Now for Yami vs. Youkai. Enjoy.
Douglas Adams was right. Dolphins ARE smarter.
Tokyo Tournament
Chapter Thirty-Two: End Game
Also Entitled: Revolution
"Oh, this is convenient," said Term as he began sifting through his deck, "of COURSE we can summon monsters in the Shadow Realm. It's PLAINLY obvious that we could've used them to break out of that stupid cell…"
"Oh, shut up," shot Kirbin, "at least we know now." He held up a card and concentrated on it, willing it to change into one of his essence's cards, and it became surrounded by a black aura. Then he cast it out, "I summon you, Barrel Dragon!"
"Is that the best you can do?" challenged Term as he held out his own card, "I summon Mystical Knight of Jackal!"
One by one, each duelist held out their monster of choice until the large room was filled with dragons, warriors, machines, and winged creatures. Joining Nick's Magical Marionette, Kirbin's Barrel Dragon, and Term's Knight of Jackal came a monster from every duelist present save Giyan. Lin's Hayabusa Knight, Yamato's Cyber-Tech Alligator, Joy's Wingweaver, Shaun's Catapult Turtle, Joey's Red Eyes Black Dragon, Kaiba's Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon, Mai's Harpie Ladies, Kai's XYZ Dragon Cannon, Kevin's Buster Blader, Mike's Sword Hunter, and finally Zachary's Last Warrior From Another Planet all burst forth in flashes of light and loomed over the skeletal army.
The group of duelists cried as one, "ATTACK!" and their monsters obeyed, sweeping blades, breathing flame, blasting energy, and slashing claws. The sound of the attacks was momentarily deafening and lasted for half a minute before subsiding.
Needless to say, the zombies were gone.
-…The Tokyo Tournament Finals…-
Youkai's face formed into a grin as he walked into the ring opposite Yugi. As he approached his standing point, he cast out his arm, and Nick's body was flung across the room. "I always knew you would win, Pharaoh," he stated as he took his position, "those who attempted to protect you by preventing you from facing me were fools. Amateurs as well, come to think of it. Still, it was amusing seeing them fall."
Yami scowled at Youkai and shuffled his deck in preparation for the duel ahead. He had to prepare himself for any possible strategy Youkai might use. He slammed the deck into his Duel Disk and waited for Youkai to reveal his deck. The thing was, Youkai wasn't even solid, and he didn't appear to be holding a Duel Disk in any manner.
Seeing the unspoken question in Yami's eyes, Youkai held out his arm, "Dueling would be a bit inconvenient without a Duel Disk, so I'll just make one now," with that, black flames erupted around his outstretched arm. When the flames died down, a black Duel Disk was revealed on Youkai's arm. "I'll also need a deck. While I could create that as well, I happen to have one ready. My former host was prepared to duel the winner of this tournament, as you should already know," he cast out his right arm, and a deck of Duel Monsters cards flew from the body of Cerberus. With another wave of Youkai's arm, the deck began to shuffle itself in mid-air. "Your reign as pharaoh began millennia ago," stated Youkai as his deck shuffled, "so I believe you're long overdue to be overthrown." He motioned to his deck once more, and it slid into its slot in his Duel Disk.
"It won't matter how much you try, Youkai," stated Yami, "you will never gain the power of the Millennium Puzzle!"
Youkai seemed to quirk an eyebrow at Yami's statement. "While your Puzzle does contain great magical powers," he said quietly as he activated his Duel Disk, "I'm not interested in possessing them. I only have to make sure they're dealt with."
"What do you mean by that?" Yami demanded as he also activated his Duel Disk and drew five cards.
Youkai sighed and closed his eyes in thought for a moment before he drew six cards and responded, "I suppose since you'll be dead soon I might as well tell you." Then he opened his eyes and grinned as if in anticipation, "This tournament…it has only been a prelude to something much, much greater. After I have dealt with you, none will stand in the path of a much greater objective. I will relish the day it happens…" He paused, and a black snake of shadow emerged from his mouth and traced the outline of his mouth. "All of the death…it will be magnificent…" He suddenly seemed to come to his senses and looked down at his hand, "But for now I'll have to satisfy myself by destroying you."
