Skin

by Usagi Squared

Jonouchi Katsuya will always look out for his friends, no matter how weird things get. That means he will keep on fighting, whether facing maniacs with freaky powers, monsters from a childrens game, or the fact Kaiba's a girl. Wait, what? Warnings inside

113. Chapter 112

Nokriy

---

Though he should be walking through the halls of a tall building that stretches toward the sky, there is nothing but sand and clay in his vision right now. And shadows, of course.

Many shadows.

The boy sits with the dragon, ignorant of the shouts to his older and modern-day counterpart. He cannot hear his friend's cry from where he's standing still, hand on his head whilst he falls and stumbles blindly against the wall. He can only see what is both a vision and a memory from the ancient past.

He can only listen- and listen closely, for the dragon is telling a story now. A story that is, for reasons even he does not know, an incredibly important tale, be it then and be it now. It is the story of Ziz. The shape-changer who thrived not on destruction initially, but fear. A being who, the dragon tells him, as a coward itself, did no more harm than a spec of dust until it was confident that it could raze villages in one blow. For as Ziz grew, the beast realized that while simply becoming what it faced could inflict fear, and create what fed it...

It soon realized that to destroy while in that same form could do so much more, and could feed it still more power. It was capable of many things, horrific things... It was a being who craved the power resulting from these things, things that prompted Light herself to face the monster in battle. But at this point it was already too late for Light to stand against the demon. For by this point Ziz' power was equal to Light's own, possibly even surpassing it... Ziz had done the impossible and brought Light to her very knees...

So Light did the one thing that she knew Ziz would be unable to recover from, the one thing that could save her creations. She divided herself into three separate beings of altered power, each one with a different form and a different name, a different power free of the knowledge at Ziz' disposal. And as three Gods instead of merely one, Ziz found himself woefully confused. He duplicated one only to be over taken by another, duplicated two at once and was drowned in the power of the first. So, deciding he had no other choice he followed in Light's footsteps, splitting himself into a triad of creatures...

But unlike Light, who had planned her division and moved according to what she felt was the optimum choice, Ziz was unable to control what portions of his power went where. To the golem-like beast with bat wings his power to instil terror was given, but with a power that would not change in the face of it it no longer gained what it could. To the serpentine devil with vapor arms and great clawed hands came the power to take the strength of others, the immunity to the spells of mankind, but any who gained the courage to face it could take it down in but an instant. And to the final creature where most all of Ziz' mind lay...

The final great mass of liquid, with nothing to call its own even in name, was in possession of only one thing. It's ability to change form, to mirror any that it faced by just a sliver more of power. In a manner it was stronger. And in another it was weaker.

Light, however, had only become stronger in the face of Ziz. For now that the demons before her people held forms that were unchanging, forms that could no longer mirror her completely, their faith in the Light was returning. And it was this faith that gave the Light strength. This faith that destroyed the power of Ziz's pieces and this strength that allowed her to strike the demons down..!

With only one message before she used her power to seal them away. And her words were thus;

'O people of creation, people to whom I have entrusted this realm..! Let it be known that no power can kill what is already beyond death! But fear not, O children of mine- For there is another way..! I will form a seal of my body and power, and leave you with the only key...

What has a NAME,' Light warned with her three mouths, shielding her people from the shadow's reach, 'Has POWER- And with my NAMES I shall seal the creatures who torment you. I shall smite them where they stand and destroy all that threatens the creatures of my creation. But only while those you see remain without power can I protect you- Only while they have no name to call their own will I be able to defend you...

The evil 'Gods' you witness must remain without a name... Or Darkness will once again be allowed to prevail... I leave you with these words, and pray you heed them for all time.'

The people then watched," the dragon tells him, "As each of Light's portions stretched to far reaches of the land. As stones of immense power appeared in their stead, names and seals sending sparks into the air. And with great power the stones sent streams of light into the air, toward each of Ziz's portions. To the stone of Gold came that of the shape-changer, who dissolved into shadows until it was finally latched beneath the ground where it would never see the sky.

To the stone of Blue, surrounded by sea, the demon of fear became sealed. His image would forever be drenched by the oceans, overshadowed by the monster it so attempted to duplicate in form.

And finally, the stone of Red. With reaching arms the demon clung to all in sight, fighting his prison. But the portion of Light that took home in the seas and skies was no longer challenged in power. The monster was without company, without 'allies' to give it strength. With a final howl the Red Stone's power coiled about it, drawing it near... And at the tallest point of the land, with nothing to grasp, the demon's three pieces were completely sealed. And it was only then that the people of light realized their fate. Only then, as the sun returned to the sky and as the Light that had so long accompanied them remained silent, did they realize the cost of the battle.

Though the Light succeeded, her power as well would now be spent. Her three portions could never amount to their full power- and worse, these same portions would forever be sealed away from their former realm, unable to remain among the people they had created. By locking the power of darkness away, they had become tainted. They had become shadows, regardless of intent and power.

But they had names," the dragon assures him. "If anything, they at least had that. And though these names would change over time dear boy, these stones that held their power would change as well. They would eventually move, carved into alternate shapes... Covered by sand, carried with your people from the Lost Lands to the one you sit in now. The stones would become embedded in something more simple," he explains. "Clay and dirt... Enshrined and protected."

"But where are they now," the boy asks. "The elders don't have anything like that."

"That's right," Neker adds. "If anything, it sounds as though the three treasures that were stolen were these sto-"

"They were not STOLEN!" the dragon roars, rearing back and unleashing a howl that freezes the boys in place. "And far from it in fact..! You would do well to remember this..." He calms, lowering his head. "The treasures your elders speak of were given to the lands not far from here many a year ago," he explains. "During your people's time here, they were strangers in a cursed land. Taken from a realm far more powerful and blessed than these, they struggled to survive. During this time," he continues, "Many peoples gave your own aid. Some, such as the nomads of your language, would allow them to settle and grow into their own village... Others, the likes of which have long forgotten their ties to this land, would defend your people from complete and utter destruction. It is for this," the dragon says, "That they would be granted the three stones of power, and the 'Gods' that lay within them. And with the power that these Gods held, the Kings who held them became God-like themselves... But that was then, and this is now," the dragon sighs. "Now it is more likely these treasures are known in name only... It is no surprise that your elders have twisted this tale out of spite themselves," he supposes. "But I find that in the end... It is likely that even they would have forgotten with time..."

The boys trade uneasy glances as the shadow stares off- when the dragon gains this expression, he reminisces and ponders what could have been a large amount. Moreover, he gets rather depressed it appears... And when the dragon is depressed, it becomes incredibly awkward to speak. So quickly, they decide to change the subject before it is too late.

"Dragon," they ask, snapping the shadow from his reverie. "Those pieces of 'Ziz'... The nameless ones? Could they come back," they fearfully question, curiosity evident in their eyes.

The dragon is silent for a moment, and as the boy's vision fades and he remembers that he is beyond that age already, that he does not live in a land of sand, that there are others calling him... That this is not real- this is a dream, possibly even an ancient memory, but nonetheless long before his time. But as he begins to realize this he hears the shadow's final words...

"Only if they were to find a single vessel," he warns, voice echoing ominously upon the air. "Only then, through the power that joins them as one yet again, could they return."

---

In the darkness of the room, no light penetrated beyond the level of a low computerized glow. The only windows there were black with darkness, and a normal human being would be unable to look through them to what lay below in the next room. Yakou Tenma evidently, was not some 'normal' human being however. And as he sat in the dark, he was perfectly content with leaving it that way and staring at the subject of his slowly succeeding plan.

Seto however, was not one for humoring those against her to say the least of things. And it was with that in mind that the doors had been forced open, the light from the hall casting a long dark shadow into the room. "Tenma," she snarled, fists clenched and held to her sides as the man before her slowly turned. "This is as far as your project goes..!"

Tenma continued to stare, completely silent for a few moments. "Seto Kaiba," he finally sighed, shaking his head. "I told you not to disturb me, and yet..." The man sighed again, looking away as his 'former business partner' began steadily walking toward him. "Really," he muttered, "I-"

-CRACK!-

"GHU-" The force of her fist sent Tenma across the room, his body slamming against the machines on the corner. With a weak cough he attempted to pull himself back up, only to give in with a pained grunt. "N-Ngh..."

"I don't care what you want," Seto hissed, coming toward the body as a slowly trickling line of blood began to appear from Tenma's face. "And I believe I made that quite clear over six hours ago. You have no right to do this- so I'm settling it now. Control of the building returns to ME," she snarled. "Now LEAVE!" Silence.

And then laughter of all things. "Hnhnhnhnhn..." Mocking, crazed laughter... "Hnhnhahahahaaaa..." The man slowly lifted his head, blood still trailing down the side of his chin. "My vengeance program has already started 'Seto'... You're wasting your time. It can't be stopped... Not now, not ever... Hnhnhnhnhn..." 'Se-'

SETO! "You disgusting piece of filth," the woman growled,pulling the man up by his collar. "Either you pack up and leave NOW, or-"

"Soon," he whispered, tone almost reassuring. "It'll all be over soon... Soon..." What? The woman froze for a moment in confusion, grip momentarily loosening. "The duel ring server stores all the worlds card data from Pegasus-sama's creation," he rambled to himself, captor narrowing her eyes even further "Once heterogeneous data is switched to homogenous data, it'll all be ready, soon..."

