Chapter 45
Final Face-Off: Part 5 (Finale)
Battle City Closes
"You have no business being here, Odion." the evil one said. "Let him speak!" Yami retorted. "Be careful." Ishizu said as Odion moved forward. "We were doing just fine without you. Just look at you! You're barely able to stand up, let alone walk. How sad. Now if you can just stay on your feet for a few moments longer, you'll witness my triumph over the pharaoh, and the demise of my weak side." the evil one stated before laughing.
"I don't know about yawl, but that feller looks like he's in bad shape." AJ said. "Yeah, AJ, he's in no condition to be wandering around up here." Tristan concurred. Odion soon stumbled a bit. "Hey, need some help?" Joey asked before he tried to go towards Odion, but Ishizu stopped him. "No, Joey. This is something Odion must do, it may be the only way to save Marik." she said.
"Release my master, now!" Odion demanded. "Your master is almost gone. I'm afraid you've come too late, I've taken his body and the Shadow Realm is about to take his soul! The Marik you once knew will soon be extinct, Odion. He'll no longer be able to hold me back!" the evil one replied as what remained of the real Marik looked at Odion. "That's not true. I've returned to ensure that your gentle spirit prevails." Odion retorted.
"That's enough!" the evil one shouted before using his Millennium Rod to force Odion into the top of one of the support columns. "Odion!" Ishizu said in worried shock, but the man refused to quit. "Master Marik, fight the evil within, just as you did before. We've conquered your wicked yami before, and we can do it again." Odion urged as he moved forward again, but the evil being pointed his Millennium Rod at the man once more. "Silence!" he shouted before making Odion slam into the railing.
"Hold on!" Ishizu said, worried, as she rushed over to him. "I'm fine, Ishizu." Odion said before standing up and walking forward once more. "That feller is all kinds of tough." AJ said, amazed at Odion's will. "Please, Master. You have the power to stop your dark side." the man said, despite stumbling a bit. "Remember that you're the one who created him, and you can destroy him!" he shouted, catching Marik's attention.
'He's right! I can destroy him!' the young man thought before disappearing. "I've heard enough, now take this!" the evil one declared before Marik stopped him and made him scream in anguish while holding the spot where his right eye was supposed to be, which caught everyone's attention. "Hey, look! Do you see what I see? Marik is freaking out up there!" Yugi said in surprise.
"I see." Yami replied. 'What is going on?!' Yami Marik thought before screaming again. 'I'm regaining control of my life!' Marik replied, mentally. "Fight his evil with all your might, Master Marik! Let your Tombkeepers heritage give you strength!" Odion called. All the while, Yami Marik was screaming in pain and anguish. "I've come too far to lose my grip now! I AM THE TRUE MARIK! And I will not be overpowered by my weak side!" the evil being shouted only to move his right hand to reveal Marik's right eye in place of Yami Marik's.
"If you can hear me, Pharaoh, attack now!" Marik shouted. "No, Marik." Yami replied, worried that he might destroy both halves. "Please, Pharaoh, I can't hold on much longer. I need your help to banish my evil yami forever. I'm sorry for everything I've ever done to you and your friends. As a Tombkeeper, I was raised to serve you, but I always resented this task. This resentment turns to hatred and my dark yami was born! What I did was wrong, but I'm willing to take responsibility for my actions and correct the wrongs I've committed." Marik replied.
"Well said, master." Odion concurred. "I've waited so long to hear those words." he added. "Please, Pharaoh, attack! It's the only hope for my survival!" Marik pleaded. "No, don't listen to him!" Yami Marik protested. "Yes! You must attack me to save mankind! Please! But hurry, I can't hold him back much longer!" Marik pleaded. "We can't attack him, it's just too risky. The force of our attack could send him straight to the Shadow Realm!" Yugi protested.
"Yugi, we have no choice. We must trust him." Yami replied. "Pharaoh! Please attack me, now! It's the only way!" Marik pleaded. "Alright, here goes! I activate the magic of Ragnarok!" Yami Yugi bellowed. "No!" Yami Marik shouted. "Yes! Since my Dark Magician and my Dark Magician Girl are both on the field, the unstoppable magic of Ragnarok can be released!" Yami Yugi explained before taking out his entire deck.
