Between my Brother and Me

by Green Phantom Queen

When May and Max return to Petalburg, their parents suggest that they visit the city of Domino for a week. Unfortunately, Leviathan is starting to awaken, and both siblings must fight the menance or risk their chances to ever getting back home safely. [Discontinued]

22. Without a Shadow of a Doubt

After all of that, you think it's time for a break, huh?

Guess again...

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Between my Brother and Me

by Green Phantom Queen

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Chapter 21-Without a Shadow of a Doubt

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"You pushed Raphael away with a blast of...magic, and wrapped shadows around him." Kaiba started to explain. "Then you summoned four monsters and they began talking."

"Talking?" asked May.

"Talking." Kaiba repeated. "They started to explain how awful Raphael was and attacked them. Then, you stabbed him in the heart with a dagger."

"I...killed him?" asked May in shock. "That's horrible! I mean...I was angry that he was constantly referring to me as the Guardian of the Sea, but I didn't mean to place a death wish on him!"

"You didn't kill him." said Kaiba. "Apparently the dagger you used can cause a person to be sent into their deepest fears if you stab it into their hearts. Now where was I? Oh yes...

"After you gave Raphael a taste of his own fear, you set your sites on Alister. It became a complicated plot that involved five cards: Bait Doll, Psychic Armor Head, Black Hole Shield, Advanced Guard and Over Boost. The Magic Card was linked directly to the action figure and Alister's monsters: whatever damage the monsters got, it happened to the doll, corresponding to the Armor cards which also created an illusion of Alister's little brother. Then...there was the 'piece de resistance'."

"And what was that?" asked May.

"The action figure also worked in the opposite direction: anything that happened to it, happened to Alister. So by stabbing the fear dagger into the 'heart' of Alister's brother Mikey, the stab and fear got transferred into Alister. And then you stated you got your revenge and was knocked unconscious and when you woke up..."

May didn't have to answer that as she placed a hand near her heart. "This can't be real..." She whispered.

"Look at what you have in your hands, and then look at them." said Kaiba, pointing to the unconscious forms of the Swordsmen. "Now does that seem like a dream?"

May shook her head. "Thanks for telling me all of this, by the way. At least it's better that someone told me this rather than I trying to make sense of this whole mess and make myself go into a giant panic about it."

"Wait, Kaiba being nice?" asked Joey. "That's a hoot."

"Well at least he's being nicer than you are!" May snapped back. "At least he was there when I was in pain! At least he was there when I needed someone to talk to! And where were you? Whining and complaining about how Mai was brainwashed by the Orichalcos, that's where you were! And to think, I dueled her when she played the Orichalcos and defeated her just so I can escape unharmed."

"YOU WHAT?" Joey screamed at her, dumping Rex's unconscious body into Tristan's arms. He then ran up to her and grabbed her wrist. May winced in pain, feeling Joey's hand gripping one of the wounds she sustained.

"You let Mai's soul be taken by the Orichalcos?" Joey snapped at the Pokémon Coordinator. "We're supposed to save Mai, not lose her!"

"She's not gone, though!" May replied. "She can be saved!"

"She could be saved!" Joey corrected her. "And now it's all your fault!"

And before anyone knew what happened...Joey punched May across the face. Tears fell down May's eyes as she grit her teeth in pain.

"Why?" asked Joey. "Why did you do this?"

"She had a good reason!" said Kaiba, getting inbetween Joey and May. "May still had the Winged Dragon of Ra, and if those creeps took it, then we'd be in a load of trouble."

"Oh, so now you're trying to make us believe her story by saying you believe in what's gong on." said Joey. "That's not going to work! I can smell a lie when it's coming, and this one reeks of a lie."

"He's not lying!" said May. "He's telling the truth...I had to duel or else the whole world would be destroyed."

"And why should we even listen to you, Seto Kaiba?" asked Téa. "After all you've done to us over the years, believing you on a matter such as this is a bit farfetched."

"And I still believe that this girl is hiding something." Tristan added.

"Knock it off!" said Mokuba. "May's been through a lot in the past couple of hours! So go easy on her!"

"Oh, I'll go easy on her all right." said Joey. "I'll go easy!"

Pushing Kaiba out of the way, Joey pushed May onto the ground onto her bruised ribs. May let out a small cry as Joey twisted har arms behind her back, thus making it hard for her to use them. Blaziken noticed this and prepared to prepare a Mega Kick. Joey snarled.

"Get any closer and you're done!" Joey yelled at Blaziken. Blaziken stepped back, and could do nothing more than see its trainer get a beating.

"Stop this, Joey!" said Yami. "This is no time to be lashing out!"

"Correction, it is!" said Joey. "We trusted May with the Winged Dragon of Ra and she pays us back by letting those creeps get their hands on Mai's soul. She deserves what's coming to her."

May felt like crying...her ribs hurt, her arms hurt...she had been wounded so many times. She was sick of it. She was sick and tired of being weak and telling people the truth. If they would let her listen, if they would let her speak..she had it...she had enough.

You need my help, don't you? May's eyes opened at the voice. That's right, I'm talking to you. You're in a bit of a pickle, right?

Yeah... May said in reply in her mind. Please help me...I don't want to go through this!

Very well...hold on...

"Any last words?" asked Joey. May didn't respond. Seeing this, Joey pulled May up by her hair, forcing her to lift her gaze to him.

"ANSWER ME!" Joey cried. Big mistake.

May's eyes suddenly opened, revealing a crimson glow. Joey soon stepped back, releasing his grip on May's hair as she stood up. A smile was on her face as she began to laugh.

"Well," She whispered. "I never thought I had to come out again so soon."

"What's going on?" asked Tristan. "Why is she acting like tihs?"

As Tristan asked that question, May's clothing soon became black and red once more. Her Duel Disk also became an inky black as she stared at Joey with curious eyes. She lifted Blaziken's Poké ball, the Blaze Pokémon returning to its comfy home, before it was placed back into the waist-pack.

"So...you think it's nice to attack an innocent girl, huh?" 'May' asked them. "Wait a minute, where are my manners? I haven't introduced myself yet. My name is Shadow, and it's a pleasure to meet you."

"Where's my sister?" asked Max. "What's happened to her?"

"She's sleeping." Shadow replied, placing a finger to her lips. She winked at Max before she continued. "And I'm hearing that someone's been a very naughty boy..."

Her gaze turned to Joey as she pulled out a silver coin from her grey waist-pack.

"Heads or tails?" She asked.

"What are you thinking?" asked Joey. "This is no time to play games! We have to rescue Mai."

"...You want to rescue the woman who thinks your nothing but a pile of dirt?" asked Shadow. Joey froze when Shadow asked him that question. "You want to rescue the girl who wants to destroy you? You want the girl who ran away with Zigzagoon head? Believe me, she's not worth it."

"What are you saying, Shadow?" asked Joey. "She's worth it!"

"Worth it that you caused an injured girl pain?" asked Shadow. "Worth it to hurt a girl who wants to help you out? Worth it to make you seem so tough and in control, when all you are is pathetic and a coward?"

"I didn't mean it like that..." said Joey.

"Of course you didn't." said Shadow, rolling her eyes. "Tell that to May. Oh wait, you won't be able to. By the way, I call heads..."

She flipped the coin in the air. Everyone watching it fly in the sky, flipping between heads and tails. Kaiba didn't watch, but he saw Shadow running toward Joey...

"Look out!" He cried. Joey looked to see Shadow gleefully stab his heart with a black bladed dagger. He screamed in pain before collapsing, his eyes wide with shock...and then he collapsed while Shadow pulled the dagger out of his heart.

"Too bad...I wanted the game to be quicker." said Shadow, bringing out an open palm. The coin fell into her hand as she stared at it: it was at heads. "When you play a game, you have to answer the question that you're asked. And if you don't answer the quesiton, it doesn't mean the game isn't going to start. A game starts and a game ends when the game master decides it's enough."

"What type of psycho are you?" asked Tristan. "You killed Joey!"

"No she didn't!" said Kaiba, placing a hand on Shadow's shoulder. "If she stabs a person into their hearts, she's sending them to a place where they face their worst fears! The mutt is fine!"

"So you're siding with her, Kaiba?" asked Téa. "You're even worse than I thought."

Shadow let out a strained grin—probably to signal her anger against Téa's remark. The coin in her vanished as she clenched her fists.

"You're one to talk, little Miss Friendship." said Shadow in reply. "What have you done since our little trip? Have you dueled? Have you sacrificed yourself? Have you even fought for your ideals?"

"I...I..." Shadow 'tsked' and shook her head at Téa's reply.

"That's not a good answer, now is it?" asked Shadow, giving Téa a wink. "And I'm not going to let this go unnoticed. To you and to Tristan...what have you done that's been so significant?"

"What are you saying Shadow?" asked Yami. "Are you saying they're not important? Of course they are!"

"No they aren't." said Shadow. "They could never go what I had to go through...duel a former friend under an evil Seal, escape through the midst of explosions...survive having their flesh sliced and their body being delivered blow after crushing blow. They could never survive running through a barren wasteland after being pummeled by that 'former friend's' bodyguard. They're nothing to me."

"Now hold on!" said Tristan.

"That's quite enough." said Kaiba. "You guys sicken me...all of you try to talk your way out of something like this, but did you see all the pain she was in? She was on the verge of death, arms bloodied, body bruised...and all to protect a single card. You treat her like she's nothing but dirt and if you think you can get away with that, then you're just as bad as the people who attacked her!"

"That's right, Kaiba." said Shadow, staring into Kaiba's eyes. "You're the only one who knows...you're the only one who understands my pain and suffering. You...my knight in shining armor...sweep me off my feet...and protect me from the angry villagers..."

"Look, Shadow...I..." Kaiba turned his gaze into Shadow's crimson orbs, slowly falling under her spell. He need to look away, he had to look away...this person was evil, crazy, psychotic, without mercy...but he couldn't. He didn't want to stop looking...he didn't want to. He felt as if he had to be with her, to protect her from everyone that could harm her.

