Zypher: Thank you all for your wonderful comments and here's another glorious chapter to Yami no Game. Enjoy.

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Yami no Game: Dark Saga

Chapter 14

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From the top of the tower, Saruwatari, who was watching the match commence, took out a phone and dialed one number. "Pegasus-sama, the match between Yami and Kaiba has ended. The winner is Seto Kaiba." he told him. "Shall I let him into the castle?" When Saruwatari got the confirmation, he nodded. "Right away, sir." He closed the phone then left to meet up with Seto at the door. Inside, Pegasus smiled as he looked through a set of cards. "Good job, Kaiba-boy...you got your wish now. I am your next opponent." he spoke quietly to himself before he placed the card on the deck it came from.

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After the renewed Blue-Eyes' head made the final attack, defeating Celtic Guardian with its mighty blow, Yami collapsed to his knees, head bowed in complete shame. Everyone watched in horror as the attack hit its mark, tears coursing down Yugi's face at what he caused. From the tower window, Keith was appalled at what he witnessed. "What the fuck was that? He had it won...and he let it slip through just from that little punk's words..." Keith muttered quietly. 'No. I didn't try that. I couldn't have. I'm not a monster...I'm not like Bakura. I'm not like him...' he thought and started to scream with agony, clenching his head and Yugi ran over to him. "Yami?!" Yugi cried, kneeling down to him and reached out to grasp his shoulder. Before he could touch him, Yami backed away, eyes showing fear. "No...stay away...stay away from me!" he shrieked and in the blink of an eye, disappeared back into the puzzle, leaving the dueling gauntlet behind with a soft clatter of metal on stone. "Yami? Yami!" Yugi cried, trying to connect to him through their mind link but it was completely blocked off. The others ran over to him and knelt down to his side but Kaiba, from his spot, only watched coldly. "It's ok, Yugi. You did the right thing. He'll be fine." Aqua murmured but Yugi only cried more. "No! He won't be! He won't! He thinks he's a monster like Bakura for nearly killing someone that doesn't deserve it!" Yugi rasped. "Kaiba would've died if I didn't say anything! The battle was getting out of hand and...I couldn't let him die! No matter what he put us through!" They continued to try and comfort him, knowing that nothing could work until he knows Yami would be alright. "I'm scared, Aqua...I'm so scared that Yami will destroy himself. I-I don't want him to die..." Yugi whispered, wrapping his arms around the dragon. "He won't. I promise you, he won't." Aqua murmured, rubbing his back. Kaiba gave a menacing laugh. "Let him die, it will save all of us a lot of trouble." Kaiba spat and Aqua growled. "Don't you dare say that!" he snarled. "Seto!" Ruby hissed, looking to him. 'He dragged me down before and I'm not letting him do so again. Death-T was enough.' he thought, glaring at his own sibling.

"I won against Yami. He showed his weakness at the end thanks to a petty cry from you. You ruined it for him, Yugi." he spoke. "He's a demon and demons are made to kill. They aren't deserving of love as it ruins their true instinct. He's a cold hearted monster and caring about another's safety only destroys everything they stand for!" Ruby clenched his teeth and his fists. "Seto! This game isn't about murder! Not like before!" he snapped angrily before backing away from him and over to where the others stood. "I have stayed by your side long enough but when you take things this far, there's no reason. I know we have to save Mokuba but I'm not going to join you if you think of a game like this. Death-T was far enough and I made my protest known then too." Kaiser looked to him and smiled before glaring at Kaiba once more. Kaiba only tsked in disapproval. "Ruby, do you know what God gave to use to play these games in the world. A little chip called life. I threw my chip of life on the line as a last gamble. Yami sacrifice the bet to save me! He lost the game for a foolish move!" Myrrh hissed and stood, eyes locking with Kaiba's. "It's not true! You're the one to lose!" she hissed as she stepped forward. Her outburst startled Kaiba and she continued her tirade. "You think people's struggles are like a game and you're wrong! Yami faced a hard move that could mean the life of two things! Your brother and Yugi's jii-chan! If he could, he could save them both but this duel came up, deciding who would get in the castle or not! Then you do this, forcing him to make a move that risked your life! You bet off your life like it was nothing! You lost to yourself! When you're on the verge of losing, you think you don't deserve to live. You are a self-centered, cold-hearted fool, Seto Kaiba!" Kaiba started growling but Myrrh wasn't finished there. "Real courage comes from the heart and not only do Yami and Aqua show that for what they went through to get here but so does Yugi. He supports two demons that have the power to kill anything in sight if they wished yet he has changed their ways and made them good! He never gave up on them and neither did we but you...you gave up on life and you caused your own loss!" Keara nodded in agreement to her words.

"She's right, Kaiba. Remember who saved you. Think of what would happen if your death did happen and none of us could save you before you hit the ground. Do you want your last thoughts to be on the people you have disappointed, have betrayed because of your foolish decision?" Keara spoke. Kaiba only snorted and held the ten star chips in hand. "Say what you will but I don't care! I got what I needed and I'm going to save our brother! Ruby! You can come or stay here with them. Whatever decision you make won't affect me in any way." Kaiba murmured. "I stay with them." Ruby replied and Kaiba turned back to him, eyes lighting up with disbelief but it quickly disappeared as he huffed. "So be it." he whispered. "And while yer at it, take yer stupid machine with ya!" Jounouchi growled, tossing Kaiba the Duel Disk. He caught it and started descending the stairs with a flutter of his trench coat. Ruby watched him go sadly before looking over to Yugi and walked over. "Yugi, I know it doesn't mean much from me but I'm sorry you had to see him act this way again. I guess whatever Yami tried to accomplish with him before that put him into that state didn't work. Hopefully Yami will be alright and ready to face Pegasus...somehow." Ruby whispered, patting his shoulder. Yugi looked up to him and smiled. "Thank you, Ruby." he replied. "And we'll be with you all the way! We won't rest until we regain those star chips and help Yami out!" Kaiser claimed. "Let's just hope there are still some duelists on the island. We need to get five star chips and fast." Aqua replied and they nodded. 'I will help Yami get into Pegasus' castle. He may not be fit to duel right now but I'll help him in some way.' Yugi thought, taking the gauntlet from the ground.

