Zypher: Hello all and welcome to another long awaited chapter to Yami no Game: Dark Saga. Glad you all enjoyed the last chapter so let's be on with the final match! Enjoy!

(Note: Before you ask, yes there is supposed to be a battle between Jou and Yami before the finals but in the manga, they omitted it so it goes straight to the battle with Pegasus)

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Yami no Game: Dark Saga

Chapter 18

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"And the winner is Katsuya Jounouchi!" Croquet spoke. Keith boiled in his misery at losing to such a weakling duelist while Jou reveled in his victory, glad to have kept his promise of beating the other duelist for the trouble he caused before. Kaiser smiled as he looked down to his brother. 'You did it, bro...now we can finally help Shizuka...' he thought. Yugi ran down with Myrrh, giving a leaping hug to the other teen as he moved away from his seat. "Jou-kun! We're so happy that you won!" Yugi cheered and Jou grinned down to him. "I have ya all ta thank for it. Y'all supported me to the bitter end as I went through this duel." he spoke. "Ah, but that's where you're wrong, my friend." Yami said, landing down beside him with ease from his spot on the second floor. "You had the courage of a duelist and that's what made you victorious today."

"Yeah. You won this battle all on your own. You should be proud to not worry about having help from anyone now." Yugi said, hugging the other once more. Jou smiled, pulling back from Yugi and pulled out the card Mai gave to him when he was in a panic about his missing card from earlier. 'Thanks, Mai...I really owe you one.' he thought before looking down to Yami. "Now I have a question. If we both won our duels, wouldn't that mean we'll have to fight one another?"

"Not necessarily. The objective here was to get to the final round to defeat Pegasus. That is within sight now but if we found, that would only reveal more tactics that I dare want to show with him watching. So from this point on, leave the rest to me." Jou nodded. "Alright. Besides, I knew that you can be the only person to defeat him. I wouldn't even stay up for a round against him if I challenged him. But still..." Yami saw Jou's shoulders shake with the emotions he was feeling. "Can I really weigh you down with my problems?! You're alright fighting for yourself and for Yugi's grandpa! Do you really want to fight for me too, Yami?!" Jou cried and looked up when Yami lifted his head with his hand. Yami gave a smile to him. "Of course, Jounouchi. Your problem is just as important as my objective. I'm here to save lives and that objective is something that would never weigh me down. I'll win because I'm fighting for you just like you fought for your sister." Jou smiled and gave Yami a hug. "Thanks, man. Now I owe you something."

"You owe me nothing but your friendship, Jounouchi." Jou nodded before handing Yami the Honor of the King's Right card and he nodded, turning to face Pegasus and raised the card up as the ante for their duel. 'It's time for our final bout, Pegasus.' Pegasus' eyes narrowed before standing from his seat. "Prepare my duel stage." he spoke to one of his cronies that stood behind him. Both were shocked to hear this and one spoke up about it. "But Pegasus-sama, Jounouchi and Yami haven't fought! The championship states..."

"There's no need for them to fight. A duel between them would be pointless." he responded. 'I can see it. Their strong bond of trust connects their hearts. The innocent to a demon...and now that Yami has taken on his friend's wishes, his spirit will grow stronger...'

"It's strange...but at this moment, I feel like I'm facing Yami's dueling spirit already..." Pegasus spoke. '...as the king of Duelist Kingdom but we'll just see if he can ascend to that position.'

"Very well. Let the final battle of Duelist Kingdom begin." Pegasus announced. Yami gave a nod as Pegasus started making his way down to the dueling field. 'The moment has finally come. I will rescue Yugi's grandfather and the Kaiba brothers from you, Pegasus.' Yami thought. Pegasus smirked as he walked down. 'My heart is trembling with the thought of this duel. How long has it been since I've enjoyed a good duel and let my senses as a duelist awaken?' he thought as he continued on his way down. Waiting in the silence of the hall, Keith walked, grumbling about his defeat still but wouldn't let that hinder his goal. 'Just you wait, bastard...we'll see who laughs last!' Keith thought, smirking with his evil intention. When Pegasus got to the main floor, he was encountered by the other male. Keith gave a chuckle as he looked to Pegasus. "We finally meet face to face, Pegasus..."

"Bandit Keith!" One of the guards shouted, ready to protect Pegasus when said man held a hand up. "No need for weapons."

