Episode 25: Clash of the Yami's
It was a very strange, unnatural situation the group had found themselves in. Just a few hours ago, they arrived to check in on Bakura at his apartment after hearing that he was not feeling well. When he invited them in, they were not aware that they had fallen into a trap by the 'other Bakura'. What started out as a fun game of Monster World, turned into a challenge of survival where their souls would be on the line. First Miho was transferred into her doll avatar, which was when everyone realized how serious the situation was. Honda soon followed, then Jounouchi, finally it was Yugi and Anzu. Once all five of them were trapped in their figures, 'Bakura' believed that he had won. After all, without anyone to roll the dice for the adventures, they would have practically forfeited the game. What 'Bakura' didn't calculate in his plan was for the 'other Yugi' to have possessed Yugi's body and take over for the adventures. Now, it was 'Yugi' against 'Bakura'. The adventures vs. the Monster Master. If 'Yugi' wins, he would be able to set everyone free. However, if 'Bakura' wins, they would all remain trapped and he would claim the Millennium Puzzle as his prize.
As of now, all of the characters were shaking with fear and fright as they were physically in the game as their avatars. The Monster Master Zorc was approaching them, towering over them as his built body showed how much more powerful he was compared to the five. They quaked as the final boss was stepping towards them, ready to wipe them all out and be done with this game. They wondered what to do, how they would be able to take care of this threat and escape alive.
As they screamed, Honda turned around in the hopes of finding a solution. That was when he noticed something forming in the sky. "Hey, look up there!" He shouted. Everyone turned to the reddened sky above them, seeing some shadows dance around until a figure was finally formed. The confident and determined face of the 'other Yugi' appeared to them, looking down upon them as he watched.
Anzu's eyes were wide as she saw the other half of her childhood friend, the one who had helped them with the final levels of Ultimate G.A.M.E and who had been saving them from all of those criminals and bad people this whole time. "Is that… the other Yugi?"
Jounouchi was confused by the appearance of 'Yugi', but realized something once he looked over at his friends' figure. "Of course! Since Yugi's soul is trapped in this game world, the other Yugi must have filled in so he can fight Bakura." So that was the plan Yugi had. For him to come into the game world in order for his other half to take over. That way, they would have been in better hands with someone who was on par with 'Bakura'. After all, he was the true game master between the two Yugi's.
Honda, who had no true idea what was going on, was willing to go through with this plan as it seemed like their best bet of getting out of this nightmare. "Other Yugi, we're counting on you! We're putting our lives in your hands, so help us defeat Zorc!" Honda raised up his sword, showing that he was prepared to fight no matter what.
'Yugi' gave a nod as he heard everything Honda said. "Yeah," he promised.
Yugi looked up, finally seeing his other half face to face. So that was what he looked like, aside from the eye shape and a difference in highlights of the hair, they really did seem like the same person. No wonder people didn't seem to notice that Yugi wasn't himself. Come to think of it, this was their first time officially meeting one another. Yugi had so many questions, but knew that now was not the right time. Oddly enough, it was satisfying knowing that he could now say that he faced his other half, and got to see him in person. Even so, he wondered what he would be like in terms of actions. He would have to hope that 'Yugi' would be able to get him and his friends out of this mess.
The small monster that Yugi had turned into an ally, also appeared confused as he stared up at the other man who was controlling the adventures now. "There are two masters?"
"Yeah," 'Yugi' answered as he looked down at the other one. "You ended up putting your own life at risk in order to fight alongside your friends. Because of that courage, it brought the two of us together. You have my word, I will fight for you guys." 'Yugi' promised. The other Yugi gave a nod and small smile, believing in his other half. If there was anyone that could get them back to normal, it was him. "So everyone, please lend me your power! Do not fear nor panic, as we are powered by our united forces." That was his final piece of advice before his face melted into the sky, disappearing all together. Yugi and the others watched him go, surprised but knew that they weren't fighting alone.
'Bakura' watched their interactions from the other side of the board. He merely observed them, taking what he was seeing to strategize for what he will be doing next. 'So this is the one who lives inside of the Millennium Puzzle.' He thought to himself, looking at 'Yugi' who was now the one controlling the adventures. He should have figured that there was someone else in control of the Puzzle, it would explain the sudden spike in confidence Yugi had during his last two matches at the G.A.M.E Tower and when he defeated the Kaiba brothers. This 'other Yugi' was the cause behind it all, and the one who was throwing off his plans.
'Yugi' looked over at 'Bakura', his eyes slightly wavering in pure determination. He knew what he had to do, even though it would not be easy. 'I will definitely save my friends! In order to do that, I have to defeat Zorc and free their spirits from inside their dolls.' He crossed his arms over his chest, putting up a front as he did not take his eyes away from 'Bakura'. "Let's continue this game." He urged.
"Very well. Since everyone else is trapped, you will be in charge of rolling the dice and moving everyone's pieces." 'Bakura' explained, adjusting to this new factor. "However, if the player's health points end up going down to zero, then your friends will die in the real world and become permanent residents in the game."
Upon hearing that, 'Yugi' now knew how serious this was. If he remembered correctly, Anzu had 18 HP, Yugi had 22, Jounouchi's HP was 25, Honda's was 23 and Miho was down to 15 HP. And since they were all level one and it would be a while until they reached a new one before facing Zorc, there was no way to recover their HP with no items they had. 'Yugi' needed to play this out with a strategy rather than just blindly rushing in. After all, the pieces he was using were his actual friends, meaning that if anything happens to them they will suffer. 'The only way to determine the outcome of any attack is to use the dice. Numbers that are closer to 00, supercritical hits, will deal better damage. However, if I were to roll a 99 or fumble for any of them, that would mean an instant death. The only way I'll be able to beat Bakura is to master the dice roll for the needed numbers. A series of criticals would be ideal, but to get them in a row would require a lot of luck.' That was the idea, and though 'Yugi' has always managed to come out on top with that kind of skill, it would also take a lot more than that to defeat Zorc and 'Bakura'.
"The battle will continue now." 'Bakura' stated, ready to get back to the game. "I must admit, you were able to land a hit on Zorc for being level one. Though that was a blunder of my own, but… the damage is minimal compared to what he can do to your party." 'Bakura' stated, seeing the red, peeled skin on Zorc's left upper arm. Despite these drawbacks, he was still in control. He just had to keep it that way in order to win the game and get his prize. Patience was the key, as well as observation. "On top of that, the situation for the adventures have become even worse."
