Tales of Academia

by Magi Mana

Talesverse. Legacies are a challenge to live up to. Especially when those legacies involve the King of Games. Ready to forge a new path, Mana joins her brother Atem at the prestigious Duel Academy and soon meets the Hero who will lead them on adventures not unlike their parents'. It must be a Muto thing.

17. Duels in Alchemy

I'm sorry this is so late. It's been a combination of real life, laziness, and a bit of writer's block. But this is a really long chapter (not my longest but it's up there), so I hope that makes up for it.

I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! If I did, Professor Banner's role in the Abandoned Dorm incident would have been explained.

Chapter Seventeen: Duels in Alchemy

"Mana, wake up!" Someone pounded on her door. She groaned and pulled her covers over her head. The pounding continued.

"Mana, we've already missed breakfast! If we go now, we might get lucky and still have something!" another voice yelled.

Accepting that they weren't going to go away, Mana rolled out of bed pulled out her uniform. "All right! Just give me a minute!" she yelled at them, quickly getting dressed. She opened the door to see her three friends standing there. "What?" she asked when they seemed at a loss for words.

"Your hair," Syrus pointed to her head.

Mana pulled a blonde lock over her shoulder and groaned. She forgot to undo the spell on her hair before she went to bed last night. "I'll deal with it later. At least after we eat."

The Slifer cafeteria was practically deserted when the foursome made it there; luckily their trays were in there spots when they arrived.

"Phew, there's some left," Jaden sighed and took his seat.

"Let's dig in," Syrus said.

Mana scooped up a bite of her portion when she realized her friends' trays were empty. "There's not much to dig into," Jaden commented.

"Someone's cleared of our trays," Syrus flipped his empty bowl over.

"What kind of selfish slime would do that?" Chumley asked.

Spotting Chazz sitting in the corner, Mana pointed to him. He smirked as he finished off the contents of his tray. The four dressed in red march over to his spot, glaring at him. "You snooze you lose," Chazz smirked.

"That's it!" Syrus slammed his hands on the table. "Give us back our food or I'm telling!"

"I would give it back, only I ate it all," Chazz countered. "And it was good." He drew out the last word as he mocked them.

So why'd he leave mine alone? "Chazz, do you know why the most powerful magician in Egypt had to have the calmest demeanor?" Mana leaned into his face as she spoke, keeping her voice icily calm. "Because those who ever truly angered him were seldom seen again. And if he had a short temper, the Pharaoh would run out of servants in a month. Do you get where I'm going with this?"

"I left your food alone, didn't I?" Chazz eyed her expression.

"But that was the thing about the court magician. If something happened to him, he didn't care. If someone did something, say, to his apprentice or a fellow Priest or even his Pharaoh, then that person was done for." She gave her most knowing smile, the one that had Atem checking doorways for buckets and corners for other surprises. "Just because Professor Banner's not here doesn't mean we can't extract some justice on our own."

"Whatever," Chazz got up and left. "Remind me never to get into a prank battle with you."

"Of course not," Mana grinned. "I always win."

"You gotta show us how you did that." Jaden said.

"Seriously," Syrus said.

"Years of practice," Mana's grin widened. "I'm sure Joan and Max will tell you plenty when they come next year."

"So Joan will be your roommate?" Syrus confirmed.

"Yep, and I guarantee by break half the room will be set up as a mechanic's shop," Mana said. "Joan's always trying to build or tinker with something, and I'm sure you guys will hear her music blaring through the walls while she works. Though if your duel disk breaks down, she can fix it no problem."

"That must be handy," Chumley said.

"Yeah, especially when we don't want to get busted by Uncle Tristan. He takes fixing the equipment very seriously. Of course, it's kind of his job."

"What about your friend Max?" Syrus asked. "You said he was coming to."

"Yep, he's Joan's cousin and a complete goofball," Mana laughed. "Which reminds me: I need to stock up on ammo for next year."

"Ammo?" Jaden repeated.

"Yeah, Max has a tendency to tell bad jokes and make puns," Mana rolled her eyes. "I usually throw something at him when he does it, but like Uncle Joey, he never seems to learn. I also run out of things to throw pretty quickly. If he ends up in Slifer too, we'll have a real party."

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Mana sighed and ran a hand through her now-brown hair as everyone sat around awkwardly for what was supposed to be Professor Banner's class. "It's probably a good thing Uncle Seto doesn't know he's missing," she said, laying her head on the table. "If he did, I doubt Professor Banner would have a job next year. I just hope he's all right." A glance to her left showed Jaden was just as depressed about their dorm head's disappearance.

"It'll be okay," Syrus assured them.

"Yeah, totally," Chumley agreed. "Chancellor Sheppard's got a whole crew of people out looking for Professor Banner. They'll find him."

"It's just a matter of time," Syrus finished.

"And on the bright side, at least we get a break from class," Chumley grinned.

"I think you spoke too soon," Mana said as Dr. Crowler walked into the room.

"Good morning students," Crowler greeted them. "Guess what? Due to Professor Banner's absence, I will be your substitute teacher for the day. Aren't you lucky? 'Cause I'm certainly not. It was supposed to be my day off!" He slammed his books on the desk.

"We love you too, Dr. Crowler," Mana muttered. She'd take Banner's class over his any day.

"Let's see here," Crowler put a symbol up on the display and began flipping through one of the books. "The Mark of Amnael… yes, it looks like that's where Professor Banner left off. More Duel Alchemy nonsense I'm sure. Well according to these tomes, the basics of this are…" Crowler began to lose his understanding of what the book said. "That doesn't make any sense… I don't even know how to pronounce that word." He slammed the book shut. "What gibberish! This makes no sense and he's teaching you it? Perhaps it's a good thing he's missing! After all, he's polluting your young minds with twaddle! It's grade A academic tripe! Pure rubbish!"

Mana felt her temper rise, but before she could stand and tell Crowler off, a hand on her shoulder kept her in her seat. Syrus held her down as Jaden laughed at the professor's reaction to the alchemy material. She forced herself to calm down and let the class continue.

Ignoring the chatter of the students, Crowler moved onto a lab experiment, shaping a piece of metal into some kind of swirl before dunking it in a solution. The room shone with red light before the experiment blew up in Crowler's face. "What gobbledygook Duel Alchemy is!" he yelled. "What pure drivel!"

Syrus held Mana down again as Crowler continued to rant. "I sure wish Professor Banner would show up soon," Jaden sighed.

"Of course, Banner usually blew himself up too," Syrus commented.

"Heads up guys," Chumley warned them. Mana saw Crowler glaring at them

"Slifer-Slackers!" he yelled at them. "Chancellor Sheppard would like a word."

"Us?" Jaden and Mana stood up.

"Yes, and the rest of the gang," Crowler pointed out Chazz, Bastion, and Alexis too. "Report to him at once."

Mana sighed and followed the group to Sheppard's office. Atem and Zane were already there when they arrived. "I didn't do it," Mana raised her hands in defense when she saw her brother.

"Whenever you say that, I get the urge to throw you under the bus no matter what the situation is," Atem rolled his eyes. "If you did do it, why would all of us be summoned here?"

"I don't know," Mana crossed her arms. "I just don't like being called into the chancellor's office. I feel like I'm being busted."

"Because you usually are busted," Atem pointed out.

"Let's just get this over with," Mana opened the door to the chancellor's office, leading the group inside.

"I'm sorry to call you all out of class," Sheppard told them as they all stood around his desk. "But I'm afraid I have bad news. It seems Professor Banner is still lost."

"What do you mean still lost?" Jaden asked.

"Still lost," Mana counted out two fingers. "Which word didn't you understand?"

"But he couldn't have just vanished into thin air!" Jaden insisted. "Could he?"

"Who knows?" Sheppard answered. "The bottom line is we've looked everywhere and can't find him."

"And there's no log of him leaving the island," Crowler added.

"Then there's only one explanation," Chazz said. "Banner got sucked into the shadows."

"Don't say that!" Alexis chastised him.

"It doesn't make sense for a Shadow Rider to target him," Atem said. "Professor Banner doesn't have a Spirit Key. But…" he hesitated. Mana guessed he was debating telling Chancellor Sheppard about their suspicions. They didn't have any proof.

"Chancellor, could it be possible Professor Banner is working with the Shadow Riders?" Mana asked, deciding to just go for it.

"That is a serious accusation," Sheppard said. "What makes you believe it?"

"He called Atticus and several of the other students to the Abandoned Dorm the night they went missing," Atem said.

"And he hired a detective to help us, but that guy turned out to be a Shadow Rider trying to steal our Keys," Mana added. "I know it's circumstantial, and I do hope we're wrong, but…"

"It is concerning," Sheppard answered.

"The Shadow Riders definitely have something to do with this," Jaden said. "But what?"

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Bastion, Alexis, and Zane headed to their own dorm when they finished with Chancellor Sheppard. Syrus and Chumley quickly caught up to the Mutos, Jaden, and Chazz. Jaden and Chazz were eager to go find Professor Banner, albeit for different reasons. Jaden wanted to help their professor no matter the situation; Chazz wanted to save the day by finding him. Mana looked to her brother, and they both rolled their eyes at the same time before Chazz led the group to Banner's room at Slifer.

