I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! If I did, Toon World would have had all its insanity when it was first released.
Chapter Nine: Maximillion Pegasus Welcomes You to His Castle
Kisara scowled at Kemo as the group reached the entrance to Pegasus's castle. She wasn't going to forget him going back on their deal to release Mokuba. A lot of heartbreak could have been spared if he had kept his word. "Let us in, Kemo," she said as they came to a stop.
"Oh no," Kemo glared at them. "No way you brats won ten star chips each. This isn't some clubhouse; it's a place reserved for the dueling elite."
"Hmm," Mai smiled sweetly at the guard as she, Yugi, Joey, and Kisara stepped forward. "I guess that means we'll fit right in." They showed their full gloves.
"Would you mind telling housekeeping that I like my pillows extra fluffy?" Joey asked as they strolled past Kemo.
Mai entered her star chips into the key and unlocked the door. They started to walk in until Kemo blocked Tea, Tristan, and Bakura's way. "No, no, no," he said. "You three don't even have dueling gloves!"
"But you have to let us in," Tea smiled innocently at the guard. "We're the cheerleaders!"
"Cheer what?" Kisara was sure Kemo blinked behind his dark sunglasses. "What do you think this is—a high school football game? No star chips, no entry. You got that?"
Mai decided to pull out the big guns—or the big charms. "You saying you couldn't do us this one little favor?" She pursed her lips in a small pout and winked at the guard. "Not even for me?"
Kisara struggled to keep her expression stoic as Kemo became flustered. "Absolutely not," he insisted. "Pegasus gave me explicit instructions not to let anyone—" He was cut off as the three supporters sprinted pasted him and Mai and into the castle. Mai swung her knapsack into his face and ran in just as Joey and Yugi closed the doors. Joey set the bolt on the door, preventing Kemo from coming after them.
"And that's that," Joey said, brushing his hand off as he grinned.
They ventured farther into the castle, intent on finding Pegasus. The first person the group found was not the wielder of the Millennium Eye, but someone they had a score to settle with all the same: Bandit Keith. "Well, what do you know? If it isn't big, tough Joey and his whole crew of dueling dummies," Keith sneered at them.
"You slime bucket!" Joey yelled at him. "I've been waiting to find you ever since you left us trapped in that cave!" He clenched his fist and charged at Keith, throwing multiple punches at the other duelist.
Keith dodged and parried each of Joey's blows. "Can't this little grudge of yours wait?" he asked as he caught Joey last punch. "The real action's about to start." He gestured over the balcony to where someone was standing.
"Seto?" Kisara leaned over the balcony to see her friend standing alone, holding his silver briefcase tightly. There was nothing but determination in his deep blue eyes as he waited for his opponent.
"Yeah, the world champ and Pegasus," Keith laughed. "I'd hoped to get first crack at the old man myself, but you know they save the biggest match for last."
"So they're really going to duel," Kisara whispered, keeping her eyes on Seto.
"Then it looks like I made it here just time, chumps." Rex Raptor walked into the room. "I may have lost to you before, but not anymore. And I'm going to back at you Joey for taking my Red-Eyes Black Dragon."
"Hey, I won it fair and square!" Joey yelled at the dino duelist. "But if it's a rematch you want, I'll gladly take you on!"
"Please, honored guests, may I have your attention?" a tall man with bushy gray hair and mustache interrupted them. Like all of Pegasus's employees, he wore a black suit and sunglasses. "Welcome, finalists, to Pegasus's Castle. I'm Croquet, Chief Tournament Liaison. Congratulations on making it this far. Pegasus is quite taken with all of your dueling talents. In fact, he's so impressed, he wanted to reward you with some entertainment: a special exhibition match. I think you'll all be quite in awe of what you're about to see." He paused, gauging their reactions. "This match should give you an idea of what's in store for all of you."
"So basically it's meant to intimidate us?" Mai reasoned.
"Why would Pegasus want to do that?" Croquet asked, his expression unreadable.
"'Cause he's a grade-A nutcase," Joey answered.
"I wouldn't have used those words, but Joey's right," Kisara said, narrowing her sapphire eyes at the employee.
"Enjoy the match," Croquet turned and walked away.
The doors across from Seto opened, and Pegasus strolled in, accompanied by two security guards. Kisara grimaced at his slightly amused expression. "Where's my brother?" Seto demanded to know.
"What? No hello?" Pegasus dodged the question. "I thought we were friends Kaiba-boy. Don't tell me that my kidnapping Mokuba and seizing control of your company has put a rift between us? It was nothing personal." His tone shifted from an amused host to a more sinister motive. "Besides, it's not like I hurt your kid brother. He's perfectly safe. In fact, you can have him back if you like. Just beat me in a duel like we agreed, and I'll hand him over. I mean, one little victory shouldn't be a problem for the Duel Monsters world champ." The Millennium Eye glimmered in the light.
"I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm not hoping Kaiba loses this duel," Joey said. "I still say he's a first-class jerk for everything he put us through, but I can't help but feel for him trying to get his kid brother back.
"Far as I'm concerned, anyone who stands up to Pegasus can't be all bad," Tristan said.
"I'm also certain Pegasus took Mokuba's soul," Kisara said.
"Are you sure?" Tea asked.
Kisara nodded. "There's no other explanation for what he did on the roof. I just hope Seto knows what he's getting into. This could be his toughest duel yet."
"Come now, Kaiba," Pegasus continued to toy with the CEO. "It's so gauche to keep us in suspense, especially with an audience waiting in the wings."
Seto turned to see the crowd in the balcony. His eyes widened at the sight of Yugi. "Hey there, Kaiba," the shorter duelist said.
"I should have known you'd find a way back in here," Seto smirked and turned back to Pegasus.
"I hope you're ready, Kaiba-boy," Pegasus grinned. "I don't know about you, but I have been looking forward to this match for quite some time."
"Be safe, Seto!" Kisara called to her friend. "Don't underestimate him, even for a second."
He didn't look back at her, but he nodded. He opened his briefcase and took out one of his duel disks. "Here!" Seto tossed the device to Pegasus. "If you really have been looking forward to our match, then you'll have no problem dueling with this!"
Pegasus waved the duel disk like a fan in front of him, feigning confusion. "You want to duel me with your latest contraption? But I don't even know how the silly device even works. Do I spin it like a top or roll it like a ball?" He sent the disk rolling across the walkway, leaving his two lackeys to chase it.
"Cut the theatrics!" Seto yelled at the Duel Monsters creator.
"Ooh, Kaiba means business," Pegasus grinned. "Okay then, how about we settle this like businessmen would? I'll agree to use your system if you agree to a request I have."
"I have a bad feeling about this," Kisara said as she kept her eye on the red-suited host.
"Nothing that will change the game of course," Pegasus continued. "I just want someone else to operate your little device for me." The Millennium Eye flashed.
"I smell a rat," Bandit Keith spat.
"What kind of chump-a-saurus makes someone else fight for him?" Rex asked. "He can't be that intimidating if he needs help to win."
"I assure you I will still make all the strategic decisions," Pegasus pressed his point. "The gameplay won't change at all."
"So then why the request?" the brown-haired duelist asked. "Why not fight your own battles for once?"
The tournament host clapped his hands. "Show Kaiba the lad who'll play as my pawn, and he'll understand my request," he ordered his guards.
The door opened, and a dirty and disheveled Mokuba was escorted by two more of the guards, held by a shackle around his left wrist. His blue-gray eyes were vacant as the guard holding the chain led him in. No matter what Seto or anyone else said, he didn't respond.
"I'm sorry if he doesn't seem quite like himself," Pegasus prattled on. "But I happen to find that the captives I keep are far easier to manage after I've made an extraction of sorts."
