Chapter 2: It's Time to Duel!

The setting of Yu-Gi-Oh! takes place after the Battle City arc and a week before the Waking the Dragons arc. I hope you all enjoy my story! Positive feedback and critiques are optional, but I'd like to hear your opinions on the story and feedbacks on how to improve my story. Most Monsters, Spells and Traps are based off of the anime effects.

And no, I won't include Anubis as a villain. He barely had enough cards to make him a worthy adversary.

EDIT: Actually, I changed my mind. This story takes place AFTER the Waking the Dragons Arc and BEFORE the Memory Arc.

DOUBLE EDIT: "-FLASHBACK-" and "-END FLASHBACK-" used for flashbacks and not line alignments. Reduces the confusion.

Domino City.

The city where Duel Monsters first took the world by storm.

This city, located in the unknown regions of the world was home to some of the most grandest and the most epic history ever to dwarf all other future histories of Duel Monsters. Domino City was the home to two major corporations associated in the Duel Monsters game: Industrial Illusions, headed by the CEO, founder and creator of Duel Monsters, Maximillion J. Pegasus; and KaibaCorp, an entertainment industry headed by CEO and professional Duelist, Seto Kaiba.

Industrial Illusions was a corporation that specialized in publishing the Duel Monsters cards and the Dungeon Dice Monsters game, the main office situated in the major city of San Francisco, California. KaibaCorp was well known for their Duel Disks, a holographic invention that allowed Duelists to conjure up holographic images of monsters, Spells and Trap cards, all strapped in on their wrists. In the early days of Duel Monsters, Duel Disks were merely the world's second holographic technology with the power to project the images of every card played, the first being Duel Arenas.

Few worldwide tournaments were held in Domino City, gathering every top-notch Duelist from every corner of the globe to compete in the tournament known as Battle City. Many have Dueled bravely and fiercely, but nearly all of those Duelists failed to reach the very top of the championship. Nearly all, but one certain Duelist, who obtained the title as "The King of Games" and the Egyptian God Cards afterwards.

That Duelist was Yugi Muto.

The King of Games himself made his name known in Domino City when he first defeated Seto Kaiba with the power of "Exodia the Forbidden One." When Maximillion Pegasus stole his grandfather, Solomon's soul and sealed it in a blank card, Yugi traversed to the Duelist Kingdom Island where he fought alongside his pal, Joey Wheeler to save him. The journey would all been for naught if it wasn't for one other who aided Yugi in his fight: the spirit of the Unnamed Pharaoh, sealed away in Yugi's mystical Millennium Puzzle. It was with the combined powers of Yugi's heart and the Pharaoh's strong determination that they were able to defeat Pegasus in a Duel and rescue Solomon.

It was shortly after winning the Duelist Kingdom Tournament that Yugi and the Pharaoh, nicknamed "Yami" for short that a new threat arose in Domino City. The tombkeeper of the Pharaoh named Marik with a grudge against Yami for the pain he endured in order to protect his tomb. It was only after that Seto Kaiba hosted the Battle City Tournament in an attempt to reclaim his title as Duel Monsters Champion, only to fail at that in the semi-finals. When Yugi and Yami Yugi finally defeated Marik and won the Battle City Tournament, his name was carried out all over the world, attracting some unwanted attention that involved a crowding mob of Duelists and their goal to defeat Yugi in battle.

It was on this day, two months after Battle City, when that Duelist mob chased after Yugi in the streets of Domino City.

"He's gone this way! After him!"

"There's no way a punk kid like that could win the Battle City tournament!"

"That title of King of Games is mine!"

"Don't let him get away!"

These were among the few audible shouts from the Duelists gathered in a crowd as they gave chase to four individuals running frantically down the street. The first person was a guy of slightly short stature than the other three. His spikey black hair had magenta borders at the edges, long blonde crooked locks hanging at the very front of his hair. He wore a blue jacket over a black sleeveless shirt, a buckled collar around his neck. Hanging from his neck on a chain was an upside-down golden pyramid and the center was an Eye of Wdjat. This was the Duelist that everyone had a bloodlust to satiate by winning against him in a Duel: Yugi Muto.

The second person running right behind was a schoolgirl, a dear friend of Yugi's named Tea Gardner. She had brown hair which extended down and nearly touched her shoulders. She wore a yellow tube-top with black borders for the sleeveless holes, a black collar around her neck and red shorts, held up to her waist by a black belt. Two golden bracelets were attached to her wrist and wore brown knee-high platform boots.

Finally, running side-by-side together in the back with a panicked look on their faces were two of Yugi's other dear friends, Joey Wheeler and Tristan Taylor. Joey had bushy, dirty blonde hair on his head which extended down over his eyebrows. He had a blue coat on similar to the one Yugi wore and a white T-shirt to wear under it. Tristan had brown hair that was arranged to form a spike pointing up and outward. He wore a brown motorcycle gang-like jacket and also a white T-shirt underneath. Both of them used to be bullies to Yugi in the past, but that changed when they took notice of Yugi's kind heart and they changed theirs, too.

But that wasn't really important now.

"Aww, man! Dis is getting really old!" Joey complained with his thick Brooklyn accent. "Ya win one stinking tournament and all da world wants a piece of ya!"

"I can see what you're saying, buddy!" Tristan concurred, his breath becoming short. "Don't these guys ever get a hint or something!? There's no way that even a hundred Duelists can beat a guy like Yugi! So what's the point!?"

"The point is, guys, that it's the size of the crowd that they were all depending on!" Tea yelled, joining in on the two with their conversation. "Didn't you guys hear them before!? They said they were all gonna Duel Yugi and they said they wanted him to play against all of them! They even said that Yugi had to keep using his Deck until he either beat all of them or if he ran out of cards! Don't you think that's a more reasonable explanation!?"

"Well, when you put it that way..." Tristan said flatly.

"C'mon! There's no way dose bozos would ever beat my pal in a Duel!" Joey exclaimed proudly. "Yugi's da strongest Duelist I know, and I know dat for a fact! It doesn't matter if there was five, ten or evn a hundred Duelists who'd challenge my pal! Yugi would cream da livin' daylights outta dem into next Tuesday! Then they'd hafta find another change of underwear knowin' dat there was no point in challengin' one of da best Duelists in the world!"

"Kind of like when you Dueled Kaiba and lost during Battle City?" Tristan remarked.

"HEY! Watch what you're sayin' in front me, Tristan! I'm not da one who snuck into my sister's hospital room just because he had a crush on her!"

"You're lucky that I was even there to protect Serenity in her Duel against that stinking suit!" Tristan argued. "If it weren't for me protecting, your sister would've been a meat puppet for the Big Five and she would've ended up a monkey, too!"

"And I bet ya enjoyed bein' a monkey held in her arms, haven't ya, Casanova!?"

"Are you calling me a playboy!?"

"I ain't callin' ya for dinner!"

"That's it! How about we settle this with a real Duel right here and now!?"

"No cards and only fisticuffs!? You've read my mind, Casanova!"

The two growling Duelists butt their foreheads together, glaring at each other while they kept their running pace, not seeing what was ahead of them. Tea huffed to herself, clearly ticked by Joey and Tristan's childish behavior. "Boys..." she muttered to herself. "You just can't live with them, but you can't live without them, either!"

Tea turned back to the bickering boys and snapped. "How can the two of you fight at a time like this!? There's a whole mob of Duelists that's been after us for half an hour and you two are going at each other like a couple of children! Get over yourselves and keep running, NOW!"

Joey and Tristan shrunk back under Tea's volume, shrinking further under her hardened glare. "Sorry..." the two said in unison.

"Focus, you guys!" Yugi yelled back. "We need to find a safe hiding place for the time being so that this whole mob blows over!" Yugi jerked his head back and forth, scanning the area around for any possible hiding places where he and his friends could lay low. He couldn't hide in his grandfather's game shop; that would be the first place they would look. It needed to be a place where they could hide away from plain sight, somewhere where the mob never thought to stop and look before they gave up and moved on.

