Yugioh: The Hope of Six

by GamingGuy84

Sequel to "The Power of Four". Not long after Leo Akaba's defeat, the Four must face new and old threats with the help of Yuya, his counterparts, Yuzu, her counterparts, and some new allies. What will happen to the heroes and the ones they love? And what is Lightning's master plan? The real war begins here...

27. Kaiba Arc - Part 17

Yes! We are here! The final Duel against Noah Kaiba! I know this took longer but I had a lot to cram in this to make it "final battle of arc" worthy. I like to think I did. Also, I'm having The Wicked Avatar have the extra 100 ATK instead of the 1 ATK because it is easier for me to work with.

But first, I wanted to show this for those who wanted it:

Death T-4 Armor Abilities:

Yugi's Osiris Armor: By obtaining one Orb, the Osiris Armor can either paralyze an opposing player for a moment or multiply the power of it's main attack by the number of players on Yugi's side (6 in this case).

Kaiba's Obelisk Armor: By getting two Orbs, the Obelisk Armor can instantly destroy an object or weapon upon contact.

Yami Marik's Ra Armor: By collecting two Orbs, the Ra Armor can restore the gem to full status by draining the others, leaving them in the red. By collecting three Orbs, the Ra Armor can eliminate a player with a single attack whether it hit the weak spot or not.

Joey's Lord of the Red Armor: It can create a powerful explosion at the cost of the armor itself.

Now then, please enjoy this longer than usual chapter (also please don't judge me by it's length)!

Yugioh: The Hope of Six

Chapter 27: Kaiba Arc – Part 17

"So the bombs that were meant to kill my mom and Kaiba have been disabled? How?" Yuya asked himself in astonishment.

"I have no idea, Yuya. Let's just be glad that it did, as well as Marik apparently being released from Noah's control." Zarc told him.

"Yugi, tell me what's going on!" Marik demanded as he got to his feet, afraid and confused by his predicament. He groaned painfully as he held a hand to his chest, where Joey's last attack had hit him. That was not all that was bothering the young Egyptian. Marik was also sure his sister and adoptive brother were worried sick about him. His old enemy sighed in frustration.

"Much has happened Marik, and most of it is not good. I'll explain everything once we leave here…"

"I'm afraid that I can't allow that!" Noah interrupted before he slammed a button on one of his throne's armrests. Right then, Yuya, Tèa, Tristan, and Serenity were all encased in large cylinder containers where they stood throughout Death T-4. They were trapped. The only ones to remain free were Yugi, Kaiba, Joey (who looked just as beat up as their former opponent), and Marik.

"What the?!" Serenity exclaimed.

"Hey! What gives?!" Tristan complained while banging his fists against the glass.

"Let us out!" Tèa demanded heatedly.

"You can't do this!" Yuya yelled.

In the core chamber, Yuzu and the others with her were just as surprised. "Yuya!" Yuzu cried out in worry. Ricky moaned with great concern.

"What's Noah up to this time?" Mai asked wearily. Aqua stayed silent as she observed the events that transpired.

"Noah! What are you doing now?!" Yugi demanded angrily. A snarling Noah snorted before turning to Kaiba, ignoring Yugi.

"I don't know how Seto, but I know this was your doing! I thought I had put an end to your hacking, but I guess you were more resourceful than I thought! You have a backup system hidden somewhere nearby don't you?!" He yelled, demanding an answer again.

"Hacking?" Yuya gasped along with the others.

"Wait a minute! Those times we thought we were done for and somehow got away! Was all that really Kaiba's doing?!" Tristan said in amazement.

"Could be, but I don't see how. He was locked up until we came in here." Tèa pointed out.

Kaiba gave a knowing smile. "I've got nothing to say to a poor imitation of my late stepbrother." Noah shook with undisguised anger.

"Have it your way then. In the end, it doesn't really matter… because you and everyone in this tower will soon die by my own hand!" He then slammed another button on his throne. The whole gang watched as the colosseum around them began to descend below the floor. When the balcony had reached the floor, Noah jumped off and now stood before everyone he hated. Seconds later, there was nothing but dark metal walls around them.

"Finally had enough games, Noah?" Kaiba taunted. Noah glared hatefully at him.

"Only one game remains: Death T-5. Unlike the other games, this one is something I know you will feel most comfortable with. It is one last Duel… against me." Kaiba's smirked widely.

"At last." He said, relishing the opportunity to finally make Noah pay for everything he did. He immediately slipped on his Duel Disk but did not activate it just yet.

"I thought you might say that." Noah told him. "But…" He turned to Kaiba's rival, who stood kneeled next to Joey. "Yugi, you were supposed to be my only challenger after Death T-4, but my plans haven't gone the way they should have. You and Seto will both face me instead, while all the others will stay put and not get in the way." Yugi narrowed his eyes.

"Go get him Yug." His best friend said weakly. "You and rich boy got this." Yugi looked back to him.

"Are you sure you're alright, Joey?" He asked. Joey nodded.

"I'm good pal." He said.

"I'll make sure he stays that way." Yugi and Joey looked to see Marik approach them. "Joey will be fine with me." Yugi nodded.

"Thank you, Marik." Yugi then got to his feet and moved to stand beside Kaiba. "I'm ready for you Noah! Together we will stop you and save Yoko!" He strongly declared as he also had his Duel Disk placed in his arm. Noah then put on his own Duel Disk, Deck already inside.

"In this game, the Duel will be…"

"What about my mom?! Where is she?!" Yuya shouted as he banged his fists on his container. Noah turned to him, annoyed by his interruption.

"Oh yes, how could I forget?" He snapped his fingers and the wall behind him slid open. There she was, Yoko Sakaki, laying on the floor. An energy field formed itself to keep her confined.

"Mom!" Yuya cried out. He wanted to get out and reach her, but he could not get out.

"Try and hit that thing all your want kid, but you'll be stuck in there while I deal with my least favorite people." Noah told him coldly.

Yuya couldn't stand it. He couldn't let Yugi and Kaiba take on Noah themselves. He wanted to fight Noah too! He had to get out and take part in the Duel! It then occurred to him that maybe he could… 'Zarc, I need your help!' The boy then grabbed his pendant.

"Wait Yuya! This is not a good idea! You're still…!" Zarc tried to warn his partner, but the teen wouldn't hear of it.

'I don't care! Help me break out of here and fight! Please, Zarc!' Zarc could feel Yuya's determination to fight and save his mom from Noah's clutches. He would not be denied that after coming this far. The older spirit sighed in defeat.

"Alright." Once more, Yuya closed his eyes, focused his energy just like before, and his pendant began to glow…

"When we defeat you, you will release Yoko and all of our friends!" Yugi stated. Noah actually smiled.

"You can try, but you won't succeed Yugi. This Duel will truly be the end for everyone. I must admit, I've waited a long time to destroy both of you after my previous defeat. Now the time has come! Let us… Huh?" Before Noah could officially begin Death T-5, a bright silver light shined from Yuya's container.

"What is that light?" A stunned Marik asked. Noah, Yugi, Kaiba, and all the others watched in amazement and shock as Yuya broke free from his confinement.

"No! Not again! It's the same as before!" Noah shouted, remembering what the boy did back in Death T-3. His body once more covered in the silver glow he used before, Yuya stared at Noah with conviction in his silver eyes and began walking.

"NOAH! IT WON'T BE JUST YUGI AND KAIBA! TO SAVE MY MOM AND MY FRIENDS… I WILL FIGHT YOU TOO!"

"Is that… Yuya?!" Yuzu said as she, Mai, Aqua, and Ricky stared at the holo screen in the core chamber. The mercenary, Blue, was still out cold from Mai's attack. They were thunderstruck. 'What's happened to him?' Yuzu had never seen her boyfriend like that before. The last time something like this happened was when the evil Zarc took control of him. But strangely, that didn't seem to be the case now. The way Yuya spoke sounded like he was definitely the one in control this time. Then it hit her. 'Could it be that… the good Zarc is helping him?'

Yuya moved on until he stood to Yugi's right, while Kaiba was on the left. Kaiba couldn't hide the shock in his voice as he spoke. "Yugi… mind telling me what's going on with him?" Yugi turned to his rival.

"I'll explain later but… you weren't the only one keeping secrets from the rest of us."

"Secrets?" Kaiba blurted out in disbelief. 'What did he mean? What secret could Yuya have been hiding even from Yugi?' At this time, the glow had faded from Yuya's eyes, but not his body. It was not nearly as bright as before, but it was still covering him. Noah couldn't help but take a step back from the sight.

"Just what… the hell are you?" He asked, actually sounding afraid. Noah berated himself for not spying on Yugi's group after escaping Death T-3. The boy probably explained himself to everyone. Noah was preoccupied with his stepbrother and preparing Marik for Death T-4 at the time so he missed it. Yuya stared hard at him.

"I am one of the people you invited to take part in your twisted games! Games that have tried to kill us! Now I will also be one of the Duelists that will defeat you!" He then slipped on his own Duel Disk. "Now let's do this! Me, Yugi, and Kaiba against you!"

Noah took a moment to try to calm himself. He still had all the cards left to him to complete his true plan… and not the Duel Monsters kind. He then put on what seemed to be a confident smile. "Alright then… so be it. Three against one is how it shall be. You guys win, and you all get to go home with Yoko Sakaki. But if I win…" He then chuckled. "It shall be instant death for everyone."

"In what way?" Yugi asked.

"Remember the KaibaCorp satellite that fired the missile which destroyed the submarine containing my super computer? Well…" He paused for dramatic effect. "That same satellite currently orbiting Earth holds a much more powerful version of the laser that I used to zap the fake Mokuba. It is currently locked on to our position and will automatically blast this place to Hell the moment all your Life Points hit zero!" This got a terrified gasp from everyone. "And as a precaution, I disabled the system uplink from the Death-T Tower to the satellite long ago, before I even showed myself to you earlier today. Good thing I did, with all the problems you've given me, Seto." Kaiba sneered.

"He is right. I cannot access the satellite's systems from here." Aqua admitted sadly.

"So you can't stop it from firing if the guys lose?" Mai asked.

"No." The Water Ignis admitted. Yuzu still stared up at the screen.

"They won't lose! I believe in them!" She said strongly. 'Yuya, Yugi, Kaiba… win this and save everyone!'

