Chapter 46

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'Every time I think I fucking understand how the world works…' Yuri thought to herself bitterly, folding her arms over her chest.

When she'd been a little girl she'd believed that the world was a kind and gentle place. Her dad was a cop and that meant he went around tipping his cap to people and helping grandmas cross the street. He whistled a tune as he crossed paths with the milkman and he went about his day with a song in his heart.

When she'd gotten older Yuri had realized that there was evil in the world but her dad was the one who stopped it. He was out there like a super hero, fighting crime and rescuing the innocent. It made her smile and giggle imagining him in his uniform fighting with superheroes and all she wanted to do was be like him.

By the time she'd joined the academy she'd pressed such childish thought behind her but now she could see she had still been a naïve little girl, believing that the world was a far better place than it actually was. She'd thought that good would always beat evil if you just tried hard enough and that she was joining a family that protected all.

Several years as a detective had beaten those stupid baby thoughts from her and shown her it was rather hard to defeat evil when it infected good. Her father wasn't a hero; he was a scumbag who tossed aside his morals for a paycheck. He'd been willing to murder a man and frame another for the deed purely so he could afford a better house. And her co-workers were little better, being just as vile and corrupt as him. She'd thought that she understood the world at last and realized how things truly went.

And then Edwin Chaos had strolled into her life and shown her that magic was fucking real.

Magic.

It still made her pause, like a stutter step. Magic. It was real. Edwin could wield it. He seemed to make up the rules of it half the time but that didn't matter because he could use actual magic. From an artifact from Ancient Egypt. And there were more of them.

Yuri might have been more thrown by that if she hadn't learned all of that from another Earth.

Because of course the multiverse was a true thing and not something found in a comic book. It was real and it was terrifying and she had survived it even though another version of Edwin had used a different item to force Duel monster knowledge into her skull.

Once more Yuri had thought she understood the world. That she had some kind of solid footing. She'd quit her job and become Mai Valentine's body guard, watching out for her during the tournament Seto Kaiba was throwing in case the wielder of the Millennium Rod in this world decided to attack her. Insane. Crazy. But she had become used to it and thought that she had a handle on it.

And then Edwin had dropped the fucking bombshell that Mai wasn't Mai at all but some goddess.

'I need to begin drinking,' Yuri thought to herself, staring at the immortal being who was standing where Mai had been moments earlier.

The goddess was completely different from Mai while being so very much like her. She looked very much like Mai, especially if one were to stand at a distance, but when she looked at the details she could see the differences clear as day. The goddess' hair had gone completely straight, making it look longer when it was no longer in Mai's bouncy curls. She seemed taller too, looking Edwin right in the eye. But there was something else… Yuri didn't know how to explain it other than the immortal being had an aura about her that made Yuri feel rather small and insignificant. Staring at Renard she could tell he felt the same way; it was as if they were supposed to kneel before her and avoid lifting their eyes in her direction because doing so was some grand sin. Yuri hated it and tried to keep her head held high but the goddess, without even looking at her, made Yuri feel so… small.

"I must admit, my love, I was wondering if I would have to reveal the truth to you or if you would come to see it through your own eyes," the goddess said with a smile, walking her fingers up his chest. "Then again that mortal brain of yours… it has always been so crafty and cunning. I should have known you would figure it out and I was merely being impatient." Her fingers paused right at his throat and she tapped a nail against his Adam's Apple. "Though I am a bit put out at how long you made me wait," she said in a tone filled with such sweet threats. "I've been wanting to do this for quite some time."

She grabbed his shirt and yanked him nearly off his feet, smashing her lips into his.

Yuri had seen Edwin and Mai kiss before and it amused her at how innocent Edwin could be. There was passion there, to be sure, as she'd stumbled in on the two of them after a rather heated makeout session with Mai red faced and panting and Edwin sporting a hickie on his neck. Normally though he seemed almost shy in kissing her, like a school boy. But this kiss was far different. It was filled with power and dominance and violence. The goddess didn't give him much of a choice in the matter and the way she forced him to come to her told Yuri all she needed to know about the immortal. She also didn't do 'subtle' as the kiss rapidly went from passionate to vulgar as the goddess slammed Edwin into a wall and began to tear at his belt, her fingers gliding into his pants-

A burst of magic shot from Edwin's form, throwing the goddess back as he glared at her with black and gold eyes.

"No means no," he snarled.

The goddess… merely wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and laughed.

"Oh, are you showing off my love? You don't need to… I know you are powerful."

"That's far more than I know about you, Mai," Edwin snapped. Yuri glanced at Renard who quietly shook his head; this wasn't their fight.