Youkai: 4000 Yami: 4000
"I begin the duel by setting a monster in defense mode, coupled with another card facedown," the two cards appeared in front of Youkai as he spoke, the first one horizontal and the second perpendicular to it. "Next I play the permanent Spell card Ground Collapse!" As he slid the card into his Duel Disk, the two outer monster zones on Yami's Duel Disk suddenly sank into the ground, leaving only empty abyss in their wake. "This card prevents you from summoning monsters in two of your monster zones as long as it is face-up on the field," explained Youkai with a grin, "and with that, I'll end my turn."
Yami narrowed his eyes at Youkai and drew, "That card will hardly affect me. I still have the ability to control up to three monsters at once." He examined the six cards he held and pondered silently what to do, 'That card is useless on its own, but I know Youkai played it for a purpose. It's most likely to buy time for his true strategy, so he'll have more cards like it. I have to strike quickly to prevent him from setting me up for a great blow. Unfortunately none of the cards in my hand can make a real impact right now. I'll just have to slowly clear his field.' "I summon Gazelle, the King of Mythical Beasts (1500/1200)!" The lion-like creature bounded onto the field in front of Yami, shaking its black mane and letting out a fierce roar. "Gazelle, attack his monster!" The beast lunged towards Youkai's facedown monster, which flipped up to reveal a blue, beetle-like humanoid with six arms that held various items. Gazelle pounced on the insectoid and closed its jaws around its neck, tearing the thing's head off.
Youkai smirked as he placed the card into his graveyard, "My Magical Merchant (200/700), when flipped, allows me to pick up cards from my deck until I reach a Spell or Trap card. Then that card is added to my hand while the rest are discarded." He flipped the top card off his deck and glanced at it before thrusting it into his graveyard. Then he picked up the next card, and grinned as he added it to his hand. "Are you done now?"
"No," responded Yami as he placed two of the remaining five cards in his hand into his Duel Disk, "I set two Spell or Trap cards facedown and end my turn."
Youkai drew his next card, then put it and the card he had drawn from Magical Merchant into his Duel Disk. "I set a card facedown, and also play the second Ground Collapse!" Yami gasped as the area on either side of Gazelle sank into the ground, leaving only the area around Gazelle intact. Now he could only control one monster at a time, and it was doubtful he would be able to launch an effective assault under those conditions.
Youkai chuckled and passed the turn to Yami, who drew and immediately went on the assault, "You may have limited my options, but your Life Points are wide open for an attack! Gazelle, attack him directly!" Once again, Gazelle leapt through the air with its claws outstretched, prepared to rend Youkai apart.
"Activate Sakuretsu Armor!" yelled Youkai as one of his set cards flipped up and he was covered in white and blue bladed armor. As Gazelle reached him, he thrust out an arm and caught it around its throat. The beast struggled briefly and feebly swatted at Youkai with its claws before the dark being tightened his grip and crushed Gazelle's throat. The beast fell dead to the floor.
Yami growled and placed a card in his Duel Disk, "I set one monster in defense mode. End turn."
Youkai grinned and drew, "Your pathetic attempts to harm me are amusing. For now I'll set this monster in defense mode and end my turn."
Yami drew and glared at Youkai, "You may be able to limit the number of monsters I can use, but I'll still cut down your defenses and strike you down! I flip up my set monster, Alpha the Magnet Warrior (1400/1700)!" The first of the three Magnet Warriors emerged from its defensive position, sword and shield raised for battle. "Alpha, attack his set monster!" The metallic swordsman lumbered towards Youkai's field and raised its sword, prepared to bring it down on Youkai's monster.
…And suddenly it collapsed in a heap on the ground and shuddered violently. "What happened to my monster?" asked Yami in shock as Alpha struggled into a kneeling position.
"Quite simple," replied Youkai as he pointed at one of his cards, which had flipped up, "I activated Gravity Bind, so no monsters of level 4 or greater may now attack."
