Hey! Hope you enjoy. Again, Yume is the only character I own!

Yume and Seto are checking in certain places in Battle City to find her friends, Joey and Téa. When suddenly, a Rare Hunter jumped down in front of them, laughing.

"Where are my friends, Rare Hunter?!" Yume demanded.

The Rare Hunter got up. "That's for us to know! And, Seto Kaiba, look who else is coming with us." A heavy wind storm was around, and a helicopter appeared, and Mokuba was there.

"MOKUBA!" Seto cried out.

"SETO!" His little brother called out. "Please help me!"

"Let my brother go now!"

"He'll be fine for now. But his future's up in the air!"

"Mokuba." Seto said quietly, then turned to the Rare Hunter. "If you so much as touch one hair on my brother's head, I promise I'll hunt you all down and crush every one of you with the weight of the entire Kaiba Corporation!"

Rare Hunter just laughed. "Your empty threats will get you nowhere, but there is one way to save your brother."

"Tell me!"

Rare Hunter pointed at a tall building with blue glass panes. "Meet us at the top of that building, Kaiba. That is, if you ever expect to see your brother again. The choice is yours!" The helicopter flew away with Mokuba screaming out. "But Kaiba's not the only one whose presence is required. If you expect to be reunited with your friends, you'll join us as well, Yume Orskov."

"Listen to me!" Yume called out warningly. "I'm warning you to leave them alone!" The Rare Hunter just continued laughing.

"I'll see you both shortly. Remember to meet us up on that roof!" He laughed as he left them, jumping up to the roofs of the houses.

Seto and Yume faced each other. "Looks like we have no choice, Kaiba. Our only hope is to duel together!"

"That's right. Because our enemies are one and the same! But make no mistake. I'm in this for Mokuba. When it comes to rescuing your friends, you're on your own, Yume."

"That's fine enough. This truce is only temporary! Once we assure that Mokuba and my friends are safe, we'll go back to being rivals!"

So they decided to show up, with Yami in place and facing not one, but two Rare Hunters! "I see," one of them said, "that you both decide to show up. A wise choice."

"Yes, we know." Yami said. "Now, tell us what the meaning of this is all about!"

"We've kept our end of the deal, so why don't you honor yours and release the prisoners?"

"I'm afraid," the Rare Hunter they met said, "it's not that quite simple. You two will have to duel us first. If you win, you'll see your friends and loved ones back." He laughed a bit. "But before we begin, allow us to introduce ourselves!" He then tilted his head up so the sunlight can see his face. "Lumis!"

The other Rare Hunter did the same thing. "Umbra!"

"You defeated us," Lumis explained, "once before. But this time, I assure you won't be so lucky in this duel."

"And if we do win, you'll release our friends, right?"

"True, but there's little chance of you winning! Let me explain the rules of this match. A double duel: Us against you two. Each duelist will have 4000 Life Points. You must defeat both of the other team's duelists in order to win."

"And the losers?"

"They'll pay a very hefty price: A trip to the Shadow Realm!" Yami and Seto gasped. "You'll be delivered to the dark world in the most ingenious of ways. Notice where you're standing." They both looked down.

"On a thin surface," Umbra said, "above a 50-story light shaft that runs all the way to the ground floor! But if you fall, you'll never reach the bottom. That's because the very surface on which we stand is a divider between our world and the dreaded Shadow Realm! Each duelist's Life Points will be displayed in the magic shadowbox on the floor beside you."

Yami and Kaiba looked behind them and saw those shadowboxes in the far corner of their square. "When you're Life Points reach zero, the surface below you will be destroyed, opening up a vortex that leads directly to the Shadow Realm! And according to Battle City rules, when we win, we'll take your two Egyptian God cards!"

He laughed even more, but then noticed that Yami and Kaiba didn't say anything, nor even flinch. "I guess you left them speechless, Umbra."

"I was waiting for you to finish." Kaiba said. "Do I have your guarantee that my brother's all right?"

"Yes, but I wouldn't count on seeing him again."

"Once you're in the Shadow Realm," Umbra added, "there are no visitors!" They both laughed.

"It looks," Kaiba said, "as if you've just made your second biggest mistake today, Rare Hunter. The first was kidnapping my brother, and the second was challenging me!"

All four activated their duel-disks. "We'll see about that, Kaiba!" Lumis called out as the duel started.

"And I will rescue my friends!" Yami stated.

"Very touching," Umbra said. "But we duel for our master, Marik, and losing is not an option! Our decks were specially assembled to take down your Egyptian God cards, and that's just what we'll do!"

"And," Lumis added, "once we deliver them to Master Marik, he'll possess all three of the Egyptian God cards. In the meantime, you'll be spending all of eternity in the Shadow Realm! So, let's duel!" They all drew their respective cards for starting the duel, with Lumis drawing the first card.

"Two cards face down and that'll be all. Make your move if you dare, Yume. It'll only bring you closer to the Shadow Realm!"

Yami drew her card. "Wrong! And I summon Beta the Magnet Warrior in Defense!" Her magnet warrior showed up. "He'll protect my Life Points from your attacks, Rare Hunters!" No one, she thought, can attack until each duelist has drawn only once. And now it's Umbra's turn! I'll figure out their strategy then.

Umbra draws his next card, then summons Shining Abyss in Defense. Then Lumis laughed. "Now," he said, "it's time to show you how we duel together."

"A TEAM STRATEGY!" Yami cried out.

"That's right, Yume!" He said as he activated his face down. "MASK OF BRUTALITY, ACTIVATE!"

"That mask will be perfect for my monster, Lumis." A transfer of the Mask of Brutality ended up on Umbra's Shining Abyss, raising the ATK Points by 1000. (New ATK Points: 2600.)

"WHAT?!" Kaiba exclaimed. "These Rare Hunters already have a monster on the field with 2600 Attack Points!"

