Last time on Yu-Gi-Oh: After a visit from Shadi, Gavin began his duel
against Ryou Bakura. Bakura gained an early lead, bringing Duelist Soul to
almost a quarter of his original life points before his opponent
retaliated. Then Duelist Soul whittled Bakura down to 3700 Life Points. In
his next move, Gavin attacked directly with his given card, Soul of Light,
leaving Bakura with 800 Life Points. Bakura then used Soul Exchange and
Change of Heart to offer Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon and Soul of Light as a
tribute for Cosmo Queen, a card that he did not know was in his deck. In
his next turn, Bakura attacked, winning the duel.
Author's Note: I sincerely apologize for the lack of quality in the previous chapter. I was a little rushed to finish before I went camping.
Author's Note: This is a warning as to what may come. I'm writing to distract myself. I couldn't sleep at all last night, nothin', not at all! So I'm tired. Well...I'm not going to write this in one day, so...well...there was a day when I was writing this that the aforementioned happened.
Author's Note: Uh...lookin' at reviews here...'Feel Good Time'? No, it was 'No Matter What', 'One Card Short', and another song of my bro's that I found while looking for...uh...some song...can't remember...What song this time? Ooh...it's my current play-list: One Card Short, Wild Drive, The Edge of Soul, Open Up Your Mind, Kawaita Sakebi, Rakuen, Aitsu, I'm Back, Tokei, Heart of the Cards, Ahead of the Game, and Kirari Takaramono.
Author's Note: Ugh...these are going to be the longest three weeks of my life...
~
"Why?" he whispered to himself as his hands idly sifted through the cards in his deck, "Why?"
Rathje stared out the window at the night sky, as if the stars held the answers he longed for so much. Sighing, he rose to his feet. The sound of a fist striking wood was heard as Rathje placed his deck on the nearby table.
Walking slowly to the door, he let out a soft sigh. After fumbling with the handle for a moment, Rathje swung the door open, seeing Yasumi.
"Oh, hey, what brings you here?" he greeted, smiling.
Yasumi sighed, walking into the room after Rathje motioned for her to enter, "I'm just a little worried about you. You seemed to be in a pretty rough condition after our duel..."
"I'm fine," Rathje shrugged, taking a seat next to the window, "just fine."
"How's your lip?" Yasumi asked, eyeing him curiously as she sat next to him, "It was bleeding."
"I told you, I'm fine," Rathje sighed, looking out the window for a moment, his eyes catching the light for an instant.
"What about emotionally?"
Rathje was silent. He closed his eyes, leaning forward to rest his forearms on his knees.
"Well?"
"...I..." Rathje began, his eyes closing slowly, "...it's nothing..."
"Tell me."
"No, I'm fine."
"That wasn't a request."
Sighing softly, Rathje opened his eyes, "...alright, it's just...well...You're the Millennium Guardian of Skill, Duelist Soul's of Duty, Bakura's of Peace. If I am of Redemption, then why am I redeeming myself? What have I done? Is it something I'll never know?"
Yasumi watched as Rathje choked through his sentences. She frowned, looking straight into his eyes, which were barren, "Wait until your duel with Bakura tomorrow. I'm sure it'll be clear then."
"Why?"
"Because it's the last duel of the Millennium Guardians..." Yasumi shrugged, "It would make sense."
Rathje nodded, not speaking.
"Rathje?"
"Yeah?"
"Good luck tomorrow."
"Thanks."
"...and...there's something else..."
"What is it?"
"Well...I know you don't have any Dark Magicians in your deck...but, I'd like you to have this for the duel against Bakura..." Yasumi murmured, removing a card from her pocket and handing it to Rathje.
Rathje stared at the card, stunned. The text atop it gleamed brilliantly back at him.
"Dark Magician Girl?" he whispered, half-shocked.
"Yeah, I thought it might make you feel a bit better," Yasumi smiled, "This way, it's almost as if we both made it to the finals."
"Thank you, Yasumi...thank you..."
~
"Yugi," Tea poked her friend on the shoulder, gaining his attention.
"Yeah, Tea?" Yugi asked, turning to face her.
"If the winner of the duel goes up against Pegasus, then what will happen?" Tea stated, a little worried.
"Well...I assume the winner would then duel Pegasus..."
"But I still don't understand. Last time, you were dueling to have all the souls returned to their bodies...but what are we trying to do this time?" Tea asked.
"I...I don't know..."
Gavin walked up to them. At no point in time did he look at them. They were on the balcony, and Gavin faced the arena, where the duel would soon take place.
"They are dueling to disband the Spirit of the Millennium Ring to the Shadow Realm."
At that point in time, the sound of a man clapping cut across the room. They all looked up, seeing Richard Pegasus.