"But won't you die as well?" Yuya asked. Noah grunted.

"Did you forget? I already have." He held up his Duel Disk, ready to get started. "Now that I've covered the details, let's play our final Death-T game. Shall we?" The Duelist trio looked at one another before turning back to Noah.

"Very well. It's time to Duel!" Yugi said as he activated his Duel Disk.

"Agreed. Let's do this." Kaiba replied, copying Yugi's actions.

"I'm more than ready!" Yuya declared, also turning on his Duel Disk. Strangely, the program that allowed him to use Action Cards in his Disk had not activated like it usually did. Yuya hadn't failed to notice. 'But why? The program operates when my Disk is in Duel Mode like it is now. Why isn't it working?'

"Noah kept everyone's Duel Disks shut down during our time here except for those that dueled. It's possible that whatever signal he used also unintentionally disabled the Action Duel program." Zarc guessed. Yuya inwardly cursed Noah for that. "Still, don't let that distract you. With or without Action Cards, you are still a great Duelist. Just believe in yourself, your Deck, and those that fight with you."

Yuya looked over at Yugi and Kaiba, and then smiled. 'You're right. I can still be helpful even without using Action Cards.'

Zarc smiled at his partner's determination. However, he still had his concerns. "Yuya, I'll keep you energized by my power, but try not to drag this out. I don't want you passing out again before we save the day."

'Got it. Between the two of us, Yugi, and Kaiba, I know we can do this.' Yuya said confidently.

"That's the spirit Yuya. Now go win and get your mom back." Yuya planned to do just that.

Noah then at last activated his own Duel Disk. "Let the last game, Death T-5, begin!" At once, all four Duelists called out the word to start.

"DUEL!"

(Yugi: 4000) (Kaiba: 4000) (Yuya: 4000) (Noah: 4000)

"I'll go first! My turn! Draw!" Yugi declared, starting things off.

"We need to be careful, Yugi. Noah no doubt has the two Wicked Gods he took from Vivian and placed added them to his Deck, along with the Seal of Orichalcos. But there is another danger…" Atem warned. Yugi knew what he was getting at.

'The third Wicked God. We never faced it in our Duel against Vivian. Noah must've kept it with him the whole time.'

"Most likely. We must be prepared for the possibility that Noah will unleash it, and the others, in our battle." Yugi's partner advised. Yugi agreed and made his opening move.

"I'll start by Setting a Monster in Defense Mode. Then I activate Dark Magical Circle! When this Continuous Magic card is activated, I can look at the top 3 cards in my Deck and reveal either "Dark Magician" or a Magic or Trap card that specifically mentions "Dark Magician" in it's text! That card gets added to my hand while the others get placed back on the top of my Deck in any order!" Yugi then looked at his cards and was pleased with the result. "I have my faithful Dark Magician, so I add it to my hand!" Yugi then returned the other cards to his Deck. "Finally, I Set one card facedown and end my turn." Yugi and Atem hoped it would be enough.

"Always like to play defense, huh Yugi?" Noah taunted. Yugi didn't reply.

"Unlike Yugi, I tend to go on the offense more often. My turn! Draw!" Kaiba declared, then smiled at the cards he held. "I Summon my menacing Vorse Raider! (DARK; Level 4; ATK: 1900; DEF: 1200) A humanoid dark skinned warrior wielding a deadly axe appeared. "I then Set two cards facedown and end my turn."

"As I expected from you, Seto." Noah said before turning to his third opponent. 'What will you do, Yuya?'

"Now it's my move! My turn! Draw!" Yuya was also weary about what Noah may be planning and decided to be prepared accordingly. "With my Scale 4 Entermate Trump Witch and my Scale 8 Entermate Skullcrobat Joker, I Set the Pendulum Scale!" In the left Pendulum Zone stood a purple and black stripped acrobat with wild blonde hair, while the right one had a small masked girl in a tattered blue witch's outfit and held a wand with a skull on the end. "I can now Summon Monsters with Levels 5 through 7!"

"He can what?!" Noah shouted in surprise, along with Marik.

"Swing, pendulum of souls! Draw an arc of light across the ether! Pendulum Summon! Appear! Wondrous and beautiful dichromatic eyes! Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon!" Yuya's Ace Monster materialized and stood ready to battle for it's master. "With that, I end my turn!"

"Oh wow! So that's a Pendulum Summon!" Serenity exclaimed. Like with Synchros, this was her first time seeing a Pendulum Summon being pulled off.

"And here I thought l'd seen everything at this point." Mai commented, amazed after seeing Yuya's Pendulum Summon. Yuzu smiled at that.

"Another new form of Summoning?! First Synchro Summoning, now this?! Does it let you Summon multiple Monsters at once, even ones with higher Levels?!" Noah demanded.

"That and more! Pendulum Summoning is my speciality!" Yuya stated proudly. "Also, the Pendulum Effect of Skullcrobat Joker only allows me to Pendulum Summon "Magician" Pendulum Monsters, "Odd-Eyes", and "Entermate" Monsters! My dragon fits those requirements!"

"So I see." Noah grumbled. He knew Yuya Sakaki would be unpredictable and possibly dangerous from what he witnessed earlier, but he didn't expect the kid to have his own Special Summoning method. And it seemed to him that the Monsters in Yuya's "Pendulum Zones" are being used as Magic cards. If so, it would fit in with what Noah had in mind. "Regardless, I will crush you and all your pals! My turn! Draw!" He was pleased with his first draw. 'Excellent. I can bring it out already.'

"Be ready Yuya." Zarc advised. Yuya told him he would be.

"For my first move, I can Special Summon Angel 01 from my hand if I reveal a Level 7 or higher Monster in my hand! And that high level Monster is… The Wicked Avatar, a Level 10 Monster!" Noah declared, revealing his Monster.

"That must be the last Wicked God!" Tristan said.

"Is he going to try to Summon it?" Serenity asked, afraid of what it can do.

"Now come, Angel 01!" (LIGHT; Level 1; ATK: 200; DEF: 300) A small winged figure with a hidden face appeared before Noah. "Since Angel 01 is on my Field, I can Special Summon Angel 02 from my hand!" (LIGHT; Level 2; ATK: 300; DEF: 400) Another small Fairy, this time light blue, came to stand with first. "While I control an Angel 01 that has been Special Summoned, I can Advance Summon a Level 7 or higher Monster from my hand in addition to my Normal Summon! I think you know where I'm going with this!" Noah said, barely holding himself back from laughing.

"Here it comes." Yugi muttered. He, Kaiba, and Yuya tensed for what they are about to face.

"Next, I Normal Summon Hardened Armed Dragon!" (EARTH; Level 4; ATK: 1500; DEF: 800) Standing with the small angels was a dragon with exposed muscle and bone; no skin was covering it. "And now, the big moment! I Sacrifice Angel 01, Angel 02, and Hardened Armed Dragon to Advance Summon the dark sun of the Wicked Gods: The Wicked Avatar!" (DIVINE; Level 10; ATK: ?; DEF: ?) All three Monsters vanished to make room for the huge, black orb now floating in front of Noah.

"The third Wicked God…" Yuya said to himself.

"Wicked God?" Kaiba questioned.

"The Wicked Gods are three Monster cards Pegasus was in the process of creating to match the Egyptian God cards. He didn't finish them, but Noah found them and picked up where he left off. I faced two of them earlier in a Duel with Vivian Wong, but this is my first time seeing this one." Yugi explained.

"Thanks for the warning." Kaiba muttered.

"That thing doesn't look so tough." Joey commented, not impressed by it's overall appearance. Noah snickered at him.

"That's about to change. The Wicked Avatar's Attack and Defense Points become the same as the Attack Points of the highest Attack Point Monster on the Field aside from the Wicked Avatar itself… with 100 more Points added!"

"It what?" Kaiba asked, not quite believing what he just heard.

Noah then pointed at Yuya's Monster. "Right now, the strongest Monster in play is Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon! This next part is sure to be surprising!" At that moment, Noah's Wicked God began to change shape. Everyone was stunned to see it become a pure black version of Odd-Eyes. "Since Odd-Eyes' Attack Power is 2500, my Wicked Avatar gains Attack and Defense equal to that with another 100!" He was proven right as Wicked Avatar's power rose just barely above the true Odd-Eyes.

(The Wicked Avatar's ATK and DEF: 2600)

'That thing… it looks just like a pure evil version of my dragon.' Yuya thought to himself, hating what he was seeing.

"I can't stand the sight of it either." Zarc said in total agreement.

"So that Monster was made so that it always has more Attack Points than the strongest Monster in play?! Totally unfair!" Tristan protested.

Noah ignored him while smirking. 'They don't know it just yet, but my Wicked God has a couple other Effects that are sure to be more troublesome. Also, there's this…' He thought with great anticipation as he turned to Yugi. "Yugi… I believe you are already familiar with the card I'm about to play next. It's sure to strike at your very soul."

Yugi stiffened and gritted his teeth. 'No. Has he drawn it already?'

"Is he going to…?" Yuya questioned, sensing his friend's fear and realizing what Noah meant.

"What did he mean by that, Yugi?" Kaiba asked. He could tell his rival was shaken and starting to sweat, and not much could do that. This unsettled him. Instead of answering Kaiba, Yugi kept all his attention his opponent.

"Noah, you mustn't! That card is far too dangerous! You saw what it did to Vivian! Don't make the same mistake!" He begged.

'Vivian?' Kaiba asked in his mind, surprised. He knew that Vivian Wong had been involved with Noah from the start, but strangely he had not seen the Asian Champion when he took part in Death T-4. Where was she? And what was Yugi talking about?

Noah only smiled as he prepared to play said card. "The only mistake I made was not leaving all of you behind to die when that missile detonated. My original self got too soft and wimped out instead of escaping in a new body. I won't be so generous this time."

"Noah, please don't!" Yugi tried one more time, to no avail.

"Too late! I now activate a card to give me another advantage against all my enemies! From my hand I play… The Seal of Orichalcos!"

"WHAT?!" Kaiba shouted, not believing what was taking place. Before everyone's eyes, a green barrier formed itself around the four Duelists and formed the recognizable symbol on the ground. Just like with Vivian, the Orichalcos mark formed on Noah's head and his eyes glowed slightly red, after which he looked positively insane.

