And we're just gonna squeeze the semifinals together to get on to the main event (not all because we're right about to hit the arc I've been the most excited to write since starting this). But seriously, why are these duels 4 and 6 episodes a piece!? I own nothing.
Chapter 38: Semifinal Mania

Nervous was not exactly the word that could be used to describe how (Y/N) and Rain felt about Joey dueling Marik. Flat out terrified? That was closer. For all his peacocking and smack talk, Yami's duel with Seto would at least be fair and not evoking terrifying dark magic while Joey was facing a merciless psychopath with access to such tools of torture.
Needless to say, everyone was pretty on edge.
"Well, this is it." Mokuba announced with a smile, seemingly not getting the gravity of the situation. "The duel starts now! Let's go! Move it or miss it!"
As Tea and (Y/N) moved to follow the younger Kaiba, Duke rightfully pointed out someone had to grab Serenity for Joey's duel.
"Good point." Tristan admitted, turning tail to leave. "So...I'll just go. Bye!"
"Tristan!" Mokuba shouted, stopping him in his tracks as the boy reached over to grab a wall phone. "This tower's high tech, I'll call."
The brunette sighed as Mokuba did so, (Y/N) shaking her head with a small smile.
"Better luck next time."
Once Serenity had been informed and had decided to stay with Mai, the group was led to the top of the tower. The duelists were all already present and Yami appeared to be trying to give advice and Seto was being Seto and talking down to him. Of course, that only encouraged the Pharaoh to snark back at his rival. Sighing, (Y/N) walked over to the two, getting between them.
"Do I need to supervise you two so you're not constantly at each other's throats?"
"Keep your boyfriend on a leash and we'll be fine." Seto snapped.
(Y/N) held out her arm to stop Joey from charging. "Put one on your ego and maybe we'll talk."
Kaiba didn't dignify that with a response and walked away, Joey snarling at him as he went.
"I hate that guy."
The former queen then looked at her husband. "You know you don't have to bait him."
"He starts it." Yami pointed out defensively as (Y/N) moved to his other side to hold his hand.
"Yes, but I expect more from you, like not falling for his taunts." Her husband grumbled, but allowed her to pull him towards their friends. "Keep your head on, Joey. Don't fall for his tricks."
"You got it." The blond assured with a thumbs up before walking over to his side of the field. "All right, you're goin' down, Marik!"
Roland walked over to the officiant spot, nodding to both duelists. "The first duel of the semifinals is about to begin! To my left, Marik Ishtar, and to my right, Joey Wheeler."
Yami and (Y/N) squeezed each other's hands as everyone cheered for Joey as the dueling arena rose up.
"He'll be fine." Yami whispered to her.
(Y/N) nodded weakly. "He has to be."
Yami Marik of course was chuckling madly as Roland granted him the first move.

Marik 4000LP/Joey 4000LP

"As you wish." Marik mocked as he drew. "I play Gil Garth in attack mode!"
A faceless armored knight coated in spikes appeared on the field.

Gil Garth
1800 ATK/1200 DEF

"Then I shall place one card facedown and end my turn."

Marik 4000LP/Joey 4000LP

Joey drew, putting on a tough facade. "I'll take it from here, ya nut case! I'll also place one card facedown and then I'll summon my Alligator's Sword in defense mode!"
Both the facedown and Joey's reptilian warrior manifested on the field, though the edge in his voice tipped off that he was not exactly thrilled by what he had in his hand.

