Chapter 20
The Chosen Children, the Card Captors, and the Duelists all watched intently as the scene unfolded. They watched as Sakura was defeated by Kari and watched TK lose all of his courage.
"TK," whispered Sora. As the bearer of Love, she felt every bit of pain from the younger boy. She knew that trying to fight Kari was a losing battle. She knew that no one, especially TK, would even think about attacking a loved one if it risked harming them.
"Poor TK," sighed Mimi.
"The choice he must make isn't an easy one," said Li. "Let's hope he makes the right one." While Li was a bit more vague in his hopes, Davis slammed his fist on the desk and put everything bluntly.
"SUCK IT UP, MAN! ATTACK HER OR LOSE HER FOREVER!" (A/N: Haha, I read your review, kingdom219. I thought, 'How fitting for a Davis quote.' The credit for this quote goes to you!)
"It's your move, TK," chuckled Kari. "Unless you want to forfeit."
"Don't give up, TK!" shouted Sakura. "You can win! You can turn this game around!"
"I can't attack her," whispered TK, tears forcing themselves out of his eyes. "Not if it will hurt her. I promised myself I'd never harm her in any way."
"TK! If you don't do something, her Terrorking Archfiend will destroy you!" shouted Yugi. "You cannot let that happen! The fate of both worlds are in your hands, and you are capable of saving everyone! TK! Are you even listening?"
TK just kept staring at his deck.
"Would you prefer I skip your turn, Chosen of Hope?" asked Kari. "I'm very anxious to continue." TK just stared blankly at his cards, trying desperately to force his tears back. Kari grew impatient, and finally told him. "Very well, we'll skip your turn again." She drew her next card.
TK: 3100Kari: 6050
Kari smirked. "I first pay 800 Life Points for Terrorking Archfiend."
Kari: 5250
"In the unlikely event that you do destroy my Terrorking, I summon Desrook Archfiend in attack mode!"
Desrook Archfiend -- ATK: 1100/DEF: 1800
"Now, I play Mystic Wok to sacrifice Desrook Archfiend and raise my life points by Desrook's defense points!"
Kari: 7050
"My Life Points will be a challenge for you to take down even if you defeat my Terrorking! Unlike some duelists, I know my monsters are not unbeatable, and am prepared to face them even after my monster is destroyed. I now have Terrorking Archfiend destroy that Maha Vailo of yours!" Terrorking Archfiend swung his mighty Axe of Despair and cut Maha Vailo in half.
TK: 3100
"Since that Maha Vailo was in defense mode, you lose no life points, but you're one more monster down from losing everything. I was expecting more of a challenge out of the one Kari admired so much." This caught TK's attention.
"What did you say?" he asked.
"When I took control over Kari, I read her mind," said the possessed Kari. "She admired you, her best friend. She thought you were strong, but I see who you really are. A coward! She's thinking right now that you're weak. She wishes instead of you, it was her brother who came for her, because he knows what courage truly is!"
"No..." whispered TK. "Kari would never..."
"Kari keeps her feelings to herself. But she sees you now as the weakest person she has ever met. Maybe you don't really care about her after all!"
"I care about her!" shouted TK. "That's why I don't want to hurt her!"
"Pathetic," muttered Kari. "Your move, unless you want to skip your turn again!"
"No," said TK. "I don't." He drew his next card. "I play one card face down and end my turn."
Kari drew. "I play Stop Defense on your Wingweaver, switching her back into attack mode! Terrorking Archfiend, destroy her!"
TK: 650Kari: 6250
"I just destroyed your last monster, Child of Hope. It's your last move, now, TK."
"He must get a good card or he's finished," said Yugi.
"I know TK will win," Sakura told him. "If he doesn't, we're all doomed. I'm sure the card he drew will defeat Kari."
"I pass this turn," said TK.
"Or not..." groaned Sakura. Yugi sighed.
"Perhaps he didn't have enough faith in his cards."
"You pass? Very well then! I draw my next card and attack with..."
"Wait!" shouted TK. "Please...Let me see the real Kari once again...I might never see her again after this..."
Kari sighed. "Very well." A bright light emitted from Kari's eyes, and after a couple of seconds, they were her own.
"Kari!" TK called. Kari looked at him.
"TK..."
"Kari, I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! I was supposed to protect you, and..." He looked over at her and saw the girl smile at him. 'She's smiling at me?' he wondered. 'But...I...' Suddenly, her eyes became blank again.
"I have fulfilled your request, Child of Hope. Now, you will be destroyed by my Terrorking Archfiend's attack! Destroy the Child of Hope with Axe of Despair!" Terrorking Archfiend swung his axe at TK, which he stood calmly through.
"I discard Kuriboh to negate the attack," he told Kari. "I live for one more turn."
TK: 650Kari: 5450
"This is becoming annoying, TK," said Kari. "Very well, your move."
'Her smile,' thought TK. 'When she was sucked into the Dark Ocean the first time, she never smiled that whole day...but when I came for her...she smiled and that gave me satisfaction...' He looked at Kari, who still had her emotionless stare. 'I know what I'm fighting for now! Her smile! Her safety is important, but if she isn't happy, then its pointless! She'd rather be hurt a little than stay under mind control by the Game Card, so I know I have to win!'
