"Damn it!" Marik struck the wall, his laced with disbelief and anger.
Through the Millennium Rod, Marik instantly learned of Odion and the others' complete defeat.
"Sorry, Marik. I was too careless," said Odion, who had his eyes closed, communicating with Marik through the mark of the Millennium Rod imprinted on his body.
Listening to Odion's explanation only deepened Marik's confusion. An ordinary high school girl who could surpass Odion's combat, along with eight strange minions, appeared out of nowhere—none of this was information Marik had previously known.
If Marik didn't trust Odion's loyalty more than anyone else, he'd assume this was just a ridiculous story to make a fool of him.
"Hey, you, Odion! I know you can contact Marik!"
Hoshino, scowling, gave the tightly bound Odion a sharp kick.
"Did you hear me? Tell Marik to bring the Winged Dragon of Ra himself within an hour, or I'll kill you!"
"K-kill!?" The two other bound men panicked at the word, standing in stark contrast to Odion's calm demeanor.
"Calm down. She's just a high school girl—What could she possibly do with a threat like that?" Odion said, observing his trembling comrades with mild annoyance.
But after glancing at Martha, who was readying her fists beside him, even Odion's calm tone held a flicker of uncertainty. "Probably…"
"This time, we are relying on the boss~," Hoshino thought that Martha was perfect for this kind of work. Of all the Heroic Spirit, she was the best suited to handling things delicately. If Spartacus or Hercules were summoned, they'd probably just crush the enemies entirely.
"Oh, fine, boss it is. I'm getting used to it," sighed Martha softly, accepting the nickname without argument this time, casually running her fingers through her smooth hair.
Seven Bosses of the Southern District' in Domino City were in shock. Today alone had shattered their worldview more than all previous experiences combined. Why did Duel Monsters suddenly start attacking people? And Why were their moves so cool and ruthless? And why did Hoshino call a Duel Monster "Boss"?
"Big Boss has a Boss?" mumbled one of them, his eyes darting back and forth as if deep in thought.
"Our Big Boss's has a boss? that's like the.....ultimate boss!" So, that was the profound insight he'd come up with?
"What! The ultimate boss?" Martha's face twisted in confusion. She'd already been gracious enough to accept being called "Boss," and now, suddenly, there was an even weirder title.
"Oh! Ultimate boss ┗|｀O′|┛ X9!" cheered Akasha, joining in with the Seven Bosses.
"You guys! Don't push it too far!"
(***)
Marik was caught in a dilemma. He had thought his strategy would easily take out both Hoshino and Yugi, only to lose completely right at the start. The captor had become the captive—a situation so absurd anyone else might laugh it off as a joke.
And, of all people, Odion was the one Hoshino captured. If it had been any other Rare Hunters, Marik wouldn't even hesitate to abandon them. But Odion was different. Odion was an exception—Marik couldn't bear to let anything happen to him.
Although Odion was just an orphan taken in by the Tombkeeper family, he and Marik had shared the same family tragedies, forming a bond even closer than blood. Odion is, without a doubt, Malik's most trusted ally.
But if he lost the Winged Dragon of Ra here, his last trump card against the Pharaoh would be gone, and he'd have no choice but to watch the centuries-old sorrow of the Tombkeeper continue endlessly.
"What should I do? What should I do?" Hoshino had only given him an hour, making Marik even more anxious.
"It looks like you're in trouble?" Said a familiar, irritating voice from behind, startling Marik out of his thoughts.
"Bakura? I'm surprised you managed to find this place," Marik said with mild surprise as he turned to face the white-haired man who had appeared suddenly.
The Dark Bakura, the holder of the Millennium Ring, had been sealed in the Shadow Game's graveyard by Yugi and Hoshino during the Duelist Kingdom. But they underestimated the survival skills of the ancient evil spirit who had lived for millennia.
"Hiding out in a shabby warehouse with all your rare cards—don't you think the mighty leader of Rare Hunters deserves better?" Bakura remarked, surveying his surroundings with a smirk.
Before Battle City began, the Millennium Ring, which could locate other Millennium Items, had already sensed Marik's presence. Marik, who sought to kill Yugi, and Bakura, who wanted to seize the Millennium Puzzle, were a perfect match. Bakura became another collaborator for Marik in this city besides Yako.
However, since the start of Battle City, this collaborator has remained in hiding.
"You disappeared all day yesterday, and now you show up because you want something?" Marik said, a hint of irritation in his voice, clearly annoyed by Bakura's lack of action since their partnership began.
"No need to get worked up, Marik," Bakura replied with a shrug, picking up on Malik's dissatisfaction. "I may be able to get close to Yugi easily because of my connection with his friends, but taking direct action has been complicated. Besides, I'm here to help you now, aren't I?"
"Help me?" Marik raised an eyebrow.
"Hit a wall, didn't you, Marik" Bakura sneered. "That wall called Hoshino Chiyuki."
.
..
…
Hoshino rubbed her chest, feeling inexplicably annoyed. "Why does it feel like someone's talking bad about me?"
.
..
…
"!!!" Marik's eye twitched, unable to conceal his nervousness. Just minutes had passed since Odion was captured, and yet Bakura somehow already knew.
"That woman is hard to deal with, right?" Bakura, who had first faced Hoshino and suffered, was practically a senpai in Marik's world of defeat.
"If you know how tough she is, then what exactly do you plan to do to help?" Marik asked curiously.