Seto shook with rage. "You monster!" he yelled.
"Now, now, Kaiba-boy," Pegasus held up a card. Kisara could just see Mokuba's image on it. "Petty insults aren't the way to get your brother's soul back."
"I was right," Kisara said, clenching her fist. "I was really hoping I was wrong."
"What's he mean?" Mai asked.
"It's a long story," Kisara answered. "Let's just say that golden eye of his isn't for show."
Pegasus continued to taunt Seto about Mokuba and the stakes of the duel. If Seto won, Mokuba's soul would be released, but if he lost, Pegasus would take Seto's soul as well. And if Seto still wanted to use the duel disks, he would have to face his brother.
"Seto. Mokuba." Kisara let her hair fall in her eyes. There was no way Seto would duel with those terms. Even if Mokuba's soul was gone, Seto could never bring himself to attack Mokuba's body. He gave up his edge of the duel disks to spare Mokuba the strain of the duel. The guards took Mokuba out of the room, probably back to wherever he was being held before Seto made it into the castle.
Pegasus snapped his fingers, and the landing he and Seto stood on split apart, powered by some mechanism. A duel arena descended from high above and filled the gap created by the opening in the landing. The landing connected to the arena, and it roared to life.
"Ready, Kaiba?" the silver-haired man asked. "Your brother's fate hangs in the balance."
Seto said nothing as he took out his deck and placed it in the designated slot. "Kaiba, you gotta believe in the Heart of the Cards!" Yugi called to him. "It's the only way to rescue Mokuba!"
Seto turned to look up at the group. "Stay out of this," he told them. "I'm fighting this duel my way."
"Seto, please," Kisara begged him. "You don't have to do this alone."
"Just remember it takes more than a strong monster and clever strategies to win this," Yugi continued. "That Millennium Eye Pegasus has changes everything."
"Yuge, don't forget Kaiba's the one that took five of your stars," Joey interrupted him.
"I know," Yugi kept his eyes on Seto. "But I also know what it's like to be dueling for someone you care about. And I couldn't live with myself if I held back anything that could help Kaiba get his brother back."
"Yugi, you're a good duelist," Seto said as he faced Pegasus again. "But I don't need your help. It's my battle to fight now, and I will win."
"Seto, please, just be careful," Kisara said to him as the match started.
Pegasus took the first move and set a monster and a face-down. Kisara knew better than to trust anything he did, and she was sure Seto knew as well. The Duel Monsters creator just stared at Seto while the champion made his move: attacking with Rude Kaiser. It sliced through Pegasus's alligator. He feigned fear and anguish before summoning Parrot Dragon. The dragon-bird combination swooped into destroy Rude Kaiser, but Seto played his face-down card: the magic card Mesmeric Control. It weakened the Parrot Dragon enough for Seto's monster to destroy it, knocking Pegasus down to 1400 LifePoints.
"Wow, Pegasus talks a big game but duels like a kid," Tristan said.
"It's almost like he's toying with Kaiba," Mai said.
"Wait, didn't he pull this act with you?" Joey turned to Yugi.
The shorter duelist nodded. "I guess he doesn't even take the world champion seriously. I just hope Kaiba catches on before it's too late."
"He knows," Kisara said. "Seto wouldn't have gone so long without losing if he couldn't tell when his opponent was up to something. He's also seen Pegasus duel before too."
Seto moved to summon his next monster, but Pegasus stopped him with his face-down card. The magic card Prophecy allowed him to guess whether or not Seto's monster had than 2000 attack points. If he guessed correctly, Pegasus could take the card from Seto and add it to his hand. It's Blue-Eyes. Kisara suspected Seto was about to summon his favorite dragon, and Pegasus was counting on that. Not only did Pegasus guess the monster had more than 2000 attack points, he correctly identified it as the Blue-Eyes White Dragon. Seto shook with fury as he placed the card on the arena to be sent to Pegasus.
"There's no way he could have known that was Blue-Eyes," Kisara said. "I had a feeling, but even I wasn't completely sure."
"Pegasus must be up to his old tricks," Yugi said. "It's just like what he did against me."
"Don't let him shake you, Seto!" Kisara called. "Remember what you kept telling me. He won't play fair."
"Oh, Kisara-dear, do you think that little of me?" Pegasus chuckled.
"You're the mind-reader. You tell me."
"Ooh, I see Kaiba-boy's feistiness has rubbed off on you," he grinned. "Now I really can't wait to see what you do in the finals. But first Kaiba-boy has to take his turn."
Seto pulled himself together and switched Rude Kaiser into defense mode, bracing himself for Pegasus to summon the stolen Blue-Eyes. Pegasus set a monster and a card, continuing to toy with his opponent. Seto brought out Saggi the Dark Clown laid a face-down, just like he did against Yugi on the roof not more than two hours ago. Kisara braced herself, hoping the virus would infect Pegasus's deck and wipe him out. Mokuba's safety depended on it.
"Yeah, this time Pegasus's going to catch the bug," Joey grinned.
"I wouldn't be too sure," Yugi warned them. "Pegasus knows."
Yugi was right, and Pegasus activated the magic card Negative Energy. It doubled Saggi's attack points, making the clown too powerful to host the crush card. The game creator continued by flipping up his Dark Rabbit, also boosted by Negative Energy's magic. The ridiculous rabbit threw several rapid punches at the clown, destroying it. Seto's LifePoints fell to 1000.
"And I always thought a rabbit punch was a wimpy move," Joey said.
"I've never seen Kaiba so shaken before," Tea said.
"And Pegasus still isn't really trying," Kisara said. "He still has the Blue-Eyes he stole. He could have ended it right now if wanted to, but he's just toying with Seto even more." Her worry for her friend grew. She couldn't lose Seto too. Not after everything else that was happening. Please, let Seto pull through.
"The Millennium Eye somehow lets him see all of the cards in Kaiba's hand," Yugi said.
"Come on," Mai scoffed. "Tell me you're not serious."
"Dead serious," Kisara told her. "I said it wasn't for show."
"I know you guys said it had magical powers," Joey said, "but I didn't know it could help him win duels too. How's anyone supposed to win against that kind of power?"
"Still, I wouldn't count Kaiba out of this match just yet," Yugi said. "He may be trailing now, but he didn't get to be world champion without learning a few comeback tricks."
"He just has to deal with the stolen dragon and Pegasus's magic," Kisara added. "Stay strong, Seto!"
Seto shook off Pegasus's tactics and set a monster, protecting himself from the Dark Rabbit. "Tell me something, my old friend," Pegasus said after he drew. "Did you like watching cartoons in your youth?" Seto said nothing. Neither one of us exactly had access to a TV back then. Kisara never saw much outside the library at Kaiba Mansion, and knowing Gozaburo, he wouldn't let Seto and Mokuba have that kind of enjoyment. "Is that a no?" Pegasus asked. "Kaiba, you're even more cold-hearted than I thought." A happy grin spread on the creator's face as he reminisced. "Why, for me, they were the absolute best. And none was closer to my heart than the misadventures of one tricky hare! I am speaking, of course, of Funny Bunny! Such a clever rabbit, forever evading Ruff Gruff McDogg and his long paw of the law!" he sang as he continued. "Oh, how I'd spend hours watching their never-ending antics and perpetual game of hide-and-seek!"
"Where is he going with this?" Kisara asked.
"I don't know, Joey answered, "but I bet it's not going to be good."
"Just make your move," Seto demanded.
Pegasus laughed. "But, Kaiba, that is my move. An entire magical cartoon world! Welcome, Kaiba, to Toon World!" He played a magic card, and a book materialized on his field. It opened, and a cartoon castle sprung from its pages like a pop-up book. "Let the fun begin!"
"What kind of wacky card is this?" Joey asked. "I've never even heard of it."
