Part one of Yami's mental overload: Yugi had been going up against tyrannical Silents and literal dragons of destruction for a long time now.
Part two: Now Yugi was embroiled in a plot of two separate archetypes, a domain's safety, AND the Lockdown happening around him.
Part three: Yugi had managed to get together a whole ARMY, just to try and talk the Silents down. Yugi said he made friends with most of them, but Yugi's definition of a friend was quite different from Yami's.
Part four: There was still so much about this wishing well that Yami didn't understand. Apparently, it was cruel? Maybe?! Either way, it really was the reason the two were separate at the moment.
Part 5: Yugi was right… beside the Pharaoh. He was his brother.
And that's around the time Yami's brain stopped functioning for the time being. He knew if he didn't move on, he'd be stuck on those thoughts all day. So Yami forced himself to, as Junior and Grandma Blue-Eyes put it, focus on the present.
"Are they really going to be ok here?" Yugi asked the others as they backed away from the cave. The dragons just moved Silent Android deeper into the cave. They made sure the monster was leaning against a sturdy column, then they laid some heavy rocks on the Silent to hopefully trap it.
"You're still worried for their safety. Even after that Silent tried to kill you?" Yami asked. Yugi's only answer was a slight nod.
The group didn't want to leave Silent Android behind to reboot (as it seemed to try about every ten minutes). With the Silent's ability, even with their low ATK and DEF, they could easily cause a great deal of trouble. But the family also couldn't lug the Silent up the mountain with them. So the group decided they had to snare the android somewhere, just until everything was settled. They knew the android's ability would stop it from being crushed by the rocks. But they hoped since it had such low ATK, it wouldn't be able to push it off.
"Are we ready to proceed?" Grandma Blue-Eyes asked after the dragons left the cave. She then mentally added. 'I mean everyone, Yugi. No sneaking off in some vain attempt to protect the rest of us.'
Thanks to the family's partnership with Grandma Blue-Eyes and the two half-puzzles enhancing the connection, the Mutos could mentally send her thoughts, and she could answer. This was only a two-way street, though. None of the Muto's could read each other's minds, even if they could all hear Grandma Blue-Eyes. (And Yami wasn't at all worried by the fact he couldn't hear Yugi's mind anymore.) Grandma Blue-Eyes also had to focus on a specific Muto to listen to their surface-level thoughts.
Yugi gave a nervous smile to Grandma Blue-Eyes and then grabbed onto Yami's hand. They both ran to Junior, who was still near the front of the cave. He didn't seem to be listening to the others as he was fidgeting with something.
"Before we go, we'd best figure out how to shoot this," Junior said as he held out Silent Android's blaster. He then saw his sons coming near and made sure the blaster was pointed at the ground.
"I say we should leave that thing behind," Yui said. She was nearby picking what she could of the herbs they used to patch the dragons' wings. "The paste these herbs can make won't do much good if we shoot ourselves."
"Oh, there will be no random shooting. I don't care how sci-fi or magical this gun is. No one but me will be handling it." Junior said as he gave the side-eye to his sons. Yami absolutely wanted to stay away from the blaster, but Yugi seemed more interested in the weapon.
When Yui insisted on leaving the blaster again, Junior argued. "The dragons said it themselves. We, as humans, can't hurt the monsters here. We need some way to defend ourselves."
Junior made the boys back up as he pointed the blaster down the mountain and away from the family, but nothing happened when he pulled the trigger. He tried again, but the blaster didn't budge; it didn't even make a sound when the trigger was pulled.
"I think that's because it's the Silent's soul item," Yugi said as he sidled closer, that same fascination on his face. "I remember Silent Magician talking about them. She had a crystal staff, and once it was fixed, she was able to teleport it to her si-." Yugi's eyes then widened as a purple aura started coming off the blaster.
Dad immediately dropped the blaster and backed up, pulling the boys with him. But before the blaster hit the ground, it was gone. Only an afterglow to show it was even there. Yugi then pulled both to the ground.