That was when Yugi spotted an empty alleyway on his right, filled with discarded junk and dual garbage bins big enough to hide a whole person inside. It was a perfect hiding place; unsanitary but perfect. "Guys, in here!" Yugi shouted. "Quickly!"

Yugi and his friends quickly veered off into the alleyway, quickly settling into their hiding places. Joey and Tristan jumped into the dual garbage bins, the lids slamming shut with a loud BANG! Yugi was short enough to hide underneath a wooden window shutter, using the trash bags to cover himself and used the cracks of the shutters to peer through. Tea quickly hid herself underneath a pile of garbage bags, much to her chagrin, and kept her face slightly less visible.

With the gang hidden out of sight, they watched as most of the mob came barreling through the road. Some of the mob stayed behind, knowing very well that the area they stopped was the last place they saw Yugi and his friends. Most of the slightly smarter Duelists looked around, narrow eyes and craving Yugi's title like a vampire to blood.

"Hey! Where'd he go!?"

"He just disappeared!"

"Just like him to run away and hide like a scared kid!"

"He's still around here, I know! Spread out and find him!"

Silently, the gang swallowed a nervous lump in their throats. "Huh, boy. This ain't gonna be good," Joey whispered. "If they find us hidin' in here, then it's gonna be lights out for us."

"Yeah? Well maybe they won't find us in here if one of us has to keep quite," Tristan whispered back.

"Hey, I'm just pointin' out our current situation here. Dere's no need to sound like a pessimist, Tristan."

"Just who do you think you're calling a-"

"Sshhh! Guys!" Tea shushed. "Keep it down, guys! Someone might hear you!"

"Hey! I thought I heard something over here!"

The gang froze with shock as a random Duelist shouted over to his fellow mob Duelists. Just as Murphy's Law dictated, the Duelist had heard Tea shushing Joey and Tristan while trying to keep them quiet themselves. The Duelist snuck around the entrance of the alleyway and tiptoed towards where Yugi and his friends hid away. The gang once again gulped nervously; they knew they were going to be discovered and there was nothing they could do to stop the inevitable. A few of the Duelists had only made it past the entrance when they heard a young kid shout from the end of the street.

"Hey, I think I saw him! He's making a break towards Domino City!"

"Well, come on, boys! After him!"

The mob screamed in unison then charged down the street, disappearing down the sidewalk and around the corner until their jeering became a dull roar. When the mob was finally gone, Yugi and Tea lifted their hiding spot off of them while Joey and Tristan popped themselves up from the garbage bin. "Oh man. Thank goodness today wasn't garbage day," Joey said, taking a blackened banana peel off of his head and into the waste.

Tristan grimaced. "Ugh, I almost wish today was," he said, plugging his nose to block his friend's unbearable smell. "You literally smell like garbage."

"I do?" Joey turned his face and sniffed a few times, then quickly blocked it with his hands. "I take it back! I wish today was garbage day, too!"

Almost immediately, Joey and Tristan began to gag a little by the unwanted garbage scent before waving it off towards each other. While the two tried to fan away the smell, Yugi and Tea kept their gazes down at the entrance of the alleyway, their faces mixed with confusion and surprise. "That... was strange," Yugi said. "I wonder who it was that led those people away?"

"I'm not sure," Tea said. "But that voice did seem familiar."

"Well, whoever that guy was, I bet he's long gone now."

"I wouldn't say that, Yugi," the same voice said, prompting everyone to turn around and look at the alleyway. "Because the guy who just saved your hides is closer than you think."

The boy that Yugi and his friends saw was none other than Mokuba Kaiba, the younger brother of Yugi's arch-rival, Seto Kaiba. He had long black hair extending down his back. A blue-and-teal striped long-sleeve shirt was worn under a buttercream yellow jacket. A Duel Monsters card hung from his neck on a string, which in actuality contained one-half of a photograph of his brother, Seto in his younger years.

Mokuba stood proudly in the middle of the alleyway, a smile plastered on his face as he rubbed the underside of his nose with his finger. "I heard that there was a commotion going on between you and a mob of enraged Duelists so I came to check it out. Who knew I'd find you guys hiding in the dump?"

"Well, it's not like we had any other choice," Joey replied flatly.

"Either way, thanks for the rescue, Mokuba," Yugi said. "If it weren't for you saving me, then everyone would have one angry brother of yours to answer to."

"I guess that's true," Mokuba said, sharing a laugh with Yugi. His laughter then transformed into an evoked look. "Oh, yeah, that reminds me. Seto said to give this to you. Here."

Mokubah pulled out a small white envelope with the "KC" logo of KaibaCorp stamped on the top right corner. Yugi took the envelope and examined it, Joey, Tristan and Tea peering over his shoulder. It was an invitation to a Duel with Seto Kaiba at the Kaiba Dome, something Yugi never got since his first match with the egotistical Duelist.

"Kaiba's challenging Yugi to another Duel?" Joey asked. "C'mon, is this some sort of joke?"

"When it comes to my brother, nothing is any sort of joke," Mokuba said before turning to Yugi. "Also, he told me to tell you that he's doing something quite different in your next Duel."

"Something different? Like what?" Yugi asked.

"I don't know. Seto never really gave me the specifics on the Duel, but he'll explain once we get to the Kaiba Dome." Mokuba lifted a walkie-talkie from his other pocket and turned it on, bringing it close to his face. "We've got him, Roland. Bring the limo around."

No sooner after Mokuba gave the order that a black stretch limousine pulled up to the entrance of the alleyway, the rear of the vehicle stopping where a door was visible. The door opened to reveal Roland, one of the Kaiba's brother's bodyguards step out and show the King of Games the empty room inside, big enough to hold up to ten people inside. Joey and Tristan both hooted with an "oooh" and looked at each other with an impish smile.

"Alright! Dat's what I'm talkin' about!" Joey exclaimed.

"We're traveling in style, baby!" Tristan concurred.

Joey and Tristan began to dash towards the open limo door but stopped when Roland stepped in their way. "I'm sorry, boys, but Mr. Kaiba specifically asked that Yugi must come alone and no one else."

"HUH!?"

"Mr. Kaiba specifically ordered that only Yugi Muto must Duel him and Duel him alone," Roland explained. "This is a private Duel held only at the Kaiba Dome. He said that no one, not you, your friends or any family member of Yugi Muto are allowed to witness the Duel under the penalty of being banned from all or future Kaiba Land Duel Tournaments. Again, I apologize for the inconvenience, but I am under orders to ensure that the Duel stays private from the public."

"WHAT!?" Joey shouted as he pounced at Roland. Tristan quickly gripped him at the stomach area while Tea held him beck at the front. Despite their best to keep Joey's temper at bay, it still didn't stop him from trying to give ROland the beating of a lifetime. "Dat's not fair! How come we hafta stay out of Kaiba Land and twiddle our thumbs while Yugi hasta Duel dat sleazeball in some locked dome!? Dat ain't fair at all!"

"Joey! Stop this right now!" Tea barked.

"Yeah, Joey! You don't want us to get banned already, do you!?" Tristan shouted over the blonde's snarling.

"It's alright, Joey. I can handle Kaiba myself," Yugi said. The blonde Duelist's snarling died down almost instantly as Yugi walked towards him, Tristan and Tea, smiling. "The reason why Kaiba wants me to Duel in private is because he wants me to Duel without the support from you guys. He's trying to test how I can Duel without you guys cheering me on from the sidelines. Personally, I also think that it's a bit cowardly myself.

"However..." Yugi showed the back of his right hand to his friends, his smile becoming more determined. "What he doesn't know is that we already share a bond with each other. The ink may have washed off, but we've never forgotten the circle of friendship that brought us together."

Joey, Tristan and Tea all held up the backs of their right hands and smiled. In that moment, they remembered the smiley face Tea drew on their hands with a washable marker before Yugi's first match with Kaiba. With this smiley face, they all pitched in spiritually help Yugi in his match against Pegasus in the final Duelist Kingdom Duel and now they could always support him spiritually with this Duel.