"I'm not finding anything," Atem searched Banner's desk.

"Yeah, there are no clues here," Syrus said, inspecting the dresser.

"You think he'd leave a note or something," Jaden searched the bookcase.

"I'm wondering why he left the door unlocked," Mana mused, searching with Chumley underneath the side table.

"Check this out," Chumley held up a slip of paper. Mana leaned over his shoulder to read it.

"It's Banner's handwriting," Jaden reasoned. "Something… tree?"

"It must be code," Chazz assumed.

"Try his handwriting sucks," Mana shot him down. "No wonder all his handouts in class were typed."

"It's probably some kind of alchemic equation," Atem took the slip. "But even with three years of taking his classes, I can't make heads or tails of it. It would help if I could actually read it though."

"We really need to get Professor Banner to use his PDA for notes like this," Mana chimed in.

"Let's keep looking," Chazz said.

Mana grew more impatient with the lack of anything to go on the more they searched, though her friends found an assortment of clues indicating Banner needed to clean more. They finally caught a break when Syrus found a map tucked in a corner on a back shelf. "Check this out," he said, unrolling it for them see.

"Of course!" Chazz shoved the shorter Slifer aside. "This explains it all!"

"Circle back so we can all board your train of thought, Chazz," Atem told him. Mana could tell he was beginning to grow exasperated with the black-haired student's plan.

"It's the Mark of Amnael," Chazz pointed to a marking on the map.

"Now I really wish Dr. Crowler had given us a proper lesson on it," Mana said. "I doubt his explosion's going to help us now."

"Let's head there and see what we find," Atem said. The Slifers nodded, and the resident Key Guardians went to grab their duel disks.

"Okay, follow me, guys!" Jaden commanded when they were ready.

"Follow you?" Chazz scoffed. "I'm the one who figured this whole thing out. So you guys follow me, if you can keep up."

"I don't really care who we follow," Atem silenced them. "All that matters is we get there, and we figure out what's going on with Professor Banner. And don't let your guard down, no matter what."

Acknowledging the wisdom of the Obelisk senior, the Slifers followed him into the forest, spreading out in their search for the wayward professor. Part of Mana wondered if they might run into Wheeler and his family during their search. She chuckled at the thought.

"SNAKE!"

Syrus and Chumley ran back to the rest of the group. Just as they managed to sputter out exactly what they saw, snakes from the above trees rained down on them. Mana screamed and grabbed Atem, holding him tighter with each slither the snakes made across her skin. Jaden became the quick thinker, brushing them all off the group and chasing them away before any human was bitten or any snake was crushed.

"Mana… I can't… breathe…" Atem eked out the words against his sister's death grip.

"Sorry!" Mana let him go, panting to calm herself down. Atem sighed as he caught his breath.

The group decided to take a breather after their scare. Sitting in a circle on the forest floor, they reminisced some of their time with Professor Banner, even if he was odd at times, like offering expired milk to Syrus or pawning his carrots off on Chazz in exchange for Chazz's dessert. "Professor Banner has always looked out for the students, no matter what dorm they lived in," Atem said, looking back on his time at the Academy. "One of the most memorable times I had with him was when I was a freshman. Atticus had changed all of his displays for class into Fullmetal Alchemist pictures. Professor Banner didn't even acknowledge they were different. He just continued with his lecture and pointed out the inaccuracies on the transmutation circles in the images. (1) When class was done, he knew right away it was Atticus and he just told us that if we were going to mess with his displays, we should at least make them alchemically accurate. Definitely not the reaction Atticus was expecting."

"That sounds like Professor Banner," Mana giggled. "Is Atticus why you keep warning me off trouble here?"

"Yes, for a number of reasons," Atem answered. "If Atticus wasn't pranking Dr. Crowler or Professor Banner, he was rigging the sound system with his favorite music or trying to set me and Zane up on blind dates. Me more so than Zane."

The underclassman laughed at his words. "I really hope we're wrong about Professor Banner being a Shadow Rider," Mana said. "I don't want to think someone as nice as him is out to destroy the world."

"Just because he has two sides doesn't make him a bad person," Jaden said. "And when we find him, we'll get to the bottom of what's been going on."

"And we should probably get back to it," Syrus suggested.

"Seriously, guys," Chazz said, taking command again. "Break time's over!"

"Let's go and find Banner," the other male Slifers said at the same time.

A cat's growl echoed through the clearing. "Pharaoh?" the group questioned, following the sound. There was no sign of the beige and brown cat. The sound repeated itself.

"He's close," Chazz said. "Let's spread out."

Nodding, each member took off in a different direction. "Here, Pharaoh!" Mana called to the cat. "Here, kitty-kitty! If you come out, I'll give you some nice warm milk!"

"Mana," Dark Magician Girl and Dark Magician appeared beside her.

"There is something dark lurking in this forest," Dark Magician warned. "Be on your guard."

"And here I was just telling myself I was being paranoid," Mana summoned her wand. She glanced at the sky; the sun was just disappearing under the horizon, darkening the forest. "We have to find Pharaoh and Professor Banner."

"And we will," Dark Magician Girl promised her. "We just have to keep looking."

Mana nodded and ventured farther into the forest, her wand held ready for any more surprises. Any snakes that tried to crawl on her would regret the day they slithered out of the earth. She would see to that.

"Mana, someone's here!" Dark Magician Girl cried out, causing the brunette to whip around and point her wand at the newcomer.

The stranger said nothing in the face of Mana's wand, sending a shiver of fear through her. His entire appearance was masked—a dark beige hooded cloak covering his body and black mask obscuring his face. "Who are you?" Mana demanded.

"I am Amnael," the stranger answered.

"You're the seventh Shadow Rider," Mana accused. His voice sounds familiar. But where have I heard it?

"Yes, I am," Amnael said. "But more than your Key, I desire to see if you have a true understanding of alchemy. A combination of science and magic."

"Good-ish on the magic, not so much on science," she answered.

Amnael strapped on a duel disk. "We shall see."

"I won't lose to a Shadow Rider," Mana set aside her wand and readied her own duel disk. I'm counting on you guys, she silently called to the Dark Magicians.

"We're here for you," they said.

"Ladies first!" Mana drew her card. "I summon Skilled Dark Magician (1900/1700) in attack mode!" Her brown-robed magician brandished his staff at Amnael. "And I'll lay two cards face-down and end my turn."

"Then it is my turn," Amnael said. "I activate the spell card Chaos Distill." A steaming alchemic crucible appeared behind him. "Due to its effect, all my cards that would normally go to my graveyard this duel will instead be removed from play. Next I play Tin Spell Circle. When I have Chaos Distill on the field, this lets me transmute an Alchemy Beast: Aretos the Tin (500/500)." Liquid metal rose out of the Distill and shaped itself into a metallic eagle.

"By playing those spells, you just gave my Skilled Dark Magician two Spell Counters," Mana said as the charms on Skilled Dark's shoulders lit up.

"It matters not," Amnael continued his move. "I activate the spell Lead Compass. Like Tin Spell Circe, this gives me the materials to transmute another Alchemy Beast—Leon the Lead (500/500)." Dark grey metal shaped itself into a lion. It roared as it joined the eagle.

"And I get a third Spell Counter." The charm on Skilled Dark Magician's chest lit up.

"I play another alchemy spell: Steel Lamp. This lets me transmute Alchemy Beast — Salamandra the Steel (500/500)." A shimmering metal morphed itself into a dragon to complete his trio. "As I have proven, my Alchemy Beasts cannot be summoned in the normal way, but they can attack you directly." All three monsters slashed at Mana, knocking her down to 2500 LifePoints. She gasped as she felt the claws of the monsters rip through her. No doubts about it now. It's definitely a Shadow Game. "I'll end my turn with a face-down card."

"You should have worried more about my magician," Mana said as she drew. "Because now that Skilled Dark Magician has three Spell Counters, I can sacrifice him to summon Dark Magician (2500/2100) from my deck!" Skilled Dark Magician vanished from her field; in his place Dark Magician twirled his green staff before pointing it at Amnael. "And now that Mahad is on my field, I can play Bond Between Teacher and Student to summon Dark Magician Girl (2000/1700)!" The blonde spellcaster joined her master.

"Your Egyptian priests won't help you," Amnael mocked her. "They couldn't save the Nameless Pharaoh. What makes you think they can save you?"

This guy knows about Pharaoh Atem? Mana bit back a sharp remark to her opponent. She couldn't let him get inside her head. The Dark Magicians had never failed her, and they weren't going to now. "That's what you think. Your beasts are no match for their magic, especially when I boost Dark Magician Girl's strength with Magic Formula!" The silver spell tome appeared in the blonde's hand, raising her attack strength by 700. "Go, Dark Magician, destroy Leon the Lead with Dark Magic Attack!"

"Predictable," Amnael activated his face-down card. "Element Absorber will negate the attacks from your monsters with the same attribute as a monster I remove from the game. And I'll remove Alchemy Beast — Moonface the Silver to stop all your dark attacks." Dark Magician's attack was redirect to the trap card and absorbed.

