Chapter 9
"The Third Duel: Enemies"
Yugi was quite sour when he went to bed but felt considerably better when he woke up the next morning. Yawning, Yugi hooked the Puzzle around his neck. Announcing to no one in particular, Yugi stood up and said, "I'm going to duel today!"
"Wonderful Yugi, but it's only 6:30, could you keep it down?"
Startled, Yugi looked over and saw Yami lying on the bed, with his pillow over his head, "Aww, come on Spirit! It's a bright new day and I feel ready for anything! Let's go eat!"
Yami responded by turning away from Yugi, who sighed.
'Ah well. This sourpuss isn't going to spoil my day,' with a smile on his face, Yugi left the room to go find breakfast.
With a groan, Yami disappeared and was once again within Yugi's mind (he and Yugi could only be so far apart while he wore the Puzzle).
Yugi knew that none of the others would be awake yet either, so he ate alone in the hotel restaurant, then left to get an early start on the tournament. He still hadn't found anyone to duel, which really made him feel bad. Mai had five of the seven needed items already and according to her, Weevil was even ahead of him and Joey, with three!
The Egyptian streets were still and quiet, and there was a nice cool breeze, which could really fool a person who hadn't visited Egypt before. The blazing heat would come without warning, threatening to melt anything in its path. Yugi decided not to think about that, and enjoy the moment.
His tranquility was soon interrupted when Yugi heard yelling somewhere in the distance. Quickening his pace, Yugi headed towards the noise, hoping that there wasn't more danger to contend with. He was beginning to think that this tournament was every bit as risky as the Battle City one had been.
Yugi didn't have to go far. He saw, standing in the middle of the street, was a tall man with a strange cloak on and an old 'friend', Bones. The zombie duelist was shaking slightly, and Yugi watched as the man commanded several different monsters to attack, each of whom attacked Bones directly, knocking the child to the ground. His LP dropped to 0, and the duel was over.
"How?! How could you defeat my zombies?! They were just right for that card you played! So why…?" The creepy little duelist was looking up at the man from the sandy street, a pleading look in his eyes, as he pulled out his one item (there was only one on the chain he had around his neck).
The man looked disdainfully down at the one-time crony, "Why? Because your strategies are clumsy and your pride clouds your judgment. But your zombies were a good warm up...," He looked right at Yugi, who was still standing near several buildings, a good dozen yards or more away, "…For the real battle."
Yugi gulped and felt a sweat drop slide slowly down the back of his neck, 'Yami… I think that this is your department,' there was a flash of light and Yami Yugi appeared where Yugi had been seconds before. Yami intrepidly walked towards the stranger, "Is that a challenge?"
The older man smiled, "So, you have accessed your Millennium Item for this battle. My master warned me of this possibility. But I do not fear the power of your Item, Pharaoh. I have the protection of a far greater Item than the Puzzle."
Yami growled softly. How did this man know of the Millennium Items? And what did he mean, a more powerful Item? Yami looked the taller man up and down, and saw the symbol of the shield on his cloak. Yami smirked, "That's your protection? The Millennium Shield? That's not a real Item, but merely the product of a madman's imagination!"
Thoroughly scared and rather confused, Bones was slowly crawling away. He stood up and was about to make his getaway, when he turned and called out to 'Yugi', "Hey, Yugi! This guy is really good! He has this card called-" Bones was cut off suddenly, and was slowly lifted into the air. The cloaked figure had the glowing symbol of the Millennium Eye on his forehead, and there were a strange pair of eyes in the sky behind him (Yami was sure that he was the only one that could see them). He had raised an arm, and Bones had risen into the air. The man violently thrust his arm forward and Bones flew down the street, then tumbled away.
Yami frowned, "Your magic is strong – but it won't save you," he said sternly, "Now are we going to duel, or what?"
The symbol faded and the eyes narrowed, but disappeared just as quickly. He nodded slowly, "Very well. I'll wager two of my three items on this duel," He revealed his necklace, which had three items dangling from it.
Yami didn't even flinch, "Two items. Now, LET'S DUEL!" Yami's DD2 (Duel Disk 2) powered up and thrust out its holo-projectors. He began to draw cards, faintly wondering what surprises this first duel would hold for him.
His opponent did the same, and then called out to Yami, "Since you were the challenger, then the challenged gets to play first!"
Yami laughed softly, "It doesn't matter; either way you're going to lose, whoever you are!"
