Chapter 11 - The Deadliest Duel pt. 1

They approached the pier. Kay looked out the window and sighed, hoping Anzu was ok. She felt guilty for leaving her behind. Cat looked at her.

"Kay?"

"Huh?"

"Are yu alright?"

"oh, I'm fine. Just...thinking." Cat put a hand on her shoulder.

"I'm worried about them too." Kay sighed and nodded. Seto watched the two and rolled his eyes a bit.

"Girls have to make everything seem like a soap opera..." he thought.

Yami was in his own little world. He started talking. To whom, I have no idea. "As soon as we land, Mokuba will lead us to my friends. We'll break in, and get them out." Kay and Cat looked up at him.

"Who's he talking to?" Kay whispered. Cat shrugged.

"Look Yugi, I brought you here and I'll be calling all the shots today." Cat, Kay, and Adelinda all automatically groaned.

"And here we go."

"And the first task on my agenda is to track down the third Egpytian God Card. After that, we'll find your friends."

"Yugi is going to explode in three, two, one..."

"Kaiba! Jounouchi and Anzu are in great danger and we must rescue them right away!"

"Jounouchi playing a damsal in distress, why am I not surprised?" Kay joked, trying to kinda lighten the mood between herself and Adelinda, who both giggled a bit.

"Sorry, but it's obvious that you and I have very different priorities, Yugi. So why don't we split up and fend for ourselves when we land?" Yami narrowed his eyes at Seto.

"That's foolish."

"I have to agree." Seto ignored Cat's comment. Apparently, to him, the three girls across from them has ceased to exist after turning the situation into a "soap opera."

"Maybe it is to you, but I've always worked better on my own. Haven't you realized by now the teamwork's not my thing?"

"Can anyone say emo?" Cat asked. Adelinda and Kay laughed a bit and bit their lips at the slight glare Mokuba offered them, but kept grinning.

"When we battled against Lumis and Umbra in that double duel, it was me who defeated them..and without much help. So do me a favor and stay out of my way, Yugi, because we're finished. I brought you here, now you can take care of the rest by yourself."

"...Kaiba did you just break up with Yugi?" Kay asked.

"I didn't know they were dating." Kay laughed at Adelinda's remark and Seto wasted no time glaring at both of them before continuing.

"I've done enough charity work already. Sorry, I'm through." Kay, Cat, and Adelinda all sighed in unison.

"Is it me, or is Kaiba's attitude getting old fast?" Kay murmured, massaging her temples.

"Don't worry, Yugi, we'll help." Cat smiled reassuringly at him. He sighed and nodded.

"Thank you, Cat." Imagine the over exagerrated anime tears running down Kay's face.

"Oh! What a touching moment! Young love is so beautiful!!" Cat and Yami promptly turned red.

"What?! No!!" they cried, waving their hands. Kay crossed her arms and smirked evilly.

"Ya sure? You two sure seem like a couple to me." Mokuba nodded.

"Yeah."

"Stay out of this, Mokuba!" Cat cried, her face as red as a cherry. Kay giggled a bit, greatly enjoying the reactions for both teens. Seto smirked.

"Look, the great King of Games is blushing over something so dumb."

"Quiet, Kaiba!" Yami snapped, his blush only growing deeper. To Cat and Yami's relief, they heard the pilot through a speaker.

"We're approaching our target now, Mr. Kaiba." mokuba pressed his nose to the window.

"Hey guys, I think I see someone on the pier. And is kind of looks like...Jounouchi."

"Say what?" Kay, Cat, and Adelinda all squished together to look out the window too.

Yami stared in shock. "It is Jounochi! And he seems to be all alone."

"What's he doing down there? Did he escape?" Cat asked.

"If so, why would he just be standing there?" Mokuba asked.

"Maybe he saw the chopper?" Adelinda suggested. Kay frowned and kept silent. She didn't trust this little coincidence in the least. Yami looked at Seto.

"Kaiba, we may be heading into a trap."