That's going to make things difficult. Most of my monsters are dark, and those Alchemy Beasts can just bypass my magicians. But why is he removing all of his cards from play? Mana gritted her teeth and ended her turn. "Make your move, Amnael."

"I shall," the hooded figure drew. "Go, my Alchemy Beasts! Attack her directly!"

"Not today!" Mana played her trap. "Negate Attack ends the battle phase. Better luck next time."

"A stalling tactic, nothing more," Amnael scoffed. "You will have to do better than that to beat me."

"I'm just getting started," Mana said. Yes! She cheered when she saw her draw. "I summon Maha Vailo (1550/1400) in attack mode, and I'll equip him with the Black Pendant. Normally this would only give him 500 attack points, but Maha Vailo's ability gives him another 500 for being equipped with a spell." The blue-robed spellcaster's attack points rose to 2550. "Maha Vailo, destroy Salamandra the Steel with Sacred Lightning!"

"Did you really think Element Absorber would only work on one attribute?" Amnael mocked her. "It will block all the elements if I remove one of their kind. I remove Alchemy Beast — Ouroboros the Bronze to activate the power of my Absorber!" Like Dark Magician's, Maha Vailo's attack was sucked into the trap, never to hit its mark.

Great. Light and dark are both blocked. Looks like I'll need the Magician Girls' help. They're the only other attribute monsters I have besides Gemini Elf and Buster Blader. Mana weighed her options as she ended her turn.

"Then it's my turn," Amnael flipped over his card. "Go, my Alchemy Beasts. Show her your power."

"I still have another face-down: Mirror Force!" Mana played her other trap. I really wanted to save that for something bigger, but I can't risk another 1500 points of damage. "It destroys all your attack position monsters!" The three Alchemy Beasts were engulfed in their own attacks. Mana sighed in relief.

"You only push yourself closer to your demise," Amnael said, drawing his card. "You may have avoided this attack, but you're only digging yourself in deeper with your ignorance of the laws of alchemy."

"I don't care about the Law of Equivalent Exchange right now!" Mana snapped. "I care about protecting my Spirit Key and the world. Besides, you don't have much to sacrifice from what I can see. Your Elemental Absorber is the only thing protecting you at the moment."

"But even as a Magician, you must know there is always a price to pay for using magic," Amnael continued. "You give up strength, energy, and sometimes more to cast a spell. With Alchemy, one thing is broken down to create something else. A price is paid."

"Just take your turn already," Mana was growing really annoyed with her opponent.

"My alchemic formula needs more time before it is ready, so I'll just pass this turn."

"Then it's my move!" Mana drew. "I play Pot of Greed to draw two cards!" Yes! "Next I summon Chocolate Magician Girl in attack mode!" The blue-haired spellcaster smiled impishly at the alchemy duelist as she twirled her wand. "And since Chocolate's a water monster, she's not bound by your trap. Chocolate, show him what your made of!"

"It seems you'll never learn," Amnael sighed. "I use Elemental Absorber's effect to remove Aqua Spirit from the game and stop your Magician Girl's attack." The blast was pulled into the trap. "And to think I believed you were such a promising student."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Mana cried out indignantly. "Are you stalking me?"

"No, I'm just observant," he answered.

"Well observe this! I play Dedication Through Light and Darkness! This lets me sacrifice Dark Magician to summon the Dark Magician of Chaos!" The purple-robed spellcaster shifted to his chaos form. "And when Dark Magician of Chaos is summoned, I get a spell back from my graveyard. So I'll be taking back my Pot of Greed. And since Dark Magician's now in the graveyard, my Dark Magician Girl gains 300 attack points. Now she could go toe-to-toe with the Blue-Eyes White Dragon," Mana smirked. "Beat that."

"I shall, in due time," Amnael said. He drew, and set his card face-down. "That's all for now."

"Then get ready to hurt," Mana started her turn. "I play Pot of Greed to draw two cards. Then I'll summon Gemini Elf (1900/900) in attack mode!" The twin elves appeared next to the magicians. "And I'll play the spell Magical Blast. This deals 200 points of damage to you for every spellcaster I have on the field for a total of 1000 points." Amnael's LifePoints fell to 3000, the first damage Mana had managed to inflict. "And since you don't have any cards in your hand, you can't add another element to your Absorber. Which means Gemini Elf is free to attack you directly. Go, Twin-Heeled Kick!" The twins joined hands and simultaneously slammed a foot into Amnael, dropping him down to 1100 LifePoints. "I think I'm a pretty good student of the Academy."

"And you don't even realize the trap you've fallen in, the very same trap your friends fell for!" Amnael drew his card.

"I'm not letting you get anywhere near my friends, Shadow Rider!" Mana glared at him.

"They are already mine," Amnael took out a book; Mana could just see the Millennium Symbol on its cover. That's not good. "Three of your friends are already imprisoned in this Emerald Tablet. Once I finish you off, I just need to find your brother and Jaden, and I'll have claimed all the Spirit Keys!"

So this guy got Alexis and Chazz. But who's the third? And how does he know Atem and I are siblings? None of the other Shadow Riders really knew anything about us. Camula was the only one to recognize anyone, and that's because she was spying on us. Mana clenched her fist. Either way, he won't beat me! I've got some of my best monsters out, and they're all powered up. And if he summons something more powerful than Gemini Elf, I can still bring out a Magician Girl with a different attribute and use Kiwi to boost her. She glanced at her hand to the Kiwi Magician Girl smiling at her. And at the very least, Kiwi can protect Chocolate or Partner from battle with her discard effect.

"This ends now," Amnael said. "Now if you had paid more attention to the 'Law of Equivalent Exchange' as you put it, you would see the transmutation I've been building since the start of the duel, slowly breaking down materials to create something else." Amnael laughed. "First, I play the spell card Grand Convergence! This allows me to destroy every monster on the field and inflict 300 points of damage to you." Meteors rained from the sky, destroying all of Mana's spellcasters. She clutched her heart as her LifePoints fell to 2200, fighting off the grip of pain squeezing it.

"Is that all you got?" she challenged him, refusing to back down.

"No," Amnael played another card. "For my ultimate transmutation, I play the spell White Process — Albedo! This lets me summon the Golden Homunculus!" A large golem, coated in shining gold, materialized on his field. "And Golden Homunculus's attack points are 300 times the number of cards I have removed from the game. It's over, Mana. And I expected so much more out of a Muto."

He played me! He's been removing his cards the whole game for the sole purpose of summoning that thing! Mana's eyes widened as she took in the monster's 3300 attack points. She had nothing left. Amnael cleared out her field, destroying her best monsters. There was nothing she could do to stop its attack.

"Stone Shard Storm!" The golden monstrosity attacked, knocking Mana to the ground. Her cards scattered everywhere as her LifePoints hit zero. She gasped as white-hot pain coursed through her. "You have been defeated," Amnael stood over her. His hood fell back, revealing long silver hair tied in a ponytail. "And since you won't be getting out, you might as well see the face of your conqueror." He pulled off his black mask, and his grin went all the way to his blood-red eyes.

No way! That's why he sounded familiar! Darkness swarmed the edge of Mana's vision. No, I can't give in yet. I have to warn Atem. Drawing on the last of her strength, her wand appeared in hand, and she fired her magic upward. Please, Heart of the Cards, protect him! Amnael knocked her wand out of her hand, cutting off her magic signal. The last thing she saw was a glowing green symbol before everything went black.

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"Hey, we found Pharaoh!" Atem heard Jaden call out to the group. All right, finally some good news. "Chazz, where are you? Atem? Mana?"

"I'm over here," he called back. Jaden, Syrus, and Chumley ran to catch him, Pharaoh, held tightly in the koala duelist's arms. "Where are the others?"

"We thought they were with you," Syrus answered.

Atem shook his head. "I haven't seen them since we split up."

"They can't have gone too far," Jaden said. "Let's hurry up and find them.

Their search led them to the lake. No sign of Chazz or Mana, but Chazz's cards were spread everywhere. Those who could see them spotted the Ojama brothers crying. "What happened?" Atem asked the three spirits.

"He's gone," they sobbed.

"The seventh Shadow Rider," Jaden reasoned.

No sooner than they came to that conclusion, a pillar of pink light shot into the sky. "That's Mana's magic!" Atem recognized his sister's power.

It was gone in an instant, leaving Atem to fear for his sister's safety. Without waiting for the others, he took off into the forest, heading straight to where Mana's beacon had come from. She wouldn't fire her magic like that unless it was dire, and since the last Shadow Rider had already gotten Chazz, Mana had to be his next target.

He was too late. All that was at the spot was a glowing green symbol over a strewn pile of cards. That's the symbol from Professor Banner's map. The Mark of Amnael. The symbol vanished, and Atem knelt to gather up the cards, flipping over the top one.

Dark Magician Girl.

Atem went numb. No. Not her. He denied it over and over again. Not Mana. Not his childish, hyper, sometimes aggravating sister. This had to be another of her pranks. Any second now she would jump out from one of the trees and tackle him like she always did. She couldn't be gone. The shadows couldn't have her.

