A/N: I had a dream...and in this dream I beheld...this story. (Pilgrim's Progressreference ;) ).
I normally get germs of story ideas from dreams (my subconscious is a weird thing), but it's rare to get a whole story from it. So, I made sure to write the whole thing down the next morning. :)
I don't usually write duels (I was always more interested in the characters) which is why it skips around a bit. Most of the (real) cards mentioned come from the Pharaoh's Servant booster (but there are three in here that are invented).
Kelsey is an original character that appears in just about every one of my stories in some form or another.
Anything else? Oh yes-if anyone can remember the name of that one leech monster, let me know.
"One more thing"-May or may not be for the squeamish (my subconscious is a weird thing).
The subject was bandied about on that sunny autumn day to find a card shop that wasn't within the normal area. So, armed with duel disks and pocket change, Yugi and his friends Joey, Tristan, Téa, and Kelsey ventured forth, with the addition of Rebecca Hawkins, as her grandfather was visiting Yugi's grandfather.
In a short while, they had found a small shop in a suburban shopping area, complete with a small wooden-floor dueling ring. It was a far cry from the glitz and glamour of Kaiba's work, but that was fine with Yugi—he needed a break from all that.
The shopping area was one of those early tourist-traps, the ones designed to catch shoppers before they entered the city proper. So, after they raided the card shop, Téa dragged Rebecca along with her to check out the other shops, with the excuse of "bonding." Yugi felt that maybe Téa just wanted to get Rebecca away from Yugi. That was all right with him, too—he didn't know what had prompted all that.
He noticed Joey snickering. "What?" Yugi asked.
"'Schmoopie,'" Joey explained, now laughing out loud.
Yugi scowled. Kelsey nudged him.
"Hey, it's better than 'sweet baboo,'" she told him, also laughing.
He frowned and went back to his new cards. He didn't need the mental image of himself with a security blanket.
He flipped over a new card and was pleasantly surprised with the result. "Hey!"
Kelsey looked over. "Oh, a winged beast. Want to trade?"
"Not on your life," he said, examining the special effect. "Illuminating Chick. It sounds cool."
Joey glanced over. "It looks weak. Five hundred attack and one thousand defense? Pretty average."
Yugi felt Yami suddenly at his shoulder, examining the card. Resisting the urge to turn and face his invisible friend, he simply adjusted his hold on the card. So what do you think? He asked mentally.
Yami made a pensive noise but said nothing.
Yugi rolled his eyes and reached for his deck. I know it's not flashy or cool like some of our other monsters, he thought as he tucked the new card into the deck. But it still sounds useful.
I know,Yami said simply, surprising Yugi. I daresay I understand the use of small monsters better than you do.
Yugi made a pensive noise and glanced at his friends.
"Hey Joey, want to trade?" Kelsey asked. "I have a warrior here you might like."
Joey checked her card, then his, then pulled one out. "How about Harpie's Brother?"
"I have that one."
"Hey Yugi!"
Everyone looked over to see that Rebecca had returned.
"Hey, Rebecca," Yugi said slowly. "Where's Téa?"
"Still shopping," Rebecca said. "But I couldn't take it any longer. Why don't we duel, Yugi? I want to try out my new cards."
"All right," Yugi said, nodding. "Let's do it."
He held open the door for Rebecca and followed her to the duel ring.
Yami, meanwhile, was trailing behind, suddenly set on edge. Something wasn't right here….
That thought was confirmed when Kelsey turned to the others. "Did Rebecca's teddy look different to you?"
That was it. It looked like the card Stuffed Animal, a yellow teddy bear with a big silver zipper.
Yami quickly drifted after Yugi. This wasn't going to end well.
Yugi, I don't like this.
Then don't play, Yugi replied. If you don't want to play against a little girl, that's fine.
Yami bristled. Since when was that a deciding factor?
Yugi and Rebecca, meanwhile, had already started their duel. Yugi played a spell card, then summoned Alpha the Magnet Warrior and destroyed Rebecca's monster. She played a monster in defense.
Yugi drew a card, looked at it, and grinned. "I play Illuminating Chick in defense mode!"
A card appeared on the field. Sitting atop it was a small black chick with a cotton puff of white feathers on its head. A beak poked out comically, but no eyes were visible. It rested on stick legs, hiding them from view.
Yami watched as Alpha destroyed Rebecca's defense monster. Yugi seemed to be doing all right….So why couldn't he shake this feeling of unease?
He glanced at Yugi's friends, watching through the fence. Joey and Tristan were taking bets on who was going to win. Kelsey still had that concerned look on her face.
"Okay then!" Rebecca announced, drawing a card. "I play Mad Sword Beast in attack mode! Mad Sword Beast, attack Alpha the Magnet Warrior!"
Yami watched as the savage sword-nosed monster charged Alpha. It connected fiercely, causing Alpha to explode into bits.
Yami flinched, heard a dull thunk behind him. He turned—
To see a piece of Alpha sticking out of the wall.
