The Domino City Limit
Yugi has always been a hang gliding fanatic. He convinces Kaiba to combine Duel Monsters and hang gliding, and they have the world's first Sky Duel.
Yugi remembers a time when Duel Monsters was a twinkle in his eye and pudgy hands flipped through Domino Drift magazine. The men and women who made it onto that cover each month were his idols, and he hoped to someday make it there himself.
Unfortunately (or fortunately, the way Grandpa and his medical budget saw it), Yugi never saved up enough allowance money to buy a hang glider for himself. Grounded though he was, he always kept an admiring eye to the skies. There was never a moment when he couldn't look to the Domino sky and catch a glimpse of vibrant hues and well-used hang gliders.
Those days are gone. Yugi doesn't know how it happened, but the age of the hang gliders has passed. It seemed like one day his heroes were taming the skies and forging their place in the clouds, and the next they were gone.
He cried the day his last issue of Domino Drift came. No matter how hard he searched through those glossy pages, he could find no reason for the hasty retreat of the hang gliders. All he knew was that his passion was suddenly, utterly dead.
So when his friends finally notice the framed, faded magazine above his bed and ask him what it means, he replies, "It's a promise."
"A promise? To…be a journalist?"
Yugi laughs. Of course they wouldn't understand right away. "No, Joey. It's a promise to tame the wind. To kiss the clouds." He doesn't know when he got to his feet or when the passion leaked into his voice. "To take back the stars. To be one with the breeze." He lets his eyes fall over the skyline where a rainbow's worth of sails used to dominate the horizon. "To take to the skies."
His friends notice the change, the way he draws his shoulders back and stands up straight, making up for his lack of height with spades of determination.
Tristan scratches his head as he sets aside the bowl of Grandpa's famous nachos. "What's the promise again?"
Yugi takes back his place on the floor beside Téa, looking ready to launch into another dramatic speech, but before he can say a word, Téa places a hand on his shoulder and gazes at the other two. "Yugi has always loved hang gliders. Are you telling me you guys never noticed the final issue of Domino Drift hanging on the wall?"
Joey and Tristan shake their heads, and Yugi snorts. "It's always been there." He places a hand on his chest. "And hang gliding has always been close to my heart."
"Wow," Joey says. "Yug', if you love hang gliding so much, why don't you go out and do it?"
Yugi's eyes grow distant. "It's been a long time since there were any hang gliders in Domino City, Joey."
"Hey, don't look so sad," Téa says. She bumps his shoulder with her own. "You've done plenty of amazing things, and you're the guy who solved the Millennium Puzzle." She points to the gleaming artifact around his neck, and he places a hand on it almost automatically. "If you can do that, you can bring hang gliding back to this city."
"You really think so?"
"Yeah," Tristan says around a mouthful of nachos. He swallows. "Don't sweat it, man. You've got this, and we'll be right there to back you up."
"Especially if you fall out of the sky and someone has to call an ambulance," Joey adds. The other two stare at him ruefully. "What? I'm just saying."
Even as Téa chastises Joey for jinxing Yugi's first flight, Yugi smiles at his friends' support. If they believe in him, then he believes in himself as well.
He eyes the framed Domino Drift with new resolve. The years of waiting to fulfill his promise are over. The age of the hang gliders is back, and it starts with him.
The pharaoh just gives a long-suffering sigh.
You and Kaiba are going to die.
"We are not." Yugi adjusts his harness and checks his windmeter. "Roland drew up the safety protocols himself. We'll be fine."
All the safety protocols in the world won't keep you from crashing and burning.
"Sure they will. That's why they're called safety protocols. You worry too much."
Maybe you worry too little.
Any retort swirling around in Yugi's head dies as the earpiece within his helmet clicks and Roland's voice trickles through. "Master Kaiba, Master Yugi, do you copy?"
"Loud and clear," Yugi responds. He can't help but sound like more of a happy schoolboy than usual.
