Yami no Game: Dark Saga
Chapter 34
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As the morning sun rose on the beginning of the Battle City tournament, inside the Game Shop, Yami was getting dressed and ready. Sugoroku was up doing the usual sweeping of the front step with Azura and Tu Long standing guard before looking up to where Yugi's room was, the light having been on all night. "My, my, those two must've had a sleepless night preparing for the tournament." he murmured with a smile. "I'm sure they'll win and find what they're looking for." Inside, the finish deck sat on the desk and Yugi smiled at their work. Yugi looked to the time and gasped. "Wow! We were up all night fixing the deck for Battle City!" he said and Yami nodded. "Yeah, it was such a tough decision on whether to put in that spell card." he pointed out and Yugi nodded before looking over to Aqua who fell asleep on the bed. Yugi smiled softly before walking over and gently kissed the other's snout light. "Wake up, Aqua. We're all done." he whispered and the other shifted before waking and yawned softly. Yami walked over and rested a hand on Yugi's shoulder and he looked up to the demon.
"Yugi, you remember the reason I'm joining this tournament."
"Yeah...I remember. It's to find yourself and remember your past."
Yami nodded in agreement and squeezed his shoulder a little. "But I will need your support every step of the way, little one. No matter what happens, I put my full trust and faith into the deck we created together. Always keep those words in mind." he murmured and Yugi nodded. "Of course. I know we'll find what we need to find out. No matter what happens, I'll always be there beside you." The teen claimed and Yami smiled before leaning down to kiss him softly. 'I know this isn't a duel to gain rare cards but something much more important. No matter where you two go, I'll be behind you every step of the way.' Yugi thought with a nod. "Ready to go?" Aqua asked and Yami nodded. "Let's." he said before looking to Yugi. "In the event something is ready to catch us, you'll be safer in the puzzle." he said and Yugi nodded before concentrating and the puzzle glowed before sheltering Yugi within his soul room as Yami snapped on the belt with his deck box hooked onto it and headed out the game shop towards the city plaza.
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At 8:05 a.m., duelists all over were gathered there, some new and some a memory of challenges back at Duelist Kingdom. A common businessman walked by in curiosity before going up to a duelist. "What's going on today? And what with these weird things on your arms?" he questioned, adjusting his glasses. The duelist looked to him with a laugh. "Norms better keep out of the way! The city is about to turn into a battlefield!" When Yami and Aqua arrived, Aqua started looking around for the familiar blonde head of their friend. "Jounouchi is late…" he murmured which made the other demon wonder. "He shouldn't be. Even he wouldn't want to miss this." Yami expressed. Mai spotted them from afar and walked over to them with a wave.
"Hey Yami! Aqua!"
"Oh hey Mai." he greeted as he turned to face her. "So many people here already and it almost time for the tournament to start." she spoke before looking to them. "So...isn't Jounouchi supposed to be here as well?" she questioned. "Yeah, he should be here any minute." Aqua answered. His answer made Mai smile. "So he is dueling! That's wonderful news!" she claimed warmly before two more unwanted guests showed up. "Yami! Mai! Long time no see!" A voice called and they turned to see Ryuzaki and Haga there. "Dinosaur Ryuzaki and Insector Haga. Should've known you would be here." Mai grumbled with a huff, crossing her arms. "You listen here! I'm going to make both of you pay for what you did on the island!" Ryuzaki spoke as he stepped forward. "Yeah, if you think I'm as easy as I was at Duelist Kingdom, you will be sorely wrong. My new insect deck is ten times more powerful than before and will eat up your monsters in a heartbeat." Haga spoke with a chuckle. But another guwaff made Haga cringe as Kajiki walked up, Sapphire right beside him. "An insect deck? It's pathetic against my deck! My new Fortress Whale will gulp down those puny insects!" he spoke. "But my dinosaurs will trump your little fishies." Ryuzaki spoke and Kajiki growled. "We'll see about that!"
