Grave Risk

It was late at night at the Slifer Red dorm, as Jaden and Chumley were fast asleep Syrus was climbing out of bed.

"Ugh I gotta stop drinking so much water before bed." Syrus yawns going downstairs and opening a door. "Wait this isn't the bathroom." He said rubbing his eyes.

Peeking inside, he saw Prof. Banner talking to someone on his computer.

"You are not here to ask why, you are here to obey." A male voice said.

"But Jaden is one of our best students. Hecould be buried alive or worse." Banner said.

"Worse?" Syrus whispers.

"If the tomb shall be the end of that boy then so be it, but his true potential must be tested." The voice said.

Slowly closing the door, Syrus steps back terrified.

*'Tested? In a tomb? Where they could be buried alive or worse? Something tells me this isn't a midterms test.'* Syrus gulps.

The next day in Prof. Banner's class, Prof. Banner was doing an experiment.

"As you can see we can learn a great deal about dueling from alchemy. Just as you combine 2 monsters to create another you can combine to compounds to create something equally impressive." Banner said pouring the mixture but when he did it exploded in his face startling everyone.

"And equally devastating." Banner groans dropping to the ground as the bell rang.

"Morning everyone, learn anything good?" Jaden asks.

"We learned how to duck." Syrus said.

"Prof. Banner almost blew himself up." Ryan said.

"Oh I almost forgot." Banner said standing up. "I'm planning a little field trip."

"Great, to where? Circus? Carnival?" Jaden asks.

"Better. We're taking a 10 mile hike to the ancient excavation grounds to get geologic core samples. It'll be Saturday at 7am. Don't be late." Banner said much to everyone's disappointment.

On the day of the trip, Banner saw the only ones to show up were Jaden, Ryan, Syrus, Chumley, Alexis, Seika, Mindy and Chazz.

"Only 8? Where's everyone else?" Banner asks.

"Probably asleep." Syrus said.

"Where I would have been if you slackers hadn't pulled me out." Chazz glared.

"Come on Chazz, since you're our new dorm mate we should hang out." Jaden said.

"I'm surprised you two wanted to come." Alexis said looking to the girls.

"I did it because I thought it was mandatory and was worried I'd fail if I said no." Seika admits.

"You know I heard these ruins we're going to used to host the Shadow Games." Alexis said.

"Let's hope this gives us a lead on your brother's whereabouts." Ryan said.

"I hope so." Alexis nods.

"Now we have to be careful when we get to the ruins because inside is an ancient tomb." Banner warns.

*'A tomb?'* Syrus gulps remembering what he overheard. "Jaden, I need to tell you something." Syrus said pulling him away.

"Listen I overheard Banner saying something about putting you two in a tomb and burying you in it." Syrus whispers.

"Because I fell asleep in class?" Jaden assumes.

"I mean it." Syrus said.

"Are you sure it wasn't just a nightmare Sy? I mean Prof. Banner bury us alive?" Jaden asks.

"All right everyone, time to go." Banner said getting their attention.

Meanwhile at the Academy...

Zane invited Davis over to his room.

"There's something we need to talk about."

"What is it?" Davis asked.

Soon they begin their hike to the ruins but unfortunately for them Chumley complained the whole way.

"Are we almost there?"

"My feet really hurt."

"Can we take a break?"

"I hate climbing.

"I hate crawling."

"I hate hiking."

"And I hate hearing you talk! So do us all a favor and shut up before I make you!" Chazz snaps.

"Oh look we're here." Banner said getting their attention. "Isn't it amazing?"

Looking ahead they saw all the ancient ruins including a huge stone arch at the front.

"This is unreal." Ryan whispered.

"They kinda look old." Jaden said.

"I don't know about you boys but I could use a sit down break." Mindy groans.

"Same." Seika said as both girls sat down.

"Yeah and maybe a chow down break?" Jaden suggests.

"I don't see why not. A short break to eat and then we can go exploring." Banner smiles at the thought.