"What the hell are you talking about," Seto roared, grip restored. "Get out of my bui-" The woman froze, lights having turned on in the room opposite to catch her eye. It was the server house, something she'd known of course- the room where the enormous computer was kept running and well watched, well conditioned... Storing all the data for each and every card signal in existence.

But the computer itself was not what caught her eye. It was what was attached to it, plugged into every available port with additional ones where required. A machine almost similar to the Virtual Reality pods still under testing and development, with portions of the frame even wrapping around her own computer. She could not properly see out the window as dark as it was despite the lights however. There was just a dim shadow, illuminated by the numerous screens below. But with a single button pushed on the side the window was made wider and clearer. The lights around turned on completely, and the room was revealed in every way, the sight taking her very breath away.

With eyes closed over as though in a deep sleep, the body within the device was quite clearly and obviously that of Anzu Mazaki. Given the state of her clothes she'd been taken in the evening hours of the day, likely right of the streets and unaware until it was all too late. That however, wasn't the point. The machine before her was clicking and whirring and with every sound it made dread began to rise within her. Why was Anzu here..? Why was she hooked up to a device that was so clearly focusing on her mind, and why was she almost dead in appearance? What was the machine doing? What was it doing here, connected to her server..! WHY-

"Rebirth... Of the Avatar," Tenma whispered, standing from where he'd been dropped and almost forgotten. "Anzu Mazaki is the key to reviving Pegasus-sama's soul," he explained, receiving a mixed look of incredulous unease and confusion both. "In order to refine and extract the fragments of soul Pegasus-sama sealed in his creations... I'm taking all of the data and refining it into a single type. And after that," he continued, neck cracking as he came to stand straight, "It'll all be poured into the substitute vessel... The soul will always seek a body," he whispered, slowly beginning to laugh as he spoke. "And once it's refined in the vessel he'll be back... Pegasus-sama..."

This... "Personality," she growled, eyes still as wide as they'd been once the man began spouting nonsense. "SOUL? That's ENOUGH, Tenma! The only thing in that server is DATA! Zeroes and ones! This machine doesn't hold even a bit of what can be called a 'soul'," she continued lowly. "Now get... OUT!"

And of course she found herself noting, he refused to listen, instead sighing almost 'morosely'. "Seto, Seto, Seto," he sighed, ignoring the cracked knuckles he heard in response. "You should know full well that I'm not talking about the machine... I'm talking about the 'cards'," he whispered, eyebrows raising just a moment. He went on. "You're one of a bare minimum of duelists in the world who have experienced it after all..! The spirits of the cards, the living duel monsters..."

Blue Eyes. "What are you implying," she snarled, momentarily stiffening. If there was anything she would no longer deny... Anything at all...

"In the Battle City preliminary matches," Tenma began coolly, "Something triggered an idea during your match against Ishizu Ishtar. Rather than do what most would, and summon 'Obelisk', you summoned 'Blue Eyes White Dragon'... And for a similar reason," he continued, the woman before him growing white as things that had never met the eyes or ears of the rest of the world came from Tenma's mouth, "The match between yourself and Yugi Mutou ended up with both Gods destroying each other... A moment during which you both shared a 'vision'. Though you can correct me if I'm wrong," he added, giving a subtle and mocking bow as he sneered. "It isn't as though I was there..." No. No, he sure as hell was not there at the time...

But those words were dangerously close to what happened despite that final match never being recorded beyond text on a screen..! She'd gone into that fight with nothing hidden outside typical clothing, the entire match was left un-filmed as a result. But to know about the visions even, the hallucinations that a small part of her mind still argued as real..!

"Pegasus-sama put a small bit of his soul in all the cards he created," Tenma whispered, eyes narrowed dangerously. "If you were to look at all the cards he created at once," he continued, "Then you would find it... You could bring him back in a new form..." That...

That was completely... "That's enough," she barked, colour returning to her face. Bring a man back from the dead... Now THAT was impossible!"This is nonsense..! Everything you're saying is impossible, you can't 'revive' a dead man with-"

"With a deck of cards?" Tenma finished, walking toward one of the keyboards at the side. "I can see why you would be hesitant to believe... But I am not lying," he told her darkly. "In fact there's already a successful case, and he's standing in this building now..." Success... Successful..? The woman stood, silent with disbelief as the man went on. "He was a competitor, if not illegally, during the Duelist Kingdom tournament," Tenma began. "His mind and soul were shattered as a punishment by Pegasus-sama, through a 'penalty game' if you recognize the term..." And the very phrasing and expression he used told her that he knew she would, Seto thought with a mental shudder. The very mention of that term...

...Ghh...

'Penalty'...

The fact that there was someone in this state of mind throwing the term about so easily had her blood both boiling and freezing all at once. "The penalty game," Tenma was explaining as he tapped a few keys from across the woman, "Was simple. He thought he shot himself in the head- by all clinical terms he was dead- completely brain dead... But his soul... That was still there. He was, after all, a duelist," he told her. "His deck was still there- and the deck, after all, is a duelist's sword. It's something that is refined by the soul, that grows with the soul..! And in the same way Pegasus-sama put his soul into all the cards he created, this duelist did so with his deck! So I experimented," he announced. "I refined the data of those cards, merged the single similarities of the soul, until I had pieced it back together again! I forced it back into the body... And in the end, it was a success..."

"Impossible..!" It was the most she could say- there was no way for it to happen, no way at all and yet-

"See for yourself," Tenma sneered, clicking one final button as the screen before them flickered. "The man that came back from the dead..."

It was a security feed that Tenma had pulled onto the screen. That much was obvious given the quality of the image. But Tenma's gesture easily pointed out the vest wearing figure on the screen despite this. The gaunt, somewhat slouched American, hair unkempt and face unshaven, sunglasses covering what were likely bloodshot eyes was walking steadily down the hall with his gaze determinedly focused ahead.

Bandit Keith. The 'has-been' duelist of the USA, former champion and eventual joke among most of the dueling world.

And a nightmarish source of paranoia for those willing to pursue the game as a career, an 'example' of the worst case scenario. It was not however, Keith who held her attention for long. Nor was it the figure of Gekkou, who was quite clearly eying Keith with considerable suspicion and not working with his brother (thankfully).

It was the short one. With impossible hair. That one was the one who stood out the most.

Yugi was in the building. And as she stared at the figure, eyes slowly gluing themselves to the holographic woman that was somehow beside him, Tenma continued to speak behind her. "Yugi Mutou has been driving away the card professors I've dispatched about this tower with incredible progress," he chuckled, eyes narrowing almost to slits. The woman looked back, her own expression growing stony again whilst she listened. "He's coming close to this place," the man murmured, "But by the time he does it'll all be too late. The more he fights the more charged his soul becomes. The more charge develops the more the fragments in the machine resonate and focus with one another, joining similarity to similarity and forming a single consciousness..! Just as planned," he laughed, Seto's eyes widening in horror as she looked from Tenma back to the screen, "Yugi is doing all he can to get here... And because of that, my plan will be successful in any way..!" This...

This monster... Whether it was true or not, with all that was happening at this moment..!

As she stepped to the side to face Tenma there was only one thought on her mind.

Get rid of Tenma by any means- or 'impossibilities' would be the least of her concern.

---

They'd been walking for a while it seemed, the four of them. Anzu wasn't walking in reality of course, what with her being more of a synthesized ghost now, but she'd been at least attempting to look like she was for a while early on. She'd soon given up however- it seemed that she had to focus to do it, so in the end simply floating along with Yugi's duel-disk was a better option.

As it was, the walk was passing with an almost odd level of silence. A number of feet ahead Keith was still acting as their guide- they themselves kept in close quarters while watching with a wary eye.

Perhaps that was why they didn't seem as surprised when a pair of duelists appeared from behind the staircase beside them. "Oi oi," the taller of the two shouted, a thick fur-lined jacket wrapped around and pinned beneath his disk. "Getting a little lost there aren't you Keith?"

Yugi frowned, heat tilting somewhat as the white-haired man shouted down in English. "Did he just say... Is he talking to Keith," he muttered to the others. Gekkou nodded, Anzu doing the same.

"Yea... I think he said something about 'lost'," she murmured, "But..."

Well evidently someone knew them. "Tch- You..? And what the fuck do you bastards want," Keith snarled back, Yugi blinking almost owlishly at the conversation he could only partially understand.

"He's asking what they're doing here," Gekkou whispered upon catching the look, swallowing before he continued. "But these two..."

Again Yugi blinked. "You know them, Gekkou-kun?"

"I do," he whispered, the two in question walking down and toward them from the stairs. One was only a little taller than himself- wearing simple black jeans with a partially buttoned shirt. The one with the coat however wasn't wearing a 'coat' necessarily- the bottom cut off around the end of the chest, leaving nothing but a black shirt and a pair of cargo pants beneath. All in all, they looked about as different as night and day... Something that had him wondering if they intended to bring that image forth. "Like me," Gekkou explained in regard to the duelists, "They were considered Pegasus' proteges... These two in particular spent a lot of time in our home in fact, as 'chouji' one could even say." Eh?

"Cho- Chouji!" F-Favored children..! Yugi choked, looking back to the one beside him. "Then... These two are pretty much your brothers aren't they..!"

Gekkou merely nodded, swallowing as the taller gave a wave toward them. "Heeeeyyyy, Gekkou! Been a while hasn't it?" Um...

