Chapter 19
"The Invisible Enemy"
Yami was running for the lives of his friends and family, having recently learned Marik sent his Rare Hunters after them. 'My friends and grandpa are in danger. I've got to find them before Marik's Rare Hunters do!' Yugi thought. However, the chase came to a halt when two Rare Hunters stood in his way. "Going somewhere? If you want to reach and save your friends and grandfather, you'll have to get past us, first." said one. "Taking on us both will be no easy task." said the other. "Listen carefully; I WILL GET PAST YOU!" Yami declared.
"Sorry, but the only way to get past us is to defeat us both in a handicap duel, two against one." said the first Rare Hunter. "Sorry, but we have strict orders from master Marik." said the second. "So, a two on one handicap duel sounds fair. He can't beat us both at once." said the first, confidently. "Two on one, three on one, it doesn't matter! I WILL defeat anyone who stands in the way of me helping my friends and family!" Yami snapped. "Then how about we make it an even fight?" asked a familiar voice. And to Yami's surprise, it was Seto Kaiba.
"Kaiba?" Yami asked, surprised. "This tournament doesn't allow handicap duels, but tag team duels are acceptable." Kaiba stated. "Very well, then." said the second Rare Hunter. "That means we'll win both of your Egyptian God Cards at once." said the first as Kaiba readied his deck. "You won't win, you got that? But the rule still stands that the losers will hand over their rarest cards and locator cards to the winners. Now if you two are foolish enough to think you can take our Egyptian God Cards away, you obviously don't know who you're dealing with." Kaiba responded.
"And as soon as you two are out of the way, Marik will be down two stooges, and then I can focus on dueling you, Yugi." he continued. "We'll see." Yami responded. "Alright, then it's time to begin this duel." said the first Rare Hunter. "And I assure you, master Marik will get what he wants, for once we defeat you, he'll have all three Egyptian God Cards!" added the second. "Then let's go! It's time to duel!" Kaiba declared as all the players' Duel Disks activated, their hands were drawn and their life points each set to 4000. "Alrighty, then. We'll let you go first, Kaiba." the first Rare Hunter said.
"Conquering you two chumps won't be a problem at all. Trust me." Kaiba said confidently before drawing. "I'll play Pot of Greed and add two new cards to my hand." he said before activating said card and drawing two new cards. "Next, I'll summon the Lord of Dragons!" he added before his monster appeared. "Now, I'll add, not one, but two Flutes of Summoning Dragon!" he continued. "That means he can summon four dragons to the field at once!" shouted the second rare hunter. "Glad to see you're not an amateur, because one flute can summon only two dragons, whereas two flutes can summon four! Now, behold the awesome strength of three Blue-Eyes White Dragons!" Kaiba stated before his three ace monsters appeared.
"And for the fourth dragon, I summon the mighty Hyozanryu!" he added as said dragon appeared. "I told you this wouldn't take long." he concluded as his five monsters stared the Rare Hunters down. "Good, because I must get past them and find my friends and grandfather, before Marik can get his hands on them." Yami said. "I hope you two realize that this is just the beginning of what's in store for you. Because it only gets better, so please feel free to forfeit the duel at any time." Kaiba said to the two worried Rare Hunters as the first one drew. "No. I'll set a monster in defense mode and let Yugi have a turn." he said.
"Very well." Yami said upon drawing and looking at his hand before choosing two particular cards, one of them being Multiply. "I'll set two cards face down." he added. "Is that the best you can do, Yugi? If that's really all you can do, I'll really look forward to battling you myself." Kaiba stated. "Never mind that, let's just end this." Yami responded. "It'll be over soon, and our duel can truly begin." Kaiba said. "First I must make sure my friends and family are safe. Now let's get on with this duel. I set Kuriboh in defense mode." Yami responded before his famous fur ball appeared. "Now, Rare Hunters, make your move." he concluded.
