Chapter 21
"The Mask Curse - High Rise Duel"
At Yonezato Hospital, Serenity was speaking to her big brother, Joey. "I hope you're sitting down, sis, because your big brother has some pretty big news!" he said, excitedly. "You made it to the Battle City finals!" Serenity responded, just as excited. "Wait, how'd you guess? Did Tristan tell you?!" Joey asked. "No, you're a great Duelist and I knew the whole time you'd make it to the finals. I'm so proud of you." Serenity answered. "Thanks, sis. I couldn't have made it without your spiritual support. If it weren't for you and my friends cheering me on, there's no way I could've won these six locator cards." Joey responded as he looked at his cards while talking on Tea's cellphone at the entrance to Ocean World.
"I just wish you were able to see me in action." he added. "Well, I have news myself." Serenity said. "What is it, sis?" Joey asked. "It's not too late for me to see you dueling." Serenity asked. "What do you mean? What about the bandages? Aren't your eyes still healing?" Joey asked. "Well, the doctor said they can be taken off tonight. That means I can get my wish for the next sight I see to be my big brother dueling in the Battle City playoffs!" Serenity answered, proudly. "That's great news! Sounds like you can come home. I'll send Tristan to pick you up, I got to prepare for the finals and there's no way you're coming to Domino City alone." Joey said with a smile.
"I can't wait to see you." Serenity said eagerly before they ended the call. "Alright!" Joey shouted. "What is it, Joey?" Fluttershy asked. "Serenity gets to take off her bandages tonight!" Joey answered. "That's awesome, Joey!" Tea said. "And, she's gonna see me duel in the finals!" Joey added. "What wonderful news!" Sol declared. 'Just about as wonderful as the looks on Spike and Rarity's faces when they sent me that picture of them on their pool date earlier. "Alright, Tristan, I need you to go to Yonezato and pick her up. Okay?" Joey instructed. "Sure thing, Joey. She's in safe hands. Promise." Tristan responded before running off in the direction of the train station.
'Well, Tristan is like family to me, so at least my mind is at ease knowing that my sister will be safe.' Joey thought. "Oh no!" Tea shouted before Joey, Sol and Fluttershy saw what she saw, which was an injured Bakura being carried by, unbeknownst to them, Marik. "Bakura! He looks like he's been hurt!" Fluttershy said in shock before every came running up. "What happened?" Sol asked. "I just found him lying on the ground, he looks like he's been attacked or mugged." Marik answered. "He doesn't look so good." Fluttershy said as she saw his shoulder blood red and skinned. "I tried tending to his injuries. Do you know him? He hasn't said anything since I found him." Marik said.
"We're friends of his, but who do you think could've done this?" Joey responded. "Joey? Is that you?" Bakura asked, weakly. "Yeah, it's me. What happened?" Joey responded. "It happened so quickly, I can't remember." Bakura responded, holding his injured arm. "I'm lucky I found you all. He needs to get to a hospital, quickly." Marik said. "You're right, but it sounds like Bakura is the lucky one. I'll take him to the hospital right now. Joey, give me a hand." Sol stated. "Will do." Joey responded. In no time, Bakura was helped into a taxi with Sol sitting next to him. "He'll be alright, I'll call when we reach the hospital and keep you all updated." Sol said. "Alright, take care, Bakura." Fluttershy said before the taxi pulled away, yet all were unaware as Yami and Kaiba walked right by.
"You know what Marik is capable of, Kaiba. He could brainwash them into working for him. I hope that they're still here." Yami said as they both approached the entrance to Ocean World. "Relax, Yugi, they should be here." Kaiba responded. "Are you sure? It's a pretty big place." Yami pointed out. "It may be big, but my satellite tracking system is both foolproof and almost as accurate if not more accurate than weather tracking satellites used by NHK World Japan, it traced Joey's Duel Disk to these exact coordinates." Kaiba stated before Yami continued forward.
'Why Yugi cares so much about that runner-up Duelist is beyond me. Maybe he thinks he's like a brother to him, but whatever the case, he'll soon have bigger problems.' he thought before joining Yami. As for Joey, Fluttershy and Tea, they were thanking Marik for helping them. "Thanks a lot, but what's your name?" Joey asked. "Joey's right, we haven't properly introduced ourselves." Fluttershy pointed out. "I'm Namu, who might you be?" he asked before extending his hand. "The name's Joey." said the underdog before shaking 'Namu's' hand. "This is Tea, and I'm Fluttershy." said the shy yet kind girl. "Thanks again for helping Bakura." Tea added. "It's nothing, I'm just doing what anyone could've done." Namu replied.