"I can't wait for the special lunch Ms. Dorothy made me." Banner said.

"What? Dorothy made you lunch? Can I have some?" Jaden asks.

"I don't have enough to share." Banner said reaching inside only to reveal Pharoah with food crumbs all over his face. "My lunch!"

"Ha! Nice one." Chazz laughs.

"Can one of you share your lunch with me?" Banner asks.

"I don't think we have enough to share." Jaden mocks using his own words.

"Don't mess with Jaden when it comes to food." Syrus said.

"Aw please." Banner begs.

Climbing out of his bag, Pharoah looks around when he spots a stone amulet in the dirt.

Pawing at it, Pharoah causes the amulet to glow.

Screeching Pharoah alerts everyone as green pillars shot out of the ground around.

"What the?!" Mindy gasps.

As the light shines, they look to see a strange light fill the sky kinda like an aurora.

"Is anyone else seeing triplicate?" Banner asks.

"Unfortunately." Chazz gulps.

*'Something feels off about that light.'* Ryan thought.

Appearing behind them the spirits of Winged Kuriboh and Ojama Yellow appeared.

"Run boss." Ojama Yellow said.

"Run from light? Are you that dumb?" Chazz asks.

"Just do it. There's something off with that light." Ryan insisted.

Not needing to be told again they chose to run when suddenly thunder roared.

"Quickly! Find shelter!" Banner yells as everyone but Jaden and Ryan ran into it.

"Come on." Syrus motioned for them to get in.

"You must hurry." Banner added.

"You guys stay in there." Jaden said. "I'll lead this storm away from you."

He began running in the opposite direction.

"Jaden!" Alexis called.

When Jaden came to his senses, he was lying on the ground. He got up to a sitting position and saw the huge pyramid like building in front of them. "Whoa! I must have taken a wrong turn."

"I don't think I'm at the ruins anymore." Jaden gulps when Winged Kuriboh squeaks near him getting his attention. "Winged Kuriboh? What are you doing here? And how can I see you this clearly?"

Turning around they saw a woman in black robes and long black hair. This was Yasmin.

"This is sacred grounds you must leave immediately. You two are in very grave danger." Yasmin warns.

"Danger? What's going on?" Jaden asks when Kuriboh cries out hearing something.

Gasping the woman grabs the two of them and pushes them against the wall.

"Keep your voice down. Or you will share the others fate." Yasmin whispers.

"What others?" Jaden asks but she shushes them.

Holding their breath they saw men in black robes wielding spears going up the nearby stairs narrowly missing them.

"I speak of the strangers who share your dress. They have been captured by the Gravekeeper Chief and his Commandant as punishment for entering his sacred tomb." She explains.

"Punished?! Not on my watch lady. Take me to them right now." Jaden orders.

"As you wish, don't say I didn't warn you." Yasmin said handing him their bags before leading them in.

"Tell me stranger how did you get here?" Yasmin asks.

"The name's Jaden. As for how we got here, I'm not really sure." Jaden admits.

"Wait here while I find your friends."

"What? No I can't stay here." Jaden said.

"Believe me if you are walking about you'll be of no use to them." Yasmin warns. "I'll be back."

"Fine." Jaden narrows his eyes as Yasmin walks out.

Jaden did just that, sitting down against the wall in silence, while waiting for the mysterious woman to return.

"What's taking so long?" Jaden asked after a while. "Is she ever gonna come back?"

"Someone help us!" Alexis calls out getting their attention.

"Alexis!" Jaden gasps.

Standing up they climbed up and saw through the window Alexis, Syrus, Banner, Chumley, Mindy, Seika, Chazz, Prof. Banner and Pharoah all tied up in coffins.

"Get us outta here!" Chazz yells when from the tomb a strange magic grabbed Seika, Chazz and Mindy bringing them inside.

"What's happening?! We're moving!" Mindy screams.

"Get down from there." Someone commanded in a low voice.

