Chaos Effect

"Yug…" Joey said as he walked towards his pier. His body was trembling, not that Yugi blamed him; he was shaking hard too. "Please… please tell me…"

He knew what Joey was asking. 'Please tell me you have a way out of this.'

Yugi hated himself so much for only being able to say, "We'll figure this out, Joey." Because Yugi himself knew how hollow those words sounded in his own ears.

Glancing back towards the others he hoped that he would see them doing SOMETHING. Kaiba calling for support. Or maybe fiddling with his own duel disc, figuring out how to use it to hack into Marik's system and prevent the crates coming down on their loved ones. Tristan or Duke sneaking about, grabbing Rare Hunters and knocking them out cold and then taking their spots so they could infiltrate and sabotage.

But they were all frozen with fear too. Tristan and Duke and Joey's new friend were staring at the set up in horror. Kaiba had Mokuba pressed tight to him, knuckles white from how hard he was gripping his brother's shoulder but Mokuba showing no signs of pain as he instead looked about with wide frightened eyes.

Yugi couldn't bring himself to look at his grandpa or Serenity.

'We will get out of this, Yugi. I promise you.'

'How Pharaoh?' Yugi asked. 'We have to duel Joey. If we lose then Marik will kill Grandpa. But if we beat Joey then Serenity is going to die.'

'I… do not know what we will do, Yugi. But I have faith that this day will not be marked with tragedy. We will figure out how to get out of this madness and when we do it will be Marik who suffers for what he has done. For now the best we can do is press on. The greatest risk to your grandfather and Joey's sister is us annoying Marik and causing him to decide to kill them right now. We must play his game and hope we can stall long enough to discover some way out of this.'

'Right,' Yugi said and there was a flash of light in his mind as he allowed the Pharaoh to take control.

"Ah, the Pharaoh has shown himself," one of the Rare Hunters Marik was controlling declared. "Are you merely trying to soften the blow by being the one who surrenders to save Joey's sister? Or do you hunger for the death that is to come and wish to deal the blow that will slay her?" Serenity let out a little sob of fear and the Pharaoh winced before turning towards the Rare Hunter. "Save your speeches, Pharaoh! I have no need for them. In fact, I suppose now is the perfect time to show you the other addition to this duel." He waved to the containers and Yugi saw that there were screens on them that showed his and Joey's lifepoints. But also on them was a second screen, this one showing a timer displaying 1:00. "In order to prevent you from stalling you will only be allowed 1 minute of inaction. Should you not lay a card or declare an action in that time you will automatically forfeit the duel!"

"So you want us to be playing in a rush, Marik?" the Pharaoh declared. "Do you not contain a shred of honor?"

"My honor is far different from yours, Pharaoh. And I am not the one on trial." The clock began to tick down above Yugi's grandpa, the only sound being its rhythmic "TIC TIC TIC TIC" as the numbers decreased and the wind causing the shipping container and the cable holding it to sway and groan. "You best hurry pharaoh…"

"Very well," the Pharaoh said, drawing his cards, relieved to see the counter reset back to one minute as he did so… only to then begin counting down again. 'We will need to be smart when it comes to selecting our moves, Yugi. We no longer have the luxury of careful consideration.'

'We'll make more mistakes… Marik wants us rattled in hopes that we'll do something stupid that will lead to our defeat.'

'Or the same with Joey,' the Pharaoh thought darkly. 'That is what this is all about… he might dress up that he wishes us to not speak with him, to plead our case… but in reality he has placed us in a press.' Seeing that time was dwindling down he selected Magician's Robe and set it in defense mode as well as Eternal Soul, ending his turn and allowing Joey to begin going over his hand. 'We are trapped between two walls and he is slowly going to turn the handle, applying more pressure until we shatter.' The Pharaoh set his jaw. 'But we won't let him do that. We WILL find a way out of this Yugi… I swear it!'

~MC~MC~MC~

Seto knew that many people saw him as a monster.

They saw how casual he was with using his wealth to get what he wanted and scorned him for that. As well as how he refused to play the petty interpersonal games that so many loved to indulge in. They witnessed his skill and raged that it was yet another thing he had.

What they didn't understand was that money was merely a tool. No different than a screwdriver or a hammer. One did not scorn a construction worker for using their hammer to nail up a board. One used the tools they were given. When he had held nothing in that orphanage other than his mind he had used that to provide for his brother a new home. When his stepfather had given him those millions and challenged him to make something of himself he had used every dollar to destroy the abusive bastard. And now when he needed something he used money to obtain it.

