Rock Bottom: Season One

Dungeon

"Hey, what happened down there, Ryou?" Joey asked as the three teens—that is, the two teens and the pharaoh in a teen's body—came back into view.

"I think I just let the pressure get to me," Ryou admitted with downcast eyes, but Joey was quick to slap him on the back and say something encouraging as Mai watched them with amusement.

Marik glanced up at Seth with a questioning look, and Seth inclined his head ever so slightly. It wasn't just the pressure of his first major tournament duel that had messed with Ryou's mind; it had been the Spirit of the Millennium Ring. Seth hadn't been able to confirm that it was the spirit or not until he'd heard Ryou's description of events. The spirit, Bakura, was slippery and subtle, making him difficult to pin down. He was most dangerous indeed.

"Now the duel between the finalists, Joey Wheeler and Yugi Mutou, shall commence!" Croquette announced, eliciting a groan from the lanky blond he'd named.

"Aw, come on! Don't we even get a lunch break?" Joey asked.

"It's not even lunch time, Joey," Yugi pointed with a small smile, amazed by his friend's capacity to consume food indefinitely.

"I'm still hungry," Joey grumbled, but Mai poking him in the side redirected his focus.

"Good luck out there. Give it your best shot, Joey." There was something sensual in her eyes, something sultry in her voice, and it was enough to make Joey blush and stammer his thanks.

"Can the duelists please enter the Duel Arena!" Croquette called, urging them on.

"I guess this is it," Joey said, looking to Yugi again and holding out his hand. "Don't go easy on me, alright?"

"I won't, Joey. We'll both duel our best so that the strongest of us can challenge Pegasus to win those souls back."

Everyone in their little group could feel the weight their mission, and Yugi couldn't help but glance up at Seth. The tall brunette turned his solemn sapphire eyes towards the shorter teen's violet ones and nodded in agreement. Seto, Duke, Mokuba, Adina, and Mr. Mutou... they all needed to be freed. Now.

Yugi and Joey started their duel and Seth turned to Marik, who was comforting Ryou with a warm embrace.

"I'm going to retrieve the children from Pegasus' dungeon. I don't want them waking up there when their souls are released."

"Will their souls be released?" Mai asked dubiously, still unsure how much of this she believed.

"I have faith," Seth answered simply.

"Wait, Pegasus is keeping Mokuba and Adina in a dungeon?" Anzu asked in disgusted disbelief. "What a monster!" She threw a glare at him from across the room, then turned back to Seth. "You'll need help to carry them both, so I'll go with you. You three need to cheer them on while I'm gone!" That last sentence was directed at Mai, Marik, and Ryou, who nodded in understanding.

"Thank you," Seth replied, a bit surprised by the offer, but grateful for it nonetheless. "Let's go."

~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~

"How are the brats doing?" one guard asked as he relieved the other of his duty.

"Still brain-dead," the other answered as he stood from his chair. "I don't really see the point in guarding them when they're like this."

"I guess that just makes this the easiest job in the world, right?"

"Wrong." Seth stepped out from the shadows, his Millennium Rod pointed at both of them, casting them under a hypnotic spell. Stepping closer, he demanded, "Hand me the keys."