"But first, I must remove every monster in my hand, deck and graveyard." he added as he did so. "No, you're making a mistake!" Yami Marik claimed, worried that he was about to be destroyed. "I'm afraid it's too late!" Yami Yugi retorted before every single monster from Yugi's deck, hand and graveyard appeared. "Ragnarok is already infused with the powers of ALL of my monsters!" he added before Slifer the Sky Dragon and Obelisk the Tormentor appeared alongside the other monsters.
"Now, Dark Magician Girl, Dark Magician and my entire army of monsters, unleash your unstoppable force!" he commanded before both mages led the monsters in an all-out attack on The Winged Dragon of Ra and Yami Marik. "Check it out! It's a monster parade! And I love a parade!" Pinkie squeed with incredibly joy as little Kuriboh flew past her. "I've never seen anything like this." Mokuba said, amazed.
"You and your Egyptian God Monster are through." Yami said as Slifer coiled itself around The Winged Dragon of Ra while Obelisk restrained it from behind while the other monsters held it down. "No! Stop! Call these creatures off, right now! No one can destroy my Winged Dragon of Ra! Release me, right now!" Yami Marik demanded before they started lifting it and him up. "It's pointless to resist my monsters. They have you trapped in their unbreakable grasp!" Yami Yugi replied.
"NOOOOOO!" Yami Marik shouted as the Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl prepared to strike. "Your reign of terror is finally over! The time has come for me to fulfill my destiny, and rid the world of your evil, once and for all!" Yami Yugi declared before Yami Marik got sent further up, screaming. "May the magic of Ragnarok rid the field of your Winged Dragon of Ra, and swallow your dark side, for all eternity!" the ancient king decreed before, in mere moments, The Winged Dragon of Ra was destroyed for good.
"Now that's what I call intense!" Joey said, still in awe. "Whoa! Now THAT'S how you destroy an Egyptian God Monster!" Rainbow said with a smile. "But does that mean he wins?" Tea asked. "Not quite." Twilight replied. "Marik still has one life point left, so the duel isn't done." AJ pointed out. "Yugi, destroying Marik's Winged Dragon of Ra should've destroyed his dark yami as well." Yami said. "Yeah, but what about his good side?" Yugi asked. "We'll see." Yami replied.
"Master Marik..." Odion said, believing his young master was destroyed. "Brother, please tell me you're alright." Ishizu said, hopeful her brother was still alive. The smoke soon cleared, and showed what looked to be the real Marik Ishtar. "He made it!" Yami said in pleased surprise while Odion and Ishizu were both shocked and relieved at the same time. "Marik, its over. Your evil side has been banished forever." he said, gently. "You're safe!" Ishizu said in delight.
"We're sure that's his good side, right?" Tristan asked. "Of course it is, silly. I mean, his evil side had veins showing all over his body and he had that crazed look in his eyes." Pinkie replied. 'I knew Master Marik's will was strong enough to overcome the darkness in his heart. Now his inner light can truly shine.' Odion thought. "Pharaoh, there's still one more task that you and I must complete." Marik said before taking off his cloak. "I still have one life point left." he added. "Wait, he's right! The duel's not done." Yugi concurred.
Suddenly, the final remnant of Yami Marik appeared where the real Marik was held during the entire duel. "What's going on? No, this can't be happening!" he said, realizing what was going on. "Marik's dark side is back on the field!" Yugi said in surprise. "Yes, but now the tables have turned. Marik's good side is in control and the evil yami has become the victim." Yami Yugi pointed out.
"You can't do this, Marik! Listen, we can still crush the pharaoh together! Remember how you wasted your childhood serving this fool? It's not too late to destroy him and take what you deserve! The infinite power of the Nameless Pharaoh could be yours! If we win this duel, you and I can claim the three Egyptian God Cards and the Millennium Puzzle! We'll rule the world together!" Yami Marik said, trying to urge and push the real Marik into following the plan he set out upon from the beginning.
