Chapter 36
Match of the Millennium Part 2
"Man, it's still hard to believe it's finally happening. Yugi vs Pegasus for the souls of both his grandfather and the Kaiba brothers. Everything we've been working for has come down to this match." Joey said. But while the others shouted words of encouragement, Yami Bakura decided to do a little more investigating. 'Let's see what Croquet is up to, shall we?' he thought as he used the magic of the Millennium Ring to listen in on what he was saying. "What? What do you mean Mokuba's missing? He's instrumental in Master Pegasus' plan to take over KaibaCorp. Find him immediately. Idiot, how hard can it be to find and recapture a soulless body? Especially that of a child? Do not make me come down there." Croquet said over the phone. 'Interesting.' Yami Bakura said before walking away. "Uh, Bakura, where are you going?" AJ asked. "I thought I'd go and check on Tristan, Rarity and Spike." Bakura answered. "Well, they have been gone a while." Twilight rationalized. "Too long, if you ask me. After all, what could be more important than cheering Yugi on through what could be the match of his life?" Joey pointed out as Bakura walked on. "I'll be sure to ask them." he said. 'I hope Spike isn't doing anything with Rarity that he shouldn't be.' Rainbow thought. "Go ahead and make your move, Yugi-boy." Pegasus said to his opponent with a chuckle. 'Of course, it's not like I don't already know what it is. First, you'll set the Spellbinding Circle trap face down, and then, you'll set the Summoned Skull in defense mode. Go on, Yugi, I'm perfectly prepared.' he thought. "It's my turn. And first, I'm setting this card face down. And next, I'll play the Summoned Skull in defense mode." Yami said as he made the very move that Pegasus was ready for and anticipating. "And I'll leave it at that." he concluded. "Goody, now it's my turn once again." Pegasus said with a smile. 'You see? The eye never lies. Nor does it fail in sighting the vulnerabilities for your pathetic moves.' he thought as he drew. "I'm switching Ryu-Ran into attack mode." he said aloud as his dragon burst from its egg. "Ryu-Ran, Firestream Attack!" he commanded as his dragon launched the attack right at the Summoned Skull. "With your attack, you've activated my trap card! The Spellbinding Circle!" Yami shouted as he flipped his card and saved his monster. "My circle not only stopped your attack, but it also binds Ryu-Ran, draining him of 700 attack points and preventing him from switching battle positions!" Yami explained as the circle ensnared and drained Ryu-Ran. "Oh, no." Pegasus sarcastically said as his dragon's attack power dropped to 1500. "Excellent, that's the move I would've used." Twilight said with a smile. "Pegasus is in big trouble now!" Rainbow added with just as big a smile as Twilight.
Meanwhile, down in the dungeon, Yami Bakura was running towards wherever Mokuba was. 'Where are you, little Mokuba?' he thought before coming to a split. Then, the Millennium Ring's pointers pointed to the left, leading Yami Bakura in the right direction. Back at the duel, Yami prepared to make his counterattack. "And now, Pegasus, with my Skull poised to attack, and the magic of my Spellbinding Circle trap in full effect, Ryu-Ran will be struck down! Go, Lightning Strike attack!" he shouted as his monster attacked. "Not so fast, Yugi, I play this." Pegasus said calmly as he revealed his facedown. "What is that?" Yami asked. "A trap. Well, a trap for traps, actually. It's called Trap Displacement, and with it, I can transfer the Spellbinding Circle you set on my Ryu-Ran and switch it to your Summoned Skull! Observe!" Pegasus answered as the Spellbinding Circle moved from Ryu-Ran to the Summoned Skull, stopping Yami's attack and lowering its attack power to 1800 while Ryu-Ran's returned to normal. "No! My own strategy backfired on me again!" Yami shouted. "Why, it's almost as if I knew what you were thinking, isn't it?" Pegasus asked with a chuckle. "Firestream Attack!" he commanded as Ryu-Ran blasted the Summon Skull to dust, dropping Yami's life points to 1400. 'Since Pegasus knows every dueling strategy I think up, I can't hide anything as long as he can see it with the Millennium Eye!' Yugi thought. "That mind-reading sidewinder of a cheater! What's the point of even letting Yugi duel if he keeps doing things like that?!" AJ shouted in frustration. "Applejack, please don't say things like that. I know it looks bad, but we can't give up on Yugi." Fluttershy said gently. "Fluttershy's right. The party's not over until it's over!" Pinkie concurred. 'They're both right. We have to believe in Yugi, no matter how bad things are looking.' Tea thought. Meanwhile, Tristan, Spike and Rarity were running for their lives through the dungeons of Castle Pegasus with the guards behind them.