On the battlefield, the adventures were still facing the Monster Master. Jounouchi managed to get a hit on Zorc, but as he stared at where he had cut him with his sword, he noticed something unsettling. "G-Guys… do you see what I see?" They all looked to the ground, seeing the large chunk of Zorc's flesh that had fallen off his body began to wiggle around. It started to grow bigger, changing its form all together.
Honda backed up, slightly disgusted. "The skin is turning into something else!" Within mere moments, two beings came out of the flesh that was left behind. One of which was a giant blue shell surrounded by black spikes and having a red iris in the center. The other was a rusty dragon wearing a white mask over its crimson eyes. Anzu gasped, seeing the result as they were now fighting not just one overly powerful Monster Master, but two of his lackeys now.
Jounouchi raised his shield up to try and protect himself. "Damn it! That piece of flesh gave him some more monsters to control!"
Zorc watched the adventures gather together, clearly fearful from the sudden outcome. "When my flesh is cut from my body, the pieces turn into my minions." He explained.
"No way!" Yugi held up his fingerless hands, ready to fight if he had to. After all, that seemed to be the only choice they really had.
"Zorc himself is the very source of darkness in this world!" The yellow sphere monster that was now Yugi's alley explained, as he was by his new master's side. "Unless he is truly defeated, he will continue to create monsters!" If that were the case, then chopping up Zorc would be out of the question.
"We will finish off these pests for you, Master Zorc." One of the new monsters assured their creator.
"I'll leave it to you, my servants." Zorc began to head away from the adventures, seemingly uninterested in fighting them now.
Jounouchi saw this, upset by the very fact that the final boss was just running away when he seemed like he was ready to crush them right then and there. "What's this? The Master of darkness is running from us?!" The blond pointed his sword at the creature.
"Don't flatter yourself." Zorc mocked. "I am merely going to prepare a proper stage for the fight and your demise. When you are ready to obliterate my hated flames, then meet me at my castle for the final showdown!" He told them before jumping into the air, flying off as he left his minions to deal with the adventurers.
"You bastard!" Jounouchi called out to him while his figure disappeared into the distance. "We're coming for your ass and we'll be sure to strike you down at your castle!" He declared. Anzu and Miho huddled close together, as they were nervous about the whole event themselves.
Yugi on the other hand was taking it all in, knowing full well this was just part of the game. 'At the moment, this is all going according to the scenario that Bakura set up. Until we can defeat the Monster Master, we'll forever be stuck in this game world as pawns.' He thought to himself.
'That is indeed correct.' Yugi gasped, hearing the voice which he could only assume was his other self, speaking to him from inside his mind. 'This is based on what Bakura initially planned. Zorc appeared when the adventures were off-guard, giving him a chance to catch them at their weakest moments. His goal was to trap all of your souls within your figures, so that way you wouldn't be able to beat him. He's clearly had experience with this game to plan such a devious yet witful strategy.'
Even though the others couldn't hear the 'other Yugi', he figured that the two could at least plan a course of action together in order to figure out how to win. Since 'Bakura' had someone else that was controlling the pawns now, he probably made Zorc retreat to his castle to figure out a way to defeat the adventures permanently. After all, without any figures to control, that would mean 'Yugi' wouldn't be able to play the game either. 'For now, we will have to get to the castle and work together in order to defeat Zorc. Destroying him is how we will set you all free.' 'Yugi' told his other half.
"But what do we do about Bakura's dice roll? He always seems to get a critical whenever he rolls for Zorc. Sure there are more of us to attack, but if Bakura keeps getting supercriticals, we won't stand a chance especially with the levels we are at." Yugi told his alter ego.
'Don't worry,' he assured. 'We can do this, as long as we believe and stick together. We have to continue!' That was the only advice he could give, as it was all they could do.
'Bakura' took back control of the narrative as the adventurers were facing two new enemies. "It's the soldiers' chance to attack this turn. Go ahead and roll the dice, Yugi. Just remember that should you get 99, that will mean certain death for that piece!" He once again held that insane glare, along with that wicked grin. He was trying to psyche 'Yugi' out in the hopes to get his fear raised up, making the dice fumble in the process.
'Yugi' merely held the dice between his fingers, keeping his cool gaze upon his opponent before giving a small smile of his own. He practically threw the dice onto the board, they were spinning on their points as 'Bakura' watched intensely. He never saw this kind of skill before, 'Yugi' was not your amature game master.
"Come on, Yugi!" Jounouchi urged, holding his gear up as the two monsters surrounded him. The dice felt like they were spinning for an eternity. The red one fell first, then the white, giving the numbers.
"Super critical!" 'Yugi' declared. "The soldier lets out a powerful slash!"
Jounouchi charged, raising his sword up as it slashed right through the eyeball monster, cutting it in half and destroying it right on the spot.
Miho and Anzu looked up, seeing 'Yugi' had managed to get them through one opponent. "You did it! He got another critical!" Miho cheered.
"I never doubted the other Yugi for a second!" Anzu declared.
Jounouchi looked over at the girls, feeling a bit left out since he did the work of actually destroying the monster. "Hey, what about me? I actually killed that monster!" 'Yugi' still had that victorious smile upon his face, sure they still had a long way to go but at least progress was being made.
'Bakura' couldn't understand this. He was able to get a supercritical for his first roll. How was that possible? The high risks should have been enough for him to at least waver a bit. 'This can't be… Yugi, that bastard, how did he…' 'Bakura's' mind was in high gear as he tried to make sense of this whole mess, but nothing seemed to give him the answer.
"What's the matter, Bakura?" 'Yugi' questioned, seeing that he was starting to slip. That was what he was counting on. "I am waiting for the next game instructions." 'Bakura' begrudgingly grunted, as his fingers typed away on the keys. All he could do now was continue with the RPG and figure out a new way to corner everyone.
As he was bringing up the results, he noticed something. "It appears that the soldier's attack has done some mental damage to the other monster." 'Bakura' explained, looking over at 'Yugi' as he was giving them a chance. "Beast Tamer now has the chance to claim another ally."
Meanwhile the dragon monster was fast approaching Yugi, ready to attack the Beast Tamer. It roared at Yugi, trying to intimidate him. "You got this, Yugi!" Jounouchi cheered as he was right behind his friend.
