"Chapter 26- Redemption"
By: Agent Baron
Having found Dolimus, Yugi and Téa were able to discern the possible truth behind Baron Von Stupor's recent actions. Unfortunately, this truth involves an unfortunate fate for Von Stupor, whose mind is now thrust deep into the Shadow Realm. Yugi maintains hope that Von Stupor may return yet from the Shadow Realm, however slim the chances may be. In an act of selflessness, Dolimus has challenged Yugi to a duel he knows he will not win, trusting his newfound belief in the guidance of the heart of the cards. Following the path of the true duelist, he will give Yugi the hardest fight he can give, knowing full well the consequences of his actions in the hopes that he can find Baron Von Stupor in the Shadow Realm and aid him back to the land of the living.
"I'll go first," Dolimus declared, a fog emitting from the eye on Yugi's Millennium Puzzle. As the field became swallowed in its dark haze, all scenery disappeared as only the two duelists and Téa, their spectator, remained. "First I'll play my magic card, 'Call of the Mummy'! This card allows me to special summon any one zombie card from my hand as long as I have zero zombie monsters on the field during my Main Phase! Next, as per my 'Call of the Mummy', I'll special summon Master Kyonshee, and then I'll summon the Regenerating Mummy!"
On the field appeared Kyonshee, talisman intact as well as another one of Dolimus's mummies.
"I'll set one M/T and play the magic card 'Different Dimension Capsule'!" Yami announced. "This card allows me to remove from play any one card from my deck. If, after two turns have passed, my capsule is still in play, it goes to the graveyard and I get whatever card I picked. Next, I'll summon my monster, the Copycat! This monster copies the attack and defense of any monster on the field, and I choose your Regenerating Mummy! Copycat, attack Master Kyonshee!"
Yami's Copycat monster, now bearing the image of the Regenerating Mummy, attacked Kyonshee. Kyonshee made a quick jab to Copycat's chest, which made its decrepit arm fall off while Copycat swung its other arm, bludgeoning Kyonshee in the head and knocking him down and felling him.
"I'll send my Regenerating Mummy to the graveyard to tribute summon Ryu Kokki! Ryu Kokki, attack the Copycat!" Dolimus ordered.
Ryu Kokki appeared in the place of Dolimus's mummy and charged the mummy copycat. The skeletal warrior bit off the copycat's head and spat it back out, horrified by its taste. Stomping the head, it returned to its position on Dolimus's field and Yami's Life Points sank to 7400.
"Very good," Yami said to him. "You certainly seem to have gotten stronger. I'll set one M/T and one monster, ending my turn."
"I'll summon the Pyramid Turtle and attack your face-down monster!"
As the bizarre turtle emerged onto the field, it dashed toward the set monster on Yami's field. It stomped hard on the Marshmallon that popped out of it and was thrown back by the creature springing back to its original shape, much to the turtle's surprise. The ugly marshmallow bobbled around and winked at the Pyramid Turtle with its upside-down face and licked the turtle's foot while it was trapped on its back.
"My Marshmallon cannot be destroyed by battle, and it inflicts 1000 points of damage to anyone who attacks it while it is in face-down defense position," Yami explained. "You'll have a difficult time breaking through this defense."
"That takes me down to 6950…" Dolimus mumbled to himself as he ended his turn.
"Now, because two turns have passed, my 'Different Dimension Capsule' returns to me the card that it removed from play!" Yami announced, a capsule appearing in front of him. It opened and a beam of light shot into his hand. "I'll set one M/T and end my turn."
"I'll set one M/T and end my turn as well," Dolimus stated.
After thinking for a moment, Yami stated, "I shall play 'Pot of Greed' in order to draw two new cards, and next I'll tribute my Marshmallon to tribute summon my Summoned Skull! With that, I'll end my turn without attacking."
"You're probably worried about my trap. Not attacking wouldn't have helped you anyway, because I'll activate it anyway! 'Compulsory Evacuation Device'! Summoned Skull is returned to your hand!""
"I'll chain onto it my quick-play magic card, 'Scapegoat'! Four Sheep Tokens emerge to protect me!" Yami countered.
"Fine then, my monsters will attack two of your Sheep Tokens!"
The Pyramid Turtle approached one sheep and ate it while Ryu Kokki grabbed another and slammed it hard to the ground.
"I'll now summon Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer," Yami announced, a Chinese monk appearing before him wearing an oni mask that covered part of his face. "…and I'll use it to attack the Pyramid Turtle!"
Kycoo held his beaded necklace toward the turtle and it glowed brightly. The turtle then exploded via a sharp blue beam of light directed from the necklace.