The man could have passed as an exact clone of Maxmillion Pegasus himself, if he had been an inch or two taller. He wore a deep navy suit, adorned with a crimson tie. The Millennium Ring hung loosely around his neck, the Millennium Eye hidden from view beneath his white hair. A sullen smirk was upon his lips, and his visible eye was focused upon Duelist Soul, almost in a glare. After three claps, Richard Pegasus walked to the edge of his separate platform, facing the balcony.
"Duelists, enter for the final duel of the finals of Duelist Kingdom II!" Richard Pegasus called, his voice, an exact duplicate of Maxmillion's, echoing through the room.
Rathje and Bakura emerged from the darkness of the hallways at the same time, their movements in unison. Their walk was slow, dragging out each moment. Both held their respective decks in their right hands. As they moved, the dueling arena lowered from the ceiling, connection the pathways, which were previously ending at an abyss.
"Congratulations to both duelists for reaching this point in the tournament," Pegasus declared, "The victor of this duel will receive all two hundred and thirty six cards included in the Trial of Pharaohs extension, as well as a opportunity at something even greater, a duel with myself, the new head of Industrial Illusions!"
Both Bakura and Rathje's eyes narrowed at the mention of the duel with Pegasus, though neither turned to face him. The entire time, they had been staring at one another, memorizing one another's eyes, each feature.
"Now, without further adieu," Richard Pegasus shouted, "Let the duel begin! Set the Life Points to eight thousand!"
-Bakura: 8000, Rathje: 8000
They both drew five cards, Bakura drawing for the start of his first turn. Giving a nod of acknowledgement, he removed two cards from his hand and placing them on the field.
"I set one monster and one trap card," Bakura stated, "and I end my turn."
Rathje drew a card, sighing inwardly, "Alright, then I will summon Neo the Magic Swordsman in Attack Mode."
The monster appeared on the field, wielding a sword in one hand.
"Neo the Magic Swordsman," Rathje shouted, holding his right hand outwards, "attack the face-down monster!"
Rathje's monster dashed forward, sending its sword through the card. Standing behind Bakura's monster as it became visible, Neo dropped to one knee. Spirit of the Harp stood where the card once was. In one large leap, Neo the Magic Swordsman returned to Rathje's monster card zone, standing ready for combat.
-Bakura: 8000, Rathje: 7700
"I offer Spirit of the Harp as a tribute," Bakura declared after drawing a card, moving Spirit of the Harp to the graveyard, "to summon Airknight Parshath!"
Spirit of the Harp faded to nothing, and soon, in a flash of white light, a creature similar to a centaur appeared, holding a sword in one hand and a shield in the other. Various white feathers and pieces of blue and yellow armor covered its body.
"What is this card?" Rathje asked, studying it carefully.
"It is a monster with 1900 attack points and 1400 defense points," Bakura stated, "but soon, it will have 300 more of each, as I add Silver Bow and Arrow!"
The Sword and Shield faded, replaced with an elaborate bow and a single arrow.
"Airknight Parshath," Bakura declares, his voice quite quiet in the large arena, "attack the swordsman."
The monster drew its arrow, firing it straight at Neo's chest. The arrow pierced the monster swiftly, destroying it. The arrow then reappeared in the Airknight Parshath's gauntlet.
-Bakura: 8000, Rathje: 7200
"And each time my Airknight Parshath deals damage to your Life Points, I may draw a card," Bakura explained, lifting the top card from his deck.
"Now it's my turn," Rathje stated, drawing a card, "And I will play one monster face-down and end my turn."
Adding a single card to his hand, Bakura faced the field once again, "Airknight Parshath, attack the face-down monster."
Drawing the arrow back once more, the monster unleashed its assault with equal ferocity to the previous turn. The card flipped up, showing Witch of the Black Forest, which was destroyed.
"I do not lose Life Points," Rathje stated, "but I may search my deck for a monster and add it to my hand."
"Wrong."
"What do you mean by that?" Rathje asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Whenever Airknight Parshath attacks a monster in defense position, it inflicts damage to your Life Points equal to the difference between my monster's attack points and your monster's defense points," Bakura smiled, "So you lose 1000 more Life Points and I may draw another card."
Rathje muttered angrily as his Life Point count lowered.
-Bakura: 8000, Rathje: 6200
After shuffling his deck, Rathje started his turn, "I summon Jirai Gumo in Attack Position!"
The massive insect appeared on the field, eyeing the Airknight.
"I end my turn, Bakura."
"Then I will set one monster and end my turn," Bakura murmured, placing the card on the field face-down.
"Alright, Bakura," Rathje states, removing a monster from his hand, "I will offer Jirai Gumo as a tribute to play my Summoned Skull!"