"Ugh...let's get out of here. I'm already annoyed by these braggarts." Mai snubbed as she walked off. "Kajiki isn't too bad. He's a nice guy once you get to know him. Unlike the other two." Aqua murmured as he and Yami followed. In the shelter of a small café, a shady figure sat with a cup of coffee, laptop open before him as he scanned through his targets. "Hmm, duelist no. 312...he's got a nice card too..." he murmured as he took a sip of the warm liquid. As the time arrived for the announcements to start, the big screen on one of the buildings lit up, revealing Seto's façade. "My fellow duelists! Welcome to Battle City!" he announced and the duelists cheered at the welcome, eager to start once the rules were given. "I will now explain the rules to you all. The duelists gathered here were acknowledged by Kaiba Corporation as being a level higher than 5. The duel disks on your arms are proof of that." he spoke. "The stage will be the entire city! I have spoken with the civil authorities to allow such a big playing field for you all. Now, if two duelists meet face to face, you may fight. Each duelist will use a legitimate 40 card deck and all matches will be played by the ante rules. The loser of the match will give up a rare card of the winner's choosing. As you win, your deck will grow stronger but if you lose, then let's see how you will catch up." he continued and Yami nodded, knowing full well the risk of the ante rules. "Now, as listed and given to me by my adviser, there are 48 participants...but only eight will make it to the finals." Seto spoke once more which made the duelists break out into quiet conversations. "As for the location of the finals...it's a secret but they are within the city limits."
'So the location of the finals is hidden...' Yami thought to himself. Seto chuckled softly. "I too will be participating in the duel under the same condition as the rest of you. Therefore in the interest of fairness, even I don't know the location of the finals." he spoke which brought out a few outraged cries from the duelists.
"What does that mean?!"
"Then how are we supposed to find out where it is?!"
"I'm sure you all are wondering. Look at the back of your duel disks! There you'll find a transparent plate!" he said, demonstrating on screen of the location and revealed the plate. Yami did the same and Aqua looked over his shoulder. "Small but it looks like a piece of a street map." he murmured and Yami nodded in agreement. "This plate is a puzzle card. When all puzzle cards from the 48 participants are stacked, it makes a map of Domino City. Now, each card has a prismatic coating. If you stack any six of them, a light will shine at a certain spot on the plate. That will be the location of the finals. So I'm sure you figure it out now...not only will you gain a rare card but also the opponent's puzzle card! Only those that can collect the six puzzle cards will reach the unknown location of the finals!" he spoke which brought cheers from the large crowd gathered in the plaza. "Now duelists! Scatter across Battle City! The tournament shall begin at nine o'clock!" he called as a KC blimp flew overhead to monitor all. "Less than a half hour! I'm heading to the ocean!" Kajiki called as he ran off along with other duelists scouring for their locations before the tournament officially started. "I'll beat anyone in my way and get to the finals!" Haga spoke as he walked off. "I'm heading to the east! I'll see you suckers later!" Ryuzaki sneered. "Well Yami, looks like this is where we split up. Next time I see you, we're dueling and this time, I'll get the upper hand over you." Mai said as she waved to the two and headed off herself. As time ticked down to the awaited time, two more entered into the plaza and spotting their target, one charged forward.
"You!" Jou snarled as he pointed to the robe wearing male at the café. Yami, hearing his voice, turned to see him there. 'Jou-kun?' he wondered to himself. "I've been lookin' all over for ya, ya scumbag! You can disappear into the crowd but ya sure as hell can't hide those connivin', snake-like eyes!" The man only took another sip of his coffee and look to him with a calculating gaze. "You have no rare cards left...doesn't that mean you can't enter?"
"That's cause ya stole my card!" Hearing this, Yami growled and nudged Aqua before running over. "Jou-kun, what happened?" Jou looked to them and then glared back at the man before him. "Yami, ya need to be on your guard! There are Ghouls in the tournament!" he said and Yami hissed. 'Ghouls! I heard of them from Yugi. The number one card thieves and the crime syndicate that has dominated over the gaming world. Also known as Rare Hunters. They picked a perfect time to gain a treasure trove of rarities.' The man, now officially revealed as a Ghoul, chuckled once again. Aqua put two and two together and growled before looking to Kaiser. "Kaiser...did this guy get Jou's Red-Eyes?" he asked and the other nodded. "Yeah, we got ambushed on the way home last night after we left your place..." Kaiser muttered before Jou raised a hand.