"I'll say this only once...gimme that prize money now, pony boy!" Keith growled. "Well, well. To see the old "prize king" like this...it's no sight to see you lose to a boy like Jounouchi so easily..."

"Shut the hell up!" Keith roared, stepping forward. "Gimme the prize before you get that pretty face of yours beaten to a pulp!" Pegasus chuckled, nodding. "Yes, yes. Whatever you want, Keith. I'm just oh so happy we had this chat but according to rules and regulations of Duelist Kingdom, hand written by yours truly, you must be punished~" he spoke, taking a glance up to Keith. "Don't think that I didn't see what you did in the duel, Mr, Howard. Did you really think you could cheat under my watchful eye? To transfer cards from your wristbands to your hand." Keith chortled. "So what? I don't give a damn about that match! It's legal according to my rules!"

"Well, well. Seems like you have already lost your duelist's mind after what happened back in America." Pegasus whispered, the very air around him seeming to pulsate with power. The very power that Keith remembered feeling when he encountered Yami the night before the final round. "Ready, Mr. Howard?"

"Wha..." Pegasus smirked as he raised a hand. "Penalty Game! Learn the price of your foolishness, Bandit Keith!" With a scream, Keith was engulfed in the power of the shadows, wondering what was going to happen to him when he felt his right hand start to move on its own accord. He looked down to it, shocked as he watched it twitch and bloat until the barrel of a gun grew from his hand. Keith struggled but his hand continued to move on its own, pointing to his head as a replica of a gun being held there. He heard a faint click of the hammer that acted as his thumb and with a loud shot, Keith was down and Pegasus moved on. The guard looking between Pegasus and down to Keith, wondering if the other male was actually dead.

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As they waited, Yami was shuffling through his deck, looking at each card and feeling the fighting soul that each monster had for the final battle. "Looks like everything's in order." he murmured, putting his faith into his deck. Yugi watched Yami before taking out the small player and turned it on, Sugoroku appearing onto the screen. "Well, Yami is ready to fight Pegasus now. Hopefully he'll win so we can return you back to your own body." Yugi spoke. "I'm sure he will, Yugi. You all should know that Pegasus is quite the strong adversary. Probably the strongest Yami will face so far. Listen well, when its look as if all hope is lost, you must look within yourself. When faced with a challenge you believe you can't pass, let the path of defeat be your guide for you might just find a way to avoid the end." Yugi nodded before looking over to Yami who gave a nod, confirming that he heard what the aged man had told Yugi. "Yugi!" A voice called and they looked to see Diamond, Honda and Ryou walking over to them. "Honda! Ryou! Diamond! Where have you guys been?!" Myrrh questioned. "We spent all night looking for Mokuba. He's in one of the rooms now but Kaiba is locked up in a different tower so we couldn't rescue him." Honda explained, looking over to Ruby who looked relieved to know Mokuba was safe but disappointed that they couldn't find Kaiba as well. He then turned back to Yami. "Yami...Mokuba's soul was sucked right out of him...only you can save them both now..."

/Yami...I remembered what you told me at Death-T...my brother will come back soon, won't he?"

"Yes...someday, he'll return..."/

'And I won't break that promise to you, Mokuba...you both will be reunited.'

"Make sure that Pegasus goes down, Yami." Ryou spoke and Honda looked to him. 'Hmmm...Ryou's been acting strange ever since last night. I know that I can't be the only one to notice this. Could that evil demon of his be up to something?' he thought before looking away and back to Yami. "Yami, I know you can do it! Win this and free everyone from Pegasus' grasp!"

"Don't worry, I will!"

"It's time!" Croquet called. "Will Yami please step forward and take a seat at the duel stage!"

"Good luck, Yami!"

"Win this one for us, Yami!"

Yami nodded, giving a smile to them all as he started for the duel stage, taking his seat and the duel stage rose up from the first to the second floor, the double doors opening and Yami growled as he saw Pegasus enter the room. 'The last duel of Duelist Kingdom and only one of us will walk away as the winner.' Yami thought, grabbing his deck from his pocket and set it on the table, eyes never leaving Pegasus. "Ah, Yami-boy...my prodigal duelist. I commend you greatly for having reached this far in the tournament and earning this right to face me as your final battle." Pegasus spoke. "Indeed but I only have one request before we fight. Promise me that if I win, you'll free Sugoroku's soul from the video you sealed him in."

"It's a done deal..."

"I'm not done. You are to release the Kaiba brothers' souls from the cards as well!" Yami hissed. "Isn't that odd...isn't Kaiba-boy your enemy? And yet, you want to save him?"

