Here is Chapter 7! This is the Kaiba vs. Yugi duel. It might be a bit dry and full of, you know, dueling, but this is Yu-Gi-Oh.
As usual, I know nothing. I do not own the words that are spoken and known to be in the show itself. I have added some things, but not much.
I OWN NOTHING! NO CHARACTERS, NO WORDS, NO DUEL MOVES, ETC…
With that, everyone—
Enjoy!
~BlainexKurtxLovex
Mana
Kaiba led Yugi and Mana into the virtual stadium. He prattled on about how he had designed the stadium himself and that it added a bit more "life" to the game. Mana knew exactly how much "life" the stadium supplied, but as she got ready to tell Yugi about the dangers, Kaiba snapped at her.
"Keep your mouth shut, Mana."
Mana was seething, but a gentle hand on her shoulder kept her from lunging forward. Yugi gave her an insistent look that said, it's okay. Mana didn't agree at all. Kaiba held all the cards, so to speak, and it infuriated her to know that Yugi would be at a disadvantage. Just like Solomon had been.
Yugi left her side and went to the right side of the stadium. Kaiba and Yugi both got on the platform and were brought level with each other across the field.
"Now, Yugi," Kaiba began. "We will be playing with a total of 2000 life points and the first one to reach zero loses."
Yugi nodded in understanding before activating the Millennium Puzzle. Yami appeared and Mana noticed the change, but surprisingly so did Kaiba. No one else would have noticed, but since Kaiba shared a past with Yami it wouldn't be unfounded that he would see the change in his opponent.
"Now Kaiba," Yami's deep voice rumbled. "It's time to duel!"
Kaiba began the duel by summoning "Hitotsu-Me Giant" in the Attack position which appeared as a hologram onto the field. Mana noted the surprise on Yami's face and winced. She had tried to warn him, but this hologram wasn't as harmless as it appeared.
"The stadium, as you can see, brings the cards placed on the pad to life. It's much like a virtual simulator. It creates life-like holograms of the monsters placed on the field," Kaiba explained. "It's quite ingenious, don't you agree?"
"This is how you beat my grandpa," Yami spat. "You overwhelmed him."
Kaiba smiled and nodded. Mana watched Yami's reaction to Kaiba's response and found a newfound fire in his violet orbs. She let a small smile grace her face. Kaiba was in for it now. He didn't stand a chance.
Yami began his turn. He summoned "Winged Dragon, Guardian of the Fortress," also in the Attack position, just as Joey Wheeler suddenly appeared beside her, breathing hard. Mana looked at him and silently asked what he was doing with her instead of taking care of Solomon.
"Tristan and Téa have him. They told me to come cheer Yugi on," Joey stated. "We all figured he could use some more support."
Mana nodded in understanding. The more people that were around the more Yami would fight. She knew that better than anyone. Yami always fought for those he held dear and this time would be no different.
"Those are, like, real monsters!"
Mana nodded again. "It's a virtual simulation, but yes, they are as real as they appear. Their attacks are also real and dangerous. It was through this medium that Kaiba defeated Solomon."
Joey was quiet after she finished speaking because Yami chose to complete the first attack on Kaiba's life points. Yami's monster used its "Fireball" attack on Kaiba's Giant. Kaiba's life points dropped from 2000 to 1800.
Mana and Joey cheered. Joey shouted for his friend's depletion of Kaiba's life points. Mana applauded because it was nice to see Yami dueling again. She had watched so many of his previous duels while in her immortal slumber, but nothing compared to the real thing. He was magnificent.
It was then that Mana noticed a flash of color out the corner of her eye. She saw a young boy rush into the room on the other side of the field. She noted the similarities between the boy and Kaiba enough to realize the younger one must be Kaiba's little brother.
"Are you okay, Big Brother?" the younger Kaiba asked.
Kaiba ignored him as he focused his cold blue eyes on Yami. "Well played…for a beginner. We'll see how long your confidence holds out. Question is, how will you stand against my next monster?"
Kaiba summoned "Saggi the Dark Clown" to the field in the Attack position. Mana looked to Yami to see the confusion on his face. It was a warranted reaction because Saggi's Attack Power was only at 600, but Mana knew that appearances could be deceiving. With the right cards even the weakest monsters could be deadly.
It wasn't until Kaiba combined "Saggi the Dark Clown" with the Magic Card "Negative Energy Generator" that Yami realized his danger. Now, the Attack Points for Saggi tripled from 600 to 1800. Kaiba ordered Saggi to attack Yami's Dragon with "Dark Light."
