A Duel of Love

by WolveHulk

What if Mai started to have feelings for Tea during the Dualist Kingdom? See how much their relationship makes them not only stronger, but also better in dual monsters.

4. Yugi vs Pegasus: Match of the Millennium

Yugi vs. Pegasus: Match of the Millennium

After the 10 minute intermission was over, it was time for the duel of Yugi vs Joey to begin. But as they were ready, Joey had forfeited the duel before it even began, as he knew that his best friend was the only one who could face Pegasus and the only one who had a chance of winning against him. Everyone was surprised by this before Yugi walked up to Joey and thanked him by giving him his Glory of the King's hand card, as he knew that Joey needed the prize money for his sister's eye surgery and he was only it it to free his grandfather, Mokuba and Kaiba, which Joey happily accepted, making the rest of the gang smile as Tea and Mai secretly held hands.

Pegasus then informed Yugi that their duel would begin in 1 days time, which would give him all the time he would need to prepare...while smirking and mentally saying to himself. 'Though it won't do you and good, Yugi-boy. No matter how you prepare your deck...my Millennium Eye will read your mind and see through whatever strategies you come up with. And once I've obtained your Puzzle...I can begin searching for the other Items and finally find a way to bring back my beloved.'

The next day

After Yugi and the Spirit had finished preparing their dueling deck in their room, the young boy and his other half knew they would have to be extremely careful...as they needed to think of a plan to prevent Pegasus from using his Millennium from reading their minds.

Once Yugi had returned to the dueling arena, where Pegasus had been waiting patiently...the young boy smiled as Tristan, Joey, Bakura, Tea and Mai had cheered him on, wishing him the best of luck...and would notice how Mai had placed her hand over Tea's and how the brunette had softly wrapped an arm around the older blonde's waist.

Yugi asked himself, as he finally realized the new relationship between Tea and Mai. 'Heh, so that's why Mai decided to stay for the finals and has been acting so differently, especially whenever she and Tea are together. They're dating.'

The Spirit would ask while chuckling himself. 'Are you really that surprised, Yugi?'

The young boy mentally stated. 'You knew?'

The Spirit replied. 'I had my suspicions, especially at the end of Tea's duel against Mai. But when I saw how abnormally close...and affectionate Mai had been towards Tea during the duel between Joey and Bandit Keith...I was completely certain.' Before he added jokingly. 'How long do you suppose it'll take Joey and the others to figure it out?'

Yugi chuckled softly and answered. 'Knowing how oblivious Joey and Tristan can be sometimes... next New Years.'

"But before we start, I want to show you all something that Tea and I did together." Mai said as she showed them all the same symbol that Yugi and his friends drew on their hands, but with 1 half on her left and the other half on her right.

"Mai decided that she wanted to be in our group, so I showed her the symbol we drew on our hands on some paper and she decided to have it, too but with half on each hand." Tea said with a smile.

After the boys approved of this new development, they welcomed Mai as a member of their group as they shared a high five with her. But when they didn't look, Tea and Mai shared a passionate kiss before rejoining the others.

That was when Croquet spoke. "The time has come. Would Yugi Muto, the challenger please report to the dueling ring? Mr. Pegasus awaits you."

After that, the Spirit of the Puzzle took over before Yugi said mentally. "Let's end this, Pegasus." Before he walked to the dueling platform and stood on it.

"The challenger has entered the stadium." Croquet announced before the other doors opened to reveal the 1 who started everything: Maximilian Pegasus himself, along with 2 servants who were carrying his dueling decks. "And now for your dueling pleasure: Castle Pegasus is proud to present the creator of the Duel Monsters game and its magnificent cards!"

"And thief of my grandfather's soul." Yugi added mentally.

"The undefeated, undisputed ruler of Duelist Kingdom: Maximilian Pegasus!" Croquet finished.

"At last, I finally face Pegasus. It will take all the wisdom my grandpa gave me and all the power in my cards, but I will defeat him!" Yugi vowed mentally, knowing that it would take all the wisdom his grandfather gave him and all the power in his cards to win this battle.

"And now, let the duel begin." Croquet told the 2 duelists.

Pegasus signaled 1 of his goons to come forward and he did just that before Pegasus took his deck off cards and got on his dueling platform. "So, Yugi-boy, you've turned out to be quite the young duelist. Battling your way past the other challengers, winning your way into the castle just to face me."

"Pegasus, before we begin this duel, you have to keep your promise that you'll return my grandfather's soul to me!" Yugi demanded.

"But of course, I'm a man of my word."

"And you must agree to release the souls of Seto and Mokuba Kaiba!" Yugi added, wanting the souls of his rival and his little brother freed as well.

"What a strange demand. I thought you hated Kaiba as much as you hate me?" Pegasus asked, wondering why Yugi would want Kaiba free despite what the prideful duelist had done to him and his friends.

"Maybe I need to keep a vow of my own, Pegasus." Yugi said as he remembered the promise he made to Mokuba when they met.

But Pegasus had used his Millennium Eye to read Yugi's mind. "I see. A vow to Mokuba." He said with an evil smile. "Okay, Yugi-boy. If you win your duel with me, I'll return all 3 of these souls from their prison."

"Pegasus is up to something. I can tell." Tristan said with worry for Yugi.

"Yeah. It looks like he planned to take on Yugi in the final match the whole time." Joey added.

"He's after something, that's for sure." Tea said as she held Mai's hand.

"I'm more than willing to bet it's his Puzzle he's been after." Mai told her new friends and secret girlfriend, thinking that was the case. "He probably wants to add it to his freakish eye."

"I hope Yugi can handle him. Throughout the entire tournament, Pegasus has stacked the deck in his favor every step of the way." Bakura said with concern for Yugi, knowing that Pegasus had been planning everything from the beginning.

"You kidding me? Yugi's gonna kick his butt." Joey said with confidence in his friend. "When this is over, Yugi's gonna be the undisputed champion. Pegasus won't even know what hit him."

"But Pegasus has never played fair." Tristan reminded his friends, knowing that Pegasus never plays fairly. "He started by kidnapping Yugi's grandpa. And going into this match we don't know what kind of trucks he'll pull."

"Whatever trick he tries or card he plays, Yugi will overcome them. He hasn't come all this way to lose in the final match." Tea said with hope as she stood close to Mai.

"Maybe. But Pegasus did beat Kaiba and he's still considered the top duelist in the world." Mai reminded her new friends, remembering how easily Pegasus beat Kaiba despite his great skills.

"That's true, Mai, but Yugi isn't Kaiba. He has something that Kaiba doesn't have: best friends." Tea told her secret girlfriend, knowing that while Kaiba did have Mokuba, he didn't really have any real friends. And they're just about to draw their 1st cards. Let's head to the upper balcony for a better view." She said before she, Mai and Joey did just that, but Tristan decided to find the bodies of Mokuba and Kaiba, so that Pegasus wouldn't hold all the cards, which pleased the evil spirit inside Bakura, as he'd already began to think of a plan.

"Challenger Yugi Moto, as per the rules of the tournament, please present the card that permits you to participate in the final match." Croquet told Yugi, who showed him his Glory of the King's Opposite Hand. "And so, the stage is set for the final match of the Duelist Kingdom tournament. Just as the card you hold is a blank slate, there are no limits to the prize you can request of your opponent if you are the victor. You can ask to take over his company as your reward for winning. Or ask for this entire island or ask for Mr. Pegasus' Millennium Eye as your prize."

"This is crazy." Joey said, knowing that the prizes his friend could have if he won were insane as Bakura joined them.

"Where's Tristan?" Tea asked, wondering where Tristan was.

"Tristan wandered off somewhere, but I'm not sure where." Bakura answered while speaking with a half truth about where Tristan went.

"Now why would he do that when his best friend's in the most challenging duel he's ever faced right now?" Mai asked as she held her girlfriend's hand tightly.

"Who knows? But things are getting interesting right now." Joey said while looking closer at the arena.

Pegasus was delighted to hear that. "Any request will be honored? Now that's what I call a prize. Do I know how to throw a tournament? Or do I know how to throw a Duelist Kingdom tournament?"

"Promise me that you'll free the souls of my grandfather and all the others."

"Yes. But if I am the 1 who defeats you instead, you have to fulfill your part of the bargain as well." Pegasus told Yugi before pointing at him. "Take a look at the card in your hand, Yugi-boy. There's a reason it's blank, you know. For if I win, I claim your soul forever. So, you see, you have much to gain, but much to risk as well."

But Yugi was not afraid. "It's a risk I'm willing to take to free my grandpa and the others, but I don't plan to lose."

"We shall see."

"We will indeed, Pegasus."

"So courageous, so defiant."

Tea became worried as she held Mai tightly. "Do you hear that? If Yugi loses, Pegasus will steal his soul, too."

"What a creep. But even knowing what's on the line, Yugi's still isn't gonna back down." Joey said.

"Yes. But this is the biggest gamble I've seen anybody take in duel monsters." Bakura said with concern, with Tea feeling the same way as she and Mai continued to embrace, which the others didn't notice.

"I have to disappoint you, Pegasus, but I have no intention of ever becoming part of your soul card collection." Yugi said with a determined smile.

"Not only will you become a part of my collection, Yugi. But by defeating you, I secure my control of Kaiba corporation and all its inventions." Pegasus thought, having patched the corrupt members of the Kaiba corporation board of directors into the duel via his network. "All of my plans have come to fruition in this 1 final duel. And if all proceeds as I have envisioned, Yugi's Puzzle will soon be mine."

"The final match of the Duelist Kingdom tournament will now begin. The winner will be declared the King of Games." Croquet announced before a platform with 2 of Pegasus' going came down. "Now, both of you cut and shuffle your opponent's cards." Before the 2 duelists gave their cards to the other. While Yugi cut and shuffled Pegasus' cards, Pegasus didn't, claiming that the deck was as good as it was. "All right. Now, the cards will be returned, the scores reset...and"

"Duel." Pegasus and Yugi said at the same time as the dueling ring activated and they both prepared their cards for the 1st move, both thinking differently.

