And we shall be racing to the finish at this point. I own nothing.
Chapter 37: 4-Way Brawl

"I think Exchange is the move." Rain suggested, looking over the cards Yugi had splayed out on her bed.
After the events of the day before, Yami had once again spent the night with (Y/N), both having dreamless sleep. Given the influx of memories and the former queen's lingering guilt, it was a small mercy if anything else. When they had woken up, the couple spent some time together, (Y/N) explaining in more detail what the memories Noah had merged with, before deciding to take a breather and let their counterparts work on Yugi' deck for the finals. Since Rain was knocked out of the competition, Yugi was more than happy to have the extra help.
"Yeah." Yugi agreed. "It would be a good disruptor, plus I'd know about my opponent's hand. It would also pair well with Life Force Sword to maybe snatch Marik or Kaiba's god card."
"Don't forget Marik also uses Monster Reborn to get Ra on the field. I'd be careful though. You'd need to set your stronger spells and traps before activating it or you could risk getting disrupted yourself."
"That's a good point." The boy said, scooping his cards and putting the back in the card holder. "Thanks for the help, Rain. I really appreciate it."
"Don't mention it!" She smiled, leaning back. "We're partners in destiny, remember? Plus, I want some payback for my arm being broken. GAH!"
Rain tumbled off the bad, having again forgotten her balance was off due to her arm being in a sling. Yugi crawled over and looked over where the girl had fallen.
"Rain!?"
"I'm okay." She groaned.
Yugi snorted before getting up to help her back to her feet. The two laughed before a knock was heard at the door. Giving each other confused looks, they walked over and opened it, revealing Ishizu.
"Oh, hi, Ishizu." Rain greeted. "What's up?"
She had a grave look on her face. "There's something you need to know."

(Timeskip)

