It's been a while since I mentioned this, but I normally need at least two weeks or so to get a new chapter out. I want to take my time and not rush. So please be patient between updates. Sorry for the wait on this by the way. Life distracted me a lot from getting this out when I wanted. Okay, moving on now. Last chapter, Death T-4 got started. Now we will see it play out! This will not be pretty!
Yugioh: The Hope of Six
Chapter 26: Kaiba Arc- Part 16
Once the elevator came to a stop again, the trio of Yuzu, Aqua, and Mai hesitated a moment before opening the door. A huge, brightly lit room lay before them. "Is this it?" Yuzu asked as she gazed around.
"Yes. According to the tower database I examined before I lost my connection, the central core is in this chamber." Aqua told her.
"And you can reestablish your connection to the tower's systems from here?" Mai asked. The Ignis nodded.
"I believe so. We just need to find the main interface. It should be located somewhere on the core itself."
"Alright. Let's do it." Yuzu said determinedly. Quietly and cautiously, the girls stepped out of the elevator and headed towards the central core. At this point, Aqua retreated into Yuzu's Duel Disk so only her eyeball form was shown. She mentioned that she would re-emerge once they find the interface.
It didn't take them long to find what they were looking for. As they reached the other end of the room, they found a glowing green tower with a control panel attached. "That must be it." Mai said, amazed by the sight.
"So now what…?" Yuzu started to ask, but didn't finish.
"Stop! Don't move!" Yuzu and Mai turned behind them and saw an armored blonde woman holding what looked like a laser weapon. It was the missing mercenary, Blue, from the team that fought Yugi's group. She was pointing it right at them.
"Who are you?" Yuzu demanded. Blue smirked.
"Call me Blue. I got orders from Noah to guard this from intruders like you. Bad move coming down here."
"So you got stuck with guard duty all by your lonesome?" Mai questioned. The enemy woman chuckled.
"Course not. I have a feisty little friend that might want to play." With a whistle, something small leaped from behind Blue and started assaulting Yuzu's head.
"Yuzu!" Mai yelled in shock. Before her eyes, Yuzu was being attacked by a small, vicious monkey. It was pulling her hair, trying to bite and scratch her.
"Ah! Ow! Mai, I can't see! Get it off! Get it off!" Yelled the younger girl. She tried to grab what was trying to maul her, but the animal would not budge.
"Hang on!" Mai attempted to yank the primate off, but it tried to bite her when she got too close. Blue was laughing her ass off as she watched.
"Oh this is a riot! Ricky sure is having a ball! He tried to knife two of your friends in a little game, but they escaped! He was not happy about that, and now he's making up for lost time!" Blue declared, still enjoying Yuzu's suffering.
During the struggle, from inside Yuzu's Duel Disk, Aqua detected a new signal. The source was very close, like it was right in front of her. The Ignis also discovered that this signal was made to control and influence another's brainwaves. She realized that it was coming from the very animal trying to maul Yuzu. Aqua knew then what was going on and was appalled by the situation. Without delay, she sent out a counter signal from the Disk to the source of the problem. A second later, the brain altering signal had ceased.
At the same time, the monkey, Ricky, stopped it's attack on Yuzu. She, Mai, and Blue were then surprised to see it examine the little scratches on Yuzu's head, making a small sorrowful moan. "Uh… good monkey?" Yuzu said, not sure what to make of that.
"What the hell? Why did that chimp stop?" Blue asked, totally bewildered by the sudden change in behavior.
As confused as Mai was, she saw an opening and went for it. While Blue was distracted, Mai tackled her, knocking her down and making her drop her blaster. Mai then went for the weapon, but the other blonde grabbed her legs and pulled, making Mai fall as well. The two women then wrestled furiously for a bit until Blue was on top and began chocking Mai to death.
"Bitch! You just made your last mistake!" Blue spatted furiously, tightening her grip. Mai struggled to break free, but Blue's hold was too strong. It wouldn't be long before she couldn't fight back anymore…
"Mai!" Yuzu cried out. She was about to get involved when someone else took action. Unexpectedly, Ricky the monkey came to the rescue as he jumped onto Blue's head and began attacking her the same way he just did to Yuzu.
"Ouch! No, you stupid primate! Not me! Ow! You're supposed to attack the others!" Blue complained as she now fought Ricky, who seemed determined give her hell.
This caused her to release Mai, who gasped for air and coughed. Ricky's intervention had just saved her life. She didn't know why, but she was grateful. As soon as she recovered, Mai got back up and took the opportunity to punch Blue in the face. The fierce blow caused the back of her head to bang against a wall. It was enough to knock her out cold as she slid back down to the floor. Ricky was quick enough to jump off before Blue was hit to avoid any injuries himself.