Yami narrowed his eyes. Youkai had an excellent set-up now, leaving Yami with very few options to launch an assault. Yami double-checked the remaining four cards in his hand and selected one, placing it into one of the Spell/Trap slots of his Duel Disk. Then he nodded to Youkai, indicating his turn was over.
Youkai drew, seemingly content with his set-up. "I'll now flip the monster I just defended," he stated as he flipped the monster on his black Duel Disk, "behold, a monster that has been used excessively in this tournament, Cyber Jar (900/900)!" Yami frowned as the silver spherical machine appeared before immediately self-destructing, taking Alpha down with it. While the move would hardly affect the pharaoh directly, it would definitely give Youkai an advantage. Flicking five cards from his deck, Yami looked through his new options before summoning the one monster among them, Beta the Magnet Warrior (1700/1000) in attack mode.
Youkai smirked as the yellow magnetic being appeared, its curved claws held ready for combat. "I'd like to thank you for summoning your monster in attack mode," he stated as he selected two of his new five cards, "it allows me to gather the cornerstones of my deck more quickly."
"What do you mean?" questioned Yami.
"You'll see in just a moment," Youkai stated as he placed the two cards on his Duel Disk. Before him, a facedown monster appeared, followed by a turtle that had a metal shell that somewhat resembled a flying saucer. "I summon one monster in defense mode and UFO Turtle (1400/1200) in attack mode!"
"What good will that weak monster do you?" Yami asked, "it's obviously weaker than Beta, plus Gravity Bind prevents it from attacking anyways."
Youkai chuckled and waved a finger back and forth, "Oh, how naïve of you, Pharaoh. Let's not forget that Gravity Bind is my Trap, and as such I've been prepared for quite some time to get around its hindrance. My method is quite simple: I'll simply temporarily remove it from the field by playing Giant Trunade!" A maelstrom immediately kicked up in the arena, and howling winds blasted around the two duelists. The six Spells and Traps currently on the field burst into Youkai's and Yami's hands, leaving just their three monsters on the field.
"Now that I have nothing preventing me from attacking," Youkai stated, "I'll have UFO Turtle attack!" The shelled reptile let out a guttural noise and jumped about two inches off the ground. Then its shell lit up and it mysteriously began to float in mid-air. With its new flight, the turtle hovered quickly towards Beta the Magnet Warrior, which casually smashed its claw on the turtle's head, sending the extraterrestrial reptile flying to the side before crashing into a wall.
Youkai: 3700 Yami: 4000
Yami smirked at Youkai's failed attempt and taunted, "Perhaps next time you'll remember to attack with a stronger monster, or are you deliberately trying to lose the duel?"
"Oh, shut the hell up, Pharaoh," Youkai spat dismissively, "do you really think me that moronic? UFO Turtle is one of several monsters in my deck specifically meant to allow me to summon a special set of monsters more quickly. And here's the first of them: with UFO Turtle's ability to Special Summon a Fire-attribute monster with 1500 or less attack points when it is destroyed in battle, I summon People Running About (600/600)!" In the Turtle's place appeared a large group of people dashing around aimlessly in a great panic.
"You sacrificed a monster and 300 Life Points for this?" Yami asked bewilderedly with a quirked eyebrow. "What's the point of summoning a monster with 600 attack and defense?"
Youkai chuckled again, and grinned. "You'll see soon enough, Pharaoh," he assured, "but first, I'll reply both Ground Collapses, not to mention setting a certain card facedown. I wonder what it could be?" Yami cringed as the ground that surrounded Beta, which had reappeared when Youkai had played Giant Trunade, sank once again into the Earth.
Yami drew, giving himself a total of ten cards in his hand. "One moment, before you announce any moves," Youkai stated as he pressed a button on his Duel Disk, "I'll save you the trouble of waiting by simply activating Gravity Bind right now." Beta fell to the ground as the Trap took effect once again, and struggled not to collapse completely. The People Running About were unaffected, proving them to be below level 4.