"And it will stay that way," Lumis called out, "as long as we each give up 1000 Life Points for every turn we plan to use Mask of Brutality."

"But we won't have to at this point! As I activate a Magic card known as Masked Doll! It'll absorb any and all negative effects caused by our Magic cards."

"Now our Life Points will remain untouched by our Mask of Brutality! You fools are no match for us!"

"Yes, that's right."

"And our tag-team strategy will destroy you!" Yami disagreed on that, and reminded them that they, too, can work together. But Kaiba refused to work with Yami, saying that it's child's play for tag teaming.

Kaiba takes his turn by placing two face downs and summoning Vorse Raider in Attack Mode. What's he doing?! Yami thought. His monster is too weak! Without a team strategy, we can't win this!

"Now that we've taken one turn," Kaiba said, "it's time to decide whose strategy is more superior. And I think you'll find the answer to that is obvious."

"I agree. And with our team strategy, we have the most powerful monster on the field! Might I remind you that our decks were specifically created to work together to defeat your Egyptian God cards."

"The duel's just begun, Rare Hunters!" Yami called out. The safety of my friends depend on this duel, and we have to win! But unless Kaiba agrees to team up, we're doomed! This selfish attitude of his will cost us this duel and have us both in the Shadow Realm! Then Marik will have the three Egyptian God cards and ruin my chances of rescuing Yugi!

"Accepting our challenge was a huge mistake." Lumis said. "When this double duel is over, you two will be banished to the Shadow Realm! Then we'll deliver both of your Egyptian God cards to Master Marik and he shall possess all three!"

"Wrong!" Yami called out. "We will prevail and you will release Mokuba and my friends."

"NEVER!" Lumis shouted as he drew his next card, then smirked. "Just look at this." He showed it. "Mask of the Accursed. And once I play it on your monster, it will be rendered useless, Yume!" He activated it. "Try my mask on for size, Magnet Warrior." He laughed as Beta now has Masked of the Accursed on its face.

"A perfect fit! As long as this mask stays on, your monster can't attack or defend. And that's not all. Until the mask comes off, you'll lose 500 Life Points for every turn you take. You're finished!" He placed one more card face down and ended his turn.

Lumis, Yami thought, has never played a monster since the start of this tournament. I think their team strategy is in my eyes now. I bet Umbra has the monster arsenal in his deck and Lumis holds a deck filled with Magic and Trap cards to weaken our monsters!

"You'll be in the Shadow Realm very soon, as soon as your Life Points reach zero. And speaking of them, Mask of the Accursed will now take away 500 of yours!" Yami's Life Points drops to 3500 as she saw it happen on her duel disk.

"ENOUGH!" Yami shouted and drew her card: Beast of Gilfer! Perfect! She thought. I can sacrifice Beta for Gilfer while destroying Mask of the Accursed and summon a more powerful monster!

If Yume, Kaiba thought, makes a foolish move, she'll take me down with her. So she'd better not crew this up. I defeated these two Rare Hunters on my own before, and I can do it again.

"Why don't you make your move, Yume?" Lumis asked her. "Trying to delay your trip to the Shadow Realm?"

"Not really because I'll be sacrificing my Magnet Warrior…"

"Not so fast, Yume! BEHOLD!" Lumis shouted out as he revealed his face down. "MASK OF RESTRICT TRAP!" A mask showed up.

"With this on the field, you two certainly can't win! That's because as long as Mask of Restrict is in play, neither of you can sacrifice your monsters. And without sacrifices, you can't summon powerful monsters, making it an easy win for us."

I knew it! Kaiba thought. If we lose this duel because of Yume, she'll be sorry!

"Of course," Umbra added, "without the ability to sacrifice, your Egyptian God cards are all but useless now until we claim them for Marik!"

We'll see about that! Kaiba thought.

There is no way, Yami thought, that we can win with weak monsters. We've got to turn this duel around! "One card face down, and then Kuriboh in Defense." The furball showed up. If we're going to beat these Rare Hunters, I need Kaiba to help me out! She looked at Kaiba.

"Kaiba," she said. "You know there's only one way for us to win this duel."

"I don't need you telling me how to duel, Yume. So, forget about that old teamwork speech. You got that, because who needs it?" Yami just looked at Kaiba, as if using looks to answer.

"If you two are finished arguing," Umbra said, "I'll be taking my turn now." He drew his card. "I could attack Magnet Warrior, but because of Mask of the Accursed, I plan not to. And your Kuriboh is in Defense. And then there's Vorse Raider. But I'm worried about a Trap you played!"

Umbra and Lumis discussed a bit, but Umbra placed one card face down and ordered Shining Abyss to attack Vorse Raider, but Kaiba had plans!

"You've activated my own Trap!" Kaiba revealed it. "RING OF DESTRUCTION!" A ring with red 'petals' is on Shining Abyss. "This destructive Trap," Kaiba explained, "will wipe out your Shining Abyss. Both of us will lose close to 2000 Life Points, but only you will be out one monster!"

"Sorry to disappoint you, Kaiba!" Lumis called out. "But I activate my own Trap!" He revealed it as Kaiba gasped. "CURSE TRANSFER! It's triggered whenever you play a Trap. It automatically transfers your card's effect back to your monster." The Ring of Destruction was switched to Vorse Raider, ready to explode.

Both players will still lose almost 2000 Life Points when Vorse Raider gets destroyed, unless a Magic card will protect them. I've got to warn him! "Kaiba," Yami said to him. "They have something planned!"

"Zip it, Yume." Kaiba countered. "I know what's going on, and I don't need your advice."

"Prepare to lose your monster," Lumis called out, "And almost half of your Life Points!" Vorse Raider got destroyed due to Ring of Destruction, but Kaiba revealed a Magic card just in time to save his Life Points!