"Mai, are you okay?" Yuzu asked. Mai nodded while massaging her fist.
"Yeah, I'm good Yuzu. You?" The older woman asked.
"I'm alright. But…" Yuzu then turned to the now calm monkey. It stared at her attentively. "That monkey was attacking me a minute ago. Why did it suddenly decide to go after Blue instead?"
"That monkey, Ricky, was apparently being controlled." Aqua said, her eyeball form showing in the Disk.
"Controlled?" The two girls questioned.
"I detected a small signal from the creature. There was a small chip imbedded in the back of his neck. It was altering his brainwaves to make him overly aggressive and assault anyone it was told was a threat."
"That's horrible!" Yuzu said, aghast by the cruelty the poor animal was subjected too. How could Noah do that to such an innocent animal?
"I couldn't agree more. Fortunately, Ricky was close enough to me that I was able to deactivate the chip, restoring his original self."
"Are you sure?" Mai asked, still weary of another surprise attack. She eyed the monkey, who only stared back.
"I am positive." Aqua said with certainty.
Yuzu decided to take a chance. She got down on one knee and held out a hand. "Come here, Ricky. It's okay. I'm not going to hurt you. I'm not afraid you anymore, not since you just saved Mai's life. You can trust me." She spoke soft and sweet, not showing a hint of malice.
Slowly, Ricky approached Yuzu. It then sniffed her hand, and then looked up at her. She gave a kind smile. Sensing the sincerity from her, Ricky hopped onto Yuzu's shoulder and settled himself on it.
"Good boy. Thanks for saving Mai." Yuzu told him, patting his head. Ricky seemed to like it a lot.
Mai started at Yuzu, impressed by the display. "Seems you made a new friend." She said, smiling herself. Yuzu nodded before turning to Blue.
"She is out, right?" She asked. Mai had picked up the dropped blaster and pointed it at the mercenary.
"Looks that way, but I'll watch her to be sure."
"While you do that, I will restore my connection to the Death-T Tower mainframe. Yuzu, approach the interface." Aqua instructed. Yuzu did so. Once she was in front of the console, she set the Duel Disk down. The Water Ignis then resurfaced and set her hands on the interface. It only took her a second or two. "It worked! I am back in!" Aqua cheered from her accomplishment.
"Great! Can you find out where everyone is?" Yuzu asked, eager to see how Yuya, Yugi, and the others were doing.
"Done." Aqua said. Before the girls and monkey, a new holo screen appeared. It showed them what was happening on Death T-4. They were surprised to see the group in some kind of arena, with Yugi, Kaiba, and Joey wearing strange armor and fighting another armored individual. Mai gasped in horror when she saw who their opponent was.
'Marik?! What the hell is going on?!'
/\/\/\/\/\/\
As soon as Noah gave the word, "Yami Marik" had spread out his wings and flew straight at Yugi. His gold clad fist came so fast that the King of Games barely had enough time to raise his arms to block the strike. Yugi slid back several feet, struggling not to fall over. Their faces were inches apart.
"Look at you! Struggling to stay alive! It brings back such memories!" Yami Marik taunted, his grin twisted. Yugi gritted his teeth from the effort.
"Marik, listen to me! I know you are in there! You must fight and regain control of your body! You did it before so do it again!" Yami Marik laughed.
"Sorry, but my weaker side cannot hear you! Noah made sure of that!"
The darker Marik lifted his other hand and prepared to punch his enemy in the face. Before he could, Joey pounced on him and locked him in a tight hold. "Oh no ya don't, you whack job!" Yami Marik growled in annoyance.
"Getting in my way again, little Joey?" Joey snickered.
"Just looking out for my pal. Now let's see if I can get that gizmo off your noggin and set you straight." He then reached for the personality replicator to free the true Marik.
"I wouldn't try that if I were you." Noah warned from his throne high up. "That device has a direct connection to Marik's brain. Only I know how to remove it safely. If you rip it off, you will cause him permanent damage. You don't want that do you?"
"Dammit!" Joey cursed as Yami Marik elbowed him hard in the chest. The force of the blow was enough to make Joey release him and gasp in pain. Yami Marik followed it up with a kick in the head.
"Joey!" Serenity yelled. Joey managed to stop himself with his wings before hitting the arena's edge. He gave his sister and thumbs up and a smile.
"I'm okay sis!" He told her.
"Not for long." Yami Marik replied as he flew right at Joey at top speed. He didn't even get close as a powerful energy blast knocked him away and slammed into the wall. "Who did that?" Yami Marik complained as he regained his footing. He and Joey turned to see Yugi holding both his arms out.