Yami looked over the cards in his hand and grimaced, seeing that none of them would allow him to break out of Youkai's control. All he could do was hope he was prepared when Youkai made any kind of assault. "I'll set these four cards facedown," he stated as the majority of his hand slid into his Duel Disk, "and end my turn." This way, he'd be able to play a good Spell when he got one, and he didn't have to worry about discarding cards to keep below the limit.
Youkai drew, and immediately played a card, "I play Heart of Clear Water on People Running About, preventing them from being destroyed in battle. Then I switch them to defense mode." Yami nodded in understanding. Youkai had obviously put some effort into summoning the monster; it was only logical that he try to protect it.
"Now I'll summon Witch of the Black Forest (1100/1200) in attack mode," Youkai's next monster was a commonly played one, a pale-skinned woman with purple hair, wearing a black dress and possessing three eyes, one in the center of her forehead. "Next I'll play Mystical Space Typhoon, destroying my own Gravity Bind," continued Youkai as a black twister appeared around his Trap card and destroyed it. Yami growled, anticipating what would happen next. While he disliked the fact that Youkai would soon gain another piece of his strategy, none of his facedown cards would prevent him from doing so. The Witch's ability took effect whenever it was destroyed, not just through battle.
"Witch of the Black Forest, attack Beta the Magnet Warrior!" Youkai commanded, and the woman lunged towards the magnetic humanoid with her hands held out like claws. Beta easily dispatched the Witch by clubbing her head with its left arm, and she fell to the ground, slain by the powerful blow.
Youkai: 3100 Yami: 4000
"Of course," Youkai said offhandedly as a card floated out of the middle of his deck, "Witch of the Black Forest now activates her effect, placing a monster with 1500 or less defense from my deck into my hand." He grasped the card out of mid-air and added it to his hand, giving him six total. Finally he selected a different card in his hand and placed it between both Ground Collapses facedown before ending his turn.
Yami drew and snarled slightly. Still nothing to bring down Youkai's strategy… "Beta, attack his facedown monster!" For the third time, the second Magnet Warrior engaged in battle, lumbering towards Youkai's defending monster with both arms raised above its head. As Beta continued its charge, Yami glanced several times at Youkai's facedown card, which failed to flip up. Finally the monster card vanished, and was replaced by a large group of people. However, this crowd was not panicky like the People Running About. Instead, they seemed depressed and hopeless. Despite their pitiful appearance, the group managed to avoid Beta's blow, then pelted it with various stones before it stumbled backwards. Meanwhile, Yami's Life Points took a slight dip.
Youkai: 3100 Yami: 3700
"You've made the mistake of attacking my Oppressed People (400/2000)," stated Youkai with a slight snicker, "this is the second piece of my strategy, and I guarantee that you'll be on your knees once you experience its full power on my next turn."
"We'll see," stated Yami, "I won't play any more cards this turn, so I'm forced to discard a card from my hand to stay at the six-card limit."
"Whatever," Youkai seemed to shrug as Yami discarded one card and he drew one, "I'm going to finish you here and now anyway. First I summon United Resistance (1000/400)!" A third group of people appeared, this one shouting angrily at Yami and looking ready to stampede over his field at a moment's notice.
"You've successfully summoned three monsters," Yami conceded, "but none of them have over 1000 attack points. Not only that, but I still have four cards on the field that stand in their path. And from what I can see from here all three of them are Normal monsters, meaning they don't have effects for me to worry about."
Youkai chuckled again, and this time his chuckling lasted longer than before until it escalated into a full, deep laugh of triumph, "AH HAH HAH HAH HAH HAH HAH HAH! It's not the individual monsters that counts, Pharaoh, it's that I have all three on the field at once!"
"What's that matter?" Yami questioned, "As I said, none of them have effects."
"True," Youkai said with a grin, "but just think about it. A very large group of people, all of them fed up with their way of life and horribly oppressed by their government. I don't blame you for it, since you've been trapped in a jigsaw puzzle for the last several thousand years, but you certainly don't know your history."
