Zypher: Hi all and welcome to another chapter to Yami no Game! Happy that you all enjoyed the last chapter and also with the votes for Tiger Axe's new name are between Arperil, Tora (new suggestion) and Aspher (so far) so keep those votes coming in! By next chapter, I need the final result! Now on with the story!
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Yami no Game: Dark Saga
Chapter 6
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After defeating Kajiki, the duelist of the sea, the group moved on to the next battle. "Good luck to you all!" Kajiki called, waving to them. They waved back before they were out of sight. "Kajiki-san has that little somethin' that just can't make ya hate him." Jounouchi spoke. "I guess all the duelists on the island have their own hopes and dreams" Keara said before looking to Yami and Jounouchi. "And you two do as well." They nodded before Jounouchi jumped ahead of the group.
"Now let's head to the next place!"
-5 Hours into the Dueling Tournament-
They continued walking along before Aqua heard someone yelling and stopped. Yugi stopped as well and looked at him. "Something wrong, Aqua?" Yugi asked. "Someone is calling for help." he replied before pointing over in the distance where a duelist was being dragged off by a burly suit. "Let go of me! S-Somebody help me!" The duelist cried. "That's enough! Be quiet!" The suit snapped angrily, trying to keep his hold on the struggling duelist. "Your glove's empty! Now that you've lost all your star chips, you got to get off the island!"
"T-That's not it...! This weird kid stole them from me! He took my star chips and my deck!" The kid cried, struggling still. "I don't care about how you lost them! No star chips, you leave Duelist Kingdom and that's final! Those are the rules! Just give up and leave quietly!" he told the kid. "That guy in the suit must work for Pegasus..." Honda hissed with anger. "Oh yeah...?" Jounouchi huffed before stepping towards them. "Hey you! Let the kid go!" he demanded and the suit turned to him, kid in tow but he didn't let go of him. "Did ya hear me? His chips were stolen! That's definitely not the same as losin'!"
"Other participants are forbidden to interfere...unless you want to be disqualified too!" The kid struggled again before looking to them with hope. "Hey, what did the guy that stole your stuff look like?" Honda asked. "We'll go and catch him for you!" The kid nodded, a grateful smile on his face. "I couldn't see his face, he had a bandanna on it...he challenged me to a duel out of nowhere...but the moment I put down my cards and star chips, he jumped up and grabbed them before running off!" The kid explained. "Which way did he run?" Aqua questioned and the kid pointed to his left. "He went that way!" He nodded and looked to the guard with a snarl. "We'll go and capture that thief. Don't you dare kick him off the island before we can get this settled." The suit chuckled. "I'll think about it..." he muttered and Jounouchi growled. "Don't forget. I promise ya as a man! Star chips are like a duelist's life! I wouldn't dare forgive anyone for takin' that away from 'em! I'll beat him up myself!" he growled with determination before looking down to the kid again. "By the way...if I catch this guy, ya own me half your star chips as payment." The kid looked baffled at the request. "What?!" Aqua chuckled as he pulled Jounouchi away. "No need to worry about him. We'll find this kid and get your things back." he spoke before leading the blonde towards the direction the kid pointed them to. They didn't see the stormy gray hues peering out from the bushes nearby before leaving. When they were gone, the suit pulled out a walkie talkie and contacted the castle. "Pegasus-sama...we've tracked down that kid around Block "D". Repeat! Send all personnel to Block "D"!" he said. He heard some speaking from the other end and nodded.
"Yes sir! We will capture him and bring him back to the castle!" he said before cutting off the connection. 'Now where'd our little thief run off to...?' he thought then saw the kid trying to run off and grabbed the back of his jacket. "And you! You're coming with me! No star chips means off the island you go!" he said and the kid struggled again, shock gripping his mind. 'No, I can't be sent off! Not when those guys are trying to help me!' he thought before he was dragged off towards the dock with no chance for escape.
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At the castle, Pegasus was settled contently in a large dining room. Two pictures hung from the walls, one of a beautiful woman with blonde hair while the other was a familiar picture of Shadi. Pegasus himself was sitting at the table, a plate of cheese and a wine glass perched in his hand while the other held a comic book. He took a sip of the wine before laughing heartily as he read the book. "Oh, my dear Funny Rabbit! How droll and witty can you be?" he spoke softly. "The finest wine and Gorgonzola cheese...and the world's best comic made in America...Funny Rabbit! Truly I must be blessed among men!" he spoke. "By the way...what is the status of the duelists?" he asked, looking back to Croquet. "Sir, it's been six hours since the start of the tournament...out of 40 participants, 12 have already dropped out of the race. The first ship will be departing shortly." Croquet announced. "And of course, dear Yami is still in the running, correct?" Croquet nodded. "Yes sir! He has collected five star chips as of now." Pegasus smiled brightly. "Oh wonderful! He just must make it to the finals...so he can come to my castle!" he spoke with a happy lilt in his tone before becoming serious again. "And one more thing...you haven't found that boy yet, have you?" he questioned.
