Yami

He wasn't sure if his eyes were deluding him. Perhaps the figure in front of him was nothing more than an illusion of the Shadow Realm. He wanted to feel joy. He wanted to express content in seeing a familiar face in the nightmare world he was confined to. But what if he was a fiend taking the shape of his dear friend. It had to be. Yuri had no reason to call him a traitor. It couldn't be him.

"Yuri?" Yami managed to croak, fighting back the dizziness and fatigue that weighed his body down with a horrible burden. "Is that really you?"

Yuri narrowed his eyes, his face glowing dark blue from the Wdjat symbol beneath their feet. "Stop playing around, Pharaoh. Get up! Get up now!"

"What do you want?" Yami asked, getting back up to his feet. "Why are you so angry with me?"

"You should know, fool! You're the one who got me trapped here in the first place!"

Yami shook his head. "I?" he said, slapping his hand over his chest. "I put you here? Now I know for a fact you're not the real Yuri."

"Believe what you want to believe, Pharaoh," Yuri said, forming a horrifying grin. His green eye seemed to glow even brighter. "The fact of the matter is, there's only one way to get out of the Shadow Realm and that's your Millennium Puzzle." He pointed at the puzzle hovering above them in the eerie darkness.

"My Puzzle?" Yami said in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"What are you? Some kind of idiot?" Yuri shouted. "Fine, I'll put it in layman's terms for you. We're stuck in a prison; this place, this Shadow Realm. Your Millennium Puzzle is the key to getting one of us out."

"My puzzle can get us both out!" said Yami. "Just let me…"

"The Millennium Puzzle is currently without an owner," said Yuri. "Its power won't work for you even if you tried. No. The only way to claim it is by winning it in a Duel. But this is going to be no ordinary Duel, Pharaoh. This will be a Shadow Game. One of us is not going to make it back to Termnnia."

Yami shouted: "No! That is not true! The puzzle is mine! I can help you, Yuri!"

"I don't need your help!" Yuri spat. "Because of your help, I was murdered! Because of you, I'm trapped here. Now Termnnia plunges into chaos because of you! The Ancient Beasts awaken. The God Cards are dying. Avi's dragons will prove no use against the enemy that is coming. Zorc Necrophades."

"Zorc?" Yami gasped. "No! He has been sealed in the void for all eternity!"

"No, Yami. He is coming back. He is feeding off the chaos that has enveloped the world. Don't you get it, Yami? The murder of my parents. My destiny as High King. This war. It was all part of their plan."

"Who's plan, Yuri?" Yami begged him. "What are you talking about?"

Yuri said nothing and began his turn. "DUEL!" he shouted.

LP 8000

"Since I have no cards on the field, I can Special Summon Neo Uraby in attack mode!"

ATK/2100 DEF/1800

LV 5

"Next I place a card face-down and summon Giant Rex!"

The ground shook as the Spinosaurus Yuri summoned stomped out of the darkness and into the dim neon blue light of the playing field. He towered over Yuri with a fiery hatred in its eyes, as if he, too, were angered by the treachery of Yami's sins against his master, whatever they may be.

ATK/2000 DEF/1200

LV 4

"And don't think I'm done yet, Pharaoh, because now I Special Summon two Gilasaurus from my hand."

The two brown raptors sprinted out of the darkness and stood on either side of Yuri, snarling and hissing at Yami. They flashed their teeth and snapped their jaws at him, tails swinging left to right with an urge to do battle.

"But they won't stay for long," said Yuri. "I Overlay them both to access the Overlay Network. My two prehistoric friends will forge themselves into a new beast. I Xyz Summon Grenosaurus!"

ATK/2000 DEF/1900

Rank 3

Two flames burst from a cauldron of steel behind Yuri. But something was leading them closer to the light of the Wdjat on the ground. Yami stepped back when he realized the cauldrons were actually the top of the cyborg dinosaur's eyes. Yami was taken aback by how quickly Yuri was able to summon such powerful beasts on his first turn. They were aggressive-looking, and being dinosaurs, that was something Yugi had come to expect. But, and Yami didn't know if it was him or the Shadow Realm that did this, the dinosaurs Yuri summoned seemed far more ferocious than usual.

Yuri held up the one card left in his hand. "I play the spell Pot of Excruciating Greed. This card lets me draw up to five cards from my deck at the price of five hundred Life Points for each one I chose. I'm going to go all out and draw all five cards."

Yuri clenched his teeth and tightened every muscle in his body to brace for the stinging he was about to be inflicted with from the sadistic spell. The five cards were drawn, and a purplish-pink aura enveloped his entire body, inflicting him with 5000 points of damage and a horrid pain that made Yuri beg for death.

"Kill me! Kill me!" he cried, falling to his knees. "GODDESSES MAKE IT STOP! PHARAOH KILL ME!"

The pain finally subsided, leaving Yuri paralyzed and weeping on the ground.

"Yuri!" Yami cried in distress. He darted across the field towards him. "Are you all right?"

Before he could reach him, Yuri sat up straight and held open his palm, knocking Yami back with a magical force push. Yami landed on his back so hard the wind was knocked out of him. Saliva was launched out of his mouth.

"It's your move, Pharaoh," Yuri said as a tear fell down his cheeks.

Yami did not want to move. He didn't want to believe it but there was no doubt in his heart that the boy in front of him was the honest-to-goddesses real Yuri.

"Spirit!" Yugi cried in spectral form above Yami. "I know you don't want to, but you have to get up and fight. You have to beat this…thing whatever he is. I know for a fact that he's not Yuri. He can't be Yuri."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Yuri loves us," said Yugi. "He would never force us to battle for the Millennium Puzzle. He would never want claim to it. He knows it belongs to us."

"You're right," said Yami. He stood up, morphing his golden wristband into his newly-forged custom Duel Disk. The new model from Kaiba Corp. A holographic blade digitized over the contraption, beeping and buzzing upon activation. "I don't know who you are…demon! But I know for a fact you're not Yuri either! And I'm sorry to disappoint you, but you will not be taking my Millennium Puzzle!"

"Yeah! You tell 'im!" said Yugi.

"I just did," said Yami.

"Uh…Okay," Yugi replied awkwardly.

Yami looked back at Yuri, then to his hand examining his options. He grinned. "Here I go!" he shouted to show he was not afraid of Yuri.

