My Little Duelist Volume 2

by Baldwin17

After the grand tournament that was Duelist Kingdom, the meeting of Rebecca Hawkins, the defeat of the Big Five and the meeting of Duke Devlin, it seemed like life was back to normal for Twilight and her friends in Domino City. But not all peace can last forever, as a new darkness approaches the city of games.

3. Chapter 2: The Shattered Puzzle

Chapter 2

"The Shattered Millennium Puzzle"

Within the warehouse, the duel for the Millennium Puzzle continued. 'I may have a 1000 life point lead, but I have to find a way to regain control of this duel, and win back my Millennium Puzzle. I just wish I didn't have to do it on my own. I sure could use my friends right about now.' Yugi thought. "Make your move, Yugi, it's going to be all over, anyway. You're just prolonging your defeat. It's actually quite pathetic. Stare at your deck all you like, there's not a card in there that can stand up to Zera the Mant. This duel is practically over!" the puppet master stated before Yugi drew his next card.

'He's right. The Koumori Dragon isn't strong enough to attack Zera. So I'll have to use it for defense.' the boy thought. "I set my monster in defense mode." he said aloud before doing so. "It's your move." he concluded. 'I knew it. His deck is weak. Just like a rodent in the coiled grasp of a rattlesnake, little Yugi can struggle all he likes but he won't escape. He may have beaten Pegasus in Duelist Kingdom, but he'll find that dueling me will be a much more difficult challenge.' the puppet master thought before making Keith draw his next card.

"First I play Seiyaryu in attack mode." he said before his monster, a level seven, Light attribute dragon with 2500 attack points and 2300 defense points, appeared. "And for my next maneuver..." he added before the mechanical claw under Keith's sleeve swapped one card for another. "I place this card facedown." he continued before doing so. 'I'll unleash its wrath when the time is right.' he thought. "And now, last but not least, Stop Defense! Forcing the monster you played in defense mode to switch to attack mode!" he continued before the Koumori Dragon switched into attack position. "My Koumori Dragon!" Yugi shouted.

"Is revealed, and since it's now in attack mode, I can destroy it. Zera the Mant, Jagged Claw Attack!" the puppet master declared as his powerful beast decimated Yugi's dragon, dropping his life points to 400. "The end is near, little Yugi." he concluded. 'And with your end will come a new beginning, my beginning. For soon, I will be the wielder of that Millennium Puzzle!' he thought while Yugi looked down at his Millennium Item. 'There's no way I'm letting this mind-controlling freak get his hands on my Puzzle!' he thought before turning back toward his opponent.

"This duel's not over! Whoever you are, I'll never give up!" he said aloud and determined before drawing his next card. "I'm placing a monster in defense mode." he added before doing so. "Your feeble defenses bore me. Seiyaryu, attack with Razor Flare Blast!" the puppet master said before his dragon incinerated Yugi's set monster, the Mystical Elf. "I'll also set two more cards on the field." he added before setting them. "And switch Zera the Mant to defense mode." he continued as his mighty creature went on the defensive. "Confused? This move will become clear to you soon enough." he concluded before Yugi drew his next card.

'Now this is more like it.' he thought. "I set this card facedown, and then I'll summon the Dark Magician in defense mode!" he said aloud as his favorite monster appeared. "And finally, I play Magical Hats to hide him!" he added before the hats appeared and hid the Dark Magician from view. "Now you'll have to find my Dark Magician in order to attack him." he concluded

"I should've seen that coming. Oh, wait, I did! So I'll play Remove Trap! Sorry, Yugi, but Remove Trap allows me to disable your trap card. So say goodbye to your Magical Hats, and hello to your Dark Magician!" the puppet master stated before the Magical Hats were promptly destroyed. "Oh, no! My Dark Magician's exposed!" Yugi shouted. "And now I'll play this, it's a magic card called Curse of Fiend, Yugi. It forces all of the monsters on the field to switch from whatever mode they're in to the opposite. So therefore, all monsters in attack mode go to defense mode and vice versa. And since I put Zera in defense mode on a previous turn, it switches to attack mode now. And so does your Dark Magician!" the puppet master said before both his monsters switched battle positions, along with Yugi's Dark Magician.