"Don't fight him, Yami." Jou said. 'Cause with the cards this guy has, even Yami could have a 50 percent chance of losin' before gettin' his big strategies out on the field to trap him.' he thought to himself. But what Jou didn't notice was the seething anger emanating from the demon as he stepped forward. "Anyone who steals a precious card from another...answers to me..." he hissed. "Yami!" Jou called in warning. "So...you want to duel me then?" The man questioned as he stood finally. "Wait, Yami! This isn't a good idea!" Kaiser called. "Stay back! I'm going to get your card back!" Yami spoke as he glared at the man still. "Garbage like you doesn't deserve to roam the streets in such a big tournament. And I'm going to make sure this is your final hour." he spoke. "Challenging me to a duel? You're quite brave but also foolish." The man spoke once more as he prepared his own deck. "But I'll accept just to add your card among my growing pile." Aqua tapped Jou's shoulder and pulled him back. "Yami will handle this." he murmured and Jou could only nod even though he feared that the demon would fail due to the other's Exodia strategy that only he knew after his experience.
"So, you're a Ghoul. I've heard so much about you foolish humans. Counterfeiters and thieves feeding off others hard earned rarities to make your own. And now you've chose Domino as your next target during such a big tournament. This must be like a feast for you dogs." Yami growled. "Of course. Japan's greatest all gathered in one spot? We Ghouls are the combatants for the Rare Hunters and we're going to take this tournament and all of its rare cards." Yami growled once more, showing sharp fangs "I'll crush every one of you and devour your souls..." The Ghoul only laughed however. 'Do you really imagine that you can beat my deck?' he thought to himself. "Yami, I need ta tell ya something–!" Jou tried to holler but Yami only hushed him. "I'm going to get your Red-Eyes back, Jou-kun. Don't worry." he said as he looked over to him. "We're entering this tournament together and I'm not going to let you be left behind." Jou was stunned by his words before smiling a little. 'Yami...thanks. But this guy...he isn't someone you can beat easily. The Ghouls have all kinds of cards, real and bootleg. They got the best decks in the world that could even give Seto a run for his money...' Jou thought before looking back to Yami. "Just lemme warn ya! His deck has–"
"Hold it right there!" Yami snapped, stopping Jou in his tracks. "No matter what dirty secrets this guy has hidden up his sleeve, I have no right to get an unfair advantage by knowing what his deck consist of." he murmured. "So do you have a name...actually you know what, never mind. No need to know the name of my prey. Just come at me with everything you got." he hissed as he pulled his deck out from its holder. "No matter what you try, my deck will be victorious in the end." The hunter chuckled. "Such fighting spirit you have but I'm going to show you in takes much more than that to win a duel these days." It was only a few minutes left before the start of Battle City and duelists that still mingled about saw the battle that was getting ready to start. "Hey guys! There's a duel about to start at the Clock tower and that guy Yami is in it!" One called and soon, a crowd circled around the two just as the clock struck nine, initiating the start of Battle City.
"Duel!"
They both drew their hands as their life count went up to 4000. "I'll go first." Yami said as they looked at their hands and the hunter smirked. 'Perfect...two Exodia pieces already in my hand. This won't take long...' From the sidelines, Jou watched and hoped that Yami would figure out the Ghoul's strategy before it's too late. "I'll set these two cards down, one card out in face down position." he spoke as the card appeared onto the field. "Then I bring out Gazelle, the king of mythical beasts." he said as the monster appeared out onto the field. "Then it's my turn." The Ghoul spoke as Yami ended his turn. He drew his card and gave a sinister smirk. 'Ah, Graceful Charity. Just what I needed.' he said as he played the card onto the field. "I'll draw three and drop two." The hunter did so and looked to his hand, finding that he now had four pieces in his hand. 'Wonderful, one more and this duel is over.' he thought as he sent out Stone Statue of the Aztecs in defense to give himself a powerful defense. Yami watched each move with a calculating gaze. 'Seems like he is a turtle player, to hurt him, I got to get through his strong defenses.' If one was focused on the hunter, he was reading into Yami's moves, finding the weak point to stumble him. 'That's it...take the bait, demon. Focus on my monsters while I build up to what I need.'
