Chapter 34

The lava left few places to stand, so I was forced to observe the duel very close to Kaiba. At least he was too focused on Noah to mind, and the rock we stood on was large enough for me to be out of the way of attacks. Still, the tension between the guys drained my energy. Do you think there's anything I can do to help? I asked Marik.

Without a bond and with Kaiba's stubbornness, I doubt it, said Marik. At least not easily.

Then I will look for a chance.

"All right," said Noah. "Then choose your cards, Seto!"

"I already have!" said Kaiba. "And I've already chosen my deck master! Say hello to my friend - Kaiser Seahorse!"

"You have no idea how long I've been waiting for this, Seto. Time to lose it all!"

"Let's duel!" they both said.

"I'll go first!" said Kaiba, drawing a card. "And noooooow, behold! I summon Giant Germ in attack mode! Then I'll position this card face down. Let's see what you've got, step-brother."

"With pleasure, Seto," said Noah. "So, stand back!"

"This should be amusing."

"I summon Chiron the Mage!"

I heard a noise and looked over to see my friends crash onto one of the islands, spilling out of a cable car. They immediately stood up and looked over at us. "Be careful, Kaiba!" Yugi shouted.

Kaiba glanced at him. "Yugi."

"Looks like your fan club has arrived!" said Noah. "And they came just in time... To witness your last duel, Seto! And my rebirth into the real world as the new leader of Kaiba Corp!

"No!" said Yugi. "He can't let Noah win!"

Samia, are you alright? Yami asked.

I'm fine, I said. We have found out more about Noah.

Tell me.

Alright. I quickly explained the videos I watch and the revelations Noah made himself.

So, Noah no longer has a body. He is as trapped her as the Big Five.

Basically.

Then he cannot win this duel.

Noah used Chiron's special effect to find and destroy Kaiba's face down card, which was Crush Card. "Now watch this," said Noah. "Attack, my mage! Destroy his Giant Germ!"

"Giant Germ, return to me now!" Kaiba said right after his monster was destroyed. "It's back, and you lose life points!"

"I'm not too worried. Your card's weak!"

"That may be, but what makes you think I brought it back to attack you? Watch and learn! I sacrifice my Giant Germ in order to summon my Vampire Lord! Now my creature of darkness, attack his Chiron the Mage! And that's not all. Thanks to his special ability, every time my vampire sucks away some of your life points, he forces you to send one of your cards directly to the graveyard! So, say goodbye to another monster card Noah! At this rate, your deck will be empty in no time."

Noah was not worried, which was troublesome. "I doubt that... I'm afraid that fanged freak of yours is about to take his own trip to the card graveyard now!"

Kaiba was surprised. "But you have no monsters!"

"I never said anything about using a monster. I'll destroy him with this, the magic card Fissure! Adios bat boy! And now that you're defenseless I'll play this!" Noah summoned another monster.

"Oh no!" said Yugi. "Kaiba's wide open for a direct attack!"

"Go, my Aeris! Attack Seto's life points!" Noah's monster attacked Kaiba directly, bringing his life points down to 1400. I felt this one and clenched my teeth from the blow. "Surrender now while you have the chance!"

"Don't give up, Kaiba!" said Yugi.

"Show that little green-haired twerp who's boss!" said Joey.

"You can do it," I said.

"I'll place one card face down," Noah said, feeling clam and smug.

"You'll never get away with this, Noah!" said Kaiba. "I'd rather see my company crumble to the ground than fall into your grubby little hands! Kaiba Corp is mine, you got that, punk?"

"You stole it! I'm just taking back what belongs to me!"

"Keep dreaming, kid! Okay then... I think you might remember my old friend - Vampire Lord! You look surprised. Don't you know about vampires? They can't be destroyed! My Vampire Lord possesses the power of immortality, you fool! So, when he's sent to the graveyard, he comes back. And there's more! I summon this, Slate Warrior in attack mode!"

"Alright!" said Joey. "I never thought that I'd be rooting for Kaiba... But, let's go, rich boy!"

"I can't be beat!" Noah said with a hint of anger. "We're in my world now, and I make the rules!"

"Listen," said Kaiba, "you may think that you created this virtual world, you punk, but all you did was rip off my system! Now, Vampire Lord, attack!"

"I don't think so! Your vampire has activated my trap card. So, reveal... The mighty Earthshaker! Time for me to shake things up a bit. Now, allow me to explain how this ground-breaking trap card of mine works in case you don't know. You have two kinds of creatures on the field, a wind monster and a dark monster. And one of those two monsters is about to be destroyed. But which one? That is up to you, Seto!"

