Yu-Gi-Oh! Love Selflessly – Chapter 5
The hours dragged on, seeming to pass by at a snail's pace. The group approached the duelling arena. Kemo stood beside the arena, still holding Mokuba in his vice-like grip. Mokuba stood next to him, pulling away as hard as he could, but to no avail. Joey said, "You creep! Let go of the kid right now!" Emiko was about to run to Mokuba's aid, but Tristan grabbed her arm. She turned, bit her lip, and huffed. Yugi stepped forward. He said sternly, "Let Mokuba go." Kemo laughed and said, "I'll consider it if you win the duel." Yugi said, "Oh, I'll beat you, alright." Kemo, tightening his grip on Mokuba's wrist, said, "I never said I would be the one duelling. Your opponent is up there." Yugi and the others looked up at the duelling arena where there stood a familiar, tall, brown-haired man. Emiko and Mokuba gasped, seeing his face. Kemo sneered.
"He's an old friend who's simply dying to see you again."
Emiko muttered under her breath, her voice trembling, "S-Seto?" Kemo said, "He met with an unfortunate end yesterday, but he's come back just to duel you, Yugi." Mokuba shouted, "What are you saying!?" Kemo ignored Mokuba and said, "Listen up. You don't stand a chance of beating Kaiba because this time, he is a ghost." Mokuba clawed at Kemo's large hand and shrieked, "Stop it, Kemo! It's not true!" Kemo looked down at the struggling child and said, "It's a fact. Two witnesses saw him plummet to his death from his office window." Emiko put her hands over her mouth, remembering the shattered glass in his office, the bullet holes in the wall, and the destroyed computer. She looked down at the ground, unable to say a word. Seto couldn't be dead. Mokuba shouted, "Take back what you said, Kemo! He isn't dead! He can't be!" Kemo chuckled, "Get used to it, kid. All that's left of Kaiba are your memories. Well, those and a very cranky ghost just looking for revenge."
"It's not him!" Mokuba shrieked. Emiko looked up at Seto, standing at the duelling arena, ready to fight Yugi again. She thought, "I want to believe Mokie, but I saw his office. It was totally ransacked and the window," her gaze fell back to Mokuba, tears filling her eyes, "it was destroyed. It was like someone was thrown out of it. I hate to think about it." Mokuba looked at her, his eyes pleading for her comfort, but she couldn't give it. All signs pointed to their brother's death. Kemo said, "Well, he's seen better days. Now, it's time for you to duel with the ghoul, Yugi." Stepping onto the duelling arena himself, Yugi said, "Don't worry. This guy is nothing but a trick by Pegasus. Don't worry, Mokuba. I'll win this duel and your freedom." Emiko sighed shakily. Mokuba looked up at Yugi, then at Seto, then back to Emiko. He saw the fear and doubt in her eyes.
"Emiko looks scared right now," Mokuba thought, tired from struggling, "She looks like she knows something we don't. No. I know Seto is alive. I just know it!" Yugi placed his deck on the board in front of him and Seto, chuckling, said, "Yugi, you look like you've seen a ghost." Yugi snarled, "That's enough." Kaiba smirked and said, "Yugi, I am no longer of this world and it's all because of you. I could have had it all, but when you beat me, you took more than just the match. You stole my life and destroyed my soul." Emiko shouted, her face stained with her tears, "Stop it right now! You're nothing but an imposter!" Yugi said, "Stop the lies and let's start the duel!" Kaiba said, "Fine by me. This time, I promise you won't beat my cards." Yugi said calmly, "You might look like Kaiba, but there is no way you can imitate his deck." Kaiba snickered, "You mean my deck."
"Beat him, Yugi!" Mokuba shouted, "He's nothing but a fake!" Joey said, "Yeah! You can do it, Yuge!" Emiko thought, "I hope Yugi can win this. I can't lose both of my brothers in one day. I don't think I could take it." Kaiba chuckled menacingly, then said, turning to Kemo, "Kemo, once I beat Yugi, Pegasus can have Kaiba Corporation. The only thing I want is revenge." He turned back to Yugi and said, holding up three star chips, "Three stars says I win." Yugi confidently said, "Fine. That means when our duel is done, I'll have six!" The duelling arena's holo-projectors lit up, casting images of the landmass around them on the field. Both players drew their starting hands and the life point counter set itself to 2,000 points each. Finally, the duel began.