"Kycoo also has an effect where whenever it inflicts damage to your Life Points, it can remove up to two monsters in your graveyard from play!" Yami continued. "I'll choose your Regenerating Mummy and Pyramid Turtle!"
"Before you do that, my Pyramid Turtle's effect activates! Now I can immediately special summon any zombie monster from my deck that has a defense of 2000 or less! I'll bring forth the Vampire Lord! Next I'll play 'Reload' to shuffle my hand into my deck and draw the same number of new cards… then I'll set one monster and order my two monsters to attack your last two Sheep Tokens!"
Dolimus's Vampire Lord appeared before him, standing beside the ever smiling Ryu Kokki. Together, the two monsters cut and stomped the last of Yami's defending sheep.
His ability to keep monsters on the field at all times is surprising, Yami thought to himself. "I'll set one monster and end my turn."
"Now I'll summon another Pyramid Turtle and use Ryu Kokki to attack Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer!"
"Not so fast," Yami called to him. "You've forgotten about my trap card, 'Magical Cylinder'!"
"Oh, no!"
"My trap protects me from your attack and instead sends it right back at your Life Points!"
Ryu Kokki's dashing punch caused him to lunge straight into a multicolored decorative cylinder. Next to Dolimus was another cylinder from which the monster burst and punched him instead. Dolimus was slammed aside and fell to the ground. When he rose back to his feet, his Life Points were down to 4550.
"I'll order my Vampire Lord to attack your Kycoo now… and Pyramid Turtle to attack Sangan," Dolimus said, taking heavy breaths.
His Vampire Lord assaulted the monk with dastardly speed and took it down with a mighty chop to its neck. The Pyramid Turtle stomped on Yami's set card, which was revealed to be a Sangan. It was crushed under the turtle's weight.
"Now my Sangan's effect is activated," Yami mentioned. "Since it was sent from the field to the graveyard, I can bring a monster to my hand from my deck that has an attack value of 1500 or less. Next, I'll set one M/T and summon the Copycat! Copycat will copy the attack and defense of your Ryu Kokki and attack your Pyramid Turtle!"
Yami's Copycat bore the form of Ryu Kokki and charged at the Pyramid Turtle. The turtle made an attempt to bite the copycat, but instead had its jaws tightly clenched by both of the copycat's hands. The Copycat ripped the turtle's jaws apart after a brief struggle, and Dolimus's Life Points dropped to 3550.
"As per my turtle's effect, I may immediately special summon a zombie with 2000 defense points or less, so I'll bring forth the Regenerating Mummy!" Dolimus announced as the corpse materialized in front of him. I can see why they call him the King of Games… he's been leading this entire duel! "I'll tribute my set monster, Double Coston, which counts as two tributes for any DARK-type monster, and I'll summon Despair from the Dark!"
Dolimus's set monster disappeared and a dark shadow extended from his own. A sinister being rose from it and grinned at Yami maliciously.
"Despair from the Dark, attack Yami's Copycat!" Dolimus ordered.
The monster made a swipe at Yami's monster, but before it could connect, it seemed to strike an invisible protective barrier. The barrier vaporized the creature's arm and shone forth, expanding and cutting down all of Dolimus's monsters; his Vampire Lord, Ryu Kokki, Despair from the Dark, and Regenerating Mummy all fell.
"Now I'll draw… and I'll order my Copycat to attack your Life Points directly!" Yami declared as his Copycat, still emulating Ryu Kokki, leapt over to Dolimus and struck him down with a hard chop. His Life Points fell to 2150.
"As per 'Call of the Mummy', I'll special summon another Despair from the Dark and use it to attack your Copycat!" Dolimus declared as yet another shadow creature appeared before him. It shoved its dark arm through the Ryu Kokki and infected it with darkness. Corroded, it fell before Dolimus's monster's might and Yami's Life Points fell to 6800. I won't stop. I won't give up, Dolimus said to himself within his mind.
Yami smiled at Dolimus. "Why are you doing this?" he asked.
Dolimus straightened himself up and faced Yami. "Because I can see clearer than ever before where I've gone wrong. All the way up to our duel and even now, I see choices I could have made, that I should have made. What started off as a halfway noble intention instead turned sour, fueled by my own hate and anger. It turned into a selfish lust for power, and in the end it nearly destroyed me. Even if I can't change the choices I've made in the past, at least I can do what I can to make things better. At least I can spend the rest of my life repenting for those awful decisions… no matter how long or short it may be."
"I see…"
"I owe this to Baron Von Stupor. He saved me, in a sense… Now I want to try and return the favor. If I can't make things right… then it's not like I have much left to live for, anyway…"
"You're very different now. Different even from when we all first met you."
