Chapter Ten.
Tea watched Yugi's duel with Zelif closely on the ship's monitor and there were times when she feared for her husband and for them all as it looked like Zelif might actually win the duel. Then when the duel was over and she watched the large Alien and little Yugi shake hands again she knew everything would be alright.
"Kind of hard to just sit and watch, isn't it?" Serenity asked as he came up behind Tea and put her hand on her shoulder.
"Yeah, I feel like I should be down there cheering them on like always." Tea replied.
"I know, I'm just glad that my brother doesn't have to duel." Serenity said. "Having Seto caught up in the middle of this is hard enough. Let me ask you something."
"Okay sure." Tea said.
"Is it very different from being boy friend and girlfriend? Being married I mean." Serenity asked.
"It's not just different, it's loads better." Tea told her. "Before it was like Yugi and I were two separate people who were off on our own. Now it's like we're one person. The day of our wedding, the two people known as Tea and Yugi ceased to be and in their place a new person was born. Made up of the two of us. We're one now and forever." Serenity was amazed by this revelation. Two people becoming one was like something that she had never heard of before. Then again, she was still very young, and her relationship with Seto Kaiba had not yet reached the same level of commitment as Yugi's and Tea's had.
"I think that sounds really beautiful." Serenity told Tea after a moment of thought.
"It is." Tea replied then turned back to the monitor. Next up was Ryou's duel and it was going to be a difficult one. He would be facing Zonif and there was no telling how good Zonif could be at Duel Monsters.
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"Are you ready?" The spirit of the Ring asked.
"I am and I don't need your help." Ryou said.
"But you do need my help. You saw how even the great Yugi Mouto struggled against these Aliens. And no matter what you tell yourself, you're nowhere near as good a duelist as he is."
"I can do this." Ryou said. "If I do need help you'll be there for me, right?"
"I'm here for you now, if you want me, but don't come crying to me when you've almost lost."
"I don't think that this is right but we have to win at any cost." Ryou decided. "Okay, take me." He gave himself over to the spirit of the Millennium Ring and they merged.
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As he left the field, Yugioh saw the transformation in Ryou's eyes. They grew darker, colder, and devoid of feeling.
"NO!" He cried. "Ryou don't!"
"It's too late." Said the Spirit of the Ring as he passed Yugioh by. "I've taken over and now it's my turn to duel." The Spirit walked, in Ryou's body, up to his station on the field where he awaited his opponent.
"I am Zonif." Said the Alien. "You are the one known as Ryou?"
"Call me Bakura." Said the Spirit. "Let's duel." He neither shook hands with his opponent nor gave him a second glance until it was that they were standing across from one another on the dueling field.
"I'll start things off this turn." He drew his five cards and looked at his hand. He smiled as it was promising.
"Very well." Zonif replied. "It's your move."
"Fine then, I play one card face down in defense mode and two more cards face down to support it." Bakura said and then ended his turn.
"Hmm." Zonif looked at his own hand was not sure of what to do. He could not attack on his first turn but he could play magic and trap cards which could do the work of attacking for him.
"Play one card face down also, and now I place two cards face down to support it, and I play this magic card, Grave Keeper's Servant. Now whenever a monster of mine does damage to your life points you must discard one card from your deck to the graveyard." Bakura smiled wickedly as he drew his next card.
"I play Vengeful Bog Spirit." He said "And now I move my Giant Germ to attack mode. He has 1000 attack points, but he can't attack yet because of Vengeful Bog Spirit, but then neither can yours, for the first turn that they are face up on the field at least. That's the end of my turn."
"I see, then I now draw a card and flip my Grave Keeper's Curse into face up attack mode." The dark robed minister of darkness appeared with a glowing rod in his hands. "When this monster is summoned, though he can't attack yet, he still takes 500 of your life points as per his special ability." Said Zonif and Bakura's life points dropped to 3500. "Now I play Necrovalley, a field magic card." Suddenly the field around them changed from that of an Arena to a desert valley with the Pyramids rising high in the distance. "Necrovalley raises my monster's attack points by 500 points, giving my Grave Keeper's Curse a total of 1300 points. More than enough to tangle with your Germ."
"So what, it's still not powerful enough, I'll show you what real power looks like. My turn." Bakura said then drew a card. "Now here's a taste of your own medicine, I play Dark Energy and it increases my monster my 500 points."
"Impressive." Zonif said, "But do you have the guts to attack me?"
"I do and I will." Bakura replied. "Go my Germ, attack his Curse!" The gigantic germ floated across the field and began to absorb Grave Keeper's Curse when Zonif flipped over a trap card.
"Cruse of Aging." He declared, "Your monster looses 500 attack points." The Giant Germ's points returned to 1000 points and would have been destroyed by the more powerful Grave Keeper's Curse if not for the fact that Bakura had also played a trap card.
"Trap Jammer." He said flipping the card face up. "Your trap is negated." Grave Keeper's Curse was destroyed instead and then Zonif's life points dropped from 4000 to 3800.
"Most impressive but it is my turn now and I assure you that I too am not so easily thwarted." He drew. "I play Tribute To The Doomed and discard Toll from my hand to destroy your Giant Germ."
"That's fine, because when my Giant Germ is destroyed, my opponent looses 500 life points and I get to summon another Giant Germ from my Deck." Bakura informed him. Zonif was not that impressed anymore. Instead he was unsure of his next move. He had no monsters to play and no way to protect his life points from the attack of this Giant Germ when his turn was over. His life points were down to 3300 and thought that was not exactly cause for alarm, loosing another whole 1000 life points would be. He would have to hurry to construct his trap. "I place one more card face down on the field and end my turn." He said.
"Fine, it's my turn now and I'm going to destroy you." Bakura said as he drew his card. "I sacrifice my Giant Germ to play the Lesser Fiend. He had 2100 attack points and I equip him with the Axe of Despair giving him another 1000 attack points. You remember what happens when my Giant Germ goes to the grave yard don't you?"
"I do." Replied Zonif. His life points went down another 500 points to 2800. Thankfully though, neither of Bakura's monsters could attack him this turn because of Vengeful Bog Spirit. Bakura's cards were working in Zonif's favor. "It's my turn now and I draw." He said taking one card from his deck and then adding it to his hand. "I activate my trap card, Judgment of the Desert and now I play Book of Moon. Together these cards are very powerful. With Book of Moon I can change the battle position of one face up monster on your side of the field. I choose the Lesser Fiend. Now thanks to my trap card, your monster must stay in face down defense mode for the rest of the duel."
"It's a continuous trap!?" Bakura exclaimed. "Now you've done it, I'm really going to mess you up now."
"I sense an inner anger inside of you, you are not the boy I sensed before when we first met." Zonif Realized. "You are an evil apparition which has taken control of this boy. You will not win this fight and you will not take control of the boy again." Zonif said. "I will see to that."
"Fine, I still don't see any monsters on your side of the field on my next turn, you'll loose more life points, either way. You can't destroy my Giant Germ without doing yourself damage." Bakura laughed.
"You're right, I don't have anymore monsters in my hand to summon. I suppose that you'll just have to attack me but remember that I still have one card face down on the field. Be careful."
"Damn you Ryou, why do you have such pathetic cards?" Bakura asked his counterpart. "He's got something up his sleeve and there's nothing in my hand that I can use to counter it. I suppose that I shall have to attack him though, at the very least if he destroys my monster he'll still loose 500 points. I attack!" He declared and the Giant Germ when forth to attack Zonif's life points directly.