"I can't believe Pegasus is using cards that were never released," Rex said. "That chump-a-saurus sure knows how to make the most of his position."
"Rex, you know about this card?" Kisara asked.
"Yeah, it'll make Kaiba go extinct," Rex laughed. "I guess Kaiba's not as undefeatable as everyone thinks. Even if losing to Yugi was a fluke, this'll put him in his place. And I get a front-row seat to it all."
Pegasus's Dark Rabbit hid himself inside the pop-up book, and the creator explained that nothing could penetrate the book once the pages were closed. At his command, the Rabbit popped out with a more cartoon look and armor before boxer-punching Seto's Battle Ox. Its attack finished, it waggled its tongue at Seto before vanishing back into Toon World.
"Well that's not fair!" Tea yelled at Seto's helplessness against the cartoon.
"He'll keep doing this the entire duel," Yugi said.
"Don't give up, Seto!" Kisara called to him. He had to win. He just had to.
Seto kept biding his time with a face-down, passing the duel back to Pegasus. The cartoon-lover decided to toy with Seto even more and brought out Blue-Eyes White Dragon. The dragon roared and flew into the book, and the book snapped shut. "Meet the new and improved Blue-Eyes Toon Dragon!" Pegasus cheered as the dragon returned in a cartoon explosion. Now the dragon was smaller, its eyes bugged out, and its sharper teeth were revealed in a comic grin. It snarled at Seto.
"No, you've stripped him of his pride," Seto stared at the comic dragon in disbelief.
"Please," Pegasus brushed off his opponent's protests. "I've transformed this legendary beast into his most supreme form. Also I've made him look much more cuddly."
"Of all the things that Blue-Eyes is, cuddly sure ain't one of them," Joey said.
"For once, I think that Kaiba would agree with you," Yugi replied.
"It's just so wrong," Kisara added. "It's like it's not even the same dragon, and this might be the first dragon I've seen that I dislike." Whatever connection she felt with Blue-Eyes White Dragon was severed in its Toon counterpart.
"That's not a good sign," Joey said, "if even you don't like the dragon.
The Toon Dragon blasted through Seto's Rude Kaiser, leaving the champion defenseless. Seto slammed his hand face-down on the edge of the display. "Somehow you can see my cards," he accused Pegasus, "so I'm abandoning my present hand. Perhaps if I can't see what I'm playing, then you can't either!"
"A gutsy move," Yugi commented.
"Tell me, how do you think Pegasus is cheating?" Tristan asked.
"I don't know," Joey said. "Maybe he's got some hidden cameras up here?"
"That's not it," Kisara insisted. The more she watched Pegasus duel, the more she was reminded of what she saw when she first touched Grandpa's Blue-Eyes. Did that creature have the Millennium Eye? "There's some kind of magic associated with the Millennium Items. I don't know what that Eye can do, but it's how Pegasus sees Seto's cards. He didn't have cameras when he dueled Yugi. It's the only common factor."
"You really think so?" Tristan asked. She nodded.
"Hey, I wouldn't put anything past that sleazy slime ball," Joey said. "And I'll tell you this: now that Kaiba's not even looking at his cards, he needs to trust more in the Heart of the Cards if he's going to have any chance of rescuing his brother."
Come on, Seto! Kisara held her breath and Seto drew. There was one card that could help him, and he needed to draw it now.
"I've put all my faith in the one draw!" Seto played his card. Blue-Eyes White Dragon materialized on his field, roaring with fury. Yes! Go get him! Blue-Eyes attacked the Toon Dragon, and the cartoon warped itself so the White Lightning flew right past it.
"You should have watched more cartoons, Kaiba," Pegasus laughed. "The cuddliest creature never, ever gets hit. In 3,013 episodes of Funny Bunny, Ruff Ruff McGruff never laid a paw on our cuddly hero. No, he would try and try, but never would he succeed. Such a clever little rabbit."
"Well he apparently had a happy childhood," Kisara frowned.
"And my creatures will employ the same cleverness every time you attack," Pegasus grinned. "Because as long as my Toon World card is out, everything I throw will be just as hard to pin down as my Toon Dragon!"
"Well that's hardly fair!" Tea yelled.
"I told you guys Pegasus knows how to make the most of his position," Rex laughed.
"What do you know about it?" Kisara asked.
"All I know is that it was never put into circulation," Yugi said. "It was deemed too powerful."
"Yeah, and that chump has the only copy," Rex added.
"That sounds real fair," Joey grimaced.
"How can anyone beat Pegasus when he has cards like that at his disposal?" Tea asked.
Pegasus continued the duel by adding the Shine Palace to Toon World, boosting Blue-Eyes Toon Dragon's attack points by 500. The cartoon flexed its muscles in a volcanic explosion for Seto and the spectators to see. It attacked, but Seto countered with Negate Attack, protecting the original Blue-Eyes.
"My turn!" Seto made his draw. It came down to this. He needed something to take out the Toon Dragon now. "Go, Shadow Spell!" Chains burst out and ensnared the cartoon, immobilizing him and lowering his attack strength by 700 points. Blue-Eyes White Dragon's attack hit true this time, destroying the Toon Dragon and knocking Pegasus down to 1200 LifePoints. "Now do you understand that nothing will stop me from rescuing my brother, Pegasus?" Seto spat. "Even destroying my own Blue-Eyes."
"Aw, Kaiba-boy," Pegasus grinned. "Your treasured Blue-Eyes White Dragons mean so very much to you, don't they? Well, as creator of Duel Monsters, I'm truly touched by your devotion. But when will you learn the same devotion is not returned by the Blue-Eyes?" He revealed the card he drew: Dragon Capture Jar. "For as you see, dragons are not so loyal."
That's where you're wrong. Dragons are loyal, especially Blue-Eyes to Seto. Casting a spell to take away its will does not mean the dragon is disloyal. It just makes it very, very angry. Kisara scowled as Pegasus's Jar absorbed the Blue-Eyes White Dragon.
Left with few options, Seto drew a card and set a monster face down. Pegasus set a magic card and summoned the Dragon Piper, intending to bring Blue-Eyes out from the Jar and control it. Refusing to let that happen, Seto flipped up his Swordstalker. The warrior charged at the Dragon Piper, desperate to destroy it before it released Blue-Eyes. Pegasus laughed and revealed his face-down card: the magic card Doppelganger. It copied any card out on the field—namely Seto's Crush Card Virus. The virus infected the Dragon Piper, infecting Seto's deck when the Swordstalker slashed through it. Seto's deck was wiped out—he only had one monster with less than 1500 attack points. He played Monster Reborn to bring back Saggi the Dark Clown in defense mode. Pegasus summoned Bickuribox. The cartoon jack-in-a-box sliced through the clown, destroying the last card in Seto's deck.
"There are no more cards you can play!" Pegasus laughed. "Therefore you lose, Kaiba-boy. And you've lost much more than just this duel, haven't you Kaiba? You've lost the only chance you had of rescuing your baby brother. You let him down, but don't worry, my dear friend. I will spare you the agony of carrying on in this world without him." He pulled out a blank card.
"What is that?" Seto asked.
"It is the final fate of your soul, Seto Kaiba," Pegasus said as the Millennium Eye glowed.
"NO!" Kisara couldn't let anything happen to Seto. Not him. Not because he was trying to save Mokuba. There had to be something she could do to save him. Her hair flew around her as she reached over the balcony for him. A dragon roared. Shadows pulled at Seto, and she chased after him. He lay unconscious before her. Kisara reached claws out to him. The light they came from was closing. She shoved Seto through the light just before it vanished. Kisara was left alone among the shadows.
ΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩ
Seto blinked, and he was still facing Pegasus from his place in the duel arena. He had felt himself drifting away, and then something shoved him back to reality. "Oh my, isn't this a twist?" Pegasus smirked at the card he held. What had been a blank image was covered with Kisara's face. Her eyes were closed, her expression resigned to her fate. "It seems Kisara-girl possesses the very spirit of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon. And she apparently didn't want to see her dear friend Kaiba-boy taken away."
Kisara is the Blue-Eyes White Dragon? Seto looked up to the balcony for her. Her gaze was empty, and she fell forward. Wheeler caught her before she went over the edge. "Kisara?" he said. "Hey, wake up!"
"How did she do that?" the blonde woman next to him asked.
"Come on, Kisara, wake up," Wheeler yelled at her.
Pegasus laughed at them. "You won't find her there. Her soul is mine." He held the card for them to see as well.
"Let her go!" Seto demanded. He already lost Mokuba; Pegasus couldn't take Kisara too. "She doesn't have anything to do with this!"
"My, my, I never thought you would be so desperate to save anyone other than your baby brother," Pegasus mocked him. "You must really care of her. But she made herself involved by taking your place. But I suppose it wouldn't look good if one of the finalists in my tournament was unable to compete."
"Stop messing around!" Seto yelled.
"Oh, impatient are we?" Pegasus said. "I'll tell you what. You and I will adhere to our original deal. Since you lost the duel, your soul will become my prisoner, and your brother's soul will stay mine as well. It would be like Kisara-dear never interfered at all."
Seto looked back up to the balcony where Wheeler was still trying to wake Kisara up. Seto was a failure. He failed to defeat Pegasus, failed to save Mokuba. And now Kisara was taken prisoner too. He met Yugi's eyes. There, maybe, was a spot of hope. Wheeler was a two-bit hack who shouldn't have even made it in the castle. That mutt didn't stand a chance against Pegasus, and neither did other finalists, especially if none of them could defeat Seto himself. But Yugi was another story. Yugi had managed to pull the impossible not once, but twice, that Seto had seen. At this point, if anyone could defeat Pegasus, it had to be Yugi.
Seto never asked anyone for help, not once since his parents died and his relatives dumped him and Mokuba at that orphanage. But he didn't have a choice. As much as it pained him to admit it to himself, and he would never, ever, admit it to anyone else, he needed Yugi to defeat Pegasus.
But would Yugi be interested in helping him after what happened in their last match? Seto had ripped away Yugi's chance of saving his grandfather. You're his hero, Seto. What kind of hero lets his adversary be the better person? Kisara's voice rang in Seto's head. She was right. Yugi would defeat Pegasus not just because he needed to save his grandfather, but because he would believe it was the right thing to. I promised Mokuba everything would be all right, that we would stop Pegasus together. And Yugi and Joey promised they'd help too. We all promised we'd help you and your brother. Kisara was right—if Yugi wouldn't do it for Seto, he would do it for Kisara and Mokuba.
Yugi seemed to understand Seto's thoughts and nodded. "Pegasus, I accept your terms!" Seto said and braced himself. Kisara was not going pay for his failure. The creator smiled, and his golden eye flashed. Shadows pulled at Seto, and everything went black.
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Yugi feared for Kaiba when the Crush Card Virus hit, destroying the world champion's deck. Then Pegasus's Eye flashed, ready to take Seto's soul just like he did Grandpa's. Then Kisara crackled with blue energy, and the Blue-Eyes White Dragon appeared over them, flying into the soul card in Pegasus's hand. It was the first time he had seen the dragon appear—he had been busy not drowning the first time, and Panik's fire had blocked his vision the second time.
Joey caught Kisara before she fell off the balcony. Her vacant eyes were as they closed. Just like Grandpa's and Mokuba's, clear evidence that her soul was gone. "Kisara? Hey, wake up," Joey gently shook her.
"How did she do that?" Mai asked.
"Come on, Kisara, wake up!" Joey yelled at her.
"You won't find her there," Pegasus laughed. "Her soul is mine." He held up the soul prison, Kisara's face on the card.
She took his place! Yugi looked at Kaiba standing in shock at the card. Yugi had only seen that fearful expression in Kaiba's once before—two hours ago on the roof when Yugi made the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon rot away during their duel. Right before Kaiba stood on that ledge to force his opponent's hand.
"I'll tell you what," Pegasus grinned at Yugi's rival. "You and I will adhere to our original deal. Since you lost the duel, your soul will become my prisoner, and your brother's soul will stay mine as well. It will be like Kisara-dear never interfered."
Yugi met Kaiba's eyes. His eyes silently pleaded him to defeat Pegasus. To save Mokuba and Kisara. Kaiba put his faith in Yugi. He nodded, promising Kaiba he would see this through to the end. Pegasus must be stopped, and Yugi was more determined than ever to do it.
"Pegasus, I accept your terms!" Kaiba yelled at the silver-haired man. Pegasus grinned, and the Millennium Eye flashed. Kisara's image vanished from the soul card, and she stirred. The light continued, and Kaiba's image took its place. His body was unresponsive; his eyes had the same vacant look as the others.
"Ah, the brothers Kaiba," Pegasus laughed as he looked at the two soul prisons. "One in each hand, but even though your cards are so very close, your souls have never been further apart." He continued laughing. "Take away that empty shell," he ordered his guards. Two came from the door behind Kaiba's side of the arena and dragged him away.
"Tell me I didn't just see what I think I saw," Joey said.
"Kaiba," Tea whispered.
Kisara finally opened her eyes. "Seto," she said, looking around at them. Coming to her senses, she lurched to her feet. "Seto! Is he okay?" She turned to where had just been.
"Hey, take it easy," Joey and Tristan steadied her.
"Where is Seto?" she asked again, gripping the railing.
"He's gone," Yugi said, struggling to keep his voice calm. "Pegasus took him."
"No," Kisara denied it. "I saved him. He was free."
"He was," Yugi explained, "at the cost of your soul. But Kaiba wouldn't let you pay that price. He convinced Pegasus to let you go if he took him."
Kisara's hair fell into her face, and tears sprung from her eyes. "No… Seto." She buried her face in her hands as she cried.
Kaiba's pleading eyes flashed in Yugi's mind, igniting a fresh round of fury in him. "Why, Pegasus?" he yelled at the Duel Monster's creator. "Who are you to toy with our friends, our families? I won't let you get away with it!" He felt the presence from his Millennium Puzzle reach out. He was equally furious at the silver-haired man. "Pegasus!" Yugi continued his tirade. "It won't be long now till I put an end your games!"
"Yugi-boy, don't forget you still have to make it through the remaining rounds of this tournament to even win the privilege of challenging me," Pegasus grinned.
"Rest assured I will be at the finals," Yugi accepted his challenge. "But the real privilege will be defeating you and undoing all the evil acts you've committed against my friends!" He didn't know if it was his words or the presence's, but their sentiments were perfectly in sync.
"I do look forward to your best efforts, Yugi-boy, and wonderful performances from all our finalists. You truly are the best of the best, the crème de la crème."
"Don't mock us, Pegasus," Kisara pulled herself together. Her eyes were red, and Yugi saw her hands shake before clenching them into fists, but she spoke with a dragon's fury. Yugi didn't doubt what Pegasus said—that Kisara possessed the spirit of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon. He saw her determination to keep fighting, just like he would.
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Tea rolled her eyes as Joey and Tristan scarfed down their meal. "If this was a Duel Munchers competition, you two would win for sure," she laughed at them. Now officially Pegasus's guests, they were treated to a lavish dinner in celebration of the Duelist Kingdom finals. Tea glanced to Yugi and Mai on her right, eating politely while the two guys continued to chow down. Across of them, Bandit Keith and Rex ate, ignoring the antics of the guys next to them. Kisara sat on her left, silently making quick work of her own meal. Tea didn't understand much of what happened after Kaiba's duel two hours ago, but she suspected the appearance of the dragon influenced her friend's appetite.
