Chapter 11
The Challenge
"Why are these cards glowing? Is my mind playing tricks on me?" Seto wondered as he, Yami and Joey looked at their dragons. "Its impossible for three people's minds to play tricks on them at once, let alone for EVERYONE ELSE here to see." Twilight stated. "She's right, my card's doing the same thing, Kaiba." Joey added. "I feel as if the glow from these cards means something, like the dragons are calling out to us." Yami said. Soon, the glow stopped.
"I was told once by someone that three modern day people would be the ones to wield these Legendary Dragons." he added. "Chosen by whom? Is this Ishizu's doing?" Seto asked, still not willing to buy into anything mystical. "No, Kaiba, this has NOTHING to do with the Ishtar family." Twilight replied. "Well, regardless, I don't know what's going on here, but what I can say is that there's something more logical to this that none of you want to admit." Seto stated.
"Kaiba, do us a favor and, FOR ONCE, keep an open mind and ear!" Rainbow shouted. "What we saw was strange, I will admit to that, but if those dragon cards came to you three, than the only thing you guys can do is keep them. If this Dartz guy is really up to something, these dragons may be the only thing that can stop him. This is about MORE than just the company you stole from your long-dead step-dad and its reputation, because if we don't stop Dartz, there won't BE a KaibaCorp anymore!" she snapped.
"Rainbow, enough." Twilight said before turning to Seto. "Look, we know you don't do any teamwork things, but at least do as I tell you, since you know I'm of royal blood." she said, though Seto just scowled. "Look, your part in all this is to keep KaibaCorp out of Dartz's hands. Surely you can handle that, can't you, Mr. Kaiba?" she stated. "That's the one thing that has plausibility. If Dartz is rich enough to buy out Industrial Illusions, he won't stop till he has KaibaCorp. So to avoid an international incident, princess, I'll do as you suggest." Seto replied before he and Mokuba walked away.
"Well, with Kaiba keeping his company out of the hands of this Dartz character, that means he'll use The Fang of Critias if necessary." Rarity figured. "All the while, me and Yugi will keep on using Timaeus and Hermos. There's no way that this Datz creep is gonna get away with stealing my girlfriend." Joey said with newfound determination. "Sounds like someone's back to their old self." Tristan said with a smile. "Took you long enough." Rainbow joked.
All the while, Weevil and Rex were searching around the room, still thinking that Pegasus stashed away copies of his Toon cards somewhere in the room. "Weevil, not that I'm calling you a liar, but why should I believe that Pegasus hid some rare Toon cards in here?" Rex asked. "Because if that blank card was inside that Pot of Greed replica, there have to be more in here." Weevil answered.
"Begging your pardon, fellers, but what are you two up to?" AJ asked, suspiciously. "Oh, well, since Pegasus put that blank card inside that Pot of Greed replica, he may have hidden some other clues to this quest of yours somewhere." Weevil answered. "Yeah, got to search thoroughly." Rex added. "Anyway, now that we know who the Swordsmen are working for, what are we supposed to do?" Tea asked. "I say we find out where Dartz and his Swordsmen are, maybe we can rescue Mai." Joey suggested.
"I don't think that'll help, Joey. The two Swordsmen who were with her ran off and left Mai's bike." Fluttershy said. "Anyone got a plan B?" Spike asked. "We could head back to my place, play some Dungeon Dice Monsters." Duke suggested. "Wait a minute, I've got it! We have to find Professor Arthur Hawkins. He may have some new information that could help us out." Yami figured, realizing that if anyone had anything on Atlantis and The Great Leviathan, it was Professor Hawkins.
"You're right, he did say that he was going to continue his research on Atlantis." Tea concurred. "And I have a gut feeling that his discovery of the lost island city is connected to Dartz." Rainbow pointed out. "Alright, we know where we have to go, but how we get there is the question." Tristan said before they all heard the Blue-Eyes White Dragon jet start up. They all looked out the window just in time to see the aircraft fly away.
"There isn't enough room in my car for all of us." Duke said. "I think I've got an idea." Fluttershy said. Moments later, while Duke, Tea, Yami, Joey, Tristan, Weevil and Rex rode in Duke's car, Fluttershy was somehow able to get some wild horses for herself, Applejack, Twilight, Rarity, Pinkie and Spike. They all drove/rode across the deserts straight towards the area of Death Valley. 'We got to get Mai to snap out of this whole PTSD thing and bring her back to her senses.' Joey thought as he remembered everything she said during their duel.
