"My name is Edric Masters, head of Gamma Technologies. And I am going to duel you."
"Shouldn't you ask before you challenge someone to a duel?" Yugi asked defiantly.
"I know your type, Yugi. Your kind can't resist showing off your dueling muscles."
"Yugi, I don't trust this creep, let's just go," Tea suggested and began to push Yugi in the opposite direction.
"What's wrong, Yugi Moto? Need to rely on a girl to protect you? If you value your pride as a Duelist, you will duel me!"
"Yugi, you don't have to prove anything to this guy, let's just leave."
"Yeah, let's go," Yugi said reluctantly but as they turned to leave, the Apache landed blocking their way.
"You don't have any option, Yugi Moto, you will duel me."
"Looks like I don't have much of a choice," Yugi said as he and Yami fused through the Millennium Puzzle. "I'll give you one chance to back off, Masters. I don't go lightly on my opponents especially when they threaten me and my friends," Yami-Yugi declared.
"Oh please, you don't think that a Duelist of your stature would turn down a chance to duel me. Now, seeing how this is a... special duel, it requires special rules. And I only have one."
"And that is?"
"Our life points, we each will start with 8000 life points."
"8000!" Yami-Yugi gasped. "This duel could go on all day."
"Oh, I doubt that it will last that long," Edric said cryptically.
Yami-Yugi stared down at his Duel Disk. Kaiba never showed us how to alter the life point counter. I guess he always assumed we would deal with the Battle City issue 4000.
"What's wrong, Yugi? Don't know how to reset your life points so that it shows 8000 instead of 4000? Well, let me help you." Masters pressed a button on his own Duel Disk. A thin laser beam shot out of it and touched the life point counter on Yami-Yugi's. The digits flashed before appearing as 8000.
"Now we're all set to duel."
"Then let's duel!" Yami-Yugi shouted.
I have a bad feeling about this, Tea thought.
(Y: 8000)
(E: 8000)
"Since I'm such a gentleman, I'll let you go first."
Yami-Yugi grunted and looked at his hand: Mystic Clown, Polymerization, Sonic Bird, Kuriboh, Pot of Greed, and he just drew a ritual monster. This is great! I have all I need to perform a ritual summon right off the bat! "You're going to regret letting me go first, Edric. I summon Sonic Bird in attack mode!" An eagle wearing goggles and a jet pack appeared.
Name: Sonic Bird
Level: 4
Type: Winged Beast/Effect
Attribute: Wind
ATK: 1400
DEF: 1000
"When Sonic Bird is summoned, I can use it to take a ritual magic card and add it to my hand." Yugi reached into his deck and whether by faith or luck, he drew the right card. "And I'll use it right now! Black Luster Ritual!"
"A ritual at the very beginning," Edric muttered. "This I didn't prepare for."
"I'll sacrifice my Sonic Bird and Mystic Clown. And now, I'll summon Black Luster Soldier!" A blue-skinned human wearing black and yellow armor and holding a large sword appeared.
Name: Black Luster Soldier
Level: 8
Type: Warrior/Ritual
Attribute: Earth
ATK: 3000
DEF: 2500
"But because I went first, I can't attack you so it's your move."
"Very well," Edric said as he drew his sixth card. "I activate the Graceful Charity card. I'll draw three cards and discard two." The two that Edric discarded was actually two out of the three cards that he received from the Graceful Charity. "I'll place two cards face down and end my turn."
He didn't set a monster out, does he not have any? No, he must be counting on those two face-down cards to save him. Well, he'll just have to learn the hard way. Yugi drew a new card. "Black Luster Soldier, attack his life points directly!" The soldier swung his sword and sliced Edric in two, but because it was a hologram, he was all right.
(Y: 8000)
(E: 5000)
"Good move, Yugi," Tea congratulated.
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Meanwhile, Joey, Tirstan, and Bakura traced their steps back to where they left Yugi and Tea but found that they were blocked by a helicopter.
"What's a helicopter doing in the middle of the street?" Joey asked.