The attack was a large ball of energy that hit its target. Yugi's monster was shattered and his life points dropped from 2000 to 1600. Kaiba now had the lead. Mana could see the astonishment on Yami's face as well as the respect. It was clear, both to Yami and to Mana, Kaiba knew every part of the game and Yami acknowledged it. Mana knew it was, again, due to Kaiba's past. It didn't mean that Mana had to accept it, however.
Yami didn't place a card right away onto the field. He pulled a card from his deck and appraised it. A look of confusion found its way onto his face. Mana wondered what it was about Solomon's deck that was so puzzling, but she didn't have time to ponder it before Yami was placing a card on the field in the Defense Position to protect his life points.
Kaiba smiled at the tactic and ordered Saggi to attack and destroy Yami's face-down card. Mana recognized the card as it was obliterated. It was "Sangan." Yami's life points were safe and unaffected by the attack due to his monster's defensive position. Unfortunately, his life points were wide open for a full-blown assault if he wasn't careful.
"Hang in there, Yugi!" Joey yelled from the sidelines.
Yami seemed to ignore him, but Mana knew that he had heard his friend. Yami set two more monsters in the Defensive Position, but Kaiba destroyed them. The monsters were "Battle Steer" and "Torike."
Kaiba opened his mouth again. "You aren't doing any better than the old man did. Your deck is as weak and feeble as your grandfather. I'm honestly amazed you have lasted as long as you have."
"My Grandpa is a great man and a better Duelist than you'll ever be," Yami snapped back. "I can feel his heart in my deck. I doubt you have that much faith in your cards, Kaiba."
"These cards are all about power. It has nothing to do with faith. Make your move, Yugi." Kaiba rolled his eyes.
Yami pulled another card from his deck. The confident smile that crossed Yami's face made his eyes sparkle. Kaiba raised a sculpted eyebrow at his opponent's excitement.
"And, my faith rewards me with…Gaia: The Fierce Knight!"
Yami summoned Gaia and had it attack and eradicate Kaiba's "Saggi the Dark Clown." Kaiba growled as his monster was erased from the board and his life points plummeted from 1800 to 1300. Yami was now in the lead and Joey was cheering loudly from his place next to her.
"Make your move, Kaiba."
Kaiba's anger died once he pulled a card from his deck. The anger was instead replaced with a laugh. "This duel will be over quicker than you think, Yugi." A frown took the place of the smile on Yami's attractive face. "I summon…the Blue-Eyes White Dragon!"
"That's impossible! We all saw him rip that card in half!" Joey exclaimed.
"There has always been more than one," Mana replied.
"What?"
"The old fool wasn't the only one to possess a Blue-Eyes White Dragon, mutt," Kaiba sneered. "Blue-Eyes White Dragon attack Gaia the Fierce Knight!"
Mana flinched as the attack hit home. She watched as Yami's life points dwindled from 1600 to 900. Kaiba was, again, in the lead and he was making sure Yami knew it.
"Faith or no faith, you will fall before my superior monsters, Yugi," Kaiba gloated. "Love is for weaklings…friendship is for idiots…faith is for losers just like your pathetic grandfather."
The duel had now taken a alarming turn. No matter what monster Yami put up against Kaiba's Blue-Eyes not one of them could defeat it. Yami's monsters were destroyed one by one. The first to go was "Horn Imp" and the second was "Beaver Warrior." Things were starting to look grim for Yami and Mana was beginning to worry. If Yami lost now then it would shake his confidence and he would be unable to face the challenges that were yet to come.
"Face it, Yugi. There isn't a card in your deck that can stand up against a Blue-Eyes White Dragon," Kaiba exclaimed. His face contorted into a wicked smile and a shiver ran down Mana's spine. "So, what hope do you have against two?"
Joey, Mana, and Yami all watched in horror as a second "Blue-Eyes White Dragon" was summoned onto the field. Mana could feel Yami's nervousness now. She also knew that a lot of that nervousness stemmed from Yugi. The younger boy was losing his faith. He was losing the Heart of the Cards. Mana couldn't let that happen. If the Heart of the Cards failed here than all was lost.
"Yugi!" Mana cried. Yami tore his gaze away from the beautiful, yet terrifying, monsters to meet her eyes. "You can do this! No one else would have made it this far. Don't give up and don't stop believing in the Heart of the Cards. You can still win this."
Mana hoped that Yami could see the sincerity in her eyes. She yearned for him to see the faith she had in him. Mana prayed to the Gods that it was enough.
Suddenly, Yami looked away from her, but his eyes widened in surprise. It was almost as if he could hear something Mana and the others couldn't. After a moment of contemplation and some moaning from Kaiba for Yami to make his move, Yami looked up.