With a smile on his face, Yugi climbed in the limousine, Mokuba following him inside before Roland shut the door. Then the bodyguard made it to the driver's side of the limo before the vehicle pulled away from the alleyway and down to Kaiba Land. Joey, Tristan and Tea all watched as the limo disappeared from sight. As it did, Joey sported an impish grin and giggled mischievously which began to worry his other two friends.

"Joey? Are you thinking what I think you're thinking?" Tristan asked worriedly.

"You're seriously not thinking about sneaking into the Kaiba Dome now, aren't you?" Tea asked.

"Doy," Joey said. "But it's gonna be worth it, guys. I just can't wait ta see da reaction on that Kaiba creep's face when Yugi clobbers him big time."

"Yeah, but think of the consequences, Joey," Tristan said. "If you get caught, then we won't be allowed inside Kaiba Land when they open up a new tournament there."

Joey snickered and rubbed his thumb under his nose. "Don't worry about it, guys. Jus' leave da sneakin' ta me."

KaibaCorp.

One of the world's most prestigious and biggest corporations that towered over the city of Domino. This was the corporation that not only invented holographic technologies that brought the monsters, Spells and Trap cards to life, but was run by one of the most powerful Duelists in the world: Seto Kaiba. The adopted son of previous CEO and tyrannical founder, Gozaburo Kaiba, Seto and his brother, Mokuba had reinvented this war machine creating company to that of the world's biggest entertainment industry, noted for their involvement in creating Duel Arenas and Duel Disks for the Duel Monsters game. Though the company has also held many vast tournaments and created theme parks around the world themed around Duel Monsters (although it mostly revolved around his strongest monster, "The Blue-Eyes White Dragon"), the CEO and leader of KaibaCorp had made a name for himself.

Seto Kaiba was a man revered by many as one of the strongest Duel Monsters players around. His stoic, intimidating face matched well with his ego and his pride of being the strongest Duelist around. Most of the time, the brown-haired CEO of KaibaCorp wore a white sleeveless jacket with his company's logos on both sides of his collar, black studs around the raised shoulder pads. A black long-sleeved shirt worn had two pairs of belts on each upper arm and two other similar pairs on his shins. Around his neck hung a Duel Monster card-shaped locket with other half of a photograph of Mokuba inside.

To all who knew Seto Kaiba better than just a previous Duel Monsters champion, it wasn't exactly an okay name. The first time he made a move against Yugi was when he desired his grandfather's fourth copy of the "Blue-Eyes White Dragon." All that changed after his first defeat to Yugi by the infinite powers of "Exodia" and when Pegasus humiliated him and sealed his soul inside of a blank card. Rarely were the times when Kaiba wanted to team up with his Number One rival or even express gratitude to him when they got out of a serious jam. Although, it was thanks to their rare team-ups that they defeated the Rare Hunters, escaped Gozaburo Kaiba's virtual world and helped save the world from the forces of Yami Marik. All Kaiba did was toss Yugi his "Fiend's Sanctuary" Spell Card against "The Winged Dragon of Ra."

On the outside, Kaiba seemed intimidating and egocentric, but on the inside... well, he was still intimidating and egocentric. But on the inside, he also has a soft spot for his brother, and he had half of a photograph of him hanging from his neck to prove it. Even his trust in Yugi had risen only by a little, but he still would try anything to reclaim his title as Duel Monsters Champion. Whether it was threatening to jump off of a castle tower or hold a tournament mean only for him to face off against Yugi, Kaiba would pull off any stunt but failed in the end.

Battle City was no different from all the other stunts.

Today, this Duel was no different, either.

Now Kaiba was staring out the window, over the entire city, reflecting the Duel between him and Yugi at the semi-finals of the Battle City tournament. The holographic Colosseum filled with screaming holographic fans as the battle between two powerful Duelists were heated up, cheering Kaiba's and Yugi's name. Kaiba had played "Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon", while Yugi had "Dark Magician," "Buster Blader" and Joey Wheeler's "Red-Eyes B. Dragon" on his field. It was very soon after that Yugi countered his strategy by using the exact same strategy to fuse "Dark Magician" and "Buster Blader" to Fusion Summon the winning monster, "Dark Paladin." What happened afterwards had forever changed his life.

-FLASHBACK-

"Now, my dragon! Attack!"

Upon acting on its master's orders, the "Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon" reared each of its three separate heads and formed a ball of white lightning in their fanged maws before they shot them into one final attack. The dragon's beam of white were combined into one devastating ray of destruction and made a straight shot to Yugi's Life Points. It seemed like victory was finally in Kaiba's grasp, when...

"Now I activate 'Magic Formula!'" Ygui shouted as his face-down Spell was flipped face-up.

"How pathetic," Kaiba remarked. "I activate 'Absorb Spell!'"

Yugi gasped as Kaiba explained his card's effect. "This Magic Card will absorb the power of 'Magic Formula.' Therefore, the Attack Points you've just added to your 'Dark Paladin' will be added to my 'Ultimate Dragon!'" The purple aura around "Dark Paladin" reverted back to red as the Spellcaster's ATK was reduced to 3900, while the points were added to Kaiba's "Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon." (4500 - 5000/3800).

"His 'Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon' is completely unstoppable!" Yugi screamed in his head while Kaiba laughed to his shock.

"Now you're history, along with your 'Red-Eyes' and 'Dark Paladin, the Ultimate Magical Swordsman!' Farewell!"

The 'Ultimate Dragon's' attack reached to Yugi's monsters, but was mysteriously blocked out by an unknown forcefield. Yami Marik stood by commenting the Duel was over while Yugi's friends rushed out into the stadium and called out his name. Kaiba wore a triumphant face as he assumed the outcome of this long, hard-fought Duel. "I win."

"I wouldn't be so sure of that!" Yugi shouted, causing Kaiba's grin to fall. "Remember, I still have one face-down card left! Kaiba, you're done!"

"You lie!" Kaiba snarled.

"As you will soon see, I was destined to defeat you for 5,000 years!"

"Enough! My 'Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon' cannot be stopped, Yugi!"

"I'm afraid you're wrong, but I'll let my cards speak for itself! So I play this!" Yugi waved his arm as his final face-down card was activated. "My 'De-Fusion' card!"

Kaiba grit his teeth, his eyes growing bloodshot as Yugi explained the effect of "De-Fusion." "This Magic card splits up your 'Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon' into the three original dragons you used to form it, thus stopping your attack!" Kaiba could only watch blankly as the "De-Fusion" Quick-Play Spell Card created a yellowish aura, which in turn, caused the three-headed dragon's body to glow and roar in response.

"No! I need my 'Ultimate Dragon' to win the Duel!" Kaiba thought as his three "Blue-Eyes White Dragons" (3000/2500) appeared in the place where their fused form used to be. "This can't be happening!"

The forcefield protecting the "Dark Paladin" and the "Red-Eyes B. Dragon" shattered. "Now, Kaiba! You have three dragons instead of one!" Yugi said as he clenched his fist. "And since my 'Dark Paladin' receives 500 points for every dragon on the field, (Dark Paladin: 2900 - 4900/2400) he's now the strongest monster in play! Now, it's time for my final move!"

"Just go."

"With pleasure, Kaiba," Yugi said as he drew his winning card. "Alright, the card in my hand will now conquer the darkness surrounding your heart! So, I play my final Magic Card, 'Diffusion Wave-Motion! You're finished! All I have to do is give up a thousand Life Points and this Magic Card will enhance the attacking capabilities of my 'Dark Paladin!' Now my monster can attack all three of your 'Blue-Eyes White Dragons' at once!"

Kaiba stood motionlessly as a single thought ran through his head. "His 'Dark Paladin has enough power to wipe out my dragons and my Life Points!"

"This Duel is over!" Yugi said as his Life Points dropped to 500. (YUGI: 1500 - 500) The Spellcaster raised its scepter-sword and gave a shout as an orb of light formed at the tip. Kaiba reeled back in shock while Yugi stood on his field, ready for the final blow to come.

"Yugi, I will not be defeated in my own tournament!"

"You're too late! 'Dark Paladin,' attack!"

