Chapter 10
My Freaky Valentine: Part 3
The Miracle of Hermos
"Mai, time to give a warm welcome to Hermos!" Joey shouted. "Wait, that's not one of his cards!" Tea said in shock. "It is, now. And thank goodness it is." Twilight replied. "That's right. Just like how I was given The Eye of Timaeus, Joey was chosen to wield The Claw of Hermos." Yami added. Up on the second floor, Valon and Raf were in confused. "If it wasn't the doing of the pharaoh, how did Wheeler get his hands on that dragon?" Valon asked.
"Just because he has the card, doesn't mean he knows how to use it. That'll be the true test of his power." Raf replied. Meanwhile, Duke had finally found a way into the building. "I got to get them outta here and fast!" he said as he ran down the hall and found the security room. "Looks like this is the nerve center of the security here in the building, I just need to figure out how it works." he said before he started to access the security computer. Meanwhile, Joey continued his move.
"Alright, Mai, before I bring out my new friend, I'm gonna start the strategy to save us both. And the first thing I'm gonna do is bring back my Fiend Megacyber with Monster Reborn!" he declared before his fiend returned to the field. "Big deal! In case you have a bad memory, Harpie's Pet Dragon incinerated your fiend earlier in the duel and she'll do it again without even flinching!" Mai retorted. "Oh, I didn't say I was done." Joey continued. "Now, allow me to reacquaint you with my old friend, the Time Wizard!" he said before his master of time magic appeared.
"And now, hold on to your hairdo, cause here comes Hermos!" he shouted before his new dragon appeared. "Now, I'll see what he can do by, as the card says I can do, combine him with my Time Wizard!" he continued before Hermos INHALED the Time Wizard and transformed into a giant hammer with wings known as the Time Magic Hammer, a level two, Light attribute spellcaster/fusion/effect monster with 500 attack points and 400 defense points. 'Well, it's not huge, but its got to have some kind of special ability.' Joey thought.
But Valon just laughed it off. "Yeah, that'll really get people shaking in their boots. Only thing that it could be of use for is playing croquet." he joked. "Uh, Yugi, can't Joey change that hammer back into a dragon?" Rainbow asked. "There's no need for him to." Yami replied. 'First impressions can be deceiving.' Yugi concurred. "Alright, time to put my trust in my new weapon, the Time Magic Hammer! Take hold of it, Fiend Megacyber!" Joey shouted before the creature did so. "Alright, flatten one of her Harpies!" he commanded.
"Does Joey know what he's doing out there?" Rainbow asked. "I sure hope so." AJ replied as the Fiend Megacyber closed in. 'His fiend's going after one of my Harpie's to lower my dragon's power, so I better play it safe.' Mai thought. "I activate Harpie Lady Sparrow Formation!" she declared to form the fiery sparrow. "Your fiend and his little hammer are history!" she added. "Don't be so sure, that hammer have all the power of both my dragon and my Time Wizard!" Joey replied before the hammer struck the ground.
This caused several orbs to touch Mai's remaining monsters, which gave them all random numbers, Harpie's Pet Dragon was 1, and the Harpie Ladies had 3, 2 and 6. "What's with all the numbers?" Spike asked. "Sorry, but I don't think anyone has an answer." Twilight replied. "What kind of lame move is that? You trying to keep track of Mai's monsters?" Valon asked, jokingly. "Oh, just wait. The fun happens once I end my turn, which is now." Joey replied.
"If the fun starts when your turn ended, then that means the game is almost over. I'm trying to prove I'm the better Duelist than you or your posse and you're giving me moves like this?" Mai said, seemingly insulted. "You're wrong. You'll see." Joey retorted. "Seeing is one thing, but you've been talking this whole duel and I've heard enough out of you! Now let's move on so I can get you out of my sight! And it all ends here, and now!" Mai shouted before drawing. However, the hole left by the Time Magic Hammer suddenly sucked all of Mai's monsters into it.