"Everyone, get away from the cave entrance!" Yugi shouted. "Silents can summon their items back to themselves!"
Truth be told, Yami could only hear the first part of Yugi's words as everything else was drowned out by gunfire from the depth of the cave.
Yami couldn't see much as he was more focused on crawling away from the cave entrance. Still, he heard as many blaster bolts echo off the rock walls, either Silent Android trying wildly to unbury themself or something much worse. Yami knew Grandpa and Yui were on the opposite side of the cave. Yami prayed that they weren't in the line of fire. The only other hint he had of what was going on was frantic dragon roars. Then at the side of his eye, he saw a blur of purple and blue.
Yami glanced over Junior, who had kept Yugi and Yami close to the ground as they crawled, to see Dark Magician fly to the mouth of the cave. Before Yami could scream for him, the spirit spun his scepter, and a magical barrier appeared in front of him. He used the magic to block bolts and send them right back into the cave.
The shots ricocheted around the cave, but Dark Magician seemed to take this into account as all shots stayed in the tunnel. Then the firing stopped as the cave began to creak and roar. Yami could barely make out the following beeps of Silent Android as the cave collapsed on the spirit.
Red-Eyes ran over and collected the three. Yami finally could look across the cave, and he sighed in relief. Grandma Blue-Eyes and Zara were huddled far from where the entrance once was. The two uncurled to reveal Yui and Grandpa. All this was done to the echoing crashes of the cave, bouncing off the mountain.
"That's going to attract attention." Junior groaned.
"At least Silent Android won't get out," Yugi mumbled, but the way he looked so worried at the collapsed cave made Yami almost feel bad. But once again, it was only "almost."
"Their ability won't let them be damaged by anything other than ATK, right?" Yami tried to comfort Yugi. "They'll probably just be stuck in there until we can dig them out after this is all over, or one of those domain resets you told us about happens."
"My back." Grandpa's groan immediately got the two's attention.
The two ran over to Grandpa as he tried to hobble to his feet. Grandpa had always complained about his back, but even Yami knew this was bad when Grandpa kept cringing in pain. They also didn't have Vivian Wong to fix him this time.
"Get these humans out of the open!" Grandma Blue-Eyes ordered the other dragons.
Zara nodded and pointed up the mountain. There was a recess in the mountainside that was hidden thanks to hanging roots from the trees above. Yami wouldn't have even noticed it if it wasn't for Zara pointing it out. Yami hoped no other monsters would see it either.
Junior grabbed his sons as Dark Magician assisted Yui and Grandpa, even levitating Grandpa when his back wouldn't allow him to do more than stumble. Yui also tried to help, but she ended up having to restrain a coughing fit.
Junior ensured everyone was tucked as far back as the recess would allow, Dark Magician protectively at the family's side. The dragons stayed in the open, even purposefully being noisy as they went in a different direction from the alcove. Then the Muto's heard Grandma Blue-Eyes's thoughts as she spoke to the other dragons.
"We will begin our trek up the mountain on that very obvious path. It is in the opposite direction from the family but still goes up. Since only I can fly, we will remain on the ground and be the targets for any monster that the cave-in attracts. If there is no one, we will reconvene. If hostile, the humans have a better vantage point to warn us."
The family watched as the dragons traveled up the mountain path. It was many tense minutes before Dark Magician raised his hand. He pointed to a collection of trees right next to the three dragons' track to get up the hill. Yami didn't notice anything strange, but both the magician and Junior seemed to see something.
The dragons paused in their mountain climb. Grandma Blue-Eyes was the closest to the offending trees. After getting the warning from Junior's mind, she slowly lifted her wings as if to fly. But then she beat them down, kicking up a large gust of wind. With the foliage being pushed back, the other could see figures moving amongst the trees. It was unclear what they were exactly, but they at least seemed smaller than the dragons. The unknown number of them was what made Yami hold his breath.