Kaiba thought for a moment. "I choose my creature of darkness!"

"Earthshaker! Swallow his Vampire Lord!"

"Now it's time to say goodbye to your monster... Slate Warrior, attack!" Kaiba's monster destroyed Noah's. "Now you're completely defenseless!"

But Noah was unphased. "I was thinking, Seto... Maybe you and I just got off on the wrong foot. Perhaps it's time to wash away our differences... And this should help! The magic card Giant Flood. I hope you packed a virtual swimsuit!"

"What's goin' on?!"

"Time to drown out my competition!" A huge tidal wave poured out from the card. I instinctively tensed even though the water was virtual. The wave swept through the field, creating a flood. "Looks like your monster needs a life jacket!"

"No! My slate warrior!"

"And that's not the only one, look!" The water turned into a whirlpool, and it dragged in Kaiba's monsters.

"What's happening!? Every monster in my graveyard is getting washed away!"

Noah smirked triumphantly. "Now it's time for you to see what my Deck Master can do!"

Kaiba looked at him in horror. "But you never picked a Deck Master!"

"Oh... forgive me for being so rude."

"Huh?"

"Meet my Deck Masteeeeeer!" A huge ark rose from the water and hovered beside Noah. "Shinato's ark! Ha ha ha ha!"

"No way! That boat's your Deck Master?"

"That's right! Now, Seto... My great ark will allow me to sail away with everything you have - your company and your brother!" The monsters from the whirlpool were suddenly dumped into the ark. "Are you wondering What happened to all your monsters?"

"It crossed my mind."

"Just as that sphere holds my brain, my ship now holds a precious cargo of its own, Seto."

"I can see that, kid."

"And from now on, every time a monster is sent to the card graveyard, it will be rerouted directly into the belly of Shinato's Ark! And there it shall live for the rest of the duel. Let's just say I'm collecting passengers, shall we?" Kaiba chuckled, and Noah narrowed his eyes at him. "You find this funny?"

"I find you pathetic! Thanks to your giant flood card, you have no monsters on the field or in your hand, and it's my move. So, if I draw a monster now... You have nothing to protect you from its attack!"

"Hmm... I'm afraid you're mistaken, amateur!"

"Prepare to lose now!" Kaiba drew a card. "Ha! Now I call to the field... The mighty Spear Dragon! Go, attack him now with Cyclone Blast!"

"Is that thing supposed to scare me? 'Cause I can block its attack with ease, Seto!"

"With what?"

"With this, a creature you might recognize that now lives within my ship! Arise, Vampire Lord!" The monster rose from the ark and floated down to Noah.

"That's my monster, kid!"

"Not anymore... He's a passenger of Shinato's ark... Which means he belongs to me now! And thanks to my Deck Master's special ability... I have access to every monster on board my ship. So, go ahead and try to attack me now. My vampire will absorb the impact! Nice try, Seto!"

This does not look good, said Marik. If Kaiba loses, do you think Noah would let the rest of us go free?

I doubt it. Noah thinks we're his friends. And we can't just leave him here!

It sounds like he brought this on himself.

Kaiba didn't even know Noah existed.

Would it have made a difference?

I paused as I thought about it. That doesn't matter. It's in the past. Noah doesn't have a right to Kaiba's body. Besides, think about what kind of damage he could do if he ran Kaiba Corp.

I don't think he would get that far. My dark side would take him down as soon as he returned.

And that may have negative consequences for the world. Kaiba has to win this.

How?

He'll figure something out... hopefully.

Suddenly, the water dried up, revealing a lush jungle. Noah summoned Giant Rex and used it to destroy Spear Dragon. "What?" said Noah. "Are you feeling frustrated because now you realize that I'm more intelligent than you? Look up! My superhuman brain sees everything. And with each passing second, it grows! When my mind was digitized into that computer, something happened... Something unexpected. It seemed my brain waves were beginning to grow more powerful. I was able to access vast amounts of information through the databanks of my father's computer network. I was constantly absorbing facts and figures. I learned the answers to mankind's greatest secrets! Before long, I became a superhuman, infused with knowledge beyond that of anyone on earth! But all of this wisdom, all of this understanding, all of this intelligence wasn't enough. Something was still missing from my life."

"And what was that?" said Kaiba.