"Hmmph… We'll see. By the way Yami, my name is Ambrosius, and I work for the all-powerful Lord Jetsu!" The mysterious stranger observed his opening hand (Leghul, Nimble Momonga, Kisetai, Sparks, Goblin's Secret Remedy, and Blue Medicine) and frowned. This was a good start, but he needed his trump card, the card that his master had assured him would be the downfall of the ancient Pharaoh.
"I'll play three magic cards! First I play the Blue Medicine card, which will raise my Life Points by 400!" A large jug appeared on the field and spread a blue liquid all around his side of the field, which was absorbed, and sent the stranger's LP up by 400. Yami: 4000 - Ambrosius: 4400.
"Next, I use the Goblin's Secret Remedy, which increases my LP by another 600 points!" A pair of leaves spread a thick pollen around Ambrosius' side of the field, which again raised his LP, making the score: Yami: 4000 - Ambrosius: 5000.
Yami cursed to himself. He hadn't even made a move yet, and this man was already 1000 points in the lead!
Ambrosius smirked sinisterly, "I set one monster in defense mode (Nimble Momonga (1000/100)). And finally, I play the Sparks card! This card will reduce your LP by 200, furthering my lead!" Several small tongues of flame danced around Yami, and dropped his LP slightly. Yami: 3800 - Ambrosius: 5000.
The ancient pharaoh looked down at the six cards that he was holding (Gazelle, the King of Mythical Beasts, Senju of the 1000 Hands, Summoned Skull, Horn of Heaven, Gravekeeper's Servant, and Malevolent Nuzzler) and sighed. Not a bad hand, but it certainly wouldn't have the impression that his opponent's first move had had, "I summon Gazelle, the King of Mythical Beasts (1500/1200)!" A large lion-type animal with a horn appeared on the field, snarling and growling at Ambrosius, "Then I play the Gravekeeper's Servant! Whenever your monsters attack, you'll have to discard the top card from your deck!" Yami smiled, "I hope that that doesn't put a cramp in your grand plans. Now I'll set a card face down (Horn of Heaven) and attack! Go, Gazelle!" The lion rushed forward and slashed down at the card across from him. A flying squirrel appeared for an instant and was shattered. Yami frowned. That had been too easy.
His opponent laughed, "You've attacked the Nimble Momonga, O Great One! If sent to the graveyard, then I gain 1000 LP, and I can search for another to automatically play face-down in Def. mode! HA HA!" The score changed again (Yami: 3800 - Ambrosius: 6000) and where the first squirrel had been, there became another card face-down.
Ambrosius drew his card (Muka Muka) and did some quick calculations in his head. Muka Muka always started with 600/300 stats. But for each card in his hand, the monster gain 300/300. He had only two cards in his hand, so this card would have to be saved for later. Instead, **** took Kisetai and laid it face-down on the field, "I place one monster in Defense mode, and end my turn."
Yami carefully picked up his next card (Alpha the Magnet Warrior), and announced his next move, "I will sacrifice my Gazelle, for the Summoned Skull! And I equip him with Malevolent Nuzzler, which increases his ATK by 700!" Gazelle disappeared in a bright flash of light, and was replaced by the fierce-looking Summoned Skull, who was getting a shoulder rub from a green, demon-type woman (what an odd mental picture, no?). His stats rose to (3200/1200), and Yami raised his hand, "Go, Summoned Skull, attack the monster on the right!" The mighty fiend clapped his hands together, and formed a lightning ball. The monster raised it above its head, and fired it at the face-down card.
Ambrosius started to laugh again, as the monster known as Kisetai rushed forward and attached itself to the Summoned Skull, "My leech, Kisetai, will attach itself to the first monster that attacks it. Since you were so kind as to power up your Summoned Skull so much, my leech will give me 1600 more LP every time it's your turn!"
Yami cursed himself, and shouted back, "I know what the Kisetai card does, now make your move!"
"Very well, but you may as well just quit now," He again picked up a card (Ooguchi) and added it to his hand. Where was his trump card? "I pass this turn, but that means more LP for me!" The leech on Summoned Skull glew brightly for a second, then the score changed again. Yami: 3800 - Ambrosius: 7600.
Yami drew his card, concerned for the first time. His opponent was performing admirably, and his LP was now doubled of what he, the duel monsters champion, had! This man was beating him at every turn, and Yami remembered worriedly that he had bet both of his items on this duel! He had never lost a fair duel in his life, but at this rate, this could be the start of a very bad trend!