Alligator's Sword
1500 ATK/1200 DEF

Marik 4000LP/Joey 4000LP

Yami Marik cackled madly as his turn came again, darkness begin to settle over what was once a bright, sunny day.
"The time has come to take this duel to the next level!"
Joey gritted his teeth. "I know where this is going..."
(Y/N) focused, trying to stave off the darkness with the Millennium Bracelet. However, she still wasn't fully recovered from her attack from Ra, especially not after that adventure in cyberspace, so eventually, it settled over the entire field. Yami noticed (Y/N) pushing herself still, to her own detriment at this point, and he squeezed her hand again.
"Shagngu, stop. Save your strength." He then glared at Marik. "I'm afraid there's no stopping this Shadow Game."
"Show some originality, Marik!" The blond boy shouted as his opponent held up the Millennium Rod.
"Ha! The shadows hunger for your mind and your soul!"
"You don't scare me!"
"Then what's that I see in your eyes?" The dark spirit pointed out. "I'd say it's the look of fear! Fear that you're about to join your friend in the Shadow Realm!"
Joey stood his ground, refusing to show weakness. "Look, she'll be back!"
"You're naive! She's permanently trapped! Not even the combined might of the Millennium Bracelet, the Millennium Puzzle, and the two royals could save her! Can't you hear her screams as a little more of her is chipped away by the darkness, and the weaker she gets, the stronger my powers grow!"
"You're nuts!" Joey snapped as Marik laughed fittingly like a mad man.
"We can't let Joey go through with this duel!" Tristan said. "This is exactly what happened when Marik dueled Mai! It's too dangerous!"
Duke nodded in complete agreement. "Let's step in!"
"We can't interfere." (Y/N) told them, not wanting anyone else to get hurt unnecessarily. "The Shadow Game is already in play. If I had full strength, maybe the bracelet could stop this, but the truth of the matter is Marik crippled my ability to interfere. We'd only be putting ourselves at risk and distracting Joey."
"Besides, Joey's already made up his mind." Tea affirmed. "Didn't I tell you what he said to me?"
Yami looked over at her, shocked. "What?"
"Sorry, Yugi, I should've told you about this before. Joey and I had a conversation after Mai's duel with Marik. He said if he didn't try to save Mai, he'd never forgive himself, so now he's trying to rescue her by beating Marik. Nothing we say can stop him."
Yami sighed. "I thought so."
Rain and Yugi appeared before their counterparts, the four of them talking in the space that their minds overlapped with.
"There's gotta be something we can do to save Joey!" Yugi insisted. "I know he promised to bring back Mai, but there has to be another way!"
Rain bit the nail of her thumb. "I know, I know, I'm thinking! But outside of trying to force it with the bracelet, I'm drawing a blank!"
"Yugi, Rain." (Y/N) said calmly. "This is his fight."
"Are you crazy?!" Rain shouted at her partner as Yugi looked at Yami.
Yami crossed his arms. "She's right. Just as Joey made a promise to Mai, we made a promise to Joey that we would stop protecting him. We must prove to Joey that we believe him by letting him duel on his own."
"We can't!" Yugi shouted back as Rain looked ready to blow a gasket.
"I seriously think dark magic shouldn't apply to that promise!"
(Y/N) shut them both down. "Trust him, both of you. He'll need our strength and support."
Neither of the teens wanted to leave that up to chance, but at the end of the day, Joey alone had to decide his next course of action, and if it was to fight Marik head on, there was nothing any of them could do but be there for him.
Finally, Joey decided enough was enough and egged Marik on. "All right then, let's do this! Bring it on! I'm ready for your Shadow Game!"
"Do you have any idea what you're about to experience?" The dark spirit taunted. "I doubt it. The ancient dark magic I've conjured will devastate you, you poor soul! My move! You may have seen the power of the shadows before, but as the energies within me grow, so does the strength of my shadow magic!"
"Are you here to talk or are you here to duel?" Joey snarled back, Yami Marik only smirking.
"Aren't you the least bit curious how this Shadow Game will differ from the one your friend lost? As always, the loser of the duel will be banished to the Shadow Realm for eternity, but there's a bit more. You'll find out soon enough, and then, mark my words, you'll wish you never faced me!"
Joey remained ever unshaken. "I'm ready to rumble, ya big freak!"
"Then let the Shadow Game begin! Ready?"
Just as he said this, two glowing ropes grew out of the chests of the duelist, tethering them to their monsters.
The blond stumbled back. "Hey, what's going on?"
"Didn't I tell you that this duel was a bit different?! I decided to raise the stakes further by adding these energy streams to our game. Now, whenever your monster's are attacked, you will feel their pain just as they have!"
"Ha ha. Just get on with it!"
Marik drew. "With great pleasure, Mr. Wheeler! I'll summon Drillago in attack mode!"
The drill-headed beast burrowed its way onto the field, another rope connecting it to Marik.

Drillago
1600 ATK/1100 DEF

"Drillago, attack! Destroy his Alligator's Sword and drain his life force!"
Drillago dove it, its drill arm digging into Alligator's Sword's chest and piercing it through, destroying it. The line attaching it to Joey snapped back as he stumbled back, crying out in pain.
"Joey!" Everyone yelled as he fell to one knee.
"That wasn't fun." He wheezed out, the wind knocked out of his lungs.
"It's a test of endurance." Yami said as Yugi appeared beside him.
"C'mon, Joey!"
Eventually, he stood back up. "All right, so this duel's got a little twist, but it can work against you too!"
Marik only smiled back manically. "Gil Garth, attack his lifepoints directly!"
"Not happening! I reveal my Scapegoat to protect me!"
The magic card flipped up as the four sheep tokens leapt onto the field, the yellow one being destroyed by Gil Garth. Fortunately, the tokens didn't classify as monsters, meaning the rules of the Shadow Game did not apply to them.
"Nice move, Joey." (Y/N) complimented as Marik regained his composure.
"Hmm! Well, it looks as though I've underestimated you! Make your move."