"What's going on with your brother Mokuba?" asked Max. "He's not acting like himself."

Mokuba's eyes widened at what he was seeing...his brother's aura was becoming black and red...he was becoming tainted by Shadow's influence.

"Seto!" said Mokuba, running toward his brother. "Don't do it! This is a trap!"

Shadow pulled out her dagger and stabbed Mokuba directly in the chest. Mokuba screamed as Shadow pulled the dagger out of Mokuba's chest. The Defender of the King soon collapsed onto the ground, eyes widened in shock, face pale, mouths parted open in a small gasp...

"Oh my god..." said Tristan. "She...stabbed Mokuba..."

"Kaiba!" said Max. "Shadow just stabbed your brother! You should do something!"

Kaiba didn't listen as Shadow placed her hands on his face and kissed deeply, crushing their lips together. A swirl of black energy surrounded the two as Kaiba closed his eyes and embraced the psychotic girl. His silver trenchcoat soon became a dark black with red accents, and when his eyes opened...fierce blue became a fiery red.

Shadow released the kiss and let out a sigh, hand over Kaiba's heart.

"Oh my beloved...you are the only one who knows my suffering..." She said dreamily. "So please, show them...show them the pain I felt. Make them understand! They hurt me, they all hurt me!"

"Kaiba, wake up!" said Yami. "Don't listen to her!"

"Kaiba!" said Max. "Stop all of this! Your brother's hurt and so is May! Please...don't do it!"

Kaiba stared at the group, before a wicked smirk graced his lips.

"Whatever my mistress wants, she gets." Kaiba hissed at them with malice. "And now...you shall get what you deserve!"

Suddenly, Téa let out a scream. She felt a blow to her stomach, and soon got on her knees, gasping for air.

"Téa!" said Yami, trying to help his friend. "Are you all ri—ugh!"

Yami felt something choking him, invisible arms grasping his neck. He tried to pull them off, but the grip began to tighten...

"What the heck is going on?" asked Tristan, feeling himself being punched in the face.

"I really don't know..." said Max. "And I just wish this would stop." This was before he got kicked in the ribs, causing him to grit his teeth in pain.

Shadow giggled at the site...all of them feeling what she felt, then they would understand...they would understand all of the suffering she was forced to go through, and she would enjoy every single minute of it.

"Kaiba, wake up!" Max shouted. "Don't do this! Don't listen to Shadow! Mokuba needs you...May needs you...fight this madness! You protected my sister, but just because we don't understand what happened doesn't mean you have to lash it out on us!"

Max stared into the crimson eyes of the CEO...wishing and hoping that his words somehow got to him. But Kaiba replied with a frown.

"What would you know?" He asked. "Did you see the look in Raphael's eyes when he let himself slice your sister's arm with his knife? Did you hear what Alister had to say about her when she tried to escape? Did you even feel the pain that she felt when Valon decided to pummel her within an inch of her life? No...but I saw for myself how cruel these Swordsmen could be...so don't you try and change my mind about what happened if you don't know what it was like!"

"Eliminate him, my dark knight!" Shadow giggled, pointing at Max. "Make sure he's eliminated from this world."

"As you wish..." said Kaiba, raising a hand at Max. A black orb of energy appeared in his hand, crackling with power. Max began to sweat and closed his eyes, knowing he was going to be killed...

But a few seconds passed, and nothing happened. Max opened his eyes, seeing Kaiba's whole body tremble, the orb in his hand dissipating. The CEO was soon grasping his head in pain...his eyes flickering from red to blue and back again.

"S-stop this..." He whispered. "Get me out of here..."

"Are you all right?" asked Shadow, placing a hand on Kaiba's forehead. "Please tell me what's wrong!"

"Get me out of here!" Kaiba screamed. "I don't...want to do this..."

"Of course you do!" The tone in Kaiba's voice made everyone flinch as his eyes turned red once more. "You have to...they deserve this!"

"No...No, it's not right!"

"Of course it is! Who saw through her suffering, we saw her attacked. Why are you holding back...you're avenging her. You said it yourself, no one hurts her while you're around!"

"I won't let you do this!." Blue eyes shone once more. "Now LET ME GO!"

"NEVER!" Red eyes glared as Kaiba continued to fight through the mental battle.

Téa, Yami and Tristan sighed in relief...feeling the pain that was being inflicted on them disappearing. Meanwhile, Max closed his eyes and brought ihs hand out. He opened them as he soon became dressed in a green tunic, cape and seven star crown. In his hand was a staff tipped with a star.

"Shadow, this ends now!" said Max, raising his wand into the air. "For now, I call upon the power of the stars to bring light upon this wretched land!"

The star began to glow as Max soon unleashed a flurry of stars at Shadow. Shadow could do nothing but shield herself with her arms as the stars exploded on contact with her. She coughed as the smoke vanished and growled.

"How dare you..." She whispered. "Time for you to suffer!"

"It'll be you who suffers, dark creature!" said a voice. Everyone turned to see Mokbua slowly standing up, hand on his heart. He lifted his gaze at Shadow, his eyes glowing white as a white moon/black crescent crown appeared above his head. He was soon dressed in a white tunic and grasped onto a giant crescent blade with a handle in the middle.

"Khonsu?" asked Max. "Is that you?"

Khonsu nodded his head in reply. "Shadow only sealed Mokuba away, not me...and that only brought out horrid memories of Moka's death..." He grit his teeth as he added. "And I won't let another Vessel of mine be killed in useless bloodshed!"

He readied the blade, positioning it to slice Shadow wide open...

"Khonsu!" said Max. "Don't do it! Even though she's done so much, if you kill her it's not going to bring Mokuba back! It won't bring Joey back...it won't bring my sister back!"

"...Who says I was going to kill her?" asked Khonsu. "I'm going to do this!"

He threw the blade at Shadow, the weapon curving through the air like a boomerang. Everyone watched as it sliced through Shadow's abdomen, causing the girl to scream.

"And now for my piece de resistance!" said Khonsu, rushing up to Shadow. "Time to reveal everything!"

Shadow grasped onto her abdomen with one hand, her dagger in the other. She raised her arm into the air, the tip of the dagger, positioned to his heart. The Moon God smirked as he pressed his hand through Shadow's stomach..

And then pulled out a wispy orb of white smoke.

"Soul of the Goddess of Joy," Khonsu chanted. "Awaken from your slumber and face the darkness in your heart!"

Light began to radiate as May soon appeared in a burst of energy. She slowly opened her eyes to her surrounding.

"What's going on?" She asked. "Where am I?" She then turned to Shadow, staring at the doppleganger with wide eyes. "And who are you?"

"Shadow." Shadow replied with a giggle, her abdomen being healed as if there was no wound at all. "And thanks to you, I've extracted my vengeance!"

"So you were the one who did all of those bad things!" said May. "You were the one who stabbed the dagger in Raphael's and Mikey's heart!"

"Don't forget Valon, who's currently getting a very nasty sunburn out at the desert." said Shadow, showing the dagger. "I also stabbed it into Joey's and Mokuba's hearts, you know?"

May looked down and nearly screamed...the site of seeing the shocked look on Joey's face...it was all her fault...

"The look of despair on your face is so cute." Shadow replied. "I'd love to have that immortalized once I stab you with this dagger!"

"How about letting me use it for a while?" Shadow turned to see Kaiba grasping onto her hand, pulling the dagger towards him. "It's time to end this!"

"Kaiba, are you doing what I think you're doing?" asked Yami. "If you do this, you'll be stuck in your own fears..."

"Forget that!" Kaiba cried, blue eyes glaring right into the eyes of the spirit. "I'm going to destroy the darkness in me even if I have to destroy myself in the process!"

He soon had the dagger near his heart, pulling Shadow's wrist harder and harder...forcing the weapon to stab his heart. Shadow saw what was going on and tried to pull away from the CEO.

"I won't let you do this!" said Shadow, trying to pull away from Kaiba's grip. "I won't let you become a victim to your fears!"

"Who said you were going to stab the dagger?" asked Kaiba. "I'm doing it!"

And before anything was said and done, Kaiba pulled closer to Shadow, the dagger directly going through his heart. There was silence...Kaiba didn't scream, rather he let out a gasp as Shadow pulled the dagger out of his chest. Then he fell onto the ground, eyes wide with shock...his black trenchcoat soon becoming silver again.

"Oh my gosh..." said Téa. "He...he..."

"He sacrificed himself..." said Tristan finished for her. "To prevent the darkness from spreading..."

He wanted himself to be stabbed to end his suffering... May thought to herself. And it's all my fault...

"May?" asked Max, seeing the look of shock and horror on his sister's face. "Are you all right?"

"She must be in shock from what has happened." Khonsu answered for Max. "I wouldn't blame her...after what's been going through her mind, I'd be in shock too..."

May closed her eyes and clenched her fists. Then she let out a scream.

"That's it!" She yelled at Shadow. "This has gone on long enough! You're going to change everyone back to normal, and you are going to leave and never appear before me again!"

"You're not the boss of me." said Shadow, crossing her arms. "And besides, how are you going to make sure I leave?"

"Like this!" said May, activating her Duel Disk. "We both duel and if I win, you leave. And if you win...you can do whatever you want with me."

"...Interesting." said Shadow with a curious tone in her voice. "Go on..."

"That's it." said May. "It's just as simple as that; one duel, and that's all. That'll decide what happens."

"You're giving up your soul for all of the ones that got in your way?" asked Shadow.

"They didn't get in my way, they got in your way." May answered back. "And now I want to get them back to normal! So are you going to duel?"

Shadow giggled as she activated her Duel Disk. She then drew five cards as May also drew from her deck.

"Fine!" She said to May. "Defeating you will just make this so much sweeter while I plot my plan to torture you!"

"So let's duel!" The two girls chorused.