* * *
Back at the Hotel, in the girl's room, Tsuki was the first one awake. She sat up and yawned, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. It took her a moment to get a hold on where she was, but once she saw Mai sleeping soundly next to her, it all came together.
"Miss Mai," she said softly, gently nudging Mai, "Wake up! Come on!"
Mai moaned and rolled over onto her side, facing away from Tsuki.
"Come on," Tsuki said, shaking her.
"Okay, okay!" Mai gave up, turning back to face the girl, "What's up, kid? Sleep well?"
"Uh-huh," Tsuki nodded, "How 'bout you?"
"Just fine, thanks," Mai said, sitting up and stretching. She turned to look at the other bed, where Tea was still fast asleep, wrapped up tightly in the covers. "Hmmm…if we're up, then everyone should be up, don't you think?" she said.
"Yeah!" Tsuki nodded enthusiastically.
"Hey, sleeping beauty!" Mai called, taking a pillow from their bed and lobbing it at Tea, "Rise and shine!"
The pillow hit its target perfectly, and Tea woke with a start, sitting up and looking around, panicked, "Huh – wha-?" She glanced over at Mai and Tsuki and they both waved cheerily. Tea frowned, "Oh…what do you two want?"
"Breakfast!" Tsuki chirped.
"Yeah," Mai said, "And we thought we'd be nice and invite you."
"Sure…me and my wallet," Tea said and Mai just grinned guiltily. She sighed, "Well, we might as well get the boys, too."
"Sounds fair enough," Mai shrugged.
"You mean I'll get to see Yugi again?" Tsuki asked.
"You've really got a thing for him, don't you?" Mai said teasingly, ruffling the girl's hair.
"Yeah, I guess so…" Tsuki admitted, "Is that bad?"
"No, of course not," Mai shook her head.
'I just hope Yugi feels the same way,' Tea thought to herself, 'I'd hate to see Tsuki get hurt…'
A short while later, all three girls were dressed and leaving their room. They crossed the hall and Mai reached for the doorknob.
"Wait a minute!" Tea said, "Don't you think we should knock? I'm sure they have it locked."
"Please," Mai said, "They're guys. They're not that smart." She turned the doorknob and the door opened. "See?" she said, and as Tea spazzed nervously, she walked right in, with Tsuki following behind her.
The Egyptian morning sunlight was pouring in on the boys as they slept, oblivious to it entirely. Mai cocked her head, "Aww…how cute," she said, "Well – enough of that. WAKE UP, BOYS!!" she said loudly.
Joey, Tristan and Bakura all woke up at the same instant, and tumbled out of their beds, startled. Mai stifled a giggle, as each boy was clad only in a T-Shirt and boxers, and Tsuki went slightly red. Tea, who had come in a quickly shut the door behind her, sweat-dropped.
"Owie…" Joey muttered, sitting up and rubbing his head, "Who…?" He looked up and the first thing he saw was Mai, grinning down at him. "Aaaahh!" he cried, "Mai!! What're you doin' in here?!"
"Just thought we'd make sure you boys didn't sleep your day away," Mai shrugged.
"You could've at least knocked," Tristan said, blushing slightly. Behind him, Bakura was trying to hide, redder than everyone else in the room.
"Hey…" said Tea, "Where's Yugi?"
"Huh?" everyone said, looking around. It was true – Yugi was nowhere to be seen!
"I hope he's okay…" Tsuki said quietly.
"Aw, don't worry kid," Joey said, waving a hand nonchalantly, "Knowing Yug, he probably wanted to get a head start on the tournament today."
"In that case," Tristan said, standing up, and leaving Bakura to spazz on the floor, "We'd better get out there and find him."
"Right," Joey nodded, "So if you ladies will give us a minute, we'll meet ya at the front entrance."
"Fine," Mai said, and headed out the door, "But you'd better be quick." Tsuki hurried after her and Tea followed suit, but not before casting one last glance at Tristan, who had begun searching for his clothes.
* * *
The primordial ruler took another look at his card (Magic Drain), and smirked slightly. 'That should help later,' he thought as he placed it face-down on the field. With a plan in mind, Yami began to make some strategic decisions quickly in his head, "I play Alpha the Magnet Warrior (1400/1700), in Attack mode!" The shiny, silver warrior made entirely of red-and-blue tipped magnets, appeared on the field next to Summoned Skull, "Go Summoned Skull, attack the Nimble Momonga!" Again Summoned Skull attacked and another squirrel appeared.