"Well, you must have a plan to deal with those dragons before us." the first Rare Hunter suggested to his partner, who simply nodded. 'As a matter of fact, I do. And once this plan destroys them, we'll hand both of their Egyptian God Cards to master Marik.' he thought before drawing. 'Mirror Force, just the card I need for our victory.' he thought before setting it. "First thing I'll do is set this card face down, and then a monster in defense mode." he said at last. "If you're trying to set a trap, you're wasting both your time and mine." Kaiba said, smugly.
"Caution is key, Kaiba. Rare Hunters can be cunning, cunning enough to sometimes cheat." Yami advised. "Relax, Yugi. I'm about to end this duel." Kaiba responded. "End it?" Yami asked. "Stand back and observe. Now, prepare to meet a creature unlike any you've seen before. I hereby sacrifice, my three Blue-Eyes, all three of my great beasts, so that I can summon my Egyptian God Monster! An almighty creature that served as a soldier for Serket in Egyptian mythology and knows no equal!" Kaiba responded as his three dragons were sacrificed, and Obelisk stood in their place. "Behold, the absolute power of my own Egyptian God Monster!" he declared, unaware that Rainbow was up on a nearby rooftop, watching the battle below.
"What in the name of Equestria is THAT?!" she said in shock as she started to record footage with a body camera that was on her person. "Tremble before the invincible Obelisk the Tormentor!" Kaiba demanded as Yugi and their opponents looked on in shock while Kaiba laughed in triumph. "You're no match for my ultimate monster, now watch as I activate Obelisk's special ability! I sacrifice my remaining two monsters to increase its power to infinity!" he added as his monsters were sacrificed. Even Kuriboh was breaking up over the selfish sacrifice of its fellow Duel Monsters creatures.
"Now, Obelisk will destroy both of you!" Kaiba declared as Obelisk's power destroyed the face down monsters both Rare Hunters had placed. "He's wiped out our defense!" shouted the first Rare Hunter. "Now, Obelisk, finish them off!" Kaiba commanded. "Sorry to disappoint you, but Mirror Force will reflect Obelisk's power right back at you!" the second Rare Hunter revealed as he activated his trap. "I'm afraid that no traps cards or spells work on Egyptian God Monsters! Now feel the power of Obelisk's Fist of Fate!" Kaiba revealed as Obelisk completely SHATTERED the Mirror Force wall, causing an explosion that blew both Yami and Kaiba's opponents and even Rainbow Dash back.
'I better show the video to the others when I get the chance. And if Fluttershy told me about Slifer over the radio, I better tell her about this second Egyptian God monster.' she thought as she turned on her radio. "Fluttershy? It's Rainbow. You might want to know this..." she began to say. Down on the ground, Kaiba was laughing in triumph. "Victory is ours! You two are finished!" he declared. "I appreciate your assistance, Kaiba. Now I must find my friends and my grandfather." Yami stated. "And after that, we duel." Kaiba pointed out before Yami ran up to the first of the two downed Rare Hunters.
"Tell me now, where are my friends and my grandfather?!" he demandingly asked, but the poor man was out cold. "Yugi, don't walk away without taking your prizes first. You locator card, and one of their rarest cards." Kaiba said as he tossed one locator card over to Yami, giving him a total of four. "I must make sure that my friends and family are alright." the Nameless Pharaoh said plainly before taking one of the rarest cards the two downed Rare Hunters had and starting to run off.
"Hold on." Kaiba said, bringing Yami to a stop. "I already told you, I can't duel you right now, Kaiba!" the King of Games snapped. "Mokuba, no doubt Yugi's friends and grandfather are in danger of being attacked by the Rare Hunters. Contact headquarters and tell them to use our satellite to track the location of that runner-up, Joey Wheeler. Wherever he is, the others will be there, too. And then, if they're being held by the Rare Hunters, have our enforcers, if they're available, meet us at that location." Seto instructed his brother. "Thank you, Kaiba." Yami said, grateful.
