Return of the Evil Spirits
Everyone met up on the main deck for dinner. There were lots of different goods placed on the tables everyone could help themselves to. Emily noticed Duke was hurt, so she set her plate down and approached him. "Here, Duke, let me help you," she offered. "I think I know a healing spell that might help."
"Sure, Emily," he responded. "But have you performed a healing spell before?"
"No, but there's got to be a first time for everything." She didn't want to mention the voice of the spirit guiding her. That was actually the reason Emily knew what kind of magic she could perform and how to cast it.
Duke nods in agreement. "Yeah, I guess. Okay, go for it." As Emily places her palm against his face, Duke asks, "This isn't going to hurt, is it?"
Emily couldn't believe Duke would ask something so ridiculous. "It's called a healing spell for a reason, genius." Nonetheless, she began concentrating. Her hand glowed with a blue light and Duke felt his pain fading with every pulse. His eye and lip were healed and his nose stopped bleeding. "How do you feel?"
"Better now, thanks to you," he replied. "That was awesome. What other kinds of powers do you have?"
"I'll tell you more when it's not so crowded," was all she could say. Although Emily found herself gaining better control over her powers, she really didn't want to overexert herself or gain unwanted attention. But she promised to share her talents with her friends.
Joey got himself two different plates of dinner, but stopped before eating. He saw Odion standing by himself and scowled at him. Glancing at him and secretly vowing revenge, Joey paid no attention to where he was going and accidently bumped into Bakura. He apologized and asked once again, "How did you make it all the way to the finals?"
Bakura wipes his mouth with his napkin. Finally, he swallows his food and answers, "Very simple, I won six locator cards in one duel. You see, after Max left, I decided I didn't want her to have all the fun. I knew that if I went with her, she would stop me and send me back. So I decided I wanted to surprise her and compete in the tournament with her."
"But still," Joey was saying, "How did you do it?"
"Well, it pains me to say this, but I'm the reason Mai couldn't make it to the finals. I beat her in a duel and won all of her locator cards. But don't tell Max I said that."
Joey's eyes widened. "All of her locator cards? How was it possible?"
Bakura smiles and replies, "Well, let's just say I didn't give her much choice. Time was running out and I needed a real opponent to make it easy for me."
"You forced Mai to give up everything?"
"Sort of," Bakura plainly answers.
Thinking about it made Joey go from feeling concerned to feeling scared. He even found himself losing his appetite. "I think I'm going to go now," he said nervously and walked away.
"Right," Bakura tells him. "Cheerio and good luck in the finals."
It'll be good luck if I don't have to duel him, Joey thought to himself. He was really starting to feel sick now and it wasn't because of the food. Seeing Odion was enough to make his blood boil, but hearing about how Bakura overwhelmed Mai and took everything from her was scary. Another thing Joey couldn't stand was seeing Bakura look so cheerful and optimistic after all he had gone through, insisting that nothing was wrong and he was all right. What the hell is wrong with this guy?
Max snaps her fingers in front of him. "Hey, you okay, Joey?" Joey comes back to his senses and lets out a startled gasp. "Sorry. You look like you've seen a ghost."
"Nah, it's just the seafood," Joey answered. "I think it's been sitting out for too long."
"Well, just don't throw up on me," Max told him.
Kaiba's right hand associate Roland walked up to the platform and called for everyone's attention. It was time to announce the start of the Battle City finals and take names. The duelists would be chosen by random and called by their numbers. Every duelist was given their number based on who showed up for the finals first. To ensure fair selection, a lottery machine shaped like the Ultimate Dragon appeared. Some of the spectators wanted to cry out 'bingo' for the hilarity.
Roland's partner went to the hall and walked up to the door to Ishizu's room. Sensing his arrival, she permits him to enter. "I beg your pardon, ma'am."
"What is it?"
"Mr. Kaiba has requested your presence at once."
"In order to watch the finalists to be paired off for the first duel," she finished for him. "My presence is not required. Some things cannot be explained, but I can assure you with certainty that I will not be chosen for the first duel." But I know who will be and the fate of the world depends on his victory.