"Activate Rite of Spirit. This card allows me to summon a monster back from my grave yard. I choose Grave Keeper's Curse in Defense mode." Grave Keeper's Curse appeared and once again Bakura's life points were struck with the staff which the monster held.
"How can he attack me when he's in defense mode?" Bakura demanded to know.
"Because even though he is in defense mode, when he is summoned to the field, his special ability goes into play. You loose another 500 life points but because you are attacking with a stronger monster, my Grave Keeper is destroyed again. But I still have two others just like him in my deck and I have two other Rite of Spirit Cards that I can draw. This looks to be a very long duel indeed." Zonif said. Bakura's life points were down to 3000, that wasn't bad, but it wasn't good either. He knew that he could not continue to loose life points or he would loose the duel.
"You can do it Zonif!" The other members of the Council cheered him.
"Defeat this child and free him of the spirit which controls him!" Zelif shouted.
"I will." He told his friends. "Now we shall see what I can do with the time I have bought myself." Zonif drew a card and it was just the card that he needed. "I play Pot of Greed and draw two more cards." He said and pulled just the two cards he was hoping for out of his deck. "Now I play Grave Keeper's Curse and place one card face down." Bakura's points dropped again to 2500. "It's now your turn." Bakura drew a card but it did him no good, it was only a cheep magic card.
"I…I can't do anything this turn!" He gasped and looked at his hand. There was nothing in it that could help him at the moment.
"Maybe I can do something though." Zonif said as he flipped over his trap card. Another Grave Keeper's Curse appeared and Bakura's life points dropped to 2000.
"Ugh, it's your turn now." Bakura grunted.
"Fine, I draw and now I sacrifice my Grave Keeper's Curse card to summon an even more powerful monster called Grave Keeper's Chief with 1900. More than the defense of your Lesser fiend. But I can not attack this turn so it's your turn now." Zonif yielded the turn to Bakura who drew another card.
"Ah!" He exclaimed, "Now you're time is up. My turn to play a powerful monster." Bakura bragged. "I remove my three Giant Germs from play to… Wait a moment, why are you smiling?" He asked.
"Because you can't removed cards from play so long as Necrovalley is on the field." Zonif informed him. "Whatever monster you were going to summon can't be summoned at all. Now if that's your turn, I'll take mine." He drew a card and once again it was just what he needed. "I equip my Grave Keeper's Chief with the Sword of Dark Destruction. This brings my monster up to 2300 points and that's quite enough to dispatch your Lesser Fiend!" The white robed priest with a snake in one hand and sword in the other went forth and struck down Bakura's monster. He lost no life points but he had one less monster on the field to protect his life points.
"I draw." Bakura said, but he drew a monster that wasn't even worth playing. One that had only 1500 defense points and 1200 attack points. The Portrait's Secret. "I place one care face down in defense mode and end my turn."
"I draw and play The Book of Taiyou. This forces your monster into attack position." Once again the Grave Keeper's Chief attacked and Bakura's life points dropped down to 900. "You can not win this duel." Zonif said, you're heart is not in the right, and your own friends do not cheer for you. Look at them, they are worried about you, but they know that the only way to save you is if you loose."
"You…you're right." Said Ryou, who was beginning to come his senses. "I mustn't loose though. I can't loose for the sake of the human race. That's why I must rely on the Millennium Ring. I have to win at any cost."
"Even if the cost is your soul?" Zonif asked.
"What do you know about his soul?" Bakura demanded to know. "His soul is mine!"
"NO!" Zonif cried. "This duel is over, I will crush you on my next turn, and you will vacate the boy's body. That or I will have MY friend, Zealifo force you out!"
"I will not!" Bakura yelled.
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"Come on Ryou, break free from that spirit, our entire race is depending on these duels." Yugioh said.
"Hey Seto, do you think that Ryou's going to be okay?" Mokuba asked.
"Sure, he's just hamming it up for the crowd." Kaiba told his brother. Mokuba looked around and for the first time he noticed that there was no crowd watching them. At least, none that he could see. There were guards and there were camera, or what appeared to be cameras. There were no aliens though.
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"So then you refuse to play fairly."
"Who said that this game was fair?" Bakura asked Zonif.
"We shall have to see what happens then. It's your turn, I can do nothing more to reason with you." The Alien took a step back and stared his young opponent down.
"I'll go. Damn, a no good trap card. Where were you earlier when I needed something like you?" He asked the card. "Your turn, finish me quickly." Bakura said and Zonif did. He attacked with his Grave Keeper's Chief and destroyed the last of Bakura's life points. He had lost and now for the first time, a Zord Councilman had a victory in Duel Monsters. Yugi and the others ran out onto the field when Bakura fell down to his knees. Zealifo came over to him then and placed his massive hands on Bakura's shoulders.
"Don't hurt him please?" Yugi begged.
"I have no intentions of hurting your friend but I must use all my mental powers to drive the wicked spirit from his being." Zealifo said and then closed his eyes to concentrate. "It is difficult, their souls are intertwined with the power of this ring he wears around his neck. I must first drive out the power of the ring so that the spirit can not return to it." He explained. Both Zealifo and Bakura's bodies began to glow with an otherworldly light. "Ryou…Ryou, where are you?"
"Help me, he's tricked me again!" Cried their friend.
"I hear you Ryou, I'm coming." Zealifo said and in his mind he saw Ryou hanging by a thread to the worm ridden coffin which was slowly disintegrating.
"Help me!" He cried out and gripped the thread even harder.
"Ryou, give me your hand." Zealifo "Quickly, let go."
"I'll fall!" Ryou said.
"I will catch you." Suddenly Zealifo's form changed from that of a great large man to that of a ball of pure light and in this light Yugi and the others could see Ryou.
"I can't believe it!" Kaiba cried. "They're made of pure energy!"
"Yes, we five of the Council are." Zelif said placing his large hand on Kaiba's shoulder. "We are beings of pure light and energy which have existed since before time began. This planet is our protectorate and the Zorg who live here look to us for protection."
"There is nothing which our evolved mental abilities can not do." Said Zeanif.
"That is why we have challenged you to this duel monsters tournament. To see how far you minds have developed." Zerif said to them.
"I have Ryou." Zealifo informed them and then he placed Ryou back on the ground and his light was dimmed a little. "Ah." He sighed. "That was a hard task."
"How are you my old friend?" Zonif asked taking the ball of light into his arms.
"I need rest before my duel. I must go but I have done it. I have purged the spirit from Ryou and the Ring. He will trouble them no more." Zealifo said then rested in his friend's arms.
"I must take him home for now. We can conclude these duels tomorrow." Zonif said and took his friend, Zealifo, away.
"I shall look forward to our duel tomorrow young Rebecca." Said Zerif as he passed by. "I hope that you will fair well as I will give you no such mercy as Zelif showed Yugi." Rebecca shuttered. She was only 11 years old, what was she going to do up against an Alien Being of pure energy?
"My friends please come with me." Zelif said and began ushering Yugi and the others to a nearby door, which led out of the Arena, deep underground, and directly beneath the Coliseum. Soon they were brought to a clearly lit room filled with food and party favors.
"What's all this?" Yugi asked Zelif.
"We have prepared this for you because we know that it is necessary for you caporal beings to refresh yourselves with food and drink and rest. Through those doors to the left are your rooms. I hope that you will rest comfortably." Zelif said then turned to leave.
"You're not going to join us?" Yugi asked.
