The Final Face Off Part I
The Pharaoh stared at the card in his hand.
Why did Kaiba give me his Fiend Sanctuary magic card? Yugi wondered. The Pharaoh looked down at Kaiba. He said it was something I'll need. But can I trust him?
'Use it wisely,' Kaiba said.
'What is the meaning of this, Kaiba?' the Pharaoh asked.
'That's for you to figure out.'
YGO
Kaiba wasn't happy but needs must and all that.
That magic card is Yugi's only chance of defeating Marik's Egyptian God Card, the Winged Dragon of Ra. But even if Yugi does figure out how to use it, his chances of winning this duel are pretty slim. Ra is a card like no other, and although Yugi holds two Egyptian God Cards himself they pale in comparison to Marik's Winged Dragon.
'Yugi,' Kaiba said, 'if you wanna win this duel, you'll use that card instead of counting on the support of your little fan club.'
'What does that mean?' Taylor snapped.
YGO
'Doesn't he get that we're all fighting the same enemy?' Téa asked.
Mayet barely reacted.
'He did give Yugi that card,' Duke pointed out.
'Yeah,' Joey agreed, 'but I don't trust him.' He turned and called out. 'If I were you, I'd toss that card right off the tower, Yug!'
YGO
'Look, Yugi,' Kaiba said, 'no one said you had to use the card so feel free to give it back.'
The Pharaoh studied the card in question. Then he made his decision. Despite Joey crying out a protest, he shuffled it into his deck.
'Kaiba,' the Pharaoh said, 'we may not always agree, but I still trust you.'
Malik chuckled.
Roland lifted his hand. 'Attention! The last duel's about to begin. Duellists, prepare your cards! Marik Ishtar will face Yugi Moto and the winner will receive the Battle City Crown!'
'Pharaoh,' Malik said, 'I have been waiting for this moment for my entire life. Soon, your infinite power will be mine!'
But the Pharaoh absolutely had something to say about that. 'Marik, not only will I defeat you – I'll free you from the darkness that controls you!'
Malik chuckled at the declaration. 'Now, that I'd like to see so come and get me!'
YGO
Mayet frowned as she looked up at the impending battlefield.
'He's gross,' Téa said.
'Take him down, Yugi!' Duke called.
'Yeah!' Tristan agreed. 'It's all you, man!'
'I know that Yugi has two Egyptian God Cards,' Joey stated, 'and Marik only has one. But Yugi's are gonna be tougher to summon to the field.'
Téa looked at him in confusion. 'And why's that?'
'Cause, in order to summon Obelisk and Slifer, Yugi's gotta sacrifice a total of six monsters. But Marik has a way of summoning Winged Dragon of Ra with just one card, remember?'
Everyone did.
That was how Joey lost his duel with Malik.
'Marik's Egyptian God Card has so many special abilities, it's almost impossible to beat,' Joey said.
'That's not good,' Téa murmured.
Suddenly something crossed Joey's face and he looked across at Kaiba. Looked like he'd caught on. Kaiba had made it clear that he had worked out a strategy for defeating Ra. It had been clear to Mayet, even at the start, that the card he gave the Pharaoh was an integral part of that strategy.
Meanwhile, on the field, the final preparations before the duel were being done.
'Duellists,' Roland said, 'please cut and shuffle your opponent's deck.'
Malik continued laughing like a maniac throughout it all. 'Yes! Shuffle well, Pharaoh, and hope with all of your soul that Ra ends up on the bottom.'
Mayet's attention was drawn across when Kaiba suddenly said, 'For what?'
Giving a side-look, Mayet noted that Ishizu was talking to Kaiba. She turned her attention away. She'd long-ago realised there was some very legitimate reason why Kaiba refused to acknowledge what was going on around them, and its ancient source. She might not know what that reason was but she felt it in her soul. Something happened in the ancient world that hurt his heart to even think about now.
The decks were returned.
'Here's your deck, Pharaoh,' Malik said, and then he took his own deck and placed it in his duel disk. 'Now it's time; time for the Shadows to consume your soul!'
'Marik,' the Pharaoh said. 'Destiny's on my side today.' He slid his own deck into his duel disk. 'The whole world is counting on me.'
Malik laughed again. 'Your foolish confidence shows me that you have no comprehension of the true horror that awaits you in this duel!'
'Yugi, don't listen!' Téa called.
'Yeah!' Tristan agreed. 'He's just trying to psyche you out!'
'Wipe the floor with him!' There was rage in Joey's heart – and understandably.
'Duellists, take your places,' Roland instructed and both of them stepped back into position.
'I will defeat you, Marik,' the Pharaoh declared.
'I'd like to see you try,' Malik sneered.
Roland lifted his arm straight up in the air. 'Commence duelling!'