"With my Thunderforce Attack, I believe that makes us even now Joey." Yugi told his best friend with a grin.
"Sure does Yug! Thanks!" Joey said gratefully.
Before Yami Marik could retaliate, he got blindsided from a strong punch from Kaiba. Hard. "Don't forget about me or my Fist of Fate!" He said as his opponent into another wall. The three armored Duelists stood side by side now as Yami Marik picked himself back up. To their astonishment, he chuckled.
"Noah was right. This will be very enjoyable." Noah felt the same way as he watched the deadly game continue to unfold.
While Yami Marik grappled with Kaiba, Yugi saw a small floating glowing orange orb appearing near him. He wandered if this was part of the game. He then recalled Noah saying that there was a certain condition to activate the armor abilities of the combatants. Maybe this was it, he thought. He reached for the orb and grabbed it. As he did, his armor absorbed it and he glowed for moment before the mouth portion of his chest plate gave off an electric charge. He understood now what happened… and it gave him an idea. He then turned to Yuya. "Yuya, listen! I have a plan!"
Above, Noah smiled as he sat on his throne and observed everything. "Yugi got the first of the Ability Orbs. Things should get pretty interesting now."
At the same time, Kaiba believed he was getting the upper hand when he started to push Yami Marik back. He was wrong. Yami Marik gave a flap of his wings, jumped and kneed Kaiba in the chin before swatting him out of his way. Kaiba used his own wings to soften the rough landing. "I don't like cheap shots, Marik!" Kaiba insulted. Yami Marik smirked at him.
"Your time will come, Kaiba. But first, I have some unfinished business to settle." He held out his own arms like Yugi did, and aimed directly at the former. "You're not the only one with a God card attack Pharaoh! Suffer before my Blaze Cannon!" A sunlike blast came bursting out from the darker Marik's outstretched hands, making a beeline for it's target. Unbeknownst to him, Yugi anticipated this and was prepared.
"I hoped you would do that! Here it comes Yuya!" Yugi then flew away, revealing Yuya holding up his Odd-Eyes shield.
"Got it!" He held his ground as his weapon took in the energy strike. It now glowed a bright flaming red. "It's all charged up!" Yuya called out.
'What is that pest up to?' Yami Marik thought to himself. He didn't have time to think as he was suddenly hit and covered in a dozen bolts of electricity. "What the hell?!"
"You're temporally paralyzed due to the Lightning Blast ability of my armor!" Yugi declared. "Now you won't be able to dodge what's coming next!"
"Dammit!" Yami Marik cursed as he was forced to watch Yuya aim his charged weapon straight at him.
"My Odd-Eyes Shield can absorb energy based attacks and fire them right back at the source with twice the power! Take this! Reaction Force!" A red beam in the silhouette of a dragon shot out and scored a direct hit. Thanks to Yugi's Osiris ability, Yami Marik couldn't move or do anything. He was struck squarely in the chest, right where the blue gem was. Yami Marik yelled in pain as the attack sent him flying and crash land on his back. Yugi guessed that his armor's ability was related to Osiris' Effect to weaken a Summoned Monster. In this case, it made Yami Marik frozen in place. He also guessed that Yuya's Shield had an ability similar to Odd-Eyes' double damaging Effect. It would seem both guesses were very accurate.
"So Yugi activated his armor's ability from taking one of those floating orbs." Yuya said to himself.
"Those orbs are clearly a key component in this game. I wonder if only one orb will be enough for each armor ability…?" Zarc asked himself. Joey, Tristan, Tèa, and Serenity also noticed it.
Yugi and the others then noticed something else. As Yami Marik lay there, the gem changed color; it had changed to being a dark yellow.
"You guys saw that? Why did the gem on his armor change color?" Tèa asked.
"Of course." Yugi told her. "Noah said we have to find and hit Marik's weak spot three times to win. The gem on his armor is that weak spot!"
"And the color changed to indicate how many times it got hit!" Joey continued.
"In other words, we just have to strike at that spot twice more and this game is done." Kaiba summed up. But he also learned that meant something else. 'If that is the case, then it must be the same for me and Yugi.' Noah appeared amused how quickly the weak spot was found, though he knew his champion was not to make it easy for them to hit him there again two more times.
Yugi also came to that realization. 'Atem, each of the Egyptian Gods has a blue gem on their heads. So it makes sense that us and Kaiba would have the same weak spot as Marik.' Yugi said to his partner.
"My conclusion as well. We must not be careless if we are to survive this one." Atem told him. But Yugi had another concern.
'What about Marik himself, the real Marik? How can we free him from Noah's device without hurting his brain?'
"I don't know." That was all he could say. He simply could not figure out how save Marik without permanently damaging him, body and mind.