"There would be no point as I only require a few hours rest to replenish myself. Now go eat, and rest. Tomorrow the tournament continues and you will all need your strength." Zelif said. Yugi then shut the door behind him.
"He probably locked it." Kaiba said as he sat down at the table. "I'm not trying this stuff unless someone else goes first." Mokuba agreed, this was way too much for a simple dinner. There had to be a catch.
"Fine, I'm not afraid to die of a good thing." Joey said and started to fill his plate and stuff his face. Everyone gathered around him and watched for a few moments as Joey pigged out on everything at the table. He seemed to be unaffected by the strange food or the drinks which had been prepared. "Hey, I'm going to eat it all if you guys don't dig in. This stuff is terrific." Yugi and the others broke down and tried some of the strange alien food and they found it to be delicious. In fact it was the best thing they'd all had since Pegasus's ball.
"This is fantastic." Pegasus remarked as he helped himself to second plate full.
"Yeah, it's like nothing I've ever had before." Mai agreed.
"We've got to get the recipe for this." Yugi was enjoying himself thoroughly and so were Mokuba and Rebecca. Kaiba on the other hand was not that hungry for food so much as he was eager to face his opponent the next day after Rebecca faced off against Zerif. Yugi's only complaint was that Tea wasn't there to share it all with him. She would be totally steamed at him for having so much fun and great food without her.
"You feeling alright now Ryou?" Yugi asked looking over his weakened and defeated friend.
"I'm fine." He replied. "Just tired."
"I wonder how the others are doing." Mokuba said then.
"I almost forgot." Kaiba said and pulled out a short wave radio from his jacket. "I'd better check in with them. They're probably worried about us." A look of utter horror came over Kaiba's face when he realized… "It's not working!" He exclaimed.
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"What's going on, give me a reading!" Tea demanded from the bridge of the Pegasus.
"We can't pick anything up, they're too far beneath the surface for our scanners to find them." Weevil said.
"Damn, we've got to find them, and make sure they're okay." Serenity said leaning over the communications consol. "I'll keep trying to reach them on Seto's short wave radio." Just then an image appeared on the view screen.
"You're trying to find your friends?" Asked Zelif.
"You." Tea said. "Yes, we've lost our friend's signals down there and you'd better have an explanation for this."
"I do, your friends are safe, and we've seen to their needs. Ryou should be recovering with the others in the domicile we've prepared for them in one of our underground chambers. They have nourishing food, refreshing drink, and beds to sleep on. I'm afraid we could not accommodate them with all the creature comforts your ship would allow them, but it is for their own safety. The Zorg people are up in arms about your being here. They fear you and do not totally understand the situation. They know not what the stakes are in the games we've been playing with you." Zelif said.
"Look, we just want to see them, okay. To know that you're telling us the truth." Serenity pleaded with him.
"Save your pleas young one. I will show you your loved ones." Zelif said kindly, then the view screen shifted and a fuzzy kind of picture came through. It was Yugi and he was sitting in a brick room somewhere on the side of a bed.
"It's Yugi!" Tea cried with glee. "But what about the others?" She demanded.
"They are here." Zelif's voice came from behind the picture and then suddenly the picture cut apart into several screens with each one of their friends confined to their own little square. "See, they are all safe. You should not doubt me young ones, your Friend Yugi does not and neither does Yami, I believe."
"What?" Tea exclaimed. "You know about the Spirit who lives in Yugi's Puzzle?"
"I know many things my child. Do not doubt me, for I would not doubt your friends. They are most interesting creatures. You all are. I look forward to seeing everyone of you tomorrow for the conclusion of the tournament. Good night." Zelif's voice was heard no more aboard the Pegasus or the Blue Eyes Two until early the next morning.
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"Are you sure you're well enough to duel today my friend?" Zonif asked Zealifo as they once again took a humanoid form.
"I am weak still but strong enough to face the older Kaiba brother." he said. "Do not fear for me old friend. I have grown weaker these past few centuries. My time is coming soon when I must pass beyond the stars as the first of us did so long ago to a new plain of existence."
"No my friend. Say that it is not so." Zonif took Zealifo by the shoulders. Of all the Council they were closest because they were the two eldest of the five. They had existed back in the first days when the universe was born and their kind were born of the big bang. The first life which existed in the universe.
"I am not gone yet, I still have time, and we still have our battles today. Remember that after I, you must duel again. You must stand up for us all if Zerif and I loose."
"I will." Zonif said. "I will stand up for you and for all of those who were greater than us five who were left behind. I will not allow your last days with us to be tainted with shame."
"There is no shame in defeat because though, I might be beaten, I will not have lost. I will go to a better place. Remember today and never forget." Zealifo said.
"Forget what my friend?" Asked Zonif.
"That I am the Destroyer of Armies." He said proudly. "I have brought war and peace to the universe since I was young. I will not loose against Kaiba. Friend though he may become, I am still his opponent today. We will meet on the battlefield where I have been all my life. Fighting for a righteous cause."
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Kaiba awoke in his room with the strangest feeling. He felt that somehow, he was not totally up for this duel today. He figured though that this feeling would go away. He still had time since, after all, his was the next to the last duel. Zonif had won the day before and one of them would have to face him again.
"But which one of us should it be?" Kaiba asked himself. He was unsure. Yugi had just barely won his duel with Zelif, Mokuba had had no trouble beating his opponent the day before also, but Mokuba was still so very young. If he had to face a clearly stronger opponent it might damage his confidence. Ryou was no good to them anymore, he'd lost, and no telling what would happen this morning with Rebecca and Zerif's duel. "I can't let anymore of us loose, or else we'll have to put in Mai, or worse, Wheeler."
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"I don't know about this Yami, I've got a bad feeling about today's match ups." Yugi told the Spirit of the Puzzle.
"I know, something isn't right." Yami replied. "I wonder if there might be something wrong with one of the Zorg Council members. They did shuffle us off the field pretty early yesterday evening. It was nice to be able to rest and relax for a little while but I got the feeling that there was something that they did not want us to see."
"You don't think that Zealifo was hurt or something do you? I mean he was pretty tuckered out after he released Ryou from Bakura's clutches."
"I fear that the situation may be much worse than that, Yugi. I fear that our Alien Friends will soon suffer a great loss. Perhaps they are not as immortal as they lead us to believe."
"Oh Yami." Yugi said looking greatly distressed. "If one of them were to die while facing one of us in a Duel then the people of this planet will blame us. There'll be no way we can be friends with the Zorg." Yami put his transparent arm around Yugi and the two of them sat there for a long time thinking and hoping against all odds that everything would go good for them today. That Rebecca and Kaiba would win their duels and that the Aliens would be alright.
"Rise and shine!" Pegasus shouted as he burst into the room just then.
"AHH!" Yugi jumped with fright. "Pegasus what are you doing?" He demanded to know.
"Sorry," He said laughing, "I just thought that as the Coach, I should be the one to get everyone up for the games today. After all we've all had a good night's sleep and it's time for a new day, new duels, and new opportunities. You know, Yugi, I was wondering if you might do something for me."
"What's that?" Yugi asked, suspicious.
"Could you perhaps get me some time alone with that fellow Zelif, I'd love to talk to him about marketing Duel Monsters Cards here on Zorg. I think that after these games of theirs are done, people, or I mean Zorg everywhere will want to buy the cards. Oh!" He cried. "I could come out with an entirely new line of cards just for this planet. I must take a look at their mythology and history."