"Noah has The Seal of Orichalcos?!" Mai shouted, eyes wide and fearful. "But how?!"

"Mai, What is it?" Yuzu asked, clearly not aware of the dangers that card posed. Mai reluctantly turned to her.

"Yuzu, the card that Noah just played is very bad news." The older woman briefly explained the card's history and how she used it herself in her dark days. When Mai got to the part about the Orichalcos taking the loser's soul, Yuzu gasped and cover her mouth with her hands.

"That's… that's horrible. How could Noah have gotten a card like that?" She asked. Mai shook her head.

"Dartz was the only one that could've provided it, but he's gone. I can't think of anyone else it could be."

Aqua didn't say anything. Her reaction to the Seal's activation was different, and more alarming. 'The green light The Seal of Orichalcos is giving off… it's the same light from my vision.' She knew it would only get worse from here… unless something could be done about it.

Back in the Duel, Joey had also filled Marik in on the details of Noah's newest card. He didn't like it one bit. "A card capable of taking a person's soul?!" He said, terrified. Joey nodded.

"Unfortunately. Now things just got a whole lot worse for them." He said.

Noah loved the feeling he got from the Orichalcos. 'Yes. The power is incredible. Lightning sure has good taste.' "As you know, The Seal of Orichalcos gives all my Monsters 500 more Attack Points! Now my Wicked God is even stronger because of it!" Noah declared as his dark beast had it's power increased, with the Orichalcos mark appearing on it and having glowing eyes as well.

(The Wicked Avatar's ATK: 2600 + 500 = 3100)

Kaiba turned to Yugi, clearly pissed. "You knew Noah had The Seal of Orichalcos?!" That had to explain why Yugi reacted so fearfully. His deeply troubled rival nodded.

"I did. I'm sorry I couldn't tell you before now. Vivian played the Seal against me in our Duel. When I defeated her, that card took her soul away. Her body was left behind at the entrance that led in here. After that, Noah appeared and took the card from her Deck… along with the two Wicked Gods she used."

"How the hell did Noah get his greedy hands on it? Is Dartz back and working with him?" Kaiba asked, demanding answers.

"Noah said Dartz was not involved, but wouldn't provide any more details. We still don't know how it's possible he got that evil card." Yugi told him.

"Any other surprises I should be aware of?" Kaiba said while growling.

"No, at least none I know about." Yugi concluded.

"Vivian lost her soul?!" Yuzu said in total shock. Though she despised Vivian for kidnapping her dad and Yuya's mom, Yuzu felt even she didn't deserve that fate.

"If you're done chitchatting, I like to get on with my turn." Noah said impatiently. "I play the last card in my hand, Hand of the Wicked God! If I successfully Normal Summoned a "Wicked God" this turn, I can have it attack all my opponents' Monsters once each!"

"You can't attack on your first turn!" Joey protested.

"This Magic card says otherwise, fool." Noah said before focusing on Yugi. "You're first! Battle! Wicked Avatar, attack Yugi's facedown Monster!" A black version of Odd-Eyes' signature move fired at Yugi's only defense. As it struck, however…

"That won't work!" Yugi said as his unknown Monster was revealed. "I have a card that you might remember also Noah, my Obnoxious Celtic Guardian!" (EARTH; Level 4; ATK: 1400; DEF: 1200) An elf wearing green steel armor and a cape appeared and blocked the strike with his sword. "My elf warrior cannot be destroyed in battle by Monsters with 1900 or more Attack Points!" Noah didn't seem concerned.

"Lucky you. Can't say the same for you, stepbrother." Noah said as he turned to Kaiba. "Your Vorse Raider is next on my list! Wicked Avatar, attack!" Noah's Wicked God fired it's attack once more.

Kaiba smirked. He had Noah right where he wanted him. "Your copy cat Monster is nothing but a pest that needs to be exterminated, and I have just the combo to do so! I activate my facedown Shrink Quick-Play Magic card to… What?" Kaiba was stunned. His facedown card wouldn't activate. 'What's going on? Why can't I use my Magic card?'

Noah smirked as his attack proceeded.

Yugi noticed this and decided to lend a hand. "Hold on Kaiba! I activate my Spellbinding Circle to stop…" He was silenced when he discovered his own card also couldn't be played, eyes widened with shock. 'It can't be! My Trap card isn't working either!'

Before either Duelist could try to do anything else, Kaiba's Vorse Raider was blown apart by Noah's assault.

(3100 - 1900 = 1200)

(Kaiba: 4000 - 1200 = 2800)

"Wait a sec! Why didn't Yugi and Kaiba try to stop the attack?" Joey asked, totally stumped.

"They couldn't…" Marik muttered, having realized something.

"What do ya mean they couldn't?" Joey asked him.

"What's the deal?" Tristan asked.

"What happened?" Yuya questioned.

Noah couldn't help but laugh at the utterly confused looks of his adversaries. "You should see yourselves right now! It's so priceless!" He laughed further.

"What the hell did you do Noah?!" Kaiba angrily demanded. Noah pointed at his dark Monster.

"The Wicked Avatar has another "wicked" Effect! Because my Monster was successfully Normal Summoned, none of you three can use Magic and Trap cards until the end of your 2nd turn after this Effect was activated!" Everyone gasped. "And if I'm right, that also includes the cards in your Pendulum Zones, right Yuya?" Noah asked. Yuya's silence pretty much confirmed it for him.

"No Magic and Traps for two whole turns?" Tèa said, clearly worried.

"Add it to the fact that The Wicked Avatar will always be the strongest Monster on the Field. It's a seriously big problem." Marik said, summing up the situation.

"How can they beat something like that?" Serenity asked. Yuzu, Mai, and Aqua were asking themselves the same thing. Noah chuckled.

"Let me guess Seto: You were planning to unleash your Crush Card Virus on my Monsters by weakening your Vorse Raider before I destroyed it, right?" Kaiba's own eyes widened with further surprise. "I know all your moves by heart at this point. Nothing you do can surprise me anymore." Noah then shrugged. "If it's any consolation though, your Virus wouldn't have been able to work on my Wicked God anyway."

"Why's that?" Kaiba asked, sounding more annoyed.

"Because of the Monster Effect of my Hardened Armed Dragon. When it is Sacrificed to Summon a Level 7 or higher Monster, that Monster cannot be destroyed by card effects! The Wicked Avatar is practically invincible at this point! Doesn't that just piss you off?" Kaiba sneered in frustration.

"Damn you Noah." He told him. Noah turned his attention to his youngest opponent.

"Now to incinerate the Monster my own is impersonating. Wicked Avatar, attack and destroy Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon!" For the third time, the black energy blast came forth to obliterate it's next target. Unfortunately for Noah, Yuya wasn't entirely defenseless.

"I won't lose my Ace Monster! I activate the Effect of Entermate Odd-Eyes Dissolver in my hand! When my Monster battles during either of our turns, I can protect that Monster from being destroyed by battle and I take no damage from that battle!"

"What?" Noah said, finally surprised himself as Odd-Eyes was shielded by a blue barrier.

"There's more! After that, I Special Summon Odd-Eyes Dissolver to my Field!" (DARK; Level 8; ATK: 2000; DEF: 2600) An armored figure with flaming blue hair and holding a scepter appeared next to Yuya's Ace. "Since I was able to Special Summon it this way, Odd-Eyes Dissolver also cannot be destroyed by battle, or by card effects, this turn! And lastly, your Monster has all it's Effects negated!"

"No! You brat!" Noah cried, clearly pissed off a lot to see his powerful Monster losing most of it's power. Not only that, but it's appearance had changed back into the dark orb it originally was. Yuya smiled defiantly.

(The Wicked Avatar's ATK: 500; DEF: 0)

"Nice one!" Yuzu said happily.

"Sweet move Yuya!" Joey cheered.

"Well played!" Yugi added. Kaiba couldn't help but smile, though he said nothing. Noah was trembling with fury.

"Dammit! I won't let you get away with that! I end my turn!"

Yuya was pleased himself. However, he couldn't relax yet. The Duel was far from over.

"With Noah's Wicked God so weak now, Yugi should be able to take it down no problem!" Tristan said.

"Let's hope so." Tèa said.

"Alright Noah, it's my move now! Draw!" Yugi declared as he drew his next card. Before he could plan anything…

"Not so fast! During my opponent's turn, I can banish Hand of the Wicked God from my Graveyard to remove any and all effects inflicted upon Wicked Avatar last turn, destroy all my opponents' facedown cards, and Set a "Wicked" Magic or Trap card from my Deck! I Set a Trap card called Wicked Defense! Now my Monster isn't so pathetic anymore!" Yugi grunted annoyingly at seeing The Wicked Avatar regaining it's Attack and Defense Power of 3100 and 2600 respectively and reclaim all it's lost Effects (as well as Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon's likeness).

'Noah really has no intention of losing this Duel, does he?' Yugi asked the Pharaoh.

"Clearly not. But, even though we are once again at a disadvantage, we still have our teamwork. Noah cannot defeat that." Atem said. Yugi agreed before returning to the Duel.

"Noah, my friends and I will find a way to take down your Wicked Avatar! That I firmly believe! I Set one card facedown and end my turn."

"Yeah well, I don't believe that." Noah told him, unconvinced of Yugi's statement.

"I do!" Kaiba said as he started his next turn. "My turn! Draw!" He inwardly fumed. 'If it weren't for Wicked Avatar's Effect, I'd be able to play this and wipe that smug grin off Noah's face. But for now…' "I Summon Blade Knight in Defense Mode!" (LIGHT; Level 4; ATK: 1600; DEF: 1000) A shiny armored warrior appearing and knelt to protect it's master. "I then Set one card facedown and end my turn."

"Not much they can do without being able to use their Magic and Trap cards." Mai noted.

"They'll think of something." Yuzu said confidently, with Ricky watching everything on her shoulder. She then frowned, something weighing on her mind.

"What is wrong Yuzu?" Aqua asked. Yuzu's eyes were on Noah as she answered.

"Yugi said that Noah had become a better person last time they met. He was willing to sacrifice himself to save everyone. What could've happened to make him like this?" She wondered aloud.

Aqua asked herself the same thing. She also heard the tale when Noah and Vivian revealed themselves back at KaibaCorp. "Perhaps I can find out." She said before accessing a scanner system.