During their conversation, Yami Marik got back up and looked more than a little pissed. "Curse you Pharaoh!" He was about to take off again when Kaiba and Joey both blocked him.
"Hey, don't forget about us!" Joey said in his cocky tone. Yami Marik snarled. Then he saw it. An orb, just like the one Yugi used, appeared just above the duo. That's when he made his next move. He ran straight toward to his adversaries, and then kicked up into the air at the last second. He grabbed the Ability Orb and his own armor glowed for a second. "Crap! He faked us out!" Joey complained.
"Obviously." Kaiba said exasperatedly. Just then, Yami Marik charged at Yugi.
"Yugi! Look out!" Tristan warned. Yugi was in such deep thought with the Pharaoh that he wasn't paying attention to the game itself. He looked to see Yami Marik flying toward him again. He took to the air and narrowly missed the swipe of his enemy's sharpened gloved claws.
"Thanks for the warning Tristan!" Yugi told him. Tristan nodded back.
However Noah smirked… along with Yami Marik. He wasn't trying to hit Yugi, but rather snatch another Ability Orb that happened to behind the latter. 'Yes. Two Orbs should be enough to make this more fun for me…' Yami Marik thought evilly. He turned around just in time to see Kaiba soaring toward him and landed another powerful punch, this time on the gem in the chest piece. Yami Marik used his wings to propel him up before he hit another wall.
Kaiba was pleased to see the gem changed color again. This time it became blood red. "One more hit and you're done, Marik. Honestly, I thought you'd be more of a challenge than this? Guess you're not Noah's so called "champion" after all." Yami Marik then laughed as he raised his arms up.
"Be careful what you wish for, Kaiba!" To the surprise of Yugi's group, Yami Marik gave off another golden glow. Then gold strings appeared from each of his fingers and instantly wrapped themselves around Yugi and Kaiba.
"What the hell?!" Kaiba shouted as he and Yugi both glowed gold as well.
"Yugi! Kaiba!" Yuya shouted.
"What's happening to them?!" Serenity yelled.
"Look!" Tèa responded while pointing at Yami Marik. To everyone's disbelief, the gem on his chest changed back from red to blue like at the start of the game. On the other end, Yugi and Kaiba's gems did the opposite. They now both became red. What's more, the two rivals felt weaker and both dropped to their knees.
"What… just happened?" Tristan asked. Yami Marik smiled gleefully after his gold strings vanished.
"Thanks to taking two Ability Orbs, I used one of my armor's abilities to restore my gem by taking what I needed from my opponents. Very similar to The Winged Dragon of Ra's Effect to increase my Life Points by weakening Ra itself. But in this game… it is you two I took some life from! Now each of you can only take one hit before your lives extinguished! And what's more, neither one of you can move for a short time so don't even try!" He then laughed at their latest predicament.
He was right. Yugi and Kaiba both tried to get up, only they couldn't.
"You son of a...!" An enraged Joey flew up to strike at Yami Marik for that low blow. However, he was prepared and grabbed the young man by the neck when he got in his range. He lightly squeezed and took great delight in watching Joey struggle for air. He chuckled as he lifted up his free hand and hit the two red eyes on Joey's head armor piece. The eyes became orange.
'That must be Joey's weak spot!' Yugi thought in alarm.
"What's the matter, little Joey? Need to lie down and catch your breath? I'm more than happy to oblige!" Yami Marik taunted as he tossed Joey like a rag doll back down to the arena floor below. He hit the surface hard… and did not get up.
"No!" Yugi cried out, fearing for his life. However, Joey slowly sat up, groaning in pain.
"Don't worry pal! I'm still good. I just… need a minute." He said with a cough. If it hadn't been for his armor, Joey was sure his injuries would be far worse. The armor itself, on the other hand, took a lot of damage. There were dents, cracks, and broken places everywhere.
Yami Marik laughed once more as he descended to the ground. "This is what I've been wanting to see! Your suffering is so irresistible to me! And it's only just the beginning!" He taunted.
"I couldn't agree more." Noah said to himself, knowing what would happen next.
It was then that the situation became even more dire. To the group's utter confusion, another red gem emerged from Kaiba's armor, right over where his heart was. This one was also blinking. "What now?" Tristan asked.
"Damn You Noah." Kaiba cursed. He knew what this meant.
"What is that second red gem?" Yugi asked, confused as to why the same hadn't happened to him since his own gem was in the red. Kaiba sneered up at Noah.
"Ask him." He spat furiously. Yugi did so.
"What is going on Noah?" Noah snickered.
"Remember him mentioning me doing something to him prior to starting this game? Well, here's the deal: That red gem that just appeared… is actually a bomb."