"Don't be a fool, Marik. We've come so far, don't throw away everything we've worked for! We can still win!" he added. "Your move." Yami Yugi simply said. "I'm sorry, Pharaoh. It was my duty to help you, but instead, I turned my back. I can't change the past, but I can start over by embracing my family's legacy." Marik replied before looking at his servant and sister. "I'm proud to be a Tombkeeper and I'm proud of my sister and brother." he added.
"Thank you, brother." Odion said, glad to hear that he was finally accepted into the Ishtar family. "My family has waited 5000 years for your return. Now you're here, so I must fulfill my destiny, by letting you fulfill yours." Marik continued, to the surprise of Yami Yugi and the shock of Yami Marik. "No! You can't do this!" the evil being shouted. "I must. I hold the key that will help the pharaoh unlock his true powers. The secret is emblazoned on my back in ancient Egyptian, but before I reveal this mystery, the very same mystery seen upon the Tablet of Lost Memories that hangs in the Domino Museum, the pharaoh must possess all three Egyptian God Cards." Marik replied.
"You're making a huge mistake!" Yami Marik shouted. "No, for the first time in years, I'm making the right choice." Marik retorted. "What are you doing?!" the evil being asked, worried and horrified. "I'm honoring the Ishtar name, the legacy passed down to me from my father and his fathers before him, by surrendering the duel!" Marik answered before putting his hand upon his Duel Disk, surprising the ancient king. "Of course. By forfeiting the duel, his final life point will be gone and his evil yami will vanish into the Shadow Realm." Yami Yugi said, knowing that his opponent was making a wise move.
"If you do this, you'll be sorry! You need me, you human fool!" the evil being stated. "Begone! I surrender this duel to the pharaoh!" Marik declared. "NOOOOOO!" the evil yami shouted before he was finally, FINALLY, defeated and banished to the Shadow Realm for eternity. "It's finally over, my king." Marik said. "Yes, and the darkness has lifted from your heart." Yami concurred as the darkness of the Shadow Realm that surrounded the Duel Tower faded away.
At the same time, Yugi managed to reform himself. 'We won the duel!' he said. "You're safe now." Yami replied. "Marik has finally overpowered the evil that had controlled him for all these years. My pharaoh, thank you. You've saved mankind." Ishizu said, relieved that the nightmare was finally over. "We did. I wouldn't have been victorious if not for all of you." Yami replied, to which Marik nodded before Roland raised his hand to call the match.
"And the winner of the Battle City championship crown, and STILL Duel Monsters world champion, is Yugi Muto!" he declared. Everyone on the sidelines started to cheer, save for the Kaibas and the Ishtars, as the holograms of both Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl faded. "Long live the King of Games!" Pinkie shouted. Once the platform lowered, everyone came up to the winner of Battle City.
"Did you see how all of Yugi's monsters came out to destroy The Winged Dragon of Ra at the end? That was more awesome than the most awesome thing I could ever think of!" Rainbow shouted. "You said it! Up high, pal!" Joey concurred before he and Yami shared a high-five. "I'm so proud of you. Both of you." Fluttershy said before hugging the victor, while Marik rejoined his family. "Marik..." Ishizu began to say. "Ishizu. I'm sorry." Marik interrupted.
"All that matters is that you're safe and you've returned to the way you were, my brother. You have fulfilled your destiny and completed the mission of the Tombkeepers." Ishizu replied, bringing a look of surprise and joy to Marik. "Sister, does this mean the three of us can start over, and build a new life for ourselves?" Marik asked. "Yes. I think its time our family started living in the light, don't you? Side by side with the rest of mankind. I'm glad you're back." Ishizu answered.
"So am I." Marik replied. "Sorry to interrupt the post-match celebrations, but as the organizer of Battle City, I should be the first to congratulate the winner, even though you won that duel due to Marik's choice to forfeit." Seto said. 'Actually, if Kaiba didn't have Mokuba give me that Fiend's Sanctuary card, I would've lost the match right away.' Yugi thought. "You dueled great, Yugi. And as a prize, you get to keep the rarest card in Marik's deck, and we all know what it is." Mokuba said.
