Shadi led the brothers to a hidden chamber. Hovering before them was shining crystalline sphere that simply radiated its power out to them.

"Here it is," said Shadi. "Accepting this sphere will give you powers far greater that you could have ever hoped."

"Yes…" Seto whispered, under his breath. "This will make everything I went through worthwhile…"

Mokuba noticed the look in Seto's eyes; it was the same look Seto had had that day when he had told Mokuba that he had found the fourth Blue-Eyes White Dragon card, which had led to his defeat at Yugi's hands and Pegasus's takeover attempt. It was the same look that he had had during his numerous soliloquies about how he would defeat Yugi time and again, most of which had led to hurt feelings and more defeats. And, most frighteningly, it was the same look that Seto had had during the time when Anubis had rampaged through Domino, which had led to Mokuba nearly losing his brother for good. Somehow, that look always led to trouble…

"Hey, Seto?" asked Mokuba, trying to stall him before something bad happened. "What are you going to do with the power? I mean… we already have everything we could want… If you had this new power, it would only mean more and more people would bother you, trying to take it. What exactly do we need it for?"

Seto didn't reply at first; the initial reason he had wanted to was to be so formidable that he would always be able to protect Mokuba. And the thought of being the most powerful person had appealed to him; he never forgot the surge of power he had felt for that short time he had bonded to Obelisk, and with this power, he could feel like that every waking moment.

But, above all, he had wanted this power for Mokuba. No one would ever try to kidnap the boy if they knew that they would have to deal with power such as this. But in the back of his mind, Seto remembered how, all throughout the challenges, Mokuba had struggled to prove himself as strong as he was. And when he had been battling Gozaburo, it hadn't been any sort of power that had kept him going; it had been Mokuba's words… how his brother's faith had never wavered… how Mokuba had said that he wanted to be as strong as he was… And during the battle, when he had fallen, it had been Mokuba who had taken up the fight against Keith and Anubis. And with the powers of Anubis and Horakhty at a tie, it had been the two of them that had ended the battle.

Seto glanced back at his brother, and the realization hit him.

"You don't want me to accept it, do you?" he asked the boy.

Mokuba looked away.

"I'm sorry, Seto," he replied. "I know this is what you really want, but… if it's going to turn you back to that colder, more apathetic Seto Kaiba that you were during Battle City… then I don't think you should take it…"

Seto's pride and better judgment once again went to war. His major rationale for wanting the power was for Mokuba—to keep him safe and make him proud. But Mokuba didn't want an eternal guardian; and after seeing him battle, merged to Ra, Seto was convinced that he really didn't need one anymore. But he would always want a brother, and Mokuba was convinced that a power-obsessed Seto would not be the brother he wanted. And Seto had worked hard his entire life to make sure that Mokuba had what he wanted.

Seto glanced back at the shining sphere, and back again to his brother. Then, he faced Shadi.

"I don't need it."

Mokuba looked up, hardly daring to believe it.

"Are you certain?" asked Shadi. "You cannot take back your decision. If you do not claim the power, it will be lost."

"I'm certain," Seto declared. "I don't need a levitating glow-sphere to prove to everyone that I'm the greatest duelist, or to prove that I am the head of the greatest gaming company. I don't need it to defeat Yugi in a duel. And I don't need it to demand the respect I deserve. You can keep your sphere of light; it wouldn't do a thing for me… except replace a light bulb…"

Mokuba had to smile.

"So be it," said Shadi, as the sphere vanished. "You must leave now; this pyramid will soon vanish."

The brothers nodded, allowing their monsters to return to the Capsule World portal before they left.

"I hope we're not too late…" said Téa, as she, Yugi, Joey, Tristan, and Roland headed towards the pyramid. "We don't even have a clue what happened--"

"Out of my way!" snarled Bandit Keith, as he and his Rare Hunters ploughed past them.

"Was that…?" Tristan began.

"Uh-huh…" Yugi, Joey, and Téa said in unison.

They all exchanged glances as a new voice was heard.

"What are you doing here!?"

"Kaiba!" the others exclaimed.

Seto glanced at his former rival, eyebrows arched.

"Y'know Téa… I think we are too late…" said Joey. "Though he doesn't look too different as king of the galaxy…"

"What are you talking about, Wheeler?" asked Seto.

"You don't have the power!?" asked Tristan amazed. "You lost!? That means Bandit Keith must have it--"

"Of course he doesn't have it!" said Mokuba. "We won!"

"You mean, you won, but you turned down the…?" Yugi asked, trailing off in amazement.

Seto pushed past them, flanked by Mokuba as Roland greeted them anxiously. Yugi, Joey, Téa, and Tristan just stared at him, open-mouthed, not even noticing that the pyramid behind them had vanished,

"He turned it down…?" asked Téa. "Our Kaiba?"

"Aw, man… we must've fallen in a parallel universe!" declared Joey. "The Seto Kaiba we know would never turn down power!"

"The Seto Kaiba you know doesn't need power to prove that he's superior," Seto informed him.

"No, Joey; I think we're in the right place…" said Yugi, with a smile. "Think he's going to tell us what happened?"

"Somehow I doubt it…" mused Téa.

"If you four are banking on a ride back, I suggest you follow us instead of standing there with your mouths open," Seto declared.

Soon, they were all on their way back to Domino, and Seto had to reflect on what he had told Shadi and Joey. He was the CEO of Kaiba Corporation and a contender for the title of the most powerful Duelist. He had a brother on whom he could rely, and he had (though he was reluctant to admit it) allies such as Yugi and his entourage.

Yes; his statements had been correct. He didn't need power; he had everything he needed.

Author's Note: Yay, it's finally finished! A big thanks to everyone who reviewed, and especially to The Duelist's Heiress and Ozymandius, who have supported this fic since the beginning!