"A bomb?!" Everyone but Kaiba exclaimed in shock.
"Yes, a bomb. I had it "forced" upon Seto prior to having him join you for the game. I had it cloaked so it couldn't be seen. I had programmed the cloak to disengage when Seto's armor gem reached the red point."
"You're saying that if Kaiba takes one more hit, he will…?" Yuya couldn't finish asking.
"That's right, Yuya. One more hit, and he goes kaboom!" Yuya and the others gasped in horror. "And don't even try to remove it, for it will set off the explosive immediately! You'll just have to try to win!" Noah explained further.
"You had this planned from the start!" Yugi accused.
"Why of course." Noah said without a hint of remorse. Joey forced himself on one knee was he tried to get up again.
"Dammit, I've had it with you not telling us everything about your messed up games Noah! If you're gonna put us through this hell of yours, you should fill us in on all the details from the get go!" Noah smirked down at him.
"You know Joey, you're right. There actually is one more thing about this game I think everyone here should know…"
"Like what?" Serenity asked in a worried tone. Noah waited a moment before revealing it.
"My stepbrother isn't the only one strapped to an explosive device." This filled Yugi and the others with dread.
"Someone else is in danger of getting blown up?! Who!?" Yuya demanded. Noah chuckled.
"I was hoping you would ask that question, Yuya. Take a look." Noah then showed a holo image of Yuya's mother above him. Yoko remained unconscious, but she now wore something she didn't the last time Yuya saw her. What he saw scared him and everyone else.
"Wait! Is that…?!" Yuya started to ask.
"A bomb like the one Seto is forced to burden? Yes Yuya, it most definitely is." Noah answered viciously.
Yuya gasped in horror along with almost the rest of the group. 'Mom! No!'
"The moment Seto's bomb became active, so did Yoko's! When he blows up, so will she!" Noah declared with an evil laugh. Yugi and the others couldn't believe that Noah had gone that far.
"What's the big idea?! Why do that to Yuya's mom?!" Serenity demanded. To the group's surprise, Noah snarled as he pointed at his stepbrother.
"Blame Seto for that! I wasn't originally planning to include Yoko's life in this game, but I wanted payback for him deceiving me! This new development was his own fault!"
"Kaiba, What is Noah talking about?" Yugi asked. Kaiba refused to answer. Noah narrowed his eyes as he studied the confusion on everyone's faces aside from his stepbrother's.
"He didn't tell you lot, did he? Seto brought me some decoy made to look like his precious little brother instead of the real deal! He made me believe that annoying brat was dead when in fact he wasn't!"
"What?! Mokuba is alive?!" Yuya exclaimed. Yugi, Joey, Tristan, Tèa, and Serenity were just as surprised. 'Kaiba knew Mokuba was fine the whole time and didn't say anything?!'
"That must've been Aqua's plan to protect him." Zarc said. He was impressed that Kaiba and the other adults kept this secret from everyone.
"Apparently so." Noah went on. "What I shot down in the lobby was some advanced hologram powered by a new type of Duel Disk. I assume the real Mokuba is at some hidden location. When my business with all of you is done, I will find him and finish what I started!"
"Not if I beat you first!" Kaiba retorted. He tried once more to get up, but he still couldn't budge.
"Your restricted movements tell a different story, Seto." Noah then turned to his champion. "Remember, once they are struck again when their gems are in the red, they will both instantly die from fatal electric shocks. Don't finish them off just yet. Have a little fun torturing them." Yami Marik smiled deviously.
"Oh, believe me. It will be my pleasure."
Yuya started to panic. Yugi and Kaiba were helpless and Joey was still recovering from the last attack. His Shield would only work if an attack struck it first, but Yami Marik most likely wouldn't make the same mistake twice. Plus, Yuya himself couldn't leave his circle without getting fried. That went for everyone else in their circles. 'Zarc, could we stop Marik like we helped Tristan and Serenity?' His partner shook his head.
"I wouldn't advise it; that last time took a lot out of you. I don't want to put you in a vulnerable position with a psycho like him flying around." Zarc answered.
This frustrated the teen, but he understood. It would be up to Tristan, Tèa, and Serenity to protect their armored friends until they can get back in the fight. And it wasn't just their lives at stake, Yuya knew. His own mother's life was also hanging in the balance. They had to especially make sure to keep Kaiba safe, since he and Yoko were in the same predicament. If they lost Kaiba, they'd lose them both. Yuya refused to let that happen.
"Now then, who's suffering shall I start with?" Yami Marik asked himself. His eyes moved from Yugi to Kaiba, then to Joey, and back to Yugi. The pseudo villain made his choice with a nasty grin. "Ready or not Pharaoh, here I come!" Yami Marik soared toward Yugi, intending to slice him up a bit.
