A/N: Now for the exciting part. The climactic battle continues now!
Disclaimer: Yugioh and Sailor Moon belong to their respective owners.
Chapter 44
The Rematch: Yugi vs. Kaiba Part 3
Kaiba P.O.V.
In the moment that I played my Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon, I felt a surge of adrenaline fill me. In my heart, I knew that Yugi couldn't defeat me now. My ultimate beast had taken down the last of his defenses, thus forcing him back into a corner. Even without my Crush Card affecting his deck, nothing could defeat my dragon. It was unbeatable.
Of course, I knew that Yugi would not give up easily. He would fight until his life-points hit zero. Still, I don't see a way for him to win. All he can do is prolong the inevitable really.
And once I've gotten this duel out of the way, I can face Pegasus once and for all. And just like Yugi, he will fall to my ultimate dragon.
"It comes down to this, so draw your card and face your fate." I ordered.
Yugi closed his eyes and drew his card. When his eyes opened again, his expression was that of confidence.
"Let's finish this Kaiba."
"Very well," I replied, "but it doesn't matter what card you play next Yugi. You have nothing that can withstand the phenomenal attack strength of my Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon. You may as well give up."
I didn't expect for him to quit, but I didn't expect for him to smile either. In a situation like this, smiles aren't common.
"Kaiba," he began, "I just drew the card that will defend me against your dragon."
An obvious bluff. "Impossible."
But Yugi just smiled and retracted his disk. "Watch and learn because this is it Kaiba. This is the beginning of your defeat." He placed his card onto the disk and flung it out again. "I play Kuriboh in attack mode."
I nearly fell over in complete and utter embarrassment for him. What kind of fool did this kid take me for? I can't believe that this punk has the audacity to play a flimsy, fury Kuriboh!
Kuriboh Attack: 300
"That is ridiculous!" I exclaimed. "In the entire game, Kuriboh is the weakest monster. For heaven's sake Yugi, your free to concede and forfeit the match, but come on, don't embarrass yourself by playing that runt of a monster."
"Are you done?" Yugi asked.
"Yugi, you must know that's the puniest monster with the lowest attack points in all of Duel Monsters," I replied, genuinely peeved by this. "I've never known a serious duelist to keep one in their deck. Don't insult my intelligence pretending that miserable creature can defend the unbridled might of my Ultimate Blue Eyes."
Yugi wasn't fazed. He simply scoffed and shrugged my comments off like nothing. "Kaiba, you're mistaken. This card will defend everything and…before this duel is over your dragon will fall."
Now he's just gone insane. The pressure must be getting to him. Truth be told, I don't blame him. If I were standing against my ultimate dragon I'd be pretty desperate too.
"Nonsense," I stated. "Hurry up and finish your turn so I can knock the stuffing out of your Kuriboh and win the game."
Yugi chuckled. "As you wish." A card next to him flipped over. "My last card will be the magic card Multiply."
"How is that supposed to help you?" I demanded.
"Multiply works with monsters with attack power below five hundred and multiplies them endlessly."
"Endlessly?" I wondered aloud, watching as little fuzz balls began popping up everywhere. In seconds there were thousands of them.
"More than you bargained for, eh Kaiba?" Yugi taunted.
I cringed. "So is this some kind of joke?"
Yugi laughed. "The joke's on you Kaiba. You thought I only had one defender, but now I have many and I'm getting more and more defenders by the second."
"No matter," I replied. After all, he placed that fuzz ball in attack mode so one blast from my dragon and its over. "You obviously forgot the incredible assault power my dragon possesses. It'll burn them to a crisp Yugi."
"Are you sure of that?"
"I'm certain," I stated. "Neutron Blast Attack!"
My dragon blew away countless Kuriboh, but they were still multiplying and there were many Kuriboh that hadn't been affected at all.
"What's going on here?" I asked. "My dragons attack had no effect on your life-points and those annoying creatures continue to multiply."
Yugi crossed his arms over his chest. "That's right." He snickered, the sound was sickening to me, but I kept my composure. This was all a bluff, a way to delay the inevitable. "Kaiba, you may have created the ultimate attack monster, but I've created the ultimate defense: an ever expanding army of fury protectors. They may not look like much but they've stopped your dragon in its tracks."
