Katsuya couldn't sleep.

Every time he closed his eyes, the sight of his girlfriend, unmoving and unbreathing on the docks haunted him.

He knew she was safe now. That she was fast asleep in the room she was sharing with Anzu, having lost the fight with the exhaustion that'd been creeping up on her all night. But his guilt wouldn't let him settle down and get any sleep himself.

Instead, he paced the living area of the apartment, just glad he wasn't dueling tomorrow. As much as he wanted to be the one to duel Ishizu, as much as he wanted to crush her before she could take another shot at Yugi, he knew that without sleep, he wouldn't be dueling at his best.

And after what'd happened to Ba-Khu-Ra and Amane, he knew would have to be at the top of his game to avoid being the next one in the infirmary.

Pausing in the partly open doorway of the second bedroom, he left out a soft sigh. The sight of his sister, fast asleep and safely out of Ishizu's clutches helped ease his mind a little.

Knowing that she'd been kidnapped, that her soul had been ripped out, had been devastating. Back when they'd been little kids, he'd promised he would look after her. He'd failed back then, when she'd been ripped away from him by their mother, and he'd failed now.

He could've lost her. He could've gotten her soul destroyed.

And he hated himself for it.

For it and for what he'd done to Yugi.

He knew he hadn't truly had a choice once Ishizu's Shadows weaved their way into his soul. She'd been able to control everything about him and he hadn't been able to stop her from using him like a puppet.

That didn't make him feel any better.

Everything up to that point had been his choice. He'd chosen to stalk out on Meisa without making a plan, chosen to call in Ba-Khu-Ra, and to slam his fist into Ishizu's face. That was a choice he would make again to save Honda's life, but it HAD been his choice.

He'd gotten himself into the position where he could be used against his girlfriend as a murder weapon.

And he needed to do better. Be better.

Something passing by the window caught his eye. Glancing outside revealed that Rebecca had left the other apartment and was heading downstairs.

Katsuya hesitated for a moment, then slipped out the front door after her. It wasn't safe for anyone to be roaming around right now. No one knew where Ishizu was or what her next move was going to be. Anyone alone was a potential victim and Katsuya knew Yugi had promised Doctor Hopkins that she would keep his granddaughter safe.

He didn't want Rebecca to break that promise for her. Nor did he want anything bad to happen to the American girl. She was, after all, only twelve years old. She was the youngest person currently on this island, besides Mokuba, and certainly the youngest Duelist.

Technically she wasn't even old enough to be in the Senior Division of competitive Duel Monsters, but she had earned the American Championship in the Junior division and had then kicked the ass of the Duelist who'd attempted to fill in for Bandit Keith after he'd been blacklisted from any tournament going forward, so right now she held the Championship in both divisions.

And by earning her way here, she'd proved she deserved it.

Even if Yugi had then beaten her in two turns.

He smiled ruefully as he quietly closed the door behind him. He could understand why Rebecca had reacted the way she had to Yugi's two-turn kill. There'd been a time when Yugi had defeated him just as quickly. It'd taken a lot of time and training to get where he was now and he still hadn't beaten her. He was beginning to wonder if he ever would.

Sometimes, just sometimes, the constant losses ground on his nerves. He tried to hide it, tried to keep Yugi from realising how irritating her winning streak could be, but he knew he sometimes failed.

And he certainly knew that, at twelve, he wouldn't have had the ability to contain that frustration. Especially if the loss had been as devastating and as public as the one Yugi had dealt Rebecca earlier.

That didn't mean he didn't understand why Yugi had gone nuclear though. She'd been through so much today, that yet another Shadow Game, one that could strip away something so essential to her wellbeing, and a public accusation of cheating had been too much for her extremely frayed patience. Everyone thought that Yugi was a sweetheart that wouldn't say boo to a goose, but Katsuya knew better. He knew that when Yugi had a way to defend herself, she would.

And dueling was one of her best outlets.

Rebecca had pushed the wrong buttons. She'd poked the lioness and gotten the claws.

And the world saw just how ruthless Yugi and her deck could be.

