Destiny and the Dragon
Author's note: I'm SO sorry this came so late. As I already posted in a note (which deleted), my internet hadn't been working for a while. It's finally back up, but it still took me a while to post this because of school work. Ah, well. I'm back, and ready to bring this baby to its conclusion. In case anyone's wondering why I chose to use the Deck-master rule system, it's because I thought it was just so cool in the show. I suggest anyone who actually plays the Yu-gi-oh! Card game tries it out. I have, and it was a blast! Oh, and I know that the deck-master ability I gave to Lord of Dragons isn't the same as in the show, but I like mine more. Since D&tD is reaching its heart-stopping finale, all chapters will be 8-16 pages from here on out instead of the usual 4. Furthermore, as it is rather important, these are the characters' ages, if only for this story:
Seto: 18
Mokuba: 14
Yugi and the gang: 16
Ishizu: 16
Malik: 18
Rashid(yes, he'll appear eventually): 20
Also, I'm going to include the list of events that you need to know have occurred in my manga/anime fusion continuity in each A/N now. They'll become important later on in the story, so pay attention:
Death-T
Yugi vs. Kaiba's Dark side(aka Death Imposter)
Legendary Heroes
Remember these events. Now, onwards!
Copyright info: I do not own Yu-gi-oh! If I did, though , you can bet we'd see a lot more Seto Kaiba(and, considering he already appears a lot, they'd probably have to rename the show "The Seto Kaiba saga", or some other, less crappy, title.).
Continuity info: First, I'm using all Japanese names, as well as personalities (in short, Jounouchi isn't going to have that heavy New York accent, and Bakura won't be British). Thus, Joey is Jounouchi, the Millennium items are sennen items, and so on. Finally, the actual continuity is kind of a mixture of the manga and anime. This takes place after Battle City, but the Noa saga did not occur. However, in the manga, Yugi immediately uses the God cards to open up the doors to Yami's memory world. In this, like in the anime, he must wait until the appropriate time. Also, this is going to act as an alternative to the Memories arc in the manga so I can add my own little spin on the ancient past. Enjoy.
I want to run away,
I want to know the truth
I want to know the answers,
I want to shut the door and open up my mind.
-"Runaway Reanimation", Linkin' Park
Chapter 11: Duel of Darkness
By Blue Eyes Shining Dragon
Gozaburo and Seto, their deck-masters by their sides, stared at each other intensely. "Since you don't believe in destiny, Seto, you can make the first move!" Gozaburo sneered.
Seto nodded. Drawing, he stated, "I summon Dragon Dwelling in the Cave in Defense Mode!"
Dragon Dwelling in the Cave
Atk: 1300
Def: 2000
As the large, jade-scaled dragon emerged, it flopped into a lying position, snorting smoke from its nostrils. "I'll set two cards face-down, and that ends my turn!" Seto said.
Gozaburo laughed. "HA! I see you intend to destroy the next monster I summon with that face-down Trap hole, than sacrifice your Dragon Dwelling in the Cave to summon Luster Dragon! Well, I'm about to wipe that strategy out!" Gozaburo boasted.
Seto froze. "He can see my cards, just like Pegasus! Damn that sennen eye!" he mentally cursed.
"Now, now, watch your language!" Gozaburo mocked.
Seto glared harshly at him. He knew that with the sennen eye, Gozaburo could see all the cards he had, and know his strategy instantly. Still, he refused to surrender, especially not to Gozaburo.
"I play the magic card Heavy Storm to wipe out your Trap Hole and Shadow Spell cards!" Gozabruo declared.
With that, a giant tornado emerged from Gozaburo's duel disk, striking the two cards Seto had played face down and destroying them. "Now, I play one card face-down and activate the magic card Fissure, destroying your Dragon Dwelling in the Cave!"
With that, a crack appeared in the ground, eventually growing into a full-spread chasm. From within, a bony hand shot up, grabbing Seto's only monster and dragging it under. "Now I summon Giant Soldier of Stone in attack mode!" Gozaburo declared.
Giant Solider of Stone
Atk: 1300
Def: 2000
As the giant granite warrior appeared, Gozaburo simply pointed at Seto. This gesture was enough to signal to the monster to draw its two swords, which soon crashed down onto Seto's shoulders.