"What's going on?! My Harpies! And their dragon!" she shouted as they all got pulled in. "Oh, no! What did you do to them?" she asked. "My first time using the Time Magic Hammer, so your guess is as good as mine." Joey replied as everyone looked on in surprised silence. "How did all of her monsters disappear at once?" Rarity asked. "My guess, that Time Magic Hammer did this." Spike replied. 'Was Joey's hammer able to destroy Mai's monsters somehow?' Yugi wondered. "I'm not so sure. Take a look at the field, the hole that Joey created with the Time Magic Hammer is still there, which could mean that Mai's monsters aren't gone for good, but temporarily trapped in a time warp. So they may return." Yami replied.
"I don't know how you got rid of my monsters, but you'll pay for it! I'll set one card face down and end my turn." Mai said, annoyed and frustrated. "You don't get it! I don't want you to lose and I don't want to lose, either. Which is why I have to do this!" Joey replied before drawing. "Now, Fiend Megacyber, attack her life points directly!" he commanded before the fiend struck, sending Mai flying onto her back as her life points DROPPED to 1400. 'She'll forgive me for that, someday.' Joey thought as she got back up.
"Man, Mai's suddenly closer to losing!" Valon said in shock. "Don't worry, we'll get a soul, no matter who loses." Raf replied. "How can you say that? She's one of us, she's a Swordsman!" Valon said, hurt that Raf said something so cold. "I'll also set a card face down to end my turn." Joey said as he finished his move. 'I have to make sure this duel ends in a draw, then the seal will be broken and our souls will be saved.' he thought. Suddenly, Mai started to have a panic attack.
"Are you okay?" Joey asked. "I can't lose. I can't go back to, the Shadow Realm." Mai said as she shivered in fear before having a PTS flashback to her battle against Yami Marik. "I gave up everything in my life, even my only chance at love, just to be a winner. So I'd never lose and go back to the Shadow Realm." Mai said. "Mai, I'm not Marik." Joey said, bluntly. "Oh, save it! My move!" Mai replied before drawing. As she did, from the time warp, her Harpie's Pet Dragon returned. "Huh? How did Harpie's Pet Dragon come back to the field?" Tristan asked.
"Hold on! I think its because of the numbers that were given to each of Mai's monsters thanks to Joey's Time Magic Hammer!" Yami said in surprise. "Since the Time Wizard was used to create the Time Magic Hammer, it didn't destroy them, but instead sent them into the future." he continued. "So, that hammer can cause an enemy's monsters to travel forward in time?!" Spike asked in disbelief. "It all makes sense! The numbers mean how many turns the monster that got it will go forward in time, so each monster won't show up until the turn they were given! Why didn't I think of that?" Twilight said, having a eureka moment.
"Well, that may be the case, but unfortunately, Harpie's Pet Dragon had the number 1, so that means it was the first to reappear." Rarity pointed out. "And on top of that, its Mai's turn, so that means she gets to attack." AJ added. "Well, Joey, looks like your Time Magic Hammer only temporarily got rid of my dragon, and my Harpie Ladies will likely come back the same way, but then again, they may not have to." Mai said, confident she was about to end the game.
"Harpie's Pet Dragon, destroy his fiend, now!" she commanded. "I wouldn't do that if I were her." Raf said, seemingly knowing something that she didn't. "Mai, wait!" Valon shouted, but it was too late. "I reveal my facedown, Skull Dice!" Joey declared as his trap sprung. "Your dragon's about to lose some attack points, but we'll find out how many when the die stops rolling!" he said, causing Mai to worry. "Skull Dice, roll!" he shouted before the die started to tumble and clatter, eventually it stopped on a two. "I rolled a two, but for you, it should be snake eyes, because now your dragon's attack points get cut right in half!" he shouted with glee as Harpie's Pet Dragon's attack points cut in half, leaving it with 1250.
This allowed the Fiend Megacyber to counterattack and destroy the dragon, causing Mai's life points to drop to 450. "Oh, no!" she shouted. "They're almost even!" Pinkie shouted. "I have to win!" Mai shouted. "Uh, yawl? I think Mai's having flashbacks to Battle City, you heard what she said, right?" AJ suggested before they remembered her loss to Yami Marik and the moment she got sent to the Shadow Realm. "I think I know what's going on, Mai's got PTSD." Fluttershy said, worried. "What's PTSD?" Rarity asked. "Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Her mind being sent to the Shadow Realm planted the seeds for the nightmares she said she had, that's why she's working with the Swordsmen, she's scared she'll go back to the Shadow Realm if she loses again." Twilight explained.