When it came to interpersonal games… he simply didn't have the time. The death of his parents had taught him that. Life was fleeting. You were on this planet for so long and there was nothing you could do to extend that time. It was the one thing the money everyone claimed he wasted away could not buy.

And skill? It was earned. Oh, he was a natural at Duel Monsters. Most games of strategy in fact. But just like a diamond must be cut and polished to make it be worth anything so too had Seto worked to hone his skills. Otherwise he was just someone with lazy raw talent.

(He would never admit it, even to himself, but that was why he hated Joey Wheeler so very much. The teen did nothing to hone his skills, thinking that he could just rush in and with brute force and luck win the day. Seto would never admit it but, in another world where Joey put in the time and the effort… well, perhaps…)

They didn't see but Seto was okay with that. Let them judge him. He was never one to care for the here and now… his gaze was to the future. A century from now, when he was long gone, his name may very well be forgotten. But… what he did to help the world? The orphans that slept in warm beds thanks to his donations? The wars that never were because he dismantled his stepfather's war machine? The duelists inspired by him? That would live on.

(Mokuba had once told him that Edwin had said that when he died he wanted to be able to look whatever petty gods were in the heavens right in the eye… and spit in their faces before telling the smug bastards that he'd done more good than they ever had. It was just like him… and one of the reasons Seto allowed the man to remain around. Sometimes… Edwin Chaos got things right)

But now he was rethinking allowing people to casually call him a monster.

Because what Marik had done… that was a monster. And Seto REFUSED to be lumped in with the bastard before him.

'He's twisted my tournament into a series of death traps,' he thought bitterly. 'Taken everything I created and twisted it in order to serve his demented goals.' He balled his hand into a fist. 'He will pay for this… he will pay for making what was supposed to be MY tournament and making it his own!'

Wheeler's voice pulled him out of his thoughts. "Okay… I set the Black Metal Dragon in faceup defense mode and set this card. And… I end my turn." The dragon, which looked like it was a small drake that had seen black molten metal poured over it and then not been allowed to dry quite properly, appeared on the field before settling into defense mode.

"Maybe that's what they should just do," Mokuba whispered. "Just keep laying defense cards. Stalling so we can figure out a way out of this."

"They run the risk of decking out, Mokuba," Seto informed him. "And that would lose them the duel." In his mind he added, 'And there is the risk that one will turn on the other. They might be the best of friends but when it is someone they love, family, who is at risk… will friendship really protect them?' He squeezed Mokuba's shoulder again, just to ensure himself that his brother was safe. If things were different and it was him versus Wheeler with Mokuba's life balanced against Wheeler's sister… Seto would have fought to save Mokuba. He wouldn't have been happy about it, would have loathed hurting the innocent girl… but he would save his brother.

And could Yugi and Joey really trust each other to stall when it meant the risk of losing someone they loved?

'It doesn't matter,' Seto thought to himself darkly. 'Whatever happens here someone is going to die. And I'm forced to watch because that bastard Marik is blocking any attempts to call for help. But-' he clenched his jaw so hard it hurt but he welcomed the pain, needed it at that moment, '-the moment this is done… I'm going to find that bastard. Yugi and Wheeler will be in no shape after this is done. So it's up to me. I'll collect every source of intel I have. I will hunt him down and I will drag him out of whatever hole he's hidden himself in.'

A memory flashed in his head. People assumed that Gozaburo had only taught him how to run a business. What they didn't know was the hours he had spent with the old man in his dojo, being kicked and punched and stomped as his stepfather told him in a cold voice that he was weak and that his heir had to be STRONG. Shown him what nerves to strike to bring about agony, how to lash out and bruise without breaking. To make someone long for death but not give it.

And Seto Kaiba, if he was anything, was a GOOD student.

As Marik… would find out.

~MC~MC~MC~

"My draw," the Pharaoh said without the normal flair he would have normally used. Now was not the time for such theatrics. "I start by using the card Soul Servant, which allows me to select one Dark Magician from my deck and place it on the top of my deck."

He paused though as he looked at his card.