"This tournament is getting way too dangerous." Yugi stated as he and Rain looked at the unoccupied bed in Bakura's room. "First Mai, now Bakura?!"
"Don't forget Yami Bakura." Rain reminded him. "Yami Marik's a real piece of work if he got the shadows to work against that guy."
Yami appeared behind the two. "If Marik goes unopposed, I fear more people will get caught in the crossfire."
"What can we do?" (Y/N) asked, also materializing. "The Millennium Bracelet is the only thing capable of shutting down his shadow magic, but Rain and I are the only ones capable of using it. The only thing I can think of is for you two to duel Marik as soon as possible."
Yugi nodded, looking determined. "I'm sure he's already planning his next move. It's me he wants, so why does everyone else have to be put in danger?"
"He wants all of us." Yami corrected, trying to comfort his counterpart.
Rain looked down guiltily. "I'm sorry, Yugi. This is my fault. I had a chance to stop him, but I wasted it! I knew the Millennium Bracelet was our best shot and I blew it!"
"Don't say that, Rain." He argued. "You were trying to help your friend, and you proved that the good Marik is still in there."
"And he continues to fight." (Y/N) added, though that didn't seemed to calm the Wayfarer.
"And look what good it did, Bakura."
"I still don't get why he hasn't made a move yet." Yugi deflected, trying to get Rain out of her slump.
"He's likely trying to weaken us by targeting his friends." Yami theorized before looking at his wife. "In addition, I don't think he's as unafraid of you both as he appears to be."
(Y/N) nodded, agreeing. "He knows that to take the Millennium Puzzle and Slifer, he must defeat you in a duel, and he's already proven he can't win fairly. By targeting the others, he's attempting to crush your confidence."
"We can't let him get away with that!" Yugi shouted as the queen nodded.
"And we won't. He may have disabled Rain and I, but he still clearly fears the power of the bracelet. So long as you both keep a level head, his mind games won't work."
Yami smiled. "It'll be an easy task with you both there to support us."
(Y/N) smiled back at her husband as Yugi smiled at Rain. Feeling a burst of confidence, the (L/N) girl turned to her friend looking determined.
"If that creep thinks his Millennium Rod is gonna save him, he's got another thing coming! Once you guys win, everyone will be able to recover."
"I know we can do this." Yugi said. "All of us."
"Well said." The queen agreed as her husband nodded.
"When we work together, there's no stopping us! We'll win this tournament together and save the world."
"Right!" The teens agreed.
"Yugi, Rain!" Tea voice called out.
The two turned to see her, Duke, and Tristan peeking in, looking a bit out of breath, likely because they had been looking for them while Serenity volunteered to watch Mai.
"It's almost that time, you two." Tristan informed them. "Grab your Duel Disk and let's go!"
They nodded and followed them out into the hall, only for the brunette to peer back into the room.
"Hey, Bakura's in no shape to be out of bed, guys!"
"Yeah, he was lookin' pretty bad." Duke agreed.
"He's...uh...just getting some air." Yugi lied. "Anyways, Joey and I have some duels to win! And I'll need your guys' help."
"You bet!" Tea said with a grin as Rain held up her uninjured arm.
"Avenge me, Yugi! Avenge me!"
Everyone laughed at her declaration before heading to the viewing deck.
"We are now beginning our descent upon Kaiba Corp Island for the conclusion of the Battle City finals." Roland announced. "When we touch down, please exit the aircraft and await further instructions!"
The landing was smooth enough and soon everyone disembarked, looking up to see the expansive Kaiba Corp Duel Tower before them.
Rain whistled. "Now that's a Duel Tower."
"No kiddin'!" Joey yelled before crossing his arms. "Now what?"
"I'm sure we'll find out soon enough." Yugi said before Seto's voice came from behind him.
"Look, the island were standing on is the site of the original Kaiba Corp before I tore it down."
"I know." Rain said, turning to face her friend and Mokuba. "Gramps never set a foot on this island before then."
"So, is that-?" Seto cut off his question.
"Yes, that's my Duel Tower, and I plan to defeat you at the very top, Yugi."
Whether it was to accept the challenge or annoyance, Yami switched places with his counterpart as Joey jumped between the two.
"Look, rich boy! In case you forgot, I'm in this tournament, too, and you won't gettin' past me! I'll duel so many circles around ya, you won't know your trap cards from your graveyard, punk!"
Seto only chuckled, condescendingly. "Must you insist on embarrassing yourself, Wheeler? You shouldn't even be in my tournament, you amateur!"
"What!?"
Tristan immediately grabbed hold of the blond. "Hey! Calm down, champ!"
"That's it, man! You want a piece of this!? Let's go!"
Rain stepped between the two, glaring at them both.
"Enough! Save it for the dueling ground, both of you!"
Seto just rolled his eyes. "Whatever. We're wasting time, so let's go!"
Seto began to lead the group towards the tower when a familiar, slimy voice called from the ledges beside them.
"It's such a lovely day, isn't it, Pharaoh and your highness?" (Y/N) immediately took over for Rain as she and Yami glared down Yami Marik, who smirked down at them. "Too bad some of your friends can't enjoy it from all the way in the Shadow Realm!"
Joey ran in front of the couple, snarling. "Hey, Artichoke Head! You're going down!"
"Then let's get on with these duels." Marik egged on before turning to the Kaiba brothers. "When do I find out who my next victim is?"
"Just chill out!" Mokuba yelled back. "We'll tell you inside the tower. Is that clear?"
The dark spirit chuckled. "Then why don't we proceed so the fun can begin."
Everyone glared at him as they continued on, a pair of eyes always on alert in case he tried to pull a fast one.
