Disclaimer::::

I do not own Harry Potter or Yu-Gi-Oh! Characters. Only my OC character (s).

I don't make any profit from any of my stories on this website.

Rated M due to language.

"Characters Speaking"
Characters Thinking
/Authors Comments\

~~~Chapter Eighteen~~~

~~~Previous~~~

Yami opens his eyes. "I let luck choose the piece for me. Now…hurry and pick yours."

"Okay." Aileen agrees.

"Before opening, let me guess. You picked the elephant." Yami comments.

"What?" Aileen exclaims, surprised.

Yami narrows his eyes. "I can see your trick."

"Guesswork? Or are you cheating?" Aileen queries.

"I remembered. You said you like games where you read and trick each other, not ones relying on luck." Yami states.

"So what?" Aileen questions.

"Raijinhai is a game based on probability and tactics as well as reading your opponent's thinking," Yami adds.

"Very good. You already understand the basic notion of Raijinhai." Aileen praises.

"That's the problem." Yami continues. "If you limit your opponent's thinking…it becomes easier to read them. You limited me by putting Anzu in danger. And you know my gaming ability from Kaiba."

"So?" Aileen questions.

"It's my first game, but…There's a way to keep me from figuring out the basic tactics of Raijinhai. However, it requires prudent tactics. Taking Anzu or Isis hostage was the only way."

"Open!" Aileen calls out. The gate lowers. "See! I win!"

"Look. An elephant, as I said." Yami states.

Aileen stands up. "You guessed!"

"To counter my randomly picked piece…you cannot decide whether to pick a king, queen, or Indra. There's a one-in-nine chance that I will pick a king. So…since I don't have a shogun, you sent the elephant. It's the best choice based on the probability and tactics. Am I wrong?"

"Think what you want. But you ended up losing another piece. Look, the door opens again." Ailene taunts.

Yami and I turn to see the door ascend, the tiger's paws and mouth poking out further.

"You don't have the luxury of losing pieces!" Aileen warns.

Yami looks away from the door and back at Aileen. "I have chosen a strategy for beating you. I can read your mind. Open!"

Aileen had put the Indra forward. "I win!"

"And you've lost your trump card, the Indra…to the weakest opponent, the soldier." Yami points out. "I'm not cheating, nor are there any tricks. I also don't have some supernatural power for reading minds. I'm just reading the probabilities and strategies. All you can do is decide based on your opponent's words."

"But you don't have an established tactic. Raijinhai had 2000 years of tactics behind it." Aileen acknowledges.

"Open!" Yami calls out.

Aileen stands up, surprised. "The king here?" She loses her elephant.

Yami puts her elephant to the side. "The origins of games…comes from ancient Egypt. Open!"

Aileen's eyes widen, and she lets out a gasp of surprise.

Yami's Puzzle glows. "I have 5000 years of Egypt's knowledge."

Aileen stands up, moves to the window, and opens the curtains. "I…lose, don't I?"

Yami stands up. "There's one mystery left. Raijinhai may have a long history…but it doesn't give you the power to manipulate people. Did you use hypnotism on Anzu?"

I shake my head. "Not quite hypnotism, I think."

"I just use words to get into the crevices of people's hearts. Confused by those words…when they lose the game, they lose something. They lose to the weakness in their own heart." Aileen states softly.

"So, even though you lost the game, you lost nothing. So, it was just a good strategy." Yami praises.

"No…I lost something." Aileen admits. She walks towards the door.

"Lost? What?" Yami queries.

She stops near the door. "I also have a mystery." She looks back at Yami. "When you closed your eyes to pick a piece. Was that really random?"

"That was the only way. It was so I could read your strategy. I've fought many strong opponents before. But you were especially strong, Aileen." Yami praises.

A smile appears on her face. "Thank you." She opens the door.

Yami lets Yuugi take over as he runs towards Anzu. "Anzu!"

Anzu suddenly slaps Yuugi's face, sending him to the floor. "Stop it!"

"Anzu!" Yuugi calls out in surprise.

"What are you doing, Yuugi?" Anzu demands her hands on her hips. Anzu looks at Aileen. "Aileen-san! Yuugi got in the way." She looks back at Yuugi. "Aileen-san was giving me a lesson, too!"

