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Secrets of the Pharaoh

Fanfic Chapter 284: Penultimate Prelude
Episode Basis: Tomb of the Nameless Pharaoh, Spiritual Awakening.


Thunder started to rumble across the sky, the rain poured, and two figures crept up to the roof of The Game Shop.


In Yugi's dream, he was sitting on the roof of an empty school. Yami was standing near him. "Is everything all right, Yugi?"

"I was just thinking."

"About something your Grandpa said?"

Yugi nodded, "He said that I was the one destined to help you but ever since I first put the puzzle together and we first bonded, it seems like you've been helping me more than I've been helping you. I mean before you came into my life, I felt utterly alone. I barely talked to anyone. But the moment I put the puzzle together, everything changed. You gave me a confidence I didn't know I had. And it was thanks to that confidence that I was able to make lots of new friends: Joey, Tristan, Harold, Bakura, Amara, the Kaibas, Mai and Kevin, Duke, Katy, Todd, Leon. I wouldn't be the Duelist… no, I wouldn't be the person I am today if it were not for you."

"Thank you, Yugi, but you're selling yourself short. I was alone for three thousand years until we met. Then, your friends became my friends." Yami stared out at the cityscape. "And I don't believe you were ever truly alone, you had a friend before you even knew it. Besides, you're about to do something for me that I could never do by myself: recover my memory and unlock the secrets of my past."


"This is it, Rex," Weevil Underwood said as he held a rock. "The God Cards will finally be in worthy hands."

"Ah-ha," Rex Raptor said. "So you admit that they do belong to me."

"Dream on." Weevil raised a rock and smashed it against the bedroom window.


Harold, still in his Avatar disguise, leapt from rooftop to rooftop. After dropping Serenity off at Joey's, he began searching for her assaulter. Hearing the sound of glass shattering, he looked up. "Oh no, am I too late?"


Yugi was woken by the sound of glass shattering. He looked up to see a hand grabbing his duffle bag. "Hey, stop!"

"Oh no, he's awake," Rex said.

"Run for it, Rex!" The two quickly slid down the ladder and took off.

Still in his pajamas, Yugi ran out after them. If that bag falls into the wrong hands, the whole world could be in danger!

Weevil and Rex ran and ran until they arrived in an alleyway. "That was a trip," Rex said gasping for breath.

"I have to get a look at these babies," Weevil said taking the duffle bag and opening it. "Hey wait, these aren't God Cards!" Inside were the Millennium Rod, the Millennium Necklace, and the Millennium Ring which promptly started to glow. It flew off and into someone's hands. This someone started laughing darkly.

"Who's there?" Rex asked.

"It hasn't been that long, has it?" A bolt of lightning illuminated Bakura's face.

"Hey I know you, don't you usually pal around with Yugi?" Weevil matched.

"Listen, you better not be after those God Cards," Rex warned.

"I already have what I'm after, and as for you fools, time to teach you a lesson about taking what does not belong to you." The Millennium Ring started to light up again.

Yugi heard a pair of voices cry out. He ran to the alleyway to discover Rex and Weevil prone on the ground. "Who are you? What did you do to them?"

"Don't tell me you don't recognize me too, Yugi, after everything we been through." He turned around.

"Bakura?"

"Not quite," Yami-Bakura said.

"Wh… what did you do to them?" Yugi stammered a question.

"It's their own fault for trying to take something that didn't belong to them. I simply gave them a punishment that fit the crime." He turned Rex over with his foot. Yugi gasped in horror. "You should show a little gratitude, Yugi, after all I did return your belongings." He threw the duffle bag to Yugi. "Well… most of them." He held up the Millennium Ring, "I just can't quite bare to part with this just yet."

"Give that back! The Millennium Items belong together."

"Eventually, they will be," Yami-Bakura said. "Though we may not be fond of each other, we both share the same goal, to see the Millennium Items returned to the Millennium Stone of Kul Elna."

Millennium Stone? Kul Elna? Yugi questioned. This was the first time he heard of such a thing. His Grandfather did not mention seeing any stone in his story nor did Odion or Marik mention anything of the sort. "I don't believe you!"