He blanched. That was why this didn't feel right—this was a Shadow Game.
He turned back to the duel, to Rebecca announcing a spell card that enabled Mad Sword Beast to attack again. Yugi wasn't listening. He had touched his hand to his cheek and pulled it back, showing blood from a thin cut.
Yami rushed forward. This had gone on long enough.
Kelsey wanted to tell the boys to shut up.
Honestly, was she the only one to notice something was up? It was something she couldn't put her finger on, but something was wrong.
When Mad Sword Beast had connected, the boys went silent. Pieces of shrapnel whizzed by.
"Wow," Tristan said. "Those holographs get realer every day."
"Not that real," Joey said slowly.
Yugi was examining something red on his fingers, but when Rebecca commanded Mad Sword Beast to attack again, he looked up, alarm and disbelief fighting for control of his face.
Mad Sword Beast hit—
A blast of smoke filled the air, sending debris back towards Rebecca.
"What? What happened?" Rebecca asked, stunned. Kelsey could have asked the same question.
"Mirror Force, that's what!"
The rebuttal came from a deep, resonant, cocky voice. One in the vicinity of Yugi….
The dust cleared.
Not Yugi, but the other one. Kelsey's heart thrilled in her chest. The duelist was now sharp-eyed, angular, and confident. Yami.
Kelsey turned to Joey and Tristan with triumph on her face.
"You were betting on the outcome?" she asked. "I bet every red cent I own that he wins this game."
Yami was rallying, examining the field, his hand, strategies that Yugi had already implemented….
What happened? Yugi asked, still sounding dazed.
You took damage, Yami explained, drawing a magic card. Not good. He needed another monster. This is a Shadow Game, although I don't know how.
Not Rebecca, surely?
No. I'm willing to bet we're dueling something else.
"I play two spell cards and end my turn!" Yami announced.
"Finally!" the Rebecca lookalike exclaimed. She drew a card.
"I play the Draining Leech!" she announced.
A long, thin worm-creature appeared on the field. Spikes surrounded its toothy sucker.
"This monster can attack any monster on your field and drain it of two hundred attack and defense points each turn!" she exclaimed excitedly. "Say goodbye to your Chick!"
It lunged. Yami couldn't let that happen.
"I activate Redirection!" Yami declared, activating said spell. "Your attack won't hit my monster!"
"Idiot!" She gloated. "The only other thing it can attack now is you!"
Before Yami could react, the leech spun away from the Chick and dug into the left side of his neck.
Yami exclaimed in alarm and fell back, hand shooting up in shock. Too late—he could feel the slimy, muscular body and recoiled in revulsion; his stomach turned at the texture.
The Rebecca lookalike was jeering in exultation as he stood back up, left shoulder raised to try to ease the pressure. Already he felt light-headed.
"Now you lose two hundred life-points every turn!" she cheered.
Yami glanced down at his hand. Nothing there that would help at the moment.
He drew a card.
Joey, Tristan and Kelsey watched in horror.
Yami was managing to deflect most of Rebecca's attacks, but it was obvious he was slowly wearing down.
Joey flinched as Yami staggered. There was no way. Rebecca wasn't Pegasus or Marik or any other of those weirdoes they had faced in the past. What was going on here?
"Hey guys!"
They turned as one—
To see Téa standing with Rebecca. The real Rebecca. They had shopping bags, Joey noted dryly.
"We had a nice long girl-talk," Téa explained, sparing Rebecca a brief glare. "Didn't we, Rebecca?"
"Sure, sure," Rebecca nodded, not listening. She was looking around. "Where's Yugi? I want to show him what I bought!"
"He's dueling," Kelsey said flatly.
Téa's face instantly switched to worried; Joey knew she had seen enough weird stuff to know that tone of voice wasn't good.
Rebecca didn't. "Who's he dueling?" she asked.
Joey stood aside. "You."
Yami glanced down at his duel disk. One hundred life-points left. Not good. He wouldn't last another turn like this.
He glanced back up, the action making him dizzy. The Rebecca lookalike was dancing around in glee.
"I end my turn!" she announced. "And when I do, Draining Leech will take the rest of your life points!"
The trap card!
Yugi managed to remind Yami of what he had forgotten in his blood-drained state. "I activate Gift of the Mystical Elf!" he announced, one hand on his knee. "That's three hundred points for my Illuminating Chick, and three hundred for your Leech."
His life points went up six hundred and then down two. Five hundred life points. Okay.
"It doesn't matter," she said. "I'll still beat you next turn!"
Yami carefully put his other hand to his forehead. He really didn't think he could pick up any of his cards if he dropped them. Think, Yami….
…she had been sloppy…not like the real Rebecca, who even when she had danced with glee in her first duel against Yugi had kept her cards guarded…he had seen them, spotted a card that could help….
Illuminating Chick's special ability.
Now all he needed was one more card.
Heart of the cards, don't fail us now. Yami didn't know if it was him or Yugi who said it.
He drew.