As Kaiba reached the door, Saruwatari was waiting there along with Keith who started clapping. "Good show. You really kicked that demon's ass for revenge. Never would expect someone to actually beat him from what I heard from those lackeys of mine." Keith commented. Kaiba took a glance over to him and chuckled. "I didn't know a prize hunting hyena had found its way to the island..." Kaiba murmured and Keith grinned. "Let me tell you this, pretty boy. I'm taking the prize and Pegasus' head." He chuckled even more. "But of course, a person as rich as you probably doesn't care about the prizes. So let me ask you something. "God gives us a little chip called life". That's what you said, wasn't it? So this chip, is worth the same for everybody? For the poor...and for the rich?" he questioned, grin still present. "Hmm, I thought that distinction was for you hyenas to sniff out as you hunt for your next feast..." Kaiba spoke, a smirk on his face and Keith growled at his rebuttal. 'You spoiled little brat...that demon should've let you die...' As he entered without another word, Keith only shrugged and followed, deciding that all the eventful stuff was done for until the last two duelists enter. Back above, after Yugi calmed down a little and wiped away his tears, they all looked over the edge of the platform they stood on to see Kaiba, Saruwatari and Keith heading to the locked door. "Well, he's heading into the castle now and so is that prize hunter." Ruby muttered before looking to Yugi. "You don't have any time to waste, if you want to get inside, you better hurry and get five more star chips." Yugi nodded and climbing onto Aqua's back, still shaken up by the events that occurred, they all dashed down to find more duelists before time was up for the main tournament.

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Kaiba placed the ten star chips into the slots and a mechanical voice confirmed them before opening, letting him enter inside the castle. 'I'm coming for you, Pegasus!'

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"It's almost sunset! We need ta hurry!" Jounouchi called, dashing down the stairs along with the others while Aqua flew overhead. "Can't care if it's a participant or a player killer, we need to snatch some star chips!" he continued but the voice of Saruwatari stopped them. "It's too late now! Yami is disqualified!" he announced. 'No!' Yugi thought in horror. "That can't be true!" Diamond cried. "Don't believe me? Then look over there!" he called, pointing out to the sea and they all saw a boat just pulling from the docks. "Those are the remaining players! All of them except you! In other words, the four finalists for the championship have already been decided!" he told them.

"No way!"

"Yes! The first is Keith Howard!" Saruwatari recited and Jounouchi sneered. "That lousy excuse fer a duelist doesn't deserve ta be in the finals..." he hissed. "Wait! What about Jou-kun? He has ten star chips! You've got to—" Yugi started as Aqua landed beside the group. "Don't worry your tiny head. He's one of the four too!" Yugi let out a breath of relief. "You mean that I..." Jounouchi started and Saruwatari nodded. "You did it, Jou-kun. You can enter and win that prize money for your sister." Yugi praised happily. Jounouchi took a glance over to him then to the puzzle where the still distraught and restless demon stayed. 'But Yami didn't make it. He must be thinking right now that not only did he lose the duel and risked someone's life but he also broke his promise to Yugi...'

"I'm guessing that Kaiba is the third finalist then?" Ruby questioned. "No, he's a special guest of Pegasus-sama. He's not participating. The third finalist came here earlier but they left saying they were bringing back the fourth. Once they get back, that will make our four contestants! All of Yami's efforts were wasted!" Saruwatari finished, laughing. Yugi gasped then looked down, tears coming to his eyes once more. 'Jii-chan...' he thought then started to cry softly. Aqua cooed gently and brought him into his arms, hugging him Jounouchi looked over to them then to the star chips in his gauntlet. "Yugi..." he whispered then thrusted his arm out to them. "Take my star chips instead!" Yugi looked up to him in surprise. "But why...? You need them to save your sister." Yugi whispered. "The only reason I was able ta make it here today is because Yami gave me one of his chips. I can't thank him enough for that but now, he's needs 'em more than me. These ten star chips belon' ta him!" Jounouchi announced. "Jou-kun, no! You won those star chips on your own. There's no way we can take them." Aqua spoke. "But ya have ta! You two promised you would save Yugi's grandfather! I can't let ya go on thinkin' that ya failed in that! Ya can't give up on that promise!" Yugi looked up to Jounouchi then down to the puzzle. "Jou-kun, I..." he started but they heard a voice from behind and turned to see who it was. "There you are! I finally found you!" Mai called. "Great, it's her." Jounouchi mumbled as she walked up to the group. She looked to Jounouchi, surprised to see he had his gauntlet filled with ten star chips. "What? You actually won ten star chips?!" she spoke and Jounouchi huffed. "It's gonna be half that now!" This shocked Mai to hear then looked to the group, noticing they were short one.

"Where's Yami?"

Yugi looked down quietly. "He's...not here right now. He's really out of it at the moment from something that just happened." Yugi whispered. "And what does that happen to be?" she asked. "He's disqualified, that's what happened! He lost to Kaiba who also needed five star chips to get into the castle so now, he doesn't have enough and every other duelist has already been shipped off." Saruwatari answered and she gasped. "This can't be true." she whispered then looked to Yugi. "He can't be telling the truth, can he?" Yugi sighed once more and pulled out the gauntlet, showing it to her and the five empty slots. "He's right."