Kisara's ability to compose herself surprised Tea. Once the excitement had died down, Kisara had excused herself to the restroom. When she came out, the signs she had been crying were gone. Tea could barely see the traces of her tears when she looked at her friend. Her gaze was determined, and Tea actually feared for Pegasus. Who knew what Kisara might do to him given the chance? Not that Tea could blame her. If it had been Yugi, Tea didn't think she would be able to pull herself together, or that she would be that merciful either. She just hoped that whichever of her friends faced Pegasus, they would be able stop him once and for all.
"On behalf of Mr. Maximillion Pegasus," Croquet gathered their attention, "I'd like to congratulate the six finalists, and welcome them to this final phase of the Duelist Kingdom competition. I trust you all have your play-off entry cards."
What cards? Tea looked at Yugi and the others, confused.
"In your invitation to the Duelist Kingdom, you received these two cards: Glory of the King's Hand, and Glory of the King's Opposite Hand." Croquet held up the cards as he spoke. One was the card with the golden treasures on it; the other was blank. "You must have one of these to participate in the final tournament. Those without them are disqualified."
"So that's what they're for," Yugi said next to Tea.
"Each card provides unique prizes," Croquet continued. "The Glory of the King's Hand card is needed to claim the $3 million cash prize. The Opposite Hand card allows the winner to challenge Pegasus for the championship."
Tea looked to Joey. He didn't actually receive an invitation to the tournament. Would he still be able to compete? Serenity needed him to win that prize money for her operation.
"To make tomorrow's tournament interesting," the butler's voice drew Tea's attention back to the details of the finals, "your host has added a special ingredient to your soup."
Everyone looked down to their bowls. While nothing surfaced in Tea's bowl, a Millennium Eye popped out of Yugi's. "It's staring at me!" Tea leaned away from it.
"Hey, mine's eyeball free," Tristan nonchalantly swirled his spoon around. If he hadn't been so far away, Tea would have kicked him.
"Hey, this is worse than having a fly in my soup!" Joey yelled at the butler. Make that two guys Tea had to kick.
Croquet had no visible reaction to Joey's outburst. "Open up the eye and look inside it, if you will," he instructed the finalists. "Each of you has been randomly assigned a letter."
Tea watched Yugi pop open his eye and take out a slip of paper. It read C. She looked to her other side at Kisara's note. It read A.
"And now the island's computer will pair up the letters to determine tomorrow's duel match-ups." A projector screen descended from the ceiling behind Croquet. Three sets of pairings appeared on the screen. "And the pairs are as follows: A vs. B, C vs. D, and E vs. F. The winners of these three matches will go on to face each other in a round-robin. The duelist who defeats the other two will be declared the winner."
"Okay, who has E?" Joey stood up and yelled at the other finalists.
"Me, runt," Bandit Keith answered.
"All right! It's payback for trapping us in that cave!" Joey was raring to duel the guy.
"Once I crush you, you'll wish you were still in that cave," Keith smirked, infuriating his opponent even more.
"I have A," Kisara spoke up. "Who has B?"
"That'd be me, lady," Rex grinned at her. "Tough luck for you. My dinos'll tear through you. I'm stomping my way to that championship, and I'm going to get Mai and Wheeler back for before."
"Don't underestimate me," Kisara gave Rex an icy glare. Tea suspected she was in no mood for Rex's dino-themed trash talk.
"I guess that means it's you and me, Mai," Yugi turned to his opponent.
"I'm looking forward to this duel," Mai smiled at him.
"Me too," Yugi answered, "and may the best duelist win."
"The duels are set," Croquet drew their attention again. "Kisara White vs. Rex Raptor, Yugi Muto vs. Mai Valentine, and Bandit Keith vs. Joey Wheeler. Please enjoy the rest of the feast, because for five of you tomorrow, your long journey will end in failure." With that, he turned away and exited the room.
Well that's kind of a damper. Tea chose to ignore Croquet's foreboding attitude and enjoy the rest of the meal. Being in the castle was way better than being out in the forest again. Tea didn't think she could handle another night in the woods.
Joey and Tristan made quick work of the rest of the food, even drinking all of the eyeball soup. Tea was more than happy to let them have hers after seeing the Eyes pop out of her friends' bowls.
"Hey there, Joey," Yugi walked around the table to talk to his friend. "We'd better get to bed; we'll need our rest if we're all going to be in top shape for the tournament tomorrow."
"He's right, Joey," Kisara said as she stood up and stretched.
"Yuge, but what's the point?" Joey frowned. "Since I don't have one of those cards—"
Yugi held the treasure card in front of him. "Actually, this Glory of the King's Hand is yours, Joey," he said. "Why don't you think of it as an early birthday present?"
"Oh, Yugi," Tea smiled at him. This was just like him, always considering what his friends needed and looking out for them. It was one of the things she loved about him.
"But, Yuge, you need it," Joey insisted.
"The rules never said we needed both cards to participate," Yugi pointed out. "So we each only need one." Joey was still hesitant to accept it; Tea was just about to march over and bop him on the head for not taking it. "Besides," Yugi continued, "if you give up now, who's going to save your sister? What kind of big brother would you be if you didn't even try to win the prize money?"
"Yugi's right," Kisara walked around the table to join them. "Our odds of winning are better if all three of us compete. So take the card, Joey. And if we do face each other tomorrow, we give everything we've got. No holding back because we're friends."
"All right," Joey accepted the card. "And don't worry, Kisara, I won't hold back. Bring your Blue-Eyed fury."
"You don't want to face the fury," she answered. "I'm saving that for Pegasus. But you can expect I'll use the card."
"I'm already counting on it," Yugi grinned.
"Uh, all this lovey-dovey stuff is making my skin crawl," Mai interrupted their touching moment. Tea frowned at the intrusion. "So good-night boys and girls, and catch you tomorrow, Yugi." With that, the blonde woman left for her room.
Everyone took it as their cue to head to bed. Tea followed Yugi and Joey to their room first. She wanted to wish Yugi luck for tomorrow before heading to her own room. Once there she stared out the window, watching the full moon. She would have enjoyed it more if she wasn't so worried about the tournament. Everything her friends had fought for rode on the next few matches. She only hoped that in the end, everyone got what they needed.
A knock on the door interrupted her thoughts. "Who is it?" she called as she quickly got up to answer the door. Tristan and Bakura stood waiting for her. "What's up, guys?"
"Trouble," Tristan answered.
"Tristan thinks that Pegasus cheats in all his duels," Bakura explained.
"Well he does!" Tristan insisted.
Tea invited them so they could discuss their situation more privately. "You really think Pegasus beat Kaiba this afternoon by cheating?" she asked.
"Yeah," Tristan answered. "I mean, Kaiba's one of the world's top duelists, but Pegasus beat him like he was an amateur."
"That's true," Tea agreed to his point.
"No one can beat Kaiba that easily, at least not playing fair and square," Tristan continued his point. "The way he was dueling, it seemed like he knew what cards were in Kaiba's hand the entire time. I'm telling you the truth. Pegasus is as bogus as a $3.00 bill. He's a punk. You can't trust that guy."
"But what about the other stuff that happened?" Tea asked. "Pegasus said he took Kaiba's soul with the Millennium Eye, just like he did to Yugi's grandpa. And then there's what happened with Kisara. She made that dragon appear out of nowhere. I think the solution is more complicated than we think."
"I agree, Tea," Bakura said. "I don't know much about the Millennium Items, but they all possess some kind of magic. Who knows what all that Eye lets him do? Or what we could do about it. I'm not really sure there is much we can do."
