Chapter 18
"Infinite Loop"
"Yugi, prove that you're worthy of your reputation and take down his Egyptian God Monster, unless, you've finally met your match." Kaiba dared, angering Fluttershy a bit. "Maybe your Duelist Kingdom world championship victory was just a fluke." he suggested, angering Fluttershy further. "It was NOT a fluke, Seto Kaiba! And if you claim that this guy is his match in a duel, then try remembering when you tried to force him to kill you in order to get to the finals of Duelist Kingdom!" she snapped.
Yami soon stood up. "I will defeat him, Kaiba. I assure you." he stated. "Marik, I hope you can hear me through your mind-controlled puppet, this duel is about to end!" he declared, but Strings/Marik just scoffed. "My Egyptian God Monster is unstoppable!" the madman responded before turning towards Kaiba. "And you're my next victim, Kaiba." he added. "Once Slifer the Sky Dragon annihilates Yugi, I'm coming after your Egyptian God Card, Obelisk the Tormentor!" he continued.
"Save your breath. Your empty threats don't scare me. After all, you're speaking through one of your goons by mind-control, something I never would've guessed the leader of the Rare Hunters would do to his own followers." Kaiba retorted. "My threats will frighten you in time, fool! As for why I'm speaking through a servant, it's because you must simply wait for me to arrive in the city." Strings stated.
"This duel's not over yet, Marik." Yami said boldly before looking at his hand. 'I have to figure out a way to defeat his Egyptian God Monster. But its got nearly ten-thousand attack points, and none of my monsters are even close to that number! Plus, it grows stronger with every card he draws! But it has to have some kind of weakness, and I'm gonna find it.' Yugi thought.
"My move." Yami said aloud before drawing and seeing what he drew. 'Monster Reborn could come in handy.' Yugi thought. "I set two cards face down. And then I summon Big Shield Gardna in defense mode." Yami said aloud before his best defender appeared. "Don't tell me you forgot that by summoning monster you activate my dragon's special ability. Let me remind you, by blasting your monster!" Strings said before Slifer's second mouth opened fire.
With one blast, Gardna's attack points dropped to 0. "This surge of energy from my dragon's second mouth has drained Big Shield Gardna of what little attack points it has." he continued. "Yugi's lucky Gardna was in defense mode, cause I don't think he'll last much longer." Mokuba said. "He better last long enough for me to learn Slifer the Sky Dragon's weakness so that I can claim it for my own collection." Seto responded.
"How's he gonna do that?" Fluttershy asked. "Good question. And you heard what that Rare Hunter said, a blast from Slifer's second mouth can drop a monster's attack points to 0, if it has 2000 or less." Mokuba added. "Your big shield provided little protection, and my Egyptian God Monster will continue to automatically devastate your monsters as soon as they're summoned to the field. Just one attack will be all it takes to demolish your only defense, leaving nothing between your life points and Slifer's power. Where's your faith in the cards now, pharaoh?" Strings stated. "Now observe, while I draw!" he added as he did so. "As you know, Slifer gets 1000 attack points for every card in my hand, so combine the card I just drew and the card that's now free from your Lightforce Sword trap with my hand, and that makes eleven. Giving my dragon 11,000 attack and defense points!" he continued before laughing wickedly.
Fluttershy was in such a state of shock, she started to feel a bit faint. "Whoa! 11,000 attack and defense points!? That's already three times the attack strength of any one of your Blue-Eyes White Dragons, Seto!" Mokuba stated in shock. "And it'll only get stronger. Look on the field and you'll see Yugi's opponent has Infinite Cards in play, allowing him to hold as many cards as he wants." Seto added. "And the more cards in his hand, the more attack points Slifer has. Which means there's no limits to how strong that Egyptian God Monster will grow." put in Fluttershy.
'Or is there?' Seto pondered before he realized Slifer's Achille's heel. 'Wait! Slifer's power depends on how many cards the user has in his or her entire deck! That's it! Slifer the Sky Dragon has one fatal flaw, but let's see if Yugi is smart enough to figure it out.' he thought while smiling. Fluttershy noticed his grimace. 'He said he wants to add Slifer to his collection, and that guy said Kaiba has another Egyptian God Card, Obelisk the Tormentor. Something tells me the only reason Kaiba is in this tournament isn't to hunt down the Rare Hunters. He may see it as an afterthought and really be after the three Egyptian God Cards.' she thought.