Marik 4000LP/Joey 4000LP

"Oh, I will." Joey assured as he drew. "Read it and weep, 'cause now I summon my good buddy, Panther Warrior to the field in attack mode!"
Joey's feline fighter leapt to the field with a fearsome growl, its sword glinting.

Panther Warrior
2000 ATK/1600 DEF

"Ready for a taste of your own medicine? I'll sacrifice one Scapegoat to jump start my Panther Warrior and attack your Gil Garth!"
The pink sheep token was absorbed into the blade as Panther Warrior pounced, slicing Gild Garth down the middle and dealing the first damage of the duel. Marik also hit with his own shadow magic, but unlike Joey, he had a more concerning expression.
"Oh gods, I think he likes it." (Y/N) said as Tea blanched.
"That is so wrong."
"That one was for Mai!" Joey declared.
Marik only laughed. "Speaking of your friend Mai, her mind should be empty by now!"
"Your head games won't work on me! I end my turn!"

Marik 3800LP/Joey 4000LP

"You've had your fun, but now, it's time for me to end all that with this!" Marik shouted as he activated a spell card. "I activate my Tribute Burial!"
Joey's pupils shrunk, remembering that card from (Y/N) and Rain's first duel in the tournament. "Uh oh."
"Now I can bring one monster back from each of our graveyards and sacrifice them to summon an even stronger creature to cut you down! I sacrifice Alligator's Sword and Gil Garth to summon the mighty Helpoemer!"
A hideous, misshapen humanoid tied to a slab rose up from the shadows, groaning.

Helpoemer
2000 ATK/1400 DEF

"And I can assure you that this new monster of mine is more than he appears to be! I'll place one card facedown and then end my turn!"

Marik 3800LP/Joey 4000LP

Both Yami and (Y/N) gritted their teeth, not understanding why Marik didn't attack. Helpoemer could only crash into Panther Warrior and destroy them both, but the sheep tokens were still vulnerable, which would leave Panther Warrior with only one more attack before Joey could get another monster to tribute.
"I don't like this." The queen mumbled, her husband in agreement.
"You and I both."
Joey didn't question it, drawing. "Time for me to put you in your place! It's show time! I summon Rocket Warrior in attack mode!"
The little green rocket motif knight floated onto the field, sword drawn.

Rocket Warrior
1500 ATK/1300 DEF

"You fool!" Marik shouted. "You fell directly into my trap! I reveal my facedown: Hidden Soldiers! By summoning a monster in attack mode, I can now summon any monster from my hand with four stars or less! Meet my Plasma Eel!"
A metallic creature with sparkling lightning rods on its head and massive pincers crawled its way out onto the field.