"You gotta be kidding! I'm not going to accept that!" she huffed, reaching into her coat pocket and, surprisingly, pulled out five more star chips. "I'm going to pay him pay back the star chips I owe to him!" she said. "Fifteen! She has fifteen star chips?!" Kaiser squawked. "Yes, I do and in return for this, you need to heal this emotional scar and have him ready to face me in the castle, Yugi." Mai spoke. "Man, this must be yer lucky day, Yugi! Go ahead and take them so Yami can still be in this tournament and save yer grandfather!" Jounouchi said, patting his shoulder. "He's right, Yugi. Take them. At least it will make Yami feel as if he hasn't failed you yet." Aqua added. Yugi looked to them then to the puzzle. After a moment of silence, he shook his head. "I can't accept them. Yami wouldn't do it if he were here. He'd accept the loss even if it meant failing me..." Yugi whispered. Mai clenched her hand around the star chips, watching him.

"Yugi, after everything I've seen Yami do, I can tell he's like a mass of duelist's pride with a big heart. But these star chips I'm giving you are what I owe after he helped me and prevented me from getting kicked off the island. Forget the pride and do what's right! Do you want to have everything end here?" Mai questioned. Yugi shook his head again and took hold of Aqua's collar, beckoning him to come and started heading down the stairs. "I still can't accept them." Aqua watched him as he followed before stopping, tugging him back. "Yugi, remember the reason we came here. The promise we planned to fulfill. We have come so far and now that we're at the door to this fate, we can't stop now. I don't care about pride but I care about keeping you happy. We want to give you what you want and that's to return the soul of your grandfather back to where it belongs and it surely doesn't belong in Pegasus' trap." Aqua stated. "Think about it, Yugi. Jou-kun is only new to dueling and he has managed to get ten star chips. He didn't win them out of the pride of a duelist. He wants to be called a real duelist but if that means following the twisted code that Kaiba sets himself to follow, then he doesn't deserve these star chips or the chance to save his sister."

"He's right. If a duelist's pride is what's needed to be a real duelist, then I don't want ta be like that! Some duelists, like Kaiba, only think of their reputation, not what truly matters. I'll crawl through mud if it means protectin' what's dear ta me! Before I'm a duelist, I'm Katsuya Jounouchi and that's how it will stay." Jounouchi spoke. "I have to agree with him. Pride can be a pain sometimes...I didn't go around collecting star chips just for my pride as a duelist, Yugi. I still think that if I repaid Yami, I would earn the right to duel him. But to tell you the truth, it's really because I wanted to see you all again." Mai explained. "Really? Whatever for?" Diamond asked. "Even after all the mean things I said to you, you still called me your friend. That...made me happy cause all my life, no one considered me their friend." Holding out her hand once more, Mai presented the star chips to Yugi. "These star chips are a token of my appreciation! Will you take them now?" Aqua nudged Yugi over to Mai and nodded. Yugi looked back to him then nodded back before taking them. "Ok! I'll take them and I'll make sure to have Yami thank you after this tournament's over!" Yugi said happily and stuck them within the gauntlet before they rushed back up the stairs and through the first gate. They made it to the second where Saruwatari stood. They stopped before him and the man smirked. "Do you have the correct amount of star chips?" he asked. "Only three more can enter." Mai stepped forward and showed her filled gauntlet. "Here you are! Ten star chips!" she answered and he nodded. "Alright then. Go inside." She nodded and when he moved out the way, she took off the star chips from her gauntlet and placed them into the lock. Turning the knob, the voice system recognized them before sliding open. "See ya on the inside." Mai stated as she walked in. "I'm next." Yugi whispered, taking hold of Aqua's collar and stepped up, showing the gauntlet to Saruwatari. "So, you found some extra star chips. Lucky for you but you're not one of the contestants so this is null and void." he announced.

"What do ya mean?!" Jounouchi snarled, stepping up. Saruwatari looked to him before nodding. "You have your ten, get inside." Saruwatari then looked to Yugi. "As for you, you're not allowed." Yugi and Aqua looked at one another, Yugi reading his gaze and giggled. Releasing his grip on his collar, Yugi set his hands behind his back. Aqua trotted behind Saruwatari and before he could figure out what was happening, he screeched in pain, running forward with Aqua's jaws clamped hard on his ass. "Get him off! Get him off!" he yelled as he dashed about the courtyard with the demon trotting almost playfully after him without relenting. "Let me inside and he'll let you go." Yugi called, giggling a bit as he watched the display. "Fine! You can enter, just call him off!" Yugi nodded and Aqua embedded his claws into the ground to stop Saruwatari from his flailing run. Lifting said guard into the air, the other tossed him towards the group and Saruwatari landed face first before them. "That's got to hurt." Ryou winced as he looked to the wounded guard who gave a small groan. Aqua trotted back over, a satisfied smirk on his face as he walked in with Yugi beside him. "But of course. You should know by now two things that you shouldn't do that would make a demon angry. Taunt him and not allowing their host to enter somewhere when they're around." Aqua spoke. They laughed before Jounouchi entered in behind them. But before the rest could enter, Saruwatari lifted his head. "Hey! You can't enter! Only the finalists are allowed!" Keara huffed before snapping her fingers, lighting his pants on fire. "I like to see you try and stop us, flame boy~" Saruwatari felt the heat of the fire on the seat of his pants and jumped up, a high pitched yelp unfitting for a man like him escaping as he tried to pat the flames away. When it did little to douse the flame and only grew in intensity, he started to run about the field before crashing into a nearby tree. They all winced as they heard the faint crack of cartilage.