"What are you doing?" Mai asked.

"Scanning Noah for any anomalies in his back-up program." Aqua told her. "The energy coming off The Seal of Orichalcos is causing some interference, but I believe I can get past it. This shouldn't take too long."

As Aqua did her scanning, Yuya was preparing for his next turn. "Yuya, how are you holding up?" Zarc had asked. He was still concerned that Yuya was using his power for this prolonged period of time.

'I'm feeling okay. Not feeling tired or anything… at least not yet.' The boy said.

"That's good. Still, we should finish this as soon as possible." Zarc advised. Yuya agreed.

'Got it. And think I know how...' He turned to Noah, smiling. "Noah, I'm about to turn things around! My turn! Draw!" Noah snorted.

"I doubt it, but give it your best shot." Yuya intended to do just that.

"Be careful what you wish for! I activate the Effect of Odd-Eyes Dissolver! I can Fuse it with a Monster in one of my Pendulum Zones for a Fusion Summon!"

"A Fusion with a Monster in his Pendulum Zone?" Noah questioned.

"I Fuse the Entermate Odd-Eyes Dissolver on my Field with the Entermate Skullcrobat Joker in my Pendulum Zone! Dichromatic eyes that illuminate the dark night! Become a new performer's inspiration on a new path! Fusion Summon! Appear! Level 8! Starve Venom Fusion Dragon!" (DARK; Level 8; ATK: 2800; DEF: 2000) The dark purple dragon Yuya received from Yuri flew down to join it's Pendulum counterpart.

"That's a nasty looking thing." Mai said, seeing the dragon for the first time.

"It does look scary, but it's sure to be a big help for Yuya." Yuzu told her.

Noah scoffed at Yuya. "You idiot. By Summoning a stronger Monster than your other dragon, you just made my Wicked God stronger as well!" At that moment, Wicked Avatar's appearance changed again. This time, it shape-shifted into a blackened version of Starve Venom and gained more power.

(2800 + 100 = 2900; 2900 + 500 = 3400)

(The Wicked Avatar's ATK: 3400; DEF: 2900)

"Yuya better know what he's doing." Kaiba said, not liking that Noah's Monster had just gotten more powerful.

"Trust me, Kaiba. He does." Yugi said with confidence.

"Why would you bother with such a stupid move?" Noah said insultingly. Yuya still grinned.

"This is why! I activate the Effect of Starve Venom! Once per turn, I can negate the Effects of a Level 5 or higher Monster and give those Effects to my dragon until the end of the turn!"

"Not again!" Noah shouted, angry to see his Monster's Attack Points reduced to 500 once more and becoming a formless orb again.

"Oh yeah! Stick it to him Yuya!" Tristan shouted.

Noah however, wasn't going to lose his precious Monster that easily. "I activate my Wicked Defense Trap card! This turn, a "Wicked God" I control cannot be destroyed by card effects and cannot be destroyed in battle twice! Also, I take no damage from battle this turn! My Wicked Avatar is NOT going anywhere!" Noah was unnerved to see Yuya still smiling.

"Sorry Noah, but you're about to be proven wrong again!" Yuya and Zarc smiled at each other. They had just the thing to blow away the dark sun of the Wicked Gods…

"Meaning what?" Noah demanded.

"You'll see. Battle! Starve Venom Fusion Dragon, attack Wicked Avatar! Venom Blaster!" Starve Venom's wings crackled with electricity before it fired a blast on the black orb. A dark barrier blocked the assault. "Your turn, Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon! Attack Wicked Avatar with your Spiral Strike Burst!" Yuya's Ace fired it's red energy beam from it's mouth to strike at the dark god that mimicked it's appearance. Like before, it's attack was also blocked. "Now your Monster isn't safe from battle anymore!" Yuya declared.

"Like it matters! If you were going to attack me a third time, you should've Summoned another Monster before attacking!" Noah told him.

"I'm about to!" Yuya pointed at the Monster in his still occupied Pendulum Zone. "I now activate the Pendulum Effect of Entermate Trump Witch! Once per turn, during either my Main Phase or Battle Phase, I can Fusion Summon a Fusion Monster from my Extra Deck using Monsters I control! With this Effect, Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon and Starve Venom Fusion Dragon will now merge together!"

"A Fusion Summon during battle?!" Noah said in surprise. Everyone watched, transfixed on the two dragons fusing into a never before seen creature.

"Dragon with dual colored eyes! Become one with the poisonous dragon! Be the power that leads to supremacy! Fusion Summon! Appear! Level 10! Dragon with gem-like eyes of kindness! Supreme King Violet Dragon - Odd-Eyes Venom Dragon!" (DARK; Level 10; ATK: 3300; DEF: 2500) Yuya's new Fusion Pendulum Monster was quite a sight. It had characteristics of both dragons, purple with red and green orbs shown throughout it's body and white armor on it's wings and legs. It's horns were also white with a big green orb snugged right between them. It also had different colored eyes like one of it's Fusion Materials, it's right eye red and it's left eye green.

Yuzu was amazed the most. "Yuya actually merged both his dragon and Yuri's together?"

"That's new." Joey said, liking the new dragon.

"I wasn't expecting that." Yugi said to himself.

"That new dragon of his better pull it off." Kaiba said.

"Noah managed to shake off his surprise. "So what if you have another Monster? Your old Fusion Monster is gone, so my Wicked Avatar gets everything back and I regain the upper hand!"

"No it won't!" Yuya said, confusing Noah. "Once per turn, Odd-Eyes Venom Dragon can negate and take the Effects of your Monster until the end of the turn, no matter the Level!"

"You brat!" Noah yelled, more angry than ever.

"My dragon has another surprise! Since it was Fusion Summoned while it's Fusion Materials were on my Field, Odd-Eyes Venom gains Attack Points equal to the total Attack Points of all Monsters you control until the end of the turn!"

"Because Wicked Avatar's Effects were negated, the only Attack Points it has now are the 500 Points provided by the Seal!" Noah said, angry and frustrated.

(Odd-Eyes Venom Dragon's ATK: 3300 + 500 = 3800)

"Yeah! Get him Yuya!" Joey encouraged.

No one noticed, but at that very moment, Yoko Sakaki had finally started to regain consciousness behind her force field. The first thing she was was her son in the middle of a rather intense Duel. She was puzzled by the mysterious glow around him, plus having a Monster she had never seen before. She also saw that he looked pissed. "Yuya...?" She said, barely above a whisper.

Yuya fixed his eyes on the villain that endangered the lives of everyone he cared about, especially his mom. "Noah… the things you have done to us were cruel and unforgivable! You even tried to kill my mom! You're not getting away with it! This one is for her! ODD-EYES VENOM DRAGON, ATTACK AND DESTROY THE WICKED AVATAR! PURE POISON BURST!" A bright purple energy beam from the dragon's mouth struck it's target dead on and disintegrated it. The resulting explosion sent a screaming Noah flying into the edge of the Seal's barrier and barely managed to land back on his feet.

(3800 - 500 = 3300)

(Noah: 4000 - 3300 = 700)

"That one had to hurt!" Joey said while chuckling.

"I wish I could've finished this, but I didn't have what I needed to do that. Destroying your Wicked God will have to do. I also Set one card facedown and end my turn. Also, Odd-Eyes Venom's Attack Points return to normal." Yuya said, ending his turn.

"Alright Yuya!" Yugi cheered.

"Yuya!" Cried the others happily.

Kaiba smirked. "Not too shabby kid." He admitted softly to himself.

"I knew Yuya could do it." Yuzu said, grinning brightly. Ricky made more happy noises as he jumped up and down the her shoulder.

"He sure did." Mai said, sound very impressed herself.

"I am also very pleased." Aqua said. Just then, a loud beeping sound chimed. "My scanning of Noah's program is complete."

"What did you find?" Mai asked.

Aqua took a moment to examine the results. What she found… was something very disturbing and unexpected. "I… I wasn't expecting this."

"What is it?" Yuzu asked. Aqua looked up at the women.

"According to the results of the scan I made, Noah's back-up program has been tampered with. It was corrupted from the deepest part of his programming codes."

"Corrupted? Who would do that?" Mai questioned.

"I know precisely who did this. The nature of the corrupted codes is proof of it." Said the Water Ignis, disgust evident in her voice.

"Who?" Yuzu asked as well.

Before Aqua could answer, their attention was drawn back to the Duel on the holo screen. Something was happening to Noah… and it was not good.

On the Duel Field, Noah's body started giving off a dark yellow glow. His head was still bent over, his eyes hidden. Yuya, Yugi, Kaiba, and the others were also noticing the change. "Now what?" Tèa asked, sounding worried again.

"I'm sensing a sudden change within Noah. I don't like it." Atem said.

'Me neither.' Yugi replied.

"Yuya, watch yourself." Zarc warned, also feeling something different about their enemy. Yuya got the message as Noah slowly straightened himself up.

Noah gritted his teeth as he stood up. "You… how dare you? You're just an insignificant human! A foolish child! You can't possibly compete with what I am!" Noah finally lifted his and stared back at Yuya with glowing neon green eyes, mixed in with the red from using the Seal. "NO ONE CAN!"

This stunned everyone.

"What's happened to him?" Serenity asked.

"Something tells me he's more than a little pissed off now." Marik said.

"Now what?" Mai asked.

"Why are Noah's eyes like that?"

"That is what I was trying to tell you." Aqua said, sounding distressed. "This is a result of his reprogramming… by Lightning." Yuzu and Mai gapped the Ignis.

"Lightning?!" Yuzu said, not believing it.

"The evil Ignis that wanted everyone dead?" Mai inquired. Aqua nodded.

"Yes, Mai. I recognize his Ignis codes anywhere, also Noah's eyes are now just like his and is glowing in his signature color. Lightning has somehow discovered Noah's back-up program and altered it to suit his purposes. He did the same thing to the Wind Ignis, Windy, some time ago before Ray saved us."

"He did? Is he still a danger?" Mai asked, stunned that Lightning would corrupt another of his kind.

"His original program has been restored, so he is fine. Noah, though…" Aqua couldn't continue.

"Why would Lightning do that?" Yuzu asked. Aqua could come up with only one logical reason.

"I believe he intends to use Noah to succeed where he had failed with the attack on the Airship."