"Move towards the sharp object? You've gotta be kidding me!"

"Now." The person repeated.

"Alright, alright. You ever hear of a handshake?" Jaden asked as he and Jeremy dropped down from their perches. They were greeted by a bunch of spearheads held rather close to their throats. "I guess not." Five men, just like the ones they'd come close to earlier, were holding the weapons aimed at them. Just behind them were two more, these ones bald, with their chests bared except for the open black robes they wore. Each of them held a weapon similar to a trident, except that the middle fork was twice as long as the other two. And behind them, stood two other men.

The first had dark eyes and hair, with a mustache running into his small beard and a stony face. He wore a light purple shirt, green pants, white robes with black at the ends, and had his head covered with a black covering on top of his head.

"Where's my manners? I'm Jaden Yuki." He said shakily.

"So… your name would be…?"

"I am the Gravekeeper Chief. And you have traversed upon the sacred tomb that I protect."

"Oh well this is an easy fix. We'll just go get our friends and then we'll leave. You can forget we were ever here." Jaden said.

"That is not possible." Gravekeeper Chief said.

"Why not?" Jaden asks.

"Because fool you trespassed and must be punished." Gravekeeper Chief said.

"Come on, can't we just pay a fine or something?"

"You cannot."

"Oh yeah? Then you can't point your spears at me." The spearmen held their weapons pressed against the boy's throat.

"You show some spirit, stranger given you can survive my challenge," he directed to Jaden. "What is your answer?"

"Well, what's the challenge?" The Chief held up a deck of duel monster cards. "A duel? Now you're speaking my language. You're on. But only if you pardon all of my friends along with me, deal?"

"A duel? Now you're talking. If I win you pardon me and all my friends." Jaden said.

"So be it, if you can beat me."

"But if you don't, you will be punished. You will be buried alive."

"BURIED ALIVE!" They both cried out. "But then, who'll save our friends?"

"Fear not. They will be buried, along with you."

Elsewhere Ryan was laying low to avoid being noticed.

Outside, Jaden faced off against the Gravekeeper Chief with Alexis, Syrus, Chumley and Banner watching from their coffins below.

"Jaden we are all rooting for you. Very, VERY much so!" Banner said.

"Jaden!" Syrus said.

"Save us!" Chumley said.

"Don't worry you'll all be fine. As soon as I beat this guy." Jaden said.

Gravekeeper Chief: 4000

Jaden: 4000

The two duelists drew their starting hands, the Chief picking up another. "Get my game on? What do you speak of?"

"Sheesh. It's a figure of speech. You know? Like slang."

"It's like slang? How dare you speak to in with a rotten tongue of a filthy serpent? And play a monster face-down, in defense mode, thus ending my turn."

"And starting mine."

"*Coo!*" Kuriboh said as he appeared next to Jaden.

"Hey, Winged Kuriboh. Good to see you bud. Now watch this. I summon Elemental Hero Bubbleman." The blue armored water hero stood tall in front of the Slifer. (800) "And he's got some pop. Cause if I summon him when there's nothing else out, I'm allowed to draw two more cards from my deck." Jaden drew and got Avian and Burstinatrix. "Sweetness." *'With these two waiting in the wings, it's just a matter of time before the wingman shows up.'* "Next I'll throw down a face-down and end my turn."

"Gravekeeper Spear Soldier, arise." A man like the one had first seen appeared before the Chief.

Gravekeeper Spear Soldier: 1500/1000

"I hope your Bubbleman's draw gave you two very good cards. Because already he's outmatched in battle. And he is soon to be outnumbered as well."

"Uh oh."

"I now summon, in attack mode, Gravekeeper's Guard." The face-down monster flipped up, revealing one of the bald trident wielding men.

Gravekeeper's Guard: 1000/1900

"And his effect, let's me return a monster that's out to its owner's hand. And the monster I choose, is Bubbleman." Pulsing red light extended from the guard and struck Jaden's hero.

