Yu-Gi-Oh! Generation Fusion!

by Autismo555

A masked man, known as the Controller, has plucked the major focal points of Duel Monsters history and gathered up the biggest villains from each timeline to destroy the history of Duel Monsters itself! Now with the help of their friends and allies, Yugi Muto, Jaden Yuki, Yusei Fudo and Yuma Tsukumo join forces to prevent the threat from destroying the game they love!

11. The Desert Beast!

Okay! Here's the latest chapter of Yu-Gi-Oh! Generation Fusion! and the first chapter in the Ancient Egypt Arc! Just a reminder that the rules of Duel Monsters applies here, as in Yu-Gi-Oh! GX, Egyptian Duelists like the Gravekeeper's Chief and Abidos the Third used regular Duel Disks and the regular Duel Monsters rules in their Duels against Jaden. The only exception here is that Fusion Summoning, Synchro Summoning, and Xyz Summoning is extremely rare in this era, so expect the opponent to be amazed, scared, or appalled in the near future.

Also, I made some original cards up in this chapter, like in any Yu-Gi-Oh! fanfiction or series episode. I hope you don't mind them because you'll be seeing these frequently in this fiction, just to make the Duels seem more interesting. On the Neo Ark Cradle forum website, I've created some cards in the Dream Card Thread and altered the effects of certain cards that appeared in the anime before their initial release, so expect more of that to come in the near future.

Anyways, you're probably wondering how I got this chapter done quicker than before? Well, for one, I wrote the Duel for this while I was novice writer, planning out the Duel for when I would write it on the computer. The other is I've had plenty of spare time when you've been laid off from your job you had for about three years. That was about a month ago, and I'm waiting for the starting date of a new job I had my eyes on. (It's a dishwashing position, one I had experience with in an internship at a cafe.)

While I'm waiting for when I start, I write about a crossover of a children's trading card game. And with this wait, not only is Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V done and awaiting the next series, Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS to air in Japan, but I got this chapter done on the spot. Ladies and gentlemen around the world, I present the first Duel of the Ancient Egypt Arc, featuring my favorite Yu-Gi-Oh! protagonist and one of my original characters. I hope you're hungry because this chapter is serving up a meal full of HEROs, Beasts, a growing sisterly bond, and twists so sweet and so foul, you will react to it like Ice Cube and Chris Tucker would.

But enough about me. Now is the time to read, enjoy, and leave positive feedback and comments.

Disclaimer: I own OCs (original cards and original characters). The rest belong to Konami.

---

Sahara Desert - Ancient Egypt

Searing hot was one accurate way of Jaden putting it to the desert heat.

The bright yellow sun that Jaden had been accustomed to traveling under has been long gone, now replaced with the red giant that worked as a successful replacement, despite the fact that it was the disguised form of the Controller's E.N.D. Cannon. In all honesty, Jaden preferred the brightness of the yellow sun over the dim red one, but he also preferred to be out of the Sahara Desert and into a place with shade, cooler temperatures, or something to drink.

He wandered what seemed to be aimlessly across the desert, a tired, despondent expression on his face as he walked like his kneecaps were rusted. His upper torso drooped a little, his arms hung limply at his sides, and he moaned with sore step he took. Joining him on his quest was the solidified spirit fo his Spirit Partner, Winged Kuriboh, who led the way to their destination while his ethereal Spirit Partner, Yubel, simply floated alongside him, her arms and legs crossing each other and looking like she was in a sitting position. Jaden couldn't help but groan in displeasure; while his Spirit Partners were floating leisurely above the ground, he had to walk the entire desert while his feet sank into the sand.

"Uhh... how long am I going to have to keep walking like this?" Jaden questioned with a whine. "It's so hot out, I can barely move an inch further without feeling so drained."

"We have a long way to go before we can reach the Pharaoh's palace, and sitting around doing nothing isn't going to solve anything," Yubel informed him. "Judging by the distance between here and the city from our vision, I would estimate that we have no more than a day's journey ahead of us."

"What!? A day's journey!?" Jaden yelped. "But we're never going to survive in this desert for half a day, let alone an entire day!" It was then that Jaden's legs finally gave out from the weight of walking in the desert. Jaden fell to his knees, flopped belly-down onto the sand like a deflated balloon and groaned, defeated by the facts that seemed impossible in his current situation. "Let's face it, we're never going to get out of this desert! We're going to be walking around until we finally bite the dust! My remains are probably gonna be discovered in the next thousands of years and put me in a museum for everyone to see!"

Yubel descended until her touched the ground and knelt next to the boy. "Don't give up, Jaden. Remember, we have only just started out on our journey. If we need to stop the Controller and put an end to his schemes, then we have to continue this walk, no matter how long or how treacherous it may be."

"That doesn't really help our current situation at all, you know," Jaden complained, muffled by the sand.

"Give it some time, Jaden. Remember, you haven't made it this far by giving up so easily."

Jaden sighed. "I guess you're right."

Suddenly, Winged Kuriboh floated near his two partners, calling out to them in Kuribanese. Curiously, this alerted the jaded Jaden as he sat up in the sand to meet his first Spirit Partner's attention. "Hey, Kuriboh, what's up?"

Winged Kurboh turned to his left and gestured that general direction with his claw. Jaden looked in that direction and held his hand over his eyes like a visor to get a better look at what Winged Kuriboh found. In a distance, not far from where Jaden was currently positioned, there was a trail of dust clouds streaking across the desert at a very rapid pace. "Hey, what is that? Is it some kind of sandstorm?"

"I don't think so, Jaden. So allow me."

Yubel closed her two heterochromic eyes, and the third eye on her forehead widened as it glowed yellow. Using her gift of clairvoyance, Yubel's vision of the desert traveled over the sands at ease until she came upon the dust clouds and the source of the spraying sands. She spotted a familiar presence at the front of the clouds, a panic-stricken high school junior teen with a large brown spike for his hairdo, wearing a brown motorcycle jacket over a white tee-shirt. Behind him in both literal and figurative hot pursuit were three men on their black Egyptian stallions, cloaked in pure ebony, holding up their scimitars with their uplifted bandaged hands.

Having seen enough, Yubel retracted her clairvoyance, deactivated the all-seeing power of her third eye and opened her two other eyes. "Jaden, it appears that we're not alone," she reported. "One of Yugi's companions from his timeline has landed in this desert as well, but he's being pursued by three men on horses, dressed in black cloaks. It's safe to assume that judging by their use of their swords, they were trying to rob him but now they are planning to punish him for resisting."

Jaden's eyes widened. "Are you for real!? One of Yugi's friends is here in Egypt as well!?"

"Yes, and he is in grave danger. If we don't save him now, then Yugi will be one friend short in the end."

"You're right! I can't let anything happen to him! I can't tell Yugi that one of his friends was taken down by those creeps!" Jaden suddenly jumped to his feet and sprinted across the dunes to catch up to the pursuit. "Come on, we've gotta save him!"

Yubel and Winged Kuriboh looked in utter amazement and bemusement at their friend's sudden burst of energy.

"Just what happened to our friend who was exhausted from a short desert walk a moment ago?"

Winged Kuriboh shrugged, and chirped something along the lines of "beats me."

Not far from where the former Duel Academy graduate was and not as aware, Tristan was running as fast as his leather shoes carried him. His comically scared face, though his fear was actually genuine, matched with the animation of his sprint, accompanied by the motion of arms swiping up and down like they were rapidly-chopping swords that he desperately tried to avoid. Yet somehow, he was able to keep a good distance away from his pursuers riding atop of their black stallions, despite the wrong kind of shoes he was wearing, but that gap was closing at a steady rate.

"Run all you like, little peasant! You will be resided before the judgment of the Shadow Bandits!" one of the dark-clothed trio yelled.

"Oh man! If I knew I would be running the Sahara, I would've worn a different pair of shoes!" Tristan screamed.

Just as he was screaming his line, Tristan was running down the side of a dune when a little sudden decline in the mound caused him to trip. Tristan was flung down the dune, rolled down the sandy hill, and collided with the bottom to the effect of a big, dusty poof! When the sand cleared, Tristan was seen lying on his back, wincing in pain as the Shadow Bandits closed in on his position, surrounding the fallen teenager on their stallions, eclipsing the sunlight shining on his face.

"Awww, man. I'm gonna feel that one in the morning," Tristan wheezed

"For you, there will never be a morning, little peasant," a deep, masculine voice replied.

Tristan opened one eye, then both eyes yanked themselves open and his face fell to horror when he saw the stallions and their riders looming over him. The bigger Shadow bandit, their leader, lowered his scimitar at Tristan's shoulder which made him wince. "Wait, hold on! Can't negotiate this misunderstanding peacefully like normal people!?"

"There is nothing to negotiate, peasant! You have sealed your fate by defying our law, our rule!" the Shadow Bandit Leader announce, raising his arm in preparation to strike his victim with his sword. "With the power of this magic sword, you shall be forever confined in the shadows!"

The Shadow Bandit Leader swung his scimitar down, and Tristan squeezed his eyes shut and screamed.

Nearby, the Slifer Red witnessed what was about to happen and ultimately decided he wouldn't allow something like this to happen. Each of his eyes glowed red and green as Yubel's power flowed through him, and with it, he brought out and activated his Duel Disk. He drew the top card of his Deck, and with the power to materialize simple Duel Monsters cards into solid forth, he slapped one of his "Elemental HEROs" sideways on his Monster Card Zone.

"How about giving him a hand, 'Clayman'!?"

As the sword was swung down, an indestructible hunk of stone that suddenly got in its path, shattering the blade into splinters on impact. The three Shadow Bandits and their stallions reeled back in alarmed gasps and brays, and it only took that moment for Tristan to figure out something happened because he hadn't felt anything yet. "That's strange, I didn't feel anything. Did I somehow pass on without it hurting?" he questioned, opening his eyes and once again falling into fright in an instant. "Oh no! I think I might have because there's a walking hunk of rock right standing right over me!"

That statement was only half-true; Tristan didn't get hurt because the "walking hunk of rock" that deflected the sword's cut was a round-bodied rock golem, wearing a red dome like a helmet with as much physical endurance as its stone hard body. This giant juggernaut of stone was bigger than any normal human being, and given how it shattered the sword into shards, it was heavy and dense enough to flatten Tristan like a pancake. Inspecting his broken sword, the shocked Bandit Leader urged his horse and his two minions to back away carefully.

"What monster is this!? Who here possesses this kind of magic that would summon a creature this powerful!?"

The mere sight, size, and density had scared the teenager to the point where he crab-walked backwards until his back was against the base of the dune. "Look, I don't know who you are or why you saved my life, but if you're after me, then I'll give you anything you want! Just don't crush me!"

A voice carried from the next dune over. "Hey! Are you alright!?"

Tristan and the three Shadow Bandits looked to the direction of the voice, and from the distance came a youth clad in a red vest, a black shirt, and white pants, his active Duel Disk prepped on his arm, and his eyes glowing two strange colors. Tristan got a better look at the youth and immediately, he recognized him. "Hey, I know him," he contemplated. "Isn't he one of Yugi's time-traveling buddies that he met in the plaza?"

The "Elemental HERO Clayman" remained in his position until Jaden finally arrived, standing in between the three Shadow Bandits and his Duel Monsters Card before he looked back at the latter. "Thanks for the help, 'Clayman'. You're a real rockstar, you know that?"

The EARTH "Elemental HERO" looked back at its owner and nodded once before he disappeared where it stood, coinciding with glow from Jaden's eyes vanishing as well. With the Duel Monster now gone, Jaden turned to face the would-be assailants with a frown, the Shadow Bandits baffled by the strange of use of magic as well as Tristan. "Alright, you three! How about we start off by telling me who you are and why you're chasing this guy through the Sahara!"

"Why we're chasing that insolent peasant is not your business!" the Shadow Bandit Leader yelled back. "As for who we are, we are the Shadow Bandits, the most fearsome, ruthless and merciless bandits to have ever roam the sands of Egypt!"

"Shadow Bandits, huh?" Jaden pointed his thumb to himself, his frown still plastered on his face. "Nice to meet you. My name's Jaden Yuki, and I'm the guy who's gonna take you down!"