Finally, the supercharged sword-scepter gathered enough light to send out shockwaves of light towards Kaiba's field. The 'BLue-Eyes White Dragons' all gave a roar before the shockwaves sliced through their white scales and they shattered into dust. Kaiba watched in horror as his Life Points finally dropped to zero.

The lights and the flying debris ceased. Kaiba looked in unexplained shock and Mokuba dropped to his knees, his eyes leaking with tears. Yugi's friends cheered and Yami Marik sneered as Yugi stated the obvious. "You lose, Kaiba. I told you your hatred and your lust of power would never prevail."

-END FLASHBACK-

That was the most humiliating moment in his life.

Despite coming in second for defeating Joey Wheeler in a Duel, Kaiba couldn't live that moment down. But today was going to be different. As he recalled, Yugi told him he used too much power and had a hunger for it, too. As much as his head ached from those accursed words ringing through his skull, Kaiba seemed inspired by that statement. With a few run simulations and a couple employees fired for giving him the same disappointing result, Kaiba knew what he had to do. The inspiration from Yugi would bring him down the road to victory.

Kaiba's contemplating was drawn by the brief sound of static from his jacket collar.

"Mr. Kaiba, sir. Yugi Muto is currently en route to the Kaiba Dome. We'll have your ride out in front of the building in five."

Kaiba humphed. He turned and grabbed his briefcase full of Rare and Ultra Rare cards and walked out of his office door, heading towards his personal elevator. Pushing the button to ground floor, Kaiba watched as the elevator's doors closed and his elevator descended down to the destined floor. In all that time, Kaiba used it to give himself an opportunity to think.

"Yugi, when you took away my one chance to reclaim my title, you also took away my glory and the only chance to move on from my past. All you ever lectured me afterwards were fairy tales about sharing a bond with your peanut gallery and believing in yourself and in the so-called 'Heart of the Cards.'"

The elevator doors opened and Kaiba walked through the main lobby to the main entrance, the secretaries bowing to him in respect as he made his way to the entrance doors. The doormen opened the doors for Kaiba and outside was a white stretch limo and his bodyguard, Kemo awaiting him with the door open. Kaiba slipped inside and Kemo shut the door before taking the driver seat before pulling the limo out of the circle and into the streets of Domino.

Kaiba reached into his Deck Box and pulled out his Deck. He turned it upside down and the bottom card was revealed to be the "Blue-Eyes White Dragon." "Everything will all change soon in this Duel, Yugi," Kaiba thought, smirking. "Once I defeat you in this Duel, I will reclaim my title and show you how pathetic your faith in your fairy tales really are."

Kaiba let out a snicker, which followed with a near-maniacal laugh.

He could tell... this was going to be a good day.

Yugi stood inside of the Kaiba Dome, on one side of the field. The outside of of the Kaiba Dome resembled the head of a "Blue-Eys White Dragon," though that didn't really come to a surprise to everyone. They all knew how much the building reflected off of Seto Kaiba's signature dragon. Nevertheless, the inside of the Kaiba Dome was as big as an American football stadium. Bleachers surrounded the massive field, a balcony propped up and hidden above the field and the bleachers. Four large flat-screen TVs were installed each on a different side of the stadium for all to see and a large dome roof covered the building, closed off for privacy. The only thing lit up in this dome were the lights installed on the balconies.

On the other side of the stadium was an empty field, presuming to be where Kaiba was going to make yet another stand against Yugi. The only spectator that stood by watching was Mokuba, who watched from the control tower while he controlled the holographic projections in the dome. There was no sign of Kaiba yet, but Yugi took the time to delve into his mind, to converse with an ethereal spirit who bore a striking resemblance to Yugi.

"According to Mokuba, Kaiba said he was going to something different than our previous Duels. I'm guessing this is another one of his tricks?"

"Yes, Yugi, I can already tell that this is yet another tactic so he would regain his title as Duel Monsters Champion," the ethereal spirit said in a voice deeper than Yugi's. "There is no doubt in my mind that Kaiba is trying to push ourselves to the limit without our friends around. We may have Dueled without their support at other times, but I feel this will be different. It's best that we keep our guard up in this match."

"Right. Who knows what Kaiba has up his sleeve this time?"

As if on cue, Yugi was brought back to reality by the echoing footsteps at the other end of the Dueling field. There, through a puff of theatrical smoke, Kaiba emerged from the curtain, his face stoic and his Duel Disk strapped on his left arm. Yugi narrowed his eyes slightly as Kaiba took his place at the field, then cracked a smirk.

"So, you've decided to come and accept my challenge, after all," Kaiba said nonchalantly. "You know, I wouldn't have taken it personally if you wanted to back down from my challenge. But then again, that just would've shown how much of a coward you would've been after these past few months of becoming the King of Games. I guess you can't get what you want after all."

"I never back down from a challenge, Kaiba. You know that as well as I do," Yugi retorted. "Now what was it you wanted to change in our Duel?"

Kaiba snickered with a grin. "Straight to the point, I see. You must be in a real rush to lose this Duel already," he bantered. "Now look, Yugi, I've been thinking a lot since our match in Battle City. You led me to believe that I had both anger a lust for power and I couldn't win any Duel against you. While it pains me to admit this, but I might agree with you; after all, I used too much power and every Duel against you was lost. Which is why today, I've set some handicaps four our Duel."

Yugi blinked. "Handicaps?"

"Is there an echo in here? Yes, Yugi, I am talking about taking out three of the most powerful monsters from our Decks. While we're having or match, none of us are to ever use those cards Duel." Kaiba took out three cards from his Deck and into his hand, the backs only revealed to Yugi. "So, you'll be removing your Egyptian God Cards from the game; but just to keep things fair, I'll be removing three of my 'Blue-Eyes' monsters from the game as well."

Yugi gasped. "You mean I can't use my Egyptian God cards in this Duel?"

"You sound surprised," Kaiba said, smirking. "Don't tell me that the pressure of not using your precious God Cards is getting to you already?"

Yugi looked down to his Duel Disk, a somber expression on his face. It was then that the ethereal spirit of Yami appeared next to Yugi as their environment converted into darkness, the only light shining where the two Yugis stood. "Don't be discouraged, Yugi," said Yami. "We have faced off against Kaiba many times without the use of the Egyptian God Cards. It won't stop us from winning this Duel."

"It's not that," Yugi replied. "It's that now I know Kaiba is up to no good. He wants me to take out my God Cards so he that would have an edge in our Duel. As much as I hate to say this, Yami, but I'm not sure if I can go through with this Duel if Kaiba's planning to use his tricks against us."

"Then we'll have to play along with his rules for the time being. When the moment comes when Kaiba finally reveals his tricks to us, we'll have to be ready for him."

Both the timid Yugi and the determined Yugi noded in unison. Then the Millennium Puzzle around Yugi's neck began to glow a bright light and swayed along an invisible wind. The Millennium Puzzle's light finally flashed, and Yugi Muto was transformed into Yami Yugi, a glowing Eye of Wdjat on his forehead disappearing as Yami opened his eyes. The first thing he saw with fierceness in his eyes was Kaiba, who remained stoic as Yugi pointed his finger at him.

"Alright, Kaiba, I'll play along with your little game," Yami Yugi said. "But remember, I'll be keeping a close eye on you just in case you try any trickery against me." Yugi took out three different colored cards from his Deck, the red one being "Slifer the Sky Dragon," the blue one "Obelisk the Tormentor" and the yellow one "The Winged Dragon of Ra." Yugi took the three cards and placed them in his empty Deck Box as he took his Deck and placed it in his Duel Disk.

"Don't worry about that, Yugi," Kaiba replied, smiling suspiciously. "I'll be sure to play fair with you in this Duel." Kaiba took the three cards he took out and set them in his empty Deck Box. After that was done, Kaiba and Yugi players turned on their Duel Disks, where the blades of the Disks jutted outwards, connected with each other and jutted back into the disk in the area just in front of the Graveyard. A glow of yellow light illuminated around the red arrows and the borders of the Monster Zones. Then both players drew their five cards and looked at each other with a burning rivalry in their eyes.

