Warning:
This chapter contains a moment that may be considered too angsty for some emotionally sensitive readers. Discrection is advised, and encouraged.
Chapter 24
Kuriboh to the Rescue
"It doesn't matter what card you play next, Yugi, you have nothing that can withstand the phenomenal attack strength of my Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon! You might as well give up!" Kaiba said after Yami drew his next card. "That Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon could wipe out Yugi's last 400 life points with just one breath. Kaiba's got the upper hand and he knows it! I bet he's hoping for Yugi to surrender." Rainbow said. "You're right. I may be studious about this game, but I'm not sure how even Yugi could pull out a victory in this one!" Spike said after waking up and finding himself in Rarity's graceful arms. Yami soon started chuckling. "Kaiba, I just drew one of the cards I'll need to defend me against your Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon." he said. "Impossible!" Kaiba retorted. "Watch and learn!" Yami responded as he reeled in his disc and made his next play. "This is it! Step one of my plan to destroy that dragon, and the beginning of your defeat! I summon Kuriboh in defense mode!" he added before the little fur ball was summoned, but Kaiba wasn't impressed. "That's ridiculous! In the entire game, Kuriboh is one of if not THE weakest monster!" Kaiba shouted. "He's right. What could Yugi be thinking playing that little guy?" Joey asked before Kaiba chuckled a bit. "Yugi, you're free to concede and forfeit the match, but come on! Don't embarrass yourself by playing that runt of a monster. You must know that's the puniest monster with some of the lowest attack points in all of Duel Monsters, with some creatures having 0 attack and defense points that make it the champion of the beginner's league. I've never known a serious Duelist to even keep one in their deck. Your pink friend and the shy one, perhaps, but you? Yugi, don't insult my intelligence pretending that miserable creature can defend against the unbridled might of my ultimate dragon!" Kaiba taunted.
"Kaiba, you're mistaken. This card is one of several that will help me defend everything. And, before this duel's over, your dragon will fall!" Yami responded. "My Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon? Nonsense! Hurry up and finish your turn so I can knock the stuffing out of that Kuriboh and win the game!" Kaiba said. "As you wish! My last card will be the magic card, Multiply. Multiply only works with one monster, and that's Kuriboh and all its variations, and multiplies them endlessly." Yami responded as he activated Multiply and created many more Kuribohs. "More than you bargained for, eh, Kaiba?" he asked as the Kuribohs formed a wall in front of Yugi. "So is this some kind of a joke?" Kaiba asked, somewhat insulted, but Yami just laughed. "The joke's on you, Kaiba. You planned to attack, thinking I only had one defender, but now, I have many. And I'm getting more and more defenders by the second." Yami responded. "No matter. Have you forgotten the incredible assault power my dragon possesses? It'll burn them to a crisp! Neutron Blast!" Kaiba said as the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon fired at the wall of Kuriboh, but Yami didn't seem worried. "So there!" Kaiba said afterwards, but to his surprise, and that of the others, more Kuriboh appeared to replace the fallen ones. "Wait, what's going on here?! My dragon's attack had no effect on your life points at all, and those annoying creatures are continuing to multiply!" he said in shock. "That's right. You can't take my remaining life points away, Kaiba, until you've wiped out all the Kuriboh. But as quickly as you destroy them, they multiply right back!" Yami pointed out. "Hairballs! For each one I destroy, two more take its place!" Kaiba shouted in frustration.
"That's the same thing that the Hydra does with its heads in Greek mythology! Cut off one head, and two more replace it!" Twilight said with a smile. "YEAH! Never underestimate the cute and little guys in life!" Pinkie said with a beaming smile. "That's right. Kaiba, you may have created the ultimate attack force in your Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, but I've created the ultimate defense force; an ever expanding army of furry protectors. They may not look like much, but they've stopped your dragon in its tracks! That's just the beginning, because now, I go on the attack!" Yami said "You've nothing strong enough!" Kaiba responded. "Watch me, for I'm going to show you the combo that will bring your dragon down! Mammoth Graveyard, Polymerization and the Living Arrow!" Yami said as he revealed the cards he intended to play. "What's the Living Arrow?" Kaiba asked. "Unlike its counterpart, the Spell-Shattering Arrow, which destroys magic cards, the Living Arrow allows me to use my other cards in combination, not with my own cards, but with my opponent's monsters! I'll show you. Normally, I can make a fusion with my cards only, but, for a new twist, Living Arrow lets me fuse one of my cards with one of yours, opening up bold, new possibilities!" Yami explained before the Mammoth Graveyard appeared. "Now what?!" Kaiba asked as the mammoth skeleton charged. "I can use the magical power of the Living Arrow to bond my Mammoth Graveyard to the heart of your beast!" Yami answered as the Mammoth Graveyard turned into the Living Arrow and pierced the heart of the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, followed by the Mammoth Graveyard's skull appearing out of the body of the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon.
