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Fanfic Chapter 13: The Dark Duelist
Episode Basis: Panik Attack
Previously on Yu-Gi-Oh!: Possessed by his Millennium Ring, Bakura sealed Yugi, Joey, Tristan, and Tea as their favorite cards. Somehow, the Millennium Puzzle took over Yugi's body and dueled Bakura for their freedom. Right away, everyone realized that the consequences were more severe than they originally thought. For if they were defeated, they were sent to the Graveyard, the pile of cards that have been used by the player. Yugi was able to retrieve Tristan from the Graveyard but Joey chose to sacrifice himself to destroy one of Yami Bakura's monsters. Overcome with grief, Tea's tear triggered her special ability to retrieve a magic card from the discard pile. Monster Reborn was used again and Joey returned to the playing field. But Yami-Bakura had one last ace up his sleeve. The original Bakura had been sealed as the Change of Heart magic card and Yami-Bakura was ready to use it to turn Yugi against the others. But Bakura pulled a fast one as he tried to sacrifice himself to free Yugi and the others. The Giant Dueling Yugi used the Millennium Puzzle to switch Bakura and Yami-Bakura and Little Yugi sent Yami-Bakura to the Graveyard. Back in reality, the adventure was dismissed as a dream but a new adventure is about to begin as a loud scream attracted the attention of the heroes. If it isn't one thing with these guys, it's another.
Yugi, Tea, Joey, Tristan, and Bakura ran through the forest.
"The scream came from around here," Yugi said.
"That scream sounded like Mai, I'm sure of it," Joey said. As annoying as Mai was, Joey hoped deep down that nothing happened to her.
"She must be around..." Tristan tripped over something. It was Harold, who looked hurt.
"Harold!" Tea gasped.
Harold moaned and opened his eyes. "Yugi... Mai, she's in trouble... hurry."
"Bakura and I will take care of Harold," Tristan volunteered. "You guys hurry and see if Mai is okay."
"Right," Yugi volunteered as he, Joey, and Tea took off again. Bakura and Tristan each lifted one of Harold's arms across their shoulders and started to drag him in the same direction.
Mai watched in horror as all three of her Harpies were defeated at once, depleting what little life points she had left.
"Your little birdies have been eliminated," her opponent said, his face shrouded in darkness. "Just like you." As the moon shone its light down, his features could be seen. He was dressed all in black with two Dueling Glove that had room for twenty star chips. All but one was filled.
Mai grudgingly ejected all her star chips from her glove. Her opponent came around from his side of the field.
"Mai, are you all right?" Yugi asked as they ran up to the Dueling field.
"You're too late," she despaired.
"This sideshow freak giving you a hard time?" Joey asked.
"Just like Pegasus pays me to do, root out all the filthy Duelists on the island and dispose of them."
"Doesn't that make you a garbage man?" Tristan cracked as he, Bakura, and Harold walked up to them.
"Tristan, don't challenge him," Harold warned. "Or he'll do to you what he did to me..."
(5 minutes ago)
A twig breaking under foot was all the alarm Mai and Harold had.
"Well, well," a deep voice said. "Nice night for a Duel, don't you think?"
"Scram, pal, Duels are done for the day, come back tomorrow."
"Oh, on the contrary, I do my best dueling at night. And as word has it, you..." he pointed straight at Mai. "Have been winning a lot lately."
"What's it to you? That's why I came to this island, to win." Mai said.
"Well Panik's here to make sure you don't win anything ever again."
"Leave her alone," Harold commanded then noticed that the guy was wearing two dueling gloves, each with a double row of star chips. "No, you can't be!"
"Time to do what an Eliminator does best."
"NO!" Harold rushed at him but the Eliminator gave him an upper-cut.
"Hey, leave the kid alone!" Mai said. Even she wasn't heartless enough to stand by and watch someone get beat up.
"I'm just doing my job." Harold buckled from the upper cut but the Eliminator wasn't done with him yet. He drop-kicked Harold so hard, he went into the woods. He turned back to Mai and licked his lips. "Now, you and I are going to duel for all your star chips."
"I refuse!"
"You don't have a choice in the matter," Panik laughed and lifted her over his shoulder and carried her off like a sack of rice.
"He's called Panik, an Eliminator," Harold said. "Eliminators track down every Duelist they can find and duels them for all their star chips. Watchers have no authority over them."
"Run, get out of here!" Mai warned. "Or he'll do to you what he did to me."
"What did he do to you?" Joey asked, infuriated at all this.
"Take a look," Panik said holding up Mai's glove arm. "Not a star chip on it."
"But that means she's been disqualified!" Tea realized.
Yugi asked, "You're out, Mai?"
Mai sadly nodded her head. "It all happened so fast. I refused but he forced me into a duel. There wasn't anything I could do. I just... lost it."