(May: 4,000)

(Shadow: 4,000)

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Kaiba slowly stirred awake. The last thing that happened was he broke through Shadow's spell on him and stabbed himself with her dagger. Then it all became dark.

"Oh great." He said to himself. "Now where am I?"

You're in the darkness...with me...

Kaiba turned around, eyes widening to find the source of the voice. A laugh echoed amongst the darkness as he saw someone walking toward him. It was him...no, it was a dark replica of him, as if it was created from the blackness itself. Dressed in a black cloak with red lining, a staff in one hand, and red eyes flickering like flames...it caused chills to fall down the CEO's spine.

"And who are you supposed to be?" asked Kaiba. His dark doppleganger grinned as he answered the question.

"Shade." said the replica. "Shade to protect and cool one from all of the harshness and cruelty reality has to offer. I was created thanks to my mistress, as I was the only one who understood her pain."

"Well, maybe she'll understand this!" said Kaiba, rushing toward the dark replica, ready to punch him in the jaw...only for Shade to catch it with a tight grasp.

"I wouldn't be so hasty if I were you." Shade replied with a grin. "After all, it's your fault we're both in this mess."

"My fault?" Kaiba exclaimed. "Tell me why exactly this is my fault!"

"When you stabbed yourself with the Fear Dagger, you trapped both of us here." explained Shade. "The Fear Dagger was explicitly created to trap one in their worst fears...but because both of us were affected by it, we are trapped within a realm of darkness...and darkness is the purest form of fear there is."

"Then how exactly am I going to get out of here?" asked Kaiba.

"You get out if your champion wins." Shade answered back. "If my mistress wins, I go free...so now, we shall see where this leads."

A scene soon was displayed in front of them, depicting May and Shadow getting ready to duel. From the looks of it, both were determined to win.

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"I'll be going first!" said May, drawing a card. "And I'll start off with one card facedown, along with a monster facedown. Your move."

Two cards appeared in front of May. Shadow just grinned as she drew a card.

"All right!" She cheered. "We're going to start off with a familiar card!"

"Wait, what card?" asked May. "You don't mean..."

"I play...the Seal of Orichalcos!" said Shadow, placing the dreaded Magic Card onto the Field Card zone. Soon, the Orichalcos appeared and surrounded the two, whie a miniature version of the Seal was on Shadow's forehead.

"Hold on!" said Tristan. "How the heck does someone like you get their hands on that card?"

Shadow giggled in response to the question.

"It's simple, really." She answered. "I was created out of May's confusion, and used the Orichalcos stone as a catalyst. And owners of the Orichalcos Stone are capable of using the Seal, isn't that right Yami?"

Yami snarled, recalling how he used the Orichalcos due to the temptations of the Orichalcos stone. He never wanted that to happen again.

"And as I continue," said Shadow. "I'll play Shadow Banshee in Attack Mode!"

In a flurry of grey feathers, the blonde haired Winged Beast appeared dressed in a white tunic wrapped in chains. Staring into the monster's orchid eyes, May could see nothing but sadness and despair...until the Orichalcos appeared on her forehead with a shriek. (1,800/400) -) (2,300/400)

"W-what is that thing?" asked May with shock ."It looks like..."

"It looks like that blonde, Mai Valentine, right?" asked Shadow. "She's based off what she truly is...she shrieks and causes nothing but misery for those surrounding her. She's nothing but a symbol, she's no duelist at all.

"But enough about Mai. Shadow Banshee, attack!"

Shadow Banshee flew into the air and then let out a powerful screech. The facedown card revealed two tapirs amongst some sand dunes. (900/300) One let out a cry before they shattered into pixels.

"That was my Desertapir, Shadow." said May. "Now Shadow Banshee has to become facedown."

Shadow Banshee let out a cry as she soon became a facedown monster...but not before May suddenly felt a jolt of pain surge through her body.

"Oops." said Shadow. "Did I forget to mention Shadow Banshee's special ability? If she destroys a monster in battle, the owner of the monster loses lifepoints equal to half of that monster's Attack Points. So you lose 450 lifepoints since your monster had 900 Attack Points.

"And I'm ending my turn with a card facedown. Your move."

(May: 3,550)

(Shadow: 4,000)

"Thanks." said May, drawing a card. "And now, let's bring out some fire power! I summon Aten-King of the Sun in Attack Mode!"

The monster appeared, showing a young boy with golden hair down to his shoulders and dressed in a gold tunic. He had a golden crown with a red circle and two cobras in the center, and was wielding a staff that had a red circle with hands escaping it to look like rays as he stared at Shadow with crimson eyes. (1,600/1,700)

"And here's where things get interesting!" May continued. "If Aten is summoned onto the field, I can bring out one Fire Monster from my hand or deck onto the field. I choose my deck to summon Jouno-Sorcerer of Dreams onto the field!"

Another monster appeared, this one was the golden haired soothsayer dressed in red. Instead of his usual frown, there was a look of anger on his face. (1,300/2,100)

"Alright, then!" said Shadow. "Aten and Jouno! Incinerate that winged freak!"

Aten and Jouno raised their hands and fired a plum of fire at the facedown monster. Shadow Banshee soon appeared and let out a smirk as she inhaled...

And then let out ear-piercing scream. Aten and Jouno soon covered their ears in pain as everyone else did the same.

"What's going on?" asked May. "Why didn't my attack work?"

Shadow Banshee soon calmed down as Shadow revealed her facedown card: a banshee letting out a giant wail.

"This is Banshee's Shriek!" said Shadow. "If I have a Dark monster in play while you're attacking me, I can activate this nifty card to end your Battle Phase. Pretty neat, huh?"

May snarled as she placed a card facedown. Seeing this, Shadow drew a card from her deck.

"I'm activating my Siren's Song Magic Card!" She announced. "When I have a Dark monster in play, I can use this card to take control of one monster on the field until the end of my next turn! And now, Shadow Banshee has a special song just for your sorcerer."

"Oh no!" May gasped out.

Shadow Banshee soon began to sing...although to everyone else it sounded pretty horrible. Jouno's eyes glazed over and he walked toward Shadow's side of the field. Shadow Banshee smiled and kissed the Spellcaster on the lips.

"And you do know what happens when Jouno is on my side of the field." said Shadow. "He becomes succumbed by the Orichalcos!"

Jouno gasped as the Orichalcos apperaed on his forehead, and his lips soon transformed into a maniacal grin. (1,300/2,100) -) (1,800/2,100)

"Then, I'll place Shadow Banshee in Attack Mode.

Shadow Banshee soon stood up, her nails growing into talons that were ready to slice May into strings of flesh.

"All right then!" said May. "Jouno, attack Aten now with a Fiery Scorch!"

Jouno raised his hand into the air and let out a stream of fire at Aten. The Sun King screamed as he became incinerated.

"And now, Shadow Banshee attack with Cross Slash!"

Shadow Banshee soon flew into the air, swooping down to strike May with her claws.

"Mai may have been of a nag, but she had her moments!" said May. "I activate Draining Shield!"

Shadow Banshee soon hit an invisible barrier as May was filled with energy. Shadow snarled at the act.

"I guess I'll end this with two cards facedown." She announced. "Your move."

(May: 5,850)

(Shadow: 4,000)

May drew a card from her deck, expanding her hand to five.

What's Shadow playing at? She asked herself. A monster based on Mai Valentine...I can only hope that's as bad as it comes. If not...better not think about that.

"All right!" May announced. "I'm placing another monster facedown, then I'll play my Black Sunlight Magic Card!"

A facedown monster appeared and a Magic Card appeared after that. It depicted a hooded person clasping their hands in prayer while a solar eclipse was in the sky.

"Solar Eclipses were said to be bad omens in Ancient Egypt." said May. "But for me, I can bring out two 'Black Sun' tokens onto the field!"

"Sorry," said Shadow. "But those tokens will be mine! I activate my Bounce Magic Card!"

One of Shadow's facedown cards appeared, depicting a golden Eye of Horus on a blue background.

"Don't be fooled by the image of this card." Shadow added. "Because this card lets me take the effect of one of your Magic Cards, and give it to me! So now, I get your tokens!"

May gasped as the two tokens appeared on Shadow's side of the field. They looked like two black hooded figures with a white eye on the hoods. The Seal soon appeared on their foreheads. (0/0) -) (500/0).

"I guess I have to end this with a card facedown." said May, placing a card onto the tray. "Your move."

"Gladly." said Shadow, drawing a card. "And now, I'll sacrifice your sorcerer here for someone with a bit more fire power!"

Jouno vanished and was repliaced with what looked like a android with a sniper rifle in his right hand. He was dressed in a red shirt, black coat, black pants with silver lining and boots. His face was what shocked the audience the most: it was masculine, suggesting that the android was around the age of a teenager, but it also had short red hair and grey eyes—or rather, it had one grey eye, and a robotic eyepiece covering the right eye. Half of his face was human flesh, the other half robotic parts. (1,600/2,000) -) (2,100/2,000)

"Who in the world is that?" asked May. "He looks just like Alister..."

"Wrong." said Max. "He would look like Alister if Alister was nothing more than a heartless killing machine...that thing's nothing more than a robot!"

"This is Penumbral Gunner." said Shadow in reply. "Don't let his handsome looks fool you, he's literally twisted. So twisted that if I sacrifice one Dark monster on my side of the field, he'll remove from play one Magic or Trap card on the field. So now..."

One of the tokens disappeared as Penumbral Gunner positioned his weapon to fire. Then, a bullet was fired, destroying May's Trap Card. It was revealed to be the Mirror of Reflection.

"I get it." said Shadow. "Since the Black Sun tokens were Dark Monsters, you were going to use your Mirror to duplicate Banshee's Shriek. Good thing I stopped your plan before it was in motion.

"And now, Penumbral Gunner attack her monster with Waxing Bullet!"

