Chapter 7: From Dreams to Nightmares Part II
Yami looked at his cards, monsters that he had always considered as friends. Now these beasts were facing a part of him, his other self. His eyes darted up. He saw his partner standing on his two feet, but such a stance was not created from his own courage or strength; it was one created by a common enemy—a man implementing his horrific plan to enact his revenge. Yami needed to place a stop to the heinous act, but not solely for himself. He needed a plan: His partner was growing weaker.
"How can I save Yugi? So far these strategy has kept me on edge. I also don't want any harm to come to Yugi, and Akana knows that. What should I do?"
Time was slipping out of their hands as the Shadows grew impatient.
Yami drew one card from his deck. He examined his hand for an effective strategy. He only had 2400 life points while Yugi maintained all of his.
"I know I must save Yugi. But until I think of a plan, I must keep my life points." He looked from his hands to the field. Yugi had one monster card faced down in defense mode while he only had one creature.
"I place one monster in defense mode and one card faced down." he announced.
Two cards appeared on the field, one in the monster zone and the other in the Magic/Trap zone.
Yugi drew one card. He whispered to sacrifice his faced down monster for Summon Skull (2500/1200). The infamous skeleton appeared in a case of lightning.
Yami gasped in full shock. "How did Akana manage to obtain such a powerful card?!"
"As I've said, Pharaoh," the man informed gleefully. "When you've been around for years, you learn to pick up a thing or two."
Yugi, apathetic towards the scene due to the spell, then played a trap card, Ultimate Offering. The continuous trap allowed him to Normal Summon or Tribute Summon monsters at the cost of 500 life points per monster. It was a risk he could not uncover the pros and cons, for he only obeyed what mental commands he received.
As his life points diminished, he grew paler as a result. That intervention did not cease his next move, for a stout knight wearing blue armor riding on a violet horse with a gold mane materialized on the field (2300/2100). He had summoned Gaia the Fierce Knight, a human-like monster that wielded two crimson jousting rods, and ended his turn. He now had two strong monsters on his side.
Yugi: 3500
Yami: 2400
Yami grew dumfounded. His partner had managed to summon two monsters they have worked with before. He also saw how much the move had cost his friend.
"This isn't like Yugi at all. His strategy is unlike his personality." Yami then realized something. "Wait, is this Yugi at all? Or is he being controlled by Akana? If so then maybe that's why he's been playing a little… defensive?"
Xxx
"I still have all of my life points while Yami has 2400."Yugi thought to himself."What can I do to continue this? I wonder if Yami has some type of combat. Is that why he's been playing the way he has? It's all part of a strategy?"
Yami effortlessly drew one card. He placed one card in defense mode and another in the Magic/Trap zone. All his movements flowed flawlessly.
"Let's see what you have," he stated with an arrogant smirk on his face.
"That smile is unlike Yami." Yugi thought to himself as he drew a card. He studied his hand, brainstorming ideas for his next move. "What is Yami scheming? I already have one monster in defense mode. Should I sacrifice it for something powerful? Like Summon Skull? Or should I play it safe and not do anything?"
Yugi lifted his head hearing Yami say pompously, "Yugi, you know as well as I do that a duelist needs to take chances."
The teen knew his darker half was right. Throughout his match, Yugi was unaware that someone else was pulling the strings in his match. His thoughts of questioning what he carried in his deck faded noticing certain cards he held.
"Well, even if it is a trap, I need to do something so I can get rid of that facedown."
Yugi took one card from his hand and announced confidently, "I sacrifice my monster in defense mode for Summon Skull!"
The skeleton creature with its navy blue wings and exposed violet muscles (2500/1200) appeared in a bolt of lightning cast from the darkened sky.
The small teen was quite proud of his choice. "Summon Skull is a pretty powerful monster. If Yami was planning to summon one, it would have to be more powerful than 2500 attack points."
He was about to end his turn when his right hand moved by itself for the trap card in his left hand.
"Wha-what's going on? How is it possible for my hand to move like this?"
Yugi tried to resist, but his strength was no match; it was as if his arm was following a different command, one that he had been following all along but without his consent. His hand snatched a trap card and galvanized it on the field.
"Ultimate Offering?!"
Yugi tried with all of his might to stop himself from animating it, but it was too late. The card had been activated. He then felt his hand moving for another card.
"NO!" he yelled in desperation. Again he tried to stop his hand from moving.
"I—I can't use that card! I have no reason to use it!"
Yugi's hand seized another card and summoned it onto the field.
Now his life points had dwindled down to 3500. The moment Gaia the Fierce Knight (2300/2100) had been summoned, he felt a powerful strike of pain smash his upper body. With each heartbeat he felt the agony embrace his entire body. His chest, however, received twice the amount of throbbing. The sensation took over his entire physique, and he screamed in pain. He grabbed onto his chest and fell to on one knee. He panted.
"What's… going on? Why…. Why am I feeling… this?"
Xxx
Yami was about to draw a card when he saw his light fall to the ground on one knee and used one hand to grab his chest. He grew into shock followed by terror. "YUGI!"