"That much is true, but only for now," I thought.
"And that's only the beginning, for now I go on the attack!"
"What! You have nothing strong enough," I exclaimed.
Yugi wasn't backing down, he was confident in whatever strategy he had come up with.
"Watch me." He smiled. "I'm going to show you the combo that will bring your dragon down."
The cards revealed themselves as he spoke.
"Mammoth Graveyard."
"A monster card."
"Polymerization."
"A magic card."
"And the Living Arrow card."
This card escaped me. "What's a Living Arrow Card?"
"Living Arrow allows me to use my other cards in combination, not with my own cards but my opponents monsters."
"What does that mean?" I asked.
"I'll show you," Yugi replied. "Normally, I make a fusion with my cards, but for a new twist Living Arrow lets me fuse my cards with your cards opening up bold new possibilities."
I watched as the Mammoth Graveyard monster appeared onto the field. In seconds it was charging at my beast.
"What's going on?" I demanded.
"I can now use the magical power of the Living Arrow to bond my Mammoth Graveyard to the heart of your beast."
The monster then morphed into a golden arrow. In horror I stared as that arrow pierced my beast. My ears rung when my ultimate dragon roared in what must have been excruciating pain.
Then, to my utter bewilderment I noted that the head of the Mammoth Graveyard was protruding from my dragon's belly.
"No, my dragon!" I exclaimed. "Yugi, what have you done!"
Yugi cackled from across the field. "Since my Mammoth Graveyard is an undead type monster, he can't properly fuse with your living ultimate dragon. Instead it causes your monster to rot and decay from the inside out."
"Then that means…"
"Each turn your ultimate dragon will lose attack points until your creature is no more," Yugi continued. "Your so called 'ultimate dragon' and your victory is rotting away Kaiba. It's only a matter of time now and there's nothing you can do to stop it."
"Wrong," I argued. "There has to be something I can do to save it."
"My Mammoth Graveyard has the attack points of twelve hundred. In each turn that goes by he will drain twelve hundred points from your ultimate dragon's attack power."
"No, this can't be!" I screamed, suddenly realizing what this could mean for me and my brother. "Yugi…"
"Soon," he cut in, "it will be weak enough for me to destroy."
He was right. As much as I hate to admit that to myself, he's right. My dragon will get weaker every turn and nothing in my deck can reverse it. My Ultimate Blue Eyes is already starting to lose points.
Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon Attack: 3300
From the sidelines, I could hear Yugi's friends praising his move. They had no idea of what Yugi was actually doing. If anything, he was killing any chances I had to save my brother. Somehow…,somehow I have to stop him.
"That single attack has given Yugi the advantage."
"Way to go Yugi! You're the man!"
I stared at Yugi. His expression was completely smug. He knew that he had me cornered now. I idly wondered if this is how I'd looked when I had first summoned my ultimate creature.
"Can't lose," I muttered to myself, "the fate of Mokuba's soul rides on this game. Attack now Ultimate Dragon! Neutron Blast!"
"Again?" Yugi questioned. I ignored him and waited from my dragon to get ride of those infuriating fuzz balls. Still, I knew that my attack wouldn't work. Those creatures were multiplying too fast. They can't all be destroyed in one blast.
"When will you learn? The Kuriboh multiply faster than you can eliminate them with your neutron blast."
"No, I will not, can not be defeated!" I snarled, beyond tired of his taunting.
But Yugi simply wasn't fazed by me. "I'll draw one more card and let my mammoth finish my turn."
Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon Attack: 2100
"Soon my Ultimate Dragon will be weak enough for Yugi to destroy outright," I thought bitterly. "I've got to keep trying, it's my only hope."
"Go, Ultimate Dragon! Neutron Blast!"
Again the attack fails. The Kuriboh simply keep multiplying.
"Once again your attack has failed," Yugi stated. "My defense holds and you have no other strategy to use against me."
"No, this can't be the end. I have to win. I can't afford to lose this game."
"You should never have challenged me Kaiba," Yugi continued. "You see, my mammoth takes another twelve hundred points from your dragon."
Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon Attack: 900
"Even my weakest monsters can destroy it now."
I couldn't answer him. I couldn't move. I couldn't even breathe as the cold hard truth hit me. A tidal wave of guilt descended upon me, cloaking me in despair and drowning my hopes of saving Mokuba.
"I can't believe it," I thought hopelessly. "I've failed. I've failed my brother. I've failed Mokuba." I stared up at my dragon, watching as it began to melt away. The stench of the rotting dragon was all my senses could absorb. I couldn't see Yugi, his friends, or anything else. All I could see was my ultimate dragon fading away while taking my hopes with it.
"Mokuba's soul will be trapped forever." The dragon was a sloppy carcass just waiting to die. I felt myself shaking with grief, realizing all too soon that I'd lost my only family. Why? Why did it have to end this way? I don't understand.
"Seto."
"That's…" I couldn't complete the thought because my eyes had caught sight of my little brother when he was younger. He was inside the rotting dragon and he was trying to reach out to me.
"No…" I muttered.
"Help Seto, please help me!" Mokuba screamed, making my blood turn cold again. "Brother please, you promised…you promised to help me!"
I couldn't move. My body felt frozen and then…I saw myself, when I was only ten, running toward my brother.
"Mokuba!" he shouted, running toward my brother, but it was like he was running in slow motion. He wasn't covering any ground at all.
"Seto hurry!"
"I'm coming, I'll help you!"
"Don't let me down!" Mokuba begged. "Please, help me, big brother! Aaaaaaaaaaah!"
The younger version of me finally made it to Mokuba, but it was already too late. The dragon had collapsed, taking my brother with it. Mokuba was gone.
"You're rotten to the core Kaiba, just like that dragon!"
I flinched at his words and then I found myself staring at my hand. My eyes widened at the gruesome sight of my skin melting off my bones. I couldn't fathom what was happening.
"It's all your fault," my younger self continued, turning to face me. His intense glare sent shivers up and down my spine. "Why Seto? Why didn't you help him. You promised you'd always be there for him!"
My body felt as if it were decaying. The smell of my skin melting was sickening and I held back the initial urge to vomit. Even so, what was happening to my body couldn't compare to the pain I felt in my soul. The words of my younger self had crushed me with insurmountable guilt.
I myself was wondering the same thing that my younger side was saying. Why didn't I help my brother? I had promised to protect him. I had promised to be there for him, but now…Yugi is about to beat me again and crush my only opportunity to save him.
Then again, I could still kill Mina couldn't I? No, I promised her that I wouldn't. I owed her a debt and I'm paying it by not falling into temptation. My only choice…somehow…I have to win. But…there's nothing I can do to save my dragon. Yugi isn't going to back down…unless…
I had pressed a gun to my head, fully prepared to pull the trigger. After all, my mentality then had been to do whatever it took to convince Yugi to duel me. If he refused, my blood would be on his hands and I'd known then that he wouldn't be able to live with something like that.
Yes, maybe I'm out of my mind. Maybe I'm too desperate for my own good. However, I would rather die than live without my only family. Those had been my words and Yugi had accepted this duel.
I have one last chance. One last opportunity to turn this duel around. The only way to win this duel is to put my fate in Yugi's hands.
Bandit Keith stared down at the field.
"I never thought I'd see the day when Kaiba would get out-foxed. That Yugi kid is good. Still, there's something about him. He's intense, it's like he wouldn't let nothing stop him from winning."
Keith had no idea how true those words were.
On the field, Yugi was a little concerned. Five minutes had passed and Kaiba hadn't said one word to him. It was still Yugi's turn though, so he simply drew a card.
"Celtic Guardian," Yugi thought, "Perfect. This card will win the duel for me."
"This is it Kaiba," Yugi shouted as he flung out his duel disk. "Prepare to meet your demise."
Kaiba was still lost in his own world, so he didn't respond.
"Celtic Guardian, attack Ultimate Dragon!"
The guardian took a hold of his sword and quickly chopped off one of the three heads. Yugi had expected the dragon to be completely obliterated, but the dragon still stood.