"Sure Pegasus, I'm sure they'd love it." Yugi said humoring him. "I'll talk to Zelif today."
"You do that for me Yugi and I'll let you in on 30 of the profits. Kaiba's sure to make a mint off of the gaming technology after all of this. Not a single Zorg on the planet would pass up an opportunity to buy his own duel disk once my cards hit the street. This is the start of an entirely new way of life for us Yugi, we're going to be intergalactic mega stars." All Yugi could do was stand there and smile while Pegasus planned out their entire future relations with the people of Zorg. In the meantime though, the duels were getting started upstairs as Mokuba, Rebecca, Kaiba, Joey, Mai, and Ryou had already gotten up and gone with Zelif up to the arena. Once again the coliseum was devoid of anyone other than the Zorg Military who were there for, as Zelif put it, "For their protection." Zonif, Zerif, Zeanif, and Zealifo were standing on their side of the arena.
"Are you ready Rebecca Hawkins?" Zerif asked.
"I am." Rebecca proudly declared.
"Good, then let our duel commence." They each walked out to the center of the arena and shook hands then returned to their respective sides of the field. "We won the last duel so you will get to go first this time."
"Fine with me." Rebecca said, though deep down inside she wasn't fine. She was out there playing with a mostly untested deck against someone who had the mental powers of the demigod. There was no way that she felt she could do this.
"Go Rebecca!" Mokuba shouted, "I believe in you, you can do this, so show them who's boss!" Mokuba's cheers were encouraging enough for Rebecca. She knew that with her friends cheering her on, she could win this duel.
"Alright then," She said drawing her five cards. "I'll get the ball rolling with Spirit of the Pot of Greed!" She said. "And now I play Pot of Greed, that means I can draw three cards instead of two thanks to my monster's special ability."
"Good first move, now hit him hard with another magic card!" Kaiba yelled from the sidelines.
"I plan to, by playing Goblin Thief." Rebecca stated. "You loose life points, while I gain." Rebecca's life points went up to 4500 while Zerif's went down to 3500.
"Is that all?" Zerif asked.
"Not by a long shot." Rebecca replied sweetly. "I'm going to lay this card face down and then end my turn." Rebecca was off to a good start but Zerif was about to play a string of cards that would devastate her deck and her moral.
"I play Bowganian in attack mode with Machine Conversion Factory to equip it. This gives my machine monster a total of 1600 points, which is more than enough to destroy your pitiful Fairy. I attack." The One eyed green ball with two mechanical arms sprouting forth from it's sides floated over and shot the Spirit of the Pot of Greed with a metal crossbow. The pot and the spirit were destroyed and Rebecca's life points plummeted.
"How is that possible?" Rebecca asked.
"Because my monster has a special ability which allows it to attack in the same turn it's summoned. Also during each your standby phases, you'll loose 600 life points. I lay three cards face down on the field and end my turn."
"Looks like I'm going to have to get rid of this thing." Rebecca said as she drew from her deck. She paused only a moment as any further delay would result in her loosing another 600 points. "I play Gemini Elf in attack mode and they each have 300 more attack points than your Bowganian." Rebecca informed Zerif. "I attack this turn and you loose 300 more life points."
"Hmm." Zerif said taking his own turn. "I see that I shall have to play harder than this. I activate the trap card Solemn Wishes. You may remember it from your friend Yugi's deck. After seeing how well he used it before, I decided to add it to my deck."
"Who cares, copy cat!" Rebecca stuck out her tongue and used her fingers to make an L shape on her forehead. "I suppose it's your turn now, but don't be so cocky, you played most of your hand on your first turn. You've only got one card in your hand, what good is that doing to do you?" She asked.
"I a great deal once I draw." Zerif said and he drew and his life points rose by 500. "I now sacrifice my Bowganian to summon Timeater, also with 1900 points, and now I equip him with the magic card Seven Completed. This gives my monster 2600 attack points. Now I attack again with my Timeater. Your Elves are destroyed, and now it's time to apply my monster's special ability. On your turn, you must skip your main phase number one."
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"What that mean big brother?" Mokuba asked.
"It means that when her turn comes, she won't be able to summon any monsters to the field to protect her life points. Rebecca's lost this duel."
"NO!" Mokuba cried. "Rebecca, you can do this, just have faith in your deck!" He shouted to her.
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Rebecca heard Mokuba's words and she had faith, just not very much, but now she would try to have more. She had to believe in her deck just like Mokuba had told her and just like Yugi had taught her. The heart of the cards was with her and so she drew.
"Huh, what's this doing in here?" She asked. "Yugi must have slipped this into my deck last night before we all went to bed. Well, it's all I've got and I'll need it. Go Zerif, it's your turn." She said and put the card with the rest of her hand.
"I attack with my Timeater." He said, thinking that this would finish Rebecca off but it was not to be.
"I'm sorry." She said then, laying a card in her graveyard. "But I activate a special effect of my own. I discard Kuriboh from my hand to the graveyard and his ability says that when I do this, I loose no life points from an attack."
"How can it be that you would have drawn that particular card when you would have needed it so desperately?" Zerif demanded.
"I don't know, I didn't even know it was in my deck, but it was. I used it so now it's my turn and you're really going to get it now." Rebecca told the Alien. "I draw and play Offerings To The Doomed. This magic card destroys one monster card on the field but I have to skip my next draw phase."
"Activate Spell Shield Type-8!" Zerif shouted and flipped over a trap card. A large machine with flailing tentacles appeared and created a shield around the Timeater which deflected the effect of Rebecca's magic card. Instead of the Timeater being destroyed, the Spell Shield Type-8 was destroyed in it's place. Rebecca gasped. Her plan had not worked, and she had nothing in her hands which could withstand the attack of Zerif's Timeater.
"What do I do?" She cried
"Keep the faith Rebecca!" Came another voice. It was Yugi's and Rebecca spun around. Yugi was coming up to the sidelines with Pegasus following close behind. "Believe in the heart of the cards Rebecca, have faith in them, and they can do anything." Rebecca turned back around to face her opponent again. She had Yugi and Mokuba behind her now. She knew that with the support of her friends, she could not fail.
"I place one card in face down defense mode and end my turn and lay one card face down to support it." She said and closed her eyes to await the coming attack but Zerif was intrigued by what Yugi had to say. He had never heard of such a thing before.
"Excuse me, time out as you say, what is this Heart of The Cards?" He asked Yugi from his side of the field.
"It's the faith that each player has in his or her deck. When you put a deck together, you put a piece of your own heart in that deck, and that part of you inside the deck can be reached with the heart. That's why it's called The Heart of The Cards."
"And this works for anyone?" Asked Zerif.
"It dose, for a righteous duelist most of all."
"A righteous duelist." Zerif has to stop and ask himself what it was he was dueling for now. Why had they begun the games all those centuries ago on this world? To put and end to war. The peoples of Zorg were divided, leaderless, and without hope. Then the five of them came to this world from outside the known universe. They had put an end to the wars, brought peace to the planet, and began the games to insure that no one ever felt the need to go to war again. That was why he was dueling this time. So that there would not be a war between Yugi's people and the Zorg. Zerif more than any of the other Councilmen knew the suspicious nature of the people of Zorg. He knew that they would not help Yugi's people willingly unless there was some concessions made. That was why he had to duel with all his might. So that even if Yugi's team won the games, they could say that they had won it hard fought, and without help.