"I activated Ring of Defense! It'll protect my Life Points from any damage. Nice try, Rare Hunters."

"Thank you," Umbra said. "But I'm afraid your Ring of Defense won't be helping you, Kaiba."

"Why not?!"

"Because I activate this!" He revealed a Magic card. "SPELL TRANSFER! It transfers your card effects to me, which means my Life Points are untouched while yours are almost cut in half." Kaiba's Ring of Defense was transferred to Umbra as his Life Points drop to 2100 when he looked.

"Kaiba!" Yami warned.

Lumis chuckled. "Too bad you won't be seeing your brother again."

"But where you're going," Umbra added, "that will be the least of your worries, Kaiba. Time to wipe out the rest of your Life Points. Shining Abyss," he ordered, "ATTACK NOW!" Shining Abyss started charging up, then launched its energy at Kaiba. "Say hello to the Shadow Realm!"

Kaiba was about to brace the hit, but then it stopped before reaching him. When the blast cleared, there was so many Kuriboh's that the blast was absorbed. "What happened?!"

Kaiba saw the Kuriboh's and knew that only one duelist would have a Kuriboh and turned to Yami. "You saved my Life Points!"

She nodded. "That attack," she said, "has been blocked thanks to my Magic card. And it's quite simple, really. I used the Magic card Multiply on my Kuriboh. So, your monsters attacks won't hurt either of us."

Umbra grunted. "Your fur balls won't be around for too long. And when they go, so will your Life Points."

"I realize your Magic card saved my Life Points, Yume. But next time, I'll do it myself!"

"Listen, Kaiba." Yami countered. "If you ever expect to see Mokuba again, we need to help each other! Remember that the minute one of us falls, the other won't stand a chance against their unified tag-team assault."

"Are you questioning my skills as a duelist, Yume?"

"What I'm trying to say is that we must combine our forces in order to defeat these Rare Hunters. They duel as a team, building on one another's moves and we have to do the same. I saved you and if you don't protect me the same way, I may not be around to save you again."

Then good riddance! He thought.

"Master Marik," Lumis said, " will be pleased when we deliver both of your Egyptian God cards to him."

"And tell him," Umbra added, "that you've been banished to the Shadow Realm."

"Enough of this!" Kaiba called out as he drew his card: Blue Eyes White Dragon. This card, he thought, can destroy their monster with ease. But I need two weaker monsters to sacrifice, but that's something I can't do. As long as the Rare Hunters has Mask of Restrict in play, I can't sacrifice anything! But I'll be finding a way that'll beat both of them by myself.

We got this, Kaiba. Yami thought. We just have to duel as a team.

Kaiba placed a face down, announcing it, and placing Battle Ox in Defense for protection. "You can't," Umbra reminded, "be expected to win by hiding behind weak monsters. Shining Abyss has 2600 Attack Points. It can easily annihilate your Battle Ox and tear down your wall of fur balls, leaving your Life Points wide open. Right, Lumis?"

"Precisely, Umbra. Looks like you'll never be seeing your friends again, not where you'll be going." Lumis drew his next card. "But before I completely wipe out your Life Points, I must first demolish your defensive wall of miniature monsters. And I have the Magic card to do so."

He played it. "Behold the Mask of Dispel!" Yami's Multiply got covered, with a mask in place. "It'll cover your multiplying Magic card and conceal its effects. So I'm afraid your Kuriboh army will be reduced back down to one." Her army of Kuriboh's starts to diminish until there's the only one that she played.

"With you weak defenses crumbling," Lumis added on, "it's only a matter of time before we destroy you both. This was even easier than I thought. And I'm not through with you yet. Just like your Magnet Warrior's mask, with this in play, you lose 500 more Life Points every turn."

With two of my cards covered by the masks, that's a 1000 Life Points lost every turn! If we don't figure out how to stop them soon, it's all over.

"Next is Grand Tiki Elder for a summon and eliminate the field of your Kuriboh!" The monster came out and used its shadow magic to destroy Kuriboh with a sonic blast. "Now, you're wide open for a direct attack, Yume, since your Magnet Warrior can't defend you, thanks to the mask it's wearing." Yami looked at her Life Points count and saw it drop to 2500.

"And once your Life Points drop to zero, you'll plummet directly to the Shadow Realm. And you two can't possibly win this duel. Not only can't you sacrifice your weaker monsters to summon stronger ones, but thanks to our mask cards, you lose 1000 Life Points every turn, Yume. You're finished."

"We'll see!" Yami said, but then looked at her hand. This doesn't look good. I need a card to turn this duel around! Yume draws her next card. This would let me destroy one card in my opponent's hand. But it's not enough to help us. She placed it in her hand, then looked at Card Destruction.

This will definitely help, but the problem is if Kaiba has a plan to beat them and he needs the cards in his hand to do so, I could ruin his plan! What choice do I have? He doesn't want to duel as a team, and I have no idea what his strategy is. I need to make a move, but it might cost us this duel. But this loss can't be made.

Kaiba then looked at her. "What are you waiting for?" He demanded, and Yami looked at him in surprise. "You couldn't possibly make things any worse than you already have, Yume. Thanks to you, the cards I'm holding are completely useless. In fact, I have a card in my hand that could win the game for us. But due to your sloppy dueling, I can't summon it to the field."

"So, it's better off in the Graveyard, huh?" He nodded. He wants his hand discarded. Now I know what to do!

'Yami, I'll do it!'

'Be safe.' Yami changed to Yume as Lumis started laughing. "Have you ever seen such a pathetic team?" He asked Umbra.

"Defeating them and taking their Egyptian God cards will be simple. They've already done most of the work for us."

Yume got a bit angry, and her eyes flared a bit. "I've heard enough, Rare Hunters!" She placed her card down. "First off, I play one face down and end my turn."