Taking the initiative, Kaiba drew his first card, then, placing a card on the field, he said, "I guess I'll go first. I'll start off this duel with the Hitotsu-Me Giant." He looked at his opponent as the one-eyed monster sprung to life in the arena and said, "Is something wrong, Yugi? It's your turn." Emiko watched as the duel continued. Mokuba was still hopeful, but his hope was fading with every passing turn. As card after card was put into play, Emiko's heart dropped further. She finally turned her head away, unable to bring herself to watch the duel anymore. Yugi and Kaiba were evenly matched for the most part, their life points staying fairly high through the beginning turns. Yugi said, "Are you here to play head games or Duel Monsters? It's your move!"
"Yes," Kaiba said, pulling a card from his hand and placing it on the field, "And this card is gonna blow your mind, Yugi. It's a real blast from the past!" There was a huge flash of light, followed by the familiar roaring of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon. As the silvery-white dragon stretched out its wings, Emiko whispered softly, her legs giving out, "That's...that's Seto's Blue-Eyes White Dragon...th-that means...!" Téa knelt down next to her, rubbing her back as she silently cried, and said, "That doesn't mean anything, Emiko. That faker could have stolen his deck or something." Deep down, Téa didn't believe what she was saying, but Emiko looked up at the duelling arena, still crying, to watch the Blue-Eyes destroy Yugi's monster. Kaiba laughed coldly and said, "Don't worry, Yugi. My feelings weren't hurt when you called me a liar. Now, admit that you were wrong!"
"Shut up!" Mokuba suddenly burst into tears, shouting, "Please! Someone make him go away! Make him go away!" Emiko looked at Mokuba, then stood up and shouted at Kaiba, her voice cracking, "That's enough! You are not the real Seto Kaiba, so stop playing mind games with everyone and end this charade!" Joey stared at her in surprise. Kaiba said, "Aw, it almost breaks my heart...at least it would if I had one. Now, make your move, Yugi." Yugi held on, going on the defensive as Kaiba wiped out monsters one by one. Kemo taunted, "You've gotta admit that for a stiff, Kaiba's sure got game." Mokuba protested, "That's not him! It can't be! Yugi, you know that's not him! Everyone thinks he's a bad guy, but he's not! I know him and he's not mean like this!" Emiko nodded. Mokuba continued, "He's always protected us and he's my best friend in the whole world! That's not him! You've just gotta believe me!" After some contemplation, Yugi pulled a card from his hand and threw it onto the field, concealing his Dark Magician under the Magical Hats alongside a Spellbinding Circle trap and saving himself from certain defeat.
"A Blue-Eyes White Dragon," Yugi explained, "is normally unstoppable, but once drained of its energy by the Spellbinding Circle, it's no match for the full power of my Dark Magician!" Just as Yugi seemed to have the upper hand, Kaiba summoned a second Blue-Eyes to replace the one that was previously lost, taking out the Dark Magician without a struggle. He chuckled, "And that puts an end to your Dark Magician. There are only three Blue-Eyes White Dragon cards in the entire world and they're all in my deck. Your grandpa had the fourth, but I ripped it up. Oh, but how could I possibly know that if I'm not really Seto Kaiba, hm?" Emiko sighed worriedly, staring wide-eyed up at Yugi's opponent. Kaiba continued, "You know, Yugi, I just couldn't believe it when you beat all three of my Blue-Eyes White Dragons with Exodia, but now, without that monster in your deck, there is absolutely no way you can beat me." As he laughed, Mokuba shouted, "Everyone heard about your duel with Seto! That's how this loser knows about it! That's not him, Yugi! I'm sure of it!"