He didn't know how much time had passed as he knelt there, waiting for Mana to jump out at him. It finally sank in that she wasn't coming back. Atem slammed his fist on the ground, blinking through tears that sprang to his eyes. They never should have split up. He should have stayed with her. He was the older brother; it was his job to protect her. But he didn't, and Mana paid the price. It should have been me. I should have been here.

"Atem?" A red sleeve nudged him. He ignored them, staring into the emerald eyes of Mana's favorite card. His anger at the spirit rose. She was Mana's spirit partner. Why didn't she protect her? Why did she let the shadows take her?

"There was nothing we could do," a heartbroken voice said. Atem looked up into the transparent emerald eyes of the card spirit. Tears welled in Dark Magician Girl's eyes. "We fought with everything we had, but it wasn't enough. But she had to warn you. That's why she sent the beacon."

Suddenly the whole island began to shake, knocking Atem out of his stupor. Mana's three friends had joined them; Jaden stood the closest to Atem, listening to what Dark Magician Girl had to say as well. Six pillars of multicolored light rose from the waters surrounding the island.

"What was that?" Syrus asked.

"I don't know," Jaden answered. "But definitely not a good thing."

"Six pillars," Atem counted all of them just to be sure. "Six Spirit Gates. The other Key Guardians have fallen."

"That is what Amnael said," Dark Magician Girl told them. "He said the others had already fallen, and you two were the last."

"He took them all down?" Jaden asked. "Chazz, Alexis, and Mana?"

"Yes," she said. Sobs from the Ojama cards in Jaden's hands confirmed her story.

Atem's hand shook; he clenched it into a fist. He had to track down this Amnael and take him down. It was the only way to save Mana. He reached for his deck to summon Curse of Dragon, but a transparent hand stopped him.

"Atem, you can't just charge in there," Dark Magician said. "This Shadow Rider is not like the others. He knows all of you. Your decks, your strategies. What is mostly like to get under your skin."

"How?" Atem gritted his teeth. "How did he know enough to beat her?"

"Mana recognized him," Dark Magician Girl answered. "We didn't see his face though. His back was to us when he revealed himself to Mana. Whoever he was, Mana's last act was to try to warn you."

"Then we gotta face him head-on," Jaden said.

"Are you crazy?" Syrus asked. "This guy is probably looking for you. You guys gotta hide so he doesn't get the last two Spirit Keys!"

"Do you expect me to hide when my sister is in danger?" Atem snapped, whipping around to grab the shorter Slifer by the collar.

"Take it easy, Atem," Jaden stepped between them, forcing the senior to release Syrus. "We're not gonna abandon them. We'll find this guy and get them all back."

A bolt of lightning struck the tree next to them; the group just barely managed to get out of the way before the tree crashed to the ground. "Uh, timber?" Jaden offered.

"That was way too close!" Syrus panted.

A glowing green symbol appeared over the tree—the same one hovering over Mana's cards when Atem arrived. "That's the symbol the Shadow Rider's been using," he said. "The Mark of Amnael."

The symbol disappeared and reappeared a few feet down, blinking in and out as it travelled down the path. Without thinking, Atem took off, following the symbol. He heard the Slifers following him, panting as they ran to catch up.

The Mark of Amnael led them to the Abandoned Dorm. "We should've known," Jaden said. "This is where it all started. Makes sense it would end here too."

"Let's hurry up and find this guy," Atem pulled a card out of his deck. "Kuriboh, come forth!" The brown furball appeared on his shoulder. "Scout ahead for us. Find the last Shadow Rider."

As soon as Kuriboh hopped around the corner, lightning struck outside. Yowling, Pharaoh broke free from Chumley's grasp and raced down the same way Kuriboh had gone. The furball screamed as the cat ran past him. He turned back and bounded into Atem's arms, shaking as he dug his claws into the Obelisk's blazer.

"Kuriboh, calm down," Atem soothed the creature. "It was just Pharaoh." The furball continued to huddle against him. He sighed. "I don't think he's going to help us for a while."

"Then we'd better go after Pharaoh," Jaden took the lead, following the cat's trail down the stairs.

Pharaoh's paw prints led them into the basement of the building and into a hidden passageway. "That's weird," Jaden said as Syrus shined his flashlight on the newly discovered door. "This door's never been here before."

"So let's ignore it," Syrus stepped behind Jaden.

"Sounds good to me," Chumley agreed.

Atem glared at them. "Stay if you like, but I'm going in. It's time to take this Shadow Rider down. And make him pay for what he's done." He walked through the door, flanked by the three Slifers.

"This place looks like some lab from a horror movie," Jaden said as the others shined their flashlights over the area. His description wasn't inaccurate. The room was dimly light, and Atem didn't want to think about what was in the vials on the shelf. The strangest part of the décor was the three stone tablets on the other side of the room. Atem didn't recognize the monsters on them, but he suspected they were the Sacred Beasts. That's not a good sign. As if picking up on his thoughts, Kuriboh chirped in agreement, moving onto Atem's shoulder.

"So where's the mad scientist hiding?" Chumley asked.

"Not sure," Syrus answered. "But you know, if it's where my gut tells me it might be, I'm going to need a change of shorts." He shined his light on a coffin propped up against one wall.

"That's really not a good sign," Atem said. His mind flashed back to the Gravekeepers and their intended punishment for the group. Could one of their missing friends be trapped in there? Bracing himself, he walked up to the coffin and started pushing on the lid. Jaden followed him and added his strength, making the lid slide off the box.

Syrus and Chumley screamed when the saw the contents. It took all of Atem's self-control not to panic at the body in the coffin. Kuriboh shook on his shoulder. "Give me your flashlight," Jaden held his hand out to Syrus.

"Why, what's wrong?" Syrus hesitated.

"Just do it," Atem snapped.

"This mummy looks familiar," Jaden hesitated as he shined the light on the body. Atem recognized the long black hair and glasses of the body. He didn't need to read the name Banner on the pocket to confirm what was right in front of him. They found Professor Banner.

"No way!" Chumley denied it. "Professor Banner couldn't have mummified this fast! I can't even make beef jerky in the amount of time he's been missing."

"Not on his own," Atem said. "For someone to be preserved like this, they'd need someone else to do it. And it's been a couple of weeks since Alexis took down Titan. Unless the last Shadow Rider did this."

"So you think it's a fake?" Jaden asked.

"Of course!" Syrus said. "That's it! It's a fake! Probably made out of wax or something, right?"

"Wrong!" a voice echoed in the room as the lights came on. "That is the body of the one you know as Professor Banner."

Everyone turned to face the newcomer. He was dressed in black with a red sash with green jewels and a bronze gauntlet on his right hand. A beige cloak covered his head and shoulders, and a silver mask covered his face. "Amnael," Dark Magician Girl appeared next to Atem.

"That's the duelist that took down Chazz," Ojama Yellow huddled next to Jaden. "He's really good too."

So this was the guy who took Mana and the others. Atem clenched his fist and stepped forward. "What did you do to my sister?" he demanded to know.

"For one who claims to know of Shadow Games, you refuse to look at the truth of defeat," the newcomer answered. He took a book out from underneath his cloak. "She is right here along with the others. And if you cannot defeat me, you two will be joining them."

"Then let's do it!" Atem challenged him. He had to get Mana back. "It's time you paid for what you did to Mana and the others!"

"Wait," Jaden blocked Atem's way with his arm. "Let me face him."

"Why?" Atem snapped.

"Because you're not thinking clearly," Jaden answered. "You're letting what happened to Mana get to you. Dark Magician said you can't just charge in. You're not supposed to be the reckless one."

"Who says I'm reckless?" Atem snarled.

"Me, right now," Jaden said. "Trust me. You're not the only one who wants to get her back. Mana's our friend too. So are Chazz and Alexis. And I swear I'll beat him and end this for good. And they'll all come back safe."

Atem clenched his fist. Of all the times for Jaden to make sense, it had to be now. But he was right—Atem hadn't focused on how Mana had been defeated, only that she was. He'd been able to pull himself together when Atticus was missing and Zane was taken by Camula, but losing his sister was completely different. Without even realizing it, they were grounding each other, keeping each other convinced they would pull through by comparing their situation to their parents' stories. They let their guard down.

Their ideas of saving the world from people like Dartz and Bakura weren't going to help now. But Jaden had the same drive to win and save their friends, and he hadn't lost his cool at the situation. As much as Atem didn't want to admit it, right now Jaden was better suited to taking down the Shadow Rider. "If you don't stop him…" he stared down Jaden.

"Then he's all yours," Jaden grinned. He powered up his duel disk. "Now tell us how we get Professor Banner back," he turned to the Shadow Rider. "Or is it too late for him?"

"It was always too late," Amnael answered. "It is best you forget about the one you knew as Banner. He is no more."

"What do you mean no more?" Jaden took a step back. "What is this? I want to know just what you've done to Professor Banner!"

"To understand everything, you must do just one thing," Amnael answered. "Duel and defeat me, Jaden. Only then will the truth be revealed." He held up his book. Now Atem could see the Millennium Symbol on the cover. "Only then will this tome and the secrets it holds be unlocked. Will you accept this challenge? Or shall Atem go first? I can see he wants to."