"It appears you weren't able to summon another monster to defend your Life Points. Not that it would've mattered, for I'm about to summon an unstoppable creature. But to do that, I need to play my all-powerful Magic card." He played it. "It's known as Curse of the Masked Beast!"

"WHAT IS THAT?!" Kaiba and Yume both questioned at the same time in surprise.

"This card allows me to summon both our monsters and call forth one of the most destructive forces you've ever experienced!" A ritual appeared as both monsters were turned to flames and a skull burst into flames, clearing away a monster. "Behold the almighty power of the MASKED BEAST!" His monster showed up, half-human half-creature, with 3200 ATK Points.

"Nothing can stop his wrath. So prepare to lose it all, Yume."

"It can't be!"

"Time to say goodbye to your Life Points! Send her to the Shadow Realm, my Masked Beast!" His monster came after Yume, but all of a sudden, Battle Ox got in front of her, taking the blow instead. "What's this? Kaiba's monster intercepted my attack? It can't be."

Kaiba smirked. "Are you surprised? This is a double duel, after all, and my teammate was in danger. So I used my Battle Ox to defend her Life Points against your Masked Beast." She thanked him. "Look, Yume, give it a rest. There was only one reason why I helped you: so I could win this."

"Then you're a fool!" Lumis called out. "Saving your partner cause you to lose your only defensive monster."

"And soon," Umbra added, "it will cause you to lose the rest of your Life Points when my Masked Beast moves in for the attack."

Unless Yume returns my favor, Kaiba thought.

"You fools," Lumis said, "can't win!"

Yume had other plans. "Reveal face down: CARD DESTRUCTION!" Her face down was revealed. "Everyone discards their entire hand and starts fresh by drawing a completely new hand!" Everyone did so. This might be, she thought, my only chance to save my friends.

"Did your partner," Lumis pointed out to Kaiba, "make you lose any cards that you needed?"

"Actually," he said, "what just happened is quite the opposite, Rare Hunter. Without the ability to sacrifice, I wasn't able to summon the monster in my hand. But now I can. And watch closely! Reveal my face down: MONSTER REBORN!" His Blue Eyes White Dragon takes the field, letting out a roar.

"It's possible, alright, Rare Hunters!" Yume called out as they both panicked a bit.

"This," he says, "is the price you pay for using my little brother to get to me. Now maybe you'll think twice before disrespecting the Kaiba family. Now my Blue Eyes has arrived! Thanks to my Monster Reborn Magic card, I was able to bring my great beast back from the Graveyard!"

"And this is just the beginning!" Yume said. "Kaiba and I make a powerful team, and you two Rare Hunters are no match for the combined strength of our decks! And when we prevail, you will lead us to where you're holding Mokuba and the others captive!"

"I think," Kaiba chuckled, "what my partner is trying to say is that thanks to my superior skills, you're finished. Right?"

"Not quite."

"Don't tell me you're still stuck on this teamwork thing, Yume. It's getting a little old. Listen up, here's the deal: I'll win this duel on my own. And if it's convenient for me, I might help you, but don't mistake that for teamwork, or you'll be very disappointed. I'm in this for Mokuba. Got it?"

Yume gasped lightly. "And I will do whatever it takes to defeat these Rare Hunters and free my brother. I'm not about to lose this duel. These fools don't realize it yet, but no one disrespects my family and gets away with it."

"This isn't only about you, Kaiba!" Yume assured. "My friends are in danger as well!"

"That's your problem, Yume. I'm dueling for me and my own needs!"

"But Kaiba, you need my help, and I need yours! Lumis and Umbra still have the upper hand."

"You're partner is right!" Lumis agreed. "You may have summoned your Blue Eyes, Kaiba, but it's useless against the ultimate power of our Masked Beast! Our camouflaged creature has 200 more Attack Points than your pathetic dragon. As soon as it attacks, your Blue Eyes will be gone!" He laughed more, but Yume disagreed on that.

"You can destroy their monster."

"I CAN?!"

"Look, if you want to win, Kaiba, then you're going to have to trust me on this. Like it or not, we're a team. And if you attack them with your Blue Eyes, I promise I'll back you up. Trust me, Kaiba."

Is this another some sort of trick? He thought. Why would Yume tell me to attack a monster that's stronger than mine? I smell a rat.

"Do it, Kaiba!" Yume called out as Seto was still debating.

Finally, he came to the conclusion to use White Lightning against the Masked Beast and ordered it to happen. His Blue Eyes charged up, then released the energy against the Masked Beast, surprisingly destroying it! "He's finished?!" Seto said surprisingly.

"HOW IS IT POSSIBLE?! Our monster should've been stronger! It's a cheat and a trick!"

"Guess again, Rare Hunters!" Yume called out. "Your creature was beaten by Kaiba's Blue Eyes fair and square. Please allow me to explain. I had Beast of Gilfer in my hand when I played Card Destruction, so whenever he gets sent to the Graveyard, his special ability is activated."

They both gasped. "It reduces the Attack Points of any monster I choose by 500, and I chose your Masked Beast. Lowering it to 2700, weak enough to be defeated. And if I'm not mistaken, you have no more monsters left to defend your Life Points! So when Kaiba attacks again, you'll be finished. Kaiba, you'll need my help more than you think."

Yume's taking all the glory for defeating their creature. But my Blue Eyes did all the work! And we'll win this thanks to me. "I'm calling my turn to be over. But the duel has only begun. And the next time I attack, you two will be begging for mercy! So go ahead and make your pathetic move, Lumis. There's no hope for you now."

He drew his next card. "We'll see about that!" He looked at it. "I'll place this monster in Defense with two face downs to end my turn."

"What's his plan?" Yume asked herself as her Life Points dropped by another 1000 and drew her card. (1500 left) I have to take a chance and attack the monster he's placed in defense. I may defeat it, or I may force Lumis to use up a Trap. "It's time, Lumis! I'll place a face down and play Alpha the Magnet Warrior in Attack." Her second magnet warrior showed up.