"Now that really has to hurt. Pegasus needs to hire new guards that aren't as stupid." Diamond whispered before they went inside and shut the door behind them. "Everyone here?" Yugi asked and they nodded. "Ok then! Let's go!" They dashed forward and went through a massive hallway before coming up to a balcony overseeing the battlefield of the finals. Who awaited there was none other than Bandit Keith. "Hey, it's Bandit Keith!" Myrrh exclaimed and he turned when he heard her voice and smirked. "What a fucking surprise...you guys actually made it into the castle." he commented with a sneer and Jounouchi sneered back. "You scumbag! I'm gonna kill ya fer trappin' us in that cave!"

"Hey, hey! Keep your pants on. The show's about to start!" he commented before turning back down to the lower floor. "I'll deal with you later so chill out and look down there." They walked over to the railing and looked down, spotting a duel arena in the center of the floor and Kaiba was waiting on the other side. 'Kaiba's down there...now where's Pegasus?' Yugi thought. "You all are just in time for the duel between rich boy and Pegasus." he said, chuckling. "Indeed..." A voice spoke and Croquet walked over to them. "My friends...the four finalists in the championship tournament, welcome to Pegasus' Castle!" He then looked to the other seven that were part of the group of four finalists. "And it seems we've taken in a few uninvited guests." He chuckled lightly. "In any case...we present to you all a special match for the opening ceremonies. A special welcome by Mr. Pegasus himself for you proud gamers that survived the first half of Duelist Kingdom." Kaiba was silent where he stood, not even taking a glance to the huge window that rested over the door where Pegasus would walk out from. He knew who sat behind it was none other than the Big Five, watching and waiting for Kaiba's defeat. Kaiba reached up and grasped the card pendant, vowing to himself that he will save Mokuba by any means necessary. Soon, the door opened and in walked Pegasus with two guards flanking his side, each holding a pillow where two decks each rested. "Welcome to my castle, Kaiba-boy! It's so good to see you again!" he acclaimed with a happy demeanor. "I've been waiting for the day when I could battle such a proud duelist like yourself and right here in my own kingdom~" Kaiba growled and Pegasus gave a soft chuckle. "No need to worry your pretty little head, Kaiba-boy. Once our duel is safely over, you can have your precious little brother back. Now, let's enjoy a great duel!" Pegasus spoke but before Kaiba could speak a retort, Keara stepped forward.

"Before you start, I have a little something I want to say to Kaiba!" she called and they turned to look at her. "Kaiba, how low can you sink? Has your previous duel against Yami taught you nothing? I watched that duel with so much pain because of your petty insults towards Yami that angered him so much to make him act so rashly. You can't fight evil with evil, you foolish child. You just sealed your brother's fate just by falling into Pegasus' plan and you can thank yourself for it. In fact, that guy at the start of Death-T was right. You are the devil's incarnate. In fact, your just as I said you are, Kaiba. You're just as terrible as the very man who kidnapped your brother." she hissed before glaring at Pegasus. "How can you say such blasphemy?! I will save my brother from his grimy paws!" Kaiba rebuked, sending a glare her way and she snorted. "Just try then. You may know little about Pegasus now but after the duel is over, you will learn a lot more than you care to know." Diamond looked to her and wondered if she knew more about Pegasus herself than they all did. Yugi thought the same before they went to watch the duel that was about to commence. 'Now we get to see up close what kind of powers Pegasus really has.' Yugi thought. 'With him not only having the power to read minds with the Sennen Eye, what else could he be hiding...?' Pegasus chuckled again, not at all fazed by Keara's proclamation as he continued to look at them. "So, our official four finalists are here for the final half of the tournament. Congratulations to you all!" Kaiba looked over the group before spotting Yugi there and smirked. 'So, you decided to come in place of Yami. Seems you are going to stay true to your word.'

"Rats! I want them both to lose! If Pegasus loses, the whole tournament will be ruined but hopefully we get what we want out of him but I rather see Kaiba's loser face to losin' against someone other than Yami one more time!" Jounouchi muttered. /After what he did, I don't mind seeing him lose either but I don't want him to lose. Something might happen to him if he does./ Yugi spoke to Aqua. /Well, we'll see what happens, little one./ Aqua replied. "Now then, let's start our little game." Pegasus spoke, stepping forward but Kaiba stopped him. "Before that. Tell me where Mokuba is." he demanded. "Never fear. You'll see him soon." Pegasus replied. "Now about the terms of our duel...I'm sure that you brought an interesting little contraption with you for it. Something called a duel disk I presume."

"That's right. We will fight using my patented Duel Disk system or I won't fight at all!" Kaiba demanded, tossing one over to Pegasus who caught it with a little surprise. He was silent as he examined the machine before throwing it in the motion of a Frisbee. "...Do I throw it like this?" he questioned with a hint of confusion before sighing. "Oh this looks much too exhausting. I'm not really a man of physical sports so how about this. I'll fight you with the Duel Disk but I'll use a proxy to wield it for me." he suggested. "What?!" Kaiba exclaimed and Pegasus tutted softly. "Now. I'll choose the cards myself. Nothing will change the fact that I'm your opponent." he spoke. "No way! You'll use the disk and fight me one on one, Pegasus!" Kaiba snapped. Pegasus only smirked and nodded. "Alright then. I'll go by your terms." he hummed, knowing full well that the Duel Disk wouldn't be in his favor and yet he knew of a way that would immediately change Kaiba's form of how the battle will be played. "Now, as I promised, here's Mokuba!" he announced and another guard walked out but what made Kaiba, and in turn Ruby, gasp is that Mokuba was handcuffed tight to him, eyes blank and clothes ratty from what they were the last Yugi and the others saw him. "Mokuba!" Kaiba called but Mokuba didn't make a move to acknowledge him with those bright, childish eyes of the brother he cared for. "Mokuba...what's wrong with you?" Ruby whispered. "Pegasus! What did you do to Mokuba?!" Kaiba demanded. Pegasus chuckled softly before reaching into his suit pocket and pulled out a card before showing it to Kaiba. "He can't respond to you because I sealed his soul within a Shadow Card."