"Of course I'll face you!" Jaden readied his duel disk and jumped into Amnael's arena. "Let's throw down!"

"Prepare yourself." Amnael slid back his hood, revealing long silver hair tied in a ponytail. He powered up his own duel disk.

"I've been preparing for this ever since you Shadow Riders first showed up!" Jaden yelled. "And now, Amnael, get your game on!"

Amnael sounds familiar. But why would he? Atem gritted his teeth and reached for Mana's Dark Magician cards. "Dark Magician, Dark Magician Girl, come forth!" he summoned Mana's partners. "What else can you tell us about this guy?"

"Do not underestimate him," Dark Magician warned. "Mana appeared to have the upper hand through most of the duel, but he turned it around in an instant, building his move the entire duel. And he knows what will get under his opponent's skin. With Mana, he mocked her knowledge of magic in comparison to how alchemy worked."

"You got that, Jaden?" Atem grimaced.

"Yeah, I got it," Jaden drew his hand. He glared at his opponent. "Time to throw down! I'm getting everyone back! No matter what it takes, Amnael!"

"Is that so?" Amnael drew his own hand. "But what if you do not possess what it takes, Jaden? Because to beat me, you'll have to reach a whole new echelon of dueling expertise. Now we begin." He drew his card. "And I activate the spell card Chaos Distill!" A large alchemic crucible appeared behind him.

"What is that thing?" Syrus asked.

"Oh yeah, like I'm going to know," Chumley said.

"It removes any card that goes to Amnael's graveyard from the game," Dark Magician Girl answered. "He used that on Mana."

"The spellcaster is correct," Amnael said. "Now I'll activate my second spell card: Steel Lamp." Fire roared in the crucible. "And when Chaos Distill is on the field, I can use Steel Lamp to summon Alchemy Beast — Salamandra the Steel (500/500)." A tube of fire shot from the Chaos Distill and placed itself on Amnael's field. The fire faded, revealing a metallic dragon. "You see, Alchemy Beasts can't be summoned in the normal manner, but they can wage direct attacks against you. Which is a big problem for you because with these two spell cards, Bronze Scale and Lead Compass, along with Chaos Distill, I can now summon two more Alchemy Beasts: Ouroboros the Bronze (500/500) and Leon the Lead (500/500)!" Two pillars of fire shot from the ground and faded to reveal a brown metal serpent and a dark gray metallic lion. Amnael laughed at his triple summon. "I'll now end my turn with a face-down."

"Three monsters in the very first turn?" Jaden stared down the Alchemy Beasts.

"That is correct," Amnael chuckled. "And if you think that is impressive, just wait until you see them attack."

"I'm not going to give them that chance!" Jaden drew his card.

"Be careful, Jaden!" Dark Magician Girl warned the Slifer. "Those monsters may seem weak, but Amnael won't make it easy to destroy them!"

Jaden nodded. "I summon Elemental Hero Bubbleman (800/1200)!" The blue-clad Hero swooped onto his field. "And since he's the only one out, I get to draw two more cards. And I got a feeling they're going to be some sweet ones." He drew and grinned. "It's good to be right. I activate Bubble Blaster!" A navy blue blaster appeared over Bubbleman's right shoulder, boosting his strength by 800 and forcing the Hero to kneel as he wielded his signature weapon. "Fire!" Jaden commanded. "Bombarding Bubble Barrage!"

"That is one bubble I'm afraid I must burst," Amnael revealed his face-down card. "I activate a trap: Elemental Absorber! With this card, I can remove a monster in my hand from play to negate the attack of your monster, as long as they both have the same attribute."

"That not good," Jaden said.

"That card is really bad news!" Dark Magician Girl called to him.

"Yes, it is bad news for you," Amnael mocked them. "Especially when the card I remove from play is Aqua Spirit!" A blue symbol rose from the trap, redirecting Bubbleman's attack and absorbing it. "Your attack has been stopped. And it's my turn now." He drew his card. "Go, my Alchemy Beasts! Attack Jaden directly! Salamandra the Steel, let loose Flame Shot of Ore!" The dragon breathed fire over the Slifer duelist. "Now Ouroboros and Leon attack as well!" The other two monsters slashed at Jaden, knocking him down to 2500 LifePoints.

"Jaden just got clobbered," Syrus said.

"It's what he used on Mana," Dark Magician said. "And it's likely he used the same combo to defeat Chazz and Alexis."

Atem looked to Mahad. They had a resource against Amnael in that the Dark Magicians and the Ojamas had all seen Amnael duel. "His strategy must have a weakness," Atem reasoned. "Any ideas what it is?"

"He needs to remove his monsters from play," Mahad answered. "Getting rid of that Chaos Distill would be a start to… what's the phrase? Throwing a wrench in his plan?"

"At least he's only got one card left in his hand," Chumley said. "If Jaden can hold on for this turn, he'll have the upper hand and Amnael will be the one who's on the ropes."

"Don't underestimate him," Dark Magician chastised Chumley. "Mana held the advantage for the majority of the duel; the only thing protecting Amnael was the Elemental Absorber. But he turned it around with one move."

Amnael laughed at them. "The Egyptian Priest is correct. The rest of you should have paid better attention in class. Perhaps then you would know that against my alchemy deck, things are not what they seem." He held up a card. "I activate the spell card Black Process — Negledo! When Chaos Distill is on the field and there are no cards in my hand, this card allows me to remove all Alchemy Beasts on the field from play and then draw two new cards per Beast."

"And two cards were used to summon each beast—the spell and the monster," Atem observed. "The Law of Equivalent Exchange." All the hours Atticus and Mana each made him watch both versions of Fullmetal Alchemist were catching up to him.

"Your sister said the same thing," Amnael chuckled. "But she didn't care about that particular law. But it is an accurate description for the way of the alchemist. Destruction and rebirth." His monsters shattered in pillars of flame as he drew a fresh hand. "But I assure you if you are destroyed here, there will be no rebirth for you."

Atem scowled and clenched his fist. Dark Magician moved in front of him, keeping himself between Atem and the Shadow Rider. "Don't let him rattle you," Mahad warned. "The more he gets under your skin, the more he succeeds."

"Now then," Amnael continued his move. "Since I removed three Alchemy Beasts from play, I drew six cards. And now let's play some of them!" He pulled three spells from his hand. "I activate Tin Spell Circle, Mercury Hourglass, and Silver Key!" Like before, metal swirled in the Chaos Distill until if formed three creatures—a metallic eagle, an armored fish, and some kind of metal golem. "Aretos the Tin (500/500), Ekenas the Mercury (500/500), and Moonface the Silver (500/500)!"

"Now it's my turn!" Jaden drew. "Go, Elemental Hero Clayman (800/2000)!" The earth warrior stood next to the blue-clad one. "Next I'll play the spell card Mud Max!" A purple and red go-kart drove onto Jaden's field, and Clayman hopped onto it, revving the engine. "This puts Clayman in overdrive, to the tune of 300 extra supercharged attack points. Oh and guess what, Amnael? I'm going to use them all to run right over your LifePoints. So hit it, Clayman! Put the pedal to the metal and attack!"

"I activate the effect of Elemental Absorber!" Amnael countered. "By simply removing the Rock Spirit from play, I can negate the attack of that earth attribute monster." A brown symbol rose from the trap, creating a barrier that Clayman slammed into. "I warned you, Jaden. To be triumphant, you will need to use your cards in a way you've never used them before. You will need to become a better duelist than you've ever been. If not, you will join your friends."

"Oh, I'll be joining my friends all right," Jaden snapped, "when I free them!"

"Then you had better 'Get your game on,'" Amnael said. "Because you have already fallen far behind, and you're about to fall even further."

Most people don't dwell on Jaden's catchphrase. Only those who have seen him more than a few times even notice it, especially with the way some people carry themselves. Who is this guy? Atem forced his anger at the Shadow Rider down and tried to see through the black mask. Mana knew this guy. And he knew Jaden too. That was not good for the two remaining Key Guardians. If Jaden failed to defeat him, it was up to Atem to stop him. Otherwise Mana and everyone else were doomed.

Amnael drew his card. "I activate the spell White Process — Albedo! And thanks to it, I can now summon Golden Homunculus (?/?)!"

"No!" Dark Magician Girl cried out.

"Forged in fire, Golden Homunculus doesn't work like any other monster you've seen," Amnael gloated as a golem covered in gold shaped itself on his field. "Ask the Egyptian Priests if you don't believe me."

"Don't mock us with Mana's defeat," Dark Magician warned, narrowing his blue eyes at the Shadow Rider. His grip on his green staff tightened. "You will pay for what you've done."

"Mahad," Dark Magician Girl placed a hand on his shoulder. "Jaden, you must protect your monsters!" she called to the Slifer. "That's the monster he used to take down Mana!"

"Is that thing really that powerful?" Atem asked.

"With each card Amnael has removed from play, it gets more powerful," she answered. After using a spell to destroy all of us on Mana's field, he used that to take out her LifePoints."