"What's history have to do with these cards?" Yami asked, beginning to become frustrated with Youkai's carrying on.
"Well, you see…" said Youkai with a grin, "for a period of nearly one hundred years, beginning in the late eighteenth century, revolts broke out across the world. First it happened in the North American continent, when the thirteen colonies of Great Britain revolted due to unfair treatment by their government. After waging war with their home country, the colonies formed what became known as the United States of America. Nearly ten years after this event ended, the people of France revolted in a similar fashion. However…" again the black snake of shadow appeared from within Youkai's mouth, and traced his lips as he paused before continuing. "They rose up in a much more violent fashion. Let us just say that heads rolled…quite literally. While many more revolutions occurred throughout the nineteenth century, changing the face of Europe, the French Revolution of 1789 remains my personal favorite. And now…you'll get to experience such an event first hand."
With a wave of his arm, Youkai's facedown card flipped up, revealing a card whose image depicted three people crossing what appeared to be an umbrella, a pickaxe, and a sword in a sort of salute. A person from each of the groups of people in front of Youkai mimicked the motion, and suddenly makeshift weapons appeared in the hands of every one of the people. "Activate Trap card, Huge Revolution! This card will destroy all cards on your field and in your hand! With all obstructions cleared from the field my monsters will attack directly! KILL THE PHARAOH! STRIKE HIM DOWN AND END HIS REIGN!" Yami gasped as the hundreds of people yelled out and charged his field, burying Beta and crushing his facedown cards in their stampede. Unable to defend himself in any other way, Yami created a barrier of energy in front of him to hold back the crowd. But the revolutionaries were too many, and Yami soon weakened under their onslaught and the barrier fell, allowing them to fall upon the pharaoh and beat him. Their blows lacked skill and were made with objects not meant to be true weapons, but they came with such force and numbers that Yami suffered great injury every second. The assault was made without strategy, without hesitation, without thought. People broke their weapons on Yami's body and still continued to attack him, either bashing him with the fragments or flinging themselves upon him. He was kicked, strangled, punched, stabbed, bit, tackled, cut, stoned, and attacked in so many other ways for what seemed to be an incredibly long time, for the revolutionaries simply refused to stop. Eventually Yami blacked out under the pain. And through it all, Youkai's triumphant laugh was heard.
-…Below Youkai's prison…-
Serenity cringed and picked a bit of decayed bone off her shirt. The duelists' slaying of the zombies had been very efficient. However, at the same time it had been very, very messy. "So, where do we go from here?"
"Youkai designed this prison with the intention of temporarily imprisoning us so that he would have time to duel Yami without interference," Nick stated as he stepped around various piles of ashes towards a large pair of doors, "therefore, the exit should be nearby. I don't think Youkai would have expected us to get this far this quickly." The doors he now stood in front of looked ancient, much like the rest of the room the group stood in. The doors had also been painted on a great deal, and now depicted the head of some horrible creature immersed in shadow with its jaws opened, prepared to consume something.
"Well, that looks welcoming," commented Lin as the group closed around the door, Yamato with Giyan still tied to his back.
"Bah," Nick responded, "It's just a door." And with that he reached out his arm to push the doors open. Before his hand reached the door, a snake-like tongue lanced from the mouth of the beast depicted on the doorway and latched around his wrist. "Hm…though I could be wrong…GAH!" The final exclamation came as the tongue began to pull him into the mouth, which now opened wider to consume him. Before anyone could react, the tongue, which it could now be seen had appeared through the crack between the doors, pulled Nick forcefully into the doors, momentarily stunning him. Apparently confused, the beast let its tongue go slack so that Nick fell slightly backwards. Then the doors parted a foot and the tongue pulled on Nick's arm again.