'But which one?' he thought to himself. 'I am tempted to use Cabal's Dark Magician… it feels wrong to use the one your grandfather gave us Yugi. It was meant to fight evil, not participate in it.' He nearly selected the red robed Dark Magician but stopped himself. 'And yet… if I do this do I not condemn Cabal's Dark Magician to being just a tool of darkness? I am trying to prove that it can be more than what it was… I dishonor it if I select it just because-'

'Pharaoh!' Yugi cried out, 'The time!'

The Pharaoh mentally cursed and quickly placed his original Dark Magician on top of his deck before declaring, "I activate the Dark Magical Circle!" the timer restarted and the Pharaoh let out a sigh of relief before realizing he hadn't gotten a reprieve he'd merely just restarted the pressure that was being put on him. "This allows me to look at the top three cards on my deck and if one is the Dark Magician I can add him to my hand while placing the other two cards on top of my deck." Of course, thanks to his Soul Servant the Dark Magician WAS on the top of his deck and as such he added it to his hand, honestly not taking much time at all to examine the next two cards before he placed them on top of his deck. "And now I activate Eternal Soul."

He hated how quiet Joey was. He wasn't saying a word, other than to call out what moves he was making. The Pharaoh of course understood why that was… how could he be happy with everything that was going on? How could he treat this as just a normal duel when life and death were literally hanging above their heads? And worse it wasn't their own. The Pharaoh knew deep down that things would have been easier if it were himself and Joey who were forced to gamble their lives, rather than play with the lives of those they carried about.

'Marik,' the Pharaoh thought to himself as he summoned the Dark Magician thanks to Eternal Soul. 'You will pay for this. Your twisted vendetta against me has now brought pain and terror to the innocent.' He tapped his duel disc, activating The Dark Magical Circle and banishing Joey's facedown before having his Dark Magician attack Joey's Black Metal Dragon, destroying it. 'There are many things I can forgive… but this trap you have placed us in… I will figure some way out of it. I will save everyone. And then… I will be coming for you, Marik. I won't let you harm anyone ever again!'

~MC~MC~MC~

Ishizu watches.

Her first memory was of her parents arguing about Odion, if he was worthy of being a tombkeeper. She can't even remember the words they said, just the sight of them. It was the only time she could remember her mother actually getting upset and confronting Ishizu's father. Her mother… she had been a proper daughter of the tombkeepers, understanding that her role was to quietly guide, never to assume it her right to lead. And yet in that moment, when Ishizu's father had said… something, she couldn't remember… her mother had become enraged, looking ready to STRIKE her husband!

Ishizu watched later on when her mother didn't stand up for herself, the memory of the black eyes and bruised cheeks keeping her from fighting back and thus showing her it was far wiser to do as was commanded. The tombkeeper did as they were commanded. They did… as they were commanded.

The Pharaoh knew best. The Pharaoh would save them. And the Pharaoh had made the heads of the great families in charge of their wives and children. So the heads knew best. For if they did not then the Pharaoh did not and the world was doomed. It was as simple as that.

Ishizu remembered seeing her mother dying to bring her brother into the world.

Then… her father's dead body.

And their home destroyed by her own flesh and blood.

She saw it all.

And… Ishizu became not as a daughter of the tombkeepers should be. She led. If only her own life to ensure that her brother would return to his duty.

'And now this,' she thought to herself as she used the Millennium Necklace to watch the Pharaoh's duel with his servant Joseph Wheeler. 'Marik, my brother, why have you strayed so far? Why have my visions of your path been taken so far off course?' She let out a sigh, clenching her eyes shut even harder to ensure that the visions she saw remain cleared. She could feel a throb in the back of her skull but she forced such thoughts away, focused solely on the duel… what was occurring and what should have happened.

All of this was wrong.

'Marik was supposed to capture Joseph and make him into a puppet like his Rare Hunters. He would force the Pharaoh to duel his servant, so that he might understand the power my brother wields so that when he claimed the Millennium Rod he would not be tempted to use it thusly.' She knew Joseph was destined to survive the duel, saved by the Pharaoh, but she paid that path little heed in the face of this altered new reality. 'But instead… this.'

She shook her head in disgust.

'Now the Pharaoh will not learn the lesson. I will need to speak with him during the next stage of the tournament, to ensure that he understands the dangers my brother poses. But I must also force him to see that Marik can not be tossed aside. The Pharaoh must forgive him for all he has done.'

She glanced, just briefly, at the restrained forms of Solomon Muto and Serenity Wheeler.

