Death T-3 concludes here! Also, Noah has had enough of someone butting in on his Death-T games and intends to put an end to it. What will he do and how will it affect everyone inside the tower? Enjoy!
Yugioh: The Hope of Six
Chapter 23: Kaiba Arc – Part 13
"Hmph. Seems Tèa the "Angel Girl" got the better of Agatha. I really don't know who I despise more, her or Yuzu." Vivian commented after witnessing the old woman's defeat.
"It doesn't matter. They will both eventually meet their end, along with everyone else. But first, before anyone attempts to leave Death T-3, I need to take care of my stepbrother's interferences." Noah said as he locked eyes on the screen showing Kaiba and Mokuba's body… or rather, something that resembled his younger stepbrother.
/\/\/\/\/\
Kaiba was starting to lose his patience. He had been sitting in that cell for a while now and he had no idea what was going on with Yugi and the others. 'This is ridiculous. I should be up there ringing Noah's neck right now instead of being caged up here like some animal. Yugi better be alive when I finally get out of here. I still have to prove my superiority over him.' He then looked down at the fake version of his little brother. 'At the very least, Mokuba is safe.' Kaiba took comfort with that thought.
All was quiet since everyone departed for Noah's twisted Death-T games. Kaiba had not heard a word from Noah since they last spoke. He also wondered what his twisted stepbrother had in mind for him later on. Noah described it as "insane". Whatever it was, Kaiba was not looking forward to it.
His thoughts were interrupted by the very person he wished to strangle. "Greetings Seto. It's been a while. How's your confinement?" Noah snickered as he appeared in hologram form. Kaiba sneered as he got on his feet.
"Cut the bull crap Noah. Are you finally going to let me out so I can beat the life out of you?" Noah still smirked.
"Not just yet. Trust me, you will see some action very soon. Just wait in here a bit longer. Believe me. My "big event" is going to blow your mind." He teased. Kaiba couldn't be less interested.
"Then why are you paying me a visit?" He asked. Noah then snarled.
"Because I've had enough of your meddling." This confused Kaiba.
"Meddling?" He inquired.
"Yes, meddling!" Noah shouted angrily. "Throughout my Death-T games, my systems have been hacked! Hacking that allowed Yugi's pals to survive when they shouldn't have! It's been infuriating!"
"Everyone is still alive at this point? Including Yugi?" Kaiba asked, actually surprised by the revelation.
"Yes, yes, Yugi and all those that came with him are all alive and well… for now. And don't act so surprised Seto. I know you're responsible. Now tell me how you did it." Noah demanded.
Kaiba had no idea what Noah was talking about. He didn't have any means of hacking into the tower's systems. 'So someone's been helping out Yugi and his geek squad, and Noah thinks it's me. As much as I want to, I can't take credit for something I didn't do. Who else could possibly…?' He then thought about the being that Yuzu introduced to him. The one that came up with the idea of how to protect Mokuba. 'That's it! It has to be that Ignis!'
"Answer me Seto! You're the only one that can pull off something like this, so spill it!" Noah shouted, still wanting an explanation.
"How would I be able to? I've been stuck here the whole time thanks to you. As you can clearly see, I don't have anything to hack with." Kaiba countered as he showed his empty hands.
"Hmph. You've never been the cooperative type. If you won't tell me…" At the snap of Noah's fingers, a laser rose up from an open floor panel in front of the cell… aiming right at Kaiba. The latter figured it must be the one that shot the Mokuba double.
Kaiba smirked confidently. "You know full well that I'm not intimidated so easily. Shooting me won't get you anything." He was surprised to see Noah smile.
"Who said you were the target?" The laser adjusted the aim to fix on the motionless body of Mokuba. "Also, even though that glass is bulletproof, my laser can cut through it like hot butter. The last time it fired, it struck down poor helpless Mokuba… or did it?" With a wave of a hand, the laser fired a thick red beam through the cage and struck Mokuba's body again. Only this time, it shot through the head.
Instantly, Mokuba's form faded away to reveal a white Duel Disk, which was now smoking from the hole of made. Kaiba couldn't hide his shock. 'The Action Disk! But how did Noah…?'
Noah frowned at his stepbrother. "While I couldn't trace the hacking signal back to the source, I did notice something while I was observing you and "Mokuba". I picked up a faint transfer code coming from what I thought to be a corpse. Only…" Noah now snarled and exploded with fury. "It was never a corpse at all! You didn't bring little pathetic Mokuba here like I demanded! Instead you played me for a fool! Where is the real Mokuba?! What kind of hacking tech did you use?! TELL ME NOW!"