"Believe whatever you want, but I know things that your Pharaoh-friend seems to have forgotten."

"What do you mean?"

"Try to wrap your head around this: the Millennium Stone is actually a key to unlocking the door to the afterlife."

"The afterlife… so if the Pharaoh is separated from the Millennium Puzzle, he'll end up there?"

"You're catching on. I'm sure you want to help your spirit friend cross through, it is after all where we both rightfully belong."

The Millennium Puzzle flashed and Yami emerged. "All right, enough beating around the bush, tell me what you're really after."

"Ah, Pharaoh, to what do I owe the honor of your visit?"

"Answer me! What are you planning to do?"

"I don't see why you hold such animosity towards me, after all we're more alike than either of us would care to admit."

"We're nothing alike," Yami spat.

"We're both three thousand year old spirits inhabiting the bodies of children. But the one difference is that while I remember my past, yours is nothing but a labyrinth of questions. Your whole life has been nothing but a puzzle wrapped in a game. But I have a solution, a quite ironic one: the only way to solve one game is through another game."

Harold swan-dived off a building and landed right behind Yami-Bakura. "I found you, Bakura, now you'll pay for what you did to Serenity."

"Harold!"

Yami-Bakura smirked, "Looks like most of the major players for this game are here."

"What game?" Yami asked.

"The ultimate Shadow Game, one where I will benefit no matter the outcome."

Yami sighed, "Fine, I'll accept your game."

"Don't you remember anything? You're the one who started it in the first place! I could tell you the details, but as your lighter side so aptly put it, he doesn't trust me and I'm sure neither do you. So telling you would be a waste of both our time. But for now, I'll just leave you two guessing." He turned and started to walk away.

"I'm not letting you leave with Bakura's body," Harold said setting up a shield around Yami-Bakura.

"You think I like inhabiting the vessel of such a whelp? I'll release him when I'm good and ready."

Harold growled and was ready to use his Armlet to knock Yami-Bakura around the block a few times when Yami spoke up, "Harold, he's not worth it." Harold sighed and deactivated his shield. Yami-Bakura just walked away.

"What was that all about?" Harold asked.

"I don't know," Yami replied. "He stops Weevil and Rex from stealing the God Cards and the Items, then he takes back the Millennium Ring, now he's saying something about the ultimate Shadow Game." Yami looked down at the Millennium Puzzle. "Things are coming to a head. Bakura says he will benefit no matter the outcome, but I have a feeling we don't have such an advantage. We better be ready for anything, Harold."

Harold nodded, then lifted Rex and Weevil over his shoulders. "Well I'm going to drop these dead weights at the hospital. Will you be okay, Yugi?"

Yami nodded. "I hope so."


The storm had stopped. But even through the high winds and thunder, Seto Kaiba didn't hear it. He'd been pulling another all-nighter at Kaiba Corp. again. As he was typing on his computer, the lights and monitor suddenly went off. "Great, power outage," he grumbled. Suddenly his monitor clicked on again. This time, Yami-Bakura was on the screen.

"It's been a while, hasn't it, Kaiba?"

"Can I help you?" Kaiba asked coldly. Yami-Bakura just held up Mokuba. "Mokuba!"

Yami-Bakura unceremoniously threw Mokuba off-screen. "I thought that would get your attention. I challenge you to a Shadow Game, Kaiba, meet me up on the roof." And the monitor went dark again.

"If that dork wants a challenge, I'll give him one he'll never forget!" Kaiba reached into his desk drawer and pulled out his briefcase. He changed into his duel attire and rode the elevator up to the roof. As soon as he exited onto the roof, Mokuba was dropped into his arms. "Mokuba!"

"Don't worry, he's just passed out, how long he remains that way is up to you. Now let's get this Shadow Game under way."

"Not this nonsense again," Kaiba grumbled. Suddenly something occurred to him. Wait a minute, Bakura acted this crazy once before… He thought back. That's right, during Battle City. He tried to get Yugi's Egyptian God Card and he got it but not in the way he expected. For all this, Mokuba was… "You better not think about leaving!" Kaiba activated his Duel Disk.