Penumbral Gunner scanned the card with the eyepieces and smirked, he then fired his rifle at the card, revealing a monster that looked like a mummy wearing a pair of black shorts held by a belt. It also had tufts of black hair poking out of the bandages and bloodshot eyes, with black wings protruding from its back. (0/0)

"Ha!" said May. "That was Grave Squirmer, and when he's destroyed in battle, I get to destroy one card on the field!"

Grave Squirmer raised his hands as bandages soon flew from its body and wrapped around Shadow Banshee. The two then vanished from the field. Shadow gasped as she felt pain course through her body.

"Darn it..." She cried. "If Shadow Banshee is destroyed and sent to the graveyard, I lose lifepoints equal half of her Attack Score. And it looks like I'll end my turn at that."

(May: 5,850)

(Shadow: 2,950)

May drew a card from her deck.

All right... thought May. She has a monster that can remove cards on the field from play...I wonder if I can use that to my advantage...

"I'm playing Graceful Charoty!" May announced. As the card appeared, the green feathered angel flew into the air, her feathers landing on the top of May's deck. She then drew three more cards.

"And here's where it gets interesting!" May continued. "One of the cards I'll discard to the graveyard is Night Assailant, and if I discard him from my hand, I get to return a monster with a Flip Effect back into my hand. So I'll get Desertapir back!

"But that's not all! I'm going to place one monster facedown and another card facedown and I'll end it at that."

"Facedown card after facedown cards" said Shadow, drawing a card. "Two's company but three times is too much. What exactly are you trying to pull on me? I know that your facedown monster is Desertapir...the other card...Well, I'll figure that out when I play Fire of Doomsday!"

The Magic Card appeared and soon two black wisps appeared, glaring at May with their single eye. The Orichalcos soon appeared on their foreheads. (0/0) -) (500/0)

"And now, Penumbral Gunner's effects shall activate!" Shadow continued. "If I sacrifice one Dark monster, he can remove from play a facedown Magic or Trap card. But if I remove two Dark Monsters, then he can remove from play one Monster card on the field!"

I wasn't expecting that... May thought to herself. But that might also work...provided I can stomach a direct attack...

"Now, I sacrifice all three of my tokens to get rid of both of your facedown cards!" said Shadow, as all of the tokens vanished. Penumbral Gunner grinned as he fired two shots from his rifle. Both cards were destroyed as May braced herself for a direct attack.

"Not good!" said Max, covering his eyes. "May's going to lose 2,100 lifepoints!"

"All right!" Shadow shouted. "Penumbral Gunner, attack directly with Waning Bullet!"

"As you command." said the monster, firing a blast at May. It hit May directly at the stomach as sweat fell down May's face.

Ow...I was definetly not expecting that. May thought to herself.

"I'll end my turn at that." said Shadow. "Your...huh?"

Suddenly Penumbral Gunner gripped his head in pain, dropping his weapon. He then opened his mouth, trying to let out a scream...before exploding into particles!

"What?" asked Tristan. "How the heck did that monster get destroyed? May's field was completely empty!"

"And I doubt it was an effect from Shadow's monster either." said Khonsu. "Could it be..."

May laughed as she showed Shadow a Trap Card, It depicted Atem with black wings and horns, but also an evil silhouette overshadowing him.

"This is my Second Motive Trap Card!" She announced. "And this card can only be activated if this is played facedown and destroyed while on the field. Any monsters that were in battle on the turn this card was destroyed, get destroyed at the end of the turn. So now both of our fields are empty, and it's my turn!"

(May: 3750)

(Shadow: 2950)

May drew a card, smiling at what she found.

"Now, I'm going to play Aker, Guardians of the Raft in Attack Mode!" She cried.

The monster appeared, revealing two leopards, each with some sort of red disc above their foreheads. They gave out a mighty roar. (1,300/2,200)

"Now, attack directly!" May continued. "Spotted Pounce!"

Both leopards soon charged at Shadow, each of them slicing Shadow with their claws. Shadow blocked it with her Duel Disk, but fell onto the ground.

"I'll end this with one card facedown." said May. "Your move."

(May: 3,750)

(Shadow: 1,650)

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

"It looks like your 'mistress' is getting herself in a bit of a bind, Shade." said Kaiba with a smirk. "And it looks like I'll be out of here in no time."

"Don't be so sure." said Shade in reply. "This duel has just started, and my mistress has many other creatures of darkness to destroy the hopes of your little girlfriend once and for all."

"She is not my girlfriend!" Kaiba barked at his dark counterpart. "She's a friend of my brother's..."

"Who you swore to protect from those who hurt her." said Shade. "Don't deny it, we both want the same thing...protecting our 'mistresses' from the evil people that could harm them. But unlike you, I was able to fight back while you did nothing!"

"I healed her wounds, I defeated Alister before he caused the plane to crash and I comforted May during her whole ordeal." said Kaiba. "All you did was be a coward and try to hurt an innocent bystander!"

Shade snarled but didn't answer back; Kaiba took it as a sign. The two then stared at the duel, Shadow drawing her next card.

0 0 0 0 0 0 0

"My hand's a little short." said Shadow. "So let's make amends starting with Card of Sanctity!"

Coins fell from the ground as both duelists drew five more cards from their hands.

"Now, I'll play Armageddon Knight in Attack Mode!"

A warrior appeared dressed in brown leather armor, and belts with a tattered scarf covering his nose and mouth. His black hair was flowing in the wind, his eyes were covered by white goggles, and in his hands was a rusty sword. The Orichalcos soon appeared on his head. (1,400/1,200) -) (1,900/1,200)

"And here's Armageddon Knight's effect!" Shadow continued. "If he's summoned, I can send one Dark Monster from my Deck into the Graveyard! And this is where the fun begins! For now I summon Dark Armed Dragon onto the field!"

A fissure soon shook the field as a hulking dragon appeared to the side of Armageddon Knight. It was armed all right: it had a drill at the tip of its tail, axe blades along the back, and a spiked bracelet on its wrists. It let out a roar as the Orichalcos appeared onto its forehead. (2,800/1,000) -) (3,300/1,000)

"That thing looks deadly." said Tristan, staring in fear at the dragon. "This won't end well!"

"How the heck did Shadow summon that monster in the first place?" asked Téa.

"Easy." said Shadow. "This monster can't be Special Summoned onto the field unless I have exactly three Dark Monsters in the Graveyard. And thanks to May, I was able to get two of them before using Armageddon Knight's effect to the fullest. Isn't that awesome?"

She laughed as May looked on in fear; if the attack was successful, she was going to lose all of her lifepoints!

"Armageddon Knight!" said Shadow, pointing to May's monster. "Attack those kitty cats now with your Ragnarok Blade!"

Armageddon Knight soon ran toward Aker, both of the leopards snarling and growling at the warrior.

"Not so fast!" said May. "I activate Desert Sunlight!"

The Trap Card flipped open, revealing ruins found amongst the desert sand and blazing sun. Aker soon became a facedown card before Armageddon Knight flipped it over. Aker swiped Armageddon Knight away with its paws.

"That won't stop me!" said Shadow. "Dark Armed Dragon, Drill Tail!"

Dark Armed Dragon roared and swung its mighty tail at the leopards, slicing them in half! They soon were destroyed.

"And to end my move," Shadow continued. "I'll activate my facedown Altar of Tribute. And with this card, I can sacrifice one monster on my side of the field to gain lifepoints equal to their original Attack Score. So I'll sacrifice Armageddon Knight to gain 1,400 lifepoints."

Armageddon Knight vanished as a demonic altar appeared. Shadow smiled as she was filled with energy.

(May: 3,750)

(Shadow: 2,650)

"Very well." said May, drawing a card. "And by destroying Aker, you activated its special ability! On the Standby Phase after Aker was sent to the graveyard, I can Special Summon either one Beast or Winged-Beast monster from my deck onto the field. So now, I'll summon Maat, Surveyor of Truth onto the field in Defense Mode!"

In a flurry of feathers, the monster appeared, being depicted as a woman with blonde hair and blue eyes dressed in a white tunic. Her only accesory was an ostrich feather necklace. (1,400/700)

"And that's not all!" May continued. "I'm sacrificing her for Belial, Marquis of Darkness in Attack Mode!"

The winged woman disappeared, only for an angel to take its place. He had long white hair and was dressed in a purple cloak with black and silver armor and white cape on top of it. In his hands was a black sword, his head was crowned by a black disk above his head and a strip of cloth covered his mouth and nose. His red eyes glared at Shadow with anger. (2,800/1,700)

"An angel?" asked Shadow. "Sorry, but I thought Belial wasn't related to Egypt."

"But he's related to my deck!" May replied. "And as long as he's on the field, he's the target for all attacks, and all of your Magic and Trap Cards!

"That's not all, I'll be playing one card facedown, and both Revenge of the Dark King and Dark Barrier!"

The facedown card appeared as the two Continuous Magic Cards appeared behind Belial. Belial smirked, his Attack Score raised to 3,100.

"That's it." May ended. "Your move."

Shadow drew a card from her deck.

"All right, first off I'm going to play the Temple of the Sun!" She announced.

A Magic Card appeared, depicting some sort of Mayan Temple with a parade of lion statues guarding it.

"Then, I'm going to be summoning Eclipse Knight onto the field in Attack Mode!" Shadow added.

A warrior emerged from the shadows, looking similar to Valon. But this monster had a look of hate and anger as he stared at May. He was dressed in black armor like one found on a knight with two red crescent moons on the back of his hands and a red Eye of Horus on the breastplate. His hair was spikier and he had three small horns on his head plus a devil tail curling near his legs. (1,300/0) -) (1,800/0)

"Here's where things get interesting. If I send one Magic Card from my Deck into my graveyard, I can Special Summon one Dark Monster onto the field. But wait, there's more! As long as Temple of the Sun is in play, every monster that's been Special Summoned from the graveyard gains an extra 300 Attack Points!"

Great...800 extra Attack Points. May thought to herself. So who is she going to bring out? Shadow Banshee? Penumbral Gunner? Or maybe she'll bring out that third monster...