"Mai?" the goddess said before she let out a giggle that was anything but joyful. It was a cold sound; not cruel or heartless but… empty. Yet not in a sorrow-filled way. Just… empty. Like an echo in a house not yet furnished. "And here I thought dear Endymion had figured everything out. It is so very rare for you to be slow, my love."

"Edwin," he snapped back. "You know my name is Edwin."

"I know that you're Endymion. Even if you do not realize it yourself. You are Endymion…" she moved and slid up next to him again, her movements like mercury, "and I am Selene."

"…moon goddess," Edwin muttered. "Lover of Endymion, who was either a shepherd or a king, depending on the tale. She put him to sleep so she could admire his beauty forever."

"Right… and also very much wrong," Selene said with a tittering laugh. "Oh you mortals always getting it wrong. Twisting the tales and make villains into heroes and the noble into the savage. We laugh about it all the time."

"You and the gods," Edwin said.

"You and me. Or we used to, until this life you and I have allowed ourselves to live." Edwin finally realized she'd snuggled up next to him and he gave a small shove, forcing her back though Yuri had the sense that if she wanted to the goddess could have remained right where she was and Edwin wouldn't have been able to do a damn thing about it. "The great tales of gods and heroes… always gotten wrong. It's rather like how you humans keep making Herakles some noble warrior… that was always one that annoyed you, love, that the brute was the hero and poor innocent Hera was the spiteful one."

"This would be interesting if I gave a shit," Edwin said.

"Except you do… I can tell. You really want to hear more about it." She reached out once more and rather forcefully made him look her in the eye. "My love always wants to have more knowledge."

"I'm not your love," Edwin snapped. "Not after this."

"And whatever did I do that was so wrong?" Selene asked.

"You ripped me from my home, didn't you?" Edwin challenged.

"I brought you home."

"Buillshit!" Edwin thundered. "You brought me to this world!"

Selene though shook her head. "I returned your soul from its exile. I don't why you ended up there… that wasn't our plan." She sighed in annoyance. "Someone interfered. Ruined so much of it. I was supposed to find you and together we would wait till the time was right and you reached your maturity."

"You would raise him?" Renard asked, crinkling his nose.

"You've never heard of a Mommy Fetish?" Selene asked with a sultry look before giving a casual shrug. "Gods don't care about such things."

"I care," Edwin snapped. "Why did you lie to me, Mai?"

"I am Selene."

"Then why call yourself Mai?"

"Because Mai is Mai."

Yuri squeezed her eyes shut. "This is giving me a headache."

Selene looked at her with a glower and Yuri cringed, her mind screaming that a GODDESS was focused on her… only for Selene to nod. "Thank you, my priestess," she said, Yuri mouthing 'priestess?' to Renard in confusion, before turning back to Edwin. "I suppose it would be better to just explain it all, that way there was no need to delay things further. So, explain, get you to understand the plan once more, then the sex and orgasms." Edwin's eyes widened at that but Selene was already talking. "The plan was rather simple, though I admit I don't understand what went wrong. You were to come forward in time until you reached the era that the power of the Pharaoh and the Millennium Items and all they had brought forth would return. When you didn't appear I grew bored. Yes, I had waited thousands of years but it was so close yet so far…

"Then I remembered all of your rants about the importance of the mortal experience and I found myself… curious. I never did understand back then why you cared so much about your short and rather fragile lifespan. So I decided to find out for myself." Selene waved her hand at her chest. "I locked away my powers and my memories and allowed myself to take the form of a human child, with all the weaknesses and fragilities such an existence holds. Thus Mai Valentine… the woman I would have been had I not been a goddess."

"So you aren't really Mai," Edwin said. "She's just… another split personality."

"If you wish to be vulgar and compare me to mortals? Fine." Selene rolled her eyes. "It has been fun being Mai but now there is no need to… unless you wish to role play." Selene once more was right in front of Edwin, dangerously close, and she leaned in and licked his neck up to his ear, nibbling on the lobe before pulling back and smirking at him. "When we are done I'll be the mortal and-"

Edwin pushed her away. "Then Mai is still around… and she knew nothing about this?"

Selene huffed in annoyance. "Yes, Endymion, she is, though I don't see why you care. She is nothing."

"You will not disrespect her," Edwin warned darkly.

"So protective of my weaker side," Selene purred, instantly going back to horny kitty cat as she once more moved against him, this time grinding her pelvis so hard into Edwin's hip Yuri half expected him to walk away with a wet patch on his pants. "I so do love that you haven't changed."

"You don't even know me," Edwin growled.

