Chapter 37

Clash in the Colosseum: Part 6

"Dark Paladin"

Aboard Kaiba Craft 3, Joey was waking up out of his coma. "Big brother, please, say something." Serenity pleaded. "It's us." Duke said. "Serenity? What's going on?" Joey asked. "Where am I? Are we still on KaibaCorp Island?" he asked. "Yeah, you were knocked unconscious after Marik struck you down with The Winged Dragon of Ra." Pinkie replied. "Unconscious? No wonder everyone looks so happy to see me." Joey said before his sister tearfully hugged him.

"Joey, I thought, we might lose you." Serenity said. "Well, it'll take more than that to knock me out for good." Joey replied. "Thank heavens you're up again. We were so worried about you." Rarity said with tears in her eyes. "This is impossible. You can't be awake. Someone in your condition never could've recovered that fast." the doctor said, completely baffled. "Either way, you had me and the others really worried." AJ said as she dried her tears.

"I remember what happened, it was me against Marik, like Pinkie just said. I was fighting to save Mai." Joey said before looking back to see her still out of it. "If she's still sleeping, does that mean I failed?" he asked. "I'm afraid so. You fell to the ground and were knocked unconscious before you could call for Gearfried the Iron Knight to attack." Rarity said, somberly, remembering what had happened in that Shadow Game.

"I can't believe it. That psycho beat me?" he asked before turning toward his beloved. "I'm sorry, Mai. But I gave it my all." he said. "You got that right, but this is far from over. Notice that three of us are missing?" Spike said. Soon, the rescue chopper came down. Meanwhile, up in the colosseum, the duel continued.

"Sorry, Yugi, but you're still at a major disadvantage in this duel." Kaiba said. "Really? It looks to me that we both have two monsters on the field." Yami replied. "Perhaps, but my to Blue-Eyes are far more powerful than your creatures. Now I'll set two cards face down." Kaiba said before concluding his turn. "Your move, Yugi." he said. 'With these two cards in place, Yugi will never escape!' he thought.

'Kaiba's definitely up to something. But what?' Twilight wondered. "We've got a long way to go, Kaiba." Yami said as he drew. 'This could come in handy later, but right now I have his two Blue-Eyes to worry about. They could do some serious damage, so I have to defend my life points.' Yugi thought as he looked at what he drew. "I'll set this face down, and then switch my Red-Eyes Black Dragon to defense mode." Yami said as he did so.

"Not quite! I activate my trap card, Final Attack Orders!" Kaiba declared as his trap sprung. "No! Not that trap!" Yami shouted. "I know that card, it switches any defensive monsters to attack mode!" Twilight shouted. "It's worse than that, princess, as long as Final Attack Orders is in play, any and EVERY monster that's in attack mode switches positions." Kaiba stated. "Next, Yugi, we choose any three cards from our decks to be the only cards left while the rest of our decks go to the graveyard!" he added before taking out his deck.

"Both of their decks?!" Fluttershy said in shock. 'That means this duel comes to an end in three more turns.' Yami Marik thought. 'These three cards are more than enough to ensure my victory. In a few short moments, I'll crush Yugi and reclaim my position as world champion!' Kaiba thought as he picked his cards and the rest of his deck went to the graveyard. "Now you may as well surrender at this point, Yugi, because I have an unstoppable strategy in mind for you!" he declared.

'I can only choose three of these cards to hold on to while everything else goes away. The fate of the entire world may depend on this choice.' Yugi thought. Meanwhile, aboard Kaiba Craft 3... "Spike, I know who's missing. Where are Yugi, Fluttershy and Twilight?" Joey said. "Yugi's dueling against Kaiba, Fluttershy and Twlight chose to go with him." Spike answered. "Then we got to be up there with them." Joey stated.

"But you just woke up from a coma." AJ pointed out. "No sense in trying to talk me out of it, AJ, he needs us." Joey replied as he put his shoes back on. Soon, the rescue team arrived. "We received your radio transmission, who told us the situation?" one of the team asked. "I did. The engines are out and we can't take off." Tristan replied. "Are they being repaired?" asked another member of the team. "Yes, they are. But how long it'll take, we're not sure." Spike pointed out.

