Thief Lord of Egypt."
"A thief and a pharaoh as friends?!" Rebecca exclaimed. "That's preposterous!"
"Believe me, that's what I said when I found that out." May muttered under her breath.
"Goddess," said Kura, twirling his dagger in-between his fingers as if it was a pencil. "Tell us what we must do to the traitor...should we kill him? Or should we make him suffer?"
"W-what do you mean?" asked Yami, starting to get nervous. "I never betrayed her...."
At that, Atem and Kura frowned, their eyes gaining a crimson glow as shadows began to swarm the unsuspecting 'Pharaoh'.
"Um, guys...." said Max. "Everyone get behind us...it's about to get ugly!"
Mokuba saw a black inky aura around May's loyal monsters and half of a black heart glowing in their chests...he had a very bad feeling about this, it made him feel sick to his stomach.
"What are you standing here for?!" said Mokuba. "Didn't the Prince of Wisdom say get behind us?!"
"I'm not afraid of some Yugi impersonator!" said Joey, standing up. He lifted Atem up into the air, staring into his crimson eyes. "Now tell me what's going on right now!"
Atem smirked as he brought out his hand. In an instant, an invisible force pushed Joey onto the ground once more, the boy landing with a thud.
"You see what I mean?!" said Max. "Everyone behind us now!"
"You don't have to tell me twice!" said Tristan as everyone hid behind the two boys. Rebecca wanted to retort, but soon saw the anger in the eyes of the two dark warriors and ran behind the others. May swallowed a lump in her throat as she stared at the spirit of the Millennium Puzzle; Atem and Kura were grinning like cats, ready to pounce when needed to.
"Yugi...I mean, Yami..." said May. "What Atem and Kura meant...was that the whole Orichalcos thing could've been avoided if you used your Defusion card to separate Timaeus and Dark Magician Girl...Crystal Seal—if I remember correctly—can be destroyed if the attack of the monster in question is altered...or the monster is not even there to begin with. If Defusion was used, Crystal Seal can't lock onto Dark Magician Girl the Dragon Knight, and since Timaeus isn't an ordinary card...you could've summoned that monster once more. But...you let your rage take control, and it made it easier for the Orichalcos to control you....."
Yami didn't say anything in reply to the comment; she was right...how could he have been so stupid?! This whole time there was another solution to winning the duel...and he wasted it on the Orichalcos.
"You're a bad person to not heed the advice of a Goddess." said Atem, brandishing his Kopesh sword. "Her advice saved many people thousands of years ago when she was a Vessel for Isis...and yet you, you of all people...the so-called King of Games, shrugged it off."
"Wait." said Mokuba. "Did you say May was a Vessel?! You mean like the same type of Vessel I was?"
Kura nodded his head. "She was known as Hara, an adventurous girl who wished for happiness to everyone she could find....but right now, that is not the tale to tell...so we'll just put the punishment off...for now."
At that Kura dropped Yami onto the ground and sheathed his dagger. The spirit of the Millennium Puzzle slowly stood up, trying to understand what was going on. Before he could say anything, however, his arms and legs were bound by shadows.
"Yugi!" said Téa, trying to run to the trapped spirit. However Atem looked her into the eye as her body suddenly became frozen. Téa tried to move her body, but found that she was unable to move. She struggled and strained, but nothing happened...it was if she had become some sort of mannequin.
"Someone...help..." The dancer said, trying to move her body, but it was in vain.
"Anyone else want to try and interfere?" asked Atem. "I am being gentle...if it was my decision, all of you would have been banished into the shadows. But I shall not, for it interferes with what the Goddess of Joy wants."
"Atem," said May. "I..want you to stop what you're dong to Téa and Yami, and I want you to tell me the story of what happened to me five years ago."
"As you command." said Atem, snapping his fingers. The shadows binding Yami dispersed and Téa fell down onto her knees. Joey ran to the brunette dancer, helping her onto her feet as he stared at the two dark warriors.
"You sick, twisted monsters!" He snarled at them. "What right do you have to do this to our friends?!"
Atem and Kura frowned at them being called monsters. Mokuba immediately felt the aura intensify and he gripped onto his head in pain.
"Stop this..." He whimpered. "It hurts..."
"Mokuba, what's going on?" asked Max.
"Joey's just making these guys mad!" said Mokuba. "This power...so much pain...I can't handle it..."
Tears were starting to pour down his eyes at the feeling of darkness wrapping his body. Max slowly placed a hand on the boy's shoulder, trying to find a way to help him out.
What can I do? Max thought in his mind. I don't have any magic powers and this darkness is something beyond my control...
Suddenly, he felt his hands glow in a soft light. Max stared at the site for quite some time a set of instructions came into his mind.
"What are we supposed to do?" asked Tristan, seeing sweat pouring down Mokuba's face. He then placed a hand on the boy's face, but immediately retracted it. "Dear god, he's burning up!"
"I'll get a washcloth from the mobile home." said Duke. "Maybe it'll cool the fever down."
"Wait!" said Max. "I think...that I can help him."
Gently placing a hand on Mokuba's forehead, Max swallowed the lump in his throat and closed his eyes. Mokuba was soon bathed in an aura of white light as he lowered his hands onto his sides. The light dimmed as Max stepped back. There was silence as Mokuba slowly opened his eyes, then looked to his left and right.
"What...just happened?" he asked. "Wait...the headache...it's gone! How can that be?"