"You have come far, Yugi-boy and learned much as I wished. But you're still a novice compared to me, for I have mastered the power of my Millennium item."

"I won't lose. I can't lose."

Meanwhile, with Tristan

The brown haired teenager was still looking for Mokuba and Kaiba, hoping to get their bodies to get a small advantage over Pegasus but didn't know where he was going. "What have I gotten myself into? This castle is humongous. There's no sign of Mokuba or Kaiba or anyone else down here." Tristan said to himself before he heard someone coming and quickly hid in a suit of armor as a guard that was changing shifts with another guard to look after the soulless Mokuba. When 1 of the guards left, Tristan went around the corner but saw a dead end before accidentally tripping and pulled a dragon statue's head, revealing a secret passage. He went down the stairs and found a guard, watching Mokuba before he used the helmet on his armor to knock out the guard before opening the cell with a key and carrying Mokuba, while unknowingly alerting the security.

Meanwhile, back with the Duel

While Mai, Tea and Joey were watching their friend, Yugi decided to finally begin. "This is it. Now we begin. I lay 1 card face down and place this monster card in defense mode." He said as he did just that.

But Pegasus already knew what the cards were due to his Millennium Eye. "Sneaky play, Yugi. That wouldn't be a Beaver Warrior, would it?"

Yugi was surprised and asked mentally. "Is his Millennium Eye really able to read my cards?"

"Oh this is so much fun." Pegasus said with delight before drawing a card and laying it face down and playing the Red Archery Girl, which had an attack power of 1400 and defense power of 1500, along with a surprising amount of cleavage that would catch perverts off guard but not Yugi.

Yugi was confused at this while he spoke mentally. "Red Archery Girl? Why would Pegasus play such a weak monster in defense mode? Is he trying to draw me into an attack?"

But Pegasus already knew what Yugi was going to do as he spoke mentally to himself. "Yugi-boy, I know all. I see all. The cards you have face down are Beaver Warrior and Horn of the Unicorn. In your next move, you plan to use them in a combination attack."

"Pegasus seems so confident, but that's always been his style: never revealing his true motives. His face down card worries me, but I can't pass up the chance to gain an early point advantage. I have to take a chance and strike!" Yugi thought to himself before flipping his face down monster: the Beaver Warrior and summoning him in attack mode and activating the Horn of the Unicorn magic card to increase his attack power by 700 points, raising it up to 1900! "Now, attack the Archery Girl!"

"You've made a grave mistake, Yugi: you've activated my trap card." Pegasus said before he revealed his face down card: Tears of a Mermaid, which activated as the Beaver Warrior was getting ready to attack and used its electricity power against itself and lowered the monster's attack power back to 1200! After Pegasus explained the trap's effect, he switched Archery Girl to attack mode and told it to attack, which she did by firing an arrow at the Beaver Warrior, destroying it and dropping Yugi's life points to 1800!

"Did you see that? Yugi had the upper hand, but Pegasus knew exactly how to counter." Tea said with surprise as she held Mai's hand.

"But how could he?" Joey asked, wondering how Pegasus knew exactly which cards to counterattack with. "Maybe he really can read minds."

"If he can, how's anybody supposed to beat an ability like that?" Mai asked with concern, wondering how anyone could beat someone who had the ability to read minds.

"Pegasus must be reading my mind. It's the only way he could have been so prepared to counter my cards." Yugi thought, beginning to believe that Pegasus had the ability to read minds.

"Hahahaha. Finally, Yugi-boy is a believer."

"How can I win against someone who can read my cards and sense my strategies as soon as I think them up?" Yugi thought.

"How indeed? Oh wait I know, you're just beginning to comprehend my power. Do you now realize the danger you've put yourself in by accepting this duel? How can you defeat not only the creator of Duel Monsters, but a Duelist who can read your every thought? I can see everything in your mind. Your hopes, your dreams and even your fears. And what you fear most right now is me. And with good reason: you know my mind reading abilities give me an unbeatable advantage."

"This is crazy. We all know Yugi can beat anybody in a fair duel, but if Pegasus can really read his mind-" Joey said before Bakura cut him off.

"It's what makes his Eye 1 of the most powerful Millennium items. He can read anyone's mind he chooses. Anyone who opposes him must use extreme care."

"I guess so. You seem to know a lot about that Eye, Bakura." Joey said, noticing that his friend knew a lot about Pegasus' Eye.

"Just a little. What I don't know...is if any meds mortal can stand against it." Bakura said with concern.

"If not, there's nobody left to save Yugi's grandpa and the others."

"No matter what the odds, I'll never surrender to you, Pegasus!" Yugi said before placing a monster face down in defense mode." I lay this in defense mode and end my turn. Do your worst."

"I always do." Pegasus said with an evil smile.

But while this was happening, Croquet was informed by security that there had been a break in and told them to secure all exits, as Mokuba was needed for the takeover of Kaiba Corp, which had been heard by evil Bakura through the Millennium Ring' power.

"Could it be my turn?" Pegasus asked with humer before drawing a card. "And now the moment you've all been waiting for: Ryu-Ran in defense mode." He said before Ryu-Ran appeared on the field before hatching from its egg. "And I'll switch Archery Girl to defense mode, too." He said before he did just that.

"I'll scrabble your egg. If that's the best you've got, I'll still defeat you." Yugi said, thinking he still had a chance.

"So brave, even in danger. Perhaps he needs another demonstration of my Millennium magic. Alright, Yugi. Let's see what's in your hand." Pegasus thought as he used his Eye to see Yugi's cards, which were: Celtic Guardian, Spellbinding Circle, Magical Hats and the Horned Imp. "Oh nice cards." He thought before he looked at the card Yugi drew. "Could the card you just drew be Summoned Skull? I think that will go nicely with your Celtic Guardian, Spellbinding Circle, Magical Hats and the Horned Imp."

"He's reading all of Yugi's cards." Tea said as she stood close to Mai.

"That Eye thing is just a big tool for cheating." Mai said as she wrapped her arm around Tea's waist.

"How can I beat him like this? He knows all my cards the instant I draw them. With that Millennium Eye of his, he's unstoppable!" Yugi thought with worry, wondering how he could possibly beat Pegasus with him in possession of the Millennium Eye.

"I can't believe it's really happening: Yugi vs Pegasus. Everything we've been working for comes down to this match." Joey said to his friends. But evil Bakura was spying on Croquet's conversation over the phone and found out that Mokuba's body was soulless, making him smile evilly before he went off to find Tristan, telling Joey that was where he was going.

"Go ahead and make your move, Yugi-boy. Hahahaha. It's not like I don't already know what it is." Pegasus thought to himself as he read Yugi's mind and figured out what his next move would be. "1st you'll lay the Spellbinding Circle trap face down and then throw out the Summoned Skull in defense mode. Go on, Yugi. I'm perfectly prepared."

"It's my turn now." Yugi said as he did just what Pegasus thought he would do. "I'll pay this card face down and place the Summoned Skull in defense mode and end my turn."

"Hahahaha! You see, Yugi, the Eye never lies, nor does it fail to see the weakness in your pathetic moves!" Pegasus thought as he drew a card and switched Ryu-Ran to attack mode, making the dragon monster come out of his egg. "Ryu-Ran, Fire stream attack!" Pegasus told his monster, who did just that.

"With your attack, you've activated my trap card: the Spellbinding Circle!" Yugi said before he flipped the trap card over and it took effect. "My Spellbinding Circle has stopped your attack, and that's not all: it also traps Ryu-Ran in a binding circle of magic and reduces its attack power by 700 points." He said as Ryu-Ran attack power was dropped to 1500! "And now, Pegasus, with my Skull switched to attack mode, and Ryu-Ran trapped, he will be struck down. Go! Lightning strike attack!"

But as the Summoned Skull launched his attack, Pegasus was prepared. "Not so fast, Yugi, for I activate this." He said before revealing his face down card. "It's called Trap Displacement, which switches traps from 1 of my monsters to 1 of yours." He explained as the Spellbinding Circle was switched from Ryu-Ran to Summoned Skull, much to Yugi's shock as Ryu-Ran's attack power increased back to 2200 while Summoned Skull's attack power was dropped to 1800!

"No. My Summoned Skull won't last another turn with that Spellbinding Circle entrapping him." Yugi said.

"Yugi, he won't even last this turn. Fire stream attack!" Pegasus said before Ryu-Ran destroyed the trapped and weakened Summoned Skull, dropping Yugi's life points down to 1400!

"Pegasus knows every dueling strategy I think up. I can't hide anything from his Eye." Yugi thought to himself.

"That mind reading cheat! What the heck's the use in going on?!" Joey asked with frustration, wondering what the point was in his friend continuing to duel Pegasus when he could read minds.

"Don't say that. No matter how bad things are, we have to believe in Yugi. No matter how bad things look." Tea told her friend as she rubbed Mai's hair, knowing that Yugi would find a way to beat Pegasus, even if he could read minds.

Meanwhile

After Tristan got Mokuba's body, he ran as fast as he could, trying to find a way back to his friends when 3 guards with guns stopped him. "Hand over the kid, tough guy." 1 of the guards told the teenager.

"No. Come and get him." Tristan said defiantly.

That was when a voice spoke from the shadows. "Hahahaha. Lay 1 hand on the boy, and you will rue the day you imbeciles were ever born."

"Hey, who's there?!" A guard asked, demanding to know who said that before Bakura, who the evil spirit of the Millennium Ring had taken over, stepped out of a corner entrance. "You just walked into a world of trouble, kid!"

"Bakura, get out of here!" Tristan pleaded, not knowing that the evil spirit of the Millennium Ring had taken over his friend.

"Step out of those shadows, or else!" Another guard told Bakura.

"Or else you'll do what, you pathetic little drones?" Evil Bakura asked, knowing he was far superior to these worthless little insects.

"We warned ya." A guard said while holding up his gun.

"And I am warning you. Don't truffle with me!" Evil Bakura said while holding up the magic card: Chain Energy.

"What's that?" A guard asked while pointing his gun at Bakura.

Evil Bakura held the magic card up and strangely used magic to trap the guards. "Chain Energy!" He said before the magic chains appeared tightly around the guards!