He was asking how he was feeling right..? Before he could think about it more he watched Gekkou turn, the man appearing to ignore the two for a moment to instead continue his conversation with Yugi. "Listen carefully," he hurriedly told him, his 'friends' muttering or staring in response. "These two are the highest ranking of the Card Professors, and the black disk on Richie's arm proves this- he," Gekkou went on, Yugi eying the disk on the tallest of the duelists with a swallow, "Is the absolute Champion in the league, and like all the other heads is exempt from the standard tournament line. The second ranking duelist is beside him," Gekkou warned, the stone-eyed young teen in black seeming to send a piercing stare toward them at that moment, "His name is Scott Depre. Now..." He swallowed, straightening himself as he looked toward 'Richie'. "...Richie," he began. "...I see my brother gave you enough incentive to seek us out then."

Richie merely shrugged, snorting. "Phaaaaah, Yakou had nothing to do with this part... We just came down to say 'hello', isn't that right Scott?" He grinned, looking toward Scott and receiving no change in reaction as a result. With briefly raised eyebrows and an exasperated sigh. Richie apparently accepted this as normal- the man shrugged, before turning back. "Eh, ignore the look... He's just as excited you know..!"

If Scott's face was any sign, then no. No he really wasn't.

Regardless, Richie was speaking again. "Now... So this is 'Mutou Yugi'," he called out, Japanese coming surprisingly fluent from the man. "You're quite the catch kid- should be proud of that. Name's 'Merced'... Nice to meet the 'King' of duels."

"Eh..." He... Wasn't really sure how to react to that... …Particularly since it was his other half who got the title, and more or less as a side effect of whatever was going on... ...Well... "...Thanks?"

The man laughed, nodding his head. "Pleasure's mine! But you know," Richie continued with a somewhat betraying grin, "You lot are lucky we came to find you- because you're going the wrong way!"

Anzu choked. "W-Wrong wa-!"

Richie blinked, looking over the hologram that was Anzu a moment as the grin faded slightly. He somehow managed to get over it in the end however, instead nodding and turning toward Keith. "That's right... And I think the guide oughta fess up, don't you Scott?" There was again no answer, but Scott's endless glare seemed to instantly turn to Keith, the blond in question tensing completely beneath it. "I mean... This is the opposite direction," he continued, the 'cheery' tone almost frighteningly cold despite itself. "You're heading down if you keep going this way..."

"DOWN," Anzu repeated with a snarl, only for Keith to interrupt himself.

"You assholes... What the fuck are you trying to do," he snarled, "You picking a fight? HUH?"

The taller of the duelists snorted, walking toward the group as he grinned. "What... A fight with someone like you Ossan," Richie laughed, bringing a hand down on Keith's shoulder. "Now why the fuck would I do THAT!"

"G-FF-" The blond stumbled back as his gut was slammed solidly with Richie's fist, the grin they'd seen since his appearance instantly replaced with a scowl.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing," he roared, ignoring the curse and attempt to punch back from his 'victim'. Keith's wrist was snatched with ease, and the American was pulled forward into his attacker's knee as Richie continued on with the beating. "You trying to bait out that underdog duelist you asshole? Making me wait for your sorry face!"

"Ng-gh... Hah..." A few gagging choke sounds came through the air, slowly turning into hoarse laughter as the others stared. "Hahhhh... Hahahahaha... Bastard," Keith retorted, shakily pulling himself up as sweat began to bead on the side of his face. "You plan on knocking me out yourself then..? HUH?-Gh-" Another crack came through the air with the others wincing, sunglasses hanging off of Keith's face as he was knocked to the floor by another punch. "GGGhnnn..."

"Don't make me LAUGH," Richie hissed, steadily walking toward his victim. "You used to be the 'All American Champion'. The greatest 'Tournament Bandit'! That time's long gone though," he continued. "And if you think your glory days are enough to coast on for the rest of your life then allow me to make it clear to you," he snarled, "I-"

"S-Stop!" As Keith groaned from the ground Richie froze, bringing his foot to the ground from where he'd been about to kick. There wasn't much that Yugi knew in English of course- his marks weren't that far off from Jonouchi's in fact. But he knew at least that word, and would use it if he had to. As the boy stood in front of Keith's coughing form the others stared, shocked into silence. "This... This is enough," Yugi forced out, shaking his head and holding his arms out protectively. "That's enough..."

"... ...Get out of the way," Richie warned, narrowing his eyes.

Yugi swallowed, but stood firm. "...No!"

His response was a snort and a sarcastic grin, the man shaking his head. "You want to defend this guy," Richie asked. "You want to defend a drunk old shit, who'd just as much give you flowers as do this for you in return?" When Yugi gave no answer the scowl seemed to deepen, Scott merely watching with curious and narrowed eyes. "What the hell makes you think I'm going to do what you say, huh?"

"The fact that your target isn't Keith," Gekkou answered, his friend's attention turning back to him. "Unless my brother told you otherwise..."

"Gh... Gekkou..."

"...Gekkou," Scott finally asked, the others jumping when they realized who almost monotonous voice over the air belonged to, "...Why are you... On their side..?" As the others turned Scott continued to speak, even gesturing toward them in apparent 'confusion'. "In Pegasus' place, you and your brother were to take over I2... Together... Both of you," he continued in English, Yugi again silently trying to understand. "But why... Why aren't you with Yakou," he asked. "Why are you siding with... Him," he sneered, eyes briefly flickering to where the boy stood.

Gekkou stared with shadowed eyes at those words, his head bowed. Briefly, just briefly, his gaze began to drift in Anzu's direction. But only briefly, and he very quickly turned his head away to face the others. "We can't do this," he whispered, clearing his voice to speak louder. "Bring back someone who's already dead... It was bad enough to bring in someone we thought was responsible but now a number of innocent people and an entire company have been dragged into this mess... We can't do this," Gekkou repeated lowly, Richie's growl slowly picking up volume as he spoke. "It isn't right..."

"And standing on the sidelines is!" he retorted, looking to the 'CEO' with rage. "What do you think you're playing at..! We were pretty much raised by Pegasus... He looked after us, he made sure that we could have LIVES! Without this plan," he continued, voice sinking down into a desperate whisper, "It would be like spitting on his grave..." Gekkou didn't even flinch at the words- and Richie noticed. With a sour look of distaste on his face he drew back, shaking his head. "Screw it," he decided. "Just screw it. You knew the 'rules'," Richie spat. "You obviously know what you're doing..! But I won't forgive you. I will never forgive you for what you're doing right now..."

"And Yugi Mutou," Scott continued, the boy in question swallowing as the English continued to poke at his brain. "Revenge against you is the same as reviving our teacher- understand. Pegasus' revival... Will only bring good to this world... And as you defeated him, it's only fitting that we rid him of one last pest before his arrival..." U-Umm...

What..! "Um..." Yugi swallowed. "I can't... I can't understand-"

"He's repeating what the other's said," Anzu whispered, choosing not to specify too much on what Scott had said. "About how he has to beat you to bring Pegasus back in... In my…" She shuddered. "I'd rather not think about that anymore, okay..?" U-Understandable..!

Regardless, it seemed Scott didn't care- that, or he himself couldn't understand him either. "After your duel, Pegasus' soul... It shattered," he growled, Yugi only able to tell that whatever he was hearing wasn't meant to be good. "You scattered it into pieces and then let him die... I don't care if you placed the final blow," he continued, voice growing even louder. "As far as I'm concerned you killed him- and while his soul lies in wait I will do all I can to bring him back..!"

"A-Ahhhh..."

"In that case," Gekkou barked, "It's the same for us- we won't let any more lives be given for this..!"

"I think Mutou can speak for himself," Richie responded.

"I think if you all spoke his language rather than using English on a Japanese student," he retorted "You'd have better luck with that!"

"Will you all just SHUT UP!"

The group jumped turning to Anzu's hologram as she flickered from between them. "A-Anzu..."

"Yugi," She asked stonily. "'Scott' would like you to know that despite everything he still feels as though you killed Pegasus, and will thereby do anything he can to bring him back! So!" She turned, and her friend immediately nodded determinedly.

"If that's the case," he shouted, "Then we'll be doing the same for Anzu!"

Gekkou smiled almost coldly at the shout, nodding and looking back to the others. "You heard him Richie," he said flatly. "He'll fight just as hard for our own side to oppose yours."

"So it seems," Scott muttered. "Good. Follow me," he decided, turning down the hall and back up the stairs. "The battle field is this way."

As they slowly walked away, leaving Keith's motionless and beaten form none noticed the twitch it gave... Nor the shadows that seemed to reach out from his deck before the man himself stood and smirked...

And then continued on the path he'd planned on taking to begin with.

---

If there were any words to describe the arena that Scott and Richie had led them to, Yugi was fairly certain they would all by synonyms for 'big'. was obviously meant for dueling, unlike the halls and rooms they'd traveled through. A testing hall most likely. And on one end, beside the door their opponent's stood, staring down those who 'could not pass'. "This is it," Richie shouted to them. "The final field... You have tenacity kid, I'll give you that. You've already reached the last to Professors in the building- everyone else is gone!" Gone? Then that meant...

"If you're the last two," Yugi asked, "Does that mean Jonouchi-kun has already reached the top?"

There was a pause, Richie's smile seemingly frozen on his face. It soon began to grow however, sending a chilled feeling down his spine as it reached horror-movie proportions. "The top," Richie repeated, breaking into laughter. "HahahahHA! As if! Too bad about that though," he continued with a shaking head. "But the route those morons are on is a dead-end! No way out!"