"Max placed a hand on your forehead and then you calmed down." said Tristan. "What happened to you? You were in pain and burning up."
"If I had to explain it, I doubt you'd understand anything." Mokuba replied. "And...now isn't the best time to explain what's happening..."
"Atem, Kura...." said May. "Please calm down...and tell me the story...about my past..."
Atem took a deep breath before he stared into May's eyes. Placing his hands into hers, May could see the sadness in his eyes....even if they were covered with a red glow. Kura scoffed a bit, but even he could not help but feel a bit sad.
"Five years ago..." Atem began. "You discovered the Book of Secret Arts in the basement, and chanted the spell inside its cover..causing I and my friends to be free."
"Um, does anyone understand what's going on?" asked Joey. "What's with 'Book of Secret Arts' that's being spewed out? Isn't that just a card?"
"Well if you pay attention, then you'll learn something new." Mokuba replied. "Now be quiet, this is important stuff."
"At first," Atem continued. "You were frightened of us, and cried for some time. Then, I began to cry...but you comforted me from my sorrow, and smiled to us for the first time. It was then that you regarded us as your friends, even though your parents called us 'imaginary'. It didn't matter to you at all, you loved being with us...you loved all the stories we told you: about Ancient Egypt, about all of the songs that were sung...and about the Heart of Chaos."
"Wha...?" May gasped out. "You...told me about the Heart of Chaos?"
"The Heart of Chaos?" Rebecca repeated. "Grandpa never heard of an artifact like that before!"
"You still cared for us even after what had happened." said Kura, continuing the story. "And for two years, we were together...you learned how to speak our language, you learned how to sing our songs, you learned all about the gods who ruled our kingdom...but eventually, it all came into an end one Halloween evening."
"What...happened?" asked May, fear starting to flow through her body.
"The days before then, you had asked your parents to sew you a tunic for a costume." Atem answered. "For that night, after you did your 'trick-or-treating' as you put it, you went to the forest, and proceeded to do the ritual that we taught you...a ritual that would've given us real bodies."
"What---" Everyone gasped that word as May stayed silent, gripping onto her sistrum.
"Everything was going to plan...but the last part required a blood sacrifice." said Kura. "You...were going to give up some of your blood for us, and as you were going to give us the offering, your mother interfered. There was screaming on both sides, and in the end, she slapped you across the face and took the book away from you....our chance to become human was gone."
May's eyes gasped as she got on her hands and knees. Somehow, memories started to flow into her head...opening the book, meeting with the spirits, reading stories, the ritual...it was as if she was watching a video that was fast-forwarding to the present time in her mind...and it caused her to hyperventilate.
"That girl's going to break down." said Duke. "Shouldn't we do anything about it?"
"This can't be..." said May, after taking some deep breaths. "Why....why did she do that?"
"A mother wants to protect her child, and will do anything she can to make sure her child is safe." Atem replied. "Even if she did not know what was happening, the site of you slashing your arm with a dagger mortified her...and that night, you cried yourself to sleep...and when you woke up later...you just wished for one thing."
Atem let tears fall down his eyes as he whispered, "You just wanted the book back so you could read the stories...you didn't care for the ritual anymore, as long as you had that book..and as long as you had us, you were happy."
"But..." said Kura, trying his hardest not to cry. "We all realized what we had done...manipulated you by telling you that ritual and letting you go through with it...we could not let the Goddess of Joy be hurt....so after you told us that wish, we sang you to sleep...and then we sealed your memories, before letting us sleep in the book once more."
"I'm so sorry, my Goddess." said Atem, wrapping his arms around May's neck. "It was all for your own good...we only caused you so much pain, and yet you did not mind that...you wanted to be with us...and yet we did not respect your wishes, we made you forget, even when you wanted to hear a story the morning after."
There was tears falling down the eyes of both warriors. May didn't know what to say...in all her life, she could not comprehend the information that she was given. It scared her.
"May," said Yami, still not understanding what's going on. "What are you going to do?"
"I...I..." May felt a lump in her throat...she didn't know what to say. What could you say after you find out that at least two years of your life had been sealed away?
"I...forgive you." said May, slowly standing up and wiping the tears from the Ancient Pharaoh's eyes. "It was for the best...I can't blame you for wanting to protect me, even if it cost you the chance to be with me a bit longer. You were trapped within the pages of a book for 5,000 years...and although I don't understand how it feels to be confined in that type of prison, I just hope I was able to make you happy...even if it was for a short time."
She then turned to Yami...with the whole story finished, it was time for his 'punishment'. But looking at him, she only felt sympathy for the spirit. He did play the Orichalcos...but he most likely had been in a tight spot and didn't think about all of the other strategies he could have played because of the stress and worry on freeing his monster.
"Yami," said May. "I...want you to know that, it isn't your fault that you didn't believe my words. You most likely panicked or were angry...and when those feelings appear, it clouds up the mind and makes us all do crazy things that we regret later. My only punishment...is that you continue as you are right now."
"What are you saying?!" Rebecca screamed, running up to the Goddess of Joy. "A great Pharaoh like him would never do stuff like that! Yugi would never panic, and he certainly would never play that card! He should be punished for his evil deeds!"
"Rebecca," said May, turning to the college student. "Tell me, have you ever done a stupid mistake or action all because you panicked?" She looked at everyone else. "That goes for you guys also: who here has never done a stupid act based on panicking or being angry?"
There was silence as everyone stared at the ground.
