Yu-Gi-Oh! Love Selflessly – Chapter 25
"Pegasus," Yugi urged, "Do you know what card I just pulled and layed on the field?" Pegasus gritted his teeth. Yugi continued, "Go ahead and use your Millennium Eye to read my mind and find out. If you think you can, that is."
Emiko muttered, "What's going on?" Téa said, "Yugi must be using the powers of his own Millennium Item to block Pegasus out of his mind. I think it has something to do with the Spirit inside the Puzzle!" Joey said, "That's nuts!" Emiko asked, "Can he do that? Woah."
Pegasus smirked and said, "You can hide nothing from me, little Yugi!" He stood for a moment, lost in thought, then gasped. He said, "No! I can't tell what that card is!" Yugi, chuckling, said, "I'm afraid I can't tell what that card is, either. Reading my mind will tell you absolutely nothing." Pegasus' eye widened, realizing that this wasn't Yugi at all; rather, it was the Spirit of the Millennium Puzzle inhabiting Yugi's body. He grimaced. The Spirit continued, "You see, I don't know what that card is, for I am no longer Yugi Muto. Through the power of my Millennium Puzzle, two minds inhabit this body. Now, each time you try to read our minds, we'll use the Mind Shuffle."
Téa cheered and said, "Yes! See? I told you, Yugi's battling Pegasus with not one, but two minds!" Joey said, "I get it! I guess it's true what they say: two minds are better than one!" Emiko beamed and cheered, "Alright!"
Down in the dungeons, six of Pegasus' guards still had Bakura and Tristan cornered. Bakura stood at the ready with a single card from his duelling deck in hand. Tristan held onto Mokuba's legs and watched nervously. The front man said, "Give us back our prisoner and no one gets hurt!" Their guns were aimed and ready to fire at any moment.
"You ignorant mortals," Bakura chuckled, "I'll make you all regret this day." Tristan gasped as Bakura held up the card and the monster, Man-Eater Bug, materialized out of thin air, chasing and devouring the guards one by one until only one man remained standing, trembling out of fear. The man had dropped his gun and fallen to the ground, begging for mercy. Bakura walked towards him, pulling another card out of his deck and snickering, "Present-day humans are so much fun to terrorize." Tristan said cautiously, "I-I would have to disagree, but I am a 'present-day human'. What the heck are you?" Bakura held up the card, once again bringing it to life, the Morphing Jar letting out a loud, high-pitched shriek as it consumed the final guard, leaving nothing but the man's gun in its wake. He said calmly, "Me? Simply someone with great power." Tristan was shaking, but he stood his ground behind his former friend. Bakura turned to him and said, "Now, then. I have some business to attend to." Tristan snapped, "Alright, time for you to come clean. I know you're not really our friend Bakura. You're the evil one that Yugi banished. He sent you to the graveyard, freeing Bakura from your control!" The white-haired boy stepped forward.
"Yes," he said, "But that wouldn't have happened if Bakura hadn't betrayed me." He stepped closer to Tristan and said, "I've decided that I need a new host. Someone with the keys to power, so-to-speak." He glanced back at Tristan whose eyes widened. Tristan said, "No way. You want Mokuba." Bakura said, "Very perceptive of you, now hand over the boy or else you'll face the same fate as those guards. You know I have the power to back up my threats." Tristan reeled. He gripped Mokuba's legs tightly.
"So, what will it be," Bakura said. He folded his arms and the air around them grew cold. Tristan sighed and shifted, adjusting his grip so that he was holding Mokuba in front of him. Bakura said, holding his arms out, "Smart move." Tristan thought quickly, smirked, and threw Mokuba at him.
"Catch," he said, moving behind Bakura quickly as he caught Mokuba, taken aback. He slammed his elbow sharply into the back of Bakura's head, sending him to the ground with Mokuba. He said, "Sorry, guys." He thought, reaching down to check on them, "Bakura's gonna wake up with a pretty bad headache later, but I'm sure he'll understand." He grabbed the Ring, taking it off and looking down at the golden item. He muttered, "Since the Spirit lives inside this Ring, I gotta get rid of it." He ran back to the open doorway where he had previously nearly fallen to his death. He looked down at the Ring, then threw it into the wilderness outside as far as he could.