Yugi and Sakura watched from above. "Do you think TK has any chance left?" asked Sakura. Yugi smiled.
"Only if he believes he does."
"Come on, bro," whispered Matt.
"We're all behind you," said Tea, putting her hand on Sora's.
"Everything is riding on that next card, TK," said Li, putting his hand on Tai's. "Everything..." Everyone watching put their hands together, like Tea, Joey, and Tristan did for Yugi, in hopes that they could somehow make TK's last card a good one.
'Yugi said that if I can't afford to lose, I should believe in the Heart of the Cards,' thought TK. 'Now I know. Sakura and I both believed in our decks, but Sakura also couldn't afford to lose, and her mission was for the world and not just one person. I have to believe in my deck now. Hope is my special quality, and now it's what I have to use to save Kari.' TK slowly drew his last card. 'Somehow, it feels like all my friends are in this next card. It makes me feel like this last card will save me.' He drew it and smiled.
"I play Double Spell! It allows me to use one magic card in your graveyard at the cost of one magic card from my hand, so I discard Novox's Prayer to use Pot of Greed!" TK drew two cards, believing that his friends were behind each one, and when he looked at them, he smiled. "This is most definitely my last turn, Kari, because I believe I win. I summon Black Luster Soldier, Envoy of the Beginning!"
"What?" asked Kari. "Where did you get a card that rare?"
"Yugi's grandfather gave it to me," said TK. "It needs to be summoned by removing a Dark and a Light monster from my graveyard, and since we share a graveyard, I remove Yugi's Dark Magician and Sakura's Chaos Command Magician from play!"
Black Luster Soldier, Envoy of the Beginning -- ATK: 3000/DEF: 2500
"Next, I equip my monster with Angelic Wing!" (A/N: This is the card TK got from the tournament, in case you forgot. It's my own original card, and I said that I'd explain its effect later in the story. Well, it's later, so here it is!)
"Angelic Wing turns my monster into a Fairy-type monster, so behold as my Soldier transforms into..."
Black Luster Soldier started to grow eight wings. Four of them spread outward, two of them folded over its shoulders, and two of them cross over its waist. (A/N: Think MagnaAngemon's wings.) His sword changed from a scimitar to a longsword. His shield's emblem of a demon skull turned into a sun with 8 rays emitting from it. The final change was the appearance of a halo over his black helmet.
"...Black Luster Seraph!"
Black Luster Seraph -- ATK: 3000/DEF: 2500
A light emitted from TK's new angel as it descended to the field. Kari just stared in awe. "Black Luster Seraph? How could it be?"
"He still isn't strong enough to destroy your Archfiend, so I equip him with Megamorph! It doubles his attack power as long as my Life Points are lower than yours!"
Black Luster Seraph -- ATK: 6000/DEF: 2500
"Now that he's a fairy-type monster, I can equip him with my final equip magic card, Cestus of Dagla, raising his attack power to 6500!"
Black Luster Seraph -- ATK: 6500/DEF: 2500
"I still have enough Life Points to finish you off, Takeru," said Kari. "I can defeat you after this turn is over!"
"When this turn is over, Kari, I win," said TK. "I activate my face-down card, Gift of the Mystical Elf, to raise my Life Points by 300 for every monster on the field, so I raise my Life Points by 600!"
TK: 1250Kari: 5450
"Now I play Soul of the Pure to raise my attack points by another 800!"
TK: 2050Kari: 5450
"Now that my Life Points are over 2000, I play Dimension Fusion! This card allows both of us to summon monsters that have been removed from play at a cost of 2000 of my Life Points! I choose to summon the Dark Magician and Chaos Command Magician I just removed from play!"
A portal appeared where TK's card was and the Dark Magician and Chaos Command Magician both leapt out of it, ready to battle. TK's Lifepoints then lowered when the portal disappeared.
TK: 50Kari: 5450
Dark Magician -- ATK: 3000/DEF: 1700
Chaos Command Magician -- ATK: 2400/DEF: 1900
"Three of our strongest monsters are on the field now, Kari!" said TK. "Even after they were taken out of the duel, Yugi and Sakura continue to help me throughout this whole duel!"
"Alright, TK!" shouted Sakura.
"Great move, TK!" Yugi called out.
"The Child of Hope has tremendous skill," smiled the Black Dark Magician. Piedmon just growled.
"I understand why Kari admires you so much," said the possessed Kari.
"Black Luster Seraph! Destroy Terrorking Archfiend! Blade of Destiny!" The angel flew over to the hulking demon and cut through its skull and continued straight through its whole body.
Kari: 4450
"Dark Magician! Chaos Command Magician! Combine your attacks into one! Finish off her Life Points!" The two spellcasters put the tips of their staffs together and began to charge their magic. After a few seconds, they fired. The dark and light magic spiralled oppositely and flew toward Kari and hit their target.
TK: 50Kari: 0
After the dust cleared, TK saw the possessed Kari stare at him, breathing heavily. The two had a staring contest for a few moments before Kari's lips upturned. TK's eyes widened. The possessed Kari was smiling!