His opponent began to gloat, "More LP for me-"
"Not so fast, I'm also activating a trap card, the Horn of Heaven!" A large, golden horn appeared on the field.
"WHAT?!?!"
"That's right; The Horn of Heaven allows me to sacrifice one of my monsters to negate the summon of your monster and destroy it! Since your Momonga only gives you LP when it is destroyed because of battle, you won't get any benefit from this! Plus, your leech is gone!" Summoned Skull and his little band he had acquired disappeared and the flying squirrel did as well, "But I'm not done! Go Alpha, attack him directly!!!!" The magnet warrior flew forward, raised its sword, and brought it down upon the cloaked man, adjusting the score appropriately: Yami: 3800 - Ambrosius: 6200.
Ambrosius could only stare in disbelief as Yami addressed him once again, "I'd say that the tide of this game is turning, in my favor!"
Spluttering, Ambrosius recovered, "Just you wait, Pharaoh! You've yet to see the true power of my deck!" He drew a card (Steel Scorpion) and grinned, "I summon Muka Muka!" A strange little bug with pincers and lots of holes in its back appeared. It chattered angrily at Alpha, which, as a machine, showed no emotion or reaction, "My little creature might only have 600/300 stats but watch this! Go Muka Muka, attack!" The creature scuttled forward, and the Alpha warrior slashed downward with its steel sword. A single pincer caught the sword and broke it in half, destroying Alpha.
Yami was stunned, "But how? My Alpha had a much higher attack power than Muka Muka!"
"Wrong, Yami," Ambrosius retorted, "My Muka Muka gains 300/300 for every card in my hand, which brings his stats up to 1500/1200, a 'pinch' above that of Alpha!"
"But don't forget, you attacked so my Gravekeeper's Servant card will discard your top card from your deck!" The stranger's deck glowed and a card fell from the top of his deck to the graveyard. The servant to the unknown lord growled softly, but felt better when the score changed. Yami: 3700 - Ambrosius: 6200.
Yami picked up a card (Dark Magic Ritual), "I play one monster (Senju of the 1000 Hands (1400/1000)) in defense mode!" The card appeared in front of Yami, defending him from attacks.
Ambrosius grabbed for his next card (Hinotama), "I play the Hinotama card, you're going to lose another-"
"Not so fast! I activate my trap card: Magic Drain! Unless you can discard another magic card from your hand, your Hinotama will be automatically sent to the graveyard without being activated!" Yami's trap flipped face-up, and the Hinotama flames disappeared.
"That was a lucky move, Pharaoh! But nothing will defend you from my assault! I summon Ooguchi (300/250) to the field!" An ugly, blue, three-legged creature with unfocused eyes materialized on the field, "Go Ooguchi, attack Yami!" The creature charged ahead, jumped over Yami's Senju, and crashed into the great Egyptian king. Yami: 3400 - Ambrosius: 6200.
"Now, Muka Muka, finish the job!" The little creature (with lower stats now: 1200/900) rushed forward and destroyed the face-down Senju.
Yami picked himself up slowly, "That's two more cards down the drain, Ambrosius. You sure do seem to be in a hurry to lose this duel. And since you were kind enough to attack my Senju of the 1000 Hands, I'll just take my Magician of Black Chaos from my deck. And now… it's my turn," Yami slipped the top card from his deck (Celtic Guardian) into his hand, "I summon Celtic Guardian (1400/1200)! Now attack his Muka Muka!" The elf warrior ran towards the weakened bug, brought down his long broadsword, and dealt out some justice to the smaller monster. Yami: 3400 - Ambrosius: 6000
Ambrosius continued to smile, "You say that, but I'm the one in the lead." He reached for another card (Mask of Darkness), "I play one monster in defense mode (Mask of Darkness (900/400)), and I switch my Ooguchi to defense mode as well."
Yami drew his card (Winged Dragon, Guardian of the Fortress #1), "I summon the Winged Dragon, Guardian of the Fortress!" A blue dragon with a large mouth appeared on the field, "And I'll use my Dark Magic Ritual, tributing both of them for the Magician of Black Chaos!!" Both of Yami's monsters were sucked into a burning purple flame that was protected by two axes. From this flame reemerged the most powerful magician in all of Duel Monsters: the Magician of Black Chaos (2800/2600)!! "Now, destroy his face-down monster!" The mighty mage slammed his staff to the ground, and a deadly ball of dark energy rushed forward and smashed the face-down card. The monster that was underneath was just a mask of some sort, with poor stats.