"Ooo, red."

"That's not a good thing, Chum." Syrus pointed out.

"He's back?" Jaden said as his monster appeared on his hand.

"And now that you are unguarded, I'll attack you directly. Gravekeeper's Guard, Blazing Blade Strike." The named monster charged at the exposed Slifer and swung his weapon at him in a downward arc, before leaping back to his side of the field.

Jaden: 3000

Jaden held his shoulder in pain. "I felt that. This is real."

"Hello, no joke it's real!" Banner said when the coffins closed partway.

"And now, Gravekeeper's Spear Soldier, attack with Lunging Spear Assault." The spearman dashed forward and stabbed at his Chief's opponent, who cringed in pain when struck.

Jaden: 1500

"Okay, I think I'm getting it now. This duel isn't just about life-points, it's about my life."

"Yes, and theirs." The four coffin's lids slid over the three students and Banner a bit more.

"I'm claustrophobic, for real!" Syrus said.

"So am I, if it'll get me out of here." Chumley added.

"It's my turn. And I play, the spell card, Polymerization. Avian and Burstinatrix combine to create, the Flame Wingman." The two named heroes disappeared into the fusion vortex and came out as Jaden's headliner.

Elemental Hero Flame Wingman: 2100/1200

"So, did Bubbleman give me two very good cards, well, see for yourself. Because, from both of them, came him. And this next attack." Flame Wingman shot a blast of fire from its dragon arm and blew away the Spear Soldier.

Chief: 3400

"Don't even think you're out of the fire yet. Cause for every attack points that Spear Soldier had, you now take damage for." Jaden's wingman shot another blast of fire and struck the Gravekeeper's Chief head on.

Chief: 1900

"Next, I'm gonna summon on up Wroughtweiler in defense mode." The metal dog crouched down beside the red and green hero.

Wroughtweiler: 800/1200

"And that'll do it."

"Nice job Jaden." Chumley said.

"Way to play, Jay."

"If we're gonna make it through this thing, Sy, it's the only way he can play," Alexis noted. "Because if he makes even a couple more mistakes, we're through."

"Alright, make your move. Cause the quicker I can win this thing, the quicker I can get my friends back."

"Or the quicker they'll be sent to their doom. I change my Gravekeeper's Guard to defense mode." The named monster went down on one knee. (1900) "And then I'll place a face-down monster in defense mode."

"Guess you don't know rule number one in duel monsters. A good defense is a sweet offense. And who better to teach you that than Flame Wingman. Now, attack. Infernal Rage." The powerful hero shot a blast of fire from its dragon arm, destroying the guard. The flames went on to burn away his owner's life-points.

Chief: 900

"I end my turn."

"I activate Pot of Greed, so I can draw two cards from my deck. Now, I shall summon, Gravekeeper's Assailant in attack mode." A woman wearing a short dress, black open robe and holding a serpentine dagge in one hand appeared on the Chief's field. A hood and mask did the job of hiding all of her face, expect for the eyes. (1500) "And she will be joined by the mysticism of Gravekeeper's Curse." The face-down monster flipped up, showing a man dressed in long dark robes with pieces of golden jewellery around his head. He also held a thin blue and yellow staff with a circular tip. (800) "Now I activate his effect, which will deal to you 500 points of damage." The monster in question raised his staff and was surrounded by a yellow aura. Jaden was then subjected to a shrill noise around him.

"It's worst than Chum's snoring."

Jaden: 1000

The four coffins closed a little bit more as a result of the drop in life-points. "You gotta do better than that.

"Very well then. Perhaps this card will suffice." He held up a spell with the showing a canyon with tall stone walls. "I cast, Necrovalley." Their entire surroundings changed from the restored ruins to reflect the image on the card. Vast stone spires rose from the ground, the two duelists now standing on tall rock columns. A layer of mist blanketed the ground below, apart from the area where Jaden's friends were trapped.