"Say, is that a Duel Disk you're wearing?" Joey asked after spotting the unmistakable mark of a Battle City competitor. "Yes, but I'm afraid I'm not that much of a Duelist. You're not challenging me to a duel, are you, Joey?" Namu responded. "There's no need. I'm already on my way to the finals." Joey responded. "Wow, that's impressive. You must be good. Maybe one day you can give me some pointers." Namu said, amazed. "Well, maybe after the tournament." Joey suggested. "Pardon me for saying so, but it feels like I've met you before." Namu said.
"Well, only the people who watched the tapes from Duelist Kingdom on DMTV and seen me in action here in Battle City know who I am. But I get what you mean. Smell you later, Namu." Joey responded before he, Fluttershy and Tea went off. "Nice meeting you three." Namu responded. "He's a nice guy, isn't he?" Fluttershy asked. But as Tea responded in agreement, Marik's true nature took over. 'Those three fools have no idea who I really am, or the danger that's in store for them.' the madman thought before directing his mental attention to two of his Rare Hunters up on a nearby roof.
'Listen closely, my Rare Hunters, everything is going according to plan. So obey my orders and don't fail me this time! You must bring me the two remaining Egyptian God Cards and the Millennium Puzzle! And make sure that little Yugi stays out of my way. Permanently. In order to obtain the ultimate power of the Nameless Pharaoh, everything must occur exactly as I planned.' he instructed. 'How shall we proceed, master Marik?" one of the hunters mentally asked.
'Your task is to win me the two remaining Egyptian God Cards.' Marik responded. 'Yes, master. Obtaining Obelisk the Tormentor from Kaiba will be simple.' one replied. 'And winning Slifer the Sky Dragon from Yugi will be equally as effortless. We will not fail you, master Marik.' added the other. 'Don't underestimate the power of these Egyptian God Cards, you fools! Bare in mind that knowing Kaiba, given his skill and his ego, he could use Obelisk at any time, and defeating either it or Slifer will be difficult! That's why I devised an alternate plan to ensure that I get what I want. While you keep Kaiba and little Yugi occupied, I'll turn my attention to those they care most about. With their friends and loved ones in danger, I'll be sure to get exactly what I want and soon, I'll be the most powerful man in the world!' Marik retorted before going back to his Namu persona.
"Hey! Wait up! Joey! Tea! Fluttershy!" he called. "What's up?" Joey asked as Namu ran up. "I don't mean to be an inconvenience, but do you think you can give me a few dueling tips right now?" 'Namu' asked. "Sure, I think I can give you a few pointers." Joey responded. "Thanks, I'd like to win at least one duel in Battle City." 'Namu' said, though the four were unaware that Marik's Rare Hunters were coming in from both ways. "You've come to the right people, Namu. Me and Fluttershy both have a few dueling secrets that'll make your head spin." Joey stated.
Meanwhile, at Ocean World, Yami came in and looked around as the whale show was going on. "Joey! Tea! Fluttershy! Grandpa!" he called out, but he didn't see them anywhere. "Kaiba said they'd be here in the whale show area, but I don't see them. Kaiba can't be wrong." he said. Meanwhile, as Joey and Fluttershy were about to start giving "Namu" a few pointers, the Rare Hunters appeared. "Uh, Joey, who are those two behind you?" 'Namu' asked before one of the Rare Hunters grabbed hold of him while Joey turned around and nailed one of the other three. "Nice shot, Joey!" Tea admitted. "Piece of cake." Joey responded before seeing that two Rare Hunters had grabbed hold of Fluttershy and Tea.
"Let em go, you creeps!" Joey demanded. "What do you want from us?" Tea asked. 'I can't reach my radio, and my ring is for duels with Rare Hunters only.' Fluttershy thought as she panicked. "You look like a couple tough guys, but not tough enough for me!" Joey stated, unaware that the other Rare Hunter was back on his feet. "Be...hind you!" Fluttershy said, though her speech was limited due to her being in a chin lock. Right then and there, Joey was knocked to the ground.
