It's all in the Cards

Days turned into weeks and the new group of five took each day at a time in life. They helped each other with their schoolwork and spent a lot of their free time together with their activities: learning dance lessons, participating in sports, even playing Duel Monsters.

Yugi was the most experienced player of the group; practically an expert. His grandfather, Solomon Muto, was not only an archeologist, but he also had a passion for gaming and taught Yugi everything there was to know about the game. With all his gained knowledge, Yugi taught his friends to his best with every game they played together.

Max and Kaiba couldn't stand the childish ways of their games, but there were some things that couldn't be ignored; especially when Yugi mentioned his grandfather keeping a special one-of-a-kind card. Max and Kaiba couldn't help but wonder, could they have been talking about the card they had been looking for?

After school, Yugi and his friends went to his grandfather's game shop in hopes of seeing that rare card. Solomon just couldn't refuse giving his grandson and his friends the opportunity. After all, they only wanted to see the card, not trade for it.

A few minutes later, Kaiba opened the door to the shop and walked in. Max followed him. Yugi and the others were surprised. Not only were they the most popular kids in school, but they had real world reputations to uphold. Not only was Kaiba the top-ranked duelist in the country, but he also was the president of a multi-billion dollar corporation. Max was also a famous celebrity and even had her own personal music band. Her songs hit the streets and music fans constantly purchased almost every new album. Max was almost as rich as Kaiba.

But these two serious and egotistical teens had their reasons for coming and wanted to get down to business. They shoved the other kids aside and made their way to Solomon's desk. Looking down, they saw that it was the card they had been looking for all along; the legendary Blue-Eyes White Dragon.

Kaiba lifted his briefcase and opened it; revealing his entire collection of Duel Monster cards. "Listen up, old man, give me your Blue-Eyes White Dragon card and I'll trade you all of these."

Yugi and his friends couldn't believe Kaiba's proposal. Even Solomon was just as impressed with Kaiba's collection. But he kindly refused.

Max took her chance to make an offer. "Fine, if you won't trade, maybe you'll sell. Name your price. I can pay you anything."

"I'm sure you could," Yugi's grandfather told her. "But this card means more to me than anything even you wealthy youngsters can offer. Not because of its strength or because it's so rare, but because it was given to me by an old friend and I treasure this card as I do that friend."

Yugi smiled. "You'd feel the same way even if it were a common card, right, Grandpa?"

Solomon nodded. Being the owner of a game shop, he knew the aspects of just about every game he ever played. He also learned that it wasn't about strength or quality, but that the true quality of the game comes from the heart of the player. He even mentioned that even a playing card can reflect the heart of the player and that a part of that player will always be with that friend in that card.

Max and Kaiba had enough. They wouldn't stay to listen to such nonsense. Yugi and his friends couldn't understand those two. They were both great duelists and had a great passion for the game. Why couldn't they understand the magic of believing in their cards?

Heart of the Cards, ridiculous, wondered Kaiba. These cards are all about power and one way or another, that card will be mine.

The next day, Kaiba sent his associates to the game shop. They told Solomon that his presence was requested by Kaiba and brought him to the company. Solomon agreed to go in hopes of teaching Kaiba a lesson about having respect for his cards.

Yugi and his friends weren't aware of what happened because they were still at school at the time. When they got to the game shop in the afternoon, they saw that the place was empty. Why would Yugi's grandfather leave the shop unlocked if he would be going out?

Then the phone rang. Yugi answered, only to hear Kaiba's voice. "Ah, Yugi, perfect. Your grandfather's here visiting, but he's not feeling too well. Why don't you come by my office and pick him up?" Then he hung up.

"Kaiba, what have you done, Kaiba?" Yugi asked. Seeing their friend look so worried, the others knew that something was wrong. So they agreed to join him in heading over to KaibaCorp to save his grandfather.

They came to one of the top floors and found Solomon on the floor, weak and in pain. "Yugi, I failed," he groaned. "I wanted to teach that boy a lesson and I failed."

Then the teenage company president stood before them. "How's the old man doing?" he asked in mock concern. When Yugi demanded to know what happened, Kaiba answered, "We had a duel, that's all. With each of us putting up our rarest card for the prize. But I guess playing against a champion like me was too much stimulation for the old man."

Yugi and his friends were outraged and disgusted. They couldn't stand how Kaiba would go through great lengths to get his hands on Solomon's treasured card. "Kaiba, you should be ashamed of yourself!" Téa scolded.

"It was fair," protested Kaiba, "and look at the sweet prize I won." He reveals the Blue-Eyes White Dragon, then places it in both hands, tearing it right before their eyes. "Yes, the Blue-Eyes White Dragon is a rare and powerful card and this one will never be used against me," he said, throwing the torn card in the air.