"Uhhh, not good."

"As long as this card remains on the field, my Gravekeepers all gain 500 attack and defense points."

"Gravekeeper's Assailant, attack Flame Wingman."

"What, you got sand in your eyes or something? Can't you see Wingman still has more power? Unless you got some sort of-"

"Special ability? Yes, the Assailant does, actually. And it allows her to change the battle mode of your wingman from attack, to defense." The woman's eyes glowed white and she was surrounded by a purple aura. Jaden's wingman was surrounded by an aura of the same color, then forced to kneel down. (1200)

"Oh man."

"The best has yet to come. Destroy him." Gravekeeper's Assailant leapt in the air and landed behind Flame Wingman. Her dagger extended into a sword, which she then used to strike down her opponent. "And now, my Gravekeeper's Curse will destroy that cur." The named monster raised his staff and glowed yellow. Wroughtweiler did as well, before exploding in a shower of pixels.

"Whoopsie! I guess you didn't know his special ability. When Wroughtweiler's destroyed, I get two cards back from the graveyard. An elemental hero and Polymerization."

"You have the wisdom of dirt. Necrovalley negates that effect."

"Huh?"

"Any spell, trap or monster effect involving the graveyard, is completely useless. Just as you have proven to be in your attempts to rescue your friends. Don't you see? Both you and your cards are futile here."

"No, I refuse to believe it." Alexis said. "I know Jaden can find a way."

"I hope so." Chumley muttered.

"Oh no! It's no use, we're done for!"

"That's not true, Professor Banner." Syrus spoke. "Jay's still winning. Just look at the life-points."

"Forget the life-points. Look at the field. Jaden has no monsters out. And the Gravekeeper's Chief has two."

'How did this happen? We set out looking for ruins, and suddenly, we're about to become some. This is no joke. If I don't get my game on, we're gonna be long gone.'

"Fret not, you won't hear your friends screams, when they're muffled by the buried earth."

"Alright, now let's finish this."

"*Coo!*" Jaden looked at his card and saw that it was Winged Kuriboh.

"I should've known," he said to his duel spirit. "You're always around to watch my back. Or in this case, to guard my front. Winged Kuriboh, I'm summoning you in defense mode." The furry spirit flew down to Jaden's field.

Winged Kuriboh: 300/200

"Hang on guys, I'll get you outta there. Your move."

"How fitting. The blind lead the blind and the weak protect the weak. Hiding behind that Kuriboh may be your idea of defense, but in my world, rodents like that are for pounding, not protection."

"He's no rodent. He's one of my very best friends." 'And you're about to see why.'

"Well, with friends like you, he needs no enemies. After all, you've just thrown him to the wolves." The assailant prepared herself to leap.

"Wrong! Cause I got a spell card out. Transcendent Wings. By giving up two cards from my hand, Winged Kuriboh evolves all the way to level 10." The furry monster glowed with a bright blue light as he began to change.

"As foolhardy as it was predictable. Brainless cur, I knew that you would play that."

"Huh?"

"Which is why, I have this ready. Feast your eyes. The power of Gravekeeper's Watcher." A man wearing black and white clothes similar to the Chief appeared. He floated over to Jaden's field and gripped Kuriboh's Wings, preventing from growing more.

"What the-? Hey, what's going on?"

"Fool, the same thing that's been happening this whole duel. You're losing. By sending Watcher to the graveyard, I can negate your level up." Kuriboh was forced back to his original form as a result of the card's effect. "And since I have, I'll now wage an attack. Stealth Slice Strike." The Assailant's weapon changed into a sword again and she lunged at the furry monster, destroying him with one swing.

"Sorry Winged Kuriboh. You took one for the team there. Thanks pal."

"Good thing Winged Kuriboh was there."

"You can say that again Sy." Chumley said. "Now Jaden won't take any damage for the rest of the turn since he was just destroyed."

"That's true." Alexis agreed. "We just have to worry about next turn. Because now Jaden doesn't have any monsters out."