"No! My dragon! What have you done?!" Kaiba shouted. "Since my Mammoth Graveyard is undead, he can't properly fuse with your living Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon. Instead, it'll cause your monster to rot and decay from the inside out! Each turn, your Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon will lose 1200 attack points till your creature is no more! Your so-called ultimate dragon, and your victory, is rotting away, Kaiba. It's only a matter of time, now. And there's nothing you can do to stop it." Yami explained as the dragon began to rot and melt and decay. "There must be SOMETHING I can do to save my Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon!" Kaiba said, still in shock over what just happened. "My Mammoth Graveyard has 1200 attack points, just like I said. That means, each turn that goes by, your Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon will lose that many attack points. Soon it will be weak enough for me to destroy!" Yami responded. 'He's right, already my dragon's lost 1200 attack points, bringing its strength down to 3300, and there's nothing in my deck that can reverse it!' Kaiba thought in worry. "Well, I'll be! This strategy of the ultimate defense and making Kaiba's dragon rot faster than an apple in a vampire fruit bat infested orchard!" AJ said with a smile. "The plan seems brilliant in execution, I just wish it didn't have such a disgusting effect on Kaiba's dragon." Rarity said, somewhat grossed out. "See? THIS is why Yugi's destined to be the King of Games!" Rainbow said with a grin. "Sorry, Kaiba, but winning is out of the question for you!" put in Spike. 'That's just like Yugi! Even when things are looking bleak, he always manages to find a way to come back stronger than before!' Fluttershy said wish a caring, tender look in her eyes, almost as if she was falling into something she never fell into before. Up in the tower, Bandit Keith kept watching.
'Never thought I'd live to see the day that Kaiba was outfoxed. That Yugi punk is good! There's just something about him. He's intense, that one. It's like he wouldn't let nothing stop him from winning!' Keith thought to himself. "So, what do you say now, Kaiba? Guess three heads aren't better than one!" Rainbow said with a grin. "Can't lose. The very fate of Mokuba rides on this game. Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, attack now! Neutron Blast!" Kaiba said as his decaying dragon fired once more. "Again? When will you learn? The Kuriboh multiply faster than you can destroy them with your Neutron Blasts" Yami said as the attack landed and failed as the wall of Kuribohs reformed with more furry friends appearing. Kaiba just growled in frustration. "No. I will not, cannot be defeated!" he said in frustration. "I'll draw one more card and let my mammoth finish my turn." Yami simply said as Kaiba's dragon's attack points dropped to 2100. 'Soon my Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon will be weak enough for Yugi to destroy outright! I've got to keep trying, it's my only hope!' Kaiba thought to himself. "Go, Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, Neutron Blast!" he commanded, only for the same result as earlier. "Once again, your attack has failed, Kaiba. My defense holds, and you have no other strategy to use against me! Your time is running out. You should never have challenged me, Kaiba. You see? My mammoth takes another 1200 points from your dragon. Even my weakest monsters can destroy it now!" Yami said as the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon's attack power dropped to 900 while Kaiba stood in shock, realizing that he ultimately failed his little brother, his only family since their parents' passing.