Confused, the man leaves and returns to the main deck.
The machine turned on and the numbered spheres began rolling around. The first sphere came out and read the number six and Bakura was the sixth finalist.
"Me? I duel first?" he asked, surprised.
"Are you all right, Bakura," Max asks.
He chuckles and rubs the back of his head. "Oh, yes, I'm quite all right. Being chosen for the first duel just took me by surprise."
The second sphere was selected. It read the number three, which was Yugi's. Kaiba thought this would be interesting and wondered how Bakura would be able to fare against an Egyptian God card.
Yami, on the other hand, could see right away that something suspicious was going on. As Roland led him and Bakura to the stratos dueling arena, Yugi's thoughts voiced in his head, saying, I know that's not Bakura. It's the evil spirit of the Millennium Ring and I bet he's still after the Millennium Items. I also bet he wants the Millennium Star too.
They make it to the upper deck and take their positions on the arena. Everyone else arrives to watch the match from the sidelines. "Dueling up here's insane," Joey said.
"And freezing," Serenity adds, holding herself.
"I'm not cold," Emily said in honesty. She really wasn't. None of her friends could understand how she couldn't be cold being dressed in a sleeveless dress. Max knew and wasn't cold either. The power of the Stars made them adaptable to all the different temperatures.
Kaiba makes one more announcement. "I'll make this quick. Kaiba Craft 3 is now cruising at an altitude of 4000 feet. The strong winds and cold air will test your strength and stamina. If you can't take it, you don't belong here." Kaiba sure knew how to test the limits of his friends and enemies. That's all everything in life was to him; a game and a test.
"Are you prepared to lose it all," Bakura asked Yami with a much stronger voice.
"Before we begin, why don't you stop this charade and tell me who you really are?" Yami demanded. Bakura said nothing and just chuckled. "Have it your way, but I think I know who you are." Then the Millennium Ring appears and glows. "It is you! The spirit of the Millennium Ring!"
"How can that be?" Tristan asked. "I got rid of that thing in Duelist Kingdom! How could Bakura have gotten it back?"
Marik continues to act with innocence. "Why all the fuss, guys? What's that thing around Bakura's neck?"
Max clears her throat and decides to explain since she knows Bakura better. "Namu, it's hard to explain, but I'm afraid that's not Bakura. He and Yugi both possess an ancient artifact containing an ancient spirit within. The spirit of Yugi's Millennium Puzzle is good, but the spirit of Bakura's Millennium Ring is evil. And right now, standing before Yugi is that evil spirit."
"So you're saying that an ancient evil spirit is dueling against Yugi?" Marik asked. "That's hard to believe."
"Yeah, I didn't believe it at first either," said Max. "But then I discovered I was in the same situation with this charm Bakura gave me long ago. It also had an evil spirit. I'm all right now, but I'm really worried about Bakura."
"I just hope he doesn't drag Yugi into the Shadow Realm," Joey prayed. "That's not someplace you want to be."
Listening to everyone's conversations, the spirit declares, "Now that the introductions are over and done with, let's begin the duel."
Yami wasn't ready to begin yet. "First tell me why you entered the Battle City finals and what it is you hope to gain. Is it about the Millennium Items and the Millennium Star?"
The evil spirit figured it wouldn't hurt to tell Yami since he wouldn't be able to win the duel. He found his guess interesting, but decided to go further. "Perhaps, and perhaps there's something else I plan to take away from you. There is so much about this tournament that you are unaware of. So many secrets being kept from you. For instance, how do you know I might be working alone and are you sure that one of the people you believe to be your friends isn't really one of your enemies?"
"I don't believe you," Yami told him. "Lies are a part of your game."
Yami, wait, Emily thought to him. It may not be a lie. The same evil spirit that controlled Max could also be involved.
That spirit mentally communicates with her partner. Listen, you fool, you're giving him too much information. If we're going to succeed, we've got to keep everything brief and do what Marik expects from us.
That's correct, Marik reminds him. Thanks to their connection by the Millennium Items, he can read their minds and mentally communicate with them as well. Unless you want me to take over your mind and duel him myself.
