(Note: As the author of this story, I do not condone the practice, use or depiction of the occult or objects of the occult as depicted in this chapter of a fictionalized work. For those of you who are sensitive to this sort of thing, please do not read. Thank you)

Chapter 34

Yami vs Bakura: Part 2

Death-Calling Ouija Board

Up in the sky above Domino City, the Battle City finals had taken a more disturbing and sinister turn as Yami Bakura laughed. "Yugi, you fool, you unknowingly helped me unleash the power of Dark Sanctuary. And now the field is covered in a magic so terrifying it'll keep you in a constant state of fear and eventually destroy you!" he stated. "It's you who should be afraid. You have no monsters on the field and your down to your last 350 life points." Yami Yugi retorted. "That's true, but the resident ghost of the Dark Sanctuary is out and about, protecting me and changing my fortune dramatically." Yami Bakura replied as said ghost started lingering around Gamma.

"Your ghost doesn't frighten me. Without a single monster to defend your life points, I'll win this duel and remove you from the Battle City finals in one attack!" Yami Yugi said, bravely. "You're more foolish than I thought. The Dark Sanctuary provides me power beyond your understanding, but if you're so confident, then go ahead and attack me." Yami Bakura dared. "Gamma the Magnet Warrior, attack his life points directly!" Yami Yugi commanded. But as the electromagnetic warrior charged in, the ghost of the Dark Sanctuary shot out of it.

"What in the world!?" Rarity shouted. "Behold the power of the ghost of Dark Sanctuary!" Yami Bakura declared as the ghost struck Yami Yugi. "What's going on? My magnet warrior's attack failed and I was struck instead!" the King of Games stated. "Very observant, Yugi. You see, Gamma was possessed by the ghost of the Dark Sanctuary." Yami Bakura explained. "Possessed?" Yami Yugi asked. "Yes and that's how I was able to turn your own monster's attack against you." Yami Bakura answered with a chuckle.

"Have you possessed both of my monsters?" Yami Yugi asked. "You'll just have to figure that out for yourself if you have the nerve to attack me again. And, of course, unleashing that ghost is just one of the powers of Dark Sanctuary. But you'll find out what else this place is capable of soon enough. In the meantime, you should deal with the situation at hand." Yami Bakura responded. "Go on." Yami Yugi said, cautiously. "I will. Since you made the mistake of attacking me while your magnet warrior was possessed half of your monster's attack points comes out of your life points." Yami Bakura replied before Yami Yugi's life points decreased to 3250.

"And then, just to make sure they don't go to waste, the life points you lost will simply be added to mine." he continued before laughing as his life points increased to 1100. "Your life points are still minimal compared to mine, they'll be gone soon." Yami Yugi pointed out. "We'll just see about that, Yugi. You have no idea of the terror that lurks in my deck! Let's see what's next. Are you ready?" Yami Bakura responded before drawing. "I activate the Destiny Board!" he declared as his facedown was revealed. "You'll be finished within a few more turns thanks to it." he added. "Destiny Board? What does it do?" Yami Yugi asked.

"You're about to find out" Yami Bakura answered before a Ouija Board appeared. "That's weird. All that fuss over that?" Joey pondered. "Don't be fooled, Joey. That thing is one of the few things in the world humans should NEVER, EVER, mess with. A Ouija Board." AJ stated. "You're right, I saw one of those things in a haunted house this past Halloween and last November during a high school Bunkasai festival. They say that the fools dumb enough to play with one end up contacting a ghost, or worse, welcoming it into their home." Duke concurred. "You mean there's gonna be more ghosts?!" Fluttershy and Joey said in fright.

"Hold up, isn't this just part of a game of Duel Monsters?" Serenity asked. "Serenity, I sure hope so." Twilight said, knowing that with Yami Bakura, anything was possible. "I'll ask you again, what does this card do?" Yami Yugi asked. "Answer me!" he demanded. "It's quite simple; Destiny Board gives me the ability to communicate with lost souls, using the letters on this board, they'll spell out a message for you. And so, it's time for you to receive the first letter of your message." Yami Bakura explained before the cursor started to move.

"And the first letter, is F." he continued as the cursor landed on said letter and it appeared before Yami Yugi soon after. "What will the Destiny Board spell out?" Yami Yugi asked. "You'll see. Each turn, the Destiny Board will reveal a letter and then, after the fifth turn passes and all five letters are revealed, this duel will end and you'll lose absolutely everything, Yugi!" Yami Bakura responded before laughing maniacally.