'It is a pity that one must die here but I will need to show the Pharaoh that my brother is not to blame for their deaths. This is the fault of Edwin Chaos, pushing my brother into more extreme actions. Had he not interfered and altered fate than those two would have survived Battle City. But now… their blood will be on his hands.' Ishizu sighed, even if doing so made her wince from the throbbing in her skull. 'And I will need to see to my brother… when he realizes when Chaos forced him to do this he will be devastated. It will not do for a servant of the Pharaoh to be hampered by such feelings though. He must be strong… we all must… if we are to survive the darkness that is coming.'

In the end she didn't know which of the two should die. Solomon Muto was an old man and he had played his part. What would it matter if he died now? It would upset the vessel of the Pharaoh but perhaps that would drive the boy into giving up more control to the Pharaoh? It was so cumbersome to have the Pharaoh need to share a body… far better if he were to lead at all times, the child retreating into his grief.

But… that would mean the Pharaoh would need to lose.

And a ruler could not show such weakness.

No, it had to be the girl, Serenity Wheeler. She had to die here. She served no purpose… with her loss of sight she should have been left to die long ago; if one was weak they needed to be trimmed away from the family tree, so that only the strong remained. She could not serve the Nameless Pharaoh… so it would be better for her to die. The servant Joseph Wheeler would understand… the girl should understand as well! It was an honor to die for one's Pharaoh!

Yes… she would understand.

~MC~MC~MC~

Serenity was crying.

It was making Joey want to sob.

But he couldn't. As much as he wanted to curl up into a ball and just break down… he couldn't. He had to keep dueling. He had to keep playing cards if he hoped to ensure that both Serenity and Mr. Muto weren't killed.

'But one of them is going to die,' a dark little voice whispered in his ear, one he tried desperately to shove to the side as Yugi ended his turn.

He took a breath. It did not good to focus on that. If he did he would become distracted and both of the people he cared for would die. No… he had to keep dueling and just hope that Yugi or someone else would figure out a way out of the mess they were now in.

"Okay…" he said, drawing his card. "I-" He paused, looking at the clock. 'Wait… maybe I can buy us a bit more time. If I purposely make each move I have take as long as I can, maybe leave myself 15 seconds, I can give Yugi more time to think of a way for us to escape this! I just have ta be careful and watch that clock!' He grinned to himself. 'Yeah… that will work!'

As such Joey waited until there was about 15 seconds left before declaring , "I activate Red-Eyes Fusion! This card allows me to fusion summon one of my Red-Eyes monsters using cards from my deck, meanin' I don't even need ta have a single card on my side of the field in order to bring out a huge and powerful monster! So I send my Meteor Dragon Red-Eyes Impact and my Red-Eyes Black Dragon from my deck to the graveyard in order ta summon my Meteor Black Comet Dragon!" The massive burning dragon appeared on the field, its stony flesh clanking together before flames exploded out of its body, engulfing it in a halo of heat and fire. Once more Joey waited until there was about 15 seconds left before declaring, "And now I can use his effect, sending one monster from my deck to the graveyard to inflict damage to your lifepoints, Yug."

"Ha!" Marik taunted. Or at least one of Marik's Rare Hunter goons that he was currently piloting. "Finally one of you fools has decided that you can't merely continue to play at this being a casual game between sweet friends and that action must be taken! If you wish to save your sister, Joey Wheeler, you will need to defeat your best friend!"

"Joey!" Serenity cried out. "Don't-"

"It's okay, sis, we'll be gettin' you and Mr. Muto out of this mess!" Joey took out his deck. "I just need ta figure out which monster I should send to the graveyard." After a moment he nodded. "I'll send my Red-Eyes Baby dragon to the graveyard, doin' 600 damage ta Yug's lifepoints." (Yugi-3400)

Marik scoffed at that. "You have mightier monsters in your deck than that! Do you really care so little for your sister that you are willing to risk her life when her freedom is held right in your deck? All you needed to do was attack with your strength and you would have crippled the Pharaoh!"

"Don't talk about me and my sister, ya mook!"

The Rare Hunter laughed. "Oh, you have bite Wheeler, but only when it is meaningless! You think you are her champion yet when it comes between saving her and coddling your little friend you have chosen the Pharaoh and Yugi over her!"

"That is enough, Marik!" the Pharaoh said as he drew.