"Then we'll be on standby in case they're beyond repair." said the first rescue expert. "Great, in the meantime, we better head up to the top of the Duel Tower." Joey suggested before they all headed out. "Wait, I still have to do a medical examination to make sure Mr. Wheeler's okay!" called the doctor. "Just trust us on this one, doc. He's fine. It takes a lot more than that to take down Joseph Wheeler, the underdog of Domino City." Rainbow replied as she joined the others.

"We can't go." Tea suddenly said, bringing the group to a stop. "So many people have gotten hurt in this tournament, WE CAN'T LET IT HAPPEN AGAIN!" she shouted. "Trust me, Tea, I know. We all do. But that's no excuse to leave our friend high and dry when he's in the middle of a duel." Joey stated. "Not to mention Twilight told me both Joey and she, on behalf of myself and my friends, that we'd stop Marik no matter what!" Spike added.

This caused Tea to remember what Yami, Twilight and Fluttershy said to her before they went to the Duel Tower. "This is about more than just my pride, Tea. It's about being true to my word, see? If I do that, I'd be letting Yugi, Twilight, her friends and everyone else in the world down." Joey stated. "Joey's got a point. If we step away now, Marik wins and he'll rule the world as pharaoh just as he said." AJ pointed out. "So we have one choice, we've got to go out there, now!" Joey stated. "I understand." Tea said at last before they all started going again.

"Serenity, take care of Mai for us." Rarity said as she rushed with the others. "I will! Good luck!" Serenity called. "But what about that examination?!" the doctor called, but to no avail. Meanwhile, up in the colosseum, the duel continued. 'Okay, Yugi can only keep three cards, so can Kaiba and we have no idea what he picked. So Yugi has to think put himself in Kaiba's shoes and think of what he would do.' Twilight thought.

'Okay, let's see. If I were Kaiba, what would I do?' Yugi wondered. 'He's got two Blue-Eyes White Dragons on the field, so he'll probably try to bring his third one back from the graveyard. For that, he'll need Monster Reborn. Then he'll probably want to fuse them all together to form the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, and for that, he'll need Polymerization. But I don't know if that's really his plan. Well, I have to do something, so I'll go with these three cards and hope for the best.' he thought as he/Yami picked their final cards.

"Go ahead and make your move, Kaiba." Yami said before discarding the rest of his deck. "Took you long enough. Don't you realize that it doesn't matter what cards you picked? This duel is in my hands. Now stand back." Kaiba replied before drawing. "Ready? It's time for the fun part. Hope you enjoy." he said slyly. "I play the magic card, Monster Reborn!" he declared. 'I knew it!' Yugi thought, realizing his idea of what Kaiba would have planned was correct.

"I take it you know which monster I plan to bring back from my graveyard." the multi-millionaire said before he brought back his beast of choice. "My Blue-Eyes White Dragon!" he shouted. "Now I have three, so that means I activate this, Polymerization!" he declared as his card activated. 'If he already had Polymerization on the field, what's in his deck?' Yugi wondered. "Now I fuse my three dragons together!" Kaiba declared as lightning struck all three creatures.

"Say hello to my Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon!" he bellowed as his ultimate monster appeared. "Nothing you do can stop my three-headed beast of destruction!" he claimed. 'He's right. That's Kaiba's strongest monster! Yugi doesn't have anything on the field that can destroy it, so he better do something, fast!' Twilight thought. "Look closely, for this is the creature that will strip you of everything you have! Your title and your crown as King of Games!" Kaiba declared.

"I have you exactly where I want you, trembling in fear before my Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon!" he stated. "Yugi, I've played out this very moment in my mind over and over and over again. And now, here we are at the top of my Duel Tower face to face, and all you have to hang on to is a story carved on a rock that's 5,000 years old. But you're right about one thing, this duel is about the past." he continued. "That's true." Yami replied. "I know. But it's not about some ancient battle you believe our ancestors fought all those years ago. When I said this duel is about the past, I meant it's about burying the past for good!" Kaiba stated.

"Yugi, once I defeat you and go on to win this tournament, I'll be world champion once again." he continued. "I know." Yami replied. "Yes, but there's more. I'll finally close the book on my past so I can look forward to my future. You see, ever since I was dropped off at that orphanage when I was a kid, I've had to fend for myself. I had to toughen up to protect Mokuba. Then we were adopted by that tyrant, Gozaburo Kaiba. He taught me to crush my enemies and trust no one, but nothing I ever did satisfied him during his life." Kaiba said, remembering the events of his past, including the day he first set foot in KaibaCorp as the owner.