If he was right, and he was sure he was, Kaiba could not let Noah learn about Aqua. If he found out about her, that might also lead him to Mokuba. The older Kaiba wasn't going to take that risk, certainly not after all the trouble that A.I. did to protect his little brother. With his mind made up, Kaiba looked Noah in the eye and smiled. "Go screw yourself."
Noah was not happy with that. While a letting out a scream of rage, he fired his laser at random spots in the lobby aside from Kaiba's container. After several seconds, the whole place had smoking holes everywhere. Noah breathed hard as he at last disengaged the weapon and retracted it back beneath the floor. "I swear Seto, if I didn't have other plans for you I would…!" Noah was so furious from his stepbrother's deception and lack of cooperation he had trouble getting words out. When he was able to talk again, his words were venomous. "Congratulations Seto, you've just given me an idea to make what I have planned for you even more extreme than I initially intended. I assure you, you won't like it. Now if you excuse me, I have a Death-T game to finish up. This time, there will be no more interferences to save everyone now that your "secret weapon" is a smoldering mess. The next time you see me, it will be your time to play… and your last." Noah warned before his hologram disappeared.
Kaiba had no doubt Noah will keep his word. While Mokuba and Aqua were both safe, the same could not be said for Yugi and his bunch. Now they truly were on their own with the Action Disk out of commission. "Stay alive Yugi. Things are about to get even tougher for you and your pals."
/\/\/\/\/\
"I'm sorry about your place, Duke." Yusho told the teen as they and the others entered Solomon's game shop. Duke shrugged it off.
"Don't worry about it. It did well while it was in business. Luckily I have enough insurance to cover the damage. Maybe when it gets rebuilt, I can also make it into a café." He said with a chuckle.
"That sounds like a good idea." Solomon said in agreement. As the rest of the group talked more on the subject, Aqua was suddenly distracted. A bad distraction.
While hiding in Yusho's Duel Disk, she felt it. Her connection to the Action Disk had been severed. She could no longer see or hear anything happening in the Death-T Tower. This meant only thing, and it worried her greatly. 'Noah must have just discovered the truth about Mokuba's death. Now I can no longer help my friends inside. At least, not that way…'
Once they were all situated, Aqua re-emerged and updated them of the situation. "Wait, so now Noah knows I'm alive?!" Mokuba said in alarm.
"Yes, he does." Said the Water Ignis wearily.
"I can only imagine how upset Noah must be knowing how he was duped." Pegasus said.
"Yeah. No doubt he's very pissed right now." Duke agreed.
"How did he find out?" Yusho asked.
"He didn't say how before he destroyed the Action Disk displaying the Mokuba hologram. My guess is he must've discovered the transfer code within the Disk that I used to maintain the connection to Noah's systems."
"What about Yugi and the others?" Solomon said, more worried than ever since Aqua can't protect them anymore.
"Unfortunately, with the Action Disk in the Tower offline, I no longer have access to the systems operating Noah's games." She answered.
"So that's it? We can't see what happens to them anymore?" Mokuba asked, as worried as everyone else about his brother and everyone.
"No. However…" she paused for a moment.
"What?" Duke asked. Aqua looked up to him.
"I may have another way to help them…"
/\/\/\/\/\
Tèa stood victorious as Agatha fell. Though a little tired, she felt pretty good. "Glad that's over." She said to herself.
"Tèa won!" Serenity cheered, as did the others.
"I knew you could do it!" Yugi said to his girl. Tèa turned to him and gave him a thumbs up.
"This is absurd. How could I… the Mistress of Darkness… lose to the likes of you?" Agatha complained miserably. Tèa frowned at her.
"Like I said earlier: Light always conquers darkness! My light doesn't just come from my Deck, but also my friends! They have always supported me just as I have for them! As long as I have them, I'll never lose hope!" Agatha scoffed at her.
"Ridiculous! I will never accept such…" Agatha then gasped and went wide eyed before falling down again.
"Did she pass out from being a sore loser?" Joey asked. Tèa didn't answer as she slowly approached her. She looked to be unconscious… at least at first glance. But as she pulled back her cloak a bit, she saw something she missed during the Duel. There was some kind of metal collar around her neck with a syringe in it. A needle had just pierced her skin. She checked for a pulse, only there wasn't one. Tèa gasped as she covered her mouth in shock.