"He's right, and the pharaoh is going to need that card soon." Ishizu concurred. "You're right." Marik concurred before walking forward. "This is what I'm sure we've all been waiting to see." Rarity said. "Pharaoh, as I complete my final mission, rest assured that everyone whose mind I trapped in the Shadow Realm will return to their proper bodies." Marik said, bringing a look of joy to Joey's face. "It's about time!" the Domino City Underdog exclaimed. "No kidding, partner." AJ added. "Thank you." Yami said, grateful. 'Yes. Thank you, indeed.' said Yami Bakura, who still had a portion of his spirit stashed away inside the Millennium Puzzle.
"Take this, my rarest card. And remember, you're going to need this card, Pharaoh." Marik said as he handed The Winged Dragon of Ra to Yami, who pulled out the other two Egyptian God Cards. 'The Winged Dragon of Ra. We have all three of the Egyptian God Cards. But now that they're in our deck, what are we supposed to do with them? How can we use these cards to unlock the hidden powers of the Nameless Pharaoh? We need more information.' Yugi thought.
"Pharaoh, I have one more task to perform before my Tombkeeper mission is complete." Marik said before removing his tank top and showing his back to Yami. "Behold, the secret of the Nameless Pharaoh's power, exactly as it is seen on the Tablet of Lost Memories that hangs in the Domino Museum." he added. "Wait, so was all that tattooed onto your back as a kid?" Rainbow asked. "This tattoo was placed on the backs of every male member of my family from generation to generation for 5000 years." Marik explained.
"We were taught that when the Nameless Pharaoh saved the world from destruction, he wiped his own memory clean. But he knew that, someday, he would return and would need his memories back. So he entrusted one family with his greatest secret, while tasking two others with guarding the Millennium Items. The family tasked with guarding the secret of the Nameless Pharaoh's lost memories, the key to unlocking his mind and his power, was the Ishtar family. Now that you hold the three Egyptian God Cards and the Millennium Puzzle, all you need to do is read the words emblazoned on Marik's back." Izhizu stated.
"Yugi, can you really read those hieroglyphs?" Twilight asked. "I can try." Yami answered. 'I don't understand those hieroglyphs at all, but I feel that the three Egyptian God Cards are trying to show me what they say.' Yugi thought before he received either a vision or an epiphany. 'Wait! The Tablet of Lost Memories at the museum, just like Marik said! But what does it mean? Is the secret of the Nameless Pharaoh locked in that tablet?' he continued before Yami snapped out of his supposed trance.
"It's time for us to leave, now, my king. So please, take this, the Millennium Rod I hold in my hand and the Millennium Ring around my neck. They now belong to you where they can't cause anymore harm." Marik said as he handed both items to Yami. "Thank you." Yami replied before taking them. "Okay, everyone, now that Battle City has concluded, I have an important announcement to make." Seto declared. "This island was meant to be used for the tournament only, but now that its finished, this piece of land has no use to me anymore." he explained.
"Wait, you mean you're going to knock the Duel Tower down?" Spike asked. "But Kaiba, don't you think that maybe it could serve as a very unique dueling location? I mean, just bulldoze the rubble and leave the Duel Tower and you could make lots of Yen from it." Rarity suggested. "Sorry, but this island is the final memory of my step-father. And now that he's gone, I need to make sure everything that reminds me and Mokuba of him is gone, as well. This island is part of the legacy he made long before he tried to destroy 97% of the population of the planet, so therefore, I'm going to destroy it within one hour!" Seto replied.
Everyone was in shock. "You're kidding me! PLEASE TELL ME YOU'RE KIDDING ME!" Spike shouted. "I don't kid. This Duel Tower will be the source of the explosion, so I suggest you get aboard Kaiba Craft 3." Kaiba replied. "But the engines on that thing are still damaged, aren't they?" Rainbow asked. "Maybe they aren't, they must've been repaired by now, right Roland?" Mokuba replied. "I don't know, sir." Roland answered. "Then I suggest you find out, I don't want to have several people on an island that's about to go boom." Seto said, bluntly.