"So what's inside this thing?" Joey asked as they came to the base of the tower, the door opening for them.
"Why don't you try listening for a change, Wheeler?"
(Y/N) jabbed at Seto's ankle with her foot. "At least pretend to be polite, or I will start yanking your ear. It's the least you could do after all the things you've put us through!"
The brunette grumbled, rolling his eyes, but did nothing  stop her. Inside, Roland greeted them.
"Your attention, please! Step to the center of the tower. The second half of the Battle City finals will take place right here!"
Everyone walked, Yami instinctively putting himself between Yami Marik and (Y/N).
"So far, it's not so impressive." Joey said, Tea looking equally as confused.
"This place doesn't look like a dueling arena."
"Oh, yeah?" Mokuba asked, smirking. "Just wait and see."
"As you know, there are four finalists remaining: Yugi, Joey, Marik, and, of course, Mr. Kaiba." Roland listed off. "You'll also notice we're surrounded by four doors. Each finalist must choose a door through which to enter. Choose wisely."
"What's behind them?" Yami asked.
"Yeah, and how are we supposed to know which door to pick?" Joey added on before looking over at the former queen. "(Y/N)?"
"I highly doubt there's a wrong choice." She said, making the blond look a little nervous.
"Well, here goes."
As Joey began to sing to randomly choose, Kaiba sauntered off. "Just pick a door, you geek."
"I...choose...you! We have a winner!"
Immediately, Yami Marik walked into the door Joey landed on, being as patronizing as possible without saying anything.
"Just choose the door closest to you, Joey." Yami suggested, taking his own advice.
"Everyone else, follow me!" Mokuba said.
"Good luck, you two." (Y/N) said, kissing her husband's cheek as Joey grumbled dejectedly.
Mokuba led the peanut gallery to a center room as the duelist were elevated in on separate carts, raised into the air.
"So, what's the deal?" Joey asked. "Is this some kind of four way duel?"
"Roland will explain the rules." Seto answered. "And I've asked him to speak slowly so you can follow."
"You're lucky I'm over here!"
"Seto, play nice!" (Y/N) snapped as Roland began to explain.
"Before the winner of the Battle City tournament can be crowned, we must first narrow down the finalists! So in the semifinal round, the four remaining duelists will be reduced to two, but first, gentlemen, the preliminary duel must be played. This special duel will determine who faces who in the semifinals, and all four duelists will participate at one time! As you lose lifepoints, your terminal will climb higher. The first two duelists to reach the top will face each other in round 1. Each duelist will begin with 4000 lifepoints, and when it's your turn, you can attack any of the other players. And now, for some new regulations: you must all limit your dueling decks to no more than 40 cards, so take this time to prepare your decks. Now, connect your duel disks to the monitor in front of you. This screen will display the images of the cards you play. Remember, winning or losing this duel has no effect on how you place in the finals. This is simply a strategic way to determine who your opponent will be in the semifinal round. Again, this duel will not affect your overall placement!"
"That's good." Tea sighed in relief. "At least the pressure's off."
"Not necessarily." Duke said. "I'd argue this could be the most important duel these guys play!"
"And how do you figure that, Duke?" Tristan asked.
"They can control who their opponent will be, so they might force a change in strategy depending on who they want to face in the semifinal round. Two duelists can even gang up on one if they want."
"He's right." (Y/N) agreed. "There's also another factor at play. Think what would happen if Marik and Seto were to duel with each other. One of them emerges from that duel with two god cards, and that could be a disaster."
Tea frowned. "I didn't even think about that. One god card is bad, but two? (Y/N), what's the best case scenario?"
(Y/N) tilted her head, thinking for a moment before coming to a conclusion. "Marik can't duel Seto. Joey, Yugi, and Yami need to prevent that outcome at any cost."
Duke crossed his arms. "Make senses. Still, that means Joey either gonna have to duel Marik or Kaiba, and I don't like his odds on either."
"What was that?" Joey called from above, Duke putting on an innocent expression.
"Oh nothing!"
As Joey began to argue with them, (Y/N) could see Yami debating in his head who to go after. While she thought keeping Seto and Marik apart was the obvious choice, she'd trust his and Yugi's judgement. She had faith they'd win regardless of who their opponent was.
"Prepare yourselves, duelists!" Roland announced. "The 4-way battle is about to begin! Now, to determine which duelist will make the first move. You'll each draw a monster card and the attack points will determine who goes first. However, the monster you choose cannot be used in this duel!"
"Well played." (Y/N) admitted. "Now they'll have to decide if turn order is worth sacrificing a possibly vital resource."
"Uh oh." Duke noted, seeing Joey agonizing over the decision. "Joey looks a bit freaked out."
(Y/N) lightly elbowed him. "I already have to tell Seto to play nice. Don't add to my workload."
Roland then held up a hand. "It is now time to reveal your cards! Hold them up so all players can view them!"
Seto was the first to reveal his card, selecting Masked Beast Des Gardius; followed by Yami showing Feral Imp; Marik choosing Lekunga ; and finally Joey picking Swordsman of Landstar.
Roland nodded. "The results have been tallied and the turn order will be as follows: first will be Mr. Kaiba, then Marik, then Yugi, then Joey!"
"All right!" Kaiba announced, drawing his hand. "Enough waiting around! Let's start this duel!"