"No sir...so far but not yet..."
Pegasus tsked disappointingly. "And after I invited him to my castle as a private guest. To think that he ran away...he must really have disliked our reception..." Pegasus responded. "I'm sorry, Pegasus-sama. We took our eyes off him only for a moment..." Pegasus chuckled. "There's no need to worry, though! I have a good feeling of where he's heading. Keep your eye on Yami. Our guest will be heading to find him, hands down! It won't be long before he shows himself." He then took another glance towards Croquet. "And next time you capture him...lock him up so he doesn't get away. Lock him away in the dungeon if you have to." Croquet nodded.
"Yes sir!"
"Now..." he started, turning to the next page in his comic. "I will bide my time until the duel."
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The group continued to look around for any sign of the thief but not having any luck, Diamond and Kaiser took to the air in hopes to find him but were out of luck as well. "Where could he possibly be?" Myrrh questioned. "No matter how much we look, we can't find him anywhere!" Honda exclaimed. "He could probably be somewhere else on the island by now!" Yugi sighed. "Maybe we should give up...Honda may be right." he said. Jounouchi growled angrily. "Argggh! If I find that kid, I can get my hands on half his star chips!" he grumbled and Honda sweatdropped. 'I'll never get this "Way of the Duelist!" thing anytime soon with how Jounouchi acts...' Aqua looked out to the ocean before spotting a boat leaving the island. "Look over there! A boat of duelists is leaving the island now!" he called, pointing to the boat. "Listen, all of you! In case you don't know who I am, I'm the champion of Japan! Give me some more room!" Haga growled, shoving the kid who had his star chips stolen off to the side. "You can't complain, Haga! Even if you are the champion of Japan, you were a laughing stock with that giant hole in your pants!" A kid laughed. "Yeah! What happened?! Did a duel monster come to life and bite you in the ass?!" Another kid spoke, laughing as well and Haga flushed with embarrassment.
"Shut up! All of you!"
"And that kid who had his chips stolen is on that boat!" Aqua reported once he got a glimpse of the duelists on board from the air. "Damn it! That guy in the suit broke his promise! There goes my star chips!" Jounouchi snarled, clenching his fists in anger. 'So, that's the fate of those that lose this game...they're forced off the island...' Yami thought. "Well, this sucks..." Honda whispered as they watched the boat disappear over the horizon. Again, a pair of storm gray hues watched them from behind a bush before the kid leapt out. "Yami!" The thief called and they turned to see him there. "What the... A bandanna!" Jounouchi gasped in surprise. "He's the thief!"
"Hold on, Jou-kun...I think he's after me." Yami murmured. "Kid! You want to duel with me, correct?" he asked and the boy nodded. "Ok then. Let's duel in that battle box over there. Come with me!" he spoke before walking off and the kid followed behind him, silent along the way. They entered the duel box and sat down, Yami crossing his arms. "Yami...he agreed to fight with him just like that. Do you think he has something planned, Yugi?" Honda asked, looking down to him. "I don't know but he must have something planned if he's fighting him without any worries." Yugi replied. "How many star chips do you want to bet?" Yami questioned and the kid held up five fingers. "All my star chips, eh? That's fine with me!" he replied, taking out all five star chips from his glove and placed them down on the table. The kid looked to them with a gleam in his eyes before digging into his pocket for the star chips he stole.
'So he is the thief, hands down. That means he wasn't one of the chosen duelists that were invited to come here. So did he steal the star chips just to duel me? Why would he go to such great lengths and cost another duelist his chance for the prize...? Could he be...?' Yami looked into the eyes of the kid deeply and he only stared back. "This is weird! He's gotta know that kid's the thief! So why did he accept the duel?" Jounouchi questioned. "Maybe Yami knows who that kid really is and thinks that dueling him will probably get some information from him." Keara replied as they were left to watch the duel in silence. They drew their five cards and the kid went first, placing Man-Eating Plant in attack mode. "I counter with Winger Dragon, Guardian of the Fortress! Attack from the sky with Fireball Barrage!" he called as his monster appeared onto the field and flew up into the air. He gave a roar before sending a wave of fireballs down towards the enemy monster, destroying it easily and causing the other's life points to decrease to 1400.