Atem grimaced and saw the same expression on Jaden's face. It was obvious the Slifer was picking up more on the skill of his opponent. "They are correct," Amnael laughed at them. "His attack and defense points are equal to the number cards that I've removed from play and then multiplied by 300. So since I have removed thirteen cards so far, his attack points become 3900. And you're LifePoints are about to become zero. It's over, Jaden. And I was expecting so much more from you. Attack, Alchemy Beasts!" The three metal creatures attacked Jaden, knocking him down to 1000 LifePoints."

"Jaden!" Chumley called to him.

"He got nailed," Syrus said.

"But I'm not finished yet," Amnael continued. "Now, Golden Homunculus, attack! Stone Shard Storm!" Sharpened stones rained down on Clayman, covering the hero with smoke. "You are beaten."

"Jaden!" Dark Magician Girl called to the Slifer.

The smoke cleared, revealing Clayman standing unharmed and Jaden laughing. The five spectators sighed in relief. "Hate to disappoint you, but I'm still here," Jaden mocked the Shadow Rider. "Know why? Because when you attacked, I used the effect of my equip spell Mud Max. Now by destroying it, you're attack's cancelled out! But hold on, Amnael, there's something else. Someone rather, 'cause I also get to summon an Elemental Hero. And I'm bringing out Avian (1000/1000)!" The green bird-warrior swooped onto Jaden's field to join Clayman and Bubbleman.

"Impressive," Amnael accepted Jaden's counter.

"Thank goodness," Dark Magician Girl sighed. "He still has a chance."

"But he's not out of danger yet," Dark Magician reminded her. "That Homunculus won't be easy to defeat."

"I'm not done!" Jaden declared as he drew. "Next I'm going to play Elemental Hero Burstinatrix (1200/800)!" The female hero in a tight red bodysuit stood tall next to her comrades. "Now let's use some of these monsters!" Jaden sent his monsters into battle. "Go, Avian! Quill Cascade!"

"Go, Elemental Absorber!" Amnael called on his trap. "I remove Garuda, the Wind Spirit to negate your attack." A green symbol rose from the trap, absorbing Avian's feathers. "And since another card has been removed from the game, the attack points of Golden Homunculus increase."

"Yeah, yeah," Jaden brushed off the counter. "Burstinatrix, attack! Flare Storm!" Fire rose from the female hero's hands; she threw it at the Alchemy Beasts.

"I remove Spirit of Flames to negate your attack!" Amnael used his trap yet again.

"Aw, man," Syrus frowned. "Nothing's getting through to do damage."

"I know," Chumley said. "That Elemental Absorber keeps cancelling out his attacks."

"And Amnael already has his ace out on the field," Dark Magician Girl said. "I don't know what card he could have that would be stronger."

"It's cool," Jaden assured them. "I guess I'll just have to use something other than my Elemental Heroes then. So I'm going to play Burst Return." The image of the spell appeared on his field. "See when Burstinatrix is on the field, this card lets me return all other Elemental Heroes back to my hand. So time to come on back, guys." Avian, Clayman, and Bubbleman vanished from the field. "And next I'll activate the spell card Burst Impact!" Fire rose up around Burstinatrix. She grinned with the power. "Oh yeah," Jaden smirked. "Now all monsters out other than Burstinatrix are destroyed. And then you take 300 points of damage for each of them." The fire around the fiery hero expanded, engulfing the other monsters. Amnael's LifePoints fell to 2800.

"All right!" Dark Magician Girl cheered. "Now he's dealing some damage!"

"Way to play, Jay!" Syrus joined in. "I knew he'd turn this duel around sooner or later!"

Atem allowed himself a small smirk. As much as he itched to deal his own punishment to Amnael for hurting Mana, Jaden was handling the situation just fine. A few more clever combos, and Mana and the others would be fine. As if picking up on his thoughts, Kuriboh chirped happily.

A meow drew the spectator's attention to their feet. Pharaoh looked up at them. "Pharaoh!" Syrus greeted the beige cat. "You here to help cheer Jaden on?" he stooped to pick up the cat. "Great! You can watch with me."

Pharaoh slashed Syrus across the face with his claws and ran from the spectators, beelining straight for the Shadow Rider. "No, Pharaoh!" Jaden called to the cat. "That guy's dangerous!" Pharaoh ignored them and nuzzled Amnael's leg happily. "Pharaoh?"

"But Pharaoh's never that friendly with strangers," Chumley said.

"But this guy's not a stranger," Atem connected the dots. "Mana recognized him. And apparently Pharaoh does too."

"You are correct," Amnael said. "I am no stranger to Pharaoh or you." He pulled his mask off, revealing Professor Banner's face.

Atem's rage tripled in strength. He trusted Banner. Banner was his teacher. He was the head of Slifer dorm. And he just confirmed the suspicions Atem had been hoping were wrong. Banner was the guy who hurt Mana. Kuriboh chirped from Atem's shoulder, digging his claws into his blazer. "Atem, calm down," Dark Magician commanded him.

"You expect me to be calm when Professor Banner is the one who took Mana?" Atem glared at the purple-robed spellcaster.

"I expect you to keep your head in this situation," Dark Magician answered. "I want to go after him too, but this is still Jaden's fight. We can't interfere."

Atem turned away, unable to argue with the magician's logic. Sensing his feelings, Kuriboh nuzzled his cheek, an obvious attempt to make the Obelisk feel better. Atem forced his rage down, difficult though it was.

"But if you're Banner," Jaden was still processing Amnael's reveal, "who's that mummy?" He pointed to the body in the coffin.

Amnael/Banner laughed at him. "That mummy is also me." He stooped to pet Pharaoh's head before picking the cat up. "Oh my children, there is more going on here than you could possibly imagine. But the truth will be revealed soon enough."

"Why?" Atem scowled at their adversary. "Why would you do all of this?"

"I may as well tell you the whole story," Banner answered.

"I'm all ears," Jaden said.

"Like yourself, I was once a young duelist with unlimited potential," Banner stroked Pharaoh's head as he spoke. "I scoured the world in search of the rarest and most powerful cards. Finally my travels led me to the ultimate prize—a lost tomb, hidden and buried in an ancient desert. Within was a duelist's dream. For it held the very first duel cards. Like Pegasus before, I sought out their powers. But the tomb was cursed, and science had no answer to the magic which ravaged my body. I tried everything, but soon I realized there was only one thing to be done. I had to choice but to create a new body. Therefore, I used alchemy to create a homunculus, an artificial lifeform, and placed my soul inside of it."

"Say what?" Chumley didn't follow Banner's explanation.

"Don't ask me, Chum," Syrus said.

"He made another body to hold his soul so he wouldn't die," Atem said.

"Correct, Atem," Banner nodded. "But this new body is only temporary. I won't be long before I am nothing but a pile of dust in the wind." He touched his cheek which began to crack. "You see, I don't have much time left. And to live, I need the power of these cards—the three Sacred Beasts."

Jaden clenched his fist. "Even if you end up destroying the world in the process?" he asked. "Sorry, Banner. I can't let you do that!"

"Too late," Banner grinned. "Once you lose, I just need to defeat Atem, and then the cards are mine."

"Then I won't duel," Jaden lowered his duel disk.

"Jaden, don't you dare quit this duel!" Atem yelled at the Slifer.

"He's right, Jaden," Banner set down Pharaoh. "Or did you forget your friends remain my prisoners? If you walk away, their souls will become mine for eternity. Unless you'd rather I take down the elder Muto before you. I already have the younger one, and the complete set would be nice.

Atem started to charge at the Academy professor when a blue staff blocked his way. "Don't let him get under your skin," Dark Magician Girl chastised him.

"How are you not angry at him?" he snapped.

"I am," she answered. "But losing control won't get Mana back." She turned emerald eyes on him. "Promise me," she insisted. "Promise me that if you face him you won't let what happened to Mana cloud your judgement. Put my card in your deck if it will help, but don't give into your hatred. Nothing good will come from it if you do."

"All right, I promise," Atem said. He turned to Jaden staring at his duel disk. "What about you, Jaden? Are you going to keep going?"

"I said I'd get them back," Jaden answered. "Guess I have no choice then. Bring it on, Banner!"

"I believe it was my turn," Banner drew. "And I play Chaos Greed! It works like this: if there are no cards in my graveyard, and if four of mine are out of play, I'm allowed to draw two times." He drew his cards. "And both I'll place face-down. Your turn, Jaden."

Keep it together, Jaden. Atem threw another glare to the Shadow Rider.

"Here goes something!" Jaden started his turn. "I play my spell card Pot of Greed." He drew two more cards. "Next I'll summon Elemental Hero Clayman!" The brown warrior returned to the field. "Then I'll activate my Clay Wrap." A light brown substance coated Clayman. "And with my Polymerization, I'll fuse Clayman and Burstinatrix to create Elemental Hero Rampart Blaster (2000/2500)!" The heavily armored female held her blaster pointed at Banner.

"But wait," Syrus questioned the combo. "Now Clay Wrap gets destroyed. So why'd he play it? I mean what a waste."