"One thing - a thing I was never able to achieve as a human - my father's trust. And once I destroy you, I'll finally prove to him that Kaiba Corp should be mine! You're just a lowly human, Seto. You're nothing next to me! Ha ha ha!"

If he couldn't gain his father's trust as a human, what makes him think he can get it now? said Marik.

He seems to think being virtual makes him superior, I said. But that's wrong.

"I missed the joke," said Kaiba. "Behind your so-called 'superhuman intellect' is nothing but a spoiled little brat!"

"Is that so?" said Noah.

"For your entire life, people just handed things to you, Noah, but I had to work for what I have. Kaiba Corp is mine 'cause I earned it! And the fact that you think you can take it away from me by winning one duel proves what I thought about you from the start!"

"And what's that?"

"You're nuts! You must have spent one too many years trapped in that bubble in the sky, Noah!"

"So, you think I'm insane for wanting to claim what's rightfully mine?"

Is this how it looks like from the outside? I understand where he's coming from, but...

Kaiba is right. It is crazy. I suppose it's hard to see when you're in the midst of it and believe you've been wronged.

Yes...

"No, I think you're insane for trapping me in a virtual computer program and forcing me to duel you just to prove to your daddy that you're not the failure he thinks you are," Kaiba continued. "Well, I'm here to prove that you are. There's a reason why I'm in charge of Kaiba Corp and you're not."

"Why's that?" said Noah.

"Because I'm the best man for the job! I'm more fit to run that company than you'll ever be. And deep down, your father always knew that."

Samia, I have a question. If Noah is merely virtual and has no human body, does that really make him non-human? Has he lost his emotions?

I hesitated. I think he's still human. He's not all that different than you or Yami, right? And both of you have strong emotions. Although, Yami was fairly cold at first, as were you even with a body... I thought about for a minute. I don't think it has to do with being separated from a body. He's acting lie this because he's been isolated from humans. But, yes, he does still have some emotions, anger being the most prominent...

That is an interesting analysis. Isolation can have serious negative consequences.

That's why the way your family lived was wrong. I don't know how they could have handled it better, but their setup was rife with problems. It was asking for something terrible to happen. No one should live like that.

Not even Noah.

"No..." said Noah. "That's not the reason. My father didn't believe that Kaiba Corp could be run properly by a virtual president!"

"Noah," said Kaiba, "Gozaburo didn't give up on you because of your virtual state. I think... He knew that, no matter how much knowledge you gained, you'd always be a spoiled brat, expecting to get ahead in the world without making any effort at all! As despicable as your father was... He knew the value of hard work. It was his own determination for power that got him where he was, after all. And as much as it pained him to admit it, I think Gozaburo knew that I was the best man for the job of Kaiba Corp president. And as for you, Noah... His real son... You were better off isolated in your computer world, out of everyone's way!"

"Ha ha ha! Seto... That could quite possibly be the most ridiculous thing that I've ever heard in my entire life! Come on, now... My father wanting you to be president?"

"Why do you think he created that digital dump for you? You were in the way!"

"I don't know," I said. "He could have just let him die..."

"I didn't ask for your opinion."

"You actually believe my father put me here to focus his attention on you?" said Noah. "Seto... you always thought you were top dog, but of the Kaiba brothers, you're the low man on the totem pole!"

"You're confused, Noah. That's your slot!"

"Why don't we ask Mokuba what he thinks? Shall we?"

What is that supposed to mean?

I don't know, but I've got to say something. "Noah!" I shouted. "Stop this! I'm sorry about what happened to you, but it's not Seto's fault. Stop blaming. Your father is the one at fault. He should not have trapped you here. It was cruel for him to do it in the first place, and then to abandon you was even worse. I can understand why you would want to get out of here."

"Then why stand in my way?" said Noah.

"Because it's not right. You can't steal someone else's body. But if you let us help you, maybe we can figure something out."

"And let him run Kaiba Corp? I don't think so!"

"Enough!" said Kaiba. "Let's finish this! It's my move!"

I sighed. You tried, said Marik.

Kaiba summoned Different Dimension Dragon and placed three cards face down. Noah played a magic card that destroyed the dragon. Then the world around us began to freeze, sweeping away his own monster. Both of their life points were cut in half, leaving Noah with 1400 and Kaiba with 700. Then Noah summoned Last Tusk Mammoth.