He was about to make a run for his partner when Akana jeered, "Now, Pharaoh, you mustn't rush to your poor, precious treasure least you automatically forfeit the duel."
Understanding how much Yugi had gone toted, both in the duel and the small teen's personal life, Yami was considering that option.
"Even if I send myself to the Shadows, will Yugi be safe? Or will he be forever trapped within this insane man's spell?"
Yami turned towards the man who was laughing, "I can't be held responsible for what happened to this young one after you chose to do yourself in!"
"Damn!" Yami cursed at himself. "What else can I do?"
He looked forward and saw his light standing straight up.
Although he carried that blank stare, Yugi's shoulders fell and rose as he struggled to breathe.
"Yugi, please hold on a bit longer." Yami prayed. He looked at his hands and then onto the field. "Maybe if I come up with a way to have both of our life points down to zero, neither of us will be sent to the Shadow Realm. But I'll need to rid Yugi of those monsters, so he can breathe easier without harming him."
He pulled one card from his hand and declared valiantly, "Dark Hole!"
All the monsters on both sides were sucked into a black vortex and moved into the Graveyard.
Yugi: 3500
Yami: 2400
Xxx
Yugi continued to struggle breathing as he painstakingly pushed himself up. He yelled as the sensation of the pain ran throughout his entire body.
"Yugi," Yami laughed, "we can't continue the duel until you stand up!"
Yugi nodded and stood on his feet. His head spun, but he shook himself of his disorientation. He looked at his arm and hands, studying them. They both seemed to be functioning fine.
"What… was that… all… about?"
Suddenly, he felt he was not getting any air into his system. He took his hand and placed it between his throat and chest.
"I… I can't breathe!"Yugi exclaimed, feeling his body growing weaker and weaker. His hands felt as though they were both holding bags of metal and his feet would collapse under the pressure.
"Dark Hole!" was what he heard, seeing both of his monsters disappearing. As soon as they vanished from the field, Yugi felt himself gaining some strength back with the pain slowly vanishing.
"Was that his plan all along? Did Yami not attack me, so he could destroy some of my powerful monsters?"
Yugi then noticed his vision was becoming blurry once more.
Xxx
Yami was fully focused on his match. He had played against great, vicious enemies, and yet now he was facing his light against their will. He summoned another monster in defense mode faced down. Staring into his cards to form a strategy, he blinked, thinking he heard someone calling his and Yugi's name.
"That's not Akana."
Yami glanced at his enemy and noticed the man held a scowl on his face, a facial expression that twisted his previous emotion of satisfaction for mistreating people. The voices sounded familiar somehow to Yami, yet he did not understand why. These voices appeared warm, friendly, and encouraging. It suddenly hit him: those where his friends' voices!
He closed his eyes and smiled.
"They continued to cheer for Yugi and me to do our best. Even while in the darkest of shadows, their voices bring us hope."
Yugi's turn had now arrived. The boy's hand trembled as he drew his card. He barely studied his cards, and he summoned one monster faced down in defense mode. He then used his Ultimate Offering to summon three more creatures all in defense mode.
"WHAT!?" Yami exclaimed, his anxiety building up once more.
The smaller boy then implemented a magic card, Diffusion Wave-Motion. With that card Yugi could summon Dark Magician (2500/2100).
"What is Yugi thinking?! With this card he must sacrifice a thousand life points in order to summon a level seven or higher monster. Only that monster can attack me, but it allows him to attack me depending on the number of monsters on his field. This isn't like Yugi!"Yami then realized, "Or maybe this isn't Yugi's strategy… Is this Akana's strategy? Is he… panicking? Either way, what am I to do about this strategy?"
Yugi: 2500
Yami: 2400
Xxx
Yugi struggled rising to his feet as the entire mental world remained calmed. The sky sparkled from the sapphire atmosphere and gold sun, and the trees maintained their viridian leaves. He stood up hearing someone calling his and his darker half's name. It was his friends! They seemed interested in the show.
"Yugi! Do your best!" Tea called.
"Be careful Yug, you know Yami has a trick up his sleeve!" Joey advised.
"Hey, isn't anyone going to root for me?" Yami asked with a laugh.
"We'll cheer for the both of you," Tristan winked.
Yugi felt relieved knowing people out there cared. Looking at his hand, he heard voices coming from the other side. He looked up and grew with pure joy seeing his parents and his grandpa had arrived to cheer them on.
"Come on, Yugi," the old man applauded. "You should be able to think a way out of this one!"
Yugi's mom clapped while his dad gave him a victory sign.
The teen drew one card and looked onto the field. Yami had destroyed both of their monsters but now had something in defense mode.
"Which monster could it be? If it is something with a powerful defense points, then I may receive damaged. But if I summon something powerful, then he may use a card to destroy it."
Yugi felt his hands working fine, so he placed one monster in defense mode.
"What next?"he asked himself, ready for his deceitful friendly game to continue. But before he knew it, his arm moved again on its own.
"NO! Not again!" he yelled, fear entering his mind.
His arms reached for three more monsters and placed them on the field. This brought him down to 2000 life points. With each monster that was summoned, he felt his heart throbbing with increasing pain, far more devastating than his last turn. He again used his hand to grab his chest in agony.