Seto: 6700
"To end my turn, I'll play one card face down. Back to you, son, although I doubt Luster Dragon, Crush Card Virus, and Return from the Different Dimension will help you any!" Gozaburo laughed.
His shoulders numb from the Giant Soldier's attack, Seto barely managed to draw, aware that Gozaburo already knew he had drawn his Virus Cannon magic card. "He knows my entire hand, and I don't know even one card from his deck!" Seto thought.
Yugi could not remember the last time he had run for so long. Shadi had been determinedly going in one direction, floating quickly, for the past half-an-hour. Hoping the ancient spirit could help him find Kaiba, whose conflict needed to be resolved before Yami could journey to the past, he had followed him. "Where…exactly…are we going, Shadi?" Yugi asked between gasps for breath.
"We seek the thief Bakura, and I believe he is somewhere near. I sense it." Shadi droned.
Suddenly, Yugi heard a loud revving sound coming towards them. Turning around to see what it was, he was pleasantly surprised to see Rashid driving his motor-cycle, Malik riding in the side-car. "Pharoah! Stop! We need to talk to you!" Malik cried.
Yugi stopped, as did Shadi. This allowed for a panting Jounouchi to finally catch up to them. "Yu…gi…never…do…that…again." He said, breathing heavily.
Rashid and Malik stopped next to the trio and stepped out to meet them. "Hello, Malik." Yugi said.
"Greetings, pharaoh. I bring you urgent news." Malik said, bowing slightly. As he rose again, he noticed Shadi, who he had not seen before, and tensed. He recognized the turbaned man from his childhood, and remembered immediately that his presence was usually a harbinger of disaster. Calming himself, he continued to Yugi, "Ishizu has asked I inform you that your friend Seto Kaiba is at the Domino Orphanage."
"We believe you should go there and join him." Rashid finished for his younger brother.
Yugi nodded. "Mind giving us a ride?" he asked.
"Not at all," Rashid said, "though it may be a little crowded.
"ANYTHING will be better than more running." Jounouchi groaned.
"I will go my own way." Shadi said, and with that, headed off.
Jounouchi got into the side-car with Malik, while Yugi got into the main seat with Rashid. As he sat down, Yugi turned to Malik. "Malik, one thing doesn't add up. I realize that the Egyptian versions of Seto, Mokuba, and Kisara all held a Blue Eyes White Dragon. The legend said there were only three in existence, so how come four Blue Eyes cards were produced in this time?"
Malik shrugged. "A mistake of Pegasus', I suppose. Still, that is why Kaiba destroyed it, even if he didn't know it. It was an imbalance in the equation, and Kaiba, the true master of the White Dragon, was drawn to balance it out."
Yugi nodded in agreement. With that question answered, the group drove onwards to the Domino orphanage.
Seto looked over his hand. The only monster he had was Luster Dragon, and he couldn't summon it without another monster. He would have to let Gozaburo get another direct attack at him. "Still," he thought, "that doesn't mean I can't damage his deck."
"I play the magic card Virus Cannon, removing ten magic cards from your deck!" Seto announced.
The spider-legged machine appeared, launching its colorful blast at Gozaburo. Hitting his duel disk, Gozaburo could only watch as the blast caused 10 magic cards to fall from his deck. "Nice move, Seto. However, I was anticipating it! I activate my face-down trap card, Reaper of Spell! When I lose 5 or more magic cards from my hand or deck, my Reaper of Spell allows me to gain 1,000 lifepoints for each magic card I lose!" he responded.
Gozaburo: 18,000
Seto's face paled. He hadn't even touched Gozaburo yet, and now, his opponent had more than 10,000 life-points. This duel was going badly, quickly. "I end my turn…" Seto said through gritted teeth.
"Excellent! I'll go now!" Gozaburo said, his voice filled with malicious glee. "Attack him directly again, Giant Soldier!" Gozaburo cried. As before, the soldier's gigantic swords collided into Seto.
Seto: 5400
"Now then, I'll play another face-down card and end my turn." Gozaburo finished.
Seto drew. He was relieved to see it was a monster, Battle Ox, which he summoned to the field in attack mode.
Battle Ox
Atk: 1700
Def: 1000
"Attacking with that face-down card's risky, but I have to do it…" Seto reasoned, praying even as he announced the attack that this was the right move, for he could not afford another direct attack.