"I activate the Field Spell; Magical Citadel of Endymion! Every time either of us activates a Spell Card, my citadel will be given one Spell Counter."

"And what do they do?" Yuri asked.

"You will just have to wait and see," Yami responded briskly. Now, I will add a Spell Counter to my Citadel by using Polymerization to fuse together Eclipse Wyvern and Gaia the Fierce Knight to create Sky Galloping Gaia the Dragon Champion!"

A fireball burst above Yami's head, and from it charged the Dragon Champion on his flaming draconic steed. His armor was gold and decorated in scarlet red ornamentation. The lances on both hands were seventeen feet long and colored flaming red.

ATK/2600 DEF/2100

LV 7

"Impressive," Yuri said examining the flying monster. "Your Dragon Champion has enough ATK points to take down one of my monsters."

"Oh, I am not done yet!" Yami yelled. "Thanks to Gaia, I am able to add this next card into the fray. Spiral Spear Strike! And since it's a Spell, my Citadel gains another Counter. Now, any Gaia monster I control can inflict piercing damage to your Life Points. Next, I play the Spell Card known as Fiend's Sanctuary. With this card, I can Special Summon a Metal Fiend Token to the field."

Out of the ground right in front of Yami's feet, a silvery liquid oozed into existence and formed into metallic fiend statue with glowing red eyes. Yami then summoned a monster face-down in defense mode.

That was also a third Spell Counter for the Citadel.

He then attacked Yuri's Giant Rex with the Dragon Champion, activating its effect allowing Yami to flip the Giant Rex face-down in Defense Mode. Gaia the Dragon Champion raised his sabers forming an X above him. He held them up until they were engulfed in flames. He launched the flames at Giant Rex, burning him to a crisp. The piercing damage inflicted with Spiral Saber Strike flew towards Yuri, hitting him in the stomach and launching him five feet backward. He hit the ground and rolled so far only his glowing eye could be seen.

Yuri picked himself up and wobbled back to the light of the Wdjat below. The blue light revealed blood oozing from his hair, masking his forehead in red.

Yuri-3600 LP

Yami-8000 LP

"Yuri!" Yami shouted. "Are you all right."

"Are you done?" Yuri replied defiantly.

Yami narrowed his eyes. "I place a card face-down and end my turn. Now, Yuri, tell me what this is all about."

"You mean you don't know?" Yuri asked, wiping the blood from his forehead with his fingertips.

"Who did this to you, Yuri? Was it House Dragonheart?"

Yuri laughed and then he smiled. "Dragonheart?" he said. "The Dragonhearts. The Church of Yeyu. They're nothing but puppets, and Bakura and his minions are holding the strings."

"What?"

"Promises of power. Knowledge to kill the Gods. An endless machine of chaos that will feed the dogs of war until the foulness of the world fuels Zorc with enough power to escape from his prison. Soon, Pharaoh, not even the combined power of the Divine and Ancient Beasts will be enough to hold him back. One of the key instruments that led to all this was Bakura's faith in your self-righteousness. You should have let me find the Ancient Beasts! That was my destiny, Pharaoh! To control the Children of the Goddesses! All of them! But you were too much of a coward to let me do so."

"You have no idea what kind of power they hold, Yuri!"

"A power that kept Zorc sealed away!" Yuri shouted. "Yes, their ferocity was so great that it almost brought the apocalypse, but they did not have a master. Norman the Conqueror thought he was, but he wasn't. I was chosen by Horakhty to be their master as well as the Summoner of the Divine Beasts. I was to be the greatest hero since Norman the Conqueror, but you and your pitiful band took that destiny away from me all for the sake of a peace that Termnnia was never bound to know!"

"Yes, Yuri!" Yami shouted. "You were the Chosen One! The one prophesied by the Celtra to spread light across the world. But not with the Ancient Beasts. Not with those demons!"

"And how do you think I was supposed to spread light to the world?" Yuri roared until his voice was hoarse. "By gathering the kingdoms around the campfire, sing kumbaya and bore them to death with Téa's ridiculous friendship speeches? Your liberal way of thinking cost me my life and plunged Termnnia into chaos, Yami. If you would have just grown a pair of balls and led me to the Ancient Beasts instead of wasting my time, I'd still be High King right now. I'd still be alive."

"Rrgh!" Yami grimaced.

Yuri growled when he realized something else. "And Prince Michael. You priggish idiot! You denied him his birthright to claim the Sacred Beasts, too!"

Yami balled his fists until his knuckles cracked. "There was nothing sacred about them, Yuri! Those monsters are evil. And you can't use them so lightly. You would have killed thousands."

"Sometimes great and terrible sacrifices have to be made in order to maintain a proper balance upon the world," said Yuri. "Are you that much of a goody-two-shoes to see that? What am I saying? Of course, you are. You let your greatest enemies walk freely because they 'saw the light'. I'm talking about Marik, Bakura, Denethon, and Dartz. You should have killed them a long time ago when you defeated them. Darkness always has a way of returning, Pharaoh. Especially towards those who were weak enough to let it take them in the first place. Some people change, and most people don't. Would you really give a second chance to someone who went so far gone that the very darkness in his heart became a vile spirit strong enough to take control of his flesh and bone? Well, you did, and you shouldn't have. Marik has returned to his evil ways. And the night when his Sisterhood assassins had me killed, he used the Millennium Rod to put a curse on me, confining me here. The final nail in the coffin, hammered by your weakness."

Yami did not know what to say. "I did…I couldn't have…I just…"

"It's all your fault! The Millennium Puzzle has abandoned you for this. It has favored me in this Duel. And I intend not to let it down. Draw!"

He swiped the card off the top of his deck and added it to his hand. He blinked rapidly to get the blood out of his eyes. They stung him awfully. He took his forearm and swiped it off just enough for him to see.

"I play Foolish Burial Goods!" he announced. "I send this trap to Graveyard from my deck." He shuffled his cards, and his spell gave the Citadel a fourth Spell Counter. "Next, I will play Fossil Dig, adding Souleating Oviraptor to my hand (Counters x5). Then, I play a Field Spell. Lost World which will give my Dinosaurs a much-needed bonus and a few nasty surprises for you, Pharaoh (Counters x6). But why wait for them? I summon Souleating Oviraptor!"

A creature with bright blue on its body came running out of the darkness. It hissed and snapped its beak at Yami.