What was worse for Rebecca, was that she'd shuffled Yugi's deck, quite thoroughly too, so no one could say Yugi had stacked the deck against her. That gave Rebecca no defence, except that her deck had been too slow to counter Yugi's magicians, and left her looking like she was jealous of the Queen of Games.

Seeing Rebecca slump down next to the pool closest to the apartments— the Legendary Ocean, according to the signs— and pull out her phone, he hung back and took a seat near enough to keep an eye on her, in case something happened, but not close enough to overhear what she was saying.

While he was getting comfortable, Rebecca kicked off her shoes and sank her feet into the cool waters of the wave pool. She knew things had sucked today for the older Duelists, but even after she had talked to Anzu, she still felt like crying.

The duel in Tenku no Seiiki had been humiliating. She'd made all these plans in her head and they'd been decimated in minutes. Her grandfather would've been watching the livestream; her friends, her rivals, would have been watching.

And they all saw her accuse the Queen of Games of cheating, only to get ruined, legitimately, in two turns.

Checking her text messages confirmed her fears. She'd gotten several messages from people, both commiserating with and laughing at her, but the message that worried her the most, was the simple, three word text from her grandfather:

"Call me. Now."

Fully aware she was in trouble and unable to put off responding any longer, she took a deep breath and hit dial.

"I'm sorry, I've only just got your message." Rebecca apologised the moment the call was picked up. "I promise."

"Rebecca."

Rebecca shut up.

"Dear. What were you thinking?" Her grandfather sounded angry and exhausted. "After everything we talked about?"

"I… I don't know." Rebecca admitted, her head dropping. "I was so angry I wasn't thinking straight and… I screwed up, grandpa."

A sniffle escaped her, causing her guardian to sigh.

"I can come and get you once you get back to Domino." He offered, "So you don't have to be around Yugi. If you can't keep your composure around her, it's not fair on either of you."

"Thank you. I'm sorry." Rebecca hated that all she wanted to do was flee into the arms of her grandfather and get away from everything, but she knew she'd burned her bridges tonight and wouldn't blame Yugi for hating her forever.

After all, she HAD activated yet another Shadow Game on the Queen even after she'd heard that Yugi had been through a huge gauntlet of them already today and had nearly died because of it.

"I know."

"Grandpa?" Her voice wavered.

"Yes, dear?"

"I…"

Rebecca's head snapped up at the sound of footsteps heading in her direction, or rather the direction of the apartments, revealing the woman who'd given her the compact. The one who'd been giving Yugi so much trouble. The one who, if Yugi were to be believed, had been trying to manipulate Rebecca's mind with her magic on the night they had met.

Fury surged through her.

If Ishizu hadn't messed with her head, she wouldn't have been such a fool in front of the cameras. She wouldn't have lost her composure and upset Yugi.

And she wouldn't have gotten so easily defeated.

"I'll call you back later."

"Rebecca, wha…"

She dropped the phone and surged to her feet, determined to confront the witch. She missed Katsuya scrambling to his feet behind her as she planted herself in the woman's way.

"You."

Confusion flickered across Hanaq's face for a moment as she tried to remember who this child was. Then she let out a huff, "You, Hopkins, were a waste of the magic I spent on that Memento. You couldn't even…"

"You told me Yugi was a cheat. That she was ruining careers," Rebecca cut her off, angered further by being insulted. "That she didn't win Duelist Kingdom fairly."

"No." The reply was flat, "I told you she was misusing her magic. And that her Puzzle helped her read people, which isn't inaccurate. You're the one who took that and ran with it to the point you embarrassed yourself. You even got yourself so worked up, you tried to take gaming away from her entirely."

"You messed with my head with your magic!" Rebecca protested angrily.

"I planted the seeds. I told you to give her a duel that would prove her strength as honest or destroy her reputation. But here's the thing, little girl. I wasn't using my magic until that moment. There was no order to keep that Memento a secret from her, just a suggestion. You kept it quiet all by yourself. There wasn't even an order to use it, just a statement that it would shield you from her. You could have had a straight duel, you could have shown Yugi the Memento. You did neither. Any shame you feel? That's on you."

Rebecca bristled. She wanted to argue, but she couldn't.