"Tèa?" Yugi asked. Tea looked back at everyone and shook her head.
"She… she's dead." The gang looked horrified.
"What?! How?!" Tristan asked.
"She was injected with something just now, in her neck. It had to be some kind of poison." Serenity covered her mouth too. Yuya felt disgust toward their enemy.
'Noah… he really cares for no one. Even those working for him.' He thought bitterly.
"And I thought I was a monster…" Zarc said, feeling the same way. He may have once been a genocidal abomination, but he was open about his actions. He hid nothing about how he was going to end things. Noah's methods, however, were more sneaky and underhanded. In that way, he was worse. He and Yuya wondered if it was the same for Vivian…
All the gang's depressing thoughts were halted when more blocks fell down. Only, they built themselves up from where the one under the exit left off. Within seconds, a new pathway had formed that lead to the exit. "Guys look! We can get out now!" Yuya exclaimed.
"Then let's go!" Yugi stated as he began running to the new stairway, with his friends right behind him. Suddenly, just as Yugi reach the first step, another block fell right behind him. "Gah! That one almost got me!" He shouted in surprise.
"Yugi, you okay?!" Tèa shouted.
"I'm alright! But it looks like Noah isn't through with us yet!" Yugi responded.
"Oh you bet I'm not!" Noah said, surprising everyone.
"Noah! What gives now?! I thought we can get out of here?!" Joey complained angrily as he barely dodged another block.
"You can, but no one said it would be easy. Defeating Agatha only provided you the path, now you have to survive long enough to reach it! Have fun with that! I know I will! Oh, and don't expect a helping hand this time like how you escaped from Chopman! I've seen to that personally!" He laughed before leaving them again.
"Dammit!" Tristan cursed as another block fell. "Here we go again!"
Noah and Vivian smiled with delight. "I appreciate you allowed Yugi to reach the path first before unleashing more of those blocks." Vivian told him. "You sure that whole hacking thing has been taken care of?" Noah nodded.
"Oh I'm sure, Vivian. Yugi's bunch won't get any more help from now on. There is zero chance that all of them will make it out of this one alive…" He said sadistically. 'After all, they can't win this game without making sacrifices…'
Yugi watched helplessly as blocks continued to try and squash his friends. "Yugi, get to the exit! The rest of us will meet you up there!" Yuya advised.
"But I…!" Yugi tried to protest. He didn't want to leave them down there at the mercy of those blocks.
"He's right Yugi. We must get to the other side now. They will make it." Atem told him. While still reluctant, Yugi knew he was right. He then made his up toward the only way out.
Meanwhile, Yuya and the others faced a serious problem. Their attempt to flee got cut off by the falling blocks, which seem to be trying to trap them. Worse yet, they still had no way of knowing where the blocks would fall next. It was no different than during Tèa's Duel with Agatha.
Serenity yelped as another block came within an inch of crushing her. She saw the worry and panic in her friends' faces. 'If we don't figure a way out, none of us will make it! We'll all die!'
Tèa was starting to think the same thing. Winning that Duel would have meant nothing if no one other than Yugi could escape. As the next block almost got Yuya, Tèa noticed something. 'Wait a second! Could it be that…?' She then decided to move a step back, just before a block landed where she previously stood. That proved it. "That's it! Guys, I figured it out!" She called to everyone.
"Figured what out?" Joey asked. Tèa then pointed ahead of him.
"Jump forward now!" She suddenly ordered. He did so as another block landed behind him.
"Woah! How did you do that Tèa?" Yuya wondered in amazement. She pointed to all the blocks trying to incase them.
"There is a pattern to the blocks coming down on us! I've been training to become a dancer for a long time, and as a dancer I see the rhythm of where and when they appear! Just do what I say and we can make it out!"
Yugi, now standing in the opening, recalled that Tèa was great at dancing and would certainly pick up on something like that. "She's right! Trust her and you'll all be fine!" With their full confidence now in Tèa's ability to see the rhythm of the falling blocks, the team renewed their attempt to escape Death T-3.
Noah was amused that Tèa discovered the pattern… at least, the current pattern.
Thanks to Tèa's guidance, everyone managed to avoid the blocks and make it over them to reach the pathway. Soon they would all catch up to Yugi. Yuya got there first, followed by Tèa and Joey. Serenity after them. Tristan was just about to join the rest when a block caught the edge of his pants. He was stuck! "Really?! You kidding me?!" He yelled in frustration.