"Let's see… I've countered your move, I've destroyed your rodent. There's not much left to do but place a face-down."

"Hey, enough! Winged Kuriboh's no rodent!"

"Would you prefer vermin? Or perhaps rat?"

"That's it! My draw! First, I'm activating Pot of Greed, so I can draw two more cards. And now, I'll play one. Dark Catapulter." The humanoid machine with a long neck kneeled down in front of Jaden.

Dark Catapulter: 1000/1500

"To follow that up, I play Mirage of Nightmare. And I'm gonna throw down three face-downs." 'Okay, that should do it. And set me up perfectly to win this match.' "I end my turn."

"Very well, my draw."

"And my chance to activate that Mirage spell. During your standby phase, it lets me draw until I have four cards in my hand. Sweet!" he exclaimed when he saw his cards.

"Sweet? Does that wretched slang mean you've drawn some good cards? Well don't be so sure. You don't know what is good because you don't know what you're up against."

'I don't like the sound of this.

"I now sacrifice Gravekeeper's Curse, to summon myself!"

"Summon yourself!"

The staff wielding monster was enveloped in light, as well as his duelist. When it died down, the Chief was standing on the field. (1900) "Due to Necrovalley's effect, I gain 500 attack points."

"And as long as I'm on the field, my graveyard's not affected by Necrovalley. Meaning I can use spells, traps and monster effects on any monsters laid to rest there. And that's not all. I also get to summon back one Gravekeeper from my graveyard."

"No way!"

"Rise, Gravekeeper Spear Soldier." The spearman rose next to his chief. (1500-2000) "Now I'll play, the trap, known as Rite of Spirit. This lets me summon yet another Graveekeeper. And I choose, Gravekeeper's Curse." The named monster returned to the field again. (800-1300) "And since he was summoned, you lose another 500 life-points." Jaden cried out as he felt the worst side of the effect.

Jaden: 500

"Behold, the power of the shadow game."

"Shadow game? Is that what this is?"

"Yes. And the game's almost over. For you, your life-points and your friends." The coffins' lids got ever closer to being fully closed.

"Come on, Jaden," he tried to motivate himself. "You've gotta get your game on. You've gotta get in on for your friends. They're all counting on you. And I won't let them down. Especially when down means six feet under in an old sarcophagus. No way no how! They're coming home!"

"Yes, their eternal home! Assailant attack!" The woman's dagger changed into a sword and she leapt in the air at Jaden's monster. "And she will easily destroy that Catapulter, expecially since her special effect has just changed it to attack mode." The mechanical monster rose to its feet. (1000) The woman almost seemed to hesitate as she drew nearer. "Face it, you've lost!"

"I don't think so! Go, Emergency Provisions. By sending two spell or trap cards on my field to the graveyard, I regain 2000 life-points."

Jaden: 2500

"Curse you! But Assailant's attack still cuts through. Go, Stealth Slice Strike." She cut across her opponent with her blade, causing it to explode.

Jaden: 1500

"You should have attacked faster," the Chief commanded as she returned to his field. She simply looked down at this.

"Hey, it's nor her fault you messed up," Jaden said. "It's yours."

"Shut your mouth! Better yet, I'll just shut it for you. After all, do not forget that I still have an attack." Red energy began to gather in the palm of his hand. "And now I, will use it!" He let loose a stream of red power.

"Oh no you don't! Go trap card, Draining Shield." A green dome appeared around Jaden, blocking the incoming attack.

"You can't!"

"I can, and I did. Your attack's cancelled out, but there's more. I also gain life-points equal to your attack points. Pretty sweet, huh?"

Jaden: 3900

"Fool! So you blocked one attack. But still, I have another. Go, Spear Soldier!" The spear wielding man charged and stabbed at Jaden with his weapon, knocking him down on his back in the process.

