Yugioh: The Hope of Six

Chapter 18: Kaiba Arc - Part 8

It took over a minute, but Yugi and the others managed to reach the top of the escape tunnel they were climbing. One by one, they all stepped out into a large, empty room. There seemed to be no door of any kind around them. Everyone collapsed once they were all through.

"Is everyone... alright?" Yugi asked after separating himself from Atem. His friends all nodded.

"Yeah buddy. We're all good." Joey said, sounding breathless. He couldn't believe how close he was be chopped in half by the madman Noah unleashed on them. He was glad he made it out time.

They all lay on their backs, resting from their most recent ordeal. No one spoke for a long moment. Finally, Yuya spoke to break the silence. "Yugi... how did you know... about the key?" He asked.

Yugi sat up and told him and the others how he discovered the additional keyholes and what they meant. "You see, it wasn't the keys themselves I should've been looking at. The real key was still hidden within that podium. The three keys we found were merely meant to reveal the one we needed to get out of there."

"That was really clever, Yugi." Serenity said.

"Yeah. Thanks for saving all of us." Yuya said, very grateful. Yugi said he was glad he figured it out.

"Still, we were close to being killed by the Chopman. If that wall hadn't closed down again, we would've been goners." Tristan said.

"I don't understand about that. Noah said he'd released Chopman after five minutes spent figuring out the keys, and he did. Why did he shut him out all of a sudden? I doubt he decided to soften up at the very last second." Tèa said, frowning. Her boyfriend shook his head.

"No Tèa. He wouldn't. I got a feeling that had nothing to do with Noah."

"Then what happened?" Joey asked.

"I don't know. Whatever it was, I'm glad it did." Yugi told him.

"So now what?" Tristan asked, looking around the new room. "Could this be Death T-3?"

"I guess we'll just have to wait for Noah's next set of instructions." Tèa said. Yuya then frowned.

"What about Yuzu and our friends with her? Do you think they're okay?" He asked, fearing for their safety, especially those of his girlfriend.

"I'm sure they're fine, Yuya. We just have to believe it." Yugi told him. Yuya nodded and smiled at him. Still, he couldn't help but worry about what they might be facing far below.

/\/\/\/\/\/\

"Oh my, I thought they were goners for certain." Pegasus said, relieved Yugi and his friends escaped the Chopman with their lives. Mokuba, Yusho, Solomon, and Duke nodded in agreement.

"It certainly seemed that way. Thank goodness they made it out alive." Solomon said, also glad everyone was alive.

"Me too." Mokuba then turned to the Water Ignis. "You closed the wall again, didn't you Aqua?" Aqua nodded.

"I did. It bought Yugi and the others the time they needed to escape."

"I still can't believe it. You not only hacked into the surveillance cameras in Noah's tower, but you also took control of one of his systems!" Duke exclaimed.

"Thanks to the close proximity of the Mokuba hologram, it is indeed possible for me to interfere when necessary." She admitted.

"And Noah has no idea about you?" Solomon asked. Aqua shook her head.

"No, not at all. My signal still cannot be traced."

"You're incredible!" Mokuba said, more than impressed with her abilities. "Seto would envy you!"