Deirdra awoke the next morning to Raphael banging on her door. "Get dressed. We have a date with the Pharaoh", he said when she opened it. She obeyed immediately. She could tell by his tone that he didn't like to be kept waiting. They then took an elevator to the roof, where Alister had a helicoptor ready to go. Raphael slid open the door and climbed in, followed by Deirdra, who shut and latched it behind them. She was surprised to see that Raphael had chose to sit in the back, leaving the seat next to Alister, who was pilot, unoccupied. Whether this was a calculated move on his part or he simply wished to be alone, she couldn't tell. But since she didn't envision him playing matchmaker, she assumed the latter to be the case. She slipped into the vacant seat and fastened her seatbelt as the helicoptor lifted off. Once they were safely outside the city, away from any tall buildings, Alister put it on auto pilot and leaned back, propping his feet on the dashboard. Catching a glimpse of Deirdra's incredulous expression before he closed his eyes, he said "Try having a room next to Valon. You'd need a nap too". "We're a thousand feet above Earth, in a moving vehicle, and you're going to sleep?", Deirdra hissed. Alister shrugged and said nothing. Deirdra looked to see if Raphael was going to do anything about it, but all he said was "Relax". She heaved an exasperated sigh and turned to stare out the window. Before long, she too was sound asleep.
She woke with a start when the helicoptor touched down. Raphael wasted no time in opening the door and jumping out. He didn't seem the least bit nervous about this duel. In fact, he radiated confidence and a sort of quiet determination. Deirdra wondered how he did it. She had only dueled Yugi once, at Duelist Kingdom, and the outcome had been a devasting loss on her side. Yugi had been able to anticipate her every move and even more amasingly, had been able to block her attacks, negate her spells, and avoid her traps with energy and life points to spare. Needless to say, she was glad she wasn't the one facing him today. She wished Raphael luck. He would need it, even if he didn't think he would. "Are you ever going to move? Raph's going to have a fit", Alister said, looking at her with annoyance. She hadn't realised that she'd zoned out. She started to exit the helicoptor but, looking back at Alister, who was still strapped in his seat, asked "You're not coming?" "I have better things to do than play cheerleader. Now shut the door. You're letting the air conditioning out", he answered. She shut it alright. She SLAMMED it, cursing him under her breath, as she stomped off after Raphael.
"Where are we?", she asked him, a few moments later. "The Mojave Desert. Near Death Valley", he replied, without looking back. It was easy enough to believe. They were surrounded by nothing but dry, crusty ground, sand, and a blazing sun in the cloudless sky above. The helicoptor was already out of sight. They trekked for about a quarter of a mile before Raphael came to a stop. There before them was a canyon, over which hung a suspension bridge. At the opposite end of it was Yugi, astride a white horse. He dismounted and walked across the bridge to meet them. His gaze met Raphael's. "My associates are satisfied with stealing your friends' souls. I'm not", Raphael said. "I have kept my end of the bargain. Now you must keep yours by releasing the professor", Yugi said, ignoring his previous remark. "He's already been freed. But as you came all this way, you might as well stay a while", Raphael replied. Deirdra was lost. What were they talking about? Who was the professor? She then let out a small cry as Raphael whipped two axes out from under his trench coat and threw them. They passed Yugi narrowly on either side, and hit the posts of the bridge, cutting the ropes. The bridge fell, preventing Yugi from retreating had he wished to do so. "Time to surrender your soul, Pharaoh", Raphael said. Deirdra gulped. What would happen now?