"Lucky shot..." Joey said weakly. "Joey!" Fluttershy shouted. Suddenly, Tea's cellphone started to ring. "Expecting a call from someone?" asked the Rare Hunter that was holding her captive before grabbing it out of her bag. "Hey! Hands off my stuff!" Tea shouted before the Rare Hunter answered the call. "Hello? Tea? Are you there? Hello?" Yami asked on the other side. "Yugi, help!" Tea shouted. "Rare Hunters!" Fluttershy added. "Tea! Fluttershy! Where are you?!" Yami asked before the Rare Hunter dropped the phone and crushed it underfoot.
"You'll pay for this! You and your boss!" Fluttershy shouted. "Unlikely, especially if your friend can't find you." the Rare Hunter responded. Back at the Ocean World entrance, Yami was trying to see if Tea and Fluttershy were still there, but to no avail. "Oh no." he said grimly as he remembered what Marik said to him through Strings. 'I knew that this was gonna happen! Marik found my friends before I could, but where did he take them?' Yugi pondered as he hung up and exited the phone booth.
"Bad news. It seems we're too late, Kaiba. Marik's Rare Hunters have already gotten hold of my friends, Fluttershy among them." Yami explained. "Relax, Yugi, I think I know their game plan. They seem to be after you and your Egyptian God Card, not your friends or girlfriend. They're of little use to the Rare Hunters except as bait. But my satellite tracking system can home in on where Joey is, so we can track them down. Every Duel Disk sends out a constant signal, so finding your friends and one of my officials should be an easy task. And then, once we deal with the Rare Hunters once and for all, you and I will have our long awaited duel and your Egyptian God Card will be mine." Kaiba stated.
"Kaiba, I assure you that you and I will duel soon enough, but not until my friends and your temporary employee are safe. I've made myself clear, yes?" Yami responded. Kaiba nodded before getting a radio message via the transmitter built into his jacket. "Seto, come in." Mokuba said on the other side. "What is it?" Seto asked. "We've got a problem, neither Joey Wheeler or Fluttershy's Duel Disks are sending out a signal to our satellite tracking system. Something might be blocking them, so I'm heading back to KaibaCorp headquarters to see if our tech team can fix the problem." Mokuba responded. "See to it." Seto said, bluntly.
"Alright. We'll find them, Seto. I promise you and Yugi both." Mokuba replied. "When you do, let me know." Seto said before ending the call. "It seems we have a setback. Either my satellite system has a glitch, or these Rare Hunters are smarted than I thought." he said to Yami. Meanwhile, more Rare Hunters were on the move, this time, their target was Mokuba. "There he is!" one of them shouted before Mokuba turned around and saw them. "Hey! Who are you three?!" he asked, demandingly before the three descended, prompting Mokuba to attempt at leaving the area.
"You're not going anywhere." said another Rare Hunter as he blocked Mokuba's way and shoved him down. "What's the rush? You're to come with us." said said Rare Hunter, who turned out to be Odion. "You're with the Rare Hunters, aren't you?" Mokuba asked. "Perhaps I am. And today, you're my prey." Odion answered before he and his fellow Rare Hunters chuckled. At Yonezato Hospital, the nurse was checking Serenity's blood pressure. "I hear it's your last day with us, Serenity. Your doctor says you can take your bandages off tonight." she said.
"Yes, I can't wait. I already know the first thing I'm gonna see." Serenity responded. "Yeah? And what is it?" asked the nurse. "Well, my big brother dueling. He just recently called to tell me he made it to the Battle City finals!" Serenity answered, happily. "That's great. Your brother must mean a lot to you. He's lucky to have a sister like you." the nurse responded. "Actually, I think I'm the lucky one, I've got the best brother in the world." Serenity said, proudly. Meanwhile, Yami and Kaiba were still searching for the kidnapped group.
Up on the roof, Marik's Rare Hunters spotted them. "There they are." said one. "Yes, now it's time to lure them to the chosen location for the duel. I'll be back." said the other before he started running across the rooftops like a ninja followed by several acrobatic maneuvers that brought him down to street level, prompting Yami and Kaiba to stop in their tracks after he landed in front of them. "A Rare Hunter!" Kaiba said in surprise. "What have you done with my friends and loved one?" Yami asked.
"That's for us to know. And Seto Kaiba, we've got someone else joining us." the Rare Hunter said before pointing up to the sky behind them, where they saw a helicopter and Mokuba dangling from in, tied up. "Mokuba! Let him go!" Kaiba demanded. "Big brother! Help me, Seto! Help me, please!" Mokuba shouted. "Mokuba!" Seto shouted. "Seto, get me down! Please help me, Seto!" Mokuba cried out. "Mokuba! Hold on!" Seto called. "Rare Hunters, let my brother go, now!" he demanded. "Don't worry, he's fine, for now. But you could say his future's up in the air." the Rare Hunter responded.
