The Domino City Limit
A Different Sky: Flight of the Pharaoh
The pharaoh remembers a key detail of his past.
Yugi blinks, confused as the pharaoh eyes him coolly. "Wait, really? You had hang gliders back then?" Although he's glad that the pharaoh is starting to remember something about his past, he can't help but think that today's scare might have caused him to remember things that aren't true.
"Not a hang glider," the pharaoh replies, patient in the face of Yugi's skepticism. "A glider. A sailplane. Like the one Kaiba has."
"Oh. You mean the Toon Dragon?"
If Kaiba knew that that's what Yugi called it, he would probably have a few choice, rageful words for him, but that's exactly what it looked like. He was sitting at Burger World the first time he caught sight of it, and he nearly choked on his fries. It was like a cuter version of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon jet, and he knew that only Kaiba would ever fly such a thing. Joey was under the impression that Kaiba had been huffing the Duel Monsters projector fumes again, and Yugi could only agree.
"Yes," the pharaoh says. "Like the Toon Dragon, only ours was painted gold." He seems to remember something else. "And shaped like a bird."
This triggers something in Yugi's mind. Perhaps there's some truth in the pharaoh's story after all. "A glider shaped like a bird? I…I think I've heard of something like that before."
"You think it has something to do with my memory?"
"Yeah. It was in one of Grandpa's books." Yugi jumps up from the bed. "Come on. We can go look at it right now." They head downstairs to the special bookcase where Yugi's grandfather keeps his Egyptology books.
"Yeah, I'm starting to remember," Yugi says as he scans the titles. "It's called the 'Saqqara Bird.' It's a little wooden bird that they found in an ancient tomb, but nobody really knows what it was used for. Ring any bells?"
"Not in the slightest," the pharaoh replies. He doesn't seem at all convinced that this bird has anything to do with his life, but his eyes flicker with amusement nonetheless. Yugi pouts a little. Sure, this isn't the first time he's brought them over here on a wild goose chase, but he feels sure about this one.
He pulls a book from the shelf entitled Pharaohs and Sparrows: Animal Imagery in Ancient Egypt, and begins to leaf through the pages. "I was watching a…very credible program, and they mentioned that it could have been a model of a glider they had in real life. Here it is!"
He points to a picture in the book and reads from the paragraph beside it. "'Some Egyptologists believe that the Saqqara Bird is actually a small-scale model of a glider that really existed. If this were true, it would mean that ancient Egyptians had far more sophisticated knowledge of aerodynamics than was previously thought.' See? Why don't you take a look for yourself?"
Yugi switches places with the pharaoh, who looks at the picture with mild interest. Then his eyes widen. "Is it possible?"
"What is it?"
"This is the glider…the glider from my memory."
"Really? That's amazing–"
The pharaoh grunts and clutches at his head, his knees crashing against the carpet.
"Pharaoh?" Yugi calls, but it seems he can't hear him. "Pharaoh, are you all right?" Then Yugi feels it too. Something races up his spine, and his mind fills with sights and sounds and colors that he can't explain. They collide with one another to form a maddening wall of stimulation, and Yugi thinks he's about to go crazy. Maybe he already has.
He can sense the pharaoh's attempts to sort through it, to make sense of it all, and he lends his support to the struggle. They work together to complete the puzzle, and bit by bit Yugi gets the feeling that this is more important than anything he has ever done, greater than even his own life.
"My…name," the pharaoh mutters, and Yugi realizes all at once that they're piecing together the pharaoh's memory.
He doubles his effort. The ground goes there and the sky doesn't belong in that tree. Grass doesn't grow on the ceiling and horses shouldn't be walking on the walls.
The book, which fell to the ground at some point neither of them remembers, flips back open violently and the pages begin to turn on their own, as if a draft suddenly picked up in the middle of the study.