Seeing Yami's confused look, Ambrosius spoke up, "That was my Mask of Darkness. It allows me to take back any trap card from my graveyard."
"But you haven't used any traps yet this game, so the effect is wasted…"
"Wrong. Your Gravekeeper's Servant conveniently discarded one for me."
"Which one?"
"You'll see soon enough," Ambrosius added a card to his hand, and drew a new one (Red Medicine), "I'll lay my trap face down, and I'll play the Red Medicine card, which increases my LP by 500! Now I'll switch Ooguchi to attack mode, and I'll summon Leghul (300/350)! Go, my monsters! ATTACK!" Both of the monsters moved to attack: Ooguchi went through a flustered Magician's legs to get to Yugi, and Leghul hopped over him, making the situation look even worse for Yami. Yami: 2800 - Ambrosius: 6500. Two more cards fell in to ****'s graveyard.
Yami dusted himself off, and drew his card (Monster Reborn), "Switching your monsters to attack mode will be your downfall, as my magician will now wipe them out one by one! Magician of Black Chaos, attack Leghul!" The great magic maker hit his staff against the ground once again and another energy ball flew out at the helpless little bug monster.
"Not so fast Yami! I'm activating my trap card! This will be the instrument of your demise: Activate Gravity Bind!!!!" His trap activated, a large green net covered the entire field, and something very strange happened. While the net didn't touch either of Ambrosius' monsters, it had set itself much too low for his magician to stand in. The Magician of Black Chaos started to struggle against the magic netting, and his attack was absorbed by the green, electrical barrier.
Yami blinked in surprise. He had never heard of the Gravity Bind card, "Ambrosius, what did you do? My magician should have destroyed your Leghul!"
"With Gravity Bind in play? Not a chance. It stops all monsters over 3 stars from attacking! Your magician has eight stars, much too high to attack. But as you can see, my one-star monsters are having no trouble with the magical net I've put into play! I believe that makes it my turn again." He picked up his card (Final Flame) and placed it into one of his magic/trap slots, "I'll use my Final Flame card to drop your LP by another 600!" A huge burst of flame enveloped Yami's side of the field and once again changed the score: Yami: 2200 - Ambrosius: 6500.
"Now, attack again my monsters! Take us one step closer to finishing this duel!" Once again, Yami was impaled by the mini-monsters, and the score worsened: Yami: 1600 - Ambrosius: 6500. Another two cards fell into Ambrosius graveyard, but he was much too busy feeling good about himself to notice.
Yami looked over the situation. It couldn't have been grimmer. He didn't think he had a single monster in his deck that would be able to get through that gravity net. It could be over…
"Ya can't give up, Yug!" came a familiar voice from behind him and he turned, surprised. Everyone was there: Joey, Tristan, Tea, Bakura, Mai and Tsuki. There were all there – just when he'd needed them most.
"Come on!" Tristan said, "You're a way better duelist than this freak! Knock 'im flat!"
"You can do it, Yugi!" Tea said, "You and Yami have to trust in the heart of the cards!"
Yami nodded – his faith in himself restored. "Thank you," he said, turning back to the duel, "This isn't over yet!"
"You're only fooling yourself, Pharaoh!" Ambrosius said, "Just draw your card and let's get this duel over with!"
"Hey Mai," Joey said, as they all turned their attention to the dueling field, "What's that net that's got Yugi's Chaos Mage trapped?"
"Gravity Bind, if I'm not mistaken," Mai said, folding her arms across her chest and frowning, "It keeps all monsters with a level of four or higher from attacking."
"What?!" Joey cried.
"Oh no!" Tea said, clapping her hands to her face, " Most of Yugi's monsters have four stars or more!! What's he going to do?"
"He'll think of something," Tristan said firmly, "Yugi always pulls through in tough spots like this."
Tsuki said nothing. She only watched Yugi silently, sensing something strange about him. He wasn't the same…but something about him was very familiar…
Yami resignedly drew his card (Giant Soldier of Stone), and nearly fell over in surprise! His Soldier of Stone, of course! He smirked, and raised the card up, before slamming it down on an open slot in the DD2. "I summon the Giant Soldier of Stone (1300/2000) in attack mode! And I'll use monster Reborn to revive your Nimble Momonga (1000/100) in attack mode! Now, Giant Soldier of Stone, attack his Ooguchi!"