He looked up from his new card. "There won't be a next turn."
"What?"
He pointed at Illuminating Chick, arm trembling from fatigue. "I activate Illuminating Chick's special ability. At the cost of three hundred life points, it can activate any magic or trap card in your hand, so long as I declare it accurately."
The Rebecca lookalike sagged in relief. "Good luck with that."
Yami smirked, his eyes narrowed. "There's more to it than luck," he announced. "You're not a real duelist. A real duelist always guards their hands. You were so certain of victory that you neglected that. Now it's going to cost you."
He looked at his monster. It looked back.
"Illuminating Chick!"
It stood at attention.
Yami closed his eyes, visualizing his opponent's hand. It had looked like Last Turn, but that wasn't it….
He snapped his eyes open and pointed dramatically. "Activate Final Struggle!"
Illuminating Chick's cotton head began to glow with a warm light. The corresponding card began to glow in his opponent's hand. She looked panicked.
"Final Struggle pits my monsters in my hand and field against your monsters in your hand and field," Yami explained.
She looked up, terrified. "But I don't—"
"Have any monsters? I know." Yami smirked. "The only one you have available is this Leech—which, by the way, I'm glad to be rid of."
The Leech retreated with a spurt of blood. Yami gritted his teeth to keep from crying out.
"I have Illuminating Chick on my field," Yami continued. "But I also have the Dark Magician in my hand!"
He snapped the card down on his duel disk and Dark Magician sprang forth. Now….
"I activate my face-down card, Megamorph. If my life points are lower than yours, then the equipped monster's attack is doubled." He smirked. "I think they're low enough, don't you?"
Dark Magician's attack shot from twenty-five hundred to five thousand. More than enough.
The Rebecca lookalike was shaking badly now, her appearance blurred and sketchy and smoky.
Yami chuckled. "Now how did I know that you were something from the Shadow Realm?" he asked rhetorically. "I don't know how you got here, but you won't live to see another day. Dark Magician, attack!"
Dark Magician did so, his dark magic attack tearing up the wooden floor. The lookalike shrieked as it vaporized, and the force of the attack knocked Yami—already weak on his feet—down flat on his back.
The sudden shift of height was too much. He fainted.
Yami blearily regained consciousness. In the blackness, he saw Dark Magician and Illuminating Chick standing over him. The latter peeped in concern.
He gave a pained smirk. "Hey," he said weakly.
Dark Magician and Illuminating Chick beamed with affection and faded.
The real world blurred into view.
Where Illuminating Chick had been was an EMT, examining him closely.
"Here he comes," he announced cheerily. Yami noticed Yugi's friends standing worried around him. Yugi blinked back into consciousness.
"What happened?" Yami and Yugi asked. Yami realized he was still in charge of Yugi's body.
"You fainted," Téa supplied.
Joey nodded. "We called 911, which is this guy here."
"Thanks," the EMT said. Then, to Yami: "When was the last time you ate?"
Yami blinked at him. "What?"
"When did you eat last, and what did you eat?"
What stupid questions. "Toast. For breakfast."
The EMT nodded. "See, that was your problem." He shifted back and let Yami sit back up. "You kids," the EMT said, indicating all of them. "Got so caught up playing your little card games that you forgot to eat something sensible. You don't eat, your body gets weak. You get dizzy, and in some cases, it's enough to make you faint. There you go." He packed up his supplies and stood up. "I'll give you a clean bill of health, so long as you eat something substantial in the next half-hour."
"Sure," Yami agreed. When the EMT was gone, he stared deadpan at Yugi's friends.
"What?" Kelsey asked. "Was I supposed to tell him that you were attacked by a mystical leech?"
Yami glanced around. The damage from the duel was gone. Vanished with the end of the Shadow Game. "I guess not," he conceded finally.
"I'm so glad you're all right!" Rebecca—the real Rebecca—exclaimed as she suddenly hugged him.
Yami froze. Not good.
Téa looked close to blowing her top; the rest looked like they were about to die laughing. Yami meanwhile…Yami, meanwhile, wasn't too crazy about this little girl hugging him. Yugi, a little help here?
And with that, Yami and Yugi were swapped, and it was Yugi sitting there in Rebecca's embrace. Oh yeah, real mature, Yugi thought. How was he going to get out of this?...
That night, Yugi laid his deck out on his desk. There, taking pride of place, was the card that had won that day's duel.
Yugi beamed at the little bird in the picture. "It sure saved the day, didn't it?"
Yes it did, Yami voiced. I told you I knew the importance of small monsters.
Yugi gave it some thought. "Yeah, I suppose you could have just let it get destroyed, huh?"
I'm better than that.
"Yes you are," Yugi agreed. He gave his loyal cards one last look before turning the desk lamp off. He crossed over to his coat hanger and hung the Millennium Puzzle on the hook facing his bed. "Good night, Yami."
Good night.
And with that, Yugi went to bed.
It could have been a trick of the moonlight, but Illuminating Chick glowed softly for a while after that.