"There's plenty we can do," Tristan insisted. "We can find clues down at the dueling platform. We'll expose Pegasus for the fraud that he is."
"And if we don't find anything because he's using some freaky magic?" Tea asked.
"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it," he answered.
"With all the guards everywhere, we'll need help from Yugi, Joey, and Kisara," Bakura pointed out.
"No," Tristan insisted. "They have to rest for the tournament. Besides, a herd of elephants won't wake Joey. It's up to us. We have to do this all by ourselves."
"All right," Tea relented, "but at the first sign of trouble, we head back to our rooms and get some sleep." She wasn't entirely sure about what they were getting into, but they had to help Yugi and the others. No more standing on the sidelines. It was time to take action.
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Kisara triple locked her door once her friends had said goodnight. Now that she was alone, she let her façade fall. The fact that both Seto and Mokuba were gone felt like a knife plunged into her heart. It took everything she had not to appear as broken-hearted as she truly was.
She unzipped her hoodie and tossed it onto the couch. Then she pulled her deck out of its pouch and spread the cards on the table. Blue-Eyes White Dragon caught her eye first. The card that led her here, the card that led them all here. The fact she was connected with it was becoming more and more apparent. And I will do what that fool Aknadin could not and command the power of the White Dragon. The spirit of the Millennium Ring made it sound like Blue-Eyes had some kind power and that Kisara was the one in control of it. But if that were the case, why couldn't she do anything to save Seto and Mokuba?
He was free, but at the cost of your soul. Kaiba wouldn't let you pay that price. Yugi's explanation confused her. Try as she might, she struggled to recall exactly what happened after Seto lost the duel. All she did remember was her desperation to save him. And the shadows. She pushed Seto in the light, and then the shadows swarmed her. Even if she did have some power, it was nothing against a Millennium Item.
Kisara shook her head. Trying to find reason in the supernatural wasn't helping, especially since she only had a few pages of the story. She couldn't take on Pegasus right away anyway; Kisara would have to win three duels before that, starting with Rex. That meant she had to be ready to be ready for anything. And she would be. Not even Rex's Serpent Night Dragon would distract her from her mission to rescue Seto.
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"Yugi!" Someone called to him "Yugi!"
Yugi sat up and looked around the moonlit room. "Grandpa?" he called out, not caring the others might hear him. "Is that you?"
"Yugi, I must speak with you." Grandpa's voice came from outside her door.
"Grandpa, where are you?" he looked around.
"Follow my voice." Yugi hopped out of bed, not bothering to grab his shoes as he ran out, searching for his grandfather. He sprinted through the dimly lit hallways, following the echoing voice. "Beware of Pegasus. You must stop him, or he could destroy the entire world."
"I'm coming, Grandpa!" He continued his sprint down the hallway and out the front door to the courtyard. "Grandpa, where are you? I can't find you!"
"Yugi! Beware of Pegasus!" the voice continued to echo through the area. Yugi spotted a card on the ground. Grandpa's face filled the image with his usual joking smile and amused expression. "Pegasus wields shadow powers of incredible strength, much stronger than anyone could have imagined."
"But how?" Yugi knelt down to pick up Grandpa's card. "How is that possible? Please, tell me how his power is still growing."
"Every soul he traps in the Shadow Realm increases his strength," the card answered.
Yugi slammed his fist on the ground. "He's got to be stopped."
Grandpa's card floated out of his hand and flew away from the castle. Yugi chased after it, following it into a hazy red area until the card slammed into a stark white pillar. Two pillars stood on either side of the one Grandpa hit. Kaiba's card was on the left, and Mokuba was on the right. "No!" he looked at each of the cards, each of the souls he knew for sure Pegasus had taken. "This is wrong. This is terrible!"
"Save me, Yugi," each card called to him.
"What can I do?" he asked.
They ignore his question. "You're next, Yugi," Kaiba warned him.
"He wants you, Yugi," Mokuba added.
"What can I do to stop him?" Yugi asked again, desperate for an answer. "Why is he after me?"
"Pegasus unlocked tremendous magic with his single Millennium Item," Grandpa explained. "How much power do you think he will wield if he has your Puzzle?"
"So how do I stop him?" Yugi pleaded. He needed to know that above all else.
"Just like Pegasus learned to harness the magic of his Millennium Eye, you must also learn to control the power of your own Millennium Item!"
"My Puzzle?"
"Yes, Yugi, your Millennium Puzzle!"
"But how?" Yugi asked for what seemed like the thousandth time.
"That you must discover on your own," Grandpa answered. "Whatever it takes, Pegasus must be defeated. If he wins, with his unlimited shadow powers and the magic of the Millennium Items, he can unleash Armageddon upon the entire world!"
The bases of the pillars burst into bluish-white flames. "Grandpa!" Yugi called to the cards.
"You can do this, Yugi!" Grandpa called back. "But first you must unlock the secret of the Millennium Puzzle. Only then can you defeat Pegasus. I believe in you!"
"Yugi," Kaiba and Mokuba called out to him again.
"The Millennium Puzzle, Yugi!" his grandpa called once more before the fire engulfed the three pillars and cards.
"Grandpa!" Yugi yelled for him.
He sat up right in his bed, drenched in sweat. "It was all just a dream," he panted, lying back down in his bed. "Or was it?" How was he supposed to use the Puzzle to defeat Pegasus? It took him eight years to solve it. Now he had hours to try to figure out its powers. It was all so overwhelming. But he would find away. He had to in order to save Grandpa and the Kaibas.
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He couldn't help but laugh at the mortals' foolish attempts to undermine the power of the Millennium Eye. His host examined the platform Pegasus had dueled from. The old fool was certainly cocky, thinking his Millennium Eye would always give him the edge. He would show Pegasus otherwise when he claimed the Eye for himself.
He turned his attention to his host's friends. The annoying boy scout Tristan examined the opposite side of the arena where Kaiba dueled, and the girl Tea watched them from the balcony. "Keep searching," Tristan told them. "There has to be a hidden camera or something."
"Maybe Pegasus isn't a cheater," Tea said. "He could good at guessing cards, like a psychic or something." Pfft. Yeah right. He's no psychic; he just knows how not to get caught.
"I once spoke to a psychic," Tristan answered. "The lady said I'd have a nice girlfriend within six months. It's been a year, not a single date. I don't believe in psychic powers."
"But you can't deny some of the weird stuff that's happened," his host said. "That dragon definitely wasn't psychic. Neither was Pegasus taking Kaiba and Mokuba's souls."
A beam of moonlight shining on the back of their fearless leader interrupted their discussion. "Look at that," Tea said, pointing to the light.
"Something on my back?" Tristan turned around to look.
The other joined him on the blue side of the arena.
"How can moonlight enter this room?" his host asked.
"Go stand on the dueling platform and pretend to hold up a card, just like you're dueling," Tea instructed Tristan.
"Sure," he went and did what he was told. The moonlight shone right where the card would be. It gave the deniers something else to cling to for their proof. Tristan climbed up to peer through the hole. "There's a tower right across the courtyard," he told them. "And isn't it convenient that the window faces in this exact direction? It'd be a piece of cake for one of Pegasus's goons to hide in the tower with a telescope and spy on Kaiba's hand." He smirked. "And then the goon relays Kaiba's cards."
"Pegasus could be hiding a receiver under his hair," Tea reasoned.
"Good thinking, Sherlock," Tristan grinned as he climbed down. "There's bound to be tons of proof hidden in that tower. Let's get over there right now."
Fools. If you think Pegasus is going to make it that easy, you're going to be in for a surprise. He was tempted to take control of his host and make him walk away. While he had no true fear of Pegasus nor did he care about his host's pathetic friends, he didn't want to risk the element of surprise. He would strike when Pegasus was vulnerable and take the Eye for himself. The old fool wouldn't know what hit him.