"Jaden Yuki?" Tristan parroted the name, pondering about the name until it all made sense to him. "I get it. So you are Yugi's friend from the future!"

Jaden turned his face to meet Tristan's. "Yep, that's me, and it looks like I got here just in time before those guys turned you into coleslaw."

"You did. Thanks for the save there."

"It's no problem, but you might wanna hold off on your applause," Jaden advised. "We're not out of the woods yet with these guys around."

"Fool! Don't you realize that there are no woods thick enough for you to escape my wrath!?" the Shadow Bandit Leader barked. "Wherever you will go, no matter how wide the desert is, no matter how big the ocean is, no one can escape from the Sahdow Bandits forever!"

"Oh yeah!?" Jaden snapped back. "And who are you to talk, Mr. Tall-Dark-and-Brooding!?"

"You hold your tongue, insolent whelp! I go by no such name!"

The Bandit Leader dismounted his stallion and moved past his steed, lifting his hood. His tan-colored face had a masculine shape for a man in his early thirties, his expression stoic and hardened with his thick black eyebrows. His hair was short and black, and his beard shared the same qualities, those bushy. A mustache as thick as his eyebrows cornered around his lips and disappeared into the beard. "I go by the name of Abbas, leader of the Shadow Bandits, and known throughout the lands of Egypt as 'The Desert Beast'! My beastly wrath has made me the fiercest bandit to have ever walked the face of the Earth..."

The self-proclaimed "Desert Beast" pointed his sword at Tristan. "...and this insolent cur has invoked my wrath by defying us, and even dared to strike back at us?"

"That's because you tried to strike me down first, pal!" Tristan argued the point.

"Silence!" Abbas barked, making Tristan jump back. "Once I am finished with your friend, boy, you're next!"

"Now hold on a minute! Nobody here is finishing each other off!" Jaden took an offensive stance against the Shadow Bandit Leader and his two henchmen, revealing his Duel Disk at the trio. "If you really want to finish off this guy because you guys attacked him first, then you're gonna have to deal with me first!"

Jaden's Duel Disk automatically activated, the blade that contained the first three Monster Card Zones and Spell & Trap Zones jutting outwards to reveal slot that was the Graveyard. The extra blade jutted from the bigger blade to reveal two more Monster and Spell & Trap Zones, the end of the blade including the Field Spell Zone. The red orb in the middle of the blade glowed, intriguing Tristan's interests but making the three Shadow Bandits weary.

"Master, that item on his arm," the Shadow Bandit flanking his leader on the right pointed out. "It looks like the same item gifted to us by the one who hid himself in the shadows!"

Abbas squinted his eyes at Jaden's Duel Disk, getting a better look at the device. "Yes, he appears to possess an item much similar to mine, which means he possesses the power to call upon his own monsters at ease..."

A wry smile spread across his lips, leaving a little toothy grin at the corner of his mouth as he began to chuckle from his throat. His shoulders shuddered as the chuckle grew into a masculine-voiced fit of uncontrollable laughter, like the condescending rolling bellow of a giant beast. "How truly interesting! This boy is more than he appears to be! At first glance, you looked like a foolish peasant, an outside who dared to wander the desert without a map or a guide to lead you to your next destination, and yet, you possess the power to summon your monsters using only useless parchment and ink! Whereas I, on the other hand!"

Abbas reached into his cloak with his left hand and then pulled it back out, only it was clad with a golden forearm gauntlet, engraved with what appeared to be an eye; the same eye that was usually engraved on the surface of six of the seven Millennium Items. Attached to that gauntlet was a single golden wing that suddenly separated into five other wings, each one containing enough space to hold a Monster Card Zone and a Spell & Trap Zone. The "eye" in the center of the gauntlet filled itself with golden light as Abbas showed it off to his opponents.

"I use the magic of the shadows to call upon my wild Beasts," Abbas boasted, "and I am the only one in this world who knows how to tame their wild spirits and how to teach them to obey my every command!"

Jaden and Tristan were initially surprised to see the golden relic on Abbas's arm double as a Egyptian-styled Duel Disk. "Whoa! What kind of crazy Duel Disk is that!?"

"It's not a Duel Disk, Jaden, it's a DiaDhank, an ancient relic that was used in the ancient form of Duel Monsters" Yubel educated the Slifer Red, appearing next to him in her ethereal form. "In this era, those who could possess great magic would infuse their life force with these relics to summon and control their own monsters just like any normal Duelist would, but the cost was always steep. If those monsters are destroyed in battle, then the damage would drain their possessors of their life force until there is nothing left but a lifeless, empty shell."

"Really? That's amazing," Jaden commented, more surprised than ever. "So how do we get around this guy?"

"We will have to Duel him, of course," Yubel answered. "It is the only way we can stop them from sending Tristan to the shadows."

"What!? But what about all that stuff you said about people wielding those relics draining their life force away until there's nothing left?" Jaden asked his Spirit Partner. "If we send him to the shadows, then we're no better off than they are."

"Your concern for the life of your opponent is noted, but there isn't much choice in the matter," Yubel firmly scolded like a mother. "It's either them or Yugi's friend. You decide."

Yubel disappeared to give Jaden some time to think. The Slifer Red was reluctant to take down the Shadow Bandit Leader in a Duel because he knew what would happen if he did win against him. The Bandit Leader Abbas would lose his life force, get sent to the Shadow Realm for all eternity, and there would be no way of him ever coming back. Jaden remembered how he became the Supreme King for a time in the Duel Monsters Spirit World. Not only did he overpower one of his exchange student friends with his "Super Polymerization" card, but he felt the immeasurable guilt of leading an evil army that brought the Spirit World into ruin. He couldn't do the same to Abbas and his henchmen; they were people too, despite whatever atrocities they committed in their lives.

Still, there was Tristan to think about. His life was in danger of being cut short by the Shadow Bandits because he fought back at them for, presumably, trying to attack him and rob him. If the Shadow Bandits successfully managed to take him out of the danger, then it would grieve Jaden to tell the King of Games in person that one of his friends was gone. Informing him of the tragedy would weigh down on the hearts both Jaden and Yugi with guilt. Again, Jaden thought back to when he lost his best friends in the Duel Monsters Spirit World, lost the trust of his remaining friends, and felt so alone that he allowed the Supreme King to take control. That was the same kind of tragedy Jaden wanted to avoid.

Now he felt conflicted. torn between a rock and a heart place. He could either Duel Abbas and send him to the Shadow Realm, or not Duel Abbas and condemn Tristan to his untimely demise.

"What are you waiting for, boy!? Are you afraid that whatever heroics you choose will result in one of us being sent to the shadows!?" the Shadow Bandit Leader shouted. "Whatever you do will not matter in the end! No one can keep us from sending those defiant of us to the Shadow Realm!"

Jaden's mind was made up. His stance grew offensive as his glare narrowed at the Bandit Leader, his arm held to hold his Duel Disk steady.

"Alright, pal, if you want this guy so bad, you'll just have to get through me first!" Jaden challenged. "If I win, then my friend and I go free without any incident!"

"And should you lose, you and your friend will spend the rest of eternity in the shadows!" Abbas declared, holding his DiaDhank up. "Now, let us begin!"

"Generating Action Field: Crossover."

Suddenly, just above the image projecting orbs of the Duel Disk and the DiaDhank, there was the translucent image of a Field Spell Card. Jaden and the Bandit Leader were initially surprised to see this Field Spell appear from their respective Dueling tools, but Jaden was especially surprised because the card was all but familiar to him. He distinctly remembered seeing the card's artwork some time ago, the one depicting two energy streams of red and blue crossing over each other, and two circuit patters of green and yellow on the top and bottom of the artwork stretching towards the black background on the horizon.

"What sorcery is this!?" Abbas demanded to know. "I have never seen this kind of magic before!"

"Hey, I've seen this card before," Jaden pondered to himself, wondering why it looked so familiar. Then it hit him in a flash. "Of course! This was the same Field Spell the Controller played right before his Duel with Seto Kaiba! How did it get in my Duel Disk? There's no way any of us had these cards in our Duel Decks, unless the Controller somehow programmed them inside!"

"Bah! It is no matter what kind of magic this is! We are here for one reason, and that is too Duel!" Abbas scoffed the unnatural occurrence, readying. "So, boy, can you Duel as well as you act on those foolish heroics of yours!?"

"There's only one way you're going to find out, Abbas!" Jaden replied, readying his Duel Disk as well. "And that's when I win this Duel and rescue my friend!"

Tristan stared at Jaden wondrously at a moment. "Me? I'm your friend? But we've only just met a moment ago."

"Yeah, I know that," Jaden turned back to the teen with a smile, "but any friend of Yugi's is a friend of mine too, right?"

"I don't know about that," Tristan said, "but if you can beat that guy in this Duel, I'll be your best friend until we get back home."

"Enough of this foolish sentiment!" Abbas bellowed. "Let's get this Duel over with!"

"You took the words right out of my mouth!" Jaden yelled back.

"LET'S DUEL!"
"LET'S DUEL!"

After the two sacred words were spoken, a bigger version of the "Crossover" Field Spell appeared over the heads of the two Duelists and the witnesses. The Field Spell glowed a bright light before it suddenly exploded into a gold fine dust, raining down on the Duelists as they began their Dueling ceremony with 4000 Life Points. Jaden drew his first five cards from the top of his Deck while Abbas drew his cards in a very different fashion. In the times of Ancient Egypt, the "eye" of the DiaDhanks were like magical portals to their own Shadow Realm, a pocket dimension where a total forty stone tablets were locked away, containing the sealed spirits of monsters, shadow spells, and dangerous traps. Whenever someone wielding a DiaDhank was engaged in a Duel, the tablets were chosen at random by the "eye" to be added to the owner's hand or summoned to their owner's side.

In this case, five different stone tablets the size of regular Duel Monsters cards emerged from the glowing red light of the "eye", floating in midair before the stone shells shattered, transforming into the Duel Monsters cards underneath. Jaden was impressed by how the magic could turn ordinary stone slabs into the cards that he loved playing with. "Hey, that's a pretty cool magic trick you just did! How do I get one of those?"

"That is a secret among me and my comrades that you will never learn!" Abbas said curtly. "Now, make your first move!"

Turn 1: Jaden Yuki (4000)

Hand: 5

"Oh, with pleasure! I draw!" Jaden drew his first card.

Jaden inspected his drawn card, and saw that it was the Trap Card known as "Hero Signal". He also looked down at his hand and saw the first five cards he contained were "Elemental HERO Sparkman", "Hero Barrier", "H-Heated Heart", "Elemental HERO Clayman", and "Elemental HERO Necroshade", exclusively in that order. "Hmm... looks like I don't have enough powerful monsters right now to teach this guy how we do things 5,000 years in the future, so I'll have to bide my time until I can catch this bandit by surprise. Lucky for me, I know the perfect monster to get this Duel started with a shock!"

Jaden added his drawn card to his hand, picked up his strongest low-Level Monster Card, and slapped it on his Monster Card Zone. "I Summon my 'Elemental HERO Sparkman' in Attack Mode!"

Appearing to Jaden's field was a muscular humanoid in blue suit with gold lightning-shaped trims along the edges of the arms and leggings, its face concealed behind a tinted blue visor on its golden helmet. It wore a gold-colored superconductor metal armor on its wrists and its chests, with amber orbs equipped inside, and a pair of blue-and-gold trimmed blades on its back. It rose from the light in the ground, spun around a couple of times, then struck a heroic, battle-ready pose. (1600/1400)

Tristan stared at the "Elemental HERO Sparkman" in wonder and intrigue. "That's an 'Elemental HERO'? I've never seen a card like that before."

The electrifying "Elemental HERO" then descended onto Jaden's field while he himself picked a couple of cards in his hand. "Next, I play two cards face-down and end my turn," he said, setting the two cards in his Spell & Trap Zones which appeared as the backside of the Duel Monsters cards. "So how about it, Abbas? Why don't we see if you Duel as brutal and beastly as you claim to be? Or is it just something you made up yourself just to make you look fierce?"

The Shadow Bandit Leader took umbrage to the accusation, and it showed when he emitted a low growl through his clenched teeth. The other two Shadow Bandits serving him looked at each other worriedly and then to their leader. "Master, do not let this insolent whelp's words sway you," the Shadow Bandit on the left advised. "You have defeated more opponents more times than you can count, each one more powerful than the last."

