Chapter 1: Duel Monsters Era
Long ago, when the pyramids were still young, Egyptian kings played a game of great and terrible power. But these Shadow Games erupted into a war that threatened to destroy the entire world, until a brave and powerful pharaoh locked the magic away, imprisoning it within the mystical Millennium Items. Now, 5,000 years later, a boy named Yugi unlocks the secret of the Millennium Puzzle. He is infused with ancient magical energies, for destiny has chosen him to defend the world from the return of the Shadow Games, just as the brave pharaoh did 5,000 years ago. The ancient Egyptians could have never predicted that their mystical battles would evolve into the most popular card game in the world: Duel Monsters. And one of the best duelists to ever play this game was Yugi Muto. He was always up for a challenge. One day, his grandfather decided to give Yugi his greatest test to date: the impossible task of assembling a 5,000-year-old artifact, known as the Millennium Puzzle. But it wasn't impossible for Yugi - he solved the puzzle. And when he did, he also unleashed the great power of an ancient pharaoh.
"Yu-Gi-Oh!" Yugi cried out as he transformed into Yami Yugi.
The two became great friends.
"The Millennium Puzzle connects us, Yugi. And I sense fate has more in store for us." Yami Yugi spoke.
"Well, we're in this together, no matter what." Yugi agreed.
And it wasn't long until Yugi and the Pharaoh would be working together to save the world from all sorts of wicked forces, like the ruthless Seto Kaiba.
Flashback: Yugi and Kaiba's first Duel
"Draw your last pathetic card so I can end this, Yugi." Kaiba challenged
"My grandpa's deck has no pathetic cards, Kaiba." Yami Yugi smirked. "But it does contain... the unstoppable Exodia! I've assembled all five special cards - all five pieces of the puzzle!"
Exodia emerges from its seal.
"I-It's not possible! No one's ever been able to call him!" Kaiba cried in fear.
"Exodia... Obliterate!" Yami Yugi commanded as Exodia blasted all three dragons into oblivion. Kaiba screams as he is defeated.
…And Maximillion Pegasus, the cold-hearted creator of Duel Monsters, who coveted Yugi's Millennium Puzzle.
Flashback: Duelist Kingdom Title Match
"Now prepare yourself for the ultimate merged monster: the Thousand-Eyes Restrict!" Pegasus spoke.
"Attack, Magician with Chaos Scepter Blast! Your Thousand-Eyes Restrict has been destroyed!" Yami Yugi commanded as his monster destroyed Pegasus' monster.
"Oh NO!"
…And even the most fearful of all: the maniacal Marik Ishtar, who wanted to get revenge on the Pharaoh.
Flashback: Battle City Finals
"The darkness is here to stay!" Yami Marik sneered.
"Behold! Ragnarok! Once this great power is released, every monster on your side of the field will be crushed, including your Winged Dragon of Ra! The time has come for me to fulfill my destiny and rid the world of your evil once and for all!" Yami Yugi called out as all the monsters in his duel deck united to eliminate the Winged Dragon of Ra.
But even after their victory, their adventure was far from over. They had to face Dartz, a former king of Atlantis who was turned evil by an ancient 10,000-year-old stone called the Orchiaclos to feed a monster called the Great Leviathan, who threatened not only the human world but the Duel Monsters Spirit World itself! Yami and Yugi were summoned to the Duel Monsters world to help Dark Magician Girl awaken the three legendary dragons: Timaeus, Critias, and Hermos.
"We need you. All of us need you. You two are our only hope." Dark Magician Girl pleaded
"Timaeus!" Yugi and Yami shout in unison.
Although our heroes kept marching, there was a fork in the road when one of Dartz's minions Raphael told Yami that he was evil, but the Pharaoh doubted his words, so Raphael gave Yami the Seal of Orchicalos to prove his own words to be true.
"I activate the Seal of Orchicalos!"
The card warped his mind and clouded his thoughts. After Yami lost the duel, his soul was going be taken to the Great Leviathan, but Yugi sacrificed his own soul to save his friend.
"Pharaoh! I won't let this happen to you!" Yugi cried as he pushed Yami out of the way.
"Yugi, no! What are you doing here?!" Yami questioned.
"It only needs one of us, so I'm letting the Seal take me instead." Yugi clarified as he disappeared into the Seal.
"No! YUGI!" Yami cried.
But the setback didn't stop the Pharaoh. He pushed on forward to save his friend then came face to face with Dartz himself.