"Farewell, evil spirit," Tristan thought, turning to collect Mokuba and Bakura, hoisting them both onto his shoulders.
The Spirit of the Puzzle taunted, "Still trying to read my mind, Pegasus?" Pegasus said, feigning confidence, "No thanks, Yugi-boy. My mind-reading abilities are only one of many skills I possess." He sent his Toon Summoned Skull to attack one of the hats still on the field, still missing the Dark Magician. He cursed to himself, but he ended his turn. Yugi returned to play a single card face-down, then switched back, letting the Spirit take over. Pegasus drew a card, then cheerfully played Magical Neutralizing Force to dispel the Magical Hats and reveal the Dark Magician. Yugi reeled. Toon Summoned Skull was finally able to attack, but Yugi countered, taking over for the Spirit quickly and using his face-down Living Arrow card. He smiled and said, "I'll defend by fusing the Living Arrow magic card with your Magical Neutralizing Force to destroy Toon World!" Pegasus shrieked as Yugi deflected the Skull's attack using Mirror Force to destroy all of the monsters who were released from Toon World, taking Pegasus' life points down to only 600. Pegasus was on the verge of tears at the thought of his beloved toons having been destroyed. He wiped his eye and said, returning to his false confidence, "Oh, Yugi, I'm impressed! Just look at you! You're one step away from becoming the world champion, you've been to the Shadow Realm and back, but most importantly, you've finally begun to master the powers of your Millennium Puzzle! You see, that's what this whole tournament has been about, for I plan to claim your Millennium Puzzle!" The Spirit gasped. The air grew heavy and cold around them. Pegasus said, "We're going to finish this duel in the Shadow Realm, Yugi-boy and this time, it's winner takes all!"
"No," Emiko said, realizing what was happening as a thick, dark cloud seemed to appear out of nowhere around the arena. It looked like a localized thunderstorm. Téa gasped, "The Shadow Realm!? Not again!" Joey said, "No way! Yuge, get out of there!"
Yugi looked around, watching as his friends disappeared behind the opaque, dark cloud and the arena was shrouded in darkness. His breathing grew more difficult and his heartbeat rose into his throat. A heavy pressure started weighing on his shoulders and he gasped for air. Pegasus said calmly, "Oh, little Yugi, you'll find that your experience in this Shadow Game will be a lot harder than your last. I think you'll find that the strain of maintaining both your Mind Shuffle and your monsters will prove to be quite difficult for you." Yugi thought, breathing heavily, "He's right. My head. It hurts and I feel weak." The Spirit jumped into action, taking control over Yugi and passing his turn to Pegasus, who chuckled as he played Dark Eyes Illusionist, an unusual monster with no attack or defense points, in attack mode. The Spirit drew a card, telling Yugi, "You'll be safer if you let me handle Pegasus. I can survive in this world more easily than you can, Yugi." Yugi said, "But, we can't abandon our Mind Shuffling strategy! It was the only thing keeping Pegasus from reading our minds!" The Spirit sighed, "Sadly, you're right and it's the only reason we have our narrow lead."
On the balcony, Joey, Emiko, and Téa were watching and wondering what to do when they heard a familiar, heavy breathing behind them.