ATK/1800 DEF/500

LV 4

Yuri pet the dinosaur's neck. "That will activate my Lost World's effect. When a Dinosaur is summoned to the field, a Jurassic Token gets placed on yours."

Yami jumped back in surprise when he saw the tan brown-spotted egg poof out of nowhere. (ATK/0 DEF/0)

"Now Soulstealing Oviraptor's effect will activate. When summoned, I can either add a Dinosaur to my hand or send it to the Graveyard. I will send another Giant Rex from my deck to the Graveyard. Then I will target your Jurassic Egg Token with Souleating Oviraptor's effect and destroy it, however, I will use my Lost World's effect to save your egg from Souleating Oviraptor's effect. In doing so, I will send a Baby Cerasaurus to my Graveyard, triggering its effect: When it gets sent to the Graveyard by an effect, I can Special Summon a Level 4 or lower Dinosaur from my deck. Behold, Megalosmasher X!"

A growl bellowed furiously from the shadows. Glowing blue eyes pierced the dark announcing the coming of Yugi's aquatic beast from the dawn of time. It came into the light and roared at Yami.

ATK/2000 DEF/0

LV 4

Yuri sniggered with a conceited smile on his face. "Oh, by the way. Thanks to my Lost World field, all monsters except Dinosaurs lose 500 attack points."

Yugi grimaced, stepping back when he realized his Sky Galloping Gaia the Dragon Champion was in great danger. His ATK was reduced to 2100.

"Hmm," said Yuri. "Still not enough for my monsters to take down your Dragon Champion. But no matter, I will use the Equip-Spell known as Raise Body Heat to increase my Grenosaurus' attack to twenty-three hundred. (Counters x7) Attack!"

Grenosaurus charged at the Dragon Champion, grabbing the flaming dragon by the neck and shook it violently before tossing them into the dark. Gaia bellowed in pain and his flaming dragon mount fell to the ground dead after the savage attack snapped its neck, its throat punctured by the dinosaur's sharp teeth.

Yami lost 300 points for that attack.

"That felt good," said Yuri. "Now it's time for Grenosaurus to inflict more pain on you. When he attacks and destroys a monster, I can detach an Xyz material from him and inflict one thousand points of damage to your Life Points."

Yami braced himself as Grenosaurus roared and lunged at him. He picked him up with his mouth and shook him violently, swaying his head from left to right. Yami's arms and legs swung back and forth like the boneless arms of a ragdoll. He screamed in agony, feeling rows of sharp teeth puncture his flesh.

Grenosaurus raised his head and smashed Yami onto the ground before bathing him in flames from his fire breath attack.

Yami shivered from horrid pain enveloping his body. His shirt was gone leaving him naked from the waist up. Blood painted his body; his face a mask of crimson like Yuri's.

Yami-6700 LP

Yuri-3600 LP

"Yuri…" Yami coughed, trying to get up. Grenosaurus spat and turned to walk away. "Yuri…don't…do this. I can still help you."

"I don't need your help anymore," Yuri retorted. "In fact, your help is what got us here in the first place. Enough talk. I will attack your face-down monster with my Neo Uraby!"

Neo Uraby screeched. The brown-black plume of feathers around its neck rose and shivered. It ran for the face-down monster and turned its body to make use of the double-headed axe blade on its tail.

With a clean slice, Neo Uraby cut the body of a man dressed in ornate yellow robes in half. He grunted and coughed blood before shattering into pieces.

"Now you're wide open!" said Yuri. "Megalosmasher X! Attack!"

"I do not think so!" Yami said, still reeling on the ground in agony. "The monster you attacked with your Neo Uraby was a Master of Illusion. When he is flipped face-up, his effect activates. At the cost of one monster on my field, I can Special Summon a Fusion Monster from my Extra Deck. I will offer my Metal Slime Token to bring forth Gaia Drake the Universal Force!"

Behind Yami, a bright golden light pierced the darkness. From the light emerged what appeared to be the final form of Gaia the Fierce Knight. A champion of the Warrior-Type monsters no doubt from his beautiful design. White Armor outlined in brilliant gold with spikes colored scarlet. His horse; a giant steed blessed to the champion by Rhimfaxi the Horse Goddesses, was colored black and armored all over with a color scheme matching that of its master.

Gaia Drake the Universal Force

ATK/3500 DEF/2800

LV 10

Yes, the field spell reduced his ATK by 500, but Gaia was still standing strong at 3000. None of Yuri's monsters dared to attack. But then, after Yuri set two cards face-down and ended his turn.

"Hold on," said Yuri. "Master of Illusion's effect specifically states that the monster who was Fusion Summoned by his effect must be destroyed."

Yami winced in agony. "You are r-right," he stuttered, shivering from the fiery pain that burned him. "But Gaia Drake the Universal Force cannot be destroyed by the effects of Effect Monsters, therefore he's here to stay."

He grunted and fell to his knees.

"You're hurt," said Yugi. "Better let me take over and rest."

"Are you sure Yugi? This will be very dangerous. We're in the Shadow Realm."

Yugi punched him in the back. "OW!" Yami cried.

"We've Dueled in the Shadow Realm before," said Yugi. "Let me take him on."

"If you say so, Yugi. Be careful."

"You just rest, Yami. I'll take care of him."

A flash of light blinded Yuri. He covered his eyes with his hand until it died down. When it subsided, he set it down and was baffled seeing Yugi take his place.

"Yugi," Yuri said. "Long time no see."

"Spare me the pleasantries whoever you are!" Yugi shouted as he drew his card. "I know for a fact you're not the real Yuri."

"Yeah, I believe you," Yuri countered. "Your delusions of friendship and magic always blind you to what is true. If you refuse to believe me, that's fine. Just do me a favor and hurry up with your turn."

"I will! The sooner I beat you, the sooner I can reclaim my Millennium Puzzle! I play Card of Sanctity, now we draw until we have six cards in our hands."

"Figures," Yuri said cringing. "You always draw Card of Sanctity when you're in a tight spot."

Yugi ignored him and proceeded. "Since I have no monsters and the field and you do, I can Special Summon from my hand, Oracle of the Sun. And then I summon Arcane Apprentice who I will use to perform a Synchro Summon. Behold, Arcanite Magician!"