"I'll help you find that little family of yours, just be ready for our duel afterwards." Kaiba responded, to which Yami nodded. "Our satellite should home in on Joey's Duel Disk in no time." he added before he, Yami and Mokuba, continued on their way. Unaware that the two fallen opponents had gotten back up. "It worked. Master Marik is about to get his wish, everyone is almost in place." the first Rare Hunter said with a grin.
Elsewhere, Mako Tsunami was catching some lunch. "A catch like this proves I'm the greatest fisherman in all the world!" he declared before he accidentally slips on the steps and falls into the pool where he made his catch and ended up coming face to face with an orca whale, who the fish were meant for, indicating that Mako was accidentally taking fish from an attraction at the Domino aquarium known as Ocean World and nearly becoming its lunch.
"What do you think you're doing?!" shouted the whale trainer. "I was just trying to catch some lunch when this orca appeared right in front of me after I fell in the water!" Mako explained. "This is an aquarium, and you were stealing his lunch! I'm feeling sick enough as it is, now get out!" the whale trainer responded. "A thousand apologies, I was just trying to catch my daily meal!" Mako said as he tried to avoid getting eaten by the orca. "Well, get out of the pool before you become a meal!" the whale trainer suggested before she started to faint.
"Are you alright?" Mako asked as he jumped from the orca's mouth and landed on his feet to catch her. "Got you." he said as he set her down gently. He then felt her forehead and found that she had a fever. "You're burning up. You really need to rest." he said. "But what about the Ocean World show?" the trainer asked before standing and pointing to a poster of her in a yellow bikini performing a flip off of the muzzle of the orca whale in the pool. "I have to be in it." she added before starting to faint again. "Not in the shape that you're in." Mako said as he held her up.
"But I'm the only person the whales will listen to." the trainer responded. But then, Mako had an idea. "Fear not, as a fisherman whose a friend toward all of the ocean's residents, I'll take over for you." he said kindly. Meanwhile, Marik was nearing the of city. 'Soon, I will be at the center of Battle City. Then it won't be long before the limitless power of the Nameless Pharaoh himself belongs to me. Meanwhile, the power of the Millennium Rod had triggered the Millennium Ring, alerting Yami Bakura. 'I sense a familiar dark energy. The same force that controlled Bandit Keith, and my ring detects another Millennium Item approaching. I'll be sure to add it to my collection. Soon, I shall possess all seven.' he thought before some familiar faces showed up behind him.
"Hey, Bakura!" Tea called. "What's up, man? You hear to check out the competition?" Tristan asked. "Oh, hey guys. So, tell me, how's the tournament progressing so far?" Bakura asked. "Great. I already scored four locator cards. All I need are two more and I'll be in the finals!" Joey responded as he showed his locator cards. "That's quite impressive. But where's Yugi?" Bakura asked. "We've been looking all over for him. I'll bet he's probably in the middle of a duel as we speak." Tea responded. "I can just picture it, me and Yugi in the Battle City finals, battling in the rematch of the century!" Joey stated, clearly wanting to beat Yugi and, possibly, take the title of world champion from him.
"Aren't you getting ahead of yourself? There are gonna be other people in the finals, too." Tristan pointed out. "Yeah, and I need to beat a couple more Duelists to get there, first." Joey responded. "Hey, check it out! Look at that poster for Ocean World. Isn't that Mako Tsunami?" Tea asked. "Yeah. Shouldn't he be dueling instead of performing with Shamu?" Tristan pondered. "Well, you saw the poster too?" asked a familiar voice. It was Fluttershy. "Yeah, you weren't going there, were you?" Joey asked back. "Well, I love animals, and there may be a duel that happens outside of the Ocean World entrance, so I'd have to be there to keep the crowds going." Fluttershy responded.
"And while you make sure crowds don't block the entrance, I'll be challenging Mako to a duel." Joey stated before heading off towards Ocean World. "Finals, here I come!" he declared as everyone started to follow him. But as they ran off, Yami Bakura reappeared. 'Play your childish games and enjoy them while you can. For I have a bigger plan in mind, to become the most powerful being in the world!' he thought with a wicked grin and a chuckle.
