"Hey, great duel, Yugi!" Jonouchi exclaimed, giving his friend a gentle punch on the shoulder.
"You said it! You really let that little Kaiba have it on that one. That blue eyes white dragon didn't stand a chance against that fissure magic card you drew!" Honda added.
"It was the heart of the cards." Yugi smiled, nodding at Anzu. She smiled back.
Mokuba Kaiba stood from the table where he and the King of Games had been dueling.
"They're right." The smaller boy sheepishly agreed. "You beat me fair and square. But you're still going to have a tough time beating my brother! He duels circles around me!"
"I still appreciate you helping us train, Mokuba." Yugi replied kindly, reaching down for the millennium puzzle that hung around his neck. "This is going to be an important duel for the other me. Even if Kaiba doesn't believe in fate, I sure do."
"I still don't understand why dueling my big brother's that important to the spirit that lives in your big pendant." Mokuba asked. He jumped up from the table, sliding the exact copy of his older brother's deck back into his left pocket. "You fought him in Duelist Kingdom and in Battle City!"
"Not with the same stakes, Mokuba." Yugi answered.
"That's right." Honda exclaimed. "This time, now that Yugi has all three Egyptian God cards, it's a whole different duel!"
Yugi thought back to what Isis had shared with him in the museum. Standing under the stone tablet, his destiny, and that of the pharaoh, never seemed so real. The stone depicted a battle between the pharaoh and one of his priests. The priest bore an uncanny likeness to Mokuba's brother, Seto Kaiba.
"Isis said that once the pharaoh possesses the three god cards, he'll be able to unlock a portion of his memory." Yugi sighed. He wanted more than anything to help the pharaoh learn about his past. "She translated some of the hieroglyphics. The tablet said that if the pharaoh is able to defeat the soul of his strongest priest, then he'll gain access to that priest's memories. And through them, he should be one step closer to learning about his own."
"That's why Yugi wants to duel your brother so badly." Anzu added. "The priest in the carving looked so much like him, it would be like an ancient battle set three thousand years in the future."
"Not like big brother would believe anything like that." Mokuba added.
"We know that much." Jonouchi scoffed, crossing his arms.
"But I do. That's why I want to help!"
"Thank you, Mokuba." Anzu answered.
"And you're gonna need it! Just like I said! My big brother's got new cards. Powerful new cards!" He looked up at the clock on the wall. "Speaking of big brother, I'd better get home before he starts to get worried!"
"Heh. A few monsters and a few hundred life points here and there, but when the going gets tough, the other Yugi'll pull through!" Jonouchi smirked. "Powerful cards or not."
"We'll be ready. Thanks again." Yugi waved to the younger Kaiba brother as he ran out of the Kame game shop.
Yugi stared down at the puzzle. He could feel his other half smiling from within his heart. The pharaoh knew that this could be the best chance to regain his memories. And he was equally eager.
"So when's the next match, Yugi?" Honda asked. "You still want some more practice? I'll take you on!"
"You're no competition!" Jonouchi laughed, elbowing Honda in the ribs. "Even Yugi's grandpa is better competition than you!"
"I am too competition!" He shouted back. "Just because I don't have that new Andro Sphinx card in my deck…"
"You hardly even duel!" Anzu chuckled, watching Honda attempt to put a headlock on Jonouchi.
"I believe my deck will win, guys." Yugi smiled. "As long as I trust in the heart of the cards. The pharaoh is certain to win back some of his memories! But we'll take all the practice duels we can get!"
"Right. So, duel me first." Honda added.
"No! He's going to duel me first! I came in second in Duelist Kingdom, after all."
Yugi just laughed. There would be plenty of time for his other self to duel both of them, as well as get a full night's rest before the destined duel.