"Look! They've got Mokuba! Stop them!" shouted one of them. The group kept running until another guard blocked their way. "Hold it right there, you three!" he shouted. The three came to a stop. "No place left to run now." said another of the guards. "I'd hate to say it but they're right. We're surrounded." Rarity said, worried. "Now hand over the kid, if you please." said one of the guards. "Rarity, you watch Mokuba, Tristan, back me up. If you punks want Mokuba, you'll have to come and take him." Spike said bravely, amazing Rarity with his bravery. But then, a familiar chuckle was heard. "Lay one hand on the boy and you imbeciles will rue the day you were born." Yami Bakura declared, sending a chill down Rarity's spine, as she knew whose voice that was. "Who's there?" asked one of the guards. 'Oh, no. It can't be.' Spike thought before Yami Bakura stepped out. 'Oh, dear Celestia. It's him again.' Rarity thought. "You just walked into a world of trouble, kid." said one of the guards. "Bakura, get out of here!" Tristan urged. "Step out of those shadows right now or we will be forced to take you down." said another of the guards. "Run for it, Bakura!" Tristan shouted and the guards, again, ordered him to step out of the shadows with their guns in hand. But Yami Bakura just chuckled. "Or else you'll do what, you pathetic little drones?" he asked. "Don't say we didn't warn you." said the nearest guard. "And don't say that I didn't warn you, not to trifle with me." Yami Bakura responded as he held up a Duel Monsters magic card. "What's that?" Rarity asked. "Chain Energy!" Yami Bakura answered with a shout as rings of light appeared around the guards, binding them. "What in the world?! I'm stuck!" shouted one of them. "Me, too! But how?!" shouted the other. "Bakura, what did you do?" Tristan asked. 'If he only knew.' Rarity thought. "Come, now is our chance to escape." Yami Bakura responded before running off. "If you know the way out, then wait for us!" Tristan shouted as he ran after Yami Bakura. 'Guess Tristan doesn't remember what happened two nights ago.' Spike thought. "Come on, Rarity!" Spike said before taking Rarity's hand and running with her past one of the tied up guards while both of them were telling the four of them to halt. After a couple moments, the Chain Energy wore off and the guards broke loose. "A Squad here, we need backup!" said one of the guards. Back at the duel arena, it was Pegasus' turn once more.