That made Selene laugh all the harder. "I know you better than you know yourself." She began to trace her fingers along his face, light touches that Yuri could tell were throwing Edwin off, making him shiver as he clearly remembered how Mai would do that to him. But this was a stranger, even if she wore Mai's face. "You keep claiming you aren't Endymion and I do admit that having to drag you into this world wasn't expected… but the fact remains that you are just like him. My cunning little wizard, crafting your plans. Even with this hiccup of your memories not being restored you still find yourself going about our plan."

"What are you talking about?" Edwin asked, nose crinkling as he tried to bat her hand away. "What plan?"

"The tournament. Battle City." She smiled lazily and moved to stand beside him, leaning against the brick wall Edwin had ended up pressed against. "I told you that eventually the powers of the Pharaoh and his priests would return to this world and while we didn't know the shape such an event would take we knew that eventually we'd reach this very moment. And now… here we are."

"Mind explaining to us poor servants?" Renard asked with a scoff.

Selene didn't hear the sarcasm in his voice or if she did she didn't care in the slightest. "It's good we have you two. Endymion needs his warriors and you will do well, Renard Volpe, as his sword and shield. And I now have a priestess once again-" Yuri glowered at that, "-so everything falls into place with Battle City."

"English," Edwin complained.

"The Divine Beasts, my love," Selene finally said. "Slifer. Obelisk. The Winged Dragon of Ra."

"What about them?"

"We're going to kill them."

~MC~MC~MC~

"Yugi," the Pharaoh said, appearing before the teen in his ghostly form. They'd left Edwin and made their way towards a park, the Pharaoh sensing that Yugi needed a moment to sit and gather himself. "Are you alright?"

"Yes," Yugi said… far too quickly.

"You don't have to lie to me," the Pharaoh assured him. "I only want to help you."

Yugi let out a sigh and sat down on a bench. "I suppose you're right." He shook his head. "I just keep thinking about what happened with Cabal."

"Marik was indeed powerful," the Pharaoh said. "And I was of little use to you in that fight. He… startled me with how he batted with the Millennium Rod but I swear next time I will stand right by your side."

"It's not that," Yugi said softly, looking down at his boots. "Well, it's kind of about that… it's just…" he let out a huff. "I'm not thinking about that. I'm thinking about what happened after."

"You are thinking about Cabal," the Pharaoh said softly, "and how she still swore vengeance upon us."

"Marik used her!" Yugi exclaimed in frustration. "He used her and he was going to banish her to the Shadow Realm and she still blamed us for what happened to Arkana!" His voice grew softer. "Is… is Edwin right? Are there some people that don't want to be saved?"

The Pharaoh shook his head. "Back at Duelist Kingdom I would have told you he was wrong. That everyone can be saved if you work hard enough. But I have come to see that such thoughts are… I'm sorry Yugi but they are childish." He quickly added, "That isn't to say that we just give up on everyone. For every Cabal there are far more people who can change."

"Yeah," Yugi stated. "I keep trying to remind myself of that. There are Duelists we have met that I just can't ever see becoming our friends or even just decent people. PaniK, that Fake Kaiba, The Big Five, and now Cabal. But we've also helped a lot of people too. We didn't get off on the best foot with Mako. Mai cheated in her first duel but Edwin was able to turn her around… Rex too. And Joey and Tristan… they bullied me bad before you came along but now their my best friends." Yugi sighed. "But do I even try on people like Weevil or Bandit Keith? Or do I accept that helping them might lead no where and it would just be wasting my time?"

The Pharaoh looked about the park. It was rather empty, which made sense as many people in Domino were interested in watching the duels that were going on throughout the city. When it had become clear that Battle City would only be spending a single day in town before moving on to its more standard tournament location (no one knew what arena or stadium Kaiba was going to use but the Pharaoh just knew that Seto wouldn't be able to resist some grand show) many within the city had decided to take the chance to watch this rare feast for the eyes and thus hunted down any duel they could find. Add in the fairs and special performances that were going on throughout the city and something as simple as a park could never draw as much attention as the tournament. Thus it was only Yugi, the Pharaoh, a few random joggers, and a mime who pretending to be a statue that inhabited the park at that moment.

"It is never a waste of time to try and help someone," The Pharaoh finally said softly. "We can't get our hopes up that we will be able to save everyone but we must try and save who we can."

"So be willing to help who we can but also know there will be people that don't want our help," Yugi finally said.

"I believe that is the best course of action."

"I do believe you might be going mad, Little Yugi."

Yugi and the Pharaoh both stiffened before looking about wildly. "Marik," Yugi said softly but firmly, trying to seek out his foe. "Show yourself!"

"I am right here, Yugi Muto," Marik's distorted voice declared and Yugi finally turned to realize that it was the mime who was speaking. He had a bald head, piercings and makeup, and was dressed in baggy dark clothing that rather resembled stuff Yuri would wear now that she had shifted to a goth look evne if she tended towards whites now. "And I can only assume the Pharaoh is listening in?"