The bug disappeared, leaving nothing remaining before the massive skeletal creature was summoned in its place.
"Then attack," Bakura says softly.
"Go, Summoned Skull!"
The Skull raised its arms, thus creating a pillar of electricity which was cast down upon the Airknight Parshath, destroying it.
-Bakura: 7600, Rathje: 6200
'Interesting,' Pegasus thinks to himself, 'They both seemed determined to pit only the best of their abilities against one another. They refuse to offer any less. I would expect this from any duelists of their caliber, but this is for a different reason. They seem to almost be anteing up, raising the power of the battle, not to defeat their opponent, but to give them a reason to admit defeat. Neither wishes to win, and yet they both desire to duel me.
'And yet, I only wish to duel one of them. For only by dueling one so closely linked to the destruction of Maxmillion Pegasus may I obtain what I need: an empty host. I came close before, but then the Spirit of the Millennium Puzzle defeated Pegasus, returning the souls to their bodies.'
Bakura drew a card, his eyes flashing dangerously, "I set one monster and end my turn."
Rathje drew a card, the pink edge shining back at him. He stared at the card he was holding for a minute.
"Redemption," he murmured, "from Industrial Illusions..."
'That's it,' he thought, 'I must redeem myself for siding with Pegasus before. I must defeat Bakura so I can duel Pegasus, defeat him, and show whose side I'm on.'
"Bakura," Rathje shouted across the arena, "I set one trap card and I-"
He paused, seeing Bakura's eyes. They were gleaming with some form of grim confidence.
"-I end my turn without attacking..."
After an instant of surprise flashing across Bakura's face, he nodded, "Then I flip my Cyber Jar, destroying all monsters on the field."
Summoned Skull and Cyber Jar were destroyed, but as they were, another card flipped up.
"I activate Love and Hate," Rathje declared, "allowing me to draw a card from a random place in my deck whenever a monster effect is activated, such as Cyber Jar's."
As Rathje drew a random card, Bakura continued to explain; "Now we each draw five cards. Any monsters level four or lower are immediately special summoned or set."
Bakura summoned a Rogue Doll and Banisher of the Light in attack mode and Rathje summoned a 7-Coloured Fish.
"Now I will offer both of my monsters as a tribute to summon my Wingweaver!" Bakura declared, placing the Fairy on the field.
The two monsters vanished, and soon a female fairy monster was on Bakura's side of the field.
"Yes, but Banisher of the Light removes both monsters from the field, which let's me draw two random cards," Rathje stated calmly, drawing.
After allowing Rathje to draw two cards, Bakura continued, "Wingweaver, attack 7-Coloured Fish!"
Wingweaver launched a magical attack consisting of an orb of white light, absorbing 7-Coloured Fish inside of it. When the light faded, 7-Coloured Fish was no longer there.
-Bakura: 7600, Rathje: 5250
Rathje drew a card, looking up at the fairy monster with both rage and fear in his eyes. Then seeing the card he drew, a faint smirk crossed his lips, "Bakura, I set two trap cards face-down, and then I play Monster Reborn!"
The cross appeared on the field, creating a massive cylinder of light. As the light faded, Witch of the Black Forest reappeared, head lowered.
"Next, I will play Change of Heart, taking Wingweaver!"
A creature appeared atop the card Rathje just activated. One half of the creature was an angel, the other a form of demon. It flew to Wingweaver, entering it. Wingweaver moved to Rathje's half of the arena, facing Bakura.
"Lastly, I offer both monsters as a tribute," Rathje declared, taking the card he drew from his hand and placing it in attack position, "summoning Gate Guardian!"
In a brilliant flash of blinding light, Gate Guardian was brought onto the field. It towered high over both duelists. Both other monsters were gone, leaving a nearly empty field, apart from Gate Guardian and the trap cards face-down.
"And because of Witch of the Black Forest and Love and Hate, I draw a random card, and then search my deck for a monster card with 1500 defense points or less," Rathje explained.
"...alright..." Bakura murmured, his eyes downcast.
"Gate Guardian," Rathje shouted, throwing his right hand out, toward the field, "attack Bakura directly!"
"No!" Bakura yelled, flipping his trap, "I activate Ultimate Offering! I will use it to set one monster in defense position!"
In a flash of crimson light, a monster appeared face-down, blocking the attack of the Gate Guardian. As the explosion of power from Rathje's monster passed, the Flame Incarnation was destroyed.
-Bakura: 7100, Rathje: 5250
"I...I draw eleven cards because of Flame Incarnation's effect..." Bakura declared, drawing his cards.
"...and I draw a random card from Love and Hate..." Rathje stated.