'I can't believe it! I failed! I failed my brother! I failed Mokuba! His soul will be trapped, forever!' Kaiba thought upon realizing he failed. His sudden silence caught everyone by surprise. 'Kaiba hasn't said a word. It's like he's in another world. "What's going on with Kaiba? He's just standing there looking like he's zoned out." Rainbow said, confused as to what was going on with him. "Maybe it's finally sunk in that he's lost." Tristan suggested. "That may be the case, because in the next couple of turns, the duel will be over." Rarity pointed out. "Yes, but it's almost sad to see a player of his caliber take losing so hard." Bakura added. 'Looks like there's gonna be a new champ on the block, for good.' Keith said to himself while Tea and Fluttershy looked on, somewhat worried about Kaiba. 'It doesn't matter what card I draw now, any monster can defeat his weakened dragon.' Yugi thought as the next card was drawn. which was the Celtic Guardian. "This is it, Kaiba! Prepare to meet, your demise!" Yami shouted as he made his play and summoned his warrior. "Celtic Guardian, attack the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon!" he commanded before the warrior cut off one of the rotting heads of the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, dropping Kaiba's life points down to 400. "Alright! Looks like that rotting dragon, and Kaiba, should've quit while they were, ahead." Rainbow joked while everyone else celebrated. 'This is so cool! Once that dragon is destroyed, Yugi will be able to rescue his grandfather!' Tea thought to herself. 'I knew Yugi could do it. For some strange reason, I always felt that he could. And maybe, just maybe, he could for anyone, not just his family, but someone he really cares for.' Fluttershy thought.
"Hang on a minute! Why's that Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon still standing?" Spike asked. "I have a feeling it's because Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon was fused from three monsters, the three Blue-Eyes White Dragons. Each of hits three heads acts on its own. The Celtic Guardian chopped off one, and Kaiba lost the 500 points different. But when the Celtic Guardian takes out another of those weakened heads next turn, that'll win Yugi the match and wipe out Kaiba." Twilight answered. "Long story short, Kaiba's toast!" Rainbow said with a grin. "Yugi. It can't end this way. If I don't defeat you in this duel, Pegasus will keep Mokuba prisoner, forever. I can't let that happen. And even though I don't have a card that can keep you from attacking, I think I still have a strategy that'll stop you in your tracks." Kaiba said at last as the wind blew. "What do you mean?" Yami asked. "I'm going to force your hand, and win this battle, Yugi." Kaiba answered as he backed up. "Looks more like he's retreating to me." Joey remarked as Kaiba backed up to the edge of the castle. "Is this some kind of trick?" AJ asked. "I don't know, dear, but I don't think we'll like the end result of it." Rarity answered. Kaiba soon stepped up onto one of the stones behind him. "Kaiba! Stop this!" Yami protested. "What's Kaiba thinking now? Doesn't he know that some cheap stunt isn't gonna keep Yugi from winning and saving his grandpa?" AJ asked. "Here's the deal, Yugi, You can attack my Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon again and wipe out my remaining life points, but if you do, the resulting shockwaves might cause me to lose my balance." Kaiba said at last, indicating that he was willing to die so Yugi could win. "Don't even think about it! Don't even tempt me!" Yami shouted. "My fate is completely in your hands, Yugi. If I lose this duel, I lose everything I've ever had. Having KaibaCorp is meaningless if my little brother isn't there to pick up the torch when it's time. You'll decided this duel one way or another. Of course, if you don't surrender, I might end up falling to my death. You wouldn't want my life on your conscience, now would you?" Kaiba stated, causing some of the others to worry.
"Stop it, Kaiba! You know this is dangerous!" Tea shouted. "What in tarnation do you think you're doing?! You'll end up getting yourself killed up there!" AJ bellowed. "He's gotta be bluffing! Just drop that cheap ploy, get off that ledge and play out the rest of the game with honor, already!" Rainbow added. "They're right. You know full well that Yugi doesn't want to hurt you, let alone send you plummeting to your doom!" put in Pinkie. But Kaiba just chuckled. "I think he knows, he's just counting on Yugi surrendering. Making the morally correct choice." Rarity pointed out. "Surrender? But, Yugi can't surrender. He's the Regional Champion. And if he does lose here, he won't get into the castle." Spike said in surprise. "Kaiba may not care or even want the title of Regional Champion, he just wants to be reunited with his little brother." Twilight pointed out. Up in the tower, Bandit Keith laughed. "Looks like Kaiba will do anything to come out ahead, just like me, even going so far as to attempt to commit suicide!" Keith remarked. "I'm warning you, Kaiba. Don't push me too far. I must win to rescue my grandfather!" Yami said, trying to talk Kaiba down from the ledge. "And I must win this duel to rescue Mokuba. The difference is I'm willing to risk anything to do it. You know I can stand up here all day, Yugi. And I'm certain you won't make any attack in fear that you might send my falling to my death, even though you know, by not attacking, you give up the only chance you have to save your grandpa. Which means I have the advantage over you. For in my case, there's nothing holding me back." Kaiba retorted, insinuating that Yugi/Yami might not be willing to put everything on the line while dueling before he drew.