Yugi allowed the Pharaoh to take control of his body and the Spirit narrowed his eyes before folding his arms over his chest. "I am here, Marik… and I see you have taken control of yet another helpless soul."

"Not at all," Marik declared. "Strings here has no mind at all. Perfect for my plans… for the world and for you!"

"Why don't you leave him then and face me on your own, Marik," the Pharaoh declared. "Show honor for once."

"You and I will face each other soon enough, Pharaoh, but for now I will allow my mind slave to act in my place."

"Are you afraid that if you show yourself you will be defeated? Just as we defeated you in Cabal's mind?"

Marik… or rather Strings… grit his teeth. "I don't remember you doing anything Pharaoh but standing there helplessly. The boy whose body you control did far more than you did to defeat me. Of course little Yugi in the end didn't manage to win the respect and applause from Cabal, did he?"

"It doesn't matter what she felt, only that she was saved."

"So it is fine for you to demand how others act and declare what emotions are meaningful and which ones are useless. But when I do it then it is evil?"

"We wanted to save Cabal… you tried to damn her, Marik."

"They come to me, Pharaoh. Never forget that." Strings held up his arm. "But enough of this pointless banter. I do believe it is time I defeated you!"

"You will try, Marik, but you will not succeed!" The Pharaoh declared. He whipped off his coat, flicking it about so that it hung off his neck and shoulders like a cape, before activating his Duel Disc. "It is time to duel!"

"Indeed, Pharaoh. But you will find that this duel is far different than anything else you faced! I will defeat you here and leave you so broken that you will be unable even raise your head, let alone stand against me!"

The Pharaoh reached for his deck only for Yugi to appear beside him. 'No Pharaoh. I don't think that is a wise move.'

'What do you mean?'

'Marik has now watched us duel with our Dark Magician deck twice; once again Cabal and against Bandit Keith. He will know what strategies we'll employ and what cards we have that might trip him up. I have a feeling that he is ready for us and if we use that deck we will be in for a harder time.'

'Hmmm… I think you are right. Very well.' He selected another deck from his belt and shuffled it. 'Let us try this then… something no one has seen so far!'

"Are you ready to face me, Pharaoh?" Strings demanded.

"I am, Marik! And for this duel I will wager two of my Locator cards!"

"I will do the same… though it won't matter how many you have left after you lose for I will ensure your soul is sent screeching into the Shadow Realm!"

"Make your move, Marik!" The Pharaoh declared as he activated his duel disc, Strings doing the same. "Because it's time to duel!"

"So eager to meet your end, Pharaoh?" Marik taunted. "Well, I'm afraid you will have to wait just a bit more. I place this monster in facedown defense mode and end my turn."

'That's not good,' Yugi thought. 'We needed Marik to come out and attack us so we could figure out his strategy. We could still set a monster in defense mode but he might just keep bluffing as well.'

'Then I suppose we must just come out strong and hope that we can overwhelm him,' The Pharaoh said before holding up a card. "I summon Arisen Gaia the Fierce Knight!"

"What is this?" Strings asked. It was so very odd to hear the figure have so many emotions… even as the mime's face remained utterly blank. "No spellcasters to weave their magic?"

"I'm afraid not, Marik. I decided to try something different… something special. You have seen me wield the dark arts now you will witness my mastery of the blade." Gaia appeared on the field, his horse stomping her hoof. "Normally Arisen Gaia would need tributes in order to be summoned but because you have a monster on the field and I have none I can normal summon him without tribute. Now then, Arisen Gaia, attack Marik's downface card!" Gaia nodded and his horse raced forward, the knight driving his lance into the downface card revealing a woman in tattered clothing.

String chuckled even as his face remained slack. "It seems we do think alike, Pharaoh… for I chose to show my skill with a blade as well. I had considered another deck… but I feel it better to leave those viscous horrors aside for now." The female monster shattered. "So I will activate the effect of my slain Warrior Lady of the Wasteland. When she is destroyed she gives out a distress call to my deck, bringing forth another Warrior Type Monster. That allows me to summon my Command Knight."

The Pharaoh frowned and the Command Knight appeared in defense mode. 'Warrior Monsters… that doesn't seem like Marik at all.'

'Makes you wonder what else he might have in store for us,' Yugi said as the two of them ended their turn.

"Now I draw!" Strings selected the top card from their deck. "And I activate Pot of Greed, allowing me to draw two more cards." Doing that Marik began to laugh. "Perfect… this card took a lot of effort to find, Pharaoh. It is in fact the entire reason I built this deck in the first place. I wished nothing more than to defeat you but simply lowering your lifepoints won't be enough. I summon the Obnxious Celtic Guardian in defense mode!"

