Chapter 26

Back to Battle City: Part 2

"Battle Royal"

"I don't know about you guys, but this four-way duel makes sense yet it's also completely nuts!" Tristan stated. "I know, each of them can attack any of the others, and that makes it easy for two or three of them to gang up on one." AJ added. "True, but as you saw Yugi just do, any of them can defend each other rather than just themselves." Duke pointed out. "Wheeler, next time you won't be so lucky." Seto said, annoyed that Yugi saved his friend.

"Thanks again for the help, Yuge." Joey said, to which Yami nodded. 'I can't let Joey lose. If he does, he'll have to face Marik in the semi-finals, and all of Marik's opponents were forced into a Shadow Game and left in pretty bad shape.' Yugi thought. "Kaiba, with three Duelists in the condition needed for them to be put in the infirmary, you have to realize that this tournament is far more dangerous that you think." Yami said.

'What is he talking about? My tournament is dangerous? I know what I need to do to win it and I have it all planned out perfectly. First, I use Obelisk the Tormentor to defeat Yugi in the semi-finals, winning his championship title and take Slifer the Sky Dragon from him. Then my deck will be powerful enough to crush Marik in the finals and obtain the most powerful Egyptian God Card, The Winged Dragon of Ra. I'll finally put Yugi behind me for good, and with all three Egyptian God Cards in my deck, I'll be unbeatable.' Seto thought.

'It's pretty quiet in here. Everyone must be planning their strategies, well, mine is a no-brainer; make sure I face Marik. When this thing started, I promised Yugi I'd help him take Marik down. And if I face him in the semi-finals, I'll knock him out of the tournament and save the world! And beating him means I can bring Mai back from the Shadow Realm, and that's another promise I can't break.' Joey thought as he remembered the moment Mai was sent to the Shadow Realm after he loss to Marik.

'Marik Ishtar has done enough damage, so now it's time for Joey Wheeler to deal it back to him!' he continued. "Wake up, Wheeler. An underdog Duelist like yourself can't afford to daydream." Seto shouted. "I was planning my strategy, Kaiba." Joey replied. "Well, you may have a grasp on how the game is played, Wheeler, but you have to think of strategies to win quickly." Seto retorted. "Why rush things when you plan things out more carefully?" Joey asked.

"Wheeler, that may have helped you after the Rare Hunters made you enter the tournament, but you ought to know that even if you manage to face Yugi in a Duelist Kingdom rematch, you're gonna end up placing second again." Seto replied. "It's obvious. Yugi KNEW you wouldn't beat Pegasus so he had to beat you so that HE could do that job." he taunted, but that just ticked Joey off. "Think about it, why else would Yugi use his trap card to protect you, Wheeler? Because he knows you CAN'T face off with let alone defeat Marik. And he's right. Not only do you lack the skills to get through that duel, let alone this one, you're also the only finalist without an Egyptian God Card!" he continued.

"And Yugi knows that he can't duel for you. So perhaps he wants you to face him in a Duelist Kingdom rematch because he knows it'd be an easy win." he suggested. "That's a lie!" Yami shouted. "I get that you're both friends, but this isn't the Domino High schoolyard and he knows you wouldn't stand a chance against me or Marik." Seto taunted. "Kaiba! This time your taunting has gone WAY over the line!" Yami shouted. "Is that so? Well, then, if you want to prove me wrong, why don't you let your friend finish this duel using his own lackluster skills for a change?" Seto replied. "Don't push me, Seto Kaiba!" Yami shouted.

"Yugi, relax." Joey said. "Look, I appreciate you trying to help me out, but you remember when I had to face Rex Raptor at Duelist Kingdom? I had to prove that I could duel without your coaching, and now I have to prove I can duel without my friends helping me. If I'm gonna win this tournament and help you stop Marik, I need to do it on my own." he explained.

"Just be careful." Yami advised. 'I'll show Kaiba that Joey Wheeler depends on no one.' Joey thought. 'Without Yugi to help him, that second-rate Duelist will lose his life points in no time, allowing me to destroy Yugi in the next round.' Seto thought. Meanwhile, back aboard Kaiba Craft 3, Serenity kept her vigil over Mai. "Hang in there, Mai. You're one of the strongest women I know and you'll get through this." she said. 'She's been an inspiration to me since I met her yesterday.' she thought, thinking back to that moment.

"Joey's out there fighting in the Battle City finals dueling with all his heart just like at Duelist Kingdom, Mai. Only this time, instead of dueling for me, he's dueling for you to bring you back from the Shadow Realm." she said. Meanwhile, in another room, Odion was still knocked out as Ishizu watched over him. 'You're safe now, Odion. Thanks to Marik's good side.' she thought as she remembered the moment her brother came to her within Tea's mind and body and told her to protect Odion or the evil yami would control his body forever.

