Last Time: TK didn't get much sleep after Yami spent the night thinking about the day to come and what a day it was! Yami never got his plan off the ground, because everything changed as soon as Yugi and his friends came by with none other than Seto Kaiba. While Yugi expected Kaiba's presence to bring Yami back, Kaiba took it a step further and proposed that Yugi face Yami in a duel. Both have accepted and now it's time to duel!
Taking A New Host: Part 6
Yugi couldn't believe this was happening. He never thought it would come down to this. He was outside the apartment complex, by the patio, with one of Kaiba's dueling disks on his wrist. It was really happening. He was actually about to duel Yami. The same Yami that had helped beat Pegasus and helped Yugi get his grandpa back.
Although he was in TK's body, Yami looked just like he always did. The white hat was off now and Yami TK stood tall with one hand in his pocket and the other in his vest. He and Yugi now stood facing each other with Seto Kaiba standing between them. And there were more than enough spectators present. Joey, Tristan, Téa, and Kari were all standing on the sidelines, waiting for this battle to begin.
"You both know the rules," Kaiba said. "You each start off with 2000 life points. First one to bring his opponent down to zero, wins. Are you ready?"
Yugi nodded. "I'm ready."
Yami smirked. "Let's duel!"
Yugi's LP 2000 || Yami's LP 2000
Kaiba's dueling disks came as close to simulating reality as it could get. Yugi was standing, facing five life-sized cards. The first move would be a crucial one and Yugi luckily had the perfect card to lead off with.
"I play Celtic Guardian in Attack Mode!"
Celtic Guardian 1400/1200
Yugi didn't want to waste any time. He couldn't afford to be cute around a duelist as serious as his Yami. The Celtic Guardian would hopefully get him off to a good start. When he laid the card down, the elf warrior appeared with a fierce scowl, wielding his sword.
Kari gasped. "You can bring these things to life?"
"Amazing, ain't it?" Joey grinned. "Sometimes I still can't believe it."
Yami wasn't shaken. "A good card, Aibou. You've learned much from me. But it won't help you. I start with Mammoth Graveyard in Attack Mode!"
Mammoth Graveyard 1200/800
"I'll also play a card face down."
Yugi knew to be cautious. Mammoth Graveyard couldn't stand up to the Celtic Guardian. Yami had something up his sleeve. He either had a magic card or a trap card lying in wait. Since Yami's was a fresh deck that had never been used, anything could happen. Before going on to his next turn, Yugi played a card face down. Then he attacked.
"Celtic Guardian, attack Mammoth Graveyard with Silverblade Slash!"
Yugi rushed in and moved in with his Celtic Guardian, but it turned out to be a very foolish move.
"Not so fast, Yugi! I have a magic card face down and that card is the Raise Body Heat card, which raises the Attack and Defense points of any dinosaur-type monster like my Mammoth Graveyard by 300 points, which is enough to defeat your Celtic Guardian! Mammoth Graveyard, attack Celtic Guardian!"
Yugi felt dumb for not seeing such an obvious ploy coming. Mammoth Graveyard got just enough of a boost to demolish the Celtic Guardian and Yugi was suddenly down to 1900 life points. Yugi couldn't afford to be so careless with his next move. So he drew again and got a formidable monster, but not enough to beat the beefed-up Mammoth Graveyard. So Yugi made the best move he could make.
"I summon the Beaver Warrior in Defense Mode."
Beaver Warrior 1200/1500
The Beaver Warrior wouldn't do much good, but with its 1500 defense points, it would hold off the boosted Mammoth Graveyard until Yugi's next turn. It also gave him a chance to play a magic card face down. Yami sighed and drew another card. Then he smiled. It looked like he had drawn something good.
"This whole duel is nothing more than a mismatch, Yugi, as you shall soon realize. I play this Monster Replace card to bring back Mammoth Graveyard and play Thunder Dragon in Attack Mode!"
Thunder Dragon 1600/1000
"Thunder Dragon, strike down the Beaver Warrior!"
With a fierce roar, the Thunder Dragon aimed and fired, destroying the Beaver Warrior. Since he was in Defense Mode, Yugi didn't lose any life points, but he still felt the heat from the ferocious attack.
The Thunder Dragon was a card that Yugi hadn't encountered in his ventures at Duelist Kingdom. It would be enough to eliminate the Beaver Warrior. Yami must have been getting to the heart of his deck already. Yugi had to hope to draw a better card. He closed his eyes and thought about the heart of the cards. And when he drew, he found his best ally.
Yugi smirked, just like his Yami would. "I summon the Dark Magician in Attack Mode!"