"Wouldn't dream of it." Bakura did the same.

"Let's duel!"

(K: 4000)
(B: 4000)

"Now for the fun part," Bakura said as purple mist started filling around them.

"What… what's going on?"

"I'd tell you but you don't believe in the Shadow Realm, or magic, or ancient visions, or destiny. I wouldn't be surprised if you don't believe in Santa Claus either."

"When are you people going to realize that I focus on the future, not the past. If you want someone to dump your Egyptian garbage on, go find Yugi."

"I already have. In fact, his fate partly depends on how this duel is concluded, if it is."

What has he gotten himself into this time? Kaiba wondered.

"Let the game commence,' Yami-Bakura said. "It's my move." He drew a card. "And I'll start with the magic card Polymerization, fusing my Earl of Demise (1) with my Headless Knight (2) to form Duke of Demise (3)! But the rules forbid me to attack you since it's only the first turn so you get a reprise for now."

"It'll take more than a rotting carcass with a sword to intimidate me," Kaiba said drawing a card. "Watch and see how it's done. I summon Vorse Raider (4)." A dark-skinned beast warrior holding a long bladed weapon appeared.

"Sorry, but it seems like your monster is a few points short of my own."

"I'm not done yet, I also activate the magic card Shrink which cuts your corpse's attack points in half." Yami-Bakura's monster shrank.

(DD: 2000-1000)

"Vorse Raider, attack now!" Vorse Raider cut through Duke of Demise and even though Yami-Bakura still lost 900 life points, his monster's special ability kept it from being destroyed.

(K: 4000)
(B: 3100)

Yami-Bakura laughed.

"I wouldn't be laughing if I were you."

"And why is that?" Yami-Bakura asked as he drew a card.

"Well for one, you're about to lose 500 life points thanks to Duke of Demise. Is that reason enough for you?"

"No," Yami-Bakura replied as his life points went down.

(K: 4000)
(B: 2600)

"Because I have something much worse in store for you," Yami-Bakura said. "I sacrifice my Duke to bring out my Diabound Colonel (5)!" A winged demon with a snake for legs appeared. "And next I activate the magic card Spirit Illusion! It creates what a token, or to be more precise, a doppelganger complete with all the powers of the original. Doppelganger Diabound, attack!" The duplicate Diabound Colonel wrapped itself around Vorse Raider covering it in black smoke. "Did I forget to mention my doppelganger's special ability? Whenever he strikes, your monster loses attack points equal to my original Diabound's attack points."

(VR: 1900-100)

Vorse Raider was panting heavily. "That leaves your Vorse Raider in a rather compromising position. Now, Diabound Colonel, attack!" Diabound gathered energy into its hands and fired it directly at Vorse Raider.

(K: 2300)
(B: 2600)

"Next I place this face-down, that ends my turn."

"No more Mr. Nice Guy," Kaiba said starting his turn. "I summon my Lord of Dragons (6) in attack mode!" A man wearing dragon-scale armor appeared.

"It's just as I planned," Yami-Bakura said with a smile.

"As long as my Lord of Dragons is in play," Kaiba was explaining. "Any dragon I play is immune to all magic and trap cards. Next I play the Flute of Summoning Dragon!" The Lord of Dragons blew on the horn. "When these two cards are in play, I can summon any two dragons in my hand. Actually, now that I think about it, there's really only one dragon I need: my Blue-Eyes White Dragon (7)!"

That's just the card I hoped you would play, Yami-Bakura thought. I think it's time to take a little stroll down memory lane.

Something flashed in Kaiba's mind's eye" a deserted street flanked by buildings made of mud and brick. A man in fine white robes with blue shoulder plate and headdress cradled a white-haired woman in front of a stone tablet depicting the Blue-Eyes White Dragon.

Kaiba's consciousness returned to the present. "Oh no, it's that vision again!" My mind's playing tricks on me, just like when I dueled Yugi at Battle City! Well I'm not falling for that nonsense again. What happened in the past has nothing to do with me!