'My brother was right. As his sword protector, Odion was able to contain the darkness deep within Marik. But when The Winged Dragon of Ra struck Odion down, that evil yami completely took over, just as it did so many years ago on the night my father punished Odion for disobeying his orders. That was the first time I witnessed my brother's dark side.' she continued as she remembered everything that happened during and after her brother's evil half took over and killed their father.

'Odion held the darkness back, but not before Marik sent our father's mind to the Shadow Realm and killed him afterwards, forcing me to inherit the Millennium Necklace before my time had come.' she continued before remembering the moment she claimed the Millennium Necklace and began to see visions of the future. 'At that moment, the doors of the future opened up to me, and I saw Marik's destiny unfold. And my vision was correct, Marik rejected his duties as a Tombkeeper and attempted to steal all three Egyptian God Cards. It was all part of his plan to seize the power of the pharaoh. First, he took The Winged Dragon of Ra from its hiding spot, then he stole Slifer the Sky Dragon by unearthing it from where it was buried. All he needed was Obelisk the Tormentor.' she continued.

She soon started to remember the night Marik and his Rare Hunters tried to steal Obelisk from an Egyptian museum, only for her to thwart his attempt. 'When Odion lost consciousness, my brother was consumed by that evil yami that now controls his body. However, now I understand that these events were destined to happen, just as Yugi was destined to reassemble the Millennium Puzzle after 5000 years, just as Pegasus was destined to create the game of Duel Monsters, and just as Seto Kaiba was destined to be the one that I would give Obelisk the Tormentor to. I was destined to give my necklace away.' she thought as she thought back to the moment she gave Obelisk to Kaiba and her necklace to Yugi.

'I only hope that it's my brother's destiny to be saved from the darkness that now controls his body.' she concluded. Back in the Duel Tower, the four-way duel continued. "Alright, you two, it's time for me to take charge of this duel." Yami Marik said. 'And since the first two Duelists to lose will face each other in the semi-finals first, I know exactly what I have to do to ensure that I face the pharaoh.' he thought. "It's my move." he said aloud before drawing.

'I'll make sure Kaiba and little Joey fall first.' he thought. "I'll set one card face down, and then summon Lord Poison in attack mode." he said before his creature, a level four, Water attribute plant/effect monster with 1500 attack points and 1000 defense points, appeared. "And now, I'll switch Newdoria to attack mode so I can target you, Kaiba. So prepare to be the first unfortunate soul to feel the wrath of my deck. Ready?" he continued. "Newdoria, attack his Vorse Raider now!" he commanded, puzzling Kaiba.

'What? He's attacking me with a monster that's weaker than mine?' the man pondered. 'Wait, Marik's monster must have some kind of special ability, otherwise he wouldn't have ordered it to attack!' Yugi thought. "Nice try, fool!" Kaiba said at last. "Vorse Raider, counterattack!" he commanded before Newdoria was destroyed, but Yami Marik smirked. "You fell right into my trap, when Newdoria goes to the graveyard, I can destroy any monster on the field. So say goodbye to your Vorse Raider." he said, shocking Kaiba and Yami as Vorse Raider was eliminated.

'Awesome! Now that Kaiba's wide open, I can blast him on my next turn!' Joey thought, thinking it was the opening he needed. "I'm not done yet. Now, which one of my cards should I unleash next?" Yami Marik said as he looked through his hand before picking one. "I activate Spell of Pain, but who should I direct its effect toward?" he said. "I think I'll use it against little Joey!" he declared. "Now you lose the points I would've lost when my monster was destroyed." he added before Joey's life points decreased to 3300.

Right as his life points decreased, the platform Joey was standing on rose a bit. "Joey, no!" Yami shouted. "Hang in there, up there!" Pinkie shouted. "I'll try, but I'm not exactly a fan of high places." Joey replied. "Come on! You've been in scarier spots than this!" Rainbow shouted. "Rainbow's right. Besides, it's not like you're gonna fall from up there." Duke added. "Gee, thanks." Joey replied. sarcastically. 'I don't know what's worse, losing this duel or falling off this platform.' he thought.

'I have both Kaiba and little Joey exactly where I want them. So I'm sure to duel the pharaoh in the semi-finals, then I'll seize his Millennium Puzzle and his Egyptian God Card.' Yami Marik thought. "You're move, Pharaoh!" he declared before Yami Yugi drew. 'Kaiba has no monsters to defend him, this is the perfect chance to attack his life points.' Yugi thought. "Alright, Kaiba, behold as I sacrifice Big Shield Gardna to summon my Archfiend of Gilfer!" Yami declared as Big Shield Gardna vanished and Archfiend of Gilfer stood in its place.

"Archfiend of Gilfer, attack Kaiba's life points directly!" he commanded. "Seto, no!" Mokuba shouted. "Guess again! Your tactics are obvious, and they won't work! You triggered my trap, Attack Guidance Armor!" Seto declared as his trap sprung. "Thanks to this suit of armor, I can redirect your attack to any monster on the field." he explained. "Now, I could easily redirect your attack at your Archfiend of Gilfer, Yugi, but then again..." he said before looking at Joey.