The boy growled before drawing his next card and sending out Crocodilus. 'Take this!' he thought. "You can't beat me with cards like that! Go Celtic Guardian! Destroy that monster with Silver Blade Slash!" Celtic Guardian gripped the sword tightly in his hands before charging towards the monster and slashing it in half. "Wait...I just noticed somethin'...this kid really sucks!" Jounouchi proclaimed. "As much as I hate to agree, you're right! This kid is no match for him!" Myrrh replied. "Give up now! This game isn't so easy for you with stolen cards!" Yami hissed. The kid's eyes widened in fear before glancing at the star chips and made a grab for them. He took hold of the star chips, dropping three of them, and tried to run off. "Yami! He has your star chips!" Yugi cried but Yami's tail slunk out before wrapping around his waist. Capturing him, Yami watched the boy struggle as he was lifted clear off the ground. "Hold it right there!" he spoke. "Aggh! Let go of me!" A familiar voice called. "I knew it! You're..." Yami grabbed hold of the other's hat and tugged it off. The removal of the hat caused obsidian locks to fall, revealing the thief. Said person looked to Yami with fear as he tried to get away. 'So it was Mokuba but why?' Yami wondered. "What th–? That kid was Mokuba?!" Honda exclaimed. "If so then why did he try to steal Yami's star chips?" Keara questioned. Mokuba continued to struggle while Yami pondered over Keara's inquiry. 'A better question would be why he's on this island.' Yami thought as he walked out, tail still wrapped around Mokuba. Jounouchi immediately ran over, glaring down at Mokuba. "Mokuba, ya little weasel! Ya stole two of Yami's star chips! Give 'em back!" he demanded. "No! I won't give them back!" Jounouchi growled and was about to attack him when Yami pulled him away from the enraged teen and looked to him. "Mokuba...are you still mad at us for what happened? Mad at me?" he questioned. "Of...Of course I am! You're the ones who made nii-sama the way he is!"
"So he's still..." Yugi started, walking over. "Yes! In a coma! He's under 24-hour care in the mansion...the world greatest doctors have looked at him but...they say that he might be like this for the rest of his life!" Mokuba explained. They were all silent as they listened to him. Mokuba snarled and turned away from him. "But don't get the wrong idea...I didn't steal the star chips to get revenge on you!" he spat and Yami looked down to him, curious. "Feh...you guys don't even know why Pegasus held this tournament, do you? Then I'll tell you why! He had this tournament to beat you and gain control of Kaiba Corp.!" he shouted, shocking them with the information. 'What...Pegasus wants Kaiba Corp.?' Yami thought. "Explain, Mokuba." The boy clenched his fists tighter, looking down. "Pegasus was the one who created Duel Monsters and established himself as a genius game designer. But he wasn't big enough of a company so his company teamed up with Kaiba Corp. to develop the Virtual Battle Simulator Box." A shuddering breath left the boy before continuing. "But then that day...he lost to Yami in the last round of his theme park of death, the Death-T. With the president of Kaiba Corp. in a coma, the stock plummeted and Ruby couldn't do a thing! The management got worse and worse so Pegasus took it as an opportunity and jumped in to buy the company! Pegasus made an offer to the Big Five...Kaiba Corp's five leading stockholders. Now that nii-sama is gone and Ruby unable to do anything to help the stocks, the Big Five, who owned 60 percent of the company shares, have all the decision-making power! The Big Five liked his offer and planned to agree with it...on one condition..."
/"Kaiba Corp. depended on the image of Kaiba as the number one gamer in Japan! All of our problems started because of that demon kid, Yami! The only way to regain investor confidence is to beat Yami once and for all! Pegasus-sama, if you can defeat Yami in an official game of Duel Monsters, we will dismiss the half-dead Kaiba and also Jewelstone, appointing you as chief executive of Kaiba Corp!" one of the Big Five spoke. Pegasus chuckled as he looked at them.
"That's all? I just have to defeat this boy...? Consider it done!"/
Yami crossed his arms, snorting. "I see now...so Pegasus is really looking forward to beating me, isn't he?" he said, chuckling. "Don't laugh, Yami! Not even you can defeat Pegasus!" Mokuba growled, facing him again. "Nobody in the world could beat him...even nii-sama told me he was invincible..." Mokuba gave a light sigh. "That's why I came up with my plan...if I could steal all of Yami's star chips, he'd be disqualified before he can fight Pegasus...he wouldn't have lost the match and the agreement between Pegasus and the Big Five wouldn't count!"
"So that's why you came to the island?"
"No! The Big Five brought me here! Because I have the key." Mokuba teased with a snicker. "You have the key? The key to what, pray tell?" Aqua asked. "Two nights ago, the Big Five barged into my house with guards under their orders. They were going to steal some of the documents in nii-sama's safe. Without Ruby around to catch them in the act, this was the perfect opportunity for them! It was something that they needed to seal the deal with Pegasus. So I swallowed the key to the safe, right in their faces!"
"So that's why they brought you here? If the key's in your stomach then..." Diamond started. "Yeah! Every time I went to the bathroom, those guys would come running to check!" Jounouchi and Honda shuddered while Mokuba looked determined once more. "I won't let them have Kaiba Corp. even if they tear out my guts for the key!"