On the opposite end of the expansive roof, Kaiba growls, though Yugi can't see it. "Can we get on with this? I didn't develop this technology to sit up here all day doing nothing."
Yugi could swear that Kaiba is just excited as he is and that Roland is fighting not to laugh. "Of course, sir."
The intercoms scattered around the roof burst to life, and Yugi grips the padded metal rail in anticipation.
"The world's first Sky Duel will now commence," Roland shouts. His voice carries nicely on the wind, just as Yugi intends to. "Duelists, engage Duel Gliders."
The crowd that's gathered at the stadium behind KaibaCorp shouts its approval, and Yugi's heart flutters. Somewhere in that throng of people are his grandfather and his friends. He won't let them down.
I hope you know you're dueling on your own today.
"And I hope you know I wouldn't let you play this duel for the world."
Glad we understand one another.
With practiced hands, Yugi slips his deck into the shuffler and flips the switch. The clear panel outfitted into the rail flickers on no differently than a standard dueling platform. The only difference is the added touch panel, where his hand displays in a shimmer of colors.
"Duelists, ready?"
"Ready," Yugi and Kaiba shout together.
"Then let the game begin!"
Horns blare and streamers fly and Yugi knows the crowd must be cheering like crazy, but he doesn't hear a sound. This is his moment. He jams his thumb down onto the red button set into the rail, and the automatic launcher flings him off the top of KaibaCorp. Before he knows it, the whole of Domino City is stretched out before him like the most beautiful panoramic painting in the world. He's free, alone but for the pharaoh, the wind, the endless horizon and-
Panic coils around his insides, flooding his mind, and it's all he can do to keep a firm grip on the rail. He's never felt fear this intense, but it isn't his own.
Yugi!
"Pharaoh?" Yugi hasn't seen him this afraid since the time Joey dropped the Millennium Puzzle into the sea and it almost dashed against the rocks. "What's wrong?"
I'm...I'm remembering something from my past.
"What?" It might be a happier occasion if they weren't sailing miles above the city. "Can we talk about this later?"
No. Yugi, you have to understand. I-
A draft catches Yugi off-guard and he has to turn sharply, the city tilting at a 90-degree angle. For the first time since they've been together, the pharaoh screams in utter terror.
Once he's righted himself Yugi shouts, "Okay! What's wrong?"
I'm afraid of heights!
"What? Are you serious right now?"
Deadly.
As if Yugi didn't have enough problems to deal with, Kaiba comes over the intercom sounding a lot more exhilarated than usual. "It's your move, Yugi. Don't keep me waiting."
Thinking fast, Yugi jerks his head up to spare his friend the sight of the faraway pavement. "Pharaoh, I promise we'll talk about this later, but for now you should get in the Puzzle. You won't notice the height in there."
R-Right. Yugi?
"Yeah?"
I'm sorry.
Yugi smiles. "It's all right. Now go before you give us a nervous breakdown."
Once the pharaoh's presence is humming dormant in the Puzzle, Yugi returns his attention to the duel at hand. He examines his cards, and after a few swipes and gestures, Curse of Dragon bursts to life in the sky-level field behind two facedown cards. Kaiba's aerojectors make the monsters look more realistic than ever. From the way the crowd cheers, the holograms on the ground-level field in the stadium look just as spectacular.
Yugi banks his hang glider to trace the southern edge of KaibaCorp. "It's your move, Kaiba!"
Kaiba doesn't need telling twice. He dips sharply and swoops beneath the sky-level field, maneuvering expertly so that Yugi has a clear view of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon adorning his sail. Then he soars above the stands and does a lap around the stadium, angled just right so that the crowd can see the blue and silver colors. Cheers and whistles ring out as Kaiba begins his ascent back to the skies. Yugi snorts, but gives a genuine smile nonetheless. Kaiba always did have a special touch when it came to theatrical flair.