"And the best part? You still don't understand how close you came to losing everything you hold so dear. That was a Shadow Game, child. You should be under a Penalty for losing right now. The same Penalty that you would've thrown on Yugi. But you're not, because even after everything you tried to do, she saved you."

"Wh… what?"

"Oh, I didn't tell you, did I? I mentioned the Penalty for cheating, but I didn't tell you Shadow Games have to be fair. Your little stunt could have backfired horribly. In fact it should have. You should have lost everything you tried to take from Yugi."

That, Rebecca realised, was why Anzu had been concerned. She thought Rebecca's ability to game was gone.

"I assume you're only safe because the Pharaoh protected you from the consequences of your own actions. Maybe by taking the fall herself. I heard she collapsed... now I know why."

Rebecca's breathing sped up and her eyes widened as she realised how close she'd come to losing her ability to play games. She hadn't known, she couldn't have known.

And after all the nastiness she'd spat Yugi's way, she'd still protected her from her own stupidity.

"Now, either move, or I'll move you. I don't need you anymore." Hanaq let out a snort. "You've proven you're no threat to the Pharaoh. You're nothing except a pathetic child playing with the real Duelists, and I don't want to take you out, but I will."

"You can try." Rebecca's stance shifted and her Duel Disk came up, refusing to be dismissed by the architect of her shame.

"You're seriously challenging me?" Hanaq snickered. "After the Pharaoh made you look stupid?"

"You alright, Hopkins?" Katsuya asked Rebecca as he stepped to her side, shielding her with his Duel Disk and glaring at Hanaq, trying to break up the fight before it could happen.

"Oooh, hello slave."

At Hanaq's words, Katsuya found himself frozen in place. His heart raced and his eyes widened as he realised he couldn't move an inch.

"You're lucky I have a use for you. If I didn't, you'd be dead right now. You still could be. How devastated do you think her Highness would be if she found your body in the morning? Or do you think the Pharaoh would kill you for me, if I made you wrap your hands around her throat?"

Seeing the fear flash across Katsuya's face drove Rebecca into action. She activated her Duel Disk and slammed it into Hanaq's stomach, winding her and breaking her focus, releasing Katsuya from her grasp.

He immediately pulled back, trembling. He'd thought he'd broken entirely free from the Rod's control when he'd shoved her out of his soul at the docks. That she could still, so easily, control him, meant he wasn't safe to be around Yugi. Or any of his friends and family.

But he needed to get Rebecca out of here before he dealt with anything else.

He grabbed her arm and pulled the girl away, starting to bolt for the apartment stairs, "Come on, let's…"

"I don't think so." The Shadows swept around, dragging them all into a dark, cold world and arresting their flight. "Being expelled from the tournament doesn't excuse attacking a finalist."

As they turned to face Hanaq, they found the darkness was clinging to her like a cloak, her amber eyes blazed with power and the Eye of Anubis shimmered upon her brow.

"You started it." Rebecca snapped back, her head aching as it had when she had broken the compact as she pulled her deck from its holster. "If you're going to uphold the rules, you should keep to them too!"

"You're no longer in the tournament. Its rules don't protect either of you anymore." The Wrath snarled as she pulled her own deck from her pocket, shuffled it and slammed it into her Duel Disk, "Giving me free rein to do whatever I want with you. I'm going to cast both of you into the darkness here and now."

"I don't think so. We're going to kick your ass." Katsuya promised as his deck slipped into place, trying to ignore the rapid pounding of his heart, "And when we win, you'll hand over Ra and all your Millennium Items! You'll undo what you did to Amane too!"

"You'd really fight me for the traitor's sake?" The demon-possessed Wrath demanded, "You'd bring her back and steal my Items for Yugi? You realise this could be considered cheating by your Queen?"

"You started the Duel, not us, and Yugi knows nothing about it. She's not cheating, we're just neutering you before you can do anymore damage." Katsuya bit back

"And protecting ourselves, and everyone else, from your magic." Rebecca agreed.

"Fine, but when I win, your souls will be fuel for Ra's flames, just like the Thief Queen and her little puppet." Hanaq sneered, "Your power will help me destroy the ones you're trying to protect, just like any other traitor that gets in my way. And your destruction will weaken your precious Yugi even further!"

"You don't stand a chance against both of us!"