"I don't know but it's blocking our way, come on." Tristan moved around to the side but as soon as he came within a foot of the helicopter, he received an electric shock. "Yeow!" Tristan cried.
"Something isn't right," Joey deduced. "And I have a bad feeling that Yugi and Tea are deep in the thick of it."
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Edric laughed, "Thank you, Yugi. I wanted you to do that."
"You wanted me to bring you down 3000 life points?" Yami-Yugi asked incredulously.
"Yes. You see, I needed to lose 3000 life points so I can activate this." He activated one of his face-down cards. "Inferno Tempest!"
"Inferno Tempest? I never heard of that card."
"Then permit me to explain. You see, when I lose more than 3000 life points from one attack, I can activate this card which causes us to remove all the monster cards from our decks and graveyards and put them out of play."
"No!" Yami-Yugi cried as a wall of fire rushed towards him. His Duel Disk began to spark and Yami-Yugi felt himself shocked with excruciating volts of energy.
"Yugi!" Tea cried. She turned to Edric. "What did you do to him, you creep?"
"Simple. When I reset his life point counter, I also reprogrammed it a little. Now, whenever he gets attacked directly, he'll receive pain like he was really being attacked."
Tea gasped. "Yugi, forfeit the duel! It's not worth you getting hurt!"
"I can handle it," Yami-Yugi assured her. He reluctantly searched through his deck and took out all the monster cards. He then did the same with his graveyard.
"Now all we have to work with are spell and trap cards and the monster cards in our hands and on the field."
"That's all I need to defeat you," Yami-Yugi declared.
"Fine by me, I'll place one card face-down and end my turn."
"You still didn't attack me which means I get to attack you again!" He drew a card before ordering, "Black Luster Soldier, attack his life points directly again!"
"Sorry, but I won't give you the opportunity to do that again. Reveal trap card: Shadow Spell!" Yami-Yugi gasped as chains held his Black Luster Soldier down as well as decreases his attack power.
(BLS: 3000---2300)
Edric laughed. "Now that I have incapacitated your best monster, all you have to play with are spell cards and the monsters in your hand." It was true. In addition to Kuriboh, which he still had from his initial turn, the only monster card Yami-Yugi had left was his Giant Soldier of Stone.
"I end my turn," Yami-Yugi conceded.
Okay, phase one is done; now it's time for phase two. "I play a spell card, Snatch Steal, to take control of your Black Luster Soldier."
What's he doing? Yami-Yugi wondered. Black Luster Soldier is useless to both duelists... unless... oh no! Yami-Yugi got a shocked look on his face.
"I can see you figured out what I am planning. Too bad it won't do you any good. I'll sacrifice your Black Luster Soldier so I can summon my Steel Ogre Grotto #2!"
A large one-eyed robot monster rose up.
Name: Steel Ogre Grotto #2
Level: 6
Type: Machine
Attribute: Earth
ATK: 1900
DEF: 2200
"But that's not all. First I activate Spell Economics! Now I won't have to pay life points when I play Weapon Change which exchanges the attack and defense power of my machine monster."
(SOG2: 1900---2200, 2200---1900)
"Ogre, attack Yugi's life points directly!" The Steel Ogre Grotto pounded his fists which made them crackle with electricity. He drove them into Yami-Yugi which made his body convulse from the electric feedback.
(Y: 5800)
(E: 5000)
"I'm not done with you yet, so I'll just put one card face-down and end my turn."
Yami-Yugi took a deep breath and drew a card. It's Monster Reborn! But... I don't have any monsters to resurrect, since that Inferno Tempest removed all my monsters from the game... wait a second, he said Inferno Tempest only affects the monster cards in our decks and graveyards. But my Black Luster Soldier was on the field when the card was played so when it was sacrificed, it should go to the graveyard instead of being removed from play. That means I can resurrect it. Yami-Yugi looked through his hand. I also have the Axe of Despair! Okay, here's what I can do. I can use Monster Reborn to revive the Black Luster Soldier. Because Shadow Spell was destroyed when Black Luster Soldier was sacrificed, it'll be at full power and able to attack. Perfect! I'll do it! "I activate Monster Reborn to revive my Black Luster Soldier!"