Panik laughed. "She was one of my easiest victims yet." He shoved Mai so hard that she fell down.
"You creep! There's no excuse for pushing a girl! I'm going to eliminate you from the island and it won't be by a duel!" Tea went to help Mai up.
"No, Joey," Yugi said calmly stepping forward. "Violence isn't the answer. Panik's a bully. I've dealt with a lot of bullies in my life and I discovered that there's only one way to deal with them." He stepped forward like he was going to his execution. But when he raised his head, there was a fire in his eyes that shocked all those who knew him best. "You've got to stand up to them!" The Millennium Puzzle's energies flowed through Yugi's body. "Now, let's see if you can try your intimidation tactics on me, Panik! I don't scare easy, especially when I'm sticking up for my friends!"
"You twerp! I'll eliminate you from the tournament just as I did her!"
"Go ahead and try," Yugi dared. "You might be able to push some people around, but you'll find that I won't be easily intimidated. So prepare yourself, Eliminator, 'cause play time is over! It's time to duel!"
Yugi and Panik took their places on the dueling ring.
"Yeah, Yugi, show him how we deal with thugs like him!" Joey called.
"Looks like this is my lucky day, Pegasus promised a hefty reward to the Eliminator who can defeat Yugi Moto! I wonder, do you think he'll throw in extra for inflicting bodily harm? Not that I won't do it for free."
"You better start thinking of other ways to earn money, Panik, because after I get done with you, not only will you be out of star chips, but you'll be out of a job too."
"Whoever said I was in it simply for the money, Yugi? I made enough cash to retire ten times over. But I won't quit because of the thrill I get from breaking weak Duelists like you. So get ready, Yugi, because I'm about to take you into a world of hurt!"
"I won't be bullied by the likes of you, Panik! I play with my heart and that's why I'll always win over your type."
"You've never faced my type before! When I'm in a match with someone, it takes a lot more than simple dueling strategy."
"Meaning?"
"Panik's ruthless, Yugi, he had me totally terrified!" Mai called.
"That's right and she's not the first either. We Eliminators get a thrill on stalking weak Duelists like her. Now I'm going to take you down just as I took down her."
But for some reason, Yugi wasn't perturbed. "I see how you work now, Panik, sneaking up on unsuspecting Duelists because you haven't got the courage to challenge them face-to-face."
"Watch your mouth, you insolent cur!"
"True Duelists fight with honor and respect, not the underhanded tactics of a poacher!"
"Panik's going to find out that Yugi won't be broken so easily," Harold said.
"And to prove it, I wager all of my star chips to win back all of hers."
"It's a deal! I'll give back all eight of hers. The bet means nothing to me!"
"What do you mean?"
Panik pressed a button on his dueling platform. Metal leg clamps came out and gripped Yugi's legs. At the same time, a flame thrower came out from Yugi's corner and sprayed hot flames in his direction. "What I mean is, when you duel against me, you're putting more than your star chips on the line, you're putting your very life on the line!"
"Yugi, no!" Tea cried.
"What's the matter, Yugi? Can't take the heat? Well get used to it because you're strapped in for the long haul."
"Panik used those on me too," Mai informed them.
"Stay strong, Yugi," Bakura muttered.
Yugi had to deal with a lot of bullies over the years, Harold thought. But I've never seen this passion before. When he's standing up for his friends, it seems like Yugi's invincible.
"I can see the fear growing in your eyes, Yugi. I can hear you quaking in your shoes! You're beginning to realize the nightmare you stepped into! I think you're beginning to... panic!"
"Get a life, you psycho!" Tea snapped. "Yugi doesn't give in that easily!"
"Isn't there some way we can get him out of there?" Joey asked.
"No," Mai said. "Once Panik drags you into a duel, he doesn't let go until you're eliminated, either from the island, or permanently."
"Jeez!" Tristan said.
Probably the only one who wasn't afraid was Yugi himself. "Are you finished blowing smoke, Panik? Because it sounds like you're full of hot air."
"What's Yugi trying to do, piss him off even more?" Joey asked.
"It'll take more than cheap pyrotechnics to make me lose my cool."
Panik laughed. "The last time someone had the gall to say that to me... I roasted him alive! Now let's duel!"
(Y: 2000)
(P: 2000)
Yugi good, but he's never faced an Eliminator before, Mai thought. Once Panik gets inside his head, it's all over. Mai reflected to all the insults and taunts he gave her. It really broke her down inside.
"Seeing as how, the blazes of my fire didn't scare you, let's turn down the lights." He laid a card in defense mode. "My Castle of Dark Illusions (1) will turn this duel into your darkest hour, Yugi!" A floating castle made of stone with a stone ring around it appeared. "Its magic will shroud my side of the field in shadows. And the castle itself is extra-fortified thanks to the power bonus I get from playing it at night."