"Alpha," she ordered, "ATTACK NOW!" Alpha charged after the monster and slashed it, destroying his Four-Face Beast.

"Say farewell to your precious Blue Eyes, Kaiba, and hello to the Shadow Realm for all eternity! Time to teach you kids a lesson."

"Here we go!" Umbra drew his next card, then played Rogue Doll in Attack. (1600/1000.)

"Don't you think," Kaiba said, "that you're just a little too old to be playing with dollies, Rare Hunter? Especially ones that have such low Attack Points!"

That has to be weird. Yami thought. Why would they play such a weak monster? They must be up to something!

"Rogue Doll," Umbra ordered, "ATTACK HIS BLUE EYES NOW!" Rogue Doll started approaching Kaiba's Blue Eyes, with Kaiba thinking of it as amusing.

Then Lumis started laughing. "I'll activate a face down known as Mask of Weakness!" The mask attached itself to Kaiba's Blue Eyes. "Allow me to explain what it does. As its name suggests, Kaiba, my Mask of Weakness is weakening your Blue Eyes. And then, Mask of Brutality is what I'll be playing next. Rogue Doll will have it, destroying your Blue Eyes!"

Rogue Doll has Mask of Brutality on as Kaiba starts to freak out with the change of ATK Points. (Blue Eyes: 2300; Rogue Doll: 2600.) "SMASH ATTACK!" Umbra called out, but Yume had her plan in action.

"Umbra, you won't get away with it!" She said as she revealed a face down. "Remember that there's two of us, so I'm activating the Trap MYSTICAL REFPANEL!" Both Lumis and Umbra were a bit shocked as Kaiba cooled down a bit.

"I guess," she said, "you forgot that you're dueling against a team, and my Trap just saved my teammates Blue Eyes!" Mask of Brutality got destroyed, but it was being moved.

"What's happened to my monster's mask?!"

"Mystical Refpanel," she explained, "takes the power of your Magic card and transfers it to Kaiba's Blue Eyes, which get the 1000 Points boost!" (3300) "Now he's stronger than Rogue Doll!" Blue Eyes charged up White Lightning, then released it before Rogue Doll could get close, destroying it and sending Umbra's Life Points down to 2000.

She helped me again! Kaiba thought. I guess teamwork is the best possible way to do this. My Blue Eyes would've been destroyed! He closed his eyes. There's nothing I hate more than depending on someone else for my victory, but it looks like I may need to use Yume's help in order to defeat these Rare Hunters and save my little brother. But in the end, my superior deck and my dueling skills will be the reason we will prevail!

"You're monster has been destroyed, so say goodbye to some of your Life Points!"

"Look what you've done, Lumis!"

"What do you mean what I've done?"

"Because of you, I'm down to 2000 Life Points! So, that's what I mean!"

"Oh, yeah? You're blaming me for that? As I recall, Rogue Doll was your monster!"

It looks like, Yume thought, Lumis and Umbra are losing their team spirit. In the end, that could cause them to lose the whole duel! That's what I keep trying to tell Kaiba! When you're fighting a double duel, the most important thing is teamwork.

"This battle is far from over!" He cried out. "Your Blue Eyes may have defeated my monster this time, but I have a card in my hand that will annihilate it for good!" If Lumis foils my plans again, Kaiba's dragon will destroy me! So for now on, I won't depend on anyone but myself! He places a face down, then ends his turn.

Kaiba drew his next card, confident in taking control again. "Behold my Blue Eyes and all its fury! Prepare to lose this duel, Umbra! Blue Eyes, DIRECT ATTACK NOW WITH WHITE LIGHTNING!" Blue Eyes starts charging up, then released it. "Say goodbye to the rest of your Life Points, Umbra!"

That's a hasty move, Yume thought, and a selfish one, too. He's so caught up in winning this duel on his own, he didn't even think about Umbra's face down! He could be falling right into a Trap! The attack was close, but Umbra predicted that blast.

"I can activate my face down because I'd thought you'd attack!" He revealed it. "Mask of Impregnability! It'll protect me from direct attacks for one turn." His mask showed up when the attack connected against it. "Looks like your Blue Eyes barrage failed!" He laughed. "It was quite a predictable move, Kaiba. And one which I was well prepared to deflect!"

Kaiba smiled, then turned to Lumis. "Then what about your friend, Lumis?"

"Me?"

"Yes. Don't you wondered what would've happened had my Blue Eyes White Dragon attacked you instead of Umbra? Would he have protected you with his Magic card? Or would he have let you lose?" He growled. "That's the danger," he added, "in depending on someone else to help you when the reality is there's only one person you could trust: Yourself!"

Lumis was a bit shocked. "And if anyone tells you otherwise, they're lying!" Lumis is starting to lose it, then turned angrily at Umbra.

"WHAT?!" He exclaimed and turned to Lumis. "Don't listen to him! Of course I would use my Magic card to protect you! Even though I'm sure you wouldn't do the same thing for me, Lumis!"

It clicked in Yume's mind. 'Yami,' she said, 'I understand what Kaiba's doing! He noticed that Lumis and Umbra were beginning to doubt one another's loyalty, so he's taking advantage of that and trying to destroy their team trust!'

'That's right Yume. As soon as their loyalty was diminishing, I knew how to take advantage of it. Perhaps now, they'll only trust each other.'

'You're turn, Yami!' Yami took Yume's place. "THIS DUEL IS OVER!" Lumis exploded as he drew his next card. "I'll activate Pot of Greed, which allows me to draw two new cards from my deck." He did so, then placed two cards down: One face down, and one playing.

"I'll place a face down, then play the Magic card Card Exchange! Playing this card allows me to exchange my entire hand with that of any other duelist on the field. And I choose Umbra!"