Tea watched Yugi's duel with Zelif closely on the ship's monitor and there were times when she feared for her husband and for them all as it looked like Zelif might actually win the duel. Then when the duel was over and she watched the large Alien and little Yugi shake hands again she knew everything would be alright.
"Kind of hard to just sit and watch, isn't it?" Serenity asked as he came up behind Tea and put her hand on her shoulder.
"Yeah, I feel like I should be down there cheering them on like always." Tea replied.
"I know, I'm just glad that my brother doesn't have to duel." Serenity said. "Having Seto caught up in the middle of this is hard enough. Let me ask you something."
"Okay sure." Tea said.
"Is it very different from being boy friend and girlfriend? Being married I mean." Serenity asked.
"It's not just different, it's loads better." Tea told her. "Before it was like Yugi and I were two separate people who were off on our own. Now it's like we're one person. The day of our wedding, the two people known as Tea and Yugi ceased to be and in their place a new person was born. Made up of the two of us. We're one now and forever." Serenity was amazed by this revelation. Two people becoming one was like something that she had never heard of before. Then again, she was still very young, and her relationship with Seto Kaiba had not yet reached the same level of commitment as Yugi's and Tea's had.
"I think that sounds really beautiful." Serenity told Tea after a moment of thought.
"It is." Tea replied then turned back to the monitor. Next up was Ryou's duel and it was going to be a difficult one. He would be facing Zonif and there was no telling how good Zonif could be at Duel Monsters.
---------Scene Break--------
"Are you ready?" The spirit of the Ring asked.
"I am and I don't need your help." Ryou said.
"But you do need my help. You saw how even the great Yugi Mouto struggled against these Aliens. And no matter what you tell yourself, you're nowhere near as good a duelist as he is."
"I can do this." Ryou said. "If I do need help you'll be there for me, right?"
"I'm here for you now, if you want me, but don't come crying to me when you've almost lost."
"I don't think that this is right but we have to win at any cost." Ryou decided. "Okay, take me." He gave himself over to the spirit of the Millennium Ring and they merged.
-------Scene Break-------
As he left the field, Yugioh saw the transformation in Ryou's eyes. They grew darker, colder, and devoid of feeling.
"NO!" He cried. "Ryou don't!"
"It's too late." Said the Spirit of the Ring as he passed Yugioh by. "I've taken over and now it's my turn to duel." The Spirit walked, in Ryou's body, up to his station on the field where he awaited his opponent.
"I am Zonif." Said the Alien. "You are the one known as Ryou?"
"Call me Bakura." Said the Spirit. "Let's duel." He neither shook hands with his opponent nor gave him a second glance until it was that they were standing across from one another on the dueling field.
"I'll start things off this turn." He drew his five cards and looked at his hand. He smiled as it was promising.
"Very well." Zonif replied. "It's your move."
"Fine then, I play one card face down in defense mode and two more cards face down to support it." Bakura said and then ended his turn.
"Hmm." Zonif looked at his own hand was not sure of what to do. He could not attack on his first turn but he could play magic and trap cards which could do the work of attacking for him.
"Play one card face down also, and now I place two cards face down to support it, and I play this magic card, Grave Keeper's Servant. Now whenever a monster of mine does damage to your life points you must discard one card from your deck to the graveyard." Bakura smiled wickedly as he drew his next card.
"I play Vengeful Bog Spirit." He said "And now I move my Giant Germ to attack mode. He has 1000 attack points, but he can't attack yet because of Vengeful Bog Spirit, but then neither can yours, for the first turn that they are face up on the field at least. That's the end of my turn."
"I see, then I now draw a card and flip my Grave Keeper's Curse into face up attack mode." The dark robed minister of darkness appeared with a glowing rod in his hands. "When this monster is summoned, though he can't attack yet, he still takes 500 of your life points as per his special ability." Said Zonif and Bakura's life points dropped to 3500. "Now I play Necrovalley, a field magic card." Suddenly the field around them changed from that of an Arena to a desert valley with the Pyramids rising high in the distance. "Necrovalley raises my monster's attack points by 500 points, giving my Grave Keeper's Curse a total of 1300 points. More than enough to tangle with your Germ."
"So what, it's still not powerful enough, I'll show you what real power looks like. My turn." Bakura said then drew a card. "Now here's a taste of your own medicine, I play Dark Energy and it increases my monster my 500 points."
"Impressive." Zonif said, "But do you have the guts to attack me?"
"I do and I will." Bakura replied. "Go my Germ, attack his Curse!" The gigantic germ floated across the field and began to absorb Grave Keeper's Curse when Zonif flipped over a trap card.
"Cruse of Aging." He declared, "Your monster looses 500 attack points." The Giant Germ's points returned to 1000 points and would have been destroyed by the more powerful Grave Keeper's Curse if not for the fact that Bakura had also played a trap card.
"Trap Jammer." He said flipping the card face up. "Your trap is negated." Grave Keeper's Curse was destroyed instead and then Zonif's life points dropped from 4000 to 3800.
"Most impressive but it is my turn now and I assure you that I too am not so easily thwarted." He drew. "I play Tribute To The Doomed and discard Toll from my hand to destroy your Giant Germ."
"That's fine, because when my Giant Germ is destroyed, my opponent looses 500 life points and I get to summon another Giant Germ from my Deck." Bakura informed him. Zonif was not that impressed anymore. Instead he was unsure of his next move. He had no monsters to play and no way to protect his life points from the attack of this Giant Germ when his turn was over. His life points were down to 3300 and thought that was not exactly cause for alarm, loosing another whole 1000 life points would be. He would have to hurry to construct his trap. "I place one more card face down on the field and end my turn." He said.
"Fine, it's my turn now and I'm going to destroy you." Bakura said as he drew his card. "I sacrifice my Giant Germ to play the Lesser Fiend. He had 2100 attack points and I equip him with the Axe of Despair giving him another 1000 attack points. You remember what happens when my Giant Germ goes to the grave yard don't you?"
"I do." Replied Zonif. His life points went down another 500 points to 2800. Thankfully though, neither of Bakura's monsters could attack him this turn because of Vengeful Bog Spirit. Bakura's cards were working in Zonif's favor. "It's my turn now and I draw." He said taking one card from his deck and then adding it to his hand. "I activate my trap card, Judgment of the Desert and now I play Book of Moon. Together these cards are very powerful. With Book of Moon I can change the battle position of one face up monster on your side of the field. I choose the Lesser Fiend. Now thanks to my trap card, your monster must stay in face down defense mode for the rest of the duel."
"It's a continuous trap!?" Bakura exclaimed. "Now you've done it, I'm really going to mess you up now."
"I sense an inner anger inside of you, you are not the boy I sensed before when we first met." Zonif Realized. "You are an evil apparition which has taken control of this boy. You will not win this fight and you will not take control of the boy again." Zonif said. "I will see to that."
"Fine, I still don't see any monsters on your side of the field on my next turn, you'll loose more life points, either way. You can't destroy my Giant Germ without doing yourself damage." Bakura laughed.
"You're right, I don't have anymore monsters in my hand to summon. I suppose that you'll just have to attack me but remember that I still have one card face down on the field. Be careful."
"Damn you Ryou, why do you have such pathetic cards?" Bakura asked his counterpart. "He's got something up his sleeve and there's nothing in my hand that I can use to counter it. I suppose that I shall have to attack him though, at the very least if he destroys my monster he'll still loose 500 points. I attack!" He declared and the Giant Germ when forth to attack Zonif's life points directly.