Behind Yuri, an arcane halo formed, and from it emerged his new Synchro Monster. A mage wearing white robes patterned in grayish-blue wielding a long blue staff with a glowing green orb at the top.

ATK/400 DEF/1800 LV 7

"Those are some weak attack points," said Yuri. "But if there was one thing I learned during my first year at the Academy, it's that attack points don't matter."

"Nice try," said Yugi. "I know what you're trying to do. You're going to have to do better than that to convince me that you're Yuri. Still, I'm glad to see that even you know that a monster's attack points don't determine its strength. What my Arcanite Magician lacks for in attack, it makes up for in magic. When he is successfully Synchro Summoned, two Spell Counters are added to him, and for every Spell Counter my Arcanite Magician has, his attack points increase by one thousand."

"So that will raise his attack to twenty-four hundred!" Yuri shouted.

Yugi slid his thumb across his nose. "Indeed. And now I activate my face-down card, Magician's Navigation! From my hand, I can Special Summon my dear, dear friend. Dark Magician! And that's not all, Yuri. I will also use my Trap card to Special Summon, Dark Magician Girl!"

Yuri smiled warmly seeing the two monsters appear on the field. Dark Magician and his apprentice, Dark Magician Girl; two monsters who aided Yugi many times in deep situations. While happy he could contend with them at last, he felt sad. This was not the way he wanted to play against Yami and Yugi. Not in the Shadow Realm with their souls at stake. But despite the memories he had with Yugi at school, he could still not forgive the decisions he made that got them here.

No. Those days were long over. Yugi had to pay for his mistakes, and Yuri needed to go back home and rule; for his people needed him.

"You're in trouble now!" Yugi boasted, feeling confident that his next combo would win him the game. "I use the Spell known as Magical Excavation. By discarding two cards, I can add a Spell from my Graveyard to my hand. And I've chosen Polymerization! And I'll use it to combine Dark Magician Girl and Arcanite Magician to become the Supreme Arcanite Magician!"

(Counters x9)

Arcanite Magician and Dark Magician Girl held up their staves and touched their tips against one another. A bright flash of light followed the connection as the Arcanite Magician's staff allowed for Dark Magician Girl's soul to infuse withAcanite Magician to bless him with power. Her costume dispersed into balls of lights, as did her staff leaving her bare as birth. She closed her eyes, covering her breasts and sighed one last time until she became nothing more than a ball of energy.

The ball hovered into Arcanite Magician's robes. The robes began to glow with magical runes and small arcane circles that casted an ancient spell which transformed them into a more extravagant garment. The Arcanite Magician's robes became a set of magical armor and grew to enormous size. The armor was curved and colored black with dark blue trim, and decorated with green glowing balls on the pauldrons, helmet, gauntlets, and tasset. The staff also grew to immense size. Finally, a white cape flowed behind him, waving majestically behind him. The fusion was complete.

Supreme Arcanite Magician

ATK/1400 DEF/2800

LV 10

"What is that?" Yuri cried. "What have you done?"

"I've created a monster that will win me this Duel!" Yugi shouted. "Just like before, my Supreme Arcanite Magician will gain two Spell Counters increasing his attack points by two thousand, thereby totaling his attack points to thirty-four hundred!"

"Thirty-four hundred!? NO! NO! THIS CANNOT BE! I CAN'T STOP IT!"

"Oh yes," said Yugi. "And lastly, since my previous Arcanite Magician was sent to the Graveyard and had two Spell Counters on it, they get added to my Citadel, for a total of eleven Spell Counters. But I am far from done, whoever you are! I activate my Arcanite Magician's special ability. By removing a Spell Counter from him, I can select a card on the field and destroy it, however, thanks to my Citadel of Endymion, I can remove one of its Spell Counters instead. Therefore, my Supreme Arcanite Magician's attack remains at thirty-four hundred. Now the card I choose to destroy will be your Lost World card!"

Supreme Arcanite Magician pointed his staff at the Field Spell and destroyed it, much to Yuri's horror.

"OH NO!" Yuri cried when the heavenly knight emerged to the field. "NO!" He examined his hand and field frantically. "There must be something I can do?"

"Sorry to say, there isn't!" Yugi boasted. "Dark Magician, attack Grenosaurus with Dark Magic Attack!"

Dark Magician jumped into the air and spun his staff, launching a ball of black energy at Yuri's monster. Grenosauus bellowed and groaned before it shattered to pieces reducing Yuri to 3400 Life Points.

"Now, Gaia Drake the Universal Force! Attack his Neo Uraby!"

Gaia Drake's steed reared up and neighed. He charged at Yuri's dinosaur, impaling it through the neck with his staff. The dinosaur hissed and writhed on the lance and died. The attack leaving Yuri at 1700 Life Points.

"And now, Supreme Arcanite Magician! Attack his Megalosmasher X!"

The magician's attacks reduced Yuri to a mere 300 Life Points and did a number on his body. Steam billowed from his bare back. His shirt was gone, his black trousers torn. Magical burns on the back of his hands were glowing blue and trails of blood poured down the side of his chin, his mouth filled with the taste of iron.

"You don't have a hope in beating my monsters," Yugi proudly boasted. "You'd best do yourself a favor and surrender!"

Yuri spit out blood and wiped it from his chin and eyes. "I'm not going to."

Yugi looked at him in awe and confusion. He raised an eyebrow and felt respect for his opponent. "But don't you see the monsters I have on the field?" he asked. "Aren't you…you know, scared? It's hopeless for you."

"It may seem that way," Yuri winced, trying to stay on his feet. "But you always taught me never to surrender. You told me no matter how bleak things look; I should always trust in the Heart of the Cards."

Yugi's eyes widened. "The Heart of the Cards? You mean, you have faith in your deck?"

"Always have and always will." Yuri coughed. His knees buckled but he forced himself up.

"Maybe it's this place," said Yugi. "But I'm starting to believe it's really you, Yuri. The Heart of the Cards is a philosophy that I shared only with my closest friends. Only they seemed to understand its meaning."

"It's a benign and powerful force," Yuri replied. "It doesn't work for evil. You know that."

"I do," said Yugi. "But you're accusing me of things that are beyond my control."

"Beyond your control," Yuri mimicked. "It was common sense. It was about taking risks for the sake of the kingdom. That sometimes you have to commit a lesser evil to accomplish a greater good. Yes, the Ancient Beasts have a power that might make your fears into reality. But you have Zorc who is reality."