Yugi stared up at the monster, knowing that this could be his one chance to gain another party member. 'If we're going to face up against Zorc, we're going to need as many team members as possible for a better fighting chance.' He realized, keeping his eyes on the enemy in front of him. He then pointed directly at the dragon as he made up his mind. "I'm going to turn you to us! Beast Tamer's hand power!" He held up his hands, ready to unleash his power. Yellow lightning shot out of his palms, surrounding the monster in it as it howled from the shock.
"Keep going, Master!" The other ally creature urged.
While that was going on, 'Bakura' did a bit more explaining. "The dragon that came from Zorc's arm was a part of the Dark Master up till just now. In this case, the chance of hypnosis is low, only about a ten percent success rate."
Hearing that made Yugi sweat a bit. Ten percent?! If this was based around dice rolling, then that meant the powers would fail unless the number is less than 10. However, at this point it wasn't up to him, it was up to the 'other Yugi'.
"Time for the judgment roll." 'Bakura' stared over at 'Yugi'. The dice roller, still holding his smile, tossed the two dice onto the field as they spun on their points. 'Bakura' watched intently as he wondered what they would land on. Hopefully luck wasn't on his side twice in one turn. The red one was the first to land, having the number faceing up be eight. A small smile of reassurance was placed on 'Bakura', seeing the outcome. 'The ten's place has landed on eight… that means that he's already failed.' For a second, he believed he had the upper hand. Only to gasp suddenly when he saw the white diamond had crashed with the red, making it start spinning once again.
"Impossible! The white dice clashed with the one that stopped to get it to spin again! What kind of technique is that?!"
"You don't know? It's the dice technique called Double Hit." 'Yugi' explained as he still had his cocky grin. "I thought you would have used this skill for your series of criticals, Bakura." The dice soon began to slow down, before stopping entirely to get a new outcome. 02.
"Another critical!" 'Bakura' was once again shocked by the outcome.
"Looks like the hypnotism was successful." 'Yugi' stated, not at all surprised. "The Guiding hand appears!" By his command, a pair of gloved hands appeared once Yugi was done with his zapping powers. They caught the dragon in the palms, rubbing him down to transform him into their new friend. Yugi and the others watched, hearing the howls from the dragon as he was being hypnotized by the Beast Tamer. By the time it was done, the dragon looked smaller and cuter. Having a rose colored skin with a blush colored underbelly.
"He's so cute now!" Miho commented, seeing their new friend.
"Alright, now we've got a new comrade to fight with us!" Yugi said with a pleased smile.
"Glad to see that you will be joining us, Pau." The other monster called him by his name.
"Yeah, thank you for allowing me to be your new servant." The dragon bowed to Yugi.
While the adventurers were celebrating, 'Bakura' still couldn't help but be mesmerized by the skills his opponent was displaying. 'I had no idea that Yugi was even capable of using the Double Hit dice roll!' He thought to himself. If he can manage that, that would mean he would be in big trouble for his campaign.
Jounouchi looked behind him, bringing everyone's attention. "So am I the only one who thinks that Bakura is cheating?! Using a dice manipulation tactic like that… does it really exist, Yugi?" The blond asked his friend, who seemed to know a lot about these kinds of things that were game related.
However, rather than having it be the gentle version of Yugi that answer, it was the one that was currently in control and rolling the dice that spoke up. "Yeah, these ten-sided dice are made up of two similar parts. As you can see, they are split into even and odd numbers. To get the Double Hit technique, the even side with 0 must be up when spinning." He explained.
The Yugi in the game gasped, as he understood what his other half was getting at. "I see, if you use that skill, then there's no chance of getting an odd number! Therefore the chance of getting a zero would be one in five!"
'Yugi' nodded, as he added in another factor. "When the two dice are thrown, one of the dice will end up getting a stronger spin. Of course, the dice with the weaker spin will be the first to stop. When that happens, then the faster spinning die will hit the other so that way, it will make it spin again to give you a different number."
Anzu was getting the idea as well, but there was one thing that was bugging the brunette. "Yeah but… what's the chance of those dice ending up hitting each other like that?"
'Yugi' looked down at everyone as he answered her question. "While the chances of that are slim, the spinning die's movements can be manipulated with a bump to the field." He then looked over at 'Bakura' while he uttered the last sentence. "For example, hitting your elbow at the end of the table. If this technique is used, then the die's face can be changed many times." He then pointed directly at the Game Master. "Too bad Bakura, but that tactic won't work on me."
Once again, 'Bakura' grunted in hatred. He should have figured that 'Yugi', someone that has managed to play against the best of so many gaming masters in the past, would have caught on to that trick eventually. 'Yugi' was able to use it for his own gain as 'Bakura' did before. That meant that he won't be able to get away with doing it again. Very well, changing up his game play style won't kill or hinder him. If improvising is what he had to do, then that was what he must adapt to.
"Very well," 'Bakura' gave in. "From now on, we will roll the dice like this." He raised up his hand, as he held the dice in his palm before opening them and letting the pair fall straight onto the board. "We'll just drop them onto the field, no throwing or tossing required. On top of that, we won't spin the dice either."
'Yugi' listened to 'Bakura's' suggestion. At the very least it should prevent them from cheating. "Fine by me." He agreed.
"Let's continue the game." 'Bakura' declared. "Now that Zorc's underlings have been wiped out, the players make their way through the forest. It will be a long walk to where Zorc's castle is."
The group of five players and two monsters proceeded through the lush filled woods. Yugi led the adventurers as they kept going further into the forest, doing their best to reach their destination. If they could find the castle, that was where Zorc would be waiting for them. Only by defeating him would they be able to get out of this nightmare and back to the real world.
Miho soon fell to her knees, panting and complaining as she felt exhausted. "How much farther do we have to walk?"
"Is it just me, or does it feel like this board has gotten bigger?" Jounouchi questioned as he looked around, seeing how much taller the trees were.
"Well, we are in our dolls and literally on the field. It makes sense that the board would seem much larger." Anzu pointed out.
"And why do my feet feel so sore? I thought the point of having a ceramic body was that you don't feel anything!" Miho kept whimpering.
"Yeah, I don't really like this either." Honda agreed. "Also, is it just me, or has it gotten way too quiet?" Everyone picked up their ears to try and hear anything from within the trees or bushes of their environment, but they heard nothing out of the ordinary.