"Now then, Kaiba, you what happens next!" Yugi shouted. "It's time to Duel!"

"Go ahead and give me what you got!" Kaiba shouted back.

"I intend to! Now let's go!"

While the two Duelists prepared for their match, unbeknownst to them, a door had opened somewhere in the metallic rafters. Sneaking in through the poorly guarded door was Joey, who grinned mischievously as his plan was starting to fall through. Following him was the reluctant duo of Tristan and Tea, who both shared an uncertain expression as they slowly closed the door to the outside world, shutting it without making an echo of sound. As per the plan to watch Yugi and Kaiba Duel from out of sight, Joey decided that the rafters where the lights shone down on the two Duelists was the perfect hiding place. The lights would be too bright for them to look at so they would never think twice about looking up towards the ceiling.

To Joey it was the perfect plan; to Tea and Tristan, it was just one breath away from a total disaster.

"Joey, you tried to pull off dumber stunts before, but this one takes the cake," Tristan said in a dull roar.

Joey proudly rubbed his finger under his nose and snickered. "Aw, c'mon, Tristan. Don't tell me you're all gonna chicken out on me now, are ya?"

"It's not that, Joey," Tea argued. "If Kaiba or his bodyguards find us all the way up here, then they'll have us kicked out of Kaiba Land for good."

"Don't worry your pretty little head off, Tea," Joey snidely remarked. "Dis balcony is so high up and surrounded by lights dat Kaiba and his creeps won't even know we're here." Joey then looked down over the balcony and watched as Yugi and Kaiba prepared themselves for their umpteenth Duel. "Besides, dere's no way I'd miss Duel for da whole world. Yugi needs our support an' we're gonna give it to him."

"But what if we get spotted up here?"

"Trust me, Tea, gettin' caught would be da least of our worries. All dat matters now is rottin' for Yugi while's cleaning da floor with dat Kaiba' creep." Joey looked back up to Tea and Tristan, a confident smiled etched on his face. "Besides, if Yugi's found himself in quite a tight jam, then I'm more dan willing to risk not going to dat Kaiba creep's tournaments by cheering him on for support. Dat's what friends were made ta do: ta stick their necks out for their friends in order ta help dem out in some way or another.

"After all, who was dere for Yugi when he had ta Duel against Pegasus, or Marik, or dat little Noah creep inside dat virtual world?" Joey asked, continuing his pep talk. He pointed his finger to Tristan and Tea before pointing his thumb at himself. "We were all dere for him. Sure, we may not have been dere ta support Yugi when he face off against 'Slifer the Sky Dragon,' but we've been dere for him when he really needed his help. Dat's why we're here ta support him and dat's why you all came with me to Kaiba Land."

Tea and Tristan looked at each other with wondrous, blank faces. They had to admit it, Joey did bring up some valid points. The only reason they tagged along with Joey, despite being reluctant to do so was because deep down, they needed to support Yugi as much as Joey did. Knowing they couldn't argue with that logic, Tea and Tristan leaned over the railing of the rafters, smiling while doing so.

"Well, if it's Yugi you're trying to help out, then don't try and leave me out of the action," Tristan said. "Go get him, Yugi!"

"Do your best, Yugi," Tea said, smiling. "We're all here rooting for you."

While the three trespassers silently cheered for Yugi from the rafters, Yugi and Kaiba stared at each other just like how semi-bitter rivals did: with determination and intense focus. Without another moment of hesitation, Yugi and Kaiba said two common starting words in unison, the mantra to the beginning of a great and glorious Duel Monsters match.

"LET'S DUEL!"

The Duel had transitioned to an unspecified turn, but it was Kaiba's move. Both Yugi and Kaiba were neck and neck in the Duel, neither of them willing to give up on their Dueling skills, even when backed up against the wall. On Kaiba's field were three face-down Spell or Trap Cards and a powerful Machine-Type Fusion Monster called the "XYZ-Dragon Cannon," (2800/2600), a robot consisting of "X-Head Cannon," "Y-Dragon Head" and "Z-Metal Tank" all attached to each other.

On Yugi's field was his best monster, the legendary "Dark Magician," (2500/2100) a Spellcaster-Type Monster wearing a tall, pointy, purple hat and layers of armor around his chest and on his legs, a dark indigo cloth wrapped around his torso stretching down between its clad legs and long purple hair. In his Spell and Trap Zones were three face-down cards, a trick which he kept on a rainy day.

Finally, watching the Duel from afar or above was Joey, Tristan, Tea and Mokuba. So far, they managed to cheer for their friend on without being seen or heard from the rafters. Their hearts were pounding from the intensity of the Duel leaving them holding on to the edge of their seats. It was only on Kaiba's turn that that same intensity flowed through the Kaiba Dome as he declared an attack with his Machine Monster.

"'XYZ-Dragon Cannon!' Attack Yugi's 'Dark Magician' with Cannon Firestorm!"

On Kaiba's command, the "XYZ-Dragon Cannon" lit its cannons up with a yellow light while a crackle of blue lightning formed in the mouth of the red mechanical dragon. With it, the cannons fired and the lightning was shot directly towards Yugi's "Dark Magician," which the Spellcaster stoically braced itself as the firestorm approached it. But then...

"Not so fast, Kaiba!" Yugi shouted. "I activate the Trap Card, 'Mirror Force!'" Suddenly, a clear, transparent wall appeared in front of the "Dark Magician" which blocked the cannon's attack. Afterwards, the energy from the attack began to reflect and bounce back to "XYZ-Dragon Cannon." "Now my reflective barrier redirects your attacks to your monster and destroys all monsters you control in Attack Mode!"

"Keep trying, Yugi!" Kaiba replied, revealing a Quick-Play Spell in his hand. "I activate the magic of 'De-Fusion!'" Suddenly, the "Dragon Cannon" Fusion Monster was enveloped in light and separated into three just before its own energy blast made contact with its own attacker. "This card splits up my 'XYZ-Dragon Cannon' and lets me summon the three Monsters used to Summon it! So I bring back 'X-Head Cannon' (1800/1500), 'Y-Dragon Head' (1500/1600) and 'Z-Metal Tank!' (1500/1300)"

The three aforementioned machines appeared on the field in face-up Defense Position, a strategic way to avoid "Mirror Force's" effect. "But I'm not done, Yugi!" Kaiba shouted. "Next I activate the Trap Card, 'Ring of Destruction! This card allows me to destroy 'X-Head Cannon' and we both take damage equal to its Attack Points!"

"What!? But that will mean that we'll both take 1800 points of damage!" Yugi deduced.

"Exactly!" Kaiba pointed his finger up in the air shouted another command. "'Ring of Destruction,' attach yourself to my 'X-Head Cannon!'" Suddenly, the ring appeared from the card's artwork, consisting of a metallic ring attached with studs of blazing fire. It attached itself to the neck of the head of "X-Head Cannon" and began to glow white.

"And now I play my other face-down! 'Ring of Defense!'" After revealing the face-down, the card disappeared and its place was another metallic ring attached with emerald green blades, decorated with curling gold markings and centered with a red jewel at each marking. "Since I activated a Trap Card that inflicts damage to myself, this ring will protect me from the blast and leaves you taking the damage itself! Say goodbye to 1800 of your Life Points, Yugi!"

"I don't think so, Kaiba! Go, 'Mystical Refpanel!'" A beautiful, mystical mirror appeared on Yugi's side of the field, held by a violent winged elf with lavender-toned skin and long indigo hair. "Now that you activated a Spell that targets yourself, this mystical mirror reflects that effect and is applied to me!"

Kaiba's expression turned to shock. "Oh no!"

"Oh yes, Kaiba! Take a good look at the mirror!" Suddenly, in the reflection of the mirror, the "Ring of Defense" card appeared in the glass, which glowed to reveal the same ring while the one on Kaiba's field disappeared in a white light. "My 'Mystical Refpanel' is now a reflection in this magic mirror; and thanks to that mirror, the effect of your ring will protect me from your ring's blast! Now you'll be the one who will take your own Trap's damage!"