Thus, the armored Minotaur's ax fell towards Gozaburo's soldier. Seto's fists clenched in excitement when Battle Ox cut through Gozaburo's Stone soldier, reducing it to rubble with a single slash.
Gozaburo: 17,600
It wasn't much, Seto admitted, but it was a start. Hopefully, Gozaburo didn't have any good moves to make just yet and he could finally get into this duel for real. "That ends my turn, old man." Seto said, confidence returning to his voice.
Gozaburo snorted in frustration. "Don't get cocky, boy! You may have gotten one attack in, but I know your whole hand, and I know your monster's unprotected! I summon one monster face-down in defense mode and end my turn." He said.
Seto grinned. Though Gozaburo could see his hand, he could not control what cards he drew, which meant that as long as Gozaburo didn't get anything too good before Seto did, Seto still had a chance. Seto drew Monster Reborn, then ordered another attack by Battle Ox. However, it was a decision he quickly regretted as he saw the monster he had attacked: Morphing Jar!
"Well, well, where's your bravado now, Seto?" Gozaburo asked snidely as both he and Seto sent their hands to the graveyard, drawing new ones to replace them.
Seto frowned. His new hand was good, but he did not like that Gozaburo had been able to draw five cards. The more cards he drew, the better chance he had of getting something to devastate Seto. Still, Seto went along with it for now. "I'll end my turn by playing one monster face-down in defense mode." He said.
Gozaburo grinned. "Good! First, I play Dian Keto the Cure Master to restore 1,000 of my lifepoints!" he said, causing a bright glow to fall upon him.
Gozaburo: 18,400
"Next, I activate my deck-master's special ability to take control of your Battle Ox!"
With that, the fiery spirit that stood by Gozaburo flew at Seto's monster, entering its body. For a brief moment, Battle Ox's eyes flashed with fire, and then the minotaur disappeared from the field, reappearing in front of Gozaburo. With that, the Possessed Dark Spirit flew out of Battle Ox, resuming its place by Gozaburo. "Now your monster is my monster, and all I had to do was pay 1,000 life-points for each level star it had." Gozaburo laughed.
Gozaburo: 14,400
"However, just so that's not too much of a problem, I'll activate my trap card Life-absorbing Machine!" Gozaburo said.
With that, Gozaburo's trap card revealed itself. The card had a picture of a metallic spider-like creature sucking energy from an elderly man. "Whenever I pay life-points, this card gives me half of the life-points I lose back to me!" Gozaburo explained.
Suddenly, the metallic spider in the card's picture appeared on the field, bathing Gozaburo in an eerie light.
Gozaburo: 16,400
Seto groaned in frustration. "His strategy seems to be to heal himself and then use cards that require the payment of lifepoints." He noted.
"That means that moves that would normally be considered too risky would be easy for him to pull off…" Seto worried.
He had known this was going to be a tough fight from the start, but now the true difficulty of Seto's situation was beginning to sink in. Gozaburo could view his every move and know his every strategy, while Seto was stuck barely able to fend him off. "It can't end like this!" he thought, his eyes closed in anger.
"Mokuba…Kisara…I can't fail them…but how can I beat him?" he pondered.
His eyes still closed, Seto could only think of his inevitable defeat.
"NO! I won't give up on them! There's a way to win! I KNOW IT!" he mentally screamed to himself.
Seto drew his next card. It was his Matter Transport Device trap. "I'll play this card face-down and end my turn." Seto said.
Gozaburo smirked cockily. "Your Matter Transport Device can't protect you from Battle Ox's attack, Seto!" he declared.
Gozaburo thrust his fist in Seto's direction, and shouted, "Now, Battle Ox, ATTACK!"
At its master's command, the armored bull charged towards Seto's face-down monster, cutting into it with its steel-covered Ax.
Seto: 6700
Seto gritted his teeth in pain. He looked to Gozaburo angrily. "I'm not beaten yet, Gozaburo! I won't let you get away with what you've done!!!" he spat.
Gozaburo put on a mock-sad face. "Done? All I've done is save those two poor souls from you." He said.
Realizing Gozaburo was referring to Mokuba and Kisara, Seto looked like he was going to explode on the spot. "BULLSHIT," he shouted, "you're only doing this for power!"
Gozaburo grinned with morbid delight. "Sound like anyone you know?" he asked.