"Right now, Pegasus, you're my only enemy." Yami spoke. 'I have to keep the promise I made to Mokuba. One way or another, I'll make sure that he is reunited with Kaiba.' Pegasus smirked as he caught a glimpse of the thought. "So, it's a promise that you want to keep to save them." Pegasus spoke, chuckling softly and Yami growled at the fact that Pegasus invaded his mind to find that out. "Alright then. I promise to release them from the prison of lost souls only if you're capable and skilled enough to beat me." Pegasus assured, moving to sit in the other seat at the table. "Do you really think that Yami will be able to overcome the power of the Sennen Eye?" Diamond questioned. "Nonsense! Yami's not going to lose after all the struggling he went through just to get this far! Now come on! Let's get back to the second floor so we can watch Yami's whip Pegasus' prissy tail!" Jou exclaimed and the few that were down there nodded as they started for the door that would take them to the set of stairs leading up to the second floor. With Yami and Pegasus, the both sat passively on each side of the table and Croquet announced about Yami having the two cards to qualify. Yami held them up, looking to Croquet who gave a nod, taking them from him.

"In the event that Yami is to defeat the Duelist King, you will be given the cash prize for the Honor of the King's Right. Is that clear, Pegasus-sama?"

"Of course." He answered before looking directly into Yami's eyes. "And as I'm sure you noticed; the Honor of the King's Left has no picture. Do you know why, Yami-boy?"

"I do. A picture will emerge when I lose to you. In simpler terms, I'm anteing up my soul and if I lose, it will be claimed by you."

"Very clever! Your courage still amazes me, Yami-boy! Knowing what awaits you if you lose and yet you still have a will to fight me." Pegasus spoke. On the side of the field, Yugi gasped, falling back into Aqua's arms. "No...he can't lose his soul here. Aqua, we can't let him go on with this." Yugi whimpered. "Yugi, he's doing this for everyone that's suffering. For you and Sugoroku, for Jounouchi to get the prize money and for the Kaiba brothers who lost their lives to this fiend. Even if we tried, we couldn't stop him so all we can do is hope and pray for the outcome to be in his favor." Yugi looked to Aqua and nodded, looking back to the duel stage and poured his heart into the thought of Yami winning against Pegasus. Yami knew that he was risking a heavy bargain but he wasn't planning to become another addition to Pegasus' card collection. One way or another, he was going to win against him and elude the powers of the Sennen Eye. Pegasus saw the complete defiance in Yami's eyes about becoming a soul card but that thought he wasn't focused on much right now. 'At the moment, my first and foremost goal is to gain control of Kaiba Corp and that will need the help of the Big Five. Without them, I can't overthrow Ruby easily for control.' Above from their seat, each of the Big Five watched. "We put our faith into you, Pegasus-sama. Win against Yami and the chairman position of Kaiba Corp. will be in your possession. Ruby won't be able to ruin you in any way." One spoke before getting comfortable to watch the duel. Croquet sent a quick glance over to Pegasus. 'Sir...about the key that Mokuba swallowed. We did a scan and got a 3D replication of the key. A copy will be made soon.' Croquet thought, knowing that Pegasus was waiting for good news and Pegasus gave a discreet nod. 'Good, all the pieces are in place. All that's left now is to win this duel.'

"The Duelist Kingdom Championship match will begin now!" Croquet announced before looking to the two combatants. "Now, cut and shuffle your opponent's deck." The players slid their deck across the table, taking hold of the other's and started shuffling before passing them back. They both glance at one another, a wicked smile on Pegasus' face and an angry sneer on Yami's before Croquet called off the start of the duel. 'You won't be able to beat me easily, Yami-boy. As long as I have the power of the Sennen Eye.' Pegasus thought, drawing his five cards. 'We'll just see about that.'

"Duel!"

They drew their hands and Yami was the first to start the duel. "I'll set one card face down then I'll play this in defense." he spoke, sending out Beaver Warrior into defense mode. Now, all Yami had to do was wait and see what Pegasus had planned and whether Pegasus will start using his Sennen Eye so early into the game. "Then I guess it's my turn now." Yami gave a nod to his inquiry and Pegasus drew his next card. "I'll also play one face down card and send out Red Archery Girl in defense." The mermaid monster appeared onto the field and Yami contemplated his options. He knew the monster was a water attribute with a great weakness to thunder attacks, giving him the advantage already without thinking that Pegasus has something planned to break the combo he was about to make. "Alright! My turn!" He drew his next card and then sent a glare to Pegasus. "I switch Beaver Warrior into attack mode then equip him with Horn of the Unicorn!"