"Mokuba..." Yami whispered. Mokuba turned to look at him. "Yami, you and everyone else may not believe this...nii-sama made Death-T to get revenge on you...but his real dream is to build Kaiba Land amusement centers all over the worlds so poor children can have fun! That's why he dedicated his life to Kaiba Corp! That's why I'll give my life to keep it safe. So when he comes back, he can finish that dream!" Yugi walked over and Mokuba looked at him. "I believe you, Mokuba. Now can you believe in Yami and Aqua?" he whispered and motioned for Yami to let him down. He did so, uncurling his tail from around the other's waist. Mokuba looked up to Yami then back to Yugi. "Please, give him his star chips back, Mokuba." Yugi pleaded. "And I promise you that I will defeat Pegasus." Yami spoke. He looked down to the star chips in hand before gripping them and looked to Yami, walking toward him. 'I trust you, Yami! I know you can help save Kaiba Corp.' Mokuba was about to hand them to him if the unwanted distraction didn't appear.
"Stop right there! Exchanging star chips outside a duel is a violation of the rules! One more move and consider yourself disqualified!" The suit from before spoke and Yami hissed. The man smirked and chuckled. "I finally found you, Mokuba! You sure led a good chase after you escaped from the castle..." he commented as he walked over and grabbed hold of his arm holding the star chips. "Now I'll confiscate those star chips! Give 'em here!" he growled, struggling with Mokuba who was keeping hold of them. He finally got a hold of them, clenching them in his hand and Kaiser ran to him. "Hold it! Two of those star chips belong to Yami! Give them back!" he demanded. "How many times are you going to make me have to say this? The only way to get star chips is to duel for them!" The suit spoke. "Fine! I challenge you to a duel!" Yami growled, stepping forward. The suit laughed. "Sorry, but I don't play games! But if you insist, I'll arrange for a special opponent! He's right over there!" he said, pointing over to a duel box which was already inhabited with Yami's opponent. "When did they get inside the duel box?!" Myrrh gasped in horror. Yami took a glance at the box then saw something peculiar. "Wait! T-That's...!" Yugi looked towards the figure.
"Is that...Kaiba?" he shouted and they all looked. "Nii-sama...no...that's something that looks like him! Look closer!" Mokuba called and they saw now that what they believed was Kaiba was only a mere puppet and a strange ventriloquist. "Come in...come in!" The puppet spoke. "Y-Y-Yami...you'll p-p-pay for what you did to me...r-r-revenge...revenge...revenge!" The puppet hissed. Yami growled. 'You scum...how dare you make fun of Kaiba, one of the greatest duelists I met. I will never forgive you!'
"There's your opponent! Get in the battle box!" Yami snarled and made his way towards the box and Mokuba growled as he struggled in the other's arms. "You lousy jerk! That's not my brother! Nii-sama's in the hospital! Yami! Beat the guy up and rip him to shreds!" Mokuba declared. Yami walked in, closing the door behind him before sitting down, pulling his deck from his pocket. The Kaiba puppet pointed to him menacingly. "Today will be the day I k-k-kill you!" The puppet spoke before laughing. Yami snarled, bearing his fangs. "C'mon, Yami! Beat that weirdo!" The suit smirked as he held Mokuba still. 'Do you even realize it yet? Your opponent is no ordinary duelist who came to this island! That ventriloquist is the first assassin brought to kill you! The doll will disturb and enrage you, throwing you off your game and leading out to your defeat. And when that happens, Kaiba Corp. will belong to Pegasus!' he thought before looking down to Mokuba. "By the way! Don't you recognize me, Mokuba?" Mokuba took a glance up to him and gasped. "You're...you're Saruwatari, my bodyguard from Kaiba Corp!" he said in shock.
He chuckled. "I'm honored you still remember me! But even back then I was working for I2! I infiltrated Kaiba Corp as a spy. While babysitting you, I reported all my findings of Kaiba Corp. confidential information to Pegasus-sama but that's not all I stole, Mokuba...just watch!" he claimed, laughing again. Back in the box, the puppet chuckled again. "Y-Y-Yami...we'll each bet three star chips!" he said. "Fine! I'll bet all my star chips!" Yami snarled, placing the last three star chips down. The puppet started first, drawing a card before taking one from the ventriloquist's hand. "I p-p-play B-B-Battle Ox!" It announced as the monster appeared on the field. 'Hmm...the minotaur card. That's one of Kaiba's cards...' he thought as he drew his card. "Then I'll fight with this! Black Magician!" he called as the magician appeared onto the field. "Attack with Black Magic!" The magician waved his staff, destroying the Battle Ox in one hit. "Noooo! He got me!" The puppet cried, its life points decreasing to 1200. 'The ventriloquist...how much is he planning to joke around with me?!' Yami thought, snarling again. "Yami looks pissed but he's winning!"
"It must be because of the Kaiba puppet! He's using that to try and throw him off his game!" The puppet drew its next card. "And now f-f-for my next card..." It spoke and chortled. "The d-d-dragon of r-r-revenge has risen from hell! Are you r-r-eady, Yami?" Yami's eyes widened. "He can't have what I think he has...!" The puppet placed down the card and his suspicions were true. "Come forth, Blue-Eyes White Dragon!" The dragon gave a roar and Mokuba gasped. "No way! That's nii-sama's deck!" Mokuba cried and Saruwatari smirked. 'That's right! I stole Kaiba's deck!'