"My name…"
The pharaoh grows more frantic, reaching through the memories and trying to pick out that most vital part of himself that he's fought to reclaim for all these years. Yugi doesn't know if he can expend any more of his energy, but he doesn't care. He'll do whatever it takes to finally have a name to call his best friend.
Barges don't sail through the ground and birds aren't supposed to fly upside down. The sun doesn't dominate the night and the gliders…gliders? Yes. The gliders belong in the sky.
The book falls flat on the page with the Saqqara Bird, and a woman's voice echoes in Yugi's head. She speaks a language he doesn't understand, yet he understands it all the same.
It's all right. Your father knows how to drive. Don't afraid, my little–
The pharaoh's eyes shoot open.
"My name is Atem!" he shouts.
The book soars into the air and glows with a golden light, which bathes the entire room before rushing at Yugi in a concentrated beam. It takes his breath away and he crumbles to the floor. All at once he's back in control of his own body, and the pharaoh's heart beats a fraction of a second after his. It scares Yugi half to death. Their hearts have always beaten as one.
The pharaoh says something, his voice rising desperately in the end, but Yugi can't understand. Why can't he understand? He tries to get to his feet, but the world is spinning and he can't right himself. He collapses onto his back and clutches at the Millennium Puzzle. Something is wrong. The Eye burns against his hand.
More troubling, the pharaoh's presence is nowhere to be found. He calls out to him with his spirit. He must be hiding in an unexplored corner or a room Yugi doesn't know about. The pharaoh always answers his calls, and this time is no different. The pharaoh rushes to meet him as if he too had lost track of Yugi somehow. When the gears in their bond are turning yet again, Yugi lets himself relax. He's inexplicably tired, and the last thing he sees is the Saqqara Bird flying straight for his face.
Pharaoh Atem wakes to find Yugi sprawled out in the middle of Grandpa's study with Pharaohs and Sparrows lying across his face. His first thought is that Yugi fell asleep again while trying to find something that would jog his memory.
Then reality catches up with him.
He and Yugi are no longer one. It isn't entirely true. He can still feel Yugi's unconscious mind dancing on the edge of his own. At least that hasn't changed.
Other than that, it's an entirely different game. He takes a moment to look himself over, and he can't understand how it's possible. He is as he was five thousand years ago, royal garb and everything. Even that scar on the back of his hand from the time he and Mahaad got into that fight is there. Everything is as he remembers, and he does remember.
He traces a finger over the lines in his hand and balls it into a fist. He will never lose himself again.
He comes back to the present where Yugi is still knocked senseless with a book over his face, and he scrambles over to help him.
"Yugi," Atem calls, pulling the book away. "Wake up."
Yugi groans and Atem prepares himself to not be recognized, but when Yugi opens his eyes, he only seems mildly confused.
"Pharaoh?" he whispers, his eyebrows knitting together.
"Atem," corrects the pharaoh, and Yugi smiles. He makes to sit up but winces as he does so.
"Are you hurt?"
Yugi rubs his hands over his face. "I feel like I just ran into a wall."
"You're not far off," Atem says. He shows Yugi the book in his hands. "This is…quite heavy." He wouldn't be surprised if Yugi's face bruised later.
Yugi stares from the pharaoh to the book to the pharaoh again. Atem can sense the questions bubbling up in his mind. Did your memory come back? What was that light? How do you have your own body? He settles with, "What happened?"
Atem cracks the book open and turns to the picture of the Saqqara Bird. He doesn't think he'll forget the page number for as long as he lives. "When I saw this, it broke the spell." He'll have to explain that to Yugi later. They'll need to be prepared to deal with the consequences. "The 'Saqqara Bird' isn't just any bird. It's a falcon, the symbol of Ra." He crosses his legs and props his chin on his hand, turning to the next page where there's a larger photo. "Whoever thought this was a glider was absolutely correct. It was in my family for generations. I wish you could have seen it. My great-grandfather built it as a symbol of his status as the living Horus. Are you all right, Yugi?"