'Just like I've seen, Yami-boy. You shouldn't even think about underestimating my abilities so early into the game.'

"Now, Beaver Warrior! Attack that archer!" The monster gave a cry before charging in to attack, blade coursing with the electric power given to him by the equip magic card. "So soon, you make a mistake, young demon. I activate my trap card. Mermaid's Tear!" Yami gave a hiss as he saw his monster be trapped inside of a concentrated bubble of water. "And what makes it worse is that just as you thought, a water monster is highly weak to electricity and the same goes for any monster doused in it." Beaver Warrior gave a screech as he was electrified by his own equip magic, his newly risen attack of 1900 dropping back down to 1200. "Now, finish him off." The mermaid archer was switched into attack mode and aimed for the monster trapped in the bubble, drawing the string of the bow back. "Arrow Shot!" At the call of her attack, she released the arrow, piercing right through the weak monster and causing Yami to lose 200 points, his remaining life now at 1800. 'Guess he is planning to use the Eye early.' Yami thought, growling to himself. 'Now how am I going to bypass this little obstacle?'

"Oh no! Pegasus is reading his mind now! Yami won't be able to stand up to that!" Yugi cried and Aqua wrapped his arms around him, trying to soothe the younger as he sent a glare down to Pegasus. "Well, my friend. Looks like you wasted a turn. There are many variables to this game...which cards to attack...which combos will be successful. For every duelist, there a path to victory lined with perfect attacks and a path to defeat with is filled with constant little mistakes as you have made already, Yami-boy." Yami gave a snort, growling more. "And let me tell you one little thing. I never make mistakes. Never." Yami's eyes narrowed as he took his turn, not liking how Pegasus puts so much into his own self confidence. 'He is a challenge thanks to his item but if I have to go down, I'm going down with a fight.' he thought as he placed Giant Soldier of Stone into defense. "It didn't take him long to go on the offensive. If Pegasus gets too far, Yami might not be able to make it out." Diamond murmured and Yugi frowned as he continued to watch the duel, hands placed over Aqua's to get as much reassurance as he could from the other demon. "I think Yami won't be able to make it period. He's a good duelist, I know, but Pegasus is the creator of the game. He knows every card by heart and could think of any combo that someone could make. With the Sennen Eye, it just gives him more of an advantage to counter."

"Ryou, what are you saying?!" Diamond cried, looking over to him. "Why don't you put more faith into Yami? He is sacrificing a lot just to help the people he's trying to save from Pegasus. Who cares if he's the master and creator of the card game, no one is perfect..." Ryou frowned, looking away and feeling bad that he made her angry but looked up when Keara laid a hand on his shoulder. "She's right, Ryou. Pegasus may have the Eye at his disposal but he has a flaw that even he doesn't know of. It's up to Yami to figure it out for him to gain an advantage over him and we have to continue to support him through this." Ryou nodded as he turned back to watch the duel continue on. "Looks like it's my turn again." Pegasus spoke as he drew another card. "First, I play a face down card and then I play Ryu-Ran, the dragon's egg in defense." The huge, partially cracked egg appeared onto the field, snarling heard from the monster hiding within. "I'll place Red Archery Girl into defense as well, thus ending my turn." Yami gave a short nod as he drew his next card, unaware of what Pegasus was planning now. 'Now, let's see what you have planned for me. Mind Scan.' The Sennen eye glowed underneath the curtain of hair that kept it from sight and a picture of each card appeared in his mind's eye. Once the next card Yami had drawn into his hand was seen by him, it appeared to Pegasus as well. 'Ah, so you have Summoned Skull in your hand now...' he thought and Yami gave a gasp, sending a glance to Pegasus. 'Shit...he must know my cards now...I felt it, like a pinprick but he was there nonetheless, reading my mind...' The demon gave a snarl, feeling as if now, he won't be able to do much to stop him. 'Too bad, Yami-boy...I've already predicted your tactics...you're going to play Spellbinding Circle face down then Summoned Skull in defense, tempting me attack and expect me to fall for your trap so you can take out my Ryu-Ran...' As Pegasus predicted, Yami did just that, the demon monster giving a cat-like growl, arms crossed over its chest for defense.