He turned to Lumis, confused. "If you won't be helping me with your cards, then I'll take them!"

"HOW DARE YOU?!"

"Follow the Magic card, Umbra, as we're exchanging hands." Umbra gave Lumis his three cards while Lumis' was empty. "Then," he added, "I'll activate this next Magic card, which is my face down, known as Chosen One!" He revealed it. "If this works, you two are finished! I'll explain how it works. First off, I'll place three cards face down on the field." His three cards showed up in a triangle formation. "And in the center of those three cards goes the chooser."

His top appeared. "It will randomly select one card, and if it chooses one of my two Magic cards, all three go to the Graveyard."

"My cards are the ones you're risking!"

"They're not yours anymore, Umbra!"

"If this doesn't work, you'll be sorry, Lumis."

"Now Chooser," he ordered, "MAKE YOUR SELECTION!" His top started to spin. "I also forgot to mention that if it chooses my third card, I'll be able to summon an all-powerful monster to the field without having to sacrifice a weaker monster first, and you'll both be finished!" He laughed some more as the spinner started to slow down.

It finally made a decision, then emitted a purple aura on it, revealing a monster unlike no other. "The end is near!" He laughed as Yami and Kaiba both gasped. "I summon the Masked Beast Des Gardius! ITS UNSTOPPABLE!"

"That thing," Kaiba exclaimed, "is way more powerful than my Blue Eyes White Dragon!" (ATK/DEF Points: 3300/2500.)

"Very observant, Kaiba. Des Gardius could demolish your pathetic Blue Eyes White Dragon with one swipe of its all mighty claw!" He laughed as Umbra called it luck.

"Now that Des Gardius has been unleashed, there's no stopping it! My masked creature is so powerful, you two pitiful duelists won't stand a chance against it. And when it's through with you, your Blue Eyes will be in the Graveyard, and both of your Egyptian God cards will belong to Master Marik!"

'This is terrible enough, Yami! There just has to be a way to stop that monster, right?'

'There is a way, Yume. But I don't know how. Sorry! But if that monster isn't defeated in time, it's all over.'

"I have the monster out." Lumis said. "But the question is, who shall I attack first? Decisions, decisions. I could make an attack on Yume against her Magnet Warrior, and send her straight to the Shadow Realm. Then there's Kaiba. I could attack the Blue Eyes, but in exchange for taking him out, you'll still be alive."

"Why does it matter, Lumis? It really doesn't matter who's first. It's only a matter of time before both of their Life Points reach zero, and they're sent plummeting into the Shadow Realm forever!"

"EXACTLY! So, forget about rescuing your friends, Yume. They belong to Master Marik now! And one of you two fools is about to feel the fury of my ultimate creature, Des Gardius, but which one? If I attack you, Yume, my beast will wipe out the rest of your Life Points. But if I choose Kaiba, his Blue Eyes will be a meal for my Des Gardius."

"And don't forget," Umbra added, "what happens when your Life Points reach zero. Your shadowbox will destroy the surface below you and send you plunging into the Shadow Realm for all eternity!"

"And your friends will join our army of Rare Hunters and serve Master Marik! Now the time has come for me to decide which one of you pathetic nitwits to attack with Des Gradius! Who will it be?" Neither of them said anything. "Giving up already? Because I'm choosing you, Yume Orskov!"

"Wait!" Umbra called out. "We're supposed to be a team, Lumis! That means we both get a say in this decision! While I agree that we have to destroy Yume, leaving Kaiba's Blue Eyes on the field would be an extremely foolish mistake!"

"NO!" Lumis countered. "It's my move, and I'll be attacking Yume!" Yami got prepared to take the blow, but Kaiba countered it, saying that he knew.

"I was wondering," he explained, "whether you would have the guts to challenge my Blue Eyes, and now I know."

"Know what?"

"That you're all talk and no action. Only a coward would take the easy way out, instead of flexing his muscles and attacking my monster." Yami realized that Kaiba was saying all that to protect her again. Yume agrees with Yami because she knew that Kaiba would lose without their help.

From what Kaiba said, Lumis realized which one he can attack. "Alright then!" He said, changing his mind. "There's been a change in plans. Des Gardius, DESTROY HIS BLUE EYES WHITE DRAGON!" Des Gardius approached the Blue Eyes and gave a powerful slash with its claws, destroying the Blue Eyes.

"Guess you were wrong, Kaiba!" He said laughing. "No one calls me a coward and gets away with it!"

Yume better not, Kaiba thought, make me regret saving her! "Destroy them, Yume!"

"I'll get them! But that doesn't mean I didn't forget about the masks." Yami drew her card as her Life Points drop to her last 500. 'Yume,' she said, 'how about another switch? You'll be getting your revenge right here!'

'I will, Yami! As the "Pharaoh's apprentice."' Yami just chuckled a bit as Yume decided to switch with her. "You'll regret not attacking me!" She prepared to play her card. "This card will be played and destroy you!"

"WHAT?! It can't be!"

"Attacking my Blue Eyes was a big mistake. Because now Yume has something even worse in store for you!"

"It's a lie!"

"You can't summon high power monsters because of our Trap card!"

"Your Trap only prevents us from sacrificing. But that's not the only way to summon powerful monsters!" She played her monster in Attack. "GAMMA THE MAGNET WARRIOR!" Her Magnet Warrior showed up. (ATK/DEF Points: 1500/1800.)

"Now that I have three Magnet Warriors on the field at the same time, I can activate their special ability! MONSTER TRANSFORM!" Her Magnet Warriors got disassembled. "All three will now transform into one mighty warrior with triple the attack strength!" The pieces to the Magnet Warriors came together to form one monster. "VALKYRION THE MAGNA WARRIOR!" (ATK/DEF Points: 3500/3850.)

"Consider this attack," Kaiba said, "as payback for destroying my Blue Eyes, Lumis!"