"Activate Rite of Spirit. This card allows me to summon a monster back from my grave yard. I choose Grave Keeper's Curse in Defense mode." Grave Keeper's Curse appeared and once again Bakura's life points were struck with the staff which the monster held.
"How can he attack me when he's in defense mode?" Bakura demanded to know.
"Because even though he is in defense mode, when he is summoned to the field, his special ability goes into play. You loose another 500 life points but because you are attacking with a stronger monster, my Grave Keeper is destroyed again. But I still have two others just like him in my deck and I have two other Rite of Spirit Cards that I can draw. This looks to be a very long duel indeed." Zonif said. Bakura's life points were down to 3000, that wasn't bad, but it wasn't good either. He knew that he could not continue to loose life points or he would loose the duel.
"You can do it Zonif!" The other members of the Council cheered him.
"Defeat this child and free him of the spirit which controls him!" Zelif shouted.
"I will." He told his friends. "Now we shall see what I can do with the time I have bought myself." Zonif drew a card and it was just the card that he needed. "I play Pot of Greed and draw two more cards." He said and pulled just the two cards he was hoping for out of his deck. "Now I play Grave Keeper's Curse and place one card face down." Bakura's points dropped again to 2500. "It's now your turn." Bakura drew a card but it did him no good, it was only a cheep magic card.
"I…I can't do anything this turn!" He gasped and looked at his hand. There was nothing in it that could help him at the moment.
"Maybe I can do something though." Zonif said as he flipped over his trap card. Another Grave Keeper's Curse appeared and Bakura's life points dropped to 2000.
"Ugh, it's your turn now." Bakura grunted.
"Fine, I draw and now I sacrifice my Grave Keeper's Curse card to summon an even more powerful monster called Grave Keeper's Chief with 1900. More than the defense of your Lesser fiend. But I can not attack this turn so it's your turn now." Zonif yielded the turn to Bakura who drew another card.
"Ah!" He exclaimed, "Now you're time is up. My turn to play a powerful monster." Bakura bragged. "I remove my three Giant Germs from play to… Wait a moment, why are you smiling?" He asked.
"Because you can't removed cards from play so long as Necrovalley is on the field." Zonif informed him. "Whatever monster you were going to summon can't be summoned at all. Now if that's your turn, I'll take mine." He drew a card and once again it was just what he needed. "I equip my Grave Keeper's Chief with the Sword of Dark Destruction. This brings my monster up to 2300 points and that's quite enough to dispatch your Lesser Fiend!" The white robed priest with a snake in one hand and sword in the other went forth and struck down Bakura's monster. He lost no life points but he had one less monster on the field to protect his life points.
"I draw." Bakura said, but he drew a monster that wasn't even worth playing. One that had only 1500 defense points and 1200 attack points. The Portrait's Secret. "I place one care face down in defense mode and end my turn."
"I draw and play The Book of Taiyou. This forces your monster into attack position." Once again the Grave Keeper's Chief attacked and Bakura's life points dropped down to 900. "You can not win this duel." Zonif said, you're heart is not in the right, and your own friends do not cheer for you. Look at them, they are worried about you, but they know that the only way to save you is if you loose."
"You…you're right." Said Ryou, who was beginning to come his senses. "I mustn't loose though. I can't loose for the sake of the human race. That's why I must rely on the Millennium Ring. I have to win at any cost."
"Even if the cost is your soul?" Zonif asked.
"What do you know about his soul?" Bakura demanded to know. "His soul is mine!"
"NO!" Zonif cried. "This duel is over, I will crush you on my next turn, and you will vacate the boy's body. That or I will have MY friend, Zealifo force you out!"
"I will not!" Bakura yelled.
--------Scene Break-------
"Come on Ryou, break free from that spirit, our entire race is depending on these duels." Yugioh said.
"Hey Seto, do you think that Ryou's going to be okay?" Mokuba asked.
"Sure, he's just hamming it up for the crowd." Kaiba told his brother. Mokuba looked around and for the first time he noticed that there was no crowd watching them. At least, none that he could see. There were guards and there were camera, or what appeared to be cameras. There were no aliens though.
---------Scene Break-------
"So then you refuse to play fairly."
"Who said that this game was fair?" Bakura asked Zonif.
"We shall have to see what happens then. It's your turn, I can do nothing more to reason with you." The Alien took a step back and stared his young opponent down.
"I'll go. Damn, a no good trap card. Where were you earlier when I needed something like you?" He asked the card. "Your turn, finish me quickly." Bakura said and Zonif did. He attacked with his Grave Keeper's Chief and destroyed the last of Bakura's life points. He had lost and now for the first time, a Zord Councilman had a victory in Duel Monsters. Yugi and the others ran out onto the field when Bakura fell down to his knees. Zealifo came over to him then and placed his massive hands on Bakura's shoulders.
"Don't hurt him please?" Yugi begged.
"I have no intentions of hurting your friend but I must use all my mental powers to drive the wicked spirit from his being." Zealifo said and then closed his eyes to concentrate. "It is difficult, their souls are intertwined with the power of this ring he wears around his neck. I must first drive out the power of the ring so that the spirit can not return to it." He explained. Both Zealifo and Bakura's bodies began to glow with an otherworldly light. "Ryou…Ryou, where are you?"
"Help me, he's tricked me again!" Cried their friend.
"I hear you Ryou, I'm coming." Zealifo said and in his mind he saw Ryou hanging by a thread to the worm ridden coffin which was slowly disintegrating.
"Help me!" He cried out and gripped the thread even harder.
"Ryou, give me your hand." Zealifo "Quickly, let go."
"I'll fall!" Ryou said.
"I will catch you." Suddenly Zealifo's form changed from that of a great large man to that of a ball of pure light and in this light Yugi and the others could see Ryou.
"I can't believe it!" Kaiba cried. "They're made of pure energy!"
"Yes, we five of the Council are." Zelif said placing his large hand on Kaiba's shoulder. "We are beings of pure light and energy which have existed since before time began. This planet is our protectorate and the Zorg who live here look to us for protection."
"There is nothing which our evolved mental abilities can not do." Said Zeanif.
"That is why we have challenged you to this duel monsters tournament. To see how far you minds have developed." Zerif said to them.
"I have Ryou." Zealifo informed them and then he placed Ryou back on the ground and his light was dimmed a little. "Ah." He sighed. "That was a hard task."
"How are you my old friend?" Zonif asked taking the ball of light into his arms.
"I need rest before my duel. I must go but I have done it. I have purged the spirit from Ryou and the Ring. He will trouble them no more." Zealifo said then rested in his friend's arms.
"I must take him home for now. We can conclude these duels tomorrow." Zonif said and took his friend, Zealifo, away.
"I shall look forward to our duel tomorrow young Rebecca." Said Zerif as he passed by. "I hope that you will fair well as I will give you no such mercy as Zelif showed Yugi." Rebecca shuttered. She was only 11 years old, what was she going to do up against an Alien Being of pure energy?
"My friends please come with me." Zelif said and began ushering Yugi and the others to a nearby door, which led out of the Arena, deep underground, and directly beneath the Coliseum. Soon they were brought to a clearly lit room filled with food and party favors.
"What's all this?" Yugi asked Zelif.
"We have prepared this for you because we know that it is necessary for you caporal beings to refresh yourselves with food and drink and rest. Through those doors to the left are your rooms. I hope that you will rest comfortably." Zelif said then turned to leave.
"You're not going to join us?" Yugi asked.