"I do, if I start on 8000 life points to make it fair. After all, you both have 4000 each."

With that she drew. "I activate Necrovalley!"

The waters of Umi swiftly vanished beneath the shifting sands of the desert that Hanaq summoned. The stars above shone down on the great stone cliffs that rose from the grounds and the moon illuminated the ruins behind her.

"And I summon Gravekeeper's Heretic, in attack mode!"

The white haired male Gravekeeper arrived, dressed in his black robe and draped in gold and jewels, arrived on the field, looking smug as the system flashed his 1800 attack points, and showed them climbing to 2300.

"Why did…?"

"When Necrovalley is on the field, all Gravekeepers gain 500 attack and defence." Hanaq smirked at Rebecca's confusion, "Also, any effects that would change the status of the graveyard won't work. So no Monster Reborn for you."

Rebecca grimaced and changed her mind on what she was about to set. Instead, she slipped a different card face down, and then, "I set a card face down and a monster in defence mode. That ends my turn."

The monster card hovered in front of her, face down in defence mode, protecting her.

"I also set a card in defence mode."

Katsuya wished he could do more, but he had nothing that could match the Heretic's attack points and he didn't know what the full rules of the Shadow Game were. He couldn't risk that losing life points had side effects.

"That won't protect you forever." Hanaq snickered, "My Heretic will knock your defences down one by one, like this!"

The Heretic lunged forward and swept his sun-bladed spear at Katsuya's monster.

"I activate Gravity Bind!" At Rebecca's call, the Heretic was suddenly wrapped up in a glowing green net that dragged him to the floor and pinned him down, "Now no level four or higher monsters can attack!"

"Nice move." Katsuya crowed, relieved. It hurt his deck but right now he didn't care because it kept him safe.

Hanaq's lips twisted into a pout, "Well that's inconvenient. Still, it won't save you. I summon my Gravekeeper's Cannonholder."

Katsuya swore under his breath, remembering that monster from her duel with Ba-Khu-Ra as it settled on the field and pointed its weapon at the other side, its 1900 attack endangering the other monsters on the field if it could attack.

"And I tribute my Heretic, to deal damage directly to you, Jonouchi!"

The burst of light that erupted from the cannon slammed into the teen and sent him tumbling backwards as his life points dropped by 700, to 3300.

A pained and shocked cry ripped from his lips as part of his right arm dissolved into the Shadows.

"When we lose life points, we lose a piece of ourselves to the darkness." Hanaq chuckled, "You're just the first to feed them."

"I promise," Katsuya glowered, his whole body tense from the pain. "You'll be the last."

"Maybe." Hanaq rolled her eyes, unconcerned by his threat when the Winged Dragon laid in her deck, "but we'll see, won't we? It's your move, little girl."

"I'm not just a little girl." Rebecca bit out, her eyes narrowing and anger flaring as she drew, "I summon my Fire Princess!"

The pretty blonde princess took the field, fire weaving around her long red dress, her 1300 attack points slightly less than Hanaq's monster.

"She's going to burn you to ash before you can burn us." Rebecca grinned, a look that was echoed by her monster, "But first, your turn Jonouchi."

"I flip my monster to attack mode and equip it with Lightning Blade!" Flipping his monster revealed the level three warrior monster, Hayabusa Knight, who started on 1000, but grew to 1800 when it held the electricity sheathed blade in its clawed hand. "And I summon my Blue Flame Swordsman."

His level four armoured knight took the field and pointed its flame-wreathed blade at his enemy, his attack points matching Hayabusa's. Neither of his monsters were strong enough to take out Cannonholder, but it couldn't attack either.

"You're going to vanish long before us." Katsuya swore, trying to ignore the cold that was seeping into his bonds. "Make your move."

Hanaq considered her hand. Most of her easily summoned monsters were level four or higher, protecting her enemies from their power. Still, she had other ways of wiping them from the face of the Earth.

"I summon my Gravekeeper's Priestess!"

The level three monster that appeared had Ishizu's hair and was dressed in a long white robe. Her hood had a golden eye upon it and her staff was shaped like a serpent. Between the Necrovalley boost and her own powers, her attack points rose to 1700 and Cannonholder's attack rose to 2100.