"Hey," Tristan panted, "How about a hand?" Emiko gasped, "Mokuba! Oh my gosh!" She ran immediately to his side, grabbing Mokuba and falling with him to the ground, holding him tightly and protectively to her chest, tears stinging her eyes. Téa ran to help lower Bakura to the ground, asking, "What happened?" Tristan said, "I've had an adventure and a half." Emiko, without thinking, gently rocked Mokuba's unconscious body back and forth and Tristan explained, "That evil spirit took over Bakura again and tried to-" He looked down at the arena, shrouded in a dark cloud. He asked, "What's with the indoor thunderstorm?" Joey said, "You first, man." Tristan continued, "Well, I freed Mokuba, but then Bakura's evil spirit tried to grab him. He threatened me." Joey asked, "What did he want with Mokuba?" Emiko looked over at Bakura, sitting slumped over against the balcony. She sighed. Tristan explained, "He wanted a new host body." Téa and Joey gasped. Emiko's grip on her little brother tightened. Tristan said, "Don't worry. I handled it. I chucked that Ring as far as I could. Anyways, wanna tell me what the deal is with all that?" Téa said, "We're not too sure, to be honest." Emiko said, "Pegasus said something about the Shadow Realm and then that big cloud appeared." Tristan said, "These two should be fine up here. Let's go down and check it out." Emiko said, moving herself and Mokuba closer to the balcony so she could still watch through the bars, "I'll stay up here. Go help Yugi." Joey said, "Right. Let's go." Emiko smiled, holding her little brother close and looking down to the arena below.
Yugi said urgently as the Spirit summoned a new monster, "We have to keep Pegasus off balance! We have to keep switching our minds!" The Spirit reluctantly agreed and let Yugi take over, but he watched diligently over him. Pegasus drew a card and took his time setting one card face-down, letting the Shadow Realm drain Yugi's energy. He taunted, "I don't think you have it in you, Yugi-boy. Perhaps you should take a break. You now have two monsters to maintain." Yugi thought, "He's right. This is so hard. My head is spinning." The Spirit urged him to let him take over. Yugi reached down and pulled a card from his deck.
Outside, a huge thunderclap was heard and Téa reeled. Emiko, still holding Mokuba, felt a sharp pain in her chest. She looked down at the cloud, sensing that something was wrong. Téa asked, "Did you feel that?" Joey said, "Yeah, feels like Yugi's in trouble!" Tristan said, "Yeah." Emiko asked, raising her voice, "Did you guys feel that?" Téa said, "Yeah, a sharp jolt right in my heart and a strange feeling that something bad has happened to Yugi." Tristan said, "Maybe it's because we're all so close, but it's like we've all developed some kind of link with him." Emiko said, "What do we do?" Téa said, "If we're feeling what he's feeling it must be really bad in there." Tristan said, "I wish we could help him somehow."
The Spirit of the Puzzle begged Yugi, who was trembling under the pressure of the Shadow Realm, to switch with him before it was too much for Yugi to handle. The Spirit said, "Yugi, listen to me. Your mind is not strong enough to handle the stress of maintaining our monsters. You have to let me take over." Yugi reluctantly agreed and let the Spirit take over. The Spirit attacked hastily and Pegasus stopped the attack using Dark Eyes Illusionist's special ability. He chuckled, "You didn't think I'd leave him with no attack or defense points and not give him a special ability, did you? Oh, what will my next move be?" The Spirit ended his turn and growled, "Just play it." Pegasus smirked.
"As you wish, Yugi-boy," Pegasus said, flipping a spell card up. He sacrificed his Dark Eyes Illusionist, bringing to life a new monster, Relinquished. This new monster quickly retaliated against the Spirit's Curse of Dragon, absorbing it into the black hole on its lower body. As the Spirit launched another hasty attack using the Dark Magician, Pegasus activated the Relinquished's defenses, revealing the Curse of Dragon, protruding through the wing-like shields on the creature's back. As the Dark Magician's attack hit, the Spirit of the Puzzle reeled in pain, holding his chest and letting out a yelp of pain. Pegasus used his turn to activate Relinquished's hypnosis effect, dragging it into the creature's black hole and absorbing the Dark Magician's powers. Yugi asks to switch one more time, but as the Spirit releases control over Yugi, the boy collapses, leaning on the table. His vision blurred and his entire body was in pain. His breathing was rough and strained. He pulled one card, smiled, and set it face-down. Pegasus swiftly attacked, destroying Yugi's monster and causing Yugi to lose consciousness on the duelling table.