Once the threat was identified, Yugi quietly reminded the group that most Silents had sided with peace earlier. This was likely either low-leveled inhabitants of the domain or one of the good Silents.
"But will those 'good' Silents know we are with them?" Yami whispered.
Dark Magician got the group's attention. He pointed to the trees again with a shake of his head. It was then Yami saw flashes of black, yellow, and grey fur. Not the blue and white of the Silent archetype. Whether through the Mutos or her own sight, Grandma Blue-Eyes recognized that these monsters weren't Silents either. She turned to the still injured dragons and made them step back. She then stood as tall as she could and roared.
"It is no use to hide! I am Blue-Eyes White Dragon, the most powerful non-effect monster and spirit partner to the Nameless Pharaoh. My companions and I are simply moving through this land. We wish for no trouble, but we will not have shadows following us. Show yourself!" She roared.
Her roar echoed off the mountain. As it disappeared, the forest fell quiet. Everyone held their breaths as padded footsteps came from the bushes. Then they paused.
"Last warning, show yourself-!"
Four wolf-sized beast-type monsters leaped from the bushes and attacked Grandma Blue-Eyes. Their jaws clamped tightly over the dragon's scales. Zara was the quickest to act as she swatted three of them off. Grandma Blue-Eyes then knocked the last one off with little effort, despite how tightly it seemed to have latched to her.
The beasts stayed slumped on the ground. This, plus the fact Grandma Blue-Eyes seemed uninjured, just surprised, led Yami to think these monsters had much less ATK than either dragon. But despite the ease the dragons fought them off with, more growling came from the bushes. Red-Eyes finally got to the two. The three dragons made a wall to stop any more monsters from leaving the foliage and potentially running towards the family.
"What do those monsters want? I doubt any of the domain monsters are siding with the Silents." Yugi whispered. "With this domain's limit for citizenship being at 1500 ATK, I don't think any of them are stronger than the dragons."
"Maybe we're in their territory?" Yami tried. "The only race of duel spirit that has come out so far is beast-types."
"I don't know duel monsters well, but I don't think even magical animals would be this territorial," Junior whispered.
"Most of the monsters I met were sentient enough to talk or at least understand speech," Yugi said as his gaze stayed on the unmoving dogs."Do you think something's controlling them? Like a Change of Heart spell?"
The family bristled at that thought and quickly sent it mentally over to Grandma Blue-Eyes. She nodded to seemingly nothing. She then watched the movement in the trees for a few moments until she lunged forward and pulled back a struggling beast monster.
"Cover me! But no killing blows or breath attacks! We are sending no spirits to the Graveyard!" Grandma Blue-Eyes ordered the other dragons.
Zara and Red-Eyes defended Grandma Blue-Eyes as she pulled back and tried to interrogate the still snarling spirit. The beast still fought wildly in her grip, even with the dragon's teeth mere inches from its head. The group couldn't hear her whispered words but felt her thoughts. This monster didn't seem to be conscious of its actions.
"Something is wrong," Yugi whispered.
The group began looking for a cause. Magic or a trap, maybe. As they did, Yami shifted uncomfortably in place. He felt useless as the dragons did all the defending. He was sure the others in his family felt the same, but they could do very little to help as humans. Yugi had once set traps in this world, but he said it took time and energy that they now needed to save. And with no weapons from this world, they were forced to sit, watching out for any other dangers.
"Another one!" Yui pointed as a blur of red fur shot out from higher on the mountain.
Zara tried to smash the beast before it could get to the other dragons, but the spirit snakes through her claws. It then pivoted and ran towards Red-Eyes, with Zara still chasing it. It used the thick trees and the dragons' hulking size to its advantage as it twisted and dodged. It managed to get both dragons' eyes on it.
"Know a trap when I see one," Grandpa said.
"Grandma Blue-Eyes, things aren't looking right-" Junior began when the family then heard the distinct crack of tree roots above them.