"That's enough, Anzu. Don't forget the basics, okay?" Aileen orders softly.

"Okay." Anzu agrees with a smile on her face.

Yuugi stands up. "That hurt, Anzu. What are you doing?"

Anzu looks away with a pout on her face. "It's your fault for interrupting."

"No…how mean!" Yuugi exclaims.

"Sorry, sorry." Anzu apologises sheepishly.

We spent a little longer with Aileen before we headed back home.

~~~3rd POV~~~

Aileen heads to Kaiba's mansion and meets him in a dark room. "A complete loss? Furthermore, at your speciality, Raijinhai."

"He was strong," Aileen admits.

"You are no longer worthy of being a part of Kaiba's Shitennou," Kaiba states.

Aileen takes off her necklace and hands it back to Kaiba. "Seto. He's stronger than you!"

Kaiba narrows his eyes before looking away. "Get lost!" He orders angrily.

Aileen turns around and walks off.

Kaiba clenches his teeth in annoyance. Damn you, Yuugi! Don't think it ends here!

The next day, Aileen heads to the airport, ready to leave. Anzu, Yuugi, and Isis see her off.

"Ailene-san! I'll surely grow up to be like you! I'll work hard!" Anzu yells as she waves her arms in the air.

"Goodbye!" Yuugi and Isis call out at the same time, their arms also waving in the air.

~~~Present~~~

~~~3rd POV~~~

A pair of hands grasp a pot tightly. The pot has a red rope wrapped tightly around it with a brown box on top and sealed on the side of both the pot and box.

No matter what, this alone…This Senhai must be protected! The man grasping the pot thinks urgently with narrowed eyes. He wears a green kimono with blue-collar, gold patterns, and a gold crown.

He sits in a sedan while soldiers walk on either side, holding it up.

Suddenly, men on horseback rush towards the sedan, swords in the air, yelling. The man let out a gasp as his soldiers and these men fought. Men surround the side of the sedan. One man brings down his sword. The man lets out a gasp as the sedan begins to fall to the ground. The pot and box fall from his hand, and the box comes off the pot.

A weird dark blue mist leaves the pot. The ground begins to shake before it splits down the middle. Gold light streams out of the crack. The light rushes up into the cloudy sky. The men let out a gasp of surprise.

The light begins to form shape. It turns into a green dragon with sharp dark green claws and red eyes. The dragon lets out a roar.

A young boy suddenly shoots up from his bed, breathing heavily. "That dream again."

~~~Isis's POV~~~

After breakfast, Yuugi and I leave the store and meet with Honda, Jounouchi, Anzu, and Miho. We walk to school together. It isn't long before Jounouchi lets out a sigh and kicks a bag of trash. The trash hits Honda in the back of his head before falling back to the ground.

Honda stops and places a hand on his head before looking at Jounouchi. "What are you doing?" Honda demands, annoyance on his face.

"Don't you get it? It's boring." Jounouchi states sarcastically.

Honda lowers his hand. "How am I supposed to know that? Go play with your trash by yourself. Let's go." Honda begins to walk off.

Jounouchi lets out a scoff and closes his eyes. "Don't you feel empty? Every day, the same school life. I'm fed up with it."

"Really? Your actions say something different." I start.

"You seem to be having plenty of fun." Anzu finishes.

Jounouchi turns his head to glare at Anzu and me. "No! I want a more exciting youth! For example, Japan is in danger of being destroyed! A terrible natural disaster destroys Japan, and I create a true paradise!" Jounouchi throws his arms in the air before striking a pose. He places a hand on his hip while he points a finger from his other hand in the air. "On that dawn, Honda, I appoint you as the janitor."

"Fool," Honda states dryly with a blank look.

"No. Stop it." A male voice pleads.

I share a look with Yuugi, who blinks his eyes, confused. We look around the corner to see two older males surrounding a younger male with short orange hair, wide eyes, and small pupils.

"Don't be stingy. It's just a 500-yen match." The long-haired male states.

"Well?" The short-haired male queries as he pushes the younger male back with a hand on his shoulder.