He squeezed his eyes shut and whispered to himself, "It's…. it's as… as though m-my…. heart…. is being… hit…. by… da-daggers."
His achy body and weary mind told him that he had borne all he could, but he heard his parents cheer for him. He opened one eye and looked towards his parents smiling faces. He gained what little strength he had and proceeded to play.
"I…. I must show… how…. I'm not…. not small…. anymore."
Despite the physical pain, Yugi became glad seeing a familiar card in his hand, Dark Magician.
"If I can…. summon this…. then… then maybe… I… can use…. these monsters… as…. as a… sacrifice."
He was prepared to use his creatures in an honorable way. However, his hand had another idea as it moved for another card.
"What!?" Yugi cried out. He tried to resist, but the rest of his body was not cooperating.
"The rest…. of my… body…. It's….. it's too…. tired…."
Yugi felt himself breathing heavily as his hand usurped one card and placed it in the Magic Zone.
The card was Diffusion Wave-Motion. Yugi could not resist any longer as his hand pulled Dark Magician onto the field. The magic card required the player to use his life points and bring him down to 1000 life points. Yugi heard everyone cheer as he had brought out his signature card, a sure sign of victory.
"Dark Magician…. I…. I can't…. use this…. against….. Yami…. It's… it's…. our favorite…"
The weary boy felt his vision becoming blurry, and everything around him sounded like one huge hum as the magic card took away the last of his strength from his physique. He felt his body turning numb as he gasped for air. He could no longer keep awake.
Before falling into complete darkness, Yugi whispered one last command to Dark Magician, "Please… don't attack… Yami…"
Xxx
"You know what, Pharaoh," Akana taunted as Yami drew one card. "There is no point in trying to decide a winner."
Yami grew impatient but knew Akana meant something significant.
"If you do forfeit, then Yugi may never wake up." the man with Egyptian origins reiterated. "And if he does, he may just go a little mad no longer seeing the spirit who takes control of his body at any given moment. Of course, any normal person would see that as a blessing."
"Yugi is my friend!" Yami countered with heart. "I've done all I can to protect him!"
"And yet you wish to disrupt his happiness?"
"What you are feeding him are only illusions!"
"Perhaps. But back to my current matter. If you win, your precious treasure will be going with the Shadows, and you know how merciless they can be. But I think I found a way to satisfy the both of you."
Yami clutched his cards he held as he looked towards Yugi, who was growing paler and paler by each round.
The evil man continued, "You see, the longer it takes you to come up with a plan to save you both, the longer little Yugi stays in the Shadow Realm. Even if you do come up with something, it may be too late!"
Yami gasped apprehending his enemy's plan. "So that's why he had Yugi summon all of those monsters! They've been taking away his life points! And with each monster on the field, Yugi will grow weaker and weaker! His body and mind can't operate under so much pressure!"
He looked at his partner, who was deathly pale. His shoulders rose up and down as he struggled to inhale and exhale. Yami then saw a monster summoned by the magic card, a monster that wielded a powerful green staff while wearing violet armor. It was Dark Magician!
Yami stared at his most loyal monster. He could not believe he was facing his favorite card. He and the magic user had worked together to take down terrible enemies. Now he feared the green staff would now be used against him. His heart was not prepared to receive such an assault from his friends, both Dark Magician and Yugi. However, he noticed Dark Magician remained still.
"If Yugi is under control of Akana, then why hasn't he attacked me yet?" Yami asked himself. "Could Yugi be trying to resist? But…. But how can he under this much stress?"
Yami knew that since Dark Magician could attack for all five monsters his life points would go down to zero. He would be sent the Shadow Realm while Yugi may never wake up! He gazed into his most loyal monster's eyes, seeing them hold no animosity towards either player.
Yami snapped out of his thoughts seeing in horror as he saw his lighter half falling to the ground.
"YUGI!"
The spirit of the Puzzle cried out in pain as he freely ignored the rules and rushed to his collapsed partner. He tossed aside his deck and Duel Disk. He ran past the motionless Dark Magician. He reached the boy just in time before the teen had hit the floor. He supported the teen's back against his arm with his hand clutching his friend's shoulder.
"YUGI!" he sobbed as he lifted up his partner's limp body.
"YUGI! PLEASE! ANSWER ME!" he bellowed, shaking the teen's form in hoped of receiving any type of response.
After a moment of silence, nothing came out. Yugi was only breathing small, shallow breaths and had a very weak heartbeat.
"Don't leave me…" Yami painstakingly cried as he pulled his small friend closer to his body. Tears cascaded down his face. One tear landed on Yugi's forehead, another on his deck, and one more on the center of his chest.
"Yugi," Yami whispered.
All hope was lost.
Everything went wrong.
An innocent soul had been claimed by the Shadows.
Yami felt completely powerless as his closest friend was taken away forever.
Yet the atmosphere altered upon a big, white flash occurring in the middle of the field.
"What did you do Pharaoh!?" Akana yelled stunned.
While holding Yugi even tighter, Yami questioned abashed, "A bright light in the Shadow Realm?!"
To be continued….