"Alright then, my turn!" Yami called as he drew a card. "I'll play Berfomet the demon then use Polymerization to fuse the two into Chimera, the flying mythical beast!" he proclaimed as the two headed monster roared with his entry. "Now per to the super expert rules set for the tournament, I can't attack the moment my monster is fused but on my next turn, your statue is rubble." he said as he ended his turn. The hunter drew his next card and grinned once more. "I'll play another Graceful Charity. Draw three and discard two." As he did so, Yami's eyes narrowed. 'He's searching for something. What it could be is the mystery...' As the Ghoul looked to his hand, he cursed. 'Damn, another right arm. So close and yet so far...all I need is the left arm and the duel is good as done.' he thought before looking to Yami, seeing the determined gleam in his eyes. 'Do you really think you can beat me, demon? We Ghouls have developed many techniques and tools to win. One such as the x-ray contact lenses I'm wearing right now to see the picture on the back of my next card. Each bootleg card we own is made with special ink to allow us to see what's next easily. No one without these lenses would be none the wiser.' he thought as he looked to the deck and faintly, he could see the picture of the next card and would've cackled with glee if it wouldn't make the demon suspicious.
'And lo and behold, my next card is indeed the left arm of Exodia...I win on my next turn.' Jou and Kaiser watched with worry on the other side which Aqua could feel. He looked down to the two then back to the duel. 'What are you up to, hunter? To make Jou and Kaiser worry so much must mean you have some conniving scheme up your sleeve...'
"Well then, to end my turn, I shall play another monster. Prepare to face my Gear Golem, the Moving Fortress." he said as the monster appeared on the field. 'So another wall monster is it? At this rate, he won't scratch my life points. So how is he aiming to beat me? By shuffling his hand...' Yami wondered before it clicked and he grinned darkly. "So, that's it, isn't it?" he questioned and the hunter gave him a quizzical glance. "What do you mean?"
"I know what you're planning...I won't let you summon Exodia on me." he teased with a sharp grin causing the hunter to gasp. 'How did he figure me out?!' he thought in horror but only smirked, trying to wipe the worry from his mind. "Yes...yes I am...but what are you gonna do about it on your next turn?" he questioned. Yami smirked as he drew his card. "This will stop you and make your entire strategy fall apart." Jou grinned as he watched the duel commence. 'I tried to tell him about this guy beforehand but Yami stopped me and figured out his strategy on his own. He knew his deck will crush any dirty tricks trying to be used against it. So once again, ya taught me something else...' he thought as Yami prepared to make his move. 'A duelist's confidence! That thing called pride!'
The Ghoul growled that his strategy was foiled but he knew it wouldn't matter anyway. He still had the duel in the bag with the final piece waiting to be drawn. He knew there was little Yami could do to screw it up now. Yami only chuckled once more which caught his attention. "I can read your eyes. You think I can't stop you but how wrong you are. Now watch me." he whispered as he drew his card and looked at it. 'Chain Destruction. If I play this, I won't be able to place a monster down. A risk but I'm sure the snarky bastard across from me has most of the pieces if he's as underhanded as I think.' Yami thought as he set the card down. "Now, my friend! Attack his stone statue with Chimera Impact Dash!" The dual headed creature roared before charging forward, taking out the 2000 defense monster with ease. But the hunter wasn't fazed by the destruction of his monster. He only had his mind set on one thing and that was the end of Yami's turn. "Now, I set one more card face down and end my turn." Yami spoke, knowing he had to keep sharp to not miss the window of opportunity to break the Exodia strategy the other had. 'That's it! My cue to your demise!' The Ghoul thought with glee. "Now it's my turn! You played well demon but now your first duel of the tournament is your last!" he cackled as he went to draw his card.
'Now!'