"That block fell faster than the others!" Yuya, who stood beside Yugi, pointed out.
"The rhythm's changed!" Tèa realized. Try as he might, Tristan couldn't get free. He turned to the others.
"Guys, just go! Go save Yuya's mom and stop Noah!" He told them.
"Hell no! We ain't leaving you behind man!" Joey protested.
"No we won't!" Serenity dashed back down the steps and reached Tristan.
"Serenity!" Joey cried out in alarm.
Tèa knew the next block would fall where the two were in a few seconds. There might not be time for both Tristan and Serenity to get away even if the latter freed the former. Zarc also realized this, and hearing that Noah had prevented any more outside help, he made a decision.
"Yuya, I have an idea!"
'What idea?' Yuya asked. He was stunned by what his partner told him. 'Do you think it will work Zarc?' Zarc nodded.
"You managed to hold back my evil self's attack long enough for us to escape. We can do this too. You up for it?" Yuya agreed without hesitation. He hoped it would work.
"Serenity, what are you doing?! Get outta here now!" Tristan ordered. Serenity vehemently refused.
"No! I've lost you once because of Noah! I'm not letting that happen again!" She argued back as she tugged Tristan's caught leg. While he was touched by her determination to help him, it didn't change the fact that she just put her own life at serious risk.
"I don't want you to die because of me! Your brother would never forgive me if you do!" Tristan argued as he struggled. Serenity still wouldn't stop pulling.
"I'm staying with you no matter what! I love you Tristan!" With that declaration, she miraculously got Tristan's leg loose. The guy was so stunned by what he heard that he didn't move for a second.
'No way! Did she just say…?!' He and Serenity stared at one another for a heart filled moment. The girl's eyes showed him her words were true. He couldn't help but smile back and felt his own eyes watering up a little. Too bad it didn't last long.
"Tristan! Serenity!" Tèa screamed as she pointed above them. The block was now descending fast toward the couple. They weren't going to make it at this point!
"NO!" Nearly everyone yelled. Tristan and Serenity held each other, bracing themselves for the end.
"Bye bye lovebirds." Noah said gleefully. Vivian just chuckled.
"NOW YUYA!" Zarc commanded. After grabbing his pendent, Yuya held out his other hand and concentrated.
Tristan and Serenity closed their eyes and waited for the impact. And then…
Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Curious as to why they weren't flattened, the two slowly opened their eyes and looked up. What they saw stunned them. Not just them, but everyone witnessing it. Noah and Vivian were flat out shocked. "What the hell?!" Noah shouted as he actually jumped out of his chair.
They were all looking at something impossible. The block that had intended to squash Tristan and Serenity had stopped falling and was now floating right above them! It also had a faint silver glow around it. "The block's… floating?!" Serenity said, who could hardly believe it.
"I don't believe it!" Joey exclaimed.
"How?" Tèa asked in wonder. Yugi was asking himself the same thing until he noticed something else. His Millennium Puzzle was glowing.
"My Puzzle!" He said to himself. 'Atem, are you doing this?' Yugi asked his partner. His answer surprised him even more.
"No Yugi. Whatever is happening, it is not my doing." Replied the stunned Pharaoh.
'But the Puzzle!' Yugi mentioned again.
"I know. Something else is causing the Puzzle to react this way."
'But what could…?' Yugi stopped asking when a stronger silver glow appeared beside him. His jaw dropped from sight before him. The silver glow was coming from Yuya himself. One hand was holding his pendant while the other reached out in the direction of the block above the couple. Yuya's eyes were also glowing bright silver. Most shocking of all, a glowing golden symbol appeared on the boy's forehead. It was the very symbol of the Millennium Puzzle itself, the Eye of Wdjat. 'Yuya?!'
"It can't be! How is he doing this?!" Exclaimed Atem. The answer presented itself in a way that neither one could ever expect. Manifesting right behind Yuya, in the same posture as him, was a very familiar and shocking figure. The sight of him astounded and disturbed them both.
"ZARC?!" Both Yugi and Atem were rendered speechless. How could Zarc possibly be here?! And inside Yuya again?! None of this made any sense!
Joey, Tèa, Tristan, and Serenity also saw the light from Yuya. They were all just as clueless. "What the frack is up with Yuya?!" Joey said, his eyes wide as could be.
"I don't know!" Tèa responded.
Tristan, though bewildered, had enough sense to know not to stick around. "Serenity, I don't know how, but Yuya's giving us a chance! We need to move now!" He advised. Serenity nodded.