"Zera, attack now!" he commanded as his monster went on the attack, but that was the moment Yugi needed to spring his trap. "Nice try, but now I activate Mirror Force! It'll reflect Zera's attack right back at you!" he declared as the attack was reflected. "I'll block your reflection with a little Solemn Judgement!" the puppet master retorted as the reflected move was countered. "No way! How did you block my Mirror Force's reflection?!" Yugi asked in shock. "Solemn Judgement is another of my rare and powerful cards. I have to give up half of my life points to use it, but in exchange, I'm allowed to remove the last card my opponent played, be it monster, spell or trap. Your Mirror Force is shattered!" the puppet master answered before his life points dropped to 250, the Mirror Force was removed, the Dark Magician was destroyed, and Yugi's life points dropped to 100, all at once.

"It may have cost me 250 life points, but that's a small price to pay, because now, Yugi, I'm one attack away from winning your Puzzle." he added. Meanwhile, Yami Bakura stood outside the warehouse. 'I know the Millennium Puzzle is beyond those doors, but my ring is sensing stronger mystical energies than it's ever sensed before. Dark energies from the Shadow Realm.' he thought before entering onto a catwalk. 'I'm getting closer. I can feel it.' he thought before looking down and seeing the duel in progress. 'What's this? A dueling arena? They're battling for the Millennium Puzzle.' he thought in bafflement before Yugi reached for his deck. 'Okay. Come on, deck, I believe in you. I know you'll come through for me.' the boy thought, putting all his faith in his next draw before pulling his next card and liking what he found.

"I'm placing this card facedown. And I'll set a monster in defense mode." he said aloud. "Now, let's see what you've got." he concluded. "You'll regret those words, little Yugi. You may have gotten this far, but my patience is growing thin. It's time to end this duel and claim the power that is mine!" the puppet master responded. "You'll never get my Millennium Puzzle!" Yugi shouted as the mechanical claw gave the mind-controlled Keith a new card. "Guess again. I play Tribute to the Doomed." the puppet master retorted. "Whoa! That's one of the rarest magic cards in the game!" Yugi said in shock, knowing that the only person he knew with a Tribute to the Doomed card was Rebecca Hawkins. "Very perceptive, Yugi. Tribute to the Doomed is one of my personal favorites. It allows me to annihilate any monster you have on the field!" the puppet master said before a mummy appeared and its bandages rushed toward Yugi's defensive monster, only for the boy to spring another trap.

"Better think again!" Yugi shouted before flipping his card, revealing it to be the Living Arrow. "It can't be!" the puppet master said in shock. "It is! The Living Arrow, it can take any magical effect thrown at me and fire it, right back at you!" Yugi responded as the arrow appeared, launched itself at the bandages, and reflected them right at Zera, causing it to be wrapped and destroyed. "No! Zera!" the puppet master shouted as his best monster was dragged to the graveyard. Upon the catwalk, Yami Bakura watched on. 'Fascinating. It appears the Shadow Magic energies I detect are within Yugi's opponent. Bandit Keith is just a puppet, under the control of an evil master.' he thought. "Well, this puppet show is over. For I alone shall possess the Millennium Puzzle! Ring, sever the strings that bind this man! Free his mind from the Shadow Realm!" he said aloud.

In moments, Bandit Keith was set free, while the puppet master took notice. 'What happened? My Millennium spell over Keith has been broken! But how? Only another Millennium Item can sever a connection so strong!' the puppet master thought. "Where am I? And what on earth am I wearing?" Keith asked. "It looks like your unbeatable Zera the Mant is ancient history! Now it's time for me to win this duel once and for all and take back my Millennium Puzzle!" Yugi declared, unaware that Keith had snapped out of his trance. "Yugi Muto? What are you doing here?" Keith asked before the puppet master tried to regain control over the man. "Bandit Keith! You're back!" Yugi said in surprise.