Soon, Joey and the gang arrived at Ocean World. "Now, we're here." the eager underdog said. "There he is, on that orca's head." Fluttershy said as she pointed him out. "It's showtime!" Mako shouted. "Well, there's something you don't see every day." Joey said, unaware that three of Marik's Rare Hunters were amongst the audience, watching. The audience truly enjoyed the performance as the whale leapt out of and dived back into the water with Mako riding on its head. Then came the finale, where the whale leapt out of the water much higher than before with Mako on its nose and head before the ocean Duelist leapt off.
"Thanks for the lift!" Mako said before landing on the platform below. Soon, Mako started having the orca perform tricks, including jumping through a hoop he was holding and having it play some basketball. "Even the great beasts of the northern sea can be tamed!" he declared. Even Joey and his group were amazed. "Hey, Mako! Over here!" Joey called before Mako turned and saw him. "Hello there, my old friends." Mako called back before diving into the water with the orca right behind him before they both came up, splashing the group while Mako stood on the nose of the orca. "It's been a while, hasn't it?" Fluttershy asked.
"Yes, since we first met at Duelist Kingdom, I believe. It's nice to see you, my friends. "What are you doing performing here at Ocean World, Mako? We thought you'd be busy dueling." Tea asked. "I am here to duel and win, but my kinship with the sea was needed. The previous whale trainer was burning with a fever so I took her place in the show." Mako explained. "Well, hop off of Shamu's nose and let's do it." Joey suggested. "Are you sure about that? Perhaps, you'd be better off watching the show." Mako responded.
"The people do enjoy a good whale show, but how about a duel to get them really excited?" Joey suggested. "Well, alright. I have four locator cards." Mako said before showing his cards. "Join the club, Tsunami." Joey replied before showing his own four locator cards. "I'm impressed, then our duel will give these people a show to remember." Mako said. "A larger audience? This'll be good." Joey responded, clearly excited to be dueling in front of a larger crowd than normal. Even the crowd was excited when they saw that they were about to see a duel right after the whale show. "Well, this crowd's pumped. So let's do this!" Joey said.
"Very well, I wager two locator cards. Whoever wins this, goes directly to the finals." Mako stated. "Alright, taking your cards will be a pleasure." Joey replied before they both stood across from each other on the platform in the pool. "It's time to duel!" Mako declared. Joey loudly agreed before their Duel Disks activated, their hands were drawn and their life points set to 4000 as the whale leapt from the pool and over their heads. "If Yugi beat him, I sure hope that Joey can." Fluttershy said softly. "Once I unleash my mighty denizens of the deep, you'll be all washed up, Joey." Mako said, confidently.
"You've got a lot of confidence, but a short memory, shark bait. I was the one battling in the finals at Duelist Kingdom while you were swimming back home. Now, I'll start things off. No need for theatrics, though. After all, I don't work here at Ocean World." Joey responded before drawing. 'Aw, great. It's the Parasite Paracide. I completely forgot to take it out of my deck, and even if I set it, it won't infect Mako's monsters because it's not in his deck instead of mine. Well, at least I can use it as a shield, just in case he has something stronger in his hand.' Joey thought. "Okay, Mako, I'll set a monster in defense mode and end my turn." he said aloud.
"Alright, then. I draw!" Mako declared before doing so. "I summon, the mighty Flying Fish!" he added before his beast, a level four, Wind attribute fish with 800 attack points and 500 defense points, emerged. "Attack his set monster!" he commanded before the creature destroyed the parasite. "Well, so much for my defense." Joey said. "Defending on your opening play may keep your opponent guessing, but it does little good when your opponent brings out a strong creature. Guess I'm not the shark bait after all, huh?" Mako replied. "Okay, I'll set another monster and end my turn." Joey said after drawing.