Anticipating the result of the beast's success in this maneuver would be a bad thing, Yamato and Term each grabbed Nick and pulled back, resulting in a tug-of-war with the tongue. In a daze, Nick commented in a slurred speech, "You know, from a spectator's point of view, I'll bet this would seem slightly amusing…"
No later than Nick had spoken, Lin drew his sword and sliced down on the tongue, sending blood spurting about and Yamato, Term, and Nick stumbling backwards. From beyond the doorway, a bellow of pain could be heard, and the remaining bit of the beast's tongue was pulled back through the doors, which closed.
"Okay, fearless leader," remarked Kirbin, "what now?"
"We slay the monster," Nick replied simply.
"Well, I figured that much out," said Kirbin, "but how are we going to go about doing it?"
"The creature is actually somehow part of the door," Nick observed, "so, if we destroy the door-"
SHING! SLICE! "Way ahead of you, Nick," Lin stated as he sheathed his sword.
"Lin…" Term said, "what did you do?"
"I cut straight down the crack between the doors," Lin said with a smile. Then the doors fell open…and blood began to leak from them onto the floor.
"Oh…ew…" Tea summed up the group's thoughts very easily. However, seconds after they had been disgusted by the sight of the blood (plus the occasional bit of brain fluid), their attention was drawn upward to what was beyond the doorway, and several of them gasped. Because before them was a circle that portrayed an image that Youkai now saw. Through Youkai's eyes, the group now saw Yami, severely wounded and lying unconscious…
-…The Tokyo Tournament Finals…-
The crowd of revolutionaries had finally stopped assaulting Yami, and was making their way back to Youkai's field. The pharaoh looked very much worse for wear, with blood seeping from various wounds in his body. "This is such a wonderful sight!" praised Youkai with glee, "Although I do hope he gets up so I can crush him again. Still, if he never does wake up, I'll be the winner. Since I'm calling the shots in this game, I'll rule you have five minutes before I am officially declared the winner." Youkai grinned in anticipation. Soon, it would all be over…
"I'm…not…done…yet…Youkai…" Yami stirred, his right arm pushing his body up off the floor so that he could lift his left leg beneath him.
"Impossible…" Youkai said with a growl, "I hoped I would get a chance to attack you again, but there's no way you could have survived that beating!"
"Yes, there is," Yami countered as he tried to stand, but was unable to place weight on his right leg. Instead he kneeled as he continued, "When I knew my barrier would not be able to hold back the attack, I instead used the magic of my Millennium Puzzle to fortify my body against blunt, physical weapons. While I still maintained great injuries, I was able to shrug off many of the revolutionaries' blows. And so the duel will continue." He attempted to lift his left arm, but cringed as the action was greeted by a sting of pain. Unable to lift his Duel Disk in this manner, he grabbed it with his right arm and managed to prop it and his left arm up on his right knee. Then he drew a card, giving him only that one card.
Youkai: 3100 Yami: 1700
"You may have survived," stated Youkai, "but now you're top decking, and while my three monsters are weak, it's only a matter of time before I draw a second Huge Revolution."
"Then I'll just have to work quickly," Yami replied as he placed his one card on his Duel Disk, "I summon the third Magnet Warrior, Gamma (1500/1800)!" The pink, winged Magnet Warrior appeared in front of him, its metal fists raised. "Gamma, attack Oppressed People!" The metal warrior dove towards the large crowd in front of Youkai and started swinging, sending people flying through the air wherever it went. Seconds later, about a third of the group that had assaulted Yami was gone, along with a good chunk of Youkai's Life Points.
Youkai: 2000 Yami: 1700
"Just like that, we're almost even in Life Points," Yami said with a small grin, "plus, I now have the strongest monster on the field."
"It matters little!" Youkai snarled as he snapped a card off his deck, "You'll still die!" With a glance at the card, he grinned. "I play Pot of Greed, so now I'll draw two cards." He did so, and at the sight of one of them he chuckled, "Your pathetic attempts to destroy my monsters are useless! I play Monster Reborn, reviving Oppressed People!" Instantly, the people Gamma had destroyed reappeared amidst their companions, and they collectively glared at Yami.