"But that would mean…" Mai started, and Yuzu finished for her.

"Lightning knows we're all alive." The younger girl went pale upon making that realization.

"Exactly." Aqua said as she returned her attention to the Duel. "What we are now witnessing is Lightning's codes interacting with the dark magic of the Orichalcos. Not a very stable combination." Behind them, Blue began to stir…

Back in the Duel, Noah appeared to have finally snapped. His eyes and the Orichalcos mark on his forehead glowed in unholy unison, making him far less human than he already was.

"Yugi, What's up with Noah's eyes and that glow? Another side effect of using The Seal of Orichalcos?" Yuya asked, his voice a little fearful now.

"No. This is new. Whatever the cause, I believe you have truly made him mad at this point." Yugi warned. And mad he was.

"Yuya, you will suffer most severely for my humiliation! That's a promise! My turn! DRAW!" Noah snorted with what he got. "I play Graceful Charity, which let's me draw 3 cards before discarding 2!" He smiled devilishly with what he drew. "You thought The Wicked Avatar was my Ace in this Duel, didn't you? Well allow me to prove you all wrong! I now activate True Evil, a powerful Magic card that can only be activated when all three Wicked Gods are in my Graveyard!"

"But his Wicked Avatar was the only one sent there!" Serenity argued.

"No, it wasn't." Joey told his sister. "The two cards Noah just discarded have gotta be the other Wicked Gods he took from Vivian."

"They are indeed." The crazed Noah confirmed. "With the necessary requirements met, I can now Special Summon my TRUE Ace from my Deck! Feast your eyes on the beast that will end all of you: THE WICKED OVERLORD!" (DIVINE; Level 12; ATK: 6100; DEF: 6100) The new Monster that clawed it's way to the surface had the bulky form of Wicked Dreadroot but had the head of Wicked Eraser and was as black as Wicked Avatar. Everyone gasped at the huge brute facing the three Duelists.

"It's official. That is the most evil looking Monster I've ever seen!" Tristan said, afraid of what he was seeing.

"No argument from me." Tèa said.

'What is that thing capable of?' Kaiba asked himself, now shaking a little himself. He would get his answer shortly.

"Just like with my Avatar, Wicked Overlord gains more power from The Seal of Orichalcos!"

(The Wicked Overlord's ATK: 6100 + 500 = 6600)

"What a nuisance that card." Marik muttered.

"As for Wicked Overlord itself, it is unaffected by all card effects due all the Wicked Gods being in my Graveyard! Also, since it was successfully Special Summoned this turn, I gain Life Points equal to half it's current Attack Points and gain another 100 for each Wicked God in my Graveyard!"

"What? Seriously?!" Joey shouted disbelievingly as Noah gain more than enough Life Points.

(3300 + 400 = 3700)

(Noah: 700 + 3700 = 4400)

"Now for your punishment! Battle! Wicked Overlord, attack Odd-Eyes Venom Dragon! Wicked Oblivion!" With a mighty clap of it's ginormous hands, Yuya's dragon was gone and took a serious hit to his Life Points.

(6600 - 3300 = 3300)

(Yuya: 4000 - 3300 = 700)

"Yuya!" Yugi and Yuzu cried out at the same time as Yuya got pushed back until he too got slammed into the Orichalcos barrier. Miraculously, he avoided falling to his knees.

"Yuya, are you alright?" Asked Zarc, now much more concerned for his partner's wellbeing.

'I'm okay Zarc. I'm fine.' Yuya told him before he turned his attention to Noah. "Being a Pendulum Monster that was destroyed on the Field, Odd-Eyes Venom Dragon goes back to my Extra Deck instead of the Graveyard!"

However, Zarc could tell Yuya's body was close to approaching it's limit regarding to using his newfound power. He would give out soon if the Duel gets dragged on too much longer. And he knew what would happen to a Duelist who loses with the Seal active…

"Interesting fact, but makes no difference to me." Noah then laughed at Yuya's suffering. "That attack didn't feel so nice, did it?! Trust me, the worst is still to come! I end my turn, but The Wicked Overlord has one more surprise to unveil! During my End Phase, I can Special Summon a Hell Token to my Field for each "Wicked" card in my Graveyard! My count is 5, so I get 5 Hell Tokens!" (DARK: Level 9; ATK: 500; DEF: 500) Smaller, red versions of Overlord entered the scene, with one of them being Summoned in one of the Magic and Trap Zones. "Also, Wicked Overlord gives them 1000 Attack and Defense Points for each Wicked God in my Graveyard, making them all 3000 Attack Points stronger! And like their master, they also get a boost in strength from the Seal!"

(1000 x 3 = 3000; 500 + 3000 = 3500)

(Hell Token's ATK: 3500 + 500 = 4000; DEF: 3500)

"Wait! You got 6 Monsters in play now, with one of them being in a Magic and Trap Zone! You can't do that!" Yuya said, about to accuse Noah of cheating. Noah chuckled at him.

"Actually I can, thanks to The Seal of Orichalcos! While it is in play, I'm allowed to Summon Monsters in the Magic and Trap Zones, creating a back row of Monsters! Plus, while my Tokens are on the Field, you cannot attack Wicked Overlord!" This made Yuya groan. "Finally, all three of you will take 500 points of damage from Wicked Overlord to due to having 5 Hell Tokens on my Field!"

"What?!" All three Duelists should as Wicked Overlord hit each of them with giant black orbs. They were shaken, but otherwise alright.

(Yugi: 4000 - 500 = 3500)

(Kaiba: 2800 - 500 = 2300)

(Yuya: 700 - 500 = 200)

Noah smiled at the pain his enemies were taking. "Having fun yet you three?" He asked in a mocking tone. Yugi didn't reply to that and remained calm and focused.

"So now, in order to strike at Noah's Overlord, we have to get through all those Tokens first." Yugi surmised. Kaiba smirked as he turned to him.

"That shouldn't be too difficult." He said. "Want to start knocking them down, Yugi?" Yugi smiled back.

"Gladly. My turn! Draw!"

"My Tokens are too strong for anything you can throw at them!" Noah boasted.

"I'm about to prove otherwise! First, I activate my facedown Dark Magic Veil! By paying 1000 of my Life Points, I can Special Summon a DARK "Spellcaster" Monster from my hand or Graveyard! From my hand I Special Summon my own favorite Monster! Appear, Dark Magician!" (DARK; Level 7; ATK: 2500; DEF: 2100) Yugi's purple robed Ace appeared before him.

(Yugi: 3500 - 1000 = 2500)

"He isn't strong enough!" Noah said. Yugi continued to smile.

"My Monster's true power lies not in Attack Points, but in it's variety of support! Since Dark Magician was Special Summoned, the other Effect of Dark Magical Circle allows me to banish one Monster you control! Your Wicked Overlord may be immune, but not your Hell Tokens! I'll simply banish one of them!" One of Noah's Tokens, on his outer right, disappeared in a flash of dark purple light.

"Tch." Noah seemed annoyed.

"I'm not done! Next I Special Summon Chronicle Magician from my hand in Defense Mode since a 2500 original Attack Point Monster, such as Dark Magician, was just Special Summoned to my Field!" (DARK; Level 7; ATK: 2500; DEF: 2500) A white robed figure with long blue hair and holding a big book now knelt next to it's fellow magician. "Chronicle Magician's second Effect activates! When it is Special Summoned, my Dark Magician gains 2500 Attack and Defense Points until the end of the turn!"

"What?" Noah said, surprised once again.

(Dark Magician's ATK: 2500 + 2500 = 5000; DEF: 2100 + 2500 = 4600)

"Now that's a hell of a power boost!" Joey said excitedly.

"Battle! Dark Magician, attack one of Noah's Hell Tokens! Dark Magic Attack!" From Dark Magician's staff fired a large purple blast that disintegrated Noah's Token on the far left.

(5000 - 4000 = 1000)

(Noah: 4400 - 1000 = 3400)

"That's two Tokens down!" Tèa said.

"Just three more!" Serenity added.

"I now Set one card facedown and end my turn. At this time, Dark Magician's Attack and Defense Points return to normal." Yugi said as his Monster's Points return to 2500 and 2100 respectively.

"Those Tokens are nothing more than walls for me to tear down. And that's what I plan to do Noah! My turn! Draw!" Kaiba said, smiling as well. He was glad that he can use Magic and Trap cards again, because he had something special to use against his stepbrother. "I'll first switch my Blade Knight into Attack Mode!" His kneeling warrior stood on it's feet and held up it's sword, ready for battle. "Then I activate my own facedown Magic card, Chaos Form! This allows me to Ritual Summon a "Chaos" Ritual Monster from my hand using Monsters in my hand or on my Field as Sacrifices as long as their total Levels match the Level of the Ritual Monster I'm Summoning! I Sacrifice Blue-Eyes White Dragon in my hand to Ritual Summon a slightly darker version! Show your chaotic power, Blue-Eyes Chaos Dragon!" (DARK; Level 8; ATK: 3000; DEF: 0) Unlike the original Blue-Eyes, it's Ritual counterpart had darker blue scales and had blue white orbs all over it's body.

'Kaiba as a Chaos version of his favorite Monster too?' Yugi asked himself, surprised that Kaiba pulled the same move he did against Leo Akaba.

"It would seem so." Atem acknowledged.

"Since when did you have that?" Noah questioned, not recognizing the Monster facing him. Kaiba chuckled.

"I thought you said nothing I do could surprise you anymore? Looks like I just proved you wrong. Since I now have one card left in my hand, my Blade Knight gains 400 more Attack Points!"

(Blade Knight's ATK: 1600 + 400 = 2000)

"He's got two heavy hitters now!" Tristan commented.

"Battle! Blue-Eyes Chaos Dragon, attack the Hell Token on the inner left!" Kaiba's dragon began powering up for it's assault.

"You can't! Your dragon is too weak against my Token!" Noah said. Kaiba still smirked.

"Then I'll just make it and your other ones even weaker! The Effect of my Ritual Monster activates! When it attacks after being Ritual Summoned using Blue-Eyes White Dragon, Blue-Eyes Chaos Dragon can switch the battle positions of as many of your Monsters as possible! I know your Wicked Overlord won't be affected, but all your remaining Hell Tokens will switch from Attack Mode into Defense Mode!" The three Tokens then knelt in Defense Mode.