By the time he's back at Yugi's level, Kaiba has managed to summon two dragons and activate Soul Exchange. Yugi knows what he's going to do. The message was loud and clear, engraved in the cloth of his sail. Kaiba must have had an amazing first hand.
"I activate Soul Exchange to tribute your Curse of Dragon, along with my Vanguard Dragon and Luster Dragon." The crowd must have figured out what move Kaiba plans to make, as the stadium begins to roar. "Prepare to set eyes on my ultimate monster: the Blue-Eyes White Dragon!"
The Blue-Eyes White Dragon appears in a swirl of shimmering, blue-silver light, the most brilliant display Yugi has ever seen from a Duel Monsters hologram. Although the Blue-Eyes on the ground-level field stays put like it normally would, on the sky-level field it jets out of the light and up into the sky, the elegant silver scales on its back shimmering blue in the sun. It takes no effort for the dragon to beat its wings and climb nearly to the highest cloud. After blocking out the sun, it arches its back and fans out its wings and lets out a mighty roar.
The crowd loves it. After drifting over the stadium so that its shadow slinks over the awed spectators, the Blue-Eyes White Dragon does a back flip and zips back to its master. It takes up Kaiba's rear, tailing his every move.
"It looks like your Life Points are wide open, Yugi," Kaiba taunts, looking more than comfortable on his hang glider. "I'd be worried if I were you."
"This duel is far from over!"
"We'll see." Kaiba takes his hand from the rail and jabs a finger at Yugi. "Blue-Eyes White Dragon, attack his Life Points directly with White Lightning Attack!"
The Blue-Eyes White Dragon draws its neck back and gathers crackling light in its mouth just as Roland's frantic voice comes over the line.
"Master Kaiba! We forgot to run tests on direct damage with the Blue-Eyes White Dragon. The White Lightning Attack might be too powerful for Master Yugi's hang glider to handle! You need to call off the attack right away!"
"What?" Kaiba shouts. "Are you serious right now?"
"Deadly."
Kaiba growls and then shouts, "Blue-Eyes, stop!"
But it's too late. The attack has already launched straight for Yugi and his Millennium Puzzle hang glider.
It's a good thing Yugi has his own set of tricks up his sleeve.
"I activate Dragon Capture Jar!"
One of his two facedown cards lifts to reveal Kaiba's most hated card. Just before the attack would rip through Yugi, the jar rips the Blue-Eyes White Dragon from the sky and seals it away.
Yugi wipes an arm over his forehead as the crowd cheers at his quick thinking.
Kaiba is not so happy. "Roland, you realize this is grounds for firing, right?"
Roland clears his throat. "Yes, sir." Then he quickly adds, "We can lower the realism for the remainder of the duel, if you want."
"It's all right, Roland," Yugi cuts in. He smirks. The pharaoh would be so proud. "It won't be a problem."
"Okay, Pharaoh. Spill."
"I have no idea what you're talking about."
Yugi folds his arms and glares as the pharaoh materializes cross-legged on his bed. "Really? You're going to play that?"
The pharaoh looks down and plays with a thread on the edge of Yugi's sheet, or at least he would if his finger didn't go through it. "How did it go?"
"Fine," Yugi replies flatly. "Summoned Buster Blader at the last minute. Gained 5000 extra Attack Points from all Kaiba's dragons in the graveyard. Activated Dark Hole to be safe. Took out his ultimate Dragon and his Life Points with a hundred points to spare."
"I've always wanted to get ten dragons in his graveyard for Buster Blader's special effect. You did well."
"Thanks." The evening breeze streams in through the window and tousles Yugi's hair as he sits on the bed beside the pharaoh. "Seriously. What happened out there? I was really worried."
He continues to play with the thread, and since Yugi doesn't have the excuse that he'll tear his sheets to shreds, he doesn't make him stop. "I remembered that I was afraid of heights."