"I'll send my Pot of Selflessness to the graveyard to summon Ebony Guard onto the field!"

Sending the card to the graveyard, Shadow laughed as a black armored warrior appeared, wielding a silver shield with the kanji for 'darkness' on the metal. But what really scared May was the fact that he looked similar to Raphael—except that the monster had a black half-mask covering the right side of his face, three piercings on his left ear and fangs. (1,900/1,800) -) (2,700/1,800)

"Oh, did I forget to mention my new monster's ability?" asked Shadow. "If he's Special Summoned onto the field from the graveyard, I can take one monster in my deck and add it to my hand. The only downside is that I have to give up another Magic Card for it. So, I'll give up Pot of Avarice...for someone else."

Discarding another card into the graveyard, Shadow drew a card from her deck, expanding her hand to four.

"I'm not done!" Shadow continued. "I'm going to remove from play both Shadow Banshee and Penumbral Gunner to send a specific monster from my deck into the graveyard. But don't feel so impatient, he'll come by my next turn...and just wait till you see what's in store. But now...

"Dark Armed Dragon, get rid of Belial with Drill Tail!"

Dark Armed Dragon swung its mighty tail at Belial...but Belial vanished!"

"What?" asked Shadow. She snarled and asked, "What trickery is this?"

"That is the magic of Monster Replace!" said May, revealing her Magic Card. "In exchange of taking Belial from the field, I can replace him with a monster from my hand. And the monster I choose...is this!"

A pink orb appeared in front of May, showing a calm and peaceful face. It radiated with energy and was glowing in a soft light, stopping Dark Armed Dragon in its tracks. (0/0)

"That's Consecrated Light!" said Yami. "As long as that card is on the field, Dark Monsters can't attack, nor can they be Summoned. Where did she get a card like that?"

Kaiba...thank you... May thought to herself. I won't let this gift be in vain...I'll fight Shadow, and I'll make sure that everyone gets released from her punishment!

Shadow grit her teeth as she placed one card facedown. She then signaled the end of her turn.

"My turn then." said May, drawing a card. "And now Belial returns to the field due to the effect of Monster Replace."

Belial soon appeared alongside Consecrated Light, his expression changing to some sort of acceptance to the Fairy Monster. (2,800/1,700) -) (3,100/1,700)

"Then I'll sacrifice Consecreated Light, for Anuket-Daughter of the Nile in Attack Mode!"

Consecreated Light was soon replaced with the red dressed goddess, the orb of water in her hands. (1,900/1,400)

"And by sacrificing my discarded Sobek, Predator of the River, I can remove all cards on your side of the field!"

"But I never saw you discard that card!" said Shadow. "Unless..."

"Unless I discard it with Graceful Charity!" May finished for her. "So now..."

Anuket raised her hands as a huge torrent of water washed down upon Shadow's side of the field. Four cards were destroyed—Ebony Guard, Dark Armed Dragon, Eclipse Knight, and both of Shadow's facedown card. At the same time, her lifepoints raised by 4,000.

"Now Belial, attack directly!" May added. "Divine Blade!"

Belial rushed toward Shadow and swiped his sword at her. She grit her teeth in pain as Belial flew to May's side of the field.

"I'll end my turn at that." said May. "Your move."

(May: 3,750)

(Shadow: 3,550)

"You think you're so smart by destroying my monsters." said Shadow, drawing a card. "But you haven't seen nothing yet! Now, I'll bring out that monster I sent to the graveyard on my last turn!"

A burst of black flames soon erupted as a giant bird appeared. It looked like some sort of phoenix, a black metallic phoenix with a plume of black fire, and the tips of it wings flickering with the same fire, its eyes turning red from the Orichalcos. (2,400/1,600) -) (2,900/1,600)

"Meet Dark Nephthys!" said Shadow. "And when discarded to the graveyard once I remove from play two Dark Monsters, then he comes out and I can destroy one Magic or Trap Card on the field. And now, I think I'll destroy your Dark Barrier!"

Dark Nephthys let out a stream of fire as the Magic Card became incinerated by the flame.

"Next, I'll play Soul Release!" Shadow continued. "I'll remove from play any five monsters from our graveyard. And I choose these these five: Eclipse Knight, Ebony Guard, Dark Armed Dragon, Grave Squirmer and Night Assailant!"

The five monsters soon escaped the graveyard with both duelists pocketing them away.

"Third, is my Doomsday Horror in Attack Mode! And his strength is based on all Dark Monsters that have been removed from play times 300. So far, there have been seven Dark Monsters removed from play, plus the added bonus from the Orichalcos, and you get..."

A creature appeared, with black fur, piercings on its left ear, claws and purple eyes that seemed to star at May with hunger. The Orichalcos appeared on its forehead as it let out a delighted chitter. (?/?) -) (2,600/2100)

"Dark Nephthys, get rid of Anuket with your Shadow Fire!" shouted Shadow.

Dark Nephthys let out a screech and flapped its wings, letting a burst of fire destroy Anuket.

"I'm ending my turn at that." said Shadow. "Let's see you try and top that."

(May: 2750)

(Shadow: 3550)

"This is a close duel." said Max. "I can't tell who's going to win."

"Me neither." said Khonsu. "But this is just the beginning; I can tell that both of them have something in their Decks that could turn the tables for either of them."

Good thing Dark Nephthys could only destroy one card. May thought to herself, drawing a card. But I'm going to need more than one card for this to work.

"I'm playing Card of Sanctity!" May announced. "So now, we draw six more cards!"

"Thanks!" said Shadow, drawing five more cards. May replied with drawing five also.

"I'm going to play a monster facedown and another card facedown. That ends my turn." May continued.

"This is the fourth time in this duel you've done that!" said Shadow. "Are you trying to bore me?"

"They say that repetition is good for practice." said May. "You repeat the lesson, and eventually you'll get better!"

"But this is getting redundant." said Shadow, drawing a card. "How about I spice things up with my Nightmare Troubadour in Attack Mode!"

A monster appeared, drssed in a black shirt and pants with a feathered cap on top of his head, covering dark purple hair. In his hands was a silver lyre as his blue eyes stared at May coldly. (800/0) -) (1,300/0)

"Nightmare Troubadour is a messenger of the shadows." Shadow explained. "And he doesn't travel alone; by sacrificing 500 lifepoints I can summon one more 'Nightmare Troubadour'. But why stop at one, I'll pay up 1,000 lifepoints to summon two of them!"

Two more warriors appeared, both carying silver lyres in their hands. (800/0) -) (1,300/0 x2)

"And here's their effect!" Shadow continued. "Nightmare Troubadour raises the Attack Score of all other Dark Monsters—except himself—by 500. So now..."

The three messengers began to plcuk a song from their lyres. Dark Nephthys and Doomsday Horror soon haid their Attack Score raised to 3,100 and 3,200 respectively.

"All right!" said Shadow, pointing to May's monsters. "Get them!"

Doomsday Horror soon disappeared into the shadows and then reappeared behind Belial. The angel could not say anything as it was slashed by the fiend's claws. Dark Nephthys whipped out a wind of black fire destroying a cloaked figure with two daggers in its hands. (200/500) -) (500/500)

"Night Assailant?" Shadow gasped. "But that means..."

The fiend let out a laugh and threw its daggers at Doomsday Horror. The fiend let out a screech as it was destroyed. Shadow didn't seem shocked though.

"By destroying Doomsday Horror, all Dark Monsters that have been removed from play are returned to the graveyard." said Shadow. "But that won't stop you from losing the duel.

"Nightmare Troubadours, end this with Haunting Melody!"

The three bards began to play their lyres as black notes of music began to attack May...or they were about to when they got disintegrated.

"What?" Shadow gasped out. "How did you stop that attack?"

"With this!" said May, revealing one of her facedown cards, showing six orbs of different color being channeled by Rapid-Fire Magician. "This is my trusty Element Eruption Trap Card! I discard one monster from my hand, and whatever Attribute it had, all monsters on the field with that same Attribute gets destroyed! So now, I'll sacrifice my last Night Assailant and then..."

The Trap Card began to crackle with electricity before all four of Shadow's monsters were destroyed. Shadow shielded herself with her Duel Disk, but it didn't stop the destruction of her monsters.

"All right!" said Max. "May's going to win this!"

Shadow stared at her empty field...before she began to laugh. It was shrill, maniacal, crazy...it caused shivers to fall down the spines of everyone hearing it.

"Thank you!" She said to May. "Now I can summon one of my strongest monsters; all I needed to do was have seven Dark Monsters in my graveyard, and now I do thanks to you!"

"What?" May exclaimed.

"Now I remove from play the following monsters." said Shadow. "I remove from play: Shadow Banshee, Penumbrl Gunner, Ebony Guard, Eclipse Knight, Dark Armed Dragon, Dark Nephthys and Armageddon Knight!"

The spirits of the seven monsters soon danced around Shadow, all of them soon being placed into her hand and into her waistpack.

"Presenting, the all mighty Rainbow Dark Dragon!" Shadow announced, placing the card onto the field.

A rumbling was heard as a monster rose from the Earth. It was a black dragon accented with gold and seven different colored jewels trailing down its serpentine body. It had a pair of both black feathery wings and golden metallic wings. It let out a powerful roar as the Orichalcos was branded on its forehead. (4,000/0) -) (4,500/0)

4,000 Attack Points? May thought to herself. Oh no!

"You're lucky, you know." said Shadow. "Since this isn't my Battle Phase right now, you would've lost the duel. I'll just end my turn with one card facedown, and that's it."

(May: 2,650)

(Shadow: 3,550)

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

"Looks like it's changed." said Shade. "My mistress has summoned her strongest monster in her deck, while your little runt is cowering behind facedown monsters."

"She'll probably figure out a way to defeat that psycho." said Kaiba in reply. "May's evaded her opponent's each and every turn and despite all of the lifepoints she's lost, she'll make up for it."