Kaiba reeled back as the ring exploded along with his "X-Head Cannon." The explosion reached Kaiba which literally knocked him back on the ground and grunted as he felt his Life Points drop by 1800. The only monsters left on his field were "Y-Dragon Head" and "Z-Metal Tank" and those two weren't enough to defeat the "Dark Magician." When the smoke cleared, Kaiba saw Yugi standing stoically, the "Ring of Defense" spinning like a fan and averting the blast away with its protecting barrier. Kaiba grunted as he tried and struggled to stand up on his feet, which worried Mokuba in the control tower as he saw his brother stagger from the blast.

"Seto!" Mokuba yelled, shocked by his brother's losing become imminent.

Up above on the rafters, Joey and Tristan cheered in an indoor voice which went unheard by everyone down below while Tea exhaled happily by Yugi's pull ahead towards victory.

"Alright. Dat's da Yugi I know and love," Joey said. "Way ta go, Yug!"

"You've got Kaiba on the ropes now, buddy!" Tristan cheered. "Keep on creamin' him!"

"If Yugi is able to keep this Duel up, then he might be able to win this Duel," Tea stated. "Do your best, Yugi!"

Yugi kept watch on Kaiba as the "Ring of Defense" disappeared into oblivion. The King of Games saw Kaiba's eyes glimmering with a fury, even to the point of him growling like a mad animal. "Now do you see, Kaiba? No matter what stunt you will try, no matter how much your desire to rise to the top overcomes yourself, I will always conquer those obstacles and win! But this Duel isn't just about me trying to overcome your obstacles; it's about trying to test how I can Duel without my friends there to support me!"

Yugi looked down to his Duel Disk which he raised with his arm up to his chest. "After all, the only reason you challenged me to this Duel was to see how I can Duel without anyone else here to cheer me on! What you have not counted on is that I always win, Kaiba, is the bond I share with my friends and my faith in the Heart of the Cards! No matter what you try and do in this Duel, you will never succeed in taking away my faith in my friends and in my Deck!"

"Oh stow it, Yugi! Don't you dare lecture me about believing in friends and in my cards!" Kaiba snapped. "All of your little pep talks and lectures about having faith in the so-called Heart of the Cards started out as nothing but a fairy tale that was only meant to put little children like yourself to sleep!" Kaiba then looked up to Yugi; the latter gasped lightly, seeing Kaiba's eyes bloodshot with pure rage as he continued to berate him.

"Well, let me tell you the horrible truth, Yugi! I don't have any friends to rely on! The only person I've ever relied on in this cruel, unforgiving world was myself and I always will be the man I relied on to come out on top here! Yugi, you have no right to tell me to believe in some mumbo-jumbo your grandfather told you about! There is no such thing as the Heart of the Cards! It's just a delusion made up by you and your old man because you drew a lucky card!"

Mokuba felt himself gasp; never had he seen Kaiba this angry since he lost the Battle City, especially when his arch-rival told him to believe in a fantasy he never believed in himself. "Seto..."

Yugi sighed. "You're wrong about one thing, Kaiba! There is one person you can rely on, and that's Mokuba!" he said, pointing to the little form in the control tower. "He's been there for you since the very beginning and has been with you in spirit even if you chose not to accept it. Remember, it was your bond with Mokuba that almost won you that Duel against Pegasus, and even he was shocked to find that out since he read your throughout Battle Kingdom!

"You may not have won that Duel, Kaiba but there was one thing I learned from it. Your dedication to Mokuba is proof enough that you share a deep bind that allowed you to get out of even the thickest of situations!" Mokuba was then left wondrous by Yugi's words: the words of a friend. He couldn't deny that he and Kaiba had a few moments where things got rough, but throughout the years, Seto dedicated to helping his little brother whenever he was in trouble. Even though Seto had failed trying to help him out of tight spots, Mokuba knew he tried his hardest and that was good enough.

"Are you quite done yet?" Kaiba sneered. "Because if you are, I'd like to get back with our Duel now. If you really think you can get into my head with your talk about friendship, then you are sorely mistaken. Because I have a card in my hand that will guarantee my victory on my next turn!"

"A card to ensure your victory? What are you...?" Then something Yugi clicked, and it drove him to shock. "No! Don't tell me that card is-!"

Kaiba cracked a wicked smile, then followed with a sinister snicker that grew exponentially with a bursting laugh. "Oh, it is, Yugi! This is the very card that has been the biggest obstacle of your whole Dueling career! But first, I sacrifice my 'Y-Dragon Head' and my 'Z-Metal Tank' so I can Summon out my all-powerful monster!" Kaiba took the two Monsters from his Monster Zones and sent them to his Graveyard, but in their place, he slapped down his best Monster. "Rise, my 'Blue-Eyes White Dragon!'"

Yugi, his hidden spectators and Mokuba all gasped as "Y-Dragon Head" and "Z-Metal Tank" both disappeared from Kaiba's field. Then a pillar of light appeared behind Kaiba and a shadow formed of a lizard-like monster with wings. Emerging from that shining light was a draconic creature, made up of pure white scales and blue eyes. Upon appearing, the dragon bellowed a roar, one that literally shook the entirety of the Kaiba Dome. This was Seto Kaiba's strongest monster: "Blue-Eyes White Dragon." (3000/2500) Everyone gasped in shock as they saw one of Kaiba's "Blue-Eyes" out on the field, and their reactions only made Kaiba laugh harder.

"The 'Blue-Eyes White Dragon'! This can't be for real!" Yugi stammered to himself as he looked shockingly to the ferocious dragon.

"Hey, what's goin' here!?" Tristan said. "Why is Kaiba's dragon on his side of the field!? Didn't he say he took that monster out of play!?"

"I knew it! I knew dat Kaiba creep would go back on his word!" Joey bursted. "He gave his word ta play fair and what does he do!? He plays dirty and summons dat Dragon out ta beat Yugi! I knew dere was somethin' fishy about dis Duel and boy was I right!"

Having listening to Joey's outburst, Tea looked down at Yugi, who was shocked stiff by the unexpected turn of events. "I can't believe he would do something like this," she muttered, her eyes glimmering. "Yugi, please be careful."

Yugi looked down to Kaiba, who snickered at Yugi's flabbergasted face as he gazed at his most powerful Dragon. "Explain yourself, Kaiba! You gave me your word you wouldn't use any of your 'Blue-Eyes White Dragons' during this Duel! How could you go back on your word!?"

Kaiba burst out with laughter again, this time at Yugi's gullibility. "If you thought I went back on my word, then you're a bigger fool than I thought, Yugi! If you recall correctly, I said I'd remove three of my 'Blue-Eyes' from the game." As he spoke, Kaiba took out his three cards he removed from his Deck Box and held them up to Yugi, backs revealed. "I never said they had to be my 'Blue-Eyes White Dragons.'"

Kaiba then revealed his cards, which to everyone's absolute shock and horror were two of his "Blue-Eyes White Dragons" and their powerful Fusion Monster, "Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon." Once more, everyone but Kaiba gasped at the shocking turn of events. Their reactions once more made Kaiba laugh near manically while Mokuba began to tear up; his brother would never pull of this trick like this! He gave his word he would play fair and not cheat, he really did! This was not the Seto he knew and loved!

"Yugi, did you really think I would let you Duel me without the use of my 'Blue-Eyes White Dragon!?" Kaiba shouted. "I told you I would remove three of my 'Blue-Eyes Dragons' and my 'Ultimate Dragon' along with them! It was as you said, Yugi, I used too much power and that was why I couldn't most of my Duels against you! So now, I'll be holding back my full strength against you and win this Duel with only one 'Blue-Eyes White Dragon!' This way, I will finally be able to defeat you and reclaim my title as the Best Duelist in the World and I only did by holding back my power!"

"Hold on, so this was what all of this about!?" Yugi asked. "You're really trying to defeat me and prove you can do it by holding back all of your power!?"

"Exactly!" Kaiba replied. "And to do that, I needed to get rid of my other 'Blue-Eyes Dragons' while you had to get rid of your Egyptian God Cards! Now that my 'Blue-Eyes' is out on the field, there is a very slim chance of you actually winning this Duel!" Clenching his fist, Kaiba threw his head back and laughed a bit, not knowing that his saddened brother was watching him become episodical.