"My turn, Yugi-boy." he said before drawing. 'And I'm sure it's another perfectly prepared move. If I'm going to win, I need to find a way to keep his Millennium Eye from reading my thoughts.' Yugi thought. "Fat chance! Nothing you do can stop it. Face it, Yugi, you're at the mercy of my Millennium Eye. Don't you see? I already know every card you keep in your deck thanks to the spy cams I've placed around the island during the tournament, and have in my possession every card needed to stop them. I can see every strategy your feeble mind has concocted, and have already designed my own countertactics to render them completely useless! But even without my Millennium magic, you're no match for me. After all, who needs magic with this card? Perhaps you'll remember it, from when I defeated Seto Kaiba." Pegasus said, having heard what Yugi was thinking, before picking his card of choice. "That's right, Yugi, it's the magical Toon World!" he continued as he played his best card, allowing the magical Book of Toons to appear and open. "I thought as much." Yami said. "Great, not that card again!" Pinkie shouted, remembering what happened the last time Pegasus played Toon World. Magenta colored smoke soon enveloped both Red Archery Girl and Ryu-Ran and pulled them into the book like the magic Power Ponies comic that Spike had bought from Canterlot. "As you recall, Toon World protects my monsters from its impenetrable hardback bindings. Bindings that they'll only vacate when I decide to let them attack. And seeing how my monsters have now been transformed into their super-powered Toon form, they use attacks that is sure to leave you in stitches!" Pegasus said with a laugh. "Meet the Toon Mermaid and Manga Ryu-Ran!" he added as two monsters appeared, Toon Mermaid, a level four, Water attribute Aqua/Toon/Effect monster with 1400 attack points and 1500 defense points, on the left, and Manga Ryu-Ran, a level seven, Fire attribute Dragon/Toon/Effect monster with 2200 attack points and 2600 defense points, on the right. "What's the matter, Yugi-boy? Dont you have a sense of humor?" he asked with a laugh. "Manga Ryu-Ran, attack the monster Yugi has set in defense mode, with Nasty Nostril Flame attack!" he commanded as his dragon took a deep breath in through the nose and breathed fire back out, destroying Yugi's set Giant Soldier of Stone. "Looks like your Giant Soldier of Stone couldn't stand the heat." he added before Manga Ryu-Ran retreated into the Toon World book. "Aren't my Toons simply marvelous? I can't help but feel the same satisfaction that a parent would. I guess that's my reward for having created all the Toon cards." he continued with a chuckle.
'That cheat. The Toon World card is one of a kind, as are the Toon monsters that can be summoned by it. It was considered way to powerful for circulation and distribution, and that's how he was able to defeat Kaiba.' Yugi thought. "And next I think I'll switch the Toon Mermaid into attack mode. You know, to let her out of her shell." Pegasus concluded. 'If I keep setting my monsters in defense mode, Pegasus' toons will just keep picking them off.' Yugi thought as he drew. My only chance is to take to the offensive. Maybe by attacking, I can uncover a weakness in these Toon monsters.' he continued. "I summon the Celtic Guardian in attack mode!" Yami said aloud as his warrior appeared. 'My Guardian may not have enough power to beat that mermaid, but with both of them having attack points of 1400, she shouldn't be able to beat him either.' Yugi hypothesized. "Go, Celtic Guardian! Attack the Toon Mermaid with Silver Blade Slash!" Yami commanded. But the attack ended up being caught by the Toon Mermaid's own clamshell. "No way! Did that clam just catch Yugi's attack?!" Rainbow shouted. "Looks like it, that battle shoulda been a stalemate but I guess when it comes to Toon monsters, there's no such things as a draw. No pun intended." Twilight responded. "Shoulda, coulda, woulda. I'm afraid that you all are just going to have to accept the reality of the situation, even you, my dear Princess Twilight. And the reality of the situation is that Yugi's Celtic Guardian is the catch of the day! And if there's one thing I love, besides winning, that is, it's a fish fry!" Pegasus said as the clam kicked the Celtic Guardian away, allowing the Toon Mermaid to fire an arrow and destroy it. "I never thought I'd say this, but I don't think I'll be watching the Little Mermaid any time soon." Pinkie said, feeling pretty offput by the Toon Mermaid's power. 'Okay, well, maybe if I play a stronger monster.' Yugi hypothesized. "Afraid not. No card in your deck is strong enough. My Toon monsters can't be beaten by sheer brute force, let alone by monsters that aren't Toons." Pegasus said, having read Yugi's thought while the Toon Mermaid retreated into the Toon World book. 'Then what can I do? Attacking is useless, and that Millennium Eye gives Pegasus access to every card, thought and strategy I have. How can I possible win this duel?' Yugi pondered. "It's my turn, Yugi-boy. And I think I'll just lay these two card face down on the field." Pegasus said as he set his cards of choice. 'Great. More to worry about.' Yugi thought. "It's my move now." Yami said aloud as he looked at his hand, which contained the Feral Imp, Monster Recovery, Magical Hats and the Horn Imp. 'With those two new facedowns, all I can do is defend. It may cost me a monster, but at least it's better than losing life points.' Yugi thought.