"I won't give up," Yami declared. "Not when my grandfather and my friends believe in me. Not while Mana, who scarcely knows me, believes in me." Yami drew from his deck and another smile crossed his face. "I play Swords of Revealing Light!"
Mana let out a cheer and Joey beamed at her. Even with Joey just learning the ropes of Duel Monsters and Mana having been asleep for so long they both knew what that card signified. It meant that all of Kaiba's monsters currently on the field would be unable to move for the next three turns. That bought Yami time to come up with a plan to defeat Kaiba.
Kaiba didn't think it was too brilliant. "Wow, Yugi. You must be getting desperate if that's your move so late in the game. What good will a three-turn delay do you? You can't defeat me in three turns."
Something told Mana that Yami agreed with him. Yami was again looking at his cards in much confusion and she felt the unease settle in her stomach again. She tried to think of any information that Solomon had told her earlier today at the shop. It had been important and something she should have already known after spending so much time with Yami in the past.
Joey tried to get her attention, from the flailing she saw out her peripherals, but she ignored it. She tried to remember what Solomon had said. It had something to do with a specific monster. A monster no one had ever been able to summon…
Exodia!
Mana's eyes widened as she looked up at Yami. She saw the realization on his face and knew he too had figured it out. The only monster that could save him now was "Exodia." The one unbeatable monster that could defeat Kaiba.
"If you don't quit stalling I'm going to assume you forfeit," Kaiba threatened. Yami drew again and placed a card face down in the defensive position. "You can draw whatever card you want, Yugi, but it won't change anything. My two Blue-Eyes White Dragons may be frozen. But my new monster is under no such spell!"
Kaiba summoned "Judge Man" who wrecked Yami's "Rude Kaiser." Yami drew again and summoned "Dark Magician." He used the "Dark Magician" to defeat Kaiba's Judge Man and brought Kaiba's life points from 1300 to 1000.
Mana took a minute to look over the form of her old friend. Mahad, now the Dark Magician, had been like a brother to her. When no one had believed in Yami and Mana, Mahad had. When he had passed from this world Mahad had sworn that he would forever serve his pharaoh until his destiny was complete. Now, he stood upon the battlefield to defend his pharaoh again. Mana almost started to cry.
"A sacrifice that doesn't even faze me."
Kaiba drew a card and a seemingly victorious smile crossed his face. He summoned a third "Blue-Eyes White Dragon." Both Yami and Joey looked shocked by the development, but Mana had known. She had seen all three during Solomon's duel. Mana would have warned Yami if Kaiba had allowed it. She had hoped that Kaiba wouldn't be able to summon it, but the Gods seemed to be ignoring her pleas.
Dark Magician was extinguished by Kaiba's free Blue-Eyes White Dragon and Joey hollered foul. Kaiba laughed manically as Yami's life points went from 900 to 400. Mana's heart dropped, but she didn't let that affect her hope that Yami would turn the duel around. He had always been known to come back from a crushing blow.
"How is your faith now, Yugi?" Kaiba inquired. His tone was sarcastic and Mana wanted to throttle him. "All my Blue-Eyes White Dragons can attack next turn and there is nothing you can do! You were never a match for me!"
"Don't listen to him, Yugi!" Joey insisted. "You can do this!"
"Don't give up!" Mana called.
Mana watched as he reached for his deck, but something seemed off. The confidence he had showed earlier in the duel was almost gone. That wasn't good. Sure, the odds were against him and he would need to pull, hopefully, the final piece of Exodia to win, but Yami couldn't doubt himself now. Mana prayed that he had most of the pieces of Exodia in his hand already, but there was no way for her to know. Besides, the Heart of the Cards would feel his doubt and it would all be over. He would not be rewarded and Yami would lose.
Mana noticed when the cards seemed to pull away from Yami. She could feel their energy distancing themselves from their owner and Mana had to think of something quick. She needed to get Yami to realize that he could do this.
She looked at Joey and then to the mark on his hand. The mark Yami shared with his friends. The mark that connected them together.
"Yugi," Mana screamed. "Think of your friends. Think of your grandpa. Think of them and the faith they have in you. They stand by you, even now. Believe in them! Believe in me! I will stand by you to the end."
Yami looked at his hand, then to Joey, and then to her. Their eyes meet again and Mana wondered if he could see the truth in her eyes. The truth that she would follow him into death if it meant being with him again. Yami nodded and gave her a gentle smile. Mana felt her face heat up, but she didn't break the gaze. Kaiba, however, had no such curtesy.
"Draw your last pitiful card so I can end this," Kaiba ordered.
Yami dragged his gaze from Mana and back to Kaiba. "My grandfather's deck has no pathetic cards, Kaiba. But, it does have the unstoppable Exodia." Yami pulled the card from the top of the deck and showed it to Kaiba.