"How?" asked Shade. "Rainbow Dark Dragon has 4,500 Attack Points. Not to mention its special ability for all of the Dark Monsters that Shadow decides to remove from play. So even if your little friend can some resistance...it'll all come crashing down in the end."

"May will win" Kaiba reiterated. "Don't forget that!"

"May shall win...and all of the people who attacked her will come back." said Shade in reply. "And what if they attack her again? What will you do about it? Will you be just like Shadow, attacking them without mercy? Will you end their lives and let them be succumbed to their fate? What will you do?"

Kaiba wanted to reply...but Shade backed him to a corner. What would happen once he was free? What was he going to do to Raphael once his soul returned? In fact, what would May do if Raphael attacked again?

"I don't know." said Kaiba after some time. "But no matter what happens...we're going to stop that menance."

"That's the best answer you can come up with?" asked Shade mockingly. "It figures; people who are conflicted can never find a good answer. They are always judging themselves and they never take action...they're the worst people out of them all."

Kaiba opted not to reply to the statement as he continued to watch the duel. It was May's turn.

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

I have to stall for time. May thought to herself. Long enough for me to think of a strategy to stop that thing.

"My move, Shadow!" said May, drawing a card. "And I'll be playing Mystic Tomato in Defense Mode."

The monster appeared, showing a tomato with an evil looking face on it, giving Shadow a chuckle. (1,400/1,100) -) (1,700/1,100)

"Then, I'm going to play one card facedown." May continued. "That's it."

"I don't like where this is going." said Yami. "May's been doing nothing but play defense for the majority of the duel."

"She's trying to be on the safe side, Pharaoh." said Khonsu in reply. "But I hope she figures out a way to defeat the darkness in her heart..."

"Back to me." said Shadow, drawing a card. "I'll start off by playing Reacurring Nightmare."

A Magic Card appeared, showing some sort of spectre flying around a red background.

"With this card, I can return two Dark Monsters back into my hand, so long as their Defense Points are at zero." Shadow explained to her opponent. "So I'll be bringing back two of my Nightmare Troubadours into my hand, and summon one onto the field in Attack Mode!"

Taking two cards into her hand, Shadow then placed a monster card onto her Duel Disk. The black bard appeared, eyes stren as the Orichalcos appeared on its forehead. (800/0) -) (1,300/0)

"And I'm not done." Shadow continued. "I'll activate Rainbow Dark Dragon's special ability! By removing from play Dark Monsters, Rainbow Dark Dragon's Attack Score by 500 for each one. So for this, I'll remove my last Nightmare Troubadour...and speaking of him..."

The Nightmare Troubadour on the field begin to play a tune on his lyre. Rainbow Dark Dragon began to glow as its Attack score was now at 5,500.

"Oh man..." said Max. "May's in trouble!"

"Nightmare Troubadour, Haunting Melody!" said Shadow, pointing at Mystic Tomato. "Crush that into a pulp!"

Nightmare Troubadour began to play another song, the black notes soon attacking Mystic Tomato, which exploded.

"I'm activating my Mystic Tomato's effect!" said May. "When Mystic Tomato is destroyed, I can summon a Dark Monster whose has 1,500 Attack Points or less! So say hello to my second Mystic Tomato!"

Another tomato appeared, still with that crazy grin on its face. (1,400/1,100) -) (1,700/1,100)

"I was expecting that, actually." said Shadow in reply. "You mostly try to survive by bringing out Special Summons, which is why I prepared this!"

Her Trap Card flipped over, revealing a black horn with devil wings.

"A Black Horn of Heaven?" Yami exclaimed. "That cancels and destroys a monster that has been Special Summoned onto the field. May's defensless!"

The Mystic Tomato soon was destroyed, with May having no monsters on the field.

"This should be fun!" Shadow said with a grin. "Rainbow Dark Dragon, attack! Seven Color Stream!"

Rainbow Dark Dragon opened its mouth, and then let a blast of dark blast of colored fire, heading straight for May's lifepoints. May covered herself with her Duel Disk as she was soon attacked by the flames.

"MAY!" Max exclaimed. "NO!"

0 0 0 0 0 0 0

"Well, that was fun." said Shade. "Now, it's time for you to vanish into the shadows, forever!"

Kaiba didn't look shocked. Instead he was laughing. Shade growled and grasped onto his doppleganger's trenchcoat.

"What is so funny?" He screamed at Kaiba. Kaiba just ponted at the scene in front of them; May was still standing, and the Orichalcos did not take her soul.

"WHAT?" Shade roared with fury. "How was she able to escape that attack?"

0 0 0 0 0 0 0

"Nutrient Z?" Shadow gasped. "That means..."

"I survived another round." said May, slowly standing up. "I gain 4,000 more lifepoints before the attack hit...so that means I lost 5,500 lifepoints, but I have enough to remain in the duel."

"Fine!" said Shadow. "Be that way! I still have some stuff to do! You see, when I activated Black Horn of Heaven, I fulfilled the requirements of one of my monsters. So now, I'll sacrifice my Nightmare Troubadour for Dark Voltanis!"

The bard vanished—causing Rainbow Dark Dragon's Attack Points to go back to 5,000. It was replaced with some sort of fairy with black armor like the Dark Magician with red rungs. It even had black leather wings and was clutching on a black winged staff with a purple diamond inset on it. (,2800/1,400) -) (3,300/1,400)

"And when Dark Voltanis is Special Summoned onto the field, he can destroy one card on the field. And he's going to destroy your Revenge of the Dark King Magic Card!"

Dark Voltanis raised his staff and a bolt of black lightning desteroyed the Magic Card.

"I'll place one card facedown, and that's it." said Shadow. "Your move."

(May: 1,150)

(Shadow: 3,550)

That was too close. May thought to herself. I best get rid of of her Rainbow Dark Dragon first. And with the right cards, I think I can make it. Here goes...

"My move." She announced, drawing a card. "And now I'll be playing my Magic Card called Shadow Puppet."

A Magic Card appeared, showing hands creating a couple of shadow rabbits upon the wall.

"What the heck does that do?" asked Tristan.

"Easy." said May. "I can Special Summon one Dark Monster from my deck onto the field, but it has to have a level of two or less. So now, I'm going to summon Ryu-Kishin Clown in Defense Mode!"

The Magic Card was replaced with a monster. It looked like a regular Ryu-Kishin at first glance, but then everyone notiecd it was wearing a blue and red striped outfit, a yellow ruffled collar, and a green conical hat with red stars on top of its head. It let out a big laugh. (800/500)

"That's not all." May added. "I'm going to be playing Inferno Reckless Summon, so I can bring out a few more copies of my Ryu-Kishin Clown. I only have one, but it'll be worth it."

A second Ryu-Kishin Clown appeared, also laughing. (800/500)

"You know why I chose this specific monster?" asked May. "Here's why: if Ryu-Kishin Clown is Summoned onto the field—whether it be Normal, Set or even a Special Summon—then he change the position of one monster to whatever I want! Two Clowns, two monsters...you do the math."

"But that means..." said Shadow, soon understanding May's words. "Oh no!"

Both of the clowns laughed and brought out a pie. They then hurled it at both Dark Voltanis and Rainbow Dark Dragon, both of them shielding into Defense Mode.

"That's not all!" May continued. "Since these were both Special Summons, I'm going to summon them for my own Dark Horus!"

Both clowns vanished in puffs of smoke, only to be replaced by May's signature dragon. It let out a powerful screech. (3,000/1,800)

"Dark Horus is angry at you Shadow." said May. "And its anger is going be directed to your Rainbow Dark Dragon once I play Fairy's Meteor Crush!"

The Equip Magic Card appeared, showing a meteor leaving out a pink trail of dust. Dark Horus soon let out another screech as it was filled with power.

"I see." said Khonsu. "Rainbow Dark Dragon has no Defense Points. And if Dark Horus attacks, then Shadow will lose lifepoints equal to Dark Horus's Attack Strength."

"All right!" said May, pointing at Rainbow Dark Dragon. "Dark Horus, attack with Dark Flare Blitz!"

Dark Horus soon fired a ball of fire which incinerated Rainbow Dark Dragon into scrap metal. Shadow screamed as she fell onto her bottom.

"I'm ending my turn at that!" said May. "Your move!"

"That was an awesome comeback!" said Téa. "May's going to win this duel for sure!"

(May: 1,150)

(Shadow: 550)

Shadow panted and got on her knees. She then let out a roar, as her cheery smile became a mask of hatred and anger.

"No more kindness." She hissed. "This ends HERE!"

She drew a card from her deck and smiled.

"I'll first set Dark Voltanis into Attack Mode!" She began.

Dark Voltanis stood up.

"And then, I play my Chaos Offering."

A Magic Card appeared, showing Mircale Flipper bound by tendrils of darkness upon a sacrifical altar.

"With this, I can remove from play one card from your deck and one card in mine. From my deck, I choose Dark Crusader. From yours, it's your Pharaoh's Prophecy Ritual Card!"

"That's not good!" said Max. "Without that, May can't summon Atem onto the field."

"You may have stopped me from playing my favorite monster, but you also activated Dark Horus's special ability!" said May. "When you play a Magic Card, I can Special Summon one Dark Monster from my graveyard onto the field. And I choose my Mystic Tomato in Defense Mode!"

The wicked looking tomato appeared again, sticking its tongue out at Shadow. (1,400/1,100)

"Too bad it's not going to stay for long." said Shadow. "I play Harvest Moon Rift!"

A second Magic Card appeared, showing the Harvest Moon with many spectres and ghosts flying around a wheat field amongst a starry night.

"What does that card do?" asked May with some fear.

"Simple." said Shadow. "First, I sacrifice one high level Dark Monster on my side of the field, then I get to destroy all monsters cards on your side of the field and hand. So now..."

Dark Voltanis vanished as a blast of red energy appeared from the Magic Card. It soon pierced through Dark Horus and Mystic Tomato, destroying them. May's last card also vanished as she stared at the field: she only had one facedown card to protect her.