"Congratulations, TK. You win," said Kari. The cages lowered to the field and opened, allowing Yugi, Sakura, Kero, Patamon, the Dark Magician, and Piedmon out. Sakura ran over and hugged TK, and Yugi high fived him. The King of Games then turned to the Dark Magician.
"We won. Now, hand over the Game Card and Kari." Kero's ears perked up at this.
"Um...there's something I forgot to mention," said the small flying bear. "The Game Card isn't an ordinary Clow Card."
"What?" asked Sakura.
"Clow Reed made it in honor of the Pharaoh, but the Pharaoh insisted that it not be a true card," Kero told her. "So, when the time comes that the Game Card loses a game, it's destroyed."
"So wait, we went through all that and I don't even get a Clow Card?" demanded Sakura. Kero sweatdropped and nodded.
"Kinda ironic, isn't it?" Sakura responded with a groan.
"If you didn't go through everything Sakura, the Game Card would never have been at peace like it is now," Kari told her.
"Are you leaving now?" asked TK. Kari nodded.
"I'll release possession of Kari now." She closed her eyes, and a light shone from her heart. The Dark Magician did the same thing. After a few seconds, the light became brighter and the three duelists had to shield their eyes from the intensity. Once it subsided, Kari fell forward into TK's arms, and the Dark Magician disintegrated. Sakura then found a card in her hand. It had a picture of a boy with hair like Yugi's and several stone tablets surrounding him. On the bottom of the card was the word "Game". It remained in her hand for some time before disintegrating.
"I guess that's the card's way of saying good-bye," sighed Yugi. Sakura nodded in agreement. TK carried Kari in his arms and smiled at his two friends. "Come on, guys. Let's go home." The door at the end of the room opened, and a bridge materialized right in front of them.
Just then, a tall figure leapt over to block the way out. "Did you forget about me?" laughed Piedmon. "Now that the Game Card is gone, I'm not bounded to these silly games anymore! I can destroy you as I wish!" Piedmon drew two swords from his back and flew forward to attack. Patamon stepped forward.
"Patamon digivolve to...Angemon!"
The angel digimon stepped on the bridge in front of Piedmon, blocking the swords with his staff.
"That's Patamon's other form?" asked Sakura. TK nodded.
"So that's why you have so many angel cards," smiled Yugi.
"Piedmon, you dishonored the terms that we agreed upon," said TK. "Now, I think you'll face firsthand what teamwork really is." He nodded to Sakura and Yugi. Sakura pulled out her Clow Cards. "Alright! Go Shield Card!"
Piedmon was about to thrust the second sword into Angemon's abdomen, when he found it was blocked by some sort of forcefield. In fact, he realized he couldn't move more than an inch.
"The Shield Card has encompassed him in an impenetrable shell," said Sakura. "Your turn, Yugi." Yugi nodded and the Eye of Anubis glowed on his forehead.
"Piedmon, you didn't follow the terms promised at the start of the duel," said Yugi. "Your dishonor disgusts me. The Gates of Darkness have opened! I decide your fate!" He held his hand forward. "MIND CRUSH!" Piedmon's eyes suddenly became blank and lifeless. After falling forward onto the shell, he disintegrated. Yugi lowered his hand.
"Hm, guess the effect is different on digital beings," he chuckled.
"You could do that the whole time?" asked TK. Yugi shook his head.
"I could only use it if the opponent lost a shadow game and then went against his word. Piedmon did just that. Unknown to you two, every game the Game Card played was a Shadow Game, albeit a different sort of Shadow Game. Instead of destroying their minds, the victims lose control of their minds to the Game Card."
"Then that whole thing about Clow Reed visiting Egypt was true?" asked Sakura. Yugi nodded.
"Apparently so. Who knew our fates could be so closely weaved?"
TK got up with Kari still in his arms. "Let's go home."
As soon as they left the Castle of Dark Illusions, it collapsed. When they got out, they found Tai and Matt waiting for them.
"Matt? Tai?" asked TK. Tai nodded and smiled.
"TK, I'm proud of you. You protected Kari just like you promised all those years ago."
"How did you arrive?" asked Yugi. "Weren't the Digiports locked?"
"After you guys finished your duel with the Game Card, they opened again," said Matt.
"I see," smiled Sakura. After a second, the smile was replaced by a look of confusion. "How did you know we were dueling?"
"Big Brother sees all," chuckled Tai. Matt rolled his eyes. "Okay bad joke. We'll tell you when we get home."
TK looked at Yugi and Sakura and smiled. After six days of dueling, the nightmare was finally over. Both worlds were safe from the Game Card, and Kari was back where she belonged. As the Digiport pulled them back to the Real World, the three thought back to their adventure: Meeting, Sharing Secrets, Dueling in a Tournament, and Dueling in the Digital World. It was an experience that none of them would ever forget.
To be continued...
The duel is over and TK emerges victorious! I hope I made this duel dramatic enough, and I hope you enjoyed my own created cards: Angelic Wing and Black Luster Seraph. There'll probably be only one chapter left, which will be up in a little over a month since I leave for China tomorrow morning. Hope you enjoyed! Review!