Bestest Friends 5

"Still no luck, Joey?"

"Nothing. I'm starting to think this is gonna be a wild goose chase."

"Don't give up, Joey! Tea and the others have got to be around somewhere. They're probably wishing for us to rescue them right now."

"…yeah, you're right! This is no time to sulk around. I'm gonna turn over every stone in this city until I find them. Thanks, Serenity. Get well soon, okay?"

"I will. Good luck, Big Brother."

Serenity Wheeler hung up the phone as she started thinking about what had happened. A month ago, her friends Tea, Mai and Ishizu had disappeared without a trace. Right now Joey, Yugi and her other friends were desperately searching for them. She, on the other hand, was just recovering from a flu that kept her bedridden for most of the time.

Getting up from the bed and getting dressed, she listened to the radio talking about a discovery made by Dr. Harkness of Ido Industries about the minds of pharaohs in Ancient times.

She then thought about when the search began. Serenity had started by asking the Harkness estate if anyone had seen them. The butler who answered the door denied knowing anything about them.

Defeated, she had turned around to leave, but caught a glimpse of a woman from behind before the door was closed shut. She had black hair flowing down her back and tanned skin. Serenity thought nothing of it and walked away.

Now, a month later, Serenity thought back on the woman and thought, "Why did she look familiar? I could've sworn—"

A knock at the door broke her out of her thoughts. She walked over to the door and opened it, revealing a man carrying a small parcel.

"Serenity Wheeler?"

"Yes."

"Package for you, from a Miss Gardner."

Surprised, Serenity grabbed the package and rushed inside to open it. "Maybe this can tell me where Tea and the others are!"

Before opening the package, she noticed an insignia on the corner of the box: IdIn. "That's the logo for Ido Industries. But Dr. Harkness said he didn't…wait, the help said they didn't know them. Dr. Harkness himself never did! And the woman…I'll bet she's Ishizu!"

Opening the package, she found three cards inside: Dark Magician Girl, Wingweaver and Harpie Lady. Serenity noticed how the three looked like her friends that were kidnapped. Beneath the cards, she saw a note. Unfolding it, she read, "Have fun with these new cards. Summon them and they'll give you a surprise. Dr. J.H."

"J.H.? Jonathan Harkness! He's responsible?" Serenity thought as she grabbed her Duel Disk. Grabbing the three cards, she put them on the Disk and watched as the three monsters were summoned.

"Okay, monster, what is it this time?" The Dark Magician Girl Tea asked. "Do you need some dark secret about out past reve…Serenity? Is that you?"

"Whoa! How are you able to talk to me? In fact, how do you even know me?"

The Harpie Lady Mai huffed furiously and said, "How could you have forgotten us? We're your friends, Serenity!"

"What? How? Why are you all cards now?"

"That's not important," Ishizu said. "Right now, you need to let Yugi and the others know about Harkness. He's a dangerous man and must be stopped no matter what."

Before she could act on Ishizu's instructions, Serenity's phone rang. Cautiously she answered the phone, saying, "Hello?"

"Miss Serenity Wheeler, right? How did you enjoy the surprise in those cards? Does it pain you to see your friends' souls helplessly bound to cards for all of eternity?"

"Who is this? And how do you know about Ishi—"

"Your questions can be answered tonight. Domino City Park, 9:00. Bring your Duel Disk, and feel free to bring your friends. Don't be late, and don't tell anyone else about this. Trust me, we are watching, and we will know if you do."

"Wait! What are you—" Serenity tried to say, but the other end of the line hung up.

"What was that about?" Tea asked as Serenity put the phone back in place.

Walking over to her desk, Serenity said, "Someone's saying they can give me the answers I need."

"Serenity, don't do this!" Tea said. "They're just luring you into a trap! You'll end up just like us!"

Pulling out the drawer, Serenity stuck both hands deep inside as she said, "This is my only clue to saving you, and I've been cooped up here for three weeks because of a flu. I don't want to feel useless in this case."

"Serenity, I admire your courage, but you shouldn't get yourself involved. You'll only end up miserable."

Serenity pulled out her deck with her right hand and said, "It's a risk I'm willing to take in order to save my friends."

(Domino City Park: 8:59 pm)

Serenity walked into the light of the twentieth lamp on the path on her way to meet the mysterious man that called her earlier. Despite the park being fairly small, she hadn't been contacted by anyone in regards to the threat.

After waiting for a while longer, she turned to leave. "I guess they chickened out. I should probably let Joey know about—"

"Are you Miss Serenity?"

Serenity turned around and saw a little girl looking up at her. The girl was in a red dress and matching shoes. A red coat was over the dress to protect her from the cold.

"Well, my name is Serenity, yes."

The girl smiled and said, "Hi! My name's Wanda. If you don't mind my saying so, you have a beautiful name."

"Thank you, Wanda. Are you sure you should be alone right now? Where are your parents?"

"My mommy left a long time ago and Daddy said I have to duel a Miss Serenity tonight."

"Your daddy? Where is he?"

"He's at home, but I'm not here alone. I have a kind lady to look after me."

After her last statement, a woman walked up behind Wanda. Serenity looked in horror at the face of Ishizu, looking serene despite the glassy look in her eyes and the maid outfit that currently covered her body.

"Is everything alright, Mistress?"

"Yes, Miss Ishizu! I'm just about to make a new bestest friend!"

Serenity tried to piece the pieces in her head. "Okay, I got a call from what was obviously a middle-aged man telling me he could save my friends. I come here to duel him, but I instead have to duel his daughter? Something doesn't add up."

"Miss Serenity, are you ready to duel me or not? I have to warn you; I am pretty tough."

Serenity snapped back into reality and said, "Sure. But can you promise me something, Wanda?"

"What is it?"

"After the duel, if I win, I'd like to talk to your Daddy. It's a personal matter."

Wanda smiled and said, "No problem!"

"Thank you. Okay, I'm ready."

Wanda and Serenity readied their Duel Disks in order to start their duel. "Okay, Serenity," she thought. "I just have to defeat this girl, then I'll talk with her father and free Tea, Mai and Ishizu."

Serenity quickly looked over at Ishizu standing off to the side, smiling at Wanda. "The one thing I don't get is how Ishizu can be in two places at once. I have a card that claims to be Ishizu, but the real thing is standing right over there. There's something about this situation that I don't understand; something I don't think I'm going to like."