"Bakura, what did you do?" Tristan asked with confusion, wondering how his friend just did that.

But evil Bakura had other plans. "Come. Now is our chance to escape." He said before he ran, with Tristan following him. When they were gone, the magic wore off and the guards called for backup.

Back with the Duel

"My turn, Yugi-boy." Pegasus said as he made his next move.

"And I'm sure it's another perfectly prepared move." Yugi thought to himself while thinking of his next strategy. "Hmm. If I'm going to win, I have to keep his Millennium Eye from reading my thoughts."

But Pegasus had read Yugi's mind and said. "Fat chance! Nothing you do can stop it. Face it, Yugi. You're at the mercy of my Millennium Eye. Don't you see? I already know every card you keep in your deck and have in my possession every card needed to stop them. I can see every strategy your feeble mind has concocted and have already designed my own counter tactics to render them completely useless! But even without my Millennium magic, you're no match for me. After all, who needs magic with this card? Perhaps you'll remember it." He said as he showed Yugi his next card: the magic card Toon World, the same card he used to beat Kaiba! "That's right, Yugi it's the magical Toon World!" He said before playing it, making the same book that beat Kaiba appear on the field.

"I thought as much!" Yugi said, knowing that Pegasus was bound to play that card sooner or later.

The others knew that this wasn't good, as they'd seen 1st hand what Toon World was capable of when it was used on Kaiba. "Aw man, this ain't good." Joey said, speaking for all of them.

The magic book then absorbed Ryu-Ran and Archery Girl into it before Toon World closed as Pegasus spoke again. "As you recall, Toon World protects my monsters beneath its impenetrable hardback bindings, bindings that they'll only vacate when they're about to attack you! And seeing how all my monsters have been transformed into their super-powered toon form, it will be an attack that's certain to leave you in stitches." He said as the Monsters that were absorbed into the book came out in their crazy toon forms. "What's the matter, Yugi-boy? Don't you have a sense of humor? Hahahaha!" He asked with an evil laugh before he told the newly transformed Manga Ryu-Ran to attack the monster Yugi had in defense mode, which was revealed to be the Stone Soldier and destroyed it with Nasty Nostril Flame Attack before going back into the magic book!

"That cheat! The Toon World card is 1 of a kind. It was thought too powerful for distribution. That's how he was able to beat Kaiba with it." Yugi thought to himself while remembering that Kaiba was easily beaten because of the Toon World card.

"And next I think I'll switch the Toon Mermaid into attack mode. You know? To let her out of her shell." Pegasus said before doing just that.

Yugi then thought up his next move to fight against the Toon World card and its monsters. "Hmm. If I keep throwing my monsters in defense mode, Pegasus' toons will just keep picking them off." Before he drew a card and thought about going on the offensive to maybe uncover a weakness in the Toon Monsters. He then played Celtic Guardian in attack mode, which had attack points equal to the Toon Mermaid. "My Guardian may not pack enough punch to beat that mermaid, but with both their attack points at 1400, she shouldn't be able to beat him either." Yugi thought before telling the Celtic Guardian to attack the Toon Mermaid. But as the monster attacked with Silverblade Slash, the clam of Toon Mermaid shockingly caught the Guardian's sword! "No way! The clam caught my attack!"

"That clam caught Yugi's attack? What's going on here?" Tea asked, wondering what was going on.

"I don't know, Tea. That match up should have been a draw." Joey said, knowing that with the Monsters attack points being equal, it should have been a draw between them.

Hahahaha. I'm afraid you're going to have to accept the reality of the situation. Yugi's guardian is the catch of the day. And if there's 1 thing I love, besides winning of course, it's a fish fry." Pegasus said as the clam pushed the Celtic Guardian away, allowing the Toon Mermaid to destroy it with an arrow but not dropping Yugi's life points before the Toon Mermaid went back into Toon World.

"Ok. Well, maybe if I play a stronger card." Yugi thought, thinking that a stronger card could at least compete with Toon World.

"Afraid not. No card in your deck is strong enough. My Toon Monsters can't be beaten by brute force." Pegasus countered, having read Yugi's mind again.

"Then what can I do? Attacking is useless. That Millennium Eye gives Pegasus access to my every card, thought and strategy. How can I possibly win this duel?"

Tea stated softly. "C'mon Yugi...I know you can beat this clown."

Mai said softly as she rubbed Tea's back gently. "Tea...I'd really like to tell you that Yugi could turn this match around...but I'm not too sure he can. Pegasus's Toon Monsters are just too unpredictable for Yugi to defeat them. Kaiba tried, and he ended up losing and despite giving it everything he had."

Joey said softly for the brunette. "We know it may seem that way Mai, but trust us: Yugi has gotten out of tougher scraps than dis. He'll turn this duel around...he just has to find those Toon Monsters' weaknesses."

"It's my turn, Yugi-boy. And I think I'll let these 2 cards face down on the field." Pegasus said as he did just that.

"Great. More to worry about." Yugi thought before looking at the cards in his hand, which were Feral Imp, Monster Recovery, Magical Hats and Horn Imp. "With those face down cards out, I guess I should may cost me a monster, but it's better than losing life points." He thought before doing just that.

But Pegasus already knew that was coming. "I knew you'd do that, Yugi-boy. Because that's the reason I laid this card face down." He said before playing 1 of his face down cards. "Behold the trap known as Gorgon's Eye." The Gorgon's Eye then appeared on the field and used its power to turn Yugi's defense monster, revealed to be Horn Imp to stone, like the Gorgons in Greek mythology!

"My Imp! He's been turned to stone!"

"As will every other monster you throw in defensive mode, for the Gorgon's Eye is a permanent trap." Pegasus revealed while explaining further. "And you should know that every time I destroy 1 of his victims, half of their defensive power will be deducted from your life points." He said before revealing his other face down card. "And now here comes Doppleganger, the copy card."

"He used that card on Kaiba." Yugi thought, remembering that Pegasus used that card on Kaiba.

"Correct, Yugi-boy." Pegasus said, having read his mind again before he played the card. "And as you recall, he can transform into any card that he wants." He said before the looney cat appeared and told his owner what he wanted to turn into. "It seems he wants to transform into that Summoned Skull I defeated a few turns ago."

"But he's in my graveyard." Yugi reminded Pegasus.

"Yes. But your graveyard pile is on the field. So it's fair game for my Doppleganger." Pegasus explained before his crazy monster went into Toon World, his card transforming into Summoned Skull a moment later before the magic book opened up to reveal the Toon Summoned Skull, which had the same attack and defense points as the original Summoned Skull.

"What have you done to him?" Yugi asked with disgust as the Toon Summoned Skull waved its head around with his tongue out in a crazy way.

"Nothing compared to what he's going to do to you." Pegasus answered.

"You're twisted, Pegasus! You take such delight in creating such a monstrosity." Yugi said with disgust at Pegasus.

"Don't say that. You'll hurt its feelings. Underneath all that gruffness late a very sensitive toon." Pegasus said with a childish tone.

"Pegasus, just make your move." Yugi said, not in the mood for Pegasus' childish games.

"Whatever you say, Yugi-boy. Lighting Strike Attack!" Pegasus said before the Toon Summoned Skull destroyed the turned to stone Imp, making Yugi's life points drop to 900 before the crazy going monster went back into Toon World. "Splendid showmanship, eh Yugi-boy? Perhaps I'll have a little celebration after I win."

"That creep sure loves to hear himself talk." Tea said with disdain for Pegasus.

"Sure does. I can't wait until this is over so we can finally get away from that childish idiot for good." Mai added with equal disdain, wanting to get away from Pegasus' childish idiocy forever.

As Yugi drew his next card, Pegasus used his Millennium Eye to look and see what it was: the Dark Magician. "I see you've drawn the fabled Dark Magician. Your favorite card, I'm assuming. I really look forward to when you put him into play, Yugi-boy and I can crush him."

Meanwhile

Tristan and evil Bakura were running up stairs when Tristan asked. "Hey Bakura, what was it you did back there? Using that magic card, but for real?"

"Not now! Those guards are still behind us." Evil Bakura told him.

"Fine. But something's up with you and you're gonna tell me what." Tristan said while trying to open a nearby door but it was locked. They continued up the stairs and found an opening...when Tristan nearly fell off a ledge but evil Bakura saved him to protect the soulless Mokuba.

Back with the duel

I don't know what to do. I can't attack those Toon monsters while they're inside that magic book. And the Gorgon's Eye turns any defense monster I throw to stone. It all just seems so hopeless." Yugi thought with doubt, believing it was all hopeless.

"It certainly does." Pegasus said. "Oh I'm sorry. Were you having a private conversation with yourself? I really should learn to stay out of other people's business. After all, accepting defeat is a personal matter."

"Yugi, remember what's at stake here: your grandpa, Mokuba, Kaiba." Joey reminded his best friend.

"They're all counting on you, Yugi." Tea added.

"And so are we." Mai finished after her girlfriend as they held each other close.

"They're right. I just have to remember what I'm fighting for here: to save the souls of my grandfather and both of the Kaiba brothers. I can't let them down." Yugi thought, remembering what he was fighting for.

Meanwhile, back with Tristan and evil Bakura

The guards finally caught up the the 2 teenagers and the soulless Mokuba as Tristan was about to surrender. "Well, we tried."

"What do you mean we tried? We have not even been captured just yet." Evil Bakura said.

"What do you mean? We're good as caught."

"We won't be after I enlist some help from the Shadow Realm." Evil Bakura said with an evil grin as he got out his deck of cards.

"The Shadow Realm? This can't be good." Tristan said with concern.

Meanwhile

"If I give up hope now, I'll lose those 3 forever. Their souls will be forever imprisoned in the Shadow Realm and Pegasus will be free to continue his evil ways. I can't let that happen. I can't give up. I must save my friends." Yugi thought to himself.

"Your friends? Yugi-boy, you can't even save yourself. Hahahaha. Hahahaha!" Pegasus thought evilly. "Your turn, Yugi-boy. But what's a poor duelist to do? If you throw your monsters in defense mode, I'll fossilize them. And if you throw them in attack, I'll destroy them."