"I thought so." May replied. "Just because Yami messed up, it doesn't mean that he should be immediately be blamed. Everyone has lashed out and acted downright bad once in their life...even Atem did when it came to darkness stretching upon Egypt and him stopping the world from destruction."
"But wait..." said Téa. "Didn't Yugi, I mean Yami, do that also?"
"In Ancient Egypt, Shadow magic was unstable." said May, quickly coming up with a lie. "So darkness would've tried to destroy the world hundreds of times....Atem saved it once, but his soul was sealed inside the Book of Secret Arts. And Atem did some crazy stuff in the past, but he was forgiven in the end."
Atem leaned toward the Goddess of Joy, gently kissing her brow. Letting a delicate hand run through her hair the Pharaoh whispered something into her ear. It was soft, and May felt another set of memories flooding through her mind. This time, it was her in the desert of Egypt, dancing and singing.
Kura smirked as he stared at the site. Then he stared at Yami, the spirit feeling a bit nervous around the Thief Lord.
"Don't worry." said Kura. "I can't hurt you, not unless the Goddess of Joy asks of it."
"Do I...know you?" asked Yami, seeing the white haired thief. "You remind me of a person named Bakura...are you two related?"
"We have...no relation to each other." Kura replied. "But be warned, the Goddess of Joy has decided to give you a second chance in redeeming yourself. I suggest you take it seriously and use it to get Yugi back. If you're depressed, it'll be easier for 'Raphael' to get your soul...he'll use Yugi as a distraction to hit you at your weak spot."
"That's enough, Kura." said Atem, taking a step back from May. The Pokémon Coordinator looked tired as she placed a hand on her forehead and closed her eyes. "Let them be alone for a while, we've done our job here, all we can do now is wait."
"Wait!" said Max. "What about May being this girl named Hara? Aren't you going to explain what that means?"
"The Goddess of Joy shall tell you that story..." said Atem, as he and Kura began to disappear. "But first, you all have an important situation to attend to."
"Hold on." said Yami. "I must ask you a question...was I truly an evil ruler?"
Atem stared at Yami and shook his head. "You were never an evil ruler, you were a good ruler ruling amongst evil...." He answered.
That was all that was said as the two warriors vanished. May opened her eyes and lowered her hand as she turned to the spectators.
"Sorry, about all of that." said May. "You see...Max and I have been lying to you guys. You see, our parents suggested that we go to Domino...but in truth, the two of us had dreams that had to do with 'people' close to us."
"You mean Manaphy and Jirachi." said Joey. The Pokémon Coordinator nodded her head.
"That's right." May replied. "Then I found that Book of Secret Arts and reawakened the spirits that were inside, and they transformed into Duel Monster cards who warned Max and I about this ancient evil coming to destroy the world. We later found out that we were supposed to protect the Pharaoh in his darkest hour..."
"And I'm here because of them." Mokuba added. "When I gained my powers, I was told of two other beings—the Goddess of Joy and Prince of Wisdom—who I needed to meet up with so we could stop the menace. If we told you all of what we were doing, then you would've stopped us..."
"Just like you tried in preventing May and I in heading off to Industrial Illusions." said Max. "But now we're in this together and there's no way we can turn back now. After all, friends need to stick up for each other, right?"
There was some silence before Tèa nodded her head.
"You're absolutely right, Max." said the dancer. "No matter what happens, we're going to beat the menace and save our friend."
"Hold on a minute." said Duke. "We're all missing a very important thing."
"And what's that, genius?" asked Tristan.
"Where exactly is Dartz keeping all of the souls collected by the Orichalcos?" asked the Dungeon Dice Creator.
There was silence as everyone soon became lost in thought. They were so riled up with the loss of Yugi, May's past, and the constant bugging of the so-called 'secret' that she was hiding, that no one thought about that idea.
"That's...a good question." said Mokuba, rubbing his chin. "I can try and sense it, but it'll take a while."
"Wait, you can sense magic?" asked Joey. Mokuba nodded his head.
"I can sense auras relating to 'magic' or other supernatural stuff..." He explained. "I can even sense souls...but since I just gained my powers yesterday, I might have trouble finding a good lead."
"Do all you can, Mokuba." said Yami, looking as if his spirits had been lifted. "Right now we have to figure out our next plan of attack."
"That's what I like to hear." said May, seeing the King of Games back on his feet. "The true King of Games has returned!"
"Yugi," said Rebecca, closing her eyes. "Wait for us, we'll find you!"
"Not unless those biker guys find us first." Max muttered under his breath.
May closed her eyes once more as memories of living in Ancient Egypt appeared in her mind...what was so strange was there was this teenage boy with long blonde hair who was following her around like a puppy, calling her the Guardian of the Sea. It wasn't the fact that she was given the title of Guardian of the Sea...but it was the person who was calling her that.
"Rael..." She whispered under her breath.
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Mistaken Identity...that was what Dartz called it when it was revealed that Yami's soul was not taken away by the Orichalcos, but it was Yugi who took his place. The look of shock was plastered upon the poor boy's face when he was shown upon the tablet of souls...as if he was begging for freedom out of his wretched prison.
"Instead of the Pharaoh, you got the soul of some kid." Valon stated to his partners, his arm cast in a sling.
"I still don't understand..." said Raphael, trying to make sense on what was going on.
"Then you need to clean out your ears," Dartz replied. "Both of their spirits inhabit one body, get it? You captured the wrong soul."
"But how?" asked Raphael. "I thought I was dueling the Pharaoh, so the Orichalcos should've sealed him instead."
