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Fanfic Chapter 12: Resurrection in the Shadows

Episode Basis: Evil Spirit of the Ring

Previously on Yu-Gi-Oh!: Joey was in trouble when Rex brought out his most powerful card, the Red-Eyes Black Dragon, a monster whose rarity is almost on par with the Blue-Eyes White Dragon. Seeking Joey's Time Wizard so he could use it against Mai, Rex wagered that the winner of the duel would receive the loser's rarest card. Joey took a gamble and used Time Wizard's Time Roulette. But in the end, it paid off because the time warp fossilized the Red-Eyes Black Dragon and grabbed the Duel from Rex. The gang tried to survive without food but received help (and nourishment) from the last person they expected to help them: Mai Valentine. As Mai pondered whether or not to become friends with them, another person made a surprise appearance: Yugi's classmate, Bakura. Bakura and Yugi agreed to have a friendly duel with the others putting their favorite cards into Yugi's deck. But the duel became anything but friendly when Bakura revealed that he had a Millennium Item too. Bakura took them all to the Shadow Realm where he separated everyone's soul from their body. It looked like Bakura won, but then Yugi's Millennium Puzzle activated and Yugi was revived to duel Bakura in a Shadow Game. Is Bakura possessed or just insane?


In the darkness of the Shadow Realm, Yugi and Bakura faced down each other, the bodies of Tea, Joey, and Tristan lying to the side.

"Bakura, what have you done?" Yugi asked. "Why have you taken us to the Shadow Realm?"

Bakura chuckled. "Bakura? Bakura is no longer here."

"If you're not Bakura, then who are you?"

"You might say I'm a thief, a stealer of souls. And I've done terrible things in my quest to possess the Millennium Items. You do remember the legend, don't you? Who-so-ever possesses all seven Millennium Items will achieve great power. And before I'm done with you, your Millennium Puzzle will be mine."

"That's not going to happen," Yugi said gripping the Millennium Puzzle possessively.

"Duel!" They both cried and the Shadow Game began.

(Y: 2000)
(B: 2000)

Yugi went first. "My first card is... the Cyber Commander, Tristan's favorite." But as the monster appeared, Yugi realized that the Cyber Commander wasn't just Tristan's card, it was Tristan himself. "Tristan?"

"Whoa, what a weird dream," Tristan said looking at the shotgun he had in his hand. "Where am I? What's going...?" Tristan turned around and saw Yugi giant-sized. He responded naturally... by screaming.

"Bakura must've used his Millennium Ring to trap Tristan's soul in his favorite card," Yugi deduced.

Yami Bakura chuckled. "Who's your little friend, Yugi? He looks pretty tough, but can he stand up to... the White Magical Hat (1)!" Bakura summoned a human-looking monster in a top head and blue suit with a white cape. The White Magical Hat charged forward and slugged Tristan. Tristan disappeared.

"No, Tristan!" Yugi cried.

Yami-Bakura chuckled again. "Looks like that card's been defeated. And your poor friend's soul was trapped in it."

"Where is he?" Yugi asked acidly. "What have you done with Tristan?"

"Your friend is gone, on his way to the discard pile, or the Graveyard as we call it in Duel Monsters."

Yugi gasped. He couldn't believe it. Was Tristan really dead, gone forever?


Tristan was wandering through a cemetery. The tomb stones were all rotted away. The wind moaned around him.

"This place is freaking me out," Tristan said to himself. "But how did I get here? One moment I was being attacked and the next thing I know, I'm wandering around this place. And it doesn't look like there's any way out."

Tristan noticed that one of the tombstones looked new. He walked up and brushed the dust off the name of the tombstone.

TRISTAN
TAYLOR

Tristan gasped. "According to this tombstone, I'm dead! BUT THIS CAN'T BE!"


Yugi was furious over Tristan's defeat.

"When you duel in the Shadow Realm, the stakes are always higher," Yami-Bakura informed him. "You made a sloppy move and now your friend is going to pay for it with his life! Now, which of your friends would you like to sacrifice next?"