Kaiba 4000LP/Marik 4000LP/Yugi 4000LP/Joey 4000LP

"I'll place one card facedown, and then I'll summon Vorse Raider in attack mode!"
Kaiba's Warrior appeared on the field, wielding its sword threateningly.

Vorse Raider
1900 ATK/1200 DEF

"That ends my turn."

Kaiba 4000LP/Marik 4000LP/Yugi 4000LP/Joey 4000LP

Yami Marik smirked, drawing. "Not bad, Seto Kaiba. Then again, your monster's no match for my Newdoria!"
The dark spirit summoned a hideous green haired, reddish skinned fiend to the in defense mode.

Newdoria
1200 ATK/800 DEF

"That's all for now."

Kaiba 4000LP/Marik 4000LP/Yugi 4000LP/Joey 4000LP

"All right then, my move." Yami declared, drawing. "I summon Big Shield Gardna to the field in defense mode."
Yami was cover almost entirely by the large warrior with the even larger shield.

Big Shield Gardna
100 ATK/2600 DEF

"Next, I'll place these facedown and end my turn."
The two facedown cards appeared beside the pharaoh as Joey took his cue to begin his turn.

Kaiba 4000LP/Marik 4000LP/Yugi 4000LP/Joey 4000LP

"Last but not least..." Joey declared, drawing though hesitating for a bit. "I'll place one card facedown and end my turn."
"Which brings it back to me." Seto said as he drew.

Kaiba 4000LP/Marik 4000LP/Yugi 4000LP/Joey 4000LP

"Just as I suspected." The brunette smirked. "You don't belong here, Wheeler! So I think I'll do us all a favor and eliminate you from this duel! Vorse Raider, attack his lifepoints now! Say goodbye to those lifepoints!"
Vorse Raider dove in for an attack against the defenseless Joey, only for Yami to intervene.
"I activate my trap card: Regulation of Tribe!" The facedown flipped up as chains wrapped around Vorse Raider, pulling it back from its attack. "Thanks to this trap card, I can prevent one type of monster from attacking! I select Beast Warrior, pinning your Vorse Raider, Kaiba!"
Kaiba glared at him as Joey nodded.
"Thanks, Yuge."
"Hey, Wheeler!" Seto snapped. "Next time you won't be so lucky! Wake up! An amateur duelist like you can't afford to be daydreaming!"
"I was strategizing!" Joey spat back.
"But to do that, you have to understand how to play the game, Wheeler!"
"Oh yeah? Well I got a game for ya right here!"
Seto rolled his eyes. "When are you going to realize that you don't have what it takes to compete in my tournament and you never will? There's only one reason that you made it this far, and that's because your little friend Yugi and Rain keep bailing you out! You're hopeless, and if you ask me, I'd say Yugi knows that as well!"
"Seto Kaiba, I still have one good arm to lob something at that oversized head of yours!" (Y/N) threatened. "Don't push me!"
"Like you could reach up here." Kaiba had to immediately move his head as something gold whizzed past him.
"Nice shot, (Y/N)." Tristan complimented.
(Y/N) just huffed. "I'll replace the bracelet, Duke."
"Eh, we'll call it a freebie." The green eyed male assured, very amused by how aggressive the queen was being.
"I suggest you watch your tongue, Kaiba." Yami couldn't help but pile in with an amused smirk. "I don't think you want to incur her wrath any more than you already have."
"It doesn't make what I said any less true. I think you're just too afraid to admit you haven't believed in him from the start! Not that I blame you."
"Tristan, give me something heavier." (Y/N) asked as he immediately began rummaging.
"Give me a second."
"Yuge, (Y/N), hold it." Joey suddenly interjected. "Back off. I gotta prove I can take care of myself! If I'm gonna stay in this tournament and help save the world, I gotta do it on my own!"
Yami looked at him. "Just be careful. Shagngu, I assume you will continue to watch out for us?"
"Keep the trash talk tasteful, gentlemen." She warned.
"If you're quite done, it's my move." Yami Marik interjected.

Kaiba 4000LP/Marik 4000LP/Yugi 4000LP/Joey 4000LP

He drew. "I place one card facedown and summon Lord Poison in attack mode!"
A dark, faceless creature with large purple claws and spines groaned as it appeared beside Newdoria, who was also switched to attack position.