Plasma Eel
500 ATK/1200 DEF

"Now I activate its special ability!" Plasma Eel slithered to Joey's side of the field, coiling around Panther Warrior and sinking its mandibles into its head. "Now for the fun part. When my eel attaches itself to a monster, it lowers that monster's attack, so your Panther loses 500 points, and according to the rules of our Shadow Game, you will experience the same pain as it!"
Plasma Eel glowed, sending an electric current straight through Panther Warrior, who roared in pain. Joey fell to his knees screaming as he felt that same current run through him.
"Fight it, Joey!" Yami yelled in a panic, everyone else only able to shout similar words of encouragement.
"Well, now, are you beginning to regret dueling me?" Marik asked.
When the electrocution finally subsided, Joey held his head, breathing heavily. "You'll never...break my spirit...Marik! I...made...a...promise!"
Joey stood up, much to the dark spirit's shock.
"What's going on?! That fool should be begging for mercy!"
"You can't keep me down, not as long as I have something to fight for! I activate Rocket Warrior's special ability, Invincible mode!" Rocket Warrior closed in on itself, transforming into a rocket shaped missile. "Attack his Helpoemer!"
The small knight shot forward, piercing the blue monster's chest, dropping its attack to 1500, and causing Marik to gag, proving he wasn't as unaffected by the damaged as he made himself out to be. Joey wasn't done yet.
"Next, I'll sacrifice a Scapegoat, letting Panther Warrior strike back! Time to attack!" Panther Warrior, likely fueled by the pain of Plasma Eel, roared as it struck down Helpoemer, causing Marik to stumble back. "Eat that!"
Marik held his chest before laughing.
"That can't be good." Yami said under his breath.
"Thank you, little Joey. By attacking my beast, you've caused your own demise!"
"Huh?" Joey said. "How's that?"
"It's simple. By defeating my Helpoemer in battle and sending it to my graveyard, it can now deplete your resources. Observe!" Marik placed the monster in the grave as ghoulish reached over and seized Joey's duel disk. "Now, so long as Helpoemer is in the graveyard, every time you conduct your battle phase, you lose one random card in your hand! Say farewell and I'm afraid there's plenty more where that came from!"
A ghostly, clawed hand shot out from Joey's duel disk, snatching a card and pulling it into the grave. The look on his face said that that was a card he especially did not want to lose. Through a good chunk of the duel, Joey played cautiously, weary of the traps Marik had laid out for him, yet that more often than not led to more problems, especially with the continuous electrocutions from Panther Warrior and burn damage from things like Nightmare Wheel on Rocket Warrior and Coffin Seller were taking a physical toll Joey. Meanwhile, Marik was playing fast and loose with his turns. While he was in control, he didn't make the necessary attacks to deal damage, instead either passing his battle phases or only attacking defense position monsters like when Joey summoned his Little Winguard. It was only then that the ugly dawned on (Y/N). Marik wasn't going for the kill because he wanted to drag this out. Rather than simply defeat Joey in the duel, he was trying to waste Joey through the constant attacks with shadow magic. This, however, proved to be a mistake as the second Joey decided he was done playing cautiously, the tide began to turn, getting Jinzo out of his grave with Question and wiping out Marik's traps and his Legendary Fiend. However, Dark Wall of Wind prevented any further attacks from Rocket Warrior and Baby Dragon as Panther Warrior's attack points were finally drained to 0, this last shock being especially brutal by the sound of it. By the time most  of the craziness was settled, it was Marik's turn again.

Marik 1900LP/Joey 2900LP

Marik drew, smiling slyly. "I'm about to call forth an extremely powerful beast, and 8-star monster known as Lava Golem!"
"Slow down there, cowboy!" Joey snapped. "You can't play a card that strong with tributing first!"
"How perceptive of you. I have ever intention of making a sacrifice! Lava Golem allows me to sacrifice two monsters on your side of the field."
"You're kiddin' me!"
"Look on the bright side. Lava Golem stays on your side of the field!"
In an instant, two amorphous lava hand snatched Baby Dragon and Jinzo as Joey was trapped in an iron cage. The creature then rose up, immediately making the air steaming hot.

Lava Golem
3000 ATK/2500 DEF

"Marik, what's the deal!?" Joey yelled from his prison.
"What's wrong? I thought you'd be pleased to receive a monster with 3000 attack points, little Joey!"
"Wait, this thing's mine?"
"I have a bad feeling about this." (Y/N) said as Marik looked all too pleased.
"Take a look. Your monster's beginning to melt! Each turn, Lava Golem melts and you lose lifepoints!" Joey yelped as a drop of lava singed his foot. "And now that your Jinzo is back in the graveyard, I can set as many traps as I want! So I think I'll end my turn with this facedown. Now then, why don't you attack me with your monster? Not that you have other options."