"You'd think Zorc would have at least sent us a welcome party to indicate that we were close to his castle." Jounouchi stated.
"It can't be helped, all we can do is move forward." Yugi told everyone.
"Can't we at least rest a bit? I think all of this fighting is starting to take a toll on all of us." Miho suggested as she looked up at everyone.
Honda rubbed the back of his neck. "Too bad we don't have any items to heal ourselves with. Hey Anzu, you're a mage right, can't you just use your magic to heal us?"
The brunette glared at Honda as she turned her back on him. "Just because I'm a mage, doesn't mean my speciality is healing!" She scolded him. "Besides, I don't know any actual healing magic since I am still at level one. And I should save my magic points for defeating monsters anyways."
Jounouchi grumbled. "You'd think there would at least be some sort of area we could at least save at and regain our health and magic points…"
Yugi slightly chuckled at the comment. "That only works in video games, Jounouchi. This is a board game."
"At any rate, we should at least be closer to the castle by now. No use in waiting around and being open targets." Anzu stated, trying to get everyone to move again.
Miho was still unwilling to keep pressing on. She wanted to rest a bit in the hopes she could recover some of her HP. Honda got an idea as he bent his knees and held out his arms for her. "Here Miho. I'll carry you on my back until we get to the castle." He suggested.
The young girl smiled up, taking the offer. "Thank you Honda, Miho loves you!" She cuddled against his back, which made Honda blush.
"Stop spoiling her!" Anzu once again grew frustrated. "How can you guys be complaining about feeling tired when that should be the least of our worries? After all, the real danger probably lies ahead." She told them with her hands on her hips.
"Well… yeah but…" Miho seemed like she wanted to protest, not really argue.
Jounouchi rolled his eyes as he was already ahead with Yugi. "Hey, cut the crap! We should be focusing on fighting the monsters, not each other! Besides, check that out!" The blond raised his sword, having it point in a certain direction. Everyone turned to where he was pointing, running alongside until they were all together and face to face with a large building.
"Is that…" Honda trailed off as he looked at the location.
Yugi narrowed his eyes with arched eyebrows. "That has to be it… Zorc's Castle…" He muttered, seeing the bricks of gray stone lining up the purple titles of the towers. It seemed that the sky appeared more red and black around the castle, which represented the evils that were waiting inside. It was further evident by a sudden crash of thunder that came from above them. They all stood outside the gate, being entranced by the darkness that surrounded the palace.
"So this is the place that Zorc lives in, huh?" Jounouchi raised a brow as his eyes examined the outer walls.
"This definitely looks like a hideout belonging to the ruler of darkness himself." Yugi added.
Miho shuddered. "He's got the creepy aesthetic down."
Anzu nodded. "That's something the both of us can agree on."
Jounouchi looked back over at the group. "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's head inside and face Zorc once and for all."
They all nodded, agreeing as this is what they were prepared for. The yellow ball that Yugi had tamed looked over at his master. "Be careful, Poki feels Zorc's presence inside. Poki also has a bad feeling Zorc has made traps inside waiting for everyone." He began to refer to himself by name now.
Yugi gave a nod to his ally's way. "Don't worry, Poki. We'll be careful." He promised.
"No matter what traps lay ahead for us, we'll stick together and figure them out." Jounouchi assured the others. "After all, Kaiba Land may have helped prepare us for this."
'Bakura' listened to their voices, becoming amused as he sat at the one end of the table, his chin resting on his hands as he kept his eyes on the field. 'You may think it will be that easy, but can you really avoid the traps that wait for you?' He pondered as he was starting to enjoy the show once again. 'This is where your gaming skills will be truly put to the test, Yugi.'
'Yugi' could see the look that 'Bakura' had on his face. He did not trust it one bit. 'Yugi' knew that this was the part of the game he had to be the most cautious. Not just for his sake, but for everyone else that was on the line. No matter what was tossed their way, he would make sure to face it head on or avoid it entirely if it can be helped.
The drawbridge of the castle began to lower, slowly as the chains rattled. The players watched, knowing that the time was drawing near. Once the bridge was fully drawn, it created an incline for everyone to walk up, due to the fact that the castle was high above a steep. "Go on then, adventurers!" 'Bakura' called out to the others in the game. "The pathway to the castle is opened for you."
Holding onto his sword tightly, Jounouchi looked back at everyone. "Alright, let's head inside!" He made everyone follow him up the incline as they were making their way to their final destination.
'Bakura' typed away on his laptop, setting up for the next scenes of the game. "The players have finally reached Zorc's Castle. They storm inside, and walk into the main foyer. The Castle Field is now open!" Just before the group could even go through the front entrance, the walls of the palace began to move around. They stopped in their tracks, watching as the field began to shift. It really looked different and strange from their perspectives.
"W-What's going on with the castle?!" Jounouchi questioned.
"Looks like it's changing because we're going into a new area." Yugi answered.
The buildings' large walls were demolished, making the area more open, as a single tower remained in the center. The floors were a cold blue as were the decorations. There were three flights of stairs, all leading to the same platform where a lone chair of green cushions was sitting on top.
"You all have made it to the ending of your quest! However, there is still much to be done." 'Bakura' smirked down at the players as the game was far from over. "Only by finding where Monster Master Zorc is hiding and defeating him inside the castle, will you be able to win."
"That means that it's nearly over." Miho sighed, relieved that hopefully things will be easy from here on out. But considering it was the final boss, they had a lot coming their way.
"Hey, Zorc!" Jounouchi called out as he was the first to step inside of the castle. "Stop hiding out and show yourself! Face us right here and now like this supposive Monster Master you say you are! Or are you really just a coward?" He tried to bait him by calling Zorc names, wanting to get him out in the hopes that he would take offense and just appear before the group. Nothing happened as a result, however.
"Guess this Zorc guy is a lot smarter than we thought." Honda sighed as the rest of the room was deadly quiet, aside from their own voices.
"He's got to be around here somewhere…" Anzu began to look around, hoping to find some clues as to where the Monster was hiding.
Miho's eyes landed on the large tower that was still standing, scratching her cheek as she couldn't help but have an off feeling about the building. "Hey, do you guys think that tower seems suspicious?"
Everyone else turned to it, seeing the stairs leading to it and an opening to go inside. "Do you think it could be where Zorc is hiding?" Honda questioned.