Jaden: 1900

"And now, Gravekeeper's Curse attacks, with Doomsday Purge." The named monster was surrounded by a yellow aura, which then spread to Jaden, causing him to cry out in pain, in addition to taking down his life-points.

Jaden: 600

The coffins closed up more, leaving but a slight opening. Jaden got to his hands and knees, breathing hard. "You're proving to be even less of a challenge than I thought," his opponent commented. "Come now, fight back. This is barely fun anymore."

He then realized that Jaden was actually laughing. "Really, cause I'm having a blast."

"Your friends' lives hang by but a thread and you say that you are having a blast?"

"You got that right!" Jaden said as he got to his feet, dusting himself off. "Cause no thread's about to be cut. I'm just one turn away from winning this duel."

"You are wrong. And once you see what I'm about to play, you will see why. Go, Royal Tribute. It's a spell, that I can activate so long as I have Necrovalley on my field. Now we discard all monsters in our hand, to the graveyard."

All but one of Jaden's cards were then forced out of his hand. "Not good!"

"No, it's not. Well, it's not for you. Because whatever monsters you were planning to win with-"

"Are gone." 'And the only cards I have left is the Warrior Returning Alive, which I can't even use cause of Necrovalley. It all comes down to this. With no monsters out, if I'm gonna save my friends, I need to draw something big right now.' "Alright, here goes something." Jaden drew, and got Bladedge. 'Sweet! Elemental Hero Bladedge, one of my most powerful monsters.'

The Chief laughed a little a Jaden. "Drawn a good monster, have you? Shame you have nothing to sacrifice so you can summon it."

'He's right. If I'm gonna summon out Bladedge, I'd need to trade two monsters for him. Wait a second…' "But then again, on second thought, maybe I don't need any. All I need is one of the monsters in my graveyard."

"Please, Necrovalley negates any effect aimed at the graveyard."

"That may be, but not the effects coming out of the graveyard."

"What?"

"Don't what me. You know exactly what I mean. If my monsters have an effect that activates in the graveyard, I can use em. You see, playing Royal Tribute might have helped you out back then, but it'll hurt you now. Because one of the monsters I discarded, was a certain Elemental Hero known as Necroshade." A transparent version of a red skinned voodoo monster with bone shoulder guards appeared in front of Jaden. "And he allows me to summon an elemental hero without any sacrifices once per turn. And one time is all I need. Because the monster I'm gonna bring out, is the Elemental Hero Bladedge." The transparent hero made way for the golden armored one. (2600)

"No!" the Chief exclaimed upon seeing him.

"Now Bladedge, attack Gravekeeper's Curse with Slice n Dice attack." The powerful warrior dived at his weakest enemy, taking him out with a swing of his arm.

Chief: 0

"That's game." The holograms then faded and the scenery returned to normal.

"Chief!" The assailant called out and she and the other gravekeepers ran to him.

"Hey, is he alright?" Jaden ran over to see for himself. The real life Gravekeeper's Curse, Guard and Spear Soldier blocked his path.

"No, he lives. He was an impressive opponent."

"Thanks, some of your moves were pretty tight too there. We should duel again sometime."

"What? You mean to say you enjoyed the shadow game?"

"Totally. Of course, the friends in the coffin thing wasn't my favourite part, but it was fun. And you three guys… very scary. Very tough. And you too," he directed towards the assailant. "You all fought great."

"Only one other person has ever passed this challenge. That is, until now. For having overcome your trials, I give to you this mystic medallion." He took a half of a medallion from around his neck. It had unusual designs on it and a small red ruby in the middle. "It is yours."

"Really? For me?" He took it and noticed that it wasn't whole. "Some gift. There's only half."

"But of course. You see, the only other to have passed this challenge holds the other half. Hopefully when the time comes for you to battle in another shadow game, this medallion will serve you well."

"Sweetness. I'll be sure to remember that." He placed it around his own neck and let it drop over his shirt.

