Chapter Five: The Invisible Man
Yugi and the Pharaoh were once again standing in the dark, trashed alleyway, with the storm going at full blast right above them. Another flash of lightning illuminated the place, and the man who looked like a mummy appeared at the end of the alley.
Yugi looked up at the Pharaoh. "So, Téa really thought we should go to him instead of running from him?"
The Pharaoh nodded.
Yugi gulped. "Okay, then…" he said, still sounding very unsure.
The two turned and started walking down the alleyway towards the man. He didn't move or speak as they neared him; he just continued to stare at them through his sunglasses, his arms folded across his chest. What did change, however, was the storm; as they got closer to the man, the rain slowly started to cease, going from a huge shower to a mere light drizzle.
Finally, when the two were standing right in front of the guy, the rain totally stopped. The storm clouds cleared away to reveal a full moon which illuminated the alleyway.
Without such a frightening environment, Yugi's fear slowly started to subside. He took a deep breath and asked the bandaged man, "Who are you?"
The man put his arms down to his sides. He said in a raspy voice, "I am the Invisible Man," with his bandages moving along with where his mouth would be.
The Pharaoh blinked. "The Invisible Man?" he repeated.
The man nodded. He reached up and removed his sunglasses.
Both Yugi and the Pharaoh recoiled in horror. There was a break in the bandages where his eyes should have been, but instead, there was absolutely nothing; it was as though his head had been broken up into two pieces.
"Forgive me if I startled you," he rasped out. "I realize my presence is a bit unsettling, but I assure you, I'm here only to help."
"Help with what?" Yugi asked.
The man took off his fedora and placed it onto the damp ground. "The gods have sent me to you," he explained as he started removing the bandages from his head. "As the master of my own special ability, they want me to pass it on to you two…especially now, when you will be in need of it."
"What do you mean by that?" Yugi asked.
Yugi and the Pharaoh stared as he took off the last of the bandages. Without them, it looked like he didn't have any head; just an empty void above his shirt collar. The man held the bandages out to them. "You will see. In the meantime, as the one who actually possesses his own physical being, I ask that you please accept my gift."
Yugi and the Pharaoh stared down at the bandages. Slowly, Yugi reached out and took them into his hands.
Suddenly, the bandages took on a life of their own. They jumped up and started wrapping themselves around Yugi's head.
Yugi let out a muffled scream and tried to pull the bandages off; however, their grip on him was too strong. The Pharaoh stared in shock as, like magic, the bandages started extending in length and continued to wrap Yugi up all the way down to his feet. He fell onto the ground and squirmed around, looking like a mummy that had just come back to life.
Finally, the bandages started glowing with a blinding white light, forcing the Pharaoh to shield his eyes. He heard the voice of the Invisible Man say: "When you awaken, it shall be done. Goodbye, defenders; I shall not have to brother you again…"
Yugi opened his eyes. The moonlight was shining through his window. Instead of feeling exhausted, for the first time in a week, he felt completely rested and refreshed.
Happily, he sat up and stretched. When he saw the Pharaoh's spirit appear on the side of his bed, he smiled. "Thank you for asking Téa for advice, Pharaoh. Now I won't be caught sleeping in school anymore," he laughed.
The Pharaoh didn't reply. He just stared at Yugi with a very strange look on his face. "What's wrong?" Yugi asked.
"Yugi…I can't see you," he replied.
Yugi blinked. "Pharaoh, I'm right here in bed."
"I know that, Yugi, but…I can't see you! Look at yourself!"
Puzzled, Yugi pulled his hands out from underneath his blanket-and stared at them with a jolt.
He could very, very faintly see an outline of his body, but other than that, there was nothing. He could just look right through himself.
Horrified, he jumped out of bed and dashed over to the full length mirror in his room. When he gazed inside, he could just barely see an outline of himself. His entire body had practically become hollow, letting him see the stunned face of his friend right behind him.
"Wha-where am I?!" he cried out in shock, pressing his hands up against the mirror. "I'm gone!"
The Pharaoh replied, "No, Yugi, I think you're still there…you're just…well…invisible."
At that moment, Yugi heard a phone ringing throughout the house. He slowly walked over to his bedroom door and opened it just a crack. After peering into the hallway and making sure no one was around, he dashed towards the phone. He picked it up.
As soon as he touched it, he saw that phone turned invisible as well.
After a few moments of staring at it (or at least staring at the empty space where it should have been), he spoke into the phone. "Hello?"
"Yug, man, where have you been?!" It was Joey. "Haven't ya heard Spencer callin' ya telepathically for de past ten minutes?"
"Um, no, I haven't," Yugi replied. "I've been a little…busy with something."
"Well, ya better drop whatever it is, 'cause somebody just went an took anodder kid dat used ta live in Spencer's world," Joey said, "an we need some help for when we find im."
"What powers does this guy have?"
"We dunno, but de kid's mom found dis box filled wit a whole bunch a de jewelry dat was stolen from all a dese stores around town, so we're guessin' dat it's de same person as dat tief."
"Okay, I'm coming," Yugi said.
"Good, man. We'll all see ya at de warehouse." Yugi heard a small click on the other end.
Yugi looked down at his invisible body. You might actually not be able to do so, Joey…
