Yu-Gi-Oh! Love Selflessly – Chapter 10
Emiko groaned lightly and shifted a little. She opened her eyes and said aloud, "Ouch. What in the world happened?" She looked around. She was laying across some sort of golden chair and she was wearing a loose-fitting blue dress. She swung her feet around, sitting up and looking around. The floor looked like a duelling mat and across from her, she saw Yugi. There was just one problem. Yugi had grown to giant size. She shrieked and covered her mouth, her heart pounding as she tried to work out what was happening. Yugi said, his violet eyes widening, "Emiko?!" He looked up and asked, "What have you done, Bakura?!" She jumped, hearing a sinister laugh above her, then turned around, standing on her knees to look up and over what she knew now to be her throne. There, looming over the field behind her was Bakura. She knew now that they hadn't grown.
"This is impossible," she thought, "I've been shrunk to the size of an RPG figure and dressed up like my Protector of the Throne card!" She sat back down, hugging her knees to her chest as she tried to process what was happening, while Bakura said, "With my Protector of the Throne card in defense mode, my life points are safe for the time being...and if you hope to save your little friend, here, I'd recommend not attacking her." Emiko gasped. She wondered, "Why is he doing this? More importantly, how is this possible? One minute, we're getting ready to just have a fun duel together, the next, I'm stuck down here, dressed as my favourite card, getting ready to duel against Yugi." Yugi said, "Bakura must have used his Millennium Ring to capture her soul in her favourite card." Emiko looked around, putting her bare feet down on the ground and sitting forward. Yugi said, "Emiko. To save you and everyone else, I have to beat him in this duel. Do you understand?" Emiko bit her lip, then nodded, not fully understanding, but knowing that she would be safe as long as Bakura didn't try to use her. Yugi looked down, drew a card, and placed it on the field.
"No," he said, "I'll play the Cyber Commander. Tristan's favourite." As he materialized, Tristan, dressed up in the cargo pants and utility belts featured on his favourite card and holding a blaster shook his head. He said, his voice being slightly muffled through the mask he wore, "Wow, what a weird dream." He looked across the way and saw Emiko. She sighed with relief and Tristan said, "Em! What's with the getup- AAH!" He reeled out of fear upon seeing Bakura above her smirking. Yugi said, "Tristan!" Tristan turned around and fell to the ground. Bakura chuckled, "Who's your little friend, Yugi? He looks pretty tough." He placed a card next to Emiko on the playing field and said, "Now, let's see if he's tough enough to beat this." In a flash of light, standing next to her was a man in a white cloak and top hat. Before she could get a good look at him, he ran towards Tristan. She called out to him, but with one swift punch, Tristan was gone.
"Aw," Bakura said, feigning sympathy, "It looks like that card has been defeated by my White Magical Hat. Not to mention, your friend's soul was trapped within it." Yugi said sternly, "Where is he? What have you done with Tristan? Tell me!" Bakura explained, "Your friend is gone. He's on his way to the discard pile, or the graveyard, as we call it in Duel Monsters." He chuckled again and said, "When you duel in the Shadow Realm, the stakes are always higher, Yugi. You made a sloppy move and now, your friend paid for it with his very soul." Emiko looked up at Yugi, then back to Bakura, then back to Yugi. She was shaking, unable to do anything but watch. Bakura sneered, "Now, which of your friends will you sacrifice next?" Yugi thought for a moment, then placed another card on the field in front of him.
"Joey's favourite card: the Flame Swordsman!"
Just as Tristan had before, Joey materialized, dressed in the Flame Swordsman's signature blue and orange garb, wielding a sword that was nearly as tall as he was. He looked around, just as confused as Emiko and Tristan had been.
"What gives," he asked, turning around to ask Yugi, "Hey, Yugi-" He looked up and screamed, "What in the- You're a giant! Oh, man, I've finally cracked." He fell to his knees, his sword clanging on the ground beside him. Yugi said calmly, "Listen, Joey. Your soul has been sealed inside of your favourite card. You have become the Flame Swordsman. If I don't win this duel, we can't restore you to normal, but if you're defeated in this battle, you'll be carried off to the graveyard, just like Tristan was." Joey looked up at Yugi, completely stunned and still confused. Yugi continued, "Joey, in order for me to win this duel, restore you all back to your bodies, and get us out of the Shadow Realm, I'm going to need your help." Joey grinned, stood up, and said confidently, picking up his sword, "You want my help, you got it!" Emiko sighed.