"But you can't! Gravity Bind-"
"My Soldier of Stone fits the requirements of Gravity Bind perfectly, so say goodbye to Ooguchi!" His stone soldier, stomped forward, brushing the net aside, and stuck his stone swords through Ooguchi, destroying it. Yami: 1600 - Ambrosius: 5500.
"All right!!" Yami heard his friends cheer from behind him. "Way to go!!"
"And now, Nimble Momonga," he said, "attack Leghul!" The flying squirrel swooped down, picked up Leghul, and dropped it again, smashing it into a thousand pieces. Yami chuckled, "It would seem that my deck can still put up a good fight, even under these circumstances." His Magician nodded approvingly. Yami: 1600 - Ambrosius: 4800
Ambrosius worriedly drew his card (Just Dessert), "I place one card face-down."
"No monsters? Well that's good." Yami picked up another card (The Forceful Sentry), "I'll use this card, the Forceful Sentry, to destroy the card that you still hold in your hand!"
Ambrosius' eyes shifted nervously. He had been hoping to lure Yami into his trap this turn, then play the Steel Scorpion to destroy the Soldier of Stone. That part of his plan was now ruined, and he had no more hand! Ambrosius would have to rely on his deck to give him the cards he needed now.
Meanwhile, Yami was still giving directions on his side of the field, "Now, Soldier of Stone, Nimble Momonga, attack him directly!"
Even as he was being impaled, Ambrosius managed to push down a button on his Duel Disk 2, "I'll activate my trap, Just Desserts, taking 500 LP away from you for every monster you have on the field!"
Yami gasped. That wasn't enough to defeat him, but he was now only a hundred points from being eliminated from the tournament!!! Yami: 100 - Ambrosius: 2500.
Ambrosius grinned evilly, "Just 100 measly points, and you'll be eliminated from this tournament! My master will be so pleased with me!" He drew his card (Pot of Greed), "I'll use Pot of Greed to gain two more cards!" He drew twice (Soul of the Pure and Goblin's Secret Remedy), "I play Soul of the Pure, raising my LP back to 3300, and another Goblin's Secret Remedy, which brings me almost back to my original 4000!" Yami: 100 - Ambrosius: 3900.
The Spirit of the Puzzle growled, "You may have the advantage in points, but I have the advantage on the field!" He looked at the new card he had drawn (Gamma the Magnet Warrior). Nothing that would help him now, "Go, both of my monsters, attack him again. The two struck out and the score changed again. Yami: 100 - Ambrosius: 1600.
The mystifying stranger drew his card nervously (Dian Keto the Cure Master), "I'll play this card, raising my LP again! It's only a matter of time now before I draw any of my magic cards that hit LP directly, and then you're finished!" Yami: 100 - Ambrosius: 2600.
Yami apprehensively drew his card (Anti-Magic Fragrance). He couldn't see much use for it, but laid it face-down anyway, "I'll play one card face down," A large card appeared before Yami, "And attack you again, making the score closer than I think that you'd like it to be," The monsters again waded through the thick netting, and attacked Yami's opponent, changing the score drastically. Yami: 100 - Ambrosius: 300.
Ambrosius could sense the master watching him. How had he so easily lost his lead? If he didn't win, the master would surely punish him to no ends! Praying to the Egyptian gods in his head, Ambrosius drew his card, and stared at it in disbelief (Ookazi), "This is the end for you, Pharaoh!!! HAHAHAHA!!!! I play Ookazi and-"
"And you've activated my trap card: the Anti-Magic Fragrance!!!! It says that all magic cards must now be played face-down on the field for one turn before being activated!" Yami had triumphantly activated his trap, and an evil looking pot appeared on the field. The steam that arose from it pushed the Ookazi card and the burning house that had been coming out of it face-down.
"My turn now!" Yami drew and didn't even bother to look at the card, "Finish the match, NOW!!!" The Giant Soldier of Stone stomped forward and slashed downward with speed that no one would have given a giant boulder credit for. Ambrosius' LP dropped to 0, and the duel was over, leaving only Yami standing.
Yami heard his friends' cheering voices rise up again and he smiled proudly. He'd won – against all the odds. Joey ran over to their old friend and began to compliment him on another amazing come-from-behind victory. Tsuki ran up and hugged Yami, who quickly shifted back to Yugi for this awkward moment. Tea just continued to smile.