"FINE!"

"Yume's Valkyrion has 200 more Attack Points than Des Gradius! So with one swing of it, it can completely annihilate your Masked Beast! Tough break, Lumis! Yume, it's time to take our revenge for my Blue Eyes White Dragon! So, what are you waiting for? I've been patient long enough! Stop stalling and ATTACK THEM!" Yume looked at him. "Prove that you're not scared and avenge the destruction of my Blue Eyes!"

It's true, she thought, that in a head-to-head battle, my Magna Warrior could easily defeat their Des Gradius. And they don't seem to have any hidden face down cards on the field. But Lumis and Umbra are not really nervous at all!

"Destroy their monster, Yume!"

"Make your move, Yume!"

Could their Masked Beast Des Gardius have a hidden ability that could block my attack? "Make your move, Yume!" Kaiba said impatiently, but Yume does nothing. "What are you waiting for?! I gave up my Blue Eyes for you, and let you summon your monster, and this is the thanks I get? Now destroy their monster so I can move one step closer to finding my little brother!"

Yume looked down. "And do it now, or you'll be sorry!" She just takes a card from her hand and inserted it in her duel-disk. "One card face down. And Kaiba, if you ever want to see Mokuba again, we have to duel intelligently! Anger will only cloud your reason!"

"You're wrong."

"You must try," she explained, "to put your frustration aside and trust in the heart of the cards. Unless you do, you'll be playing right into the hands of the Rare Hunters!"

"That's nonsense! We have to crush them now!"

"You're losing your focus, Kaiba! If you want to win, you must believe in your deck."

Kaiba growled, then looked at his hand, seeing Obelisk the Tormentor. Heart of the cards, he thought. Who needs it?! The only way to win this duel is to play my Egyptian God card, Obelisk! But in order to summon it, I need to sacrifice three monsters. And as long as their Mask of Restrict is in play, we're not allowed to sacrifice anything!

Then it clicked in his mind as he saw one of his Magic cards. That's it! It was right in front of me this whole time! A way to summon my Egyptian God card even with Mask of Restrict on the field! But it can only work if Yume's willing to give up her monster. I gave up my Blue Eyes to help her, so it's only fair if she makes a sacrifice.

Kaiba wasn't the one to depend on anyone, but at least he has a plan as he turns to Yume. "Yume," he said calmly, "we can win."

She turned to him and smiled. "Right." Then she turned to her monster. "Valkyrion the Magna Warrior," she ordered, "ATTACK THEIR MONSTER NOW!" Valkyrion charged after Des Gardius, sword charged with electricity and slashed Des Gardius, destroying it, but three masks were left behind. "It's gone."

"You may have destroyed my beast, Yume, but you also activated his special ability." Kaiba demanded what it was. "Whenever Des Gradius," he explained, "gets sent to the Graveyard, it leaves behind three masks, which combine to form a new, more powerful Mask: THE MASK OF REMNANTS!"

The three masks turned into one mask as Yume gasped and Lumis laughing. "As revenge for your attack, this mask allows me to control one of your monsters as if it were my own! And since you only have one monster, it's a good thing that one size fits all!"

Mask of Remnants came after Valkyrion and attached itself to the Magna Warrior, sending it to the other side of the field. "Now Valkyrion belongs to me, and you're in trouble!"

"Excellent work, Lumis! Looks like we have them on the run now." Umbra drew his card, confident in taking out Yume. "I'll play this Magic card." He did so. "MASQUERADE! With this Magic card in play, I'm able to control one of Lumis' monsters as if it were my monster! So, my Magna Warrior," he ordered, "ATTACK AND DESTROY YOUR FORMAL MASTER, YUME!"

Valkyrion charged after her with the sword charging up electricity, but she expected the attack to happen. "Don't celebrate just yet, Rare Hunters." She revealed her face down. "DIFFUSION! It will break down your monster into its three separate parts and destroy your mask!" Beta, Gamma and Alpha returned, with Beta's mask gone.

Both Rare Hunters were shocked to see their attack has failed. "You shocked?" She asked. "I'm afraid you're no match for our combined skills, Rare Hunters! Kaiba, finish this duel!"

He nodded, then drew his next card. "Behold my Egyptian God card!"

"Not quite!" Lumis countered. "My Mask of Restrict is in play, so you can't do any sacrifices! Not only that, but you would need three monsters that my mask will prevent!"

"Wrong!" Kaiba encountered. "Your mask only prevents me from sacrificing my own monsters. But I plan to sacrifice your monsters instead, Lumis, with the help of this Magic card!" He played it.

"SOUL EXCHANGE! It will let me sacrifice your three Magnet Warriors! Because they are not mine or Yume's, I can use your monsters for sacrificing!" All three Magnet Warriors got surrounded in a light blue aura as they all disappeared because of Soul Exchange.

"I warned you two clowns!" A huge tornado was formed around Kaiba's field. "THIS IS FOR MY LITTLE BROTHER!" His Egyptian God started to come by. "YOU'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT WINNING MY EGYPTIAN GOD CARD THIS ENTIRE DUEL! NOW IT'S TIME FOR YOU TO EXPERIENCE HIS POWER!"

Obelisk came bigger to the field. "OBELISK THE TORMENTOR, ARISE AND WREAK YOUR ULTIMATE REVENGE!" His Obelisk has a changed ATK/DEF Points for a total bonus of 4850/4850.

"It's payback time," he said, "for kidnapping Mokuba! So prepare to feel a force like no other!" His Egyptian God took through its full form. "OBELISK," he ordered, "attack Umbra's Life Points directly WITH FIST OF FURY!"

Obelisk used his fist and charged it at Umbra, causing major damage to his Life Points, an overkill as his shadowbox continued to drop on his Life Point count.

"Umbra!" Lumis called out. "Are you alright?"