"Be careful, Yami! I2 is using nii-sama's cards to defeat you!" Mokuba shouted. "Don't lose!" Saruwatari chuckled more. 'This is only the beginning! Even if you defeat this assassin, there are others hidden around the island and mixed up with the duelists. The first player killer is the Ventriloquist of the Dead!'
'You can't win, Yami! Your own guilt...and Kaiba's grudge will smother and bury you! I will kill you with Kaiba's own cards!' The ventriloquist thought. "It's really m-me, Yami...I am b-b-borrowing the b-body of this doll...to g-g-get my revenge...be prepared..." The doll spoke, empty eyes glaring at him. 'It can't be true. Kaiba's soul can't be in that doll or else I would've sensed it there. But could it be true...that Kaiba's grudge and thirst for vengeance is portrayed through that doll...?' Yami pondered, eyes narrowed into slits. "Yami! Don't get worked up! It's just that ventriloquist throwin' his voice to the doll!" Jounouchi yelled. The puppet chuckled again as he took another card from the ventriloquist's hand. "L-L-Let's play more! I w-w-won't attack yet with the Blue-Eyes White Dragon...by f-f-forfeiting my attack this turn; I can p-play this card face down instead. Soon, your m-m-monsters will have nowhere to run!" Yami looked down to the card, trying to contemplate whether it was a trap card or a magic card. "My turn!" he said as he drew his card. 'The Black Magician isn't powerful enough to destroy the Blue-Eyes so I'll have to play on the defensive.' Yami thought as he placed the Black Magician into defense mode along with Curse of Dragon. "I kn-kn-knew you'd do that. But it w-won't save you...b-b-because I'm playing this trap card! Activate Stop Defense!" The puppet declared as it flipped over the card. "Now all your monsters are in attack mode!" It spoke as Black Magician and Curse of Dragon shifted into attack mode. 'No! Now the Blue-Eyes can tear through my defenses to get to me!'
"Yes, that's it! There's nowhere to r-r-run or h-hide now! Go Blue-Eyes White Dragon! Attack the accursed dragon with Burst Stream of Destruction!" The dragon roared and let loose a stream of white lightning towards the Curse of Dragon, destroying him easily and Yami's life points decreased to 1000. "Yami!" Yugi cried. Saruwatari laughed. "I bet Kaiba's happy-if he's watching this duel from heaven!" he remarked and Mokuba shook, tears coming to his eyes. "Nii-sama...nii-sama isn't dead! Nii-sama is not dead! Yami! You told me nii-sama would come back! I...I believed you...I believed you! Where is he now?! I've waited and waited for him!" Mokuba shouted towards him. Yami jolted in realization from Mokuba's words and smirked. 'You're right! Even after all the stuff he put us through, I still need to believe in him!' he thought as he drew his card. "I won't lose to the likes of you!" He looked at the card and chuckled darkly. "Let's see how good your luck is. I play Magical Hats! Conceal the Black Magician!" Four black hats appeared on the field, Black Magician disappearing under one of them and they shuffled over the board before straightening into a line.
"The Blue-Eyes can only attack one at a time! If he chooses the wrong hat, I get to live for another turn!" Yami spoke and the ventriloquist growled. "I'll take out your hats one at a time." he hissed through the mask he wore over his mouth. "Burst Stream! Attack the second hat from the right!" The dragon gathered energy again before letting it loose and it blew away the hat. When the dust cleared, nothing was under it. "Hmph! The magician wasn't under that one!" The ventriloquist muttered. Yami's smirk widened as he drew his card. "Too bad for you...now I'll play this card! And while I'm at it, I'll place it under a hat." he said. "Now there's three hats left...if you hit my Black Magician, I'll lose 500 points and I'll be defenseless. On the other hand, if you destroy the wrong one, you may activate the trap card I just played." The ventriloquist looked down to the hats, a little fearful and what laid beneath one of them. 'I have a one out of three chance to get the right one and kill that magician.' he thought as he drew a card.
He scrutinized the hats before making his attack. "It has to be the middle one! Attack Blue-Eyes with Burst Stream on the middle hat!" he called and again, the dragon unleashed a massive blast towards the hat, the hat disappeared with a hiss, revealing a card underneath. Yami bared his fangs in satisfaction. "Good choice." he whispered. "Good choice...for me that is!" As he finished the sentence, a hexagram appeared around the dragon, causing him to lose attack points. "No! My dragon is trapped inside the hexagram!" The ventriloquist cried as he broke character. "Yep and he is going down. Now! Black Magician! Attack the Blue-Eyes with Black Magic!" The magician appeared from the hat he hid under and waved his staff and a blast of dark energy hit the Blue Eyes. With a roar, it disappeared into smoke. The ventriloquist was baffled as the Blue-Eyes was destroyed. "He did it! He defeated the Blue-Eyes!" Honda cheered. Mokuba was surprised to see this as well but the victory was short-lived as the ventriloquist sent out another Blue-Eyes right after the destruction of the other and easily destroyed the Black Magician.