"I'll set a monster in defense mode." Yami said as he made his move. But Pegasus chuckled, anticipating he would do that. "I knew you would, Yugi-boy, after all, that's the reason why I played this card facedown. And now, behold the trap known as Gorgon's Eye! I think you'll find its glance to be most arresting." he said while revealing his trap. Soon, an eyeball with snakes for hair, almost similar to either a familiar gorgon creature in Greek mythology or a character from Monster Inc, appeared on the field and opened its eyelid, causing the defense monster Yami set, the Horn Imp, to appear and turn to stone. "My imp! He's been turned to stone!" Yami shouted. "As will every other monster you set in defense mode, for the Gorgon's Eye is a permanent trap. And you should know that every time I destroy one of its concrete victims, half of their defensive power will be deducted from your life points! Sorry, but there is a bright side to having a set of fossilized monsters, Yugi-boy, they'd make excellent decorations for either your home or for your garden, if you have riches like my own." Pegasus explained. "I don't think any of us find the situation as amusing as you, Pegasus." Twilight said. "Then perhaps I can help you all lighten up with my other facedown. It's another card from my duel against Kaiba that you might remember. Mimicat! You know why he's grinning, Yugi? Because this little fella loves what he does and does what he loves!" Pegasus responded. "I remember that card! It managed to copy Kaiba's Crush Card Virus trap!" AJ shouted. "Correct, Miss Applejack! This little rascal can transform himself into any spell, trap or monster card in my opponent's graveyard that I want!" Pegasus declared before the Mimicat himself came out of the card space and wrapped around Pegasus. "Oh, beg your pardon, I meant to say any card that he wants. So which card will it be this time, Mimicat?" he said, correcting himself before the Mimicat whispered what card he wanted to mimic. "Perfect! You always have the best ideas. Well, Yugi-boy, it seems that he would like to transform into that Summoned Skull that I defeated a few turns ago." he said afterwards. "My Summoned Skull? But why?" Yami asked. "You're about to find out, soon, and any card in your graveyard is fair game for the Mimicat." Pegasus answered. In no time, Mimicat decided to scat, right into Toon World, and the Summoned Skull card appeared on Pegasus' side of the field just like that. "It's really something, isn't it, Yugi-boy? I can copy one of your monsters, recruit it to my team, and turn it into a Toon all in one move!" he continued before the book was struck by lightning and started going all kinds of whacky. Then it opened up and lightning struck the inside of the book. "And with that, a dark, new chapter of Toon World has been written. The Chapter of Fiends! And here's our story's protagonist! Or antagonist, depending on your point of view. The Toon Summoned Skull!" he concluded as his monster, a level six, Dark attribute Fiend/Toon/Effect monster with 2500 attack points and 1200 defense points, appeared from the book. "What have you done to him?" Yami asked, demandingly. "Nothing compared to what he's going to do to you!" Pegasus answered while the Toon laughed.