"Help me down from here!" Mokuba cried out. "You'll pay for this! You and Marik!" Seto said angrily before turning towards the Rare Hunter. "If you or your goon buddies touch so much as one hair on my brother's head, I promise that I'll hunt you all down and have you put away on behalf of the entire Kaiba Corporation and the world!" he threatened, but the Rare Hunter just laughed. "Your empty threats will get you nowhere, but there is one way to save your brother." he said. "Tell me." Seto demanded.
"Meet us at the top of that building, Kaiba. That is, if you ever expect to see your brother again. The choice is yours." the Rare Hunter responded before he pointed to a tall building off in the distance while Mokuba was taken back up into the air, screaming. "Mokuba!" Kaiba shouted. "Kaiba's not the only one whose presence is required. If you expect to be reunited with your friends and loved one, you'll join us as well, Yugi." the Rare Hunter pointed out.
"Listen to me! I'm warning you, leave them alone!" Yami responded, angrily. But the Rare Hunter just chuckled. "I'll see you both shortly." he said before running towards a building. "Remember, gentlemen, meet us on the roof." he added before he started making his way upwards towards the roof with a laugh. "Looks like we have no choice." Kaiba said. "It seems so." Yami responded.
"If our enemies are one in the same, it's beneficial if you help me." Kaiba stated. "But know this, I'm in this for Mokuba. As far as your friends go, I'll only help you save Fluttershy, as she is an employee of mine for the duration of this tournament. The others, though, you're on your own for that." he added. "Fine, Kaiba." Yami responded. Soon, both men were up on the roof where they met the two Rare Hunters that were watching them.
"I see you two decided to show up, a very wise choice." said one of them. "Yes, now tell us, what is the meaning of this?!" Yami asked. "We've kept up our end of the deal, so why don't you honor yours and release the prisoners?" Kaiba asked. "I'm afraid it's not that simple. You're going to have to duel us both. If you win, you'll see your loved ones again." the first Rare Hunter said before laughing. "Before the fun begins, let us introduce ourselves." he added before looking up and revealing half of his face behind a mask while the other half revealed he was one of the two Rare Hunters that Yami and Kaiba faced and beaten earlier.
"I am Lumis." he said before his partner, wearing a different mask over half his face, revealed he was the other Rare hunter Yami and Kaiba beaten. "I am Umbra." said the other Rare Hunter. "You've beaten us once before, but I can assure you that it won't happen again in this duel." Lumis stated, remembering how he and Umbra were defeated. "And if we do win, you'll release our friends and family?" Yami asked. "Perhaps, but there's no way you'll win. Now let me explain the rules of this game." Lumis replied. "It will be a tag duel, us against you two. Each player will have 4000 life points. You must beat both of us to win and we will do the same. And as for the losing team, they'll pay a very hefty price; their lives!" he explained.
The reveal that the duel would have a death penalty for the losing team caught Yami and Kaiba off-guard. "You'll be delivered to death's door in the most ingenius way. Notice where we're standing, on a thin surface of glass over a fifty story light shaft that runs all the way to the ground floor. And if you fall, you'll crash and die instantly! That means no matter whose left in the duel, there's going to be funerals. Each of us will have our life points displayed on those boxes, which act as implosion devices. When they hit zero, they'll go off. And when they go off, the glass will be shattered, sending you on an express trip to the morgue!" Lumis continued as he imagined how it would play out if Yami and Kaiba lost.
"And according to Battle City rules, your rules, Kaiba, we take your Egyptian God Cards as our prize." he added before chuckling. "Seems that I left you speechless." he said. "I was just waiting for you to finish. Do I have your guarantee that my brother's alright?" Kaiba asked. "Yes, but I wouldn't count on seeing him again." Lumis answered. "Because where you're going, you'll only be visiting him by means of a medium!" put in Umbra before he and Lumis started laughing. "It seems like you've made your second biggest mistake today, Rare Hunters. The first was kidnapping my brother and the second was challenging me." Kaiba said, determined. "We'll see about that, Kaiba!" Lumis responded as Kaiba's Duel Disk activated.