"That petulant boy only seeks to make a fool of yourself," the Shadow Bandit on the right explained. "He's trying to make you lose focus, trying to incur your wrath so that he could take advantage of you."

"That is enough!" Abbas barked, making the two Shadow Bandits jump back, and making Jaden curious. "I already know of what that petulant boy is trying to do, and I've already seen how he will try and use my own wrath to distract me from my goals. If he even tries to make me angry only by a little, that will be his biggest mistake, for anyone who angers me will know the same wrath that earned me the title of 'The Desert Beast' that the whole of Egypt knows!"

"Okay, fine, I won't try and make you angry," Jaden said. "Anyway, it's your turn to make your move."

Turn 2: Bandit Leader Abbas (4000)

Hand: 5

"I already know that, fool!" Abbas growled.

A stone tablet emerged from the "eye" of Abbas's DiaDhank, shedding its stone shell to reveal a Duel Monsters card. Abbas plucked it out from the DiaDhank, examined the drawn card, and then the cards in his hand. The sight of two copies of "Dark Desertapir", two copies of "Berserk Gorilla", and the "King of the Beasts" in his hand made him feel giddy, and the Spell Card he had just drawn was just enough for him to spread a conceited toothy grin across his cheeks.

"You may talk like a mighty young warrior with all the foolish bravery and bravado, boy," Abbas said to the Slifer Red, "but once you bare witness to what awaits in my arsenal of monsters and magic, then you will know the same fear like the ones who have challenged me knew before I sent them to the shadows!"

"Oh, please! I'm not afraid of anything!" Jaden retorted, which only made Abbas chuckle.

"Then you should prepare yourself," the Shadow Bandit Leader said, revealing his drawn card, "because I now activate 'Card Destruction'!"

Jaden gasped, clearly caught off-guard. "You're kidding me!"

"If you think this is a joke, then stop me if you heard this one!" Abbas said, activating the Spell Card, which materialized into a card depicting a blue humanoid hand holding itself out towards five cards being sent to the great beyond (and four of the five cards were identified in the artwork as "Cyber-Tech Alligator", "Garma Sword", "Garma Sword Oath", and "Widespread Ruin").

"Now we all must discard our entire hand to the great beyond," Abbas explained as he threw his cards into the dark violet Graveyard portal that appeared in the ground, and Jaden sending his entire hand to his Graveyard, "but then we draw the same number of cards we have sent."

Five more stone tablets emerged from the DiaDhank's "eye", each one shedding their stone shells in unison to become a new batch of Duel Monsters cards for Abbas to wield. While Jaden drew his new hand with a disappointed frown, Abbas examined his hand, and instantly knew his strategy. "So tell me, boy, how does it feel for me to get rid of whatever strategies you held in your hand and replacing them with something even more worthless?"

"To be honest, I'm having some mixed thoughts about it," Jaden said. "I'm disappointed that I had to toss out a couple of good cards, but at least it gives me an opportunity to try out a new strategy."

"Yes, it is disappointing to have your own strategies disrupted by your opponent, isn't it? The feeling of disappointment you feel now was nothing compared to how I felt when my plans to prosper was stolen away by men of evil hearts." Jaden gave a curious look as Abbas placed his hand on his chest, closed his eyes, and reminisced. "I was once a humble merchant who prospered in the marketplace, selling the finest silks and curtains anyone could find in Egypt until one day, a group of bandits raided the entire village. They plundered my shop, destroyed it a fire, and left me a poor beggar trying to regain all the riches he lost. Without my riches, I was forced to live as a street rat, swiping the purses of any unsuspecting shopper and the food from any oblivious food vendor until the palace guards caught me, brought me before the Pharaoh, and tried and punished by being forced into exile in the desert.

"Like you, I wandered the desert aimlessly with no food, water, or shade to protect me from the heat of the sun mercilessly beating on my body. I thought I would become another lost soul doomed to wander the sands of Egypt for all eternity until the Shadow Bandits found me and took me in. There, they taught me their ways of the shadows, and I was quick to become the leader they deserved. In short, through the practice of the sword, the ways of the shadows, and the magic to command legions of monsters at my disposal, I have become the most feared bandit in the history of Egypt! It does not matter whether they are rich or poor, young or old, man or woman! Anyone foolish enough to stand in my way will tremble in fear before the might of Abbas the Desert Beast!"

"Sorry, Abbas, but this one one person who's not afraid to go up against the likes of you!" Jaden retorted. "And anyway, what's this talk about you becoming the most feared bandit in Egypt!? Don't you already realize that by becoming the same people who ruined your life, you're no better off than them!? I know you were desperate and poor and all, but threatening people to give their riches or giving up their life? What kind of shopkeeper would even think about turning their sword against the same people who bought your silks in a past life?"

"The Abbas that everyone knew in the past is no longer of this world. He was a loser, a poor beggar and a desperate thief who was cast out from his own people and sent to the desert to roam the Earth as a spirit! Now I have come back as a new man, a stronger being than what I was once before, and I'll prove it by starting with this monster!" Abbas took one of his cards and slapped it in the Monster Card Zone which glowed in a yellow light. "I Summon 'Beast Striker' in Attack Mode!"

A portal of light appeared from the ground as a somewhat hairy, muscular ape-like creature emerged from it with a feral roar. The "Beast Striker" had glowing red eyes, two giant tusks that protruded from the corners of its mouth (the tusk on the left was broken in half), wore a pair of ripped jeans held at the waist by a leather belt, and carried an iron hammer in its paws that stood as high as its entire body height. (1850/400)

"Next, I use the special ability of my 'Beast Striker'!" Abbas declared as "Green Baboon, Defender of the Forest" was sent from his hand and into the Graveyard portal. "By discarding one card from my hand to the Graveyard, I can call forth my little friend 'Moja' from my Deck!"

The "Beast Striker" held the handle of its hammer with both hands and slammed the flat end down on the ground hard, creating a tremor that opened a glowing portal of light. That glowing portal spat out a little yellow gelatinous blob with big brown eyes, gritting teeth, and mostly brown fluffy fur covering its body. (100/100)

"You know, despite it having a bad owner, that little fuzzball is kinda cute," Tristan commented.

"My 'Moja' may appear cute now," Abbas declared as "Moja" became a body of light, "but once I sacrifice it, I can Summon its true grotesque form straight from my Graveyard! Come forth, 'King of the Beasts'!"

The Graveyard portal grew wider in diameter, and from its murky center came four skeletal limbs, carrying a nightmarish black mass from the great beyond. That black mass was actually a giant body of long, tangled, nightmarish ebony hair, and the face that was once considered cute soon became a Machivellian skeletal face of a Beast with piercing red eye gleaming from its empty eye sockets. The "King of the Beasts", now Summoned onto the field, gave a sour roar that made Jaden flinch. (2500/800)

"You call that a king!?" Tristan called out. "And to think, I actually called that thing cute!"

"Yeah! And I bet its attacks are a royal pain, too," Jaden concurred.

"You may insult my strongest servant however you like, but none of it will matter in the end! This is the monster that symbolizes my strength, the source of my power, and my right to reign over legions of Shadow Bandits! No one has ever overcome the strength of my Beast before, and you will be no different from the rest once my 'King of the Beasts' destroys you and your warrior!" Abbas swiped his arm out towards Jaden's direction. "Now, 'King of the Beasts'! Attack that 'Elemental HERO Sparkman' with your Tyrannical Tearing Teeth!"

The skull of the "King of the Beasts" roared so loud, it sent a sour note that that made Jaden, Tristan, and the "Elemental HERO Sparkman" cover their ears as the overpowering Beast used its skeletal legs to scurry over to the lone "Elemental HERO". It opened its skull until it unhinged like a snake's jaw, opening up wide to grab a deep bite out of "Sparkman" and diving for the prey.

"I don't think so, pal! I activate my Trap, 'Hero Barrier'!" By Jaden's declaration, his first Trap Card was flipped face-up, allowing a circular shield to fly out from the card's artwork and spinning like crazy. "Thanks to this card, since I have my 'Elemental HERO' on the field, I can put a stop to that attack! Let's see your Beast get a bite out of that!"

The circular shield quickly slipped in between the "King of the Beasts" and the "Elemental HERO Sparkman", spinning furiously as the fangs of the giant Beast crunched down on the barrier, crushing it in between its teeth like it was tin. With its prey alive but unspoiled, the "King of the Beasts" slunk back to its less-than-impressed master disappointedly, the Bandit Leader scoffing at this. "That was only a minor inconvenience, but my 'Beast Striker' has yet to attack! Go, 'Beast Striker', pick up where my 'King' has failed to accomplish!"

The "Beast Striker" made screaming noises akin to a frantic gorilla as it jumped up into the air, holdings its hammer by the handle over head before swing it down onto "Sparkman". The immediate reaction to the hammer squashing "Sparkman" into a pancake was an explosion that blew into Jaden's face, making him stagger sorely while his Life Points dropped by 250. (Jaden Yuki: 4000 - 250 = 3750)

"Wow, that looked like it hurt," Tristan commentated. "Jaden, are you okay?"

Jaden simply snickered it off. "I'm fine. It's just a little scuff is all."

"It may be a scuff now, but I guarantee that the pain you've felt will only get worse," Abbas cryptically said.

"How's that?" Jaden asked, making the Bandit Leader laugh.

"Have you not noticed yet? We are currently engaged in a Shadow Game that you have foolishly challenged me to and accepted it without question!" Abbas held up his DiaDhank to the two boys. "My DiaDhank not only has the power to make the damage real, but it will also send the loser to the Shadow Realm as well! Once you lose the rest of your Life Points, then you lose your soul!"

Tristan grunted at this. "Well this just raises the stakes even higher! If Jaden loses this Duel, then we're both taking a one-way ticket to the Shadow Realm!"

"Relax, Tristan, I'm not planning to lose this Duel," Jaden assured the spike-haired teenager, holding up his Duel Disk. "You may have gotten the first hit, Abbas, but by destroying my 'Sparkman', you've activated my other Trap, 'Hero Signal'!"

Jaden's second Trap Card was flipped up, revealing an artwork depicting a signal in the night sky above the shaded building tops, branded with the shadow of the letter "H". The "H" signal shone from the center of the card's artwork, shining into the sky that made the three Shadow Bandits and Tristan stare up at wonder. "Just like any good hero rushing to a signal in times of distress, I get to call upon an 'Elemental HERO' straight from my Deck so long as it's Level 4 or below."

Somewhere in the middle of Jaden's Deck, there was a glow of yellow light that responded to the call of the "Hero Signal's" literal signal. "So without further ado, please welcome my 'Elemental HERO Burstinatrix'!"

A spiral of red flame erupted from Jaden's field, and appearing in the fire was the shaded figure of a humanoid female. Waving her hand gracefully, the "Elemental HERO Burstinatrix" appeared as a pale-skinned beauty dressed in a red spandex suit, wearing a pair of fingerless gloves and adorning a golden helm that held her lengthened white-tipped black hair. She flew around Jaden's field a couple of times and struck her own pose when she was finished. (1200/800)

Abbas grumbled with dissatisfaction. "Clever move," he said, slapping two cards from his hand into his Spell & Trap Zone, the cards lying face-down on his field, "but that woman doesn't have enough power to defeat my Beasts."

Turn 3: Jaden Yuki (3750)

Hand: 3

"We'll see about that," Jaden said, drawing his card. His eyes widened happily when he saw he'd drawn his favorite card. "Sweet! Now it's time I showed you how we do things in the future!"

Abbas's face fell in surprise, along with his two minions and Tristan as Jaden made his next move. "From my hand, I activate 'Polymerization!'" Jaden declared, slapping the card in his Spell & Trap Zone. "With it, I can fuse my 'Elemental HERO Burstinatrix' with the 'Elemental HERO Avian' that's in my hand!"

"But how!?" Abbas screeched.

"This cannot be possible!" the two Shadow Bandits screamed in unison.

"A Fusion Summon already?" Tristan commentated with shock. "This guy might be better at this than I thought."