Yami snarled, his life points decreasing to 500 and the puppet laughed once more. "What's the matter, Yami? I just played the s-s-second Blue-Eyes White Dragon!" The puppet spoke. "Have you f-f-forgotten that I have three Blue-Eyes White Dragons? Now, p-play your card...so the d-d-dragon can turn it to ashes!" Yami sneered, looking down. 'There isn't a card that I have in my deck now...I took out Exodia to make things fair in the tournament and who knew I would need it now. I lost...' he thought dejectedly as he placed Feral Imp onto the field. "G-Good, you played your final monster, yes?" The puppet asked and Yami nodded reluctantly. "Then this is the end! Destroy Yami, Blue-Eyes!" The ventriloquist commanded but the dragon didn't obey. "Huh...! What's wrong? Why aren't you attacking?!" he demanded but gasped as the dragon fazed off from the field. "The dragon's vanishing...but why...!" The ventriloquist screeched as he dropped the puppet. 'Kaiba...it has to be him...' Yami thought and like he suspected, at the mansion, Kaiba finally woke from his coma, retreating from the wheelchair he sat in. A maid walked in only to gasp at seeing him standing, dropping the tray she was carrying.
"Seto-sama! Seto-sama is awake!" she called. Kaiba looked out to the window, thinking of only one name.
'Yami...'
"Hey, Yami! What was that? Ya made the Blue-Eyes self-destruct!" Jounouchi called. "But why? It was like the card itself refused to attack Yami..." Yugi murmured. "C'mon, Yugi! Cards don't have minds of their own! People does! I mean, people do!" Jounouchi corrected. "Yeah, you may be right."
'But I still believe that the cards do have thoughts, probably even souls of their very own and even with the way Kaiba acts towards us, the cards still trust him as a master. They know of his wish to defeat Yami but in a fair duel with him reigning over his cards and not someone else.' he thought. "Even with this setback for that guy, this may give Yami a chance to win." Keara said. "Yaay! Go Yami!" Mokuba cheered. "What the...? Did the box virtual reality system malfunction?" Saruwatari questioned. "Yeah right! A Kaiba Corp. battle box doesn't break so easily! Nii-sama's cards can't be used by just anyone! Serves that clown right for trying to use them in the first place!" Mokuba gloated. "Yami! Kill that ventriloquist!" Saruwatari growled. 'He may have lasted this long...but there's still one more Blue-Eyes White Dragon in the deck! He survived two attacks but I know there isn't a way for him to survive the last.'
"Why you..." The ventriloquist growled. "Enough jabber from you! Let's continue this battle!" Yami snarled. "There's no monster on your side of the board! Hurry up and play one!" The ventriloquist looked down to Kaiba's deck. 'I've lost two of the Blue-Eyes already. The third should be hidden somewhere in the deck. Miracles can't happen twice...if I can draw that last Blue-Eyes, my victory is assured!' he thought as he played Grappler in defense mode. 'So, he's trying to draw out his life until he gets the last Blue-Eyes.' Yami thought as he looked down to the Stop Defense card that was in play. 'And as long as that card is on the field, I can't protect myself. Once he draws that last Blue-Eyes, I lose...' The demon drew his card and examined his hand for a strategy.
"I place one card face down then play Celtic Guardian in attack mode! Slay Grappler with Silver Blade Slash!" The elf jumped in to attack and slashed Grappler in half, the monster disappearing before its sliced body could hit the field. The ventriloquist drew his card before placing another card in defense mode. "...And I too place a card face down to end my turn." Yami looked at the card, contemplating whether it was a trap or magic card. His eyes narrowed once more as he drew another card. "Alright, I'll play another face down and I place Mystical Elf in attack mode! My turn's over." he announced as the blue skinned elf appeared, chanting in a mystical language. With three monsters on the board and two face down cards, the ventriloquist started to think that if he didn't get the Blue Eyes soon, he would be overwhelmed. The two duelists stared each other down intensely. "Man, there's a bad vibe in the air. It's feels so thick with tension that it's suffocatin' just to watch 'em duel." Jounouchi murmured. "I agree. With two face down cards on both sides, one of them is bound to be a trump card for one of them. Whatever card that would be would decide the duel." Diamond responded.
"Don't worry! Yami's hasn't lost a battle yet and he won't in this one!" Yugi proclaimed with determination for his partner. "Please, Yami! Win this duel!" Mokuba called. "My turn." The ventriloquist spoke and smirked from behind the mask. "Behold the third and final Blue-Eyes!" he announced and they gasped. "Yami!" Mokuba cried, hoping that Yami has a card to defeat the last Blue-Eyes. "Now! Slaughter that Holy Elf! Burst Stream of Destruction!" The dragon readied its attack before unleashing it at Mystical Elf. "It's over!" Yami smirked as he flipped over one of his face down cards. "I play my trap card! Mirror Force!" A mirror dome appeared over Mystical Elf, reflecting the blast back towards the Blue-Eyes. The blast was about to hit the dragon when the ventriloquist laughed. "I play my own trap! Negate Attack!" he spoke as he flipped the card and various portals appeared in front of the dragon, sucking the fragments of his own blast into nothing. 'Shit...he anticipated my attack...' Yami thought, growling lowly. "Your key card ended up being useless...I'm always one step ahead of you!" The ventriloquist jeered, laughing again.