"Keith, your resistance is pathetic. You belong to me now, so pick up those cards and win me that puzzle, like a good mind slave." the puppet master ordered as he raised a staff or rod that had the Eye of Anubis on it, but Keith kept fighting. "There's someone inside my head!" the former intercontinental champion shouted. "Shut up and duel!" the puppet master commanded. "Keith?" Yugi asked. "GO AWAY!" Keith shouted. "Keith, tell me, who's the one trying to control your mind?" Yugi asked, desperate to try and help. 'I must regain my power over this fool. Whoever's weakening my control must also be after the Millennium Puzzle.' the puppet master thought as he tried to get Keith back under his command.

"No! Stop! Leave me alone!" Keith shouted before screaming. 'I will not allow someone else to take what is rightfully mine!' the puppet master thought, clearly not happy with what was going on, before finally getting some control over Keith. "I'm back! Before I lose complete control, I've got to destroy it! If I can't have this Puzzle, no one can!" he declared as he made Bandit Keith leave his player box and run across the field before forcing him to grab the Puzzle. "NO! Keith, wait! Don't!" Yugi shouted, pleading for him not to do what he feared he would do, but it was to no avail as Keith, under the control of his evil master, SHATTERED the Millennium Puzzle.

"My Puzzle! NOOO!" Yugi shouted as the pieces fell. "Perfect. Now, no one else shall take my prize." the puppet master said, pleased with what happened. "No, stop! Go away!" Keith shouted before the madman regained control once more. "I'm back again!" he said in triumph before Bakura swung down from the catwalk on an overhead hook. "That's quite enough of that!" he shouted before tackling the mind-controlled Keith, knocking him off the edge of the field before falling and causing Keith to knock himself out before Yugi hopped down from his player box. "Where'd you come from, Bakura?" he asked. "Hi, Yugi. Fluttershy told me what happened." Bakura answered before picking up the pieces of the Puzzle. "Oh, my. Keith sure did a number on your Millennium Puzzle, didn't he? Well, better shattered than stolen, I suppose." he added. "Yeah, I guess you're right." Yugi admitted before taking the pieces.

"It took me forever to put it together the first time, but at least I have a chance to try. Who knows? Since I did it once already, maybe this time, it'll be easier." he added. 'And once you complete it, I'll be there to take it away. But in order to make sure that no one stands in my way again, I'll need to, manipulate, a piece of the puzzle.' Yami Bakura thought before doing exactly as he planned. 'Yugi, you're such a naïve fool. You have no idea of the ancient powers the Puzzle contains within. Magical powers that, when combined with the six other Millennium Items are so incredible. Whoever possesses them shall rule the world. Powers that will soon belong to me, once I collect all of the items, one by one. My Millennium Ring will track them down so I can unlock the mystical energies that were imprisoned in these objects long ago in the age of the Shadow Games.' he continued with a chuckle.

'The pharaoh and his loyal minions thought they could banish the power forever by dividing it up among the Millennium Items and hiding them away across Egypt. But the time has come for me to claim them all for myself, and the Millennium Puzzle is no exception. Ring, transfer a portion of my spirit into this piece of the Puzzle, so that I may be forever near its ultimate power.' he continued before doing just that, transferring a portion of himself into the puzzle piece. 'Unbeknownst to Yugi, a part of me will be infused within the Puzzle. From this one piece, I'll be able to explore the inner chambers of its mystic components, and one day soon, claim it for myself.' he concluded. "Yugi, you missed this one piece." Bakura said before handing the tampered puzzle piece to Yugi. "Thanks a lot, Bakura. The last thing I need to have happen is for me to lose a piece of the Millennium Puzzle." Yugi responded.

"Yes, I know. You can't complete it without them all." Bakura concurred before climbing down from the arena. "Thanks again. You totally saved the day." Yugi said, gratefully. "Sure." Bakura replied before landing on his rear. "You okay?" Yugi asked. "Yes, I'm fine. I better get back to school." Bakura answered. "I'll be right behind you as soon as I put the Puzzle back together and unhook the chain." Yugi called. But while Yugi set to work, Keith received a rude awakening. "Arise, you worthless buffoon! It seems the duel is not yet done. You could still win the match, and claim my prize!" the puppet master ordered, but Keith fought back. "Stop! Stop talking to me!" the poor former champ shouted before picking up a pipe and started swinging wildly. "Where are you?! Show yourself!" he shouted. "Obey me and duel!" the puppet master demanded, but Keith kept swinging like a crazed lunatic.