"I'm testing the water, so to speak, and I'm coming up with a plan to leave your goldfish high and dry. Back to you, Mako." he concluded. 'Really? Well, I'll be ready for this so-called plan of yours.' Mako thought before drawing. "I'll set a card face down, and end my turn." he said aloud. "This plan of yours sorted out?" he asked. "Alright, barnacle boy, my turn." Joey said before drawing. "That's what I'm talking about. I sacrifice my facedown monster, in order to summon the ferocious Garoozis!" he declared before his creature appeared. But Mako was ready for it.
"Sorry, but I activate Torrential Tribute!" he declared as his trap sprung and Garoozis was blasted away by a torrent of water. 'Good thing that's not real water, otherwise my Duel Disk would be short-circuiting right about now.' Joey thought. Meanwhile, Marik neared Domino City before contacting his three hunters watching the duel. 'Keep an eye on little Yugi's friends and grandfather, my Rare Hunters. I'll be needing some of them very shortly.' he said to them telepathically before riding into an alleyway. But right before he could exit, Yami Bakura blocked his path, forcing him to come to a stop.
"You're in my way." Marik said, impatiently after taking off his helmet and pulling out his Millennium Rod. "You have something I seek." Yami Bakura responded before showing his Millennium Ring. "The Millennium Ring!?" Marik said, surprised. "It seems you're the dark force whose presence I've bee sensing. Give me your Millennium Item and you may pass." Yami Bakura said, remembering the dark forces that bended Bandit Keith's mind when he was forced to duel Yugi. "You seem somewhat familiar with the ancient ways. Why do you want my Millennium Rod?" Marik asked. "If you must know, I'm a collector of sorts. And once I possess all seven Millennium Items, I'll control ancient power strong enough to rule the entire world!" Yami Bakura explained. "So I will ask you once again to hand over the Millennium Rod." he stated.
'Interesting. Whoever he is, he has knowledge of the ancient scriptures. Specifically the scripture that speaks of when all seven Millennium Items are brought together. Fortunately for me, this stranger doesn't know everything, for he who possesses the boundless power of the Nameless Pharaoh himself controls a magic far stronger than that of the Seven Millennium Items.' Marik thought. "My name is Marik, leader of the Rare Hunters." he said aloud. "Your name and title are of no interest to me." Yami Bakura said, bluntly.
"Then what if I told you I had exclusive knowledge of certain secrets? You can have my Millennium Rod if you want it, but before I hand it over, you must do something for me in exchange. For I am somewhat of a collector myself. And once I possess what I desire, that being the three most powerful Duel Monsters cards in existence, the Millennium Rod will mean absolutely nothing to me." Marik suggested. "Why should I help? I could take your Millennium Item by force like I've done to others in the past." Yami Bakura pointed out, thinking back to when he took the Millennium Eye from Pegasus.
"Because I know the whereabouts of two of the Millennium Items, including the Millennium Necklace worn by my sister." Marik answered. "Then perhaps there is a way we can work together, and help each other get what we want." Yami Bakura said with a wicked grin. "You've made a wise choice. With our combined power, no one in the entire world will be able to stop us!" Marik said as they both started glowing with blue and purple auras, respectively.
Meanwhile, at Ocean World, the crowd was hyped as the duel continued. "Go, Flying Fish, attack my opponent's life points directly!" Mako commanded upon drawing. Soon, with one strike, Joey's life points lowered to 3200. "Hang on, Joey!" Tea called. "And now I'll set one card face down and complete my turn." Mako said as he finished his move. "That was a taste of the power of my sea deck! Mako Tsunami shows no mercy to anyone!" he declared. "Not for nothing, but who ever asked you?" Joey asked. "For years I've searched for my long-lost father on the open sea with nothing but a small, wooden fishing boat." Mako responded as he remembered one of the many times he tried looking for his father.