"Kaiba, something wrong?" Yami-Bakura asked like he didn't know what Kaiba just saw. "Are you feeling all right?"

Kaiba cast a side glance at the prone Mokuba, "I've never felt better. Blue-Eyes, destroy his Diabound! White Lightning!"

"I activate my trap card Spirit Shield!" The white dragon's attack was deflected off a shield.

"It can't be!"

"Thanks to my shield, your attack didn't get anywhere near my Diabound and all I had to do was remove one monster in my graveyard from play. So long as I keep a steady supply of creatures in my graveyard, any attack you make is useless!"

"Maybe for now, but that won't last. I place one card face-down and end my turn."

Bakura started out his turn by playing Pot of Greed allowing him to draw two more cards. "And one of them is the magic card Grief Tablet." A stone slab appeared behind Lord of Dragons and absorbed the monster into it.

"What did you do to my monster?"

"Your Lord of Dragons along with all of its powers have been sealed away in that stone tablet and it will remain that way unless it's destroyed. But if it does get destroyed, you lose 500 life points. Now, my Diabound, weaken his dragon!" The doppelganger covered the dragon in black smoke. The dragon cried out in pain.

(BEWD: 3000-1200)

"Now, my Diabound, attack!" Diabound gathered energy into its hands again and fired it.

"I activate Attack Guidance Armor!" Kaiba's trap card produced armor plating shaped like a demon's face which floated in front of the Lord of Dragon's tablet. The energy blast banked from the Blue-Eyes to the tablet destroying it.

(K: 1200)
(B: 2600)

Annoyed, Yami-Bakura set two cards face-down. "I guess Kumara was wrong, you're not as heartless as even you might think, Kaiba."

"And what's that supposed to mean?"

"Just take your turn."

"It's time to turn this duel around," Kaiba announced. "With this, Card of Demise! This magic card lets me draw until I'm holding five cards but in five turns they get sent to the graveyard."

"Have you forgotten my Spirit Shield? As long as it's on the field, nothing you draw can affect me."

"I'm afraid I'm going to have to disagree with you, I play Soul Release. You've heard of it, right? With it, I can remove up to five cards from the graveyard." Earl of Demise and Duke of Demise left the graveyard. "Now, without your monsters to fuel it, your Spirit Shield is destroyed!" Yami-Bakura scowled as his card disintegrated. "Next I'll use Silent Doom to bring back Vorse Raider to the field in defense mode. Now I'll sacrifice my Vorse Raider and my Blue-Eyes." It's the only way to get my dragon's strength back, Kaiba thought as his two monsters disappeared. "Blue-Eyes White Dragon, arise!" Another Blue-Eyes appeared.

"So what's your point? The mighty Blue-Eyes White Dragon has been reborn and I'm supposed to run in fear?"

"You will when he attacks your little snake boy with White Lightning!" The attack destroyed his Diabound Colonel.

(K: 1200)
(B: 1400)

"Not bad, but not good enough to beat me! I activate my Mirror Tablet trap card, then I activate Rebirth Tablet!" A stone slab with a picture of Diabound Colonel appeared. It broke apart and Diabound reappeared.

"What?!"

"My Rebirth Tablet was activated as soon as my Diabound was destroyed allowing me to bring him back to the field. But wait, there's more." An image of Blue-Eyes White Dragon appeared in the mirror tablet which also shattered and was absorbed into Diabound. "After you sacrificed your Blue-Eyes White Dragon, my Mirror Tablet was able to absorb half of its attack points which were then donated graciously to my Diabound."

(DC: 1800-3300)

"Now my Diabound is the strongest monster on the field! Diabound, destroy Blue-Eyes now!" The energy blast struck Blue-Eyes White Dragon dead center.

(K: 900)
(B: 1400)

"Sorry, but no dice," Kaiba said. "I play Monster Reborn! Blue-Eyes is back!" With a roar, the dragon reappeared.

Oh if only he knew what my Diabound really accomplished, when it destroyed Kaiba's Blue-Eyes, it absorbed its attack power. Mission accomplished.