"My card," Yugi's grandfather groaned. "My Blue-Eyes White Dragon!" Yugi understood his grandfather's pain, but his health was his first concern. Ignoring his pain, Solomon held his deck towards his grandson. "Yugi, take this. I built this deck. I put my soul in these cards. And I taught you everything I know. Teach Kaiba respect for the Heart of the Cards."

Kaiba decided to take advantage of the situation even further by challenging Yugi to a duel. "Your friends can care for your grandfather, Yugi, while you and I duel."

Yugi was about to refuse once more until Joey spoke up and said, "Take him, Yugi. We'll take care of your grandpa while you take care of Kaiba. Teach that rich spoiled brat what dueling's all about!"

Despite his friends' support, Yugi still wasn't sure. For one, Kaiba was an expert duelist and Yugi was a novice. But all of his friends believed in him. "Joey's right, Yugi," said Emily. "We know you can do it. Trust me, I've known you for a long time and you're one of the strongest duelists I've even met. Plus, you've got the Millennium Puzzle." Although Emily had only spent a few short weeks catching up with her oldest friend, she had learned his new secrets. Plus, she didn't know it, but she could sense a mysterious power within Yugi's Puzzle and figured it was what was giving him strength.

Listening to his friends' support, a new feeling came over Yugi. He felt like he had to face Kaiba for what he did. So he gathered his courage and accepted Kaiba's challenge.

Téa decided it was everyone else's turn to give Yugi their strength. So she had everyone form a circle, hold their hands out, and she drew what looked like a happy face to symbolize their friendship and remind one another that they'll always have each other's support. Téa also decided that Emily and Joey should stay behind and cheer for Yugi while she and Tristan would take Solomon to the hospital.

Kaiba led Yugi to an incredibly large dueling arena, promising him that this wouldn't be like the duels he played with his friends. "Are you ready to play, you runt?" Kaiba taunted, taking his position.

"Playtime is over, Kaiba," Yugi said, sounding more confident. That was when he tapped into the power of his Millennium Puzzle. Kaiba didn't know how or why, but there was something suddenly different about his opponent. He wasn't the only one sensing it either. Max was also there. She had actually witnessed Kaiba tear the Blue-Eyes White Dragon card. She wasn't pleased about it, but she supported the idea of Kaiba and Yugi dueling. Sensing the power of Yugi's Millennium Puzzle, the cobalt crystal hanging from Max's neck faintly glowed. But she wasn't ready to assume anything yet. She wanted to see the duel play out.

"Now, Kaiba," Yugi was saying, his voice stronger and deeper, "Prepare yourself. It's time to duel!"

When Kaiba made his first move by playing the monster Hitotsu-Me Giant, Joey and Emily were amazed to see the card come to life.

"Monsters?" Joey asked. "Real monsters?"

"The monster isn't real," Max told them. "The dueling arena they're playing on displays the cards' effects as holographic projections."

Even Yugi was overwhelmed. Now he realized that Kaiba defeated his grandfather with these holographic displays. But now wasn't the time to be afraid. Yugi summoned his own monster, Winged Dragon and Guardian of the Fortress. The Dragon defeated the Giant with his Fireball attack, dealing 200 points of damage to Kaiba's life points.

Kaiba complemented Yugi for his first move as a beginner, but being a champion duelist, he was full of surprises. And his next move was only a simple surprise. Yugi was confused to see Kaiba summon a weak monster like Saggi the Dark Clown, but Kaiba raised his Dark Clown's attack points by playing a magic card called Negative Energy, making him three times stronger and defeating the Winged Dragon.

So far, none of Yugi's monsters could stand up to the Dark Clown, so he continued to defend his life points until he could find a powerful monster.

Kaiba smiled in amusement. "You're not faring any better than the old man did, Yugi. Your deck is just as weak and feeble as your grandfather."

But he wouldn't give in to Kaiba's taunting. "My grandpa is a great man and a better duelist than you'll ever be. He entrusted me with his cards and I can feel his heart in this deck. I doubt you have that kind of faith in your cards, Kaiba. But I believe in my grandpa's deck." Then he drew from his deck, acquiring a monster capable of defeating Kaiba's Dark Clown. "And my faith rewards me with Gaia the Fierce Knight." With an attack strength of 2300, the Fierce Knight defeated the Dark Clown.

But Kaiba wasn't worried. He knew he had the right card that would keep the duel in his favor. "Faith or no faith, you will fall by the superior might of my monsters." This move was an even more shocking surprise, for he summoned a Blue-Eyes White Dragon.

"Impossible!" gasped Joey. "We saw Kaiba tear that card in half!"

"Surprised?" asked Max. "Did you really think that Yugi's grandfather was the only one who had a Blue-Eyes White Dragon card at his disposal?" That was when they remembered Solomon mentioning that there were only four Blue-Eyes White Dragon cards in the entire game. The one they saw in Solomon's game shop was the first and the one Kaiba just played was the second. But they had a feeling it wouldn't be the last.