Yugi fell to his knees. "I just wanted to make the world a better place. We all did."

"Being lawfully good is the same as being wholly evil," said Yuri. "In your quest for peace, you denied my friends our gifts. You sided us with enemies because you believed we could hold hands and come together. Look at the consequences."

"You're saying I have to do bad things in order to maintain justice and peace!"

"There will never be peace. There will never be justice. So long as we remain our perverted, greedy, murderous selves, nothing will change, Yugi. Nothing! I draw!"

He looked at the card in his hand and smiled. "I Special Summon Gilasaurus from my hand. And since he was summoned this way, you can Special Summon a monster from your Graveyard."

"Very well," said Yugi. "I bring back Gaia the Dragon Champion!"

Yuri smiled at the knight when he returned. "For what good it will do you. I banish two Dinosaurs from my Graveyard to Special Summon Ultimate Conductor Tyranno!"

WHAM! WHAM!

Thunderous footsteps rocked the ground. The dark was pierced by the glowing body of a dinosaur, unlike anything Yugi had ever seen. Electricity surged through its spikes and sparked inside glowing orbs that decorated its body from the jaws to the tail.

Ultimate Conductor Tyranno

ATK/3500 DEF/3200

LV 10

"What power!" Yugi gasped. "That thing looks unstoppable!"

"And it will only get worse for you, Yugi. I discard my Megazowler to activate my Ultimate Tyranno's effect."

Ultimate Conductor Tyranno breathed heavily and let out a thunderous roar that forced all of Yugi's monsters into face-down defense position."

Yugi could not believe what had just happened. "What have you done?" he shouted. "My monsters have hidden."

"It happens when Ultimate Conductor Tyranno comes to the field," Yuri replied with a laugh. "And you're going to love this. I use Big Evolution Pill, sacrificing my Gilasaurus to Special Summon the original Ultimate Tyranno!"

ATK/3000 DEF/2200 LV 8

Yuri gave a soft, weak, but very joyful chuckle, realizing he was one attack away from beating the King of Games.

"Nice try, Yugi. You thought you could best me? Your silly legends. They die today. I've surpassed you, and now I'll prove it. When Ultimate Conductor Tyranno attacks, I inflict one thousand points of damage to your Life Points."

Ultimate Conductor Tyranno charged and smashed the face-down monsters into oblivion with its claws, feet, and tail. Every time one of Yugi's monsters was destroyed, Ultimate Conductor Tyranno zapped Yugi with ungodly amounts of electricity. They were so powerful, Yuri could see Yugi's skeletal structure through the glow of the volts like in a cartoon. He shrieked and bellowed, wobbling and shaking in such a rapid pace that it was almost comical to watch. In all, Yugi took 4000 points of damage, reducing his Life Points to 2700.

Ultimate Tyranno charged in next at Yuri's command, ready to finish the game at last and trap Yugi in the Shadow Realm forever.

"Yugi!" cried Yami. "Wake up! Wake up he's coming!" There was no response from him. The volts electrified him half to death. "I'm taking over, Yugi!"

Yami took control of Yugi's body and stood up.

"Welcome back," sneered Yuri. "Look at you Pharaoh. You have no cards on the field. Your back row is empty. There is nothing you can do to stop me."

Ultimate Tyranno turned, ready to whip Yami with his tail.

"I discard Kuriboh from my hand!" Yami shouted.

Yuri felt like someone attached an anchor to his heart and dropped it. "WHAT!"

BREEEEE! Kuriboh screeched and intercepted Ultimate Tyranno's attack reducing the damage he took to 0.

He saved himself.

"Fine!" shouted Yuri. "Go ahead! What are you going to do on your next turn? You will only have one card in your hand. You really think you can save yourself with just one card, Pharaoh!"

"One card is all I need to defeat you," said Yami. "All I need to do is draw the right monster, and I will have what it takes to finish you." He looked at his deck and sighed heavily. Easier said than done. It was still pretty full. The odds that the card he needed was far too low.

"Heart of the Cards…guide me."

He drew.

All was silent as Yami remained in place with his arm in the air, still clutching the card. Yuri's heart began to pound. What Yami was about to play determined whether or not he would go home and be with his friends again. To see the sunlight, breath the fresh mountain air, and ran through the green fields of Termnnia. Or, to remain trapped in this shadowy abyss for all eternity.

Yami looked at the card. "Yuri…you may deem me a traitor, but you will forever be my friend. This is going to be the hardest move I'll ever have to make."

"Huh?" Yuri felt like breaking out into sobs. He wanted his entire existence to end in that very spot. He was so close. So close to going home.

"I removed six Spell Counters from my Magical Citadel to summon forth the Master of the Keep. The Lord of all Magicians and Protector of the Magical Realms. I summon the legendary Endymion the Master Magician!"

A figure dressed in black armored robes trimmed in white gold and colored royal purple underneath sprang from the Citadel and joined Yami on the battlefield. On his back, a magical platform hovered, acting as a power source for the magician as well as a fine-looking piece of decoration.

Endymion, The Master Magician

ATK/2700 DEF/1700

LV 7

"This will finish you!" shouted Yami. "If summoned by offering my Spell Counters, Endymion lets me add a Spell Card from my Graveyard to my hand."

Endymion crossed his arms over his chest and muttered a spell that brought the card Yami desired to his hand. Yami held it up for Yuri to see. "I activate Riryouku! This card reduces the attack points of one of your monsters by half and adds those points to my Magician."

Ultimate Conductor Tyranno started glowing bright green, and Endymion's body radiated a fiery blue aura. Ultimate Conductor Tyranno bellowed in sickness as his ATK was reduced to a mere 1750. The other half was transferred to Endymion, increasing his ATK to 4450.

"Yugi…" Yuri whispered.

"I'm sorry," Yami wept. "Endymion, The Master Magician! Attack and silence the Ultimate Conductor Tyranno!"

Endymion growled and spun his staff, jumping into the air with a mighty bound. He pointed the staff at Ultimate Conductor Tyranno and conjured up a multi-layered arcane circle. It started to spin until it formed a magical violet-colored fireball and blasted both dinosaurs with a single blow.

A giant mushroom cloud erupted from the blast site. The grayish-brown clouds sparking with purple lightning.