"Hey, how come you are allowed to go on long winded speeches but Yugi can't?" Mokuba shouted. "Why don't we put YOU on a timer!"

"That sounds like a good idea," Koyo said, folding his arms over his chest and glaring at the Rare Hunter. "Maybe one of these jerks gets crushed while he rambles on."

"Careful, child," a hunter growled at Mokuba, "or I might decide to have my Rare Hunters put YOU in the trap!"

Kaiba glared at the Rare Hunter. "You even try and you'll live to regret it. I will reduce my fortune to nothing to make you suffer if you even take a step towards Mokuba."

The younger of the Kaiba brothers nodded. "Yeah, and that's assuming Edwin doesn't come after you first!"

Joey looked at the timer that was ticking down. "Yug!"

"I shift the Dark Magician to defense mode!"

Marik's current puppet threw back its head and laughed. "It is far too easy! You will both lose this duel soon enough!"

"That's the only way ya can win though, ain't it?" Joey asked. "Ya don't have the balls ta take on me or Yug yourself so ya send out your Rare Hunter creeps ta duel us! And we've managed to beat each of'em back, just like we are gonna beat ya back here!"

"Joey, Yugi!" Mr. Muto called out. "Do not allow that blowhard to distract you. He is trying to keep you from focusing on the duel."

'He's right,' Joey thought to himself as he drew. 'Marik wants us distracted. Either to forget what is at stake and make a mistake… or to forget to make a move in time and cost ourselves the duel. All because he wants ta punish the Pharaoh. But… the only way he can punish him… is by punishin' us.' Joey shook his head. 'No! The Pharaoh… he wouldn't want either Serenity or Yugi's grandpa ta get hurt. Marik is just tryin' ta twist things around, get me ta go against him… and against Yug. Well, that ain't happen.'

In Joey's mind he saw all the great times he'd spent with Yugi. Not just when it came to dueling but so many other aspects of his life. Letting him spend the night at his place when he knew his dad was going to be out on a bender, that way Joey wasn't in his way if his old man got into a rage. Joey keeping creeps away, making it clear that Yugi Muto was off limits. Yugi helping him with his homework, causing Joey for the first time to begin pulling in C averages. Joey showing him great shops he could go to that Yugi had never known about because he'd always been too shy and skittish to enter them himself.

'Yug and I… we are the best of pals… nothin' is gonna change that. Not some duel, not Marik… nothin'. We are gonna get out of this!'

Seeing that time was short Joey called out, "I attack with my Meteor Black Comet Dragon!" The stone beast snarled and unleashed a gut of flames, shattering the Dark Magician completely… but ensuring that Yugi didn't lose a single lifepoint. "Man this is weird," Joey thought to himself, relieved that he was GLAD he hadn't done more damage.

~MC~MC~MC~

Marik smirked as he stood at the window, watching as the Pharaoh and his little friend Joey Wheeler dueled. The fool had no idea that he was so close by. He knew that the Pharaoh was used to commanding from some far off temple, sitting on his golden throne and demanding updates from the field of battle while he lazed about. But Marik far preferred to have a personal touch when dealing with his foes. He'd been forced to take control of several of his Rare Hunters from far distances, seeing everything through their eyes, but after the failure that had seen him lose Slifer the Sky Dragon he would not do such a thing again. No… he would be close at hand from now on, waiting for the moment when he could swoop on and destroy the Pharaoh once and for all.

As such he had stationed himself in a warehouse that looked out onto the pier, able to see the duel perfectly. That, combined with his ability to see through the eyes of his Rare Hunters, allowed him to see all and know all.

'The Pharaoh believes that he has a chance to get out of this,' Marik thought. 'He believes that if he waits long enough then he can escape without having any blood on his hands. But what he doesn't realize is that he is already buried in the dead. All of my ancestors, who toiled away in the dark serving his memory… their lives and all they never got to be are on him. He will not be able to escape his judgment! He will not be able to escape his punishment! He will need to decide who he betrays and who he stands with and he will have to face those consequences! And only when he realizes how much he has truly failed and his friends see him revealed for the cold hearted monster that he is… only then will I take my revenge!'

~MC~MC~MC~

Tristan watched as the Pharaoh paused just before he drew. "You claim I harmed you, Marik?"

"I claim nothing," one of the Rare Hunters said. "I know it. Despite what that meddlesome fool Edwin Chaos might have claimed there is not fault to my logic for it is grounded in fact! Your actions doomed me. And more than that it doomed far more!"