"D-Dead..."

"They can't get to Yakou's level," the duelist shouted, still laughing as the others stiffened and paled. "And by this point they're probably wandering around trying to find an exit! H-hAHAHAAAA!"

"Gh..." And if all but the doors 'forward' were locked, there wouldn't even be one...

"Yugi-san," Gekkou said quietly. "We need to get to Yakou for more than just Anzu now, and quickly," he muttered, the boy nodding in agreement.

"I know... I-"

"Hn!" Yugi looked toward the duelists again, swallowing as Richie spoke. "Don't think you'll be getting anywhere so soon... The arrangements are almost complete," he laughed, gesturing to the door behind him. "So until Pegasus is back, it'll be you against me- So! Shall we d-"

"...Richie..." The others turned, tallest of the group dropping his grin a moment to frown.

"Eh? What is it Scott?"

A few moments of silence passed, with nothing but a constant stare from Scott to fill the time. "...I'll fight," he said blandly, clicking his duel disk into place and stepping forward with narrowed eyes. "I'll get rid of them first... Yugi Mutou," he continued, raising his voice to a shout with almost narrowed eyes, "I'll fight you..!" Eh! "And I will bury Pegasus' scar of defeat..!" E-Ehh! What was he even saying..!

Would it be Scott fighting then? He couldn't even tell, couldn't someone say something? "N..." Anything..? "Nnnnn..." Well, the holograms would be in Japanese at least, right..? "Alright then," he began, swallowing. "I..."

"Aibou..." AH-!

"Other me," he called to the back of his mind, eyes widening as he froze in place. The spirit seemed to chuckle at his partner's surprise, and the boy sighed in relief. "You're alright..!"

"I am," he said almost simply, appearing to the side with a nod. "...This duel... I'm ready again," he told the other, only for his partner to shake his head. "...Aibou?"

"Just leave this to me," Yugi told the spirit, seemingly nodding to mid air. "Alright?"

His other half blinked almost owlishly in response, before gaining a somewhat worried expression. "Ah- ...If... If it's me you're worried about, I'm alright now," he hurriedly choked, "...Really..!"

"That's not it," he responded, shaking his head. "...But to you and me... For both of us, Anzu, Jonouchi-kun, and Honda-kun, they're all people to fight for. And I don't want to just watch," he went on, pulling out the deck that he'd been prepared to use moments ago. "So with this deck... It's my turn, alright?"

The spirit seemed to smile the moment he'd said that, nodding calmly. "Hn. It's my turn to 'follow' you then," he decided, crossing his arms. "In that case, I'll make sure Jonouchi and the others are alright. But Aibou," the other Yugi continued, still smiling, "Remember- despite the location, I'm always with you when you fight... Just as you are for me!"

"Other me..."

"I leave this to you," he called out, a reassuring grip on his shoulder before the ghost turned. "You can do this..!"

"Right..!" In that case...

The cards of his deck shuffled, Yugi's eyes clearing just in time for Gekkou to lean over somewhat from behind with another whispered warning. "...Yugi-san," he said quietly, eyes trained on the one across from them. "By your country's ranking method, Depre is ranked just under the first seat of the Professor's guild. He is not 'Second' without reason," he added warningly. "And there is an extremely large gap between himself and those beneath him in rank. Be careful," Gekkou told him, the boy merely nodding confidently as he stepped forward.

"I will- don't worry, Gekkou-kun."

He continued forward a few more steps, Anzu hovering behind him as they both looked across to where Scott stood. It would be strange, playing against someone he didn't understand... But even so... "...Yugi," Anzu said from behind, the boy turning as his friend rubbed her arm. A silence drifted between the pair, and each one looked nervously away from each other. "...I guess I can't really stay and watch with the duel disk... Can I," she said somewhat awkwardly, eyes drifting down to the 'soul card' on the disk. "...I mean... You might need that spot so..."

"Just a little longer... Only a little, I promise... Okay Anzu," he told her with a whisper. There were tears dotting his eyes again, not that he noticed. Anzu herself was staring at them, her strong smile breaking at the sight. Yugi's smile had faded but it was still there in a way, if only for support. That was probably the only reason that Anzu's was still there. "No matter what, I promise..."

"...Right," she responded, nodding as the card was pulled off the disk. Her body instantly began to fade, her last words hovering on the wind. "...I believe in you, Yugi..." Anzu...

...Only a little longer... Just a little, he told himself again. Just... "... I'm ready," he called out, Anzu's card safely tucked away in the now empty deck holder on his side. "Let's start, Scott..!"

Scott, almost eerily enough, merely 'smiled' at that. He couldn't really tell if it was a smile or not actually- though the expression was close it seemed almost as though his face had forgotten how to do it properly, instead spitting out something from a horror movie. He was shaking as well, a low chuckle over the air...

Something that actually had Richie stiffen and step back with a pale and shocked expression on his face. "Let's go," he shouted, the common English phrase thankfully used enough in media just about everywhere for his opponent to know what he'd said. "DUEL!"

"I'll go first," Yugi announced, hand already prepared before his opponent could even speak. "And I summon the Toy Soldier!" The holographic monster appeared in a flash, though as Yugi looked over the card that had appeared behind it he blinked. The letters were unfamiliar, if only for a moment. He quickly realized their origin however. "...English..?"

"So that your opponent knows what you've played," Gekkou explained from behind, his friend turning to look back and listen. "The disk automatically detects the regional settings of the opponent's disk before compensating," he went on. "Scott's cards should read in Japanese to you."

Which meant they wouldn't have to understand each other's announced moves beyond standard phases... "Right..." That worked out he supposed... "I'll set one card face down and end my turn then," he decided, the hologram shimmering just behind the puppet-like soldier he had on the field. "Ah... 'Your move'..!"

"My turn," his opponent muttered, drawing his card almost as slow as he spoke. "...I set one card face down," Scott began, the combined mix of known phrases an appearing holograms 'translating' for his opponent. "Following that, Ibva Abductor!" E-Ehh! As quickly as he could read the card Yugi's opponent explained the effect, the boy swallowing as his holographic soldier began marching to the other end of the field. "By discarding one hand, I activate his special effect... Abduction." Abduct..? His eyes hurriedly skimmed the rest of the card, and he paled. Aaaaaaahh...-

Crap! "T-Toy Soldier," he found himself shouting, reaching out only to flinch as the monster raised his cork gun upward from the opponent's end. Oh shoot...

"The Soldier will do whatever IBVA does..." Scott explained, the words rendered somewhat redundant with the sight of the field. "...So... Let's go," he announced. "...Direct attack the player..!" Tch!

The monsters began to charge and even without the cue he realized what Scott had shouted. "Activate face down card," he announced, clicking the button on the disk as a wall of sand rose up between himself and the monsters. "The Field Spell 'Fortress of Sand'; allowing me to invalidate up to 3000 points of damage!" The two attacks tore enormous chunks from the fortress, both creatures returning to the opposite side of the field while Yugi peered through the castle's wall. Only 500 points were left after the strike...

He'd barely made it. "So the damage was passed to the field card... Very shrewd..." Scott muttered, his opponent attempting to pay the half-misunderstood words no mind for the moment. "...Hmm... ...Turn end..."

There... He'd said it! "My turn..!" The card he drew was looked over only a moment before he nodded to himself, grabbing two others from his hand. "I set two cards face down," he began, before taking the newest on he'd drawn. As the holograms appeared so to did a robed and armed 'child', an oversized sword sitting on his shoulder as he peered out from between a crack in his helm. "I then summon the Silent Swordsman Level 0! Turn end!"

His opponent nodded, eyes trained on the swordsman and on the card just behind it. At the moment, Scott would likely have realized the potential power the swordsman had- with the power he gained each standby phase, the swordsman would very soon become a threat after all. Scott would make his move in just a moment, he was sure... And with a chilled shiver he had a feeling that the cards he'd set would very soon come to use themselves. "Set another face down card on the field..." he began, the card appearing just as spirals of light began to surround the other monsters. "And I tribute both my monsters..." he continued, setting the next card as a fearsome grey creature rose up at his side, "Summoning this... The invader from the beyond... ZETA RELUCTANT!" Zeta-!

The card swung up but his eyes were trained on the monster itself, its holographic but nonetheless sharp teeth towering above him. The 'king of invaders'...

500 points of power would be invalidated from a direct attack, but that wouldn't be near enough with a battle from this thing..! "Scorch the Silent Swordsman," Scott snarled, the glow from Zeta's mouth telling him quite clearly what 'scorch' was. "Zeta Reluctant... ATTACK..! PLASMA BLASTER!"

From Zeta's jaws came a heated and glowing ray, charging forth with all the power of the sun. It came toward the swordsman, who hovered behind his sword, bracing himself... "Gh... Activate face down," he called, "Turn Jump!" Swirling light surrounded the swordsman in an instant, and with an enormous blade he cut through the attack with ease. By the effect of the spell they were three turns ahead now... Three levels and 1500 attack points..! "The Silent Swordsman levels up," Yugi continued with a swallow, blinking as the light in the room seemed to dim from around them. "And he counters..! Cut through the alien," he ordered, the monster charging with a nod. "And counter attack with the Silent Blade..!"