Yugi looked through his hand. I'd avoid using the cards that have my friends' souls in them. But to save my friends, I have to win. And I have only one card that can beat his White Magical Hat. "I summon the Flame Swordsman!"

Sure enough, the monster that rose from the card was Joey dressed as the Flame Swordsman. "Hey, what gives?" Joey asked. He turned to Yugi. "Hey, Yugi, I... AAAAAHHHHHH! What the... you're a giant! Oh man, I finally cracked!"

"Joey, listen to me," Yugi said. "Your soul has been sealed in your favorite card. In short, you've become the Flame Swordsman."

"I'm the what?!"

Yugi explained the outline of the Shadow Game to Joey. "In order to free you all and get us all out of the Shadow Realm, I'm going to need your help."

"You want my help, you got my help," Joey volunteered.

"Are you sure you're okay?"

"Okay? I think I lost my mind but I'm going to go with it."

That's Joey, Yugi thought. Always eager to help out no matter the danger.

"Now, who wants a p...?" Joey looked across the dueling field and screamed again on seeing Yami-Bakura. "Giant Bakura?! Now I know I'm nuts! I'm six inches tall, wearing a dress, getting set to fight my giant friend!"

"That's not Bakura. An evil spirit from his Millennium Ring has taken him over."

"Well I have no idea what's going on but I might as well give it a try." Joey ran forward and sliced the White Magical Hat monster. "And that's the end of that magic act."

(Y: 2000)
(B: 1200)

Joey turned back to Yugi. "I did it, Yugi, now what?"

"Now it's his turn."

Yami-Bakura scowled. "Your little swordsman got lucky, Yugi, but not this time." Yami-Bakura took a card from his hand and laid it face-down on the monster card zone.

"Why'd he played that face-down?" Yugi wondered.

"Because he's afraid of what Joey the Swordsman is going to do with it."

"Hang on, Joey, it might be a trap." But Joey was already rushing forward. A mass of blackness with a single eye and mouth came up and was destroyed.

"What a dolt," Yami-Bakura said.

"It was a Morphing Jar (2)!"

"Morphing Jar?"

"When a Morphing Jar is flipped over, all cards in both players' hands go directly to the graveyard. We're just lucky I didn't have Tea's soul card in my hand."

"Sorry, Yug," Joey apologized.

Yugi placed his cards in the discard pile and started to draw a new hand. He was stunned as he got the Dark Magician. The Dark Magician, he's my favorite card. But is it also my soul card? What happens when I play it?

"With a new hand comes new perspective," Yami-Bakura commented laying a card face-down in the monster card zone. "The game, ever shifting." He placed a card on the magic and trap card zone. "New dangers surround every turn."

He's trying to freak me out, Yugi realized. I can't figure out what he's up to. I'm just going to have to risk playing. "Dark Magician, come forth!"

Yugi was dressed in the Dark Magician's purple robes and headdress.

"And I'll play a magic card that lets me revive monsters from the graveyard: Monster Reborn!"

Tristan reappeared on top of the Monster Reborn card. "Huh, what's going on? Joey? Yugi? You guys dreaming this too?"

"This is no dream, Tristan," Joey said. "This is me going insane. It's all one big delusion."

"What's going on?" Yugi asked. "Just a second ago, I was dueling, now I'm down here."

"Well if you're down here, who's that up there?" The three monsters turned to look at the Dueling Yugi.

"I don't know," Dark Magician-Yugi said.

"Don't you?" Dueling Yugi challenged.

"Well... I have noticed sometimes when I duel it feels like someone is guiding me." Dueling Yugi nodded. "And sometimes I can hear a strong voice call out to me through my Millennium Puzzle, an ancient, powerful voice."

"Really?"

"I'm not sure what it's all about, guys, but I'm pretty sure we can trust him, whoever he is."

"If the big guy's okay in your book, then he's okay by me," Joey consented.

"Yeah," Tristan agreed.