"Then it is too bad you are unable to explain it to me, what with the limited time I have."

That caused the Rare Hunter to pause before, with a growl, he shifted and suddenly the timers stopped. "You mock the tombkeepers, Pharaoh, but we served you loyally for thousands of years! We were your most dedicated servants! By your command we sealed ourselves away in the darkness of the ancient tombs and hidden temples of the Pharaohs, guarding your treasures! Including the Puzzle you now wear, the one that contains your dark soul!"

"This is ridiculous," Kaiba said with a huff. "Ignoring the fact that Yugi Muto isn't some ancient Egyptian Pharaoh and that gaudy thing he wears around his neck was probably bought at some craft store and was painted with a spray can-" the Pharaoh let out a sound of annoyance at his Millennium Puzzle being so casually dismissed, "-your entire logic is flawed even in your delusion. Which, again, is just a delusion."

The Rare Hunters turned as one on Kaiba. Tristan honestly wasn't surprised that Kaiba was disbelieving of magic… in fact it would have been more odd if he had believed everything. Kaiba was someone that needed to see something, to be able to weigh it and see how many ounces it was. Its length and its width. He didn't blindly believe a thing. Tristan supposed that is what made him a good businessman but in this situation it meant that he couldn't see the dangers they truly were in.

"You DARE wave away the suffering of my people, calling it a delusion?"

"Your suffering and your delusion are two different things," Kaiba said with a roll of his eyes. "I'm not saying you and your purple robed freaks didn't have bad things happen to you. Believe me, I know how cruel the world can be. But I'm not going to sit here and listen to you whine on and on about something that didn't actually happen."

"But it DID!" Marik, or at least one of the Rare Hunters he was controlling, roared out in rage. "We suffered-"

"But not because of some Pharaoh. Or at least the one you "believe" ordered you to your fate. Maybe if you had a bit of sense in that head of yours you would understand why everything you've spouted out about how you and your family ended up is just lies."

"You dare-"

"The Pharaoh-" Kaiba snorted at that, "-commanded you to guard that Puzzle?"

"he did."

"When?"

"…what?"

"When did he command you to guard the Puzzle. The one you claim his soul is in. Would you have me believe he can appear as a ghost, hovering over the puzzle and giving commands? If that's the case I'd love that technology for myself; I'd use it to be able to have my employees be able to get directions without needing to see their bosses. Oh wait, they already have that: it's called a phone."

"You dare-"

"Did you even meet the Pharaoh before you decided to invade MY tournament and mess it all up?" Kaiba snapped and Tristan fought to roll his eyes; because of course Kaiba would be more concerned with his tournament getting messed up than anything else. "No? What about your father? Your grandfather?"

"The Pharaoh was locked away, only released-"

"Yeah, I don't care," Kaiba said with a dry tone. "Because all I am hearing is that you are mad because every person in your family for the last couple thousand years was too weak and cowardly to actually live their lives and instead just kept following the commands of a dead man. And now you are under the delusion that Yugi here is that Pharaoh reborn." He let out a scoff. "Your sister sends some crazy woman after me who thinks she and I are destined lovers, Yugi is a pharaoh… what next? Wheeler is King Arthur? Edwin is one of the Greek Gods?"

~MC~MC~MC~

"Mmmmm," Selene purred.

~MC~MC~MC~

"You come to my city and ruin my tournament because of your delusions of adequacy? Give me a break. I don't know why your sister was so afraid of you if you are too much of a frightened child to show yourself."

One of the Rare Hunters took a step forward. "You would do best to remember who is in control here! One more insult and I will kill those two where they sit."

"And destroy the only thing keeping any of us from tackling you and beating you down. Now get on whatever radio or earpiece you have that lets Marik talk to you and tell him I'll be ready for him the moment he wants to show what he's really made of."

The Rare Hunter Marik was controlling growled before turning away, barking that Yugi and Joey needed to get back to the duel.

"Hey man," Tristan hissed, "I get being angry with the guy but those are my friends that are in danger. Could you try not to antagonize the guy that could get them all killed?"

Kaiba though shot him a dismissive look. "Is that what you thought I was doing? How pathetic."

"What are you talking about?"