Téa, Emiko, Joey, and Tristan all gasped. Téa said, "Hold on! Something happened to Yugi just now!" Joey said, "Yeah, but what?" Emiko shrunk back behind the balcony, holding Mokuba tighter in her grip, her heart racing and her eyes welling up with tears. Tristan said, "Whatever it was, it felt devastating." Téa whimpered, "H-he's hurt! Or worse!" Téa shrieked, running into the cloud, but she reappeared mysteriously walking back out of it just a moment later. The trio looked confusedly at her. She looked back and asked, "Hey, how did I end up back here?" Joey walked up to the cloud and stuck his hand through it, only to see his hand reaching out for him right beside the entry point. He yelped and jumped back. Tristan growled, "Back up. There has to be a way in!" He let out a battle cry and ran into the cloud, just as Téa had before, but he didn't reappear. Instead, he ended up on the other side of the arena. Joey shouted, "Hey, you in there, Tristan?" Téa called, "Yell if you can hear us!" Tristan responded, "Somehow I just passed right through to the other side!" He ran back through and rejoined his friends.
"Whatever this thing is," Tristan said, "it's pretty clear that Pegasus designed it to keep him in and us out." Joey snapped, "I just can't believe Yugi's in trouble in there and there's nothing we can do to help him!"
The Spirit took over and stood up, regaining his composure. Pegasus said, "Forget the boy. He was too weak! It takes only the most experienced folk to cope with the harsh unrealities of the Shadow Realm." The Spirit shouted angrily, his voice still shaking from the shock of losing Yugi, "You will pay for using your underhanded tactics to overwhelm Yugi's young mind!" Pegasus snickered, "I take it from your emotional outburst that you're having a difficult time accepting that you failed in your self-appointed duty to protect the boy?" He smirked and said, "Whoever you are, I suppose Yugi-boy would have been better off without your interference, hm?" The Spirit of the Puzzle snapped, "Be silent!" Pegasus said, "Let's just continue the match, hm? It's your turn and now that you no longer have Yugi-boy to Mind Shuffle with, your mind is an open book to me." As the Spirit drew, Pegasus chuckled, reading his mind once again, "You have drawn Winged Dragon, Guardian of the Fortress; a weak monster!"
"Pegasus just read my mind," the Spirit thought, "Now, he knows all the cards in my hand. The only card he doesn't know is the one Yugi laid down in his last moments. I have no way of knowing if that card can actually tip the duel in my favour." He laid down Winged Dragon, Guardian of the Fortress in defense mode and ended his turn. Pegasus used his Relinquished to destroy the Spirit's defense monster, just for kicks, and he summoned a self-destructing monster that was set to go off after two turns. The Spirit grimaced. He thought, "Without Yugi, I don't know if I can even win." Inside his head, an old man said, "Yugi is still with you." The Spirit wondered, "Who are you? Hold on." The old man said softly, "That's right. I'm Yugi's grandpa. Yugi is still alive." The Spirit asked, "How is that possible? I thought-" Solomon said, "You only see what your eyes show you. The truth is that Yugi's friends are keeping his spirit alive." The Spirit said aloud, "Of course! They haven't given up on him!" Pegasus frowned.
Outside, Emiko, Téa, Tristan, and Joey were united, concentrating in an attempt to reach through to Yugi.
The Spirit of the Puzzle smiled and said confidently, drawing a card, "Here's my move!" Pegasus chuckled and said, "You fool. You cannot hide your cards from me." He laughed, then gasped, realizing that Yugi's friends had his cards blocked, "Oh, no! My vision! My Millennium Eye is being blocked!" He growled, realizing that he would no longer have his advantage. The Spirit smirked, using the Mystic Box spell card to switch Pegasus' Jigen Bakudan time bomb and the Dark Magician's places. Pegasus sighed and passed his turn. As the Spirit continued, he took control of Relinquished, Jigen Bakudan still being attached and ready to self-destruct at the end of the Spirit's turn. Pegasus laughed, but the Spirit said, reaching down to the playing field, "Don't forget, Pegasus, I still have one more card left to play. The card Yugi played in his final act of courage. And now, it's time to find out what it is!" He flipped the card upright, revealing to himself and to Pegasus, the ritual card, Black Magic Ritual. The Spirit shouted, "Black Magic Ritual! I will sacrifice your Jigen Bakudan and my Dark Magician in order to summon the Magician of Black Chaos!" The sorcerer emerged from the clouds above, his eyes cold and stern. The Spirit said, "You may have succeeded in putting Yugi out of commission, but not before his final courageous act set the stage for the greatest magician in all of Duel Monsters and with The Magician of Black Chaos, a creature given to me by Emiko Kaiba in her last-ditch effort to save her brothers, I will avenge my fallen friend!" The magician knelt to the ground and the Spirit said, "Face it, Pegasus. You're finished!" He set a monster and one card face-down. Pegasus laughed, trying to remain calm.