"Your Destiny Board doesn't frighten me! I'll defeat you long before its message is spelled out in four more turns. After all, it's my destiny to win." Yami Yugi said, bravely. "Be careful, Yugi!" Fluttershy called. "Show that phantom-loving creepazoid who's boss!" Rainbow shouted. "This looks bad for Yugi, Seto." Mokuba said. 'Yes, and if Yugi has any hopes of winning this duel before that Destiny Board spells out its destructive message, he had better summon that Egyptian God Card of his.' Seto thought. 'Before long, the pharaoh will be finished, for good.' Marik thought as Yami Bakura laughed.

"Face it, Yugi, with the ghost of the Dark Sanctuary possessing your monsters and my Destiny Board on the playing field, your done. Only four more turns and then victory is mine." he said before picking another card. "Now I play The Dark Door! With this magic card on the field, we can only pick one monster to attack per turn." he declared before chuckling. "It seems your chances of winning have decreased. Now I summon the Earthbound Spirit in defense mode!" he continued before his monster, a level four, Earth attribute Fiend with 500 attack points and 2000 defense points, appeared.

"But it won't be around for long, because I plan to sacrifice it. You see, in order to keep the Dark Sanctuary in play, I need to sacrifice a monster each turn. So my Earthbound Spirit will now begone!" he continued before the creatures was sent to the graveyard. "It's time for me to put an end to this ghost story." Yami Yugi declared before drawing. 'Alright, since he has Dark Door in play both he and I can make one attack per turn, so I have to make this attack count. But I can't use my magnet warrior since its likely still possessed by that ghost, thanks to Dark Sanctuary. If I attack with it, I'll lose life points. So, my best bet is to attack with the Dark Magician Girl. Since he has no monsters protecting him and only 1100 life points, I can wipe him out with one direct attack. As long as he doesn't spring that facedown card on me, this duel will be over.' Yugi thought.

"Well, then?" Yami Bakura asked before chuckling. "You seem to have trouble making up your mind, Yugi. Perhaps you should surrender now." he suggested. "Never! I summon Kuriboh in defense mode!" Yami Yugi sharply responded before his monster appeared. "Now, my Dark Magician Girl, attack his life points directly!" he commanded, but Yami Bakura just chuckled as the ghost of the Dark Sanctuary shot out of the Dark Magician Girl and struck Yami Yugi.

"What's going on?" the King of Games pondered. "This time, she was the possessed one." Yami Bakura explained. "With each turn, a random monster becomes possessed by the ghost of the Dark Sanctuary. And now, you lose even more of your life points, but fortunately, they get added to my own score." he continued as Yami Yugi's life points decreased to 2100 while his own life points increased to 2250. "As you can see, my Dark Sanctuary is full of surprises. And since your turn is over, you know what's about to happen." he continued.

"Let me guess, your Destiny Board?" Yami Yugi asked. "That's right. Now behold the second letter!" Yami Bakura confirmed as the cursor stopped on the next letter. "And the second letter, is an I." he said as he showed the magic card that had the letter on it before playing it. "Only three letters left!" Spike said in worry. "You're right. But what word has the letters F and I?" Rainbow asked. "Wait a second." Yami Yugi said, realizing something. "Yes?" Yami Bakura asked. "Every Duel Disk has five slots that act as the spell and trap zones, which means only five magic and trap cards can be in play at once and each letter in this message is one magic card, so as long as your Dark Door is in play, you can't spell out your entire word." Yami Yugi explained, thinking that there was a fault in his opponent's plan, but the evil spirit just chuckled.

"Very observant, Yugi. However, Dark Sanctuary allows me to play more than five spells and traps. In other words, my monster zones will be where I place the other letters, so even with my Dark Door in play, I can still play all five letters of the Destiny Board and finish you off!" Yami Bakura stated before laughing. "You mean, that Dark Sanctuary field spell allows him to play more than five spell or trap cards and possess Yugi's monsters with an evil ghost?" Spike asked in shock. "Yes, and that is what makes me unstoppable!" Yami Bakura answered. "Yugi, your hope of winning has faded! In just three short turns, you will be finished!" he declared before laughing in wicked triumph. "Prepare to say goodbye to the Battle City finals!" he concluded.