The trio of mortals slowly snuck their way to the tower, avoiding the guards at every corner. Tristan grabbed a rope and grappling hook off one wall, and then led the way outside. If they couldn't get in through the door, he intended to lead them through the window.
He readied himself to take over his host if necessary. His host didn't have spectacular balance, and he needed him alive in order to carry out his plans. His host followed Tea and Tristan, sliding their way along the edge of the roof.
Tea lost her footing, and his host and Tristan quickly grabbed her, smothering her cry of fright. "I can't believe you're plan is to enter the tower from the outside!" she whispered.
"Hey, you wanted to avoid all the guards," Tristan smirked as he continued along the ledge. "I don't see any goons up here." He positioned himself under the window and swung the grappling hook up, pulling on the rope to test its security. "All right. Tea, take the lead, and we'll follow you. That way, in case you lose your grip and fall off, one of us can catch you."
"I don't want to go first!" Tea protested. "Definitely not in this outfit!"
"But we can't catch you if we go first," Tristan argued. "What's wrong with your outfit?"
And here I was starting to think he wasn't a complete idiot. He rolled his eyes as his host whispered the reason. Tristan's eyes widened in realization. Ah, now he gets it.
"Then how about we wait here then while you climb up?" Tristan suggested. "We won't start the climb until you're on the ledge. Once you're up there, you can make sure the hook doesn't come lose."
"Fine," Tea huffed and grabbed the rope. Once his host and Tristan were looking away, she began the climb. He smirked in amusement at how she managed to get her way so quickly. In another time, she would have been an amusing subject for him to rule. She almost reminded him of a certain pharaoh's magician.
Once she was up, his host began the climb, shortly followed by Tristan. "Tristan, that's not the rope, that's my leg," his host protested.
"Well, climb faster," Tristan snapped at him.
"Would you guys hurry up?" Tea said from the ledge. As they finished the climb, she undid the latch to the window. "We're in," she told them as Tristan rolled up the rope.
They searched the room for the signs of their desperate evidence. He rolled his eyes as he watched them, though he noted a few things that, in another time, he would have been happy to make his. There was truly nothing that could keep him from getting what he wanted.
"Who do you suppose this is?" his host stood in front of a portrait.
"It's an awfully big painting," Tristan said as he and Tea walked closer to examine it.
"Can you find a light switch?" Tea asked him. The lights popped on. He tensed. Someone else was is the room. "Did you turn on the lights?" she asked.
"No," his host answered.
"Then who did?"
"Maybe the light's voice-activated?" Tristan suggested.
They turned back to examine the portrait. It depicted a woman with thick, curling blonde hair and bright blue eyes. She smiled gently at the mortals. Pegasus has good taste in women. It was probably the only thing Pegasus had good taste in. Everything he observed about the old fool annoyed him to no end. To think someone like him got his hands on one of the most powerful objects ever created! It wouldn't stay that for long.
"I've seen this portrait before," Tea said. "In the dining hall, I think."
He ignored their musings about the woman on the portrait. He could still sense someone else approaching. Then he felt it, the distinct power of the Millennium Eye. Pegasus ascended the stairs and confronted them. "Isn't it past your bed times?" he asked.
"How'd you find us?" Tristan asked.
"A little birdie told me," Pegasus answered. "It saw you three climbing up the walls."
"Well we're onto you, Pegsy," Tristan taunted the Eye wielder. "Listen up! You've been spying on Kaiba's cards from up here!" He pointed an accusing finger at the Duel Monsters creator. "The jig is up! Why don't you just admit it?"
You fool. You still don't see the truth. He doesn't need a stupid telescope to learn his opponent's strategies. His method is much closer to home. A method I will soon take for myself. He readied himself to take on the power of the Eye.
"You break into my private sanctuary through the window and accuse me of wrongdoing?" Pegasus replied. "Absolutely no one is allowed in this room, and I'm afraid you three have already seen too much."
"What do you mean?" Tristan demanded to know.
"You should have stayed in your rooms," he answered. "Instead, you will now be disciplined." Pegasus pulled aside his hair to reveal the Millennium Eye.
The room around them darkened, and he felt the familiar presence of the Shadow Realm. The Realm that had guided him for five millennia. The floor swallowed his host and two friends, leading them to wherever Pegasus wanted them to go. Not that it would truly take him. He and his host would get out just fine. The other two… well he would have to make a decision about them. His host would suspect something was wrong if they just went missing, and the less his host knew, the better off they were. It made it so much easier get closer to the Puzzle, as long as the fools believed his was their kind-hearted friend.
Now to find out where they were actually sent. He smirked at the hieroglyphs on the walls. This was obviously meant to simulate the Shadow Games of ancient Egypt. Ah, those were the good old days. When thieving proved to be a challenge as magic was regularly used as precautions against theft and ill will. And he provided it to the scared, pathetic fools who lived under the Pharaoh's rule.
His host and two friends finally came to. "Where are we?" Tristan asked.
"Do you hear chanting?" Tea added.
Yes. It comes when mortals try to call on forces they can't comprehend. His patience with the mortal fools was wearing thin. Though if it wasn't for them, he wouldn't have gotten such good information on his adversary. And Pegasus was still none the wiser. He grinned at the thought.
"Let's go check it out," Tristan commanded.
"Buy why?" his host complained.
"Must you always criticize my plans?" Tristan snapped.
If your plans are foolish, then yes they will be criticized. He followed the three mortals to the source of the chanting. "Realm of Shadows in the twilight hour, accept this souls and grant us power," the participants said over and over. Two of the hooded men stood in the center facing each other. They were the ones fighting the Shadow Game.
"Who are these clowns?" Tristan asked.
"I don't know," his host answered, but they're creeping me out."
The duelist on the right raised his hand, and a tablet rose from the ground. It depicted a carving of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon. It seems everyone wants to use the power of the White Dragon. It is what did Aknadin in.
"I don't like this," his host protested. "Let's get out of here."
"Look over there," Tea pointed at a portrait on the wall. "It's that painting again. Who could she be?"
The other duelist raised his hand, summoning his own tablet. The two participants spun their tablets around to face each other. "You lose," the one with Blue-Eyes said. That one's Pegasus. I knew I sensed the Eye. The losing tablet crumbled into dust, and blue light engulfed its owner. Another soul sent to the Shadow Realm. His companions gasped in horror, drawing attention to themselves. The group of hoods blocked their way, trapping them. The winning duelist pulled back his hood, confirming his identity as Pegasus.
"Where did that robed guy go?" Tristan asked.
"The Shadow Realm," Pegasus grinned.
"Shadow Realm?" Tea repeated. "Not again!"
Time to move. He slipped in to take control of his host, careful to maintain the illusion he was still their naïve friend.
"This is how the Shadow Games were played thousands of years ago," Pegasus explained. "These duel rituals release the magic of the Shadow Realm. And every soul I trap there increases the power of my Millennium Eye." His desired prize flashed with light. "You can't imagine the strength of my magic, but one power still eludes me: the ability to control life over death! For that magic I must capture more souls, like yours!"
Ah, now I understand his goals. Pegasus, you should be more careful who you tell your secrets too. And who you bring to your secret duels.
"He's going to send us all to the Shadow Realm!" Tristan took a step back from the Eye wielder.
"No way!" Tea ducked behind him.
"It's not my fault," Pegasus grinned. "I can't simply allow you to escape after you've snooped around my castle and learned my secrets. I hope the accommodations in the Shadow Realm are to your liking. And my dear Bakura," he addressed his host and him. "Your capture will do more than strengthen my shadow powers, for I shall also gain control of your Millennium Ring!"