"There would be no point as I only require a few hours rest to replenish myself. Now go eat, and rest. Tomorrow the tournament continues and you will all need your strength." Zelif said. Yugi then shut the door behind him.
"He probably locked it." Kaiba said as he sat down at the table. "I'm not trying this stuff unless someone else goes first." Mokuba agreed, this was way too much for a simple dinner. There had to be a catch.
"Fine, I'm not afraid to die of a good thing." Joey said and started to fill his plate and stuff his face. Everyone gathered around him and watched for a few moments as Joey pigged out on everything at the table. He seemed to be unaffected by the strange food or the drinks which had been prepared. "Hey, I'm going to eat it all if you guys don't dig in. This stuff is terrific." Yugi and the others broke down and tried some of the strange alien food and they found it to be delicious. In fact it was the best thing they'd all had since Pegasus's ball.
"This is fantastic." Pegasus remarked as he helped himself to second plate full.
"Yeah, it's like nothing I've ever had before." Mai agreed.
"We've got to get the recipe for this." Yugi was enjoying himself thoroughly and so were Mokuba and Rebecca. Kaiba on the other hand was not that hungry for food so much as he was eager to face his opponent the next day after Rebecca faced off against Zerif. Yugi's only complaint was that Tea wasn't there to share it all with him. She would be totally steamed at him for having so much fun and great food without her.
"You feeling alright now Ryou?" Yugi asked looking over his weakened and defeated friend.
"I'm fine." He replied. "Just tired."
"I wonder how the others are doing." Mokuba said then.
"I almost forgot." Kaiba said and pulled out a short wave radio from his jacket. "I'd better check in with them. They're probably worried about us." A look of utter horror came over Kaiba's face when he realized… "It's not working!" He exclaimed.
-------Scene Break--------
"What's going on, give me a reading!" Tea demanded from the bridge of the Pegasus.
"We can't pick anything up, they're too far beneath the surface for our scanners to find them." Weevil said.
"Damn, we've got to find them, and make sure they're okay." Serenity said leaning over the communications consol. "I'll keep trying to reach them on Seto's short wave radio." Just then an image appeared on the view screen.
"You're trying to find your friends?" Asked Zelif.
"You." Tea said. "Yes, we've lost our friend's signals down there and you'd better have an explanation for this."
"I do, your friends are safe, and we've seen to their needs. Ryou should be recovering with the others in the domicile we've prepared for them in one of our underground chambers. They have nourishing food, refreshing drink, and beds to sleep on. I'm afraid we could not accommodate them with all the creature comforts your ship would allow them, but it is for their own safety. The Zorg people are up in arms about your being here. They fear you and do not totally understand the situation. They know not what the stakes are in the games we've been playing with you." Zelif said.
"Look, we just want to see them, okay. To know that you're telling us the truth." Serenity pleaded with him.
"Save your pleas young one. I will show you your loved ones." Zelif said kindly, then the view screen shifted and a fuzzy kind of picture came through. It was Yugi and he was sitting in a brick room somewhere on the side of a bed.
"It's Yugi!" Tea cried with glee. "But what about the others?" She demanded.
"They are here." Zelif's voice came from behind the picture and then suddenly the picture cut apart into several screens with each one of their friends confined to their own little square. "See, they are all safe. You should not doubt me young ones, your Friend Yugi does not and neither does Yami, I believe."
"What?" Tea exclaimed. "You know about the Spirit who lives in Yugi's Puzzle?"
"I know many things my child. Do not doubt me, for I would not doubt your friends. They are most interesting creatures. You all are. I look forward to seeing everyone of you tomorrow for the conclusion of the tournament. Good night." Zelif's voice was heard no more aboard the Pegasus or the Blue Eyes Two until early the next morning.
--------Scene Break----------
"Are you sure you're well enough to duel today my friend?" Zonif asked Zealifo as they once again took a humanoid form.
"I am weak still but strong enough to face the older Kaiba brother." he said. "Do not fear for me old friend. I have grown weaker these past few centuries. My time is coming soon when I must pass beyond the stars as the first of us did so long ago to a new plain of existence."
"No my friend. Say that it is not so." Zonif took Zealifo by the shoulders. Of all the Council they were closest because they were the two eldest of the five. They had existed back in the first days when the universe was born and their kind were born of the big bang. The first life which existed in the universe.
"I am not gone yet, I still have time, and we still have our battles today. Remember that after I, you must duel again. You must stand up for us all if Zerif and I loose."
"I will." Zonif said. "I will stand up for you and for all of those who were greater than us five who were left behind. I will not allow your last days with us to be tainted with shame."
"There is no shame in defeat because though, I might be beaten, I will not have lost. I will go to a better place. Remember today and never forget." Zealifo said.
"Forget what my friend?" Asked Zonif.
"That I am the Destroyer of Armies." He said proudly. "I have brought war and peace to the universe since I was young. I will not loose against Kaiba. Friend though he may become, I am still his opponent today. We will meet on the battlefield where I have been all my life. Fighting for a righteous cause."
--------Scene Break---------
Kaiba awoke in his room with the strangest feeling. He felt that somehow, he was not totally up for this duel today. He figured though that this feeling would go away. He still had time since, after all, his was the next to the last duel. Zonif had won the day before and one of them would have to face him again.
"But which one of us should it be?" Kaiba asked himself. He was unsure. Yugi had just barely won his duel with Zelif, Mokuba had had no trouble beating his opponent the day before also, but Mokuba was still so very young. If he had to face a clearly stronger opponent it might damage his confidence. Ryou was no good to them anymore, he'd lost, and no telling what would happen this morning with Rebecca and Zerif's duel. "I can't let anymore of us loose, or else we'll have to put in Mai, or worse, Wheeler."
------Scene Break--------
"I don't know about this Yami, I've got a bad feeling about today's match ups." Yugi told the Spirit of the Puzzle.
"I know, something isn't right." Yami replied. "I wonder if there might be something wrong with one of the Zorg Council members. They did shuffle us off the field pretty early yesterday evening. It was nice to be able to rest and relax for a little while but I got the feeling that there was something that they did not want us to see."
"You don't think that Zealifo was hurt or something do you? I mean he was pretty tuckered out after he released Ryou from Bakura's clutches."
"I fear that the situation may be much worse than that, Yugi. I fear that our Alien Friends will soon suffer a great loss. Perhaps they are not as immortal as they lead us to believe."
"Oh Yami." Yugi said looking greatly distressed. "If one of them were to die while facing one of us in a Duel then the people of this planet will blame us. There'll be no way we can be friends with the Zorg." Yami put his transparent arm around Yugi and the two of them sat there for a long time thinking and hoping against all odds that everything would go good for them today. That Rebecca and Kaiba would win their duels and that the Aliens would be alright.
"Rise and shine!" Pegasus shouted as he burst into the room just then.
"AHH!" Yugi jumped with fright. "Pegasus what are you doing?" He demanded to know.
"Sorry," He said laughing, "I just thought that as the Coach, I should be the one to get everyone up for the games today. After all we've all had a good night's sleep and it's time for a new day, new duels, and new opportunities. You know, Yugi, I was wondering if you might do something for me."
"What's that?" Yugi asked, suspicious.
"Could you perhaps get me some time alone with that fellow Zelif, I'd love to talk to him about marketing Duel Monsters Cards here on Zorg. I think that after these games of theirs are done, people, or I mean Zorg everywhere will want to buy the cards. Oh!" He cried. "I could come out with an entirely new line of cards just for this planet. I must take a look at their mythology and history."