"What now? That was probably the last move Yami could make, especially without Exodia in the deck!" Jounouchi claimed. "No...it's over..." Mokuba whispered sadly and lowered his head, not wanting to see the defeat of Yami which meant the ownership of Kaiba Corp. belonging to Pegasus. "Now, Yami, this is your last turn! You must be at wits' end without anything to protect you!" Yami chuckled. "Here's my next trump card. You didn't think I was going to give in that easily, did you?" he murmured as he flipped over the other face down card. "Monster Reborn!" The reveal of the card shocked the ventriloquist. 'Impossible! Is he going to bring back one of my cards from the graveyard...?' he wondered and Yami gave a short roar. "Wrong, thief! I'm not bringing back your card...It's Kaiba's card that I'm bringing back. The Blue-Eyes White Dragon!" he announced as the other dragon appeared on the field, glaring at the ventriloquist. 'Curse him! With this I have no choice. They're both equally matched so they will kill one another!'
"You wish! My Mystical Elf has been chanting a holy spell even since she was on the field. This chant is a bolstering magic that adds her attack to one monster of my choosing! Can you guess which one I'm planning to add those attack points to~" he questioned mockingly. The ventriloquist didn't speak nor did Yami let him. "Are you ready? This is Kaiba's anger for using his deck!" he spoke and the ventriloquist gulped. 'No...I can't lose here!' Yami grinned, bearing his fangs and eyes gleaming with a hidden bloodlust. "Die." he hissed. "Holy Burst Stream of Destruction! Destroy the Blue-Eyes White Dragon!" The dragon roared as he gathered a massive ball of energy which he released not long after, destroying the other Blue-Eyes and dropping the ventriloquist's life points down to zero. Seeing that it wouldn't be long before they came for Mokuba again, Saruwatari left the scene, holding a hand over Mokuba's mouth so he couldn't make a sound to alert them. The ventriloquist got up from the chair, attempting to leave but Yami snarled as he stood, the holograms disappearing from the field. "You disgusting slime...you think you can get away after this insult to one of the greatest duelists I know? My anger hasn't been quelled and you won't leave until it is!" The ventriloquist backed away in fear as Yami came closer. "Not only did you use Kaiba's cards, you played with his soul like it was a toy...a stupid toy...I will never forgive you!" he hissed, eyes glowing. "Penalty Game! Show him how it feels to be a toy!" The ventriloquist flinched but nothing happened and he looked around, heaving a sigh of relief but realized that Yami was still there, a smirk present. He heard something move and looked down to see the puppet, once crafted to look like Kaiba now held his appearance and was crawling towards him.
He backed further into the wall as the puppet advanced and soon reached him. The ventriloquist felt himself being forced down to his knees and he shook in fear as looking to the puppet as it climbed onto his lap then looked up to him, his face a twisted, disfigured mess. "Gyaaaaagh!" It screeched, reaching up to him and the ventriloquist screamed as he tried to get away but he couldn't move. Soon enough, the transfer was complete and the body slumped, his soul now inhabiting the doll. Yami looked smug as he grabbed his deck, the star chips and Kaiba's deck to pocket before leaving out the duel box. "You did it! You made up the star chips you lost!" Yugi cheered as he jumped into his arms and Yami smiled. "Yes, and not only that but I also gained Kaiba's cards back." he said before looking around. "...wait, where's Mokuba?" They looked around and realized that Saruwatari and Mokuba were gone. "Oh no! That suit must've run off with Mokuba!" Diamond speculated. "He must be at the castle now!" Honda added. "There may be a spare chance that they're not there yet! Aqua! Diamond! Yami! Kaiser! Take to the skies and see if you can find them nearby! We'll search for him down here!" Keara said and they nodded before unfurling their wings and flew off, searching the island from each direction.
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Back at the mansion, Kaiba, now with Ruby by his side, were walking out. "You fools! Mokuba was abducted and you couldn't even think to alert Ruby of this mishap! Worse enough that you couldn't guard him from this!" Kaiba hissed as they continued walking off. "We're sorry, sir!" The butlers whispered, bowing as he walked by. The maid that was tending him ran behind them. "Seto-sama, please wait! Where are you going? You can't run off now! You're still not well enough to..."
"Be quiet!" he hissed, looking at her and she flinched, halting her path there. "Prepare the chopper now! We're flying to Pegasus' island!" he said as he left outside, a chopper already fired up for the trip. Ruby looked back to the maid and walked over to her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "I'll keep an eye on him just in case something happens." he said and she smiled gratefully. "Thank you, Ruby-sama." she whispered and he nodded before leaving out the door, hopping into the chopper with Kaiba before it took off into the sky and towards Pegasus' island with him at the controls.