Bakura drew his twelfth card, starting his turn, "I will...I will summon Seraphim in attack position."
A small angel appeared, sitting on the ground and staring gleefully at Gate Guardian.
"What does this card do?" Rathje asked, a little shocked.
"It has 500 attack points and 1000 defense points," Bakura explained, sighing, "but on the turn following the one in which he is summoned, it cannot be attacked."
"I see..." Rathje muttered.
"I end my turn," Bakura stated, discarding more than half his hand.
Rathje drew a card, a slight smile on his face, "I draw one card from Seraphim's effect activating, and I play Heavy Storm, destroying all magic and trap cards on the field."
A mighty storm began, the wind and rain crashing across the field. It soon passed, leaving only Gate Guardian and Seraphim.
"Next, I will summon La Ginn the Mystical Genie of the Lamp," Rathje stated, placing the card on the field, "and also play the magic card Fissure, destroying Seraphim!"
As the Genie became visible, the angel disappeared into a chasm below it.
"Gate Guardian, attack Bakura!" Rathje said grimly.
Gate Guardian's blow of wind, water, and electricity came unto Bakura like a knife entering his chest, ripping everything he had hoped for from him. He dropped to one knee, his eyes reflecting pain.
-Bakura: 3350, Rathje: 5250
"La Ginn, attack!"
-Bakura: 1500, Rathje: 5250
"I end my turn, Bakura," Rathje murmured across the field.
'I can't lose,' Bakura thought, 'So much is riding on this duel, no, this single card. If I do not draw a card that can turn this duel around in a single turn, then this duel will end next turn...'
He lifted the card, staring blankly. He sighed, looking almost angrily at Rathje.
"It is your turn, Rathje..."
Rathje paused. He was shocked. Bakura had left an open field, not even a trap card face-down. He could attack with either monster and win the duel. He drew a card. As he did so, the text gleamed up at him.
'This card,' he thought, 'I...I need to use it...'
"I offer La Ginn the Mystical Genie of the Lamp as a tribute," Rathje shouted, "summoning Dark Magician Girl in attack position!"
The Spellcaster appeared, smiling and holding her staff high as she stood next to Gate Guardian.
'Now I just need to attack...' his voice stated inside his head.
'Redemption,' he thought, 'to redeem myself...I must do this.'
He raised his right hand, pointing at Bakura. Then he stopped. He looked around, at the stands. Yugi and Joey were standing together, watching him.
'The road to victory is laden with many failures'
He looked on, seeing Rose and Garrison. This was the first time they had come to watch him duel in the finals.
'Now go, go to Castle Pegasus. Beat them all, and Richard. You know you can, Rathje'
He saw Duelist Soul. His eyes were empty, void of all emotion.
'Search your heart and mind, it holds the answers.'
Then he saw Yasumi Shiroko, his best friend. She was smiling, though her smile seemed almost sad.
'I couldn't allow you to go through that any more.'
He suddenly thought of what had happened two days ago. He thought of the tapestry. He heard his own voice, a low murmur.
"Well, any of those guards could beat the knight in battle, I'll bet, but that knight has something special that makes him the only one able to fight the dragon. That's what our situation is. For all we know, Duelist Soul could be the one who is supposed to duel Pegasus, and this could all be pointless."
'I'm not the one to duel Pegasus,' Rathje thought, 'Bakura should. I have to redeem myself by allowing him to...'
'Yes,' Richard Pegasus thought as he probed Rathje's mind, 'and then I will defeat Bakura, thus gaining what I have desired...'
"Ryou Bakura, I commend you," Rathje shouted, placing his hand atop his deck, "Defeat Pegasus. It's what you came here to do. I won't stand in your way..."
Bakura looked up as the field deactivated. His eyes were full of something that had been lost to him for a while; something similar to happiness, but more intense.
"Rathje Kiroishen," a voice cut in, "Since you are no longer a part of Duelist Kingdom, I think I can do what I please with you..."
Rathje turned, seeing Kimu standing behind him, cracking his knuckles as he advanced. Rathje's eyes narrowed and he reached for his pocket, muttering angrily under his breath, "Good luck catching me..."
Removing his hand, he dropped a small sphere onto the ground. Soon, smoke was filling the room. As soon as he was no longer visible, Rathje leapt onto the dueling arena, running across it to Bakura's side. Pausing a moment before Bakura, who was still kneeling, he jumped over him, then dashing out the hallway.
It took a while for the smoke to clear. Kimu was cursing quite loudly, calling other guards to try and find Rathje. Bakura was still staring at the field. He then realized it had changed during the lack of visibility.
"What...what is this?" he asked himself.
Two cards lay on the field, a monster and a trap, both face-up.