"Every time I battled the mighty ocean waters, I became stronger. And no matter how difficult the struggle, I have vowed to never stop searching until I find him! I face my dueling opponents with the same determination and every duel I play, I do so in honor of my father! I know in my heart that we'll be reunited someday, but until that day, even though he's not right here, he continues to inspire me and give me strength!" he explained. "Well, you're not the only one. I have someone in my family that inspires me to keep going, too. My little sister, Serenity. I won the three million dollar prize for her at Duelist Kingdom to save her eyesight, and now that she's close to being able to see again, I've decided to not show any mercy to anyone, either. Not in this tournament, or in a duel for fun!" Joey responded.
"Then on with the duel, my friend!" Mako declared as the crowd applauded upon hearing both Duelists' reasons for fighting in the tournament. "You can do this!" Fluttershy called. "Just stay calm and focus, Joey!" Sol shouted. "Alright, my move." Joey said as he drew. "I play, Alligator's Sword in attack mode." he added before his monster appeared. "Now I'll set two cards face down for later. Your turn, flipper." he concluded.
'Perhaps I've underestimated him. He's more determined than I thought. Very well, I'll just have to teach him a lesson in keeping determination.' Mako thought. "Prepare to lose!" he said aloud. "The only thing I'm gonna lose is my appetite from the smell of all this fish that's drying out and rotting in the sun." Joey responded as Mako drew his next card. "I sacrifice my Flying Fish to summon the much stronger Amphibian Beast!" the ocean Duelist declared as his new monster, a level six, Water attribute fish with 2400 attack points and 2000 defense points, appeared.
"I'm not scared of that mutant frog!" Joey said, bravely. "You will be soon after feeling the strength of my Amphibian Beast's Sea Claw attack!" Mako retorted as his monster charged in for an attack. "Hold on! I activate, the Fairy Box!" Joey declared as his trap sprung and the Fairy Box appeared where Alligator's Sword stood. "Where did your gator disappear to?" Mako asked. Soon, Alligator's Sword's head started popping out of each hole. "What's the matter? Never played Gator Panic?" Joey asked. "Clever idea turning my attack into a game of Whack-a-Monster, but remember, even a mighty alligator can't breath underwater. So I play the field spell known as Umi!" Mako said as he activated said card, turning the dueling field into water. "It turns the whole field into an ocean and gives all my sea creatures, be they fish, sea serpent, thunder or aqua monster, an extra 200 attack and defense points." he explained as his Amphibian Beast's attack and defense points rose from 2400 and 2000 to 2600 and 2200, respectively..
"Now my Alligator's Sword is completely submerged!" Joey said in surprise. "It's only a matter of time before it has to come up for air." Mako said. 'Oh, dear. He's right. Alligators have to come up for air even after being underwater for twenty-four hours.' Fluttershy thought. Soon, Alligator's Sword surfaced. "Looks like the time to strike is now! Attack!" Mako declared before his monster pounced. "Hold on there, frog face! I activate Skull Dice!" Joey shouted before the imp holding the red die appeared and let it roll. "The number I roll determines how much your mutant toad's attack power gets decreased!" he declared before the die landed on a four. "Yeah! They get divided by four!" he said with glee as the Amphibian Beast's attack power dropped to 650, allowing Alligator's Sword to counterattack.
"Frog legs, anyone?" Joey asked as the mutant frog was destroyed and Mako's life points lowered to 3300. "Alright! That just about evens the score!" he declared. "Like Yugi was at Duelist Kingdom, you're a worthy opponent, Joey. Well done." Mako said with a smile. "You're also a worthy opponent, Mako. Not just for me or Yugi, but for anyone." Joey responded in kind. 'But this duel has only just begun, and the sea hides both many great mysteries and terrors. The most powerful and dangerous creatures of all lay hidden deep beneath its waters.' Mako thought as he remembered the day he managed to hook a massive sailfish/swordfish.
'I promise you, Joey, I will prevail and earn my place in the Battle City finals, for I have a secret weapon, guaranteed to destroy you. And it waits deep in the depths of my ocean-based deck.' he continued.