"You guessed it, Tristan. Not me," Jaden said, holding his cards as high as he could reach his arm "Elemental HERO Burstinatrix" ascended into the air, and appearing next to her was a humanoid male dressed in a green, feathery avian-themed costume, complete with a set of white-feathered wings. "Now by combining a furious flyer of the wind and the blazing beauty of fire, they can merge to become a fiery champion of the sky!"

"Avian" was transformed into a glowing green light and "Burstinatrix" was transformed into a glowing red light, each spiraling around each other until they reached the center of the spiral. The spiral then transformed into a ball of bright shining light, and Jaden declared with pride, "Now please give a warm welcome to my 'Elemental HERO Flame Wingman'!"

In the midst of the bright light came a silhouette of a muscular humanoid with its arms crossed, the most distinguishable features to make out in the shadow being its imp-like eats on its pointy head, its demonic white wing attached to its left shoulder, and a dragon-like tail at its backside. When it emerged from the light, the "Elemental HERO Flame Wingman" was revealed (while striking a battle-ready pose) as a muscle-toned humanoid mostly clad in black armor with green scales, and the only parts that were colored red were the tail, its right shoulder, and the cannon on its right arm shaped in the form of a dragon's head. (2100/1200)

The "Elemental HERO Flame Wingman" descended onto Jaden's field, much to the complete shock to the Shadow Bandits and to the complete awe of Tristan. "He just fused two of his monsters together to create that powerful monster," Tristan observed. "I guess I can understand why the Controller was targeting Jaden in the first place; he must be as good of a Duelist as Yugi is... and it looks like those bandits are starting to get the big picture, too."

Tristan's last observation was spot-on. On the other side of the Dueling field, Bandit Leader Abbas and his two loyal minions were shocked by the Summoning of the opponent's new monster, intimidated by the amalgamated appearance of a muscled human with pointed ears and a ferocious fire-breathing dragon. The "King of the Beasts" and the "Beast Striker" on his field felt the same shock Abbas felt for the moment while the other two Shadow Bandits simply cowered back in fear.

"This is not possible! Only those who are skilled enough in the art of shadow magic can combine the power of two monsters!" the first Shadow Bandit pointed out fearfully.

"We are not dealing with some ordinary peasant! The boy must possess a strange magic about him that may be beyond that of the seven Millennium Items!" the second Shadow Bandit intuitively observed. "Leader, you must be cautious around the boy! His magic is not his own!"

"Keep your calm and your mouths shut," Abbas growled, his free hand clenched so tight it it trembled. "This strange magic the boy conjured is of little concern to me. Time and time, I have been challenged by those who could wield the magic of the shadows, and none of them came close to defeating me. As far as I'm concerned, he is just a foolish outsider peasant who hasn't learned his place in the world, and I will be the one to teach him by defeating him in this Shadow Game."

"Hey, I never said that my Duel was like real magic. That's just how we do things back home, just like my next attack on your 'Beast Striker'!" Jaden pointed at the hammer-happy Beast as the target for his next attack. "Now go, 'Flame Wingman'! Attack with Infernal Rage!"

The "Elemental HERO Flame Wingman" then leapt into the air, lunging towards the "Beast Striker" as the dragon-like arm cannon opened its mouth and gathered a ball of fire. The fire was released from the dragon arm cannon and into the direction of the snarling Beast. "I'm afraid that is one fire I must put out!" Abbas interjected. "I activate my Trap, 'Beast Burial Ritual'!"

The activated Trap Card depicted a ritual atop the zenith of a ceremonial alter, with shadows of beasts and flying creatures dancing around a ray of light coming into contact with the altar. "This Trap allows me to destroy one of my own Beasts!" Abbas explained as he "Beast Striker" exploded into particles of light just as the fire struck where it once stood. "Now your 'Flame Wingman's' fire can never burn one my 'Beast Striker'!"

Jaden growled. "Oh great. Now I have his 'King of the Beasts' to deal with, and none of the cards in my hand can help power my 'Flame Wingman' up. I just hope things don't get worse."

"Here's where things get worse for you, peasant," Abbas said, making Jaden gasp. "Because my 'Beast Striker' was destroyed by my Trap Card, by paying 1000 Life Points..." (Abbas: 4000 - 1000 = 3000) "...I can resurrect my 'Green Baboon, Defender of the Forest' from my Graveyard!" The Graveyard portal opened in the ground, and crawling from it depths was a green-skinned baboon, its face covered in a long black mane, wearing a specific type of armor that was as adamant as a rock, and wielding gigantic club bandaged at the handle. (2600/1800)

"Talk about being a monkey's uncle!" Tristan commented on the four powerful Beasts on Abbas's field. "This whole Duel is turning into a zoo!"

"Yeah, and it's getting wilder by the minute. If I can't tame these wild animals soon, I'm gonna wind up being their next meal!" Jaden thought as he placed two cards from his hand and into his Spell & Trap Zones. "I place two cards face-down and end my turn."

Abbas gave a slight smirk quite smugly. "You're sounding desperate to stay in this game, boy," the Bandit Leader said, holding his arms out to bask in the glory of his powerful Beasts. "And soon, we will see how desperate you are once I let my Beasts loose on your Life Points!"

Jaden sported a frustrated and desperate frown, one that was slightly open at the corner to reveal his teeth. Despite how vain the Shadow Bandit Leader was with the power of his Beasts, Jaden couldn't help but agree with him. He was desperate to win this game not for the sake of himself, but for the sake of Tristan as well. As he tried to stand steadfast against the Bandit Leader, he could feel the overwhelming power of Abbas and his Beasts overwhelm him like they were giant apes looming over him.

---

Sahara Desert Oasis - Sahara Desert - Ancient Egypt

"Now, let's see if this can bring down the fever."

Akiza dipped her rose-colored handkerchief into the cool waters of the oasis, letting the cloth soak in the fresh water before pulling it out. After wringing it out slightly to let out the excessive water, she folded her handkerchief in half and ran back to the unconscious green-haired girl in the shade under the palm tree, gently laying it on her forehead. The girl's breathing was slowing down as the fever consumed her at the exact same pace, but when Akiza applied the soaked handkerchief to her forehead, it kept the fever at bay and her breathing steady, prolonging the inevitable moment when the desert heat would do her in.

"Well, at least the fever has gone down, but it's still not enough for her to make a full recovery," Akiza diagnosed the girl's condition, then looking around the immense desert. "This is an especially big problem since we're stuck in the middle of this desert with all this heat. If we can't find any help from anyone or find any shelter, then she may never be able to recover from her fever."

Akiza looked down at the girl again, her breathing stable as the coolness of the oasis waters kept her fever at bay. As the Psychic Duelist kept watch over the girl, she took some mental observations in her head, keeping quiet so her young patient wouldn't be disturbed. "If only things were easier on you more than they are on me," Akiza thought to herself. "Ever since that strange storm hit in that plaza, we've been separated far away from our home and, most importantly, our friends. I understand that things must be hard on your already, but I have every confidence that you will get through this."

Akiza trailed her eyes down from the girl's face, and down her arm. Then her gaze caught the sight of the glowing card in her hand, making her eyes narrow in concern and suspicion. "Still, I can't help but worry about that card in your hand. I've never seen that kind of card before, but whatever it is, it's powerful enough for the Crimson Dragon to warn me against touching it. I have a feeling that card will be important to you in the near future. I don't know how but I can feel it."

After contemplating the girl for a moment, Akiza took notice of how hot the desert heat was and knew instinctively how quickly the temperature rose of the handkerchief. "Well, in any case, I'd better soak this in the water again," Akiza said, gently removing the handkerchief from the girl, "and I should probably find some way to carry the oasis waters so we can stay hydrated."

While Akiza left to dip the handkerchief in the oasis, the tiny bird-of-paradise watched from its perch on top of the palm tree, keeping vigilant over the two girls while it cocked its head a little to the left. Then, spreading its wings, the bite-sized bird leapt from its perch, flew down to Tori's unconscious body and landed on her belly. The little avian looked at Tori with much curiosity, hopping on its little feet towards her face where it could feel the heat of her fever emanating off of her. The bird chirped lightly a couple of times and gently pecked on her cheek, but the girl couldn't acknowledge the ticklish sensation; she was in a state where she couldn't feel anything besides the throbbing headache from her fever and dehydration.

The bird-of paradise then turned around with a hop when its eyes fell on Tori's hand, tilting its head curiously. It hopped off of Tori's body, went around her arm and finally to her hand where a glowing rectangle was held under the teen girl's fingers. The bird-of-paradise hopped closer to the glowing rectangle, inspected it, then pecked it a few times.

Suddenly, the glowing rectangle popped like a bubble, releasing light particles that passed through the bird and Tori, encompassing the two in a rainbow glow followed with a brief flash of a green symbol resembling the number "49". The light receded, and the bird stared into space for a moment as new information entered its brain. Acting on the first instinct that came to it, the bird-of-paradise hopped up onto Tori's hand, up her arm, and onto her chest where its started to sing its song to wake the girl.

Akiza had removed the handkerchief from the oasis, folded it in half, and returned to the girl when she spotted the bird chirping at her, trying to wake her up. "Hey, shoo! Get away!" Akiza shouted, waving one hand at the bird to drive it away. "Can't you see? She's not feeling well, and trying to wake her up like that will only make it worse! Now go on! Shoo!"

The bird flapped its wings and flew away, but not because the Psychic Signer commanded it to. Heaving a stressed sigh, Akiza knelt down and placed the wet handkerchief on the girl's forehead but not before the bird-of-paradise flew over the girl in circles. "Didn't you hear what I said!? I said shoo!"

Akiza's aggressive behavior towards the bird ceased when she saw the bird glow in a white light. "What's happening? Was it something I said?"

It wasn't anything that Akiza said at all. In fact, Akiza provided the perfect solution to the easing the girl's pain, and the bird would follow through with it. As the bird-of-paradise flew around the girl, it began to emit delicate, beautiful light particles from its aura that descended onto her like winter snowflakes, popping like tiny bubbles with the residue spreading in little areas on her body. The girl, too, glowed in a white light briefly for about a minute until it finally receded.

Akiza was stunned to see this mysterious miracle work on the girl, too stunned to notice the bird landing on the girl's chest at first. "What just happened? That bird just glowed all of a sudden and dropped those little light particles on the girl... and now she seems to have made some recovery," Akiza asked herself before she turned to look at the bird. "Strange. Could it have something to do with that bird? Why would a bird help this girl recover from her fever, and more importantly, how was it able to heal her condition so fast?"

Her eyes then fell onto the girl's hand, now devoid of the bright, glowing card that was once underneath her fingers. "Wait, the card that the girl had before... I remember my Mark telling me not to take that card for myself, but the bird must've touched it or something," Akiza deduced. "I bet that card gave whoever held it the ability to heal themselves, but it seems that the bird somehow picked it up for itself. I wonder what else it could do."

Then a soft moaning was sounded from beneath Akiza as she looked down at the girl with surprise. "Unbelievable! She's waking up!"

For the longest time, Tori could remember she had trouble waking up whenever she came down with a fever. She had this medical condition where couldn't stay in hot environments for a prolonged period of time because her body would react by becoming easily dehydrated, instantly running a high fever, and her breathing to slow down at a dangerous pace. It would normally take less than half an hour of constantly applying cool moisture to the forehead for her to feel a little better, but in the case of being stranded in a desert, it was something else entirely. She was close to succumbing to the heat, and neither she nor anyone else would know about it.

Usually, it was her mother's job to lay a cool, damp towel on her forehead a couple of times to alleviate the temperature, but in the desert heat, it would need a lot more than a cloth to bring down the fever. Yet, strangely enough, she found herself waking up from her unconscious slumber, fresh out of her illness like a growing bud in spring. Her eyes blinked open, and the first things she saw was the pitch black-and-red space of the Void, a rosy-haired young woman several years older, and a little bird on her chest about as big as her hand.

"Hey, are you alright?" the young woman asked Tori worriedly.

"Y-Yeah, I guess..." Tori mumbled, groggy and disoriented from the heat, "...but where... am I?"