"Ah, a magic card. Monster Reborn, which I'll use to resurrect the Blue-Eyes head that was destroyed by your guardian, only this time, it's returning as a separate Blue-Eyes White Dragon." he added. "What? Restore one of the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon's heads as a separate dragon?" Yami asked as the dragon appeared. "Now, that Blue-Eyes has been reborn with its normal attack strength of 3000. With all of your Kuribohs in defense mode and forming a wall in front of you, I couldn't attack you. But now that you have your Celtic Guardian on the field, I can take out the rest of your life points, which will happen next turn. Two of the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon's heads are still weak, and they'll be at 0 attack points when my turn ends, but the separate dragon can wipe out your guardian in a breath. Our life points are equal, Yugi. Strike now, if you dare, otherwise, next turn, I swear I'll take you down!" Kaiba responded. 'If I cut off one of the weaker Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon's heads, I win, but what if the destruction of the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon sends Kaiba falling over the edge and to his death?!' Yugi pondered. "Surrender, Yugi, that is unless you have the courage to unleash your attack!" Kaiba shouted, looking to see if Yugi would take the extra mile to win a duel, at ANY AND ALL COSTS. 'I must.' Yami thought. 'I can't.' Yugi thought. 'WE must!' Yami responded. 'No! It's not right!' Yugi thought as the memory of Sol's soul being stolen away flooded both their minds. 'There must be another way.' Yugi pondered. 'There isn't.' Yami responded, but Fluttershy soon saw his dilemma. 'That looks on Yugi's face. He's struggling to do the right thing, I just know it! Is he really going to take the risk of killing someone to save his own grandfather?!' she thought with great worry.
"I'm sorry, Kaiba. But I've never backed away from a duel, and I won't start now! Celtic Guardian, attack!" Yami shouted, not willing to lose. But as the guardian charged, Fluttershy jumped in the way of the running warrior. "Yugi, you can't!" she shouted. "Fluttershy! No!" Twilight shouted, even though she knew that a hologram couldn't do any physical harm to a human, or a pony that turned into a human. "What in tarnation is she thinking?!" AJ asked in shock. "You can't take the risk of killing someone! You have to stop now!" Fluttershy shouted with tears in her eyes as the guardian continued to close in. "Fluttershy, they may be holograms, but the shockwaves from the battle could hurt you, too!" Spike called out. "I don't care! I won't let Yugi stoop to being a murderer!" Fluttershy responded sharply before shutting her eyes, bracing for what she thought would be a powerful blast. 'She's right! We can't... I can't do this! And I can't risk hurting anyone!' Yugi said to himself as he dropped to his knees, regaining control of his body. "Celtic Guardian, stop!" he shouted before falling to his hands. The warrior did come to a stop, almost as if realizing that its master knew in his heart what he was doing wasn't right. As for Yugi himself, he was frightened as he stared at the ground beneath him. "Couldn't do it, huh? Well, it may have been the morally correct choice, but in the end, you failed your grandpa, just like I almost failed Mokuba. Blue-Eyes White Dragon, White Lightning attack!" Kaiba said at last as his single dragon wiped out the Celtic Guardian, handing Yugi his first official dueling loss, not counting the Shadow Game between him and Pegasus three days prior. "I don't believe it! That underhanded jerk actually beat Yugi!" Rainbow said in shock as Kaiba reeled in his Duel Disc and retrieved his star chips. As for Yugi, he was shedding emotionally broken tears over what happened.