Seto's eyes widened for a moment, but they quickly returned to their intense focus. "Don't try that on me, Gozaburo. I'm here to save Mokuba and Kisara. My other goals aren't important here!" the brown-eyed CEO growled.
Laughing, Gozaburo reached into his coat and drew out the sennen rod. "Really? I think there's someone who might disagree!" he cackled, pointing the rod at Seto.
Once again, the rod lit up a bright yellow, enveloping Seto in light. This time, however, it was cold…
When the light dimmed, Seto was standing in the lone spotlight of an entire world of darkness. Looking around, he shouted, "WHATEVER TRICK THIS IS, GOZABURO, IT WON'T WORK!"
Suddenly, he heard a voice, familiar yet distorted to the point that Seto could not recognize it exactly. "Death-T." it said.
Seto tensed. "What…?" he started.
"Death-T," the voice continued, "the death tournament you arranged for Yugi Motou. You say you wish to protect your little brother, yet in the course of this tournament, you almost killed him."
Seto prepared to respond, but the voice simply continued. "When the Big 5 kidnapped you in your own VR game, your blind pride again almost killed Mokuba when you refused to summon your ultimate dragon simply because Yugi asked you to."
Seto nearly blew his top right there, but again, his response was stopped by the mysterious voice. "Let's move back further, though. When you were younger, you designed weapons for Gozaburo, weapons that killed thousands, and continue to kill even more."
Seto at last snapped out. "I don't know who you are, but I'm tired of listening to you judge me!"
Seto could hear dark chortling. "I've made no judgments. I've only pointed out facts. The context of guilt was added by you."
Seto scowled. He despised it when people twisted his words, and it didn't help that his current opponent had not yet shown itself. "How sad. You hold all this misery and self-hatred in your heart, yet you can never release it and free yourself." The voice commented.
Seto had finally reached his boiling point. Reaching beyond the light into the endless darkness. He grinned victoriously as he felt his hands clasp a throat. Thrusting his arm back, he prepared to beat the life out of whoever was unfortunate to be mocking him so openly. However, he was so caught off guard by the person he had grabbed that all such thoughts disappeared from his mind, replaced solely with shock. He was staring at Seto Kaiba. "Surprised?" the now-revealed doppelganger asked maliciously.
He was not identical in appearance. For one thing, he was wearing Seto's silver, gold-trimmed suit, the one he had worn at Death-T. For another, his skin was much paler, almost pure white. The most striking difference was that his eyes were a kind of lack-luster gold, while his hair was neon green. "What are you…?" he asked, releasing his grip on the doppelganger.
Dusting himself off, the new Seto laughed. "Don't you recognize me after all of this time? I am your strength, the part of your soul Yugi banished to the shadow realm when he broke your heart at the end of Death-T."
"The one Pegasus used to duel Yugi at Duelist Kingdom…Death Imposter!" Seto summarized quickly.
Death Imposter grinned. "Imposter? That implies I'm a fake, but you and I both know I'm Seto Kaiba just as much as you are."
Seto laughed bitterly. "Nonsense."
"Deny it if you like, but I think it's time you face the truth."
"Try me."
"Oh, it's quite a list, my other. For one thing, the love you're beginning to develop for Kisara…"
"…doesn't exist." Seto finished for his eerie dark side, testily.
"Oh, come on. Just admit it already: She's the only person outside of your little brother who looked at you for who you are. She didn't let your position or your reputation get in her way; she just took the time to know you."
Seto looked at his feet, almost in shame. Death Imposter was right; as much as he was loathe to admit it, he had developed an attraction to Kisara. However, he had learned in the hardest way that love of that nature could only end in suffering. When you trusted others, you were always inevitably let down. For years, he had been able to abide by that law. No one, not Yugi, not Jyounouchi, not even Mokuba, had been able to allow him freedom from that constant presence in his life. Then he met Kisara, and everything began to change. She was not afraid of him, as most people were. She didn't try to change him, or force him into anything, as Yugi and his friends usually did. All she did was sit down and talk to him, as if he were a normal human being. From there, he had slowly begun to open up, without realizing it, because that one act, that one moment of feeling like a person to someone else, had made him feel like he had as a child, open and trusting to the world. Death Imposter grinned. "Your mind is such an open book, Seto…I know all your thoughts and feelings, including what you were just thinking. Still, don't get your hopes up, Romeo: She'll leave you in the end, just like your parents, and everyone else in your life."