"Hey?" Joey asked. "What's up with that. The Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon is still standing."
"That's because the ultimate dragon is a fusion of three Blue Eyes," Bakura explained. "Each of its three heads has its own attack power. Celtic Guardian took out one of them and Kaiba lost the five hundred points difference in their attack strength."
Yugi: 400
Kaiba: 400
"But when the Celtic Guardian takes out another weakened head next turn," Bakura continued, "that will wipe Kaiba out and win the match."
"That's good, but I'm a little worried," Tea stated. "Kaiba is totally spacing out over there. He hasn't said one word."
"He's not the only one spacing out," Tristan noted, glancing at Mina, who somewhat went into a trance around the same time Kaiba had. Her gaze was still on the duel ahead, but it had been clear to Tristan that her mind had been elsewhere.
"She does look a little dazed," Joey agreed, waving his hand in front of Mina's face. She didn't respond. "Mina?"
She blinked. After a moment she turned her attention to Joey.
"What is it?"
"You sure you're okay Mina?" Joey asked. "You kind of dazed out there."
Mina nodded. "Fine." Her reply had been hasty and Joey definitely didn't buy it. The others didn't either, but it was clear that Mina wasn't going to say anything about it.
Actually, in that moment, Mina had other things on her mind.
Mina P.O.V.
"Mina?"
I blinked and turned my attention towards Joey. "What is it?"
"You sure you're okay Mina?" Joey asked, a concerned expression on his face. "You kind of dazed out there."
I simply nodded and turned my attention back toward the duel. No one around me believed my answer, but obviously they understood that I wasn't going to explain myself. Right now, something else was more pressing.
Kaiba was desperate. Completely desperate. Seconds before Joey had waken me from my trance, I'd watched this entire duel through Kaiba's eyes leading up to the last moves Yugi had just made.
What concerned me more though was when Kaiba had started to get lost in his own world. He'd seen his own brother rotting along with the ultimate dragon, then he'd seen himself melting. Did I mention that a younger version of him began to chastise him over his failure as well?
The point of the matter is, Kaiba has lost it. If he loses this duel, I'm afraid that he might become suicidal if he isn't already. He's definitely got one last trick up his sleeve and if it works it might end up costing Yugi everything he holds dear.
I watched as Kaiba finally lifted his gaze from off the ground. His glare was now fixed on Yugi/Yami
"Yugi, it can't end this way," he said simply. "If I don't defeat you, Pegasus will keep Mokuba prisoner forever."
"And keep his soul captive," I added inwardly.
"I can't let that happen," Kaiba continued, "and even though I don't have a card that will keep you from attacking, I think I still have a strategy to stop you in your tracks."
"What do you mean?" Yami asked.
"I'm going to force your hand and win this battle Yugi," Kaiba replied as he began to back away.
"Looks more like he's retreating to me," Joey stated.
I kept silent and watched Kaiba's backward steps intently. Then after a few seconds, it all became clear.
"He's…" I couldn't complete my sentence as he backed onto a ledge.
"This isn't good." Tea proclaimed. I got to say, this girl had a knack for stating the obvious at the worst of times. Still, she's right. This situation is really bad. Kaiba really is suicidal right now.
"Kaiba! Stop this!" Yami ordered, though it sounded more like a plea. It's obvious that Yami or Yugi…whoever this guy is…he doesn't want to hurt Kaiba. That's probably why Kaiba pressed a gun to his head earlier as a test to see if this kind of strategy would work. This guy had a back up plan from the start of this duel.
"Your move Yugi," Kaiba stated. "You can attack my Blue Eyes again and wipe out my remaining life-points, but if you do the resulting shockwaves might cause me to lose my balance."
"DON'T TEMPT ME!"
I shuddered. That didn't sound like Yugi or Yami at all. Something was definitely wrong here. Not only that but…I'm starting to feel really dizzy.
"My fate is completely in your hands Yugi," Kaiba proclaimed a smile on his face. "You'll decide this duel one way or another. Of course, if you don't surrender I might be hurt. You wouldn't want that would you?"
"Stop it Kaiba you know this is dangerous!" Tea shouted, causing my head to pound. And…is it really hot all of a sudden or is it just me?