"It means nothing! Your Monster still can't destroy them!" Noah retorted.

"I disagree! There is more to my Blue-Eyes Chaos' Effect! Since your Tokens have switched battle positions, all of them have their Attack and Defense Points reduced to 0!" Kaiba revealed.

"Excuse me?!" Noah shouted incredulously after seeing his tokens rendered powerless. Kaiba smiled at Noah's shock.

"Here is the best part of my new dragon! Not only have your Monsters switched positions and became so much weaker, but when my Blue-Eyes Chaos Dragon attacks a Defense Mode Monster this turn, the difference gets dealt to you as damage!" Noah growled from his stepbrother's latest stunt.

"Damn you!" He yelled in frustration.

"You don't like it when your enemy finds a way to fight back, do you?" Kaiba taunted.

"At least I can take comfort knowing you won't be able to beat me this turn!" Noah retorted.

"Actually Noah, with my help he can!" Yuya declared, surprising everyone with what he had hidden. "Trap card open, Entermate Big Support! This will let me Equip an "Entermate" Monster with 1000 Attack Points or less in my hand to a Monster that was Special Summoned this turn! Until the end of the turn, that Monster gains equal to double the Attack Points of the "Entermate" Equipped to it!"

"He can't!" Noah shouted fearfully, not quite believing it.

"I Equip the Entermate Trump Girl in my hand to Kaiba's Blue-Eyes Chaos Dragon!" A small kid wearing a colorful jester costume materialized on the back of Kaiba's Monster. "Trump Girl has 200 Attack Points, so Blue-Eyes Chaos Dragon gets double that added it's own Attack Power!"

(200 x 2 = 400)

(Blue-Eyes Chaos Dragon's ATK: 3000 + 400 = 3400)

"Now Kaiba"s Monster can not only destroy that Token, but also wipe out the rest of Noah's Life Points and win the Duel!" Marik said, stunned.

"Great move Yuya!" Yugi cheered.

Kaiba stared, stunned himself, at the younger Duelist who gave him a thumbs up. "Now you can finish him off Kaiba! Do it!"

Despite not asking for the boy's help, Kaiba wasn't going to let the opportunity to finally beat Noah for good slip by. "Fine Yuya, I'll take you up on it. Blue-Eye Chaos Dragon, attack that Hell Token with White Chaos Lightning!" The dark Blue-Eyes fired a white and black energy beam heading for it's target. It would've been all over then if Noah didn't have his back-up.

"I won't lose! Using the Effect of Wicked Overlord, I can Sacrifice one of my Hell Tokens to add half it's Attack Points to my Life Points! This Duel is still far from over!" The Hell Token standing directly behind Wicked Overlord vanished from sight.

(Noah: 3400 + 2000 = 5400)

"Grr, fine then! I'll just have to settle with your Token!" Kaiba said as his Monster blasted the fourth Hell Token to pieces.

(Noah: 5400 - 3400 = 2000)

"Oh come on! That should've worked!" Yuzu cursed at Noah for surviving Yuya and Kaiba's combo move.

"No! They were so close!" Serenity moaned in dismay.

"Noah is definitely tougher than last time." Yugi said softly.

"Darn it. I thought we had him." Yuya said to himself, disappointed by the outcome.

"Don't sweat it, kid." Kaiba told him, getting his attention. "Noah may not have lost yet, but he did end up losing another Token because of you. Now he just has one left to protect his big boss Monster. Blade Knight, attack the final Hell Token!" With a strike from the warrior's sword, Noah's last Token was gone. "With all that hard work done, I'll end my turn."

"At this time, Trump Girl goes to the Graveyard due to Entermate Big Support's final Effect." Yuya's Monster bade farewell as it went away and Blue-Eyes Chaos Dragon's Attack and Defense Points went back to normal.

Noah snarled at Yuya, who very nearly caused his defeat. "On my next turn, I will destroy you!"

Yuya felt that Noah would do just that unless he somehow took down Wicked Overlord now. He hoped that he could. "Not if I stop you first! My turn! Draw!" Suddenly, Yuya felt woozy and swayed a bit. Despite that, he managed to stay on his feet. 'What was that just now?'

"It's my power. Your body still isn't fully accustomed to it yet. It's tiring you the longer this go on. Unless this Duel ends soon, you'll pass out again before we finish this." Zarc explained.

'Then I better make my next move really count.' Yuya replied before he readied himself for his next turn.

The others had noticed too, including his mom. "Yuya? What's wrong with him?" She asked herself, worried about her son's condition.

'Yuya… hang in there.' Yugi prayed.

"Here I come Noah! MY TURN! DRAW!" Yuya prayed his drawn card could give him what he needed. His faith was rewarded. "I activate Entermate Draw! This can be played if the only card in my hand is an "Entermate" Monster, and it is!" He then revealed the last card he held. "I hold Entermate Five-Rainbow Magician! Now I am able to draw 6 cards from my Deck!" Yuya was glad he got the cards he drew. "Now I Set 5 of my cards! After that, with my Scale 12 Entermate Five-Rainbow Magician, I reset my Pendulum Scale! This time I can Pendulum Summon Monsters with Levels 5 through 11!" Yuya's open Pendulum Zone now contained a figure dressed in white robes with gold armor on the shoulders and a gold helmet. It also seemed to glow like a rainbow.

'Why would Yuya Set nearly all his cards before trying to Summon anything?' Noah wondered, but he didn't think it would do his opponent any good. "Whatever you're planning to Pendulum Summon, it won't win against Wicked Overlord!" Yuya smiled.

"I wouldn't say that. The Pendulum Effect of Five-Rainbow Magician applies not just to me, but also to you!"

"How?" Noah asked.

"While you have 4 or less Set cards in your Magic and Trap Zones, you have the option of skipping your Draw Phase. If you choose not to, you can't Set Magic or Trap Cards until the end of the turn. Also, while you have 4 or less Set cards in those Zones, the Attack Points of all monsters you control become 0, they cannot attack, also they cannot activate their effects!"

Noah smirked. "No worries for me then. Wicked Overlord isn't affected by any effects, remember?"

"I know, but I'm not worried. With my Pendulum Scale restored, I can Pendulum Summon again! Return from the Extra Deck, Odd-Eyes Venom Dragon!" Yuya's Fusion Pendulum Monster come back with a triumphant roar.

"Wait! You can Pendulum Summon from your Extra Deck?!" Noah demanded heated.

"I can, as long as my Monster was Fusion Summoned earlier! Also, here's the most important part about my Magician's Effect. Since I now have Set 5 cards in my Magic and Trap Zones, all Monsters I control have their Attack Points doubled!"

"Doubled?!" Noah yelled in panic. Yuya's dragon roared again as a rainbow glow covered it while powering up.

(Odd-Eyes Venom Dragon's ATK: 3300 x 2 = 6600)

"Now both Monsters are evenly matched!" Tristan said.

"You have nothing protecting your Monster now! Take this! Battle! Odd-Eyes Venom Dragon, attack The Wicked Overlord! Pure Venom Blast!" At the same time Yuya's dragon attacked, Noah's Monster struck back with both it's fists. The moment their attacks collided, a huge explosion erupted and filled the Dueling Field with smoke. After a few seconds, the Field cleared to reveal both Monsters were gone. Yuya smiled from the result, though he started to breathe hard. "I end… my turn."

"Yuya did it!" Yuzu cheered. He had once again turned the tide against Noah. She quickly grew concerned though when he appeared to be getting tired. "Wait, is he okay?"

"Looks like whatever is happening to him is taking a toll." Mai observed.

"We must go." Aqua suddenly said. Yuzu and Mai turned to her.

"Go where?" Yuzu asked.

"To Death T-5. I cannot stop the satellite laser from firing if the worst should happen, but perhaps we can do something about Noah."

"Such as?" Mai questioned. Aqua then pointed at Yuzu's bracelet.

"I had observed how Yuzu's bracelet was used to save Bakura in Death T-F. If I combine my own abilities with it's power, I believe Noah's original programming could be restored."

"Really?" Yuzu said. Aqua nodded.

"Yes."

"Then let's get a move on. But first..." Mai said as she turned to toward their prisoner… who was where she should be. "Crap! She's gone!" Mai cursed herself for taking her eyes off her during the Duel.

"Where did Blue go?" Yuzu asked, not seeing the mercenary anywhere. Aqua did a quick search on the surveillance cameras.

"I found her. She seems to have escaped through a hidden stairway nearby and is heading up toward where the other mercenaries are. I believe she intends to meet up with them and escape the tower."

"Fine by me." Mai said, not sorry Blue was gone.

"What about my dad and the others? Have they made it out yet?" Yuzu asked. Aqua did some more quick reconnaissance.

"They appear to be in the process of escaping. But I'll let them know where to pick us up." Aqua said before sending out a brief message to their location.

"Pick us up? How?" Yuzu questioned.

"You will see. But for now, we must be on our way." Aqua told her. Nodding in agreement the women, plus their simian companion, made their way back to the elevator that would take them up to the top of the tower.

Meanwhile, Noah was fuming over Yuya's latest actions. "That tears it! I've had enough of you Yuya Sakaki! I will obliterate you! My turn! Draw!" Noah then smiled viciously. 'Just what I was hoping for.'

"Now what is he up to?" Kaiba asked, not liking the look on Noah's face.

"I now activate Revenge of the Wicked! This can be played when Wicked Overlord and the three Wicked Gods are all in my Graveyard! First, I can destroy one card my opponent controls, such as your pesky Five-Rainbow Magician!" Yuya watched helplessly as his Scale 12 Monster was destroyed. "With that thing gone, my own Monsters won't be affected by it! After that, I can Special Summon all Wicked Gods from my Graveyard, bypassing their restrictive Summoning conditions! Come to serve me: Wicked Eraser, Wicked Dreadroot, and Wicked Avatar!" All the Wicked Gods rose up before Noah to fight his hated enemies.

"Dammit! One Wicked God was bad enough! But all three?!" Joey cursed his friends' predicament.

"Even though all my Wicked Gods are here, their Effects will be negated until the beginning of my opponent's next turn! On the plus side, none of you can activate Magic and Traps until my turn is over! And lastly, my Life Points go up to 9000!"