"Nice try, Kaiba, but you can't redirect it at me because I don't have any monsters on the field." the underdog said with a smirk. "You're right, Wheeler, so my target will be, Lord Poison!" Seto declared before the armor appeared on the creature. "Alright, Marik, I aim Yugi's attack at you!" he said as the attack was redirected. "Really? Not if I activate this. Mirror Force!" Yami Marik declared as his trap sprung. "What?! No way!" Seto shouted.

"Yes, now the attack will return to Yugi, so his monster will be destroyed." Yami Marik replied. "Are you sure?" Yami Yugi asked, catching the evil one off-guard. "I activate my trap, Seven Tools of the Bandit!" he declared as his trap sprung. "This card allows me to dismantle your Mirror Force for the price of 1000 life points." he explained before the Mirror Force shield cracked and shattered, allowing the redirected attack to strike and destroy Lord Poison, decreasing Yami Marik's life points to 3300, the same as Joey's, while Yami Yugi's greatly decreased to 3000.

"Whoa, talk about a rope-a-dope!" AJ said in surprise. "Marik, now that you lost 700 life points, you can go up there with the other chump." Seto said before Yami Marik's platform rose to the same level as Joey's. 'Now Marik's tied with me, so I may face him in the semi-finals just like I wanted from the start.' Joey thought. "Well, I'm not the only one who's taking an upward trip. After all, pharaoh, you played Seven Tools of the Bandit." Yami Marik stated. "I know, it cost me 1000 life points so I'll be joining you and Joey." the ancient one said.

'No! Yugi has to win so that I face him!' Seto thought, annoyed. "This duel may not effect standings in the tournament, but if Yugi's in fourth place, then he'll end up facing either Joey or Marik in the semi-finals." Twilight said. "You're right, Twilight. He must've lost them on purpose." Spike concurred. 'Yugi must still be trying to keep Wheeler from dueling against Marik.' Seto thought. "My move." Joey said at last.

'If I don't draw a monster soon, I'll have no way of defending myself and this turn could be my last.' he thought before drawing. "Awesome! I summon Gearfried the Iron Knight in attack mode!" he declared before his warrior appeared. "It's about time he got a monster on the board." AJ said. 'Now that I got Gearfried, it's time I do some damage.' Joey thought. 'Let's see. All three of them blew their facedowns last turn, and two of them have no monsters. I could strike Marik and make sure I face him...No, I got a better idea! Rich boy's all mine!' he continued.

"Gearfried, attack Kaiba directly!" he commanded before the warrior's steel blade struck and GREATLY decreased Kaiba's life points to 2200. "Big brother!" Mokuba shouted. "That's for all the insults you threw at me, Kaiba!" Joey shouted. "Savor your small accomplishment while you can, because I can assure you that you won't be smiling much longer." Seto replied before his platform rose.

"What's wrong? Last I checked, you wanted to go to the top of your Duel Tower, Kaiba. Not to mention I thought you enjoy looking down on the world." Joey joked. 'Why did Joey choose to attack Kaiba? Now me and Kaiba are closest to the top while he and Marik are closest to the bottom.' Yugi thought, unsure as to why his best friend chose to attack Kaiba, until he realized the whole plan. 'Oh, no! Joey must WANT to face Marik in the semi-finals!' he continued.

'You're mine, Marik. And soon you're gonna pay for what you did to Mai.' Joey thought. 'Don't worry, Mai. As soon as I crush Marik, I'll get your mind out of the Shadow Realm, just as promised.' he continued. "For my last move I'll set one card face down and end my turn." he concluded. "About time. My move." Seto said before drawing. 'If I want to face Yugi in the semi-finals, all I have to do is make sure that both he and I lose this four way duel. But I can't lose a duel on purpose!' he thought.

"I'll set three cards face down on the field, and then I'll summon the mighty Blade Knight in attack mode!" he declared before his new monster, a level four, Light attribute warrior/effect monster with 1600 attack points and 1000 defense points, appeared. 'I refuse to throw this duel!' he thought. "Time to lose more life points, Marik! Blade Knight, attack Marik directly!" he shouted before his knight DRASTICALLY decreased Yami Marik's life points to 1700, causing his platform to get even closer to the top.

"Going up." Seto concluded. 'Aw, man. This hurts my chances of facing Marik in the next round.' Joey thought. "Is it me, or is this four-way duel confusing?" Pinkie asked. "It's not you, darling. Everyone's trying to duel someone else." Rarity replied. "I hope you're not afraid of heights, Marik, because it's a long way to the top, and an even longer way down." Seto taunted.

'I'll make sure that both Wheeler and Marik lose this duel and face each other so that I can face Yugi in the semi-finals for the world championship. And once I take his title, it'll prove to both myself and the world that the first time he beat me was the only time. Because when our two Egyptian God Monsters, Obelisk the Tormentor and Slifer the Sky Dragon, clash, Yugi will learn what torment is all about!' he thought as he glared at Yami, determined to beat him and end their rivalry.