Seto looked up in anger. "Mokuba…" he started.
Death Imposter interrupted him. "…is scared of what you've become, and you can't blame him. Your sole purpose in life has become to defeat Yugi Motou, and you fail even at THAT. It's quite the vicious cycle, I must say."
Seto stepped forward, but was overcome by weakness. Falling to his knees, he clutched his head in pain. "What…are you…doing to…me?" he growled.
"Nothing. You're just starting to accept the truth, and it doesn't feel too good, does it?" Death Imposter gloated as he walked to Seto.
"Gozaburo and I had a deal. He'd help me reclaim my body if I gave him the Blue Eyes White Dragon cards…I have little use for those pathetic things, so I agreed. He's helped me re-awaken all the darkness in you that allowed me to thrive before, and now, I think I'll have MY body back…"
Just as Death Imposter reached to grab Seto's neck, however, he was launched backwards by an unseen force. "Now what…?" Seto muttered.
Just then, an old friend stepped into the light, which had now extended over all three people. Seto was surprised to once again see High Priest Seth, his hand out-stretched. "I don't think so…" he said angrily.
Seto got back to his feet, and looked at the two sides of himself that stood before him: Seth, the noble, proud High priest, and Death Imposter, the dark and selfish shadow. That left just himself. Who was he? Was he both? Was he neither? He had never truly looked at his own soul so directly. He could see the parallel between Seth and Death Imposter, but where did that leave him? "Gozaburo was quite foolish to place your soul within the sennen rod; when he used it, both your soul and mine were transferred to Seto." Seth observed to Death Imposter, who simply scowled some more.
Seto looked at Death Imposter disgustedly. He could not imagine he had EVER been like that, but he knew it was a fact, and he knew that some of what Death Imposter was remained within him. Looking to Seth, he knew he had never been so honorable or refined. Seth looked at him. "You really ARE starting to realize the truth, aren't you, Seto? You're more than just my reincarnation, you're more than what Gozaburo made you. You are your own person. That is the path of a true duelist, my descendant. Know yourself, and you can not be stopped. You know who you are."
As Seth and Death Imposter both began to fade away, Seto said, his voice full of confidence, "I AM SETO KAIBA!"
Gozaburo roared in pain and anger as he could feel the power of the sennen rod shatter. Falling backwards from the force of the disconnection, his sennen eye having allowed him to see everything that had occurred in Seto's mind, he growled angrily, "Death Imposter failed me…worthless oaf."
He got back to his feet just in time to see Seto draw a card. As Gozaburo scanned Seto's mind, he was shocked by what he found: "NOTHING? He hasn't looked at the card yet? But...how…? Why…?"
Seto held his eyes shut. He DID know who he was now. He was Seto Kaiba, one of the best duelists alive, and connected to his deck in a way few others would ever be. He had seen Yami play his Devil's Sanctuary card at Battle City without looking at it, and now, he would do the same. He would find the path of the true duelist. He would crush the darkness in his heart. He would save Kisara and Mokuba. "Gozaburo," he shouted, "your defeat starts now! I play one card face-down, and summon Peten the Dark Clown in defense mode!"
Peten the Dark Clown
Atk: 600
Def: 1500
Gozaburo blinked in confusion and anger. He didn't know what Seto's plan was, but he did know that Seto didn't know the card he had played either. If he did, Gozaburo would have seen it in his mind. "Nice bluff, son, but it won't work! I attack with Battle Ox now!" Gozaburo shouted.
However, even as Battle Ox's attack cut through Peten, Gozaburo could tell from the grin on Seto's face he had made a big mistake. "Wrong move, step-father! I activate Deck Destruction Virus!"
Gozaburo was shocked. "WHAT? HOW DID YOU KNOW TO USE THAT CARD?" he screamed.
Seto grinned. "Call it ingenuity. As you know, as long as Deck Destruction Virus is on the field, you lose ten cards from the top of your deck every time a dark-attribute monster on my side of the field with 1,000 attack points or less is destroyed!"
At that announcement, Gozaburo could only watch helplessly as ten of his cards disappeared. "I'm not done yet, though, because whenever Peten the Dark Clown is destroyed as a result of battle, I can special summon ANOTHER Peten to the field." Seto continued.