Gritting his teeth, Yugi was frustrated about not being able to move. He couldn't even lift up his arms to block the incoming attack. But then again, he didn't need to.
Just before he could get in range to swipe at his old adversary, Yami Marik was forced to evade half a dozen glowing arrows that tried to hit him. "Tch! Trying to ruin my fun are you?" He turned to Tèa, who had fired those arrows with her Hyperion Bow.
"I'm not letting you harm my boyfriend!" Tèa declared fiercely as she fired another salvo. Yami Marik grunted as he nimbly dodged every arrow being shot. Tèa launched a third round, with still the same result. Yami Marik stared at the girl annoyingly.
"You're a poor shot, Tèa! None of your arrows came close to hitting me!" He was surprised, however, to see her smiling triumphantly.
"I was never trying to! Take a look around!"
And he did. Yami Marik was perplexed to see every single arrow hung in midair… pointing right at him. He was completely surrounded. "What is this?" He demanded.
"I see. Tèa's arrows were not meant to simply hit it's target like regular arrows would. This must have to do with her weapon's special ability." Noah noted in amusement.
Tèa then turned to her friends. "Guys! Close your eyes now!" She shouted. They all did so, and not a moment too soon. In that instant, all the arrows launched themselves from their holding positions and flew straight at Yami Marik. He couldn't dodge this time, for there far too many and they came from every direction. As soon as they all struck him, a blinding light erupted from the impact. Yami Marik screamed in agony. The light only lasted a moment, but a moment was all that was needed.
"AHHH! MY EYES! THEY FEEL LIKE THEY'RE ON FIRE! DAMN, WHAT DID THAT WENCH DO TO MY EYES?!" He covered his eyes and complained loudly as he landed on the ground.
Unlike his champion, Noah was smart enough to shut his eyes before the big light show. When he fell it was safe to look again, he saw someone else preparing to make a move.
"Tristan, you're up!" Tèa told him. Tristan nodded as he aimed his huge Machiners Blaster at his now blind target. He smirked as his targeting indicator blinked red when Yami Marik was squarely in his crosshairs.
"Hey evil Marik, have a blast with this!" With the pull of a trigger, Tristan fired his weapon. A big energy wave came forth and struck him on his left side. Another explosion followed, but it caused some real damage to the arena floor. Yugi, Kaiba, and Joey had to close their eyes again to keep the dirt and dust off them. Yami Marik couldn't be seen in the cloud of smoke that resulted from the attack.
After a moment, the smoke cleared. Tristan, along with the others, were stunned to see Yami Marik holding up his left armor wing to his side like a shield. The guy himself was shaking and his wing was cracked, but it seemed to have did it's job in protecting it's wearer.
"He managed to protect himself at the last second!" Yuya said.
"Crap! I thought I did could do more than that!" Tristan complained.
"Maybe you did! Look at the damage you inflicted! I don't believe Marik can fly anymore with that wing!" Yugi said confidently.
Yami Marik carefully retracted his ruined wing, seemingly proving his point. He was certainly not looking happy. "Curse you!" Not only did he lose the advantage of flight, his eyes were still tightly shut from the pain of Tea's assault. If he had been able to see then, he would have noticed a few more Ability Orbs that had just popped up nearby. To his misfortune, Serenity noticed them.
"Okay guys, my turn!" She waved her Sheou Wand at the orbs. They became enveloped in white energy. Serenity directed one at Yugi and the other two toward Kaiba. After that, She pointed her Wand at her brother. This time a black energy stream came out and covered Joey. When Serenity's work was done, Joey's armor was repaired and he felt re-energized.
"Thanks Serenity! I'm all better now!" Her brother told her as he stood on his feet once more, earning a nod and a smile from her.
"Talk about opposites. Tristan's weapon can deal heavy damage while Serenity's actually heals and provides aid." Noah said silently.
Yugi and Kaiba both felt better too. Not only did they get Orbs courtesy of Serenity, but the effects of Yami Marik's armor finally wore off. The duo were able to move again. Kaiba flexed his two hands eagerly. "Heh, about time." He then turned to his rival. "I trust you know how to use your armor's "other" ability?" Yugi smirked.
"I do." Kaiba smiled back.
"Then wait for the right time to use it." He then turned back to Yami Marik, who started to open his eyes once more. "Hey Marik! I've just gotten a couple of those Ability Orbs, and I'm itching to give my armor's ability a try!" Kaiba than spread out his Obelisk wings. "This will shown you who is the superior one in this contest! Fist of Fury!"