The younger male looks down. "I can't do it."

I tilt my head. "We know him, don't we?" I query.

Anzu nods her head. "Isn't it our classmate Imori-kun?"

"Seems he's being bullied by thugs from the neighbouring class." Honda points out.

"Rules are simple. There's a pot on the lawn below. The one that gets 500 yen in wins. If none of us gets it in, the closest to the pot wins. I'll go first. Move!" The long-haired male pushes Imori out of the way. "Alright."

He throws the 500 yen. It lands in the pot before returning and landing on the grass. He lets out a tch. "Too bad."

The short-haired male looks at Imori with a scowl on his face. "Come on, Imori. Your turn."

Yuugi takes a step forward. "Ummm…Can I go in his place?" Yuugi offers.

Imori looks at Yuugi with wide eyes. "Yuugi-kun."

"Go ahead if you think you can beat me." The long-haired male taunts.

A smile appears on Yuugi's face. "Thanks." Yuugi takes a step forward. "Alright." Yuugi flicks the 500 yen. It lands on the stairs and rolls towards the edge.

The short-haired male lets out a scoff. "Like that will reach the pot."

The 500 yen rolls down, bounces off crates, a large pot, and a bush, and lands on the pot's rim. The 500 yen spins and rolls around the side before it tilts and lands inside the pot.

"What? That wasn't fair!" The short-haired male refuses. "Redo it!" He orders.

Jounouchi steps towards him and gets close to his face. "He didn't break any rules."

Honda steps towards the long-haired male. "Yuugi wins. I saw it with my own eyes."

I narrow my eyes. "Now leave!" I order.

The two boys flinch in surprise before running in the other direction.

Imori looks at Yuugi in amazement. "You're amazing, Yuugi-kun."

A blush appears on Yuugi's face, along with a sheepish smile. "It's no big deal."

"You are the son of a game shop owner." Anzu comments.

"He's cool when it's not about strength." Miho praises.

I let out a soft chuckle. "That's Yuugi for you."

"Yuugi-kun is good at all games, right? That is amazing. I have no skills." Imori admits.

"I don't believe that." Yuugi denies.

Imori lowers his head, a gloomy look on his face. "I want to be like Yuugi-kun."

Yuugi stutters slightly. He snaps out of it when Jounouchi walks over to him. "Jounouchi-kun?"

Jounouchi leans down and whispers. "Yuugi. Don't blame me, but stay away from him."

Yuugi's eyes widen, and he looks at Jounouchi, confused. "Why?"

"To be blunt, he's way too dark. He's a wet blanket. If he gets close, you're sure to get mouldy." Jounouchi states bluntly.

Yuugi looks at Imori and lets out a low, awkward laugh. "No way!"

I see Imori look at Yuugi while Yuugi looks back hesitantly.

~~~Next Day~~~

~~~At School~~~

We head to class and stay quiet as we have Chouno-sensei. Yuugi is flicking through his book when he lets out a low gasp. I look to see that he has picked up a note. I lean forward slightly to see what was said. "Yuugi-kun. Thank you for this morning. It's the first time someone's helped me. I felt so happy. I can't express it in just a letter. To thank you, when you get a chance…let me show you my secret base."