'No, that isn't possible! Pegasus couldn't have sealed Mokuba's soul within a card!' Kaiba thought. "Yes. He is." Pegasus spoke as if he read his mind. "The brother that stands before you is nothing but a shell but he has enough volition to obey me..." he spoke and Kaiba growled. "Kaiba-boy...if you can defeat me in this duel, I will release your brother and you can have him back." he stated and Kaiba clenched his teeth in anger. /So, it seems he has more power than just taking souls. He can lock them away into a card as well./ Aqua spoke to Yugi and he nodded. "And that shall bring us to the matter of the Duel Disk. If you insist on challenging me with the disk, I nominate Mokuba to throw the disk in my place." he said as he handed the disk to the smaller boy who took it without protest. Kaiba knew he just couldn't go through with this. Fighting his own brother was out of the question. "If you don't want to..." Pegasus spoke and that took Kaiba out of his little trance. "We could just go back to my plans and duel my way with a simple duel table."

"Fine! I'll accept your condition but it is I who will win!" Kaiba sneered as he and Pegasus went to sit at the duel table waiting for them. "Ok then. The duel shall go by the standard rules. Agreed?" Kaiba nodded. "Now, prepare your deck."

"Watch yourself, Kaiba! He has a Dragon Capture Jar!" Yugi hollered and Kaiba glanced to him. 'Hmm...I won't forget that advice...but I will still face him with this card! No matter the situation, the Blue-Eyes White Dragon and I fight together!'

"Yugi, why are you giving him advice?" Kaiser asked. "Even for what he did, he is fighting for Mokuba. He's fighting to reclaim his brother's soul and he needs all the help he could get before he goes in blind." Yugi replied. "And hopefully he can win." he murmured quietly to himself. Kaiba placed his deck onto the table after shuffling, Pegasus doing the same and they got started. "I'll go first!" Pegasus chimed as he drew a card then placed one onto the field. "I'll play Toon Alligator in defense mode." he said, the cartoon alligator appearing onto the field with a toothy grin. "And before I end my turn, I place one card face down." Kaiba looked to the face down warily. 'A low level monster in defense and a hidden card. Could it be a spell or trap...?' he wondered as he drew a card and it was one of his Blue-Eyes. 'Ok, I already have one of my Blue-Eyes so I could open up with an all-out attack. Then again, Pegasus has the Dragon Capture Jar Yugi mentioned so I have to be wary of that.'

"I play a face down card as well and play Rude Kaiser in attack mode." Kaiba announced, placing out the lizard warrior. "Attack the alligator!" he commanded and the warrior leapt forward, lobbing the cartoon alligator's head with one of its axe gauntlets. "Oh no~!" Pegasus cried with mocking grief. "I end my turn." Kaiba spoke and Pegasus looked through his hand as he drew his next card. "Your strongest monster has 1800 attack. Oh what could I do...?" Pegasus muttered before smiling. "Ah! I got it! I'll use this card! Parrot Dragon!" he said, placing the 2000 attack point monster onto the field. The half breed parrot/dragon monster appeared with a squawk. "Now, do your best, my little friend. Attack his Rude Kaiser!" Pegasus ordered but Kaiba stopped him. "Before you do, I activate this spell card. Mesmeric Control!"

"What?" A swirl of magic appeared before Parrot Dragon, making it drowsy before it fell asleep. "Yes. My face down card was Mesmeric Control. It puts your monster to sleep and decreases its attack by 800 points." Kaiba explained before sending his monster to counterattack and it defeated Parrot Dragon without a problem. Pegasus' life points decreased to 1400 and he frowned. 'Is he even taking this fight seriously or is he playing around with Seto until he makes the wrong move?' Ruby thought as they continued to watch. 'That should be enough of a handicap for you, Kaiba-boy. I know all the cards in your hand and now, it's time to play my way.' Pegasus thought. Kaiba drew a card before picking out the Blue-Eyes from his hand. 'I have a hunch and hopefully I'm right. Maybe he doesn't have the Dragon Capture Jar in hand now so I must finish the duel before he gets it.'

"Stop!" Pegasus called and Kaiba did so, looking to him. "What now?!" he griped. "Don't show me the card you have just yet. I'm going to play my trap card, Prophecy!" he announced and Kaiba gaped. 'A trap?!' Pegasus flipped the card over before sending a look to Kaiba. "Now, using this card, I will predict the card that you are about to use. Also, I will have to say whether its attack value is more or less than 2000. If I'm right, then the card is mine." He smirked and Kaiba growled angrily. "Now, first off, I do believe it's a monster with over 2000 attack. I predict that the card you about to play is none other than...your Blue-Eyes White Dragon!" Kaiba gasped when Pegasus guessed his card correctly before reluctantly handing the card to Pegasus. 'Now, Kaiba-boy, get ready to learn the terrors of challenging me.'