His fists now covered with pulsing dark blue energy, Kaiba shot at his enemy at top speed. Yami Marik, who looked just in time to see Kaiba make his counterattack, raised his remaining good wing to block the incoming blow. It did not matter. With his fists energized, Kaiba smashed through the protective wing and scored a directly hit on Yami Marik's chest gem. The blow caused him to stagger back an bit as his gem became dark yellow again.
"Damn you!" Yami Marik shouted angrily. Before he could recover, Joey came up from behind, kicked him in the head and got him trapped in a headlock.
"Now now, you didn't forget about little old me, did ya?" Joey said with a snicker. Yami Marik snarled as he tried to get him off. But he started to weaken from the recent heavy attacks. "Yug, you good to go?" Yugi nodded at his best friend as he held out his arms again. This time, they glowed a similar energy as Kaiba's armor ability but red.
"My Thunderforce Attack is already very strong on it's own. But with my armor's other ability, it becomes 6 times as strong due to that many players I have on my side! I believe it will leave much more than a scratch on you!" Yugi's stronger attack was launched immediately. Even though Joey got a good grip on him, Yami Marik was still able to extract his damaged wing one last time. He hoped it would still be able to block the attack. Instead, it shattered the wing like glass and slammed into the gem. The blood red color it once had now came back.
"Sweet! Just one more and this game's ours!" Tristan said, feeling elated.
"Finish it guys!" Tèa encouraged.
Noah frowned. 'I know he won't give up that easily. He still has one armor ability has yet to use. He just needs… Ah! Yes! Perfect timing!' His hopes rose as not one or two, but three Ability Orbs materialized right above the combatants.
Yami Marik saw them too, and knew he had to move quickly to obtain his victory.
"Hold him Wheeler! I'll end this!" Kaiba ordered as he propelled himself to deliver the final blow.
"For once, you get no argument from me, rich boy!" Joey responded.
"I won't let you!" A desperate Yami Marik did a reverse headbutt on Joey, forcing him to let go. Then, as Kaiba got within range, Yami Marik jumped up and out of the way. Joey flew upward and narrowly avoid getting hit himself.
"I told you to hold him!" Kaiba complained.
"Hey, shut it!" Joey retorted as he rubbed his face. They looked up in time to see Yami Marik snatch all three orbs at once. His armor glowed much brighter this time. In fact, he appeared to be turning into pure fire.
"Uh, guys! Tell me he's not about to use a human version of the Winged Dragon of Ra's Phoenix form!" Tèa said fearfully.
"I'm afraid so." Yugi was forced to admit. Yami Marik laughed crazily in his new form.
"YES! THANKS TO TAKING THREE ORBS, I CAN USE MY ARMOR'S MOST POWERFUL ABILITY! NOW WHEN I HIT AN OPPOSING PLAYER, THEY SHALL AUTOMATICALLY BE ELIMINATED, REGARDLESS OF ME HITTING THEIR WEAK POINT OR NOT! AND I KNOW JUST WHICH ONE TO GET RID OF!" The flaming Yami Marik had then set his sights on Kaiba. "PREPARE TO DIE, SETO KAIBA! THE SHADOW REALM AWAITS YOUR SOUL!" Then, like a meteor, he raced toward Kaiba at top speed.
'His speed has increased! Kaiba won't be able to get out of the way in time!' Yugi realized in horror. Atem knew as well as he did what this meant.
Kaiba stood frozen. He knew he couldn't dodge or even stop this attack. Yami Marik was moving at him too quickly. 'No. It can't end like this. Not before I defeat Yugi!' The thought was pissing him off. But what upset him even more was that he would not survive to return to Mokuba. 'Mokuba… I'm sorry.'
Noah smiled. "Now comes the end. Farewell stepbrother… and you as well Yoko Sakaki."
Yami Marik wore his maniacal grin as he came within range of striking down Kaiba once and for all. Also, that Yoko woman would not survive due to the bomb that linked herself to Kaiba. The pain the others would feel of both of their deaths would be immeasurable. He could just about taste their misery.
But it was not to be. All his and Noah's expectations were instantly dashed away when one final obstacle blocked the way. With a mighty flap of his own set of wings, the black dragon armored Joey reached Kaiba first and pushed him roughly out of range… and took Yami Marik's attack instead.
"WHAT?! YOU AGAIN?!" Joey smirked despite being hit harder than he had felt in his life.
"This time I'm definitely taking you down! I've been saving this for the right moment!" He then held out a dark red fiery fist and punched Yami Marik's chest… right at the gem's location. "My Inferno Fire Blast ability allows me to hit you with the force of a bomb… in exchange for losing my entire armor! I'd say it's worth it to stop your psychotic ass!"
"It's a double knock out!" Tristan realized.