(CDI: 920---1196, 1930---2509)
"I'm not afraid of the dark, Panik," Yugi declared.
"Oh, you should be, if you only knew what dangers lurked within its shade." A blanket of shadows covered Panik's side of the dueling field. The image of Panik's duel table disappeared as did his life point counter. Yugi couldn't even see Panik himself, just two glowing eye slits.
"Is this legal?" Joey asked.
"Eliminators make their own rules," Harold said solemnly.
"I learned that the hard way," Mai agreed.
"Unnerving, isn't it, Yugi? How the darkness preys on your fears, on your mind, until you're too scared to think, too terrified to fight!"
"Don't listen, Yugi!" Mai called out. "This is exactly how he threw me off my game!"
"Now you tell us?" Joey asked.
"And if you think you can help save yourself with a field power bonus of your own, think again. Because just as my shadows block the light from above, so does it block the field power below. Only the night grants bonuses here."
With no way of knowing what lurks on the other side of those shadows, I can't risk an attack. I'll just have to play it safe for now. "Celtic Guardian, defense mode!"
"Not a very bright idea," Panik said as he laid a card down. The chime of the table told Yugi that it was activated, but other than that, he couldn't see what it is. "Attack... Dark Grasp of Fury!" The shadows seemed to come alive and swallow the Celtic Guardian.
"This is cheap, how can he fight what he can't see?" Joey asked.
"Anybody got a flashlight?" Tristan suggested.
Panik was enjoying Yugi's plight. And Yugi was beginning to see why they called him Panik. Yugi himself was getting a little nervous. "Winged Dragon, Guardian of the Fortress in attack mode."
"These monsters may keep your life points safe from one monster, Yugi, but not two."
I hate to admit it, but he's right. Defending alone won't win this duel for me.
"You're terrified, Yugi, aren't you? Admit it, all your courage has been devoured by the all-encompasing shadows! All that's left is just a scared little boy." Yugi remembered how a bully used the same taunts after he beat Yugi up at school just because Yugi stood up to him. If it wasn't for Joey and Harold, he probably would still be trapped.
"How can Yugi take this guy out, Mai?" Tea asked.
"If I knew the answer to that question, we wouldn't even be in this mess."
Meanwhile, Yugi was getting an idea. I may not be able to attack the castle, but maybe I can attack the darkness itself! "Guardian of the Fortress, take flight! Fireball attack!" The fireball exploded in front of the shadows, exposing the monsters for the briefest of moments.
"So you saw my creatures, but I doubt it gave you the foresight to see what's coming next! Dark Grasp of Fury!" Yugi's dragon was also swallowed up by the darkness.
(Y: 1606)
(P: 2000)
"My creatures hunger for your remaining life points, Yugi, and that's what I'm going to feed them very soon. Has it sunk in, wimp? Standing up to a bully leaves you nowhere to go but down."
Down is right, my life points are way down while Panik's haven't even been touched. His shadows have destroyed two of my best monsters while I still can't see what I'm up against. He's got me outmaneuvered and overpowered. But I'm still going to try to find a way to put that bully in his place. Yugi tried to contain himself as he thought of a strategy.
"Keep struggling, Yugi, bullying is so much more fun when you resist."
"Tough talk, Panik, coming from someone who does all their dueling hiding behind shadows." Panik's response to that was to hit Yugi with another blast from the flame throwers.
"You uppity little cretin, perhaps you should think twice about mouthing off to someone who can incinerate you at the touch of a button. You're afraid, Yugi, you're lost and alone in the dark and I'm the Big Bad Boogeyman coming to get you."
"Don't give up, Yugi!" Tea called out. "You're never alone; we're always here with you!"
"We got your back, Bro!" Joey called.
"Never give up, Yugi," Harold shouted as much as he could. "Remember, even the darkest of shadows can be pierced by the light!"
Panik continued to taunt and jeer Yugi, to which Yugi simply chuckled.
"If you could only see what I have in store for you, Yugi, you wouldn't be laughing."
"But that's why I'm laughing, because I can see... right through you!"
"What... what are you talking about?" Panik asked defensively.
"You are the Boogeyman, Panik, scaring little kids into being afraid of the dark, until they realize the dark is nothing to be afraid of... like you." Panik gasped. "Once a person conjures up the confidence not to be afraid of the unknown, they disarm the only weapon the dark has!"
"You wish it was that simple..."
"But it is that simple," Yugi interrupted. "I have the card to prove it."
"What card?"
"A card that'll expose you and lift up that shadows you cower under."
"What's that?"
"It's just something that'll teach you a tough lesson in broad daylight."
"What's Yugi doing?" Tea asked.
"He's panicking," Mai answered. "This is exactly what happened to me, he starts making amateurish mistakes."