"Or it could be another trap." Anzu pointed out.
Jounouchi sighed, looking between the group and the tower. "Yeah but… it could be the only lead we got. I say we take it." He suggested.
Yugi rubbed the back of his neck as he thought it over. On the one hand, it did seem like an obvious trap that was waiting for them. He didn't like how stuck out it was compared to the rest of the castle field. Then again, Jounouchi was right about one thing. It was the only lead they had as to figuring out where Zorc could be hiding. Even if it was a trap, they didn't have many other options to choose from. "A-Alright." Yugi reluctantly agreed. "But don't get too close… just to be safe."
They headed up the small flight of stairs, going up to the tower but not going fully inside. Once they made it, Yugi noticed something right away. In the very center of the tower, a lone stone pillar that appeared was cut in half. "I don't see anything else…" Jounouchi noted, glancing around inside the tower.
"The only notable thing is this pedestal…" Yugi said as he tilted his head. "And it has some strange marks on them." He pointed at the two U like shapes that were close together.
"Do you think it could mean something?" Honda wondered.
Miho gasped. "Maybe it's a clue!"
"So, maybe we should look inside?" Anzu seemed hesitant about the idea, yet she and the others slowly peaked into the darkness as they searched around the small space.
While that was going on, 'Bakura's' eyes narrowed onto the field, he was just waiting now. It was so obvious and yet they were willing to fall for it. 'Yugi' was also looking at the tower as well, having an off feeling about it much like his counterpart. Especially about that strange mark on the pedestal. What did it mean? 'There's something about this tower that worries me… and that mark has to refer to something…' He looked over at the small slab, seeing that it appeared the top half was missing. 'Where would the other half of the slab be? Wait a minute… the top half is missing, but the bottom half is still there…' It didn't take too much longer to finally piece it together. By the time he did, 'Yugi's' eyes shrank in horror. 'It's a trap!' He began to shout at everyone else on the field. "Everyone, get out of that tower, now!"
At this point, everyone was inside, trying to cover every inch of the place. They looked back up upon hearing the 'other Yugi'. "What's going on?" Jounouchi questioned.
'Bakura's eyes narrowed as he once again had a playful smirk on his face. They fell for it, and now they would pay the price. The tower began to shake, as the floor below them trembled. Everyone looked around, worried as the board suddenly felt like it was coming alive. "W-What's going on?" Jounouchi looked over at Honda, but he did not have the answer.
Yugi scanned around the tower himself to figure out what the cause behind that earthquake was. His eyes looked upwards, seeing something coming down from the top of the tower. Something that appeared spiky. The others looked up as well, seeing it coming their way. Miho and Anzu huddled close together, screaming as it was approaching closer. "The ceiling is coming down on us!" Yugi yelled, making everyone else scream as they stood there, frozen in fear while the spiky ceiling was falling further and further downwards.
"Master! Poki!" Poki screamed as he watched while the ceiling managed to crash down. The young monster stared in absolute horror at the scene, being a bystander as he was powerless to have done anything.
'Yugi' watched from where he sat, seeing them all being caught in the trap. "Everyone!" He screamed, sweat coating his face as he felt his heart stop.
'Bakura' on the other hand inwardly chuckled, pleased that the players were so gullible to have fallen for such an act. "It would seem that the adventurers have fallen into a trap." His smile spread more, as he looked at the expression 'Yugi' was giving him. Of course, he knew that this was not the end, but since he had them where he wanted them, why not make them suffer just a bit more? "Oh don't worry. I may be the Game Master here, but I would not want instant deaths for the adventurers. After all, I for one am enjoying this game, so I will give you a proper chance to save them."
'Yugi' looked back at the board, seeing what 'Bakura' was talking about. He looked at them all, they were still alive! The five players held the ceiling, being mindful of the spikes. They used all their strength in order to keep it so the ceiling wouldn't fall on them. It was a good thing they had each other, cause if it was only one person, chances were they alone would not have been able to do such a thing.
"We're getting crushed!" Miho whined, as she tried to use all of her strength to keep the spikes from falling down onto them.
Even Jounouchi couldn't help but complain. "This… really hurts…"
"Is everyone alright?!" 'Yugi' called out to them, wanting to make sure they were handling themselves.
"Does it look like we're alright?!" Jounouchi remarked. "Not only is this ceiling heavy, the spikes are hard to avoid!"
"If we move, we'll be dead for sure!" Honda stated, shaking slightly as it felt like his body would give out at any moment.
'Yugi' looked over at the Game Master, narrowing his eyes in pure disgust. "Bakura… you bastard!"
"The weight of the ceiling is increasing with each passing minute." 'Bakura' stated as he was still having fun with this 'adventure'. "If you do not do something soon, they will all be crushed." He was now the one to narrow his eyes at 'Yugi' as that smirk danced upon his lips. "Now, the one you will roll for next is the fairy."
'The fairy?' 'Yugi' questioned. He had to remember which one had the fairy as their race. Yugi was a half-human, half-elf. Both Jounouchi and Honda were full-blooded humans while Anzu was a full elf herself. That meant that the fairy was… 'It's Miho's turn!' He realized. The only problem is, Miho wasn't really equipped for anything battle related, she was just a merchant so it wasn't like she had any special abilities. At least, none that he was aware of.
"You will have three turns. Meaning that you will get to throw the dice three times to get an outcome to save everyone. However, if you fail, then your friends will probably die." 'Bakura' chuckled as he gave not only a warning to 'Yugi', but also the signal to try and save everyone. 'Yugi' merely scoffed at the Game Master, hating him with every turn that passed. "Now then, if you can solve the mystery by then, you will be able to free them. Here is a hint, in order to save your friends, you have to make the other half of the pillar appear. It will help to support the ceiling and spare everyone. In order to do that, you must get the correct number from the dice."
Once again, 'Yugi' found himself growing nervous as he knew what the risks of failing would be. They have come this far, he would not allow them to fall here! He listened back to the hint that 'Bakura' gave to him. "The correct number… so the number based on the dice will make that pillar appear. But what is the number?"
The others were still struggling, doing all they could to keep holding onto the ceiling to prevent themselves from being crushed. Jounouchi winced as he felt his arms growing sore and tired. "Come on! Get out a critical, Yugi!" He pleaded, feeling the ceiling starting to sink down on them. They were losing the strength they had to keep themselves from being crushed, but it was all they could do. It was up to the 'other Yugi' to get them out of this mess.