I see Imori peek back at Yuugi as Yuugi reads the letter. Yuugi and I share a look. A secret base?

~~~After School~~~

Yuugi and I meet up with Imori and head to his house. "Am I a bother? I'm sure you're not having any fun around me."

"Of course not!" Yuugi denies.

"Really?" Imori queries, hopefully.

I let out a soft chuckle. "You don't mind me coming along?"

Imori shakes his head. "No!"

"There's a secret base here?" Yuugi questions.

Imori places his hands near the wall and opens a compartment. Inside is a rope. Imori pulls the rope. "Just look."

There is a sound to the left of us. Yuugi gasps, and I raise an eyebrow when the floor moves to show a set of stairs.

"Your house is amazing, Imori-kun!" Yuugi praises. "You have a cellar!"

Imori turns on a torch and begins to walk down the stairs. Yuugi and I share a look before following him. We stop at the door. Imori slides it open, and we continue walking. Imori lights a match and lights a candle. He turns his head to look at us. "This is my secret base."

I look around. There doesn't seem to be much activity happening down here. "Do you always come here alone?"

Imori nods his head. "Yeah. When I'm here, no one bullies me. I can feel at ease."

Yuugi looks in front of him and lets out a surprised sound. "Imori-kun, you like games too?"

A shy look appears on Imori's face. "Saying this to you is embarrassing, Yuugi-kun…But my family has a heritage of loving games. Seems we pay great costs to gather rare games."

I look around and notice, along with Yuugi, that all the games are one-player. I share a look with Yuugi.

"Hey, Yuugi-kun. I need a favour." Imori starts. Yuugi blinks and looks at him. "Umm…if you don't mind, will you be my friend?"

"Of course!" Yuugi agrees without hesitation. "Let's play a game together." Yuugi's eyes widen, and he lets out a gasp. I looked at Imori to see he had lowered his head and begun crying.

"What is it? Why are you crying?" I question softly.

Imori lifts his head and uses his hand to wipe away his tears. "I'm so happy. Since my birth, you're my first friend." A smile appears on his face. "Yuugi-kun, as proof of our friendship, I'll show you something good. Isis-chan, too."

"Something good?" Yuugi and I repeat at the same time.

Imori looks to the side thoughtfully. "One of my family's heirlooms is a very rare game. I've still never seen it before." He looks at Yuugi. "If I'm with Yuugi-kun, I'm sure I'll be able to see it. They say in this world, it's a one-of-a-kind game."

Yuugi leans forward in surprise, his eyes wide. "In this world, a one-of-a-kind game?"

We walk over to another door. Imori pushes it open. "I only know where the game is hidden."

We begin to walk down the stairs, Imori in front with the torch. Imori abruptly turns in the other direction. My eyes widen slightly when Yuugi doesn't look where he is going and walks to the dead-end of the first set of stairs. Yuugi lets out a yell as he waves his arms about.

"Yuugi!" I call out as I reach out, grab the back of his collar and pull him back.

Imori looks back. "This way, Yuugi-kun."

We follow Imori down the stairs. We make it to the bottom. "This is it." He shines the torch on a door. "Past this door should be the mystical game."

"This door doesn't have a knob," I comment as I look at it.

"Let's push together." Yuugi offers happily.

We push on the door, but no movement happens.

Yuugi lets out a sigh as he removes his hands from the door. "This is no good. It isn't budging."

"I guess it is no use," Imori says sadly.

I sense Yami's energy. I look at the Puzzle to see that it is glowing. Yuugi follows my gaze, and his eyes widen in confusion. We share a look before looking back at the door.

I narrow my eyes. Something behind this door is causing Yami's Puzzle to react to it. This rare game belongs to Imori's family…but why is there a reaction? I look closer at the door. "Yuugi, do you think…." I trail off thoughtfully.

"Could it be?" Yuugi mutters before taking a step forward. He places his hands on the door and moves one hand to the side. A piece of the door moves with his hand.

Imori lets out a gasp.

"I see. As we thought, the door itself is a puzzle." I comment softly.

Yuugi nods his head happily. He turns back to the door and starts moving the different pieces of the door puzzle about. "How about this? Alright. I've got it." He moves the next piece.

"A shape is forming!" Imori exclaims happily, a grin on his face.

"A little bit further, Yuugi." I encourage softly.

Yuugi nods his head. He moves to the next piece. "One more!" He moves the last piece, and the shape is fully formed on the door.

On the door, there is a dragon. I narrow my eyes. I don't get a good feeling from the dragon's image.

"You did it!" Imori cheers.

Yuugi laughs happily.

The door slowly swings open. Yuugi and Imori watch as it does with their mouths open. Imori snaps out of it and shines the torchlight inside. We walk inside. "That's it. This is the mystical game."

Sitting on a stand is a pot with a brown box on top with seals on the side of both and a red rope wrapped tightly around them.

"Should we ask Grandfather about this game?" I query.

Yuugi nods his head. "Jii-chan might know."

~~~At Game~~~

We leave Imori's house and head home. Grandfather is behind the counter and looks up when we enter. "Welcome home, Yuugi, Isis."