Dark Magician 2500/2100
The Dark Magician was Yugi's best card and the one card that Yami would sorely miss in this duel. Yugi never dueled without it. And the Thunder Dragon wouldn't last long against the Dark Magician. Yugi clearly had the advantage. But he also noticed another target: Mammoth Graveyard.
"Dark Magician, Dark Magic Attack!"
The Dark Magician extended his hand and unleashed his Dark Magic Attack, taking out Yami's Mammoth Graveyard. Yami found himself in a hole and down to 1000 Life Points.
But Yami wasn't shaken at all. "Big mistake, Yugi. You should have destroyed my dragon while you had the chance. And while the Dark Magician may not be on my side on this day, it won't matter. I play Magical Hats!"
Four Magical Hats fell onto the field, one covering the Thunder Dragon. Only one hat contained it. Yugi had played this move himself on more than one occasion. The other three cards could either be empty or possibly contain a trap card. To risk the Dark Magician would be crazy. So Yugi drew another card and got lucky again.
"I'm not falling for this, Yami! I play Curse of Dragon in Attack Mode!"
Curse of Dragon 2000/1100
Curse of Dragon wasn't as strong as the Dark Magician, but it could still beat the Thunder Dragon. Of course, it could only happen IF he found him in the right hat.
"Curse of Dragon! Attack with Dragon Flame!"
Curse of Dragon struck at the second hat to the left. The hat shattered, but it was empty and Yugi had wasted a turn.
"Sorry, Yugi. He's not there. Your next mistake may be your last, because I'm playing a trap card face down under one of the hats. One contains my Thunder Dragon, the other contains my trap card, and the other one is empty. Hope you feel lucky. But let's make this even better. I'll play the Change of Heart card to control your Dark Magician for the remainder of my turn! And I'll use it to destroy your Curse of Dragon!"
As lucky as Yugi had gotten during this duel, it didn't look like it was about to last. The Dark Magician turned around and obliterated Curse of Dragon, lowering Yugi's life points to 1400. Mercifully, the turn was over and Yugi had control of the Dark Magician again, but the damage had been done.
Yugi's LP 1400 || Yami's LP 1000
"It's ok, Yugi!" Téa shouted. "You can come back!"
Yugi couldn't let that setback let him down. He was far from finished. And when he had drawn his next card, he once again had a chance to let someone else take the risk for the Dark Magician.
"I play the Summoned Skull in Attack Mode!"
Summoned Skull 2500/1200
While the Summoned Skull and Dark Magician had the same number of Attack Points, Yugi was partial towards his Dark Magician. So he attacked with his Summoned Skull. It struck one of the hats with a furious lightning attack, but disaster had happened as the hat disintegrated.
Yami chuckled. "Sorry, Yugi. You destroyed the hat and activated my trap card, the Mirror Force card! The Mirror Force card reflects your attack and destroys ALL the monsters you have on the field!"
It was the worst thing that could have happened to Yugi. Although his life points remained at 1400, his Summoned Skull and Dark Magician were both annihilated before his very eyes. Yugi's two strongest cards were out of play.
It got worse from there. Yami drew another card and got the one he was looking for.
"And with my next turn, I'll play my SECOND Thunder Dragon! And with this Polymerization card, I'll fuse them together to create the Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon!"
Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon 2800/2100
The first Thunder Dragon exited the safety of the Magical hats and fused together with the second Thunder Dragon to create a new fearsome creature. That fresh deck that Kaiba supplied Yami with contained VERY powerful cards. Yugi was now backed into a corner. With his two strongest cards gone, he couldn't possibly stand up to this furious Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon. He looked back at his friends and Kari, hoping for some support. Téa and Kari were scratching the back of their heads tensely and Joey and Tristan were whistling nervously.
"I guess we're finding out just who IS the better duelist," Kaiba smirked. "I must say, this duel has been rather one-sided. Got any other moves, Yugi?"
Honestly, Yugi had nothing. He could draw another card and hope for the best, so he did. He got just what he needed. Combined with the card he already had face down, this would actually STOP Yami and his dragon.
"Hey, Yami! I'm sure you remember this strategy! I play Kuriboh in Attack Mode!"
Kuriboh 300/200
"It looks like a Furby," Kari noted. "How is that that supposed to stand up to a giant two-headed dragon?"
Kuriboh was the weakest creature in all of Duel Monsters. Any serious duelist would be laughed at for using such a card. But Yami and Yugi had used it once before to their advantage. They used it in the second duel against Kaiba.
Yami knew it, too. "Kuriboh? That must mean…"
"That's right!" Yugi continued. "I have a Multiply card face down and I'm using it to make an endless army of Kuriboh!"
Once Yugi played that card, an infinite number of Kuriboh slowly began to appear on the field. For the first time since Yugi had met him, Yami began to panic.