"NO!" Yami Marik screamed as both combatants were consumed in another huge explosion. It knocked Yugi and Kaiba back quite a ways.
"Joey!" Yugi, Serenity, and nearly all the others screamed as well. They all held up their arms to cover their faces. The ensuing blast shook the whole colosseum. It took a while for the dust to settle from that one. Once the scene was clear…
"Oh no! Joey!" Serenity yelled again. Her brother lay on his back, bruised and burned in a few places. His Lord of the Red armor was gone. Without noticing his own armor had vanished, Yugi immediately ran over to his best friend. A little further away, Marik also lay without his armor. Kaiba also saw that his God armor disappeared too.
'Looks like it's game over for Marik… and soon for Noah.' He though as he looked up at his stepbrother, who looked most disappointed at the outcome.
'So Death T-4 didn't turn out the way I expected either. Oh well… I suppose it doesn't really matter. I still have my backup…' Noah thought sinisterly.
Yugi knelt down and shook him gently. "Joey! Joey, can you hear me?" Slowly, his eyes opened and gave a weak cough.
"Yeah, I hear ya Yug. Did we win?" Joey asked. Yugi returned the smile with his own.
"We did, thanks to you. How do you feel?" Joey groaned as he sat up.
"Feeling a little banged up, but other than that I'm good." Yuya, Tèa, Tristan, and Serenity were relieved to see him okay. "What about Marik?" Yugi looked over at the opposite side of the arena.
"He seems to be out col… What?" He was stunned to see Yami Marik sit up to, his evil grin still present.
"Hahaha! Fools! I may have been defeated, but you still lose!"
"Not from where we are standing." Kaiba stated. Yami Marik then pointed to the "Eye" on his forehead.
"This device has another function I "conveniently" forgot to mention. My personality replicator also has a small built-in detonator! Once I press the Eye, Kaiba and Yoko Sakaki will both be blown to pieces!"
This new revelation shocked everyone, especially Yuya. 'Noah, how could you?!' Zarc was just as pissed.
"Talk about a very sore loser." He said in clear disgust. Yami Marik laughed at their horrified expressions.
"Seeing all of you look like that is such a delicious sight! Your looks of pure anguish and despair are sure to be just as sweet! Say your goodbyes!" He then pressed the hidden button in the center of the Eye.
"NOOOO!" The whole group shouted. Kaiba shut his eyes and braced himself for the inevitable, as did the everyone else.
Noah laughed similarly to his defeated champion. "Yes! This is sure to be gloriously messy!" He waited for the resulting blasts that would take his unworthy stepbrother's life and the life of Yuya's helpless mother. Only… there were no explosions at all. "What? Why haven't the bombs detonated?"
Yugi and the others have noticed it too. "Uh… why is there no explosion?" Joey asked.
"Guys, look at Marik!" Serenity said, pointing at their downed enemy.
Marik didn't look like his evil self anymore, his hair no longer standing up. He looked completely confused and afraid. Also, the Eye that was on his forehead now lay on the ground before him, ruined. "W-Where am I? What's happened?" He asked himself, apparently not remembering anything that's just happened. He then noticed the people around him. "Yugi? Kaiba? What's going on?"
"He doesn't remember? Has he been freed somehow?" Yugi asked himself, stunned by this. Just then, the bomb attached to Kaiba's chest instantly fell off and hit the arena floor, a sizzling mess. This surprised him too.
Noah was the most shocked of all as he shot to his feet. He was expecting Kaiba and Yoko to die, but that's exactly what he did not get. Plus, Marik wasn't supposed to be released from his control. Only he knew how to do that. "What?! I don't understand! How was Marik freed?! And why didn't the bombs go off?!"
At that moment, far below the arena of Death T-4, Yuzu and Mai praised the quick work of their little friend. "You did it Aqua! You saved Yuya's mom, Kaiba, and Marik!" Yuzu said, happy no one got blown up. Ricky made some cheerful noises in agreement.
"Nice going." Mai added, smiling in relief. Aqua seemed very pleased with herself.
"Thank you. By gaining access to the device attached to Marik via my uplink, I was able to reprogram it to not only remotely shut down both bombs and detaching themselves from their hosts, but to also release Marik's true self."
"Noah doesn't seem too pleased about that." Mai said as the three girls watched on their holo screen.
Back in the arena, Noah was furious once more. He couldn't understand what went wrong this time. His bombs should have gone off, and yet they didn't. Not only that, the bombs also removed themselves in the process and lost control of Marik Ishtar. None of that was supposed to happen. It couldn't be because he got hacked again. He personally saw to it that that would no longer be an issue. So what happened? Noah would have to figure that out later, for he had one more Death-T game to get underway: A final Duel against him.
To be continued.