"We're back, Jii-chan/ Grandfather." Yuugi and I call out at the same time.

"Grandfather, do you know anything about a mystical game?" I question.

"Mystical game?" Grandfather repeats.

Imori places the game on the counter.

"I brought it because I thought you'd know it, Jii-chan," Yuugi admits.

Grandfather looks at the game. His eyes widen, and he hesitantly holds his hands before him. "Th-this is…!"

Imori steps forward and places his hand on the rope. "Hey. Let's open it. It's a game, so the best way is to play it."

Grandfather narrows his eyes before slapping Imori's hand away from the game. "You mustn't open it!"

Imori gasps, and Yuugi looks at him with wide eyes.

"Grandfather!" I scold.

Grandfather snaps out of it and lets out a sigh. "I'm sorry for yelling. But this seal must not be undone. This is Ryuuhai, called Dragon Block. A game passed down in China. This is the first time I've seen it."

"Dragon Block?" Yuugi queries.

Grandfather nods his head. "Dragon Block in the past was used to train those learning Taoism and Feng Shui."

"By Feng Shui, do you mean the fortune-telling they did back then?" I question.

"Yes." Grandfather agrees. "Feng Shui is a way of controlling the energy coming from the land. It's said it was formed over 4000 years ago."

"And the reason Dragon Block was sealed?" I query.

"Under Taoism, there are branches Onmyou and Gomyou. Yin and Yang. In other words, everything in this world is balanced by light and darkness. If Dragon's Block seal was undone…Yin and Yang would erode each other. A twisting power would be created."

Yuugi lets out a low gasp. I look to see the Puzzle glowing again.

Grandfather looks at the Puzzle. "It's said the Millennium Puzzle also has mysterious power."

I let out a thoughtful sound. "So, it's reacting to Dragon Block's energy."

Grandfather nods his head. "It's a power that controls fate; it's beyond human knowledge. It's a game that has such power. It's a power that people must not carelessly touch." Grandfather looks at Imori with narrowed eyes. "Listen. Be sure not to open this Dragon Block."

Imori nods his head. "I get it."

We chat for a bit longer, Grandfather warning Imori again before Imori leaves the store. Yuugi and I share a worried look before heading upstairs to our rooms.

~~~3rd POV~~~

The sky outside turns dark, with dark grey clouds with hints of purple seen throughout.

Imori walks down the street, the Dragon Block clutched to his chest. A power that is beyond human knowledge? But if such power was mine… Imori looks up with a small smirk on his face.

Footsteps are heard before someone steps in front of Imori. "Hey, Imori."

Imori stops with a gasp. He looks to see the long-haired male standing there, not noticing the short-haired male standing behind him. The long-haired male lets out a laugh. "You're not getting away today."

Imori abruptly turns with his eyes closed and runs in the other direction. He doesn't get far as he runs into the short-haired male's chest. Imori opens his eyes and looks at him with wide eyes.

"Did you think you got away?" The short-haired male taunts. He grabs his shoulder and pushes him forward, and simultaneously, he trips Imori up via his foot. Imori lets out a yell as he falls the Dragon Block falls from his grasp. It lands on the floor, the seal coming undone.

Imori looks at the game with wide eyes. "The Dragon Block seal!"

A gold light surrounds the game pieces scattered from the opened box. The short-haired male and long-haired male walk over. "What is this? A game?"

The long-haired male looks down at Imori. "Imori likes games too, eh? Interesting. I challenge you! Of course, we're betting with money."

Imori looks at him before returning to Dragon Block, which is not fully glowing gold.

Elsewhere, an island begins to shake, causing the water to turn into heavy waves. It crashes against the side of a boat with a young couple on the deck. They let out a yell before watching the island with wide eyes.

"The-the island!" The male exclaims, surprised.

Slowly, the island disappears under the water.

~~~Next Day~~~

~~~At School~~~

~~~Isis's POV~~~

We head to school and sit down at our desks. It isn't long before Anzu walks over. "Hey, did you hear about Mizuno from the neighbouring class?"

"Mizuno…? The guy bullying Imori earlier?" Jounouchi queries.

"Seems he lost consciousness and was hospitalised. Last night, he was found lying down on a path." Anzu comments.