Dark Magician immediately leaped from the alcove and fired a blast from his scepter, straight at the top of the alcove's overhang. In a plume of smoke, a dog threw itself at Dark Magician. Two more dog creatures followed this, each snarling and foaming as they charged the trapped family in the alcove. Yui grabbed on to Yami and Yugi as Junior stood in front. But before the dogs could get anywhere, another arcane attack threw the dogs off their feet. Three smaller shots followed and hit each precisely in their heads. The dogs laid motionless after that.
Dark Magician, like the dragons, didn't seem to be too hurt, but he was no longer floating. Yami wanted to help the spirit when Grandpa yanked him back into the nook. Yami then saw all eyes were still on the knocked-out dogs.
"Um, what are they doing?" Yugi asked.
The three dogs somehow staggered to their feet, like their limbs were on strings. No snarls followed this time. Dark Magician prepared to attack again, but the dogs ran right past him and away from the humans. They instead turned into what looked like glowing masses of energy and jumped into the air. A red, spiral-shaped portal appeared where the dogs jumped.
"Stop them! Those dogs are XYZ summoning Sumo King Dog!" The family heard Red-Eyes roar. They then frantically looked to Yami and Yugi for a translation, but neither boy could answer. This was not the moment to ask what in Ra's radiant light an ik-seez was.
Red-Eyes had noticed the family's predicament, but that was the exact moment the beast he was chasing earlier ripped into his injured wing. The other dragons were occupied with their own problems as the rest of the shadows in the trees swarmed them.
The family knew the alcove wasn't safe anymore and began climbing out with Dark Magician defending their escape. Yami found himself the slowest as he skidded back into the cavity when he tried to climb after the others. Yami's bodily static had mostly disappeared with Yugi around. But now that Yami was attempting to run, it returned with a vengeance. Every movement felt like he had to fight through gel.
The red portal grew its brightest. The Pharaoh blinked back the flash as out came a massive black and gold dog. It was bigger than Yami and seemed quite excited to use that size difference. Yami realized just as this King Sumo Dog did how stuck the Pharaoh was. The dog didn't hesitate as it wildly launched itself at the alcove.
Yami barely scrambled to put his back to the wall when the beast's path was blocked. Dark Magician threw himself in between the two and spun his scepter. The dog bashed into his magical barrier, throwing Dark Magician to the side. Yui then grabbed Yami and yanked him to his feet and out of the alcove.
Yami was led by Yui as she ran up the hill away from the beasts. Yami tried to keep up but found his movements still marred by static. Higher up the slope was Junior and Yugi being the shoulders for Grandpa to lean on. The three weren't much faster than Yami and Yui.
"That thing has a higher ATK than you!" Junior had looked back down to see Dark Magician still fighting Sumo King Dog.
How Junior knew how much ATK the monster had, Yami didn't have time to question. The Pharaoh could only stare as the dog shattered Dark Magician's barrier. It then tackled the mage to the ground and kept him pinned. Dark Magician managed to shoot more magic attacks out from his trapped hands, but Sumo King Dog came out uninjured this time.
Yami yanked himself from Yui's grasp. He refused to run away when his card partner was in peril. It wasn't just that Dark Magician was a special card. Dark Magician was Yami's stalwart companion through everything. The Pharaoh was NOT going to leave him. He just couldn't get his body to move fast enough.
You know very well how to rid yourself of the static. Stop fighting yourself.
It was a cold thought, a thought that carried a chill. And for the first time since back with Seto, Yami embraced the stinging bite. And sure enough, as it spread, Yami felt his body respond immediately to his wants. He was in control of this crumbling form again, and he wasn't going to abandon his friend.
"Yami, stop!" Yugi yelled as Yami started racing down the mountain. And this did actually make Yami stop. Yugi was the one voice that could have possibly done it, but Yami still wasn't going to sit by.