"Trap activate!" Ackkk..! The targeted monster vanished in a blast of light just as the blade threatened to strike, a metal device twinkling innocently behind it. In the resulting glare and immediate fade he found his vision filled with spots... Filled with nothing but darkness while he tried to make sense of his opponent's words. "Inter-dimensional Matter Transporter!" The blade slammed directly into the ground, sword digging a notch into it as Zeta reappeared to the side. Scott's eyes fell directly over the monster's face, and Yugi wondered just briefly if their eyes had actually met. But that couldn't be right, could it, he asked himself as Scott muttered something in English. To see the monsters as they were was rare enough... But to see more than your own..?

On the next turn he told himself, his swordsman jumping to his side of the field, Silent Swordsman would gain another level and another dose of power.

But something told him Scott had prepared for that. Yugi again swallowed as he stared ahead, eyes straining in the psychological darkness the blasts had forced on him. It was strange... By now his vision should have been clear, and he should have been able to see perfectly..! So what... "...Don't worry..." Scott murmured, cold eyes staring forward. His opponent looked up, and the teen continued. "...Look around..." W-What? Look around? (That was what he'd said, right?) Yugi stiffened as his attention was drawn to the room itself, his eyes having adjusted while distracted. Dark, he realized coldly. It was... "It's not an electrical failure," Scott continued, the only real word Yugi recognized being 'electric'. "The lights are going out... But don't worry..." his opponent assured him, streams of stardust and hovering planets beginning to appear around them. "Your eyes will get used to it..." Yugi again swallowed, bringing his eyes back as they fell on a card Scott now gestured to. 'Cosmic Space', it read. Field spell. So then... This was the void of space..! The boy's eyes widened as they read over the description, Scott's barely understood words sending a wave of fear over him. "Just before you activated your Turn Jump..." he explained stonily, "Cosmic Space activated... It overrode Fortress of Sand," he continued, Yugi just now noticing the vanished wall that had sat by his feet, "And each monster on the field was given a 'Life Star' for each level." The cards words, not that Yugi realized it, were effectively identical to what Scott was saying now. And as he looked toward his monster's card, a single star shining on the cover from its former four, he paled, immediately catching onto what the card and Scott both were telling him now.

"Our monsters lost three stars thanks to turn jump... And they lose one each time the opponent's turn ends. You won't survive long in the void of space," Scott sneered, his opponent slowly beginning to shake. "Once all stars are gone the monster is destroyed... Say 'Goodbye'," he taunted. "'Turn... End..." The star on the Swordsman's card faded, and with wide eyes the monster turned back. His hologram began to smoke and fade away, and though he never spoke...

'Sorry...' Swordsman... He was completely obliterated, this... This was...

"When you took Pegasus from us you left me with nothing... Allow me to do the same to you..." He didn't need to know English to catch the gist of that statement.

This battle, while he knew would be difficult, had just become much more challenging.

---

As distant sands finally faded from the back of his mind, Katsuya could hear voices.

"Wake up..." And now that he could hear these voices, he had a nasty feeling of dread developing in the back of his mind. Not because of what he necessarily felt for the moment (Oh god his HEAD!), but more what he was hearing specifically. "Jonouchi, wake up..."

"Wake up..."

"Get up..."

"Katsuya-nii..."

"Wake up..."

Like distant spirits the voices were faint, barely audible to his subconscious mind. They were far off and calling, reaching, pulling him forward, and the louder they grew the greater his dread became. This did not change the fact that they existed however, and the fact was that the last time he'd heard this...

Well, it hadn't been good. "Nggg..." Shit, he thought to himself, slowly fumbling and pulling himself up from where he'd managed to dizzily collapse upon the ground. "Crap..." It happened again.

"Ah, you're awake..!" Right down to Yugi being there to see damn it.

Katsuya's eyes blearily opened for the second time that day, hands either on the wall or on his head as he tried to stand up. "Damn... Th' hell hit me," he muttered wearily, only to blink when he spotted Yugi. Or rather, he noticed almost dully, the 'other' one. "...Ahhhh... Weren' you sittin' in th' back 'f th' puzzle or somethin'," he asked confusedly, the spirit merely shrugging in response.

The others blinked, the shortest of them frowning. "...Katsuya-nii..?"

Honda sighed, his friend briefly looking over to where Mokuba was eying Yugi's 'empty space' in narrow-eyed confusion. "We probably shouldn't ask," he muttered. "...Seems like a good idea to me at least..."

The look Honda received for his efforts was more or less expected really, given who he was talking to. "Errr..." Katsuya coughed, watching as the look, along with a fairly nervous one from Honda, were turned on him. Even the other Yugi seemed a little blank-faced actually- if only because he had that wide-eyed 'what's going to happen next' expression that was made even better by the fact that no one else could see him. "H-Hey Mokuba," Katsuya managed to wheeze out. "Ah... ...Abou' th' thing... Um..."

"The 'collapsing' thing," Honda quickly choked, giving his friend one last look before continuing on. "Probably just hungry, happens all the time!"

The others turned. "...What..." So... No seizures then? Just collapsing?

He again found himself coughing as Honda elbowed him, eyes narrowed. "Unless you want him worrying more," he hissed. Uh... That was a good point actually...

That was a very good point actually, ahh... "You still haven't told me why you collapsed..! And the elbow thing was pretty obvious," he grumbled, crossing his arms with a scowl.

Actually yea, it was. Errrrr... "Like Honda said," he told the boy, rubbing his head with a laugh. "Jus' a dizzy spell, y' know? Been duelin' all ev'ning!"

Mokuba seemed to jump at that, eyebrows shooting upward. "Oh yea, I was going to ask about that..." He quickly scowled, looking toward the dueldisk. "That's not your dueldisk," the boy began, Katsuya briefly wondering if that point was really relevant right now. "And should you really be doing this against card professors after what happened in Battle City? I mean..." He closed his mouth, gaining a fairly uncomfortable look of unease at the thought of the event.

"Tha'..." Well... It was a close call with the mantises, but... Hey, whatever right! "I'll be fine," he laughed, waving a hand. "Honest!"

"But... It's not a game any more!" he protested, a thick scowl set into his face. What... The others stared, false grins and comforting smiles fading with the growing silence. "Katsuya-nii... Nee-sama's really worried about you," he continued weakly, shaking his head. "Why do you think she even left to begin with?" Wh..

"What..."

"...What?" Damn it Yugi, not now.

The boy sighed, turning as he looked toward the next door. "Well... I don't really know what she thinks completely but... She used your first name you know," he whispered, the eyes of those listening widening even more.

She... She used... "WHAT-" Honda exclaimed, only for a hand to cover his mouth. "MNM!"

"Shh," Katsuya hissed, before turning back to Mokuba. "...She... She used m' firs' name?"

Perhaps it was the sheer shock in his voice, but Mokuba's unease seemed to completely vanish with the question. "Heheheee..." He grinned. "Yep! She keeps slipping with it and correcting herself when people notice! It's hilarious! But even so," he went on with a frown. "I'm not the only one who wants you to stay alive, got it..? ...So tell me why you really collapsed!" Why he really- AAAAAAGH-

Looks like he hadn't forgotten about that one, crap! Katsuya grimaced, briefly turning to meet the gaze of a more spiritual friend. "...Well," he asked 'expectantly', gesturing to Mokuba. "Go on then, I'd like to know too you know."

"Yea, but I almos' wonder who want's t' know more," he muttered, ignoring the sputtered 'OI!' from behind. Katsuya sighed, looking back to his friend. How to start... Well... "...Mokuba... Abou' th' duelin' stuff..."

"If it's not exhaustion," the boy cut in, biting his lip, "At least tell me why you won't say... Please?"

More awkward silence came as a result"...Because this won' happen again," Katsuya responded. "I promise yah on m' life, it won' happen again."

"...That doesn't tell me anything," Yugi muttered with a scowl.

"Nope," he answered with a whispered smirk, expression quickly replaced with the serious one yet again as Honda turned.

"...Jonouchi," he whispered, taking considerable care to keep out of earshot of Mokuba this time.. "Hate to say it, but... How the hell can you promise that to him," he asked.

There was no response for the moment, Katsuya's eyes resting on Mokuba as the boy stared back. The lack of conversation didn't matter in this case- it was trust that was key. Trust, faith... And while Mokuba seemed to narrow his eyes, studying the expression on the blond's face he eventually sighed. "...Alright," he said quietly, looking to the ground and taking a deep breath. "Okay. But... Katsuya-nii," he added with a stern frown. "If you do anything stupid that makes nee-sama upset-"

"More than usual y' mean," he cut in with a grin.

The boy huffed. "Mnnnn... You know what I mean!" he growled, ignoring the awkward cough from the side. "Just don't do it..!"

"I won't, I won't," he laughed, moving on to walk toward the next door. "Wasn' plannin' on it ev'n without th' warning!"

"I don't think anyone would..."

"That would certainly be the wiser option." Hahahaha...

What the hell were they trying to say dammit. "ANYways," he shouted, cutting any other mumbles of obvious 'rules', "There's somewhere we're s'pposed t' be righ'?"

"Right... Actually, about that," the other Yugi coughed, only briefly taking Katsuya's attention. "You see, apparently you can't get to the top floor from here, and..."

"Eh, we weren' headin' up," he told the ghost, Mokuba raising an eyebrow.

"Um... What was that," he asked, the answer filled in before Katsuya could even open his mouth.

"Yea... Did we mention that the 'other Yugi' can apparently float around now, unseen to many unsuspecting innocents," Honda asked sarcastically. The somewhat upset 'smirk' faded, and he shrugged. "He's talking to him now- that or 'our' Yugi," he added, the spirit in question giving his friend an unseen look.