"Dark Magician Girl...and...Love and Hate..."
Rathje, who was roughly three hallways away, stopped. His voice escaped his lips below a whisper, "I'm sorry, Yasumi...I couldn't..."
~
Author's Note: Chapter 20! Yay! Well, enjoy.
Author's Note: Gabrielle, I miss you...
Author's Note: I sincerely apologize for the lack of quality in the previous chapter. I was a little rushed to finish before I went camping.
Author's Note: This is a warning as to what may come. I'm writing to distract myself. I couldn't sleep at all last night, nothin', not at all! So I'm tired. Well...I'm not going to write this in one day, so...well...there was a day when I was writing this that the aforementioned happened.
Author's Note: Uh...lookin' at reviews here...'Feel Good Time'? No, it was 'No Matter What', 'One Card Short', and another song of my bro's that I found while looking for...uh...some song...can't remember...What song this time? Ooh...it's my current play-list: One Card Short, Wild Drive, The Edge of Soul, Open Up Your Mind, Kawaita Sakebi, Rakuen, Aitsu, I'm Back, Tokei, Heart of the Cards, Ahead of the Game, and Kirari Takaramono.
Author's Note: Ugh...these are going to be the longest three weeks of my life...
~
"Why?" he whispered to himself as his hands idly sifted through the cards in his deck, "Why?"
Rathje stared out the window at the night sky, as if the stars held the answers he longed for so much. Sighing, he rose to his feet. The sound of a fist striking wood was heard as Rathje placed his deck on the nearby table.
Walking slowly to the door, he let out a soft sigh. After fumbling with the handle for a moment, Rathje swung the door open, seeing Yasumi.
"Oh, hey, what brings you here?" he greeted, smiling.
Yasumi sighed, walking into the room after Rathje motioned for her to enter, "I'm just a little worried about you. You seemed to be in a pretty rough condition after our duel..."
"I'm fine," Rathje shrugged, taking a seat next to the window, "just fine."
"How's your lip?" Yasumi asked, eyeing him curiously as she sat next to him, "It was bleeding."
"I told you, I'm fine," Rathje sighed, looking out the window for a moment, his eyes catching the light for an instant.
"What about emotionally?"
Rathje was silent. He closed his eyes, leaning forward to rest his forearms on his knees.
"Well?"
"...I..." Rathje began, his eyes closing slowly, "...it's nothing..."
"Tell me."
"No, I'm fine."
"That wasn't a request."
Sighing softly, Rathje opened his eyes, "...alright, it's just...well...You're the Millennium Guardian of Skill, Duelist Soul's of Duty, Bakura's of Peace. If I am of Redemption, then why am I redeeming myself? What have I done? Is it something I'll never know?"
Yasumi watched as Rathje choked through his sentences. She frowned, looking straight into his eyes, which were barren, "Wait until your duel with Bakura tomorrow. I'm sure it'll be clear then."
"Why?"
"Because it's the last duel of the Millennium Guardians..." Yasumi shrugged, "It would make sense."
Rathje nodded, not speaking.
"Rathje?"
"Yeah?"
"Good luck tomorrow."
"Thanks."
"...and...there's something else..."
"What is it?"
"Well...I know you don't have any Dark Magicians in your deck...but, I'd like you to have this for the duel against Bakura..." Yasumi murmured, removing a card from her pocket and handing it to Rathje.
Rathje stared at the card, stunned. The text atop it gleamed brilliantly back at him.
"Dark Magician Girl?" he whispered, half-shocked.
"Yeah, I thought it might make you feel a bit better," Yasumi smiled, "This way, it's almost as if we both made it to the finals."
"Thank you, Yasumi...thank you..."
~
"Yugi," Tea poked her friend on the shoulder, gaining his attention.
"Yeah, Tea?" Yugi asked, turning to face her.
"If the winner of the duel goes up against Pegasus, then what will happen?" Tea stated, a little worried.
"Well...I assume the winner would then duel Pegasus..."
"But I still don't understand. Last time, you were dueling to have all the souls returned to their bodies...but what are we trying to do this time?" Tea asked.
"I...I don't know..."
Gavin walked up to them. At no point in time did he look at them. They were on the balcony, and Gavin faced the arena, where the duel would soon take place.
"They are dueling to disband the Spirit of the Millennium Ring to the Shadow Realm."
At that point in time, the sound of a man clapping cut across the room. They all looked up, seeing Richard Pegasus.
The man could have passed as an exact clone of Maxmillion Pegasus himself, if he had been an inch or two taller. He wore a deep navy suit, adorned with a crimson tie. The Millennium Ring hung loosely around his neck, the Millennium Eye hidden from view beneath his white hair. A sullen smirk was upon his lips, and his visible eye was focused upon Duelist Soul, almost in a glare. After three claps, Richard Pegasus walked to the edge of his separate platform, facing the balcony.