"Using the ruthless business techniques he taught me, I outsmarted him and took over his company. Now the empire he built, KaibaCorp, belongs to me. And my stepfather, is dead and gone. But that's still not good enough for me. There's one conquest I need to fulfill, and that's where you come in, Yugi." he continued. "Listen close, I'm considered one of if not the best at everything I've done, but when it comes to being the best at Duel Monsters, you stand in my way! So once I beat you, I can bury the past for good! That's why I'm here! That's why I exist! That's why I entered this tournament as a competitor! So that the world can forget about Yugi Muto! Nothing else in the world matters to me!" he shouted.

On the sidelines, Mokuba was devastated to hear his brother say that. 'I never knew Seto felt that strongly about our past.' the boy thought as he remembered his and Seto's past. 'I know things weren't easy back then, but we did have each other. I guess that wasn't good enough for him. He wants to forget everything, including the person he used to be, but I liked Seto back then. He actually used to smile. Now he wants to get rid of that smile forever.' he continued as his memories faded.

'Seto needs to realize that getting to the top and being there doesn't have to mean being miserable.' he added. On Yugi's side, the girls heard everything. "Twilight, I've never seen Kaiba this...this..." Fluttershy began to say. "Hateful?" Twilight asked. "Me, too. He thinks that by being world champion once more, he'll be able to erase the life he once had." she continued. "Face it, Yugi, your reign as King of Games is over!" Kaiba shouted.

"You never cease to amaze me." Yami said before chuckling a bit. "Why? Are you surprised by my superior dueling skills, Yugi?" Kaiba asked. "Not quite. It's your complete stubbornness and lust for power that I find so puzzling, Kaiba." Yami replied. "Why's that?" Kaiba asked. "It holds you back, that's why! You'll never defeat me with a heart full of hate and mistrust!" Yami answered, but his rival scoffed. "You're just trying to distract me because you're scared of losing." Kaiba claimed.

"Then why don't I let my actions speak for me? I reveal my face down card, Double Spell!" Yami replied before his card activated. "No! Not Double Spell!" Kaiba shouted in shock. "That's right, this card duplicates the effects of every magic card that you used on your last turn, Kaiba. That includes Monster Reborn AND Polymerization! So first, I'll bring Buster Blader back from the graveyard!" Yami replied before said monster appeared.

"Now I'll use Polymerization, fusing my Dark Magician with my Buster Blader!" he continued. "Fusion summon whatever you want, my monster is still stronger, so your magic card wasn't of any help at all!" Kaiba stated. "Wrong, Kaiba, for my new fusion monster carries with it every one of Buster Blader's special abilities. That means its attack points increase by 500 for every dragon on the field, that includes your Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon and my Red-Eyes Black Dragon." Yami retorted. "Now behold my ultimate magical swordsman, Dark Paladin!" he declared.

In moments, his new monster, a level eight, Dark attribute spellcaster/fusion/effect monster with 2900 attack points, now increased to 3900, and 2400 defense points, appeared. "Good move, Yugi, but not good enough. Just look closely." Kaiba said. "What's your point?" Yami asked. "Your monster may be powerful, but it's still 600 attack points weaker than mine." Kaiba answered. "We shall see. My move!" Yami replied before drawing. 'Alright, I'm depending on this card to win the duel. It has to work, because at this point, it's my only chance for victory.' Yugi thought.

"I'll set one card face down and end my turn." Yami said. "This is where it all ends, Yugi!" Kaiba declared as he drew. "Now, it's time to bury my past forever. And once I win this, I can finally move on!" he stated. "How foolish. It's our past that makes us who we are today, and I'm not talking about the ancient past. I'm talking of childhood, adolescence." Yami replied. "Whatever." Kaiba said. "You must remember what happened before the present, so that you can learn from the past! You can't ignore your life's history. Don't you know? It's the history of an individual that shapes their future, Kaiba!" Yami stated.

"Save it, Yugi. It's time to move on, not look back! The past is over, and nothing you say can change my mind, Yugi. I need to take you down, now! Only then will I obtain true greatness!" Kaiba replied. "Your Duel Tower stands here surrounded by rubble and destruction. And to me, it represents your heart; a strong object surrounded by anger and hatred for any and everyone who doesn't share your viewpoints. As long as you're fueled by hate, you can never defeat me, Kaiba!" Yami stated.