"Kaiba's bluffing," Joey stated. "Now drop this cheap ploy Kaiba. Get down from there and play fair. You know that Yugi doesn't want to hurt you…"
"That much is obvious Joey," I cut in. "Kaiba's counting on Yugi to surrender."
"But Yugi can't do that," Joey replied. "If he loses to Kaiba he won't get into the castle and he won't be able to save his grandpa."
"I'm warning you Kaiba, don't push me too far," Yami ordered, his voice carrying on a deadly edge. "I must win to save my grandpa."
"And I must win this duel to rescue Mokuba," Kaiba answered. "The difference is, I'm willing to risk anything to do it. You know I can stand up here all day Yugi and I'm certain you won't make any attack for fear that you might knock me off. Even though you know by not attacking you give up the only chance you have to save your grandpa."
I clenched my fists. "Kaiba your plan isn't as full proof as you think."
"Is it now?" he asked, laughing slightly while barely turning his gaze towards me. "You don't know when to be silent do you?"
"WHAT!" I screamed. "Kaiba what you're doing is completely suicidal. You know as well as I do now that Yugi is fighting to save his grandfather and like you he might be willing to do anything to save him."
"Yugi isn't capable of murder ribbon girl…"
"I didn't think my mother was capable of shooting me but she did it," I interrupted, my head pounding even more now. "I didn't think I was capable of killing someone…but the fact remains that I did Kaiba. I killed someone…all in the name to protect and save people I care about!"
The others gasped, with Joey being the only one not to show any reaction. After all, he'd been there, he'd seen me kill the assassin.
"Circumstances can force you to do things you'd never dream of doing Kaiba," I stated. "Yugi is no different. Please, it doesn't have to be this way."
"Enough!" he snarled. "I don't want to hear it."
"What do you think Mokuba would say if he saw you like this?" I pressed, my vision starting to blur. "What do you think he would do if he found out that his brother had fallen off a ledge and died Kaiba? How do you think he would feel? Answer me that!"
I don't know if he had begun to answer. If he answered at all though, I wasn't able to hear him.
The second I finished my tirade, I felt my body stumble and my world turned black.
Yugi P.O.V.
"Circumstances can force you to do things you'd never dream of doing Kaiba. Yugi is no different. Please, it doesn't have to be this way!"
The circumstances of all of this had definitely put me in a bind. With Kaiba standing on that ledge and my grandpa still being held captive…this was going to be a tough decision. That much was undeniably certain.
Obviously, Mina had been speaking from experience when she'd said those words. The circumstances of her father's condition had dictated her decisions. Her desperation to save him had caused her to betray us initially. Yes, Mina had made up for all that by saving Joey, but now we're finding out that she killed someone.
Did she kill someone trying to protect Joey? That seemed like the most adequate explanation, but even so…she killed a living person. The guilt that Mina must have on her shoulders has to be close to unbearable and yet…she's still determined to save her father and work through whatever circumstances she has to deal with. She's determined to make the right decisions.
But am I? Can I make this impossible decision?
"Enough!" Kaiba snarled. "I don't want to hear it."
"What do you think Mokuba would say if he saw you like this?" Mina pressed. "What do you think he would do if he found out that his brother had fallen off a ledge and died Kaiba? How do you think he would feel? Answer me that!"
We were all waiting for Kaiba's answer, but before he could we all saw her sway. Her blue eyes glazed over and her knees buckled.
"Mina!" Joey shouted, catching her just before she could fall to the ground. He lowered her down to her knees and tried to shake her awake, but it was no use. Mina had passed out.
"What's wrong with her?" I exclaimed, more than worried that Mina may have pushed herself too hard. After all, she'd nearly gotten killed only yesterday.
"Is she going to be okay?" Tea asked.
Joey was still shaking her a little, but it was obvious that Mina wasn't going to wake up anytime soon. I watched as he pressed his hand to her forehead.
"She's burning up guys," he said. His eyes darted onto a spot on the ground and then he gently turned her head. On the side of the bandage around Mina's head was a blood stain. That means the spot on the ground must have been blood. She'd been bleeding.