"So what do we do now?" Joey asked

"Maybe we should try to find Tea." Dark Magician-Yugi suggested.

"Her card must still be in the deck."

"Then we should try to win this thing before her card gets played. Okay, I'm gonna bash me some Bakura." Joey got ready to strike.

"Wait a minute, Joey, I was just played so I should go first," Dark Magician-Yugi said. "Dark Magic Attack!"

Another Morphing Jar was flipped over. Once again, Yami-Bakura and Dueling Yugi discarded their hands and drew new hands.

"I'm sorry," Dark Magician-Yugi apologized.

"'Sokay, man, I did the same thing," Joey said.

"No!" Dueling Yugi gasped as he drew his fifth card. "The Magician of Faith!"

"Isn't that Tea's favorite card?" Yami-Bakura asked even though he clearly knew the answer. "Do you suppose her soul is trapped inside there as well? Maybe you better play it and find out. But then again..." He laid another monster card face-down. "You don't know what I'm laying down here so you could be putting her in danger. A dilemma. And while you ponder that, I'll just turn this over." He flipped over the trap card he set last turn. "Just Dessert! I think you'll find it will help you come to grips with the situation." A ghostly hand came out of the trap card and squeezed Dueling Yugi's head.

(Y: 500)
(B: 1200)

Yami-Bakura explained that Just Dessert takes away 500 life points for each monster on the opponent's side of the field. "And you'll feel like every single life point was ripped from your very heart!"

"Big Yugi, are you all right?" Tristan asked.

"Yes," Dueling Yugi said gasping with pain. "But one more attack like that and I'm done for!" I can't deal with another attack like that. And he must have a third Morphing Jar ready. Tea's soul card isn't safe in my hand. I'll have to play it. He laid it face-down on the field.

Tea's head poked out from underneath the card. "Hey, guys!" She called to the others who quickly tried to conceal her from Yami-Bakura's view. "Uh... guys, isn't it a little early for Halloween?" Tea then looked down at herself and saw that she was dressed in purple robes and carrying a staff with a moon-shape crescent on top. "What the... what's this?"

Joey shushed her. "Bakura and Yugi are big dueling giants fighting for our souls."

"But Yugi's right here," Tea pointed out Dark Magician-Yugi.

"Yeah, well, the big guy's not me. Then again, he's not really not me. I know it's complicated, but it has something to do with the Millennium Items Bakura and I wear. It's some kind of magic."

"Magic? So I'm not crazy!"

"Not unless we're all crazy."

Joey simplified Dark Magician-Yugi's explanation. "There're two Yugis: the cool one up there and the puny one down here."

Dark Magician-Yugi face-faulted, "That's not how it is!" He snapped.

"It's just a joke, relax."

"You forget that here, I have the powers of the Dark Magician."

"Uh... Yugi, maybe you better..." Tristan began.

"I'll show you who's puny around here."

"Ho boy," Joey cringed. The monster was flipped over, some sort of animal making a squeaking sound.

"Yugi, wait!" Dueling Yugi called.

"Dark Magic Attack!" The monster was destroyed. Joey, Tristan, and Tea congratulated Dark Magician-Yugi, but Dueling Yugi cringed and Yami-Bakura smirked.

Suddenly sparks coursed throughout Dark Magician-Yugi's body. Dark Magician-Yugi screamed in pain and fell to his knees.

"No!" Tea gasped.

"Yug, what happened?" Joey asked.

"I don't know... but my body's... growing numb..." Dark Magician-Yugi staggered.

Yami-Bakura chuckled. "You can't attack the Electric Lizard (3) without experiencing some rather shocking feedback. Looks like your Little Yugi paid the price for his foolish heroics."

Dueling Yugi drew a trap card. "All right, soul stealer, I'll play my next card face-down." Yami-Bakura looked down to the Duel Monsters. Joey and Tristan tried their best to cover up Tea.

"Don't bother, you fools; I can see her perfectly," Yami-Bakura said. "Now I have all of you right where I want you. Helpless on the field, making you the perfect prey for my Man-Eater Bug(4)!"