"Duelists, enter for the final duel of the finals of Duelist Kingdom II!" Richard Pegasus called, his voice, an exact duplicate of Maxmillion's, echoing through the room.
Rathje and Bakura emerged from the darkness of the hallways at the same time, their movements in unison. Their walk was slow, dragging out each moment. Both held their respective decks in their right hands. As they moved, the dueling arena lowered from the ceiling, connection the pathways, which were previously ending at an abyss.
"Congratulations to both duelists for reaching this point in the tournament," Pegasus declared, "The victor of this duel will receive all two hundred and thirty six cards included in the Trial of Pharaohs extension, as well as a opportunity at something even greater, a duel with myself, the new head of Industrial Illusions!"
Both Bakura and Rathje's eyes narrowed at the mention of the duel with Pegasus, though neither turned to face him. The entire time, they had been staring at one another, memorizing one another's eyes, each feature.
"Now, without further adieu," Richard Pegasus shouted, "Let the duel begin! Set the Life Points to eight thousand!"
-Bakura: 8000, Rathje: 8000
They both drew five cards, Bakura drawing for the start of his first turn. Giving a nod of acknowledgement, he removed two cards from his hand and placing them on the field.
"I set one monster and one trap card," Bakura stated, "and I end my turn."
Rathje drew a card, sighing inwardly, "Alright, then I will summon Neo the Magic Swordsman in Attack Mode."
The monster appeared on the field, wielding a sword in one hand.
"Neo the Magic Swordsman," Rathje shouted, holding his right hand outwards, "attack the face-down monster!"
Rathje's monster dashed forward, sending its sword through the card. Standing behind Bakura's monster as it became visible, Neo dropped to one knee. Spirit of the Harp stood where the card once was. In one large leap, Neo the Magic Swordsman returned to Rathje's monster card zone, standing ready for combat.
-Bakura: 8000, Rathje: 7700
"I offer Spirit of the Harp as a tribute," Bakura declared after drawing a card, moving Spirit of the Harp to the graveyard, "to summon Airknight Parshath!"
Spirit of the Harp faded to nothing, and soon, in a flash of white light, a creature similar to a centaur appeared, holding a sword in one hand and a shield in the other. Various white feathers and pieces of blue and yellow armor covered its body.
"What is this card?" Rathje asked, studying it carefully.
"It is a monster with 1900 attack points and 1400 defense points," Bakura stated, "but soon, it will have 300 more of each, as I add Silver Bow and Arrow!"
The Sword and Shield faded, replaced with an elaborate bow and a single arrow.
"Airknight Parshath," Bakura declares, his voice quite quiet in the large arena, "attack the swordsman."
The monster drew its arrow, firing it straight at Neo's chest. The arrow pierced the monster swiftly, destroying it. The arrow then reappeared in the Airknight Parshath's gauntlet.
-Bakura: 8000, Rathje: 7200
"And each time my Airknight Parshath deals damage to your Life Points, I may draw a card," Bakura explained, lifting the top card from his deck.
"Now it's my turn," Rathje stated, drawing a card, "And I will play one monster face-down and end my turn."
Adding a single card to his hand, Bakura faced the field once again, "Airknight Parshath, attack the face-down monster."
Drawing the arrow back once more, the monster unleashed its assault with equal ferocity to the previous turn. The card flipped up, showing Witch of the Black Forest, which was destroyed.
"I do not lose Life Points," Rathje stated, "but I may search my deck for a monster and add it to my hand."
"Wrong."
"What do you mean by that?" Rathje asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Whenever Airknight Parshath attacks a monster in defense position, it inflicts damage to your Life Points equal to the difference between my monster's attack points and your monster's defense points," Bakura smiled, "So you lose 1000 more Life Points and I may draw another card."
Rathje muttered angrily as his Life Point count lowered.
-Bakura: 8000, Rathje: 6200
After shuffling his deck, Rathje started his turn, "I summon Jirai Gumo in Attack Position!"
The massive insect appeared on the field, eyeing the Airknight.
"I end my turn, Bakura."
"Then I will set one monster and end my turn," Bakura murmured, placing the card on the field face-down.
"Alright, Bakura," Rathje states, removing a monster from his hand, "I will offer Jirai Gumo as a tribute to play my Summoned Skull!"
The bug disappeared, leaving nothing remaining before the massive skeletal creature was summoned in its place.
"Then attack," Bakura says softly.
"Go, Summoned Skull!"
The Skull raised its arms, thus creating a pillar of electricity which was cast down upon the Airknight Parshath, destroying it.