"You will be sacrificed to the Great Leviathan!" Dartz vowed.
"Knight of Destiny, attack his reptile with Sword of Justice!" Yami declared the finishing blow.
With the aid of his friends Joey and Kaiba, along with the Egyptian God cards, they defeated Dartz. Kaiba then created a new tournament to see if anyone could defeat Yugi. But no one was more dangerous than Zigfried Von Schroeder and his brother, especially after Zigfried's defeat the hands of Kaiba. He entrusted a powerful spell card to his younger brother: the Golden Castle of Stromberg, an illegal card Zigfried altered so that it was not only indestructible but once played, it released a powerful virus into the KaibaCorp mainframe. But luckily, Yugi used his remaining resources to defeat Leon and emerge victorious. There was one final step before Yami could enter the afterlife: remember his name! The evil Bandit King Bakura wanted the Pharaoh's Millennium Puzzle and the other Millennium Items to awaken the dark being Zorc, an evil that the Pharaoh's father imprisoned. Yugi and his friends ventured into the Pharaoh's memories and helped him while defeating the evil Bandit King. Then the Pharaoh remembered his name.
"It's my name! My name is Atem!" Yami then shouted his true name to the sky.
"No!" Zorc yelled.
"I give to you the Creator of Light!" Atem stared as the divine Creator of Light emerged.
"IMPOSSIBLE!" Zorc yelled.
"Darkness, be gone!" Atem yelled.
Zorc screamed at his destruction as he faded into nothing.
But even with Zorc destroyed, the Creator told Atem he had one last task to complete: Atem now had to return the Millennium Items to their place of origin: the Millennium Stone. Later, it was decided that Atem would have to be defeated in a duel where he was actively trying to win. Though Joey and Kaiba suggested that either of them battled the Pharaoh, their requests were declined, for Atem's chosen opponent was the one person he trusted all those years: Yugi. Despite having summoned the Egyptian Gods and his favorite cards, Yugi used his own talent to defeat Atem and allow him to cross into the afterlife.
"Hey, Pharaoh! I hate to break the terrible news to you, but you're not going anywhere! 'Cause everything you've given us stays right here in our hearts!" Joey told Atem.
"Right!" Atem agreed.
"Like we always say, it's your move!" Yugi reminded him.
Atem gave them a thumbs-up as he walked into the afterlife.
Present Day
Yugi fought and won many battles, earning him the title he is known by the world over: the King of Games. Which brings us to today - a challenge from one of Yugi's old foes would soon thrust him into a battle that will decide the fate of all Duel Monsters. Yugi is in his grandfather's game shop when someone knocks on the door.
"I'll get it, Grandpa!" Yugi called out as he went downstairs and opens the door to see his best friend Joey Wheeler
"Hey, Joey!" Yugi smiled.
"Hey, Yuge! What's up?" Joey met his friend.
"Nothing much." Yugi's smile faded away.
"Ya still miss the Pharaoh, don't ya?" Joey asked.
"Yeah, a little bit, but I know he'll be in our hearts, now and forever." Yugi nods
"Yeah, you're right buddy," Joey said.
"And by the way, you remember how you battled Marik's dark half to save Mai from the Shadow Realm?" Yugi asked.
"Yeah, and I'll tell you, the duel with that creep was one duel I'll never forget!" Joey told him.
Flashback: Battle City Finals
"Behold the Winged Dragon of Ra's true form!" Yami Marik called as The Winged Dragon of Ra became engulfed in flames as it took on its Egyptian God Phoenix form.
"Talk about a freaky light show!" Joey commented.
"Now my Egyptian God Phoenix, destroy his Gilford!" The phoenix destroyed Joey's monster as Yami Marik's Life Points dropped to 900. Yami Marik was expecting Joey to have collapsed from that attack, but to his shock, he was still standing.
"WHAT!? Impossible!"
It was Joey's turn. He's now leading with 1200 Life Points, but he was exhausted after the attack but he musters up the energy needed to draw his card.
'Gearfried the Iron Knight... he has enough attack points to end the duel!' Joey's thoughts ring as he weakly played his card.
"Alright Marik, I summon...Gearfried the Iron Knight!" Gearfried was summoned but just as Joey was about to call his attack, his sister Serenity raced up to the tower to see him, then he fainted ending the flashback.
"I know I didn't beat him, but if it wasn't for my strong will, my mind would've been trapped in the Shadow Realm with Mai."
"Yeah, at least Atem managed to not only defeat him but he saved the good Marik too," Yugi commented. Then there was a knock on the door and Joey opened it.