"He's right, I'm trapped... unless this combo works!" Yugi thought before he played the Dark Magician. "I'll play the Dark Magician in attack mode and I also protect him with Magical Hats." He said before doing just that before the Magical Hats hid the Dark Magician and mixed up into 4 hats.

"Brilliant! Even Pegasus can't tell which hat Yugi's hidden his Dark Magician in." Tea said with a smile, thinking Pegasus could not be able to tell which hat the Dark Magician is under.

But Pegasus wasn't fazed by this. "Ah I see: with your feeble attempt to hide your Dark Magician, you're hoping to stall and find a way to overcome my Toon World. But it won't work. You're not capable of keeping your secrets from me and those silly magic hats won't help you hide. All I need to do is probe your feeble little mind to find out which hat hides your Magician. Or have you forgotten the power of my Millennium Eye? You might as well surrender now and save yourself the embarrassment of a crushing defeat."

Tea decided to try something else before her friend gave up hope. "Yugi, I know that Pegasus has magic, but so do you: the magic of your Millennium Puzzle!"

That got Yugi thinking. That's it! I do have my own kind of magic! The magic that merges me with the spirit of the Millennium Puzzle!"

Inside Yugi's mind

"Spirit, you have to listen to me!"

"Yugi! I can feel Pegasus trying to claw his way into our minds again. I-I can't keep him out."

"I know, but I have an idea: my grandpa told me that if I wanted to beat Pegasus, I'd have to harness the power of my Millennium Puzzle. I thought that he meant I should merge with you as we usually do and that together we would be triumphant, but now I think I was wrong. Grandpa said to trust in the power of my Millennium Puzzle, but he never said anything about you." Yugi explained, now realizing what his grandfather meant in his dream.

"What are you saying, Yugi?" The Spirit asked with confusion.

"Spirit, if I'm to have any chance of beating Pegasus, I'm afraid I have to banish you from the corridors of my mind." Yugi answered.

"Yugi, if we don't work together,we won't stand a chance." The Spirit said with concern, knowing that if they didn't work together, Pegasus would still beat them.

"Maybe not, but if we keep playing like we have, we'll still lose."

"What do you mean?"

"Listen, just hear me out. We're losing because Pegasus can read our mind because we're working so close together. That's wrong." He said before explaining further. "I mean, it's the wrong strategy for us to be using in this particular game. If we keep dueling with our spirits merged, Pegasus' mind-reading powers will beat us. And if we lose, everyone loses. But I have another idea."

"Well, it had better be a good 1. Many lives depend on us." The Spirit said to his friend, knowing many lives were at risk.

"I know. But I think it will work. I think it will allow us to stop Pegasus from reading our thoughts."

"Tell me quickly then. I can feel Pegasus pushing in our mind, trying to prove his way into our thoughts." The Spirit urged his friend.

"Ok, this is it: each time we play a card, Pegasus reads our mind. But what if we keep our minds separate and then switch our minds back and forth?" Yugi asked, thinking that switching minds with the Spirit could work against Pegasus' Millennium Eye.

The Spirit understood the new strategy. "Ah, switch minds. So, you're saying we won't merge our Spirits as we usually do. Instead, we keep our thoughts separate, secret, even from each other. A dangerous move, but it just might work."

"All right, let's do this." Yugi said.

Outside of Yugi's mind

After reading Yugi's mind, Pegasus told his monster to attack. "Toon Summoned Skull, emerge from the safety of Toon World and attack the Magical Hat on the far left." He said before the crazy Toon Summoned Skull did just that, making Pegasus chuckle. "The Dark Magician has performed his last trick."

"Maybe, Pegasus, or maybe you're losing your touch." The voice of Yugi, who had switched places with the Spirit, told his opponent.

Pegasus looked at the scoreboard and saw that the Dark Magician was unharmed. "What? Yugi-boy's life points are unaffected? And the Dark Magician card is still on the field." He thought with surprise. "Impossible. I just read his mind! His Magician had to be under that hat! I felt him resisting my probe, but there's no way he could have deceived me."

"Maybe you probed the wrong mind, Pegasus, 1 who doesn't know where the Dark Magician hides. Or maybe your mind-probing powers aren't as all-seeing as you think." Yugi said mockingly.

"You dare mock the awesome powers of my Millennium Eye? You go too far, Yugi-boy." Pegasus said threateningly.

But Joey was confused at this new development. "Hey, Tea, do you have any idea what's going on here?"

"I think it has to do with Yugi's other Spirit. Yugi's somehow using the Spirit from his Millennium Puzzle to confuse Pegasus and block him from reading minds." Tea answered while briefly separating from her girlfriend so Joey would not notice.

"Well, that's 1 way to stop a mind-reading cheater like that childish freak Pegasus." Mai said with a smirk.

"You gained nothing from your attack, Pegasus. Even with your magic, you won't be able to win, 'cause you're not the only 1 with a Millennium item." Yugi said as he held up his Millennium Puzzle. "Now, let's see how well your Millennium Eye measures up to my Millennium Puzzle." Before he drew a card and placed it face down on the field. "I lay this card face down and end my turn. Pegasus, do you know what the card is that I just played? Just use your Millennium Eye to read my mind. That is, if you think you can."

"No problem! You can hide nothing from me!" Pegasus said as both him and Yugi used their Millennium items as they flowed. When Pegasus tried to read Yugi's mind, he was surprised to find he couldn't. "What? I can't tell what that card is that you just played!"

That was when the Spirit, who had switched with Yugi, chuckled. "Sorry, Pegasus, but I don't know what that face down card is, either. Reading my mind will tell you absolutely nothing."

"How? How is he doing this?" Pegasus thought with confusion, as no 1 had ever resisted his Millennium Eye before.

"You see, Pegasus, I don't know what that card is, because I am no longer Yugi Moto, but someone else altogether." The Spirit explained. "Through the magic of my Millennium Puzzle, 2 inhabitant this body. Now, each time you try to read 1 of our minds, we'll use the mind shuffle."

"Mind shuffle?!" Pegasus thought with shock.

"Told ya! Yugi's battling Pegasus with not 1, but 2 minds." Tea said, knowing that she had been right.

"As much as I like the fact that Yugi is finally getting somewhere now, I'd never want another mind in my body." Mai thought before looking at Tea with a smile. "Unless it's this beautiful young woman right here."

"Oh, I get it. So when Pegasus tried to read 1 of his minds, Yugi can switch back to the other 1. I guess it's true, 2 minds are better than 1." Said Joey with a smile.

Meanwhile

"It's all over. Give us back our prisoner now, and we may still let you live in 1 piece." A guard said while he and the others were holding their guns. "Face it. You've got nowhere else to run!"

"Bakura, he's right." Tristan said.

"So, punk, what's it gonna be?!"

But evil Bakura chuckled at this. "You ignorant mortals. It's far from all over. We have barely even begun to play." He said as he held up his cards. "And I'll show you the cards fate has dealt you."

"Stop talking nonsense! Give up!"

But this only got Tristan thinking as he looked at Bakura. "What's with Bakura all of a sudden? Wait a minute! I think I remember him acting like this once before! It was when the evil spirit from Bakura's Millennium Ring dragged us all to the Shadow Realm! I thought that was just a bad dream, but it looks like it really did happen. And it looks like that evil Bakura is back again."

"Now I'll teach you the true meaning of fear, as I summon the Man-eater Bug...with the power of my Millennium Ring!" Evil Bakura said before he used the power of his Millennium Ring to bring the Man-eater Bug to life! "Now, you mortal fools prepare to meet your doom!" He said as the Man-eater Bug advanced on the guards as they tried to shoot the monster but the bullets had no effect, making evil Bakura amused. "Present day humans are so fun to terrorize, don't you think?"

"No I don't. But then again, I am a present day human, so what the heck are you?" Tristan asked.

Evil Bakura chuckled. "Me? Someone with great power, soon to be greater." He answered as he drew the monster card: Morphing Jar. "But I can't spend the day having fun, I have things to do. So I'll summon the Morphing Jar to this plane and put an end to their pathetic whining." He said before he did just that and the Jar took its effect on the guards, making them disappear. "The Jar's magic will send those ridiculous thugs to the graveyard."

Meanwhile

"So, still trying to read my mind, Pegasus? Go right ahead. The Spirit told his opponent.

"No thanks, Yugi-boy. My mind-reading abilities are only 1 of many skills that I possess." Pegasus said as he drew a card. "And that you need to worry about, or have you forgotten who invented this game? Besides, I can sense that you are prepared to switch minds. So, rather than waste both our time, let's move on, shall we? You've still no defense against my Toon monsters, and it's only a matter of time before I find out which hat hides your Dark Magician."

The Spirit chuckled. "Then pick a hat, and we'll see just how impressive your mastery of Duel Monsters really is. But I suspect you've relied on the power of your Millennium Eye for so long, your dueling skills have diminished."

"Even if your little theory was true, I'm still far and away a superior duelist to you." Pegasus countered.

"We shall see, Pegasus. Make your next move."

"Toon Summoned Skull, attack the middle hat." Pegasus said before the crazy Toon Summoned Skull did just that, destroying the hat. "Hmm, did I get him? I think I got him. I must've gotten him." He thought before the smoke cleared but the Dark Magician was still untouched. "No! I missed again!"

The Spirit chuckled at this. "What a shame, Pegasus. Another turn wasted. And for my next turn, a quick change is in order." He said before switching back to Yugi.

Yugi then drew a card and saw that it was the Living Arrow card. "Great! The Living Arrow card could really turn this match around." He thought before placing it face down and switching back to the Spirit.

"He's played another card face down, and there's no point in trying to read this Yugi's mind, because he has no idea what card it is, either." Pegasus thought with frustration.

"So, Yugi's played another card face down, and even though I don't know what that card is, I have faith in Yugi and faith in the Heart of the Cards." The Spirit thought to himself.

"I'm becoming annoyed!" Pegasus said before he drew a card and liked what it was. "Eureka! The card that will devastate your Dark Magician. Magical Neutralizing Force, activate." He said as he played the magic card and it took effect, evaporating the Magical Hats and leaving the Dark Magician unprotected.