"This isn't good! He has Kaiba's Blue-Eyes and who knows what he could do with it!" Myrrh cried. "Yeah! For once I feel sorry for him! If he uses that dragon, Kaiba's a goner!" Jounouchi added. Yugi looked over to where the guard stood with Mokuba, the boy watching the duel with no emotion within his eyes. 'The only way Kaiba can get his brother back is by defeating Pegasus. But how can he? How can anyone beat him while he possesses the Sennen Eye...'

"Well now...I guess I'll draw my card and end my turn." Pegasus prattled as he did so. Kaiba knew he couldn't panic for he already had a plan in motion that would dismantle Pegasus' deck in an instant if he tried to play his Blue-Eyes. "I draw a card and place Rude Kaiser into defense." he spoke before ending his turn. "My turn!" Pegasus drew a card then looked to Kaiba. 'Now, let's see what you have in your hand now.' He thought, Sennen Eye glowing softly under the curtain of hair and in his mind's eye, he spotted two cards of interest. 'I see...you have the virus card. So you must be hoping to lure me with your Rude Kaiser to play your Blue-Eyes and destroy it so you can combine Saggi the Dark Clown with your Virus card to destroy my deck and the Blue-Eyes.' Pegasus then smirked. 'But that won't work on me.'

"I'll play one card face down then I send out Dark Rabbit in defense." he said as the dark cartoon rabbit appeared on the field. "Fine then, it's my turn." Kaiba said, almost glad that he didn't send out the Blue-Eyes yet. 'But that still won't stop me from getting rid of it so he won't have hold of it for long.' he thought as he drew his card. "Now, I'll activate my Virus combo!" he called, sending out Saggi the Dark Clown. "I'll sacrifice my monster to activate the virus that'll destroy your entire deck!" he said and the group above them gasped. "Hey, there's that same combo he used on Yami to demolish his deck!" Diamond cried. "And if it works, Pegasus will lose." Ruby stated. /But he's ready for it./ Aqua spoke to Yugi and he started to shrink in fear, knowing that there is little chance that Kaiba would win against Pegasus. "I activate my face down card." Pegasus said which shocked Kaiba. "And the card I play is Negative Energy! This handy little card doubles the attack of all dark monsters on the field, including yours. In other words, your clown's attack jumps to 1200 and is much too high to host your virus." he said as the virus poured out from Saggi as the attack raised.

"And don't forget, my Dark Rabbit is also a dark monster so its attack doubles as well!" Said rabbit flexed its muscles as its attack jumped from 1100 to 2200. "Now my rabbit, murder that clown!" The monster jumped forward and with a mighty punch, destroyed Saggi. Kaiba now had a hint of fear show in his eyes as his life points decreased to 1000. 'There's no way...he can't be reading my hand...my strategies...' Pegasus smirked once again as he saw that fear. 'Poor Kaiba-boy, is that fear I see? Well, you haven't learned what true terror is just yet, not until you enter my world...' Pegasus thought. "Pegasus is reading Kaiba's mind. He knows everything he's going to do and finds a way to counter it." Yugi murmured and they gasped. "How is someone supposed to counter an ability like that?" Myrrh asked softly.

'Who knows. That's the power of his Sennen Eye and as far as I know, each has a unique ability and can possibly be countered only by another's Sennen item.' Ryou thought quietly, placing a hand over his own item and the spirit within purred in content. 'Soon, my dear yadonushi...real soon...' Bakura whispered within the confines of the Ring. 'Curse you, Pegasus. You saw right through my strategy and read it like an open book. Could you even be reading my mind right now?' Kaiba thought before drawing a card. "No! I won't believe such nonsense! Having demons exist is enough!" he seethed before placing Battle Ox in defense and gave the turn to Pegasus. "My turn, hmm? Say, Kaiba-boy, do you like cartoons?" he asked, Kaiba giving the man a scathing glare. "I take that as a no...well for me, I simply adore them! I remember when I was in America, I watched Funny Rabbit every Saturday morning! All those great characters running about over the TV screen! They were my best friends back then!" he said happily as he reminisced before looking to Kaiba once more. "And even to this day, they run around the little garden inside my heart...they never betray me...and they can never die. So in retrospect to my favorite show in those days and today, I'm inviting you to their world. I'm going to play Toon World!" he called, placing the field card onto the field and wisps of smoke rose up from the card before it reveal a book that opened up, revealing a haunted cartoon castle.

'Toon World!'

"What the hell is that thing?! It looks like some kids' pop-up book!" Jounouchi commented. "I don't know! I never seen or heard of a card like that before!" Yugi replied. 'What could it be...? Is it something even more dangerous than it looks?' Kaiba took a look over the field and realized that when the book appeared, Dark Rabbit disappeared. "Where'd it go...?" he questioned softly. "All my cards are toon cards. They live within Toon World so if you can't see them, they must be hiding from you. But just wait cause you'll see them soon." Pegasus looked down to the book on the field. "Dark Rabbit~ Are you in there...?" Things were silent for a moment before the tiny door on the castle opened and out popped Dark Rabbit, sending another mighty punch at Battle Ox and it went down. The toon monster gave a silly laugh as it returned back to the castle and the book slammed closed. "Well well, my shy little toon rabbit returned to the book again. And I should warn you, when Toon World is closed, all my toon monsters are out of harm's way!"

