Summary: This chapter takes the tension up a notch—Kaiba's got no choice but to put everything on the line. Enjoy the ride, and thanks for sticking with the story!
Chapter 2 - The Duel
Kaiba's icy gaze swept over us, his lips pulling into a thin line of barely contained irritation. "Stay out of my way," he snapped. "This is my problem, and I don't have time to babysit."
Yugi stepped forward, not backing down an inch. His serious gaze met Kaiba's head-on. "Kaiba, that was shadow magic." he said firmly, his hand resting on the Millennium Puzzle. "There's no way we're staying out of this."
For a moment, Kaiba just stared at him, his jaw clenched tight. Then he let out a low growl. "Do what you want." he said curtly, spinning on his heel and storming toward the exit.
"Wait up!" I called, but he was already moving too fast. We scrambled to keep up with him, practically jogging to match his furious pace. Leaving the duel arena—and probably a whole stadium full of confused fans—behind us, we hurried after him as he made a beeline for the parking lot.
Kaiba stopped in front of his car, which looked like it had been plucked straight out of a racing movie. Sleek, black, and definitely faster than anything legal. Of course, it had only two seats.
Without hesitation, Yugi yanked open the passenger door. He shot us a quick look. "Get a cab!" he shouted, then jumped in beside Kaiba.
"Hey, wait—" I started, but it was too late. The engine roared to life, and they were gone, the car tearing out of the parking lot with a screech of tires. Kaiba clearly didn't give a rat's tail about traffic laws.
Téa was already in motion, waving down a taxi at the curb. "Come on, guys!"
One pulled up within seconds, and we piled in, the driver looking only mildly annoyed at our frantic energy.
"What's the address?!" I asked, panic in my voice as I climbed in behind her. Tristan looked at me, his face mirroring my confusion.
Téa rolled her eyes, her phone in hand with KC Maps open. "256 Obsidian Ridge Road
in the Domino City Outskirts." she said crisply, shoving the phone toward the driver. "The old research facility."
The driver nodded and took off, merging into traffic with a squeal of tires. I fidgeted in my seat, tapping my foot anxiously. "Man, this is so messed up," I muttered. "Why's it always gotta be shadow magic and kidnappings?"
Tristan shook his head, his expression mirroring my own frustration. "I know, right?"
Téa shot us both a look. "Guys, focus."
I took a deep breath, nodding. She was right. No point in complaining when Mokuba was in danger.
When we finally pulled up to the facility, Kaiba's car was already there, parked at an angle like he'd just skidded to a stop and jumped out. The driver's side door was wide open, the car still faintly humming.
The old KaibaCorp research facility loomed dark in front of us, a skeleton of twisted metal and cracked concrete. The building stood like a forgotten giant, windows shattered, walls tagged with graffiti, and vines crawling up its sides like nature was trying to swallow it whole. The wind whispered through the broken panes, creating an eerie whistling that sent a chill down my spine.
Why was it always places like this? Seriously, is there some rule that kidnappers have to pick the most haunted, run-down spots they can find? Would it kill them to stash their victims somewhere nice for a change? Like, I don't know, maybe a Burger World?
We pushed through the rusted front gate, its hinges squealing like a dying cat. Inside, the air was thick with dust and the scent of damp neglect. It wasn't hard to find Kaiba and Yugi—Kaiba's angry voice echoed through the empty halls, guiding us like a less-friendly GPS. We followed the sound to what looked like an old auditorium. Rows of decaying seats faced a massive, cracked screen. Exposed wires hung from the ceiling, and the flickering lights cast weird, twitchy shadows over everything.
Kaiba stood on the stage, facing off against Void Man, who loomed like a dark stain against the dim light. His form was like a big ol' pit of shadows, no face, no shape—just those freaky glowing eyes, staring us down like headlights in the dark. Mokuba was hovering beside him, his small body limp and seemingly unconscious, suspended in the air by tendrils of that creepy black smoke.
"You!" Kaiba barked, his voice sharp and commanding. "Put him down and face me."
"Ah, Seto Kaiba. So impatient. So predictable." A sinister chuckle echoed from Void Man. "All in good time. But first, a challenge. Let us play your favorite game."