"No. My Dark Magician is unprotected."

"It's all over for him and your life points. You can only watch as I savor my final victory." Pegasus said with overconfidence. "Does your heart grow cold knowing that your defeat is only moments away? Come on out, Toon Summoned Skull. Show them the face of victory!" He said before the Toon Summoned Skull came out and did a crazy face. "Toon Summoned Skull, devastate his Dark Magician!"

As the Toon Summoned Skull attacked, the Spirit switched with Yugi, thinking he might have a countermove. "Pegasus!"

"No, they've switched again!" Pegasus thought.

"I defend my Dark Magician with the card I placed facedown: the magic card...Living Arrow!" Yugi said as the Arrow came to life.

Pegasus was shocked at this, as he hadn't expected this. "What? Your hidden card is the Living Arrow?"

"That's right. That is my secret card. And since you're the creator of Duel Monsters, you must know all about the Living Arrow card: how it can fuse with any card an opponent has put into play. And it doesn't matter whether that card is a monster card or a magic card!" Yugi said before he switched with the Spirit again.

"We've thwarted your mind-reading magic, and now we're going to use your very own magic card against you!" The Spirit said with a smile. "Pegasus, I use the Living Arrow card to fuse with your Magical Neutralizing Force and fire it right back at Toon World!" He said before the fused Living Arrow fired at the magic Toon World book.

Pegasus was shocked for a second before he smiled evilly. "It doesn't matter, 'cause it's already too late for you to stop my Summoned Skull attack." He said as his attack hit the Dark Magician. "Your Dark Magician is vanquished."

That was when Yugi and the Spirit switched again. "Sorry, Pegasus. You've forgotten my other facedown card." The young boy said as he revealed his other face down card: Mirror Force. "It's a trap card, and it's 1 of my favorites: Mirror Force!"

"A trap?" Pegasus thoughtas the blast was deflected.

"It deflects back Summoned Skull's attack, and since the other card neutralized the magic that made your toons untouchable, your Toon monsters return to their original form and appear on the field just in time to catch the blast." Yugi explained as Pegasus' Toon monsters, who returned to their original form on the field, were all destroyed by the Summoned Skull's blast!

"Ahhhh! It's impossible! I can't believe you've destroyed all my beloved Toons. Aah! No! No! No! No! No! No! This is a nightmare, a bad dream. This can't truly be happening! Ohhhhhhhh!" Pegasus said, acting like a kid who just lost the game.

"We did it! All the Toons are destroyed!" Yugi said with joy.

"Yes, and it was your plan, Yugi. I'm very proud of you." The Spirit said proudly in Yugi's mind.

"Score stands at Yugi, 900, Pegasus, 600." Croquet announced as Pegasus life points dropped down to 600, 300 points below Yugi's. "Uh, sorry, sir." He apologized to his master.

But Pegasus didn't pay attention to that. "Yugi has proven formidable indeed. And his Millennium item is even more intriguing than I imagined."

"All right, you're in the lead, Yuge!" Joey said with joy for his best friend.

"At last! Those creepy Toons seemed almost unbeatable, but I knew Yugi would figure out a way to defeat them. I just knew it!" Tea thought with joy as she held Mai close to her.

"He... actually beat Toon World. That's very impressive. And not even Kaiba came close to it and he's still the world champion." Mai thought as she rubbed Tea's hair, very impressed with how Yugi beat Toon World when Kaiba couldn't even come close to doing it himself.

Meanwhile

As the only thing remaining of the guards was a pair of broken shades, evil Bakura spoke to Tristan. "As you can see, there's not a single particle of those pathetic fools left in this dimension. I have no patience for obstacles that get in my way. Remember that."

"I don't know how you did that, and I probably don't wanna know. Just tell me what you want." Tristan told evil Bakura, knowing that it wasn't really his friend. "I know you're not really our friend Bakura. You're the 1 Yugi beat. He banished you to the graveyard, and in the process, he freed Bakura from your mind control."

"Yes, but that wouldn't have happened if Bakura hadn't betrayed me. I've decided I need a new host." Evil Bakura revealed, wanting a new body for a host.

"You won't take me without a fight." Tristan said, thinking that the evil Spirit of the Millennium Ring wanted his body.

"Not yours. I want a vessel without a mind or soul of its own." Evil Bakura revealed, wanting Mokuba's body for his new vessel. "Turn little Mokuba over, or face the same rate as those guards. Hahahaha."

Meanwhile, back with the duel

Pegasus smiled as he spoke to Yugi. "Yugi, I'm impressed. When I 1st met you, you were just another boy who showed some faint dueling promise. But with my gentle guidance, well, just look at you now. You're 1 step away from becoming world champion. You've been to the Shadow Realm and back. And most importantly, you've finally begin to master the power of your Millennium Puzzle. And you see, Yugi-boy, that's what this whole tournament has been about. For I plan to take possession of your puzzle!"

"My puzzle?" Yugi asked with concern.

"No!" The Spirit said with equal concern.

"Yes. You and I will finish the game in the Shadow Realm, Yugi. And this time, it's winner take all!" Pegasus thought as his Millennium Eye glowed.

Meanwhile

"Hahahaha. So, what is it going to be, mortal? Are you going to hand over Mokuba willingly, or do I have to conjure something to consume your soul?" Evil Bakura asked threateningly.

"Forget it. No way." Tristan answered.

But evil Bakura chuckled. "You know that I have the power to back up my threats. Hand him over this instant, or I'll dispatch you to the graveyard, too."

Tristan then looked at the Millennium Ring before speaking. "Yeah, I remember. Your evil power comes from that, the Millennium Ring."

That's right. The Millennium Ring not only allows me to control your friend Bakura, it gives me other magical abilities as well. So, unless you want a more personal demonstration of my powers, you'll stop resisting me, since you know any attempt would be pointless. Why sacrifice yourself when you know I'll still wind up in possession of him in the end?"

When Tristan faked surrendering, he suddenly threw Mokuba into the evil Bakura's arms, catching him off guard before the brown haired teenager karate chopped evil Bakura out and got rid of the Millennium Ring by throwing far away into the woods before grabbing Mokuba and Bakura and heading back to the others.

Meanwhile

As black energy surrounded the dueling platform, Pegasus spoke. "I will defeat you, in 1 Realm or another, Yugi."

"It's just like last time. He's sealing us in another dimension, cutting me off from my friends." Yugi said before the energy cracked and they vanished inside it completely.

"Where'd they go, Joey?" Tea asked.

"And what's that thing down there?" Mai asked, wondering what that thing that just appeared was.

That was when Tristan, who came up to his friends with Mokuba and Bakura's bidies, called out to them. "Hey! How about a hand?"

"Tristan, where have you been?" Tea asked her friend, wondering where's he had been.

"You wouldn't believe it. I've had an adventure and a half today." Tristan answered as he put Bakura and Mokuba down.

"Tristan, what happened to those 2?" Mai asked.

"That evil Spirit took over Bakura again. And even though I got rid of it…" Tristan answered before he noticed the energy dome. "What's going on here?"

"You 1st, man." Joey told his friend.

"I freed Mokuba, but then Bakura tried to grab him." Tristan answered.

"What did Bakura want with Mokuba?" Mai asked while also wondering what Tristan meant by an evil Spirit.

"He wanted Mokuba for his new host body." He answered, making them all shocked before he assured them. "Don't worry, I handled it. But that's history. What's the deal with the indoor thunderstorm?"

"We're not sure." Tea answered.

Tristan then looked at the bodies of Mokuba and Bakura and said. "These 2 should be all right for now. Let's go down and check it out." Before the 4 of them ran downstairs to check out what was happening.

While they ran, Joey explained everything to Tristan. "Pegasus was losing, and he started ranting something about a Shadow Game, and then this thing came out of nowhere. I think they're still inside.

"Creepy." Tea said.

"I'll say." Mai added after her girlfriend.

Meanwhile, inside the Shadow Realm

"This place gives me the creeps. Whenever Pegasus brings me here, it only means 1 thing: a Shadow Game!" Yugi thought while saying Shadow Game with the Spirit.

"You'll find your experience in the Shadow Realm this time around will be a lot harder than your last. The strain of maintaining your Mind Shuffle will make it more difficult for you to mentally conjure up your monsters." Pegasus explained, knowing that Yugi was too weak to handle the Shadow Realm.

"He's right. I feel weak." Yugi thought, feeling weak already.

"I'll take over, Yugi." The Spirit said as he took control and switched with Yugi before he spoke to Pegasus. "I think I'm strong enough, so let's finish our duel now!" He said before speaking to Yugi. "You'll be safer if you let me handle Pegasus, Yugi. I can survive in this Realm easier than you."

"But we can't abandon our strategy! It was the only thing keeping Pegasus from reading our minds!" Yugi told his Spirit friend.

"You're right, and it's the only reason we have our narrow lead." The Spirit reminded his friend.

Pegasus then drew a card and saw that it was just the 1 he needed for this Shadow Game. "Hahahaha. For my next brilliant move...I play my Dark Eyes Illusionist in attack mode!" He said before doing just that as the monster, which had no attack or defense points, came to life. "And did I tell you it's a monster I created just for this game! And don't forget: in this Realm, it's as real as you are!"

"I can see that!"

"Oh, I know he looks formidable, but what sort of a threat could he be to you? He has 0 attack points and 0 defense points. Of course, since it's a monster you've never seen before today, you have no way of knowing its hidden secrets, and I have been known to keep a few tricks up my sleeve from time to time, Yugi. Hahahaha!" Pegasus said with delight, knowing that he had the upper hand now.

"I don't know what secrets your Dark Eyes Illusionist holds, but I'm certain it's not as harmless as you would like me to believe. I'm sure it's quite dangerous." The spirit said, knowing that there was more to this creature than meets the eye.

"Yugi! You're so suspicious! Hahaha!" Pegasus said with a laugh.

"I'll lay my Curse of Dragon on the field. Dragon, come forth!" The Spirit said before a portal like vortex opened and the Curse of Dragon monster, which had 2000 attack points and 1500 defense points, came forth.