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Zypher: Done and with not a moment to spare! Hoped you all enjoyed the chapter and now it's time for another wonderful story of the Duel Monsters! Enjoy as always!
-Shadow Realm: Yami and Yugi's Deck-
Mahaado walked through the realm, slight wounds present on him but he was more focused on finding Celtic. He found the other near the pond and smiled as he walked over. He looked up when he heard the other come by and jumped up, running over to embrace the spellcaster. "Mahaado! Are you alright?" he questioned. "I'm fine." The magician replied. "Are you absolutely sure? I don't need you collapsing on me since I really don't want to drag you all the way back to the spellcasters dorm from here." he muttered with a pout and Mahaado laughed. "Come on, we can head to the spellcasters dorm now so you can rest a bit. It looks like you need it. Don't argue." Mahaado suggested, taking hold of Celtic's arm before he could protest and led him towards the dorm. They soon came upon the vast dorm, some of the magicians greeted them as they walked by, already used to Celtic being around since he was found on occasions on the training grounds sparring with Mahaado to improve with the magician's guidance. They walked for a few moments before stopping at the door to Mahaado's room and he unlocked it, opening the door and ushering Celtic inside.
Celtic looked around the royal purple room in awe, this being the first time he was even in the magician's room. Mahaado chuckled as he watched him. "Enough gawking over my room, Celtic. Rest your weary head for a little while." Mahaado offered and Celtic did as he was told, removing his boots, armor and helmet along the way. He placed them off to the side before sitting on the bed as Mahaado walked over, removing his headpiece and setting it down along with his staff in a nearby chair. He sat beside the other and embraced Celtic. Celtic smiled up to him before he realized that Mahaado had placed his staff away without bothering to heal himself. "Mahaado, why didn't you heal yourself?" he questioned. "Because I don't really need healing. It's only a 500 point difference between me and Blue-Eyes so I'm not too wounded." Mahaado explained. "Either way, I want to see you healed. Like I always say, you need to be at your top performance before Master Yami gets into another battle." Celtic murmured as he sat up once more and looked to the magician.
"No need to worry, by the time Master Yami finds another battle, I'll be fine." Mahaado reassured. Celtic sighed and lied back down on the soft bed. "I just hate seeing you hurt, Mahaado. I know you can recover from wounds faster, especially when it comes to Blue-Eyes, but I still hate seeing you come in with even the slightest of scratches." Mahaado smiled as he stroked Celtic's forehead softly. "I love it that you're worried about me but I worry about you too. Other duelists may think you're a weak monster, which is a huge understatement, you are strong but also wounded easily. I hate seeing you with any wounds from any monster, including myself." Mahaado explained, still remembering about the illusionist mage using his abilities against him to attack Celtic. Celtic smiled and reached up, taking hold of Mahaado's hand and grasped it gently. "I'm happy to know that, Mahaado. I'm glad you're here for me." Celtic whispered. "Same here." he murmured, leaning down to kiss his forehead lightly before getting up. "How about you rest here for now. I'm sure you'll need it." Celtic nodded in agreement as he snuggled more into the bed and Mahaado draped the blanket over him. "Sleep well, Celtic." Mahaado whispered as he sat down beside the warrior again and watched as he slept.
-Shadow Realm: Kaiba's Deck-
The monsters of Kaiba's deck were in an outrage. /"That dirty thief! Oh, if I were a real monster, I would tear him to shreds!"/ Yikido hissed. /"Calm down, Yikido. Be happy that Kaiba-sama is finally awake so we will be returned to him soon. I'm sure that Master Yami will give his word to return Kaiba-sama's deck to him."/ Aoi spoke. Yikido growled again but nodded. Aoi too was mad but he knew that Master Yami would not deny the chance to give the deck back to its rightful owner. "So what are we going to do until Kaiba-sama reclaims his deck?" Saggi questioned. /"We will wait. We're safe in Master Yami's hands and I know Kaiba-sama will not waste time to come here since he does need to save Mokuba-sama"/ Yikido snorted. /"I hate waiting..."/
/"Then get used to it. It may be awhile before Kaiba-sama reaches the island. He will still need to find Master Yami and his friends as they won't stay in the same place for long. We will sit here, relax and not get into a fit about what happened."/ Torone, the third Blue Eyes, spoke. Yikido huffed again but lied down, waiting for Kaiba to come and pick up his deck. The other monsters did the same and things were silent from there aside from Yikido's angry snorts.
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Zypher: Yeah, a little short on Kaiba's deck but there wasn't much to say, other than the fact the monsters were ready to kill the ventriloquist for using Kaiba's deck but the Mahaado/Celtic fluff should make up for it. Anyways, hope you all enjoyed this wonderful little story and I'll see you in the next chapter.