Yuugi and I share a worried look before we look over at Imori. He is sitting at his desk with his feet crossed on top of his desk. I narrow my eyes. His energy is off…don't tell me…

Miho rushes over with a pout on her face. "Hey, hey, did you hear? Miho's in shock. This Sunday I was supposed to go to the beach with my family. But a nearby island sank."

Jounouchi looks at her, surprised.

Miho looks at him. "Didn't you hear? It was on the news! Because of that, they worry it's the omen of something ominous…so my family cancelled the trip." Miho closes her eyes and places her fists under them as she cries softly.

Honda walks over and stops behind Jounouchi with his eyes closed. "Jounouchi, it's your fault, isn't it?"

"Wh-what?" Jounouchi demands.

Honda turns around, grabs Jounouchi's shoulder, and glares at him. "You bastard! You said you wanted Japan destroyed by a natural disaster, right? Your wicked mind ruined Miho-chan's trip! Take responsibility!"

"Are you a dumbass?" Jounouchi shouts, annoyed. "If all my wishes came true, you would have died long ago!"

I narrow my eyes when Imori walks over and stops next to Yuugi's desk, one hand placed on top and the other inside his pocket. "I want to talk to you. Can you come, Yuugi-kun?"

"O-okay." Yuugi agrees hesitantly as he stands up.

I narrow my eyes as the pair of them leave the classroom.

~~~3rd POV~~~

Imori and Yuugi stand in the corner of a corridor. Yuugi blinks at Imori, surprised. "Homework?"

"Right. I was busy last night. I didn't have time to do my homework. And there's no time to copy it." Imori narrows his dull blue eyes. "So, can you give me yours?"

Yuugi looks at him with wide eyes. "But…then I…"

Imori scoffs, closes his eyes, and turns his head. "Aren't we friends? Isn't this the least friends can do for each other?"

"Are you a fool?" A male voice demands.

Yuugi and Imori look to see Jounouchi and Isis standing there.

Jounouchi walks over. "Don't listen to that guy, Yuugi."

"It's none of your business. Don't butt in." Imori states with a scowl on his face.

"Wh-what?" Jounouchi exclaims, surprised.

Imori looks away from Jounouchi and looks back at Yuugi. "Now, hurry! Didn't you promise me that you'd be my friend?" Yuugi continues to look at him in surprise. "Don't tell me you're betraying my friendship, Yuugi-kun?"

Jounouchi places his hand on Imori's shoulder. "That isn't friendship! It's just selfishness!"

"Yuugi isn't your slave." Isis scolds.

Imori slaps Jounouchi's hand off his shoulder. "Do you think so, too, Yuugi-kun?"

"Th-that…" Yuugi stutters hesitantly before looking away from Imori.

"Fine. I get it." Imori closes his eyes and turns away.

"Imori-kun!" Yuugi calls out.

Imori turns his head to look back at Yuugi. "I'm disappointed in you! You traitor!" He storms off.

"What's with that punk?" Jounouchi questions surprise.

Isis narrows her eyes. "He is completely different from his usual self."

~~~Later~~~

The boys and girls are in the pool swimming. Jounouchi dives underwater. A female let out a scream. "Sensei! Jounouchi is chasing us underwater!"

"Hey, Jounouchi!" The sensei calls out.

Imori is behind the fence with his hand clutching it.

Jounouchi and Yuugi finish swimming and head back to the locker room. Yuugi sighs as he uses his towel to dry his hair. "That felt good." Yuugi stops at his locker. His eyes widen. "Huh? The Millennium Puzzle's gone!"

Yuugi moves his clothes about and finds a note under his shirt. "This is…?"

'I borrowed your Puzzle. If you want it back, I'm waiting at my secret base. From a messenger of darkness.'

Secret base? It can't be…

Yuugi hurriedly gets dressed and rushes over to Imori's house. He opens the hidden base and walks down the stairs. Yuugi opens the door and walks inside. "Imori-kun. Stop with the pranks."

"I've been waiting, Yuugi-kun." Imori states, cutting Yuugi off. "You can have the Puzzle back at any time. But you have to beat me in a game of Dragon Block." Imori is wearing Yuugi's Puzzle. Imori undoes the rope.