"Sure Pegasus, I'm sure they'd love it." Yugi said humoring him. "I'll talk to Zelif today."
"You do that for me Yugi and I'll let you in on 30 of the profits. Kaiba's sure to make a mint off of the gaming technology after all of this. Not a single Zorg on the planet would pass up an opportunity to buy his own duel disk once my cards hit the street. This is the start of an entirely new way of life for us Yugi, we're going to be intergalactic mega stars." All Yugi could do was stand there and smile while Pegasus planned out their entire future relations with the people of Zorg. In the meantime though, the duels were getting started upstairs as Mokuba, Rebecca, Kaiba, Joey, Mai, and Ryou had already gotten up and gone with Zelif up to the arena. Once again the coliseum was devoid of anyone other than the Zorg Military who were there for, as Zelif put it, "For their protection." Zonif, Zerif, Zeanif, and Zealifo were standing on their side of the arena.
"Are you ready Rebecca Hawkins?" Zerif asked.
"I am." Rebecca proudly declared.
"Good, then let our duel commence." They each walked out to the center of the arena and shook hands then returned to their respective sides of the field. "We won the last duel so you will get to go first this time."
"Fine with me." Rebecca said, though deep down inside she wasn't fine. She was out there playing with a mostly untested deck against someone who had the mental powers of the demigod. There was no way that she felt she could do this.
"Go Rebecca!" Mokuba shouted, "I believe in you, you can do this, so show them who's boss!" Mokuba's cheers were encouraging enough for Rebecca. She knew that with her friends cheering her on, she could win this duel.
"Alright then," She said drawing her five cards. "I'll get the ball rolling with Spirit of the Pot of Greed!" She said. "And now I play Pot of Greed, that means I can draw three cards instead of two thanks to my monster's special ability."
"Good first move, now hit him hard with another magic card!" Kaiba yelled from the sidelines.
"I plan to, by playing Goblin Thief." Rebecca stated. "You loose life points, while I gain." Rebecca's life points went up to 4500 while Zerif's went down to 3500.
"Is that all?" Zerif asked.
"Not by a long shot." Rebecca replied sweetly. "I'm going to lay this card face down and then end my turn." Rebecca was off to a good start but Zerif was about to play a string of cards that would devastate her deck and her moral.
"I play Bowganian in attack mode with Machine Conversion Factory to equip it. This gives my machine monster a total of 1600 points, which is more than enough to destroy your pitiful Fairy. I attack." The One eyed green ball with two mechanical arms sprouting forth from it's sides floated over and shot the Spirit of the Pot of Greed with a metal crossbow. The pot and the spirit were destroyed and Rebecca's life points plummeted.
"How is that possible?" Rebecca asked.
"Because my monster has a special ability which allows it to attack in the same turn it's summoned. Also during each your standby phases, you'll loose 600 life points. I lay three cards face down on the field and end my turn."
"Looks like I'm going to have to get rid of this thing." Rebecca said as she drew from her deck. She paused only a moment as any further delay would result in her loosing another 600 points. "I play Gemini Elf in attack mode and they each have 300 more attack points than your Bowganian." Rebecca informed Zerif. "I attack this turn and you loose 300 more life points."
"Hmm." Zerif said taking his own turn. "I see that I shall have to play harder than this. I activate the trap card Solemn Wishes. You may remember it from your friend Yugi's deck. After seeing how well he used it before, I decided to add it to my deck."
"Who cares, copy cat!" Rebecca stuck out her tongue and used her fingers to make an L shape on her forehead. "I suppose it's your turn now, but don't be so cocky, you played most of your hand on your first turn. You've only got one card in your hand, what good is that doing to do you?" She asked.
"I a great deal once I draw." Zerif said and he drew and his life points rose by 500. "I now sacrifice my Bowganian to summon Timeater, also with 1900 points, and now I equip him with the magic card Seven Completed. This gives my monster 2600 attack points. Now I attack again with my Timeater. Your Elves are destroyed, and now it's time to apply my monster's special ability. On your turn, you must skip your main phase number one."
---------Scene Break---------
"What that mean big brother?" Mokuba asked.
"It means that when her turn comes, she won't be able to summon any monsters to the field to protect her life points. Rebecca's lost this duel."
"NO!" Mokuba cried. "Rebecca, you can do this, just have faith in your deck!" He shouted to her.
---------Scene Break--------
Rebecca heard Mokuba's words and she had faith, just not very much, but now she would try to have more. She had to believe in her deck just like Mokuba had told her and just like Yugi had taught her. The heart of the cards was with her and so she drew.
"Huh, what's this doing in here?" She asked. "Yugi must have slipped this into my deck last night before we all went to bed. Well, it's all I've got and I'll need it. Go Zerif, it's your turn." She said and put the card with the rest of her hand.
"I attack with my Timeater." He said, thinking that this would finish Rebecca off but it was not to be.
"I'm sorry." She said then, laying a card in her graveyard. "But I activate a special effect of my own. I discard Kuriboh from my hand to the graveyard and his ability says that when I do this, I loose no life points from an attack."
"How can it be that you would have drawn that particular card when you would have needed it so desperately?" Zerif demanded.
"I don't know, I didn't even know it was in my deck, but it was. I used it so now it's my turn and you're really going to get it now." Rebecca told the Alien. "I draw and play Offerings To The Doomed. This magic card destroys one monster card on the field but I have to skip my next draw phase."
"Activate Spell Shield Type-8!" Zerif shouted and flipped over a trap card. A large machine with flailing tentacles appeared and created a shield around the Timeater which deflected the effect of Rebecca's magic card. Instead of the Timeater being destroyed, the Spell Shield Type-8 was destroyed in it's place. Rebecca gasped. Her plan had not worked, and she had nothing in her hands which could withstand the attack of Zerif's Timeater.
"What do I do?" She cried
"Keep the faith Rebecca!" Came another voice. It was Yugi's and Rebecca spun around. Yugi was coming up to the sidelines with Pegasus following close behind. "Believe in the heart of the cards Rebecca, have faith in them, and they can do anything." Rebecca turned back around to face her opponent again. She had Yugi and Mokuba behind her now. She knew that with the support of her friends, she could not fail.
"I place one card in face down defense mode and end my turn and lay one card face down to support it." She said and closed her eyes to await the coming attack but Zerif was intrigued by what Yugi had to say. He had never heard of such a thing before.
"Excuse me, time out as you say, what is this Heart of The Cards?" He asked Yugi from his side of the field.
"It's the faith that each player has in his or her deck. When you put a deck together, you put a piece of your own heart in that deck, and that part of you inside the deck can be reached with the heart. That's why it's called The Heart of The Cards."
"And this works for anyone?" Asked Zerif.
"It dose, for a righteous duelist most of all."
"A righteous duelist." Zerif has to stop and ask himself what it was he was dueling for now. Why had they begun the games all those centuries ago on this world? To put and end to war. The peoples of Zorg were divided, leaderless, and without hope. Then the five of them came to this world from outside the known universe. They had put an end to the wars, brought peace to the planet, and began the games to insure that no one ever felt the need to go to war again. That was why he was dueling this time. So that there would not be a war between Yugi's people and the Zorg. Zerif more than any of the other Councilmen knew the suspicious nature of the people of Zorg. He knew that they would not help Yugi's people willingly unless there was some concessions made. That was why he had to duel with all his might. So that even if Yugi's team won the games, they could say that they had won it hard fought, and without help.