"Don't you realize my inner rage pushes me forward? And that's what I'll use to crush you!" Kaiba replied. "If that's the case then go ahead and direct all of your rage towards me, and strike me down with you rage." Yami said, almost daringly. "Very well, but I assure you that you will regret those words, Yugi!" Kaiba replied. "Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, prepare for attack!" he commanded.

'This is it, if I don't stop his dragon's attack, tis duel is over. I have believe in my cards and trust in myself' Yugi thought. 'Please, Yugi. Win this.' Fluttershy thought. 'If Yugi is truly destined to face Marik, then there's no way Kaiba will win this. Yugi's faith in the Heart of the Cards will overpower Kaiba's hatred any day!' Twilight thought. 'Nothing can stand in the way of my destiny.' Yugi thought. "Now my dragon, attack with Neutron Blast!" Kaiba commanded.

"I activate my face down magic card, Magic Formula!" Yami declared. "Nice try, but I activate Absorb Spell!" Kaiba retorted as his own card activated. "This magic card allows me to take effect of you Magic Formula and apply it to my dragon!" he explained before his dragon's attack power increased to 5000. 'His Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon just became unstoppable!' Fluttershy thought, worried.

"Now you're history, along with your Red-Eyes and Dark Paladin! Farewell!" Kaiba declared before laughing in triumph. "It's over." Yami Marik said with a chuckle. As Mokuba and the girls watched on, everyone arrived just in time. "Is it me, or is that Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon!" Spike said in shock. "Yugi!" Joey shouted. "At last...I win." Kaiba said with a wicked grin. "I wouldn't be so sure, Kaiba. You forget, I still have one face down card left. And that means, you're done." Yami retorted. "You lie!" Kaiba replied with an angry, hateful, vengeful voice.

"As you'll see, I've been destined to defeat you since this tournament began." Yami said. "Nonsense! My Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon cannot be stopped, Yugi!" Kaiba retorted. "I'm afraid you'll wrong, but I'll let my card speak for itself. And so, I reveal it! Behold, De-Fusion!" Yami replied before his card was revealed, bringing a look of horror to Kaiba's face. "This magic card splits up your Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon back into the three Blue-Eyes you used to create it, thus stopping your attack!" the ancient one explained.

'No! I need my Blue-Eyes Ultimate to win the duel! THIS CAN'T BE HAPPENING!' Kaiba thought as he saw, horror, his mighty monster split into three separate dragons. "Now, Kaiba, you have three dragons on the field instead of one, and since my Dark Paladin receives 500 attack points for every dragon on the field, he's now the strongest monster in play!" Yami stated as his Dark Paladin's attack points increased to 4900.

"Now it's time for my final move!" he declared. "Just go." Kaiba said, annoyed. "With pleasure, Kaiba." Yami replied as he drew. "The card in my hand will ensure my victory and conquer the darkness in your heart. So I activate my final magic card, Diffusion Wave-Motion!" the ancient one declared as his card activated. "You're finished. All I have to do is give up 1000 life points and this magic card will enhance the attacking capabilities of my Dark Paladin!" he stated.

"Now my monster can attack all three of your Blue-Eyes White Dragons at once!" he added, to Kaiba's shock. 'His Dark Paladin has enough power to wipe out my dragons AND my life points!' the multi-millionaire thought, knowing he was about to lose. "This duel is over!" Yami decreed as his life points decreased to 500. With a cry of battle, Dark Paladin prepared to strike. "Yugi! I will not be defeated at MY OWN TOURNAMENT!" Kaiba shouted. "Kaiba, you're too late." Yami replied. "Dark Paladin, attack!" he commanded before the Diffusion Wave-Motion radiated outward, slicing the Blue-Eyes White Dragons into pieces, dropping Kaiba's life points to 0 and ending the duel, once and for all.

"You lose, Kaiba!" the ancient one said as Kaiba's face was swept with anger, shock, horror and disbelief. On the sidelines, Mokuba dropped to his knees in shock while everyone else cheered and celebrated, save for Yami Marik, who just grinned and chuckled. "I told you your hatred and your lust for power would never prevail." the ancient one said plainly. 'I did it, but my toughest battle is still ahead, when I face Marik in the final duel.' Yugi thought, knowing his hour of destiny would soon approach.