So here's chapter three-Yami's duel with Weevil. I left out Joey's duel with Rex, since to me it kind of seemed like filler to drag the episodes out longer and I didn't think including it would add anything to this story. I'll admit, I don't go into much detail with the actual duel. I don't duel-I had cards as a kid, but I didn't have anyone to play with so I never learned the game. So basically if I did go into detail, it would've just been regurgitation of what happened in the anime since I don't know the cards or really understand the rules, and that would be boring. I hope the Yami tormenting makes up for the lack of detail on the duel! That, as usual, is present in abundance. ;)
As always, reviews would be much appreciated!
~Pleurez
The cold had begun to set in. It hit Yami hard, settling deep into his bones and he felt as if the blood in his hands and feet had frozen. They were so cold it burned. And it would spread, he knew, until it overtook him completely.
He sat on the train with his hands folded in his lap, carefully out of sight. He balled them into fists, hoping that if he squeezed them tightly enough he could stop their trembling. His jaw clenched as Tea continued to talk.
She was a dear friend, but the spirit had to wonder if she ever ran out of words.
He didn't want to talk. And he especially didn't want to talk about beaches or her forgotten swimsuit. How could such things even cross her mind with Yugi gone?
He stood.
"Forgive me, Tea."
His first step nearly saw him thrown off balance. The weight of the shackles the shadows had fashioned only grew heavier with time. But the train had jolted a bit, saving him from having to explain. He squeezed his eyes shut.
They couldn't know.
They were looking to him. If he lost their faith, the search for Yugi's soul would fall to pieces.
He retreated to an empty compartment, his movements stilted. "Damn it," he hissed, slamming his fist into the wall. His legs slid out from beneath him.
It was happening faster than he could have expected. Why wasn't the train going faster?
Get ready for eternity, pharaoh. Once his soul is fed to the leviathan, it's gone forever.
His breaths grew shallow. No reincarnation… If he failed, the power to solve the puzzle would die…
Yami wrapped his arms around himself, as if by holding on tightly enough he could stop himself from falling to pieces. He couldn't do this. He was so afraid…
No light. No hope. No escape.
"Leave," the pharaoh snarled, though it was in vain. No amount of will could banish the darkness—that power lived with Yugi and Yugi alone.
"Pharaoh?"
He was jerked from his misery by a frantic call from outside.
The train jerked sharply.
Dragging himself to his feet, he called, "Tea? Joey? Is everything alright?" He shoved the door open, trudging down the corridor.
"The train's a trap," Joey spat. "And we walked right into it."
The pharaoh's eyes widened.
"No. There has to be a way out."
He bolted towards the front. They couldn't afford a setback. There wasn't time.
"Pharaoh!"
Tea took off after him.
The train made an awful, creaking sound as he moved from one car to the next. "Pharaoh, wait!"
But the damage had been done.
She could only watch as the cars separated, taking the pharaoh ever farther from them.
He turned, stretching an arm out.
She jumped, but by the time he caught her they were too far away for their friends to follow. "Get help," she called. They were moving too fast… They needed to stop the train, and soon. She turned, looking for Yami, but he was already gone, climbing up to the top of the train.
"Hey, wait!"
He struggled. His muscles screamed as he dragged himself higher, his frigid fingers struggling to maintain their grip. Crimson eyes remained fixed on his destination. If he looked down, he feared that would be the end of him, and the end of any hope of rescuing his other half.
"Be careful!" Tea's hand shot out, resting on his leg to steady him. She climbed up behind him with far more skill than he could have managed, both her height and the athleticism that came with being a dancer working in her favor.
He was grateful for her support as she drew closer, moving herself into a more stable position so she could help him along. He wouldn't admit it just yet, but without her there he may not have made it to the top.
But there was no time to catch his breath. He needed to keep moving—to find an emergency hatch somewhere.
He moved with a single-minded determination, eyes flashing as he found his path blocked.
"Weevil!" A feral growl rumbled in his throat. "Move."
"Now, now, Pharaoh. You might want to be a little nicer." His eyes flashed and his face split into a toothy grin. "That is, if you ever want to see Yugi again."
A snarl. "What do you know?"
"Ah, ah, ah. Patience, Pharaoh." He lifted his arm. "If you want any information, you'll have to duel me first."
"We don't have time for this, roach," Tea snapped.
Yami shoved his deck into his duel disk. There was no choice—there was no reasoning with him. "If I find you've lied to me, maggot," he hissed, eyes narrowing dangerously.