Kaiba called Different Dimension Dragon, who had been hiding in another dimension, back to the playing field. Noah attacked, but his monster was destroyed because of Kaiba's trap cards. Now he was down to 600 life points. Kaiba summoned a fusion monster, Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon, and used Quick Attack to strike right away.

"You seem to have forgotten about the powers of my ark, Seto," said Noah. "Every monster that has been sent to the graveyard lives on board, and I have access to all of them! Observe!" He summoned two monsters to defend himself.

Kaiba chuckled. "You fool! You fell right into my trap! Now... I can wipe out what's left of your life points and end this family feud! I didn't forget your deck master's ability. I wanted you to summon those monsters. For one reason... So I could play this!" He held up a card. "It's called Dragon's Rage, and here's how it works: if my monster's attack points are higher than your monster's defense points, the difference comes directly out of your life points. Prepare yourself as Different Dimension Dragon attacks your Giant Rex!" The dragon destroyed Noah's monster, lowering his life points.

Looks like he will win this, said Marik.

I don't know, I said. Something feels off about Noah.

"One monster down and one more to go!" said Kaiba. "This is where it all ends. Now, Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon... attack his Giant Soldier!"

"Don't do it!" Mokuba said, suddenly appearing on the field, standing in front of Noah.

"What's going on?" Kaiba said in shock. "Mokuba! What have you done to him, Noah? Mokuba."

"Whoever you are... If you want to attack my brother Noah, you'll have to go through me." Mokuba held his arms our straight, shielding Noah from Kaiba.

"Mokuba... Snap out of it!"

"He's been brainwashed!" said Tea. "By Noah!"

I didn't see this coming, I said to Marik.

It doesn't surprise me, said Marik. It seems he does have ultimate power here.

Their bond is strong enough to break through this... right?

I don't know... Mokuba is just a kid, and he's not as strong-willed as your friend Joey. Plus, does Kaiba believe in all that stuff?

He does when it comes to Mokuba. I know it.

Noah laughed. "That's right, Mokuba, protect me... from him! He's the stranger that's trying to break you and I apart!"

"Stranger," said Mokuba.

"No, it's me!" said Kaiba.

"Mokuba has chosen sides based upon his own free will, Seto," said Noah. "Looking back, maybe you should have treated him with more respect. I give him the support you never could."

"How can it be his free will if he doesn't even recognize him?" I said. "Clearly, you did something to him." What did he think he was trying to pull?

"You monster," Kaiba growled.

"It didn't have to be this way, Seto," said Noah, "but you left me with no choice. Now you have a decision to make. Forfeit this duel and step down as president of Kaiba Corp... Or continue with your final attack and risk losing Mokuba for good. Your brother's fate is in your hands."

"If Kaiba attacks Noah now, he'll be attacking Mokuba, also!" said Yugi.

"So... what's it gonna be? Mokuba? Or control of Kaiba Corp? Decide. Your choice will impact the rest of your life!"

"Noah... I'm only gonna say this once," said Kaiba. "Release Mokuba now! This is our fight. Is that clear? He has nothing to do with this!"

"There you go disrespecting Mokuba again... Acting like his opinion means nothing. Tell him, Mokie!"

"Give Kaiba corp to Noah, now!" said Mokuba.

"It looks like Mokuba has made his position quite clear! Now... Are you going to attack me or not? If you do, just remember you'll be striking Mokuba!"

Kaiba glared at him. "You punk!" I had never felt such strong emotions for him. Noah really knew right where to strike.

"Well, Seto? Attack and you'll win the duel, but at what cost? What's it gonna be? Your victory or Mokuba?"

I felt resignation from Kaiba. "Alright, kid... I'll end my turn."

Noah smirked. "I thought so. Seto! I knew you were too weak to go through with your attack! You can't possibly run a company like Kaiba Corp effectively If you're so quick to give in to your competition."

"Family is more important," I said.

"Says the weak. Excellent work, Mokuba! I couldn't ask for a better brother!"

"Thanks!" said Mokuba. "Any time!" He moved to stand beside Noah.

"What a team! Now, let's finish this stranger off, shall we?"

"Yeah! Let's go! This creep doesn't stand a chance!"

"You heard the boy, Seto."

Noah activated another special ability of his ark. He destroyed the monsters in his ark to increase his life points by 500 for each one. This left him with 6400 life points. He could have done that the entire time, Marik said. He was just using Mokuba to hurt Kaiba.

That's very cruel.

He views this as a mental battle.