Not that it mattered for long.

"And I tribute her, for Cannonholder's effect!"

As Cannonholder's attack dropped again, Katsuya was once again targeted, telling both of her opponents who Hanaq really saw as the threat, and as his points dropped again, to 2600, his upper arm and part of his shoulder faded away.

"I tribute my Skull-Mark Ladybug!" Rebecca started her turn with, "To summon my Millennium Shield in defence mode."

The 3000 defence point shield took the field, floating in front of its twelve year old summoner. As its gold glinted in the moonlight, Rebecca's lifepoints grew by 1000.

In response, the Fire Princess collected a ball of flames in her hand and lobbed them over the head of the Cannonholder. They hit Hanaq, catching part of her dress alight and ripping away 500 life points.

"Skull-Mark Ladybug increases my life points when it's sent to the graveyard, and each time my life points go up, Fire Princess inflicts 500 life points of damage to my opponent." Rebecca chuckled, feeling more in control. "And to make sure she can keep doing it, I equip my Millennium Shield with the Ring of Magnetism. Now you can't attack anything but it, protecting my team mate too!"

Hanaq's eyes narrowed as part of her lower right arm vanished into the ether and her life points dropped to 7500. She'd underestimated Rebecca based on her earlier behaviour and duel. Now she knew better.

"Thanks, Becs." Katsuya let out a relieved laugh, "In that case, I summon my Red Eyes Baby Dragon!"

The dragon he'd received at the press event in Tokyo was a tiny, knee high version of his adult dragon, with glowing red eyes that were slightly too big for its head and sharp, glistening claws that reflected on its ebony scales. It only had 1200 attack points, but its effect would bring forth the full size dragon, should it be destroyed, so it was a risk he was willing to take.

"I can still destroy your life points." Hanaq pointed out, "I activate Gravekeeper's Servant!"

The spell card flipped up, revealing a mummified gargoyle that swooped around the field. "Now when you want to declare an attack, you have to discard the top card from your deck to the graveyard."

Both Katsuya and Rebecca grimaced, knowing it could screw up any strategies they had that hadn't emerged yet.

"And once again, I summon and sacrifice. And this time, I target Rebecca!"

The Spear Soldier was on the field for such a short amount of time that they didn't really get a good look at it. The Cannonholder's burst slammed into the girl and knocked her to the ground, where she shuddered with a whimper as her life points drained by 700 and her right arm disintegrated from wrist to elbow.

"You want to play with the Senior Division, you get to suffer like the Senior Division." Hanaq warned as Rebecca staggered to her feet.

"That was nothing." The American Champion shook her head and glared at Hanaq, "I've been bullied my whole life. You're just another one. And I'm going to take you down. I summon Luster Dragon!"

The level four, 1900 attack point dragon swooped in from over the cliffs and landed next to Fire Princess, who patted its huge purple head.

"And I activate Stamping Destruction!"

She couldn't help the pained squeak that escaped her as another 500 life points drained away and took the rest of her arm with it, but her Gravity Bind was destroyed, allowing her next move.

"My Luster Dragon attacks your Cannonholder!"

The Luster Dragon dove forward, claws and fangs bared. In response, the Cannonholder raised its weapon and fired. The two monsters, whose attacks were equal, destroyed each other, leaving Hanaq's field open.

"My turn!" Katsuya grinned as Rebecca discarded a card from her deck, "I activate Blue Flame Swordsman's effect, taking 600 attack points from him and giving it to my Hayabusa Knight."

A wisp of blue fire escaped the tip of the Blue Flame Swordsman's blade and sank into Hayabusa Knight's rapier, which lit up with a blue glow.

"Hayabusa Knight can attack twice." Katsuya explained as the avian warrior's attack grew to 2400 and he discarded four cards from his deck, "So now he, my Swordman and my dragon, are gonna knock you down a peg or two!"

The Blue Flame Swordsman swept forward first, slashing his blade across Hanaq's stomach. As she staggered back, Hayabusa Knight leapt upon her, stabbed his blade into her twice, before clearing the way for Red Eyes Baby Dragon's fireball to knock her flying for a grand total of 7200.