Marik 1900LP/Joey 2900LP

"Why give Joey that monster?" Yami thought out loud. "It may damage Joey, but it has more than enough strength to end the duel. It doesn't make any sense."
"Lava Golem either has another ability we're not privy to, or one of Marik's cards needs Joey to attack." (Y/N) suggested.
Joey drew and seemed to weigh his options. "All right, I think it's only fair to use the gift you gave me."
"Excellent!" Marik mocked. "I must say that's the most intelligent thing you've said this entire duel!"
"Watch yourself!"
"I guess you finally came to your senses, or perhaps you realized the truth: there's absolutely no way you can win this. Every pathway leads to the Shadow Realm."
Everyone growled, by now wanting to take a swing for everything that this spirit had put them through.
"Don't listen to a single twisted word that creep says, Joey!" Tea yelled. "He's trying to psych you out!"
"It's over!" Joey declared.
"For once, you and I are in agreement, little Joey. The moment you attack me, it's all over for you!"
"Then I guess I'll have to take my chances! Attack, Lava Golem!"
"Wait!" Tea shouted as everyone looked very against this decision (seriously, look at their faces at this moment in the duel, it's very funny, especially when you see Yami there). "Are you sure about this?"
"Too late now!" Tristan pointed out as Duke ducked.
"I can't watch! Is it over yet?!"
Lava Golem launched a fireball, only for Marik to, admittedly obviously, be ready for it.
"Time to block your attack with this: Relieve Monster! This allows me to return one of my monsters to my hand. Once that happens, I can replace that creature with any 4-star monster I'm holding in my hand."
"But he doesn't have any monsters!" Tristan yelled before (Y/N) realized what was happening.
"Yes he does! Plasma Eel!"
"Correct, your highness. Plasma Eel, return to me!" The little leech finally detached from Panther Warrior, bouncing back to the hand, only for Marik to immediately pull it back. "And since it's a 4-star monster, I can bring it back in defense mode."
At the last second, Plasma Eel returned to the field in defense, blocking the fire ball, and frustratingly not being destroyed because of its ability. Now, since you've conducted your battle phase, Helpoemer takes another card from your hand!"
"Are ya done?" Joey asked, left with only one card in his hand.
"Not quite. There's one more thing: Lava Golem inflicts 700 points of damage to you."
Joey screamed at the sheer heat as Marik cackled at his suffering.

Marik 1900LP/Joey 2200LP

"My move." The psycho spirit declared. "Go, Machine Duplication!"
(Y/N) flinched as Marik's Eel was given two clones, both of which immediately latched on to Lava Golem and Rocket Warrior, immediately electrocuting them and Joey in turn.
Tea covered her mouth. "No!"
"Stay strong, Joey!" Yami shouted.
Despite everything, Joey somehow found the strength to keep going. "Is that all you got Marik?"
"He can't take much more of this." (Y/N) said, terrified for him. "His heart will give out at this rate!"
"It's gonna take more than that to keep me down, you frizzy-haired freak!"
"Then I shall place one card facedown and let you go, if you can stand."

Marik 1900LP/Joey 2200LP

"If you think I'm gonna let you win this, then you're even dumber than you look! Now feast your crazy eyes on this Marik." Joey drew, sending up a small prayer, and in that moment, it seemed like he had something. "I'm glad I'm not in your shoes, 'cause you're in for some hurting. Go Graceful Dice! Now I can raise the strength of any monster I choose! And I choose your Plasma Eel! And once that's done, your Machine Duplication goes buh-bye along with your two other eels!"
"Excellent strategy, Joey!" Yami yelled as (Y/N) thought it over.
"He must have something he wants to tribute for if he's willing to power up an indestructible monster."
Graceful Dice rolled, and considering only a one would be the end of Joey, it wasn't that shocking that he managed to resolve, with a 6 no less (if only he could get those rolls with his own monsters). Just as he said, Machine Duplication and the two eels were both destroyed due to the original being powered up.
"All right, now I can sacrifice all three of my monsters to bring out my ultimate fighting machine! Meet Gilford the Lightning!"
In a fearsome bolt of lightning, all of Joey's monsters were cleared, leaving a red capped, silver helmed warrior that roared at the sky.

Gilford the Lightning
2800 ATK/1400 DEF

"He's about to crush any hopes you had of winning this duel, Marik! How does it feel to be staring into the face of defeat?"
"Way to rock the ultimate comeback, man!" Duke cheered. "Now finish him off!"
"We knew you could do it!" Tea cheered.
(Y/N) leaned towards her and whispered. "Did you?"
"No, but he doesn't need to know that."
Marik only cackled. "In case you forgot, you used your magic card to power up my Plasma Eel, making it more powerful than your Gilford the Lightning."
"Moot point since Plasma Eel's ability prevents it from being destroyed." (Y/N) then smirked. "By battle."
Marik looked at her in confusion as Joey grinned. "Read my mind, (Y/N). You think I was dumb enough to let that happen?"
"Yes."
Yami smiled, knowing what his wife knew was about to happen. "Gilford's special ability destroys every one of Marik's monsters when it's tribute summoned. It's time to take him down, Joey!"
"You got it! Gilford, show this wannabe what's for! Lightning Sword!"
Gilford drew his blade and called forth a lightning strike to destroy Plasma Eel, giving Marik a taste of electrocution. Now the dark spirit was looking pretty frazzled.
"Game over, Marik! Gilford, teach this kid a lesson, the hard way! Attack his lifepoints directly!"
Gilford charged with his blade, but just as he brought the sword down, Marik countered.
"You'd better think again! I reveal my facedown: Nightmare Mirror!"
"OH, COME ON!" Rain screamed in the void as Gilford's attack was not only blocked, but redirected back at Joey for 1000 lifepoints.
"There's only one small price I have to pay, and that's to discard one card to my graveyard, and this is the perfect card for me to part with for now."
(Y/N) a cold seep in, knowing exactly what card he discarded. "Ra. He'll use the same move he used on me."
"It'll only work if he draws Monster Reborn." Yami reminded her, but both royals had a sinking feeling as Joey was forced to end his turn.