-Bakura: 7600, Rathje: 6200
'Interesting,' Pegasus thinks to himself, 'They both seemed determined to pit only the best of their abilities against one another. They refuse to offer any less. I would expect this from any duelists of their caliber, but this is for a different reason. They seem to almost be anteing up, raising the power of the battle, not to defeat their opponent, but to give them a reason to admit defeat. Neither wishes to win, and yet they both desire to duel me.
'And yet, I only wish to duel one of them. For only by dueling one so closely linked to the destruction of Maxmillion Pegasus may I obtain what I need: an empty host. I came close before, but then the Spirit of the Millennium Puzzle defeated Pegasus, returning the souls to their bodies.'
Bakura drew a card, his eyes flashing dangerously, "I set one monster and end my turn."
Rathje drew a card, the pink edge shining back at him. He stared at the card he was holding for a minute.
"Redemption," he murmured, "from Industrial Illusions..."
'That's it,' he thought, 'I must redeem myself for siding with Pegasus before. I must defeat Bakura so I can duel Pegasus, defeat him, and show whose side I'm on.'
"Bakura," Rathje shouted across the arena, "I set one trap card and I-"
He paused, seeing Bakura's eyes. They were gleaming with some form of grim confidence.
"-I end my turn without attacking..."
After an instant of surprise flashing across Bakura's face, he nodded, "Then I flip my Cyber Jar, destroying all monsters on the field."
Summoned Skull and Cyber Jar were destroyed, but as they were, another card flipped up.
"I activate Love and Hate," Rathje declared, "allowing me to draw a card from a random place in my deck whenever a monster effect is activated, such as Cyber Jar's."
As Rathje drew a random card, Bakura continued to explain; "Now we each draw five cards. Any monsters level four or lower are immediately special summoned or set."
Bakura summoned a Rogue Doll and Banisher of the Light in attack mode and Rathje summoned a 7-Coloured Fish.
"Now I will offer both of my monsters as a tribute to summon my Wingweaver!" Bakura declared, placing the Fairy on the field.
The two monsters vanished, and soon a female fairy monster was on Bakura's side of the field.
"Yes, but Banisher of the Light removes both monsters from the field, which let's me draw two random cards," Rathje stated calmly, drawing.
After allowing Rathje to draw two cards, Bakura continued, "Wingweaver, attack 7-Coloured Fish!"
Wingweaver launched a magical attack consisting of an orb of white light, absorbing 7-Coloured Fish inside of it. When the light faded, 7-Coloured Fish was no longer there.
-Bakura: 7600, Rathje: 5250
Rathje drew a card, looking up at the fairy monster with both rage and fear in his eyes. Then seeing the card he drew, a faint smirk crossed his lips, "Bakura, I set two trap cards face-down, and then I play Monster Reborn!"
The cross appeared on the field, creating a massive cylinder of light. As the light faded, Witch of the Black Forest reappeared, head lowered.
"Next, I will play Change of Heart, taking Wingweaver!"
A creature appeared atop the card Rathje just activated. One half of the creature was an angel, the other a form of demon. It flew to Wingweaver, entering it. Wingweaver moved to Rathje's half of the arena, facing Bakura.
"Lastly, I offer both monsters as a tribute," Rathje declared, taking the card he drew from his hand and placing it in attack position, "summoning Gate Guardian!"
In a brilliant flash of blinding light, Gate Guardian was brought onto the field. It towered high over both duelists. Both other monsters were gone, leaving a nearly empty field, apart from Gate Guardian and the trap cards face-down.
"And because of Witch of the Black Forest and Love and Hate, I draw a random card, and then search my deck for a monster card with 1500 defense points or less," Rathje explained.
"...alright..." Bakura murmured, his eyes downcast.
"Gate Guardian," Rathje shouted, throwing his right hand out, toward the field, "attack Bakura directly!"
"No!" Bakura yelled, flipping his trap, "I activate Ultimate Offering! I will use it to set one monster in defense position!"
In a flash of crimson light, a monster appeared face-down, blocking the attack of the Gate Guardian. As the explosion of power from Rathje's monster passed, the Flame Incarnation was destroyed.
-Bakura: 7100, Rathje: 5250
"I...I draw eleven cards because of Flame Incarnation's effect..." Bakura declared, drawing his cards.
"...and I draw a random card from Love and Hate..." Rathje stated.
Bakura drew his twelfth card, starting his turn, "I will...I will summon Seraphim in attack position."
A small angel appeared, sitting on the ground and staring gleefully at Gate Guardian.
"What does this card do?" Rathje asked, a little shocked.
"It has 500 attack points and 1000 defense points," Bakura explained, sighing, "but on the turn following the one in which he is summoned, it cannot be attacked."