"NO! Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon, attack!"
Uncharacteristically, Yami lost his cool. The huge dragon attacked, but it was in vain. It didn't come close to destroying all the Kuriboh and the ones that were quickly replaced by new furry little monsters. Yami's turn was wasted and that would cost him dearly. Because then came the second phase of Yugi's attack.
"Now I attack with my own Mammoth Graveyard, a Polymerization card, and the Living Arrow!"
Mammoth Graveyard 1200/800
Kaiba recognized this, as well. "That's the same combination *I* was hit with last time!"
Mammoth Graveyard rushed towards the Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon and with the Polymerization card and Living Arrow card, it fused with the dragon. But the fusion was corrupted and the dragon slowly began to rot. And with the turn ended, the dragon began to lose Attack Points equal to Mammoth Graveyard's. The Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon was down to 1600 Attack Points.
Yami was in disbelief. "VERY good move, Aibou!"
"I learned from the best," Yugi grinned.
Yami looked to be stumped. He had only one move to make. He laid a card face down.
Yugi played his next card. "And now I play the Feral Imp in Attack Mode!"
Feral Imp 1300/1400
The Feral Imp would soon be enough to destroy Yami's dragon. But Yami no longer looked panicked. It was one of his most admirable qualities. Even if things looked to be grim, he still believed in the heart of the cards, just like Yugi did. Yami played one more card face down and ended his turn, since he had no other options. The Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon went down to 400 Attack Points. That was Yugi's opening.
"Now, Feral Imp! Attack!"
The Feral Imp rushed past the defenses of the Kuriboh and demolished the deteriorated dragon. The Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon was no more. Yami's life points went down to 100 and Yugi could feel victory within his grasp. And there was suddenly new life from Yugi's supporters.
Yugi's LP 1400 || Yami's LP 100
"Great move, Yugi!" Téa exclaimed.
"You're winning, buddy!" Joey added.
There was a brief stalemate on the field. For a moment, Yugi was getting confident. He started to believe that he was actually getting the better of his Yami. Maybe he truly DIDN'T need him around. Maybe Yugi had finally come into his own. Maybe the student had surpassed the master.
But Yami just chuckled…and that made Yugi very nervous.
"You've learned much from me, Yugi. You've matured as a proficient duelist in your own right and I am very proud of you. HOWEVER…you haven't won…and this duel will end NOW!" Yami drew one more card…and continued chuckling. "It ends…because I have drawn Reborn the Monster! And the card I bring back is the Dark Magician!"
Dark Magician 2500/2100
Yugi's Dark Magician had been brought back from the graveyard and now he was fighting on behalf of Yami. But Yami wasn't through with his turn.
"But the card that will finish you is the Book of Secret Arts card that I have laid face down, which increases the Dark Magician's attack points by 300, bringing his total attack points to 2800! Now, Dark Magician! Dark Magic Attack!!"
After coming out to destroy the Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon, the Feral Imp no longer had the luxury of being protected by the army of Kuriboh. He was left wide open for the Dark Magician's attack and was demolished with one blow. And with the slight boost in his attack points, it was enough to bring Yugi's life points all the way down to zero.
Yugi had lost.
Kaiba shook his head. "Underwhelming. I thought you'd at least put up a better fight, Yugi."
"Shut up, Kaiba!" Joey snapped. "We brought you here to help us and you didn't help at all!"
"Like I could care less whether I help you or not," Kaiba sneered. "All that matters is that *I* have my rematch! Too bad I won't get to see Yami again after I beat him a second time." He examined the blond-haired Yami TK. "Although, I will admit that this will take some getting used to."
The duel was over and Yugi was in a state of shock. It was all on the line and he blew it. He put his heart into this duel and lost. He was devastated. This was his last chance to get his Yami back and he had failed miserably. Now he was destined to go the rest of his life without him.
Yami walked over to Yugi and offered a handshake. "Good game, Yugi. You played valiantly to the end. I have taught you well. I'm sorry it had to end this way."
Yugi sadly accepted. "I'm gonna miss you."
Yugi was too heartbroken to say goodbye. He just turned around, his head hanging down, and walked away with tears running down his face. The first one there to comfort him was Téa, who looked just as sad as he did.
There was no other reason to stay there. It was time for Yugi to head home without the Millennium Puzzle and without his friend. But just as he was walking out…
"WAIT!"
Yugi stopped and turned around. He saw Kari staring at Yami TK with a fire in her eyes.
"I'm tired of being a spectator to this whole thing! I'm taking matters into my own hands!"
Next Time: Yugi has failed in his bid to get Yami back. But Kari's about to step in and finally do something about all that's happened. What'll she do?
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