(Noah: 9000)

"Is it just me, or do Noah's cards seem more powerful than they should be?" Tèa asked, annoyed by the advantages Noah gets from his cards.

"The guy doesn't seem to care about things like that." Tristan told her.

"No, he doesn't." Serenity agreed.

"Alright Yuya, this is the end for you! With no Monsters or facedown cards, you have no means of defending yourself! Battle! Wicked Dreadroot, attack Yuya directly! Fierce Knockdown!"

"Yuya!" Yugi yelled. The giant fists were almost upon him…

"I activate the Effect of Entermate Kuribohrder in my hand! When I'm about to be hit by a direct attack from an opponent's Monster, I can Special Summon it to my Field and make it the target instead of me!" (DARK; Level 1; ATK: 300; DEF: 200) Yuya's own Kuriboh appeared to protect it's master from defeat. Unlike Yugi's version, this one wore a red and green striped cap with a gold ball on top and had a similar tail with a star at the end. "That's not all! I gain Life Points from what the damage from the battle involving Kuribohrder would've been!"

"Why you!" Noah fumed again. The little brown puffball gave a loud "kuri!" as Dreadroot flattened it into nothing.

(4000 - 300 = 3700)

(Yuya: 200 + 3700 = 3900)

"Nice save!" Tristan said.

"You can't protect yourself forever! I will strike you down eventually! Until then, I end my turn!"

Zarc, sensing Yuya's dwindling strength, knew Yugi had to finish the Duel on his next turn. Therefore, he decided to lend him a hand. Using the power he obtained from the Millennium Puzzle, he sent out a call for help from a very familiar source to Yugi. Zarc knew he succeeded because a second later, he heard a distinct roar and saw that the Puzzle glowed…

"I won't give you that chance Noah! I intend to defeat you here and now! My turn! Draw!" Yugi was shocked by the card he just drew. 'No way! It couldn't be!' The boy thought in astonishment. Atem reacted the same way as he saw their newest card.

"Is that what you think? Right now the Effects of my Wicked Gods activate! First, The Wicked Eraser gains 1000 Attack and Defense Points for each card my opponent, or in this case, my opponents control! You have 5, Seto has 2, and Yuya has 6! Therefore, Wicked Eraser's total Attack and Defense Power is 13,000!"

(5000 + 2000 + 6000 = 13,000)

(The Wicked Eraser's ATK and DEF: 13,000)

'That brings back memories.' Marik thought, recalling his Duel with Yugi through his minion Strings, who used Osiris the Sky Dragon against Yugi.

"Next, The Wicked Dreadroot halves the Attack and Defense Points of all other Monsters in play! Wicked Avatar is excluded due to Revenge being in my Graveyard!"

(Dark Magician's ATK: 2500 / 2 = 1250; DEF: 2100 / 2 = 1050)

(Chronicle Magician's ATK and DEF: 2500 / 2 = 1250)

(Obnoxious Celtic Guardian's ATK: 1400 / 2 = 700; DEF: 1200 / 2 = 600)

(Blue-Eyes Chaos Dragon's ATK: 3000 / 2 = 1500)

(Blade Knight's ATK: 2000 / 2 = 1000; DEF: 1000 / 2 = 500)

"Nuisance." Kaiba spat after seeing his Monster now half as strong as it used to be.

"And lastly, The Wicked Avatar! You all know what that one does!" Noah said gleefully as it took on the Attack and Defense Points of Wicked Eraser, plus 100 more Points.

(13,000 + 100 = 13,100)

(The Wicked Avatar's ATK and DEF: 13,100)

"That thing again." Yuya muttered tiredly.

"And lest we forget, my Wicked Gods all grow stronger thanks to my Seal!"

(The Wicked Eraser's ATK: 13,000 + 500 = 13,500)

(The Wicked Dreadroot's ATK: 4000 + 500 = 4500)

(The Wicked Avatar's ATK: 13,100 + 500 = 13,600)

"But because your Wicked Avatar wasn't Normal Summoned this time, you can't prevent us from playing our Magic and Traps!" Yugi pointed out.

"A small price to finally annihilate all of you!" Noah shot back. Yugi smirked, to his enemy's confusion.

"I'm about to bring down your Wicked Gods, and I'll do it with the help of an old friend of mine! This particular Monster can be Special Summoned from my hand by discarding a "Spellcaster" or a Magic or Trap card that mentions "Dark Magician" in it's text! I send Dark Magician Girl from my hand to the Graveyard to bring out the strong and majestic… Timaeus the Dragon of Destiny!" (LIGHT; Level 8; ATK: 2800; DEF: 1800) A big green dragon with a scar over it's right eye flew onto the Field with a righteous roar.

"Timaeus?!" Nearly everyone shouted in total shock. Aside from Yuya, Serenity, and Marik, who had never gazed upon him before, no one had seen it or any of it's two fellow dragons after the battle against Dartz.

"How?" Kaiba asked, wondering how this was possible. Yugi and Atem were thinking the same thing as the dragon turned to them.

"My old friends, I have returned to aid you against the new user of the cursed Orichalcos. Let my light guide you to victory!" Yugi and the Pharaoh then saw a glimpse of a new creature within the bright light. A creature the pair instinctively knew would be the key to finally take down Noah…

"Your new Monster doesn't impress me! Not only does it's very presence make two of my Wicked Gods stronger, but it also is weaker thanks to my third one!" Noah said as his Monsters did their work.

(Timaeus, the Dragon of Destiny's ATK: 2800 / 2 = 1400; DEF: 1800 / 2 = 900)

(The Wicked Eraser's ATK and DEF: 13,500 + 1000 = 14,500)

(The Wicked Avatar's ATK and DEF: 14,600)

Yugi remained smiling. "Your evil Monsters won't be a problem for very much longer! I play my facedown Monster Reborn to resurrect Kaiba's Blue-Eyes White Dragon!" (LIGHT; Level 8; ATK: 3000; DEF: 2500) His rival's Ace Monster made it's long awaited appearance on the Field.

"Yugi revived my Blue-Eyes? What is he planning?" Kaiba asked, stunned Yugi would pull that off.

"Next I activate the Effect of Timaeus! Once per turn, during my Main Phase, I can Fusion Summon a Fusion Monster using Monsters in my hand or on my Field as Materials, as long as one of them is a "Spellcaster"!"

"What? Is Yugi doing what I think he's doing?" Kaiba asked, surprised even further.

Yugi raised his hand up in the air. "Now Noah, witness the birth of a new creature, born from two rival Monsters! Flexibility and Power shall become one unstoppable force! COME FORTH! BLUE-EYES WHITE MAGICIAN!" (LIGHT; Level 8; ATK: 3500; DEF: 3000) Descending in a brilliant light was a figure dressed in clothes similar to Dark Magician, only in whiteish blue, with the head of Blue-Eyes White Dragon. The scepter it held had a blue orb covered by dragon's teeth.

Everyone stared in total awe the new Monster, representing two of the best Duelists on the planet. "Man, now I've seen it all." Joey said, wide eyed in amazement.

With one less card now on Yugi's Field, Wicked Eraser and Wicked Avatar had their power changed back 13,500 and 13,600 respectively.

At this time, Yuzu and her small group had arrived on the top floor and ran out of the elevator. "This way!" Mai said, spotting the action taking place. Yuzu and Ricky, now on Mai's shoulder, followed close behind. They spotted Vivian's body as they passed by.

The first thing Yuzu saw upon entering the dueling area was Yugi Summoning his new Fusion Monster. "Woah! What is that?" She said, as awestruck as everyone else.

"If I had to guess, I'd say it looks like the combined form of two of the most famous Duel Monsters in the world!" Mai told her.

Yuzu then focused her attention her boyfriend, who although also stunned by Yugi's Monster, he still looked very tired.

"Yuya…" She said softly, clearly worried by his condition. Before she or Mai could anything, they heard Noah talking again.

"As impressive as that looks, your new Magician is still not immune to the Effects of Dreadroot!"

"Wrong! Blue-Eyes White Magician is unaffected by card effects!" Noah groaned in annoyance. "That's not all! Because of Blue-Eyes White Dragon being in the Graveyard, my new Fusion Monster gains 3000 Attack Points!"

(Blue-Eyes White Magician's ATK: 3500 + 3000 = 6500)

Noah scoffed at him. "So what? It may be enough to beat Dreadroot, but my other Gods are still more than capable of tearing your Magician to shreds!" Yugi then chuckled. "What's so funny?"

"With both it's Fusion Materials in the Graveyard, Blue-Eyes White Magician can destroy two Monsters you control!"

"WHAT?!" Noah shouted, not wanting to believe what he just heard. Yugi then turned to Kaiba.

"Kaiba, you need to know that when Wicked Eraser gets destroyed, all other cards on the Field will be destroyed with it. That will include your cards too." Kaiba grunted with a smirk.

"I appreciate the heads up Yugi, but don't worry about me. My Blue-Eyes Chaos Dragon cannot be destroyed by card effects. Losing my Blade Knight won't be an issue."

"I'm covered too!" Yuya pipped in. As tired as he was, he still had some fight in him. "Trap card open, Pendulum Switch! This lets me Special Summon a Pendulum Monster from one of my Pendulum Zones to my Field once per turn! I Special Summon Entermate Trump Witch!" (DARK; Level 1; ATK: 100; DEF: 100) Once Yuya's remaining Monster stepped onto the Field, it also got affected by Dreadroot.

(Entermate Trump Witch's ATK and DEF: 100 / 2 = 50)

"Why would he do that?" Noah asked himself.

"I activate another Trap, Entermate Guard, and Equip it to Timaeus!" Yuya then nodded at Yugi. "You're good to go Yugi! Take him down!" Yugi nodded at him before returning to Noah.

"Alright Noah, prepare yourself! I activate the Effect of Blue-Eyes White Magician! I'll destroy your Wicked Eraser and your Wicked Avatar!"

A black and white energy wave erupted from one swing of the Magician's weapon and struck the two targets. Both were obliterated in spectacular explosions. As they exploded, so did nearly every other card on the Field. Blue-Eyes White Magician, Blue-Eyes Chaos Dragon, and The Seal of Orichalcos were of course not destroyed.

"When Entermate Guard gets destroyed, the Monster it was Equipped to doesn't!" Yuya revealed as Timaeus was also spared.