"Mina's stress must have caused her head wound to reopen," Bakura stated. "Not only that but it looks like her arm is bleeding too." He lifted up her sleeve and looked at the arm in question. "It's already been bandaged but this looks almost like a shot wound. If not treated properly it could become infected, which is probably why Mina has a fever."
"She needs a doctor," Tristan proclaimed.
"But this is a private island," Tea pointed out. "The nearest hospital is no where near this island."
Joey lifted Mina into his arms bridal style. "Pegasus isn't immune to getting sick. He might have his own personal doctor in the castle. It's like you said Tea, the nearest hospital is too far away to get to in an emergency like this. Hopefully, Pegasus had enough money to pay for a personal hospital." He turned toward me. "Yugi, stay strong. I'm going to get Mina the help she needs."
I nodded. "Hurry. She might not have much time."
"Right." With that, Joey took off toward the castle with the white cat right behind him.
And Kaiba started laughing. It wasn't a chuckle or a mild snicker, but it was an outright cackle of laughter.
"What do you find so funny Kaiba." I demanded, anger boiling within me.
Kaiba's smile widened. "Oh, I was just thinking…that girl brings drama wherever she goes. I thought maybe I should call her a drama queen instead of a ribbon girl."
"Didn't anything that Mina just said get through to you?" I snarled, the sound of my voice terrifying me.
"Her opinion on the subject does little more than infuriate me Yugi," Kaiba replied. "The simple fact is that I have the advantage over you. There's nothing holding me back." He drew a card from his deck. "Ah, Reborn the Monster."
I sighed. "You never learn."
"I think I'll use my magic card to resurrect the Blue Eyes head that was just destroyed by your guardian."
"What! Restore the head of the Blue Eyes!"
Just as Kaiba stated, the head I had just eliminated came back.
"Now one of my Blue Eyes with its normal attack points of three thousand has just been reborn," Kaiba stated. "With all your Kuriboh's on the defense I couldn't touch you, but now that you've put an attack monster on the field I can take out the rest of your life-points, which I'll do next turn."
"Kaiba…"
"Two of Ultimate Dragon's heads are still weakened, but the third can wipe out your guardian in a breath," he interrupted. "Our life-points are equal Yugi, strike now if you dare…otherwise next turn, I swear I'll take you down."
"If I defeat one of the weaker Blue Eyes I win, but what if the duel battle accidentally knocks him off the ledge?" I wondered. "I wish he would have listened to Mina, but I doubt anything she would have said would have gotten through to him. Kaiba's stubbornness really is astounding."
"Surrender Yugi," Kaiba commanded, "that is unless you have the courage to unleash your attack!"
"I must."
That voice wasn't my own. It was someone else, that other presence inside of me. He was ready to charge straight at Kaiba and he wasn't concerned about Kaiba's well-being either. He figured that we had all done all that we could to spare him and that now it was time to show him the consequences of his actions.
But if Kaiba falls off that ledge because of my attack and ends up dying…I won't be able to forgive myself.
"I can't."
"We must." the voice argued. The Celtic Guardian's hands tightened around the hilt of its sword. He was ready to attack as well.
"No! It's not right!" I pleaded, the thought of my grandpa so present in my mind I could hear his voice calling out to me.
"YUGI!"
I was completely torn. I wanted to win and move forward to save my grandpa, but…not like this.
"There must be another way!"
"There isn't."
"Kaiba, I'd never back away and I'm not starting now!" the voice snarled, completely taking over. "Celtic Guardian attack!"
"Yugi! You can't do this!"
I heard her shouting, but I couldn't stop myself. The Celtic Guardian was charging ahead. It would only take seconds for him to cut one of the weakened heads. In seconds, I would win this game.
"You can't take this risk! Call him back!"
It's too late. It's too late to stop it.
"Yugi please, this isn't like you!" Tea screamed, rushing toward me. "You've got to stop! Yugi!"
"She's right! We can't do this!"
"Yugi no! We have to press on. How else will we save…"
"Stop it!"
"Yugi…"
"STOP!"
A/N: And that's where this chapter will end. Please review.
