The duel between Dark Ichigo and Zakuro had now begun. Both drew their five cards, and proceeded to begin. Zakuro, still brainwashed, declared, "I shall begin our duel! I summon the Ragjng Flame Sprite, with 100 attack! However, it has a nasty effect, Ichigo. You should know what it does."
Dark Ichigo realized what that effect was, and recoiled. She thought to herself as she realized the trouble she was in, "Raging Flame Sprite can attack me directly, and every time it does, it gains 1000 attack!"
"Now," Zakuro commanded of her monster. "Raging Flame Sprite, attack her directly!" The monster then aimed its staff at Dark Ichigo, causing her to be enveloped in flames as she screamed in pain.
ZAKURO: 4000
DARK ICHIGO: 3900
"Because of the attack," Zakuro added. "My Raging Flame Sprite now has 1100 attack!"
Minto, watching from the sidelines and held in place by one of the Ghouls, yelled out to Zakuro, "Onee-sama! Onee-sama! What are you doing?! Ichigo's your best friend! How could you?! How could you betray us?!" She was angry and heartbroken at her assumed betrayal of the team.
"Minto," Dark Ichigo explained to her, worried about how she had reacted. "This isn't the Zakuro we know. She was brainwashed by Deep Blue, just as you once were. The real Zakuro is in there somewhere, and I intend on saving her."
"Your attempt to do so is pathetic," Zakuro retorted to her. "I'm going to crush you like a bug. The only thing on my mind is killing you. In fact, let's see how far I can go." She then picked a card out from her hand and placed it in the Magic/Trap zone on her duel disk. "I activate Meteor of Destruction!" A giant meteor-like ball of flame then appeared above the playing field, aimed squarely at Dark Ichigo. Then, it crashed into her, causing her to scream loudly as she felt real pain from the effect of the card.
ZAKURO: 4000
DARK ICHIGO: 2900
"I end my turn by setting a card," Zakuro concludes her turn with. "My deck is built all for effect damage and FIRE monsters, Ichigo. You helped me with it, after all."
Inside her head, Deep Blue kept giving commands to Zakuro, fueling the artificial hatred she held for Ichigo. "Excellent," he told her telepathically. "Keep inflicting pain. Keep hurting her. KILL HER! KILL HER! KILL HER! KILL HER!"
"My turn," Dark Ichigo began her turn with. "I summon Elemental HERO Prisma, with 1600 attack!"
"Reverse Card Open," Zakuro immediately declared in response as her set card revealed itself to be a Trap Card. "Gravity Bind! All Level 4 or higher monsters can no longer declare attacks!"
Yugi shouted in response, shocked by the card she used, "Oh no! Now she can't destroy Raging Flame Sprite for another turn! He'll be up to 2100 after his next attack, and it will be enough to defeat her!"
"Damn it," Dark Ichigo thought to herself in annoyance. "I can't destroy her Raging Flame Sprite yet! I'll have to find another way to destroy it." "I activate a Magic Card next! Go, Messenger of Peace! Now all monsters with 1500 or more attack cannot attack, and I must pay 100 life points on each of my Standby Phases to keep this card on the field!" "After Raging Flame Sprite's next attack," she thought to herself as she looked at her hand. "He won't be able to attack again as long as Messenger of Peace remains on the field." "I end my turn!"
"My turn," Zakuro replied to her. "I activate the Field Magic Card Molten Destruction! This boosts the attack of all FIRE monsters on the field by 500, and lowers their defense by 400. This leaves Raging Flame Sprite with 1600 attack! Then, I set one monster. I don't need Raging Flame Sprite to deal you damage, Ichigo. I can just use this!" She then revealed another Magic Card. "Go! Ookazi!"
Purin screamed out to Dark Ichigo, "Ichigo, watch out!" Ookazi then hit Dark Ichigo again, causing her to once more scream in pain as she felt the flames begin to burn her.
ZAKURO: 4000
DARK ICHIGO: 2100
"And that concludes my turn," Zakuro snarked. "You don't stand a chance against me!"
As Dark Ichigo stood back up, she breathed heavily, physically weakened by the three attacks that had hit her. Then, she heard the normal Ichigo speak to her from within. "Other me," she called out to her. "I have an idea."
Dark Ichigo turned to her and asked, "An idea? What is it?"
"Let me take over," Ichigo asked of her. "I may be able to get through to Zakuro."