"Now, my Sky Dragon, attack and eradicate the only thing standing between you and his life points!" Strings commanded before Gardna was obliterated. "Soon, you'll meet your end and both your puzzle and the world will be mine!" he declared. 'Yugi can't last much longer, so let's hope he can figure out how to destroy that Egyptian God Monster.' Kaiba thought. "Now you're completely defenseless, pharaoh. The next time my Sky Dragon attacks, you'll be finished. Now you know what the word 'undefeatable' really means, you fool!" Strings declared.
'I can't let Marik win my puzzle, but I've never faced anything so powerful. And the more cards he draws, the stronger it'll get.' Yugi thought before he and Yami realized what Kaiba did earlier. 'Wait! That's it! That's how I'll defeat it!' Yami thought. "This duel's going to be over real soon, Marik, because I'm going to make Slifer destroy itself!" he declared aloud.
"Destroy itself?" Fluttershy asked, puzzled. "About time." Seto said with a grin. "What does he mean?" Mokuba wondered. "What makes you think you can?" Strings asked. "It's a simple matter of common sense, if all of my monsters are too weak, then I'll make Slifer destroy itself with its own power!" Yami responded. "Haven't you realized yet that an Egyptian God Card cannot be controlled by anyone who isn't familiar with its power like I am? It's much too powerful for the inexperienced, pharaoh!" Strings retorted. "We'll see. Perhaps you don't have as much knowledge about these Egyptian God Cards as you think you do!" Yami suggested, bringing a look of shock and anger to Marik.
"How DARE YOU challenge my knowledge of the ancient ways! I know all there is to learn from the ancient scriptures!" Strings bellowed. "We'll find out how much you know soon enough, Marik!" Yami retorted. "I'd like to see you try to turn Slifer's power against me!" Strings dared. 'What's Yugi talking about? I mean, sure, he's a great Duelist, but how can he make a monster that's considered an Egyptian God destroy itself? That dragon seems way to strong for just anyone to control. It sounds crazy to me.' Mokuba thought before turning to his brother. "What's going on?" he asked aloud.
"I think I understand it." Fluttershy said. "The dragon's greatest strength is also its greatest weakness." she explained. "I still don't understand what's going on." Mokuba responded. "It's time for you to make your move. But I promise it'll be your last." Strings said with a chuckle. "Is that so? We'll see, Marik!" Yami retorted. 'If I don't draw the right card now, his Sky Dragon will end this duel with one shot. I know the Heart of the Cards will guide me.' Yugi thought before Yami made his final draw of destiny. "Perfect!" the Nameless Pharaoh shouted. "Well, what is it?" Strings asked, unsure and impatient. "Just what I need, to take you down!" Yami answered.
'Looks like Yugi drew the right card he needed. But drawing it was only half the battle, this strategy has to have perfect timing because this duel's not over yet.' Kaiba thought. "Time to lose. I reveal my facedown card, Monster Reborn!" Yami declared as he revealed said card. "What good will that do?" Strings asked. "I'm sure you know this magic card allows me to bring back one monster from either of our graveyards, and I choose to resurrect, my mighty Buster Blader!" Yami explained before his creature returned to the field with 3100 attack points, due to its special ability to gain 500 attack points for every dragon in Marik/Strings' graveyard and on his side of the field.
"My dragon already destroyed that monster once before. Plus, special summoning it to defend yourself not only delays your ultimate defeat, but increases my dragon's attack points further by allowing me to draw three more cards, bringing my total hand up to 14, meaning Slifer now has 14,000 attack and defense points!" Strings pointed out. "It's not defending. Take a closer look, Marik. Buster Blader has been brought back in attack mode!" Yami revealed.
'What a thoughtless move. With his Buster Blader in attack mode, my dragon's blast will not only annihilate his monster, it'll wipe out the rest of his life points. I suppose winning his Millennium Puzzle will be a lot simpler than I thought.' Marik thought. "I know I can't win by just defending my life points, that's why I'm risking this entire duel on one final attack by Buster Blader." Yami explained.