"He wanted Clay Wrap to get destroyed," Atem told him. "That's how it works. When it's destroyed, Jaden gets to destroy one of Banner's spell or trap cards."

"You got it, Atem," Jaden grinned. "And I'm going to take out Professor Clone-Dome's Elemental Absorber." The trap shattered.

"All right, Jaden!" Chumley cheered. "You've got him on the ropes."

"Getting rid of that trap is indeed a good sign," Dark Magician said. Kuriboh chirped in agreement.

"Quite impressive," Banner acknowledged Jaden's combo. "But I'm afraid it will take a whole lot more if you want all your friends back."

"You want more?" Jaden accepted the challenge. "Rampart, take it to him!" The Hero fired her weapon at Banner.

"You fool! It is I who will be taking you—off to the great beyond!" Banner activated one of his face-downs. "I activate Macro Cosmos! This allows me to remove Chaos Distill from play!" The crucible turned red and exploded in a blinding white light. "And now I'll be removing you from this world!"

When he could see again, Atem was surrounded by a cosmic field. There was no sign of the alchemy lab they were previously in. "What is this place?" he asked.

"The power of alchemy flows through me," Banner grinned. "It has broken our earthly bonds and taken us here."

"Well it's not going to shake me," Jaden stared down his opponent.

"Then perhaps this will, Jaden," Banner continued his combo. "Due to Macro Cosmos, I can summon this card: Helios the Primordial Sun (?/?)!" A thin, feminine figure wrapped in gauze with a sun for a head appeared on Banner's field.

Four planets hovered in the area around Banner and his monster. Through the haze making them up, Atem could see Chazz, Alexis, Atticus, and Mana. When did he capture Atticus? Atem's eyes darted between the planets holding his best friend and his sister. Neither of them was moving, unlike Chazz pounding on the barrier keeping him trapped. Jaden called out to the captives with no answer.

Atem's vision went red. Seeing Banner's captives was the last straw, and he charged forward. The Dark Magicians held onto his arms, keeping him from attacking the Academy professor. "Let me go!"

"Not until you pull yourself together," Dark Magician said. "The duel is not over yet, but if Jaden fails, it will be up to you to defeat him. But you won't win if you let your rage dictate your actions. Right now you need to keep a level head and let Jaden do what he promised."

"And you promised me, Atem," Dark Magician Girl added. "You promised you wouldn't let Banner cloud your judgement."

"All right," Atem relented, keeping his eyes on the planets as he shook off the magicians' grip.

"Guys!" Jaden continued trying to reach the four captives.

"They can't hear you," Banner said. "They're my prisoners now, like you will be, for all eternity. Face it Jaden," he took out his book again, "this tome is your destiny now. Soon, you will be locked in its pages. A prisoner. A pathetic footnote to my saga—to my ascension to greatness! Don't you see Jaden? You cannot beat me! You don't have what it takes. You and your friends are finished. I paid for this book with my flesh and blood. I won't lose to a Slifer Red slacker."

"Hey, are you forgetting all the matches I've won," Jaden brushed off Banner's confidence.

Banner laughed. "You were just a pawn in my little game. All your matches were fixed so you would be given a Key and have to face me." He turned blood-red eyes on Jaden. "You see, you were nothing but a loser, Jaden."

"All of it? Crowler and the Shadow Games?" Jaden asked. "It was all just a big setup to make me seem like a great duelist? So that I would get a Spirit Key to protect?"

"Correct!" Banner grinned.

"Don't let him get to you, Jaden," Dark Magician warned. "He wants to throw you off your game."

"Believe what you like. Now on with the duel!" Banner revealed his face-down. "I play Planet Alignment!" The planets surrounding them shifted, surrounding the area in a perfect circle. The air around them warped with the movement. "This card's so powerful, it actually warps space and destroys all your monsters while dealing you 300 points of damage." Rampart Blaster shattered; Jaden's LifePoints fell to 700. The planets floated away from the circle they had formed.

"Well, guess I'll just throw down a face-down," Jaden ended his turn.

"Very well. My turn now," Banner drew. "And I play a spell. One that is a mouthful: Yellow Process — Kitolenics! But it's also a handful, Jaden. For with it, I can sacrifice Helios the Primordial Sun for Helios Duo Megistus (?/?)." The gauze-wrapped female vanished in a halo of light. In her place floated a larger gauze-wrapped female figure with two suns in place of the head. "And for each and every monster card that has been removed from play, Megistus gains 200 attack points. That's twelve cards, so that's 2400 extra attack points. Now attack! Solar Singer!"

"I play my trap!" Jaden called on his face-down. "A Hero Emerges! Now you get to pick a card from my hand, and if it's a monster card, then I get to summon it!" Jaden held up the three cards in his hand for Banner to choose from.

"One card?" the professor scoffed. "It won't save you." He pointed at a card. "The center one."

"Nice pick," Jaden smirked. "At least for me. You chose one of my favorites: Elemental Hero Bladedge (2600/1800)! And he's got more points than you!"

"Perhaps," Banner remained unfazed. "But even so, I continue my attack." Bladedge powered through the solar flares of Megistus and sliced through the figure. Banner's LifePoints fell to 2600. "And now I activate her ability. You see, Jaden, if she is destroyed, she is immediately resurrected with an extra 300 attack points." The gauze-wrapped figure returned to the field. "Now Helios Duo Megistus, attack again with Solar Singer." A larger solar flare engulfed Bladedge and destroyed him, knocking Jaden down to 600 LifePoints.

"You planned that!" Jaden accused his opponent. "You wanted me to destroy her!"

"Yes!" Banner grinned. "Because now she can destroy you!"

Jaden grimaced and drew his card. "I summon my Bubbleman!" The blue Hero crossed his arms as he stood on Jaden's field. "And 'cause he's alone, I get to draw two extra cards." He looked over his cards before continuing. "Next I play Fusion Recovery! This lets me return Clayman and Polymerization to my hand. And now I'll fuse Bubbleman and Avian together to create Elemental Hero Mariner (1400/1000)!" The blue and green aquatic Hero struck a fighting pose as it stood on the field. "Next I'll throw down a couple of face-downs, and I'll play Mariner's special ability. See, if I've got any spell or traps on my field, the Hero Mariner gets to attack you directly. So go get him! Anchors Away!" Mariner threw an anchor at Banner, knocking the alchemist's LifePoints to 1200 LifePoints.

"Impressive," Banner commented. "Perhaps you are not the loser I thought you were."

"I'm a loser?" Jaden protested. "At least I know how to use moisturizer."

"All you ever do is make jokes," Banner snapped. "That's why you won't be a great duelist. You lack the discipline, the strength. Look at me. Look at my power. It's cosmic. You cannot defeat me! You would be better off joining me. Yes, as my servant perhaps. What do you think?"

"Thanks, but I've got enough friends already," Jaden turned down the offer.

"And very soon, you'll be joining these friends of yours," Banner countered. "In oblivion. Just watch." He drew. "Megistus, attack that Mariner!" A solar flare whipped out from the figure, headed straight for the aquatic hero.

"No way! Not this time!" the Slifer countered. "I'm playing my face-down card: Mirror Gate!" Megistus and Mariner swapped sides of the field. "Now Mrs. Tall, Bright, and Fiery is battling on my team!"

"I play a spell," Banner pulled a card from his hand. "Grand Convergence! Its powerful gravity waves destroy all monsters on the field and deal 300 points of damage to you." Jaden's LifePoints dropped to 300. "And then Megitus returns with even more attack points." Banner laughed as the gauze-wrapped figure returned to his field, now sitting at 3000 attack points. "Megistus, attack!"

"I don't think so!" Jaden wasn't finished. "Go, spell card: The Flute of Summoning Kuriboh!" Winged Kuriboh appeared on Jaden's field, blocking the solar flare directed at his LifePoints. "Thanks to my friend, all of your damage this turn goes to zero!"

Kuriboh chirped on Atem's shoulder, sad that his kinsman was destroyed. Atem absently stroked the creature's fur, his focus on the duel. Jaden wasn't out yet.

"Not bad," Banner complimented his opponent's play.

"Gets better," Jaden drew. "Next I summon Clayman in defense mode." The earthen warrior knelt on the field, his arms held protectively in front of him. "Then I'll throw down a face-down."

"Yep, that's just what I would have done," Chumley said.

"There's not much else he can do at the moment," Atem said. "That Megistus is next to impossible to get rid of."

"And if you thought she was formidable," Banner mocked them as he drew, "just you wait. I play Red Process — Rubedo! And with it, I sacrifice Duo Megistus and summon Helios Trice Megitus (?/?)!" The single figure disappeared; three gauze-wrapped females took her place. "Now for every monster removed from play, Trice Megistus gains 300 attack points. And since thirteen monsters have been removed from play so far…"

"3900?" Jaden did the math, not believing the total.

"It's a shame you don't duel as well as you add," Banner grinned. "Now, Megistus! Attack with Phoenix Flare!" The three figures combined the flares of their suns into fiery bird that swooped in to destroy Clayman.