"Doesn't she know that only someone with a Millennium Item can do that?" Rarity asked. "Can't lose. Won't go back to the Shadow Realm. Have to win. YOU WON'T SEND ME BACK TO THE SHADOW REALM, MARIK!" Mai shouted. "Looks like you're right, Twilight. Mai's got PTSD and it may just be driving her as insane as Kaiba's loss to Yugi at Battle City when Spike challenged him to battle and won." Rarity said. "That girl's right, Mai's PTSD is taking over her mind. She's lost it." Raf said. Suddenly, Valon jumped off the balcony and down toward the seal.
"Valon! What are you doing?!" Raf shouted, but it was of no use as everyone saw him jump. "With this fragment of the Orichalcos Stone, I unlock the seal!" Valon shouted as he punched the barrier of the seal with the ring that contained the Orichalcos fragment inside it, unlocking and shattering the seal, creating a massive blast of smoke that blew back everyone on the sidelines. "No!" Raf shouted as he jumped down to check on Valon. "Joey, are you alright?" Yami asked as he saw Joey on the ground, likely knocked out from the blast.
"What just happened?" Rainbow asked. "I think I heard one of those bikers shouting that he unlocked the Seal of Orichalcos with a fragment of the Orichalcos Stone, likely the source of the seal and its power." Twilight replied. "But the bigger question, is why?" Spike wondered as they all saw Valon holding Mai closely. "Valon, what were you thinking? You betrayed Master Dartz's orders and risked your own soul, if not your life! And you mean to tell me that you likely did that just to save some girl who's not even yours?" Raf said, sternly. "She's not just some girl!" Valon snapped. "Listen to yourself! There's no room for love in our group!" Raf stated before turning towards Yami.
"But I'll make up for this, by taking your soul, pharaoh." he added. "The power in the object around my neck puts your puzzle to shame." he continued before taking off and lifting his necklace, which contained a fragment of the Orichalcos Stone, much like Valon's ring, above his head. The light blinded everyone who looked at it. Meanwhile, in the security room, Duke was close to cracking the security system for the entire building. "This should do it. There! Awesome." he said as he finally succeeded.
Back in the lobby, Tristan was the first to notice the shutters lifting. "Hey! The shutters!" he shouted. "But where'd the Swordsmen go?" Rainbow asked before Tristan ran up to his pal. "Joey, you okay, man?" he asked before Joey started to get up. "What happened?" the underdog asked before looking back to where Mai and the Swordsmen were. "Where's Mai? Did those Swordsmen get her out of here?" he asked. "Guess so, that big guy blinding us with his Orichalcos fragment likely was just a distraction so they could make their escape." Twilight answered.
"I was so close." Joey said, solemnly. "I'LL GET YOU BACK, MAI!" he shouted. Soon, the Blue-Eyes White Dragon jet landed right in front of the doors to the building. "I don't understand, why would Mai think that her next defeat would send her back to the Shadow Realm?" Joey wondered. "I say its PTSD. She's deeply troubled, if not scarred." Twilight said. "Twilight is right, her match against Marik in Battle City started all this." Fluttershy concurred. "Whatever happens to her now, that's likely what's driving it." AJ added. "AJ, no offense, but I think Joey's got enough on his plate." Spike said.
"You're right. Sorry, Joey. But I was just being honest." AJ said to her heartbroken friend. Suddenly, the Kaiba Bros entered, which instantly caught everyone's attention. "Kaiba?" Yami said in surprise. "Oh, great." Seto said, slightly annoyed. "What are you guys doing here?" Mokuba asked. "We could ask you and your brother the same question." Twilight replied. Soon, Duke, Weevil and Rex showed up. "Duke, Weevil Underwood and Rex Raptor are here, too?" Mokuba said, surprised.
"What's going on for even the Kaiba Bros to show up?" Duke asked. "Certainly not everyone present." Seto answered. "Just shut up!" Rainbow snapped. "Temper, temper." Seto replied. "Anyway, any sign of Pegasus?" Mokuba asked. "I'm afraid that we're too late." Yami answered. "Believe it or not, Mai Valentine got to him before we did." Tristan stated. "She also dueled Joey and nearly beat him with the help of some card called the Seal of Orichalcos." Pinkie added.