"Unsuspecting innocents..?"

"Awwwww, he's just sore cause he can't see 'm," Katsuya laughed, throwing an arm around Honda's shoulders.

"You're talking to thin air," he protested through a groan. "That's not 'sore' that's creeped out, idiot!"

"Why are we going downstairs in the first place," asked the 'other' Yugi, a slight frown on his face. "Aibou is fighting as we speak... Why would you stop before you even knew where the door was..?"

For a moment Katsuya paused, simply turning to the spirit with a smirk that managed to freeze a look of confusion on his fading friend's face. "B'cause," he responded. "...Tha's where Anzu'll be."

How he knew, none of the others asked- by this point... It was almost expected that Katsuya simply 'knew' about certain things. But those words alone were enough for the ghost to nod and vanish from sight completely evidently, and when the blond looked back the spirit was gone. There was nothing to worry about here for him after all.

It was time to focus on what happened above.

---

Space.

A vast and expansive vacuum that held more death than it likely did life, and yet it was filled with wondrous visions such as distant stars and galaxies, planets of variant size and form, all glittering or glowing far off in the distant if they were visible at all...

And 'space' was what would destroy him if he didn't find a solution soon. Across from him, Scott was chuckling, muttering something in English. He had a feeling he could guess at what he was saying though, despite never really paying attention in class. Probably mentioning how he had no monsters...

How it was his turn, and how he was 'waiting'... "Gh..." Even if he summoned a high-level monster, he wouldn't be able to remove the limited time it would have on the field... The battle's favor had changed completely- where he'd held the advantage, it was almost completely gone. So in that case... "One card face down," he decided, the hologram flashing beside his previously set card. "Next, the Toy Magician in Defense Mode!" Similarly modeled to the soldier the magician arose, block-like puppet limbs gripping a staff tightly in his hand. With a clacking noise the monster looked back to its summoner, before nodding- evidently, though it could not speak, it was more than willing to pass along its own form of greeting.

"Hmph." Across from him Scott snorted, expression yet unchanged. "So all you can do is... Summon small fry monsters..." All he recognized was 'small' and 'monsters' in that sentence...

...Somehow, he could still guess at what his opponent said regardless though, and all it did was make him feel even more uneasy. "...End turn," he managed to announce, swallowing as he fixed a competitive glare toward his opponent. "Your move."

His opponent merely nodded, drawing his next card. "Hn. ...Summon another monster..." he decided, the form of an almost cloth like creature framed in bone coming into Yugi's sight. It's skull head sat upon the very center, and four stars swirled upon the curtain. "Lyra the Giver... His special effect," Scott explained, his opponent reading his very words from the card on the field, "Is to give another monster his lifestars..." Give the other monster... Oh no..! "I'm going," Scott announced, Yugi taking in a deep breath. Zeta only had two stars left, but if Scott gave him all of Lyra's..! "Zeta attacks..." the teen called out, a blast of light heading directly toward the Magician on the field. "PLASMA BLASTER!"

"Trap activate," he countered in panic, "Toy Box!" As Scott's face twisted just slightly in confusion he sighed, watching as the Magician he had on the field vanished into the box that came in his place. "He's safe for now," he continued, almost partially to himself. The blast of plasma rolled over the box completely while the face on its side grimaced. And in the aftermath the most that happened was his Magician propping the lid open to pull a few faces at his opponent's monster, blowing wooden, blocky raspberries at them from afar. "No attacks can reach the monsters in the Toy Box," Yugi shouted clearly, narrowing his eyes. "Nor can the effects of your spell..! I'll place one more monster in the toy box for now," he continued, slipping a facedown card beneath the spell. "So what will you do now?"

As Scott stared in silence the boy found his gaze drifting down toward what was in his hand, an uneasy chill again passing over him. The only thing he had in his hand now was Polymerization. There were no monsters at all let alone high level ones available to him right now, and in 'space' this could mean death. And if he didn't get anything now, he could very well be left defenseless, wasting the other monsters in the box. So... "My turn ends..." his opponent decided, free arm limp at his side. "...Draw your card..." Tch...

Alright then! "My turn," he called out, pulling his next card. And it was... … "Nnh..." It was a high-level monster, true. But not powerful enough to combat Zeta. Even so... "I return one monster from the Toy Box to the field," he announced, the small tank he'd moved there from his hand appearing on the field. "Next... I offer this monster as sacrifice to summon this! The Dark-Red Enchanter!"

The monster appeared in a swirl of red, helm shadowing his eyes as he looked forward. Across from him however, his opponent merely laughed; though whatever he said went misunderstood after all, it was obvious that he'd only done this with need for a shield. The Enchanter was just barely under the power of Zeta...

So with a bit lip, he continued. "The Enchanter enters defense mode," he called out, switching the card and watching as the monster braced itself for attack. He had a card that could add power but this wasn't the time- Lyra would still be there and Zeta's effect would summon two tokens primed for sacrifice- he couldn't risk it. "End turn..!"

And with that, Zeta had no life-stars left... While his opponent seemed to quake with rage. "...You... Hesitated..." he hissed, fist clenching as the monster behind him smoked from existence and into two separate monsters. "You didn't attack... ...So this is all that 'this' Yugi is capable of then..?" he snarled, the boy merely flinching under the combined force of Scott's glare and his harsh and foreign comments. "I'll summon something different... Something better than your half-assed monster..." he continued, moving the cards as the just summoned tokens began to fade again. "Watch... I sacrifice my two tokens to summon this.. The monster whose greed becomes his life-blood," Scott sneered. "GREED QUASAR!"

The monster that appeared looked almost like a skull, an enormous triangular skull with a pointed horn- its true head- poking from the top. Bone-like arms hung from beneath the top points of the triangle, and in the very center a row of razor sharp teeth sat beneath the 'eyes' of the beast. And as Scott now explained, the card doing the same, Quasar's power was not predetermined. It was calculated by the number of lifestars in its possession, multiplied by 300. Currently, he had 2100 points of power. But now...

"...Activate Lyra's effect..." Scott called, a shower of stars soaring from the black curtain and around Quasar's body. "Giving two of Lyra's stars to Quasar..." Which meant that Lyra had two turns left... And Quasar had six hundred more attack points..! "Lets go... Greed Quasar's attack," he roared, clawed hands flexing in the air as power grew around them. "DEVOUR HIM!" Devour-

Wait, what! The hologram's hands shot forward, and with wide and horrified eyes Yugi watched as they coiled around his now struggling enchanter. As though electrified by some hidden power the formerly invisible details of the attacking monster could be seen. The yellowed hue of the bone that formed it, the faded and nauseating colour of stretching sinews forming its arms... With a sickening crack the Quasar's jaw opened, Yugi only able to stiffen and pale with shock and fear both. The monster's 'eyes' now glowed with power, and from the back of its throat could be seen a deep abyss...

But Quasar didn't wait to swallow the monster whole. Instead, with an echoing crunch it bit down on the midsection and shoulders of the trapped Enchanter... Tossing the remaining limbs into his mouth as Yugi's eyes somehow widened further than they already had. "Eaten," he managed to whisper. "He was... E... Eaten..." And what was worse...

If what the card said was right... "Greed Quasar's effect activates," Scott announced, his monster snarling before it reverted to it's 'dead' appearance. "He absorbs the lifestars of all he defeats... He now has 14 stars," he continued, his opponent literally shaking in his shoes. "His attack power... ...Is 4200...!" F-Forty... Two hundred... "It doesn't matter what trash you summon..." Scott spat. "Your servants will all fall into the Quasar's maw..." He...

He didn't even know what he was saying, just stop..! "This isn't good," Gekkou muttered, his own eyes wide with horror as well. "Even if it decreases each turn, the power is still more than enough to blast through a shield... And by absorbing the stars of those shields..."

Space... Space wasn't a place meant for monsters like this, he found himself thinking, unaware of how similar the thought was to his opponent's words at that moment. It just wasn't possible, to win in this situation..! Scott cackled from in front of him, expression almost as demonic as his monster's own. He'd only done this because Anzu was there, because he had to fight for her, he had to...

"Are you going to call him," Scott asked, his opponent looking up in confusion. "...The other Yugi?" 'Oth-' Other? He was asking about the other him..? The boy swallowed, and Scott continued. "I heard... That in Pegasus' Duelist Kingdom finals... You fought with another personality... Another Yugi," he continued, Yugi himself only barely piecing together what he heard. "Switch," he ordered, shaking his head in disgust. "I know your level and I'm done with you... Switch out, now- at least then... I'll have my vengeance for Pegasus..." That... That...

He looked down, closing his eyes. 'Switch'. Scott knew of the spirit in the puzzle and now he wanted him to switch out. He was losing- and Scott wanted to test himself against a bigger challenge. And as it seemed, just as he'd silently wondered during the tournaments in the past, he really wasn't of 'competitive' level. It was all...

It was all... "Aibou," he heard someone call, head snapping up to attention before sinking down in a daze. "Aibou," his other self repeated, appearing before him and blocking sight of the opponent across the field. "...Are you alright," the other Yugi asked, his lighter half unable to meet his gaze for long.

"...Other me," he mentally whispered, head bowed yet again. "I..."