He felt Pegasus probing him with the Eye, but he had gotten sloppy. He was too used to opponents who didn't know the first thing about Millennium Items. He grinned and summoned the Ring, it revealing itself around his neck. "What's this?" Pegasus took a step back.
"Change of plans," he laughed, drawing on more power from the Millennium Ring. Both Items flashed with light, blinding the other spectators. "You may indeed sense me now, but you won't remember any of this later. Erase their minds!" With that, he teleported his host and two friends out of the lair, wiping everyone's memories but his own. Even his host wouldn't remember what happened tonight.
He sat on the bed in his host's room. The others would wake up any minute, but they'd have no clue what they truly witnessed. He laughed to himself. "You cannot hide from me, Pegasus. Your Millennium Eye will soon be mine."
ΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩ
She sat in the library with her book when she heard a noise outside. Silently she ducked under the big wide desk. It was enclosed all the way around, so unless someone sat right in the chair, they wouldn't know she was hiding there.
"Wow, Seto! This place is huge!" someone said. It sounded like a little boy, maybe around four.
"Yeah, we can make the most of this place," and older boy said.
Who were they? She knew most of the people in the mansion by voice, but these two voices were new. There was no one here age at this place. Cautiously she put aside her book and slid out of her hiding spot, just enough to try to spot the visitors. She caught a glimpse of black hair and brown hair before the older one yelled, "Hey!" She ducked back into the desk, pressing herself into the farthest corner.
"Seto, what is it?" the younger voice said.
"I know you're there so come out," the older voice demanded. She heard his footsteps coming closer.
You can't see me. I'm not here. She thought over and over as the boy came closer and closer. She curled up into a ball as the face of a boy her age appeared under the desk. He had brown hair that fell into his eyes, and though his expression was wary, there was kindness in his deep blue eyes. "Who are you? Why are you here?" he asked.
"Seto, be nice," a younger boy appeared next to him with long, unruly black hair and cheerful blue-gray eyes. "Don't worry, you won't get in trouble. Can we be friends?" he asked.
"I'm already in trouble," she whispered, still huddled in her corner. "No one is supposed to know I'm here. Mom says we'd get in trouble if Mr. Kaiba finds out I'm here."
"We won't tell him," the brown-haired one, Seto, promised. He extended a hand to her. "We were just exploring; Gozaburo Kaiba adopted us. I'm Seto, and this is my brother, Mokuba."
"I'm Kisara," she hesitantly accepted his hand. "My mom works here, so I have to stay here until she's finished."
"You hide under a desk the whole time?" Mokuba asked.
"Just when someone comes in," she answered. "I read books most of the time." She gestured to the book next to her.
"It's got a dragon on it!" Mokuba exclaimed at the cover. "Do you like dragons?"
She smiled. "Yes, I like dragons. This book is full of stories about them."
"Cool! Read me one! Please?" Mokuba's eyes widened with hope.
"Mokie, we can't stay. He's going to be looking for us soon," Seto told his brother.
"Go," she said. "Don't get in trouble because of me."
They left the library, but Mokuba came back in almost an instance. "They said I could do what I want! Can you tell me a story now?"
"Sure," she smiled at the little boy. "Once upon a time…" she told him the story of a dragon who guided a knight on his journey to rescue a princess from an evil sorcerer. She had almost reached the end of the story when Seto stumbled in, a bruise on his cheek.
"Seto!" Mokuba ran to his brother. "What happened?"
"He's tough," Seto panted. "He said I wasn't working hard enough and hit me. If I don't improve, he says we'll go back to the orphanage."
"Here," Kisara took the ice pack from her lunch box and pressed it to Seto's cheek. "It's not as cold as it was this morning, but Mom always says ice helps with a bruise."
"Why are you helping me?" he asked.
"You're nice, like the knight in the story," she answered. "And it was the dragon's job to help the knight when he needed it."
"So now you're a dragon?"
"Being the dragon is cooler than being the princess," she said. "She just waits for the knight to come save her from the sorcerer."
"Kisara, we have to go," her mother called from outside the library.
"Coming!" she grabbed her book and bag. "I'll finish the story tomorrow, Mokuba!"
"Okay! Bye, Kisara!" he waved at her. She closed the door to library behind her and followed her mother home.
She grabbed more books from her room and tossed them into her backpack. "Okay, Mom, I'm ready to go," she said as she entered the living room.
"We're not going to today," her mother told her. "We can't go to Kaiba mansion anymore."
"Why?" she asked. "I promised Seto and Mokuba!"
"You don't need to worry about it," her mother answered. "I'll find another job. We'll be okay."
"But I want to see Seto and Mokuba!" Kisara yelled at her. She turned and ran back to her room, tossing bag aside and burying her face into her arms and pillow.
Something hard and sharp hit her back. She bit her lip against the pain as another bolt of pain shot through her leg. She looked up to the bright sun and sand. The bursts of pain became more frequent as angry voices filled her ears. "Stop," she cried out, but her voice was lost in the yelling.
"What are you people doing?" an angry voice cut above the crowd. "By order of the Pharaoh, I command you to stop!"
Though she hurt, she made herself look to her savior. Seto stood before the crowd, a tall and commanding young man in blue and white robes. In his right hand he held a golden scepter with wings on either side of the orb at the end. It bore the symbol of a golden eye. "Seto?"
"Go home, all of you!" Seto commanded. "He knelt down next to her. "Are you all right?" he asked her. "You're safe now."
She nodded. Everything would be okay now that he was here. He gently scooped her up in his arms, careful of her cuts and bruises. She felt safe in arms and leaned in close to him, gripping his robes tightly.
He carried her away from the crowd and set her down. "Thank you, Seto," she said, turning back to him. He was gone. "Seto?" She searched the sandy area. No one was in sight, but she felt a strange presence. She ran towards it. The area drew dimmer, as if shadows began to fill it. They grew denser, blocking out more of the light. She rounded a corner. There stood Seto, facing a creature that oozed darkness and malice. It had long red hair and a white mask covering its face. Over the left eye was a golden symbol like on Seto's scepter. He battled Seto with dark magic. "Seto!"
He turned to her. "Kisara!" She put herself between him and the creature of darkness. She sparked with blue energy, and the Blue-Eyes White Dragon appeared over her. It roared and fired its White Lightning at the humanoid. It laughed and moved out of the way, but the appearance strengthened Seto's determination to win. They fought together, slowly wearing down the creature's stamina.
It fired a bolt of dark magic directly at Seto. Without thinking, Kisara threw herself in front him. The bolt continued its course right for her heart.
Kisara bolted up in bed. She panted, struggling to control her racing heart. "It was just a dream," she whispered to herself over and over. Kisara hoped once they were done with this forsaken tournament things would go back to normal. She didn't need any more chaos in her life. All she wanted was to save her friends and get back home. She'd figure out everything else once they were safe. Including her connection to her favorite dragon.
She looked out her window to see the sun just starting to rise. The day of the finals was finally here, and Kisara was going to face them with the fury of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon.
Okay, so if anyone is wondering why Rex made it to the finals, there is one very good reason. It is very hard to write a tournament with FIVE participants. I spent so much time trying to figure out a solution to that, and a sixth finalist was the easiest. As for why it's Rex, I think overall he's a good guy. He never cheated in any of his duels, and he tried to warn Joey about the cheater in Battle City. He really only made bad decisions when he was hanging out with Weevil. So I think he deserves to make it to the finals.
Sorry this took so long to get posted; this was actually a really hard chapter to write, and it's my longest one to date. I hope Kisara's dream sequence makes sense. I have those dreams that just seem to drift from subject to subject, so that's what I was going for, especially to show her bond with Seto. Anyway, thanks for reading!