"Oh crud, I forgot that Inferno Tempest doesn't affect monsters on the field," Edric said though he didn't sound too worried. The monster reappeared on the field.
"Next, I'll equip it with my Axe of Despair raising its attack points by 1000!"
(BLS: 3000---4000)
"Activate trap card!" Edric commanded as he revealed one of his face-down cards: Really Eternal Rest.
"Not Really Eternal Rest!" Yami-Yugi gasped as his monster was destroyed. "It's like he knows my strategies inside and out."
"That's because I do," Edric said. "I've been studying your duels for a long time. I've had all your monsters analyzed for weaknesses with this." He held up a device that looked like a portable television. "It's a Monster Analyzer. All I have to do is aim it at a monster and it sends a picture of it to a database which then scans it and provides a counterstrategy. And like I said earlier, I have studied your duels intensively, all preparing for the day when I would challenge and defeat you!"
"You think you're so clever, using technology to plan your strategies. But you'll find that Duel Monsters is more than about strategies. It's also about heart and faith!"
"Oh please, get off your pulpit, Yugi Moto! You'd be surprised what advantage the right piece of hardware will get you. Now, I believe it was my turn." Edric drew a card. "Oh yes, and before I forget, I'll reveal my other trap card: Disappear. And I'll use it to remove your Black Luster Soldier from the game." Yami-Yugi ejected the card from the graveyard and placed it in his pocket along with the rest of his monster cards. "Now, I activate Pot of Greed and I'll set the two cards I gained from it face-down. Next, I'll activate Final Flame and Sparks together which takes 800 life points away from you!" Yami-Yugi was engulfed in holographic flames causing the feedback to attack him mercilessly.
(Y: 5000)
(E: 5000)
"I end my turn." Steel Ogre Grotto switched back to its original attack and defense points.
(SOG2: 2200---1900, 1900---2200)
Yami-Yugi drew his next card. With the depletion of his monsters, he only had ten cards left. And once those were used up, he would automatically lose the duel.
"Yugi, don't give up!" Tea cheered. "I know you can do it! I have faith in you!"
"Thank you, Tea," Yami-Yugi said. "You don't know how much that means to me."
Edric scoffed. If that girl thinks that Yugi is actually grateful for her compliments, she's sorely mistaken. Because I know the truth about him and that will make me win this duel... and him lose!
"I activate Double Spell!" Yami-Yugi discarded his Polymerization card. "Now I can take one spell card from your Graveyard and use it against you. And I choose Final Flame which I'll play now!" Now Edric was covered in flames but he wasn't in pain.
(Y: 5000)
(E: 4400)
I didn't count on my own cards being used against me. I'll have to be careful next time. "Are you done with your turn?" Edric asked.
"I am."
"Good, now it's time for your pain to continue." Edric drew a card. "Steel Ogre Grotto, attack him directly!" Yami-Yugi screamed in pain and anguish.
(Y: 3100)
(E: 4400)
Tea could no longer stand by and watch as her friend was consumed with pain. She ran up to him and laid a gentle hand on his arm. "Yugi, are you all right?"
Yami-Yugi smiled and patted her hand. Even through tears of pain, he said, "I'm fine, Tea."
"Don't worry, Yugi, I'm right here besides you."
I'm glad I have at least one friend here, Yami-Yugi thought as he drew a card. As long as Tea's at my side, I feel like I have the strength to continue.
"I place one card face-down and end my turn," Yami-Yugi informed Edric.
"Very well then, for my turn, I'll place another card face-down and switch my Steel Ogre Grotto to defense mode." His giant machine crossed his arms in a defense stanse.
He knows I don't have any strong monsters to stand up to his Ogre, so why is he doing that? Yami-Yugi shook his head. All the shocks were making him disoriented. I can't worry about that. I've been in tougher spots; this guy is no different from any other opponent. I just have to believe in the heart of the cards like I always do. Yami-Yugi moved to draw a card.
"Activate trap card." Yami-Yugi didn't even have time to react as he was pummeled with energy causing the card he drew to fall into his discard slot.