"Yeah," Yugi manages. He never thought he'd see a five-thousand-year-old pharaoh use an Egyptology textbook for a photo album. "Then your memory really has come back?"
Atem smiles. "Yes. My memories have all returned, but I wouldn't have been able to piece them together if it hadn't been for you."
"You really think so?"
"Of course. This might seem strange, but…" He looks around and leans in closer. "…puzzles aren't my strong suit."
Yugi's snort turns to full-blown laughter, laughter that Atem can't help but join in on. Yugi is glad that finding himself hasn't caused the pharaoh to lose his horrible sense of humor.
The tears that prickle at the corners of Yugi's eyes aren't entirely from laughing. "I can't believe we finally know your name," he says. He tests it out a couple times and grins. "That's a good name. I like it."
"Me too."
Without warning, Yugi reaches a finger out to poke repeatedly at Atem's chest.
"Um, Yugi, may I help you?" the pharaoh asks, though he's grinning slightly.
"That still doesn't explain this." Unconsciously, he places a hand on the puzzle. "I hope I'm not looking a gift horse in the mouth, but why do you suddenly have your own body?"
Atem smiles and points back to the page. "We've both seen amazing things happen when Ra is involved. My memories returned when I saw the Saqqara Bird, but I believe this…" He gestures down to his solid form. "…is Ra's doing."
"Ra wanted you to have your own body?"
"Well, not exactly." Atem rubs at the back of his neck as he says, "I've always wanted to have a proper existence here with all of you. The power in Ra's symbol must have reacted to that."
Yugi smiles. "It's nothing to be embarrassed about. I think all of us have wanted that, too." He looks more serious. "So…is that it? You have your memories back. Have we done everything we need to do?"
The pharaoh shakes his head, and Yugi catches an adventurous gleam in his eye. "I'm afraid not. There's still much to be done."
"You think so?"
"I know so, but that can all wait for later." Atem stands and slides Pharaohs and Sparrows back into the empty space on the shelf. Yugi is certain that the action could never have looked so regal in his own body. "For now, I need to get out of this. I did not choose a good outfit to die in."
The thick fabric of the pharaoh's tunic wouldn't seem to mix well at all with the humidity of a Japanese summer. Yugi can't imagine what could have possessed him to dress that way in Egypt at any point in time.
"Do you have any clothes I could borrow?" Yugi only has to glance from the pharaoh's toned biceps to his own spindly arms to get the message across. "Oh. Right. Then do you think they would give you a larger size of your school uniform?"
Yugi gives him a look. "Really?"
"What? It's comfortable."
"Fine then. I'll see if I can get Joey to say he lost his." The thought of telling his friends what happened today suddenly fills Yugi with anxiety and utter excitement, but it's as the pharaoh said: that can wait for later. Right now he needs to get Atem a change of clothes before he dies of heatstroke. "I'm sure there's something in my closet you could wear. Grandpa used to buy everything way too big for me. Come to think of it, he might have been trying to tell me something." He shrugs. "Whatever. Come on."
After closing the door to Grandpa's study behind them, Yugi grins up at the pharaoh with barely contained excitement. "And maybe we can play Duel Monsters afterwards?"
The pharaoh's eyes only gleam that way when he's about to face a worthy opponent. "I accept your challenge."
"We'd have to figure out how to get you your own deck," Yugi starts to say, but when the front door rattles downstairs, they both freeze.
"I'm home, Yugi!" Grandpa calls. He starts to move around in the kitchen directly beneath them, none the wiser that there's an extra body in the house.
Yugi claps a hand to his forehead. "I'm going to have a hard time explaining this one."
A month later, there aren't two duelists readying their Duel Gliders atop the roof of KaibaCorp. There are three.
"Yugi, I've changed my mind."
"Sorry, Atem. You told me not to let you back down no matter what you said."
"I've changed my mind."
"It's too late for that. You gave me control of your launch for a reason."