Noah played a magic card to destroyed all the monsters on the field, sending them to his ark. Instead of taking his turn, Kaiba stared at Mokuba while his insides were in turmoil. "Mokuba!" he shouted. "We're a team, remember? You were always there for me! We defeated our step-father together! I couldn't have done it without you!"

"Very touching, Seto," said Noah, "but Mokuba's on my team now! And together, we're going to take everything you have. Mokuba's my brother! He doesn't even remember you!"

"Kaiba!" Yugi called. "Listen to me!"

"No thanks!" said Kaiba.

"You should listen to him," I said gently. I moved in closer and placed my hand on his arm, giving him feelings of hope and encouragement. I had never dared to touch him before, but I had never sensed so much distress from him. I felt him relax slightly. "If the information he has may help your brother, you have to listen."

"Fine." Kaiba looked over at Yugi. "What is it?"

"She's right," said Yugi. "I can help you, Kaiba, because I've been through this before. Remember when Joey was brainwashed by Marik, and he turned against me? Maybe you can get through to Mokuba the same way I got through to Joey! The answer may be in your deck!"

"It's not a bad idea," I said. I felt his hesitation, and then he dipped his head in acknowledgement. Smiling slightly, I moved away from him again. "You've got this."

What did you do? Yami asked curiously.

Nothing special, I said.

I find that unlikely.

"Let's go!" said Noah. "You have a duel to lose!"

"Guess again, kid," said Kaiba. "Not only am I planning to win this duel... I'll also win back my brother!"

"Good," I said.

Kaiba drew a card but seemed dissatisfied with it. Different Dimension Dragon returned, and he placed it in defense mode. On Noah's turn, the virtual world changed again. This time, it was the modern world, with Kaiba Corporation visible. Kaiba was not happy to see it.

"Explain yourself now!" he growled.

"Well," said Noah, "since that's your company, I thought maybe... you'd like to see it one final time. You see... once you lose and I take over Kaiba Corp, I'll change it back to the way it was!"

"No!" I said. The world did not need more weapons of war. For all his faults, at least Kaiba understood that much and had created something better.

"And if you don't remember, this should refresh your memory." The roof of Kaiba Corp opened, and a jet fighter monster emerged. "Just like so many of the high tech battle vehicles that were produced by the original Kaiba Corp, my Gradius Flyer can cause an enormous amount of damage! Then I'll add this to boost its power, the magic card Cyclon Laser! And to make my jet even stronger, I'll add one more card, the Matter Leveler magic card! It increases the overall attack strength of my Gradius Flyer by 100 points every time it blasts you, Seto!

"And thanks to my laser's power, you lose life points even though your monster's in defense mode! Gradius, attack his dragon with Cyclon Blast Attack!" The flyer attacked the dragon, destroying it. Noah smirked. "And since your dragon returns to the field every time it's destroyed, I can keep attacking it. What was once your monster's advantage is now your downfall!"

Kaiba drew a card. He left his dragon in defense mode and ended his turn. Then Noah played Gradius's Option, which turns into a second Gradius with the same attack as the original. He attacked Kaiba's dragon, bringing his life points down to 500.

"Our enemy will soon be gone," Noah said to Mokuba. "I hope you're enjoying the show."

"Mokuba..." Kaiba said, nearly pleading.

"Seto, it's no use! He's with me! How's it feel to lose your only friend? Now, let's get back to your destruction, shall we? Go Cyclon Laser! Attack his dragon now!" This blast knocked Kaiba down to the ground, and the force of his sudden emotions me to fall as well.

"Samia!" Yugi called. "Are you alright?"

"I - I'm fine," I said shakily, slowly getting to my feet. I glanced down at Kaiba, who had not moved. "But..."

"This isn't over yet!" Kaiba growled.

"Look at the mighty Seto Kaiba now!" Noah said haughtily.

Kaiba struggled to his elbows. "Snap out of it, Mokuba! I need you in order to beat him!"

"What's the matter, Seto? Feeling down? You're one attack away from total annihilation!"

Kaiba managed to get to his hands and needs. "I'm...not done!"

"Come on, Kaiba!" Joey called. "Squash this kid!"

Finally, Kaiba got to his feet. "It will take more than a few attacks to keep me down, and it's my move now!"

"What a shame..." said Noah. "You should know that sometimes it's best to stay down. The sooner you give in to my power the less suffering you'll have to do, Seto. Mokuba realized that fact."

"Mokuba!" Yugi shouted. "I know you're in there! Noah is hypnotizing you with lies! Seto is your brother - not Noah - and he's never let you down! Look inside your heart and you'll remember him!"