"Yeah! Let's go!" The two then ran and managed to reach the pathway where the others were.
Once they were safe, Yuya released his hold on the block and allowed it to slam onto the floor. With the task done, the light and Eye faded and Yuya returned to normal. However, Yuya felt woozy and fell backward. Yugi managed to catch him before his back hit the ground. By then, the rest of the gang had just entered the doorway before one final block closed it off. No turning back then.
Joey and Tèa hugged their friends, happy they made it out alive. "Man oh man, I thought you two were goners!" Joey said, more than relived that two of his most important people were okay.
"So were we." Tristan then turned to the girl that helped him. "Thanks Serenity, for pulling me out." Serenity hugged him fiercely as she smiled.
"I'll never abandon you… not ever." She said softly. Tristan hugged her back. Joey smiled too, seeing that his sister really did love his close friend.
"I'm glad we're all okay. Thanks to Yuya…" Tèa said as she and the group stared down at the boy that insured everyone's safety. Yuya was now laying down, apparently asleep. "But how did he…?" She asked Yugi, who didn't have a clue.
"I don't have any answers." Yugi looked at his friend with concern and confusion. "But I'm pretty sure Yuya does…"
In the control room, Noah and Vivian stood in total disbelief. "What… just happened?" Vivian asked, stumped by the event she witnessed.
"I… don't know." Noah rewound and replayed the video of when the block was frozen midair. "That block was already falling. Nothing could have stopped it! Not even another hacking attempt!" He then focused the image on Yugi and his friends at the exit. That was when he saw Yuya had been the cause. 'Wait… it was him? How?! How did he do that?!' Noah had no theory or explanation for this one. "All I can say for certain… is that there is more to Yuya Sakaki than I expected."
"I'll say. Because of him, no one died yet again." Vivian said before glancing at Noah. "So what now? Since Kaiba didn't bring Mokuba to you after all, are you going to kill Yuya's mother like you threatened? It would seem appropriate to do that, having seeing what her son just did."
Noah actually had considered it. He told Seto and those with him he would murder the hostages if everyone he requested did not come to his tower. After how his stepbrother pulled the rug from under him and Yuya's newest stunt, he ought to pay them back by being good to his word. He pulled up the image of Yoko, still out cold in another room. "I should do that. But…" Noah then gave a savage grin. "I have a much more fitting punishment in mind." This made Vivian raise her eyebrows.
"Like what?" She asked. Noah chuckled as he told the woman his plan. She whistled. "Wow, you really are vicious aren't you?"
"Only when I'm as pissed as I am now." Noah answered. Vivian then returned her attention to the screen with Yugi's group.
"Well, Yugi's squad of geeks will get to see what you have in mind when they reach Death T-4." She said.
"So will Seto." Noah added. "But before that…" He opened a hidden compartment in the left arm rest of his chair. Inside was a Duel Monsters Deck. He then picked it up and offered it to Vivian. "I believe it is time for you to go after your potential "love slave"." Vivian gasped, turning back to him.
"R-Really?! I can finally duel Yugi?!" She said in an evil glee. Noah grinned back at her.
"Yes, and I strongly suggest you use this Deck against him. I watched your previous Duel with him and he clearly was more than you could handle. This Deck should give you an actual chance against Yugi." Vivian then took the Deck and examined it. What she found stunned her. "Where did you get these? They look kind of like the…"
"Sort of, yes. But not quite." Noah said, cutting her off. "I found those cards during this past month and made a Deck appropriate for them. I'm confident you can handle their power."
Vivian was more than happy to receive such a gift. She could actually feel the power coming from her new Deck… power to help her acquire her love slave at long last. "Thanks. I'll definitely enjoy this."
"I'm glad you will. Now head on out and wait at the entrance to Death T-4. Yugi's group will reach it before long." Vivian nodded.
"Got it. But what about Yuzu Hiragi and her group? Aren't you worried they'll escape the tower?" She asked, remembering they were trying to get out with Shuzo.
"I got that covered already. You just worry about Yugi. Leave everything else to me." With a final nod, Vivian turned and walked out of the control room.
Alone at last, Noah turned to yet another screen he just pulled up. On it was a screenshot of all four finalists of the Battle City tournament facing off against one another. Noah laughed as he zoomed in on the image of one of those finalists.
"You have caused me problems the last time I dealt with Seto, Yugi, and the rest of them.
But now… you will be my greatest weapon."
To be continued.