"That's not all." Shadow continued. "After the effect is resolved, I get to Special Summon a Dark Monster from my graveyard that can be summoned onto the field. So let's reunite with Doomsday Horror!"

The purple furred fiend appeared once more and let out an excited chittering noise. (?/?) -) (3,500/3,000)

"Doomsday Horror, end this now!" Shadow cried. "Attack her directly!"

Doomsday Horror charged toward May, claws ready to slice her...only to meet with Grave Squirmer who was crouched in Defense. (0/0)

"Grave Squirmer?" Shadow exclaimed. "But that means..."

Doomsday Horror sliced the monster into two...but was soon destroyed in the process. Shadow only stared in shock, as did everyone else.

"How did she do that?" asked Tristan. "Her hand was empty."

"But her field wasn't!" said Khonsu, pointingto May's facedown card. "Look..."

Shadow stared at the card; it depicted Kura, the Thief Lord with a black aura around him, a maniacal grin no his face...and some sort of spirit hovering above im.

"I knew...that something like that would happen." said May. "That's why I played my Thief Lord's Vengeance Trap Card long ago. If I have no monsters on the field and my hand, I can Special Summon one Dark Monster from my graveyard onto the field, but all of the other Dark Monsters in my graveyard are removed from play for the rest of the duel. And since you have no cards in your hand, you can't do anything but end your turn. But on the bright side, all of your removed from play Dark Monsters are back in your graveyard."

(May: 1,150)

(Shadow: 550)

It all comes down to this... May thought to herself. If I don't win, what will happen to me? Will I be corrupted by the darkness? Will I be used for Leviathan food? I'm scared...

No, I can't be scared! Even though there is darkness in me, there is light. Kaiba showed me that when he gave me Consecreated Light...and if he has that trust in me, then I can trust myself to win!

"It's my draw!" said May, drawing a card. She looked at it for some time before staring at Shadow.

"You know what?" she asked her doppleganger. "You're right; all of the people who hurt me deserved to be punished. But you were wrong at the same time; they all needed to be forgiven and be given second chances. And if I get hurt, so be it. I'm not going to run away anymore; I'm going to fight. And it all starts with this!

"I summon onto the field, Seth-Priest of Dragons in Attack Mode!"

In a flash of light the high priest appeared, blue eyes staring at Shadow with fury. (1,700/1,800)

"So what?" asked Shadow, trying her hardest to smile—although she had some fear in her voice. "Are you going to use his effect and blast me away with 2,700 points of damage?"

"No." May replied. "But before I blast you away, you're going to tell me how to reawaken everyone from the effects of your dagger. So start talking."

"...Fine." said Shadow. "All you have to do is take the Fear Dagger and chant the words 'All who have been taken by fear, awaken'. Anything that was placed on them—like wounds—will disappear once the chant is done. However..."

"However?" asked May, uneasily. Shadow had the grin on her face once more.

"Then the real game begins!" Shadow giggled. "We're going to see how long you'll last before you come crawling back to me! You may have won this battle...but I'll be back!"

She continued to laugh, the laughter becoming more shrill and insane. May snarled.

"Seth, end this now!" She screamed. "Attack with White Light!"

Seth raised the rod into the air and fired a beam of white magic at Shadow. Shadow continued to laugh, even when she was hit with the attack. The Orichalcos soon vanished from her forehead, but Shadow was still standing.

(May: 1,150)

(Shadow: 0)

"Wait, that can't be right!" said May. "You played the Orichalcos, so why haven't you been taking away?"

"I can't be destroyed that easily, May." Shadow said in reply. "Don't forget, the Orichalcos Stone was a catalyst to create me, so I was able to call upon its power to bring out the Seal, albeit temporarily of course. And as long as you're around, I'll be lurking within the darkness waiting for my chance to strike! You won, and I kept my end of the bargain. So I'll be seeing you later. Oh and keep this..."

She unsheathed her Fear Dagger and tossed it to May. Shadow then waved before vanishing out of site. Seth soon began to vanish from the field.

Well done, Goddess of Joy. He said to May. You conquered the darkness in your heart, but your journey is not over. You must now confront the people who hurt you...

May nodded her head and grasped the Fear Dagger near her heart as the Dragon Priest soon disappeared from the area.

"All who have been taken by fear, awaken." She chanted.

Then with a burst of light, orbs of wispy smoke circled the blade. One flew to wherever it needed to go, while the other four soon flew toward the bodies of Raphael, Joey, Kaiba and Mokuba.

"She did it." said Yami. "May was able to face her darkness without fear. But now she must continue to be strong against all adversaries.

0 0 0 0 0 0 0

"Looks like May wins." said Kaiba. "And you leave."

"Didn't Shadow's message give you any hints?" asked Shade. "I may leave, but I won't be permanently gone. I'll be back when you're most vulnerable. The game has truly begun...without a doubt, this shall be fun!"

Shade laughed as he soon vanished from site. Kaiba didn't have time to retort when he was surrounded by bright light...

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

"May!" said Max, running to his sister. "Are you all right?"

"...Yeah, I'm fine." said May in reply. "Max, where did you keep Valon's deck? The one with the Armor Cards?"

"I placed it in my...pocket..." said Max, rummaging through the pockets of his shorts. "Huh...that's strange...they're gone."

"They're most likely returning to their rightful owner." said Khonsu. "And right now, I must return this body back to its rightful owner."

"Is Mokuba all right?" asked May.

"He'll be fine in a while." Khonsu said in reply. "He's starting to get back to reality after living through his fear."

"And what was that?" asked Max.

"...losing May and unable to do anything to save her." Khonsu replied. He then closed his eyes as his tunic and crown disappeared. When the eyes opened again, they were a shade of amethyst.

"Where...am I?" asked Mokuba. "Am I in the real world?"

"Mokuba!" May exclaimed, running to hug the Defender of the King. She then took Mokuba into a tight embrace. "Oh my goodness, I'm so sorry...I really am."

"May, you're alive!" Mokuba cried, hugging May back. "I thought you were really gone!"

The two embraced for some time; it was around that time that Joey started to wake up.

"Man...what hit me?" He asked himself. He blinked and realized where he was. "I'm not in that creepy nightmare world, aren't I? I'm back!"

"Hey!" said Tristan, running to his best friend. "Don't you dare scare me like that again, man! Do you know how worried I was?"

"What just happened?" asked Joey. "I remember darkness...and then someone told me to awaken."

He then turned to see May and Mokuba embracing...then it all made sense.

"Did she..." He asked his friends.

"May dueled her own darkness to save you, Joey." Yami explained to his friend. "Despite of all of thie torment you caused her in your rage, she said that you deserved a second chance. And now you were given that..."

"Wait a minute." said Téa. "If that Fear Dagger could unleash all the souls that Shadow stabbed it with...doesn't that mean..."

The four teenagers slowly saw Raphael get on his knees; in all of their excitement, they had forgotten that the Swordsman was also a victim to Shadow's path of vengeance. Unfortunately, his awakening was ignored by the three Chosen who were all trying to calm down after their ordeal.

"It was horrible, guys!" said Mokuba. "I mean, I tried to get to May, but every time I tried, the harder and harder it got for me to move. I was literally about to give up hope when I heard someone to wake me up from my dream!"

"I'm glad that it's over, though." said Max. "I hope we don't get to run in that again."

Suddenly, Max noticed a shadow cast over the three.

"Look out!" He cried. May turned her head, only for Raphael to pull her away from Mokuba. His look of insanity was back as he stared at May with a wicked gleam in his eye.

"Hey!" yelled Joey. "Put her down, now!"

He was about to advance when Raphael pulled May in front of him, grasping onto the hand that had the Fear Dagger and placed it near her neck. Joey then stopped.

"One move, and I'm killing her on the spot." Raphael hissed. "She belongs to me...and no one can have her."

"Let her go!" said Téa. "Don't you see what you've done to her? You've hurt her, you nearly broke her and just when she decided to save you...you go and threaten to hurt her again!"

"I'm not hurting her!" Raphael screamed. "I'm protecting her...the Guardian of the Sea protected me, and I will be there to protect her from all those who hurt her. But this girl...she knows all about the Guardian of the Sea...she knows her whereabouts. And she'll tell me where she is!"

"...No."

Everyone turned to see May utter that simple word. Raphael snarled and turned May toward him, lifting her by her shirt collar. This time, May didn't look scared...she looked brave and courageous, staring at Raphael straight into the eye.

"What did you say?" Raphael asked.

"I said 'No'." May answered back. "You have attacked me, abused me, threatened to kill me, sent your friends to attack me, had disregard to my safety...and despite all of that, I still saved you from your fate. But I am not the Guardian of the Sea; I never have and I never will be. So wake up from your stupid prologned fantasy world and face reality, because I have."

"Whoa." said Tristan. "She's actually standing up to that psycho."

"And after all he's done to her, she still has the courage to do that." said Max.

"How dare you..." said Raphael. "How dare you say that to me! You are the Guardian of the Sea; I just know it! It's all of the Pharaoh's fault! He's brainwashed you, he's manipulated you! He's controlling yo-"

SLAP!

Everyone gasped. May had slapped Raphael right across the face, and in the process, caused the Swordsman to drop her onto the ground, landing flat on her back. Nevertheless, she stood up and pulled out Raphael's Guardian Deck from her waistpack, and brought it to him.

"What are you doing?" asked Mokuba. "Don't do another trade-off, May! That's how you got in this situation!"

"I know." said May. "But it doesn't feel right to take what isn't mine. So here."

Raphael then took the deck from May's hand and placed it back onto his Duel Disk. There was some silence...an uneasy silence that lasted for a while. It was at that time that Kaiba slowly started to get up.

"Seto!" Mokuba cried, running toward his brother. "You're all right!"

Kaiba looked up to see Mokuba running toward him, the Defender of the King giving his brother a big hug. Tears fell down Mokuba's eyes as his grip on the CEO became tighter.