Malik chuckled and raised his Millennium Rod over his head. 'Let the fun begin – now!'
With that, a dark spot started on his side of the field. It quickly expanded and came to cover the entire field. The Pharaoh ground his teeth and growled. Mayet tensed and narrowed her eyes. She had no idea what Malik would do now, but she knew it would take all of the Pharaoh's will to power through it and find a path to victory.
'I should've seen this coming,' Tristan grumbled.
'Oh, no!' Téa exclaimed. 'It's another Shadow Game!'
Joey's eyes narrowed. 'Hang in there, Yug.'
At the same time…Mayet could feel it.
The heart signatures of two very particular people made themselves known; one completely innocent.
The Woman and her Child…they were watching.
YGO
The Pharaoh watched as the Shadows took over the field.
But, he felt the eyes on him. They weren't Malik's eyes. They weren't Tristan or Téa's or Joey's or Duke's or Sharee's or Mayet's eyes. They weren't Ishizu or Kaiba's or Mokuba's eyes. These eyes on him felt different somehow. And he knew…he knew it was the Woman and her Child.
He couldn't see them right now; but he knew they were there.
But he had to keep his focus on Malik.
Malik lowered the Millennium Rod and, again, laughed maniacally. 'Now, then, you've witnessed several of my Shadow Games before, but this one will be different. I've thrown in a few twists, especially for you!' He laughed again.
'Now, Pharaoh,' Malik said, 'it's time to reveal the first of my surprises for you.' He raised the Millennium Rod over his head. The eye glowed.
'What's going on?' the Pharaoh demanded.
There was a screech from above and the Pharaoh looked up. There was an hourglass hanging overhead, Mai trapped inside. Harpy Lady circled around the hourglass. The Pharaoh was slightly relieved to see that her favoured duel monster had been called to her at this time.
'See someone familiar, do we?' Malik sneered. 'It's your dear friend, Mai, slowly slipping into the Shadows.'
And she was up to her neck in sand. That meant the Pharaoh did not have a lot of time to pull her back.
Malik only confirmed it. 'Once our duel ends, she'll be gone.'
'No!' The Pharaoh was determined not to let that happen. 'I won't let this madness continue, Marik!'
Malik lifted the Millennium Rod and the hourglass with Mai inside vanished, the Harpy Lady going with it. Malik chuckled. 'I'm afraid it gets worse. She's not the only one who's in danger here.'
'Why's that?' the Pharaoh asked as he became aware of a strange sort of tugging sensation. He could not, however, determine the source of the feeling.
'Just as I said,' Malik said, 'I have several surprises in store for you today. Are you ready? Meet my next victim!'
Then there was a jerking feeling…a feeling of separation…and the Pharaoh heard Yugi cry out in alarm and surprise – outside of their shared body.
'What in the name of Thoth?!' Mayet exclaimed as the Pharaoh spun.
The Pharaoh stared up, wide-eyed. Yugi hung, shackled to the darkness, just to his right.
Malik laughed manically again.
'Oh, no!' the Pharaoh cried out.
'Huh?' Yugi looked down. 'What?' He then looked down at the Pharaoh.
Sharee's spirit must have appeared next to Mayet in their shared body because the Pharaoh heard them converse.
'I thought only we operated like that!'
'This…is slightly different,' Mayet responded.
'Do you understand what's at stake now?' Malik asked. 'Lose the duel and Yugi goes to the Shadow Realm.'
'Marik, this is about you and me so leave him alone!' the Pharaoh snapped.
'That's not true.' Malik indicated over his own shoulder. 'You're forgetting my weaker half.' Sure enough, hanging from shackles in the darkness above Malik was the real Marik, looking pale and tired. From the looks of him, he was so drained that he was unconscious. 'He's involved in this conflict as well. So if I lose, the Shadows will take him.'
Which would make rescuing him from his dark half, as he'd promised Ishizu, nearly impossible to do. 'No!' the Pharaoh snapped. 'You can't!'
'I just did,' Malik retorted. 'The Shadow Realm will claim an innocent soul no matter who wins. And now let's duel!' He drew and then played his first card. 'I summon Vampiric Leech.' The monster appeared on the field. 'Attack him directly!'
'No!' The Pharaoh jerked back.
The Leech flew across the field. Its talons shot out and struck the Pharaoh. He threw his arms up to physically defend himself. But it would not protect his life points. They dropped down to 3500. The Pharaoh was left to shake off the sting that remained of the pain the Leech had inflicted on him.
But Yugi, it turned out, was left with something so much worse.
'You probably figured this out,' Malik remarked, 'but my Leech can attack instantly.' He burst out laughing again. 'You just lost 500 of your life points, Pharaoh, but that's not all.' He pointed.