"Partner," she tried to explain to her, to no avail. "This duel is too dangerous. I can't afford losing you."
"Please," she begged her other self. "I beg of you, other me! I'll be fine! We need to rescue Zakuro!"
"Hey," Zakuro shouted over to Dark Ichigo. "Stop stalling the duel! Draw your next card and begin your turn!"
"Fine," Dark Ichigo replied to her normal self. "I'll do it. However, if it gets dangerous again, I'm taking back over. No exceptions. Got it?" She was stern in her warning to her other self.
"Right," Ichigo nodded. Then, Dark Ichigo's body was encapsulated in a white light as the normal Ichigo began to emerge. When the transition was complete, Ichigo addressed Zakuro. "Okay, I'm here! The other me is no longer involved in this duel! It's just you and me, Zakuro!"
Zakuro laughed in response, thinking her other self was afraid. "Amazing! Is your other self that afraid?! Does she think retreating into that pendant of your's will save her?! Joke's on her, because I'm gonna kill both of you!"
"We aren't afraid!" Ichigo was stern in her words. "I have a message for Deep Blue, so relay this to him! There will be a loser in this duel! It won't be me, and it won't be Zakuro, either! It is you! You will be the loser in this duel, Deep Blue! Now, I draw!" She then drew her next card. "Per Messenger of Peace's effect, I pay 100 life points!"
ZAKURO: 4000
ICHIGO: 2000
"I summon Elemental HERO Burstinatrix, with 1200 attack! I then activate Exchange, allowing me to take a card from your hand in exchange for you taking a card from mine!"
The Ghoul then spoke up, holding a set of keys of his own. "Just let me handcuff this girl to the catwalk, then I'll unlock Zakuro from her weights so she can walk over to you, alright?" He then proceeded to grab Minto's left arm and handcuff it to the catwalk before walking over to Zakuro and undoing her ankle weights. "Alright, you're free to walk over and see her."
"Thank you," Zakuro replied to him as she began to walk over to Ichigo.
Ichigo had a plan to try to break Zakuro from her brainwashing. "Before the duel began," she thought to herself. "The other me slipped the Infernal Flame Emperor into the deck. I drew it on this turn. Maybe if I let Zakuro see this card, it will at least weaken Deep Blue's hold on her mind."
"Alright," Zakuro demanded of Ichigo as she approached her. "Let me see your hand. I bet it's nothing go-" Suddenly, as Ichigo revealed her hand to her and she caught a glimpse of the Infernal Flame Emperor, she stopped herself. Inside her head, she suddenly felt as if something was wrong, very wrong. "Wait a minute... That's my Infernal Flame Emperor... I gave that to Ichigo to hold onto until we could duel over it fairly... I... I can't take it!"
"What's the hold up?!" Deep Blue had other plans, and wanted desperately for Zakuro to rip the card out of Ichigo's hands. "Take the Infernal Flame Emperor from Ichigo's hands now, Mind Slave!"
"She's resisting it," Ichigo thought to herself as she smiled and as Zakuro shivered in fear from taking the card. "Come on, Zakuro! Keep fighting back!"
"Agh, damn it all!" Zakuro then ripped a card away from Ichigo's hands without looking and held it up for all to see. When Ichigo saw it, she smiled again in joy.
"She grabbed a Magic Card," Ichigo excitedly called out. "She didn't grab the Infernal Flame Emperor even though Deep Blue most likely wanted her to!"
Zakuro then offered her hand to Ichigo. "Here, just take a card already. I don't need the Infernal Flame Emperor to defeat you." She was clearly visibly angry at herself, a sign of the brainwashing from Deep Blue. Ichigo nodded and happily took Heavy Storm from her hand.
As Zakuro walked back, the Ghoul was ready in place to put her ankle weights back on. As he did, Ichigo called out once more. "Hey, uh, Mr. Ghoul sir, can you do me a favor?" She then took her pendant off of her neck by untying the ribbon that held it in place. "Can you tie this around her neck? I want her to hold onto it."
"Fine," the Ghoul sighed. As he walked over, Ichigo untied the ribbon and then handed the ribbon and pendant over to him.
As the Ghoul tied the ribbon over Zakuro's own neck choker holding her own pendant, Ichigo thought to herself, "That way, the other me won't be able to interfere. This is my fight, and I have to face it without that kind of distraction or interruption."