Then Yami's Duel Disk activated, followed by Lumis' and Umbra's. "I assure you, we will beat you and save our loved ones!" Yami declared. "Wishful thinking, we duel for our master, Marik. And losing is not an option. Our decks were specially assembled to take down your Egyptian God Cards and that's just what we'll do!" Umbra responded. "And once we deliver them to master Marik, he'll be one step closer to world domination. In the meantime, you'll be spending all eternity in the afterlife! So if you're ready, let's duel!" Lumis added before all four men drew their cards and began the deadly game.
"Before I make the first move, I trust you both know how a two on two duel works." he said. "Yes, in a two on two tag team duel, each player on each team takes a separate turn but they must work together to defeat the opposing team." Yami responded. "Very good, now I'll begin the game." Lumis said before drawing. "And I'll simply set two cards face down and end my turn." he added as he did so. "Make your move, if you dare. Though it may only bring you closer to death." he concluded before Yami drew.
"Wrong!" the pharaoh declared. "I'll summon Beta the Magnet Warrior in defense mode, so now I have my own defense against you and your partner, Lumis." he said as he set his monster. 'No one can attack until each Duelist has drawn at least once. Hopefully by then, I can pick up on their strategy.' Yugi thought. "Observe!" Umbra declared as he drew and selected which card to play. "I summon Shining Abyss in defense mode!" he added as his monster, a level four, Light attribute Fairy with 1600 attack points and 1800 defense points, appeared. "Now it's time to show you how we duel together!" Lumis declared with a laugh.
"A team strategy already?!" Yami asked in surprise. "That's right, Yugi. I activate the Mask of Brutality and equip it to Umbra's Shining Abyss!" Lumis responded as his card activated. "Thank you, Lumis, the mask is a perfect fit for my monster." Umbra said as the mask appeared on the creature's face. "Furthermore, it'll boost the attack power of your monster by 1000 points, Umbra!" Lumis stated as the creature's attack points rose to 2600 while its defense points dropped to 800.
"What?! These two already have a monster that's in the 2000 attack points range!" Kaiba said in shock. "That's right, and it will stay that way as long as I give up 1000 of my life points for every turn that Mask of Brutality is in play." Lumis confirmed. "But, I don't think he'll have to. Watch, as I activate a magic card known as Masked Doll!" Umbra revealed as he played said card. "The Masked Doll will prevent Lumis from losing the 1000 life points needed to keep Mask of Brutality in effect." he explained. "Nice work, now my life points will remain intact. You two fools are no match for us!" Lumis said. "Yes, now that we have an advantage, our tag teaming tactics will destroy you both and send you out of Battle City in a hearse!" Umbra declared.
"I doubt it. We'll find a way to get past your tag teaming, because while we may not be friends, I have confidence in Kaiba being my partner for this duel." Yami retorted. "Touching. You're right that we're not friends, Yugi." Kaiba responded coldly. "Obviously, you made it clear once before." Yami pointed out. "Then let me make this clear, I could win this duel and save my brother by myself. After all, at one point, I was world champion. And by the end of this tournament, I'll be champion again. Now watch me work!" Kaiba replied before drawing. "I'll set two cards face down, and then, I'll summon Vorse Raider in attack mode!" he declared.
Soon, Kaiba's monster, a level four, Dark attribute Beast-Warrior with 1900 attack points and 1200 defense points, appeared. 'What's he doing? His monster is weaker than Shining Abyss. And if we don't have a team strategy, we'll never win!' Yugi thought. 'Excellent, now that I have Vorse Raider ready to go, I'll find a way to increase my creature's attack power.' Kaiba thought. "Well, we've each taken one turn, now it's time to see which team of Duelists is superior, but I think you'll find the answer to that one obvious." he said allowed.
"I agree. Due to our team strategy, we have the most powerful monster on the field. Might I remind you that our decks were specifically created to work together, to defeat your Egyptian God Cards." Lumis stated. "This duel has just begun, Rare Hunters!" Yami responded. 'We have to win. The safety of Fluttershy and my friends depends on it, along with the safety of Kaiba's little brother! Unless Kaiba agrees to work together as a team, we're doomed! If he keeps up this selfish attitude, we'll lose this duel and fall to our deaths!' Yugi thought.
And if that happens, Marik will have all three Egyptian God Cards and then take my Puzzle from my body! And who knows what will happen to the captives as long as Marik has them? We've got to defeat these Rare Hunters the fate of my friends, my girlfriend, Kaiba's little brother and the world depends on it!' he added.