"You're more of a fool than I thought. You've left yourself wide open for my Egyptian God Monster to defeat you. Have you forgotten about my five card combination that makes Slifer the Sky Dragon completely indestructible? Perhaps you need a reminder, pharaoh." Strings said. "First, my Card of Safe Return allowed me to draw cards whenever a monster is revived. Since you resurrected Buster Blader, I was able to draw three new cards from my deck, increasing the number of cards in my hand to 14." he continued.
"Yes, and the more cards you hold, the stronger your dragon becomes." Yami added. "Right, and that brought him up to a total of 14,000 attack and defense points." Strings confirmed with a laugh. "14,000 attack and defense points?! That's nuts!" Mokuba declared while Fluttershy fainted. "Furthermore, you forgot that bringing back a monster activates Slifer's second mouth, blasting 2000 attack points away from your monster!" Strings declared as Slifer's attack lowered Buster Blader's attack points to 1100.
'If he only knew what my real target was.' Yugi thought, slyly. "It's the beginning of the end for you, pharaoh. My Egyptian God Monster has weakened your monster into the pathetic mess barely standing before you! And my next attack will finish you off, for good!" Strings declared. "You Buster Blader may have some attack points remaining, but it doesn't stand a chance against my Egyptian God Monster. You time on this earth and your reign as pharaoh are almost over, so prepare to surrender your puzzle! On my next turn, both your monster and your life points will be completely wiped out!" he continued.
"I'm afraid there isn't going to be a next turn for you. Once Buster Blader finishes his attack, you'll be defeated, Marik! Now watch as my plan to slay your so-called indestructible dragon begins!" Yami retorted. 'Has Yugi lost it? His Buster Blader won't even make a scratch on Slifer the Sky Dragon!' Mokuba thought. 'If Yugi's plan works, my suspicions on how to defeat Slifer will be confirmed.' Seto thought as Fluttershy regained consciousness. "It's time for me to end this duel right now!" Yami declared.
"I'm ready for your pathetic attack!" Strings stated. 'Here we go, someone's about to lose this duel.' Seto thought. "Buster Blader, attack his Revival Jam with your powerful blade!" Yami commanded as the beast ran towards the plasma creature and splattered it. "Watching you try and fail to defeat me is actually quite amusing. But why attack Revival Jam? It'll just reform itself, allowing me to draw three more cards and make Slifer's power grow even greater, preparing it to destroy you once and for all with a force more intense than anything you or our spectators have ever seen!" Strings stated as he drew his three cards and increased Slifer's attack and defense points to 17,000.
"I'm afraid you don't get my plan. I want Revival Jam to reform, that sets the stage for this magic card." Yami said as he activated said card. "Behold the magic card known as Brain Control!" he added. "I think I get Yugi's plan. He's looking to take over Slifer's mind with Brain Control, but that might not work, as its power depends on how many cards the user has." Mokuba said, but Fluttershy knew different. 'It's not Slifer he's after.' she thought.
"Nice try, but I'm sorry to say, Yami, that like your Spellbinding Circle, Brain Control will have little to no affect on Slifer. And now you'll pay the price for such a foolish mistake!" Strings stated. But Yami just smiled. "Don't be so sure. I was never after your dragon." he revealed. "You're not?" Strings asked. "No, Marik, there's another monster you have I want, the one I just attacked." Yami answered as Revival Jam reformed, this time on his side of the field.
"My Brain Control has seized your Revival Jam!" he declared. "What can you possibly do with my Revival Jam?" Strings asked, puzzled. "It can't hurt my dragon, so its of no use to you." he added. "You still don't get it, due to Revival Jam reforming, you got to draw three new cards, Marik." Yami responded. "I did, which raised my Egyptian God Monster's attack and defense points up to 17,000. With every card I draw, my monster gets even stronger!" Marik confirmed.
"And now, pharaoh, the time for me to destroy you has finally arrived! Slifer, wipe out his Buster Blader and his life points!" he/Strings declared. "Hold on, Marik! Your Sky Dragon's special ability means its second mouth has to attack any new monster that appears on my side of the field. That means, before you can destroy me, your monster must attack my newly acquired Revival Jam." Yami revealed, shocking Strings/Marik as the blast launched and dropped Revival Jam's attack power to 0.