"The Celtic Guardian?!?" the Pharaoh said in shock as the elf warrior appeared on the field, drawing his sword and sneering at the Pahraoh.

"Did you think it was merely chance that I recruited Cabal?" Marik asked. "No Pharaoh… I selected her because of her Dark Magician. Just as I placed within this deck a new version of your Celtic Guardian. And how the Rare Hunter your friend Joey faced had an Exodia deck just for you. I have studied your duels during Pegasus' tournament and know exactly what deck you ran and your favorite monsters… just as I did with your friend Joey Wheeler and that fool Edwin Chaos. I then had my Rare Hunters seek all across the global just the right cards to create decks that wouldn't merely defeat you… but also humiliate all of you by turning your own favorite monsters against you!"

'Of course!' Yugi exclaimed. 'Joey said that Rare Hunter used an Exodia Deck first and then he used Joey's Red Eyes. Then there was Cabal and now Strings. The Rare Hunters are using decks based around our Duelist Kingdom decks!'

'Which means we must be very careful, Yugi,' the Pharaoh said. 'We can't allow sentimentality to blind us. We must be prepared to fight, even against cards that hold meaning to us.'

'Right.'

Out loud the Pharaoh declared, "If you believe that will stop me from defeating you, Marik, then you're sadly mistaken! Arisen Gaia, attack the Obnoxious Celtic Guardian!" The knight nodded and rushed in hard on his horse, bringing the lance down… only for Celtic Guardian to suddenly pull out a shield and bat the weapon away. "What?!?"

"My Obnoxious Celtic Guardian is far more powerful than yours, Pharaoh!" Marik taunted. "A monster that has 1900 attack or more can not defeat him in battle. Meaning that no matter how you attack he will remain! And my Command Knight can not be attacked so long as another Warrior Monster is on the field, preventing you from attack him! How does it feel Pharaoh to find none of your power able to even scratch my monster's armor?"

'That's bad,' Yugi said. 'With those two monsters he can protect his lifepoints for as long as he wants!'

'Its worse than that, Yugi,' The Pharaoh thought to himself. 'With the new tribute rule it is harder than ever to bring out powerful monsters. Simply trying to summon monsters and getting them to last on the field for a tribute is very difficult. We have seen with the likes of Edwin and Cabal and Rex how important it is to come out with new and cunning ways to get out powerful monsters. But with this… Marik can stall and summon whenever he wishes.' He frowned, narrowing his eyes as he stared down the two warriors.

"Hmmm," Marik said as Strings drew his next card. "I believe there is no need to tamper with something that is working so well for me. So I will end my turn here. Your move, Pharaoh."

'What could Marik be up to?' Yugi thought. 'He has two monsters on the field, why not tribute for a stronger monster? Does he not have something that can defeat our Arisen Gaia? Or is there something else going on?' Suddenly Yugi let out a mental gasp. 'Pharaoh, what if Marik isn't trying to beat us through brute force?'

'What do you mean?'

'He's already shown that he is willing to do anything in order to win. Abuse others in order to achieve a victory. What if he is willing to abuse the rules as well?'

'I don't understand…'

'Marik is preventing us from doing anything. If we can't defeat that lock he's created we'll be stuck here drawing cards. What if that is his entire goal? To make us only able to draw… until there are no cards in our deck?'

'A deck out!' the Pharaoh thought in shock. 'Of course! That must be his strategy!' He frowned, looking over his hand but not seeing anything that would allow him to defeat Marik's warriors. 'We MUST find a way to break Marik's lock!'

~MC~MC~MC~

Ishizu couldn't help but frown as she gazed upon Battle City, looking into what had already happened, what was happening now, and what would soon come.

She wasn't pleased. Not at all.

'Fate keeps trying to reassert itself but I fear that with the changes brought on by the rogue elements will continue to bring things closer and closer to ruin.' She shook her head as she walked. 'The Pharaoh was supposed to face the Rare Hunters so he might understand the dangers of my brother's power, so that he would be humble with his own. It is said in legend that it was abusing the Millennium Items and not respecting their strength that led to Zorc becoming free. The Pharaoh can not wield the power of the Items freely... he must understand they are a gift. To only be used in the most dire of circumstances.'

She touched her necklace and watched over his duels again.