Yami began looking around for an idea or something he could use. He had always been good at using his environment. His first shadow games were proof enough of that. As his eyes roamed for answers, he found himself looking at Junior. The man was staring down at the fight, not moving Grandpa to safety but not going to help Dark Magician. Yami's glance then became a glare. The Pharaoh recognized Junior's expression; it was that same timid hesitation from seemingly so long ago. While it might have been more than justified here, Yami wasn't going to stand for it when Dark Magician was in danger. An icy memory then jumped to Yami. Junior had hurt Dark Magician earlier, meaning for whatever reason, he had a higher ATK.
"Junior!" Yami yelled as he yanked off two big roots. He then tossed one to Junior. He caught it just in time to see Yami run back towards the fight.
"Yami!" The family yelled. Yugi even tried to go after him. But he was forced by Grandpa to stay put.
Yami didn't think he could actually do anything to the beast. But that didn't stop him from kicking off the hill and smashing the root over the mutt's head. The way the root broke with no scratch on the spirit was proof of just how little power a human had here. But, the attack had done its job. As soon as the root split, the giant monster turned from Dark Magician to snarl at Yami.
Yami started to back away, the dog following him step for step. He could almost smell its rancid breath when Sumo King Dog was violently thrown to the side.
Junior had used his root to bash the dog in the side of its head, doing visibly more than Yami's attack. It looked like Junior was about to grab Yami to run when Sumo King Dog righted itself and growled at Junior. Yami felt a new bloodlust from Junior as his crimson eyes narrowed.
Junior threw himself onto Sumo King Dog and clung to its back. He clawed his way to the dog's face, equaling the monster's growls and vicious slashes. The beast tried to shake Junior off but couldn't reach him as Junior did, as Red-Eyes had commented earlier, real damage.
Yami looked on with growing interest. A voice in the back of his head told him he should be worried, but why? This was fascinating to watch. Humans shouldn't fight like that. He had heard Junior was a fighter and had seen some of it in the gas station gunfight, but this wasn't a human opponent. This was a massive monster. Yet Junior was still holding his own and then some. Sumo King Dog was even becoming so desperate it began backing towards the cliff that led down to the dragons.
"Solomon! The cliff!" Yui screamed.
Junior saw the ledge a few steps away and yelled to Dark Magician. The mage nodded and raised his staff to point at the mess of dog and human. Junior then threw himself off, making sure to kick Sumo King Dog when he lept. This made the spirit take the wrong step and tumble down, right into the warring dragons.
Junior's fall was then caught by Dark Magician's power. Yami, being closest, pulled Junior back up the cliff. He had barely gotten Junior to solid ground when they heard Red-Eyes's roar.
Red-Eyes had been trying to break towards the family ever since he saw the XYZ summons. He was ready when Sumo King Dog fell down. He made sure to be much less gentle with this monster as he crushed it into submission. This seemed to be the last beast as there was no more movement in the trees. All that was left was the gasps of the humans and dragons.
"The beasts are down!" Grandma Blue-Eyes roared. "Red-Eyes Black Dragon, you and I search the surrounding area. Zara, watch the family and the beasts. We will NOT be retaken by surprise like that!"
The dragons separated, and Yami wiggled out of Junior's death hug.
Up the mountain, Dark Magician had made his way to Grandpa, Yui, and Yugi. He was slumped against his staff as he breathed heavily. Yugi tried to help him, but the mage waved him away, still putting his weight on his staff. Yami was about to run to Dark Magician when he was tugged back.
"What in the world was that?!" Junior snapped as he held Yami by his shoulders. Yami tried to pull away from him, but Junior's grip tightened.
When Junior didn't let go, Yami sighed. "It saved Dark Magician and got you to help fight."
"Me! If you haven't noticed, we are up against true monsters! You know how stupid that was!?"
Yami felt as his chest tightened with a chilling grip. He was about to fight back when both were distracted.
"Dad?" Yugi's voice made both turn. Yugi then pulled his father into a deep hug. "Thanks for saving Dark Magician."