"You know what happens now." he added with a grin. "Revival Jam, revives itself, again!" Strings said as the creature reformed. "And each time Revival Jam regenerates, you have to draw three more cards from your deck." Yami added before Strings drew once more, increasing Slifer's attack and defense power to 20,000. But Marik knew exactly what was going on. 'This can't be! Whenever Revival Jam regenerates itself, my dragon's second mouth automatically opens and attacks it. And since Yami controls Revival Jam, it'll regenerate on his side of the field, which makes me draw three new cards. Then my dragon will attack again! Each event triggers the next in a never-ending cycle! First attack, then regenerate, then draw!' he thought as his dragon's attack and defense power climbed up to 23,000.
"My Egyptian God Monster will continue to grow stronger with each cycle as I draw more cards! But it doesn't matter because I'm trapped! There's no way out!" he shouted as his dragon's attack and defense power increased to 26,000. "That's right, Marik. Once you run out of cards to draw, you automatically lose the duel by means of what's known as Decking Out!" Yami confirmed as some of the cards fell out of Strings' hand. "No! This can't be happening!" the mind-controlled mime shouted.
"As powerful as your Egyptian God Monster is, no monster is without weakness, and the Sky Dragon's flaw lies within its special ability; the attack from its second mouth!" Yami declared as Slifer attacked again. 'I have no control over my Egyptian God Monster! As long as Yami's Brain Control is in effect, my dragon will keep attacking Revival Jam and my mind slave will keep drawing cards until...' Marik thought as Strings drew his final two cards before Decking Out, causing Slifer's attack and defense power to halt at 28,000. 'NO!' he mentally shouted.
"I turned you dragon against you, causing you to use up all forty of the cards in your deck. That means I win! It's over!" Yami said before Strings dropped to his knees, defeated, while Slifer also fell. Out on the ocean, Marik was furious. "It can't be! How could I lose with an Egyptian God Card at my disposal?! You'll pay, Yami! You may have defeated Slifer, but I hold another Egyptian God Card, one much more powerful than Slifer will ever be! So savor this victory while you can, for it will be your last!" he shouted.
"Yugi won! I knew he would!" Fluttershy shouted, happily. "And what a totally awesome comeback!" Mokuba added before he and Fluttershy rushed down to check on Strings. "Alright, buddy, hand over that Egyptian God Card to Yugi as per the tournament rules along with one of your locator cards." he said to Strings, but the mime was motionless. "Come on, snap out of it." he added, trying to get Strings' attention. "I get it, no one likes to lose, but there's no need to take it so hard or not even acknowledge the rules over it. So there's no need to be so hard on yourself over just one loss at a game of Duel Monsters." Fluttershy said gently.
Mokuba soon found and picked up Slifer. "Here it is. Slifer the Sky Dragon, it looks awesome. I mean, the card says its attack and defense points are X000. Guess that points toward its ability to gain 1000 attack points for each card in the user's hand." he said as he looked at the card. "I wish Seto and I could keep it, but as commissioner of the Battle City tournament, I have to hand this card over to you, Yugi, you earned it." he added before looking down and finding Strings' locator card.
"Looks like that's not all. You get his locator card, as well." he continued before giving them to the victor. 'Well done, my Yugi.' Fluttershy thought as she blushed. "Just don't get too attached, my brother has his eye on that dragon, too, so watch yourself." Mokuba warned. "I must be very careful with this." Yami said, cautiously, before Seto approached him. "So, Yugi, you figured out how to defeat Slifer the Sky Dragon. I must congratulate you, but it's a real shame you won't have it for too long." he said, ready to enact his plan.
"Why not?" Yami asked, suspiciously. "Because you and I are going to duel for it right now. And once I defeat you, Slifer the Sky Dragon will be right where it belongs; in my deck. You see, as I'm sure you heard this mind-controlled nut say, I'm already in possession of one of the Egyptian God Cards, and I plan to win the others. So it's time to duel. Once I win Slifer from you, I'll only have one more to claim, then I'll finally have all I need to be the world champion Duelist once more!" Kaiba explained.