The card displayed "Exodia the Forbidden One" and they all watched as he placed four more cards on the field. Mana felt the tears rush down her face. He did it! He actually did it! Mana couldn't have been more proud than she was in that moment. She watched as Kaiba jerked back in terror.
"That's impossible!" Kaiba denied. "No one has ever been able to assemble that monster!"
A large star appeared on Yami's side of the field and a full-bodied Exodia emerged from inside. As Exodia appeared on the field Mana watched Kaiba's face. He was angry and shocked, but he was also terrified. Kaiba's words were correct. It wasn't possible for Exodia to be assembled…until now. Until now, no one had assembled the unstoppable monster, but Yami had and he won by default.
"Exodia…Obliderate!" Yami ordered.
With that one order, all Kaiba's monsters and his life points vanished. Mana and Joey jumped up and down in excitement. Yami had won! Yugi had won! Kaiba was defeated and Solomon's honor had been restored!
Mana looked to Kaiba's younger brother and saw the shock there. It was obvious that Kaiba had never lost before this moment even if he had claimed to be the Number One Duelist in the Nation. That title would now belong to Yugi.
While Kaiba lamented over his loss, Yami spoke, "Kaiba, you only play for the power to destroy others. You play for yourself and such a selfish way of dueling will never allow you to succeed. That is why you lost, but if you put your heart in the game and believe in the people that stand with you, there is nothing you can't do."
Kaiba didn't look up at him, but Yami didn't seem to mind. Mana watched in awe as the Eye of Anubis* appeared in the middle of his forehead. It was like the one that was once on his royal crown. Mana could feel the power emanating from him and she almost dropped to her knees in reverence even if she didn't have to.
"I will destroy the evil that lives inside your heart and has corrupted your mind, Kaiba! I will open your mind!"
Yami's energy filled the room and Mana watched as the evil façade of Seto Kaiba cracked away. Yami's "Mind Crush" ability had always been something to behold, but now it seemed more powerful. Mana knew the power was due to the fact that Yami had been locked away for 5,000 years. Now that he was free, in a sense, his power needed an outlet. The only downside was that it could only be used in spurts.
Yami's platform descended and Mana took off to meet him. Yami stepped off the platform and Mana threw herself into his arms. He almost didn't catch her, but he did and Mana couldn't help the tears streaming down her face. Her arms held him tightly and she could tell that Yami was extremely confused by the act. He was tense and didn't seem to know what to do with his hands.
"Mana?" Yami questioned.
"I'm so proud of you, Yugi. I knew you could do it," Mana replied.
Yami relaxed and wrapped his arms around her gently, "Thank you, Mana, for believing in me and reminding me that I had the power to win."
Mana pulled away and looked up into his eyes. The violet orbs were sincere and a small smile was on his face. The look itself was almost loving, but Mana knew he had no idea who she was. It killed her, but there wasn't much she could do.
Mana pulled away as Joey came rushing around the corner. He slapped Yami on the back and Mana had to laugh at the shocked look on Yami face. He wasn't used to the new type of comradery affection that people of this time displayed, but it was well worth the look of audacity on her pharaoh's face.
"You did it, Yugi! You beat Kaiba!" Joey exclaimed. Yami laughed at his host's best friend. The good thing was that the laugh was in good humor. Yami was grateful that Yugi had such loyal friends. "Let's go see your grandpa. I'm sure he would love to hear how the duel went."
Yami nodded and the flash of light appeared again. Yugi stood where Yami had and Mana felt her heart sink as Yami disappeared. She hid it well, however, so as not to worry Yugi. The young boy had gone through enough for one night and her sadness didn't need to be one of them.
Yugi, Mana, and Joey left Kaiba Corp. with smiles on their faces. They hailed a cab and made it to the hospital in fifteen minutes. The three of them were immediately taken to Solomon's room where Tristan, Téa, and an awake Solomon were waiting for them. Yugi ran to his grandfather's side and wrapped him in an awkward hug.
"You did it, Yugi," Solomon stated.
"Yeah," Yugi responded, "I did."
There is Chapter Seven everyone! I know it was a lot of duel action and stuff, but this is the duel that sets things in motion. I spent tons of times going over the logistics of this duel and now I need a nap.
*I also wanted to point out an inaccuracy that I made in the beginning of the story. It is not the wadjet eye on Yami's/Atem's crown it's the Eye of Anubis just like the one that appears on his forehead. A version of the wadjet eye is what is on the Millennium Puzzle. I messed it up. Sorry.
Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong, I will not mind. Constructive criticism is always appreciated.
Please review!
~BlainexKurtxLovex