"Oh, great. Yugi better think of something, quick!" Duke stated. "If Yugi can just figure out which of his monsters is possessed by the ghost of the Dark Sanctuary, then he could launch an attack." Mai suggested. "Yeah, but that's a slim chance while Dark Door is in play." Twilight pointed out. "Well, slim or not, he still has a chance to win this duel but he can't keep losing life points." Mai responded. "Maybe he's overthinking all this, and the key is to go with the flow, like Rainbow and Tristan." Duke suggested. "Joey, is Yugi going to win?" Serenity asked. "I don't know how, but he'll pull through, but it sure won't be easy." Joey responded. "Come on, Joey. Yugi's not the King of Games for nothing." Pinkie stated.

"As long as the magic of Dark Sanctuary surrounds us, I'm in control of this game." Yami Bakura said before drawing. 'And I'll need to sacrifice this monster in order to keep it that way.' he thought as he looked at what he drew. "I summon Sangan in attack mode!" he declared before the three-eyed fur ball appeared. "And now I'll sacrifice it to maintain the power of Dark Sanctuary." he continued before Sangan disappeared. "Now Sangan's special effect kicks in, allowing me to bring a monster with 1500 attack points or less from my deck to my hand." he continued before searching his deck and picking a monster. "Now, let's see what you can do. Not much, I'm sure." he concluded.

"You're wrong, you'll see!" Yami Yugi stated upon drawing. 'It's time for the ghost to possess another of Yugi's monsters, but which one shall it hide within?' Yami Bakura pondered before the ghost selected the Dark Magician Girl once again. 'Yes, he'd never suspect that the Dark Magician Girl would be possessed twice in a row. It's the perfect plan.' he thought. 'I know one of my three monsters is possessed by the ghost of the Dark Sanctuary, but which one?' Yugi pondered. 'I know it's not Kuriboh, he's too weak for me to attack with anyway. So that leaves me with two choices; Gamma the Magnet Warrior or the Dark Magician Girl. Which is it? I can only attack once thanks to his Dark Door, and if I choose the wrong monster to attack with, I'll lose more life points and he'll gain them. I can't mess up, or I'm finished.' he thought.

"Proceed with your turn, Yugi, but choose wisely, for one of your monsters is possessed by the evil ghost of the Dark Sanctuary." Yami Bakura said. 'I know this monster won't be possessed, I couldn't attack with him anyway. So the only option I have is to use him to defend my life points alongside Kuriboh.' Yugi thought. "I summon Big Shield Gardna in defense mode!" Yami Yugi declared before his best defender appeared. "That was a pointless move, nothing can protect your life points from the ghost of the Dark Sanctuary." Yami Bakura said.

'Alright, time to attack! But I got to make sure I don't pick the monster that's possessed, or half of that monster's attack points will be taken out of my life points. Since my magnet warrior has less attack points, I'll use him.' Yugi thought. "Gamma the Magnet Warrior, attack now!" Yami Yugi commanded. But as Gamma moved in for attack, Yami Bakura stayed calm. 'Yugi didn't choose the possessed monster, but no matter, I have a card to change that.' he thought. "You've triggered my trap card! Dark Spirit of the Silent!" he declared as his trap sprung.

"This card instantly stops your magnet warrior from attacking me. Did you honestly believe I'd let you attack my life points directly, Yugi? Never, and there's more. Once my trap card stops your warrior, it will force Dark Magician Girl to attack!" he continued. "No! If my Dark Magician Girl is the monster that's possessed and she attacks you, then that means I'll lose more life points!" Yami Yugi said in shock. "Correct. And I'm afraid she is, so say goodbye to 1150 more life points!" Yami Bakura confirmed before the ghost shot out of her and struck Yami Yugi. "Looks like you get weaker, while my life points grow higher and higher." the evil spirit continued as Yami Yugi's life points drastically decreased to 950 while his own life points increased to 3400.

"Yugi's running out of life points fast!" AJ said in worry. "You're right. Another move like that and he's a goner." Duke concurred. "Are you saying Yugi's going to lose?" Serenity asked. "I don't know, I've only played one game of Duel Monsters." Duke responded. "Well, I know he'll get through this, just like Joey always does in his duels." Serenity said, hopeful. "Man, I know they're holograms, all this imagery of evil spirits and ghosts is freaking me out, Seto." Mokuba said as he started shaking, seemingly a little spooked.

'Understandable for a kid like you, Mokuba, but there's nothing to be scared of from these holograms. Course, the only thing Yugi has to be afraid of is losing this duel and his Egyptian God Card when all five letters appear on the Destiny Board. Not that it matters, since I'll win everything in the end.' Seto thought. "I'm afraid this duel is almost over. Too bad, there's just no hope left. One more attack to your life points and you're finished." Yami Bakura said with a chuckle.