"Hand over the Millennium Rod to me!" Bakura's sudden and blunt demand was backed by an indescribable surge of dark power.
"Hoshino isn't someone who can be dealt with by ordinary means. Give me the Millennium Rod, and I'll combine its power with the Millennium Ring to initiate a special Shadow Game!"
"A special Shadow Game?" Marik repeated, his confusion evident.
Bakura's goal wasn't limited to just seizing the Millennium Puzzle; any Millennium Item was fair game for him, including Marik's Millennium Rod. Marik suspected this sudden suggestion was just Bakura's ploy to get his hands on the Millennium Rod.
"A regular Shadow Game won't cut it, right? A girl who wields all three Evil Gods and a Spirit deck strong enough to rival a god. I'm not exaggerating—if we play by normal rules, neither of us stands a chance."
"..." Marik, at a loss for words, couldn't immediately refute Bakura's logic. Even with his confidence in the Winged Dragon of Ra, Hoshino's strength was daunting—especially now that she wielded all three Evil Gods.
"You want to save your men without losing your God Card, right? But help doesn't come free." Bakura patted Marik's shoulder, sensing Marik's reluctance to hand over the Millennium Rod.
"I'll take on all the risks of the Shadow Game. All you have to do is lend me the Millennium Rod, and I'll handle the rest. Once I defeat Hoshino, I'll hand over the three Evil Gods and her deck to you."
For Bakura, all that mattered were the Millennium Items – rare cards like the God Cards meant little to him.
But for Marik, the God Cards had a far deeper significance. If he could command the power of all three Evil Gods, defeating Yugi would be a certainty.
Bakura's words echoed in Marik's mind like a devil's whisper, tempting him.
"If I lend you the Millennium Rod, how sure are you that you can beat Hoshino?" Marik asked, his resolve begins to waver.
Lend? Bakura caught the slight hesitation in Marik's words. Although Marik phrased it as a loan, once the Rod was in Bakura's hands, whether he returned it was another matter.
"I won't lose!" Bakura's absolute confidence served as the strongest assurance for Marik's wavering resolve.
"As long as I can initiate this twisted Shadow Game, I'm guaranteed to defeat Hoshino!"
"Twisted rules?"
(***)
South District, Domino City –
Hoshino paced back and forth, her expression growing more impatient. "It's been almost an hour now. I must have overestimated Marik."
To avoid drawing attention, Hoshino and her team moved the three bound Rare Hunters to a deserted park early in the morning. After all, three tied-up men were bound to draw some awkward stares.
But as time ticked by, even this remote park started seeing more people. Hoshino couldn't ignore the curious looks from occasional passersby, which added to the awkwardness of the situation.
"Given Marik-nii's bond with Odion-nii, he shouldn't just abandon him," Akasha said, puzzled, knowing how important Odion was to Marik.
As time passed, the expressions of the two other Rare Hunters grew increasingly fearful, genuinely worried that they might be "disposed of." Only Odion's stern expression seemed to relax. He didn't want Malik to risk exposing himself and sacrificing the God Card just to save him.
Ever since Battle City started, Marik had remained cautious, never even revealing his face to Yugi and his friends. Appearing in person and handing over the God Card would undo all his efforts. Odion would rather Marik abandon him as a pawn than jeopardize their entire plan.
"Is Big Boss waiting for someone important?" One of the Seven Bosses asked, curious but too nervous to pry.
"Yeah, someone very important." Hoshino's gaze grew serious as she recalled what Marik did to Mr. Rowick last night, as well as his schemes. "A despicable scoundrel who toys with people's lives without a shred of guilt."
"Toying with... lives?" The Seven Bosses murmured among themselves, Curious but too cautious to ask for details.
"Is this guy, like, Big Boss's ex or something?"
"Maybe he did something terrible to her? That would explain why she's so angry."
"Big Boss's so pretty! And this guy wronged her? What a total jerk!"
"When the time comes, if it's really like that, we've got to back her up."
"Absolutely. With us looking this good, showing support's the least we can do."
...
"Hoshino-nee, someone's coming." Akasha's voice interrupted, noting a slender figure approaching.
Hearing this, Hoshino perked up. "Finally. Marik, the mastermind behind all this—let's see what you look like."
But as the figure drew closer, Hoshino was taken by surprise.
"Yo~ Long time no see!" Bakura greeted her with a harmless smile, one hand casually in his pocket.
"Bakura? What are you doing here...?" Hoshino was surprised to see him, as she hadn't seen him since the start of Battle City. But it was only a slight surprise.
"Wow, he's handsome!" Akasha said, admiring Bakura's sunny smile.
"Dang, he's so good-looking – so he's Big Boss ex, huh?"
"So it was a lover's quarrel all along?"
"Backing her up isn't gonna be easy, not with a guy this handsome..."
"Bakura, what are you doing here?" Hoshino asked, feeling a bit nervous. Although the Rare Hunters were outlaws, bumping into an acquaintance while involved in a "kidnapping" was a bit unsettling.
"Me?" Bakura scratched his cheek and smiled, "Oh, just here to retrieve something for a friend."
"Retrieve something? In a park?" Hoshino found it strange that mild-mannered Bakura would show up here for something like this.
"Yeah, something very important." Bakura's tone grew darker as he lowered his head.
Hoshino's brow furrowed. "Something... important? In a park?"
Bakura abruptly lifted his head, his face twisting into a sinister grin, a stark contrast to the friendly facade from moments ago.
"That very important thing... is your life!"
(*****)
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