With its overpowering attack strength of 3000, the White Dragon obliterated the Fierce Knight. Now Yugi was beginning to feel worried. How could he hope to defeat one of the rarest and most powerful monsters in the game? In the state he was in now, it seemed like his best option was to keep defending himself.

"Power is what this game is all about, you fool," said Kaiba. "Faith is for losers like your pathetic grandfather. In your entire deck, there's not a single card that can stand up to a Blue-Eyes White Dragon. So what hope do you have against two?" Kaiba surprised Yugi and his friends once again by summoning another Blue-Eyes White Dragon. Now that Yugi had two White Dragons to contend with, he was starting to become desperate. He knew he couldn't keep relying on his monsters to protect himself, so he played a magic card known as Swords of Revealing Light; rendering Kaiba's monsters immobile and unable to attack for three turns.

Kaiba wasn't worried. Though he didn't know what good a three-turn delay would bring Yugi, he knew that any new monster he summoned to the field wouldn't be affected by the power of Yugi's Swords. With his Dragons unable to attack, Kaiba summoned a warrior-type monster known as Judge Man and attacked Yugi's last defense.

Feeling ready to quit and wanting to back out, he was about to until he heard his grandfather's voice. "For someone claiming to have faith, you're giving up too easy. Listen, Yugi, sometimes certain cards are like a puzzle and you need to put the pieces in their proper place."

"Like the Millennium Puzzle?"

"Exactly. Each piece helps create a greater entity." Yugi didn't understand his grandfather's words until he remembered something. There was actually a monster that was like a puzzle and had different pieces. Yugi remembered his grandfather telling him about the mighty creature Exodia. Assembling all five pieces of the unstoppable beast ensured victory. Looking at his hand, Yugi saw that he already had four Exodia pieces, meaning that the last one was in his deck. He knew he had to draw it in order to defeat Kaiba's Dragons and win the duel, but the odds were against him. For soon, Yugi's Swords will expire and Kaiba's Dragons will be free.

Kaiba was beginning to lose his patience. "Quit your stalling or you will forfeit the match, Yugi!"

Yugi found that he had a monster in his hand that would defeat the Judge Man. It was his favorite monster, the Dark Magician. With an attack power of 2500, the mage's Dark Magic attack removed Judge Man from the field and sent him to the graveyard.

Kaiba was certain that his next move would surely surprise Yugi even more, for it was the third and final Blue-Eyes White Dragon. Who would have thought that Kaiba would have the three remaining White Dragons in his deck? That was when Yugi realized that Kaiba only wanted the last one so it wouldn't be used against him. That was also why he tore the card. "Though neither Dragon can move for another turn, my new one can attack and destroy your Dark Magician. And once the effect of your Swords of Revealing Light expires, I'll be free to attack you with all of my Dragons."

Finding himself in doubt, Yugi pulls his hand away from the deck. At least, that's what he thinks when really, the deck is pulling itself away from Yugi. Looking close, Yugi sees all of his friends placing their hands on the deck, promising that they're here for him. Trusting in himself and in his deck, Yugi puts all of his faith in this card as he draws it.

Kaiba's patience continued to grow thin. "Draw your last pathetic card so I can end this, Yugi."

"My grandfather's deck has no pathetic cards, Kaiba," said Yugi. "But it does contain the unstoppable Exodia!"

Kaiba couldn't believe what he just heard. "Impossible!" he cried.

"I've assemble all five pieces of the puzzle," Yugi told him as the mighty beast came into play.

Kaiba stared and trembled in fear. In every duel he ever witnessed and for every opponent he ever fought against, he had never seen anyone summon Exodia. Fear continued to take over him as all three of his Blue-Eyes White Dragons were obliterated and his life points fell all the way to zero. Joey and Emily cheered for Yugi's incredible victory. Kaiba's little brother Mokuba and Max stared in shock. They couldn't believe what they just saw.

But Yugi wasn't one to gloat for his victory. To help Kaiba recover from his defeat, he told him his problem. "You play only for power, Kaiba, and that is why you lost. But if you put your heart in the game, there is nothing you can't do."

"But how?" Kaiba asked himself. "How could I have lost to him?"

Yugi hears him and tells him, "Kaiba, if you really want to know, open your mind!" Using the power of his Millennium Puzzle, Yugi reaches out to Kaiba and helps him to open his eyes. As if waking up from a haunting nightmare or being set free from a spell, Kaiba groans and falls on his knees. "There. Maybe now you'll begin to understand."

There it is again, Max wondered. I can sense a great power coming from Yugi's Millennium Puzzle. The truth of the matter was that the person dueling Kaiba was not really Yugi Muto, but a whole other being named Yami. Max had a feeling she would be sensing his presence more often.