"Can you believe that man?" Rarity asked. "Yeah, he loses the tournament and decides to blow the whole island off the map!" AJ replied. Meanwhile, Seto and Mokuba arrived at the very basement of the Duel Tower. "Activate the detonators, Mokuba." Seto instructed before his little brother did so with the computer confirming what was being done.
"One hour is plenty of time, I just hope the ship's engines are fixed." Mokuba said. "If they are, the ship has to leave now." Seto replied. "Right, so that everyone can be a safe distance away. So let's do this, Seto." Mokuba said before entering the required access code to bring up the keycard slots. "This is it, get ready." Seto said as he did what Mokuba just did before they both used fingerprint scanners to confirm their identities.
"And last, but not least..." Mokuba said before they both removed their Duel Monsters card picture frame necklaces and slotted them into the slots to activate the detonation sequence and begin the one hour countdown. Meanwhile, aboard Kaiba Craft 3, Joey went into Mai's room to check on her. "Serenity, is Mai okay?" he asked. "She twitched a bit, but she's not waking up completely." Serenity answered. Joey gently caressed the face of his beloved.
"Mai...You hear me? You're back. Yugi saved you. So please...wake up." he said softly before kissing her like if he were Prince Phillip from Sleeping Beauty breaking the spell over Aurora to wake her. In mere moments upon letting go, Mai awakened and smiled. "Good morning, handsome." she said. "Mai... You're back." he said. Soon, Mai sat up. "Well, care to fill me in on what went down? And how I wound up here?" she asked. "Sure! See, Marik beat you and sent your mind to the Shadow Realm, but Yugi managed to save you by beating him just a little bit ago." Pinkie explained.
"So Yugi won the Battle City crown, huh? Guess he's called the King of Games for a reason." Mai said, impressed. "Hey, guys, you hear that?" Spike asked. "What is it, little buddy?" AJ asked back. "I think its coming from, the kitchen. Its not far from here, come on!" Spike replied before they all headed there and found Bakura, up and eating like he hadn't eaten in days. "Oh, hey guys! Sorry, but I'm afraid the powdered donuts are gone." he said.
"Bakura! You're up!" Fluttershy said with a sigh of relief. "Yeah, but why are you raiding the fridge?" Joey asked. "I remember being sent to the Shadow Realm, and there's not much to eat there, you know." Bakura answered. "Of course there isn't." Rainbow said, with a deadpan look. Meanwhile, in the cockpit of the ship, things weren't well. "We can't take off without the Kaibas, that's just craziness!" Roland shouted.
"Hey, what's going on in here, Roland?" Twilight asked. "We can't seem to locate Mokuba or Mr. Kaiba." Roland answered. "What?! This whole place is gonna blow like a firecracker in less than an hour!" AJ shouted. "If I know Kaiba, he's probably got a jet stashed away for a quick escape." Joey pointed out. "Well, we can't take that chance." Roland replied. "He's right, we better go find them." Fluttershy concurred.
"Roland, don't leave without us. We'll be back with the Kaibas soon. I hope." Twilight said before they all started to head on their way. "In the meantime, Fugata, start the main engines." Roland instructed the flight crew. "Bringing the engines online, now." Fugata responded. "Voltage, check. Fuel, check. Starting up rear thruster." he said before the engines started to hum, but then stopped. "Uh, oh. We've got a problem." he said.
"I was afraid of this. The engines are weak, right?" Roland asked. "Worse, they're completely dead." Fugata answered. "DEAD?! That can't be!" Roland shouted. "Wait a sec, you mean that explosion we escaped from earlier caused the engine to go kaput?!" Joey asked. "I thought Mokuba implied that the engines were fixed!" Rarity stated. "Does this mean we're stuck here?!" AJ asked as everyone worried.
Down in the basement of the Duel Tower, the countdown continued past the 45 minute mark as the computer alerted all personnel to evacuate the area.