"Package for Yugi Muto." The mailman spoke.
"Uh, thanks?" Yugi collects the package then closes the door. Outside, the mailman took off his cap, revealing himself to be Roland, Kaiba's right-hand man. He speaks into a walkie-talkie.
"The package has been delivered successfully, Mister Kaiba!" Roland reported.
"Well done, Roland. Now return to the Kaiba Dome and make the preparations!" Kaiba commanded over the transmission.
"Yes, sir!" Roland got onto his motorbike and drove off.
"So who do you think would send me a parcel?" Yugi wondered. Then Yugi and Joey take a look inside and a see blue VHS tape and see the letters 'KC' on the label.
"I know that logo. It's gotta be that rich boy challenging you to a duel." Joey presumed.
"Yeah, it has to be Kaiba." Yugi agreed. Yugi places the VHS tape into the VCR and pressed play. The video showed Yugi's rival, Seto Kaiba.
"Yugi Muto, for far too long, you have outshined me. But I won't have it, not here, not now! come to the Kaiba Dome at 2:30 pm. I'll be waiting." Kaiba challenged and ended the video laughing in glory. Joey sighed in exasperation.
"That's the one thing I don't like about Kaiba, he's always desperate to beat you. So Yuge, what's your plan?" Joey asked. Yugi looked at the clock and saw 10:30 am.
"I better accept Kaiba's request. Joey, could you tell Téa and Tristan? They'll want to hear this." Yugi requested.
"Already on it, Yuge!" Joey rushes outside to tell the others.
Kaiba Dome entrance, 2:30 PM
Yugi and his friends see the Kaiba Dome. Once they went in, they saw the inside was big as a football stadium and at the center, they all saw Kaiba with a suitcase in his hand.
"Kaiba!" Yugi stared.
"I'm glad you accepted my request Yugi," Kaiba spoke with a smirk before seeing Yugi's friends. "And I see you brought you little pals along to watch your defeat."
"What was that, Rich Boy!?" Joey shouted in anger. Joey tried to charge at Kaiba, but Tristan held him back.
"Easy man, don't let him get to you!" Tristan pleaded.
"But Tristan-"
"It's okay Joey, I got this!" Yugi interjected.
"Alright Yuge, good luck," Joey said as he sat back down on his seat.
"Alright Kaiba, why did you call me here?"
"Why else? I called you here to challenge the one person that has been a thorn in my side for years." Kaiba clarified before he put the suitcase down and opened it to reveal the Millennium Puzzle, shocking Yugi and his friends.
"Recognize this?"
"What!? The Millennium Puzzle!?" Yugi gasped in complete shock.
"That's right. My scavengers found it in the ruins of the temple and we reassembled it in mere minutes, something a normal person would take years to accomplish." Kaiba stated.
'But how is this possible!?" Yugi questioned.
Kaiba throws the Puzzle to Yugi and he catches it in his hands.
"I have my methods, Yugi. So unless you wish to back out now, call. Him. Here."
"Alright Kaiba, I'll try, but don't say I didn't warn you." Yugi puts the puzzle back on and attempts a spiritual connection with Atem.
"Atem. Are you there? Where are you?" Yugi's thoughts call out.
"I hear your voice, Yugi." Atem's voice spoke.
"Thank goodness. I thought you were still in the spirit world." Yugi thought.
"So why would you contact me in your mind?" Atem asked.
"Kaiba. He wants to challenge you to a duel." Yugi stated.
"Oh, is that so? Very well, it has been a while since he and I had a duel." Atem said.
"Good luck, Atem!" Yugi wished him luck as the Millennium Puzzle transformed him into Atem.
"Ah Pharaoh, it took you long enough to come here." Kaiba greeted.
"Alright Kaiba, you want a duel, you got one!" Atem shouts.
"That's the best idea I've heard all day. Mokuba, close the Kaiba Dome! I want no one else seeing this!" Kaiba commanded to the control tower.
"You got it, big bro!" They all saw Mokuba at the control tower. He closed the doors and roof.
"I hope you're ready to lose this time, Pharaoh!" Kaiba declared.
"Heh, hardly this will be just like our other bouts. But let's make this a fair Duel."
"How so?" Kaiba asked. Atem reached into his deck and took 3 cards from his deck, those being Slifer the Sky Dragon, Obelisk the Tormentor and the Winged Dragon of Ra, the three Egyptian God cards.