'I had no idea that her loss to Marik did something to her mind. I mean, sure, being in the Shadow Realm isn't a pleasant thing, but for her to work with someone like Dartz and his Swordsmen? Maybe I shoulda went with her the day Battle City ended.' he continued. 'Based on what Pegasus said to us in that recording, Dartz controls some kind of magic artifact that's 10,000 years old, likely something from Atlantis. But its far older than you are, Yami.' Yugi said, mentally. "Yes, Yugi, I believe one of the Swordsmen, Valon, said it was the Orichalcos Stone. It seems to be more powerful than the magic of the Millennium Items." Yami replied.
'Well, it seems to be connected to when Professor Hawkins discovered that Atlantean temple. I just hope he can tell us what we need to do.' Yugi pointed out. Meanwhile, up on a ledge not far from Industrial Illusions, Mai attacked Valon. "What were you thinking, you cockney punk?! I was in the middle of a duel with Wheeler and then you had to butt in and stop it!" she shouted as she remembered the closing moments of the duel, along with Valon's seemingly foolish choice.
"You're a real piece of work. He saved your soul by risking his and this is how you repay him?" Raf said, showing a bit of empathy. "Who asked him to save me?! Maybe next time he'll learn to butt out of other people's duels!" Mai shouted. "If he did that, you'd have lost and wound up back in the Shadow Realm, if that's what you want to have happen next time." Raf replied before she started to freeze. "That's enough, mate, I'm fine." Valon said as he started to get up. "For once, he's right. Clam up or you'll end up like him." Mai concurred.
"You have no idea the danger you were in." Raf said as he stood up. "Do you remember that Claw of Hermos card Joey played? It's one of three ancient dragons that can only be controlled by a chosen Duelist. They all have different powers, his buddy, the pharaoh, has The Eye of Timaeus and that means someone may have The Fang Critias or is about to get it." he stated. "Well, regardless of who has those dragons, I'll make sure I defeat them before they're even drawn!" Mai replied before walking up to and starting Valon's bike. "Later, losers!" she shouted. "Hey, wait! Come back with me bike!" Valon shouted, but to no avail.
'I'll find out where you are, Wheeler. You won't escape from me again.' Mai thought as she sped off down the cliffside. "I can't let Mai get herself hurt or killed. I got to stop her." Valon said as he got back to his feet. "Forget about her, and focus on the pharaoh." Raf suggested. "But Master Dartz said to wait before facing him." Valon pointed out. "Well, Master Dartz doesn't always know what's best. We should take the strongest soul first. Once we get him out of the way, the others will fall right into our hands, one by one, and the Legendary Dragons will have no warriors to ally with." Raf replied.
"But how do you know the pharaoh will duel?" Valon asked. "Because my plan is already in place. Its only a matter of time." Raf answered. Meanwhile, at the home of Professor Hawkins, the good professor was busy studying more on Atlantis and what he found underwater. "Strange. In all of these ancient paintings one image appears over and over, but what is it?" he wondered as he examined the photos that had the Great Leviathan in them.
"I'm stumped." he said. Meanwhile, Rebecca was riding along on a horse towards the windmill field near her and her dad's house. "Whoa, Copernicus!" she declared as she brought her horse to a stop, but it seemed a bit nervous. "Whoa, easy! Copernicus, what's gotten into you, boy? Did I load you up with too many groceries today or what?" she said. Suddenly, she heard just what was getting Copernicus nervous, she looked up and saw a helicopter flying overhead. "What's a helicopter doing out here?" she wondered.
She saw the copter land right in front of her house. "That's weird, grandpa's not expecting anyone today." she said before some men came out and headed toward the house and took the professor out by force. "You'll never get away with this!" he shouted. "Keep it down, old man." said one of the men. "You should stay out of things that don't concern you." said another. "Grandpa! Come on, Copernicus!" Rebecca shouted before she rode toward the scene while the men loaded the professor into the helicopter.
"Let my grandpa out of there! Get back here!" she shouted as the helicopter began to take off, with her just missing the chopper as it lifted off and flew away before she chased after it. But as she began to ride out, her and her grandpa's house exploded behind her. "Our house! Grandpa's lab!" she shouted, completely devastated before looking back up at the helicopter. "What do they want with him?" she wondered before a card came down from the general direction of the helicopter.
"A Duel Monsters card?" she said, confused before she saw what it was and was devastated. "Grandpa!" she shouted. Later that night, Yami and the group arrived at the wreckage of the house. "If this is the place, what happened?" Joey wondered. "Professor Hawkins! Rebecca!" Yugi shouted, hoping for an answer from one or both, but totally unaware of what happened. "Yugi." Rebecca replied before they saw her, thankful she was okay.