As Seto said, a new Peten appeared on the field in defense mode. Gozaburo's face twisted in rage. This single move had made attacking useless. As long as he attacked, Gozaburo would lose cards, and since Peten could constantly send a new Peten to the field, attacking would destroy Gozaburo's deck. He could no longer read Seto's cards, and Seto had now set up the perfect defense! "Impossible…I lost control of this duel in just one turn?" he thought furiously.
Seto went next. Although he did not look at the card he had drawn, he knew how to play it. He had held Gozaburo off for the time being, but he knew it was only a matter of time before his step-father found a way to strike back. "Now, I'll set one card face-down and summon La Jinn the Mystical Genie of the Lamp in attack mode!" Seto declared.
La-Jinn
Atk: 1800
Def: 1000
Thrusting his hand forward, Seto cried, "La-Jinn, attack Battle Ox now with your fire breath!"
At his master's command, La-Jinn shot a blast of fire that incinerated Gozaburo's monster.
Gozaburo: 14,300
Seto frowned. He knew Gozaburo's high life-points gave him a lot of opportunity to make a counter plan. If Seto was going to win, he had to devastate Gozaburo's life-points quickly. "That's all for now, step-father." Seto said.
Gozaburo was fuming. "I have to regain control of this duel…but how?" For now, no options were available. "I'll summon my Disk Magician in defense mode and end my turn!" Gozaburo said.
Disk Magician
Atk: 1350
Def: 1000
Seto drew. Again averting his eyes from the card, he said, "Now I sacrifice my La-Jinn to summon an even stronger monster, Vampire Lord!"
Vampire Lord
Atk: 2000
Def: 1500
"Now, I'll equip him with the magic card Fairy Meteor Crush, which allows him to do damage even when a monster's in defense mode!" Seto continued confidently.
Gozaburo almost exploded on the spot. "VAMPIRE LORD, ATTACK HIS DISK MAGICIAN NOW!" Seto shouted.
Thus, the purple-caped demon flew towards Gozaburo's monster, its fangs bared for the kill. As Vampire Lord's teeth dug into its neck, Disk Magician exploded into pieces and disappeared.
Gozaburo: 13,300
Seto clenched his fist excitedly. He was starting to really get into the game, and now, he could pull another deadly trick on Gozaburo. "I'm not done yet, step-father, because my Vampire Lord's special ability allows me to select one type of card and forces you to destroy one of that type from your deck, and I choose…"
Here, Seto had to ponder. What would be the best type to declare? Gozaburo had yet to play any good monsters, but he could have a powerhouse waiting in his deck. He hadn't used that many magic cards, but again, Seto knew little about his deck, and whether deadlier magic cards waited for him later. However, he went with his instinct and selected the card type Gozaburo had used most effectively thus far. "I choose trap, meaning you have to send one trap card in your deck to the graveyard, and then shuffle your deck."
Gozaburo grudgingly obliged, sending his Widespread Ruin trap card to the graveyard. "That's all for me, Gozaburo." Seto said.
Gozaburo drew, then grinned maliciously. "You're so sure you've got this in the bag, aren't you, Seto? Well, don't forget that your comeback doesn't change the stats; I've still got a huge lead on you in life-points, and my Life-absorbing machine trap card will help to keep that true."
Even as his villainous step-father began to play a card, Seto knew he was in trouble. Gozaburo's little speech was an obvious warning of danger. "Now I play the magic card Monster Cannon. By paying 2000 life-points, it allows me to automatically destroy one monster on your side of the field, but thanks to Life-absorbing machine, I only need to pay 1000 life points!"
Gozaburo: 12,300
"Now, Monster Cannon, destroy his Vampire Lord now!" Gozaburo shouted.
Suddenly, a large blue dragon carrying a cannon nozzle on his back emerged from the ground. Looking at Vampire Lord, it aimed its nozzle towards the pale-skinned demon, and fired at it. In a burst of flame, Vampire Lord was gone. "Now, I play Remove Trap to destroy your annoying Deck Destruction Virus, and summon Rogue Doll in attack mode to destroy Peten the Dark Clown."
Rogue Doll
Atk: 1600
Def: 1000
Seto could only watch as his Deck Destruction Virus card burst into pieces, followed by Gozaburo's bulbous golden spellcaster smashing his Peten into dust. Although a new Peten again appeared, the virus was gone and did not damage Gozaburo's deck. "So much for your come-back, huh, Seto?" Gozaburo mocked.