The Gravekeeper Chief turned around and pointed his hand towards the four coffins below. They then opened up, letting the sun shine on those inside. "We're free!" Syrus called out gleefully.

"Whoa! Turn down the lights.

"I love light." Banner stated. "Light is my friend!"

"Wow, Jaden. You saved us." Alexis said, gratefully. All their bandages then dissolved, freeing them.

"So… what now?" Jaden asked.

"I knew you would both pass this test." Banner said. "I just knew it."

"Wait, wadda you mean, test?" Jaden asked. "Don't you mean challenge?"

"Yes, of course. I mean, test, challenge… it is all the same, am I right? All that matters is that you won. Isn't that right, guys?"

"Well then, it's time for all of you to return to your own world." The Chief spoke up.

"Sounds good to me." Jaden said. "So, how do we get back?"

"You must go to the gate of the tomb, just as the three lights combine into one, so that the veil of radiance appears before you." Gandoulum answered.

"Ooookaaayyy." Jaden was confused by this.

They then heard footsteps coming towards them, and saw that they belonged to a group of Gravekeeper Guards and Soldiers. "Fools! What are you doing?" Their chief asked.

"He must punished." One of the soldiers answered. "Either by you, or by us."

"Punished! Punished." The armed men moved closer to Jaden.

"Stop! He has paid for their misdeeds. He has passed the challenge. His freedom has been earned."

"Punished! Punished!"

They advanced further towards Jaden but the Gravekeeper Chief, Assailant, as well as the Dark Magic Sage and Soldier stepped in front of them. "You will go no further!" the magic warrior said.

The Assailant drew a pair of serpentine daggers. The covering around her face dropped, revealing that she was the woman who'd first met Jaden.

"It's you." Jaden noted.

"Yes, I am Gravekeeper's Assailant. I'm sorry I fought you, but I had to obey my chief."

"It's cool."

"When you finally return to your world, please give a message to the owner of the other half. Tell him Yasmin's still in the other world, but I haven't forgotten him. And that I believe we will meet again one day."

"Huh, boyfriend."

"Stand back!" The Dark Magic Soldier ordered as the ill intended gravekeepers stepped forward. "Your chief and my lord have pardoned them."

"They have won the challenge and we must honor our word," Yasmin added. "We are the keepers of the grave, not the makers. If you want to harm any of them, you'll have to go through me." She held up her daggers while the magic warrior gripped his spear in both hands. The Gravekeeper Soldiers and Guards parted, giving them space to go through. "I would hurry."

"For sure." Jaden said. "But… how do we leave again?"

"I think a few friends will help show you the way." Jaden's deck glowed, and Winged Kuriboh came out of it.

"*Coo!*"

"Hurry!" Yasmin urged. *'Until we next meet.'*

They ran as fast as they could towards the arch. As they were getting closer, Jaden noticed the state of the three lights. "The lights, they're combining. We've gotta hurry!"

"*Coo!*"

Chumley had the misfortune of falling forward. The others saw this and stopped.

"Old tricycle injury." He said, holding his right knee. "Just go on without me. You don't have time to wait. Seriously, go! You can still make it."

"We're not abandoning you." Jaden said.

"I second that." Ryan met back up with them.

"You must." His backpack glowed with a golden light, which separated and resolved into Des Koala. Syrus rubbed his eyes again. The koala spirit picked up his duelist, held him on his back, and ran towards the arch, the others in pursuit. "I love running!" When they got to the entrance, green light shot out from the ground beneath them. The eight students and Banner stopped in their tracks as it began to surround them. Their vision was filled with the green light, and then they lost consciousness.

Jaden awoke with his back against a column and Alexis leaning on him. He gently freed himself of her. Jaden then noticed Winged Kuriboh's card on the ground. He picked up his own, at the same time noticing Chumley's Des Koala and the fact that everyone else but him was still sleeping.

"Well, looking at the bright side of things, we're back to our own world with one sun."

"Still… something just tells me, we haven't seen the last of the shadow games."