"I plan on defeating you without the Egyptian Gods!"
Kaiba laughed nastily at Atem. "Oh please, you couldn't beat with just one Egyptian God card in Battle City! What makes you think you can win without all three!?"
"I bested you without them before, so this time will be no different!" Atem clarified.
"What?! He's battling Kaiba without the Egyptian God cards!?" Tristan gasped.
"So how will Atem win without them?" Téa asked.
"Don't worry, Téa. if we know Atem, he's always got an ace up his sleeve!" Joey reassured.
"I hope you're ready to lose your title, Pharaoh!" Kaiba glares.
"I won't be losing anything and now it's time to duel!" Atem shouts. The two rivals glared at each other and shouted two words that sparked battles big and small.
"LET'S DUEL!"
A few turns have passed and Atem was backed into a corner by Kaiba. Although Atem had Dark Magician Girl (6/2000/1700), Kaiba had Kaiser Glider (6/2400/1500) to back him up as well as Kaiser Sea Horse (4/1700/1650) to defend him.
"Kaiser Glider, destroy Dark Magician Girl!" Kaiba commanded his attack.
"Not so fast, Kaiba! I reveal my Trap: Mirror Force!" Atem revealed his Trap.
"Not that!" Kaiba gasped.
"Oh yes, Kaiba! And with this, all your monsters in Attack Mode are destroyed!" A reflective barrier surrounded Dark Magician Girl.
"Guess again! I play my own trap: Dark Sacrifice!"
"What!?" Atem gasped.
"By tossing Saggi the Dark Clown from my Deck to the Graveyard, your Mirror Force is shattered!" Saggi cast a spell that shattered the reflective barrier as Kaiser Glider's flame destroys Dark Magician Girl.
"Dark Magician Girl!" Atem screamed. Kaiba laughs at Atem.
"Tell me, Pharaoh. How does it feel to lose your only precious monster!?" He asked.
Atem growled at this and began to yell at him. "Kaiba! This is exactly what I meant by relying only on power to win!"
"So what?"
"You may have only power to aid you, Kaiba, but I am filled with the faith in my friends and my deck. So go ahead Kaiba, defeat me if you wish, but know that as long as you follow that path of selfishness and hatred, you will never be the true King of Games!"
"GET REAL, PHARAOH! I DON'T NEED SOME PETTY SPEECH TO BACK ME UP!" Kaiba snapped. "It never helps anyone! Do you wish to learn my true story, Pharaoh? I've always been alone and forever believing in your deck is weak! It's some lame fairy tale your weak grandfather made up to put kids like you to bed! There is no such thing as the heart of the cards!"
Kaiba's words shocked Atem. Joey, Tea, Tristan, and even Mokuba were shocked by Kaiba's tale. Mokuba started to cry.
"Seto..." Mokuba quietly whispered to himself.
Atem sighs at this. "You're wrong, Kaiba. You're not alone. You have someone always there for you and it's Mokuba!" Atem points to the control tower with Mokuba inside.
"You have always been there for him, Kaiba, even when Pegasus read your mind with the Millennium Eye and when Noah used him as a shield, but you choose to spare him. If that's not proof of you caring for the one person you've protected the most of your life, then I don't know what is."
"Are you finished!? I have a duel to win and I have the perfect card to finish it!" Kaiba declared.
"Perfect card?" Atem asked and then realized what he meant. "No! Don't tell me you're about to-"
Kaiba laughed insanely with a vicious smirk. "Indeed I am, Pharaoh! I'm sure you remember my Kaiser Sea Horse's special ability, but I'll refresh your memory, just in case you forgot!"
"Of course! Kaiser Sea Horse can count as 2 monsters when summoning a high-level Light-Attribute monster." Tristan pointed out.
"Doctor Dork is right for once." Kaiba agreed. "And now's the time to show you! I sacrifice Kaiser Sea Horse in order to summon my most powerful monster!"
"Oh no!"
"That's right, Pharaoh! I summon the legendary Blue-Eyes White Dragon!"
Blue-Eyes White Dragon emerges with a mighty roar. Its brilliant white scales glimmer in the light of the Kaiba Dome as it stared down at Atem. (8/3000/2500)
"The Blue-Eyes White Dragon..." Atem breathed.
"Impressed? You should be. This monster has been a major obstacle in your career. And once this duel's over, I shall stand triumphant!" Kaiba declared. "And to do that, I'll get rid of everything you have, starting with your face-downs. I activate A Wingbeat of Giant Dragon!"