Endymion landed back on the field and vanished when Yuri's Life Points hit 0. Yami gathered all his strength and fought the pain in his body to run into the cloud looking for Yuri.

"Yuri!" Yami called out to him. "Yuri!"

A weak moan answered him. As the cloud settled, Yami could see Yuri's broken body on the ground.

"Yuri!" Yami hurried towards him and knelt beside him. He picked him up and cradled him in his arms. "Yuri…what have I done to you?"

"You did it," Yuri groaned. "You passed the test. The Millennium Puzzle is yours."

Right after he said that the Millennium Item formed around Yami's neck. It sparkled in content, as if glad to be back with its master.

"I can get us both out of here," said Yami.

Yuri shook his head. "No. I couldn't leave this place even if I wanted to. I told you already. My body is broken. There is nothing for me in Termnnia." He started to heave in sadness. "But I thought maybe I could have a chance." He tried to smile. "Fool that I was. What hopes do I have in beating the King of Games in a Duel for the Millennium Puzzle?"

"Yuri, it just wasn't meant to be."

"I know," Yuri wept. He heaved again. "I want to see the sunshine again. To see the mountains rising high into the sky. To see the trees swaying in a summer breeze, cooling my body after a swim in the pond. It should be summertime in Termnnia, right?"

"It's almost fall," said Yami.

"So, the new semester at the academy starts. I would have liked to go back."

"You will," Yami sobbed. "Yuri…"

A light started to form behind Yami. He felt is sucking him in.

"NO!" Yami cried.

"No, I won't," Yuri said, trying to speak through his constant shivering and heaving. "This is my home now."

The shadows slithered beneath Yuri's body and tangled themselves around his limbs. "Take care of her," Yuri pleaded. "If you see her and bring her to Termnnia, tell her I love her."

The shadowy appendages started dragging Yuri into the ground. "NO YURI!" Yami shouted, trying to rip apart the appendages, but the harder he tried, the harder they bound themselves around Yuri. "LET HIM GO! PLEASE, LET HIM GO!"

Yuri went through the shadowy ground as though it were water.

"YURI!" Yami roared, pounding on the ground, sobbing and wheezing in a sorrowful and helpless tantrum. The ground became clear as glass; a final act of cruelty from the Shadow Realm, forcing Yami to look at Yuri as he delved further and further into the darkness. He saw the sorrow and the fear on Yuri's face before he faded away until only his glowing green eye could be seen until it's divine light, too, was swallowed by the darkness.

Crystal

Sleep my sweet little baby

Dream of the land of milk and honey.

Rest your weary little head

Close your beautiful eyes

And sleep my little baby

In this hour of sorrow and pain,

Of fire and destruction,

I will sing you my last lullaby

Sleep my sweet little baby

My love for you is endless

Keep me in your heart, always

And I will keep you in mine.

Sleep my little baby

In this hour of sorrow and pain

Of Fire and Destruction

I will sing you my last lullaby

Sleep now my baby

Fly high with the dragons

And lead these people

So poor and so frightened

Into the warm, loving, light

Sleep my little baby

In this hour of sorrow and pain

Of fire and destruction

I will sing you my last lullaby

May you find friendship in the road you walk

May these angels guard you and keep you

Safe from the night

And love just as I

Sleep my little baby

In this hour of sorrow and pain

Of fire and destruction

I will sing you my last lullaby

Sleep now my little baby

For now, I leave you with the Gods

Crystal's eyes spread open and darted from left to right. Dawn was slowly rising outside the window. The light of the morning sun washed the Atlantic in orange with a million sparkles. The sky was awash with pink and orange mixing with the metallic blue of the waning night.

"What?" she thought to herself.

"What indeed," said Amistad, laying next to her in her bed. "I didn't know you could speak other languages."

"Other languages?" Crystal asked, sitting up and wrapping her arms around her legs. "What are you saying?"

"I'm saying, you were singing in your sleep, babe." Amistad petted the back of her head. "What's happening to you, Crystal? First, these nightmares keep you up, and now you sing in an unknown language. You need help, Crystal."

"No one can help me," Crystal said, throwing her blanket off herself. She got out of bed and walked to the window. "I appreciate your support, you jerk."

"Jerk?" Amistad said flabbergasted by her remark. "Wha-what did I do?"

"I need help?" Crystal scoffed, wrapping her arms around herself to shield against the morning chill. "What are you saying? I'm crazy?"

"No, no, baby, that's not what I meant!" he buried his face in his hands. "Oh, God, I don't know how to say things anymore. This is all so confusing."

"I'm sorry," said Crystal. "Can you just…get dressed and go, Amistad? I want to be alone, today."

"Oh, but, you said you wanted to get breakfast."

"I've changed my mind. I'm not in the mood. That woman who sings that song is Yuri's mother."

"Paula?" Amistad asked.

Crystal shook her head. "His real mother."

"Real…mother?" Amistad asked. "What are you talking about? None of this makes any sense. Look, we'll go out for some breakfast today. We'll head to the central island. We'll go shopping, have a game of Duel Monsters…."

"I'm not in the mood, baby," Crystal said sadly. "Not today. Besides, I can't do all that. Jacob's funeral is today, remember. And…. he's not here."

"Yuri?" asked Amistad. "You mean he still hasn't responded to any of this?"

"Not a word," said Crystal. She looked at the pendant around her neck. She opened it so Passionate Duelist could play in the music box.

"I'm sick, Amistad. Sick of waiting. Sick of worrying. Sick of thinking about him. Yuri, I fear….is a part of my life that I have to let go."

"But he's your friend!"

"He left me, Amistad! He left me without a word. He doesn't make any effort to contact me despite all I've done to keep in touch with him and keep this friendship alive. Do you know what friendship is, Amistad? You should know, that's what your name means."

Amistad sat quietly in bed, watching Crystal's face burn red in frustration.

"Friendship is something special that one person can't own," Crystal said. "It's something two people share. And if I'm the only one who gives a fuck to maintain this friendship, then what the hell is the point!? These nightmares. Maybe they're happening because I'm just so obsessed with him. I feel sick every morning I wake up. Sick with worry. Sick with anxiety."

Tears rolled down her cheeks. "What kind of a friend just ignores you like that, Amistad? A pretty pathetic one. All these months without a word. Maybe my life is trying to tell me something, baby. That it's time I…let him go and move on. I can't keep doing this to myself anymore."