"Same goes with me." Alister added. "The Pharaoh was unconscious when I came to pick Raphael up, so it couldn't have been a mistake."
"Well, apparently the two of you aren't as perceptive as you thought because he got away." Dartz snapped back. "And you still have not retrieved the Winged Dragon of Ra."
"Raphael had a little 'banter' with his beloved Guardian of the Sea, which was the reason Ra is still not with us." Alister replied.
"The Guardian of the Sea is long gone." said Valon. "I don't get what he sees in that May girl but he needs to wake up!"
"The Guardian of the Sea, Raphael?" asked Dartz. "The girl you encountered on that island ten years ago?"
"The very same." Raphael replied. Rex and Weevil—who had arrived at the office after grabbing onto the rope ladder—had no idea what was going on, but decided to just watch the scene unfurl.
"She's still alive, I can feel it." Raphael continued. "That girl...I somehow know that she is the one from my past..."
"Wake up, already." said Alister. "The Guardian of the Sea died, and as you said she was wounded. When we saw May, she didn't have a single scratch on her...and this Guardian was gentle, and not someone who would back-sass at us."
"Enough!" said Dartz, silencing the red haired Swordsman. "It seems as if our plans are getting nowhere if we are not getting what we need...and what's more, is that the beings of Joy and Wisdom have found their friend...the Defender of the King."
"But I didn't see anyone that looked like a defender." said Valon.
"Mokuba..." Alister snarled, recalling the enraged look in Mokuba's eyes back at Duelist Kingdom. "He calls himself the Defender of the King, threatening to kill me or something on the lines of that...and it looks like he's going to be trouble for us."
"The Goddess of Joy, the Prince of Wisdom and the Defender of the King." said Dartz. "Three of the most powerful beings on Earth, for they have existed side by side with mankind. And although there are different 'beings' who were blessed by spirits like Joy and Wisdom, there is only one 'Goddess of Joy', one 'Prince of Wisdom' and one 'Defender of the King'. Thus their reincarnations are the only ones who can gain that power."
"So you're saying that three little kids have more power than the Orichalcos?" asked Valon.
"They are only little kids." said Dartz. "They are no threat to our operation if they do not know the full extent of their powers. Still, they must be stopped...for as long as they are together—and as long as they have the Winged Dragon of Ra—then our plans will not continue."
"Hey, let's go!" said Weevil once it had become silent.
"Go where?" asked Rex as the two went to Dartz. They soon got on their knees to the blue haired man, as if they were lowly peasants to an all mighty king.
"Might I suggest something, sir?" asked Weevil.
"Like a better hideout?" said Rex. For the comment, Weevil bashed him on the head (Rex stating that he 'was just trying to be helpful).
"Who are these two?" asked Dartz, staring at the two duelists on the ground.
"Haven't you heard of us?" asked Rex. "Former Regional Duel Monster Champions?"
"They're just a couple of wannabe duelists who followed us here." said Raphael, much to the anger of both Weevil and Rex. "They've probably never even played the game."
"Never played the game?!" Weevil screamed.
"Wannabes?!" Rex yelled with some irritation. "We're great duelists, but we came here so to become better duelists!"
"Yugi and his friends have been making fools of us for years!" Weevil explained, as the two told their tales of 'sorrow'. Weevil explained how Yugi defeated him at Duelist Kingdom by incinerating his Ultimate Great Moth with Summoned Skull. Then, Rex followed it up by how Joey used Time Wizard to not only defeat his Red Eyes Black Dragon, but also take it from him as part of a bet.
"Before they showed up, we ruled the duel!" said Weevil. "But lately, it seems like we're just the butt of everyone's jokes!"
"And no one likes being a butt!" Rex added.
"Uh," said Weevil, trying to cover up for his friend's mistake. "What he means is, we want nothing more than to have our revenge! So please Mister Dartz sir, share your dueling secrets with us and we'll help you get what you want!"
"Please!" Rex begged.
"It won't be easy," said Dartz, staring at the duelists. "The Pharaoh and his little friends wield the power of the Legendary Dragons. Plus, three children have power that could destroy the Orichalcos and an Egyptian God Card in their hands. How do intend to fight cards like those?"
"That's exactly why we need your help, sir!" Weevil replied.
"Yeah, we need the Seal of Orichalcos!" said Rex.
"Before I share my power with you," said Dartz, turning his back toward the duelists. "I have to make sure you're worthy."
"Give us a chance to prove it!" Weevil pleaded.
"We'll do anything!" Rex added.
There was some silence as Dartz seemed to be in thought. Weevil and Rex gulped, waiting for an answer. Then Dartz turned to them.
"Very well," He replied, tossing two cards into the air. "These are for you."
Weevil and Rex immediately grabbed onto the cards as if they were pieces of candy falling from the sky...but their looks of excitement turned to shock when they found that the cards were blank.
"What is this, some kind of joke?!" Rex exclaimed.
"Hey!" said Weevil. "We're serious about this!"
"...That makes three of us." Dartz stated simply, opening his clenched fist. In the palm of his hand were two green stones which began to shine in a brilliant light. They began to float in the air, as if they had minds of their own.
"W-what's that?" asked Weevil with a hint of nervousness.
"Your test." said Dartz. "These crystals from the Orichalcos Stone will activate your cards."
"But I stink at tests!" Rex cried. "Not fair!"