Dolimus turned to face Téa, who had been watching the duel in a solemn silence the entire time. "I'm sorry, Téa," he said to her, staring straight into her eyes. "I'm sorry for what I did to you. Yugi, I understand the meaning of your loyalty to each other, and I no longer blame you for defending her. She really is a special girl… she really deserves friends like you."
Yami smiled once more and set one M/T card, ending his turn.
"I'll set one monster and order my Despair from the Dark to attack your Life Points directly!" Dolimus announced.
As Dolimus's monster came closer to Yami, Marshmallon burst from the ground and bounced off Despair from the Dark's face. The confused entity moved back to Dolimus and took his place as the Marshmallon wobbled around and swirled its eyes.
"What the heck…?" Dolimus muttered, a bit confused.
"I activated my trap card 'Call of the Haunted'. This trap works like 'Premature Burial' in that I may equip to a monster from my graveyard and bring it back to the field, except at no cost. If this card is destroyed, however, the monster is destroyed as well."
Dolimus seemed more concerned by the bizarre behavior of Yami's Marshmallon.
"I'll set one M/T and end my turn," Yami said.
"I'll also set an M/T. Since I can't destroy your Marshmallon through battle, I end my turn."
"I'll play 'Dark Magic Curtain'! This card removes half of my Life Points, and in exchange I may special summon a Dark Magician from my hand!"
A long, black curtain drew forth in front of Yami. Suddenly, confetti fluttered about the air as the Dark Magician drew the curtain back, revealing him.
With my Life Points where they're at, I have no choice but to attack his monster, even if he has a trap prepared! Dolimus thought to himself. "Despair from the Dark, attack the Dark Magician!"
The Dark Magician raised his wand to fire at Despair from the Dark, but the evil shadow grabbed the wand from him and impaled him with it, felling him.
"Activate trap card!" Yami announced. "'Rope of Life'! This card revives a monster that was just destroyed and increases its attack by 800 points! Dark Magician is special summoned back to the field with 3300 attack points!"
"There goes my strongest monster…" Dolimus muttered.
"Dark Magician, attack Despair from the Dark!"
The Dark Magician rose from the ground and clutched its wand, a ferocious aura glowing. It raised its wand up and fired a black magical surge that shook Despair from the Dark's very image. Crying in pain, it dissipated and small souls swirled about where it once stood. After a few moments, the souls themselves disappeared.
If I can get what I need… I'll still stand a chance, Dolimus thought to himself, drawing. I'm still in this game! "I'll play 'Ekibyo Drakmord' on Dark Magician! This equip magic card prevents it from attacking! At the end of your second turn, your monster is then destroyed and this card gets returned to my hand!"
Yami's Dark Magician clutched its head tightly, then took on a very dazed expression. "Duhhh…" it moaned as saliva dribbled down its chin.
"Next, I'll play 'Premature Burial' to revive my Despair from the Dark and attack Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer!" Dolimus continued.
Despair from the Dark's arm stretched across the field and grabbed Kycoo by his head. Holding him in the air, Despair from the Dark ghosted its hand through Kycoo's head, dropping him. As Kycoo hit the ground, he did not move.
Yami drew his next card and looked at Dolimus very seriously.
"You've held out against me very well, Dolimus, but now here is your true test," he spoke. "I'll sacrifice my Marshmallon, Dark Magician, and second Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer to tribute summon the Egyptian god, Obelisk the Tormentor!"
Dolimus stood unflinching, staring at the mighty god as it lumbered forward to Yami's field. A low rumble could be felt all throughout the air as Obelisk's sheer power pulsated.
"Obelisk!" Yami commanded. "Attack Despair from the Dark!"
Obelisk's fist reared back as Despair from the Dark cackled and shot towards him. Despair from the Dark met Obelisk's mighty hand with a sickening crack and split into a thousand pieces, sending Dolimus's Life Points straight to 550.
It's surprising… how unafraid you can be of something with when you know what's inevitably about to happen… Dolimus thought to himself, drawing a card. "I'll activate 'Reckless Greed'… I may draw two new cards, and in exchange I must skip my next two Draw Phases. Next, as per 'Call of the Mummy', I'll special summon another Ryu Kokki to the field. Now, Yami… here is your true test. I'll play the magic card 'Creature Swap'. Since I can't affect your god monster, I'll affect you instead… and force you to give Obelisk to me while you receive my Ryu Kokki!"
"Oh, no!" Yami cried aloud. "Very good, Dolimus, I didn't expect you to find that workaround…"
"Yeah, well… I've had that same trick pulled on me in the past. I'll order Obelisk to attack Ryu Kokki!"