Tori moved herself to lean upwards, but a very sharp pain in her head stopped her. The woman's growing doctor-in-training instincts kicked in by supporting the young girl by her back and gently laying her down. "Try not to move too much. I found you sleeping in the desert sunlight, and you were suffering from a high fever and an early stage of dehydration. Your fever may have gone down, but you're still suffering from the effects of the dehydration, so you need plenty of water, shade, and rest before you can even make a considerable recovery. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you suffer from a condition known as heat intolerance."

Tori kept breathing steadily, feeling the damp handkerchief on her head slowly lose its coolness. "Who are you... and where are we...?"

"My name is Akiza. Akiza Izinski," the woman introduced herself. "To answer your second question, I don't know where we are. Your guess is as good as mine."

"Akiza... Izinski..." Tori weakly said the name of the woman. "My name is Tori... Tori Meadows..."

"Tori Meadows. That's a beautiful name." Akiza put on a warm, gentle smile. "Well, Tori, it's a pleasure to meet you as well. It looks like we're both going to be good friends for the time being, huh?"

"Yeah... I suppose..." Tori agreed, her breathing suddenly labored.

"Now just take it easy, alright? You're too dehydrated to move a muscle, so you should get some rest."

"I can't rest now..." Tori muttered, delirium already setting into her frying brain by the heat. "I have to look... look for my... friends..."

"You're not going anywhere, Tori, not until you get plenty of fluids and rest," Akiza insisted.

"But I have to be there for him... I have to be there... for my friend... I have to... be there... for... Yu... Yuma..."

Mental exhaustion finally took its toll as Tori drifted off into unconsciousness. Akiza guessed that the bird's newly-acquired healing power could only heal people by a little, and the last words Tori spoke soaked well into her brain. She then turned to the bird with a desperate plea. "I suppose you can't use that healing power of yours on her again, can you? If you can't, then can you at least find someone or someplace that can help us?"

The bird-of-paradise nodded, flapped its wings, and flew in a random direction out towards the desert, leaving the two girls alone. With the bird gone, Akiza gently lifted Tori's upper torso to an incline and rested her in her arms, sporting a solemn face as the girl suffered from dehydration. "Yuma, huh? So that's the name of your friend, isn't it, Tori?" the Psychic Duelist spoke to the girl in a whisper. "Hang in there, Tori. I'll make sure that you get back to your friend. I promise."

---

Sahara Desert - Ancient Egypt

Turn 4: Bandit Leader Abbas (3000)

Hand: 1

"It's my turn now," Abbas said, drawing his card, "And thanks to the effect of my 'Beast Burial Ritual' I used last turn, I get to draw two additional cards."

Abbas drew his two new cards, inspected them, and a plan for a glorious victory was already underway. "I hope you are ready to suffer, peasant, because I'm activating the magic of my 'Beast Summoning Ritual'!"

From his hand, Abbas activated a Spell Card that took place at a sacrificial stone altar similar to the one from "Beast Burial Ritual", right before a set of giant chained doors slightly ajar. The rear views of "Swamp Battleguard," "Lava Battleguard", and an unknown "Battleguard" dressed in a tribal cloak were shown huddled around a sacrificial stone table. The binds tied around the table were becoming forcefully undone as the sacrificial offerings, "Nekogal #1" and "Soul Tiger" squirmed in the tight grip of the giant clawed hand of "Andro Sphinx" whose appeared was silhouetted from behind the door, save for the glowing red eyes and its arm reaching from between the opening doors.

"This card allows me to banish two weaker Beasts from my Graveyard," Abbas explained as two ethereal images of "Dark Desertapir", a dark-colored desert tapir with a set of abnormal human-like teeth appeared on both sides of the bandit, only disappearing in swirls soon after. "Next, I get to call forth a stronger Beast from my hand without having to sacrifice one of my powerful monsters, a Beast like my 'Yellow Baboon, Archer of the Forest'!"

After slapping the Monster Card down on his DiaDhank, Abbas called for a yellow-skinned baboon sporting a long and messy black mane, wearing a armor that was similar in design with the armor worn on the "Green Baboon", and it was just as adamant. Making an ape-like feral roar, the "Yellow Baboon" held up its bow and aimed it at Jaden's "Elemental HERO", pulling the drawstrings back and waiting its master's order to release the arrow. (2600/1800)

Swiping his arm, Abbas was far from done. "I am not finished just yet! Next, since each of my 'Dark Desertapirs' have been banished, I get to activate their special abilities!" he yelled as the Graveyard portal opened up in the desert as if on cue. "Since each of my 'Desertapirs' have been banished, I get to call forth a Beast monster from my Graveyard so long as their Level is four or below. As it so happens, I have two of them, and they are both my prized 'Berserk Gorillas'!"

Then, appearing from the Graveyard portal in two orange separate lights, there came an adult-sized gorilla, one that looked like any other gorilla except its eyes and its bared fangs gave off the first impression that it was literally a berserk gorilla. The first "Berserk Gorilla" to appear pounded its chest with its mighty fists before it settled on its owner's field (2000/1000), staring down its intended target along with its Summoned copy. (2000/1000)

"More monkeys again?" Jaden asked with disbelief. "Are you really a Duelist or are you an animal rights activist?"

"I am neither those things! These Beasts are only my servants, my pawns I use to achieve great power and even more!" Abbas boasted which aroused Jaden's suspicion. "And I'll keep adding more to that power with the magic of my 'Beast Fangs'!"

Abbas slapped down the Equip Spell Card in his DiaDhank's Spell & Trap Zone, a savage card depicting the a pair of false, fanged teeth complete with golden canines. "Thanks to the skewering bite of my fangs, I can add a a little more bite to my 'King of the Beasts' by raising its Attack and Defense Points by 300!"

The teeth appearing in the card's artwork disappeared, and then the human-like teeth in the mouth of the "King of the Beasts" steadily underwent a transformation. The blunt, grinding, and chomping teeth slowly elongated, transmogrifying into beastly, animalistic, and terrifying meat hooks that fit inside the "King of the Beast's" mouth, causing it to roar through the sensation of additional power coursing through its bones. (2500/800 + 300 = 2800/1100)

Jaden and Tristan gasped while the Bandit Leader only laughed at their reaction with a smug satisfaction on his face. "I understand that you doubted my absolute power, boy, so I will be generous and let you experience a taste of it by unleashing it on you and your monster! Now, 'King of the Beasts', devour that boy's 'Flame Wingman' and let the rest of my Beasts feast on his Life Points!"

Once more, the mostly hairy mass of a Beast scurried its way across the field on its skeletal legs, unhinged its jaw open wide and lunged at the "Elemental HERO Flame Wingman". "Looks your king's about to go hungry!" Jaden said, pressing the button on his Spell & Trap Zone, revealing his face Quick-Play Spell. "I play the Spell, 'De-Fusion'! Now I can return my 'Elemental HERO Flame Wingman' to my Extra Deck and then restock my field with the monsters used to Summon it!"

"You what!?" Abbas shrieked.

"So say goodbye to my 'Flame Wingman'..." Jaden said as his Fusion Monster disappeared just as the "King of the Beasts" chomped its teeth into the air, "...and say hello to our old friends 'Avian' and 'Burstinatrix' in Defense Mode!"

On Jaden's field, a pillar of fire erupted once more, except joining the towering inferno was a spiral of wind just one Monster Card Zone apart from each other. The spiral of wind called forth the "Elemental HERO Avian" who flew from the center of the spiral with its white wings, spun around, and struck a heroic pose before it crouched down into Defense Mode (1000/1000); and the pillar of fire which the "Elemental HERO Burstinatrix" appeared from was gracefully snuffed when the feminine hero struck a battle-ready pose before she too crouched down in Defense Mode (1200/800).

"Now that both of my monsters are in Defense Mode, you can't lay a paw on my Life Points, s take that!" Jaden challenged, which he instantly regretted when he noticed the Bandit Leader burst into bellowing laughter. "Uh, did I just miss the punchline somewhere?"

"You fool! You believe that your Life Points are safe because your 'Elemental HEROs' are on the defensive!?" Abbas asked, catching the Slifer Red off-guard. "I was hoping that you would switch them to Defense Mode because now I can activate the 'Roaring Earth' Trap Card!"

The Continuous Trap Card activated on the Bandit Leader's field was a Trap Card depicting the silhouette of "Green Baboon, Defender of the Forest", standing in the midst of a craggy mound, howling in the light of the pale crimson moon. "Now each time my Beasts attack a monster you have in Defense mode and its Attack Points are higher than your monster's Defense Points, you will take the difference as damage!"

"Oh no!" Jaden gasped.

"So he can damage his Life Points after all!" Tristan concluded.

"That's right boy!" Abbas said, gesturing towards the "Elemental HERO Burstinatrix" with his hand. "And once my 'King of the Beasts' feasts on your 'Burstinatrix', then you will bear the full brunt of his attack!"

The "King of the Beasts" changed its sights on the female "Elemental HERO', unhinged its jaws again, and lunged with a guttural howl. Jaden yelled for "Burstinatrix" too late when the "King of the Beasts" successfully snatched up its prey between its jaws, keeping her pinned in its mouth until it tightened its bite. The "Elemental HERO Burstinatrix" let out a pained how as the bite caused her to explode in its mouth, sending the damage back to Jaden out of his Life Points. (Jaden Yuki: 3750 - 1700 = 2050)

"I hope my 'Burstinatrix' gives you a royal case of heartburn, you overgrown throw rug!" Jaden yelled at the skull-faced monstrosity out of rage.

"I wouldn't worry about the fate of your fiery female friend, boy," Abbas interjected, "because things will get much worse for you, thanks to the second effect of my 'Roaring Earth' Trap Card. Now that my 'King of the Beasts' destroyed your 'Burstinatrix' in battle, one of your monsters loses 500 Attack and Defense Points."

"Oh no!" Jaden yelped, watching helplessly as his "Avian's" Attack and Defense Points dropped by the aforementioned amount. (1000/1000 - 500 = 500/500)

"And with your bird-man weakened," Abbas said, pointing at "Avian", "my 'Green Baboon' shall go in on the offensive!"

With a snarl coming from the throat, the "Green Baboon" leapt into the air towards the crouching "Avian", held its club upwards and swung it downwards. The club successfully slugged the "Elemental HERO Avian" in the head hard enough for the Warrior to explode on impact, sending the shockwave towards Jaden's direction that caused him to be flung back. Tristan watched in mouth-gaping shock as the Slifer Red was thrown backwards and landed in the sand on his back, knocking the wind right out of him. His body was covered with scuffs, there was smoke rising from his clothing, and his body ached with every little movement he tried to make. (Jaden Yuki: 2050 - 1900 = 150)

"Jaden! Are you okay!?" he asked worriedly.

"I'm fine," Jaden grumbled, clearly showing physical signs of intense pain that made everyone think otherwise. "I just need to get back up on my feet."

"Back on your feet? You can barely even move the way you are now," Abbas taunted. "There is no way you can win against me, especially since your Life Points are so close to zero. All it will take to end your suffering is if I allow one of my Beasts attack you, and then your soul will be consumed by the shadows. Once your body becomes a soulless little shell, I will allow my Beasts to consume it, and then, you will be joined shortly by that young defiler and that ridiculous hairstyle of his."

The two Shadow Bandits flanking their master chuckled darkly to each other, leaving Tristan to grit his teeth anxiously as he rolled his hand into a tight fist. "I can't believe I'm thinking this, but that bandit has a point, except the part about my haircut. Jaden's completely open for an attack, and he doesn't have enough Life Points left to survive this next round. Even if he does somehow Summon a monster this turn, it's not going to be help because his 'Roaring Earth' Trap Cards deals him damage, even if his monster's in Defense Mode. If Jaden gets hit by one more attack, then I'll be sent to shadows, and I'll never see Yugi, Joey, Tea, or Serenity ever again!"

"There's not gonna be any feasts for your Beasts, Abbas."

The Shadow Bandits and Tristan looked on with surprise as Jaden finally pushed himself up, ignoring each painful sensation that he felt as he stood on his own two feet. The Slifer Red stood firm, taking a moment to catch his breath before he turned his head up, a newfound determination sparked in his eye. "This game is still on, and I still have Life Points left. I know at first glance that I'm about to lose because I don't have as much Life Points as you do, but I'm not giving up. As I always say, the Duel's not over until the last card is played."