"I should've known that was the main reason you're part of this whole tournament, to get to me." Yami said, quite unhappy. Suddenly, Fluttershy shrieked as Strings got up and chuckled, proving Marik still had control of him. "Silly fools." he said. "I've had enough of your mind tricks, Marik! It's time for you to show yourself!" Yami shouted. "Not to worry, pharaoh, you'll meet me sooner than you think. I'm on my way to Battle City as we speak. Once I arrive, the next phase of my plan will begin. I assure you the power of the pharaoh will be mine! My loyal mind servants are preparing for my arrival as we speak." Marik responded.
"Where are they, Marik? My friends and I already took down a good number of them!" Fluttershy stated. "You won't be able to stop us all, my dear. I have Rare Hunters everywhere in Domino City, and I can see all! Through this single mind slave, I can see the Millennium Puzzle that will soon be mine. Through all of my servants, I see a defenseless city, waiting to be conquered. And I also see potential mind slaves in every crowd. I'm always searching for new servants to add to my army of Rare Hunters. But the question is, who will be next?" Marik responded.
Elsewhere, three of Marik's Rare Hunters have spotted Joey and his group. "Man, I think I was this close to not having to face Kaiba in the finals." Joey said. "Maybe you should count yourself lucky that he had to go look for that card Mokuba mentioned." Tea suggested. "So tell me, pharaoh, which of your friends would make the best mind slave? Tea? Joey, perhaps. How about Tristan? Or even your dearly beloved grandfather." Marik suggested.
"You leave them alone! Understand!? I'm warning you!" Yami snapped. "And don't you dare mess with MY friends!" Fluttershy added. "Well, it appears I hit your sensitive spots, haven't I? Perhaps I can use your friends to get what I want from you, pharaoh. Namely, your puzzle and the Egyptian God Card you've won." Marik responded. "He said to leave our friends out of this!" Fluttershy snapped. "Or else he'll do, what? These friends of yours are meaningless to me. Besides, I have nothing to lose and the whole world to gain!" Marik responded before laughing.
"Do not test me! If any harm befalls my friends or Fluttershy's, you WILL regret it, Marik! They did nothing to you so you settle your score with me!" Yami said, angrily. However, unbeknownst to him or Fluttershy, Marik's boat neared the Domino City dockyard. "Just as my dragon's one weakness destroyed it, your loyalty to your friends will soon destroy you!" Strings stated before collapsing, indicating that Marik had cut him loose and sent his mind to the Shadow Realm, much like Seeker and Arkana before him.
"Oh, no! Marik's mind-control must've completely destroyed Strings' mind. We'll never get a confession out of him, now." Fluttershy said, worried. "I'll contact the Domino City police later and see if the other Rare Hunters you and your friends brought in collapsed some time after being locked up." Mokuba stated. "I must save them." Yami said boldly before running off. "Hey! Get back here right now!" Seto demanded, causing Yami to stop.
"Our duel will have to wait, Kaiba. Preferably, until the finals. My friends' lives may be in great danger, including my grandfather, and their safety is more important to me than anything in this world. Even whatever grudge you have against me." the Nameless Pharaoh said bluntly before continuing to run on. "Good luck." Fluttershy said with worry. "Running from a challenge is against tournament rules." Seto stated, clearly unhappy that his challenge was turned down.
Meanwhile, Marik's boat came into port. 'Finally, I have arrived! I may have lost one of my two Egyptian God Cards to Yami, but no matter. With the power of my Millennium Rod in my hand, and his precious companions at my disposal, I'll get everything I desire.' the madman thought with an evil laugh. Meanwhile, Yami was running through Domino, searching for his friends. 'I've got to find my friends and my grandpa before Marik gets to them!' Yugi thought.
As for Marik, he was starting up his motorcycle before proceeding to ride off towards Battle City. 'This time, the pharaoh is in a battle he can't win. Soon, the Egyptian God Card he took from me and his Millennium Puzzle will be mine! Then I'll be pharaoh and the world will cower at my feet!' he thought as he rode on, ready to settle things with Yami.