"Before you draw, I activate my spell! Lightforce Sword!" Yami called and the hunter gaped. "Now, this card will take one of the cards in your hand and force it upon the field." he said as the sword of light appeared above the hunter's hand. 'If I miss an Exodia piece then its game over. Soon, the whole tournament will be infested with the dirty rodents that are Ghouls.' The sword shot down, stabbing through a card and revealed it on the field to be Exodia's right arm. 'Gotcha.' Yami thought with a smirk. "Whoa! Exodia's hand!" A duelist cried out as Jou cheered. 'Ya got it!' he thought happily. "But I'm not done yet for with his right arm on the field activates my trap! Chain Destruction!" Yami called as the card revealed itself and launched a chain out through the arm and into the Ghoul's deck. "I'm sure you know the basis of Chain Destruction but let me explain it to the newer duelists. Chain Destruction will destroy not only the monster on the field but any duplicates in your hand and deck as well. So with that Exodia will never awaken." Yami explained, smirk present as the hunter watched his strategy fail so close to being complete. 'No! He got me with a spell/trap combo! How can this be?! I was so close!' he thought as the arm was destroyed along with the others hiding away in his deck. 'Exodia...is crumbling right before my eyes...'
"Once Exodia's parts have been placed into the grave, there's no way to bring them back. Without him, you have no way to win. You see, with an Exodia deck, the only way to dismantle it is to make the opponent lose one of its limbs for good. Without that, you're doomed. With that, your deck is dead!" Yami growled, flexing his revealing claws as he glared at the duelist across from him. The Ghoul, shaken that his strategy failed, could only murmur of his lost before he shrieked a horrible scream. "No...no! He's coming...he's coming!" he cried in an ear splitting wail, eyes nearly rolling to the back of his head as an engraving of a familiar eye glowed upon his forehead. 'That symbol...it's that of the wadjet eye!' Yami thought which also alerted Aqua. "Yami, what are you doing?!" Jou called. "It's not him, but another." Aqua confirmed before the man went silent. Soon, a chuckle not of his own escaped his lips as he looked to the other with soulless eyes. "Are you Yami, the demon king?" Yami only nodded, eyes narrowed at the new presence that permeated the air now. "I heard of you. This fool of a man you just faced is a weakling. A pawn to the Rare Hunters. The real strength is much greater than you can comprehend." he spoke but knowing the other must be confused, he only chuckled again. "Ah, no need to be alarmed. I just speak through this shell. I'm in a different location but implanted a bit of myself into this man so I can control him whenever I wish!" The other, now revealing himself to be a completely different man, stated and Yami snarled. "Who are you?!"
"Like your little lover, I too am one to control one of the Sennen items. But this is naught but an introduction. It's nice to meet you, demon king Yami. My name is Malik so remember that for we might just cross paths depending on how much of my plans you try to disrupt." he spoke. Jou ran over to Yami's side. "This is weird. It's like that guy is a megaphone for some other crazy nutjob." Jou murmured. "You are quite right. This man is not who you hear. But me as I take over his mind and controlling their speech as if my own. That's the power of the Sennen Rod." Malik spoke once more. 'So this is the Rod's power. This must be the enemy that Ishizu mentioned to us.' Yami thought. "You creep! How can you take over someone's free will?!" Kaiser hissed. "Why not? Want to see him do a little dance befitting for a pathetic loser like him?" Malik questioned as the man was moved as if operated by puppet strings with Malik as the puppeteer. "If I must, I'll step in to take control of all the Ghouls currently scattered throughout Battle City. But they are elites with extraordinary skills so I doubt I'll have to go to such length when I am reassured that their strength will overwhelm the small fry of this tournament."
"Malik! Tell me who you really are and why are the Ghouls here!" Yami demanded with a snarl, feelings his demonic features making a rise. "Now now, Yami, wouldn't want people to know what you really are but to satisfy your curiosity, I'm here for the three ancient cards that were resurrected into the modern world. The three God cards." Malik spoke and Yami's eyes widened. "Yes, according to the Ancient Egyptian scrawl from the tablet, three stone slabs were said to possess the ultimate power over mankind. The god of the Obelisk, Osiris the Sky Dragon and Sun Dragon Ra. With those three in hand and the title of the king will be granted the powers of darkness."