"That will hardly matter," Yami stated, just before he cringed at a pain his arm, "Gamma is stronger than your other two monsters, so on my next turn I'll destroy United Resistance. Huge Revolution can only be activated on your turn, and it's completely useless without all three of your monsters on the field.
Youkai chuckled again before playing his next card, "Fool. Gamma won't make it to your next turn, because I play Shield and Sword!" Yami grimaced as all four monsters swapped their attack and defense scores. While Gamma became stronger, Oppressed People could now destroy it (Gamma: 1800/1500, Oppressed People: 2000/400, People Running About: 600/600, United Resistance: 400/1000). "Now, once again, my revolutionaries, attack the pharaoh!"
The people stampeded once more, one third breaking off to batter Gamma with their various makeshift weapons and the remainder going straight for Yami. The pharaoh immediately reached out with the magical energies of the Puzzle again and created a barrier that held back the tide of people, but he knew it would soon fall. He had depleted much of his strength during the last assault, and even if he braced his body again, there would be no way to survive the mob a second time. The revolutionaries beat at the barrier with an immense amount of vigor until finally it shattered and the flooded forwards. Unable to act, Yami could only close his eyes and await death.
Suddenly, a dome of black and white energy closed over him just before the mob could reach him, and it held back their blows. "WHAT?" Youkai bellowed in rage at seeing his attack stopped cold. "How did this happen?"
-…Meanwhile…-
Through the viewing portal, the group Youkai had imprisoned watched as the revolutionaries ceased their assault, unable to break through the dome of energy surrounding the pharaoh. As the crowd sunk away, the dome dissipated, revealing Yami, unharmed and thankful for it. "Good job, Giyan," remarked Term.
"Nngh…no problem…" replied Giyan, who had woken up just in time to create the dome. His task complete, Giyan fell asleep again.
-…Back at the finals…-
"It seems I have been granted assistance," Yami said with a weak grin, "so I'm still far from done in this battle!"
Youkai: 2000 Yami: 500
"Don't get cocky," Youkai replied with a growl as he selected one of the four cards in his hand, "I set one card facedown, and end my turn."
Yami drew carefully so as not to hurt his injured left arm. Then he placed the card he had drawn into his Duel Disk. "All I can do is set that card facedown on the field," he stated as it appeared before him, "End turn."
"And now end game!" Youkai yelled as he drew. Without looking at the card, he declared, "Attack him again!" The tide of bodies rushed forward once more, so intent on having Yami's head that they did not even consider rest. Such was the vigor and bloodlust within them. Youkai grinned as they closed in on Yami…then stared in confusion as they all stopped. "What happened?" Youkai asked, unable to see beyond the crowd.
"I activated Waboku," Yami stated as the crowd parted, revealing three priestesses standing between the revolutionaries and Yami. "I am safe for one more turn."
Youkai snarled in anger. How could one person be this lucky? Surviving one assault with pure magic, another from outside interference, and a third with one of the few cards that would have worked. Youkai glanced at the card he had drawn and his frustration began to dim. "Heheh… You may have successfully survived, Pharaoh," he said, "but I've drawn the second Huge Revolution! On my next turn, any useful cards you draw will be stripped away, and the path will be clear for me to attack with all three of my monsters! Even if you get lucky and someone blocks the physical assault, I'll still deal you 2000 damage, easily enough to finish you off!" He laughed darkly, and set the card into his Duel Disk. Now it was only a matter of one more turn…
After Youkai had finished laughing, Yami glared at him for a few moments in silence, before he spoke, "While the odds are against my drawing the card that will win this duel in just one turn are slim, I have faith in my deck. The safety of my friends and the world are depending on me to win the duel here and now, and I won't let them down!" With that said, he snapped a card off his deck and held it up to his face. "I play Card of Sanctity, so we both draw until we hold six cards!" Youkai growled, knowing that now Yami had six new cards to work with. He himself drew three. Yami glanced over his new hand and immediately placed one on his Duel Disk, "When drawn outside the Draw Phase, my Watapon (300/500) is instantly summoned to the field." A white-pink puffball with antennae that ended in smaller spheres of the same color appeared before him. However, this was just the beginning of Yami's move.