"It's almost like Yugi's duelled like this before," Emiko thought, "He seems so confident." Yugi asked, "Joey, are you sure you're okay?" Joey said, "Okay? I figure I've lost my mind, but I'm gonna go with it." He laughed, then turned around. He said, "Now, who wants a beating!?" He suddenly went pale and shrieked again, "Giant Bakura!? Now I know I'm nuts! I'm like six inches tall, wearing a dress, about to fight my giant friend?" Yugi said, "That's not really Bakura. An evil spirit from his Millennium Ring has taken over his body." Joey looked at Emiko and said, "Dang. Not just that, but I can't attack Emiko or she'll go to the graveyard, too!" Yugi nodded and said, "That's right. If we defeat her, then we might never get her back from the Shadow Realm." Joey frowned and said, "Alright, here goes nothing!" He shouted, charging at the White Magical Hat and taking it down with a single slash. As Bakura's life points were depleted, he growled, reeling and clutching at his chest in pain. Emiko gasped. Joey cheered. Bakura regained his composure and sneered, "Your little swordsman got lucky last time, Yugi, but not this time." He grimaced a little and placed a card face-down beside Emiko. She muttered, "That can't be good." Joey said confidently, "Looks like someone's afraid of what Joey the swordsman can do!" He let out a battle cry as he ran forward, Yugi calling out to him. Emiko leaned forward.
"No, stop!" she cried out, "It could be a trap!" Bakura snapped at her, "Be quiet, you!" She shrunk down at the sound of his sharp voice. Joey ran and swung his sword, slicing through Bakura's face-down card. The monster, a Morphing Jar, screeched and disappeared. Emiko gasped, "No!" Yugi said, "It was a Morphing Jar!" Joey turned to Yugi, hearing the worry in his voice, and asked frantically, "A Morphing Jar? Oh, no! Did I screw up?" Emiko shouted, "When a Morphing Jar is flip-summoned, all the cards in both players' hands go to the graveyard!" Yugi said, "We're just lucky that I didn't have Téa's soul card in my hand right now." Joey fell to his knees and said, "Woah. Sorry, Yuge!" Drawing a card, Bakura laughed and said, "With a new hand comes an entirely new perspective." He set two cards face-down, then folded his arms and said, "The game ever-shifting. New dangers surround every turn." Emiko inhaled and shouted, turning her head to look up at Bakura, "You won't get away with this. Yugi will beat you and return all of our souls back to our bodies." Bakura smiled and said, "What makes you so sure of that, now, princess?" She grimaced, unsure of how to respond. Yugi said, laying a card face-down on the field, "I summon the Dark Magician in attack mode." Another bright flash and the Dark Magician materialized. Emiko rubbed her eyes, looking at the monster in front of her. Joey stammered incoherently for a moment.
Standing in front of them, suited up in the familiar purple armour and holding a tall, green staff stood Yugi. Emiko looked him up and down, then back up at the other person standing above them. Her mouth hung open as she realized that she was seeing one, smaller Yugi on the field, but also a second Yugi, still duelling to rescue their souls from the Shadow Realm. She said, "Wait...Y-Yugi? How?" Yugi looked nearly as confused as her and Joey. The big Yugi pulled a card from his hand and placed it on the field, reviving Tristan and ending his turn. Tristan looked around and asked, "Yugi? Joey? Emiko? You guys dreaming this, too?" Joey said, "Nah. This ain't no dream, Tristan. This is just me going insane. It's all one big delusion." Yugi said, furrowing his brows in confusion and looking up at the bigger Yugi, "But...just one second ago, I was up there." The big Yugi looked down at the group. Tristan asked, "Yeah, but if you're down here with us, then who's that up there?" Yugi shrugged.
"I don't know."
The Yugi above them said calmly, "Don't you?" Yugi said, "Well, I have noticed that sometimes, when I duel, it feels as if someone is guiding me...and sometimes, it's like I can hear a strong voice calling out to me from my Millennium Puzzle. An ancient, powerful voice." Emiko sighed, her eyes fixated on the big Yugi in fascination. She muttered under her breath, "No way." Yugi said, "I'm not really sure what it's all about, but I'm pretty sure we can trust him, whoever he is." Joey said, "Hey, if the big guy is okay in your book, then he's okay by me." Tristan nodded in agreement. Yugi asked, "So, now what should we do?" Tristan suggested, "Maybe we should try and find Téa." Yugi said, looking at the huge deck of cards, "She must still be in the deck." Joey said, "Then we should try and win this thing before her card gets played." Yugi nodded and said, "Alright. Let's do this! I was just played, so I should attack!" Yugi sent his Dark Magic Attack towards Bakura's face-down monster card, defeating what was revealed to be another Morphing Jar. As the jar creature faded away, Bakura snickered, "We'll have to send all the cards in our hands to the graveyard again." The big Yugi reluctantly discarded his hand and drew five new cards, then said aloud, "No! The Magician of Faith!" Bakura smirked and said, "Isn't that Téa's favourite card? Do you suppose that her mortal soul is also trapped within it?" Emiko looked back at Bakura, a bead of sweat dripping down her face. He said, "Hmm. I wonder? Maybe you should play it and find out." He chuckled and laid a card face-down on the field.