"Rebecca, what happened here?" Yugi asked. "Yugi...they took him." she replied with tears in her eyes. "My poor grandpa! It's not fair! He didn't hurt anyone!" she shouted before she ran into Yugi's arms, devastated. "We'll find him, sugar cube." AJ said, reassuringly. "Thank you. But who would do something like this?" Rebecca asked. Later, the group was inside her and her grandpa's travel trailer having tea. "I still don't get it. Who would kidnap Professor Hawkins?" Fluttershy asked.
"It had to be Dartz and his Swordsmen lackeys." Joey suggested. "Why? He's just an archaeologist." Tristan said. "But didn't you guys say that he made some big discovery?" Duke asked. "Yeah. He found Atlantis." Yugi answered. "Rebecca, I have an idea." he said. "What is it?" she asked. "Do you remember that stone? The one I gave your grandpa." he replied. "Yeah, it's around my neck right here. Grandpa told me to hang on to it." she said. "Maybe that's what Dartz and the Swordsmen are after." Spike suggested. "If that's the case, why would Dartz need the Egyptian God Cards, Industrial Illusions and KaibaCorp?" Twilight wondered as Rebecca removed the stone and put it in Yugi's hand.
"Whatever the case, be careful." Rebecca advised. "Okay, so what's our next move?" Rarity asked. "Easy, find out where Dartz is, bust in and get Professor Hawkins." Duke replied. "I doubt that Dartz's name is in the phone book." Rainbow said. "You're right, he's not! I checked." Pinkie said with a phone book in her hands. "Well, it's clear Professor Hawkins doesn't have what Dartz is looking for, which means they'll likely come back." Twilight said.
"Great, so we just have to sit and wait for them to come to us?" Joey asked. "Well, if we're going to stay here, we better eat something." AJ replied. "Excellent idea. Spike, would you mind helping me make something for everyone?" Rarity asked. "Sure thing, Rarity." Spike answered. "Don't worry, Rebecca. Your grandpa will be rescued." Fluttershy said gently.
Soon, Spike and Rarity were busy cooking up a storm. "Whatever you guys are making smells delicious." Joey said. "The salad is almost ready over here." Tea said. "Same with the table." Tristan added. "And I got some fruit juice for us to drink." Joey said with a smile. "Hold up, where are Weevil and Rex?" Rainbow asked. "Likely outside. Oh, well. More food for us." Duke answered. Meanwhile, Rex and Weevil were looking through the rubble of the destroyed lab. "For the last time, there are no rare Duel Monsters cards here!" Rex shouted.
"Just keep looking! I haven't been wrong yet, have I?" Weevil replied. "Pretty much about everything, since it was your idea to get us involved in this whole thing that means the destruction of civilization!" Rex retorted. "Face it, Weevil, this guy probably doesn't even play Duel Monsters. You're gonna starve us both just to get back at either Joey or Yugi for beating you." he continued. Soon, they heard something before looking back and seeing Yugi with Fluttershy and Rebecca.
"What did you want to talk about, Rebecca?" Yugi asked. "I'm just scared, guys. This whole mess is getting stranger by the minute." Rebecca answered. "We know, but we'll find your grandfather." Fluterrshy said, but Rebecca just shook her head. "There's more." she said before getting out the card she found. "What's this?" Yugi asked. "The creeps who kidnapped my grandpa dropped it from their helicopter. It came with a note." Rebecca answered.
The note read; 'I'll be waiting for you in Death Valley, you'll show up if you want to see your friend Professor Hawkins again. Rafael.' "Oh, no! How far away is Death Valley from here?" Yugi asked. "Going by car is an hour trip." Rebecca answered. "Sorry, Rebecca, Fluttershy, but I have to go alone." Yugi said. "Alone? Why?" Fluttershy asked. "I put you, Rebecca and her family in enough danger already." Yugi answered. "Don't be silly, Yugi. None of this is your fault." Fluttershy replied.
"Thanks, Fluttershy, but it's me Dartz and his Swordsmen want and you'll both be safer here. And, please, don't tell the others where I'm going." Yugi said. "But why?" Rebecca asked. "I don't want them to follow me there. They could end up getting hurt or worse. If Rafael wants to duel me alone, then I'll duel him alone." Yugi answered as Rex and Weevil listened in. "Someone wants to duel Yugi alone?" Weevil said, intrigued.
Meanwhile, Professor Hawkins found himself in a shed before he saw Rafael. "Rise and shine, Professor." he said. "Who's there?" Arthur asked. "That's not important. What is important is that you forget everything you discovered." Raf answered. "No! Those ruins are a piece of history, they don't belong to you or anyone else." Arthur retorted before he saw the piece of the Orichalcos Stone around Raf's neck. "Where did you get that stone you're wearing around your neck?" the old man asked. "It's made of the same material I discovered in those ruins, a material I believe to be orichalcum." he added.