The evil Bakura refuses. If you could have defeated him on your own, you would have done it by now, he tells Marik. I'll take my chances. It was now time to begin the fight that would decide the fate of mankind. One would lose everything while the other would triumph. Bakura draws his card and summons the Portrait's Secret, a fiend with 1200 attack points.
Yami wondered what he could be thinking by playing a weak monster in attack mode. It certainly wasn't one of the brightest opening moves in the game. He summoned Gazelle the King of Mythical Beasts and attacked, dealing 300 points of damage. He also ended his turn by playing a card face down.
Bakura summons another weak monster called the Gross Ghost of Fled Dreams. Sure enough, he was up to something. Why else would he play weak monsters in attack mode and leave himself unprotected? Yami wasn't going to consider it. The sooner he ended the duel, the better. Yami summoned Gamma the Magnet Warrior and attacked the Gross Ghost, dealing 200 points of damage. Bakura lost 1500 more points from a direct attack Gazelle landed.
Not even the rest of the spectators could figure out what was going on. Bakura wasn't fighting back and had already lost half of his life points. What's he doing? Marik asked Max. I want that Egyptian God card!
Give him time, Max told him. My partner and I have a habit of toying with our opponents. I assure you, he knows what he's doing.
It didn't seem so when her partner summoned the Headless Knight, a monster with 1450 attack points. Once again, Gamma attacked his monster while Gazelle landed another direct attack. Now the evil spirit was down to his last 450 life points, but this was all part of his strategy. "It's time. You've done exactly what I've wanted you to do. Now your destruction begins," he says, drawing his card. "I hold a card in my hand with dark powers beyond your wildest imagination. Before I could play this card, I needed a bit of assistance. So thanks for your help."
The monster summoned by the spirit of the Millennium Ring was Dark Necrofear. In order to summon it, three of his monsters had to be destroyed and removed from play. And if he was willing to lose nearly all of his life points and sacrifice his monsters, then this fiend had many dangerous abilities. It was powerful and had 2200 attack points, but Bakura didn't declare an attack. He instead placed two cards face down.
Yami didn't know why Bakura decided not to attack. Was it because of his face down card? That would make sense. But it wouldn't matter because Yami had now summoned a monster capable of destroying Dark Necrofear. It was Dark Magician Girl and he revealed his hidden card Magic Formula to raise her attack points by 500. Dark Magician Girl's Dark Burning destroyed Dark Necrofear, leaving Bakura with 150 life points remaining.
But this was exactly what Bakura wanted Yami to do. "Thanks again. You've done exactly what I wanted. Don't you realize by now that I've manipulated every move you made so far? I wanted you to destroy Dark Necrofear so I could play this: Dark Sanctuary." Then a castle appeared behind him and red and black clouds coveted the arena. Within the horrific sky were eyes and mouths opening to frighten everyone.
The spirit of the Millennium Ring was playing well. He completely led Yami like a dog on a leash by setting him up for this. The horrors of Dark Sanctuary would protect Bakura and make his opponent tremble in fear. He had no monsters to protect him or fight back, but Dark Sanctuary was all he would need. Yami declared an attack, but his Magnet Warrior drained his life points instead. It turned out that the ghost of Dark Sanctuary possessed Yami's monster, taking half of its attack points from Yami's life points and giving them to Bakura. Whether one monster or all of them was possessed was something Yami would have to figure out on his own. Only Bakura could see the ghost and order it to do his bidding. But now it was Bakura's turn and he played a trap called Destiny Board. It looked like a giant Ouija board and revealed the letter 'F'. The Destiny Board would spell the next letters with the passing of each of Bakura's turns. And things were about to go from bad to worse now that Bakura had played Dark Door, a magic card that allowed Yami to only attack with one monster every turn. And he had to choose carefully. He still didn't know if all of his monsters were possessed by the evil ghost. And in order for Bakura to keep Dark Sanctuary in play, he had to sacrifice a monster. So he played Earthbound Spirit and sent it to the graveyard, ending his turn.