"He's fine for now," Kaiba said, "but thank to my Egyptian God card his Life Points don't look so good. It seems like you've fallen victim to your own Trap, Rare Hunters!" Both gasped as Umbra looked over at his shadowbox, seeing his Life Point count drop at a constant rate.

When it reaches zero, it let out a sound and the surface exploded beneath him, dropping him under! Thankfully for him, he was able to slow his descent with a built-in parachute in his cloak, but he stays motionless as his mind is in the Shadow Realm.

"This is over, Lumis." Yume said. "You're dueling on your own. These odds are against you. Not only that, you're powerless against his Egyptian God card. If you want to avoid any further danger, you better surrender!"

Lumis got down on his knees, defeated that he can't do anything against Obelisk. Yume and Kaiba are having some kind of argument, when Lumis suddenly scream and clutched his head. "NO, MASTER!" He cried out, getting their attention. "PLEASE DON'T BE ANGRY! WE TRIED OUR BEST!"

"What now?" Kaiba asked.

"MASTER, PLEASE DON'T! NO, MARIK, I'M SORRY!" He screamed again as Yume gasped, then he laughed.

"I see," he said, "that you have defeated my Rare Hunters. That's alright. They did their job."

"What have you done to my friends, Marik?!" Yume demanded.

He laughed some more. "This Rare Hunter's gone mad." Kaiba said, but Yume countered it, saying that he's under the control of someone named Marik. "That's ridiculous, Yume!"

"Marik's power is very real, Kaiba! And he's the one holding Mokuba captive." He turned to her.

"Then tell me," he demanded, "where this so-called Marik is hiding!" Then he laughed.

"Wouldn't you like to know, Kaiba!" Marik-Lumis said. "Well, I'll give you a hint. I'm closer than you think I am! I hope you enjoyed the special duel I set up for you. You fared better than I thought. But don't think just because you beat my Rare Hunters that you'll be rescuing your friends and family anytime soon." Yume looked up.

"You see," he continued, "I've been preparing for the next phase of my plan. And I've been studying each of your decks through the eyes of my Rare Hunters. As for your Egyptian God card, Kaiba, Obelisk pales in comparison to my Winged Dragon of Ra card! I'm afraid there's no way it can stop me." Kaiba looked at him with a stern one.

"And once I defeat you, Obelisk will be in my deck! And I haven't forgotten you, Yume. Your Egyptian God card and Millennium Puzzle will be mine as well! And since my Rare Hunters failed, I've come up with the perfect plan to defeat you once and for all! By playing upon your greatest weakness: Your loyalty to your pathetic friends."

Yume started getting furious. "I'M THE ONE YOU WANT, MARIK!" She exploded out, surprising Kaiba. "SO LEAVE MY FRIENDS ALONE!" Her eyes flared more.

"Too late, Yume! I'm afraid those fools belong to me now!" He laughed while Yume called him a coward.

"WHY DON'T YOU FACE ME ALREADY INSTEAD OF HIDING BEHIND YOUR MIND SLAVES LIKE A COWARD?!" Kaiba realized that Yume is getting very angry as he saw the little flames in her eyes.

That's the same anger, he thought, when I first met her. That was the time I tore up that old man's Blue Eyes White Dragon. He saw the memory going through his head when it happened. Well, she does have red eyes, so I guess that makes sense.

"LEAVE MY FRIENDS ALONE, MARIK! And tell me where they are!" Kaiba started approaching Marik-Lumis.

"Look, I don't know who you are," he said, "but you better tell me where Mokuba is!"He grabbed him. "I won this battle, so release my little brother just like you said you would right now!"

"You trust me? What a fool!"

"Kaiba, stop!" Yume said, calming down a little, but still holding in her anger. "You're only wasting your energy. He obviously has no intention of helping us find Mokuba and the others."

"Very perceptive, Pharaoh's apprentice!" He laughed as Kaiba dropped him, then fainted.

"He's gone." Yume said calmer. "Alright then, Kaiba. It looks like we're going to have to track them down on our own. Maybe your satellite system can help."

"Look, Yume. First things first." Kaiba said. "I have a couple questions I need to ask you, but first, this Rare Hunter owes us something." He walked over to the Rare Hunter and took two Locator cards. He turned to Yume and gave her one.

"This was an official Battle City duel. That means the losers has to give up one Locator card each to the winners. And there's one for each of us." Yume took one. "That means we both have six. We're each guaranteed a spot in the Battle City finals now."

Yume wondered what's wrong with him. "Kaiba," she started, "how can you begin to think about the tournament after what Marik just said? We have to find my friends and your brother right now!" He turned his back to her and took a few paces away.

"I'm well aware of that, Yume!"

"Then help me think of a plan! Every second counts!" Then they heard a whirring sound. Kaiba looked up and saw a Kaiba chopper. "Isn't that," she shouted, "one of your helicopters, Kaiba?" When they saw who was driving it, they saw Mokuba.

"It's Mokuba! He escaped!" The chopper lands, and Mokuba jumped off and ran to them. "Are you alright, Mokuba?"

He nodded. "But I had to leave Téa behind." Yume asked him if she was okay along with Joey and Tristan. "I'm not so sure about Joey or Tristan, but up until she helped me escape from the Rare Hunters, Téa was doing all right. We gotta go back there!"

Yume gasped, as Kaiba told her to get in the chopper. "Sounds like your friend Téa," he said, "saved Mokuba's life, and as much as I hate getting involved, I hate owing someone a favor even more."

"Well, in that case, hand over your Egyptian God card and we'll call it square!" Kaiba looked shocked, then Yume laughed. "Just a joke, Kaiba! I'll only get it when I defeat you in a duel." She got on the chopper and they head over to where a weak signal is coming from Joey's duel-disc at the pier.

a/n At some point, I wanted to give Yume a sense of humor. Either way, I'm getting closer to the end of Season 2.