"I'm done."

"Good." Pegasus drew his card, a trap already lying in wait to counter Yami's and planned to put his plan into full swing. "I'll set Ryu-Ran into attack mode!" The egg rattled before the dragon within emerged, giving a roar. "Now, attack the Summoned Skull with Dragon Flame!" The dragon gave a roar before unleashing a fireball at the defending monster. "Activating trap card! Spellbinding Circle!" Yami called, flipping the card face up and the binding pentagram of magic appeared around Ryu-Ran, halting his attack and sealing him in place. "Oh, whatever should I do~?" Pegasus cried with fake worry as his monster lost 700 attack, dropping it down to 1500 and just enough for Summoned Skull to destroy it. Yami was glad that his plan worked but now had a dreading feeling that the activation of his tactic was too easy. 'But we'll see if Pegasus does have something to counter it. I pray to Ra that he doesn't.' Yami thought before sending Summoned Skull into attack mode. "Alright, Summoned Skull, your target is Ryu-Ran! Attack with Demon Lightning!" The demon gave a screech, gathering lightning before sending the attack towards the dragon. "Trap card activated! Trap Displacement!"

"What?!"

"With this handy card, I can transfer your Spellbinding Circle from my monster to yours. So say goodbye to your little demon friend!" The binding spell was removed from Ryu-Ran, reappearing around Summoned Skull and it gave a hiss, the lightning attack it was sending at the other disintegrating before it could make contact. Pegasus gave a hearty laugh before his gaze landed on Yami's. "All your tactics are useless against me, Yami. Learn that now and you won't suffer such a humiliating defeat." he whispered and Yami clenched his teeth from lashing back out at the game creator. "Ryu-Ran, finish the demon off with your Dragon Flame!" Ryu-Ran roared, unleashing another wave of fire at Summoned Skull and the demon screeched, fading from the field as the attack connected, its holder suffering the damage as Yami's life dropped to 1400. "Damn it...Pegasus learned what Yami had ahead of time." Aqua growled. "Damn Pegasus...that's not fair!" Jou shouted, gritting his teeth in anger. "There's no way how Yami can stand up to Pegasus' power..." Ryou whispered. "Ryou, don't start that again! We can't give up on him!"

"Yeah! He'll find a way to win! He'll never give up!" Pegasus gave a chuckle as he gazed over at Yami. "My turn already...? So soon? You must be slipping in tactics, Yami-boy. I was hoping for a good, long duel." Pegasus spoke as he drew his next card. Yami gave a hiss, surprised at just what power the Sennen Eye held. 'But I know there is a way to beat his mind scan. I just have to think of a way before he can study my moves again.'

"Nope! There's no way to beat it!" Pegasus spoke out and Yami's eyes narrowed. "A game is a contest between two minds and just like a real world battlefield—if you can examine the opponent territory, their mind, you win without fail. But you, Yami-boy, you have nothing that could help you set foot into my territory." He gave a smirk as he took one card from his hand. "And I'll show you that right now. My next card is..." The card was set and Yami reeled back in horror. "Toon World!" The large book appeared on the field and let out a soft smog that engulfed his monsters, soon turning them into toon monsters. The newly toon version of Ryu-Ran chuckled to himself and Yami gave a snort. 'Wonderful...not only do I have to deal with the sight of toon monsters...the only way to beat them is with another toon...'

"Attack, Toon Dragon! Egg...or should I say Manga Ryu-Ran!" The dragon chuckled again before sending out his attack at Giant Stone Soldier, demolishing the defensive monster. With his attack done, the toon monster disappeared back into the book and closed, sealing the monster within its impenetrable pages. "As you see, Yami-boy, once my toons are done, they hide back in Toon World, a world in which your monsters can't reach. That makes it the perfect defense." Pegasus said, smirking. 'Shit...this is the very strategy that killed Kaiba...'

"Now, I place Toon Mermaid into attack and end my turn." Pegasus announced, the toon monster lounging in her shell at rest but prepared to attack. Yami took a breath before looking at his hand. He knew for sure he can't keep playing defense or else he'll be taken down without a moment's notice. 'Then I guess I'll have to test my theory with a demonstration...' Yami thought as he drew his card before summoning Celtic Guardian in attack. "Now, attack the Toon Mermaid with Sei Ken Zan!" The swordsman gave a snort before lunging in to attack. 'If this works, both will be destroyed but at least I'll have one toon out of my way.'