"I now sacrifice Watapon to summon Dark Magician Girl (2000/1700)!" the Watapon faded from existence, and in its place the enthusiastic mage shimmered into view. She twirled in mid-air and struck a pose, then raised her scepter for battle.
"That will hardly do you good," remarked Youkai, "especially since I now activate Gravity Bind, preventing her from attacking!"
Dark Magician Girl immediately fell to the ground, and her scepter dropped. "Gravity Bind won't be affecting me anymore," Yami promised as he placed another cards into his Duel Disk, "and neither will any of your other cards! Activate Heavy Storm!" A violent twister emerged on the field, and its vacuum pulled in all five of Youkai's Spell and Trap cards.
"Damn it!" shouted Youkai as his cards were destroyed, "Well, you still only have one monster on the field. And I still have enough Life Points to last through this turn."
"That's where you're wrong!" declared Yami as he played one more card, "Activate Sage's Stone!" As he spoke, a purple jewel appeared in front of the Dark Magician Girl, and then glowed brightly before changing into the Dark Magician. "With Dark Magician Girl on the field, this card summons the Dark Magician from my deck. So now, with no other cards in their path, my mages will attack! Dark Magician, Dark Magician Girl, combine your abilities into one strike! Double Dark Magic Attack!" The Dark Magician raised his staff while his apprentice raised her scepter, and together they brought their objects forward and launched bursts of energy that swirled together in a mighty tempest that crashed into the gathered mass of people and sent them flying in all directions. The blast continued forward until it struck Youkai, who was sent backwards by the assault.
Youkai: 0 Yami: 500
As Youkai's Life Points fell to zero, the souls of those he had imprisoned sprang free, and they ripped through his chest and soared about the room before finding their respective bodies. "Damn it!" Youkai exclaimed as he got to his feet, "I was so close! Well, if I can't take the Puzzle in a duel…" he dashed over to Yami and clamped his hand around the pharaoh's throat before heaving him upwards. He tightened his grip, cutting off Yami from oxygen, "…then I'll just have to kill you the old-fashioned way!"
SHING!
Yami fell to the ground, unconscious, with Youkai's arm still gripping his neck, though without exerting pressure. Then the arm dissipated into nothingness, leaving Yami freed from its chokehold. Youkai looked up in surprise to see that he no longer had an arm attached to his right shoulder. Then he looked beyond it to see Lin, sword drawn and pointed at him. "That sword…hurt me?"
"Yep," Lin said simply, and he rammed his blade into Youkai's gut. The being fell backwards, and it was plain to see he was beginning to panic. Others had joined Lin now, and Youkai knew he stood no chance against them.
Suddenly, all those that were advancing on Youkai were picked up by some invisible force and thrown aside. Surprised but relieved, Youkai looked at his savior…and fell to his knees. "Master!" he cried, "You've come to rescue me! Oh, thank you! I promise I can defeat the pharaoh if you just give me one more chance to do so…" The one he was speaking to looked quite ordinary. It was a man, about six feet tall, with combed-back black hair. He wore a black business suit with a red tie, he was clean-shaven, and he walked so casually it almost seemed he was bored. However, his lips seemed to be permanently lifted at the edges, so that at the same time he looked constantly amused by something.
Youkai continued to ramble on about being given a second chance, but the man hardly seemed to be listening. After slowly pacing towards Youkai, he finally looked down at the being of darkness and said, very quietly, "Oh, shut up." And with that, he poked Youkai's forehead with his finger. Youkai howled in pain at the contact, and his body seemed to warp and change into painful positions before he vanished completely.
The man turned to face the group he had flung aside, and spoke, "I think we'll be seeing each other again soon." He waved his hand once, "Tootles." And then he was gone.
Yugi stirred, and he lifted his head up slightly and spoke, "Is it over?"
"No," Nick replied, getting to his feet, "I think it's just beginning."
So now the dueling portion of the fic is done. Still, a couple things need to be tied up, so read on.