"But, then again, you have no idea what I'm laying here, so you might just be putting her in danger."
Emiko looked back up at the big Yugi. Joey and Tristan exchanged glances. Bakura said, "A dilemma While you decide, I'll just activate this trap card: Just Desserts! This card takes 500 life points for each monster you have on the field and you'll feel like each and every point has been ripped straight from your beating heart." As the bigger Yugi reeled in pain and clutched at his chest, Tristan shouted, "No! Big Yugi! Are you okay?!" The Yugi above them stammered, sweat forming on his forehead, "Y-yes...but one more attack like that...and it's over!" He looked at his hand, still grimacing from the hard blow to his life points, and said, placing it face-down, "Téa's soul card is not safe in my hand. I'll just have to play it." Under the card, Téa peeked out and said, "Hey! What's up?" Yugi, Joey, and Tristan leaped in front of her, trying to hide her. Téa asked, "Wait, what's going on? Why are we all dressed up in these crazy costumes?" Joey explained the situation in a hushed voice, though Emiko couldn't quite hear what he was saying.
"Look," he explained to Téa, "Bakura and Yugi are big, duelling giants and they're fighting for our souls." Téa said, "But Yugi's right here!" Yugi said, stumbling over his words a little, "Y-yeah, well, the big guy's not really me. I mean, he's not really not me, either...n-nevermind. Look, it's complicated, but this all has something to do with the Millennium Items that Bakura and I have. It's some kind of magic." Téa gasped, "Magic? So, I'm not crazy." Yugi laughed, "Not unless we're all going crazy." Joey said, "Just think of it this way, Téa: there are two Yugis, the cool one up there and the puny one down here." Yugi snapped, "That's not how it works at all!" Joey said, "Hey! Easy there, pal! It was a joke!" Yugi said, stepping forward, "I'll show you I'm not puny! Here, I have the powers of the Dark Magician!" Emiko shouted, seeing that he was about to attack Bakura's face-down card, "No! Wait, Yugi! You really ought to think this through before-"
"Dark Magic Attack!"
Though Bakura's monster was swiftly defeated, Yugi almost instantly fell to his knees, trembling. Tristan asked, "Yugi, what happened!?" Yugi said, groaning in pain, "I don't know, but whatever that was, it's making my whole body go numb! I-I can't move!" Emiko asked, turning back around in her throne, "Bakura! What have you done to him!?" Bakura said, "You can't attack the Electric Lizard without some rather shocking feedback. A lesson little Yugi won't soon forget." The bigger Yugi drew a single card, then placed it face-down and ended his turn. Bakura chuckled, "Now I have you all where I want you. Helpless on the field. Easy prey for my Man-Eater Bug." Emiko felt tears stinging her eyes and she shrieked, standing up on her throne, "Stop this right now, Bakura! Please, you've gotta let them go-" He snapped, "Silence!" Emiko shouted, "No! I've had enough!" He barked at her, "I told you to be quiet! Or did you forget that I'm in control, here?" She growled before sitting back down. She knew she was helpless against him. A single tear rolled down her cheek.
"Hey," Joey asked, "What does that card do?" Emiko looked up and said tearfully, "The Man-Eater Bug...when it's flipped up, it can automatically destroy one creature on the field." Tristan shuddered at the thought of going back to the graveyard. Joey gritted his teeth. Yugi stammered, still immobilized, "There's only one way out of this...and we're standing on it." Tristan said, his spirits raised a little bit by the glimmer of hope, "Right! The trap card Big Yugi laid down!" Yugi nodded, then said, "Yeah, but I'm afraid to use it. The card requires us to sacrifice a monster." Téa said, "You mean one of us." Tristan assured her, "Don't worry, Téa. I'll go. Just think about it. That Man-Eater Bug's gonna take one of us out no matter what we do. At least this way, I'm taking it out, too-" Joey swiftly smashed the back end of his sword into Tristan's gut, knocking the wind out of him and sending him falling to his knees. Joey said, "No. You just got back from the graveyard. If anyone's going, it'll be me." Emiko shouted, "No! Don't do it, Joey!" Téa said, watching from underneath her card, "It's too late!"