'Yugi' held onto the dice in his palm, knowing that they were the key to saving everyone. But should he fail, they would be the reason the adventures would die. He clenched his fingers around the pieces tightly, the nerves in him shouting that he needed to act fast. 'Bakura' could see just how nervous 'Yugi' was getting, and it made him smile even more. 'There's no time to think. With everyone's lives at stake, I have to take the gamble. Dice Roll!' He looked over at his hands with wide eyes, letting the dice fall out the same method that 'Bakura' and him agreed to use. He watched as the two pieces began to descend to the board, moving very slowly as if time was slowing down. 'Bakura' watched with intent as he wondered what 'Yugi' would get. Would he be able to figure it out, or would the ceiling crush those that were trapped?
The sides soon began to stick up, revealing that 'Yugi' had gotten a 04 as a result. The dice roller felt his heart rate going back to normal, as he thought he could take a breath of ease. "Perfect! A critical!"
When the other players heard that, smiles began to appear on their faces as they thought it was over as well. Both Miho and Yugi cheered together. "He did it!"
Honda was happy as well. "Way to go, Yugi!"
Unfortunately, it wasn't that easy. "I'm afraid not." 'Bakura' stated.
Honda blinked when he heard the Game Master speak. "What do you mean!?"
'Bakura' went on to further explain. "All you have done is allow the fairy to use her powers, which would have helped if you were fighting monsters. But the number you rolled to solve the puzzle is incorrect."
"What?!" 'Yugi' gasped. So that meant the roll was for nothing! He wasn't aiming just to get a critical, he needed to figure out what the number to make the top half of the pillar appear was. And it wasn't 04.
"I'll give you another hint since I'm being so generous today." 'Bakura' offered, still bearing his evil grin. "You need to get the 'fatal' number. That is the one you must roll to make the pillar appear."
'Yugi' looked back at the dice, becoming serious now as he was given more clues. He knew one thing for certain now: getting a critical wouldn't be enough to save them from that trap. He needed to get the right number, the one that 'Bakura' was hinting at in order to get them out of the tower. He had two more tries, which meant he couldn't take much more of a gamble. He looked back over at the tower, noticing that two pillars were there. One was on the ground, in the center of the room and the other was attached to the ceiling that was attempting to crush the players. They were still struggling to keep it from killing them, it was a difficult task, but one they had to do to stay alive.
Yugi could feel the ceiling pushing down, making the group waver as they felt themselves growing smaller. "This ceiling is starting to get heavier!" Jounouchi called out to everyone for the observation.
Anzu suggested something. "M-Miho! You got a critical hit from the last roll, can't you use your fairy powers to do anything?!"
"I'm not a warrior or spell caster like you guys, I'm just a fairy merchant!" Miho explained, pained at both admitting the truth and from holding up the weight above her.
"A merchant?!" Jounouchi yelled over at her. "You mean someone who sells and buys useless crap?! Why would you choose that as your profession for your character?!"
"I figured it would increase our chances to get money to help us buy items!" She cried out.
Jounouchi looked over at her in annoyance. "Well we don't have any items that can get us out of this situation, do we?!" He felt himself being pushed down by the roof above him. "Can it get any worse?!"
'Bakura' looked back at his laptop, typing away on the keys for the next scene. "Now, let us determine if Zorc will appear. It would seem the appearance percentage is…" He typed a bit more, waiting until a beep could be heard. "Thirty percent." He answered.
'Yugi's' face scrunched up as he heard the mention of the Monster Master. "No! If Zorc appears now, that would increase the disaster of the situation!" He realized. Even if that meant he needed to get a thirty or lower to make the Monster appear, there was still a chance for it to happen regardless. And with the group still needing to get out of the tower, they were wide open for an attack!
'Bakura' grabbed the dice, holding them in his palm as he was cocky about his throw. "Judgment Roll." He declared, opening his hand to let the dice fall out. They slowly landed onto the field, rolling around a bit until they landed face up on the resulting number. "28." 'Bakura' stated in complete satisfaction. "This will make the adventure's attempt at escape even more difficult." He went back to his laptop, beginning to write out the scene for the game. "Zorc now appears."
'Yugi's eyes shrunk in his skull, watching the board as he tried to find where the Monster Master would appear. The two allies screamed, flying away as an enemy soon emerged near the tower. When his figure was fully formed, the player's eyes were glued to Zorc.
"Oh crap!" Jounouchi swore, his eyes were much smaller now as sweat covered his face.
"So, you whelps have fallen straight into one of my traps. Well, I'll let you say your prayers while I watch my tower crush you all to your demise." Zorc told them.
"Damn you! You're fighting dirty at this point!" Jounouchi complained, looking over at the final boss. So this meant that Zorc was going to watch them die rather than doing anything himself. Personally, no one knew which fate would be worse.
'Yugi' felt on the verge of a panic attack, seeing that the ceiling was outweighing them at this point. They were about to be crushed in just a matter of moments. Even if Zorc does nothing, the tower will be the very thing that will destroy them in the end. However, should the Dark Master attempt to attack, they would still be helpless and would no doubt take serious damage, to the point it would kill them. They were stuck between being obliterated by the very Monster Master himself, or being impaled and flattened by the spiked ceiling. Either way, death would be the result. 'Yugi' knew that he needed to get everyone out of the tower if they would at least stand a fighting chance against Zorc. But to do that, he still needed to solve the riddle of the tower.
'Bakura' watched, seeing the fear rising in 'Yugi's' body as it showed on his face. As long as there was doubt clouding his mind, it would affect the outcome of the dice. 'Bakura' didn't even have to do anything, all he needed was for the rising anxiety to keep clouding his opponent's mind and watch him tumble and fail. He would be the one to cause the player's their deaths, not 'Bakura'. It would be all the more entertaining on his part.
'Yugi' grabbed hold of the dice, dropping them onto the board in the hopes of getting a better outcome. He looked on ahead as they landed face up, giving him the number 13. But when nothing happened, he knew that was not the miracle they needed. 'No good. That's not the correct number either!' He thought to himself.
The ceiling kept pushing its weight on top of the players, as it made them go onto their knees now just to keep them steady. "Shit! We're at our limit!" Jounouchi whined.