"Keith, stop! Wait!" Yugi shouted, witnessing the whole thing. But then, it happened. Keith struck an electrical generator, causing the cables to snap and destroy cans of gasoline, creating a massive fire. Meanwhile, Yugi's friends continued to search for him. "Dagnabbit, these arrows are starting to make this whole mission completely ridiculous!" AJ shouted. "You're right, someone's playing us for jokers!" Joey concurred. "I wonder if the thief put up these arrows, to throw us off, like if we were in a maze." Tea pondered. But then, they all saw smoke rising into the air. "Guys, look! Smoke! And where there's smoke, there's fire!" Rainbow shouted. "You're right. We better see if anyone needs help." Tristan suggested. "Then gain way for the fire brigade!" Pinkie shouted. Meanwhile, Yugi saw the blaze intensifying.

"Oh, no! I've got to get my Puzzle unhooked and get out of here!" he said before trying and failing to get the pipe and his Puzzle loose. "It's no use, the pipe's put in there too firm and deeply, and I don't have the combination for the chain. Worse yet, this fire is spreading really fast!" he said before finding that one way out was blocked. "Guess I can't get out through the windows, this could be the end of me. And of Yami!" he said in worry. Meanwhile, the group had arrived at the scene of the fire and heard Bandit Keith calling for them. "Hear that? Sounds like someone's trapped in there!" AJ pointed out. "Hold on! We'll try to get you out of there!" Twilight called. "Rainbow, AJ, Joey, Tristan, you guys come with me and help anyone trapped inside, the rest of you get help and call 911!" Spike stated. "Okay, Spikey-poo. But be careful." Rarity concurred before kissing him for good luck. With that, the group began their rescue mission.

"Careful, yawl, that door handle could be burning hot!" AJ warned. Taking that advice to heart, Joey tried to kick the door open. Inside the burning warehouse, Yugi was trying to put his Puzzle back together. "I have to finish the Puzzle. I'm the only one who knows how to solve it, but my time is running out. I need to focus. If I can solve the Puzzle, I might save Yami. So even if I don't make it out, at least he will." he said, determined not to lose his ancient friend. Outside, the group was getting ready to bust the door down. "Okay, on three!" Joey said. "One!" Spike said. "Two!" Rainbow added. "Three!" Tristan finished before they ran at the door, but it didn't come down. They tried again and again, desperate to get in. Meanwhile, Yugi was close to solving the puzzle as the warehouse started to come down around him. "Just a few more!" he said, desperate to put his Millennium Item back together.

"AJ, I know you're stronger than that." Joey said. "Darn tootin I am! Now this time, as hard as possible!" AJ responded before they all finally broke the door down. "We're in! Anyone in here?!" Spike shouted. They soon got an answer when they saw Bandit Keith run past them, shouting about the warehouse being haunted. "Was that me, or did we all just see Bandit Keith run past us?" Rainbow asked. "Seeing is believing, I guess." Tristan answered. "Never mind him, let's make sure that there's no one else in here!" AJ advised. The group cautiously moved forward. "Is anyone in here?!" Joey shouted. They all soon found their answer when they saw Yugi putting his Puzzle back together. "It's Yugi!" Spike shouted.

"What in tarnation are you doing, Yugi?! Let's get out of here!" AJ shouted. "I can't! The Millennium Puzzle was shattered and I have to put it back together!" Yugi responded. "You sure all this smoke hasn't gone to your brain?" Tristan asked. Finally, Yugi puts the final piece of the Puzzle into place. "Yes! It's back together!" he said in triumph, but the heat ultimately made him pass out before the rescue team got to him. "Yugi, are you okay?" Joey asked. "He's out cold, the heat must've made him pass out." Spike said. "Well, we got to get out of here, fast!" Tristan suggested. "My... Puzzle... Can't leave... Without it..." Yugi said before passing out again. "Well, since the Puzzle means so much to you, let's get it loose. Joey, Tristan, grab a pipe, put it through the loop and pull like you mean it!" AJ said. "I'll try to help you get the chain or the pipe a bit loose." Rainbow added. "And I'll grab Yugi's deck!" finished Spike.