That was when Yugi spoke to the Spirit, knowing that they needed to keep Pegasus off balance to win. "We've got to keep Pegasus off balance. We've got to keep switching our minds."

"All right, Yugi." The Spirit said before they switched again.

But this time, Pegasus was not afraid, knowing Yugi was too inexperienced in the Shadow Realm. "I think Yugi overestimates his mental prowess and underestimates the burden of fighting a Duel in the Shadow Realm." He thought before speaking to Yugi. "I don't think you have it in you, Yugi-boy. You now have 2 creatures to maintain: your Curse of Dragon and your Dark Magician."

Yugi knew that Pegasus was right, for he was starting to weaken. "This is so hard. The strain, it hurts." He said as he panted. "It's like nothing I've ever felt before. The whole world is spinning!"

"Yugi, if this is too much for you, you should let me take over." The Spirit urged his host and friend.

"Give me a minute. I just want to try to last out the turn." Yugi pleaded.

But Pegasus knew that Yugi was getting weaker fast. "He's too young and unskilled to cope with the stress, and communicating with that other Spirit splits his concentration even more. His mental and magical energies will soon be exhausted."

Meanwhile, outside of the Shadow Realm

Tea suddenly felt a bad feeling in her heart, concerning Mai and the others. "Tea, what's wrong?"

"A sharp jolt, right in my heart, along with the strangest feeling that something bad has happened to Yugi." Tea answered as she held her heart.

"Tell me about it, Tea. I think that our little buddy's in big trouble." Joey said with concern, having felt it as well.

"I know." Tristan said, making the others look at him. "Maybe it's because we've become so tight, but it's like we've developed some sort of weird link with him." He told them, thinking that was the case.

"Well, I've watched some shows and movies that have that sort of thing, but I never thought that it could be real. I guess I was wrong." Mai said while looking at Tea.

"Yeah, but if we're feeling what he's feeling, it must be really bad in there." Tea said while standing close to Mai.

"If only there was some way we could help him." Joey said with concern, wishing he could help his best friend.

Back in the Shadow Realm

"You're looking a little pale, Yugi." Pegasus said with dark humor as he drew a card from his hand. "Maybe you should give up your mind-shuffle strategy. Take a breather. I can send you back to your world anytime you're ready to surrender."

"Yugi, for once Pegasus is telling the truth. Your mind just can't handle the stress of maintaining our monsters." The Spirit said to his friend.

"Ok. Take over...for now." Yugi said before switching with the Spirit again.

"I'll use my turn to attack with Curse of Dragon!" The Spirit said before the Curse of Dragon moved to attack!

But Pegasus was prepared for this, as he already knew how to counter. "An impulsive attack, precipitated, no doubt, by his concern for little Yugi. But in his rush, he's made a fatal mistake." He thought before his Millennium Eye glowed. "Your attack actives Dark Eyes Illusionist's special ability: Mesmerizing Magic!" He said before Dark Eyes Illusionist's eye glowed purple and stopped the Curse of Dragon from attacking!

"He stopped him." The Spirit said with shock.

"To make up for Dark Eyes' non-existent attack and defense points, I endowed him with a special ability: he can use the power of his Mesmeric eye to paralyze attacking monsters in their tracks." Pegasus explained. "With such a superb monster at my disposal, what could my next brilliant move be?"

"Just play it." The Spirit said.

"As you wish." Pegasus said before playing the card he placed facedown: the Black Illusion Ritual card to sacrifice my incredible Dark Eyes." He said before the Ritual began. "You might ask why? Because I'm merely using this ceremony to create an even better monster. I hereby sacrifice Dark Eyes Illusionist to summon another spectacular monster: the incredible, extraordinary, unforgettable creature known only as… Relinquished!" He said with delight as Relinquished, who, like Dark Eyes Illusionist, had 0 attack and defense points, took form!

"What kind of monster can this be? I've never seen anything like it." The Spirit asked, wondering what kind of monster Relinquished was, having never seen him before.

"I'll show you by activating its special power. It's even more irresistible than my previous creature." Pegasus answered before Relinquished shockingly absorbed Curse of Dragon into him!

"No! My Curse of Dragon!"

"Gone, but not forgotten."

"Ugh! Dark Magician, go now! Attack Relinquished! Dark Magic attack!" The Spirit told the Dark Magician, who did just that.

But Pegasus was prepared. "Relinquished, activate your defense shield." He said before Relinquished used its 'wings' to shield to protect itself before the Curse of Dragon appeared on his right wing, making the Dark Magician's attack hit the dragon monster!

"No! It's using my Curse of Dragon as a shield against the attack!" The Spirit said with surprise before his dragon was destroyed!

"The Dark Magician's attack eliminates Curse of Dragon from the game!" Pegasus said as the Spirit's life points dropped down to 400, putting Pegasus in the lead again. "But, since he was your monster, you lose the life points." He explained by absorbing its opponent's monsters, Relinquished can use them and their attack and defense points to protect against any attacking monster." He said as his monster's wings went back up. "Relinquished remains unharmed, while the opponent suffers the damage. Your own attack reduced your life points! As long as I have Relinquished in play, you're your own worst enemy! How frustrating it must be for you, to know you have all these great monsters in your deck and, if you dare play any of them, they will be used against you."

"This game's not over yet, Pegasus." The Spirit said with courage.

"No, but it might as well be." Pegasus said as he drew another card. My monster's unstoppable. Watch! I activate Relinquishes' Hypnotic attraction!" Before Relinquish's eye shit a purple blast that hit the Dark Magician. "Try as he may to resist, your Dark Magician will find my spellcaster as irresistible as your dragon did." Pegasus said before the Dark Magician was absorbed into Relinquished, getting his attack and defense points!

"No! My Dark Magician!" The Spirit said before Relinquish's wings came down and prepared the Dark Magician for destruction! "And now it's turned him into another defense shield."

"That's right. You're beginning to catch on. And this time, I've got your personal favorite monster to use against you. But in an attack, he'll take your life points all the same. Guess you're not his favorite. Not anymore." Pegasus taunted with delight.

"How can I possibly win? Any attack I use will be used against me. And even if I manage to come up with another strategy, Pegasus will know it instantly." The Spirit thought with doubt.

"We can't give up. We have to Mind Shuffle again long enough for me to play a card and retreat before Pegasus can read our minds. It worked before, it'll work again." Yugi told his friend.

"Are you sure you're up to this? We don't know how long you can last in the Shadow Realm." The Spirit said with concern for his friend.

"I don't have to last long, just long enough for me to play 1 final card."

"But if you reach the limits of your endurance, your soul will be shredded and trapped here for all eternity."

"It's a risk I'm willing to take, for grandpa's sake. We both have to trust in the Heart of the Cards." Yugi said, having faith in the Heart of the Cards as they switched again and Yugi already felt himself weakening. "I've got to play fast." He thought before slowly reaching for a card in his deck. "I've got to have faith in the Heart of the Cards, because the next card I draw... could be my last. Please...make it 1 that can defeat Pegasus. Please!" Yugi begged as he drew his next card and saw what it was before laying it face down and playing Feral Imp in defense mode. "At least now... there's 1 card Pegasus doesn't know about. Now maybe we stand a chance."

"If I try to read his mind, they'll just switch again. So I'll overtax it like this." Pegasus thought before speaking. "Relinquished, use the Dark Magician's power and destroy the Feral Imp!" Before Relinquished did just that!

"No! My Feral Imp!" Yugi said with disbelief.

"Yugi, quickly, switch again." The Spirit told his friend before Yugi collapsed. "Yugi? Yugi!"

"Spirit, you've...got to beat Pegasus." Yugi urged his friend before passing out due to reaching the limit of his endurance in the Shadow Realm.

"Hahahaha. 1 down." Pegasus thought, thinking he'd won now that Yugi was out of the way.

Outside of the Shadow Realm

Tea and the others felt something awful happen inside. "Feel that? Something happened to Yugi just now." Tea said with concern.

"I know, but what?" Joey asked.

"Whatever it was, it felt devastating." Tristan added.

"Yugi's hurt...or worse." Tea said with sadness as Mai held her hand.

Meanwhile, back in the Shadow Realm

The Spirit tried to help Yugi but he wasn't moving or waking up, making him fear for his friend's life. "Yugi! Yugi! I can't sense his spirit. I can no longer feel the presence of his young mind. No! He can't be gone!"

But Pegasus heard the Spirit talking through his Eye. "Forget him. The boy was too weak. It takes a person of true strength to cope with the harsh unrealities of the Shadow Realm. Face it, Yugi us gone and it's just you and me now." He said with an evil smile.

Back outside of the Shadow Realm

Tea and the others felt a stronger jolt to their hearts, not feeling Yugi at all like he had disappeared from the face of the planet. When they tried to get inside to help their friend, they found out that they just went right through it, making them realize that Pegasus must have designed the energy to keep them out, much to their concern as they wished they could help Yugi.

Back in the Shadow Realm

The Spirit then took over Yugi's body and looked at Pegasus with anger at what he did to his friend. "You used your underhanded tactics to overwhelm Yugi's mind! You will pay for what you did!"

But Pegasus chuckled at this. "So I take it from this emotional outburst that you're acknowledging the fact that you failed in your duty to protect your little dueling protege. Whoever you are, Yugi would have been better off without your interference. Hmm?"

"Be silent! For what you have done, I will show you no mercy." The Spirit vowed.

"Then let the game continue. It's your turn. You no longer have Yugi to help you. And what's more, your mind is an open book to me." Pegasus said with an evil smile, knowing that the Spirit could not hide anything from him as he read his mind. "The card you drew is the Winged Dragon and Guardian of the Fortress, a weak monster."

"Pegasus read my mind, so now he knows every card in my hand. The only card he doesn't know is the 1 Yugi left on the field. But I have no way of knowing if that's a card that could tip the duel in my favor." The Spirit thought before he played the Winged Dragon in defense mode and the dragon came from a vortex portal and got into defense mode. "It's your move."