"I want to believe Mokuba," Emiko thought, "But I just can't help but think about what I saw. His office. The glass. His computers. All the signs point to him being," her thoughts trailed off. Just as the Blue-Eyes White Dragon reared its head, preparing for one final attack, the hologram started to glitch out horribly. The Blue-Eyes White Dragon screeched and roared, the pixels scattering and reforming uncontrollably. Moments later, the dragon began to melt, looking like a wax figure that had been left out in the sun for too long. As everyone looked around for an explanation, the dragon's attack points started to drop rapidly. Kaiba started to panic. Yugi was stunned. Kemo said into his earpiece, audibly shaken, "This is Kemo to Pegasus. I hope you're watching, Sir, because we've got a real problem out here." The dragon, in one final desperate move, let out its White Lightning Attack towards Yugi's defenseless monster, but the blast was mysteriously stopped by an unseen force. The dragon, its roars being interrupted by static and a loud, buzzing noise, quickly disappeared. Kaiba shrieked, "No! This can't be! Why!?" Yugi said, "Why? Because Kaiba is still alive." Emiko gasped. Yugi said, "He stopped you. I know this because I sensed him calling out to me when the Blue-Eyes was destroyed."
"Silence! I am Kaiba!"
Yugi bellowed, "Enough! Your charade is over!" Mokuba cheered, "Seto's alive!" Téa asked, "Wait. What just happened?" Mokuba said happily, "It's like Yugi said! Last time he duelled our brother, he showed Seto the Heart of the Cards. This faker may have taken his deck, but the real Seto Kaiba is alive and well!" Emiko finally smiled, looking at Mokuba, who never gave up on Seto. She looked back up at the duelist across from Yugi. Yugi yelled, "Imposter! The real Seto Kaiba destroyed that monster! Now, enough of your lies! We know you're not Kaiba! It's time for you to reveal to us your true identity!"
"I told you. I am Kaiba. At least, I'm part of him. The darkest part."
In the blink of an eye, Kaiba had transformed into a hideous creature that looked very different from the real Kaiba. Emiko let out a reflexive shriek. Mokuba and the others reeled at the sight of him. The creature was a grotesque being with very large facial features, making him resemble a troll in a fairytale. His sparse hair was formed into what looked like horns and the smile on his face spanned from ear to ear, giving his audience chills. He cackled in a high-pitched voice, "I can see you don't recognize me, Yugi. I wasn't lying when I told you I was Seto Kaiba; the evil part of him that you sent to the Shadow Realm after our last duel. Now, thanks to Pegasus, I'm back!" Téa reeled and said, "Ew! It's hideous!" Mokuba said, "Hey, ugly, if I were you, I'd start worrying about what Seto's gonna do to you when he finally catches up to you!" Yugi said, his voice calm, "I guess I just don't know what to call you. I was thinking about monster, but I didn't want to insult the cards. Now, it's your move. You've got a whole deck to go through and only one Blue-Eyes White Dragon left."
The ghoul and Yugi remained pretty evenly matched, though Yugi was at a disadvantage, unable to place monsters in defense mode due to a previous magic card. It was only a few turns before the ghoul pulled a card and said excitedly, his eyes seeming to bulge from their sockets, "Now! Prepare for the Blue-Eyes White Dragon!" Joey called out to Yugi, but Mokuba said reassuringly, "Don't worry! Seto will help out just like he did last time!" Kemo growled, "Dream on. Your luck's about to run out." Emiko snapped, "And what is that supposed to mean, Kemo?" Kemo chuckled, "Just see for yourself. Unlike the last Blue-Eyes, this one's at full power and Kaiba's in no position to do a thing about it. We found where his hiding place is and now he's on the run." Emiko sighed with relief, "So, that means he really is alive...!" Kemo said, "Foolish girl. It means don't expect another miracle because this duel is about to end." With a final flurry of attacks and magic cards, Yugi revealed his Monster Reborn, bringing back the ghoul's own Blue-Eyes White Dragon to destroy him.
"Th-this can't be happening!" the ghoul shrieked, cowering in fear of the mighty dragon, "Oh no! No!" Yugi said, "Consider this a message from the real Seto Kaiba: you lose!" With the dragon's final attack, there was a blinding flash of light. As their vision came back, the group saw that Yugi had been victorious. They all cheered as Yugi stepped down from the duelling platform, but then Emiko looked back to where Kemo and Mokuba were previously standing.
"Mokuba? Mokuba!?"
Yugi and Joey called out simultaneously and Emiko ran around to the other side of the arena, but Kemo and Mokuba were nowhere to be found. Yugi and the others called for Mokuba over and over, splitting up to scan the area. Emiko thought, "No! Mokuba's gone! Taken again!"
October 27, 2020 – 2340 Words