Outside, the girls returned. "Tristan, Joey, Rainbow, AJ, Spike, can you hear me?!" Tea called. Meanwhile, Spike managed to grab Yugi's deck. "Any luck with that chain, girls?" he asked. "No good. Not only is the chain thick, but it's also got a combination lock." Rainbow answered. Outside, the girls continued to shout out to the rescue team. "Hurry up in there, guys! The fire's gonna engulf the whole warehouse!" Twilight shouted. Inside, time was running short. "Yugi, with or without the Puzzle, we got to get out of here before we're fried to a crisp!" Rainbow stated. "Can't... Leave... Save the Puzzle..." Yugi said before losing consciousness again. "Face it, he won't go anywhere without that Puzzle. Tristan, Joey, find a pipe yet?!" Spike said. "Yeah, right here. Tristan, give me a hand." Joey said before they put the pipe through the loop. "On three!" Tristan said. "One!" AJ shouted. "Two!" Tristan added. "Three!" Joey finished before they all started to pull with all their might.

It took a lot of effort, but at last, the Puzzle was loose. Outside, the fire department was fighting the blaze. "Please hurry, our friends and boyfriends are in there." Fluttershy pleaded. At last, the rescue team ran out with Yugi in tow. "Oh, goodness! Yugi!" she shouted, relieved that her boyfriend was safe. "Don't worry, he's safe now." Spike said with a confident smile. "You're a real hero, Spikey." Rarity said with tears of joy. "I would've done the same for you, Rarity." Spike responded before the two shared a kiss. "The Millennium Puzzle seems to be safe, as well." Twilight pointed out. "Spike, you're not the only one who was a hero today. You, me, Tristan, Rainbow and AJ. We're all heroes!" Joey stated, proud of their accomplished rescue mission.

Later, at Domino General Hospital, Yugi was in recovery. "Well, the Millennium Puzzle is safe at last." he said with a sigh of relief. "So are you, Yuge." Joey pointed out. "How can I ever thank you guys let alone repay you for saving my life back there?" Yugi asked. "Hey, where we come from, we always put our lives on the line to save the ones we care about." Rainbow said with a confident smile. "You're right. That's what friends are for." AJ added. "AJ, your idea was simple, but brilliant, based on what you described once we got here." Rarity pointed out. "More importantly, I just want to know who was putting Bandit Keith under mind-control. And better yet, how they did it." Twilight said. "My guess, another Millennium Item. But the question is, which of the seven was it?" Spike responded. "The Puzzle is right here, the Millennium Eye was stolen, the Millennium Ring is who knows where, and according to what Fluttershy and Yugi told us before we left Duelist Kingdom, the Millennium Key is with this Shadi character." Rarity said. "Maybe it's one of the other three items. But which one?" Twilight pondered. "I know! We'll think about it over lunch! I always wondered what hospital food tastes like." Pinkie suggested, causing a couple of the others to just roll their eyes.

"Fluttershy, are you okay? You seem quiet." Tea asked. "Huh? Oh, I'm fine. It's just been a long day. I'm gonna go get some air." Fluttershy answered before exiting the room. But she stopped upon leaving. 'I'm glad that Yugi's safe, but I'm still concerned. Someone's after Yugi's Millennium Puzzle, and based on what Yugi told us, this person uses mind control because they took over Bandit Keith's mind and controlled him like a puppet. I almost lost him today. Ever since the day Yugi put that Puzzle together the first time, long before I met him, and bonded with Yami, three different people have tried to get their hands on it. First Pegasus, then Yami Bakura and now this mystery man. But something's telling me that, this time, Yugi could be in more danger than before. And I have a bad feeling that this time won't be the last time that this mystery man goes after Yugi and the Millennium Puzzle.' Fluttershy thought, knowing that this time, more than a tournament and a few souls were going to be put on the line. MUCH more.