He stood on top of the face-down card next to Emiko, holding his giant blade above his head, ready to strike. Emiko leaned over the arm of her throne and said, "Joey, no! You don't have to-" Joey interrupted her, "How tough can this bug be?" As the bug materialized and threw Joey up into the air, he shouted, "AH! Big Yugi! Use that card! Do it now! Please! I don't want my friends getting hurt! Sacrifice me! Please!" The Yugi above them said, flipping his face-down card up, "I am activating a trap, sacrificing my Flame Swordsman to do so: the Horn of Heaven! Blasting its celestial tune directly at your Man-Eater Bug, I'll obliterate it from the field once and for all!" The smaller Yugi shouted, "N-no! Joey!" Téa asked, "What's going on!?" A bright light erupted above Joey and the Man-Eater Bug, making it difficult to see what was happening. Tristan said, "He's disappearing!" Emiko shouted, reaching out to him from her throne, "Wait, Joey! Don't go!" As the light faded, along with Joey and the bug, a heavy silence washed over the battlefield.
"He's gone," Tristan said, tearing up, "Just like that, my best buddy's gone." Bakura sneered and said, "I certainly hope you don't harbour any illusions about rescuing your friend Joey from the graveyard. You've already played Monster Reborn, the only way to get him back, and soon, the Reaper of Cards will claim his soul forever!" Téa cried softly, "Poor Joey. H-he sacrificed himself. He...h-he can't be gone." As her tears started to fall to the ground, both she and the card she was standing on started to glow, emitting a white light. Yugi looked up at her and said, "Téa? Wait a second. She's the Magician of Faith! Téa's tear activated the magic effect of her favourite card!" The bigger Yugi above said, "The effect of my Magician of Faith allows me to bring back one magic card from the discard pile and add it to my hand." He picked his card and said, placing it on the ground, "The card I choose is Monster Reborn, which I play now to bring back my Flame Swordsman!"
"Joey!"
Joey rematerialized on the field, laying on the ground. Yugi said cheerfully, the effect of Bakura's Electric Lizard wearing off as he ran over to Joey's side, "Joey! You're back!" Bakura snarled, "You waste your time and your turns rescuing these foolish mortals." The bigger Yugi said, "My friends are never a waste of time. Now, make your move, Bakura." Bakura said, "Oh, I'll move...and you will lose. This is the play that will end the match and win me your Millennium Puzzle." He placed a monster card on the field next to Emiko.
"First," he said, "I will play Lady of Faith in attack mode and then the card that will turn your friends against one another." He pulled a card from his hand and turned it around. Emiko said, "No...the Change of Heart." Yugi said, "That's Bakura's favourite card!" Bakura laughed in a sinister tone, "And a very magical card it is. With this card, I can turn you against your comrades. The very friends you sought to protect you will now destroy." Yugi said defiantly, "No! I won't do it!" Bakura said, placing the card on the field, "You won't have a choice in the matter, little Yugi!" Another bright flash of light caused the group to turn away. When they looked back, they saw Bakura, his face strangely peaceful and kind. Emiko gasped and said, "Bakura...? Is it really you?" He turned to look at her and smiled. She let out a sigh of relief. Yugi said, "Bakura! So, your soul was sealed inside your favourite card, too!" Ryou Bakura gave a gentle sigh and leaped into action, sabotaging the evil Bakura's plan by jumping to possess the Lady of Faith instead of the Dark Magician. He said, "I want to help, but we must act quickly, Yugi! I've taken over one of his cards instead of yours. I'll control her while you attack me. You can win against the evil Bakura!" Emiko sobbed, "Don't be ridiculous, Bakura! He'll be sending you to the graveyard, too! You'll be-" He snapped, interrupting her, "I don't care! It's better than being enslaved by an evil spirit!" He turned to Yugi and shouted, "Do it!"
"No," Emiko shrieked. The evil Bakura shouted, "Be quiet!" The bigger Yugi said, "I have a better idea." There was a flash of light from his Millennium Puzzle and he said, "If the evil power of Bakura's Millennium Ring can pull souls from people's bodies, then perhaps the power of my Millennium Puzzle can put them back!" After the light dissipated, Ryou, now standing in the place above them where the evil spirit once stood, gasped. Beside Emiko, the evil spirit of the Ring stood in Ryou's place on the field with the rest of the group. Joey cheered, "Alright! Our Bakura's back where he belongs!" The evil Bakura shouted, "No! This can't be!" Emiko sighed, a little bit relieved. The bigger Yugi said, "Alright, listen carefully, Yugi. Use the power of the Dark Magician! Send him to the graveyard! Now!" Yugi nodded and said, without hesitation, "You got it! Dark Magic Attack!" With one final scream that echoed far, the evil Bakura was gone, sending Ryou's life points all the way down to zero.
"Alright," Téa and Tristan cheered. Emiko said softly, "Thank you...whoever you are." Ryou let out a breath and fell backwards, losing consciousness. As Emiko opened her mouth to ask him what was wrong, she felt light-headed and weak. She collapsed, crumpling into a heap on her throne as everything went black.
November 21, 2020 – 3589 Words