"I play a trap! Hero Signal! Now thanks to this, if a Hero gets taken out, then I'm allowed to go search my deck and then summon another one. And I got just the one: Elemental Hero Sparkman (1600/1400)!" The blue and gold hero performed a flip before kneeling in defense mode on Jaden's field.

"And now that he's on the field, I get to attack again," Banner declared. "That's right, Jaden. Due to Trice Megistus's very special ability." The three figures attacked again, obliterating Sparkman with their cosmic fire. "Good-bye, Jaden. This has been quite a year."

"I'm not done!" Jaden insisted.

"Yes, you are," Banner said. "Face it, Jaden. You were never truly one of the best."

Jaden stared at his deck, evidently losing hope in the outcome of the duel. "Shut up, already!" Atem yelled at the professor. "Jaden, if you really think all your matches were fixed, you don't know who your opponents were. You defeated the Paradox Brothers, who had officially only been defeated by my dad and uncle. You saved Atticus from Nightshroud's control, and you saved everyone from the Gravekeepers. You've been to the Shadow Realm and back. Not many people can say they've done that.

"And you didn't win all your matches either. You held your own against Zane, you stared down Kaibaman's Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, and your stats with my sister are even. She's beaten you, and you've beaten her. And if you think Mana let you win, then I think she needs a new best friend because you obviously don't know her at all.

"You convinced me to stand aside and let you duel because you had the cool head at the moment. So don't make me regret putting my sister's and everyone else's fate in your hands. And know you are not alone."

"He said it, Jay!" Syrus cheered for his friend.

"We got your back!" Chumley added.

Atem saw Winged Kuriboh appear on his shoulder, encouraging the Slifer on. Jaden nodded "Get your game on!" he drew. Everyone held their breath. What was it?

"I play Miracle Fusion!" Jaden's duel disk shined with golden light. Transparent images of Avian, Burstinatrix, Clayman, and Bubbleman appeared behind him. They joined to together in a halo of rainbow light. "Pretty tight, huh? See, Miracle Fusion fuses all Elemental Heroes that are in my graveyard and creates the one and only Elemental Hero Electrum (2900/2600)!" A heavily muscled warrior clad in gold and silver. "And Electrum's got one sweet ability."

Images of Banner's removed from play monsters began shooting towards his duel disk. "All of my monsters are returning to my deck," he said.

"Just the ones removed from play," Jaden corrected him. "Which means your Megistus's attack points go back to zero." The bright flares of the three suns died to a dull orange. "Now I attack! Elemental Radiant Burst!" White light radiated off Electrum, shattering the three gauze-wrapped figures. Banner's LifePoints fell to zero. The scenery returned the alchemy lab.

Banner knelt on the ground, dropping his tome. Atem saw the Millennium Symbol on the cover shatter as it hit the ground. The entire dorm shook. Does that mean they're free? Mana and the others? He looked to the Dark Magicians. "I can sense her," the blonde said. "She's okay."

"And the Spirit Gates have closed," Dark Magician added.

Atem sighed, happy his sister was all right. He called the Duel Spirits back to their cards and joined Jaden in standing over the defeated Shadow Rider. "That's game, Banner," the Slifer said.

"Listen to me carefully, my boys," Banner looked up at them, gasping. "I lied… Jaden, you won all those other duels. I said you didn't… to test you… and to prepare you for the real evil to come." Dust fell from his body as he continued to speak. "That is why I became a Shadow Rider… not to take over the world, but to stop… the one who's truly trying to. To stop him… by forcing you to become a better duelist, Jaden… So that you could face him. And hopefully… defeat him. You see… the threat's so grave… I had to deceive you… I hope… that you can forgive me." His blood-red eyes closed in the smile familiar to all of them.

"What about Atticus and the others?" Atem asked, realizing this would be the only time he'd be able to get information about the students' disappearances.

"I summoned the students to the dorm… yes," Banner answered. "But… I did not know… what would happen. The request… was from my superior. He asked me to hold a test… but I ran late. Pharaoh… got into mischief. When I got there… everyone was gone. Chancellor Sheppard… made the dorm forbidden after that. I would never… truly put my students in danger. No matter the result of this duel… I was going to release… the other four I had captured. I was not going to let… any real harm come to them. They should be… where I had defeated them." (2)

Atem met the professor's eyes. The cracks spreading across his face proved there was not much time left for him. Knowing Banner was trying to atone for his actions, Atem followed one of the Muto family's core values: forgiveness. "As long they are safe," he said. "It's all right. Let us help you. There must be something we can do."

"Please, just take this," Banner held his tome out to Jaden.

"But it's your book," the Slifer protested.

"It's mine no longer," Banner said. "And no longer… am I of this earth." As soon as Jaden had the tome in his hands, the professor crumbled into dust.

"Professor Banner!" the students cried out to him. All that was left was his beige cloak. The body in the coffin crumbled as well. He was truly gone. Pharaoh nosed sadly at the cloak.

"So what now?" Syrus asked.

"Well from what Banner said, I guess we should be on the lookout for some terrible evil that wants to take over the world and probably destroy us all while he's at it," Chumley answered.

"Easier said than done," Atem said. "Like Professor Banner just proved, our enemies may wear friendly faces. It may not be obvious who this person will be."

"When aren't we looking for bad guys anyway?" Syrus asked.

"You got a point there, Syrus," Chumley said.

"No, this is different," Jaden's grip on the book tightened. "Guys, Banner gave his life to prepare us for this evil that's coming." He opened the cover, revealing an aquamarine carving of the Mark of Amnael.

"You're right, Jaden," Atem said. "But right now, let's go find the others. I'm going to find Mana. Chumley, head to the lake where we found Chazz's cards." The koala duelist nodded. The senior turned to the other two. "We don't know where Atticus and Alexis were taken, so you two split up and try to find them. Keep your PDAs on, and send a message when you've found them. We're not done until everyone is accounted for."

The under classman nodded, and they all went to search for their missing friends.

ΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩ

Mana sneezed. A blade of grass tickled her nose. She swiped it away and sat up, blinking as she looked around. Why was I sleeping in the forest?

The weight on her left arm drew her attention to her duel disk. That's right. I dueled Amnael and lost. Or should I say Professor Banner? Mana bit back the despair at her teacher being the last Shadow Rider. I'd really been hoping to be wrong. But I guess this is why Dad tells us to trust our instincts. But wait… If she was in the forest and not the Shadow Realm, then that meant Banner had been defeated. "Atem and Jaden did it."

No sooner than she said that she was wrapped in warmth, black hair tipped with magenta brushing her cheek. "What have I told you about scaring me like this?" Atem hugged her tightly.

"I'm sorry, Prince," Mana hugged him just as tight. "I couldn't turn down his challenge. But I had faith you'd pull through."

"Jaden pulled through. Your magicians spent most of the duel keeping me from attacking the guy. Here." Atem handed her cards to her.

"Just tell me you didn't kill Professor Banner when you found out he was Amnael." She grinned at her brother, knowing how protective he could get at times.

Atem looked away from her. "What? Prince, you know I'm kidding about that."

"Banner's gone," he said. "He's not coming back. And he wasn't our last foe."

"What? I thought Chancellor Sheppard said there were seven Shadow Riders," Mana said.

"And Banner warned us about another evil," Atem said. His PDA rang. "Your friends found Chazz, Alexis, and Atticus."

"He took Atticus too?"

"You knew he took Chazz and Alexis?"

"I reasoned it out," Mana answered. "He said three friends had already fallen, and he only had to get Jaden's and your Spirit Keys to get all eight. Process of elimination."

"That sounds like you," Atem smirked. "Let's head back to your dorm. I've got a lot to fill you in on."

"Gee, I get captured for a few hours, and everything turns to crud?"

"Hey, at least we didn't get ourselves trapped by a Shadow Rider."

"Shut up, Prince," Mana rolled her eyes at him. "Just tell me how Jaden kicked his butt."

1. I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist, just like I don't own any other franchises I reference. As a work of fiction in this universe, I can see Professor Banner complaining about FMA not matching up to what he's researched.

2. Despite what their suspicions were about Banner being involved with the students' disappearance, I don't think he'd willingly put the students in danger like that. With the Gravekeepers, he was more coerced (evidenced by his reluctance to do it when Syrus overheard him) and he knew more about the risks involved and the likelihood of the group being able to handle it. So I don't think he actually knew the students would disappear.

Thanks for reading! And I'm sorry for being late again! I know I keep promising to not have so much time between updates, but I am prone to bouts of laziness and procrastination. I don't know what the average between updates are in general on this site, but I do feel bad if I let too much time pass between updates and try to keep myself on at least a semi-regular schedule. I don't think I've crossed the "long enough to warrant impatient anger" but I do want to stay as far away from that line as I can.

On another note, I did consider writing out Chazz and Alexis's duels with Amnael/Banner, but since the Helios cards were his kind of secret ace, I didn't really want to use those against the others (minus Grand Convergence, but I think he actually used it on Chazz too), and it felt like it would get repetitive with just Golden Homunculus and the Alchemy Beasts. I also realized when I started this chapter I was giving the Mutos a fair amount of plot armor and decided "No more!" So I hope you enjoyed the Mana vs. Amnael match.

Anyway, thanks again for reading!