'Bakura' knew this was the perfect time. Sure, he could watch them suffer a bit more, but the sooner he took out the players the sooner he could get the Millennium Puzzle. It was just within his grasp, and if he could start taking out some of the adventurers, then he could become one step closer to winning. "Zorc will now attack. His hit rate is 95 percent." 'Bakura' told everyone, grabbing the dice and letting them fall to the board, giving him the number 41. "Not a good number, but it is enough to cause some damage." 'Bakura' was fine with the results regardless. "Zorc unleashes fire from his mouth, surrounding the tower and the adventurers inside to burn them out."
By command, Zorc unleashed a flow of flames, surrounding the entrance of the tower to cook out the group. They took some damage, but still managed to keep standing. However, between the fire that had burned them and the crushing ceiling, they were reaching their limit. At this rate, they wouldn't be able to survive much longer. 'Yugi' was aware of this, and it was starting to affect him. "Yugi, you still have one last chance!" Jounouchi yelled up to the 'other Yugi', trying to keep him grounded about the situation. "We… We will believe in you until we die! Hurry up and roll the dice!"
'Yugi' looked at the group of players, seeing how much they still believed in him even with the current mess they were in. Even so, he could not let them down. They were putting so much faith in him, and he was the only one that could get them to safety. No matter how risky the gamble would be, it was one 'Yugi' had to take for their sake! "Hang in there, everyone! I'll definitely save you all!"
It was now or never, he had to do all he could in the final throw just to give them the fighting chance. 'Yugi' cleared his head, trying to think clearly. He could feel the Millennium Puzzle glow brightly around his neck, offering reassurance and some extra help. It was as if it was trying to tell him the answer but he could not clearly hear what it was saying. He only thought back to what 'Bakura' was talking about, in regards to rolling the powerful number. The powerful number… that was the hint. A number that would be able to do any kind of damage to anyone, no matter the level they were. A number to assure victory, that could beat even a critical… a number beyond a critical roll…
'Yugi' gasped, his eyes wide as he now realized the key to the riddle. 'That's it! The pedestal! The number that is needed is hidden within those two halves! The one on the floor and the one on the ceiling. When they come together, they form the whole stone. At first I thought that they were just double U's or double N's, but they weren't supposed to create letters, they were to create numbers. Based on the gap between them, it's hard to say what the official number would be. But the possible outcomes would be 0, 3, 6, 8 and 9. It doesn't appear that any of the other numbers would fit the pattern between those stones.'
Now 'Yugi' had managed to solve the riddle of the tower. A bit late, but it was now or never. 'Yugi' grabbed onto the dice, clutching them in his hands as he knew what he needed to get. But so far it seemed the odds weren't in his favor. Even so, he had to believe in his own abilities and the dice if he was to get the players out of that trap. 'Please… let these dice answer everyone's prayers! This is the last chance!' He thought to himself, gripping the dice so tightly, he felt the points indent into his palm.
He dropped them, watching them fall as he felt his heart rate skyrocket. He begged that they would result in the correct number, using his own belief and everyone's else to help shape the outcome. Holding his breath, he watched as the faces landed, giving him double sixes. "66! That has to be the number!" He said out loud, believing he managed to get what he needed.
'Bakura' however laughed, as he watched on with amusement. "Too bad for you, Yugi. The correct answer was 99."
"What?!" 'Yugi' gasped, repeating the number. Of course, that was what 'Bakura' meant by 'fatal' number. The number that would make a player or the Monster Master fail a turn: a fumble which resulted in getting a 99 on the dice! 'Yugi' managed to figure out what numbers could possibly be the results, but he didn't know the exact ones he needed. And now, he was out of chances.
The ceiling began to overpower the group, as they felt their bodies beginning to give way and slowly collapse onto the floor. Without any other rolls, they would not be able to get out of this trap, and would end up being crushed to death. "It's over!" Jounouchi whined, knowing that this was the end of the road for him and everyone else.
Miho was shuddering, as she sweated more while doing her best to keep the ceiling raised up. She was crying far more. "No! There has to be something we can do! Anything!" She pleaded, begging at this point even if it was useless. As she kept crying out, her body began to envelope in a pink light, shining outward as it blinded everyone for a split second. Even 'Yugi' and 'Bakura' were baffled by the occurrence that was being caused by the young girl. When the light subsided, everyone was standing up in the tower, not feeling pressured above them at all.
"W-what happened?" Anzu questioned, looking around as her arms were no longer above her head. The spiked ceiling ceased looming and threatening them, which was strange because they knew 'Yugi' didn't roll the correct number they needed.
Yugi looked over at the pillar, gasping as he pointed to it. "Everyone, look!" They all turned to the stone, seeing that the middle slab had been put in to make the stone whole.
'Bakura' was just as confused by the outcome. "W-What?! The number appeared!"
'Yugi' blinked back from the board to the dice, wondering what happened. When he saw the numbered pieces, he noticed that they no longer landed on 66, but rather 99! How was that possible? He knew he got 66, and he didn't bump the table to give him new results. He was happy that they managed to be freed, but he still did not understand what caused it.
"But how did we get the number?" Jounouchi questioned, thinking the same thing that 'Yugi' was. "Yugi didn't end up getting the number we needed."
"Maybe it was a mistake?" Honda suggested.
'Bakura' was typing away on the computer, trying his best to figure out what the cause of this outcome was. When he pulled up Miho's profile for her avatar, he was stunned to say the least. "Impossible… the fairy's power… the fairy merchant's criticals can allow her to manipulate the numbers of a dice roll."
'Yugi' blinked as he was just as surprised. He had to admit, he did not see Miho's powers helping them out. Although, he wouldn't complain as it was what saved them all. He didn't make any snarky remarks, since he was unaware of this ability, so he just remained quiet and let everyone have a moment of relief.
Miho herself was pretty pleased with her powers as well. "I can't believe I changed the numbers! I didn't think I had it in me!"
"Great job, Miho!" Honda complimented.
Yugi patted his hand on Miho's shoulders. "You really saved us back there."
Anzu sighed as she took in a breather. "Thank goodness…"
They may have been freed from the trap, but now they still had to deal with Zorc. Thankfully, without feeling the pressure of being flattened, they were able to attack the Monster Master on their own. 'Bakura' tsked, as he needed to act quickly now that the players were freed. "It's my turn to roll. So I will quickly determine Zorc's attack." He grabbed hold of the dice, letting them fall onto the board to determine the damage. When they landed, 'Bakura' stated the number. "12, Zork gives an attack."