When the egotistical Duelist's laughter waned, Yugi laid his arms down to his sides and sighed. "I feel sorry for you, Kaiba," he said, grabbing his rival's attention. "While you were trying once more to usurp my title, you resorted to trickery instead of fighting with all of your honor and your heart." Yugi then lifted his finger and pointed it at Kaiba. "But now that you have foolishly revealed your tricks, Kaiba, I have now the perfect formula to defeat you once and for all!"

"You lie!" Kaiba yelled.

"I never lie, Kaiba, and I never cheat!" Yugi replied. "But what I do have is one part of a strategy that will ensure that my 'Dark Magician' will obliterate your 'Blue-Eyes White Dragon!' All I have to do is believe in my Deck and draw the right card, and then you will have no other monsters to protect you, Kaiba!"

"Oh give me a break, Yugi! I've heard enough of your delusions about the 'Heart of the Cards!'" Kaiba retorted. "That is nothing but a fable, a myth that only a sad, strange little man like your grandfather could come up with! Face it, Yugi, everything you believe in, living a past life as a Pharaoh, believing in your deck and drawing the right card!? It's all a dumb fairy tale you hold on to like your life depended on it!"

"Ouch. That's harsh, man," Tristan said, listening in on Kaiba's berating.

"Yeah. Kaiba has no right ta talk about Yugi's grandfather like dat, let alone trick Yugi inta giving up his God Cards," Joey agreed. "For once, I'd like ta see Yugi literally clean da floors with dat sleazeball!"

"Come on, Yugi. Don't give up," Tea muttered.

Yugi brought his Duel Disk up to his chest and prepared to draw his card, placing his fingers on that fateful piece of thin-layered paper. "Kaiba, you may not believe and what I believe, and I can respect that. But when you talk about my friends and my family that way about the stories they share and their morals, that's when I'm ready to take you down! All it will take is one single card and your Dragon is done for!"

"Just go already," Kaiba growled.

"With pleasure!"

Turn ?: Yugi Muto

Yugi relaxed his fingers on the card and closed his eyes. "This is it. All I have to draw the card I need to defeat his 'Blue-Eyes' and win this Duel. If I can't pick the card I need, then my 'Dark Magician' is a goner and so will I." Yugi looked up to the rafters, past the blinding lights where he saw the silhouettes of his friends cheering on for him silently. "I knew my friends wouldn't sit back and wait while I had to Duel Kaiba, and I knew they would rather risk being banned from Kaiba Land than not be there to support me in my Duels. That's why they snuck into the balcony, and that's why I had to keep silent, because that friends are for. Now that they're here, I can now draw the card I need, all thanks to the support of my friends."

Yugi drew the card.

He cracked a slight smile, which caught the surprise of his spectators, even Kaiba.

Yugi looked back to Kaiba and played his drawn card. "From my hand, I activate the Equip Spell Card, 'Magic Formula!'" Kaiba grunted in surprise as a locked tome appeared in front of the "Dark Magician." The golden key on the flap turned, and it unlocked the tome and the pages opened, encasing the Spellcaster in a warm, purple glow.

"Now my 'Magic Formula's' magic increases 'Dark Magician's' Attack Points by 500, making it an even match against your Dragon!" "Dark Magician's" eyes opened, both glowing purple as he spun his signature green-tipped orb staff and stood in a battle pose. (Dark Magician: 2500 = 3000/2100).

"Big deal! If your Magician attacks my Dragon, then both of them will be destroyed at the same time!" Kaiba yelled. "Face the facts, Yugi. You'll be the one without any monsters to protect you on your field!" Then his eyes fell onto Yugi's face-down card. His eyes widened with surprise, knowing exactly what Yugi was planning. "Oh no! Not unless-!"

Yugi smirked. "That's right, Kaiba. What I have face-down is part two of the strategy to defeat your 'Blue-Eyes' White Dragon!' Now it's time for me to show you that you don't need to prove to beat me by holding back all of your power and the terrible price you have to play! Reveal, face-down card!" Yugi lifted his arm as his Trap Card was flipped face-up.

Kaiba gasped. "Oh no! Not 'Dark Illusion!'"

"Oh yes, Kaiba! Now my 'Dark Magician' cannot be destroyed by battle and other cards or effects cannot be activated on the same turn!" Yugi pointed to Kaiba, having a shocked look on his face. "Kaiba! You tried to cheat and lie your way to victory in this Duel and now you're going to face the consequences of your actions! 'Dark Magician!' Attack now! Dark Magic Attack!"

The aforementioned Spellcaster leaped in the air and drew his staff back, letting the green orb on his staff gather up a purple light. Kaiba clenched his fist, a look of outrage decorating his face. "Yugi! I refuse to let my 'Blue-Eyes White Dragon' go out like this! Now my mighty beast, attack with White Lightning!"

Acting on Kaiba's orders, the "Blue-Eyes White Dragon formed a ball of white light in its maw, blue static shocks crackling around the devastating attack. With a roar, the Dragon shot the light out at the "Dark Magician", but the attack was blocked by the purple energy surrounding the magician. Crying a battle cry, the "Dark Magician" thrusted his staff and fired the purple light, colliding with the white lightning, both of them never letting down.

Suddenly, something strange started to happen. As the two lights of each monsters attack pushed into each other, a bright flash of light began to form and quickly expand in the Kaiba Dome. Everyone shielded their eyes from the growing light, grunting in surprise as the two monsters disappeared into that light. "What's going on!?" Kaiba yelled. "KaibaCorp holograms aren't supposed to do that!" As the light made contact with Kaiba, the latter screamed as the bright illumination engulfed him, and his screams instantly faded away into a ghostly echo.

"KAIBA!" Yugi yelled. The light engulfed the King of Games as well, which he screamed in pain while his screams faded away into nothing. Joey, Tristan, Tea and Mokuba all watched in horror as they saw both rival Duelists disappear into the light. They called out their names in shock, not that it mattered. Yugi and Kaiba were the first victims of the light's growing size.

"YUGI!"

"SETO!"

As such, the light engulfed them as well before their reflexes could help them escape from that mysterious veil. Not that it mattered anyway as the Kaiba Dome was swallowed whole by the mysterious light and quickly spread through Domino City. Everyone gasped as they first saw the light expand outward towards the city and watched as the citizens were disappearing one by one into that veil. People screamed in terror and tried to run from the light, only to fail and their screams were nothing but ghostly echoes. Soon the light expanded beyond Domino City. It covered the entire United States, the enitre continent, the oceans and every continent unfortunate to be the light's wake.

In a matter of mere moments, the entire world was quickly covered in light.

Then the light vanished.

All of time and space had disappeared into the Void.

FEATURED CARDS

YUGI MUTO'S CARDS

-NORMAL MONSTERS-

Dark Magician
(DARK/Level 7/Spellcaster/2500/2100)
The ultimate wizard in terms of attack and defense.

-EFFECT MONSTERS-

Obelisk the Tormentor (Taken out from play)
(DIVINE/Level 10/Divine-Beast/Effect/4000/4000)
Requires 3 Tributes to Normal Summon (cannot be Normal Set). This card's Normal Summon cannot be negated. When Normal Summoned, other cards and effects cannot be activated. While this card is face-up on the field, this card is also treated as a Warrior-Type monster. Your opponent cannot Tribute this card. Control of this card cannot switch. Cannot be targeted by, or leave the field by, the effects of Spell/Trap Cards and non-DIVINE monsters, except by its own effect. Other card effects are only applied on this card until the End Phase. (This effect cannot be negated.) Once per turn, during the End Phase, if this card was Special Summoned: Send it to the Graveyard. If this card is Special Summoned in face-up Defense Position when an opponent's monster declares an attack, OR if exactly 1 monster you control is targeted by a card effect that could target this card; that card/effect/attack now targets this card, instead. During either player's turn: You can Tribute 2 monsters; apply 1 of these effects.
● Destroy all monsters your opponent controls, and if you do, inflict 4000 damage to your opponent. This card cannot declare an attack the turn this effect is activated.
● This card's ATK becomes ∞ until the End Phase.