Seeing Yugi's hug made Yami release the breath he didn't know he was holding. A new feeling followed. Yugi's warmth made Yami realize just how cold he was. It all centered on the ice block that was the Millenium Puzzle.
Yugi then went to Yami's side. "And don't you think I'm saving you from being scolded because I agree with Dad." Yugi then pulled Yami into a tense hug. The Pharaoh could practically feel the worry coming from Yugi. "Please, don't do something like that again."
Yami absolutely melted into the hug and the heat that followed. As the iciness left, Yami found himself thinking clearer. The more Yami looked over the situation, the sicker he became. That had been a complete and utter gamble. Even if Junior did have some kind of ATK, he had no real way of knowing if it was higher than that dog's. Let alone throwing himself into the thick of it.
"I…" Yami began as he pulled away from Yugi, finding it hard to swallow. He didn't want to look Yugi or Junior in the eyes, so he checked on the others.
Dark Magician was back to floating. He was much slower now, but he didn't have (or hid) any wounds that Yami could see. The spirit then was helping Yui as she was amid another coughing fit. Grandpa had found a log to sit on a little ways away as he did specific stretches to try and help with his back. Yami was about to be relieved at the minimal damage when he saw the red on Junior's clothes.
Junior tried to cover it with his sweater, but blood was seeping through the fabric on his arms and shoulder.
There had been a disconnect in Yami's brain. On past adventures, injury had always been a concern. But at this moment, it seemed so… visceral. This wasn't vague, like a soul being taken or damage being done in a shadow game. A slash from a monster could actually rip someone up. And his new family would be the targets. Even if it was to save Dark Magician, Yami realized he had just gambled with lives... again.
"Dad!" Yami called. He thought he sounded too panicked, like a child (ignoring that he technically was one). Yami forced himself to stand straight and speak in his royal voice. "I am sorry. I don't know what I was thinking. I shouldn't have forced you to act or throw myself at the monster like that." Yami then felt a crack in his voice slip through. "I promise it will never happen again."
Junior silently nodded as he held his injured arm to his chest. "It better not. Anytime another 'brilliant' battle plan pops into your thick head, I want you to defer to us every time! Your flights of heroism are going to do nothing but get others hurt! Got it?" Yami grimaced but nodded. He kept his eyes to the ground as he waited for the rest of his yelling.
Junior was quiet for a few moments before he sighed. He then reached out and ruffled Yami's hair. "But... we're all ok, even Dark Magician. That's what matters for now. I know how logic tends to go out the window on the battlefield."
"But, are you ok?" Yami asked when Junior pulled his hand away. Junior at first didn't answer, but when Yami asked again, he groaned as he lifted his injured arm away from his chest.
That was the moment Yami realized he hadn't seen much blood before. And while he had no actual reference for what was too much, he found himself getting light-headed. Yami hated himself for it, but he had to look away.
"And don't think you're getting out of this, Solomon!" Yui's voice made Yami jump as she rushed to her husband. "I saw how you threw yourself at that monster when you could have easily run away!"
"Ouch! Could you be a bit more gentle-"
"I'll start when you actually use that famed brain of yours!" And Yui continued scolding in this manner as she used the herbs she collected. Just as they did for the dragon's wings, the herbs stopped the bleeding and helped cover the wounds.
Yami smiled, but his sick heart didn't go away. As he watched Junior get patched up, he felt his fists grip tighter and tighter. He was not letting that chill back.
"Yugi! Stay away from them!" Grandpa yelled as he stumbled back towards the family.
Grandpa's voice brought Yami out of his thoughts. He turned to see Yugi and Zara by the downed beasts, seemingly studying them.
"But Zara is with me," Yugi said. Zara snorted in Grandpa's direction, but when Yugi got looks from all the adults, he returned to Yami's side.
"They're still breathing, the beasts, I mean," Yugi whispered. "They also smell funny."
"I imagine they would after being beaten by dragons," Yami said.