Before Obelisk could attack, Ryu Kokki ran away screaming. Obelisk snorted in disgust. Yami's Life Points dropped straight to 500 while he contemplated exactly what had happened.
"Alright… it's time employ a tactic I learned from the past as well… a trick used on me that I remember all too well. I'll summon a Magician of Faith!" Yami declared.
"A Magician of Faith? That's a weak monster with a flip effect, and the way you summoned it, you can't even use it…"
"I don't need to use her effect… I have the only magic card I need right in my hand… I play 'Riryoku'!"
"'Riryoku?!"
"Yes… god cards may be powered up or down for one turn, but are otherwise unaffected by magic, trap, or monster card effects. That's why I used 'Riryoku'. This card reduces the attack of one monster by half and adds it to one of mine, and I'll choose my Magician of Faith. This decreases Obelisk's attack to 2000 and increases my Magician of Faith's attack to 2300! Now, Magician of Faith, attack Obelisk the Tormentor!"
The Magician of Faith, growing to twice Obelisk's size, beat her chest and smashed Obelisk down with both hands. On his back, Obelisk raised his hands to defend himself, but the Magician of Faith's mighty shoe smashed through and stomped him flat.
"No way… I didn't think taking down a god card was possible…" Dolimus muttered to himself. "Now I only have 250 Life Points… At least Magician of Faith doesn't stay that strong. I'll play my magic card 'Book of Life', which—"
"Wait! I activate my trap card 'Big Burn'! Because you used a card that specifically designates a monster in your graveyard, all monsters in both of our graveyards are removed from play!"
"I'll just set one monster and end my turn, then."
"Dolimus… I'm afraid our duel ends here."
Dolimus smirked. "Then let me have it."
"I'll activate my trap card, 'Return from the Different Dimension'. This card will allow me to special summon as many monsters as possible that have been removed from play! At the end of my turn, they are then removed from play once more! I'll special summon two Kycoo the Ghost Destroyers, my Dark Magician, and Obelisk the Tormentor!"
A large portal appeared above the duelists' heads as the monsters all dropped from it, staring at Dolimus with unflinching resolve.
"Next, I'll attack your set monster with Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer!" Yami commanded.
"You've attacked my Spirit Reaper. The only important thing about its effect right now is that it can't be destroyed as a result of battle," Dolimus explained.
"Very well. It seems you leave me with no choice but to use Obelisk's special effect…"
"Do it."
"I'll sacrifice my two ghost destroyers in order to activate Obelisk's special effect… he destroys all monsters on your side of the field and delivers 4000 points of direct damage to your Life Points!"
Yami's two monsters disappeared and in beams of light, flew into Obelisk's two mighty fists. Obelisk crouched down and began to charge his energy. His hands glowed a brilliant light and Dolimus simply watched on, fully expecting what was about two happen. Obelisk thrust his fists forward and a rush of energy blasted away Dolimus's monster. Obelisk then lunged forward and delivered a crushing punch to Dolimus, knocking him well over six feet before he touched the ground. He continued to tumble from the force of the punch until he finally landed in a face-down position, his Life Points at zero.
"Unggghh…" he groaned, rolling his head to face off to the side. "Good fight…"
"Dolimus…" Yami spoke to him, running to help him sit up.
"Thanks… for doing this for me," he said to Yami.
"I trust you, Dolimus. I can tell that every word you're saying is true."
"That's good…"
Téa approached the two, albeit slowly. Still she watched on, unsure of what to say. The fog began to fade around them.
"Dolimus…" she called to him. He looked over to her. "I forgive you now… for what you did to me. I still want to be your friend."
Dolimus seemed heavily surprised by this as his eyes widened.
"If you manage to come back from the Shadow Realm, let's try to start over… and forget the past," Yami said to him. "We'll help you."
"Are you… sure that's possible?" he asked in response.
"Let's try."
Dolimus smiled, then noticed how little fog remained.
"It's time," he said, and closed his eyes. After a few moments, he began to convulse and soon after, was completely still except for the soft breaths of his soulless body.
Yami laid him down on the ground and looked up at Téa, who stared back sadly.
"Do you really think that Baron Von Stupor or Dolimus stand any chance of coming back?" she asked.
"I don't know… but Dolimus wanted this whether there was or wasn't. We'll just have to trust in him… and Baron Von Stupor. Surely Baron Von Stupor knew what he was getting himself into. He's much more intelligent than anyone has given him credit for."
"For both of their sakes… I hope so…"
"I hope so, too. And I hope that they come back soon, because the longer their souls spend separated from their bodies, the less chance there is that they'll ever make it back from the Shadow Realm. Come on, Téa… let's get Joey and Tristan to help us transport these bodies back to my Grandpa's house."