"How cute." Raphael snarled, seeing the situation. "Although it's not going to be that way in a while."

"Raphael." said May. "I gave you your deck, and I told you that I'm not going to tell you about the Guardian of the Sea. So go back to Dartz and give him this message..."

She grasped upon the dagger in her arms and placed it near her left arm.

"May, what are you doing?" asked Max.

May ignored the cry as she dug the blade deep into the linen. Then she did it to the opposite arm...the actions caused the linen to unravel, revealing the knife wounds from the blades in the hands of the Swordsmen. Everyone looked in shock as May glared at Raphael with a look of seriousness unlike the Pokémon Coordinator.

"I'm not giving up." She stated. "I was wounded and hurt, but I was healed and became anew. I fought my darkness, and I'm going to defeat Dartz and set things right. So if you want to take me back to Paradius, go ahead. I won't be the little girl who's struggling to break free; I will fight. I will make sure that no matter what, you...you..."

"That I what?" asked Raphael. "That I get what I deserve? That I get the Pharaoh's soul taken away, and you becoming the messenger of peace in the new world? Tell me, Guardian of the Sea...what shall I get?"

"That you get what you deserve." May answered, her body trembling as she continued to speak. Tears were forming in her eyes as she continued. "I don't know if you can hear me...I don't know if you or Alister or Valon could hear me. But know this...I'm going to keep fighting, keep standing up, and I'm not going to let the Orichalcos take me. I'm not going to stop giving up on you; I may not know what it's like to unable see your family for so long, but I know what it feels like for someone to be clouded in anger and hatred that they're blind to what's in front of them. So don't...give up..."

For a few seconds, May could see it...Raphael's eyes glowing the same green of the Orichalcos. Then, it vanished and...she could almost see Raphael in pain. There was emotion in his eyes—sorrow, guilt, pleading—before it returned to that stone cold gaze once more. It was if...it was if the real Raphael was fighting the Orichalcos and its evil intentions for him.

The Swordsmen snarled and brought out his Orichalcos Stone. He then took a final look at Yami, his anger reaching its peak...recalling all of the memories of the Guardian of the Sea confessing his love to him...

"Pharaoh," He said in a low voice. "The Guardian of the Sea shall return to me once and for all!"

There was a flash of green light as everyone covered their eyes. When the light was gone, so was Raphael.

May got on her knees, grasping onto her right arm. She closed her eyes as tears began to fall. Then she started to sob as more tears splashed down onto the ground.

"What's wrong, May?" asked Max. "Are you all right?"

"Of course she's not alright." said Kaiba in reply. "She just went through a battle to defeat her dark side, and then stood up to the person who caused her to be in pain. It had to be hard on her...all we can do now is get ready for the fight of our lives."

"So you're joining in on this then?" asked Tristan. "I thought you weren't one for the team spirit idea."

"...I wasn't." Kaiba replied. "But to let people like those Swordsmen go around acting like lunatics...it makes me sick. But don't think that just because I'm teaming you means that I believe in this hocus pocus stuff, Yugi. I'm just doing it to stop them and get my company back and probably get my life back to normal."

He then went on his knees and took May in a gentle embrace. May was still sobbing, tears trickling down her cheeks.

"It's going to be all right." He said to the Coordinator. "Thing are going to get better."

"Thank you..." May hiccuped between sobs. "Thank you..."

And then there was complete silence, as May continued to cry.

0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Raphael stared at the scene, seeing May in tears. In his head were the flashbacks of Rael from long ago, and the speeches May gave to him. She told him to wake up and face reality...could she be true?

He went through all of the memories. The Guardian of the Sea, arms bruised with a gentle smile on her face. May had her arms bruised...but she was not happy, she was sad and scared. And it was all his fault...

"I...did this, didn't I?" He asked himself, staring at his Guardian Deck. "I hurt her, and she was innocent..."

No...you have been doing the right thing all along, Raphael...You have been taking her away from the Pharaoh, after all...he was the one who she loved...remember?

Raphael looked around, hearing a soft and gentle voice call out to him. He didn't know who it was...but it felt so familiar.

Yes, Raphael...you have to protect the Guardian of the Sea...you are the only one who can do it...defeat the Pharaoh, seal him and let the Leviathan bring her back to you...

"Who are you?" asked Raphael. "And what do you want?"

Whatever you desire, child...And whatever you want, I shall give...

Sweat fell from Raphael's face as his eyes flickered from a deep blue to a sick Orichalcos green. The Seal appeared on his forehead as that laughter...that laughter soon echoed in his ears.

Now you're mine to play with...and my first order of business...get rid of the Pharaoh and take the Guardian of Sea back once and for all!

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Aten, King of the Sun (Monster Card)

Type: Warrior/Effect

Attribute: Fire

Level: 4

Attack: 1600

Defense: 1700

Description: When this card is Normal Summoned onto the field, Special Summon one Fire Attribute Monster or one Warrior type Monster from your hand or deck onto the field. As long as that monster is on the field, this monster cannot be targeted for the effects of your opponent's Magic or Trap cards.

0

0

Banshee's Shriek (Trap Card)

Type: Trap/Counter

Attribute: -

Level: -

Attack: -

Defense: -

Image: Shadow Banshee unleashing a large wail to a couple of people.

Description: You can only activate this card during your Battle Phase and if you have either a Dark Attribute Monster or a Winged-Beast type Monster on the field. End the Battle Phase.

0

0

Black Sunlight (Magic Card)

Type: Magic/Normal

Attribute: -

Level: -

Attack: -

Defense: -

Image: A hooded man in prayer while a solar eclipse is above him.

Description: Activate this card to summon two "Black Sun" tokens onto the field (Level 1/Spellcaster/Dark/Attack: 0/Defense: 0). These tokens cannot be used for a Tribute Summon.

0

0

Second Motive (Trap Card)

Type: Trap/Normal

Attribute: -

Level: -

Attack: -

Defense: -

Image: Atem, the Ancient Pharaoh wrapped in a shadowy aura with an evil sihouette above him.

Description: If this card is destroyed while it is facedown on the field, destroy all mosnters who were involved in battle on the turn this card was destroyed.

0

0

Aker, Guardians of the Raft (Monster Card)

Type: Beast/Effect

Attribute: Fire

Level: 4

Attack: 1300

Defense: 2200

Description: When this monster is destroyed, on your next Standby Phase Special summon one Beast or Winged-Beast mosnter from your deck or hand onto the field.

0

0

Maat, Surveyor of Truth (Monster Card)

Type: Winged-Beast

Attribute: Wind

Level: 3

Attack: 1400

Defense: 700

Description: The Goddess of Truth, she balances out the sins of all souls heading to the afterlife.

0

0

Eclipse Knight (Monster Card)

Type: Warrior/Effect

Attribute: Dark

Level: 4

Attack: 1300

Defense: 0

Description: Sacrifice one Magic Card from your hand or deck to Special Summon a Dark Monster from your graveyard onto the field.

0

0

Ebony Guard (Monster Card)

Type: Warrior/Effect

Attribute: Dark

Level: 4

Attack: 1900

Defense: 1800

Description: Send one Magic Card from your hand or graveyard to take one card into your hand. If you do that, this monster cannot attack the turn you activate this effect.

0

0

Sobek, Predator of the River (Monster Card)

Type: Reptile/Effect

Attribute: Water

Level: 3

Attack: 1400

Defense: 700

Description: The god of crocodiles, he also is a god of strength and power.

0

0

Nightmare Troubadour (Monster Card)

Type: Warrior/Effect

Attribute: Dark

Level: 3

Attack: 800

Defense: 0

Description: Sacrifice 500 lifepoints to Special Summon one 'Nightmare Troubadour' from your hand or deck. This monster can power all Dark monsters on the field, except for those that have 'Nightmare Troubadour' in its name.

0

0

Element Eruption (Trap Card)

Type: Trap/Normal

Attribute: -

Level: -

Attack: -

Defense: -

Image: Six colored orbs (blue, red, yellow, green, black and purple) circling Rapid-Fire Magician

Description: Sacrifice one monster card in your hand. Destroy all monsters on the field whose Atribute was the same as the monster discarded.

0

0

Shadow Puppet (Magic Card)

Type: Magic/Normal

Attribute: -

Level: -

Attack: -

Defense: -

Image: A pair of hands making shadow rabbits on the wall.

Description: Special Summon a Level 2 Dark monster from your hand or deck onto the field. The monster that is Special Summoned from this card cannot attack during the turn that this card is activated.

0

0

Harvest Moon Rift (Magic Card)

Type: Magic/Normal

Attribute: -

Level: -

Attack: -

Defense: -

Image: The Harvest Moon looking upon a wheat field and specters flying about

Description: Sacrifice one Level 5 or higher Dark Monster. Destroy all Monster cards on your opponent's field and hand. Then Special Summon one Dark Monster from your graveyard onto the field.

0

0

Thief Lord's Vengeance (Trap Card)

Type: Trap/Normal

Attribute: -

Level: -

Attack: -

Defense: -

Image: Kura, the Thief Lord with a maniacal look ohis face with a spirit floating above his head.

Description: If you have no cards in your hands, and if you have no other cards on the field, activate this card. Special Summon one Dark Monster from your graveyard onto the field. If you activate this effect, you must remove from play all other Dark Monsters

in your graveyard for the rest of the duel.

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

May: Good news: I'm back. Bad news: Kaiba Corp. is in trouble!

Mokuba: It has to be Dartz and those Swordsmen; we better figure out what's going on.

Max: What? Rebecca and Duke lost their souls to the Orichalcos?

May: We're on our own, and we have to rely on each other to make it through.

Mokuba: Monsters attacking us, kings who are CEOs, secret companies...this is madness!

Max: No, this is war...

May: Next time, "Between my Brother and Me" chapter 22-Paradise Lost in Anguish

Mokuba: Dartz is going to pay for what he did to us!

Max: And it's time for us, the chosen, to show him what we're made of!