"No, not like that. Every creature in this domain seems to not really smell. Take me, for example. I've been here a while with no real shower other than river water, yet I'm just as good as when I first dropped here. My clothes aren't even affected by any attacks or dirt. I guess this world's too perfect for BO, or something." Yugi tried to laugh. "But, these spirits smell like…things. City, country, ocean even."
It was then the two dragons returned, both with equally disgruntled faces. Yami didn't know how to answer Yugi's observation, so he turned to Red-Eyes.
"Nothing! Not even footprints. It's like the beasts just appeared!" Red-Eyes groaned. He then collapsed by Zara.
"I can explain that." Grandma Blue-Eyes said as she dropped what looked like pieces of leather wings. "The remains of another of your traps, Yugi."
"Mine?!"
"Intruder Alarm - Yellow Alert, if I remember right. Its trigger is farther up the mountain. It can summon monsters to a specific location if it is activated by a hostile creature. We were going to use it to move us up the mountain when the Silents were originally coming down. But I am guessing someone used it in reverse. Instead of moving someone to the trap, they teleported these beasts away."
Yugi started scratching his head. "But I thought only I could activate my traps. And my trap has nothing to do with their aggression."
"True, but your spirit partners could also use your trap since they share your soul."
Yugi's eyes lit up. "Is Gandora or Kuriboh nearby?!"
"Not near here." Red-Eyes groaned. "As I said, I found no one."
"But they may be up the mountain where we originally set the trap." Grandma Blue-Eyes added.
"So we have an exact location!" Yugi cheered. "If we head up to where we set that trap, someone friendly should be around!"
"Yugi… Why would your friends send dangerous spirits to us?" Grandpa asked.
Yugi's enthusiasm went with a sigh. "Maybe they didn't know? They could have been trying to get these beasts away from them?"
"Or they're under control too." Yami crossed his arms. "By whatever got to these spirits."
Yugi took a shocked step back, but Yami could tell Yugi was doing his best to restrain his emotions otherwise.
"And it's not just Gandora or Kuriboh that could have activated it. You have many other spirit partners. It could also have been Dark Magician Girl or maybe even Silent Magician." Grandma Blue-Eyes said.
At Dark Magician Girl's mention, Yami noticed a slight flicker in Dark Magician's neutral gaze. But it didn't last long, unlike Yugi's surprise. Yami was about to ask just how many spirit partners Yugi actually had when he decided that would be a talk for later. Yugi seemed just as taken aback at his list of spirit partners.
"But Yugi's right about one thing," Yami said. "These monsters would have no idea we were here specifically. All they had to lead them was the noise of the cave-in."
"Where is their controller then?" Junior asked as he came upon Sumo King Dog.
Yami then paused. Junior was glaring down at the black dog as he rubbed the part of his arm that was now plastered with green. His face was that same hollow expression Yami remembered from the gas station. Yami then felt a shiver leap up his spine as another memory jumped to his mind.
The priest, the vizier, the lesser wife, and… Ah, of course. The old fool couldn't make it, having given his soul in penance. So, he sent his monster. What desperation.
That voice. The one that was Yami's own and yet definitely did not originate from him. Yami had hoped to never hear it again. But he couldn't help but wonder where it came from. And what did it mean by the old fool?
Yami then looked back out over his family. It was funny; even though he had never thought of any of them with those terms before, he could almost understand what the voice meant. Vizier was definitely for Grandpa, him being such a knowledgeable (if sometimes foolish) teacher for both Yugi, Joey, and Yami. The priest's title was for Seto. Yami didn't need an ancient rock carving to know that. But the last term, lesser wife … By process of elimination, Yami thought it was for Yui, but he had no strong feeling like he had for the other two labels. In fact, this touched on a strange thing Yami had been wondering ever since Yui's hospital trip.