Yami had to make every move count and choose carefully. For all he knew, his Magnet Warrior was still possessed and would drain his life points. Dark Magician Girl was his best bet. Before declaring an attack, he summoned Kuriboh in defense mode. As Dark Magician Girl attacked, 1250 points were decreased from Yami's total life points. Bakura revealed that he could choose whatever monster to possess with the evil ghost. Not that it helped. Yami was still in a dangerous predicament. And now that his turn was over, the Destiny Board spelled another letter. It was 'I'.
Looking closely, Yami saw that each letter spelled by the Destiny Board counted as a single magic card and the duel disk had only five slots for those cards, excluding the area for field cards. In order to spell the complete message, Bakura would have to dispel his Dark Door. But that wouldn't be necessary. Dark Sanctuary allowed Bakura to play as many magic cards on the field as he wanted. To keep Dark Sanctuary in play, Bakura sacrificed Sangen. This, in turn, activated the monster's special ability, allowing Bakura to draw a monster from his deck and add it to his hand.
Yami had to choose carefully. He didn't know which monster his opponent chose the ghost to possess. He had to choose between Gamma and Dark Magician Girl since they were the only ones capable of fighting. Yami summoned Big Shield Gardna and decided to attack with Gamma because it had fewer attack points. Bakura activated his trap, Dark Spirit of the Silent, stopping Gamma's attack and forcing Dark Magician Girl to fight. Since she was possessed, Yami lost 1250 more life points. Now the score stood with Yami having 750 life points and Bakura having 3400 life points. Yami ended his turn by playing two cards face down.
The third letter revealed by the Destiny Board was 'N'. After that, Bakura sacrificed the Souls of the Forgotten to keep his Sanctuary in play. It was Yami's turn again, but he claimed to have found a way to get rid of the evil ghost. Rather than guess what monster it was possessing, Yami decided to draw it out and relinquish it. He reaveled a trap called Collected Power and used it to focus the effects of all spells in play on Kuriboh. The little monster began reading the contents of Magic Formula and the ghost possessed it. Next, Yami played Exile of the Wicked, destroying Kuriboh and the evil ghost of Dark Sanctuary.
Seeing the duel slipping out of their favor, Marik and Max decide to have a private conversation with their friend. Just in case you haven't noticed, you've lost control of this duel, said Marik.
Bakura growls. Just what do you mean?
Your opponent has crushed your strategy, Marik clarified.
Go away, said Bakura. He already had to put up with this from Max and he certainly didn't need it from this pushover. I don't need this.
Don't be a fool, Marik argued.
I said, 'go!'
You and I still have an agreement with Marik, said Max. If we want our rewards, we'll do things his way, meaning you will listen to him. If you lose this, Marik will turn to me and cut you out of the deal.
I won't lose, the spirit of the Millennium Ring promises.
Marik disagreed. That's hard for me to believe based on the way you've been dueling throughout the match.
Watch me.
Win this or no deal, Marik warned.
To end his turn, Yami played Monster Reborn and resurrected Dark Necrofear. Since destroying the fiend released the magic of Dark Sanctuary, resurrecting it to the field removed it. And since Dark Sanctuary was gone, Bakura was no longer permitted to exceed the limit of magic cards in play. His only hope of finishing the message now was to remove his Dark Door card, putting him at risk for defeat against an ambush of monsters. But right now. Yami could still only attack once, so he used Dark Necrofear to do it and drop Bakura's life points down to 1200.
The fourth letter was revealed and the message was spelling 'F-I-N-A'. Yami now knew that the word Bakura was intending to spell would be 'Final'. But in the situation he was in, Bakura would never be able to succeed in spelling it.
Marik growled. Now what's your boyfriend doing? He asked Max.
He's trapped, she answered. Can't you see it?
I can, he answered. Shall I control his mind and take over?