"Well, now that Relinquished is back on my side of the field," he said, "I think I'll activate Polymerization to fuse him with my Thousand-Eyes Idol!" As the two creatures fused together, he said, "I now introduce you to the Thousand-Eyes Restrict!" The Spirit said, determined to win, "You can do your worst, but I can guarantee you this duel will be won by Yugi and Emiko's final act of courage." Pegasus said, "We'll just see about that. Oh, Thousand-Eyes Restrict, time to open your peepers!" As the creature opened all one thousand of its eyes, its gaze caused the Magician of Black Chaos to freeze in his place. Pegasus grinned, calling for his monster to absorb the chaos mage, but the Spirit of the Puzzle revealed his face-down Kuriboh and Multiply cards, causing the Thousand-Eyes Restrict to absorb thousands upon thousands of self-destructing furballs known as Kuriboh. This counter-attack did cause 300 points of damage to the Spirit's life points, leaving him with only 100 points, but crippling thousand-eyed creature and disabling its special effect. The Spirit called one final attack and the duel was done. Pegasus let out an anguished cry of defeat as his monster came crashing down to the ground in a cloud of smoke.
Emiko, Téa, Joey, and Tristan gasped. Téa said softly, "Hold on. I feel something." Emiko looked down, still holding Mokuba, and asked, "Is it Yugi?" Tristan said, "Yeah, it feels like Yuge! Like he's okay!"
Yugi stood tall and said, "Pegasus. It's over. We have won." Pegasus cried out, the dark cloud around them beginning to fade, "I've lost! I'm sorry. Cecelia, my love. I am so sorry."
Téa said, "Yeah, look! It's clearing up!" Joey said, "I can see something!" Tristan said, "Yeah, it looks like Yugi!" Through the haze, Yugi turned around and Joey, Téa, and Tristan said, "Yugi!" They ran to him.
Beside her, Bakura stirred a little bit. She said, "Bakura! You're awake!" He opened his eyes and groaned a little. He mumbled, "Oh, my head. Wha- where am I?" Emiko said gently, "It's okay. Your safe." She looked down at the arena where Téa, Tristan, and Joey congratulated Yugi. She smiled, still embracing her little brother, who remained unconscious. Bakura stood up and called, "Hey! Hey!" He waved down at them and said, "Hello!" Tristan said, "Hey, bud. Feeling back to normal?" Bakura's face fell and he asked, "Back to...? H-have I not been normal, Tristan?" Tristan said, "Dang. He must not remember." He raised his voice and said, "Yeah, that Ring you were wearing was making you act really weird again!" Emiko thought, "Wait. He wasn't wearing the Ring this morning." Bakura said softly, "Oh my. What happened to the Ring, then?" Tristan said, "I chucked that thing as far as I could." Bakura sighed sadly, "Oh, well. I guess it was for the best if it was making me act weird. Though I will miss that artifact, if I'm being honest." Emiko smiled. Yugi said, "Okay, let's go find Pegasus." Téa, Tristan, and Joey agreed and they all ran out.
Bakura sighed. Emiko said, seeing that he was itching to go, too, "Go on. I'll watch Mokuba." Bakura said, "You're sure you'll be alright on your own?" She nodded and said, "Yeah." He smiled and walked swiftly out of sight, calling, "Hey, wait up!" Emiko sighed to herself, "I know it's not over yet, but we're close." She rested her head on the top of Mokuba's, humming gently.