Marik 1900LP/Joey 1200LP

"My move." Marik drew, and he began laughing, signaling exactly what he got. "I'm about to eliminate you from this duel once and for all! I believe you'll remember this play from my duel with the queen."
Marik revealed Monster Reborn, making Joey go pale as Marik summoned the beast in its immortal phoenix mode.
"This is the last monster you'll ever see, little Joey!"
"Joey's gonna get torched!" Rain yelled. "He can't protect himself!"
(Y/N) could only watch in horror. "He has to survive this. It's his only chance. Marik will be defenseless next turn, but Joey has to take the hit."
Marik ordered the attack and (Y/N) was frozen in terror, Yami having to yank her down to safety as the fire flew. That snapped her out of it in time to put up a weak shield to block the embers, but it could drown out Joey's screams as he and Gilford were consumed in the fire. Marik laughed, thinking he had won, but when the smoke finally cleared, Joey was still standing. The evil spirit went completely white as Ra returned to the grave.
"Joey!" (Y/N) screamed, knowing Joey teetered on the brink. "Draw and finish the duel!"

Marik 900LP/Joey 1200LP

"You can't!" Yami Marik screamed as Joey seemed to hear (Y/N). "You should be wiped out by now!"
"In your dreams..." Joey rasped, in a daze. "It's my turn now, and you're wide open!"
"This can't be happening!"Marik yelled as everyone cheered Joey on.
"Make your move, Joey!" Yami yelled, knowing the blond wouldn't hold out for much longer. "End this madness!"
"Here goes nothin'." Joey mumble, drawing. "All right...Marik...I summon Gearfried the Iron Knight..."
Gearfried rose in a spectacular pillar of light, as if the monster understood the weight of its summoning.

Gearfried the Iron Knight
1800 ATK/1600 DEF

"No! This can't be possible!" Yami Marik shrieked.
"Declare your attack, Joey!" Yami yelled just as Serenity ran onto the roof.
"Joey!" Just then, Joey finally gave out as his sister screamed. "JOEY! NO!"
Everyone stared in horror as Joey laid motionless on the ground, lifeless even.
"GET A DOCTOR!" Duke screamed as (Y/N) immediately ran towards Joey.
"The duel's still on!" Kaiba yelled back, only for the queen to glare at him murderously.
"SHUT UP, SETO! Mokuba, get down here!"
"Yes, ma'am." They both kinda squeaked, following her orders.
Yami Marik, looking like his own heart would stop, narrowed his eyes at her.
"There's nothing that can help him now."
"Wanna bet?" The queen challenged as Mokuba arrived, placing her hand near his nose. "He's not breathing. Mokuba, help me turn him over."
At those words, everyone raced over, Roland declaring Marik the winner by default falling on deaf ears.
"Get the medics ready!" Mokuba ordered, making Roland run off, as (Y/N) took Joey's hand. "(Y/N), do something!"
"I'm trying!" She snapped, concentrating as the bracelet flickered. "Come on, Joey, I just need a little more fight from you."
Marik slipped away, muttering angrily about the futility of it all, before vomiting and coughing violently, likely from stress.
"CHOKE ON IT, YOU PSYCHO!" Rain screamed at him in spirit, not caring if he could hear her or not as Yugi knelt by Joey's side, pleading with him to wake up.
Sweat appeared on (Y/N)'s brow as she focused all of her power to try and find Joey sinking in the darkness. Recognizing what she was doing, Yami, Tea, and Tristan put their hands on her shoulder, offering their strength as well. Duke and Serenity were less familiar, but joined in, and with their strength, the Millennium Bracelet's flickering turned into a glow as (Y/N) sensed Joey's spirit still fitting. Her eyes snapped open as Joey's chest began to simultaneously rise and fall, albeit weakly.
"He's breathing again!" Mokuba shouted as the rescue team arrived with a stretcher. "Get him downstairs, now!"
Joey was hauled away as (Y/N) was on her knees still, breathing heavily. As everyone else ran to follow after Joey, Yami scooped up (Y/N) in his arms and ran after them, ignoring Kaiba who wanted to start their duel right away.
"You too."