"Because of Revenge being in my Graveyard, my Dreadroot is protected from Eraser's destruction effect!" Noah said during the explosions.

"It won't be protected from this!" Yuya interjected. "Trap card open, Counterstrike Entermate! If an "Entermate" Monster I control would be destroyed by a card effect, I can destroy one of your Monsters instead! Rather than my Trump Witch, the Monster that gets destroyed in it's place is your Wicked Dreadroot!"

"Damn you brat!" Noah cursed again as his remaining Wicked God was blown apart. He was so preoccupied with losing his Monsters that he failed to notice Yuzu, wearing her Duel Disk, sneaking around behind him outside the Seal's barrier…

"Thanks to Yuya, all your Monsters are gone and the rest of ours have their full power restored!" Yugi declared as every remaining Monster regained their original strength. Noah couldn't believe things had gotten this far! However, he still had one trick left.

"I'm not letting you beat me again Yugi! I banish Revenge of the Wicked from my Graveyard to inflict 1000 points of damage to all of you for each card that is still on the Field! That's more than enough to wipe all of you out!" Noah laughed like he just lost his marbles.

"My Fusion Monster won't allow it!" Yugi said, silencing Noah. "With having Dark Magician in the Graveyard, Blue-Eyes White Magician can negate your card's Effect and destroy it at the cost of 1500 of my remaining Life Points!"

(Yugi: 2500 - 1500 = 1000)

"Take that Noah!" Joey called out.

"Yugi's got him for real this time!" Tristan said.

"He can win this!" Serenity added.

"Yugi just has to attack with his Monsters and it's all over!" Tèa said.

Noah snarled and seethed with undisguised hatred. He never imagined he would lose yet again! And not to just Yugi Muto this time, but to his meddling stepbrother and that bothersome Yuya Sakaki. His Death-T Games had also failed to take a single life, all because of dum luck and outside help. Noah wanted to scream his lungs out for all his failures. Instead, held a hand over his face and laughed once more.

"Now whats he laughing about? He's about to lose the Duel and his last Death-T Game!" Tèa said, confused.

"What's the matter Noah?" Kaiba asked in an overconfident tone. "Your inevitable defeat finally starting to sink in?"

Noah took a moment to stop and smiled like the psycho he was. "Fools! All of you are absolute fools! I may be about to lose this Duel, but I've still won the game! You know why? It's because all of you have forfeited your lives the moment you entered my Death-T Tower!"

"What do you mean?" Yuya asked. Noah had spread his arms wide.

"I had no intention of letting any of you walk away alive! My satellite laser will eradicate everyone here no matter who wins! The plan was always to kill all of you, just like Lightning wanted!"

"Lightning?!" Nearly shouted in shock.

"I knew it! I suspected Lightning's involvement when Vivian Wong revealed herself to be working for you!" Yugi said. Another possibility occurred to him. "He was also the one that gave you The Seal of Orichalcos, wasn't he?" Yugi said. Noah's smiled widened, further confirming Yugi's accusations.

"Lightning gave him the Seal? How?" Tèa asked herself.

"Then does this mean he knows we didn't die in the Airship attack?" Yuya asked.

"Of course he knows! He's tasked me with the job of wiping you off the face of the Earth! It took all this past month to set everything up… just for this moment!" He then turned to a very angered Yugi. "You have a choice to make now, Yugi. Attack me, or don't attack me? Either way, you're all doomed!" He went into another fit of insane laughter.

Yugi was in a huge bind. He was looking at a no-win scenario. No matter what he did, everyone would still die. What should he do?

Noah reveled in the impossible situation Yugi and his friends were all in. He couldn't wait to see what would happen next. Unfortunately for him, what happened next was something he never saw coming. He found himself screaming in agony as he felt unbelievable pain in his back. He felt his whole body was being torn apart!

Yugi, Yuya, Kaiba, and the rest stared in bewilderment as Noah was suffering from an unknown attack that had nothing to do from the Duel. And then, light blue and pink light shined brightly from behind him. The dark yellow light that previously covered him fluctuated and covered him entirely before exploding in a shower of sparks.

The next thing the group saw stunned them even more. Before their eyes, Noah's appearance had changed dramatically. A minute ago he was a power hungry young man filled with malice. Now he looked to be a small child. He looked down at his own hands and felt his body, confused. He then saw a reflection of himself on the metallic floor. He touched his face, a face that started to cry as he fell to his knees.

"I'm… myself again. The hate… the corruption within me… it's gone. It's finally gone!"

As he wept, Yuya looked up and saw non other than his girlfriend. "Yuzu?!" She had been standing behind Noah when he "changed". She was also holding up her Duel Disk, strapped to her left arm, where another familiar figure resided. "And Aqua?!" The two females looked up and smiled.

"It's okay everyone. Noah isn't dangerous anymore." Yuzu told them all.

"Yuzu! Aqua! What did you two do to Noah? In fact, how did you even get inside the barrier?" Yugi asked.

"My bracelet formed a breach through the Orichalcos barrier, allowing us to enter. Together, the two of us used our abilities to remove Lightning's corruption codes from inside Noah." Yuzu explained.

"Corruption codes?" Kaiba asked.

"Lightning infected Noah's back-up program with a computer virus made from his unique programming codes. Noah remembers all his previous actions, but he could not fight against Lightning's influence. With my own advanced programming and the purifying energies from Yuzu's bracelet, that virus has been purged and Noah has become his true self again." Aqua answered.

"So that's what happened." Serenity said, now starting to feel sorry for Noah.

Noah then looked up at Yugi, Kaiba, Yuya, and then to every other person in the area. His face was still wet with tears. "Everyone… I am so sorry! Sorry for everything! I feel so disgusted for trying to kill all of you! I wish I could redeem myself somehow!"

Yugi could sense that Noah really does feel remorse from all he did as Lightning's unwilling pawn. "You can Noah! It's not too late! You can still do the right thing!" Noah gaped at him.

"How?" He asked.

"Find a way to stop the laser from firing at the tower and let us escape!" He insisted. To his shame, Noah shook his head.

"I can't. I wasn't lying when I said the uplink to the satellite was destroyed. Nothing can stop it once this Duel is over. It will fire just seconds after the winner is decided. There would be no time for anyone to get out before we all perish." Yugi gritted his teeth. Once again there seemed to be no way out of this. "However…" Noah started.

"What?" Yuzu asked.

Noah looked up at her. "Deep within the tower is an aircraft that was used to bring all the equipment and supplies for the tower's uses. It is still operational. You might be able to use it to get away from here. We would have to keep the Duel going long enough for it to get airborne and have everyone board once the Duel concludes. After that, you will only have seconds to hit the main thrusters and fly away as fast as you can before this place becomes a bad memory."

"We will not have to wait long." Aqua noted as she looked up. Just then, the ceiling slowly opened up to reveal the clear night sky. Right there, hovering above, was a huge sleek black jet. Inside were some old friends.

"Hey guys! Miss us!" Bakura called out as he and Miho waved from the open side door.

"Bakura! Miho!" Tèa replied. She also saw Shuzo and Valon aboard in the cockpit. The latter was doing the flying despite his injury.

"They're all okay!" Yuya said, suddenly getting his second wind from seeing a way out of this.

"Alright guys! I'll bring her low enough to load you all in!" Valon confirmed as he lowered the vehicle as low as he could. It couldn't touch the floor, but everyone can still get on it with a good jump.

Noah also smiled. This would save everyone a lot of time. He then opened the capsules containing Tea, Tristan, and Serenity. "Okay, you three help Joey and Marik board the aircraft! And Yuzu, Aqua… thank you for freeing me." The pair smiled and nodded at him before heading off.

"You heard him, let's move it people!" Tristan ordered as they gathered everyone that wasn't confined. During that time, Mai went back and grabbed Vivian's body. She then tossed it aboard before she boarded herself.

Noah refocused his attention on Yugi. "Unfortunately, the forcefield holding Yoko inside won't deactivate until I lose the Duel. And that's what you have to do next Yugi. It is still your turn."

"What about you? You're not planning on saving yourself?" Yugi asked. Noah shook his head again.

"No. Have you forgotten about the Seal? Once I lose, I'll be gone. Since I don't actually have a soul to be taken, I believe the Orichalcos will just simply erase me from existence. Also, I don't want to live on. I've caused too much pain. My father's legacy needs to die for good. This tower, it's horrible games, and me. It must all end here and now!" His voice had so much conviction in it that he had no intention of changing his mind. "And besides, I'm just a program. The real Noah Kaiba died from that missile explosion." He said with a sad smile.

"Noah…" Yugi said helplessly. Noah then steeled himself.

"Yugi, there is something else you must know. Leon von Schroeder is alive and well… but he is not on our world."

"He's not? Then where is he?" Yugi asked, shocked by that revelation.

"The world where Lightning is. Leon doesn't know it, but he's to be part of some terrible plan concocted by that Ignis. A plan to make Lightning himself all powerful and rule all worlds."

"What?!" Yugi couldn't believe that.

"It's true. You must find a way to save Leon and stop Lightning. That is all I can ask of you."

"Noah, what exactly is Lightning's plan?" Yuya demanded.

"Guys, nearly everyone's onboard! We're just waiting for you three and Yuya's mom!" Yuzu called from inside the aircraft. Noah nodded before turning back to Yuya.

"You should ask your little blue friend. I think she might be able to fill in those blanks for you."

"How would Aqua know?" Yuya asked.

"Just ask her." Noah said before facing Yugi again. "Now Yugi… finish this!"

Very reluctantly, Yugi complied with Noah's final request. "Alright. Farewell Noah… and thank you." He then gave his command. "Battle! Timaeus the Dragon of Destiny, attack Noah directly! Justice of Atlantis!" A burst of emerald green fire came forth and struck Noah.

(Noah: 9000 – 2800 = 6200)

'Only one attack left.' Noah thought to himself.

"Kaiba, do you mind if we finish this one together?" Yugi asked. Kaiba gave a small smile.

"Just this once." With that, the two rivals declared the attack of their fused Monster.

"Blue-Eyes White Magician, attack Noah directly and end this Duel! White Magic Lightning!" A powerful white energy blast came out from the scepter and knocked down Noah, finally ending the long battle.

(Noah: 0)

To be continued.