Ishizu's Wrath bounced twice, before rolling to a stop. Her entire form shimmering away until all that was left was one eye, her Duel Disk and her right hand as her life points dropped all the way to 300.

Momentarily, Katsuya felt guilty. Yugi had promised Rishid that she would try and get Ishizu back, and if they won this duel, she wouldn't get that chance.

Then his world spun, forcing him to stagger to stay upright as the steady drain from keeping so many monsters on the field dragged him down and the guilt faded. Right now, his only concern was making sure he and Rebecca got out of this. Anything else could come later.

After all, he had a little sister to go home to, too.

"Next turn, you're done." He promised as the eye rose to head height and glared at him.

Silence was the soundtrack of Hanaq's move. She slammed three cards into her Duel Disk. The holoprojector's glow revealed two of them to be face down spells and traps and the other as Pot of Greed. Two cards were drawn, then Polymerization flashed up. Two cards were slipped into the graveyard and from the darkness stepped the Gravekeeper's Supernaturalist.

He stepped between what remained of his Duelist and her enemies, his sun staff glowing as his attack points flashed up at 3600.

Rebecca paled as he unleashed a burst of light that slammed into her Millennium Shield, cracking it down the middle and shattering it and the Ring of Magnetism that'd been protecting her and Jonouchi.

Finally a card emerged from Hanaq's deck and was added to her hand, before it waved in their direction, gesturing for them to make their move.

Rebecca's hand shook as she drew. The silence was creepier than the cackling and sneering from before. That so much of her opponent was gone, yet clearly the ghost or soul or something remained to make coherent moves, terrified her, and with Supernaturalist on the field, the threat was very real.

"I set a card in defence mode and switch Fire Princess to defence too."

The Fire Princess leaned on her blade as an upside down, sideways card appeared next to her. Not that Rebecca could see it clearly through her blurring vision.

"I also switch everyone to defence mode." Katsuya agreed with the play, relief setting in when his draw was the red Dark Magician he had taken from Pandora, giving him half of the monster he wanted to summon, "And set a card face down."

His warriors knelt, while his Dragon Chick hid behind them as the eye bounced like its owner was laughing.

"We're still gunna kick your ass." Katsuya snapped.

The hand flipped him off before drawing. The Duel Disk told the story for its owner as Double Summon appeared on the field, allowing Hanaq to summon her Priestess and immediately sacrifice it for her Gravekeeper's Chief.

The white robed, older man appeared on the field. The eyes of his serpent staff glowed in a green that matched the overcoat that rested over his shoulders. With the arrival of his 1900 attack points and his ability to negate Necrovalley, the Gravekeeper's Oracle emerged from the sands and rejoined the field from the graveyard.

The huge, dark robed man in heavy, jewelled armour couldn't use any of his effects, but his 2000 attack points were threatening enough.

The Supernaturalist attacked first, unleashing a burst that erased the Hayabusa Knight. The Chief was next, slamming his blade into the Fire Princess, who screeched as she shattered. Finally, the Oracle drove his huge fist into the face of the Red Eyes Black Chick, allowing Katsuya to leap into action.

"When Chick is destroyed, I can summon my Red Eyes Black Dragon from my deck!"

The fully grown version of the dragon in question took the field with a ferocious bellow. He couldn't equip the Chick to it for a power boost, but he didn't need to as its 2400 outshone both Oracle and Chief.

And that wasn't all he had planned.

"We've got this, Becs." He promised the girl, trying to ignore the way the way his knees wanted to buckle, as he watched her waver on her feet. "Trust me."

She nodded rapidly, just wanting this duel to be over so things could stop hurting. She drew, then had to hide a grin. She had her Copycat. A card that could take the form of an opponent's monster, including its attack and defence.

"I summon Copycat." She laughed, relieved, as the mirror-faced mage arrived on the field. It tiled its head as the Gravekeeper's Chief was reflected, then twirled and warped into a purple tinted version of the Chief.

"And since yours lets you summon from the graveyard, I'll activate Monster Reborn and bring back my Shield, in defence mode!"

The huge red and gold shield retook the field.

"Copycat! Attack her Chief!"