His other-self stared, before nodding and placing a strong hand on the boy's shoulder. "It's alright," he told him, the sensation of displacement coming over Yugi as his body was occupied by the spirit of the puzzle. "I understand." Under-

Ah..! "Other me," he protested nervously, appearing at the side in a haze. "I... It... I'm not... I just..."

"Hnhnhnhn..." He shook his head, eying the boy with a smile. "Don't worry... Just watch," he whispered, turning back to the field. Scott had, for a moment, done nothing but taunt them in English. Unlike the lighter half of the pair, he would have to focus on more than just lessons to glean what he was saying.

But Yugi's memories were enough for his other to know what had to be done. "So," he called out, the smile on his face becoming a dark and challenging smirk. "You think my partner and I are weak, do you?" As Scott's face momentarily fell, the smirk grew. "Listen close, understand? My partner is a thousand times more the duelist you will ever be... And he doesn't need my help to destroy you!"

"What was that...!" While Scott tensed the spirit of Yugi's lighter half stared, turning to his partner with wide eyes.

"O-Other me..!"

The boy ignored him, merely watching as Scott continued. "I can only guess that you're 'angry'," he muttered, expression unchanging. "Coming out all this way... To find your other half's spirit is already broken... He's lost his will to fight..." he spat bitterly, "And it's obvious... You, the 'other' Yugi, should fight me instead..." 'Other'?

As the other Yugi gleaned his partner's mind he realized immediately what their opponent was talking about and chuckled. "Hnhnhn... Is that so," he murmured, shaking his head before pointing forward with a smirk. "I already told you- he doesn't need my help! He has a partner in this duel, but it isn't me this time... Prepare yourself," he continued, forcing himself back out of control with a challenging grin. "You haven't seen anything yet..!"

"What..!"

Meeting Scott's momentarily confused gaze were not the eyes of the 'other Yugi' now- instead, with courage renewed and wide eyes set with determination, it was again the one Scott had started the duel against.

"So," he muttered with narrowed eyes. "I'm stuck with you then..." If what Scott had said was concerning the fact that he wouldn't fight the other Yugi then he was right- he wouldn't.

Because he had told the other Yugi, told Gekkou, told everyone that he would fight. That he would fight in order to save Anzu and stop Yakou's plan- and if he turned back now, then it would be as though he never even tried. No matter what, he assured himself. No matter what, he had to fight..!

And Scott, who was now making his move, seemed to realize this. "If that's the case," he was snarling, mannerisms almost reminding his opponent of the Battle City match with Kaiba, "This is where you lose..! I play one card face down," Scott announced as the hologram flashed into being, "And then end my turn... After I'm done with you," he continued, narrowing his eyes, "I'll drag your 'other self' out myself... And I'll destroy you both..! Now..!"

"My turn," Yugi cried, drawing his next card as he attempted to pay the half-understood words no mind. His other self was still behind him, watching... 'You put that deck together on your own,' he was telling him. 'These monsters are yours, and only yours. They, and the cards you built this deck with, will be your partner for this duel!' Right... And now, as he looked over the card in his hand... He had a way to finish this. "I play one card face down, and then end my turn," he announced, swallowing uneasily. He knew that with what he had now he could win...

But the moves that would be made to do so would do more than just hurt 'a little'. "One card face down on an empty field..." Scott observed, narrowing his eyes. "Not even a high level monster to defend yourself... Pathetic..." Gh... He had to get the opponent that couldn't speak Japanese didn't he? "My turn," the teen went on, drawing his next card. Again, the teen was muttering under his breath, Yugi left with nothing but wild guesses as to what he was saying. Scott's eyes seemed to flicker over his traps only briefly- likely to contemplate what possible issues could arise from the cards across him, but just as quickly he moved on. "Let's finish this," he growled, pointing the enormous monster behind him forward. "I summon Eva Epsilon in attack mode," he began, an odd triangular creature with almost lobster-like claws coming to the field. "And now... ...I begin my battle phase! GREED QUASAR," Scott roared, his opponent bracing himself with the monster's name. "Attack," he cried, "With PROMINENCE NAPALM!"

Here it came...! The alien demon's mouth cracked open yet again, and despite its holographic form he could see the fires gathering in its mouth. They shot across the field with all the force of the very name behind it, and as he stumbled back beneath it he choked and coughed on the 'solid' light that had blown through to his lungs. "GGGH- ...Hhaaaah... Ahhh..." Four hundred points was all he had left now, but even as he fell shakily to one knee it was worth it. His eyes seemed almost dead to the field with the shock his body was in- as though the game itself was berating him for how stupid it was to take such a direct hit.

"Y-Yugi-san," Gekkou called out, taking a step forward before stopping himself in his tracks. The boy was breathing raggedly, body even seeming to steam in the face of the incredible attack. "Yugi-san..!"

And amid it all, his opponent simply laughed. "Hnhnhn... HnhnHAHAHAAA! I don't believe it," he howled, eyes wide with cruel and even frightening mirth. "You took the attack dead on..! HnhnHAAAA!" The laughter slowly died off, and with a look of triumphant rage Yugi's opponent continued with his play. "This... This is it...!" Scott roared, pointing his final monster forward just as Yugi tapped a key on his duel disk. "Eva Epsilon attacks as well..! GO-"

Now...

-clack-

As the boy slowly rose to his feet the Toy Box on the field smoked and faded from sight, replaced by the glowing Toy Magician. The staff blocked Epsilon's clawed 'hand' with ease- and after getting over his initial shock, Scott's mild disgust was more than evident. "So," he muttered, eyes filled with distaste. "The Toy Magician finally comes out from his hiding place..." Yes...

He did. And, standing up with shaking legs, Yugi pointed his monster forward to continue with his move. "Hah... The Toy Magician counters," he shouted weakly, the mage in question swinging Epsilon's claw from his staff before taking aim with the same device. "Now... BLOCK DEMOLITION!"

Lines began to appear over Epsilon's body from the point where Toy Magician's staff connected with his skull. They began to crack, click... And in a single burst the monster broke into puzzle pieces, each one smoking away as Scott's points dropped by an almost minimal amount. "Gh..." With the attack finished Yugi told himself, the other card could now activate. These were the final moments... Whatever words Scott shouted now were useless- He heard the name of his monster, along with the name of Greed Quasar but it was all useless, and as Scott's eyes fell on the Magician who was now well equipped for battle he frowned. "...What's he doing," he muttered, watching as the magician clenched his fists and began to shake and glow. "Shaking... You're not going to tell me he's shaking with anger... Because I wounded his master are you..?" He couldn't answer that question unfortunately- he didn't even know what he'd said.

But that didn't mean he couldn't speak at all, and with narrowed eyes and a cold tone he steadied himself for what was next. "I activated my face down card," he announced, gesturing to the hologram as Scott paled.

"That... But that card is..!"

"The Trap Equip card, 'Fit of Rage'," Yugi unknowingly finished, his Magician gripping his staff and taking aim. "With the effects of this card, the Toy Magician gains as many attack points as I lost in life points this turn... Giving him a total of 5200!" he continued, his own fists clenched as his opponent stared. "We'll stop you," he shouted determinedly, voice echoing through the room. "Even if you burn us to nothing but ashes, even if you kill us now, we WILL save Anzu!"

"Will you now," Scott asked, evidently able to understand his opponent perfectly despite not speaking a word of it the entire time. "...That equip card is nothing..." he continued with narrowed eyes. "When I end this turn... The Toy Magician's added attack will drop by half... Leaving him with a mere 3400 points... And to contrast," he continued, opponent's eyes drawn to the holographic card on the field, "The defeated Eva Epsilon's effect now activates... Leaving Greed Quasar with 14 lifestars. Even at the end of this turn, with only 13," Scott laughed, "He'll still have 3900 attack points... Your puny monster's rage isn't worth a thing," he sneered. "And there is nothing that can save you now..."

Who knew what Scott had just told him- even if he understood, he wasn't listening. Instead, he could hear his other half's voice in the back of his mind, the spirit having almost painfully been blown away by the previous attack. "Aibou," he called out, a confident and assuring stare 'visible' even from behind. The spirit had not yet reappeared from the puzzle's depths, but his voice was more than clear enough for him to hear. "Your monster's rage... It hasn't been completely spent just yet!"

He nodded. "Exactly..!" "Now," he called aloud, activating the final trap. "Activate trap... Strike Back! This card," he announced, watching as Scott's expression went white with horror, "Allows me to conduct my battle phase during your turn..! The Toy Magician is still enraged," Yugi shouted almost coldly. "And he's going to attack with all 5200 points of that anger! NOW," he ordered, the monster's staff glowing as he charged forward, "BLOCK DEMOLITION!"

As the Greed Quasar crumbled to pieces Scott was rendered silent in shock. He didn't move, even to blink, and before anyone could speak the time for his turn had passed. The enormous 'demon' of space had fallen...

With plenty of 'lifestars' to spare for the finisher. "It's my turn now," Yugi announced in regard to that, his opponent still completely motionless. "And the Toy Magician attacks directly... Go!" he ordered, the monster's attack point drop still more than enough to finish off the game. There was no need to announce an attack this time- all the Magician did was bring his staff down upon Scott's brow, an eerie after image of a separating and block-like hologram snapping over the teen's form before leaving the real body to crumble onto the ground at his knees. The duel was over. It was...

It...

It was as though a wave of shock washed over him at that moment. As the 'space' field faded to bring back the nearly blinding light of the room, and the remaining cards vanished with the Toy Magician, he found himself in shock. He knew during the match he would win. He had to, for Anzu's sake after all..! But now...