Yugi stepped forward, his expression serious. "Careful, Kaiba. It's going to be a Shadow Duel."
Kaiba flicked a sharp glance at him, like he was about to argue, but then his gaze snapped back to Void Man. For a split second, he hesitated. Maybe his time with the Pharaoh had taught him something after all.
"Fine," Kaiba said sharply. "You release my brother if I beat you!"
"Release him?" Void Man said, his voice a dark, echoing rasp. "You are correct, Seto Kaiba. But let us raise the stakes. A simple victory is far too... mundane. The loser will be banished to the Shadow Realm for all eternity."
His words hung in the air like poison, cold and heavy.
Kaiba didn't flinch. Instead, a smirk crept across his face, sharp and full of that arrogant confidence only he could pull off. "Deal."
The moment the word left his lips, a glowing circle materialized around Kaiba and Void Man, symbols and shadows swirling together like some messed-up light show. The air grew heavier, colder. I swallowed hard.
Void Man's grin widened, and for the first time, my stomach twisted with a really bad feeling. "Of course," Void Man said, his voice carrying a sinister edge. "I'll need a proper vessel for this."
Before anyone could react, the tendrils of smoke coiled tighter around Mokuba, pulling him in like a black hole devouring its prey. The smoke twisted and surged, funneling into Mokuba's body as if it were being sucked inside. The kid's form convulsed, his limbs twitching as the darkness poured into him.
Then, suddenly, Mokuba's eyes snapped open. They glowed a bright, unearthly light, and his face twisted into a smirk that wasn't his own.
"Shall we begin?" Mokuba's voice said, but it wasn't his voice at all. It was deeper, layered with the unmistakable malice of Void Man.
Kaiba's smirk froze, his expression turning to something that almost looked like panic. "No," he said sharply. "Leave him out of this!"
Void Man—Mokuba—let out a low, mocking laugh. "Tsk, tsk, Kaiba. A deal is a deal. You already agreed." He gestured toward the glowing circle around them, his smirk widening.
Kaiba's fists clenched, but there was nothing he could do. Evil Mokuba drew his first card with a flourish, the duel officially beginning.
And I? I stood there frozen, watching as Kaiba faced off against his own brother, possessed by something straight out of a nightmare.
The duel was intense from the start, the air practically crackling with tension. Kaiba's moves were sharp and calculated, as always. He summoned Vorse Raider and launched an attack against Void Man—well, Mokuba, but not Mokuba. The blow landed, and Void Man's life points ticked down.
But instead of looking worried, Void Man—through Mokuba—just laughed. The sound was wrong. Hollow. Twisted.
"You're hurting him, Kaiba," Void Man taunted, Mokuba's lips curling into a cruel smile. "Every attack, every move you make, it's all for nothing."
Kaiba didn't respond. He just grit his teeth and set another card, his face locked in that cold, determined mask he always wore. But then it was Void Man's turn, and things took a nasty turn.
Void Man played Shadow Tendrils, an eerie, writhing mass of a monster that slithered out of the hologram with a life of its own. When it attacked, Kaiba flinched, looking like he'd actually been hit. His life points dropped, and he staggered slightly, one hand gripping his chest.
"Kaiba!" Yugi called out, stepping forward as if he was about to jump into the circle.
Kaiba snapped his head around, glaring at him. "Stay out of it!" he barked, his voice sharp.
Yugi stopped in his tracks, his face tight with worry.
On his next turn, Kaiba shifted gears. He summoned his Blue-Eyes White Dragon, but instead of attacking, he placed it in defense mode. The majestic beast let out a thunderous roar, then coiled protectively in front of him.
"What's he doing?" Tristan muttered beside me. "Why isn't he attacking?"
"I don't know," I admitted, my gut twisting. Kaiba wasn't the defensive type. He didn't play safe—he played to crush his opponent.
I frowned, trying to figure out his angle. Kaiba wasn't the type to play defensively unless he was setting up for something big. Was he holding back? Gathering his strength for a final strike?