"All you have to do is hold the rock fragments in your hands." Dartz continued. "If they deem you worthy of their power, you will be able to grasp them...but if they don't, you will have to pay the price...by offering up your very souls to the Great Leviathan."
"Are you nuts?!" both Weevil and Rex screamed simultaneously, holding each other out of fear.
"Told you these guys were weak." said Raphael. Rex and Weevil heard the comment and stood up, pushing each other away.
"Bring on the test!" said Weevil, with new found confidence.
"Yeah!" Rex added. "We're not going to let a couple of rocks get in our way in becoming champion duelists, right?"
"That's right!" Weevil replied. "Let's do this!"
The two nodded their heads and brought their hands out to the crystals. Dartz laughed as he saw a glowing green sphere blocking Rex and Weevil from their destinies. Still, the two continued to grab the crystals in front of them.
"I...can't....grab the stone!" said Rex, commenting on the situation.
"Of course not." said Valon with some sarcasm.
"These twerps aren't worthy," Alister added. "Not that I'm surprised."
Time passed, and nothing happened. It was if the crystal fragments were taunting both Weevil and Rex, stating that they would never get the power they wanted.
"Maybe we should rethink this whole joining the bad guys thing!" said Rex.
"No way!" Weevil snapped back. "If you fail this, you're going to be a loser for the rest of you're life! Now get that rock!"
A few more seconds passed, and this time it looked as if the two were finally making progress. With a mighty push, the two were finally able to get the fragments, the light dispersing the minute the rocks were in their hands. The Orichalcos appeared on their foreheads as both Rex and Weevil felt their new-found power.
"No way..." Alister said with shock. "Those nimrods actually did it!"
Looking at the cards, both Rex and Weevil smirked when they saw the Orichalcos printed onto the magic cards...both of them laughing at the fact that they were now unstoppable.
"Congratulations." Dartz stated to the two. "And welcome to our family."
0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Minutes later, Rex and Weevil found themselves entering a room which were filled with Duel Monster Cards. Raphael explained that they had collected every Duel Monster card that had been printed—and also stated to them to 'have a party'.
Cheering like kids at a toy store, the two former regional Duel Monsters Champions looked at all the cards, trying to figure out which ones would work best with their new-found Orichalcos card.
"We can take anything, right?" asked Weevil, as if making sure he understood what was going on.
"Well you can take anything except Slifer and Obelisk." Valon answered. "Ra is still with those little kids..."
"Not to be rude or anything," said Rex. "But how exactly did those three get an Egyptian God Card? I thought Yugi had them."
There was some silence as the three Swordsmen stared at Rex for asking such a stupid question like that. Rex gulped...waiting for what was in store....
"That girl and her little brother used these creatures to lift us up in to the air and distract us." Alister explained with some irritation. "While we were distracted, the girl came in and switched the Winged Dragon of Ra with a fake, making it look like she was trying to steal the card! And what's worse is that they know how to use it..."
"So what's the big deal?" asked Weevil. "They're just kids, they can't beat us."
"Then you didn't see the giant beacon of light near Industrial Illusions then." said Valon. "That boy—Max, if I recall—unleashed a powerful attack on Arkana, destroying him to smithereens."
"And from what Master Dartz said, May annihilated Bandit Keith with the use of three monsters alone." Raphael added. "Those two are not to be messed with."
Weevil and Rex gulped at the mentioning of Bandit Keith; the thought of a former Intercontinental Duel Monsters Champion being defeated by a little girl scared them...how could someone so young have a chance on beating someone who had more experience than her?
Dartz soon walked into the room, his expression calm as ever.
"Now choose wisely," he said to both Weevil and Rex. "You have a difficult task. Deliver to me the souls of the Pharaoh and his companion, young Joseph Wheeler. The Orichalcos is with you; use it correctly and victory is yours."
"Yes, sir!" said Rex and Weevil in response.
"Oh, and one more thing, Raphael." said Dartz, turning to the Guardian Duelist. "Do not fail me in getting the Winged Dragon of Ra...this Guardian of the Sea business has to stop."
"Understood." said Raphael, getting on one knee. However, even with that said...he could not help but recall May's defiance...how she said that she wasn't the Guardian of the Sea...yet every time he saw her, the image of the true Guardian of the Sea—his savior—took her place.
What in the world was going on?
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"So, let's get this straight one more time." said Tristan to May, Max and Mokuba. "You three are called the--" He turned to May. "'Goddess of Joy'--" Then he turned to Max. "the 'Prince of Wisdom'--" and then turned to Mokuba. "and the 'Defender of the King'. Now all of you have the power to summon Duel Monsters and use other cards from your deck to help you out...and you're saying that you have these strange magical powers?"
"That's the gist of it." said May, still draped in her white tunic and blue hooded cloak. "And we can also use other types of healing or invisibility...depending on your training. Since I'm the Goddess of Joy, I mostly deal with songs and dance—or at least that's what I'm getting from my past. Max is mostly a magician, while Mokuba is a sensor."
"Speaking of Hara," said Max. "Who was she?"
May took a deep breath as she began her tale.
"Hara was a daughter of a blacksmith and a weaver." May explained. "When she was around five she was taken in as a Vessel for Isis. She loved her job, because she loved to perform the songs and dances inside the temple...and every now and then, she would perform for the royal family. Hara liked Atem the most, because of all of the adventures he got to experience...and one day wanted to join him on an adventure across the Mediterranean Sea into the Roman Empire."