(Y: 2300)
(E: 4400)
As the dust cleared, Yami-Yugi saw that the trap card Edric activated was Sneak Attack, which not only caused 800 points of direct damage, but causes the card that the opposing player drew to be discarded. Even though his body was literally smoking, Yami-Yugi managed to stand.
I have no choice; I have to play my final monster cards. "I summon Giant Soldier of Stone in defense mode!" A giant made of rock carrying two small swords on his shoulders appeared on one knee, his arms crossed.
Name: Giant Soldier of Stone
Level: 3
Type: Rock
Attribute: Earth
ATK: 1300
DEF: 2000
Yugi thought he was safe. His soldier had 2000 defense points while Edric's Steel Ogre had 1900 attack points. That would give him some time to form an effective counterstrategy.
Edric drew a card. "It's time for your downfall, Yugi Moto. And I have all the cards I need for such a feat. First, I play Miracle Dig which allows me to return 3 monster cards that have been removed from play to my Graveyard. Next I'll use Monster Reborn to revive one of them. And the monster I choose is... Megasonic Eye!" A one-eyed monster with no legs appeared.
Name: Megasonic Eye
Level: 5
Type: Machine
Attribute: Dark
ATK: 1500
DEF: 1800
"Now, I'll activate Weapon Change again switching my monsters' attack and defense numbers.
(SOG2: 1900---2200, 2200---1900)
(MSE: 1500---1800, 1800---1500)
"Ogre, destroy his Soldier of Stone!" The Ogre slugged the Soldier of Stone and destroyed it. "Megasonic Eye, attack his life points directly!" The Megasonic Eye fired a beam from his eye nailing Yami-Yugi square in the chest. Yami-Yugi lost his balance part from the surprise, part from the shock he received.
(Y: 500)
(E: 4400)
Oh no, now that he's got more than one monster on the field, I'm doomed!
"I end my turn."
"Yugi, hang on!"
That girl's getting real annoying; it would serve Yugi right if... ooh I just had a nasty idea.
Yami-Yugi drew a card. It was the Spellbinding Circle. Yami-Yugi looked at the remaining spell cards he had which included Multiply and Heart of Clear Water. Maybe I can bluff my way out. It's my only shot. "I place four cards face-down and summon Kuriboh in defense mode!" A fur ball with large eyes and three toes cooed as he appeared on the field.
Name: Kuriboh
Level: 1
Type: Fiend/Effect
Attribute: Dark
ATK: 300
DEF: 200
Edric smiled as he stroked his chin. "Ah, I bet one of your face-down cards is Multiply. I've seen you use it several times during Battle City. Unfortunately, it won't do you any good. I play Spell Reproduction. By discarding two spell cards from my hand..." He showed Yami-Yugi his two spell cards: Fusion Gate and Ground Collapse and placed them in the discard slot. "I can take one spell card from my Graveyard and add it to my hand. And I think I'll take a page from your book and use Final Flame again." Yami-Yugi screamed in pain for the final time before dropping to his knees.
(Y: 0)
(E: 4400)
"Yugi!" Tea knelt by her friend. "Yugi, are you all right? Speak to me. Say something, anything."
"I'll live," Yami-Yugi assured her.
"Once I'm done with you, Yugi Moto, you'll wish you weren't alive," Edric announced.
"But you already won the duel," Yami-Yugi pointed out.
"Yes, I did win the duel," Edric agreed taking out a remote control. "And a winner must get a prize." Yami-Yugi originally thought that he was going to take his rarest card, as were the rules during Battle City.
He thought wrong.
Pushing a button, the helicopter shot out a metal harness. Tea saw it coming and shoved Yami-Yugi out of the way a split second before the harness enclosed her within its steely grasp and dragged her into the helicopter.
"Tea!" Yugi cried emerging from his union with Yami. He turned to Edric. "What are you doing? Let her go now!"