Despite his defenses, Kaiba's life points were dwindling fast. Only his Blue-Eyes White Dragon remained on the field, and even that was in defense mode. My heart pounded. Come on, Kaiba. You always have a plan. Don't you?
Kaiba's eyes flickered with something—fear? Anger? I couldn't tell.
"Let him go," Kaiba demanded, his voice low but firm.
Void Man let out another laugh, this one colder and more sinister. "But we're just getting started."
As he spoke, the black smoke began to leak from Mokuba's body, swirling upward like a storm cloud. Void Man formed above Mokuba, hovering around him, like some nightmarish ghost. He wasn't inside Mokuba anymore, but he was close—too close.
The kid dangled beneath, limbs slack, hanging a few inches above the ground like a lifeless marionette. His eyes were closed—unconscious. It was eerie and wrong, seeing him like that, and a cold knot tightened in my stomach.
"You're running out of time, Kaiba," Void Man sneered, his voice dripping with malice. "Soon, both you and your brother will be lost to the shadows."
Kaiba's eyes flickered—just for a second—from the duel disk to Mokuba. His usual steely gaze had a crack, something almost... desperate. Then he locked eyes with me.
"Wheeler!" he barked, his voice sharp but edged with something I couldn't place. "Grab Mokuba and run!"
For a second, I froze, his words not registering. But then something clicked. I don't know how I didn't see it before—what Kaiba was planning. My chest tightened. "Kaiba, no!" I yelled, panic surging through me.
"WHEELER, NOW! RUN!" he roared, leaving no room for argument.
Everything blurred into motion. I lunged forward, sprinting toward Mokuba with my heart pounding in my ears. The smoky tendrils clinging to him seemed to writhe and hiss as I approached.
Behind me, Kaiba's voice rang out, firm and resolute. "Blue-Eyes White Dragon," he commanded, a note of finality in his tone. "Attack my life points directly!"
A searing light flared behind me, the familiar roar of the Blue-Eyes filling the chamber. The sheer force of it sent a rush of heat against my back.
"Hang on, kid!" I muttered, reaching Mokuba. I grabbed him, yanking him free from the smoky tendrils. They resisted, almost alive, but I pulled harder, adrenaline giving me strength. He collapsed into my arms, heavier than he looked—a dead weight like a sack of bricks.
Clutching Mokuba, I turned just in time to see the blast from Kaiba's attack hit him square in the chest. The force knocked him off his feet, sending him crashing to the ground. Void Man's manic laughter echoed, chilling me to the bone.
"Move, Joey!" Yugi's voice sliced through the chaos, urgent and strained.
I didn't think—I just ran, Mokuba's limp body heavy in my arms. The circle around the duel began to glow brighter, the light pulsing and growing as I dragged him out.
"Such a noble sacrifice, Kaiba," Void Man taunted, his voice dripping with mockery as he hovered above the circle. His glowing eyes bore into Kaiba. "But ultimately futile."
I turned, my legs still moving, just in time to see Kaiba's life points hit zero.
The circle on the floor began to pulse and shimmer, tendrils of dark energy spiraling upward. Glowing vines shot out, wrapping around Kaiba like chains. He struggled, teeth gritted, but they tightened, pulling him down.
"Kaiba!" I screamed, trying to step forward, but Mokuba's weight and Yugi's grip held me back.
Kaiba looked up, meeting my eyes. For a moment, all the walls he put up were gone. There was a grim acceptance there. "Go," he said firmly.
And then, the light swallowed him. It was like watching him get pulled into a vortex, the swirling energy dragging him down until there was nothing left but empty air.
"No!" Desperation tearing at my throat. I tried to lunge forward again, but Yugi and Tristan pulled me back.
"We have to get out of here!" Yugi urged, his voice tight with urgency. "Now!"
I looked back one last time, my eyes burning as I stared at the spot where Kaiba had disappeared. The image seared itself into my memory: the swirling light, the chains, the determined set of his jaw, and then... nothing.
"Come on!" Téa yelled, already moving toward the exit.
With Mokuba unconscious in my arms, we turned and ran. The walls around us began to shake, cracks snaking their way up like the building itself was coming apart.
We didn't stop. Not until we were out of that damned place.
To be continued…