Yugi started to scream.
The Pharaoh turned and looked up. He watched in horror as Yugi's right knee vanished into the darkness. 'What have you done, Marik?' the Pharaoh demanded.
Malik chuckled. 'When you lose life points, your friend will lose a piece of himself to the Darkness.' He threw his head back and cackled.
'That's madness,' the Pharaoh growled.
'That's ingenious,' Malik retorted. 'Now when your life points reach 0, not only will I win the duel but Yugi will be gone forever. And the same rule applies to my former self.'
'Then I won't duel,' the Pharaoh said.
'You…have…to!' Yugi forced out past his pain.
'He's right, Pharaoh,' Malik stated. 'You must duel. I'm in control of this Shadow Game.' He pulled a face, complete with sticking his tongue out. And then his face warped. 'We're in my world. Remember, I can banish Yugi to the Shadow Realm any time I wish.'
'You'll pay for what you've done!' the Pharaoh snapped.
'I disagree,' Malik said. 'It is you who shall pay.' He chuckled.
The Pharaoh ground and clenched his fist. He was only able to exist because Yugi graciously allowed him to use his vessel. And the Shadows could absolutely get rid of a body – just look at what happened to poor Bakura. He had no doubt if Yugi went, his body would go with him.
'We can do this!' Yugi told him.
'Huh?' The Pharaoh looked up at the boy.
There was a resolute expression on Yugi's face. 'Ever since you and I first met, we faced everything together as a team! This Shadow Game is no different!'
'You're right,' the Pharaoh said.
'I'm still right here next to you,' Yugi told him. 'And we can defeat Marik together. He'll never win this!'
'Yes. The future of so many depends upon our victory. We can't let them down.' The Pharaoh closed his eyes and focused on the matter at hand. This is the most important duel we've ever fought. If Marik were to prevail, he would gain all three Egyptian God Cards – along with the key to infinite power. And four innocent souls would be forever lost in the Darkness. I am now certain the reason Yugi and I were brought together was so we could win this one duel.
The Pharaoh opened his eyes and, after a quick check on Yugi again, looked back across the field at Malik.
Failure is not an option!
YGO
The whole group stared up at the battlefield.
Joey raged. 'That jerk! Only Marik could think up a game this sick!'
Téa stared up, horrified and speechless. Poor Yugi…If he loses, he'll be gone forever!
'You can beat this guy, pal!' Joey called to him.
YGO
Malik chuckled. 'Now then, it's still my turn.' He regarded the cards in his hand. 'So I shall activate another of my Leech's special abilities. By discarding one card, I can switch my Leech back into defence mode.'
'Then why don't you choose a card to dispose of so we can move on?' the Pharaoh retorted.
'Not to worry. I already know what card I'm sending to the graveyard.' Malik took one card from his hand and slid it into the graveyard slot. The Leech shifted into defence position. 'Hold on, Pharaoh. I'm not quite done.'
The Pharaoh ground his teeth.
'My Leech has moved to defence mode, and finally I'll place one card face-down.' Malik set the card and it appeared on the field in front of him. 'Now go!'
YGO
Kaiba watched with a critical eye.
I know exactly what Marik's strategy is! He transferred his Winged Dragon of Ra to the graveyard, then he'll use Monster Reborn to bring it back – just like he did last time.
YGO
'It's my move!' The Pharaoh drew. He looked at the card. 'All right.' He added the card to his hand and took another one. 'I play my Queen's Knight in attack mode!' The monster appeared on the field. 'Now attack his Leech, my Queen!'
The Queen's Knight shot across the field and, with a slash of her sword, the Vampiric Leech was destroyed.
Malik felt the need to state the obvious. 'Unfortunately for you, my Vampiric Leech was in defence mode, so I don't lose points.'
The Pharaoh ignored him and made his next move. 'I'll play two cards face-down.' The cards appeared on the field in front of him. 'That ends my turn.'
'Very well.' Malik drew. 'Then I'll continue my onslaught.'
The Pharaoh growled and sent a mental warning to Yugi to be ready. He hoped it got through.
Malik's eyes contracted, becoming smaller, and he sniggered. 'I've drawn just what I need! But before I use it, I have one more thing to take care of.' He turned the card over before he set it on the field. 'So I summon my Juragedo, in attack mode!'
The monster appeared on the field with a roar.
'Now, my beast, destroy his Queen's Knight!' Malik ordered and Juragedo charged across the field and slashed the Queen's Knight apart.
The Pharaoh's life points dropped down to 3300.
Yugi ground his teeth and bit back his scream of pain as his arm was swallowed by the Darkness.
'Are you all right?' the Pharaoh asked.
Yugi took a moment to catch his breath. 'I'll be fine. Just win this duel!'