'The title of king and the powers of darkness...could this be part of the mystery of our past...' Yami wondered. "We Rare Hunters already have two but there is still one to obtain and I hear it's being held by someone here in town." Malik spoke. "So that's why you're here! To obtain to last God card!" Aqua growled. 'But who could possibly have it…' Yami thought. "Well as I've said before, this is only a weakling. You are lucky to not face one of my stronger Ghouls. But as long as he lost, I shall abide to the rules and present to you the rarest card in the deck that was stolen from your friend there." he said as he controlled the man to take out the Red-Eyes and handed it over to Yami as well as the puzzle card. "But Yami...the game has only begun. A Ghoul with a God card lurks in your town. If you have the misfortune to meet him, you will be defeated even with your impeccable skills." Malik spoke.
"We see about that." he spoke as he glared at the man. "I'm going to put a stop to your plans." Aqua nodded in agreement, also hoping that with the course of the tournament, Yami would find hints to their lost memories as well. 'The Sennen Rod has summoned us to the battlefield, now it's time to take upon the challenge given to us.' Aqua thought as Yami spoke once more. "Malik, even if your Ghouls attack me with a God card, you won't stop me! I will not lose! I will defeat you and end your plan for good!" Malik chuckled from his hideaway and nodded. "I look forward to that, Yami." he whispered through the Ghoul. "But with the duelists gone and unaware of this plight, I offer this fool as a snack. Make it last for it might be your last." he spoke before severing ties to the man and the Ghoul fell in a heap onto the ground. 'The Millennium battle has begun now. Let's see who comes out on top.' Malik thought. When the man fell, Kaiser stepped over and nudged the body. "Damn, he's out cold." Kaiser murmured before looking to Yami who walked over to Jou. "Here, Jou-kun." The demon offered, holding out the Red-Eyes to him. Jou looked to the card then to Yami before lifting a hand to push the card back to him. "Jou-kun?"
"I can't take it, Yami. If I do, I will only fall farther behind from becomin' what I want to be. That Red-Eyes means more to me than anything. She's been there by my side through thick and thin but I've leaned on her for too long. If I accept her from you, I won't grow stronger." Jou spoke and Yami smiled a little. "I see."
"Yeah, and it's not just that either. With the way I am right now, she won't accept me. So I'll leave her with you, Yami." he spoke as he pulled out his own deck. "I already revised my deck so it doesn't include her and I'm going to get far in this tournament to prove that I'm the real thing. I still have my puzzle card and Time Wizard for an ante so I'm still in. I'll become a true duelist through Battle City and if not, I'm going to keep on tryin'." The blonde spoke before looking to Yami. "But promise me somethin'."
"Sure, what is it?" Yami asked. "If I do everything right in the tournament and the moment I can call myself a true duelist...will ya fight me?" Yami blinked at the proclamation but nodded either way. "Of course." he whispered with a smile. Jou nodded and smiled back before giving a thumbs up to him before turning away. "Well the tournament is just getting started! Who wants a piece of me and my new deck!" he called and Yami chuckled as he looked to Aqua who grabbed the knocked out Ghoul and took off to the skies with it. He then turned back to Jou as he searched for a worthy opponent. 'I've been waiting to hear those words from you for a while, Jou-kun. For now, I'll hold on to the Red-Eyes for you until then.' he thought as he slipped the card into the deck holster. Jou looked up to the bright skies that dawned a new beginning for him. 'Wait for me, Red-Eyes...I will be strong so that it isn't your strength I'll be dependin' on but you dependin' on my own equally.' he thought before he and Yami went their separate ways.
'And when that time comes...we'll meet again!'
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Zypher: Alright, all done here after who know how long of a wait. Very thought heavy this chapter is. But I do come bearing sad news. The idea well for my Yu-gi-oh fiction is going dry so updates will be slow and a possibility of a few stories being discontinued except for the few series one such as this, Two Worlds, Will of the Dragon, Challenge of the Kombat and Chains of the Seal. Some others will be continued as I squeeze out what I can to try and get them finished but other than that, there is little possibility of explosive updates except for the series/crossover story, especially Dark Saga being my biggest one. I'll still be around but only in different categories, mostly One Piece and possibly Kuroshitsuji after I get more into the series. But I hope you all enjoyed this long awaited chapter and hopefully I'll be back a little sooner with another chapter for you all.