"Oh please, I know the truth about you, Yugi Moto. I know how you really are. I'm surprised that someone as shallow as you has anybody to care about you. As my reward, I'm taking your companion, a fitting reward for me and a fitting punishment for you." The helicopter took off again and hovered over Edric dropping a rope ladder. "Farewell, Yugi Moto. It was an honor to defeat you!" Edric got on the rope ladder as the helicopter began taking to the sky.
"No!" Yugi cried as Joey, Tristan, and Bakura ran up to him.
"Hey Yug, you know what that was all about? Where's Tea?"
Yugi ignored his friend and instead started to run after the helicopter. "Hey, wait, stop! Bring her back! You can't do this!"
"Will someone please explain what's going on?" Tristan shouted.
"I don't know, but I have a bad feeling," Bakura said.
"Hey Einstein, how about you say something helpful?" Joey said sarcastically.
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"Will that be your usual method of payment, Mai?" A salesgirl asked.
"You know it, Sarah," Mai Valentine agreed. Suddenly she could hear the sound of helicopter propellers followed by yelling. Mai and the girl watched as people braced themselves as a gust of wind picked up. Then a familiar spiky-haired figure ran by. Mai ran to the door and watched as the kid ran around the corner.
"Yugi? What could he be running after in the sky?"
"Mai, you're all set," the salesgirl said.
"Keep an eye on my stuff for a second, will you, Sarah? I need to check something out. I'll be right back."
"Okay, but..." But Mai was already out the door of the clothing store.
That wasn't my eyes playing tricks on me, Yugi WAS running after something in the sky. I wonder what it was. Well if Yugi's screaming his head off, it must be something really important to him.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Yugi ran after the helicopter as fast as he could. "I'll never catch them at this rate," he told Yami, who was floating as fast as he could run. "We have no choice; we have to bring a Shadow Realm monster to life!"
"But Yugi, summoning a Shadow Realm monster requires you putting a piece of your soul into it. It could kill you!"
"I don't care, as long as I can save Tea! Besides, it doesn't have to be a strong one, just one that can fly."
"Then let me do it," Yami said emerging into Yugi's body. "My soul is much more endurable than yours." Yami searched through his deck until he found a monster that could fly. "Winged Dragon, Guardian of the Fortress, I summon you from the Shadow Realm! Come alive now and obey your master!" The Millennium Puzzle started to move and glow as did the card. A flash of light took the form of a familiar blue dragon with short wings.
Name: Winged Dragon, Guardian of the Fortress #1
Level: 4
Type: Dragon
Attribute: Wind
ATK: 1400
DEF: 1200
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mai skidded to a halt. She lost Yugi. "What the... where'd he go?" Another gust of wind picked up and Mai struggled to hold her skirt down. She looked up as a Duel Monster that she recognized soared into the air. "Now that's impressive," she critiqued.
"Dragon," Yami said. "We have to catch up to that helicopter." He was riding on the Winged Dragon's back. The Winged Dragon must've understood Yami because he started flapping faster.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In the helicopter, the pilot saw it and was dumbstruck. He turned to Edric who was trying to keep Tea under control. "We have company!" Edric and Tea looked out of the helicopter.
"Yugi!" Tea cried happily.
"How did he... why does that thing look like a Duel Monster?" Edric asked.
"Because it is a Duel Monster, nimrod," Tea snapped with a knowing smile on her face. "And once Yugi catches up with you, what he'll do to you will literally blow your mind."
"Well maybe I should blow his body up before he blows my mind up," Edric said and turned to the pilot. "Blast him!"
"No, you can't!" Tea shouted squirming in the metal harness.
"Watch me!" Edric nodded to the pilot who nodded back.
A pair of lasers popped out from a hidden compartment and started firing at Yugi.
"Dragon, dodge!" Yami commanded. The Winged Dragon banked to avoid the lasers but the lasers were movement sensitive. It was no use. The lasers followed the Winged Dragon's movements and fired. Both Yami and the Winged Dragon were hit. The Winged Dragon was destroyed and Yami was in freefall.
"Yami!" Yugi shouted. He switched places with Yami. "At least you can be safe inside the Millennium Puzzle." He stared at the rapidly departing helicopter. I'm sorry, Tea, I failed you, I failed... everyone.