"I see..." Rathje muttered.
"I end my turn," Bakura stated, discarding more than half his hand.
Rathje drew a card, a slight smile on his face, "I draw one card from Seraphim's effect activating, and I play Heavy Storm, destroying all magic and trap cards on the field."
A mighty storm began, the wind and rain crashing across the field. It soon passed, leaving only Gate Guardian and Seraphim.
"Next, I will summon La Ginn the Mystical Genie of the Lamp," Rathje stated, placing the card on the field, "and also play the magic card Fissure, destroying Seraphim!"
As the Genie became visible, the angel disappeared into a chasm below it.
"Gate Guardian, attack Bakura!" Rathje said grimly.
Gate Guardian's blow of wind, water, and electricity came unto Bakura like a knife entering his chest, ripping everything he had hoped for from him. He dropped to one knee, his eyes reflecting pain.
-Bakura: 3350, Rathje: 5250
"La Ginn, attack!"
-Bakura: 1500, Rathje: 5250
"I end my turn, Bakura," Rathje murmured across the field.
'I can't lose,' Bakura thought, 'So much is riding on this duel, no, this single card. If I do not draw a card that can turn this duel around in a single turn, then this duel will end next turn...'
He lifted the card, staring blankly. He sighed, looking almost angrily at Rathje.
"It is your turn, Rathje..."
Rathje paused. He was shocked. Bakura had left an open field, not even a trap card face-down. He could attack with either monster and win the duel. He drew a card. As he did so, the text gleamed up at him.
'This card,' he thought, 'I...I need to use it...'
"I offer La Ginn the Mystical Genie of the Lamp as a tribute," Rathje shouted, "summoning Dark Magician Girl in attack position!"
The Spellcaster appeared, smiling and holding her staff high as she stood next to Gate Guardian.
'Now I just need to attack...' his voice stated inside his head.
'Redemption,' he thought, 'to redeem myself...I must do this.'
He raised his right hand, pointing at Bakura. Then he stopped. He looked around, at the stands. Yugi and Joey were standing together, watching him.
'The road to victory is laden with many failures'
He looked on, seeing Rose and Garrison. This was the first time they had come to watch him duel in the finals.
'Now go, go to Castle Pegasus. Beat them all, and Richard. You know you can, Rathje'
He saw Duelist Soul. His eyes were empty, void of all emotion.
'Search your heart and mind, it holds the answers.'
Then he saw Yasumi Shiroko, his best friend. She was smiling, though her smile seemed almost sad.
'I couldn't allow you to go through that any more.'
He suddenly thought of what had happened two days ago. He thought of the tapestry. He heard his own voice, a low murmur.
"Well, any of those guards could beat the knight in battle, I'll bet, but that knight has something special that makes him the only one able to fight the dragon. That's what our situation is. For all we know, Duelist Soul could be the one who is supposed to duel Pegasus, and this could all be pointless."
'I'm not the one to duel Pegasus,' Rathje thought, 'Bakura should. I have to redeem myself by allowing him to...'
'Yes,' Richard Pegasus thought as he probed Rathje's mind, 'and then I will defeat Bakura, thus gaining what I have desired...'
"Ryou Bakura, I commend you," Rathje shouted, placing his hand atop his deck, "Defeat Pegasus. It's what you came here to do. I won't stand in your way..."
Bakura looked up as the field deactivated. His eyes were full of something that had been lost to him for a while; something similar to happiness, but more intense.
"Rathje Kiroishen," a voice cut in, "Since you are no longer a part of Duelist Kingdom, I think I can do what I please with you..."
Rathje turned, seeing Kimu standing behind him, cracking his knuckles as he advanced. Rathje's eyes narrowed and he reached for his pocket, muttering angrily under his breath, "Good luck catching me..."
Removing his hand, he dropped a small sphere onto the ground. Soon, smoke was filling the room. As soon as he was no longer visible, Rathje leapt onto the dueling arena, running across it to Bakura's side. Pausing a moment before Bakura, who was still kneeling, he jumped over him, then dashing out the hallway.
It took a while for the smoke to clear. Kimu was cursing quite loudly, calling other guards to try and find Rathje. Bakura was still staring at the field. He then realized it had changed during the lack of visibility.
"What...what is this?" he asked himself.
Two cards lay on the field, a monster and a trap, both face-up.
"Dark Magician Girl...and...Love and Hate..."
Rathje, who was roughly three hallways away, stopped. His voice escaped his lips below a whisper, "I'm sorry, Yasumi...I couldn't..."
~
Author's Note: Chapter 20! Yay! Well, enjoy.
Author's Note: Gabrielle, I miss you...