"Give it up! Normal attacks won't work against my toons' special abilities!" Just as Pegasus announced it, two hands emerged from the clam the toon lounged in, grasping the sword aimed for them and halting the swordsman's attack. Celtic was stunned and tried to pull away but the clam held firm. The toon mermaid grinned, giving a wink to the other monster before preparing her bow, aiming at the monster. "Go, Toon Mermaid Arrow!" She released the string, sending the arrow piercing right through Celtic's chest, flinging him back before he faded from the field. "As you can see, Yami-boy, your theory is correct, toons can only be defeated by one another...they're the perfect life forms." Pegasus gave a soft chuckle as his mermaid returned to Toon World. Yami slumped in his seat, staring down at the field. 'He knows everything by now...all my strategies...all my tactics...and his toons, they can't be destroyed with raw force alone...' He closed his eyes. 'Is there any way how I can win this duel...'

"Don't fret, Yami-boy, it will all be over soon." Pegasus drew his next card. "Now, I'll set one face down and end my turn." Yami nodded and drew his next card before placing the Imp down in defense. "Lovely move, now I reveal this card! Gorgon's Eye!" Pegasus flipped the trap card over and its magic came into effect, sealing the Imp into stone. "What?! My Imp! It's been turned to stone!"

"Exactly. Let me add that this is a permanent trap card that will turn every defense monster you play into stone. Furthermore, when a stone monster is destroyed, half of their defense comes out of your life points." Pegasus' visible eye narrowed as he looked to Yami. "In other words, if you wish to die quickly, then I suggest you attack my toons directly every turn...even though you can't hurt me with regular attacks anyway..." Pegasus gave a little gasp of remembrance. "Oh, and before I forget..." He grabbed the other card he had covered on the field and flipped it. "I play the spell card, Doppelganger!" The cartoon copycat appeared from its card, giggling. "Now, my spell will take form of the Skull Demon you played a few turns ago." The card took the card from Yami's graveyard, examining it before giving a nod, tossing the card back and disappeared into Toon World. "And now, meet my newest creation! Arise from Toon World!" The book opened once again, flipping to a scenery of a haunted town complete with graveyard and two claws emerged before out came Summoned Skull under the spell of Toon World. 'My demon...it's been degraded to a toon...'

"Now, my Toon Demon. Attack the stone Imp!" The toon gave a laugh before unleashing a wave of lightning at the stone monster, destroying it and Yami lost the points halved from the monster's defense, bringing him down to 900. The toon gave a raucous laugh before disappearing back into Toon World, book slamming shut until a toon is needed again for battle. "I'm done~"

'Yami's own monster...his own kin...turned into a toon and attacked him. Such a horrible card.' Yugi thought as Yami took his turn. Pegasus gave a chuckled and Yami sneered, knowing Pegasus read his next card and probably already devised a strategy to counter what he had planned. 'As long as he has Toon World out, I can't damage his monsters and with Gorgon's Eye on the field, I can risk putting monsters into defense. There has to be a way to get out of this...' Yami thought, trying to think of a way how he could get through Pegasus' Mind Scan. "No way. You're trap in an infinite loop, Yami. Your will to fight is ebbing away. So are you going to forfeit and end this suffering?"

"Don't do it, Yami! Remember what you're here to fight for! If you give up now, not only will your soul be trapped but you'll fail in rescuing who you promised to save!" Aqua shouted. "The fires of their life will burn out, leaving them trapped forever!" That shocked Yami back into action and with a snarl, he looked to Pegasus. 'I won't give up now! My chance may be at zero but the will to live is infinite and now, I'm placing a gamble on it!'

"I play Black Magician in attack mode!" he called, summoning the magician monster out onto the field. "That won't be all for I play Magical Hats!" The hats materialized on the field, covering Black Magician from Pegasus' sight and hoped that it would break Pegasus' Mind Scan ability from working until he could devise another plan. "I see, so you decide to go with the oldest trick in the magician's handbook. To hide the magician under a hat until you can counter my Toon World field spell. But there's one little flaw to your plan..." Yami growled. "And what would that be..." Pegasus chuckled. "That you already chose which hat to hide your magician under. In your mind, you know which hat and with that..." The Sennen Eye flashed under the curtain of hair. "So do I..." Yami hissed as Pegasus scanned his mind without a fight, spotting the hat that the Black Magician hid under. "Let me guess now...you hid the Black Magician in the hat on the left..." Yami gasped. 'No...he can even read through a Magical Hats combo...there's no way I can beat his Sennen Eye...'