"That's not fair! How is Kaiba supposed to counterattack?!" Kaiser growled. Kaiba made a sound before drawing a card, setting one face down and ending his turn. "My turn again, is it? Well, let me show you something interesting..." he said, pulling out a card from his hand and showed it to him. "This happens to be the Blue-Eyes White Dragon I got from you. Now why don't we see what happens when I play it!" he claimed, placing the card onto the field. Nothing happened except for the rising mist that came from the card to the Toon World book. Once it ended, the book up once more, revealing a new toon to Pegasus' roster. "Ah, it's a Blue-Eyes Toon Dragon!" he chirped and Kaiba's eyes widened at seeing his once proud monster reduced to one of Pegasus' toony pawns. "Remember, all my monsters become residents of Toon World...what do you think? Isn't it much more lovable than before? Now attack, my wonderful little critter!" The toon dragon gave a hearty chuckle before releasing the might of Burst Stream at Kaiba's Rude Kaiser, destroying it. "Is that anger I feel inside your heart?" Pegasus whispered and Kaiba growled. "You...since you already know the cards in my hand, I'm going to discard it." Kaiba spoke, placing his hand into the graveyard. "Instead, I will draw a card from my deck since you don't know what they are and neither do I and whatever it is, I play it in attack mode!" he said as he drew the card and placed it onto the field. The deafening roar of the Blue-Eyes was heard much to everyone's surprise at the luck. "You say you feel my anger, Pegasus. Let me show you what real anger is!"

"Kaiba finally realized that Pegasus can read minds, that's why he threw his hand away." Aqua whispered and everyone listened in. "He risked everything on a card he didn't even know and luckily, it was his best card." Everyone was silent before Mai burst out laughing. "Read minds?! Take it from me, that's all fake!" she said and Kaiser snorted. "Believe it, Mai. That American does have ESP. If he didn't, he wouldn't be winning right now."

"Yeah but right now, I'm more interested in the battle! It's Kaiba's true blue dragon 'gainst comic freak's toon dragon!" Jounouchi commented. The toon dragon continued to snicker, not caring that he was going again his realistic counterpart. "You must feel incredibly lucky, Kaiba-boy! To be able to draw another Blue-Eyes. Simply wonderful!" Pegasus jeered. "You...you changed my once proud dragon into that pathetic joke of a toon. I won't forgive you for that, Pegasus, and his brethren won't either! Now it's my turn and I order my Blue-Eyes to attack! Burst Stream!" The dragon charged up the attack, the toon version squealing with fear but as the attack launched, the toon sat there. Before the attack hit, it stretched out of the way, rattling the other duelist. "No way!" Kaiser exclaimed. "It evaded the attack! That must be a special ability of the toon monsters!" Yugi declared. The toon transformed its tail into a hand and waved a finger at him, snickering all the while. "As a side note, there were 583 episodes of Funny Rabbit. According to someone who counted, Funny Rabbit's rival, Bulldog Police, fired over 26,000 bullets and never hit our furry little hero once. As long as Toon World is on the field, every monster I play becomes a toon! Nothing can hurt or kill a toon, Kaiba-boy. They are the perfect life forms!" Pegasus explained and Kaiba growled lowly. "That lousy son of a bitch! What kind of game designer creates a card that's nearly unbeatable?!" Jounouchi hissed. Mai turned to Yugi and asked him if he or Aqua knew anything about the toon cards. "We never saw them before. That card must be something that doesn't get out to the public, especially with how powerful it is. So I believe it's a one of a kind card that's made only for him." Yugi explained. "Man, that's cheap. Creatin' a card fer himself..." Jounouchi muttered. Keith looked back to the duel and tsked slightly. 'Damn, Pegasus! Nobody stands a chance against that card...'

"Well then, it's my turn!" Their life point count was currently Pegasus with 1400 and Kaiba with 1000. Kaiba glared coldly at the other but Pegasus only chuckled mentally. 'Ah Kaiba-boy, you finally realized I could see through your eyes so you abandoned your hand. You think I couldn't predict your moves if you draw your cards straight from the deck. But even that won't save you because when a player assembles their decs, they memorize every card, even if it's only subconsciously! I still know all your cards, Kaiba-boy! You can keep drawing without knowing but I will still find out!'

"I'll play this card on the board. Toon World, let's tell a new story!" he said as the book opened and flipped through before coming onto a new page. "Shine Palace!" Now in the book was a huge white castle the shone with power. A clear opposite take on the haunted castle that was there before. "Of course...Toon World is infinite! The book is merely a gateway to all the worlds the toons frolic in." he explained. "Now, Blue-Eyes Toon Dragon, a monster of light, receives the shining energy from the castle and powers up!" The Blue-Eyes grinned as it became buffer from the 500 point boost it received from the castle. "Now attack! Burst Stream!" The toon charged up the attack, aiming for Kaiba's dragon and it seemed that Kaiba was going to lose his dragon. But before it could hit he flipped over his trap card, revealing it to be Negate Attack and a vortex opened up, sucking the stream of white energy.

The toon looked shocked as its attack was sucked up but Pegasus knew that he had the card in his deck and that he only had one so there was no way he could block his toon's next attack. Kaiba knew this as well and staked everything on the next card. He placed the card on the field and smirked. "I play Shadow Spell!" This startled the other man, not because of the card but the fact that he drew it at the right moment. 'There was just one card that could defeat my toon dragon and to draw that card when you needed it...simply incredible...' Pegasus thought as chains burst from the card and wrapped around the Blue-Eyes Toon Dragon. "Now, my Blue-Eyes, attack with Burst Stream!" Kaiba commanded and the dragon charged up another blast as the toon dragon tried to squirm from the chains but they were bound tight around it. Soon, it was destroyed and Pegasus' life points decreased to 1200. 'My Blue-Eyes won't be tormented by the powers of your pathetic toon card. I've put it out of its misery and now, I'll do the same to you, Pegasus!' Kaiba thought. "Wow! Slick move!" Myrrh spoke. "Yeah! He was able to demolish that toon!" Kaiser added. "You have a good head on your shoulders, Kaiba-boy. Just now I've felt the love you had for your Blue-Eyes White Dragon and as a game designer, that is the biggest compliment we can get to show that are games are doing well. Thank you." he spoke before drawing his next card and smiled wickedly. 'But of course, holding love for a particular card can lead to your defeat.'