"Destroying your dragon won't affect your life points, but I'll do it just for fun. Relinquished, destroy the winged Dragon." Pegasus said before his monster did just that. "Oh, that was fun." He said before drawing a card that would assure his victory and played it. "Now the card of your final defeat. Your time has run out." He said before the monster, which had 200 attack points and 1000 defense points, came down from a vortex portal.

The Spirit recognized the monster by the way it had what seemed like a clock on it. "Jigen Bakudan, the infamous time bomb."

"Yes. Jigen Bakudan is a self-destructive monster that's immune to attacks. And in just 2 turns, it will explode and destroy my beloved Relinquished." Pegasus explained while revealing his move.

But the Spirit was confused by this. "You're using Bakudan to destroy your own monster?"

"Yes. And more importantly, it'll also destroy the monsters Relinquished has absorbed, namely yours. And Relinquished? His attack power is 0." Pegasus explained.

"Meaning your life points won't be affected at all, right?" The Spirit asked, knowing what Pegasus meant.

"That's right. While my score is unaffected, the explosion will wipe out your Dark Magician. And his attack points will be deducted directly from your life points, ending the game." Pegasus answered while explaining the result of the explosion the time bomb would have on the game.

"And that'll destroy any hope I have of rescuing Yugi's grandpa, Kaiba and Mokuba." The Spirit concluded mentally.

"Face it. The clock is ticking down on your demise and there's nothing you can do to stop it. I just can't remember the last time I had so much fun. Remember, only 2 turns left until kaboom and you don't have a single card in your hand that can help you. Trust me I know." Pegasus said with enjoyment, knowing his victory was close at hand.

The Spirit was beginning to doubt if there was anything he could do that could help him and his friends now as he looked at the cards in his hand, which were Makiu, the Magical Mist, Multiply, Burning Land, Kuriboh and Monster Recovery. "What am I going to do? Even if I draw a new card, Pegasus' Millennium Eye will let him read my mind and see exactly what card I've drawn."

"That's right. As long as I can read your mind, you can do nothing against me. You've lost. The game is over." Pegasus said with an evil smile, knowing he was close to winning.

"He's right. As much as I have to admit it, I've failed. I've failed Yugi and all of his friends. Nothing I draw can help me now. Yugi's sacrifice was in vain. His grandpa and the Kaiba brothers are doomed!" The Spirit thought to himself with great regret.

Meanwhile, outside of the Shadow Realm

"This is awful. When that bubble 1st appeared, even though I couldn't see Yugi, I could somehow sense him. But now-" Tea said before Joey finished for his friend.

"I know. It's like we've been cut off from him."

"If he's been cut off from us." Tristan added.

"I'm not as close to Yugi as you guys, but I've been creeped out by this dark bubble thing. It's like it's pure evil." Mai said with a bit of fear, feeling a bit afraid of this dark bubble of energy.

Back in the Shadow Realm

"That Jigen Bakudan is set to detonate in 2 more turns. But with Yugi gone from this world, he can no longer help me keep Pegasus from reading minds." The Spirit thought with regret.

That was when he heard a voice in his mind. "Yugi is still with you."

The Spirit looked and saw an old man that he felt must be connected to Yugi. "You must be-"

"Yugi's grandpa." Yugi's grandfather finished. "And believe me, his heart is still in this."

"But how can that be? I thought he was-"

"You thought only what your eyes showed you. The unshakable devotion of Yugi's friends is what keeps his spirit alive." Yugi grandpa explained as images of Tea, Joey, Tristan and Mai appeared.

Outside of the Spirit's mind

"Yugi's friends. Of course! They haven't given up on him." The Spirit concluded.

Meanwhile

"There's gotta be something we can do. We can't lose him." Tea thought before getting an idea. "Hey, I've got an idea." She said, making everyone look at her. "Yugi tried reaching out to us, so we should try to reach out to him in the same way. Remember the friendship pact we made?"

"Yeah." Tristan said with a smile.

"I sure do." Joey added.

"I have the marks still, so I should join in." Mai said with a smile.

"That's right, Mai. You're a member of our group now, too. So you should reach out to Yugi, too." Tea said to her secret girlfriend with a smile that was secretly lovingly before they all put their hands together, with Mai putting hers on Tea's.

"Yugi, all of us are here for you." Joey called out to his best friend.

"Come on, Yugi." Tristan added.

"I'm not about to lose 1 of my 1st friends." Mai said with determination as she held Tea's hands.

"That's right. We believe in you. And even though we can't see what's going on in there, we'll help you stop Pegasus' cheating and get you back here safely." Tea finished for her friends and secret girlfriend.

Meanwhile, inside the Shadow Realm

"Here's my move!" The Spirit said, having felt Yugi's friends reaching out to Yugi as he drew a card.

"Then let's have a look!" Pegasus said with excitement as his Eye glowed, beginning to look into the Spirit's mind and saw that he was trying to hide what the card was. "Ah, trying to hide your card, eh? Fool! There's nothing you can hide from me since you lost your mind-shuffling partner." He thought with overconfidence before he saw images of Yugi's friends and Mai blocking him from seeing the card. "Oh no! Impossible! Inconceivable! My Millennium Eye is being blocked! This can't be! My Millennium powers are totally unstoppable! I should be able to scan your every thought and strategies! I should be able to see each and every card in your deck!"

"Not anymore, Pegasus! Not as long as we're here helping our buddy out." The image of Joey said with determination to help Yugi. "Get out of his mind and stay out!" He said, forcing Pegasus out of the Spirit's mind.

"Thank you. Together, we can stand strong against him." The Spirit said with a smile.

"Pegasus, you just don't get it!" The image of Tea said with a look of disdain for Pegasus.

"You think that stupid Eye makes all the difference, but it's really just a big cheating tool for you." Mai said with the same look as her secret girlfriend.

"Friendship is what makes all the difference." The image of Tristan finished.

"That's right. And thanks to them, I can save my Dark Magician from your Bakudandetonator!" The Spirit said with a smile.

"You can not. My detonator will win this duel for me, despite your pathetic little friends." Pegasus said, thinking that he could still win.

"Wrong! Because now that these friends are working with me on a whole new level, this is a whole new game!" The Spirit countered. "Now, prepare yourself, Pegasus. Because with Yugi's friends preventing you from seeing the cards I play, you'll just have to take them as they come! And for this turn, they don't come any better than this!" He said before playing the magic card: Mystic Box, which engulfed the Dark Magician and Bakudan inside the 2 magic boxes.

"Mystic box? I could have countered that if I had been able to see it coming!" Pegasus thought, knowing that if he had seen it coming, he could have countered it.

The boxes then opened, revealing that the 2 monsters were switched as Dark Magician jumped back to the Spirit's side of the field. "The magic of the Mystic box frees my Dark Magician and puts your Bakudan detonator in his place." The Spirit explained before the 2nd box disappeared, revealing the Bakudan detonator in the Dark Magician's place.

"No! Now it's blast will only destroy Relinquished!" Pegasus said with fear. "No fair!" He said before drawing a card but knew that the draw was worthless this turn. "I pass, there's nothing I can do."

"Very well, my move, then." The Spirit said as he drew another card and smirked when he saw what it was, making Pegasus gasp before he played it. "Go, Brian Control!"

"No! Then Relinquished will be-" Pegasus said before the Spirit finished for him.

"Brainwashed and under my control for 1 whole turn." He said as the Brain Control hands out the endangered Relinquished on the Spirit's side of the field. "How does it feel, Pegasus? To have the tables turned and the magic of Brain Control used against you?"

Pegasus looked closely and saw that the Bakudan detonator was still trapped in Relinquished, making him laugh as he thought that his opponent made a big mistake. Hahahaha! Go ahead and take Relinquished, you fool! That detonator attached to him is set to go off this turn. It'll blast your Dark Magician and deplete your life points!"

But the Spirit thought differently. "You're wrong, Pegasus." He said as he drew the card that Yugi placed facedown. "I still have 1 more card out: the card that took Yugi's last bit of courage to play. And now it's time to find out what it is!" He said as he played the card, revealed to be the Dark Magic Ritual card!

"No! It's a Ritual card!"

"Yes. The Dark Magic Ritual! And to invoke its great powers, I must make a double offering. So I offer your Jigen Bakudan and my Dark Magician!" The Spirit said before the ritual began, sacrificing the Dark Magician and the Jigen Bakudan before it exploded.

"No! Jigen Bakudan was destroyed before it could detonate! But what has he created in its place?" Pegasus wondered, afraid of what his opponent could have created with the ritual as it continued, sending tornado-like energy into the air.

The Spirit knew what that meant. "The offering has been accepted. A new power is brought forth. Now, Pegasus, behold... the Magician of Black Chaos." He said as the monster he created, that had 2800 attack points and 2600 defense points, came down from a portal vortex.

"No! Not him! Not him!" Pegasus thought with fear, knowing what the Magician of Black Chaos was capable of.

"You may have successfully put Yugi out of commission, but not before his final act of courage set the stage for the greatest Magician in all of Duel Monsters. And with the Magician of Black Chaos, I will avenge my fallen friend." The Spirit vowed. "Face it, Pegasus, you're through. No card in your deck can save you now. Yugi's last act of courage will finish you!"

"As powerful as that creature may be, it matters not! For in 1 turn, that Brian Control card will expire and I will regain control over Relinquished. The power to absorb and assimilate monsters will be mine again. And with it, I'll steal that Magician of Black Chaos and his powers! Hahahaha! Pegasus thought with an almost insane grin. "Instead of being that fool's deliverance, he'll be his undoing!" Before he spoke to his opponent. "You know, I think you're right about that Chaos Mage. I think he will bring about the end of this match. And a lot sooner than you may think."

"We'll see!"

"We will indeed. Give it your best shot."

"Now, to complete my strategy, I play this." The Spirit said as he played a card that was blocked from Pegasus' Eye because of Yugi's friends, much to his frustration. "And also 1 monster card in defense mode." He said as he did just that. "And I end my turn."