(Timeskip)

(Y/N) had dozed off in her husband's arms and when she woke up, they were in the medic's room on the blimp, swearing she heard Slifer and Obelisk's roars. Joey was hooked up to a ventilator and several other machines next to Mai, Serenity kneeling by his bed.
"I'm getting really tired of losing consciousness in this tournament." The queen said, groaning as sat up.
"(Y/N)!" Serenity shouted as the queen walked over to her. "Yugi said to make sure you keep sleeping."
"I've slept enough during this tournament. How's Joey?"
Serenity looked down. "He won't wake up. The doctors don't know what's wrong with him, and Mokuba says we can't leave because the blimp is damaged!"
"Where are the others?"
"Yugi went to duel Kaiba, Tristan went to help Mokuba find us another way out of here, and I think Duke and Tea are with Ishizu."
"Right. Move over Serenity, I'm going to try and pull your brother out of the Shadow Realm."
"What?" She said, listening to the queen as she once again held Joey's hand.
"I sensed it before. Joey didn't completely sink into the Shadow Realm. I think it's because Marik didn't defeat him entirely by the rules of the Shadow Game. I know he's fighting in there, so I think I may have just enough strength to pull him the rest of the way out."
"Have you ever done this before?"
"No." She admitted. "But I've learned by now that some things are worth the risk."
"(Y/N)." Rain suddenly appeared beside me. "Let me do this."
"Rain."
"You've taken enough bad hits for me throughout this tournament. It's time I pulled my weight. I'm a Wayfarer too, and I'm just as much the master of the Millennium Bracelet as you are! It's high time I proved it!"
(Y/N) wanted to argue, but she knew for a fact Rain was in undeniably better shape than her. If anyone had enough strength left, it would be her.
"All right, young Wayfarer. Be careful."
"I will." Rain assured as she took control. "Serenity, put your hand on my shoulder. I'll need as many ties to Joey as possible if I'm gonna find him."
"I'll do whatever it takes to save my brother."
"Good. Now, no matter what happens, don't try to snap me out of the trance. Here goes nothing."
Rain dove into the raging darkness. At first, it felt like Mai, ceaseless and insurmountable, but with each step, she began to realize that no, this was manageable. If Joey could stand the might of Ra, she could weather the darkness.
"Come on, Joey. Give me a sign!"
Just then, along with Serenity's presence, Rain sensed the will of Tea, Duke, and Tristan. Smiling, knowing that her friends were pushing her on, Rain dove in headfirst. The waves crashed and roared, but the Wayfarer refused to be stopped by them, and with a forceful yell, she shattered through something. Opening her eyes, and thankfully her arm being mended in this world, she saw that she was in some kind of arena, and she could hear shouting from beyond the door. Racing forward, she saw Joey in the midst of a duel, losing. However, before the final blow could be dealt, Rain raised her bracelet up.
"JOEY!"
There was a flash of light as the illusion world dissolved, leaving the two of them standing above the darkness again. Joey narrowed his eyes weakly.
"S-Stormy? W-what happened? Where are we?"
Rain ran forward and hugged him. "Somewhere between our world and the Shadow Realm...I think. You got sent here when you lost consciousness during your Shadow Game."
"What!?" He shouted. "What about Mai? Did she wake up?"
"Afraid not." Joey looked down, only for Rain to put her hand on his arm. "There'll be more chances to save her. I came to pull you out."
"You did...that for me?"
"Of course, you dummy! I'd do anything for you guys! Now come, Yugi's probably mopping the floor with Seto right now. I doubt that's something you'd wanna miss."
He let out a weak laugh. "Nah, it isn't."
In a flash, Rain opened her eyes again, feeling the hands of everyone else on her shoulder.
"Rain?" Tea asked worriedly and the girl leaned back with her one good arm.
"Oh gods, I can't believe that actually worked."
Just then, a groan came from the bed, and everyone practically had tears in their eyes as they saw Joey waking up.
"Joey!" Serenity shouted as he looked at her, confused.
"Serenity? What's goin' on? Is this a hospital? Did someone get hurt?"
"Ugh, yeah Joey." Tristan sassed in the way only a relieved friend could. "Someone was knocked unconscious!"
Joey down at Rain. "Stormy, you and (Y/N) gotta work on your endurance."
"Ha ha." She seethed. "You know he was talking about you."
"Couldn't help myself. Thanks for having my back, Stormy."
"What are friends for?"
Serenity sobbed, hugging her brother as everyone else let out happy tears, and the poor, confused doctor in the room kinda just stood there. Just then, Joey snapped to attention.
"Wait, Stormy, ya said Yugi's dueling right now!"
"Yeah, trust me, I could hear Slifer and Obelisk very clearly in my head."
"Well then I gotta get up there and help him out! You too, Stormy!"
"Don't, Joey!" Tea insisted as he hopped out of bed and tried to drag Rain to her feet.
The Wayfarer's legs immediately gave out under her and face planted into the floor. Everyone just stared at her.
"Uh, Rain?" Duke finally asked.
"I'm done. (Y/N), please take over again."