But the spirit of the Ring could hear them and didn't appreciate being ignored. Never! He snapped. I plan to overpower this pathetic duelist on my own, you fools! The duel was far from over and he knew how to get back in control. He summoned Jowgen the Spiritualist. It had the ability to destroy any monster that was specially summoned for the price of a card from Bakura's hand. Since Dark Necrofear was summoned by a magic card, it was destroyed by Jowgen's effect, unleashing the horrors of Dark Sanctuary once more and reawakening the evil ghost. Now Bakura would be able to play the final letter and spell 'Final', but for now, he sacrificed Jowgen to keep his Sanctuary in play and placed a card face down.
With the evil ghost back to possess Yami's monsters, he was trapped once again, even if he would attack with a monster that wasn't possessed, Bakura's Dark Spirit of the Silent would take effect and drain the rest of his life points. Yami had to believe in the Heart of the Cards. It was his only hope. He knew that the only way to win was to summon his Egyptian God card and he had to draw it. As if the Egyptian God monster itself could hear Yami's wish, it graced its presence with a lightning storm. Yami sacrificed Big Shield Gardna, Gamma the Magnet Warrior, and Dark Magician Girl to summon Slifer the Sky Dragon. The Egyptian God appeared and coiled itself around the blimp.
It was all just as Ishizu predicted. Yami struggled throughout the duel, but he managed to summon his Egyptian God card. But victory in this duel would not be enough to save mankind. She remembered that her brother still sought to obtain all three Egyptian God cards and only Yami could stop him.
The evil spirit of the Ring stepped back and stared in fear. "His Egyptian God card! How can I defeat this all powerful beast?"
I knew this was going to happen, Marik told him. You need my help in facing this creature. The number of cards the pharaoh holds in his hands determines Slifer's attack points. Right now, he's holding three cards, giving Slifer 3000 attack points. And you have only 1200 life points remaining. So when he attacks, you'll lose.
Bakura wouldn't let that happen. The ghost of Dark Sanctuary was still in play. But the ghost was too weak and could not match the Sky Dragon's divine power. The trap card was also useless and he had no monsters on the field or any cards left in his hand. The Destiny Board was his only hope of winning. "I can't lose. There's too much at stake for me!"
This can't be! Max gasped.
It's not over yet, Marik assured her. He still figured he could turn this to his advantage.
Yami was about to declare an attack until his Millennium Puzzle reacted to a disturbing presence. Emily felt it too with her Millennium Star. Then everyone saw Odion approaching the arena with the Millennium Rod in his hand. "You may want to think before attacking with Slifer the Sky Dragon," he warned Yami.
"What do you want, Marik?" Yami asked.
"Listen carefully, Bakura is now under the control of the Millennium Rod and he will only do what I command him to do."
"What? How can that be? I thought the spirit of the Millennium Ring was controlling Bakura."
"True," said Odion, "but now I am controlling Bakura and the spirit and now I shall prove it by freeing your friend's mind."
Listening to Odion's words, Bakura asks Marik what this is about. What do you think you're doing, Marik? Even Max was confused.
The only way to win this duel is for you to release the mind of the boy you control, Marik tells him. Your opponent won't attack his friend.
The evil spirit does as told and dispatches the real Bakura. He gets on his knees and holds his injured arm. "My arm, it hurts," he whimpers. "Yugi, help me. I don't know where I am. What am I doing here in this duel?" He lifts his sleeve and looks at the bandage around his arm, asking what happened.
"As you can see, your friend is in pain," Odion explained. "Without the spirit of the Millennium Ring, he is weak. That is why I advise you to reconsider your move. The devastating attack caused by Slifer the Sky Dragon could make your friend's condition even worse. Are you willing to risk the health of your friend?"
"Only a coward would do such a thing to win a duel!" Yami snapped.
But it only gets difficult as he hears Bakura whimpering and begging for help. "I don't feel very well, Yugi."
Yami tries to cross the arena to help him, but Roland stops him. "You are not allowed to have contact with your opponent during a duel. Take one more step and you will be disqualified."
"Stop the duel!" Max cries. "Can't you see Bakura is hurt?" But the evil spirit controlling her knew that this was perfect. With the boy in need of medical attention, Yami will forfeit everything. Roland wasn't making it easier for him either.