Seto, however, did not flinch. As Gozaburo ended his turn, a wooden coffin lying horizontally floated down from the sky. As its creaky door opened, Vampire Lord rose vertically from it, his arms folded, his knees never bending. The fanged prince of darkness leapt out of the coffin, which promptly vanished. Gozaburo was shocked. "WHAT? I just destroyed that monster!" he shouted.
"Sorry, step-father, but Vampire Lord has another special ability. Whenever it's sent to the graveyard by a card's effect, it automatically returns to the field at my next main phase. Now that he's back, I think he's hungry, so I'll let him feed on your Rogue Doll!" Seto boasted.
As it did before, Vampire Lord gleefully sank its fangs into its enemy, reducing it to nothing. "Since it did damage, you have to destroy a card from your deck, and this time, I choose monster!" Seto declared.
Again, Gozaburo removed a card, his Beast of Talwar, and shuffled. "To end my turn, I'll play one card face-down." Seto said.
Malik, Yugi, Jounouchi, and Rashid were completely silent as they sped across Domino in Malik's motorcycle. Malik had explained how Ishizu had foreseen everything that was taking place with the mysteriously restored powers of her Sennen Tauk. He had told them of how, through the use of a dark ritual, Bakura had revived Seto's cruel step-father to steal the souls of the three duelists who controlled the Blue Eyes White Dragons. They now knew Seto was dueling not just for his life, but the lives of Kisara and Mokuba as well. Knowing how Seto's duel with Pegasus had gone, they were not optimistic about his chances. At long last, Jounouchi broke the silence. "Malik…If Ishizu knew all this was coming in advance…why didn't she tell someone?"
Malik sighed. "The future she saw was not pleasant…Seto will lose to Gozaburo, and he will unleash a terrible power upon the world. However, she believed that Seto could change this future, as he did with his duel against Ishizu in Battle City. Because of that, she chose not to tell anyone so that they could not interfere, so that Seto could finally embrace his true power."
Once again, everyone went silent. Seto's chances had just fallen from small to impossible. This time, however, the silence was far shorter. "Then maybe he will…", Yugi said, perking slightly.
Jounouchi grunted. "Don't get your hopes up, Yugi. This is Seto Kaiba we're talking about here. He's so stubborn he'd NEVER be able to accept that something like that even EXISTS, let alone be able to use it." He said, his distaste for Seto clear in his tone.
"Give him some credit, Jou. We've seen that he's capable of great things when he puts his mind to it…he almost beat Pegasus, and as Malik mentioned, he changed the future Ishizu foresaw at Battle City." Yugi said, although his tone indicated even he did not fully believe in what he was saying.
"Well, whatever the results are, we are about to see! We have arrived at the orphanage." Rashid said.
Shortly after Malik stopped the motorcycle, everyone piled out and began running towards the site of what would most likely be Seto Kaiba's final stand. At last, they reached the two dueling Kaibas. "KAIBA!" Yugi cried.
Seto turned, surprised, towards the short young boy. "What? Yugi? How did you...?" he asked.
Gozaburo snorted. "Hmph. So the Pharaoh's here to save you, eh, boy?" he mocked.
This grabbed Seto's attention. "I don't need his help to win, Gozaburo."
Gozaburo ignored Seto's statement, and simply drew a card. Looking at it, he grinned maliciously. "Excellent. This card will be your defeat, Seto! I summon Chaos Necromancer in attack mode!" he cried.
Chaos Necromancer
Atk: 0
Def: 0
Jounouchi, standing at the side-lines, blinked in confusion, even as Seto gritted his teeth in anxiety. "What's the big deal? That thing has no attack or defense points…" he said, obviously trying to figure out how a monster without any points would get such a reaction out of the two duelists.
Gozaburo could only laugh. "Idiot! My Chaos Necromancer gains 300 attack points for every monster in my graveyard, and thanks to my next card, its attack will skyrocket. Behold the magic card, Body Release! This card allows me to send five monsters from my deck or yours to the graveyard, and gives me 100 life-points for each one!"
As five cards flew out of Gozaburo's deck only to land in the graveyard, the Chaos Necromancer grew in size.
Gozaburo: 12, 800
Seto kept his face steady, showing no signs of nervousness. "Behold," Gozaburo laughed, "the true power of Chaos Necromancer!"