"Look at that one." Kaiba nodded towards the Rare Hunter who he'd been sparring with, a tall man with a scar on his chin. "He shut off the timer for those shipping containers. And turned it back on."

"Yeah? He wanted to talk with us."

Kaiba rolled his eyes. "Are you people this stupid? Do all you do every day is hold hands and talk about how special friendship is?" He huffed. "He has a remote in his pocket. We now know that."

Tristan's eyebrows shot up to his hairline. "If we can figure out a way to get close we could get it from him. Lock out the containers so they can't drop!"

"Keep your voice down, Taylor," Kaiba hissed, shooting him a glare that had Tristan wincing and making sure the Rare Hunters hadn't heard him. But the one good thing about them all being controlled by Marik was… well… they were controlled by Marik. And if you weren't the Pharaoh he didn't seem to have time for you. "And yes… we just need Yugi and Wheeler to stall long enough to have a chance to get to it."

~MC~MC~MC~

Yugi and the Pharaoh looked over their hand, grateful that Kaiba, in his own way, had given them some time to go over what cards they had and what strategies they could use. It allowed them to see that the best move… was none.

'Sometimes that is the wisest move,' the Pharaoh said. 'Far too many feel, once they have suffered a loss of a powerful card, that they must quickly react. Throw something out in order to get back the edge. But that is rash and can lead to defeat.'

'Grandpa always equated it to tossing meat to a hungry lion. You are just going to lose the meat.'

'Yes,' the Pharaoh agreed as they ended their turn. 'And it is especially different with us facing Joey like this. He is going to be cautious too, careful about his moves. Try and buy us… and our friends… a chance to get out of this madness.'

'…Kaiba's speech,' Yugi realized at once. 'He's up to something.'

'He is,' the Pharaoh said as Joey finally drew his card. 'I think he's noticed something and we have to give him time to act. For all his faults Kaiba will take Marik's actions here as an insult and he won't allow them to go unanswered.'

Before Yugi could answer Joey called out that he was going to set a monster in defense mode before having his Meteor Black Comet Dragon attack Yugi's facedown, shattering the Magician's Robes and leaving Yugi with no monsters on his side of the field.

"Alright Joey," the Pharaoh called out as he drew his next card. "I believe it is time I begin a rally of my own! I start by activating Eternal Soul, which allows me to resurrect my Dark Magician back to the field!" The Dark Magician appeared, eyes narrowed as he looked at the burning dragon he was facing down. "And next because I have the Dark Magical Circle on the field I will be able to banish your Meteor Black Comet Dragon from the field!" The circle and its runes appeared around the dragon, the beast roaring as it tried to break free only to find the circle growing tighter around it, locking its arms against its body and preventing it from moving. The Circle began to glow and with it the Meteor Black Comet Dragon began to fade away, reduced to dust.

"Man, I need some cards like that for my deck," Joey complained. "Some of the tricks you are able to use with that Dark Magician of yours are amazin', Yug!"

"And doesn't that frustrate you?" Marik taunted. "The Pharaoh keeps all the best tools for himself and leaves you with the scrapes?"

Joey though scoffed at that. "Yeah, cause he's the one that prints the cards, right? Come on, man, give it up will yeah? I ain't gonna turn on my best friend just because ya want ta see us at each other's throats!"

But the Rare Hunter that was clearly Marik's mouthpiece, the one he had the greatest control over, merely smirked at that. It was so odd to see Marik allowing that Hunter to have emotions bleed through the control. He wondered what it meant… was there a reason why this one was so emotive while Strings had been a literal puppet? Or why Cabal or the Rare Hunter that had taken Joey's Red-Eyes Black Dragon had been reduced to emotionless machines that just parroted Marik's comments, their eyes glassy and blank and words echoing from their throats?

And then there was the one that wasn't under his control. The tall one with the scarring on his face that was clearly hieroglyphs. What was so special about him that he was deemed worthy to maintain control of himself? To not be taken over by Marik? What made him different from every other Rare Hunter?

Marik once more stopped the clock so he could try and convince Joey to give in and attack Yugi and the Pharaoh, to save his sister. Yugi kept glancing at his best friend but it was clear that Joey wasn't giving in. Though that might have been because Joey still had all his lifepoints.

'You can't think like that,' The Pharaoh chided him. 'Joey is our friend… he won't betray us.'