"Yugi please, I've heard enough out of you for one day." The helicopter landed and Yami stepped out, followed closely by the rest.

"Welcome!" Jounouchi said, smirking cruelly. Kay looked and automatically saw his eyes were blank.

"That's not Jounouchi..." she thought. "That mutt has never had such emotionless eyes. Besides, his voice is messed up. But...who is he? And what happened to the real Jounouchi?"

"Jounouchi!" Yami exclaimed. Kay looked at him.

"Yugi..."

"Not exactly." She turned her attention back to Jounouchi. "Katsuya is not present; he's gone away."

"What?!"

"It's Marik!"

"That's correct, and if you want your friends back, you will listen to me."

"What's going on?" Mokuba asked. "That sure doesn't sound like Jounouchi." Adelinda looked up at Kay.

"Yeah."

"It must be one of Marik's tricks."

"I have a feeling it's much more than that..." Kay said, mostly to herself.

"Listen, Jounouchi! You've got to be in there!"

"It's pointless. Now, you listen, Yugi. We are playing by my regulations. I'll release your pathetic friends as soon as I get what I want. Of course, since I want your puzzle and Egyptian God Card, there's only one way to do this-" He held up an arm with a duel disk on it. "You and I are going to duel!"

"Oh no..." Cat whispered. "Marik must have more to it than this..." Kay nodded.

"My thoughts exactly."

"You're insane!" Yami cried.

"Refuse, and your friends are mine forever!"

"Release Jounoiuchi from your control, Marik!"

"What's going on, bro?" Mokuba asked.

"Well Mokuba, it appears that this Marik was somehow able to turn Katsuya Jounouchi against Yugi. Now Jounouchi wants to duel. This should be interesting, to say the very least."

"Interesting?" Mokuba asked, looking up at him in confusion. Kay looked sharply in Seto's direction. "But why?"

"Well, if Jounouchi is fighting on the side of Marik and the rare hunters now, he may be holding the third Egyptian God Card." Kay stomped her foot.

"Oh! Is that all you can even think about? A stupid card?" she snapped. "This Marik freak is clearly dangerous and somebody could get hurt! But all you care about is a stupid little card that anyone could just rip up and it'd be gone!" Kay yelled.

"What would you know?" he asked. "You're hardly a step above the mutt over there and not even close to my league." imagine a volcano exploding. Now take that explosion, mulitply it by about ten, that's approximately how pissed Kay is growing to be at this instant.

"EXCUSE ME?! I could duel circles around a creep like you! I've designed over half of the cards in duel monsters, INCLUDING the three Blue Eyes White Dragons in your deck! If I demanded it, Industrial Illusions could take those cards back and I could burn them!"

Seto narrowed his eyes. "You wouldn't dare. You're all talk and no action."

"Do you remember the night I slapped you? Well, take that slap, double the impact, and imagine it targeting your crotch. Keep talking like this and that's EXACTLY what is going to happen, rich-boy!"

Cat grabbed her shoulders.

"K-Kay-chan, calm down..."

"No! I'm sick of this guy. All he thinks about is himself and three stupid cards! It makes me sick."

"You know nothing about me, so you're not one to judge."

"HELLO HYPOCRITE, you've judged me SINCE DAY ONE!"

"And all of my assumptions are correct: you're a weak, worthless duelist who comes from a worthless family and thinks she is so tough when the only thing she has is a big mouth and the need for anger management." Ok, now imagine the sun exploding and multiply that by...two. Yup, that's how mad she is.

Kay charged at him and aimed a kick there, but Seto saw her coming and quickly moved aside, only to get elbowed by her quick reflex. He growled a quickly restrained her.

"Damn it, why don't you just back down?"

"Not until you take back what you just said! I am not one who takes insults lightly, you creep!" she snarled. And now let's focus on what the hell is going on in the meantime. Yami and Jounouchi had ignored this entire episode.