Abbas scoffed, followed with a condescending chuckle. "Is that so? Have you taken a good look at yourself lately?" the Shadow Bandit Leader challenged his young opponent. "You have no monsters to protect you, you have no cards in your hand, and you're a sitting duck ready to be devoured by my Beasts. What chance do you have against winning me?"

"I have a slim chance and a card on my field that can protect me from your next attack," Jaden answered, enthusiastically and honestly.

"On your field?" Abbas observed Jaden's field more closely. "I see. You must have a trap set for me to spring, don't you?"

"Maybe. Or maybe not," the Slifer Red answered innocent-like. "Who knows? It could be a card that could protect my Life Points or it could be a card that can destroy your monster. You'll never know what I have unless you try' but then again, that's just part of the fun isn't it?"

The Shadow Bandit Leader stopped and considered the boy's words. "Fun? You think this Shadow Game is all about fun?"

"Are you kidding me? Where I come from, Dueling is all about fun, not trying to destroy your opponents and gloating about being the strongest Duelist there is," Jaden taught the Shadow Bandits. "The real reason why I Duel sometimes is because it's a lot of fun. Even when things are tough and there's a lot at stake, and when I have to buckled down and get serious, I always find some way to have fun. If I was a Duelist who bullied people into thinking I was the best and Dueled them to prove it, then there's no real point in me Dueling anyone at all. If people use Dueling to send people to the Shadow Realm if they lose, then that's not a whole lot of fun, is it?"

Tristan couldn't help but feel inspired by Jaden's speech about Dueling. "Whoa. That's something that Yugi would say."

"Bah! What utter nonsense!" Abbas scoffed at the philosophy. "There is no such thing as fun when it comes to playing in a Shadow Game! In a Shadow Game, it's all about who survives and who gets sent to the shadows!"

"That's not true! Anyone can find some sort of fun when they're Dueling," Jaden argued. "Don't you have fun when you're Dueling? From what I've seen so far, you don't seem to enjoy this match that much."

This statement somehow triggered Abbas's anger, as his eyes widened with furiousness, his teeth grit with a growing rage, and a growl emanated from the back of his throat with clearly hostile intentions. "How dare you! If you really want me to enjoy this match more, I'll do so by finish you where you stand!" The Bandit Leader threw his arm out towards Jaden. "'Yellow Baboon'! Do as I command and strike down the remainder of his Life Points!"

The "Yellow Baboon" complied by releasing the arrow on its bow as it was shot directly towards Jaden.

"That's just what I was hoping for!" Jaden said so suddenly, pressing the button on his Spell & Trap Zones. "I knew you would eventually go ahead and attack me, and that's why I activate 'The Flute of Summoning Kuriboh'!"

The Quick-Play Spell depicting "Kuriboh" and "Winged Kuriboh" flying around a pan flute was flipped up. "Thanks to this handy little Spell, I get to call forth my good pal 'Winged Kuriboh' directly from my Deck!"

A bright yellow light illuminated from the middle of Jaden's Deck. Suddenly, Jaden's field was inhabited by the lone "Winged Kuriboh", who chirped with determination to protect his friend. (300/200)

"Are you crazy!?" Tristan yelped. "There's no way something with that little defense can protect you, Jaden!"

Abbas laughed at the appearance of "Winged Kuriboh". "You must be too desperate to think that little hairball can save you!" the Shadow Bandit bellowed with ridicule. "Now you and your weak monster will feel the sting of my 'Yellow Baboon's' arrow!"

The arrow continued to fly as "Winged Kuriboh" moved to intercept it. Just like Jaden, "Winged Kuriboh" had a resolve to keep the former Slifer Red on the field long enough for victory, even when the arrow finally struck it through and shattered it into shards. The arrow continued to fly, grazing through Jaden's shoulder, causing him to stagger back and make him fall to his knees.

"Oh no!" Tristan screamed at the sight.

Once again, the Shadow Bandit Leader laughed, this time at the fall of his opponent. "Now that you've used up your last pathetic defense, your Life Points have run out, and now your soul will belong to the Shadow Realm!" he shouted, noting the whimpering and the convulsions of his body. "What's wrong? Are you crying because you lost this Shadow Game trying to defend your friend? I can assure you, those who have lost before me had a better reason to..."

Abbas ceased his rant when Jaden's so-called whimpering grew into little chuckles. The Bandit Leader, his two minions, and Tristan watched with astonishment as Jaden continued to laugh, the volume slowly growing with each second as he stood up on his feet and swiped away the grazing on his shoulder like it was no problem. "What? How can he still be standing?" he asked himself. "Hey, stop this laughing now! You're supposed to be defeated, and yet you still stand, laughing in the face of your demise! Your Life Points should have dropped to zero by now!"

Jaden stopped his laughing, continuing to sport his carefree grin. "I hate to break it to you, but my Life Points are just fine, so I'm not going to the Shadow Realm any time soon."

"What!?" Abbas reeled back at the unforeseen development. "But how is this possible!?"

"Simple. Thanks to my 'Winged Kuriboh', when it's destroyed by battle, all further battle damage I take for the rest of the turn becomes zero."

"No!" Abbas screamed while his minions gasped.

"Thank goodness Jaden sprung that face-down card when he did," Tristan sighed with relief. "He almost lost this Duel by a hair, and I mean that literally."

"So that means that even if my 'Berserk Gorillas' attack you, you won't be harmed," Abbas seethed.

"That's pretty much the gist of it," Jaden answered, making the "Desert Beast" growl.

"You little punk! You only survived because that little weakling got in my way," Abbas insulted the fallen Fairy, clearly offending Jaden.

"Now hold on a minute! My 'Winged Kuriboh' is not a weakling, he's one of my best friends!" Jaden snapped back. "Just because he saved my life doesn't give you the right to call him weak or pathetic!"

Unamused, Abbas could only narrow his eyes with a deadpanning face. "We'll see who's weak and pathetic once my Beasts destroy you and what's left of your Life Points on my next turn."

"Yeah, we'll see!" Jaden placed his fingers on his card, closed his eyes, and concentrated. "Okay. This is it. This is the draw that will determine if I win or lose this Duel. There's so much riding on this Duel and I can't lose, but I'm not giving up either, not while a friend of a friend is in danger. I have to draw something that can turn this entire Duel around, and no matter how many times I'm backed up in a corner or lose, my Deck has never let me down."

The suspense was intensifying so much, everyone began to feel it in their bones. Tristan was practically at the edge of his seats; the two Shadow Bandits noisily breathed their growing anticipation; and the Bandit Leader Abbas still stood in his place, a frown set on his face.

Turn 5: Jaden Yuki (150)

Hand: 0

Jaden's eyes snapped open. "Here goes something!"

He drew his card, and immediately after seeing what card it was, he felt a glimmer of hope rush through him, forming a smile on his face. "Now that's what I'm talking about."

After hearing what his young opponent muttered, Abbas's face fell into surprise, along with Tristan and the two minions as Jaden declared his move. "Since I have no other cards in my hand, I can Summon my 'Elemental HERO Bubbleman'!"

After slapping his Monster Card on his Duel Disk, one part of Jaden's field erupted in a geyser of bubbles, calling forth a slightly portly "Elemental HERO" wearing a navy blue suit, a white cape, and a mask that left only its smile exposed. Its gadgetry armor consisted of twin water tanks on its back, which allowed the water to be transferred through a series of hoses through its armor, to its kneecaps, and a high-pressurized water cannon that rested on its right arm, aimed at Abbas. (800/1200)

Abbas only scoffed at the strength of the opposing monster. "Only a pitiful 800 Attack Points? What harm could that hero of yours possibly do to my Beasts?"

"It's not what my 'Bubbleman' can't do, it's what he can do," Jaden replied, placing two fingers on his Deck, "and what he can do is allow me to draw two new cards since I have no other cards on the field."

Jaden drew his two cards, inspected his hand, and saw that he drew the Spell Card "Miracle Fusion", and his prized "Elemental HERO Neos" card. "Sweetness! Check this out, Abbas!" he shouted gleefully, holding the Spell Card up for everyone to see. "I play the Spell, 'Miracle Fusion'!"

Abbas drew back in shock. "'Miracle Fusion'!?"

"Yep, and it's gonna pull off a much-needed miracle for me!" Jaden said as he activated the Spell Card, the card depicting two humanoid figures, one blue and one red, swirling around the "H" insignia in the center. "Now I can create a more powerful 'Elemental HERO' by combining the right monsters that's on my field and in my Graveyard!"

"In your Graveyard!?" The Bandit Leader staggered back as panic overtook him. "This cannot be possible! This has to be against the rules!"

"Sorry, pal, but hasn't anybody told you? That's how the game works!" A bright light glowed from the sandy ground as Jaden's "Elemental HERO Sparkman" and his "Elemental HERO Burstinatrix" arose from its luminous depths. "I'm bidding my farewells to my 'Sparkman', and my 'Clayman' but it's all good because I can combine their elemental powers to create a new hero! A hero that's gonna really blow up in your face!"

"Sparkman" glowed yellow and "Burstinatrix" once again glowed red, and they each swirled around each other and danced in a spiral of two primary colors until they mixed themselves into a bright light. "Ladies and gentlemen, I give you my newest addition to my team! The 'Elemental HERO Firestorm!'"

Then, as if on cue, there in the light came a shape of a humanoid silhouette, embedded with gleaming orbs of orange-red light on its forearms, shoulders, and the face, and the insignia for nuclear energy on its chest glowing the same dangerous color. When those lights gleamed bright enough, there emerged an able-bodied "Elemental HERO" in a crimson red spandex suit with glowing orange lightning patterns on its legs and arms, clad in an armor made from a superconductive gold-and-copper mix alloy where the nuclear symbol and the orbs were placed. On its back was a couple of portable nuclear reactors with the nuclear rods dipped in cold bubbling water. Peering from behind its orb "eye" on its hood, the "Elemental HERO Firestrom" held its alloy gauntlets in a couple of fists, pumping one of them back, and then outward, crackling with fiery electricity. (2000/1000)

"Ha! I've thrown the most brutal of attacks your way and you barely survived, but you went through all that trouble just to bring out another weak monster!" Abbas hollered at his young opponent as his new monster descended on his field. "You've made a grave mistake on your part, you fool! Even if your new monster destroys one of my 'Berserk Gorillas', it will be destroyed along with it! Then you will be left all alone as easy prey for my Beasts! You've lost, boy! Why don't you admit that for all your heroisms, you couldn't even save yourself from my wrath!"

Jaden smirked. "Good question, why don't I?"

Abbas was initially bemused by what Jaden had meant by that statement. "I'll tell you why, because I'm going to win this Duel, and my monster is gonna do that for me," he said, gesturing towards his Warrior. "Since I Summoned my 'Elemental HERO Firestorm' this turn, he can destroy all monsters on the field, then you'll take damage for each non-'Elemental HERO' monsters destroyed multiplied by 500."

"Wait, I control five monsters on the field," the Shadow Bandit Leader observed his five Beasts with growing fear. "Then that means...!"

"That means you're taking a grand walloping total of 2500 points coming right at you!" Jaden pointed at the field. "So how do you like your Beasts, Abbas!? Medium or well-done!?"

Complying to its owner's implied command, the "Elemental HERO Firestorm" leapt up in the air and hovered, making the opponent gasp. The water that contained the nuclear fuel rods bubbled and boiled as the rods themselves glowed orange-red, transferring the nuclear energy all over the suit, and allowing the orbs and the symbol for nuclear energy glow. Then the "Elemental HERO" in question gathered brought his armored hands close together, allowing them to crackle with lightning as they formed a growing ball or raw nuclear power in between its palms. As the ball got bigger, everything glowed the same kind of color, shocking the Shadow bandits, awing Tristan, and making the Beasts grumble and groan in helplessness.

"It's... impossible!" Abbas cried.

"Oh, it's possible! And I'm gonna show you how possible it is!" Jaden shouted, declaring his next move. "Go, Elemental Fallout Burst!"

The ball became so big, it was like seeing the sun up close and personal. The "Elemental HERO Firestorm" then yelled as it threw down the nuclear energy ball to the ground, allowing the impact to engulf everyone and everything in its range, taking the humble "Bubbleman" down in the blast, but in turn destroying the Beasts that opposed it. Abbas watched in horror as his Beasts were evaporated in a blast that made their last screams echo into oblivion.