"Hmm. 2 cards face down. Clever boy. He knows that when Relinquished is back under my control, I'll have the power to assimilate his monsters. Those cards he played must be part of a strategy to try and stop me." Pegasus thought before speaking. "It's my turn now! And the effects of your turn are over. Now your Brain Control spell has expired and Relinquished is back where he belongs: with his daddy. And even with your 2 mystery cards on the field, you'll find that he's just as effective as ever." He said before he talked mentally. "That is...after I make a small addition to him and create the most sinister beast my deck can produce. Then I'll crush this fool and make him regret ever truffling with my powers!" Before speaking again as he drew 2 cards from his hand and played them. "If you think you have Relinquished all figured out, think again. Because I'm using Polymerization to fuse him with Thousand-Eyes Idol. Now prepare yourself for the ultimate merged monster!" He said before Relinquished turned into a much more ugly form. "Behold my beauty. With Thousand-Eyes Idol and Relinquished fused together, I've created the 1 and only: Thousand-Eyes Restrict! Quite a looker, wouldn't you say?" He asked as the Thousand-Eyes Restrict, which had 0 attack and defense points, completed his transformation. "If you think he's a real stunner now, just wait until all 1'000 of his eyes open up. Then I think you'll find he's more than just a pretty face."

Outside the Shadow Realm

"Keep it up, guys. We have to stay strong for Yugi." Tea said.

"We're not letting up, Tea, not till he's home safe." Tristan said to his female friend.p

"Come on, Yuge, I know you can do this. We're with you, pal." Joey thought.

"We won't give up on you, Yugi. We're in this together." Tristanadded.

"Yugi, we believe in you, like we always have. We believe in you with all our hearts, even Mai." Tea finished asMai looked lovingly at Tea, admiring her girlfriend and supporting her best friend.

Meanwhile, back in the Shadow Realm

"Hahahaha. The end is truly in sight, wouldn't you say?" Pegasus asked with an overconfident chuckle.

"Not with my Chaos Mage protecting me." The Spirit countered.

"Oh, I think you'll find that once all eyes are on your Magician of Black Chaos, he won't even be able to protect himself. Hahahaha! Trust me, you see what I mean very shortly." Pegasus said before thinking mentally. "Soon, all eyeballs on my Thousand-Eyes Restrict will open up and all the monsters on Yugi's side of the field will be paralyzed, unable to attack or defend. And then nothing will stop me from assimilating that Chaos Mage and winning this duel once and for all!"

"I may not know what Pegasus is planning to do with that monstrosity, but whatever it may be, I can't let it happen. Not after the great act of bravery Yugi made to give us a fighting chance against Pegasus." The Spirit thought as he remembered the great act of courage that Yugi did to give them both a fighting chance against Pegasus by playing his last card. "Yugi risked everything to give me this chance. I can't let his last heroic effort be in vain." He thought before speaking to Pegasus. "Pegasus, you can do your worst, but this duel will be won by the card Yugi picked in his final act of courage!"

"Hahahaha! We'll see about that. Thousand-Eyes Restrict, time to open your peepers." Pegasus said before the ugly monster did just that.

"Chaos Mage, prepare yourself. Try to hold him off." The Spirit told his ultimate Magician before he got into a defense stance.

"There is nothing you can do to hold this attack off! For now I unleash the Thousand-Eyes Spell!" Pegasus said as all of Thousand-Eyes Restrict's eyes all sent out a green light that paralyzed the Magician of Black Chaos.

"My Chaos Mage!" The Spirit said with concern.

"Hahahaha! Is trapped by the mystic gaze of my ultimate beast. And don't even think about trying to rescue him because there's no escape from the mesmerizing eyes." Pegasus said while holding the Thousand-Eyes idol card. "Even the monsters you've hidden from me will be paralyzed."

"You haven't won yet."

"Don't be a fool. In a matter of moments, my Thousand-Eyes Restrict will assimilate your Chaos Mage, absorb his magical powers and finish you off with 1 thunderous blast! There's nothing you can do." Pegasus said with overconfidence. "Accept it, it's all over. Yugi's last card has failed you both and his Millennium Puzzle will soon be mine. Chaos Mage, come to me. Absorbtion Force!"

"Just the play I was waiting for." The Spirit said as he prepared 1 of his face down cards.

As Thousand-Eyes Restrict was beginning to absorb the Magician of Black Chaos, Pegasus laughed, thinking he'd won. "Hahahaha! In mere moments, your Chaos Mage will be absorbed and all his powers will be mine!"

"Wrong." The Spirit countered as the monster card, revealed to be the Kuriboh, showed up and had begun to become many.

"What's happening?" Pegasus asked, wanting to know what was going on.

"You were right about your Thousand-Eyes Spell. It did affect all my hidden monsters, specifically my Kuriboh and it paralyzed him along with my Chaos Mage." The Spirit revealed as he held up his other face down card: Multiply. "And I activated my other face down card, Multiply. 1 Kuriboh is becoming many." He said as the Kuriboh continued to multiply in front of the Chaos Mage.

"Those disgusting fuzz balls. They're spreading like wildfire." Pegasus thought with annoyance.

"And because it's too late for you to call off your absorbing spell, Thousand-Eyes Restrict has no choice but to absorb them all, if it can." The Spirit revealed as the Kuribohs were all absorbed into Thousand-Eyes Restrict before they blocked all of the ugly monster's eyes, freeing the Magician of Black Chaos in the process and giving Thousand-Eyes Restrict 300 attack points.

"Those furry freaks have covered him from head to toe. There must be 1'000 of them!" Pegasus said with a bit of fear.

The Spirit chuckled. "Tens of thousands, Pegasus. And because of the way the Kuribohs attack, you're about to see just as many explosions!"

"No! Kuribohs self-destruct when in contact with the enemy!" Pegasus said before the Kuribohs all self-destructed, creating a big explosion that made Pegasus cover both eyes before he looked at his opponent. "Curse you. You and your Kuribohs!"

"Of course, Kuriboh was my monster, so I lose 300 life points." The Spirit said with a smirk as his life points dropped down to 100. "But still, it's a small price to pay for crippling that beast!" He said as the smoke cleared to reveal that Thousand-Eyes Restrict was blinded.

"No! My Thousand-Eyes Restrict! He's blind!" Pegasus said with fear.

"And now that your monster's gaze has been broken, my Chaos Mage is free and you, Pegasus, are through. Attack, Magician, with Chaos Blast!" The Spirit said as the Chaos Mage did just that, sending a blast at the Thousand-Eyes Restrict that destroyed it! "Your Thousand-Eyes Restrict has been destroyed!"

"Oh, NOOOOOO!" Pegasus yelled out while putting his hands on his head, knowing that he'd lost the duel for the very 1st time as his life points dropped down to 0.

Yugi's friends felt it as Yugi woke up, allowing the Spirit to switch with him before he opened his eyes and looked at Pegasus. "Pegasus, you're finished. We've won." He said as images of his friends and the spirit appeared.

But Pegasus was in disbelief that he'd lost for the 1st time that he stood frozen in place. "No, how can this be? It's... it's... impossible. My eye, my magic, it all failed me. Cecelia, my love, I'm sorry." He thought with sadness before he leaned down and held his head.

Yugi stood up and spoke to the Spirit in his mind. "Spirit, I don't know how to thank you."

"It was your courage and the love your friends had for you that prevailed this day."

"And your determination. We all did it together." Yugi said happily as they shared a high five.

"That's right. As friends."

"And that's what it came down to: friends being there for 1 another." Yugi said with a smile as he saw images of Joey, Tristan, Tea and Mai.

Meanwhile

The black energy started to fade away as Yugi's friends watched before they saw Yugi, alright and unharmed, making them cheer as they ran to their friend. Joey tried to say to him that he was glad that he and his grandfather would be reunited and that they were very impressed with Yugi for being so brave but Tea, Mai and Tristan told Yugi themselves before the 4 cheered their friend for winning.

But then Tea spoke. "Wait. Let's not forget that it's not over until Pegasus frees everyone's souls like he promised."

"Tea's right." Mai said for her girlfriend.

"Well, let's go grab the creep." Tristan said before they looked at Pegasus' side of the platform and saw that he was gone.

"Why am I not surprised by this?" Joey asked unsurprised.

"Slippery double-crossing snake. Let's go find him." Tristan said.

"But we can't just leave Mokuba and Bakura here all alone." Tea said with concern for Mokuba and Bakura.

That was when the voice of Bakura called out to them. "Hey, up here!" Before Yugi and the others looked and saw that Bakura was awake.

"Hey Bakura, feeling back to normal?" Tristan asked, wanting to know if his friend was all right.

"Back to normal? Have I not been normal, Tristan?" Bakura wondered, not knowing that he'd been taken over by the Millennium Ring's evil Spirit.

"He must not be able to remember anything." Tristan said to himself before speaking to his friend. "That Millennium Ring was making you act like a real freak again."

"The Millennium Ring? Where is it now?" Yugi asked, remembering what the Millennium Ring's spirit tried to do to them last time.

"Gone. I threw that thing as far into the woods as I could." Tristan answered honestly.

"Well, if it was making me act weird, then I guess it was for the best. Anyway, I feel fine now." Bakura told his friends.

"Well, if you're okay, could you watch Mokuba for us?" Tea asked with a smile.

"Of course." Bakura answered while looking at Mokuba.

"Good. Then let's go fund that creep Pegasus." Joey said before he and his friends ran out of the room to go find Pegasus. "After all, he made a promise to free those souls, and he's gonna keep it!"

But when they were gone, Bakura turned around and looked at Mokuba. "If Pegasus restores Mokuba's soul, his body will be useless to me. But it matters not." Before the Millennium Ring magically reappeared around Bakura's neck, revealing that it was the evil Spirit talking inside of Bakura's head. "For now that Pegasus is weak from his Shadow match with Yugi, he's given me the opportunity I've been waiting for. The time has finally come for me to add Pegasus' Millennium Eye to my collection. The evil Spirit thought with an evil chuckle.

There you go, my dear friends, the match between Yugi vs Pegasus is complete at last. Next will be the completion of the Duelist Kingdom arc. Plus, there will be a special chapter that will have Tea and Mai's '1st time' and some of the cards Tea will have.

But I'm wondering: should I put it in before they rescue Kaiba from the virtual reality game or after?

Rate and review and I will see you soon, my dear friends.