'But he has only faced one Rare Hunter, the madwoman Cabal. And even she was not who I saw as his opponent when I first looked into the future. Even though the deck was nearly the same it should have been her lover, the illusionist Arkana, he faced.' In her mind she saw the Pharaoh and Arkana battling, competing to see who deserved the Dark Magician. 'It is said that the greatest ally the Pharaoh had was the Dark Magician. His strength allowed the Pharaoh to beat back so many foes. That battle should have strengthen their bond even more while bringing forth the Dark Magician's successor, the Dark Magician Girl, and shown the Pharaoh her power.'

The Millennium Necklace showed her instead Cabal facing down the combined might of the Dark Magicians.

'Instead Endymion and the Goddess Selene interfered and now I can not tell what will happen.' She shifted her gaze to the Pharaoh's loyal friend, Joseph Wheeler. 'He is to be his medji. His guardian and protector. The loss of his Red-Eyes Black Dragon was to humble him so he might better understand his place, standing just behind the Pharaoh, ready to strike from his shadow should the need arise. But instead he grapples with worries concerning Tristan Taylor... who should not even be in Battle City, same with the Pharaoh's chosen consort, Tea Gardner!'

Ishizu rubbed her forehead. She could feel a headache coming on from prolonged use of the Millennium Necklace and can feel… it… clawing at her mind… but she pushed onward. She had to see more. That is how they had ended up in this situation: she hadn't seen the depths of her brother's madness until it was too late. Never again. She would know all! She would understand the future and how to make it come to pass! Destiny had to be obeyed!

'Which would have been far easier if not for Seto Kaiba.'

The reincarnation of the Pharaoh Set had proven to be a disappointment. While little was written of his rule, same as with the Nameless Pharaoh, Ishizu had been able to gleam from the records that he had been a good pharaoh, ruling justly and ushering in a better future for all of Egypt. Yes, in his youth he had been a rival to the Nameless Pharaoh but with age had come a tempering of those ill emotions and he had become the ruler his kingdom needed to be.

Seto Kaiba on the other hand seemed to have become trapped in his past self's more selfish state. He had been defeated by the Nameless Pharaoh but rather than understand that his loss meant he was destined to serve he had sought to overthrow. The only person he truly seemed to care about was his brother, Mokuba, the boy that should not have even mattered. Pharaoh Set had no siblings and she had not seen a single person in the past who resembled Mokuba Kaiba. No... he was just another meaningless player who distracted the important ones from their duties in defending the world from the coming darkness.

'What is different though? Why does Seto Kaiba refuse to heed his fate?' She pushed on despite her headache, gazing into the past. Her lessons under her father, about duty, drive her forward. 'He has battled with the Pharaoh. He has gained possession of Pharaoh Set's mightiest servant, the Blue-Eyes White Dragon. He already is a ruler in his own way so-'

And then she realized her folly.

'Kisara,' Ishizu thought to herself, gritting her teeth in frustration at her mistake. 'It is said that Pharaoh Set, while taking a bride, did so only out of duty. He had loved the maiden Kisara, who held the soul of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon. That loss... that is what changed him.'

Sher shut her eyes, gathering her thoughts.

'Kisara will not be reincarnated. Her soul is forever bonded with the Blue-Eyes White Dragon. But for Seto Kaiba to achieve his destiny he MUST have a Kisara. Perhaps his brother... no. That is a different kind of love. He needs something else.'

Ishizu turned the Millennium Necklace towards the future, searching... and smiled.

~MC~MC~MC~

"Hey! Hey Tea!"

The teen looked up and smiled as she saw Joey running towards her, waving his arms about wildly. She smiled as she bowed to the duelist she'd just defeated before turning back to her friend. "Hey Joey, how's it going?"

"Pretty darn good!" he puffed out his chest. "I've managed ta claim 2 locator cards so far. And that ain't all… I also got a whole new deck!"

"A whole DECK!?!" Tea said in surprise. "That's amazing Joey! How did you manage that?"

"I took on that Rare Hunter creep who took my Red Eyes! I was able to fight back and defeat him and claim not only it back but his deck as well. And I'm gonna find a way to use it ta help me win this entire tournament!"

"That's great, Joey!" Tea said, placing her hand on his arm and giving it a pat.

"So, how are ya doin'? I saw ya chattin' with that guy over there. He challenge ya to a duel?"

"Yup," Tea said with a smile. "And I got his locator card and his rarest card."

Joey grinned at that. "Hey, that's pretty darn great, Tea! One step at a time and all that! Though… ya might want ta hurry it up, as Kaiba said we only have till 8 ta get all 6 locator cards. With only two you are gonna have a hard time catchin' up to the likes of me."

"Oh, I have more than 2 locator cards," Tea said with a casual shrug. She knew it was mean but after how Joey had treated her and Tristan and thought they wouldn't be able to make it far in the tournament she couldn't help but smile as she held out her bounty and wiggled them in Joey's face.