Then Yami-Bakura noticed the sun rising. "Oh well, looks like you're in luck," he said. "As it turns out, I have more pressing concerns to take care of."

"Hold on, you're leaving in the middle of a duel?"

"Don't worry, I'll return to finish what I started soon enough, in the mean time take this." He threw something to Kaiba. It was a round gold-colored orb with an eye at the center.

"Hold on, didn't this used to belong to Pegasus?"

"Why yes, he once used it to absorb your soul… oh wait, I forgot, you don't believe in souls either."

Kaiba just stared at the object, "The Millennium Eye," he muttered.

"Good memory. Bring that eye to Egypt and I'll tell you a secret."

"I have no time to go half-way around the world chasing some fairy tale."

"But aren't you interested in learning the secret of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon?"

"What secret?"

"Tell me, have you ever stopped and asked yourself why you love your precious Blue-Eyes White Dragon so much? Why the thought of anyone other than you controlling them infuriates you to no end? Do you know why?"

Kaiba cast a side glance at his Blue-Eyes White Dragon, "What kind of a stupid question is that? There are only four Blue-Eyes White Dragons in the world and I have three of them."

"But there are many cards, some much rarer, in the game, you have never heard of the Egyptian God Cards before Battle City. So tell me what makes the Blue-Eyes White Dragons so special?" For once, Kaiba was at a loss for words. It just seemed so natural that he would have the Blue-Eyes White Dragon that he didn't question that there was anything deeper. "The answer lies in the sands of Egypt, Seto." Yami-Bakura burst into malicious laughter. Diabound fired a blast at the ground blinding Kaiba. When Kaiba's vision cleared, both Duelist and monster had vanished. Kaiba growled and stared at the Millennium Eye.


The morning was sunny and beautiful as Yugi and Harold entered the airport. "According to the tickets Odion gave us, our flight is set to leave at 11:30, that's in 45 minutes."

"Coming here early was a good idea," Yugi said.

"Yugi, Harold!" The two turned to see Joey, Tristan, Amara, and Tea running up to them.

"Hey guys, here to see us off?" Harold asked.

"See you off nothing," Tristan said. "We're coming with you."

"Coming with us?" Harold asked surprised.

"Yeah, we wouldn't miss this for the world," Joey said. "Besides, Amara's paying for the tickets."

"Only because you two conveniently forgot your wallets," Amara said crossing her arms and turning snootily away from Joey and Tristan.

"And we'll pay back every penny," Joey promised.

"Yeah, my check's already in the mail."

"I think what Beavis and Butthead are trying to say here is that we know how important this trip means to you two and we wouldn't miss it," Tea said. Harold noticed that her eyes seemed a little sunken. On the outside, it seemed like old times, but Harold could see that the conflict between Yugi and Tea that first surfaced at Andros Hinxton's mansion was still there.

"Thanks, you guys are the best."

Yami held back, watching the modern day humans talking. I hope we're ready for this, Yugi, because this is so much more than a trip to my homeland, it's a trip to my ancient past.

The six friends boarded the plane and took off.

The End


Duel Monster Database

(1)
Name: The Earl of Demise
Level: 5
Type: Fiend
Attribute: Dark
ATK: 2000
DEF: 700

(2)
Name: Headless Knight
Level: 4
Type: Fiend
Attribute: Earth
ATK: 1450
DEF: 1700

(3)
Name: Duke of Demise
Level: 6
Type: Fiend/Fusion/Effect
Attribute: Dark
ATK: 2000
DEF: 1700

(4)
Name: Vorse Raider
Level: 4
Type: Beast-Warrior
Attribute: Dark
ATK: 1900
DEF: 1200

(5)
Name: Diabound Colonel
Level: 5
Type: Fiend/Effect
Attribute: Dark
ATK: 1800
DEF: 1200

(6)
Name: Lord of Dragons (Lord of D.)
Level: 4
Type: Spellcaster/Effect
Attribute: Dark
ATK: 1200
DEF: 1100

(7)
Name: Blue-Eyes White Dragon
Level: 8
Type: Dragon
Attribute: Light
ATK: 3000
DEF: 2500