"Not that!" Atem gasped.
"That's right! Once I call my Kaiser Glider back to my hand, all your Spell and Trap cards, along with any hope of defeating me will be blown away!" Kaiba laughed. As it began to disappear, Kaiser Glider flapped its wings, creating a windstorm that swept away Atem's two cards, Dust Tornado and Spellbinding Circle.
"And now I have rid you of everything! You have no monsters, no Spells and no Trap cards to protect you, Pharaoh! I'll end my turn for now. Just face facts - you already lost from the start of the duel. Without your monsters to back you up, what are you going to now!?"
Atem's face darkens then remembers something.
"Remember to believe in the heart of cards." Solomon Muto's voice rang in his head. He opens his eyes and gazes at his adversary.
"I'm going to win this duel and it starts right now!"
Turn ?: Atem
Atem gets ready to draw his card and think to himself.
"This is it. I have one chance. Heart of the cards, guide me!"
Atem draws his card and smiles.
"Yes! I activate Card of Sanctity! This allows us to draw until we both have six cards in our hand!" Atem plays his spell.
"I don't care if you draw a hundred cards. You've lost anyway," Kaiba said as the competitors filled their hands.
"I'll have to disagree with you, Kaiba. Now I activate Ancient Rules! This card allows me to summon a level 5 or higher monster to the field."
"Oh please! What kind of monster is level 5 or-" Kaiba questioned, but suddenly remembered something. "NO!"
"That's right Kaiba! I summon my faithful servant: the Dark Magician!" Atem chanted as Dark Magician is summoned as he glares to the white dragon (7/2500/2100). Kaiba growls but smirks.
"Hah! Nice try Pharaoh, but Blue-Eyes has more attack points than your magician." Kaiba pointed out.
"That may be true, but not for long. I activate the Spell Bond between Teacher and Student! This allows me to re-summon Dark Magician Girl from my Graveyard!"
Dark Magician Girl returns to the field and looks at Blue-Eyes (6/2000/1700).
"Oh my! Blue-Eyes White Dragon! It's as powerful as I remember." Dark Magician Girl stated.
"Not to worry, my apprentice. As long as we stand united, we can defeat him." Dark Magician assured his student.
"Okay!" Dark Magician Girl nods.
"So what if you've brought her back? Like I said, your magician is too weak to take out my Blue-Eyes. Your monsters are outmatched." Kaiba reminded Atem.
"Individually, that's true, but when their powers combine, they can topple even the strongest of blockades! I activate Dark Magic Twin Burst! Thanks to this, Dark Magician's attack points increase by the attack total of Dark Magician Girl, just enough to defeat your Blue-Eyes White Dragon!" Atem stated as Dark Magician Girl lent her strength to Dark Magician (7/2500→4500/2100).
"No! This cannot be!" Kaiba yelled.
"Yes! Atem now has enough attack points to defeat Kaiba." Téa smiled.
"All right!" Tristan cheered.
"Wipe that smug smile off his face, Atem!" Joey cheered.
"SETO!" Mokuba cried for his older brother.
"Kaiba, when you placed your faith in power and hate, you lose sight of your true self! It's over!" Atem yelled. "Go, Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl, attack Blue-Eyes White Dragon and end this duel!"
"Ready, master?" Dark Magician Girl asked.
"As always, my apprentice!" Dark Magician nods in agreement as they combine their staffs, forming a purple and yellow energy blast. "Here goes!"
"NOW!"
"TWIN DARK MAGIC ATTACK!" Both magicians shout in unison as they fire the blast. It approaches Blue-Eyes and Kaiba screams with uncontrollable fury.
"PHARAOH! I WON'T LET YOU DESTROY MY BEST MONSTER! NOT LIKE THIS! BLUE-EYES, COUNTER WITH WHITE LIGHTNING!" Kaiba roared.
Blue-Eyes White Dragon fires a blast of white energy that collides with the magicians' blast. Suddenly, the room began to warp and distort.
"What's going on?!" Atem asked.
"What's happening?! KaibaCorp technology isn't supposed to do that!" Kaiba theorized.
Then the strange light absorbed Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl, along with Blue-Eyes then everyone in the duel dome, starting with Kaiba.
"KAIBA!" Atem called out as he was swallowed by the white light next.
"ATEM!" Joey cried as he and the others were the next to be consumed by the light.
"SETO!" Mokuba called out to his brother.
But the light didn't stop there. It absorbed all of Domino City, then the entire world to be encased in the strange light.