(Timeskip)

After the former queen took back the reins and they all escaped the team of doctors, everyone raced up the dueling tower in hopes they'd make it in time. What they ran into was a virtualized Coliseum with Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon firing into Dark Paladin (Red Eyes was also present on the field), attempting to go for game.
"Yugi/Yami!" Joey and (Y/N) yelled simultaneously.
"I win!" Seto declared.
"I wouldn't be so sure of that." Yami corrected. "Remember, I still have one facedown card left. Kaiba, you're done."
"You lie!"
"As you'll soon see, I've been destined to defeat you for 5000 years!"
"Unlikely! My Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon cannot be stopped, Yugi!"
"I'm afraid you're wrong, but I'll let my card speak for itself! I play this: De-Fusion!" Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon's attack was cut short as the monster bounced into the three Blue Eyes. "Now, Kaiba, you have three dragons on the field instead of one, and since my Dark Paladin receives 500 attack points for every dragon on the field, he's now the strongest monster in play! Now, it's time for my final move!"
"Just go!" Kaiba said through gritted teeth.
Yami drew. "With pleasure, Kaiba! All right, the card in my hand will conquer the darkness that now surrounds your heart! I play my final magic card:  Diffusion Wave Motion!"
"Oh that's just overkill." Rain said in their head as Dark Paladin proceeded to decimate all three Blue-Eyes in one move, winning Yami duel.
"You lose, Kaiba." Yami stated. "I told you your hatred and your lust for power would never prevail!"
Roland held up his arm. "And the winner is Yugi Muto, who now advances to the final round to face Marik Ishtar for the Battle City crown!"
"You the man, Yuge!" Joey yelled as they all ran to him as the dueling platform lowered.
"Thank you." Yami then blinked, realizing who was talking to him. "Joey?!"
The blond gave a thumbs up. "That's right! I'm back!"
"I see, but how?"
Joey ruffed up (Y/N)'s hair, but she let him have it. "(Y/N) and Stormy couldn't let me snooze. Besides, I'd never let a freak show like Marik get the best of me! Besides, I gave you guys my word that I'd help ya beat him, so here I am!"
"Thank you." Yami said as the two friends shook on it.
Spirit Yugi was crying happily with Spirit Rain, who was still tired, comforting him. As Joey bragged about his Red Eyes being an ace in the hole for the duel, Yami stepped beside his wife, who gave him a look.
"What?"
"Diffusion Wave Motion. You only needed to destroy one Blue-Eyes to win."
Yami glanced away. "He could've had a trap."
"You knew he didn't have one."
"...fine, but consider everything he's let happen in this tournament. I'd say this was well deserved!"
She rolled her eyes. "Oh gods, what did you two say to each other, unsupervised? Are there any other cheap shots you took during the duel?"
"No." He lied, vowing never to let her know about the use of Exchange. "Also, I thought I was very clear you were to be resting."
(Y/N) blushed as he husband decided to use their slight height difference to his advantage. "Um, I don't recall anyone telling me that."
It was Yami's turn to give her a look. "Really? And exactly how much more energy did it take for you to rescue Joey?"
"Not me, Rain. She took over and now she's resting."
"Uh-huh." Yami then immediately picked her up, making her blush harder.
"Yami! I ran up this tower! I can walk!"
"No, you have lost your walking privileges."
"Yami!"
"You can have them back after we have a long chat about limits and when not to break them."
"Like you're one to talk!" (Y/N) turned her head desperately to her friends. "A little help here?"
Tea held up her hands. "I think you should take it up with a marriage counselor."

Thought I'd end it on a joke. We're just gonna jump straight into the final duel and the epilogue, and then it's Waking the Dragons time!