The Monster Master approached the group, menacingly as he was ready for his attack against the adventurers. "Even if you've managed to evade my trap, I will be the one to crush you all! Say your prayers, adventurers!" Zorc raised up his arm, slashing it right through the tower and cutting it down! Poki and Pau could only watch in horror as their Master and his friends were still inside the tower. The building began to crumble, bricks falling everywhere like rain. Dust clouded the area as a result, which made Zorc laugh. "It's all over. You all were never a match for me!"
"Are you sure about that?" 'Yugi' taunted him, making the Monster Master jump from the voice. "After all, the adventures are much faster than you are, given that they are smaller." Zorc looked through the rubble, seeing the dust starting to settle but all he could see were layers of bricks that covered the field. But it was not his eyes that picked them out, it was his ears.
"Maybe you should check around to see that we're behind you!" Jounouchi called out. The Dark Lord turned around, and was taken aback when he saw the five players looking at him, determined and ready to start the fight.
"H-How did… when did you-" Zorc did not understand how they could have gotten out of the tower in time to evade his attack and manage to get behind him. Was it another effect one of them had?
"Since the players are behind Zorc, they should have the chance to properly attack first." 'Yugi' declared. "Meaning that we should be able to do at least four attacks in a row." 'Bakura' grunted, knowing that they had the upper hand in this match. However, he had to allow it as Zorc and them were in such a position. He let 'Yugi' roll the dice for the adventurers, as it was their turn to attack. Without hesitation, he grabbed the dice and 'Yugi' began to roll. "Here I go, Bakura! Dice roll!"
He let the dice fall, seeing the numbers that would be face up. He managed to get a 15, which was rolled for Jounouchi who began to run ahead and raise up his sword, as he would be the first to attack. 'Bakura' observed how, despite all that had happened, they were willing to stay strong and keep fighting. They should be tired by now, they should be ready to give up hope. And yet they still charge ahead in order to win? Why? How could they possibly still have any strength or courage left inside of them to continue to fight?!
'Yugi' saw the shocked expression on 'Bakura', as the Board Master seemed to not understand what was going on at all. "Bakura…" 'Yugi' began to speak as he shared the same determination as everyone else. "We'll show you what happens when our powers unite as one!"
Jounouchi used his sword to slash at Zorc's chest, causing the boss to tumble a bit, though he still stood his ground. The blond also gave a small speech to the one that had trapped them in this world. "Bakura, we joined this game because we believed in you as one of our friends. But in the end, you ended up betraying us and turned us into these things! That's completely unforgivable!"
'Yugi' held the dice once again, ready for an attack. "The rage inside of everyone's hearts… I will grip them in these hands with the dice!" He let the pair of dice land on the table again, landing a 09 for the next player to attack.
"A critical!" 'Bakura' gasped, seeing how low the numbers were getting for these attacks. "How is this possible!?"
'Yugi' rolled for Honda, who raised up his pistol and aimed it at Zorc, firing a bullet as the burnet shouted, "Thunder Grenade!". The bullet shot right through Zorc's shoulder, making him shudder once again in pain. 'Bakura' could only watch the onslaught as it continued.
"Now I will roll for sorceress's Anzu's attack!" 'Yugi' declared, tossing the dice again to get a 13, which would do a good amount of damage.
Anzu raised up her staff, being surrounded by a blue glow over her body as she aimed her magic right at the final boss. "Apprentice Displace!" She yelled out, launching her firepower at Zorc.
'Bakura' looked at the screen of his laptop, trying to figure out what was going on. He cursed at 'Yugi' wondering how it was possible that he was getting all of these criticals in a row. He had to have been cheating, that was the only logical choice. After all, considering the one dice technique he used, 'Bakura' wouldn't be surprised if he tried something like that again. But that couldn't be… he wasn't moving the table or having the dice spin rapidly. He made sure to watch him let the pieces fall from the hand, so there was no way he could be doing anything. But there had to be a reason! He knew there was!
"Bakura!" Jounouchi called out from the game. "It's not that hard to figure out! Because our hearts are in the dice that is rolled by Yugi, we are helping him get these numbers! They are answering to our rage which we will use to peg you and Zorc down!" 'Bakura' could not buy this rubbish, there was no way the players could still be infused to the dice when they were their figurines. Then again… if the dice responded to fear, then surely they would respond to other emotions such as rage. Was their hatred for 'Bakura' so strong the dice allowed them to roll such low numbers?
"Finally, I'll roll for the Beast Tamer and his allies!" 'Yugi' declared, dropping the dice again and seeing that he managed to get a 08, another critical. Yugi attacked using his two monster allies, having them shoot out fire to blast at Zorc, who screamed as the flames seared his body. He was soon covered in smoke upon the impact.
Honda and Jounouchi jumped up and down, smiles on their faces as they relished in victory. "We did it! We did it!" They cried out. "That's what you get!"
Their victory was celebrated too soon though. For the smoke was starting to clear. 'Bakura' looked down, his own smirk returning to his face as he knew something the adventurers didn't. 'Yugi's expression turned into one of horror. No… it couldn't be. All of that work they just put in. Even the gang in the game watched, seeing a dark figure emerging from the dust. They waited in anticipation, wondering if this was really the end or if something else was waiting for them.
Soon enough, the face of Zorc appeared as the dust finally settled. Yugi gasped in horror, seeing that the Dark Lord was still standing despite the amount of hits he took.
Even Anzu was terrified as she looked up. "This can't be!" Zorc began to walk towards them, a few cuts and bruises upon his body, yet he acted as if they were not a big deal.
Jounouchi grunted in frustration. "Damn it! Despite all of those attacks, he's still standing!" Jounouchi and the others moved back, while Zorc continued to advance towards the group.
'Bakura' once again laughed, as he was now back in control despite all those setbacks. "Have you all forgotten that you guys are still level 1? You're practically beginners. You do not have the experience to defeat Zorc in just one onslaught of attacks." 'Bakura' kept laughing as he watched his own pawn going forward to destroy the players. 'Yugi' twitched his eyes, knowing that it was too good to be true. All of that work they just put in, all of that rage they ended up using to get those numbers… It was all for nothing! But there was no way they could back down now! They have come this far, and they will continue to see it through to the end. Even if it would be difficult and risky… They had no other choice but to continue the game.