"Yugi, what does that card do?" Joey asked.

"It can... destroy one monster on the field... when it's flipped over," Dark Magician-Yugi managed to say, still suffering from the Electric Lizard's special ability.

"Well that's no good," Tea concluded.

"I really don't want to go back to the Graveyard," Tristan complained.

"Nobody's going to the graveyard, because we're going to destroy that monster before it's even played," Joey declared.

"That won't work," Dark Magician-Yugi said. "The moment we make an attack, that card will activate."

"What are you saying, that one of us is going to become worm food?"

"I'm saying there's only one way out of this, and we're standing on it."

They all looked at the face-down card.

"But I bet the other me's afraid to use it."

"Why?"

"It requires that we sacrifice a creature!"

"You mean... one of us?" Tea asked.

"I'll do it," Tristan volunteered. Through Tea's protest, he explained, "Think about it, one of us is gone no matter what we do, at least this way, I'm taking..." Joey slugged Tristan in the gut with the handle of his sword. "I guess you disagree."

"You just got back from the Graveyard and a monster can only be revived from the Graveyard once. If anyone's going down, it's me!" Ignoring all protests, Joey charged forward. As he stood right on top of the Man-Eater Bug card, it appeared and started thrashing Joey. "Big Yugi, use the trap, hurry!" Dueling Yugi was hesitant. "Please, I don't want my friends to get hurt! Please, sacrifice me!"

Dueling Yugi nodded. "I'm activating my trap, sacrificing my Flame Swordsman to do so." He flipped it over. "The Horn of Heaven: blasting its celestial tune directly at your Man-Eater Bug, obliterating him from the field once and for all!" Everyone watched in horror as both Joey and the Man-Eater Bug disappeared.

"Just like that... my best buddy's gone!" Tristan sobbed.

"Don't worry, you all will be joining him in the Graveyard very soon," Yami-Bakura promised.


Joey looked around the Graveyard. "Man, what a creepy place," he said. "Well, they got Tristan out so maybe..." Joey turned and saw a strange creature coming after him. "Oh no, it's the Reaper of Cards and he's come from me!"


"I hope you don't harbor any illusions about retrieving your friend from the Graveyard. You already used Monster Reborn once and you're only allowed to have one of that card in a deck. And soon, the Reaper of Cards will claim him forever!" Yami-Bakura's words penetrated both Yugis, Tea, and Tristan.

"Joey... no... he can't be..." Tea's voice was barely a whisper. "He sacrificed himself and now... now he's..." A single tear landed on the ground.

Suddenly Tea started to glow. Tristan was flabbergasted but the Yugis realized what was going on.

"Of course, she's the Magician of Faith!" Dark Magician-Yugi realized. "Tea's tear activated the magic effect of her favorite card."

"That's right," Dueling Yugi confirmed. "And the effect of the Magician of Faith allows me to retrieve one magic card from the discard pile and add it to my hand!" Energy flowed from Tea's body to Dueling Yugi's hand. "And the card I choose is... Monster Reborn! Which I play now!"


The Reaper of Cards was ready to slice Joey's head from his body when Joey disappeared…


And reappeared on the dueling field.

"I knew you... uh... he... uh... I knew you guys would get me out of there," Joey said to Dark Magician-Yugi.

"You waste your time and your turns rescuing these pathetic mortals," Yami-Bakura told Dueling Yugi.

"My friends are never a waste of time," Dueling Yugi said. "Make your move!"

"Oh, I'll move... and you will lose! This is the play that will end the match and win me your Millennium Puzzle." He laid a monster card on the field. "First, I summon Lady of Faith(5) in attack mode!" A blue-haired woman in colorful robes appeared. "And next, the card that will turn your friends against one another: The Change of Heart!"

"Isn't that Bakura's favorite card?" Dark Magician-Yugi questioned.

"And a very magical card indeed. With this card, I can turn you against your comrades. The very friends you sought to protect you will now destroy."