Yuugi's eyes widen. Dragon Block's seal!

"Since then, I've learned various things about this game. For example, there is only one way of resealing Dragon Block. The only way to calm this game is to sacrifice the loser's soul to this vase." Imori states.

"Sacrifice the soul?" Yuugi repeats, confused. "It can't be…Mizuno-kun was hospitalised because…"

A smirk appears on Imori's face. "Right. I punished him. This time, it's your turn. Sit, Yuugi-kun." Imori orders.

Yuugi hesitantly sits down.

Imori opens the box. "Let's begin the game. First, let me explain the rules. We will use this map for the field." He unrolls the map and places it on the table. He picks up a block from inside the box. "And put this block with 'house' written on it on the map. That becomes the base. However, I decide where your base is."

He puts the block down, and Yuugi does the same.

"Next, we take turns pulling six blocks from the box." Imori continues. "On the blocks are dragons of various powers. You can summon a dragon when you have three of the same blocks. The players gather together the stronger dragon blocks. They summon two dragons. Defeating the opponent's dragon means you win. I'll pick first."

Imori takes a block, followed by Yuugi. Yuugi looks at his blocks. For now, I must believe in my power as I fight.

A smirk appears on Imori's face as he looks down at his blocks. I've already got two water dragon pieces. Just one more of the same block, and I can summon one water dragon.

Imori looks away from his blocks and looks at Yuugi. "Pulling one and removing one useless block." He removes a block and places it on the map before picking another block. Yuugi takes his next block afterwards.

"In this game, beating your opponent's elemental dragon wins," Imori states as they continue to take turns discarding their useless blocks and picking another block from the box. "Fire defeats metal. Metal beats wood. Wood beats Earth. And water puts out fire."

Imori lifts a block in front of him and gazes at Yuugi. This is your first time at Dragon Block; just how much are you reading my moves, Yuugi?

Yuugi lifts his block in front of him. Alright. This looks strong. He places the block down. "I've gathered together two dragons." He places them down. "I summon them!"

"I've also gathered them. I summon them!" Imori calls out.

Two red dragons appear above Yuugi. Imori looks at them, surprised. "Yuugi! You've got two fire dragons?" Two blue dragons appear above Imori. "I have to water dragons. Battle! Dragon water attack!"

Imori's dragons release water, while Yuugi's dragons release fire. Their attack hit in the middle before the water pushes the fire back and hits the two fire dragons.

Yuugi lets out a gasp. "No!"

"Fire cannot beat water. I win!" Imori laughs creepily.

The ground begins shaking. Yuugi looks around with wide eyes.

"This game has a terrible characteristic. A natural calamity hits the loser's base. It's the actual location marked on this map!" Imori states.

Elsewhere, the ground shakes and splits in the middle, and the trees shake and fall to the ground until they can't be seen standing.

"In other words…Tokyo!" Imori adds.

"It can't be…So that uninhabited island…" Yuugi trails off in disbelief.

"Yes. And the loser's soul…" Imori starts.

The water dragon lunges forward and places its claws through Yuugi's chest. Yuugi lets out a yell. Yuugi's eyes slowly go blank. The dragon removes its claws, a golden orb in its grasp. Yuugi falls forward as his soul is dragged into the pot.

Elsewhere, Isis freezes in place. Yuugi's soul…that energy…My Pharaoh…I need to hurry to that place. Isis rushes out of the room and rushes down the street. She hides in a corner and apparates straight away to where Yuugi is. She opens the secret base and rushes inside.

