"The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step." -Lao Tzu
"MAX!" Shrieked Cecelia as she rushed to her husband's side. Tears started rushing down her face as she pulled him into her arms. "What did you do to him?!" She demanded.
"He got what he deserved." Said Mai. But that wasn't true. No one deserved to have their soul taken. Especially not her Maximillion.
"Give him back to me!" She ordered, curving over his limp body protectively. Mai scoffed at her.
"Fat chance. I need him for something bigger than you could ever imagine." She said, before disappearing into the night.
Cecelia clutched his body to her chest, sobbing hysterically. Her tears landed on his face, and she half expected him to reach up and gently wipe them away, but it didn't happen. So she laid him on the couch and clutched his hand in her own, praying for him to come back to her somehow.
Meanwhile, the staff at Industrial Illusions headquarters were carrying out the final frantic instructions of their boss and getting ready to fly to Domino City. Everyone had vacated the building- other than Cecelia, who stayed with her husband's lifeless body.
A day went by, when halfway around the World, Yugi, Joey, Tristan, and Tèa were popping a video tape into Yugi's VCR. Pegasus' face popped up on the screen.
"Greetings, Yugi-boy. It's been so long. You never call, you never write, after all we've been through together you could at least send an email."
"Hey guys, we're all still in the room, aren't we?" Asked Joey.
"Mhm." Tèa nodded.
"Now unless you've been living under a rock the past two days I'm sure you're aware that duel monsters are running amok around this world of ours. Lucky for me Kaiba-boy has been taking most of the heat for this recent state of affairs. Of course, I know who's really behind this."
"I knew we should play this tape, guys." Muttered Joey.
"I must stop them. They're ruining the reputation of my game and I'm afraid that's just not good for business. The only catch is it's too risky to leave you anything on this tape, so that means you'll have to come see me in person."
"Say what?!" Joey shouted.
"It's the only way to ensure complete secrecy. And last but not least I've enclosed a one-of-a-kind card. JUST MAKE SURE YOU DON'T LOSE IT!" He Cried.
"Fine, I won't!" Said Yugi.
"It's the only way into my compound. Guard it with your life! They mustn't take it!" Said Pegasus before the screen went fuzzy
"There's no way we can trust that guy!" Said Joey.
"Yugi?" Asked Tèa, looking at him.
"Let's go," said the Pharaoh. "Pegasus may just be our only hope."
Little did they know, Weevil and Rex had heard the conversation and were planning to tag along on their little adventure- wether they were invited or not.
For Cecelia, time had stopped when her husband was taken. She could no longer focus on anything else but her husband. She didn't notice when the building went into lockdown the next day, or that a duel was happening in the lobby. All she could see was her Maximillion. All she heard was the sound of his breathing.
When Duke Devlin was running around, looking for unlocked doors, he saw one cracked open, but didn't give it a second thought. Not then anyways. When everyone else finally caught up with him after Joey's duel with Mai, he led them to the only door that didn't unlock when he managed to unlock the building. Yugi slid the card into the recognition slot, and the door opened. Kaiba and Mokuba stepped in first. The lights flicked on, revealing a room full of toons. Everyone went inside, when suddenly, he appeared.
"Pegasus." Whispered Yami.
"Not quite." Murmured Kaiba. "It's a hologram."
"Yugi-Boy. At least I hope it's you who found this room. By the way, if you couldn't tell I did all the interior decorating myself. Pretty impressive, isn't it?"
"This guy has got to get over himself." Said Tristan.
"Keep it down, I can't hear!" Whispered Tèa, nudging him in the ribs.
"If you're hearing this, that can only mean that the gentlemen who were after my soul were finally able to capture me, so please listen closely."
"This is it." Said Yami.
"It all began when a mysterious man tried to buy out my company."
"Hold on. I got dragged into this mess because someone's trying to buy out my company also." Said Kaiba.
"That's right." Said Mokuba.
"But there's more... This individual has an ancient power stronger than any I've seen and his name is Dartz."
"Who's Dartz?" Asked Yami.
"Who cares." Said Kaiba.
"You're in danger. Dartz plans to use my game to destroy civilization. He must be stopped. And the key to taking him down is somewhere in this room! Ever since my retirement began I've had a lot of time on my hands. So I began to further my studies of the ancient Egyptian origins of Duel Monsters, and I made an astonishing discovery. These creatures existed long before the pyramids were even built!"
"In the city of Atlantis." Yami supplied.
"And that is where this Dartz character comes in. He's trying to resurrect the most terrifying beast to ever roam the earth: the great leviathan by draining the souls of man and beast to build up the strength of this unstoppable monster."
"Yes, of course..." Said the Pharaoh, remembering the words of another duelist he had previously defeated.
"If his plan works, Dartz will have succeeded in unleashing a truly devastating power, the likes of which have not been seen for ten thousand years! You're our only hope, so I've created an exclusive card just for you Yugi-boy!"
"No way!" Chorused Rex and Weevil, looking for the card.
"I've hidden this one-of-a-kind card somewhere in this room! Think strategically now: where can one find an extra card?"
"Pot of greed!" Said the pharaoh. "In the game of duel monsters that lets you draw extra cards!"
"Come to papa!" Said Weevil and Rex, running to the pot, only to be beat by Tristan, who pulled out the card.
"Oh real special card. This thing's completely blank, guys!" Tristan said.
"Then it's worthless." Said Kaiba.
"Not necessarily." Said the pharaoh.
"Time is running out. My cute little duel monsters... Soon they'll be gone, along with the rest of the world... Only you can save the poor creatures that made my game famous!" He declared. They all thought that the message ended there, but he continued on. "I also have a more personal favor to ask of you. This is a secret of the utmost importance. I didn't want to tell anyone about this, but I have no choice. You're the only one who could possibly help me in my hour of need. I need you to protect someone for me. Don't let her out of your sight! She'll be in my office on the top floor. Her name is Cecelia, and she is my beloved wife. Now that my soul has been taken I can no longer protect her... Please, I beg of you, keep her safe for me. When this ends I'll give you whatever you want, but please give me peace of mind and keep my wife safe. And when you see her, tell her I sent you and told her to trust you. If she doesn't believe you prove you're not lying by saying the following words to her: ti amo il mio bellissimo fiore. She'll know it was me. And when you see her, please tell her how much I love her." They were all shocked to see tears running down Pegasus' face. He looked at them earnestly. "Please protect her, Yugi-boy. You're the only one left I can trust."
With that, the message was over.
Author's Note: Italian translation: I love you my beautiful flower.
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