The Pharaoh sometimes felt linked to people, not just by common bonds or anything like his bond with Yugi. People like Grandpa, Seto, Dark Magician, and even strangers like Ishizu. Each of these bonds was different, just as their relationship with himself was different, but fundamentally Yami felt attached to them. He didn't feel that for nearly anyone else, especially Junior or Yui. In fact, if he hadn't been forced to interact with them, he really wouldn't have bothered to get to know Yugi's parents. It's not that Yami didn't like them (well, that part wasn't so true in Junior's case). It was that they weren't… connected to Yami.
Then why did this strange voice know them?
Yami began to feel a familiar headache as he thought through these questions. It was the headache he always got when he tried to remember his past. But Yami trudged on, repeating the strange words in his head. He felt too close to a breakthrough to give up. He could almost grasp the wisps of his memories.
The old fool.
The old fool.
The old fool.
Just then, an image flashed in Yami's mind. A bearded man stood before Yami, gesturing for him to run into this stranger's grasp for a hug. He was much taller than Yami, making the Pharaoh feel like a young child. Yami couldn't make out much of his face, as this man was shadowed by a towering black dragon. The dragon was hunched protectively around the man, its armored scales and spikes seeming to absorb any light. Then its crimson eye landed on little Yami.
What desperation!
"Yami? Are you ok?" Yugi asked as he shook his shoulder.
Yami blinked out of his thoughts. He looked down to see he was clutching the rocky Millennium Puzzle. His knuckles were white, and the item left red outlines in his hand.
"Sorry, I'm just stuck in my own thoughts," Yami said.
"We were just deciding what to do. Most of us say we should remain here and ask the beasts their side of the story when they wake up. Being knocked out like this should free them of any spells, traps, or abilities like in the card game. But we want this decision to be unanimous." Yugi said.
"Huh? Yeah, yeah, that's a good idea." Yami said.
Yami then felt a familiar dark pulse radiate from the puzzle. He felt a building wave, another sea of uncalled-for emotions, of ice, of acid.
"I refuse for you to influence me again." Yami spat at the puzzle. He ignored Yugi's bewildered expression as he went over to Junior. He immediately took the puzzle off his neck and held it out to his father. "Hold this, please."
Junior took the item without comment, but it was clear he was also confused. Yami then breathed in deeply as he felt the building force die away. He was in control, and he was determined to stay that way.
"Can you continue to hold onto the puzzle?" Yami asked, doing his best to keep his voice level.
"Sure, but I thought you couldn't get very far without this?" Junior asked as he tied the item around his belt, so it hung off his hip.
"I thought we were staying close. I just need you within five feet of me."
Yugi then worriedly caught up to Yami. The Pharaoh took his partner's hand. Any fatigue that worked its way into him because the puzzle was no longer on his person disappeared with the energy Yugi gave him.
"Pharaoh-, Yami? What's going on?" Yugi asked as he squeezed his hand.
"Nothing new. I'm just brooding over my past." Yami shrugged good-naturedly, anything to not let Yugi in on to his inner turmoil. "And my neck hurt."
Yami could tell both Yugi and Junior didn't believe him for a second. The Pharaoh pushed down his guilt for leaving Yugi out of the loop. He had been very tempted to give Yugi the puzzle, but Yugi was already holding one half. Yugi said he only had bodily pains led Yami to believe the crystal puzzle had none of the darkness the rock one did. What if this darkness began to affect Yugi's puzzle too? Yami wouldn't forgive himself for that. But Junior? Yami couldn't quite explain it, but he trusted Junior with the puzzle, just like he had when he gave it to him back in the Muto home.
Suddenly a growl from Zara got everyone's attention. They turned to see another red spiral surround Sumo King Dog. Then in a similar flash of light from earlier, the monster disappeared, and three different dog monsters replaced it. These dogs stumbled to their feet, only to be met with three towering dragons.
"Help!" The three dogs yelped. Before they could do anything, their tails were caught under Zara's claws.
"We have some-" Grandma Blue-Eyes asked, but the dogs kept wildly thrashing in Zara's grip. "Attention! Listen- We are-"
"No!" a dog yelped. "I mean, help, but not for us! Dark Magician Girl is in trouble!"