"I refuse!"

"You won't have a choice! The Change of Heart allows me to take control of any one of my opponent's monsters for one turn and I choose you, Little Yugi."

"Leave the young one out of this," Dueling Yugi demanded.

"Why should I? By simply destroying him, I destroy you as well. Your here to guide and protect him, then protect him from THIS!" Yami-Bakura activated the Change of Heart.

Dark Magician-Yugi braced for the worst. He could here his friends call out for him.

To the surprise of Yugi and his friends, the person that appeared was Bakura, dressed just as the girl on the Change of Heart card. It was Bakura, the real Bakura!

"So you were sealed in your favorite card as well," Dark Magician-Yugi realized.

"I want to help but we don't have much time," he said. Change of Heart-Bakura phased through the Lady of Faith, his face replacing that of the Lady of Faith's. "I've taken over one of his cards instead of yours." Both Dark Magician-Yugi and Yami-Bakura gasped at the act. "I'll control her while you attack me, you can win against the evil me!"

"I can't! I'd be destroying you!"

"I don't care! It's better than being a slave to an evil spirit! DO IT!"

"Be quiet," Yami-Bakura snapped.

"I have a better idea," Dueling Yugi said. His Millennium Puzzle started to glow and thrash wildly. An Egyptian-looking eye appeared on his forehead. "If the Millennium Ring can pull souls from people, maybe my Millennium Puzzle can put them

back." When the Duel Monsters looked next, they saw that regular Bakura was back in his body and Yami-Bakura was dressed as the Lady of Faith. "Listen closely, Yugi, use the power of the Dark Magician! Send him to the Graveyard now!"

"You got it. Dark Magic Attack!" Yami-Bakura was pulled into a vortex and transported to the Graveyard.

Right in front of the Reaper of Cards.


The Shadow Game had ended, Yugi had won. And as such, everyone was returned to their original body.

"Are you all right, Bakura?" Yugi asked.

"I am now, thanks to you," Bakura replied.

"I wonder... where did you get your Millennium Ring?"

Bakura explained that while his father was traveling in Egypt when he first saw the Millennium Ring. The man who gave it to him said that it was connected with Duel Monsters which didn't make any sense since the card game was relatively new and the ring was clearly ancient. He took it home and gave it to Bakura, saying that Bakura was destined for it.

The others had woken up by then. "I just dreamt that Bakura went totally mental," Tristan said.

"Same here," Joey agreed. "That's the last time I sleep with Duel Monster cards under my pillow?"

"Sleep well, guys?" Bakura asked.

"AAAAAAAHHHHH!" Joey and Tristan screamed and leapt into each other's arms, then realized the embarrassing nature of their position.

"Hey, hands off."

"You grabbed me!" Yugi, Tea, and Bakura laughed at them.

"It's strange," Tea said. "I dreamt that we were dressed as Duel Monsters... and there were two Yugis."

Oh great, Yugi cringed. Bakura looked embarrassed as well. How do I tell her that it wasn't a dream and that the me dueling was the Millennium Puzzle?

Fortunately, Yugi was saved from having to explain what happened by a loud scream. "What was that?" Joey asked.

"I don't know, let's go check it out." And they all took off towards the source.


Monster Glossary

(1)
Name: White Magical Hat
Level: 3
Type: Spellcaster/Effect
Attribute: Light
ATK: 1000
DEF: 700

(2)
Name: Morphing Jar #1
Level: 2
Type: Rock/Effect
Attribute: Dark
ATK: 700
DEF: 600

(3)
Name: Electric Lizard
Level: 3
Type: Thunder/Effect
Attribute: Earth
ATK: 850
DEF: 800

(4)
Name: Man-Eater Bug
Level: 2
Type: Insect/Effect
Attribute: Earth
ATK: 450
DEF: 600

(5)
Name: Lady of Faith
Level: 3
Type: Spellcaster
Attribute: Light
ATK: 1100
DEF: 800