"YUGI!" Tea cried watching him fall to the ground. Edric just snubbed his nose at the falling Yugi.
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Seto and Mokuba Kaiba were on their way home when Mokuba suddenly spied a pair of legs sticking out from an alleyway. "Stop the car!" He shouted to the driver.
"Mokuba, what is it?" His big brother asked.
"Seto, there's someone lying in the alleyway! I think they're hurt!"
"What?" Mokuba ran from the car to check on the body.
"Seto, take a look at this!" Kaiba instructed the driver to wait as he got out.
"It's Yugi!" Kaiba realized once he saw Yugi's body lying by some overturned trash cans that served as the only cushion from death.
"He looks like he's in bad shape," Mokuba commented.
"Looks like he always does to me," Kaiba cracked.
"Seto, this is serious, he looks hurt to me." Seto hated to admit it, but Mokuba was right. It didn't even look like Yugi was breathing.
Then Yugi gasped and Kaiba amended his earlier conclusion.
Yugi struggled to open his eyes. All he could see was a brown and black blur.
"Tea..." he muttered. "I... have to res..." And those were the only words Yugi was able to get out before falling unconscious.
"Tea, what does Tea have to do with anything?" Mokuba asked. "Seto, I think we should take him home."
"Forget it," Kaiba said. "We owe him nothing. At any rate, he owes me."
"Seto, how can you be so heartless? I know Yugi Moto's your arch-rival but if someone doesn't do something, Yugi could die. Could you live with that on your conscience?" Seto had never seen his little brother so passionate. He looked down at Yugi's motionless form. He finally hauled Yugi over his shoulder. "As long as we're just bringing him home," Kaiba said.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tea struggled against her metal bonds that were chaffing her body even through her clothes. Edric took her to a house at the base of Mount Fuji. The mansion was incredibly huge but Tea saw none of it. Instead, she was confined to a sub-basement. The room was about as big as a grand ballroom, definitely big enough to duel in.
Edric was still crowing about his defeat of Yugi Moto. "Oh, that was so easy!" He practically yelled. "With just one card, I pounded Yugi Moto, figuratively and literally! Oh yes, and that fall was sweet too. I wouldn't be surprised if he was killed."
"How can you be so heartless?" Tea said. "Don't you care that you could've killed someone? Don't you care that you're breaking the law?"
"It's not breaking the law if you get away with it," Edric argued. "And I got away with quite a lot, didn't I." He cupped one of Tea's cheeks and ran his fingers down her neck. Tea spat on him. "Oh, aren't we mature."
"Yugi will come to rescue me, just you wait."
To her surprise, Edric simply laughed at that. "Oh, I have no doubt that he'll come. But the reason might not be what you think it is."
"I don't understand."
"Yugi Moto will come, but it won't be to rescue you." Tea gasped. "That's right. Sorry to pull you off your high horse, but I've studied Yugi's type for a long time. Duelists like him only care about pride and glory. Nothing else matters. Yugi will come, but it will be to challenge me to a rematch, not to rescue you."
"No... you're wrong," Tea said quietly.
"You probably had a front row seat to some of Yugi's best duels. Didn't you notice the fire, the passion that Yugi had whenever he dueled? And it's not just him. I was at the very same Duelist Kingdom tournament when your precious Yugi defeated Maxamillion Pegasus. I was only able to duel five times before falling victim to one of Pegasus' Eliminators. But of those five times I dueled, all my opponents cared about nothing but earning the prize money and glory that came with the title of King of Games. They all cared about nobody but themselves. And your Yugi is no different. You hold him up so high. But in fact, he's nothing more but a shallow self-centered blowhard."
"You mean like you?"
"Yes, like me, like all Duelists. All Duelists are like that and I'm out to knock some humility into them."
"You should start with yourself."
"This little war of words is getting tiresome. You just wait. Even if Yugi did survive that fall, even if he does find this place, he will come only to challenge me to a duel and he could care less about what happens to you." And he left her bound to the wall in the dark.
Yugi, please, save me.