"Orichalcos?" Seto asked. "That look on your face leads me to wonder if you've seen this card before." AJ pointed out. "You're right, Seto wiped the floor with someone who played it named Alister. He pretended to be Pegasus, bought up almost all of KaibaCorp and made us fly all the way out to Duelist Kingdom to duel him!" Mokuba confirmed. "But he caused the duel to end in a draw, and he ran away. So we came here to here to get some answers." Seto added. "Wait, didn't you say that Alister bought up almost all of KaibaCorp?" Rarity asked.
"I don't think it was him, but it's likely who he works for, and that's unacceptable." Seto answered. 'Pegasus said that someone was after him, just need to find out why.' Yugi thought as he and Yami had a flashback to the message Pegasus sent him before getting out the card that was in the package that the message from Pegasus, Illusion's Key. "Hold on, this card Pegasus sent us may be a clue to all this. Its called Illusion's Key." Yami said.
"Wait a minute! There's a door upstairs that wouldn't unlock, even after I cracked the security system for the entire building." Duke said in surprise. "Then that must be it!" AJ said, equally surprised. "Duke, hurry and take us there!" Twilight urged. "I'm with the princess and I suggest you do as she says." Seto concurred. "Alright, follow me." Duke replied. "Don't worry, Joey, we'll get Mai out of the Swordsmen yet." Yami said before Joey got back up. "Thanks, Yuge." the underdog replied.
"Looks like we'll find out why Pegasus brought us all here soon enough." Rarity said as they all walked to the elevator. "Well, what are you waiting for, Weevil? We may as well follow them." Rex said. "Perhaps, and then we can sneak into the card vault and see what we can find." Weevil added. "Whoa, Weevil, I'm not one to steal." Rex pointed out. Soon, the group arrived at Pegasus' office. "You'd have to work here to find your way around." Rainbow said.
"That's the door." Duke said as he pointed at it. "I get it, there must be a security chip inside the card." Twilight said as she pointed to the electronic lock. Yami then swiped it and unlocked the door. They opened and saw the lights were off. "So, who wants to go in first?" Tristan asked. "No time to be cowards." Rainbow said as she stepped in, followed by the Kaiba Bros. "Wonder what's in here." Fluttershy said before the lights came on to reveal the whole room had statues of many of Pegasus' Toon monsters.
"This is weird." Joey said. "Am I in another fever dream?" Pinkie asked. "Maybe, but we're not asleep." AJ added. "You sure?" Pinkie wondered before pinching herself. "Ow! Okay, not dreaming." she said. "I hate these Toons. Let's make this visit quick." Seto stated. "We may have hit the jackpot, Rex! Pegasus may have hid some copies of his Toon cards in here!" Weevil said, excited. "Then let's get looking." Rex replied. Soon, a hologram of Pegasus appeared.
"Pegasus?" Twilight said in surprise. "Not quite, its a hologram recording." Seto pointed out. "Yugi-boy, at least I hope its you who finds this recording. And by the way, I hope you like the interior of this room, I designed it all myself." the recording began. "Toon-themed decorating is definitely not my idea of interior." Tristan said under his breath. "If you're hearing this, that can only mean the gentlemen who were after me have gotten to me, so listen carefully." the recording continued. "This is it." Yami said, softly.
"It all began when a mysterious man tried to buy out my company." the recording continued. "Hold on, I got dragged into this whole mess because someone was trying to buy out my company also." Seto said. "So someone's after both Industrial Illusions and KaibaCorp?" Mokuba asked. "But, there's more. This individual possesses an artifact from 10,000 years ago, something the world has never seen in that period of time. The name of this man, is Dartz." the recording continued. "Who's Dartz?" Yami wondered.
"Likely someone with deep pockets." AJ figured. "Now Dartz plans to use my game to achieve his goals, he believes he can use it and this artifact of his to destroy civilization, but whatever the case, he must be stopped. And the key to defeating him in a duel, should it come to that, is within this room. Ever since I retired, I've been studying the ancient origins of Duel Monsters, and I made an astonishing discovery, one I'm certain some historians and scholars like Professor Arthur Hawkins would either scoff at or find intriguing." the recording continued.