"I know. I was there." The pharaoh doesn't say anything for a long time. Yugi doesn't think he ever intends to speak. "But I don't get it. Haven't we dueled on a glass ceiling before?"
"Yes."
"And what about KaibaCraft 3? We duel on the deck all the time." Yugi can think of plenty of times when the pharaoh has had to duel somewhere high up, not to mention the roof of a moving train that sped through a winding canyon, but Yugi knows better than to bring that up.
"I know, Yugi." The tension leaves his shoulders and he finally meets Yugi's eyes. "Those other duels were different. I wasn't high enough and I was dueling for my friends. But today…" The pharaoh pauses and Yugi knows he's reliving the moment. "Being that high made me remember something from a long time ago. I was with my parents."
Yugi gasps. "You remember your parents?"
"No. I can't remember what they look like. I only know that they were there." Yugi hears the sadness in the pharaoh's voice, feels it in his own chest.
"I'm sorry."
"But I do remember that we were in a...glider."
Yugi blinks. "Wait, really? You had hang gliders back then?"
"Not a hang glider. A glider glider. A sailplane. Like the one Kaiba has."
"Oh. You mean the Toon Dragon?"
Kaiba probably wouldn't take kindly to Yugi calling it that, but that's exactly what it looked like. He remembers the first time he set eyes on it when Kaiba did a fly-by over Burger World. It looked similar to the Blue-Eyes jet only smaller and obscenely cuter. He knew who it was the moment he set eyes on it, and he never saw it again after that day. Joey thought that the Duel Monsters projector fumes were going to Kaiba's head again, and Yugi was inclined to agree.
"Yes," the pharaoh says. "Like that, only ours was painted gold."
Yugi's mind races with questions he knows the pharaoh can't answer, and so he settles with, "You had sailplanes back then?"
"I'm not sure about the details. I know it seems impossible, but I know I was in a sailplane with my parents. That much is clear."
"And…" Yugi pauses to word it right in his head. "You were afraid?"
The pharaoh nods, deep in thought. "I was on my mother's lap and I looked out the window. We were flying over the Nile." He shudders visibly. "It was terrifying. I think I've been afraid of heights ever since."
Yugi waits for the memories to leave the pharaoh's eyes before saying, "Thank you for telling me that. I'm glad you're starting to remember something about your past."
"But it isn't enough."
"It's not much," Yugi agrees, "but at least we have something to go on."
The pharaoh sees the gears turning in Yugi's head, feels them, rather. "What are you planning, Yugi?" he asks with the barest of smiles.
Yugi turns and grins. "Kaiba was willing to develop Duel Gliders. Why not Duel Glider Gliders?" The pharaoh looks amused but unconvinced, and Yugi's gaze softens. "If we go up in an actual glider, it might jog your memory. Maybe you'll remember more of the details."
"I suppose," the pharaoh says at length. "It's worth trying."
"Of course it is," Yugi says. He's determined like he was all those weeks ago when his friends encouraged him to pursue hang gliding. "We're going to overcome your fear of heights and recover your memories, and we're going to do it together."
The pharaoh doesn't say anything for a while, and then he flashes a thumbs up. "Right." He smirks and adds, "As long as we don't have to ride in the Toon Dragon."
The pharaoh doesn't wait for Yugi to answer and fades back into the Puzzle.
Yugi's eyes fall over the framed issue of Domino Drift. It used to represent his promise to take to the skies and honor his heroes. Now it represents his promise to take to the skies and help his friend recover his lost memories.
"I won't let you down," he says aloud.
Outside, the breeze picks up and a cluster of leaves hits his window. Yugi makes certain that the pharaoh is deep enough in the Puzzle before grinning and grabbing his helmet off its hook. There's still just enough time left in the day to challenge Kaiba to one more Sky Duel.
Next time on "The Domino City Limit," we turn our eyes to a different sky. What would have happened had Yugi not drawn the correct card to stop the Blue-Eyes White Dragon's attack?