Imori lets out a chuckle. "Yuugi's soul was sucked into the vase. It's your punishment for betraying my friendship."

~~~Isis's POV~~~

I rush inside to see Yuugi's body slumped over and his hand grasping the Puzzle worn around Imori's neck.

"What? When did he get to the Millennium Puzzle?" Imori exclaims, surprised.

I sighed as Yuugi's head slowly lifted to show that Yami had taken over. I walk over and sit next to Yami.

Yami rips the Puzzle from around Imori's neck. "That was close. If I hadn't gotten back the Millennium Puzzle…then my soul would be consigned to eternal darkness."

Imori looks at Yami with wide eyes and his mouth open, no doubt confused about how Yami moves about after his soul is taken.

"Imori! This time, I bet my other soul. I duel you to Dragon Block again!" Yami challenges. Imori looks at Yami in silence. "What's wrong? Scared?" Yami holds up a block. "I'll choose my base first." He places the block down on the water.

"F-fine." Imori hesitantly agrees. "I'll fight you as many times as you want." Imori takes a block and places it on land. "Your base has to be here. My base is in the sea, so there'd be no damage. But if you lose…this time Tokyo will be destroyed. I have nothing but bad memories of that place!"

They take turns discarding the useless block while getting a block from the box. I look at the pot, where I can sense Yuugi's soul. I look at Yami, who is also looking at the pot.

"I've gathered two dragons. I summon them!" Imori calls out.

"I've also completed mine," Yami states.

A blue dragon and a brown dragon appear above Imori. "Mine are a water dragon and a wood dragon!"

A grey-brown dragon and a green dragon appear above Yami. "I have an earth dragon and a metal dragon."

"Battle!" The pair of them call out.

"Go, water dragon!" Imori orders. "Bring them down with Dragon Water Attack!" The blue dragon releases water.

"The same attack won't work, Imori! Earth Dragon, Earth Tear Dragon!" Yami calls out. "The Earth gives power to metal. And the metal is protected by the Earth. Your attack won't work."

Imori grits his teeth with a scowl on his face. "Then next!" The water dragon circles the wood dragon. The wood dragon grows in size.

"This is…" Yami trails off, surprised.

"Water dragon gives wood dragon power. Just like how trees grow from water." Imori states.

The wood dragon sucks energy from the earth dragon, freezing the dragon in place. The water dragon releases water toward the metal and earth dragon. The water surrounds the metal dragon, but it stays standing.

"How obstinate! Keep attacking!" Imori orders.

The metal dragon goes under the water. Yami narrows his eyes. I sense a burst of energy, and the metal dragon pops back out of the water. The metal dragon lunges forward and cuts the wood from around the earth dragon.

"That can't be!" Imori denies.

The metal dragon continues to chop the wood dragon. "Alright! Now Earth Dragon is free. Earth Tear Dragon!"

I watch the water dragon climb up and release water toward the earth dragon. The earth dragon stomps its foot on the ground, creating a crack. The water flows down the same crack before the crack widens, and the water dragon falls with a screech.

I close my eyes and sense that elsewhere, the same action is replayed on the water before the water settles. A boat with two people fishing looks at the water in disbelief.

"D-did you see that just now?"

"Y-yeah. I wonder if it's exhaustion?"

I open my eyes to see Imori looking at the map in disbelief. "I lost…it can't be."

Yami points at Imori. "This time, your soul will be sacrificed, Imori!"

Imori's eyes go blank, and his face softens. His soul floats out and floats over to the pot. Imori slumps forward.

As Imori's soul enters the pot, Yuugi's gold soul floats out and returns to Yami. "The vase is filled with one soul."

"That is Yuugi's soul," I commented softly.

Yami nods before closing his eyes and placing his hand against his chest. "My other soul has been recovered."

"And Imori?" I question softly.

Before Yami could say anything, Imori stirred and lifted his head. "H-huh? Where am I?" Imori looks around, confused, before noticing the Dragon Block. "Ah! Why is Dragon Block here?"

I let out a soft sigh. I see. In Imori's heart, another heart was born. That was the heart that Dragon Block took, Imori's haughty heart. He should now be back to his normal, shy self.

Imori snaps out of it and looks at Yami and me. "Hey, Yuugi-kun, Isis-chan. Please. Help me return Dragon Block to its original location. I'll be in trouble if otou-san finds out."

Yami and I share a smile. "Yeah. Okay." We agree at the same time.

We head back to the puzzle door. We open it again, and Imori places Dragon Block inside before joining us back at the door.

Imori lets out a sigh. "Now we can relax."

Imori closes the door, and we share a look before heading back up to Imori's secret base.

/Thank you for reading this chapter. Please leave a review. Your opinions are appreciated.\