"The concept of these creatures existed long before the pyramids were even built." it continued. "In an island city that sank beneath the sea, one that many people don't believe even existed, Atlantis." Twilight said. "That's where this Dartz character comes in, he's trying to unleash some sort of creature that many believe is just a myth, yet was seen as the most powerful creature to ever roam the Earth, The Great Leviathan. According to legend, it absorbs the souls of man and beast in order to build up its strength." the recording continued.
"Now I get what Gurimo said in Yugi's duel." Twilight said as she remembered what happened that night. "If his plan works, then Dartz will put mankind in grave peril. This creature will unleash a fury not seen in 10,000 years, one that I fear is far more devastating than what would have been that of Anubis if you and Seto Kaiba hadn't stopped him." the recording continued. "Yugi, I don't know if your allies will believe you or not, but you are mankind's only hope, so I created an exclusive card just for you, should you be forced to duel against Dartz." it added.
"No way!" Weevil and Rex said before they started looking around for it. "I hid this one-of-a-kind card somewhere in this room, as I said, its where you'd think to find an extra card." the recording said before Spike quickly found the answer. "In the Pot of Greed! It lets you draw extra cards in a duel!" he stated. "Come to papa!" Rex and Weevil shouted, only for Tristan to take the replica of the Pot of Greed out of their path and find the card inside.
"Well, I found it, but its blank." Tristan said. "Maybe, but it must have some sort of unique ability, look at the border on the bottom. Its the same color as Joey's dragon card, The Claw of Hermos." Twilight said as she pointed out the border. "If so, its best to hang on to it, for now." Yami said. "Time is running out, if Dartz isn't stopped soon, not only will my game be ruined, but everyone on Earth will suffer. Only you can save mankind from being either dominated or destroyed by a madman. I implore you, save the creatures that made my game famous and the players who continue to use them!" the recording concluded before it ended and the lights came up.
"Wow, not much pressure, huh?" Rainbow asked. "Man, this is crazy! Why would Mai join a group of bikers known as the Swordsmen who are pretty much the attack dogs for this Dartz guy?" Joey asked, frustrated. "If it is PTSD, her loss to Marik must've been worse on her mind than we thought." Fluttershy figured. "Alright, let's just calm down here. We know that Dartz is after Industrial Illusions and KaibaCorp, so they're somehow important to his plan, right, Kaiba?" Twilight asked.
"All I can say is that whoever this Dartz is, he must be as rich as I am to try to buy out both my company and Pegasus' company." Seto replied. "Yes, but don't make this about you, Kaiba. Dartz has more than Industrial Illusions, he's doing more than buying out your company, he had his henchmen, the Swordsmen, steal the Egyptian God Cards from me." Yami pointed out. "He WHAT?!" Seto shouted in disbelief. "Yes, they broke into Kame Game and stole them, right before one of their ranks, a man named Gurimo, dueled Yugi and nearly beat him with Obelisk the Tormentor." Fluttershy confirmed.
"But Yugi beat him, only for him to toss Obelisk to his Swordsmen buddies so they could take off with it and the other two Egyptian God Cards." AJ added. "Then I guess Dartz must mean business. Why would he want the Egyptian God Cards, KaibaCorp and Industrial Illusions?" Seto asked. "Maybe this will shed some light." Yami said before showing Seto and Mokuba his dragon, The Eye of Timaeus. "That card! Where did you get it?" Seto asked in surprise.
"He ain't the only one." Joey said before showing his own dragon, The Claw of Hermos. "Kaiba, you have one of these dragons, too, don't you?" Twilight asked. "Are you referring to this?" Seto asked back before showing his own dragon, The Fang of Critias. Suddenly, all three cards began to glow. "Yeah, nothing magic going on here." Duke said, sarcastically.
"I believe the only way to defeat Dartz is for these three cards, and perhaps that blank card, together. So I suggest you accept that you're part of something bigger than just a technology and gaming software company." Twilight said as all three Duelists, even Seto Kaiba, knew what they had to do; stop Dartz and The Great Leviathan.