"Glad you finally see it my way, Yami. Now are you ready? Because I am." Pegasus spoke as the book opened to the Evil Castle page where the Toon Demon resided. "Yami, no!" Yugi cried. 'Please, Yami, please don't lose. Don't leave me...'

"Don't give up, Yami! Damn it, don't give up here!" Aqua shouted. The others continued to give their support and Keara sent a glare to Pegasus before smirking. "Time for an intervention." she whispered as she looked down to Yugi, feeling his soul cry out for Yami's life, before kneeling down to him. "Yugi, I'm going to do something that's going to help Yami and you." He looked to her with hope. "What?" She smiled before touching the Puzzle and it started to glow. "Now, Toon Demon! Attack the left hat and blow it to bits!" The toon cackled before sending another lightning attack at the hat on the far left. "Now your magician is nothing but ash." he whispered as the smoke cleared but gaped when nothing was there. 'What?! The Black Magician isn't there! My Eye can't lie to me!' he thought. "He would've been...if I didn't already change which hat he was hiding under by my own will." A new voice spoke and Pegasus looked up, gasping when it wasn't Yami sitting there but Yugi. "You couldn't read my mind to see that little change before you made your attack!" he claimed and Pegasus growled. Aqua blinked, seeing that his arms were empty of the smaller teen before looking over to Keara. She smiled to him. "The only way to fool the Eye is to give it a fresh mind to read. Since Yugi didn't know which hat Yami hid his monster under, it gave him the chance to change which hat to hide under before the attack hit since Pegasus decided to announce it to the world." she replied, chuckling.

Aqua smirked and nodded as he watched the duel. 'Now we have an ace in the hole now.'

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Inside Yugi's heart, Yami and Yugi confronted each other. "Yami! I was so worried!" Yugi cried, jumping into the other's arms. "I know, little one. I was so close to losing but you came at just the right time to save me. You're truly are a heavenly savior." Yami whispered. "Don't thank me. Thank Keara. She was the one that sent me down. I didn't even know that we could do this since you had a separate body and all."

"We may be two different people now but the Puzzle still connects us as one, Yugi. But even though we dodged this bullet, we still can't stop Pegasus from winning this duel." Yami whispered, looking off to the side. "But I think I have an idea." Yugi murmured, raising a hand up to turn Yami's face to his. "What if Pegasus can only read one mind? With this new ability we can share, we can switch minds and then we won't know each other's cards which will leave Pegasus guessing and the Eye useless."

"You might just have something." Yami smiled and nodded. "Then let's get this duel won. Will you join me with taking him down?"

"Of course!"

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"My turn now, Pegasus!" Yugi said, drawing his next card before placing it face down, locking eyes with Pegasus. "So, can you tell what card I drew and played face down? Try to read my mind and find out!" he challenged. Pegasus gave a huff. "Suit yourself! My item can't be fooled!" he spoke as he used his Mind Scan ability. He got sight of the card but nothing came into sight. 'What? The image is still blank to me!' A chuckle was heard as a familiar voice was heard. "Sorry to disappoint you, Pegasus, but I don't know what card my love played so my mind is blank to it."

'No! They switched minds again!' Pegasus thought with a growl. "So I guess his theory was right. You can only read one mind and while scanning, we switched so you scanned the wrong mind. Now we have a fool proof plan to defeat your Sennen Eye using Mind Shuffle!"

"I think I get it but how can that work if Yugi and Yami are still two separate people?" Jou questioned. "We are separate people but the Puzzle connects our soul into one so whoever is in control now, the other will wait within until they switch again. It's like two sides to a coin." Aqua explained. "Oh, I get it now!...ok, no I don't." Aqua sighed and whacked Jou over the back of the head. "Ow! Hey, what was that for?!"

"For being dumb, obviously." Kaiser murmured with a chuckle. Jou pouted and crossed his arms, getting a chuckle from his brother. 'But all they need to do now is conquer that Toon World. With that still on the field, they still have a disadvantage.' Aqua thought. "Well, Pegasus, go on. It's your turn." Yami spoke and Pegasus growled as he drew his card. 'Black Magician is hiding under one of those hats but only Yugi knows that along with the hidden face down card...' he thought before giving a short clap. "I'm surprised that you two came up with something like this. You definitely stumped me good. But of course, as long as Toon World is still on the field, I'm invincible to your attacks. All you can do is hide away in your hats!"