Slifer the Sky Dragon (Taken out from play)
(DIVINE/Level 10/Divine-Beast/Effect/X000/X000)
Requires 3 Tributes to Normal Summon (cannot be Normal Set). This card's Normal Summon cannot be negated. When Normal Summoned, other cards and effects cannot be activated. Once per turn, during the End Phase, if this card was Special Summoned: Send it to the Graveyard. While this card is face-up on the field, this card is also treated as a Dragon-Type monster. This card gains 1000 ATK and DEF for each card in your hand. Control of this card cannot switch and cannot by targeted by the effects of Trap Cards and Effect Monsters, except by "Obelisk the Tormentor" and "The Winged Dragon of Ra". The effect of "Obelisk the Tormentor" and Spell Cards can only affect this card for one turn. This card cannot be removed from the field by the effects of Spell Cards. If a monster(s) is Normal or Special Summoned to your opponent's side of the field in face-up Attack Position: That monster(s) loses 2000 ATK, then if its ATK has been reduced to 0 as a result, destroy it.

The Winged Dragon of Ra (Taken out from play)
(DIVINE/Level 10/Divine-Beast/Effect/?/?)
Requires 3 Tributes to Normal Summon (cannot be Normal Set). This card's Normal Summon cannot be negated. When Normal Summoned, other cards and effects cannot be activated. This card's ATK and DEF becomes the combined ATK and DEF of the Tributed monsters. While this card is face-up on the field, this card is also treated as a Machine-Type monster. While this card is face-up on the field, it cannot be targeted by card effects, including the effects of "Obelisk the Tormentor" and "Slifer the Sky Dragon". If this card is Special Summoned from the Graveyard, you can activate the following effects:
● This card can attack all monsters your opponent controls once each. If your opponent controls no monsters after this effect resolves; it can attack your opponent directly, even if it has already attacked one or more times this turn.
● If this card is Summoned in face-up Defense Position when an opponent's monster declares an attack; change the attack target to this card.
● During the End Phase; send this card to the Graveyard.
While this card is face-up on the field, you can activate the following effects:
● Once per turn: You can pay 1000 LP: Destroy all monsters on your opponent's field. This card cannot be destroyed during the End Phase.
● Once per turn: You can pay LP until you have only 1 left; increase this card's ATK and DEF by the amount of LP paid. If you use this effect, during either player's turn: You can send 1 "De-Fusion" from your hand or field to the Graveyard; reduce this card's ATK to 0, and if you do, increase your LP equal to the previous ATK.
● You can Tribute 1 or more monsters on your field; increase this card's ATK equal to the Tributed monster(s) ATK.

-SPELL CARDS-

Magic Formula
Equip Spell
Equip only to a Spellcaster-Type monster. It gains 500 ATK.

-TRAP CARDS-

Dark Illusion
Normal Trap
Target 1 face-up "Dark Magician" you control; that target is unaffected by your opponent's card effects, also, it cannot be destroyed by battle until the End Phase. Immediately after this effect resolves: Your opponent draws 1 card.

Mirror Force
Normal Trap
When an opponent's monster declares an attack: Destroy all Attack Position monsters your opponent controls.

Mystical Refpanel
Normal Trap
Activate only when a Spell Card that targets 1 player is activated. The effect of that Spell Card is applied to the other player instead.

SETO KAIBA'S CARDS

-NORMAL MONSTERS-

Blue-Eyes White Dragon x 3
(LIGHT/Level 8/Dragon/3000/2500)
This legendary dragon is a powerful engine of destruction. Virtually invincible, very few have faced this awesome creature and lived to tell the tale.

X-Head Cannon
(LIGHT/Level 4/Machine/1800/1500)
A monster with a mighty cannon barrel, it is able to integrate its attacks. It attacks in many ways by combining and separating with other monsters.

-EFFECT MONSTERS-

Y-Dragon Head
(LIGHT/Level 4/Machine/Union/Effect/1500/1600)
Once per turn, you can either: Target 1 "X-Head Cannon" you control; equip this card to that target, OR: Unequip this card and Special Summon it in face-up Attack Position. While equipped by this effect, the equipped monster gains 400 ATK and DEF. (A monster can only be equipped with 1 Union monster at a time. If the equipped monster would be destroyed by battle, destroy this card instead.)

Z-Metal Tank
(LIGHT/Level 4/Machine/Union/Effect/1500/1300)
Once per turn, you can either: Target 1 "X-Head Cannon" or "Y-Dragon Head" you control; equip this card to that target, OR: Unequip this card and Special Summon it in face-up Attack Position. While equipped by this effect, the equipped monster gains 600 ATK and DEF. (A monster can only be equipped with 1 Union monster at a time. If the equipped monster would be destroyed by battle, destroy this card instead.)

Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon (Taken out from play)
(LIGHT/Level 12/Dragon/Fusion/4500/3800)
"Blue-Eyes White Dragon" + "Blue-Eyes White Dragon" + "Blue-Eyes White Dragon"

XYZ-Dragon Cannon
(Level 8/LIGHT/Machine/Fusion/Effect/2800/2600)
"X-Head Cannon" + "Y-Dragon Head" + "Z-Metal Tank"
Must first be Special Summoned (from your Extra Deck) by banishing the above monsters you control. (You do not use "Polymerization".) Cannot be Special Summoned from the Graveyard. You can discard 1 card, then target 1 card your opponent controls; destroy that target.

-SPELL CARDS-

De-Fusion
Quick-Play Spell
Target 1 face-up Fusion Monster on the field; shuffle that target into the Extra Deck, then, if all the Fusion Material Monsters that were used for its Fusion Summon are in your Graveyard, you can Special Summon all of them.

Ring of Defense
Quick-Play Spell
When a Trap effect that inflicts damage is activated: Make that effect damage 0.

-TRAP CARDS-

Ring of Destruction
Normal Trap
Target 1 face-up monster on the field; destroy that target, and if you do, inflict damage to both players equal to that target's ATK.

FLASHBACK

-NORMAL MONSTERS-

Blue-Eyes White Dragon x 3
(LIGHT/Level 8/Dragon/3000/2500)
This legendary dragon is a powerful engine of destruction. Virtually invincible, very few have faced this awesome creature and lived to tell the tale.

Red-Eyes B. Dragon
(DARK/Level 7/Dragon/2400/2000)
A ferocious dragon with a deadly attack.

-FUSION MONSTERS-

Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon
(LIGHT/Level 12/Dragon/Fusion/4500/3800)
"Blue-Eyes White Dragon" + "Blue-Eyes White Dragon" + "Blue-Eyes White Dragon"

Dark Paladin
(DARK/Level 8/Spellcaster/Fusion/Effect/2900/2400)
"Dark Magician" + "Buster Blader"
Must be Fusion Summoned and cannot be Special Summoned by other ways. During either player's turn, when a Spell Card is activated: You can discard 1 card; negate the activation, and if you do, destroy it. This card must be face-up on the field to activate and to resolve this effect. This card gains 500 ATK for each Dragon-Type monster on the field or in either player's Graveyard.

-SPELLS-

Absorb Spell
Quick-Play Spell
Activate only when a Equip Spell Card is activated: Change the target of that Spell Card to another target, ignoring the target requirements.

De-Fusion
Quick-Play Spell
Target 1 face-up Fusion Monster on the field; shuffle that target into the Extra Deck, then, if all the Fusion Material Monsters that were used for its Fusion Summon are in your Graveyard, you can Special Summon all of them.

Diffusion Wave-Motion
Normal Spell
Pay 1000 LP, then target 1 Level 7 or higher Spellcaster-Type monster you control; this turn, only that monster can attack, and it must attack all monsters your opponent controls, once each. The effects of Effect Monsters destroyed by these attacks do not activate and are negated.

Magic Formula
Equip Spell
Equip only to a Spellcaster-Type monster. It gains 500 ATK.