Weevil ignored the warning. "I think I'll start things off. And what better way than with this?" He held up a magic card with a painfully familiar, green hexagram. "The Seal of Orichalcos!"
"Weevil you can't! If you play that card, you'll both be in danger!"
"No one asked you, Tea," Weevil sniped.
The card activated, bathing the dueling field in its eerie, green glow.
"You're making a mistake."
"Am I, Pharaoh? If I recall, you played this card in your last duel, didn't you? The one that sealed Yugi away forever?" He smirked. "You're just afraid because someone else wields its power now." His eyes traveled to Yami's hands. The spirit couldn't keep back the tremors anymore…
He used his other hand to grip the one holding his cards, willing it to stop shaking. "Weevil".
"Stop stalling and make your move!"
He scrutinized the cards in his hand. He needed to end this duel fast—his strength was already beginning to fail against the endless assault of the shadows. He wouldn't be able to hold out with the Seal draining his energy for very long.
"I summon Celtic Guardian! Destroy his monster!"
"Pharaoh, no! His facedown card!"
His head jerked to the side as Tea shouted. He grit his teeth—it was too late to call of the attack. He hissed in frustration at his own foolishness. In his haste to end the duel, he'd acted rashly. He couldn't afford to make mistakes like that!
Weevil positively radiated glee. "You've activated my trap! Watch as my insects infect your monster."
As the duel progressed, Yami's life points dwindled while Weevil's remained largely untouched. And he was weakening. The shadows ran amok, taking advantage of the draining effects of the seal to further their attack on his spirit. They encircled his legs as if they were chains, and the chill began to spread. The tremors of his hands grew more intense, slowly spreading to his arms, making it gradually more difficult for the pharaoh to process which cards he held.
And for his part, Weevil seemed to smell his frailty. "I almost feel bad for you." He reached into his pocket, holding up a card. "So I'll throw you a bone. I know where Yugi's being held. And the secrets to freeing him are on this card."
"H-hand it over," Yami spat, struggling to beat back the chill.
"My, my. What manners," the bug duelist scoffed. "Should have said please."
The pharaoh took a step forward to take the card, gasping at the strength it took to move with the darkness binding him.
"Too late."
His heart stopped as the card was torn, the sound of tearing paper echoing the shredding of his very soul. "Viper," he snarled. His entire body felt like a tightly wound spring. Rules of the duel be damned, the moment he made his way across the field his hands were going to be around the maggot's neck.
Weevil's eyes widened in fear. He'd gone too far.
"Don't you know a joke when you see one!" He held up the two halves of a common insect monster.
The murderous rage didn't leave the pharaoh's eyes. "You'll pay for that Weevil. You'll pay dearly." He drew a card, face darkening with malice. He placed his monster on the field, heart racing as he cleared the cards on Weevil's side of the field. "You're defenseless."
The other duelist scrutinized the field. Then, a grin broke out across his face. "It doesn't matter!" He jumped in excitement, cackling madly. "All your monsters have attacked! Your turn's done, and my venomous moth's effect will wipe out the rest of your life points!"
A dark chuckle.
"Not quite." He held up a magic card. "This card allows any one of my monsters to attack for every monster card I draw from my deck, as long as it has fifteen hundred attack points or less." His eyes fell on the monster he'd just weakened. "Let's try your luck, shall we?"
A monster was discarded and Weevil shrieked as his monster launched another direct attack.
Another monster.
His opponent's life points ticked down to zero, but the pharaoh drew again. "Oh, dear. This just isn't your day." The same attack was launched again and again.
He delighted in the pained cries of his opponent. The duel was over, but Yami wasn't finished. He wanted to make Weevil suffer just as much as he had when that card was torn.
"Pharaoh!" Tea bounded over to him. "Pharaoh, stop it! You've won. It's over!" She took hold of his hand, but jerked back instantly, frightened eyes trying to meet Yami's. "You're… You're like ice," she breathed.
He ignored her, prowling over to his fallen foe. He snatched at his shirt, snarling, "Tell me! Tell me where Yugi is!" He shook the boy's limp body.
"It's no use." She crouched beside Weevil, saying softly, "The Seal's got his soul. He's gone."
Yami's instinct was to cast him aside and leave him. He didn't share Yugi's altruism—the insect had harmed him, so he owed him nothing. But, he couldn't help but hope that somehow they could extract the information they needed from him. He moved to grab the boy's body, but in that instant the train lurched.
It gave a sickening groan and tipped to the side, sliding off the cliff and descending into the abyss.