"When she was around seven, she met up with someone named Rael...but for some odd reason, the boy kept calling her the Guardian of the Sea. Hara never told her his real name, though—so the boy just assumed that he was a real Guardian with true magic. From the looks of it, Rael loved the girl and asked her if she 'liked' him. Hara replied that she liked him, but she also liked the Pharaoh...and Rael seemed a bit upset on that. Then...things changed."
"What do you mean by 'things change'?" asked Téa. "Changed as in love blooms...or change as in..."
"I'm still a bit foggy on that part, Téa." May replied. "But all Hara knew was that sometimes Rael would act harsh on her, but then he would come back to normal. It was then that she spent more time with Atem and Kura...thinking that the Pharaoh could help her out. However, when Hara turned ten...darkness corrupted Egypt. Chaos began to rule the land...evil sank into the hearts of mankind itself. Hara—oblivious to what was going on—approached Atem to ask what was going on. Atem then explained that he was corrupted with part of an evil treasure known as the 'Heart of Chaos'."
"The Heart of Chaos?" Rebecca repeated. "I don't think Grandpa's ever heard of that artifact before."
"It's destroyed, that's why." May replied. "But still, Hara asked why did it have to happen...and it was at that moment that the Heart of Chaos took over his body...and Hara was killed."
There was some silence as everyone in the room imagined the horrible things done to the poor girl. May bowed her head as she continued.
"Hara tried everything she could...chanting spells she knew from being a Vessel, or at least trying to run away from him. But in the end, as she laid on the ground dying...she sang. Atem was moved to tears and tried to heal the young girl's body...but all he could do was just hear Hara never finish the last line of the song..."
"That's terrible!" Duke gasped out. "The poor girl..."
"Now do you see why I went easy on Yami's punishment?" asked May. "Atem was corrupted by feelings of anger and Rael was most likely corrupted by envy and anger...Hara was just an item to lash the rage on...she never did wrong...the Orichalcos is just like the Heart of Chaos...it possesses, it controls, it takes over...and anyone affected by it suffers."
"Say, Yami." said Mokuba, turning to the spirit of the Millennium Puzzle. "What was Raphael's story for joining the Orichalcos?"
"He said something about celebrating his birthday with his family on a cruise ship ten years ago." Yami explained. "But a storm caused the ship to sink and he was separated from his family. He spent all those years on the island, protected by his Guardian deck, until help arrived....he also mentioned on meeting up with Dartz to help rebuild the world after he found out that his family—although recovered—completely forgot about him."
"But he said nothing about the Guardian of the Sea...." said Max. Yami nodded his head in reply.
May stayed silent at the news....Raphael constantly telling them about the Guardian of the Sea, and Rael always calling Hara the Guardian of the Sea...were they connected? She wasn't sure herself.
"Anyway," said Joey. "We should be thinking about how to stop these biker guys. After all, these guys want to rule the world, right? We've been through that before."
"But this time, things are different." said Tristan. "They're not just talking about ruling the world...they're actually doing it."
"That's why we have to go straight to the source." Joey replied, much to everyone else's confusion. "We go straight to their source and destroy that secret weapon."
"Wait..." said Téa. "You're not talking about that giant monster zapper in the sky, right?"
May and Max shuddered at the memory of the glowing eye...even with the forces of Ra, Manaphy and Jirachi helping them, it didn't go down....rather, Timaeus destroyed it after the three monsters weakened it. The fact that all of the souls of the opponents they've defeated were going to be fed to that thing scared them more...and possibly made them feel a bit guilty.
"But it's taking human souls also." Tristan added. "And that thing's got Yugi's soul in it."
"Don't forget they also have Bandit Keith, Arkana, Marius and Maria." said Max, counting off his fingers.
"Come on." said Mokuba. "We shouldn't be standing here twiddling our thumbs; we should be out there, saving Yugi's soul and stopping this Leviathan from taking even more souls!"
"Mokuba, this is dangerous!" said Duke. "You're not a capable duelist like your brother...and that goes to you too, May and Max. Even with all of your freaky magic, if you can't duel, then you're toast!"
"Then why not we fight now and prove that we can really duel!" May replied, bringing out her Duel Disk. "I'm sure Atem and Kura will like beating you when your life points drop to zero!"
"That's enough, guys." said Rebecca, who had been typing away on her laptop. "We can't do anything to stop these guys since they destroyed my Grandfather's laboratory and all of his research. And there's no way to prove anything without any hard evidence."
"We have proof." said Téa, standing up. "It's all in those underwater ruins Professor Hawkins discovered."
"Whatever was in there won't be much help to us." said Rebecca, bringing her laptop to the table. On the monitor was a news article of the ruins sinking to the bottom of the sea. It didn't take a genius to put together what had happened.
"Those guys are one step ahead of us." May snarled. "Those ruins are now....ruined!"
Suddenly a door opened, revealing the fully recovered archaeologist.
"Grandpa, you're okay!" said Rebecca, happy that her grandfather was alright.
"Shouldn't you be resting, though?" asked Téa. "You just recovered from walking back to your lab after being kidnapped by those bikers."
"I'll be fine." Professor Hawkins replied. "Anyway, who could sleep with you kids chit-chatting all day? Besides, I can help you find all the information you need. Besides, you were right about looking through those ruins."
"Really?" asked Max. "That's awesome! Did you find anything out? Like anything on those bikers?"
"I can't be sure," Professor Hawkins explained. "But there's an ancient inscription saying that these guys are descendants of Atlantis, an ancient continent, said to have disappeared into the ocean thousands of years ago...without a trace."