"It seems that you're too curious for your own good. If I were you, I'd wise up and stop my research, Professor." Raf replied. "Well, you're not me and I've waited my entire career to find this! I will never abandon my research, is that clear?!" Arthur snapped as he stood up. "You don't have a choice." Raf replied. "What do you mean by that?" Arthur asked. "We've destroyed your laboratory and everything you found in those ruins. So you're no longer a threat to us." Raf answered.
Meanwhile, at the island base of Dartz and the Swordsmen, the leader of this whole cult was in the temple. "The time draws near, Great Leviathan. With every soul you receive, your power grows. Soon, you'll unleash your rage upon mankind and finish what we began so long ago." he said. Meanwhile, out on the sea, a storm was brewing and pitching a boat around. The men aboard tried to radio for help, but their system was down, just as a tidal wave descended upon them and destroyed the ship. All the while, Dartz chuckled, as if he saw or felt it happen.
Meanwhile, inside the trailer, most of the group was asleep, save for Yugi. 'Well, I know what I have to do, so its time to face this Rafael.' he thought as he strapped on his Duel Disk, though Fluttershy woke up. "Yugi." she said softly. "Don't worry, Fluttershy. I'll be back." he said before he headed for the door. Outside, Yugi approached Rebecca's horse. "Ready, Copernicus?" he asked before Yami took over and climbed onto the saddle. With a snap of the reins, Yami rode off into the night, his destination, Death Valley.
Back in the trailer, Joey woke up and saw Rebecca and Fluttershy awake. "Can't sleep either, huh?" he asked before looking around and seeing someone was missing. "Hey, where's Yuge?" he asked. "Rebecca and I promised we wouldn't say anything..." Flutershy began before they both said what Yugi told them. "Rebecca! Fluttershy! How could you let him just leave like that?!" Joey shouted as the lights came on. Soon, they told everyone else. "Joey, take it easy, partner. Its not their fault. Knowing you, you would've done the same thing." AJ said.
"Actually, he would've tried to talk some sense into him, AJ." Tristan replied. "Well, I'm going after him!" Joey said before running out the door. "Come on, Joey, come back here!" Tristan called as Joey came to a stop. "Joey, why'd you stop?" Rainbow asked before he pointed to someone coming their way, keeping themselves up on a walking stick. It was Professor Hawkins. "Professor Hawkins?!" Rainbow shouted in disbelief. "Grandpa!" Rebecca shouted before the man collapsed, though Joey managed to catch him. "You alright, professor?" Joey asked as they all gathered around.
"Rebecca, where's Yugi?" Arthur asked as his granddaughter tearfully hugged him. Meanwhile, Yami continued his midnight ride to Death Valley to face Rafael. 'This Rafael must want to duel us, right?' Yugi asked, mentally. 'Yes.' Yami replied. 'Well, as long as we have The Eye of Timaeus, we should be fine.' Yugi said, confidently. 'But he holds the Seal of Orichalcos.' Yami pointed out. 'Yeah, but we have something just as great if not greater, our faith in the Heart of the Cards.' Yugi replied.
Meanwhile, Arthur Hawkins was laid down to rest himself. "I'm glad your back, gramps." Rebecca said. Meanwhile, outside, Duke, Joey, Tristan, Spike and Rainbow were about to head out to find Yugi. "Tea, you and the others stay here until we find Yugi and come back." Joey instructed. "Please, be careful, Spikey." Rarity said. "I promise." Spike replied before kissing her. "Keep an eye out for Rex and Weevil. I don't trust those two." Tristan added as Duke started the car.
Speaking of whom, Rex and Weevil were on a partly roasted two-seated bicycle and heading the same way that Yami was going, toward Death Valley. "We can't miss the showdown between Yugi and this Raf guy. I have to learn what it took for Mai to become like him." Weevil said as he and Rex petaled. "I knew this was just to get back at Yugi and Joey!" Rex shouted before they heard and saw Yugi on a ledge above them. "It's Yugi! Now we just have to follow him!" Weevil said, determined not to let the King of Games get ahead.
"Time to put the petal to the metal!" Rex shouted as they started to speed up. Meanwhile, Rebecca was looking at the card Yugi gave her, The Ties of Friendship. "Be careful, Yugi. Please." she said as she held the card close to her heart. Meanwhile, Rainbow and the guys were driving in Duke's car. 'Hang in there, Yuge, we're on our way.' Joey thought. Meanwhile, Yami continued to ride on. Further up ahead, Rafael was on the other side of a rope bridge, standing on a butte, waiting for his opponent.
"I'm ready for you, Pharaoh, thanks to my deck and the power it holds." Raf said as he looked at his deck and put his other hand on it as he held it. Soon, Yami approached with the thundering hooves of the great horse, Copernicus, ready to duel.