"Your twisted, Pegasus. Like the Blue-Eyes Toon Dragon in your duel against Kaiba, you take such delight in creating a monstrosity of a caricature of my own monster!" Yami stated bluntly. "Don't say things like that, you'll hurt my Toon Skull's feelings. You may not know it, but beneath that gruff exterior lies a very sensitive Toon." Pegasus responded, hurt from Yami's words. "Pegasus, just move!" Yami said. "Whatever you say, Yugi-boy. Toon Summoned Skull, Lightning Strike attack!" Pegasus responded, happy to obliged, before the Toon Skull destroyed the petrified Horn Imp, dropping Yami's life points to 900. "You Horn Imp is demolished. And since he was turned to stone by my Gorgon's Eye trap before I attacked, half his defensive power is removed from your life points." he continued before the Toon Skull started flexing before returning to the pages of Toon World. "What splendid showmanship, wouldn't you agree, Yugi-boy? Perhaps I'll coheres him to do a little encore on my next turn." he concluded. "I don't know what he loves more, his Toon monsters or his own voice." Rainbow said, clearly not happy with how the duel was going so far. "There's got a way for Yugi to pop that muscleheaded toon like a balloon!" Joey said, frustrated. 'But the question is, how? The magic of Toon World makes it seem impossible.' Yugi thought. "It's your turn." Pegasus chimed before Yami drew his next card, which Pegasus saw via his Millennium Eye. "I see you've drawn the fabled Dark Magician. Your favorite card, if I'm not mistaken. His trouncing should be especially painful for you. I so look forward to when you put him into play, Yugi-boy." he said, shocking Yami once more. 'And then I can crush him.' he thought. Meanwhile, Yami Bakura had led Tristan, Rarity and Spike to a large stairwell. "Hey, Bakura? What is it, that you did back there, using that Chain Energy magic card, but for real?" Tristan asked. "Not now. Those guards are still behind us!" Yami Bakura answered. "Fine. But something's up with you and you're gonna tell me what." Tristan responded before finding that the door at the top of the steps they climbed was locked. "Great, the door's locked!" Spike said in exasperation. "Let's try the next flight of steps!" Tristan suggested before they started climbing up said steps. "Yes! A way out!" Rarity said as she saw a light through a doorway at the top of the stairs. However, Tristan was the first to find out that the doorway led to a cliff, which led to a deadly drop. Thankfully, Yami Bakura saved him while Spike and Rarity stopped in time. "I owe you one, Bakura." Tristan said, gratefully. "Yes, but now what do we do?" Rarity asked, knowing that there was no other way out of the castle. Back at the duel arena, Yugi wasn't sure what to do next.
'I don't know what to do. I can't even try to attack those Toons when they're inside that magic book. And the Gorgon's Eye transforms any monster I set in defense mode into a stone statue. It all just seems so, hopeless.' Yugi thought. "It certainly does. Oh, sorry. Were you having a private conversation with yourself? I'm so gauche, I really must learn to not keep butting into other people's business. After all, accepting defeat is such a personal matter." Pegasus said, having read Yugi's thoughts once more. "Yugi, don't listen to him. Remember everything that's at stake in this match; the souls of your grandfather and the Kaiba brothers. The three of them are counting on you, and I know you'll come through for them!" Fluttershy said encouragingly. "She's right! We all believe in you!" Tea added. 'Fluttershy and Tea are right. I just have to remember what I'm fighting for, to save the soul of my grandfather, and the souls of both the Kaiba brothers, too. I can't let them down.' Yugi thought. Meanwhile, Yami Bakura, Tristan, Spike and Rarity were contemplating what to do next. "Well, seeing as jumping is out of the question, I'd say that we're as good as caught." Tristan sadly admitted. Soon, the guards showed up. "There they are! Get them!" one shouted before they all headed up the stairs. "Well, any ideas what we do next?" Spike asked. "No need for much time to think, seeing as we're not caught just yet." Yami Bakura responded. "What are you talking about? We're outnumbered and they're armed with guns, one wrong move and they'll shoot." Tristan pointed out. "Perhaps not, after I enlist some help from the Shadow Realm." Yami Bakura responded. "The Shadow Realm?" Tristan asked. "Oh, no. I was afraid of this." Rarity admitted as Yami Bakura pulled out his Duel Monsters deck with a chuckle. Back at the dueling field, things seemed very bleak. "Hang tough, Yugi! You'll make a comeback, I know it!" Rainbow shouted. 'Rainbow's right. If I give up hope now, those three are as good as gone, their souls imprisoned in the Shadow Realm forever, and Pegasus will be free to continue his evil ways, and worse, increase the power of his Millennium Magic, with no one to stop him! I can't let that happen. I can't give up! As hopeless as it seems, I have to keep dueling. I have to save my only grandparent and the Kaiba family!' Yugi thought.
'Save your only grandparent?! And the Kaiba family?! Yugi-boy, you can't even save yourself!' Pegasus thought as he chuckled wickedly, pleased with how the duel was going, and confident that victory was within both his grasp, and his sight.