"For my next card...I play the Dragon Capture Jar!" he concluded and both Kaiba and Yugi gasped. "Not the Dragon Capture Jar!" Yugi lamented. 'Is this the card Yugi warned me about?!' Kaiba thought as the jar with the façade of a dragon on the front appeared on the field. The Blue-Eyes roared angrily as it felt the power of the jar trying to assimilate it and it struggled but soon, it was futile and was brought into the jar and the jar's defense shot up to 2700. "As you can see, not even your Blue-Eyes can stand up to the power of my Dragon Capture Jar and with your monster within the dark confines of the jar, its defense increases by the added number of your own dragon's defense. You don't have a monster in your deck that could defeat it unless you miraculously pull out your third Blue-Eyes or a Monster Reborn to bring back your last one." Pegasus explained. 'So...you plan to turn my second Blue-Eyes into another one of your pawns. I won't let you.' Kaiba thought as he drew his card and placed it onto the field, revealing it to be Swordstalker and he placed it in defense mode. "My turn...I'll place the card face down and play Dragon Piper in defense mode." Pegasus said, placing the jar like monster on the field. 'The Dragon Capture Jar and the Dragon Piper...there's no doubt he will release my Blue-Eyes again using the Dragon Piper's special ability and turn it into one of his servants again.'

"Exactly as I thought, Kaiba-boy. On my next turn, the Dragon Piper's Flute of Rebirth will turn your Blue-Eyes into another one of my colorful characters. Just like before, with the power of Toon World, it will become another toon. A "pathetic" toon, as you called it." Pegasus spoke and Kaiba snarled angrily, seeing that Pegasus read his thoughts. "I'll never let that happen! I'll crush your Dragon Piper before that happens!" he roared as he flipped Swordstalker into attack mode and ordered it to attack Dragon Piper. "I think he fell for another one of Pegasus' traps. I just have that feeling..." Ruby whispered and Yugi agreed with him. Like they thought, Pegasus smirked, seeing that Kaiba was willed to attack just as he predicted and put the final phase of his plan into motion. "I play the Spell card, Doppelganger!" he said and Kaiba gasped in horror. 'No...not that card!'

"As you might know, this handy little card can change into any card that has been used in this duel so far and do you know which one I'll choose?" He was met with silence and he smirked. "Ok then, I'll tell you! I'm going to transform it into your Virus card and infect my Dragon Piper with it!"

'No! And it's too late to stop the attack!' Kaiba thought as Swordstalker slashed the monster in half, releasing the virus contained within. "And so it begins." Pegasus whispered. Swordstalker groaned as the virus affected it, causing it to be destroyed along with every other monster within Kaiba's deck that was over 1500, demolishing his deck even more that it did when he used it on Yami. 'Your deck was entirely made of high level monsters, Kaiba-boy...with them lost to you, you lost all the fighting power you could give.' Pegasus thought. "No! Kaiba!" Yugi cried. 'He has life points left but without any monsters to fight with, he lost...' Kaiba looked to his deck, stunned to silence as every card except for the weakest monster he had and his spell and traps card were destroyed. He drew the last card he could since he knew he couldn't continue with all of his monsters destroyed. He played Monster Reborn and brought back Saggi the Dark Clown. "So, you still have the courage to play one last monster to the bitter end. How noble of you. If I defeat it on my next turn, all of your cards will be useless to you and you'll lose the duel..." Pegasus spoke softly and Kaiba didn't acknowledge him, only turned to Mokuba who was still motionless and oblivious to everything around him. Faintly however, he saw the glimmer of a tear coursing down his face, showing that his brother still had some emotional attachment to his surroundings even without his soul. The boy must've knew that his older brother lost the duel that would've saved him. He then turned to Keara who he spotted out of them all and sighed. 'She was right all along...she knew of my defeat before I did yet I still challenged Pegasus...and lost.' he thought before turning to Pegasus, ending his turn. 'Forgive me, Mokuba...I couldn't save you...'

"And now, I'll strike..." Pegasus hummed as he drew his card before sending out a monster. The book opened again and out popped a creature reminiscent of a Jack-in-the-Box, only it was much more maddening than any child's toy. "Kaiba-boy, meet Bickuribox, the monster that will end this duel." Pegasus spoke and Kaiba closed his eyes in defeat. 'Goodbye, Yugi. Tell Yami...the same...' Was Kaiba's last thought as the monster gathered a dark energy ball in hand before releasing it towards Saggi, destroying it and the last monster Kaiba was able to use for the duel.

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Zypher: And that's the end of this chapter. And the little speech with Keara was something that Red Dragon of Egypt came up with and asked me to add it before Kaiba lost the duel against Pegasus...well, not exactly but she wanted me to say it sometime so why not before he lost his soul. -grins- As you can see, she loathes Kaiba for that match against Yami. -snickers-

Any who, hoped you enjoyed and I'll get the next chapter up hopefully by tomorrow since it's pretty much half done. When I say half done, in this case, I mean that I have half of the end up but not the beginning since I let a friend borrow volume 6 when I wrote these chapters ahead of time so I started from the start of volume 7 with the next chapter. Anyways, enough of my ramblings and I'll see you later with the next chapter and a little surprise that will bring Yami back into his A game. (dare I say it...ok, I will. Be ready for a lemon next chapter -grins-)