"Jounouchi, I know you can hear me. Your mind is under the conrol of Marik and you must break free, understand? The same Marik you vowed to help me crush. Think Jounouchi, you've got to remember your promise to me. When you gave me your Red Eyes."

"Wow...he's really determined..." Kay noticed Seto still had a hold and she thrashed. "Let me go!" He blinked and did so. She dusted off her jacket, glaring at him.

"Marik couldn't defeat me in a duel, so he decided to turn you against me in order to win my puzzle and Egyptian God Card. Jounouchi...I know you're in there and I'm going to set you free."

"Yeah!" Cat exclaimed. "You can do it, Yugi." Kay nodded.

"That's right."

"Go Yugi!" Adelinda cheered.

"Marik's power is feeble compared to the strength of our friendship. Please, say something Jounouchi...Jounouchi!"

"Jounouchi" leaned forward a bit, his smirk growing more malicious.

"You're never set him free, unless you follow me, Yugi." Yami gasped. as Jounouchi started to walk away.

"Jounouchi, wait!" Yami froze, trying to decide what to do.

"Yugi, you'd better do extactly as I say. They looked to their right to see Anzu walking down some stairs from a large cruise.

"Anzu?!" Kay exclaimed. "Her eyes...they're blank just like Jounouchi's. Oh no, don't tell me Marik's brainwashed her too!"

"No, Anzu!" Yami said. Cat's eyes widened a bit.

"This is bad..." Cat whispered.

This may come as an unpleasent surprise, but like your friend Jounouchi, Anzu too is under my control." She laughed evilly. "Surprised?"

"Marik! Leave her alone now! She has done nothing to you."

"Ha, looks like I've turned your closest friends into your greatest enemies. You're at my mercy."

"Anzu!" Yami ran after her.

"Yugi!"

"C'mon." They ran after him. Soon enough, they came to the set battle arena. There was an anchor hanging over a square hole in the pier that was filled with ocean water. Jounouchi stood to the left of the anchor.

"Welcome to my very special dueling arena."

"I've got a bad feeling about this..." Kay said. "That anchor looks ready to drag someone into that water."

"You're right."

"Look around you, should you accept battling against your best friend in a duel like none you've ever experienced for the hightest stakes imaginable."

"This is nuts!"

"Alright, let's duel if it means saving my friends." Anzu held up chains.

"Let's begin. Why don't you both try these on for size?" in no time at all, Jounouchi and Yami were both chained up. "Notice that you're both securely fastened to a chain that leads to a large anchor hanging about you. Thirty seconds after a palyer's lifepoints reach zero, the anchor will drop to the bottom of the sea!"

"That's right," Jounouchi said, "now look down." Yami did so and saw a box. "That small yellow box is your lifepoint counter, but it also contains the key to your survival. When one player's lifepoints reach zero, the other player's box opens, revealing a key that unlocks his shackles. Remember, you'll have thirty seconds to free yourself before the anchor drops."

"So the loser of this duel will be dragged to the bottom of the ocean? While the winner frees himself at the last minute?" Yami asked.

"That's right. Quite ingenius, isn't it?" He chuckled evilly.

"Yugi, you can't do this!" Cat cried.

"I doubt we can talk him out of this, Cat. But my question is, how can Yugi and Jounouchi both make it out of this duel in one piece?" Kay asked. Cat's eyes widened a bit. Kay frowned. "Either way, it seems Yugi will lose no matter whose lifepoints hit zero. If he defeats Jounouchi, he may get to keep his puzzle, but Jounouchi will be dragged down and he'll drown. However, if Yugi decides to lose to save Jounouchi or is actually beaten, he is dragged down and loses his god card and his millennium puzzle, if I'm thinking correctly."

Jounouchi smirked at Kay. "You're pretty smart. Yes, that's it exactly. so no matter what you do, Yugi, you can't win."

"But wait, if I win this duel will you set my friends free from your control, Marik?"

"You'll have to fish Jounouchi out of the sea first. And don't think I left little Anzu out of all the fun."