Chaos Necromancer
Atk: 2700
Jounouchi gulped as the strange, corpse-like being increased in size. "Now it's strong enough to destroy Seto's Vampire Lord!" Yugi said in distress.
Gozaburo thrust his hand towards Seto. "Chaos Necromancer, attack Seto's Vampire Lord now!" he ordered.
However, even as the undead spellcaster charged at him, Seto grinned. "Reveal, trap card!"
From behind Vampire Lord, Seto's face-down card flipped up. On it was a picture of a strange being in a red robe with two white gloves facing forward. "I activate Reverse Trap, which reverses all attack points gained into attack points lost!" Seto declared.
Gozaburo knew what that meant: The 2700 attack points Chaos Necromancer had gained from its effect would now become attack points it lost from its original attack strength of 0. Shrinking back to its diminutive original size, the bone-covered creature barely had time to scream before Vampire Lord bit into it, turning it to dust.
Gozaburo: 10,800
Seto pumped his hand in excitement. He was doing it! He was turning the duel around! "Now then, it's time to activate Vampire Lord's special ability once again, this time to destroy a trap card!" Seto gloated.
Gozaburo seethed with rage as he removed his Bottomless Trap Hole card from his deck, placing it in his graveyard. "Your turn." Gozaburo said gruffly.
Seto drew, not looking at the card. However, the instant he touched it, he felt familiar warmth. For the briefest of moments, he could see Kisara's face looking at him, with that same innocent smile she had worn only a few hours ago when they had toured Domino. He knew exactly what he held in his hands. "Gozaburo, it's time I finally made you suffer for kidnapping Mokuba and Kisara. You wanted the Blue Eyes White Dragon, step-father? Well, HERE IT IS!" Seto shouted triumphantly.
Suddenly, a great wind began to circle around the two players. Vampire Lord and Peten the Dark Clown turned into balls of light, flying straight up into the sky. "This…" Malik said, awed, "…is the legendary White Dragon…"
Malik had not seen the Blue Eyes White Dragon in person, though, under the possession of his dark side, his body had. Now, however, he was witnessing its coming. As a devout follower of the Egyptian myths of old, it was a truly stunning sight for him. The balls of light that had once been Seto's two monsters pierced the very clouds of the night sky, revealing a pillar of light that struck the field. An ear-slitting roar erupted, echoing across the orphanage grounds. As the pillar of light dimmed, a silhouette began to become visible. At last, in all its silver-scaled glory, stood the legendary Blue Eyes White Dragon. Gozaburo's face contorted in fear and anger. "IMPOSSIBLE!!! HOW COULD YOU HAVE GOTTEN THAT CARD WITHOUT MY KNOWING?!?" He shouted furiously.
Seto folded his arms proudly. "You have no monsters to defend you, Gozaburo, so I think I'll attack you directly. Consider each and every life-point you feel burned from your soul proper vengeance for what you've done." He said menacingly.
At its master's order, the silver dragon opened up its sharp-toothed mouth, gathering energy in its mouth. At last, the gathered energy took the shape of a ball, and with that, the blue-eyed beast reared its head back, then thrust its mouth forward, unleashing a titanic wave of electric energy. Gozaburo braced himself for the attack. It was a pointless gesture. Soon, the man was completely engulfed in light, his screams echoing loudly throughout the arena. Though Yugi and Jounouchi flinched at the blood-curdling sound, Seto showed no change in his stone-looking face. For him, this was a moment of revenge that he had waited a decade for. This was his justice. At last, the light dissipated. As the smoke left behind began to clear as well, Seto looked at his disk to see Gozaburo's life-points dropping quickly.
Gozaburo: 7800
Seto grinned almost unnoticeably. Gozaburo's defeat was finally in range. Looking back up at where his step-father once stood, Seto was greeted by a disgusting sight. Where once Gozaburo had stood, there now stood someone else. His flesh was rotted way, looking burned. He had no left eye, though the Sennen Eye still remained where it had been. His body was practically skeletal, but it was mostly covered by a black cape with golden shoulder pads. His hair was like Pegasus', but he had a beard that looked like it could easily have grown from Gozaburo's mustache. Seto could not physically recognize the person before him, but as his new opponent stared at him with rotting teeth baring a hideous smile, he instantly realized who he was truly facing. "Akunadin…" he said, angrily.
To be Continued…