"WHA?!?!?" Joey exclaimed in shock before rapidly counting the locator cards in Tea's hand. "One, two, three, four, fi…. You have FIVE LOCATOR CARDS ALREADY!?!?"

"Yup!" Tea said with a smile. "I think I'm going to grab some lunch and rest up before I go after my last one."

"How… how do ya already have five locator cards?" Joey practically screamed.

Tea held her hands out, palms up. "I just found people to duel. Was pretty simple."

"But… but…"

"I'm kind of surprised you haven't gotten more, Joey," Tea said. "What have you been doing?"

Joey face faulted…

~Earlier~

"Any duelists in here?" Joey called out, bursting into the restaurant… only to be bet with confused stares by the patrons.

~A bit later~

"Its tima ta duel!" he shouted only to find the school empty.

~Later still~

"Duel me, duel me, duel me!" Joey sang on the street corner, bouncing up and down as he searched for an opponent. A businessman walked by and tossed a quarter at his feet. "Hey! I ain't a hobo!" Another one walked by and gave him a dollar. "Well… thanks but…" More people passed by giving him cash. "…change? Spare some change?"

~MC~MC~MC~

"…it doesn't matter because I'm gonna find someone ta duel right now!"

Tea nodded. "Okay, that's great Joey." She paused as Joey looked at her. "I'm not dueling you Joey."

"Come on, spare the wealth."

"…fine," Tea said, reaching into her purse… and tossing him a quarter.

"Ha ha ha," he said dryly, clutching it in his hand. "But you watch! I'm gonna catch up with you real quick!"

"What's important is you get all six cards, not that you get them before anyone else," Tea reminded him. But as she walked away she had a bad feeling Joey hadn't heard that last part at all.

~MC~MC~MC~

"Ah, perfect!" Marik declared as Strings drew his next card. "The next piece of the puzzle to claim YOUR puzzle falls into place! I activate the spell card Upstart Goblin! This spell allows me to draw one card while giving you 1000 lifepoints!"

'That makes no sense,' the Pharaoh thought. 'If Marik is attempting to force us to deck out he wouldn't be drawing cards. He would be doing the reverse, trying to make us draw cards. But why is he so happy to risk a deck out himself AND give us 1000 extra life points?' (The Pharaoh-5000)

'There is something we are missing,' Yugi said. 'Some key to his strategy. And if we don't figure out what it is he is going to spring it on us when we have no way to fight back.'

"Heh… heheheh. HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Marik cackled dementedly which was truly off-putting considering Strings just stood there, show no reaction and no emotion. "I have drawn yet another card needed to bring about your end, Pharaoh! Behold the spell card Infinite Cards!" On the field a spell appeared which show a pair of hands held out, cards hovering over them. "Normally a duelist can only have 6 cards in their hand at any time. Should they go over six they are forced to send cards to the graveyard. But this card allows me to have as many cards as I want!"

'Could that be Marik's plan?' Yugi asked. 'To make us send cards to the graveyard? But why? Does… does he have some card that will penalize us for doing that? Or that needs us to put cards in the graveyard in order to activate it?'

'I don't know Yugi,' The Pharaoh said, 'and that troubles me greatly.'

Yugi though placed his ghostly hand on top of the Pharaoh's. 'We're in the dark about what Marik is planning… but that doesn't mean we're done for. He hasn't destroyed a single one of our monsters and we haven't lost any lifepoints. I know it's frustrating but we have to keep fighting!'

The Pharaoh smiled. "You're right, Yugi," he whispered before moving his hand to their deck. "And I do believe in the heart of the cards…" he drew and lifted up the card. "And the heart of the cards," he said in a louder voice, "has come through for me! I summon Gaia the Fierce Knight Origin!"

This new Gaia was younger than Arisen, on a red mare and with more simplistic armor than the Arisen Gaia. It was clear that this Gaia was from when the legendary knight had just begun his journey to become one of the most noble and famous knights in all the realms.

"With 1600 attack points my Gaia the Fierce Knight Origin is just strong enough to defeat your Obnoxious Celtic Guardian while not triggering its effect!" The Pharaoh thrust out his hand. "Gaia the Fierce Knight Origin, attack and destroy The Obnoxious Celtic Guardian!" the knight nodded and raced forth, his lance slipping past the guard's shield and causing him to shatter. "And now my Arisen Gaia, attack and destroy the Command Knight!" The second of his Gaias nodded and galloped forth, striking down the second of Marik's monsters. "And just like that your lock is destroyed!"