'He's right. If I attack him with one more monster that's possessed, I'll lose the rest of my life points and be eliminated from the finals. If I could only find out how to destroy the ghost of the Dark Sanctuary. There must be a way! But how can I destroy something I can't even see?' Yugi thought. "What's the matter? Perhaps you would like to forfeit the duel?" Yami Bakura asked. 'I'll never quit! This duel isn't over and I know that I have something in my hand or my deck that can help turn things around.' Yugi thought before he spotted a trap card.

'Wait! Maybe these cards can help.' he continued. "I place two cards face down, and end my turn." Yami Yugi said at last. "So, I see that you haven't yet realized that nothing can save you now. It's merely a matter of time, Yugi." Yami Bakura said, confidently. "Wrong. I can assure you that the evil ghost of your Dark Sanctuary is in for a rude awakening. And once it's gone, I'll be free to attack you!" Yami Yugi retorted.

"You're no match for the power of my deck, Yugi." Yami Bakura stated. "We'll see about that!" the King of Games responded. "Time's running out, just look at the Destiny Board." Yami Bakura said as the cursor stopped on another letter. "The third letter. What is it?" Yami Yugi asked. "N." Yami Bakura answered before said letter appeared. "Now there's an N. I can only think of one five letter word that has an F, an I and an N in it." Twilight said in worry. "Two short turns, and it's all over!" Yami Bakura declared. "You sure you wish to keep going, Yugi?" he asked. "Make your move." Yami Yugi responded before his opponent drew.

"This'll do. I summon Souls of the Forgotten in defense mode." Yami Bakura said before his monster, a level two, Dark attribute Fiend with 900 attack points and 200 defense points, appeared. "And now I sacrifice it to sustain the Dark Sanctuary!" he declared before chuckling as his monster vanished. "It's time for you to try and attack me again, if you dare." he said, daringly. "But remember, one of your monsters is possessed, so be careful of your choice. Now make your move!" he added, but Yami Yugi smirked.

"I'll do it with pleasure. I have a plan to exorcise your ghost once and for all." the King of Games said. "It can't be." Yami Bakura responded, thinking it was a bluff. "It is. And once your ghost is gone, I won't have to worry about my monsters being possessed." Yami Yugi stated. "See that look on Yugi's face? It's meant doom for many a player, eh, Mai?" Rainbow asked. "You're right, I got a feeling Yugi's about to turn this duel around." Mai responded. "Me, too. Give this horror story a happy ending, Yugi!" Fluttershy shouted.

'Yugi will definitely need something powerful or some sort of strategy to get himself out of this. Let's see what he has planned.' Seto thought. "Say goodbye to your ghost!" Yami Yugi declared as he drew. "Speaking of which, my invisible friend is possessing a monster right now." Yami Bakura said as the ghost possessed, once again, the Dark Magician Girl. "So, how about you figure out where it is and then destroy it?" he suggested. "I don't have to figure out where your ghost is, I happen to have a card ready to find it for me. And so, behold, the trap card known as Collected Power!" Yami Yugi responded before his trap sprung.

"This trap forces all equip spell cards to attach themselves to one monster of my choosing, and I select Kuriboh!" he explained as the effect of the Book of Secret Arts left the Dark Magician Girl. 'Why would Yugi use Collected Power and have Kuriboh be the target? The Book of Secret Arts won't even work on that weak monster, so according to Collected Power, any misplaced or incompatible equip spells place on the target monster will be destroyed.' Seto pondered before realizing Yugi's plan. 'Wait a minute, it also absorbed the ghost!' he realized.

"So, who's in control now? I'm well aware that Book of Secret Arts doesn't work with Kuriboh so it's destroyed, but I knew that your evil ghost lived within Dark Sanctuary, therefore, I knew I had to play my trap card, Collected Power, because it would force your ghost right out of its hiding place and into Kuriboh." Yami Yugi said, pleased with himself, before the ghost was exorcised from Dark Magician Girl and forced into Kuriboh.

"What do you plan to do?" Yami Bakura asked, frustrated. "Simple, I'll use this, a magic card known as Exile of the Wicked, which automatically destroys any and all fiend monsters, including my Kuriboh." Yami Yugi answered before chuckling. "Now watch as Exile of the Wicked wipes out my Kuriboh and your ghost." he said as he played said card and sent Kuriboh to the graveyard whilst also destroying the ghost of the Dark Sanctuary.