"I've changed my mind!"
"You've been practicing on top of the game shop all week, Pharaoh. You can do this. Kaiba would never let you live it down if you gave up. Would you, Kaiba?"
Trying his best not to sound amused, Kaiba says, "Never. You're not one to back down from a challenge, Pharaoh. Don't start today. Besides, KaibaCorp Duel Gliders are the safest hang gliders in the world. It's not like you're going to fall out of the sky."
Yugi smirks. Now that Kaiba has spoken, there's no way the pharaoh's pride will let him quit. "Just believe in the Spirit on the Wind."
"I have a hard time believing in that," the pharaoh replies bitterly.
Nothing has ever surprised Yugi or Atem more than to hear Kaiba say, "It's real. You can count on that."
"Duelists, engage Duel Gliders!" Roland shouts, and the pharaoh has a mini-heart attack.
"Yugi, if I die…"
"…then it'll be easy," Yugi finishes for him, gripping the bar in excitement. "You've already done it once before."
"That's not funny, Yugi."
"Duelists, ready?"
Two confident voices shout, "Ready!" while a weaker third one murmurs, "Ready," a second after them.
"Then let the game begin!"
Kaiba launches his Duel Glider without another thought, but Yugi and Atem stay behind. "I'll do a countdown like in practice, okay?" Yugi says.
"Yugi, seriously. If I die, look in the shoebox under your bed."
"Wh-what? What's in there?"
"You'll see if I die."
Yugi laughs to himself. He'll figure it out later. "You're not going to die, Pharaoh. I promise. Look." He points to the ground, which looks bluer and cushier than usual. "Even if you fall, Roland lined the streets with airbags. Now are you ready?"
Atem gulps. "Just do it."
Yugi can barely contain himself. This is going to be the best Sky Duel ever. "We launch in 3…2…1!"
They fly off the top of KaibaCorp and the air whizzes against Yugi's face. From here, Domino City looks like a city made of jewels. When the sun bounces off the rooftops just so and the sky's wind rushes through his hair, Yugi can truly feel alive. A blissful piece washes over him and he sighs through his nose. Yugi wouldn't trade this feeling for the world. He's glad he finally convinced his closest friend to share this with him.
The pharaoh curses in Egyptian.
"Don't look down, Atem," Yugi says over the intercom. He turns sharply to make it around to the other end of KaibaCorp. He gets there to find the pharaoh stiff in his glider, but still in the air. Yugi smiles at the Saqqara Bird pattern on Atem's sail before easing in beside him. "You're doing fine."
It takes Atem a moment to pry his hand off the rail to touch the intercom. "Really?"
"Yeah. Just relax and have fun!"
"Right. Relax and have fun. Relax and have fun."
"I'll see you in the sky."
They part ways and ascend to meet Kaiba, who gives them each severe looks.
"It took you long enough."
"Well we're here now, Kaiba," Yugi shouts. "Let's duel!"
A few turns later, Yugi and the pharaoh are staring down Kaiba's ultimate beast: the Blue-Eyes White Dragon.
"This feels familiar," Kaiba calls once the Blue-Eyes is done with its new-and-improved dramatic entrance. "Now, who to attack? Both of your monsters are equally pathetic."
"Watapon may be weak, but it's far from useless," Yugi shouts.
"And Kuriboh can be full of surprises."
Kaiba snorts. "Yeah. Sure. I never did like pink, so Blue-Eyes, attack Yugi's Watapon with White Lightning Attack!"
Just before Kaiba's attack would land, two voices pierce the air and ring through the stadium.
"I activate Dragon Capture Jar!"
Yugi was a fraction of a second faster.
Next time on the conclusion of "The Domino City Limit," we continue on in the same sky as the one we leave today. Yugi and Atem have gotten the chance to live a normal, peaceful life, but nothing lasts forever. Yugi gets a vision that lets him peer into another sky, and he doesn't like what he sees. Atem has all the answers.