"Anzu!" They looked to see her sitting in a chair and they watched as some type of bind appear, strapping in her hands and feet.

"But I'll get to her rules shortly. And just in case you had any plans refusing to duel, think again. If there's no winner within sixty seconds, the anchor will automatically drop, sending both of you plummeting into the sea."

"What?! But if that happens-"

"Marik wins it all." Cat stared.

"We have to do something."

"I know, I know. But what?" Kay asked. "From where we're standing, there doesn't appear to be much that we can do."

"But you will lose, Yugi." They looked at Anzu again. "And before that anchor drops, I'll take your millennium puzzle and your Egyptian God Card."

"You're not going to get away with any of this, Marik!"

"Ha! And Seto Kaiba, don't think you're merely a spectator in all of this. As soon as I'm through with little Yugi and his friends, I'm setting my sights on YOUR Egyptian God Card; Obelisk the Tormentor."

"Alright, I've heard enough!" Mokuba said to Seto, clenching his fist a bit. "This duel is getting way out of hand, Seto. You've gotta put a stop to it before someone gets hurt!"

"Yeah!" Adelinda said.

"Plus, Marik may try something like this on us next."

"WE might be useless, but Kaiba sure isn't. So why don't you prove you have a heart, richboy." Kay crossed her arms. "Or at least a brain." Seto growled a bit.

"As head of the Battle City tournament, I demand that this duel be stopped now!"

"Sorry," Anzu said as a crane drove over, carrying a large, metal crate drove over to her until the crate was dangling above her, "but the duel will continued as planned. And speaking of plans, here's the final piece of my plot."

"What?"

"Hey, what's that? Above Anzu!" Mokuba asked.

"Oh my God...no way he would stoop this low..." Kay said. Yami turned and looked.

"Anzu! What is the meaning of this, Marik?"

"I'm afraid that anchor won't be the only thing getting dropped. I've taken extra measures to make sure no one interferes, so don't try. If you attempt to stop this duel, the crate you see hanging over my head will fall. You wouldn't put poor Anzu in danger, would you?"

"MARIK YOU FREAK!" Kay screeched.

"Careful what you say to me, Kay. I control this entire duel. In fact, if you hadn't escaped, you'd probably be the one sitting in Anzu's chair, that or ready to drink poison."

"You're sick." "Anzu" laughed evilly.

"Make one falso move and I release the crate hanging above the girl's head!" the rare hunter in the crane said, holding up a remote. Seto backed up half a step.

"I can't stop this duel..."

"Now that everything seems to be in place and everyone is familiar with all the rules, why don't we start the show? Oh wait, I almost forgot. I wouldn't want little Anzu to miss all of this." Her eyes returned to normal and she moaned and her head drooped.

"Anzu!" Yami yelled.

"Is she ok?" Cat asked. She slowly looked up and opened her eyes.

"Where am I? What's going on?" she asked. She tried to move but discovered the binds on the chair. "Hey! I'm trapped!"

"Now then, there's one last matter. Yugi! Your Egyptian God Card is off-limits. So if you were planning on using it against me, you're out of luck. Now remove the card from your deck so I may claim it when I win." Yami unbuckled his belt containing the case that held his cards.

"As you wish, Marik." He held up the belt. "I keep my special cards in here." (That sounded sorta...weird) He pulled out Slifer and added the Red Eyes Black Dragon to his deck, remembering how much it meant to Jounouchi and how it may trigger some of his memories.

"Now place Slifer on the ground, Yugi." He tossed the belt aside rather carelessly. "So whoever wins will retrieve that card while the loser goes swimming." He listed the arm with the duel disk a bit, ready to activate it. "I think it's finally time to begin this duel."

"Yugi?" Anzu asked. "Verse Jounouchi?"

"Are you ready to duel, Yugi?"

"I am. Let's do this."

"Prepare to lose, fool."

"It's time to duel!" They both gained 4000 lifepoints.

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