Amistad sat up in bed. "Crystal, after everything you two have been through, you're just going to end your friendship?"

"Why not? He's not losing any sleep over me," said Crystal. "So why the hell should I? It's over, Amistad. It's fucking over. From this point forward, Yuri Montgomery can go fuck himself."

She took the pendant off her neck, and held it tightly in her grip.

"Crystal don't!" shouted Amistad, quickly realizing Crystal's intent. "Don't do it!"

Crystal stood where she was. The musical necklace swaying back and forth from its golden chain in her tight grip.

"Crystal, don't do it. Please. At least give it to Paula."

Crystal did not say a thing or move. She was frozen rock solid. She set her arm down and walked away from the window, tossing the pendant furiously at her dresser drawer.

"I have a lot to do today, Amistad. Could you please leave."

"Okay, I will," said Amistad, tossing the bedsheets off. He struggled to find his clothes. "But don't expect me to come back."

"What? Don't be like that!" Crystal turned to look at him.

"I love being with you, Crystal, but lately all you've done is push me away and ignore me. If I bore you so much, then let me know so I can stop wasting my time and yours."

Crystal shook her head. "Amistad, don't! My ill feelings have nothing to do with you, I promise. I just need some time to think."

"I know that," said Amistad. "I just want to help you."

Crystal smiled. "You're so sweet. But these are issues I need to solve on my own. Even the best of friends need to give each other their space, baby."

"I guess," said Amistad. "But, if that's the way you feel, I'll keep my distance. Not for you, but for myself. When you're feeling better, call me. I can't keep doing this, Crystal."

"I'm sorry," said Crystal. "I hope you can forgive me."

"We'll see," said Amistad. He got dressed and left without kissing Crystal goodbye. As he headed out the door he stopped. "If you need anything…."

Crystal nodded. "I know," she said, and Amistad stepped out.

"Sorry," she whispered.

She got dressed and attended the funeral for Mr. Montgomery later that morning. Since he was a soldier in the Vietnam War, Taps was played for him on a bugle as four soldiers fired their M1's into the air for his service. The sun was blanketed by a veil of gray clouds as the coffin was lowered into the earth. Crystal was chosen to open a cage with Paula to let out a flock of doves symbolizing Jacob's accent into heaven.

Once the mass was over, the guests proceeded into their cars, off to the Montgomery estate for breakfast. In the family room, where she and Yuri used to play as children, Crystal sat alone on a couch unable to feel anything. Sadness. Rage. Worry. Frustration. A miasma of ill feelings polluted her soul.

Paula approached the family room, now clothed in a white dress. Her brown hair tied into a bun.

"Are you all right, honey?" Paula asked, handing Crystal a plastic plate of crackers and cheese, to which Crystal politely refused.

"I was hoping Yuri would be here," she said.

Paula bit her bottom lip. She knew where Yuri was, but she swore an oath to Yami Yugi not to tell anyone of Yuri's birthright to the Diamond Throne in Termnnia. It hurt her greatly to know that Yuri was out there in that other world, not knowing about the fate of Jacob, a man who had cared for him since he was a baby. Could she still call Jacob his father? She did not know. It was hard to do so now that it was discovered who Yuri's actual parents were. A beautiful woman from a race long forgotten and a powerful mage sent from the Divines to aid the world.

But it hurt a great deal more seeing Crystal in her current state. Confused. Anxious. Worried. Not knowing a thing about the fate of her dearest friend had to be very painful, she imagined.

"Yuri will come back someday," said Paula. "Just not today."

"It's been too long," said Crystal. "Not a word from him, Ms. Paula. Do you really not know where he could have gone?"

"No, beloved. I do not know. But, his pendant. He will come back for it, no doubt. You still have the musical pendant he gave you, do you not?"

"I didn't bring it with me," said Crystal. "I forgot."

"Well, that pendant was Yuri's pride and joy. He would not part with it for anything. But he gave it to you as a promise. A promise that he would return to us. And he will. When he does, however, we can both give him a piece of our minds for making us worry so much."

"Yeah, I look forward to that," said Crystal. "I hope he and Ren come back at the same time."

The hour of the reading of Mr. Montgomery's will came at last. To Crystal's surprise, they called her upstairs as well. Paula and the children were led to the upstairs office by Jacob's estate attorney and Crystal followed after she had herself a quick sip of tea from the kitchen.

The attorney began to read the Will out loud from behind Jacob's work desk. Large sums of money were divided amongst the children, Kathy and Cindy, and the little one Andrew. Buzz, the eldest son, was placed in charge of the Duel Disk manufacturing as he requested from his father years prior to his death.

And then came Crystal's turn.

She was given ownership of Phobos Corp.

"Wh-what!" Crystal shouted.

Patty

Patty arrived at the Golden Clock Square which lay at the foot of Phobos Towers. She checked her watch and was pleased to see that she was just in time. She found a seat by the clock fountain at the center of the square. There was already a large gathering of Duelists examining their Duel Disks and trading cards with one another with hopes of getting a slight edge against the competition.

"Patty!" someone called out.

Patty was so nervous that he almost jumped. She had to keep her mouth clamped to keep a scream from coming out. Marco, the boy who sponsored Yuri for the Millennium Tournament was running for her. "Hey, there you are," he said happily. "I had a feeling I'd find you first here. Isn't this great, Patty? Look around you. All losers. This tournament is going to be a piece of cake for you."

"Yeah, I sure hope so."

"You hope so?" Marco said with a laugh. "Come on, where's the fiery-hot confidence you had months ago? So, who are we gonna beat first?"

Patty placed her hands on her hips and scoffed. Marco couldn't be any more right. "I dunno. Like you said. All losers. I'm not at all too excited by this competition. But, if it means Dueling in the European Grand Prix, count me in."

"That's my girl," Marco said, admiring her attire. Her hair was formed into two large pigtails, mimicking the hairstyle of Margot Robbie's portrayal of Harley Quinn in the movie Suicide Squad. The tips of each one were highlighted in hot pink and tied with pink silk ribbons. Marco cautiously peered at her lower body, for her ensemble made that part stand out the most. Short denim shorts. Could he even call them that? This girl had no dignity whatsoever...He liked that.