Lord Poison
1500 ATK/1000 DEF

"And now, I'll attack you, Kaiba! So prepare to be the first unfortunate soul to feel the wrath of my deck! Newdoria! Attack his Vorse Raider!"
"Nice try, you fool! Vorse Raider, counter attack!"
Vorse Raider briefly broke free of the chains of Regulation of Tribe to strike down the fiend. Yami Marik smirked.
"You fell into my trap! When Newdoria is sent to the graveyard, I can destroy any monster on the field, so say goodbye to your Vorse Raider!" Kaiba's monster exploded as Marik glanced at his hand. "Now...which of my cards shall I unleash first? I know, I activate Spell of Pain! But who should I direct it towards? Let's see...I think I'll use my card on little Joey! Now you lose the lifepoints I would have lost when my monster was destroyed!"
Taking the first damage of the duel, Joey's podium went up, making everyone uneasy.
"Hang in there!" Tristan yelled as the blond looked queasy.
"Not really a fan of high places!"
"Come on!" Duke shouted back. "You've been in much scarier spots than this one!"
Tea nodded. "Stay strong, Joey! It's only a six hundred foot drop!"
"Maybe one sentence too many, Tea." (Y/N) noted with a sweatdrop.
Yami Marik seemed pleased with all this. "Your move, Pharaoh."

Kaiba 4000LP/Marik 4000LP/Yugi 4000LP/Joey 3300LP

Yami drew. "Behold, I sacrifice Big Shield Gardna to summon my Beast of Gilfer!"
Big Shield Gardna faded into light as a dragon winged, blue and red monster took its place.

Beast of Gilfer
2200 ATK/2500 DEF

"And now, my beast, attack Kaiba's lifepoints directly!"
Beast of Gilfer shot a column of fire at the brunette, who kept his cool.
"Guess again! Your tactics are obvious! Observe: Attack Guidance Armor! Thanks to this, I can redirect your attack to any monster on the field. And there's only one monster on the field: Lord Poison!"
The armor locked itself onto the fiend, directing the column of fire at it.
Marik smirked. "Really? I activate Mirror Force! So, I'm able to reflect the attack back at Yugi!"
It was then Yami's turn to smirk. "Are you sure? Now I activate my trap: Seven Tools of the Bandit! By paying 1000 lifepoints, it disables your Mirror Force. So much for your trap!"
Mirror Force's wall immediately crumbled as Lord Poison was blasted to pieces, though both he and Yami were pulled higher, Kaiba glaring at the former pharaoh.
"Yugi's in last place now." Tea said, worried.
"True, but he still has the only monster on the field now." (Y/N) noted. "Besides, I think losing those lifepoints was purposeful. I don't think he wants to risk Joey dueling Marik."

Kaiba 4000LP/Marik 3300LP/Yugi 3000LP/Joey 3300LP

"My move! Here goes!" Joey yelled, drawing and smiling. "I summon Gearfried the Iron Knight!"
The black armored knight materialized on the field, finally giving Joey some protection.

Gearfried the Iron Knight
1800 ATK/1600 DEF

"Take this, Kaiba! Now, Gearfried, attack!"

The knight dove at Seto, whacking him and doing a significant chunk of damage.
"Big brother!" Mokuba shouted as Joey grinned.
"Yeah, all right!"
"Wheeler." Seto snarled. "I assure you, you won't be laughing much longer!"
"What's wrong? Last I checked, you wanted to go to the top of your duel tower, Kaiba!"
Rain appeared beside (Y/N), frowning. "Joey wants to duel Marik."
"So it would seem." The queen agreed. "I imagine he wants revenge for what happened to Mai."
Having done what he needed to, Joey ended his turn with as facedown, turning it back over to Kaiba.

Kaiba 2200LP/Marik 3300LP/Yugi 3000LP/Joey 3300LP

Seto drew. "My move! I'll place three cards facedown on the field and then I'll summon the mighty Blade Knight in attack mode!"

Blade Knight
1600 ATK/1000 DEF

"Time to lose more lifepoints, Marik! Blade Knight, attack!"
The blue armored warrior dove at Marik, slashing him across the chest, sending higher up, to the point where it was getting a bit difficult to see what was going on.
"Roland, Mokuba, by any chance, do you have some kind of video feed for that area?" (Y/N) asked, her neck starting to strain.
Mokuba rubbed his neck. "Now that I think about it, that probably was the smarter decision.

Kaiba 2200LP/Marik 1700LP/Yugi 3000LP/Joey 3300LP

"It's my move, and I summon Dark Jeroid." Marik snarled as his abomination made itself known.