"...Okay, that's a bit of a farfetched theory." said May. "But that doesn't make sense...if they were descendants of Atlantis, why would they want to destroy what was left of their ancestors' homes? Surely they'd want to protect it for future generations."
"They must be trying to hide something." said Professor Hawkins, coming up with a hypothesis. "Those ruins reveal the history of Atlantis, and it's not a pleasant one. They most likely want to keep it a secret."
"And what better way to do it then destroying all of the evidence." said Mokuba. "Wait a minute...how the heck do you know all of this, Professor Hawkins?"
"Thousands of years ago, Atlantis was home to the most advanced civilization the world has ever known." the Professor explained. "It truly was a Paradise on Earth; a land of eternal tranquility where everyone lived in peace. Until one day, when a dreadful creature was called for from the depths of the earth by an evil king."
"An evil king?" Yami repeated, his eyes widening. "Oh no..."
His mind recalled Raphael's words; about how he was an evil ruler that destroyed all of Egypt. But it couldn't have been true...Atem said that he was a good ruler...he didn't know what to trust...but it just worried him that one of them was obviously lying, but he didn't know who the liar was.
"It seems this power hungry king drew his strength from a mysterious stone." Professor Hawkins continued. "And this stone drew its strength from another world."
"It's that rock they wear on their necks, isn't it?" asked Joey.
"I'm not sure." Professor Hawkins answered. "That was all I was able to translate."
"NO!" Joey screamed when he heard the reply.
"Chill out, dude." said Tristan. "You're gonna blow a gasket."
"You guys don't get it, do you?" asked Joey. "Those Atlantis freaks are trying to cover something up about this ancient mega monster!"
"Of course!" said Duke, understanding what Joey was getting at. "There was probably something written in those ruins about how to destroy that thing before it destroys us."
"I get it." said Tristan, before turning to his friend. "Hey Joey, guess like you brought out your 'Good Idea for the Year!'"
"Fortunately, even though the ruins have been destroyed..." Professor Hawkins added. "There are still copies of the inscriptions in the museum. The museum is in Florida, where I was doing all of my underwater research."
"That's perfect!" Téa exclaimed. "Now all we have to do is go to Florida and translate the rest!"
"Then what are we waiting for?" asked Joey. "Let's head to the Sunshine State, figure out how to beat these guys, and save Yugi! All right?"
"I'm with ya!" said Tristan, bursting with excitement. "Goodbye Death Valley and hello to fun in the sun!"
"That's great and all, but there's just one question." said Mokuba. "How the heck are we going to get there?! Duke's car can't travel that far, and May and Max's Pokémon aren't going to last that long. And Draco isn't that inconspicuous."
"We're doomed..." said Tristan, slumping into his seat.
"No, we're not..." said Rebecca. "There's one person we can ask for help..."
"Oh, no!" said Joey, fully intent on Rebecca's plan. "There's no way I'm going to be going through with that!"
"We have no other choice, Joey." Mokuba replied to the blonde duelist. "Now come on, this is for the sake of saving the world..."
"All right," Joey grumbled under his breath. "But if he calls me a 'mutt', I'm hanging up the connection!"
0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Kaiba was ticked off. More shares of Kaiba Corp. were bought and he had no idea who was doing it. There were many suspects...but the one that struck the most was Alister and his comments on getting revenge. Sure, Alister had the rights to be upset at Kaiba Corp. for taking his brother away, but did it make him the prime suspect?
If Pegasus had been captured, then there was no way he could've been buying all the shares...so what was going on?
The CEO didn't have time to answer that question when the phone rang. He picked it up, placing it to his ear.
"What is it?" He asked.
"There's a 'Mr. Wheeler' on the line, sir." said the operator. Kaiba just rolled his eyes.
"Just put him on..." He muttered under his breath. The operator did so, revealing Joey being a bit too close to the monitor.
"He really took your call?" asked Téa from the other end of the connection.
"Kaiba, you in there?" asked Joey...much to the annoyance to everyone else. He was soon dragged away by the screen by a hand.
"You know, it works better if you step away from the web-cam." said May.
"Hey, Seto." said Mokuba, waving a hand to his big brother. "How's everything been doing?"
"Not good." Kaiba replied. "Shares of the company are still being bought, and our reputation is being ruined by these Duel Monsters sightings..."
"That's horrible!" Mokuba replied. "Dartz must behind all of this! It has to do with that Great Leviathan monster Pegasus mentioned back at Industrial Illusions."
"Mokuba, don't bring up that magic stuff again." said Kaiba in response.
"That's enough!" said Max, trying to stop the fight. "We didn't call just to argue about whether magic is involved or not...we called because we found clues on that biker gang."
"What clues?" asked Kaiba with some interest.
Joey pushed May away and cleared his throat. "We're not giving away the information that easily." The Brooklyn-accented duelist replied. "But if you can get us some tickets to Florida, I can fill you in on the way!"
"Joey!" May hissed. "This isn't going to work!"
"Time is running out!" said Joey, grabbing onto the monitor. "Those creeps defeated Yugi and took his soul!"
At that comment, it was if time froze for Kaiba. Max and Mokuba immediately covered Joey's mouth with their hands, as to make sure he wouldn't say anything else.
"We told you this wasn't going to work!" said Mokuba. "Way to keep this a secret!"
"You're going to make Kaiba mad and we'll never be getting to Florida this way!" Max added.