"Well then, Pegasus, let's see you destroy the Black Magician. You have a one in three chance in picking the right hat." He gave a little smirk. "Or are you a coward and can't trust your own intuition without relying on the Sennen Eye to make your moves for you?" Pegasus growled at the accusation before giving a smile. "You're right. It's been a while since I trusted my own instincts. Let's see if they haven't gone rusty over the years. For my turn, I put Toon Summoned Skull into attack mode." The toon monsters appeared from the book, towering over Pegasus' side of the field. "Now, attack the middle hat!" The toon sent his attack upon the target and when the smoke cleared, it proved to be a miss. "Too bad. Wrong again, Pegasus." Yami spoke, chuckling to himself. "You know, as a game creator, I'm sure you're aware that every game has a winner and a loser. Do you know what separates the two? I'm sure you don't."

"Oh? Well if you know so much, care to enlighten me?"

"The good judgment needed to know the rules to a game and assess the situation given and the instincts to decide when and how to act. Whoever has those will win." Yami spoke. "Judgment comes from experience and confidence. Instincts require a little more confidence. As I've witnessed, you relied too much on the Sennen Eye to win your games. You became too smug...too arrogant...you have lost all that's meant to be a duelist."

"What?"

"Exactly my words, Pegasus. When it comes to real confidence, my love is ten times better than you!" Pegasus growled and Yami smirked before he switched with Yugi. "My turn." he spoke as he drew a card and smiled. 'This look likes the perfect card to use.' he thought as he placed it face down on the field before ending his turn and switching back with Yami before Pegasus could scan his mind. 'Damn it...another card I can't see...' Pegasus thought with a growl as he looked to Yami. 'I don't know what Yugi chose to play but I know that he knows I can come up with a strategy for them. I can feel that in his heart.'

"My turn." Pegasus spoke, drawing his card and smirked. 'Wonderful.' He placed the card onto the field, smirking all the while. "I play Magic Neutralizing Force! I send its effect to your side of the field!"

"Oh no!"

"And just to warn you, this card will wipe out all of the opponent's magic and that means...your magical hats are no more!" The vortex created by the spell card extinguished the Magical Hats, bringing the Black Magician out into the open. "Now do you understand, Yami? Skilled duelists do not need instincts, they use brains to with without any risks!" Pegasus claimed. "Now, my Toon Demon! Arise from Toon World and destroy the Black Magician with Demon Lightning!" The book opened, flipping to the proper page and the toon emerged, grinning wickedly before sending out his attack. 'No, he'll kill the Black Magician since he can't counter a toon!' Yami thought. /Yami, I'm switching you out!/ Yugi spoke and he nodded as he let the other switch with him. 'No! Not Yugi!' Pegasus thought.

"I play my face down card! Living Arrow!"

'What! The Magic Transfer arrow?!' he thought in horror. "You didn't notice, did you, Pegasus? While I was drawing cards, Yami was provoking you. Now, you got so frustrated that you play just the card we needed! Living Arrow lets me transfer spell cards...or magic effects...from me to you and now we're sending your neutralizing force right back at you, Pegasus!" The arrow was shot from the card, piercing through Pegasus' spell card and embedding into Toon World and affecting the spell card with the neutralizing power of his own card. "You may have done that but you still can't stop the Toon Demon's attack!" Pegasus announced. "Or can I?" Yugi said with a grin, making Pegasus gasp. Yugi flipped over his second face down, revealing it to be Mirror Force. The attack hit Black Magician but the barrier was enforced before the magician could be destroyed. As such, it sent the attack back at Pegasus' monsters who were now free from Toon World's spell now that it was neutralized by the spell card. They all gave cries of pains as they were hit by Summoned Skull's returned attack, all fading from the field and taking a huge chunk from Pegasus' life points, bringing him down to 800. "Yes! The toons are finally gone!" Yugi cheered and Yami smiled from within, glad to have Yugi's support through the toughest portion of the duel. /Now all we need to do now is finish him off and we win and can free every soul that he has trapped./ Yami spoke.

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Zypher: And there. Done with the first half of this duel and I'm sure it leaves you all eager for more. -chuckles- Any who, hoped you all enjoyed what I have for you today and I'll see you soon with another chapter. -waves- See ya!

Translation:

Sei Ken Zan - Holy Sword Slash