"Now the resident ghost of the Dark Sanctuary is gone!" he declared. "You may have destroyed my ghost, but my Destiny Board will still destroy you in two turns when its message is spelled out." Yami Bakura said, confident that he'd still win. "Don't count on it. This duel isn't over and it's still my move." Yami Yugi responded, equally as confident. "He's got that look again! The King of Games is making a comeback!" Pinkie shouted.

'I think it's time for a little chat.' Marik thought before making contact with Yami Bakura. 'Just in case you haven't noticed, you've lost control of this duel.' he said. 'Just what do you mean?' Yami Bakura asked. 'Your opponent has crushed your strategy by vanquishing your ghost.' Marik answered. 'Leave me to finish this duel. I don't need any help.' Yami Bakura stated. 'Don't be a fool.' Marik responded. 'I said go!' Yami Bakura said, clearly mad.

'You seem to forget that we have an agreement, so if you're still interested in those Millennium Items, you'll listen to me. Remember, you fool, if you lose this duel, you'll be removed from the finals, making you incapable of winning me the Egyptian God Cards, including the one on the line in this very duel.' Marik stated. 'I won't lose, Marik.' Yami Bakura said, bluntly. 'I'm afraid that's hard for me to believe based on what just happened.' Marik said. 'Then watch me.' Yami Bakura replied. 'Win this, or no deal.' Marik said, making his point clear before leaving Yami Bakura's mind.

"Alright, now it's time to bring a monster back from the graveyard, by playing Monster Reborn!" Yami Yugi declared as he activated said card. "I'll bring back a monster from your graveyard!" he stated before Yami Bakura's Duel Disk started glowing. "I bring forth Dark Necrofear!" the King of Games shouted as his opponent's monster, the very creature that helped him play Dark Sanctuary, reappeared. "So say goodbye to the Dark Sanctuary!" he added before the field spell dissipated. "Since your Dark Necrofear released it, I figured bringing it back would destroy it." he explained. "No!" Yami Bakura said in disbelief.

"And now that Dark Sanctuary is gone, I'm afraid you're no longer permitted to have more than five magic or trap cards in play. Don't be surprised if this foils some of your plans." Yami Yugi stated. "And now I'll attack your life points directly, with Dark Necrofear!" he declared before the creature attacked its former master, drastically decreasing Yami Bakura's life points to 1200. "Alright, this duel is almost done, since you lost more than half of your life points." the King of Games concluded.

"Regardless! I reveal the fourth letter of the Destiny Board!" Yami Bakura declared before the cursor revealed the second to last letter. "The letter A." he added before said letter appeared. "F I N A. Your word is; 'final'. It's too bad you'll never play the last letter. Look at your Duel Disk, your magic and trap zones are all filled, so you have no room for any others. So in order to play the last letter of your message, you'll have to get rid of your Dark Door and the effect is has on both our sides of the field." Yami Yugi said, smirking. "Thus allowing me to attack more than once per turn! And with no monsters to protect you and only 1200 life points, any of my three monsters could wipe you out in one turn." he continued.

"The decision is yours." he concluded. "This can't, be true!" Yami Bakura said, defiantly. "Stick a fork in that ghoul cause he's done." Tristan said, confident that the duel was almost over. "Looks like this ghost story is almost over." Rainbow stated. Seto, however, wasn't sure. "What is it, Seto?" Mokuba asked. "It's not over yet. I think Bakura has something else planned for Yugi." Seto answered. 'What's that fool doing?' Marik pondered before talking with Yami Bakura again.

'I needn't point out that your trapped.' he said. 'Yes, I know.' Yami Bakura responded. 'So, shall I control your host's mind and take over?' Marik asked. 'Never! I plan to overpower this pathetic Duelist on my own, Marik!' Yami Bakura snapped. "Now prepare yourself, Yugi. It's my move and this duel is far from over!" he said aloud before drawing. He soon laughed in triumph when he saw what he drew. "I've done it, Yugi! The time has arrived for me to regain my control of this duel, with the card I now hold!" he declared. "What do you mean?" Yami Yugi asked.

"Wait a minute, Yugi just had this guy and the whole duel in the palm of his hand, right?" Joey asked. "It seems like this guy's confident that he drew just the card he needed, or a pretty powerful one." Tristan said. "Whatever it is, it can't be good." AJ said, bluntly. "It's all over, Yugi. The card I hold in my hand is my key to annihilating you." Yami Bakura stated. "Well, what card have you drawn?" Yami Yugi asked. "The very thing that will help me take all that you have!" Yami Bakura answered before laughing in wicked triumph.

"The fate of the world depends on my victory." Yami Yugi said softly, knowing that he had to win, or the world would be doomed.