"He's right!" I said. "You know the truth! Look at Seto and remember."

Slowly, Mokuba turned to Kaiba. "Seto?"

"They're just trying to break us apart, Mokuba," Noah said, anger rising.

"Mokuba!" Kaiba said. "Listen to me! Don't let Noah poison your mind! We're family, and no one can ever change that! You and I have always been there to support one another, and we always will be! There's something I've never told you, Mokuba. You once saved me when we were kids! When Gozaburo Kaiba adopted us... He was merciless, forcing me to work for hours with no rest. I was exhausted and ready to give up! Until you inspired me, Mokuba! You made me a Blue Eyes card. By making that card for me, you encouraged me not to give up! You gave me something to strive for! I swore that day to become a person worthy of possessing a real Blue Eyes!"

"I remember..." Mokuba murmured. A tear dripped down his cheek.

Kaiba felt hopeful. "That's right, Mokuba. I know you can't forget about me. You're strong! And I know you can break through his mind games! Never give up! And never let anyone control you!"

"Can't... give... up."

"Fight him off! We can do this! You and I together!" Recognition slowly started to shine in Mokuba's eyes. Kaiba drew a card. "Excellent! This duel is over, Noah!" He set one card face down and then used his Deck Master's special ability to tribute just one monster to summon the Blue Eyes White Dragon.

Mokuba stared at the dragon in awe. Slowly, I felt his feelings of affection for his brother return to him. "I remember..."

Kaiba looked at him in relief. "Mokuba!"

"Seto!"

"You're my brother," Noah said. "He's our enemy, Mokuba!"

"Too late!" Joey said gleefully. "Mokuba's back with us! And once he steps away, Kaiba can blast Noah!"

Mokuba glared at Noah before running away from him. "Later, you phony!"

"Now's your chance, Kaiba!" said Yugi.

"Here goes!" said Kaiba. "Blue Eyes White Dragon, attack his Gradius!"

The dragon destroyed one Gradius, which automatically destroyed the other one as well. However, Noah used the five monsters in his ark to bring his life points up to 7400. He may have managed to free his brother, but Noah appears unbeatable, said Marik.

No one is unbeatable, I said. And Noah has lost the mental and emotional advantage.

We shall see.

Noah began to take his turn, but Kaiba stopped him with a trap card that required them each to choose one monster to engage in a final battle to determine the outcome of the duel. Kaiba choose his Blue Eyes White Dragon, and Noah choose his Deck Master, Shinato's Ark. Blue Eyes attacked, seeming to destroy the ark. Then the ark changed into something... a person.

"You've just unleashed a power like nothing you've ever seen!" Noah declared.

"What is that?!" Kaiba exclaimed.

"It's my real Deck Master!"

"No way!"

"You've just sealed your own doom, Seto! For, when you destroyed Shinato's Ark, you released Shinato, King of a Higher Plane! Now, prepare to experience the power of my real Deck Master! Shinato attack!" Thew new monster attacked Blue Eyes, destroying it and knocking down Kaiba once again. I fell too but managed to stand up.

"Seto!" Mokuba cried.

"No..." I whispered.

It seems it's all over, Marik said sadly. It was a good effort.

"Oh no!" Tea cried.

"Seto..." said Mokuba.

"I've finally done it!" Noah said triumphantly. "I've proven that I am superior to you! Did you see that, father? I defeated Seto! Now I can finally take over Kaiba Corp like I was always meant to! For, I am the most powerful being in the world! Now, to perform one final task before I exit this place." He then rose up to the level of his Deck Master.

"What's that freak doing?" said Joey.

"Ready... I'll now merge together with my Deck Master to deliver the last blow of this duel!" Noah moved into the monster, taking its form. "You see, I've decided not to escape to the real world in your body, Seto, since I have so many others to choose from. Besides... that's no fun! I've got bigger plans! Shinato and I want to turn you into a permanent fixture In this virtual world!"

"Hey!" Mokuba called. "Seto!"

"Mokuba!" Kaiba shouted. He struggled to sit up before smiling and reaching out a hand to his brother, who started running to him.

"This reunion is touching," said Noah, "but I'm afraid I'm going to have to cut it short!" Just as the brothers were about to touch, he turned them to stone.

"Nooo!" I cried. I fell to my knees beside the statues, tears spilling down my eyes. "How could you?"

"My job is now complete!"