But rather than growl and rage like the Pharaoh and Yugi had been expecting Strings merely drew his next card. "You savor such small victories, Pharaoh. It truly is pathetic. You settle for mediocrity rather than striving for greatness and it is why you have failed time and again to truly leave your mark on the world. With your power you could have done so much… I will not make the same mistake!" He held up a card. "I activate another Upstart Goblin, drawing one card and giving you another 1000 lifepoints."

'I don't understand why he keeps doing that,' Yugi said. (The Pharaoh-6000)

'There must be something we are missing… I just hope we figure it out before he causes us any true trouble.'

Strings held up two cards. "Now then, I summon forth my Marauding Captain in defense mode. And when he is summoned he brings forth another Warrior from my hand to the field. And I choose a second copy of Marauding Captain." Strings watched as the two warriors appeared, the armored fighters bringing their swords together, a flash glowing across their surface. "The Marauding Captain prevents you from attacking any Warrior Type Monster save itself. So with two on the field they protect each other, blocking all your attempts at offense."

"Another lock," the Pharaoh muttered. "What is your game, Marik?"

"You haven't figured it out yet, Pharaoh? Well, if you are too clueless to understand what I am doing why should I help you solve this problem? It is far more entertaining to watch you flounder and flail!"

Drawing his next card the Pharaoh set his jaw. "I can't keep my monsters on the field like that, as I don't know what Marik has planned. I must begin building towards my own assault rather than wait for his own." In a louder voice he said, "I tribute my Gaia the Fierce Knight Origin to summon Curse of Dragon the Cursed Dragon!"

On the field a golden version of the Pharaoh's original Curse of Dragon appeared, the metal that made up its body still dripping from his bone-like form as it let out a powerful screech.

"Now then, I will summon in defense the Marmiting Captain!" a new version of the Marauding Captain, this one though wearing an apron and stirring a pot for some odd reason, appeared on the field. "When he is summoned I can discard one card from my hand to draw one card and, if it is a monster, I can summon it." Strings drew but then passed his turn, it clear it hadn't been a monster card.

The Pharaoh drew his next card but had no move to make. He merely stared at Strings and his field as he set a card and ended his turn.

'He keeps drawing… oh no!' Yugi's eyes went wide. 'Pharaoh, I know what he's doing! He's searching… he's searching for a single card!'

'You're right,' the Pharaoh thought before declaring out loud. "I know what you are playing at, Marik!"

"Oh? And what is that?"

"This deck wasn't just made to defeat me using the Obnoxious Celtic Guardian… it was built to help you bring forth your Egyptian God Card!"

"Very good, Pharaoh! I was wondering when you'd figure it out! And you're right… this deck has been designed to summon forth the beast that will bring about your doom!"

"I won't let you summon it, Marik! Now that I know what you are planning I will defeat your lock and prevent your Egyptian God Card from ever seeing the field!"

"It is far too late for that!" Marik declared. "For I have drawn the very card in question!"

"Oh no!"

"Oh yes! Now I tribute my Marauding Captains and my Marmiting Captain to summon forth the divine beast they were protecting!" The three monsters turning into raw energy before racing up into the sky, black storm clouds appearing overhead which greedily sucked up the energy. Lightning began to dance along their surface and the Pharaoh could only look up as the storm swirled above him. "Behold the instrument of your destruction, Pharaoh! Come forth SLIFER THE SKY DRAGON!"

A pillar of light suddenly shot down from the clouds and struck the ground below, nearly throwing the Pharaoh off his feet. He stared up, watching as the energy continued to swell and grow until, finally, the pillar shot back into the sky… and something stirred without the storm clouds.

At first the Pharaoh didn't know what the shape was, seeing only a red shape slowly lowering itself down, looking like a scaled blimp. It was only when more of the surface made itself visible that he realized in growing horror that he was looking at merely one part of a long serpentine body, constantly moving as it lowered down towards him. The monster was massive, utterly massive. It felt like it could have stretched from one end of the city to another without straining in the slightest. Lightning cracked and thunder boomed out as the great monster descended, unveiling more and more of its impossibly long body. He couldn't help but take a step back as he stared at the great beast, feeling the terror and fear of such a being existing well inside his hear.

More of it appeared. The thin clawed arms that would have been comical on such a large beast save for the sheer aura of power Marik's summoned monster produced. The wings that were fanned out but never attempted to flap, for it was clear the monster floated through its own magic rather than the beating of its wings. And then the head… the wide, fearsome head that belonged to no such creature ever spawned upon the earth. Two sets of jaws, layered one on top of the other, sneered at him as the dragon fully revealed itself, staring down upon Yugi's side of the field.

Truly this was a monster that had earned the right to call itself a 'divine beast'.

"This is the end, Pharaoh! Under the mighty of Slifer the Sky Dragon there is nothing you can do to save yourself! Your time is over!"

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