"This cannot be! All of my precious Beasts have been destroyed in one fell swoop!" Abbas screamed.

"That's not all!" Jaden pointed out, catching his enemy's attention. "Don't forget that since five monsters were destroyed due to my 'Firestorm's' special ability, you're taking 2500 points of damage!"

Abbas gasped as the blast increased its radium to his field, engulfing him in the same intense heat that did his monsters in, causing him to scream. (Bandit Leader Abbas: 3000 - 2500 = 500)

"And with no other monsters left on the field to protect you, you're wide open to be dethroned!" Jaden yelled. "Go, 'Firestorm'! Attack that bandit directly with Radioactive Rush!"

The "Elemental HERO Firestorm" rushed into the field, getting in close range to Abbas which frightened him greatly. Hovering over the Dueling field, the nuclear "Elemental HERO" gathered up as much nuclear energy into its right gauntlet until it was engulfed in the orange-red aura and threw out a punch, one that successfully landed an uppercut on Abbas with enough force to send him flying backwards, screaming before he landed on the sand flat on his back, covered in steam, bruises, and scuffs.

(Bandit Leader Abbas: 0)

(WINNER: Jaden Yuki)

Smiling, Jaden applied two of his fingers (his index finger and his middle finger) to his forehead. "And that's game!" he said, swinging his fingers out towards his fallen opponent. "Those were some pretty slick moves there! We have got to do this again sometime!"

"LEADER!"

The victorious Slifer Red dropped his smile and watched with curiosity as the two Shadow Bandit goons quickly dismounted their horses and rushed to the side of their fallen master and leader. The last attack completely knocked Abbas clean of his breath, and he could barely sound a grunt without his lungs feeling like they were punctured. "Don't worry, master, it does not matter to me if he defeated you using cheap, underhanded tricks," the first Shadow Bandit vowed, his fist shaking. "We will have to send him to the shadows ourselves!"

"And this time, we will be the ones who will take him on, two against one!" the second Shadow Bandit said, unsheathing his scimitar, along with the first.

"No... leave him be..."

The two Shadow Bandits flinched at their master's single, raspy command as he stood up, clutching his aching belly. "But leader..."

"I said leave him be...!" Abbas barked, making his goons stand back while he limped past them towards a puzzled Jaden. "No one... has ever defeated me in a Shadow Game before... and that's saying something... since I was the strongest warrior and the leader... of the Shadow Bandits..."

Evidently, the pain was so great in Abbas's belly that he cringed, causing him to double over and fell to his knees, prompting Jaden to check up on him. "H-Hey, are you alright? Do you need a doc-"

Jaden moved his hand to the Bandit Leader's shoulders, only to be stopped with his minions rushed over and held their scimitars up to his face. "That's enough from the both of you...!" Abbas growled at the dark-cloaked duo, making them draw back and re-sheathe their blades. "I have been blind... I have only cared about becoming the best... and I have sent so many souls to the Shadow Realm to prove it... but now my pride has caught up to me... and soon I'll disappear from this world."

Abbas looked up to the Slifer Red with pleading eyes which grew a seed of sympathy within him. "You, Jaden Yuki... you have shown me how to have fun in a Shadow Game... even if it's not a game where we wager our souls... so before I depart from the mortal plane... the one thing I need to know from you is... how do you do it? How do you have fun... even when you are backed into a corner... in a game where the stakes are so high...?"

Jaden gave the departing man a gentle smile. "It's easy. When I'm Dueling someone who uses skill, power, even a tricky combo that renders every move I make useless, I always put a lot of heart and my faith into my next draw," he explained from his heart, even holding his hand to his chest for emphasis.

"Here's what I believe, bro. I've been backed into a corner more times than I can count, and I can name a few instances when I lost a Duel, but I don't play to be proud, bully other people, rely on too much power or treat your own monsters like puppets just to prove I'm the best. That's just not my style. The only reason why I have fun Dueling is because Dueling is so much fun. Even when the odds are against you, and you're facing down a super tough monster that can wipe out the rest of your Life Points in one single attack, all it'll take for you to win is to have enough faith in your Deck and in yourself, and that one draw can change the outcome of your Duel."

Jaden drew the top card from his Deck, and sure enough, it was "Winged Kuriboh" which he was happy to present with a goofy smile. "You see? Your Beasts are a part of your Dueling Deck, and they're as special to you as you are to them. I know losing everything you owned and love was just one of the many bad things to happen to you before, but if you only believed in yourself a little more, then you would've come out on top and showed the world that you're still in it to win it. You know what I'm saying? Nope?"

Tristan watched with awestricken aspiration as he heard all of Jaden's heartfelt speech to the fallen bandit Leader, and what it did was remind him of his Duel with Duke Devlin and Serenity Wheeler against the misanthropic mechanical menace that was Nesbitt. "I know what you're saying a hundred percent, Jaden. I had to play against some pretty high stakes too a long time ago and I lost, but at least I was able to give my friends a chance to win against a common enemy of ours because I believed in them... just like how I believe in you, too."

It seemed at first that Abbas was stricken by Jaden's speech, as his eyes glimmered with wonder and regret. "I lacked the faith in myself... and in my friends..." The crestfallen, yet enlightened head bandit used the rest of his strength to stand up. "Thank you, Jaden... thank you for your words of wisdom that have touched my heart..."

Jaden bashfully rubbed the back of his head. "Aw, come on, it was nothing."

A devious smirked spread across the Shadow Bandit's lips as his hand clutching his stomach reached for the scabbard of his sword. "Yes, Jaden... I shall remember those kind words as I depart from this world..." Before anyone knew it, Abbas gripped Jaden's free arm tightly, catching him off-guard as he unsheathed his scimitar. "...and take you along with me! Yaaahhh!"

Tristan gasped. "Jaden, watch out!"

Jaden couldn't pull away from Abbas's iron grip fast enough to dodge the scimitar. Just as the sword could harm a hair on Jaden's head, the scimitar glowed a golden illumination, and in an instant, the blade of the sword quickly decayed, evaporating into a fine golden dust. Abbas dropped the sword out of fright and unconsciously released his grip on Jaden's arm, watching in dread as his sword decayed from the tip of the blade and trailing down to the scabbard, and finally disappearing altogether.

"No... what magic is this? How could my sword have vanished?" Then the Bandit Leader's face fell into terrified confusion. "Wait a minute, when did I even have a sword in the first place?"

Jaden backed away the first instance that the Shadow Bandit unhanded his arm, meeting with Tristan who ran over to him. "Hey, are you alright, man?"

"Don't worry about me, I'm fine," Jaden said as he and Tristan looked at the trembling Shadow bandit Leader. "I can't say the same thing about him, though."

Abbas fell to his knees, completely and utterly confused about the complicated turn of events that frightened him. "What's happening? I know I had a sword before, but I cannot remember ever having one!" All of a sudden, he felt his body temperature rise from the inside, and he looked down to his hands. "Wait, why am I feeling like my body's on fire?" His eyes widened to their full width as his hands began to glow the same golden illumination, revealing faint lines that represented the blood veins flowing through his hands. "And why am I glowing!?"

The glow from his hands began to decay, each second his hands starting to disintegrate into the same gold dust that took his sword, and it spread up through his arms, all over his body and the clothing that concealed it, and finally up to his unshaven face. Overwhelmed with terror, Abbas screamed bloody murder as his hands began to evaporate into oblivion, scaring everyone a foot back and the horses on their hind hooves as his arms and shoulders began to evaporate as well. Jaden and Tristan watched with gaping horror, and the other two Shadow Bandit minions stood back and watched helplessly and horrifyingly while their master was being disintegrated right before their eyes.

"Leader!" the first Shadow Bandit screamed.

"What's happening to you!?" the second Shadow Bandit yelled.

"HELP ME! SOMEONE HELP ME!" the Bandit Leader Abbas cried out helplessly as he reached up with his evaporating arm towards the heavens above. "PLEASE HELP ME, I BEG OF YOU! I CANNOT GO TO THE REALM OF THE SHADOWS! I'LL DO ANYTHING THAT YOU WISH FOR ME! I'LL SERVE UNDER YOUR STRICT WATCH UNTIL THE REST OF THE DAYS! I'LL FIND SOMEWAY TO CHANGE MY WAYS, BUT PLEASE DON'T PUNISH ME BY MAKING ME DISAPPEAR FROM THIS WORLD! YOU MUST GIVE ME ANOTHER CHANCE!"

The last words of the former Shadow Bandit Leader echoed off into silence as the rest of his body vanished in a glowing flurry of gold dust rising up in the air. Jaden, Tristan, and the two Shadow Bandits just stood by with newfound shock as the person completely disappeared from them. All that was left from the gold dust was a single card, and that card was the "King of the Beasts", lying in the sand without an owner to wield its might.

"What was that all about?" Tristan asked.

"I don't know," Jaden replied. "One minute, that guy was here and the next..."

Jaden gasped; his mind was totally wiped clean of the guy he just Dueled... wait, was he Dueling someone a moment ago?

"Hey, what's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost," Tristan discreetly said.

"Hey, wasn't there a third guy who was here with those two? 'Cause I'm drawing a blank here," Jaden asked the teen, pointing to the two cloaked figures.

"I'm not sure. I think there was someone there, but..." Tristan clutched his head. "This is confusing. I remember being chased by those goons a little while ago, and I can't remember if there was a third guy with them."

"There must have," Jaden said, pointing at the black Egyptian stallions. "Look, there are three horses there, but only two of them have their riders."

Tristan took a good look at what Jaden perceived. "Yeah, you're right. If two of those horses already have owners, then where's the third one?"

"I don't know, but maybe..." Jaden pondered a theory in his head, and then gasped at the realization that smacked him head-on. "Maybe this is what happens when we lose a Duel in the Void. Maybe that's part of the Controller's Ultimate Shadow Game!"

The two Shadow Bandits stood over the lone "King of the Beasts" Monster Card, completely scared and confused.

"What's happening? We were supposed to follow a leader into the desert, but now I cannot remember if we had a leader or not!" the second Shadow Bandit said in a stuttering voice.

"There must be some wicked sorcery at play here! There has to be!" the first Shadow Bandit jumped to an unsupportive conclusion when he looked around the desert and his concealed eyes fell onto Jaden. "YOU! You must've did this! You must've conjured up some mind-altering magic to make us forget!"

"Who, me? But I didn't do anything to you guys!" Jaden tried to reason with the bandits.

"Liar!" the first Shadow Bandit yelled, unsheathing his scimitar. "You will pay for this treachery with your soul!"

"No! We must retreat back to our hideout!" the second Shadow Bandit said, placing his hand on his shoulder.

"Stay out of this!" the first Shadow Bandit snapped at his comrade. "He is only a child, and he must be punished!"

"Listen to me! The Shadow Bandits are now without a leader! Without a leader, then the Shadow Bandits will dissolve like sand in water! Don't try and take this boy on when we know that he possesses a strange and dangerous magic! We won't win!"

The first Shadow Bandit glared and growled at Jaden, but even he knew that trying to battle him would be fruitless. "You live only because of luck!" he said, sheathing his sword as he and his comrade quickly mounted their horses and held the reins tight. "The next time we meet, boy, that is when you will be sent to the shadows with your own magic!"

The two Shadows Bandits whipped the reins, and the stallions turned and galloped over a sand dune and out of sight. The only people remaining were Jaden, Tristan, and the ownerless black stallion that snorted and shuddered its head while the teens gathered around and collected their thoughts. "Well, that's just great," Tristan complained. "Not only are we stuck here in the Sahara, but we have no idea where to go now."

"I wouldn't be too sure about that, Tristan," Jaden said. "We still have a horse, and I have a destination in mind."

"Oh really? How?"

"It's a long story. You wouldn't believe me."

"At this point, I can believe just about anything right about now."

While the two teenagers conversed, they were completely oblivious to a certain flying avian no bigger than the palm of their hands. The little bird-of-paradise from the desert oasis hovered in the air as it closely observed the Shadow Game between the boy and the opponent whose name, face, and appearance was completely wiped away from existence. The bird-of-paradise then watched the two Shadow Bandits beat a hasty retreat from the two boys by mounting their horses and turning them towards the direction of the oasis where Tori and Akiza were resting, so it figured now was a good time to turn and fly over to the oasis to inform them.