Needless to say, Kaiba was pissed. Seeing Yami on the monitor just added fuel to the fire in his assumption that the King of Games just lost his title to someone else aside from him. Slamming his hand on the desk, everyone on the other side of the communication immediately became silent.
"YUGI LOST?!" Kaiba yelled. "Yugi just lost his title to some nobody?!" He growled as he added, "Nobody deserves that title but me!"
"Hold on, Seto..." said Mokuba, trying to get his brother to calm down.
"Save it, Mokuba." Kaiba barked back. "And tell Yugi that he's a disgrace to the game!" He was about to slam the phone back to its receiver...
"Yami's not the disgrace, you are!"
Kaiba stopped as he looked back at the monitor, seeing May staring at him in front of the webcam. Kaiba wanted to yell at her, but seeing how angry and fierce May was staring back at him made him glare right back.
"Don't you dare call Yami something like that!" May added. "At least he's doing something that you aren't...he's actually going on the field and fighting to stop the menace, while you're inside your nice air-conditioned office doing nothing! Plus, Mokuba is also trying to help stop these bikers, and you're not even there to help him!"
"May..." said Max. "That's enough..."
May closed her eyes. "No it isn't." She replied, opening her eyes once more. "Besides the only reason Yami 'lost' was because he had an illegal card forced into his hands!"
At the words 'illegal card', everyone turned their attention to the Goddess of Joy. There was some silence...no one making a sound as to see what was going to happen next. Then Kaiba asked a question.
"What do you mean by 'illegal'?" May leaned back and took in a deep breath.
"The Seal of Orichalcos has many abilities that Alister probably didn't show you." She replied. "Aside from the loser of the duel losing their 'soul'"--she had that placed in air quotes--"The duelist who plays the Orichalcos lets their monsters get a 500 attack point boost. Plus, that duelist can use their Magic and Trap Card zones as monsters, giving that person ten monsters to deal with and thus making it harder to get a direct assault."
"And don't think about using Heavy Storm or Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy it; once the Orichalcos is on the field, it's stuck there till someone loses or there's a draw. This complete 'nobody' had that card in his hand before it was in Yami's...if the King of Games dueled you with that card, would you be able to defeat him?"
Kaiba stayed silent, taking the question in. During his past duels with the King of Games —one resulting in his victory the other with Yami's—it had been fair. But if Alister could use the Orichalcos to strengthen his own monsters and bring in an unfair advantage, then most likely Yami would do the same...it wouldn't be considered an even duel...and that was wrong.
"Are you going to answer, Seto Kaiba?" asked May. "Are you really going to let this 'loss' Yami take seriously? Because Yami technically didn't lose; the illegal card was at fault and should have not been in his hand at all...."
"That's enough." said Kaiba, interrupting the Pokémon Coordinator. "I may be angry that Yugi--"
"That's Yami." said May.
"Whatever." Kaiba replied. "I may be angry that Yugi lost that duel; but to lose with that card is dishonorable! Those thugs are going to pay for doing that! I've just got a good reason to beat those thugs up..."
"That's good!" said May with a grin. "So does this mean you're going to get us those tickets to Florida?"
"I said that I had a good reason to beat those thugs." Kaiba replied. "I never said anything about helping you out..."
"Please Seto?" asked Mokuba, staring into the monitor. "If we stay here, we're all going to be sitting ducks for those bikers! If they took Yugi away, they might take me away also!"
That made Kaiba hesitate; Pegasus took Mokuba's soul away with the Millennium Eye and Noah brainwashed him once...if Yugi had lost the duel and his soul was taken...would that happen to Mokuba?
"Come on, moneybags!" said Joey, finally getting Max's hand away from his mouth. "We need those tickets!"
"....Fine..." said Kaiba. "But only to make sure that those creeps get what they deserved."
Mokuba smiled. "Thanks, Seto!"
Kaiba gave a small in return. "My pleasure, Mokuba." He replied. "Just take the earliest train to the airport and I'll book you and the others a flight on a private jet to Florida...make sure you stay safe."
"Promise." said Mokuba. "Just make sure Alister and the other bikers get what they deserve!"
"I'll stay here with Rebecca and keep an eye on the Professor." said Duke.
"Duke's right, Grandpa." said Rebecca. "Running around the country isn't the best thing for you right now."
"We're one step closer in finding out the mystery!" said Max. "Who knows what's going to happen?"
"Nothing's going to stop us from getting our answers!" May added. "Those bikers won't know what hit them!"
"And when we're through, they'll be begging for mercy!" said Mokuba.
The three children brought their hands out and raised their Duel Disks into the air, as if sending a warning for all future opponents.
"Look out!" said May. "Because the beings of Joy, Wisdom and the Moon will be coming before you know it!"
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
May: A train ride to Florida, how awesome!
Max: But Yami is down...must be about Professor Hawkin's comment of the evil king.
Mokuba: But we know that it wasn't Yami who did this, it had to have been Dartz.
May: Guys...wasn't this train filled with passengers a while back?
Max: Wait a minute, we've been separated from the group!
Mokuba: And that's not all, someone's challenging you to a Duel, Max!
Max: But my deck isn't strong enough to defeat these creatures!
May: Then it looks like it's time for a little upgrade, don't you say?
Mokuba: Next time, "Between my Brother and Me" chapter 14-The Double Magic Attack!
Max: Ladies and Gentleman, I will now show you the trick on how I defeat my opponent!
May: Here's a suggestion for a magic trick...how do you stop the train from falling off the cliff?!