The Heat Is On
It wasn't called the Cave of Flames for nothing. The heat was intense, but not to Max or Emily. They were adaptable to all different kinds of temperatures hot and cold. The boys couldn't take the heat like they could, but they pushed on. They would get used to the heat as they would explore the tunnels.
Link stopped as he saw a mine cart. It hadn't been used in a long time, but it looked like it was still in good condition. "Hey, guys, maybe we can use this to get around."
"Link, it's a mine cart, not a go-cart," Emily told him. "Besides, we can't all fit in that."
"Come on, guys," Link said, climbing in.
"Link, get out of there," Kaiba ordered.
But Link wasn't listening. Once he climbed into the cart, it took off like a racecar, speeding on the tracks.
"Link!" everyone shouted. They ran, following the tracks. Thankfully, Link didn't get too far away. The cart stopped at the end of the tracks and Link tumbled out with Ezlo and Chiruta.
Max saw this and said, "And this is why seat belts were invented."
"This is also why they make you wear helmets," Emily added.
Yugi went over to Link and made sure he wasn't hurt. "Link, are you okay?"
Link was still laughing. He certainly didn't expect the cart to just take off like that, but it sure was exhilarating! "You guys gotta try this thing!"
But once again, Ezlo didn't share the boy's enthusiasm. "Why are you smiling like that, boy?"
The others agreed with Ezlo. Riding that cart was like riding a roller coaster and Emily hated roller coasters. Plus, the cart didn't have the safety features she and Max pointed out.
Link quickly pulled himself together and saw another mining cart. "Come on, let's do it again!"
"Yeah, that was fun!" Chiruta cheered.
"Don't you dare!" Kaiba snapped.
But it was too late. Link had already climbed in and just like before, the cart rocketed away. "This is awesome!" Link screamed.
Unfortunately, the tracks were heading over a pool of lava and the path was broken. The cart didn't have enough speed to make it across and ended up falling.
"Link!" everyone screamed.
Suddenly, Ezlo inflated himself like a parachute, using the hot air to carry Link back to safety.
Link wouldn't stop laughing, despite the danger he had just put himself, Ezlo, and Chiruta in. "That's a neat trick, Ezlo!"
But Ezlo wasn't in the mood for any praises. "Are you trying to kill me?!"
Even the others started scolding him. "Are you outta your mind?!" Joey shouted. "You almost got yourself, Ezlo, and Chiruta killed! Don't you ever stop and think before you act? Jeez!"
Link finally stopped smiling. "At least we made it back safely, didn't we?"
As true as that was, the heroes had to remind Link of his carelessness. "You're so childish," Kaiba reprimanded. "You've got to think before you act. From now on, you'll listen to us before you decide to do anything reckless. Understand?"
Ezlo agreed as he shot Link a glare of disappointment. Seeing how angry everyone was, Link sighed and apologized. He also remembered how his martial arts teacher reprimanded him in the same way earlier this morning. This caused Link to realize that he truly was reckless and undisciplined.
Seeing the look of shame on Link's face, Yugi figured that maybe the boy had learned his lesson. So he patted his shoulder and said, "We'll forgive you this once, but please be more careful."
He sighed dejectedly. "I will."
With that being settled, the heroes proceeded to search for the Fire Element. They were also starting to feel less bothered by the heat. A few minutes later, they came upon an idol holding a cane. But it wasn't an ordinary cane. "That's the Cane of Pacci,; a magic item made by our ancestors," Chiruta explained.
Joey took the cane from the idol. "How does it work?"
"Wave it at those jars," Chiruta instructed.
Joey did so and the magic of the Cane caused the jars to turn over. "Hey, that's pretty cool."
Kaiba immediately wanted it. "Hey, Wheeler, let me have that."
"What? No way," the blonde lad objected.
"Come on, you know I'm more skilled in magic than you are," the brunette argued.
"I could be just as good if given the chance," Joey boasted.
But Kaiba wouldn't give up. "Just let me hold on to it for a while."
Joey gave it some thought. He had to admit, Kaiba had a point about being more skilled in magic. After all, he was descended from royal Egyptian sorcerers. The blonde lad reluctantly handed over the Cane of Pacci.
The brunette grinned in satisfaction. "We'll take turns, okay?"
"Okay," Joey said in agreement.
Suddenly, there was a rumbling sound and the whole area began shaking. "Whoa, what's that?" Link asked.
Max looked down. "There's something in the lava pool!"
That was when a large monster appeared. It was Gleerok, a lava dragon with rock-like armor covering its body. Max used her Freeze spell, sending a barrage of ice chunks, but Gleerok withstood the attack. "His armor is too thick," Max observed.
This gave Kaiba an idea. He pointed the Cane of Pacci towards Gleerok and its light caused the rocky shell to turn over. Crushed by the weight of the shell, Gleerok couldn't move. This was the heroes' chance. Link and Yugi used their swords to strike Gleerok in the back.
A cloud o steam began covering the area, but it didn't take long for it to clear. When it did, everyone saw that Gleerok's form had changed. Now it no longer had the rock-like armor. It was a lava serpentine creature with pink skin and bright red eyes.
"I'm guessing this is Gleerok's true form," Yugi figured.
"I wonder if a curse was placed on it; turning it into a monster," Kaiba mused.
"I think you're right," Max agreed.
Joey chuckled. "Gleerok looks like it could be the Loch Ness Monster's lava cousin," he joked. Gleerok happily purred and gave of the heroes a smooch, as though thanking them for breaking the curse. Then a red orange crystal appeared. It was the Fire Element!