The pain starts reducing Bakura to tears and putting him on the brink of collapsing. "Yugi, help," he begs.
Listening to the people around him, Yami knows he must make a decision. If he doesn't continue the duel, he'll be disqualified. If he attacks, the pain could inflict greater injury on Bakura. It would be heartless to risk the health of an innocent friend to save mankind. That's why Yami knows he must make his choice now.
You were right, said the spirit of the Cobalt Star shard. Yugi would never hurt his friend. But that's only unless he doesn't want to lose everything. Her partner gasps as he listens to what she just said. He also listens to his host as he continues whimpering and whining. You know what you need to do, Max tells her partner. But for your own sake, not his.
The spirit of the Millennium Ring did know what needed to be done, so he listened to his partner. I must step in. I still need Bakura and I can't risk his health. He holds the Millennium Ring and my spirit. I must protect him. Then he steps back into the duel. "I'm back, Yugi," he says, laughing. "You may be willing to risk your friend's health, but I'm not. I still need him. If you plan on using your Egyptian God card, use it on me. Come on, Yugi!" Yami wastes no more time and declares his attack. Yugi's won this duel, but I'll return soon to claim what I desire, the spirit of the Ring wonders as Slifer's Thunderforce strikes him. As the attack subsides, Bakura falls and lies on his back.
Finally, the arena is lowered and all of Yugi's friends surround their injured friend. "Bakura," Max calls. "Can you hear me, Bakura? Come on, stay with us."
Bakura moans. "Max? Where are we?"
"We're with our friends," she answers.
"He doesn't look very good," said Serenity. "We need to get him to a doctor."
"Let's get him to his room first," Tristan says. Joey and Duke help set him on his back.
This was difficult for Yami and Yugi. If the evil spirit didn't return to protect Bakura, they would have lost everything for sure. Yugi began to see that the spirits within the Puzzle and Ring might not be so different. They have different attributes and goals, but they both need a host in order to survive. The spirit came back because if Bakura got injured or even killed by Slifer's attack, it meant ending his existence as well. But still, Yami was a friend and the evil spirit was a foe.
They finally got Bakura to his room and set him on his bed. Duke got an idea. "Hey, Emily, think you can help Bakura by performing one of your healing spells?"
"I've been trying, but for some reason, my powers are being blocked. I don't understand. It can't be Marik because he said my powers are too strong for him to match. Only another force equal to mine can dispel my magic."
"A lot of crazy stuff went down in that duel," said Joey. "Especially when Marik showed up. What exactly happened back there?"
"Based on what I was seeing, clearly Marik didn't want Bakura to lose to Yugi," Max suggested. "Before Yugi commenced his attack, Marik freed the Bakura we know from the evil controlling him. Since he was injured, Marik knew Yugi would forfeit out of concern for his friend. But the spirit knew Yugi would attack, so he regained control."
"Hold on," Joey was saying. "So the evil spirit of the Millennium Ring let Yugi win?"
"Yes," she answered. "The spirit of the Ring knew the danger he and Bakura were in. So he protected his host because he needs him in order to survive. Our friend was spared from harm, but he's still suffering from his previous injuries."
"If I didn't know any better," Emily was saying, "Marik and the evil spirit were working together in a plot to take Yugi down. But I think that's the least of our worries now. I just hope that evil spirit doesn't plan on coming back to cause more harm."
"So then what are we going to do?" Tristan asked.
"We've got to get him to a doctor," said Joey. "So I say we get Kaiba to land this blimp and get Bakura to the hospital."
"Go ahead. I'll stay here and keep an eye on Bakura," Max insisted. "Knowing him, he'll feel safe and better if I'm close to him."
Everyone nods and heads out, but as Yugi stands up, he notices that the Millennium Ring is missing. This was strange. Bakura had it in his possession right before the duel ended. If it got blasted from the attack, then everyone figured they had nothing to worry about. Yugi and Emily felt differently. They feared that the Millennium Ring would find its way back to Bakura again like before. But that wasn't important right now. Everyone's first concern was tending to Bakura's needs.