Dark Jeroid
1200 ATK/1500 DEF

"Big deal!" Joey shouted. "It's the weakest monster on the field!"
"I'll attack Gearfried the Iron Knight, and thanks to Jeroid's special ability, your beast gets weaker, by 800 attack points! You're through!"
"Not quite!" Joey declared as Jeroid pounced. "Check this out: go Skull Dice! Now your monster's attack points will get divided by the number I roll!"
The little gremlin appeared, tossing the red dice into the air, landing on two and cutting Jeroid's attack in half as a result. However, just as it seemed as though Gearfried was about to slice Jeroid to pieces, Seto made a nuisance of himself.
"I reveal my facedown: Shrink, cutting Wheeler's monster's attack in half. Now his creature is as puny as his mind!"
Marik smirked. "Dark Jeroid, destroy Gearfried!"
This time, there was no saving the knight, who was blasted to bits.
"I won't forget that, Kaiba! Mark my words!"
"Stay focused and calm, Joey!" Yami insisted as his wife groaned and facepalmed.
"You make it so hard to defend you, Seto."

Kaiba 2200LP/Marik 1700LP/Yugi 3000LP/Joey 3200LP

Yami glared at Seto as he drew, contemplating what target he wanted to hit. "Beast of Gilfer, attack Marik's monster"
"Hold on!" Joey interrupted. "Don't do it! Listen to me, please Yuge. You're makin' a mistake, and I can't let you go through with this! You're attackin' the wrong duelist, Yuge. Trust me."
"I don't get it." Tea said. "What's Joey thinking?"
Tristan eyed their friend. "I'd say he's not thinking!"
"No, his head's completely clear." (Y/N) corrected. "Joey wants to duel Marik, so he needs to get knocked out to get what he wants."
"Yuge, I know you're just lookin' out for me, pal, but you can't keep protecting me for the rest of my life! I'll never learn to improve my duelin' skills if you keep going easy on me. I've come a really long way since the Battle City tournament began! If you really wanna help me, Yugi, then treat me just like you would any other opponent! I don't want any special treatment!"
"Let's go." Marik mocked, feeling queasy at all this. "It's time to move onward! Is it not your move, Pharaoh?"
"He's right, Yuge. You're in the middle of your attack. Pick a target and remember: if you really believe in me, then you'll stop babysitting me and start treating me like your equal!"
Yami blinked, looking hesitant. "But, Joey-!"
"Listen to him, kianga." (Y/N) levied. "He's right. If you respect him as an equal, then treat him as you would any opponent."
The former pharaoh still didn't seem to like the idea, however, he also seemed to understand what Joey was going for.
"I understand, Joey, and I believe in you. Now, Beast of Gilfer, attack Joey directly!"
The red winged beast lobbed a dark fireball which exploded on contact, sending Joey halfway up the tower, giving him a chance to glare down Marik.
"I hope Joey knows what he's doing." Rain said as her partner kept vigilant watch.
"We have to put our faith in him."

Kaiba 2200LP/Marik 1700LP/Yugi 3000LP/Joey 1000LP

"Okay, folks!" Joey announced while drawing. "Now, I summon my Axe Raider!"
The golden armored warrior appeared, ready for battle.

Axe Raider
1700 ATK/1150 DEF

"Time for me to attack a certain unlucky someone, and I choose Kaiba!"
"Why isn't he going after Marik?" Tristan asked.
"Maybe he checked out?" Duke suggested as (Y/N) smiled.
"No, I think Joey just knows Seto's deck well enough to know what combo he has facedown. And I'd venture to guess he's got his own combo in mind."
"Axe Raider, attack Kaiba's Blade Knight!"
"What a loser!" Seto insulted. "I play Ring of Destruction! Now, not only will your monster be destroyed, we both will take damage equal to its attack points, or we would if I didn't also have Ring of Defense, protecting me!"
There was an explosion, kicking up a field of smoke. However, when it cleared, it wasn't Joey who had lost all his lifepoints, but Marik. Everyone stared in astonishment before they noticed what was face up on Joey's field: Graverobber.
The blonde smirked. "During all the commotion, this little guy snuck into Marik's graveyard and stole his Spell of Pain! Thought I'd pay ya back for before by letting you take the fall for me, Marik!"
"Awesome play!" Rain cheered as (Y/N) smiled.
"It was rather clever."
Marik was pulled upward as Joey taunted him on the way out, making the crazed male threaten him with retaliation.

Kaiba 2200LP/Marik 0LP/Yugi 3000LP/Joey 1000LP

Considering Joey's field was wide open, Kaiba would've been a fool not to finish the duel then and there, but that was exactly what Joey had wanted as he was shot up to join Marik for the next match. As Roland announced the end of the duel and Seto and Yami glared each other down, (Y/N) just had one question left: Could Joey really handle a duel with Marik?