'He won't mean too,' Yugi thought back softly. 'But what happens when he's down to his last 100 lifepoints and the choice is losing Serenity or trying to save her?' The young man sighed. 'What will happen when it is us who face that choice?'

'We won't allow that to happen, Yugi.'

'But we haven't found a way out of this yet!' Yugi protested.

'We WILL.' The Pharaoh let out a sigh. 'Think of all the hard situations we've been in Yugi? The impossible ones where everything said we had no hope of victory. Taking on Kaiba with a deck that wasn't even our own.' Yugi saw in his mind's eye the three Blue-Eyes White Dragons roaring, ready to defeat him. 'Or when we faced off against Weevil and his tricks, nearly getting us cast out of Duelist Kingdom?' Weevil's laughter filled his skull. 'Pegasus and his ability to read our minds, to know every move we would make while also wielding a deck designed to be unbeatable.' The gaze of the Millennium Eye stabbing through his mind while the weight of Seto and his grandpa's souls needing to be freed filled him once more. 'And what did we do?'

There are no weak cards in my grandpa's deck, Kaiba! But what it does have… is the Unstoppable Exodia!

Your moth has been weighed down by my mists, waterlogged and unable to move! And now it is a prime target for my Summoned Skull!

Kuriboh! Detonate!

Yugi smiled at that. 'We won. Every time.'

'We did. And do you know why? Because we trusted in ourselves. I know we always talk about the Heart of the Cards but it is more than that… it is trusting in ourselves. Our deck. Our skills. But also our friends. Our family. That is why Marik doesn't understand us and why he keeps getting so frustrated with us and our actions. With him he does not trust in others. He doesn't even trust in himself, Yugi. Instead he relies on cheap tricks and scare tactics to try and see him through the day. But they haven't worked before and they won't work now. I know we will defeat Marik and we will save those we care for!'

The Pharaoh paused.

'And then… we will end the threat of Marik and his Rare Hunters once and for all.'

~MC~MC~MC~

The Spirit of the Millennium Ring paused, looking down at the knocked out forms of the duelists he'd ambushed. He'd considered banishing them to the Shadow Realm to claim their Locator Cards but had decided against such a show of power. Had he lacked time perhaps he would have indulged but there was more hours than he actually needed before he needed to head to where Kaiba was holding the next round of the Tournament. Why use up so much of his power and risk being weakened?

'With that fool Marik throwing about the power of his Millennium Rod my enemies may be seeking out the powers of the ancients and track my own showing back to me. And as much as I would enjoy a spot of revenge… no, the time isn't right, I believe.' He smirked as he registered his new locator cards, being awarded the final spot in the Top 16. 'Far better to play it safe. Allow Marik to…hmmm.' He stopped, considering what he was feeling, before letting out a delighted laugh. 'Oh… it seems Marik isn't the only Ishtar to abuse the power of the Items!'

It made him utterly delighted to feel how the servants of the Pharaoh, those meddlesome fools, had fallen so low.

'Marik Ishtar wages war on the Pharaoh. Ishizu has become so deluded by her visions of a perfect world that she fails to see the darkness that infects her souls like corruption in a wound. Pegasus used the Eye for his petty desires and Shadi is dead! That leaves only myself and the Pharaoh…' He grimaced, '…and the wild card.'

Edwin Chaos.

The chosen of the goddess Selene.

Something in the universe waivered and the Spirit of the Millennium Ring flicked his tongue out, a perverse little smile forming on his lips. Oh yes… he could taste it in the air.

Death.

Death was coming very soon to Domino City.

The question was how many bodies would pile up before the Reaper had his fill?

~MC~MC~MC~

Author's Notes: And the winner of our poll is Mai' Amazoness Deck (Version 1.0- Pre Finals)!

Feel free to suggest what deck you'd like to see next!

Monsters

Amazoness Queen ||

Amazoness Princess |||

Amazoness Tiger ||

Amazoness Baby Tiger ||

Amazoness Swords Woman ||

Amazoness Paladin ||

Amazoness Sage ||

Amazoness Trainee||

Spells

Amazoness Village |||

Amazoness Spellcaster |

Amazoness Call |||

Amazoness Fighting Spirit ||

Polymerization |||

Reinforcements of the Army |

Heavy Storm |

The Warrior Returning Alive |||

Future Fusion |

Traps

Amazoness Onslaught |||

Amazoness Willpower ||

Extra Deck

Amazoness Empress

Amazoness Pet Liger