The face down cards Hanaq had played turns ago flipped face up, revealing Draining Shield and Gift of the Mystical Elf. Rebecca's Copycat slammed into the barrier that formed and its 1900 attack points drained away into Hanaq's life points, restoring her head and part of her torso. Then the other trap card kicked in, granting Hanaq an additional 300 life points for each of the seven monsters on the field, for a grand total of 4300 additional life points and an almost fully restored form.

"Ah, thank you so much dear." Hanaq chuckled as her life points reached 4500, "It's so hard to be intimidating when you're just an eyeball."

"Damnit." Rebecca hissed quietly as her monster returned to her side of the field, still transformed but now looking sulky as she discard a card from her deck.

"We're not done. I activate Polymerization!" Katsuya called, relieved to be pulling off what he had planned, "Fusing my Red Eyes Black Dragon, with my own Dark Magician!"

"When did you get that?" Hanaq demanded, furious.

He didn't have to answer as his red magician took the field for just a moment, then leaned against his dragon who roared as the pair erupted into shimmering red and black glitter that swirled around the field, finally racing up into a humanoid form.

"Meet my new ace, the Red Eyes Dark Dragoon." Katsuya laughed as his new Spellcaster took the field. His Dark Magician's face glowered at Hanaq and her field, from within an armour made of the black dragon's scales. Its golden hints surrounded beautifully glowing ruby gems. "And his effect allows me to destroy as many monsters as normal monsters was used to summon him! And their attack points are deducted from your life points!"

Two fireballs launched from the mage's staff and slammed into the Oracle and the Supernaturalist. The Oracle let out a shocked yelp before shattering and costing Hanaq 2000 life points, but the Supernaturalist merely blocked it with a hand.

"Oh, sorry." Hanaq sneered as her legs vanished again. "He can't be destroyed by card effects, but nice try."

"He still has 3000 attack points." Katsuya warned, "Allowing him to wipe out your Chief!"

The flames that erupted from the mage roared towards the Chief, who barely had a chance to react before he was engulfed, claiming another 1100 life points.

"Well that was rude." Hanaq complained as she faded again, back down to just hands and a head as her life points landed on 1200. "But that won't save you."

"What do you…?" Rebecca's eyes went wide and Katsuya cursed as Hanaq activated Duel Avatar Invitation, allowing her to tribute three monsters.

Supernaturalist and two tokens erupted in flames which rose up to the skies, becoming a bright, golden orb that lit up the skies as if the sun had risen. Within moments, the great golden dragonic phoenix had taken the field and was breathing fire in their direction, its attack showing as 3600.

More than enough to wipe out either duelist…

"And I pay 1000 life points to burn the field."

As Hanaq faded back into just hands and an eye, the Winged Dragon erupted into flames and swept forward, burning up everything on the field, including the Red-Eyes Dark Dragoon, whose inability to be destroyed by card effects couldn't stand up to the sheer power of the God card it faced.

The raging inferno and scorching heat that swept over them as it burst past their monsters, seared their souls and drove Katsuya and Rebecca to their knees.

Katsuya's heart pounded as the God card reformed on the other side of the field. Neither he or Rebecca could defend themselves when Ra attacked.

One of them was going down this turn…

"Katsuya, Rebecca!"

At Meisa's call, Katsuya turned to look and found the Pharaoh, who'd been drawn to the duel by the lure of the Shadows and the huge glowing phoenix, was on the other side of the wave pool, looking horrified but safely out of Ra's range.

Because there was no way she could make it around the water in time to protect them.

Rebecca, hearing the call, tried to push herself up, only to slump sideways, the pain from the God's fire too much on top of the effort of playing a Shadow Game.

As the Winged Dragon turned towards Rebecca, Katsuya realised that Hanaq was going to attack her first.

And that Rebecca was in no condition to survive it.

Knowing the duel was already lost and unable to let a girl his sister's age die before his eyes, Katsuya forced himself to his feet as Ra unleashed a torrent of flames from its mouth and darted in front of the child, back turned to the flame, hoping to shield them both. The flames slammed into him, badly burning his body and soul and drawing an agonised scream, but they couldn't reach their intended target, saving her life even as her life points drained away to 0.

Leaving her just enough time to weakly raise her head and see Jonouchi fall before she faded away to nothing.