Fluttershy soon approached Yugi. Meanwhile, Kemo was on his radio. "Master Pegasus, just now, the battle between Yugi and Kaiba was decided. Seto Kaiba, was the victor." he said. "Thank you, Kemo." Pegasus responded. "Shall I allow Seto Kaiba to enter the castle, then, sir?" Kemo asked. "Yes, a deal is a deal." Pegasus answered. "Done, right away." Kemo responded before both hung up. "Good job, Kaiba-boy. As you wished, I will be your next opponent. But little Yugi didn't fare nearly so well in this rematch between the two of you. His spirit is broken, and his grandfather's soul remains... mine!" Pegasus said with a laugh as he looked at a Duel Monster's card, likely the one that contained Sol's very soul. Up on the roof, Yugi was still in tears after Spike handed Kaiba the Duel Disc he let Yugi use. "What's going on here? That punk Yugi could've won the game, but he threw it away to Kaiba. Was it because he didn't want to kill him? Whoever heard of a Duelist doing that?" Keith pondered as everyone else came to Yugi's side. "You alright, Yuge?" Joey asked. "It's okay, sugar cube. You did the right thing." AJ said, removing her hat. "I almost couldn't control it. This other presence in my Millennium Puzzle, he was willing to go all the way against Kaiba!" Yugi said at last. "Wait, you mean that other you that dueled Yami Bakura in the Shadow Realm?" Twilight asked. "He's right. Like I used to, Yugi has some sort of ancient spirit inside of him. It has something to do with our Millennium Items." Bakura answered. "Now that I know what this spirit could be capable of, I'll... I'll never duel again!" Yugi said in fear, which brought a feeling of shock to most of the friends surrounding him. "Never duel again?!" Rainbow asked in shock. "But, dueling is pretty much your life, isn't it?" Spike asked as Tea and Fluttershy kneeled down to him. "I'm sorry. Sorry about your grandpa. But you did the right thing. You couldn't hurt another person, not even to save him. He wouldn't want to be saved that way." Tea said in tears.
"Then I guess, Yugi really did make the morally correct choice. But if he did go through with what needed to be done, he'd be entering the castle to save his grandfather and possibly my little brother, instead of me going to rescue the only family I have. But his conscience wouldn't let him follow through, which is commendable for a gentle soul like him." Kaiba said bluntly. "You're right, he is a gentle soul, because he saved your life!" Fluttershy shouted at him, catching everyone off guard. "He showed you compassion, Seto Kaiba, which is more than a cold-hearted business man like you deserves!" she continued. "But he threw away his only chance to save his grandfather." Kaiba responded. "SO WHAT?! Just because you didn't want to lose this one game of Duel Monsters doesn't mean that you had to try and make him lose his heart and innocence and become a murderer!" Fluttershy yelled. "You've spent so much time building machines that you've forgotten what it's like to be human!" she continued, causing Kaiba to grunt. "Yugi has a heart, Kaiba. He has all of us, friends that will stand by him no matter what. Family that will support him to the end. And that's a lot more important than being good at Duel Monsters. And what do you have, Seto? What do you have at the end of the day? Tell me! TELL ME!" she added. "Look, Mokuba has been the only family I've had since I was little. You don't know what it's like to have lost both your parents the way me and him did! We were alone for years until we were adopted, and I promised I'd never leave my little brother alone and always be there for him. If Yugi had finished things the way he should have, things would be different. But I guess, in the end, his conscience won out. It's a morally correct decision on his part, but it's not a decision that would've finished his mission, the very reason he came here to the Duelist Kingdom. But at the end of the day, he threw away the chance to save probably the only family he has, just like he nearly made me throw away mine. And at the end of the day, for me, I have all that I need!" Kaiba responded as he threw up and caught his newly won star chips before walking away. "Just keep fooling yourself, Kaiba! Yugi made the morally correct decision, and that makes him twice the man you'll ever be!" Joey called out.
"Well, that was a fun way to spend the day." Bandit Keith said as he left the tower. At the main door, Kaiba was being allowed entry into the castle. "Your ten star chips qualify you to enter the inner sanctum." Kemo said as the door opened. 'At last, I'm in. And I'm ready to face you, Pegasus, once and for all.' Kaiba thought to himself as he walked into Pegasus' castle, ready to save his little brother from the demented grip of Maximillian Pegasus.