As a grin slowly broke over his face, Yugi's other half smiled from behind him. "Congratulations Aibou," he said clearly, moving to stand at his side. "You did it!" Yea... He had...

And this time, it wasn't a carpet duel in his house, or a desk-top battle with Jonouchi. This was a tournament level fight. And rather than watch from the sidelines while his partner fought with all he had...

He'd done it himself.

---

AN: Alright, before I go nuts, a BIG sorry about timing... I seem to be apologizing about that a lot, so I'm going to just say that I won't likely hold the regular 'once a week' update schedule. I mean... School hasn't even started yet.

As to the reason however, it's actually kind of pathetic... But I'm at the point where there aren't really any Yugioh R chapters online- this means I'm using the ones I took out from the library for my reference, which unfortunately means I type the duels really slowly, since I have to basically type out the script, and then type out the chapter with that and the RAW pages available for reference. Sooooo yea, lots of slow-ness!

Also I give up on making excuses on the lack of art damn it. (Stupid freaking blocks...)

Any ways, if you haven't guessed, this is one of the chapters I had to do the double reference for- and that was only for the last of four chapters in the duel. Gives you an idea on just how long that takes... Of course... Now that I'm back in BC at my family's house I actually have to have a life of sorts... (Actually went on a day long hike the other day to Cruickshanks Canyon. Ab. Solutely. Gorgeous.)

But this is fanfiction! No place for things like that! (Or is it?) Final note before we move on, but another thing slowing me down is that I fiiiiinally got a solid idea on my novel plot, so I'll be working on that a lot. Now... This idea (admittedly) spawned from something fan related, SO! After going over it with a friend of mine, I'll be typing out the fanfiction rendition first.

This will not be put online until I am certain that I can either continue typing both it and this fanfic at a steady pace, or this fanfic is done and I can still type the story at a steady pace.

Of course, as with all my plans you never know; I could just end up posting that one on the side when I have the time. (Skin will still hold total focus when it comes to things not involving Real Life.)

NOW THEN! Before I ramble even MORE off topic...

Anonymous Review Responses

Baaahaha! Short festivities there Imadork!

And... I don't know, but it really feels like it. For all I know, it's because the best duelists are all connected to their decks, and this makes them crazy or something. Who knows!

And it really does... When you get to the serious side it also tells you what they're used to/where they came from, but still. Very amusing that scene was.

Concerning Keith, I'm going to go on a limb and say yes; Keith either managed to trick his brain into thinking it got shot in the head, or he actually did it. The fact is... I'm pretty sure there's blood in that panel of the manga.

Regardless, the least that would have happened would have involved brain death sooooo...

-cough- Anyways! It's not so much vague as now I'm wondering how far I'll go on it... The contest prize is a flat colour after all. Regardless, I am doing my best to get my ideas going on it, so sit tight for now! It WILL get done!

I know you miss it Maggiemay, but I have to pace it right you know! (It makes it that much more sweeter when I get there though, doesn't it?)

But soon indeed; it'll most assuredly pick up a bit of pace after this arc ends. (I say end because, as Jou has likely made obvious already... He and Seto won't be crossing paths until Tenma's defeat.)

And hey, if it's work that's in the way then don't sweat it- reviews are great, but work is important, and much more so!

I hope you found this next chapter a nice read too, hehe~

He really does, doesn't he Iona...

And yet again, a good point. Reiko isn't actually odd so much as just a very nervous girl really. And I think everyone would want a kid-brother Mokuba. Everyone.

In any case, enjoy the update, and I'll see you next chapter!

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Usagi's Manga & Japan Guide/Corner

The section that suddenly realized it should probably start planning the Holidays/Breather arc instead of planning the one after it.

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Today's chapter is titled 'Nokriy', which means 'Alien'... But obviously not in the 'extra terrestrial' sense. After all, 'Alien' is also a term for 'Foreigners'... So really, it's a double meaning chapter today!

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In the manga, Seto actually slammed Yakou in the face with the briefcase. But... FFSeto didn't have the briefcase with her. So hence the incredible use of a fist, which I'm sure Kaiba would have done in the event that there wasn't a briefcase anyway.

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If you haven't guessed, Seto REALLY doesn't like when people use her first name without permission guys! I do believe Yakou has crossed the line not once but three times...

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By the way, a bit of a hint... If people are speaking with the surname last, that's a pretty good hint that they're all speaking English. However, if it's the reverse, we're using our standard Japanese. Italics on the otherhand, typically mean a language that only a few can understand- so it's used not only for 'spirit speak' but also when a language other than Japanese is being used... A lot.

Like it was here.

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No seriously guys, how the fuck did Tenma know all that stuff! That was canon. That was in the manga, and it's creeping me out..!

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If you haven't guessed, 'Chouji' (Or 'Great Child') is... Well, favoured child. Quite literally the favored kid. Gekkou's basically getting at the fact that not everyone Pegasus looked out for got equal treatment...

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Ossan is actually a Japanese term for uncle or grandpa depending on the pronunciation, but in many cases it's also used the same way 'old man' would be... In regard to insults.

...I'm not... Completely sure why Richie used it, but it was probably to catch everyone off guard. (In other words, I didn't want to cut it, but at the same time...)

Ohhhh, and if you haven't guessed, there's lots of beating the crap out of people in this arc for once. More than the non-VR related arcs before it at least...

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And I should think 'underdog duelist' is an obvious title for someeeeeeoneeeeeeeeee... (Given that Jou made fourth/third place without a God card...)

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Scott (Depre and Merced are the codes now if you didn't guess) has a really weird manner of speech in the manga... He seems to have a really slow voice, or... Something. Because seriously, if you thought I went crazy with the '...' fun...

WOW. THIS GUY.

Any ways, despite the fact that it's actually quite likely that Scott knows Japanese (and is far more likely to out of... EVERYONE ELSE), I have him speaking English the entire time... This is partially because I should at least once before we hit say... The Doma arc, address the language gap, and also because Scott's actually using it as an intimidation ploy. Sure he's still saying things that make sense (partially because it gets a visible response from anyone who can understand, thereby making Yugi even more uneasy...), but because Yugi doesn't have a clue what those things are, it's actually a very effective psychological ploy.

(I'll admit that I miiiight have gotten carried away with it though.)

Ironically, there was actually another duel entirely in English earlier; Kaiba VS Willa was spoken completely in that language.

---

If you notice in the scene with Jou, it both is and isn't as awkward as the last time. Now this is in part because it wasn't nearly as violent; Jonouchi didn't collapse into a seizure, he pretty much just took a step, trembled, groped for the wall, and fell. In other words, he did the same thing any of you would if you did nothing more than stand up too fast! So really, it seems only semi-serious.

Also, while Honda is a little more worried (Partially because he really knows what kind of messes Jou's been through, so other than the typical worried friend fun, he's also scared shitless in the face of something that worries Jonouchi when even crowds of gang mooks didn't.), Mokuba is exibting a little thing called 'trust'.

He trusts that whatever this is Jou isn't detailing that he'll take care of it. That Jou will tell him if it's something that he needs help with- and that he'll know what to say and what not to say when it comes to his sister.

---

And speaking of Honda, it seems that Fanfic!Honda has gained the trait of getting incredibly sarcastic and snarky when he's nervous or afraid... Though really, this is only a notch higher than during the Noa arc, and we really haven't had too much interaction between these two since... Wow. Ages.

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When Gekkou says 'by your country' he refers, of course, to the 'seat method'. Not exactly a 'non-Japan' deal, you know? Typically, the top is the 'first seat'... In fact, anyone who watches Bleach will notice that the one directly below the 'Vice-Captain' is the Third seat. Captain = First, Vice = Second after all.

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Speaking of languages, there are obviously lots of phrases in the Duel Monster's game that use English regardless of the language... So really... With the holograms in mind, bilingual duels are quite possible in this realm.

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There's an interesting panel in this duel when the Swordsman attacks Scott- they actually give each other quite the challenging look..! Which has me... Really wondering about things myself...

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No really- Scott snubs Yugi for not attacking when his monster was weaker. Whaaaaat..?

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And speaking of characters knowing what they shouldn't...

How does Scott know about the other Yugi? (What is this madness..!)

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If you haven't guessed, Yugi's sight for his own monsters 'jumped' as a result of the physical contact. Not that anyone enjoyed that...

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Also, Scott seems to call monsters 'servants' and I'm not really sure why...

---

There's a lot to be said for this ending I believe. Yugi never really has, after all, dueled in the tournaments save a few moments against Pegasus. In the manga, the only other time he takes part in a completely plot related duel is during the Millennium World against Bakura, and then the Ceremonial Battle. His one other shot comes from the anime- Doma, and that one wasn't 'really' him anyway!

So for Yugi, this is pretty much the first time he goes in there 'guns blazing' so to speak. It's his first time fighting someone other than a friend, the first time he's dueling for a purpose other than to practice or have fun. And these sorts of things don't strike you until after the fact... It's a very heavy/light feeling all at once- like you've just been drained.

As it is, this is a huge step toward Yugi gaining his 'true' confidence so to speak... The thing that proves, when the time comes, that the other Yugi can move on without any regrets. After all- the spirit of the puzzle appeared, initially, only when Yugi himself felt considerably threatened.

I'll just leave you all with that- hopefully, I can get my manga from the library and have the next chapter up soon..! Until then...

Enjoy the chapter!