But the bird-of-paradise wasn't the only one who watched the match from afar. There was another individual standing on a sand dune away from anyone's sight, carefully watching and calculated Jaden's Dueling from the cards he played to the strategies he concocted. He wore a white hooded jacket with a red and golden lines on his shoulders, the length reaching down to his ankles, and long enough for it to wear around him like a cape or a cloak.

"So it looks like the Supreme King has finally understood the magnitude of the Ultimate Shadow Game," the cloaked individual said, his eyes glowing crimson from the shadows of the hood as he observed Jaden and Tristan another moment longer. "You can try to save as many people as you can from becoming lost in the Void, Jaden, but sooner or later, you'll have to keep Dueling your way back to home, even if you didn't have choice in the matter."

A gust of wind carried a dust cloud of sand to the figure's right. The cloaked figure took advantage of this by backing into the backing up in the raised updraft of sand, becoming a silhouette that disappeared into the cloud. When the sand cloud finally settled, the figure was gone, returning back from whence he came.

---

Sahara Desert Oasis - Sahara Desert - Ancient Egypt

"Here, we go," Akiza said, making the last of her weave, to which she happily gasped. "There! It's all done!"

Plucking the palm leaves from the other palm tree, Akiza weaved a bowl with the leaves, designed to hold as much water the bowl could carry, never allowing a single drop of water to escape. She left a couple of slips open near the top of the bowl to create a weaving handle made with the scraps of the leaves. Just like how she could weave her father's necktie in a jiffy, Akiza weaved that bowl from the palm trees in under ten minutes with no problem. "Now, let's see if all my hard work paid off."

Akiza quickly dipped the bowl in and scooped up as much of the oasis water until it reached at the level of the handles. To her satisfaction, not one drop of water trickled or leaked from in between the weaves. "Perfect! Now we have a portable container of water to keep us hydrated," she said with pride as she returned to Tori, kneeling next to her as she plucked her handkerchief off of Tori's head. "Now if only I could a freezer or some shelter nearby, we can definitely use that to accelerate your healing a lot quicker."

As the Psychic Duelist dipper her handkerchief in the water, she heard the flapping of small wings and the chirping of a small bird. She looked to the source of the sound, and sure enough, she spotted the magical bird-of-paradise returning from its scouting mission. "Oh, it's you. Looks like you came back in one piece," Akiza said with a feeling of relief. "Did you find anything out there that could help us?"

The bird nodded and chirped. "Really? That's good to hear. Maybe you could take us there?"

The bird nodded and chirped once again. Akiza tied the woven strings of the bowl around her neck, letting her craft dangle with the weight of the water holding it down, and gently placed the slumbering green-haired girl on her back. She allowed Tori's arms to hug her just below her breasts, hand her hands locked in place by her intertwining fingers. With her arms, Akiza held the girl up by her seat and started to follow the little bird step by step. "Hang on tight, Tori. It looks like you're in for a long piggy-back ride."

While she walked, Akiza looked back at the unconscious girl by her peripherals, observing the way she was peacefully sleeping with the moist rag on her forehead. A subconscious sister-like smile spread across her lips while emanating a gentle hum from her throat. "I bet you must miss your friends back home, don't you, Tori?" she whispered to the girl, receiving no response from her. "Don't worry, once we find a place to stay to help with your recovery, we'll find a way to get you back home. I'll give up my body and soul just to help you return safely. That I'll promise."

And still Tori continued to rest. Her mind was still unconscious, but her subconscious captured every word the older woman said to her. Once she wakes up, Tori will have acknowledged Akiza Izinski as a temporary guardian, sister figure, and a dear friend.

---

Sahara Desert - Ancient Egypt

"What do we do now, Jaden? We're gonna be stuck in this desert until we can somehow get back to our own eras," Tristan noted.

"Yeah, no joke," Jaden nodded. "Because if we don't find a way back home, we'll never stop the Controller from reactivating that E.N.D Cannon and destroying the entire universe with it."

Tristan nodded in accord, and he and Jaden gazed up at the red sun glowing in the darkness of the Void, the enemy hidden in plain sight and biding his time. "That's assuming we can find a way home. I have a gut feeling that there is no other way that Tristan and I can return to our eras, and with the Controller watching our every move and the last Duelist I've face being completely wiped from my memories, the stakes couldn't be any higher. If I need to stop the Controller, I have to find a way back, make sure my friends are safe, and then make sure that he gets his game on for good!"

And like all gut feelings that dropped in his stomach, Jaden felt like the cold red eyepieces of the Controller's mask watching him from above like a secret agency watching every moment of his waking life.

TO BE CONTINUED...

---

FEATURED CARDS

JADEN YUKI'S CARDS

-NORMAL MONSTERS-

Elemental HERO Avian
(WIND/Level 3/Warrior/1000/1000)
A winged Elemental HERO who wheels through the sky and manipulates the wind. His signature move, Featherbreak, gives villainy a blow from sky-high.

Elemental HERO Burstinatrix
(FIRE/Level 3/Warrior/1200/800)
A flame manipulator who was the first Elemental HERO woman. Her Burstfire burns away villainy.

Elemental HERO Clayman
(EARTH/Level 4/Warrior/800/2000)
An Elemental HERO with a clay body built-to-last. He'll preserve his Elemental HERO colleagues at any cost.

Elemental HERO Sparkman
(LIGHT/Level 4/Warrior/1600/1400)
An Elemental HERO and a warrior of light who proficiently wields many kinds of armaments. His Static Shockwave cuts off the path of villainy.

-EFFECT MONSTERS-

Elemental HERO Bubbleman
(WATER/Level 4/Warrior/Effect/800/1200)
If this is the only card in your hand, you can Special Summon it (from your hand). When this card is Summoned: You can draw 2 cards. You must control no other cards and have no cards in your hand to activate and to resolve this effect.

Elemental HERO Necroshade
(DARK/Level 5/Warrior/Effect/1600/1800)
Once, while this card is in the Graveyard, 1 Level 5 or higher "Elemental HERO" monster you Normal Summon can be Summoned without Tributing.

Winged Kuriboh
(LIGHT/Level 1/Fairy/Effect/300/200)
You take no battle damage from battles involving this card. If this card on the field is destroyed and sent to the Graveyard: For the rest of this turn, you take no battle damage.

Yubel (spirit)
(DARK/Level 10/Fiend/Effect/0/0)
Cannot be destroyed by battle. Your opponent takes all battle damage from battles involving this face-up Attack Position card. During your End Phase: Tribute 1 other monster or destroy this card. If this card is destroyed, except by its own effect: Special Summon 1 "Yubel - Terror Incarnate" from you hand, Deck, or Graveyard.

-FUSION MONSTERS-

Elemental HERO Firestorm
(LIGHT/Level 7/Warrior/Fusion/Effect/2000/1000)
"Elemental HERO Burstinatrix" + "Elemental HERO Sparkman"
Must be Fusion Summoned and cannot be Special Summoned by other ways. When this card is Fusion Summoned: Destroy all face-up monster(s) on the field except this card, then inflict 500 damage to each player for each non-"Elemental HERO" monster(s) destroyed this way. Halve any battle damage this card inflicts your opponent the turn you activate this effect.

Elemental HERO Flame Wingman
(WIND/Level 6/Warrior/Fusion/Effect/2100/1200)
"Elemental HERO Avian" + "Elemental HERO Burstinatrix"
Must be Fusion Summoned and cannot be Special Summoned by other ways. When this card destroys a monster by battle and sends it to the Graveyard: Inflict damage to your opponent equal to the ATK of the destroyed monster in the Graveyard.

-SPELL CARDS-

De-Fusion
Quick-Play Spell
Target 1 Fusion Monster on the field; return that target to the Extra Deck, then, if all the Fusion Materials that were used for its Fusion Summon are in your Graveyard, you can Special Summon all of them.

H - Heated Heart (in hand)
Normal Spell
Target 1 face-up monster you control; until the end of this turn, it gains 500 ATK, and if it attacks a Defense Position monster, inflict piercing battle damage to your opponent.

Miracle Fusion
Normal Spell
Fusion Summon 1 "Elemental HERO" Fusion Monster from your Extra Deck, by banishing Fusion Materials listed on it from your side of the field or your Graveyard.

Polymerization
Normal Spell
Fusion Summon 1 Fusion Monster from your Extra Deck, using monsters from your hand or your side of the field as Fusion Materials.

The Flute of Summoning Kuriboh
Quick-Play Spell
Add 1 "Kuriboh" or 1 "Winged Kuriboh" from your Deck to your hand, OR Special Summon 1 "Kuriboh" or 1 "Winged Kuriboh" from your Deck.

-TRAP CARDS-

Hero Barrier
Normal Trap
Negate 1 attack from an opponent's monster. You must control a face-up "Elemental HERO" monster to resolve this effect.

Hero Signal
Normal Trap
When a monster you control is destroyed by battle and sent to the Graveyard: Special Summon 1 Level 4 or lower "Elemental HERO" monster from your hand or Deck.

BANDIT LEADER ABBAS'S CARDS

-EFFECT MONSTERS-

Beast Striker
(EARTH/Level 4/Beast/Effect/1850/400)
Once per turn: You can discard 1 card; Special Summon 1 "Moja" from your Deck.

Berserk Gorilla x2
(EARTH/Level 4/Beast/Effect/2000/1000)
If this card is in face-up Defense Position, destroy this card. This card must attack if able.

Dark Desertapir x2
(EARTH/Level 2/Beast/Effect/1100/300)
If this card is banished: Target 1 Level 4 or lower Beast-Type monster in your Graveyard; Special Summon it.

Green Baboon, Defender of the Forest
(EARTH/Level 7/Beast/Effect/2600/1800)
If this card is in your hand or Graveyard when a face-up Beast-Type monster you control is destroyed and sent to the Graveyard (except during the Damage Step): You can pay 1000 LP; Special Summon this card.

King of the Beasts
(EARTH/Level 7/Beast/Effect/2500/800)
If this card is in your hand or Graveyard: You can Tribute 1 face-up "Moja" you control; Special Summon this card. There can only be 1 face-up "King of the Beasts" on the field.

Moja
(EARTH/Level 1/Beast/Effect/100/100)
When this card is destroyed by battle and sent to the Graveyard: You can target 1 Level 4 Beast-Type monster in your Graveyard; add that target to your hand.

Yellow Baboon, Archer of the Forest
(EARTH/Level 7/Beast/Effect/2600/1800)
If this card is in your hand when a face-up Beast-Type monster you control was destroyed by battle and sent to the Graveyard: You can banish 2 Beast-Type monsters from your Graveyard; Special Summon this card.

-SPELL CARDS-

Beast Summoning Ritual
Normal Spell
Banish up to 2 Level 4 or lower Beast-Type monsters in your Graveyard; this turn, you can Normal Summon 1 Level 5 or higher Beast-Type monster without Tributing.

Card Destruction
Normal Spell
Each player discards their entire hand, then draws the same number of cards they discarded.

-TRAP CARDS-

Beast Burial Ritual
Normal Trap
Target 1 Beast-Type monster you control; destroy that target, and if you do, draw 2 cards during the next Standby Phase.

Roaring Earth
Continuous Trap
If a Beast-Type monster you control attacks a Defense Position monster, inflict piercing battle damage to your opponent. If you inflict battle damage to your opponent with this effect: Target 1 face-up monster your opponent controls; that target loses 500 ATK and DEF. (This remains even if this card leaves the field.)

OTHER

Crossover
Field Spell
At the start of this Duel; force this card's activation from your hand or Deck. If each player controls 1 copy of this card, this card gains this effect:
● Cannot be targeted by, or destroyed by card effects. If any player activates a Field Spell Card; that player can place that Field Spell Card underneath this card (min. 1). This card's name becomes the name of the card placed underneath this card, also it gains its effects. (Each player can only have 1 Field Spell Card placed under 1 copy of this card. During either player's turn, if a player activates a new Field Spell Card while a player controls 1 copy of this card with a Field Spell Card placed underneath it; that player must send that card to the Graveyard.)