"I don't know, Mai," Bakura said. "He doesn't look like he's panicking to me."
"You had me going there, but we both know that card's a big fat bluff," Panik said. "Prove me wrong, Yugi, go ahead and give me my tough lesson."
"Why should I show you my card after you gone to such lengths to keep yours in the dark?"
"I think you're stalling."
"You don't trust me, Panik? Believe it or not, not all Duelists are lying dogs like you." Panik growled. "But I think I'll show you. After all, I wouldn't want you to think I was some kind of liar." Slowly, Yugi turned the card around.
It was the card Yugi used in his first duel against Kaiba: The Swords of Revealing Light.
"Swords of Revealing Light?" Panik questioned.
"The blinding flash from the Swords of Revealing Light not only stops all monsters on the field from attacking for three full turns, but it bathes the field in a light so luminous that even your lurking shadow creatures will be exposed. Soon, Panik, the monsters in your dark empire will have nowhere to hide. But rather than play it now, I think I'll take a page from your book and let you worry about when and how I'll use it, just like how you do with your monsters hiding behind the dark. You're going down in five turns, Panik. Five turns, then my monsters will finish you off." Yugi summoned his Curse of Dragon in defensive mode and laid a card face-down. "The card that'll make you see the light. Your five turns start now, Panik. It's your move."
That card he put down, it must be the Swords of Revealing Light.
"What's the matter, Panik, has bullying lost its thrill?"
"I'll teach you about lost," Panik said.
"Hey, Mai, why would Yugi tell Panik his strategy?"
Mai was uncertain. "It doesn't look good. I was able to keep it together for this long too. But after a while, Panik has a way of getting to you and making you slip up."
"No way," Harold said. "Even under pressure, Yugi would never slip up like that."
"I agree with you, Yugi's one of the best Duelists I know, but fighting Panik isn't about being good, it's about keeping a level head while your lost in the dark or being attacked by fire. Yugi's going to need guts to win this duel, not skill."
"Yugi's got something better than guts," Tea said. "He's got heart."
"Yeah, but he also left his best card out in the open, vulnerable to attack," Bakura pointed out. "People with level heads don't normally do that. And Panik's definitely not going to ignore something like that."
"Make your move, Panik!" Yugi commanded.
"I must admit, it was rather daring for you to illuminate me to the presence of that card, Yugi. But it was a critical mistake to leave it on the field like that! If you thought magic cards were safe from attacks, you're dead wrong! I summon Reaper of the Cards (2)!" The Reaper of the Cards looked like the Grim Reaper, devoid of a face, just glowing holes for eyes and mouth. It wore a cloak with a card-shape sash and carried a sickle.
"When the Reaper is summoned, it can send all magic cards to the Graveyard including your Swords of Revealing Light. Reaper, attack!"
"Yugi!"
"But that card was Yugi's only chance," Mai said.
The Reaper floted over to the glowing square on Yugi's side of the field. He lowered his sickle to the square.
It stopped an inch before it.
An error message appeared on Panik's screen. "No, it can't be! It couldn't finish its attack!"
"That's strange," Harold said. Tea, whom had her eyes closed since Panik summoned Reaper of the Cards, opened them. "Why couldn't the Reaper send that card to the Graveyard? It can send any magic card to the Graveyard unless... that's it!"
"How can this be? It should've destroyed your Swords of Revealing Light!"
"I said that the Swords of Revealing Light was the card that would illuminate your monsters but I never said it was the one I placed on the field. You just assumed that."
"But if that's not..."
"The card I placed on the field was a different card... the Spellbinding Circle, a trap card."
"TRAP CARD?!"
"That's right, a trap card that stops your Reaper in its tracks." A Star of David with circle around it enclosed the Reaper of the Cards. "In Duel Monsters, one must be wary of the Reaper and its ability to send magic cards to the discard pile. I figured you probably had one stalking around in your deck somewhere. But now that he's frozen, unable to harm my deck, I'm free to lay whatever magic cards I want on the field."
"Talk about a psyche out," Tristan commented. Joey and Tea cheered.
"What's with this kid?" Mai wondered. "I can't even keep up with him here on the sidelines."
"You fooled me!" Panik declared.
"You fooled yourself," Yugi countered. "And you wasted a powerful card too. But now that the coast is clear..." He placed two more cards face-down.
"You may have stopped my Reaper, Yugi, but the ones I have left will destroy you! And I'll eliminate any trace of you from existence. You're going to fall to my darkness once and for all!"
To Be Continued.
Monster Glossary
(1)
Name: Castle of Dark Illusions
Level: 4
Type: Fiend/Effect
Attribute: Dark
ATK: 920
DEF: 1930
(2)
Name: Reaper of the Cards
Level: 5
Type: Fiend/Effect
Attribute: Dark
ATK: 1380
DEF: 1930