He then looked to her socks. They didn't match. One was white and the other was black both of them clasped plastic garters with a heart-shaped ring in the middle. The left was colored baby blue and the right was pink. Her belted boots went up to her knees, and she was covered in a black, long-sleeved crop top with a useless hood on the back to complete her look.

"You're such a thot," he commented nervously.

Patty looked at him as though let out a racial slur. "Yeah, and proud of it! Don't judge me, asshole."

"Whoa, Whoa, I wasn't!" Marco said waving his hands about. "Be yourself, girl. That's the message these days with you pride types, right?"

Max was scurrying right next to her. The little bell on his tag jingled with each tiny step he made. He barked with excitement and wagged his tail when he saw the rest of Patty's friends approaching the fountain to join them. Tyson, Carter, Nick, Natalya, and Sabrina, who seemed to be jumping with each step she took. Carter was coming arm-in-arm with another young man.

"Hey, Max," Tyson said. He got down on both knees and pet him and scratched his ears. "How you been, boy?"

"Patty!" Natalya chimed. "Loving that new look. What are we trying to say here? Teacher's pet? Prison fodder? Bouncy-breasted Instagram slut?"

Patty knew she was going to get flack from Natalya for that. Natalya wasn't too pleased to know that Patty was making more than 65k every month thanks to her and Instagram. And not to mention the 'generous' donations she received for her livestreams on Twitch, wearing short t-shirts that showed off her cleavage. In short, Natalya hated that Patty was getting rich doing nothing but posting photos of herself in tight thongs and teasing her contributors with raunchy cosplay while she was stuck making two thousand a month working hard at the Ruby Dragon. It made Natalya rather spiteful over the past few months and her respect for Patty dwindled like a dying candle.

"I'm sure you'll make a quick buck or two shaming yourself in that outfit," Natalya added.

Patty smacked her knuckles against her hips and leaned forward. "Oh, ha, ha, ha," she said sarcastically, tilting her head from side-to-side. Her pigtails flailing wildly. "And what's your motif, Nattie? The ex-wife of the Hamburglar?" She pointed at Natalya's shirt colored white with black horizontal stripes.

Sabrina patted Natalya's back. "Don't be so hard on her, Nattie. Besides, everybody is cosplaying as something out here. She looks normal by comparison. Look, there's a girl over there dressed like the Witchblade. That guy is dressed as Zangief!"

"Ew," Natalya said, looking away. "He's not fit enough to be dressing like that."

"It gets worse," said Patty. "Look at that guy in the hot dog stand over there. He's going to Duel dressed like Sailor Moon."

Sabrina laughed and pointed at another cosplaying Duelist. "Oh, look at that girl over there by the palm trees. She's cosplaying as Elizabeth from Seven Deadly Sins. Oof, look at that skirt. She better hope there isn't a breeze."

Natalya laughed. "Okay, okay. Gonna play that way, huh? I'm sure it's going to be lots of fun kicking your bubble butt out of the finals."

"You can count on me to be kicking her out of the tournament first," Carter said coming out of the crowd with another young man. "Guys," Carter said, putting his arm around the boy. "This is the one whom I've been telling you about. This is Brandon."

"You gotta get to the finals to kick me out of here," Patty sneered as she raised her Duel Disk. "Diabolos and Zera the Mant will be more than happy to send you packing."

And those four other guys, too. I do hope they don't cause too much damage.

"At least Natalya chose to dress with a little decency," Carter said sliding his palm down his forehead. "Why are you dressing up like that, Patty? It's not cool."

"Pfft, decency?" Patty chortled. "I dunno the meaning of the word."

"You clearly don't, " Carter said rather cross.

Marco however, felt like his insides were melting. "Marry me... " he whispered as he bit his lower lip. She's so hot!

Patty gave a wave of her hand. "Oh, you guys, lighten up, will you? Besides, this saves me the time of finding opponents to Duel against. If you haven't noticed, all eyes are on me."

She was right. A lot of heads turned as they passed by the group. Patty listened closely and heard many love-struck Duelists pointing at her and swooning over her.

"Oooh man, I wanna Duel her."

"Back of, dude. She's mine! I'm challenging her first."

"She's Yuri's girl, though. Don't underestimate her. She's probably got some of the rarest cards in the game thanks to him."

"It doesn't matter. Her Diabolos is mine!"

Patty chuckled. "I rest my case. Huh?" Max was barking at her heels. "Somebody wanna watch him for me?" she said. "I'm gonna get me a drink."

"Oh, I will," Sabrina said, kneeling so Max could run into her hands. "He's so tiny!" she squealed and rubbed her cheek on his head. "Aw, so cute!"

The jumbotron on the front of the Phobos Corp Tower suddenly turned on without warning.

"Oh, here we go," Patty said when the screen displayed none other than Brett Martinetti. After all this time, he was back.

"Greetings, Duelists," he said, politely nodding his head. "And welcome to Phobos Island, the Heart, and Soul of our little paradise, Aquarius. But more importantly, welcome to the qualifiers of the European Grand Prix, the most exclusive Duel Monsters tournament in the world. I see you've all received your invites and have your Duel Disks ready, so I'll cut to the chase. Before the tournament begins, I thought I'd let you all know what you're in for, in case you want to back out now, for here is the most important rule of the tournament. Before each Duel, each player must ante up their rarest card, and the loser of the Duel must forfeit that card to the winner."

"Forfeit my Cosmo Queen!" Sabrina shouted.

"Wait, what?" Carter said, looking around in confusion. "No one said anything about anteing any cards. What the hell is going on here?"

Carter grew nervous. Brandon walked up to him and held his hand. "It's going to be okay," he whispered softly in his ear. "I'll know you'll do fine."

"But if I lose...I could lose...Kairyu-Shin. My Fortress Whale. Or that super-rare card you gave me for the tournament."

Patty smirked. "So what? I'm not scared. Taking cards away from these losers is gonna be fun."

Brett's speech continued after he gave a nasty chuckle, hoping to psyche out some of the players below.

"Now, if none of you have the guts to lose your precious cards, I suggest you back out now. Play your hardest because only one Duelist will reign supreme and earn their spot in the coveted European Grand Prix. Once the skies are lit up with fireworks, the qualifiers will officially begin. Alright, Aquarius. It's Time to Duel!"

Colorful puffs of smoke blew up in the sky. The Duelists held up their fists to the skies and cheered. This was the moment they've all been waiting for.