'Next I'll place two cards face-down.' The cards appeared in front of Malik on the field. 'Now it's your move.'
'All right.' The Pharaoh drew. 'Here goes.' And he drew a card that he could absolutely use here.
Malik continued to chuckle. But, this time, there was an actual reason for it. 'Activate trap card!' The card flipped up. 'Left Arm Offering!'
'Oh, no!' the Pharaoh exclaimed.
'Yes,' Malik said. 'This card lets me move one magic card from my deck to my hand once I've discarded every card I'm holding. So I'll take the one card I need.' He discarded his hand and got one card in return. 'My Monster Reborn.' He held it up. 'You're through.'
'I'm afraid you're wrong.' The Pharaoh activated his own down card. 'Reveal Exchange!' The card flipped up. 'This allows each of us to draw a card from the other's hand.' He held out his hand. 'Choose a card!'
Malik growled.
'And hand over your Monster Reborn now!'
Malik's scowl deepened, making the already prominent veins on his face stand out much more clearly. He walked over and gave the Pharaoh the card. 'Take it!'
'With pleasure.' The Pharaoh took the card and then held out his hand for Malik to select a card. Malik took De-Fusion.
Malik gave a bitter laugh.
YGO
Kaiba watched from below with amusement. 'Too bad. Now Marik can't bring back his Egyptian God Card.'
YGO
The Pharaoh lifted the card he'd just taken. 'I'll use Monster Reborn to bring back Queen's Knight!' He did just that and Queen's Knight returned to the field. 'And then I shall summon my King's Knight!' He played the card and the monster appeared on the field next to its partner.
Malik growled again and narrowed his eyes.
'When King's and Queen's Knight are in play,' the Pharaoh said, 'their special ability allows me to summon this.' He played his third card. 'Jack's Knight!'
Jack's Knight appeared on the field.
'Now I have three monsters on my side of the field, Marik,' the Pharaoh said. 'And you have only one.'
'I'm not impressed!' Malik snapped. Then he chuckled again. 'You're planning to summon all three of your monsters so you can summon Slifer. And when you do, I'll be ready.'
From below, he heard Tristan calling out. 'Come on! You got him right where you want him! Attack this freak!'
'Yeah!' Duke agreed. 'Marik's bluffing! It's time to rock his world now!'
But the Pharaoh wasn't so sure.
'You just said it yourself.' Malik was even goading him to attack. 'Your monsters outnumber mine. What are you waiting for? Attack me!'
The Pharaoh narrowed his eyes.
'Well?' Malik demanded. 'Has the mighty Pharaoh realised that there's no way he can prevail?' He laughed maniacally.
The Pharaoh waited for him to stop. Then he said, 'I end my turn.'
YGO
In the Shadows, the boy turned. 'Mother, why didn't he attack?'
'Because the entity wants him to,' she answered. 'If your enemy wants you to attack them, it is seldom wise to do so.' She laid a hand on the child's head. 'You must pick your moments to fight.'
YGO
'That's it?' Tristan demanded. 'What's the deal? Yugi could have done some serious damage if he had attacked with one of his Knights?'
'Don't be so sure,' Joey said.
All eyes turned to him.
'I think he did the right thing by chilling out and waiting to attack, guys,' Joey said.
'I agree,' Téa said.
Joey nodded to her. 'He's got great instincts and he knew the time wasn't right. I'd do that too. Marik's definitely got something up his sleeve!'
YGO
Malik sneered and drew. 'My move. I'll place one more card face-down.' The card appeared in front of him. 'All right! Now, I could end this shortly. Although, it would be much more amusing to extend this game and prolong your suffering. Since you're going to lose this duel when I play my Egyptian God Card, I've decided to offer you some assistance, Pharaoh, so you can play yours!'
Now…the Pharaoh was confused.
'Therefore, I shall play this magic card.' He flipped it around and it made sense. The card appeared on the field. 'Card of Sanctity! So we must each draw from our deck until we're holding six cards in our hand. Just consider that a gift!'
The Pharaoh ground his teeth – he'd more consider that a way for Malik to fill up his hand again.
'Now! Select your cards and best of luck! Who knows what you'll draw!'
The Pharaoh smirked. 'I'm afraid you're about to regret that move.' He drew four cards as Malik drew his six.
'Have you drawn your Egyptian God Card?' Malik demanded. 'Or do you need more help.' He switched his monster's position on the field. 'I'll switch Juragedo to defence mode and end my turn.'
'All right, Marik.' The Pharaoh drew. 'My move!'
'Go ahead, Pharaoh!' Malik sneered. 'Summon your Egyptian God Card, if you can. Let's see what the great Slifer can do.'
The Pharaoh looked down at the card in question in his hand. 'I sacrifice my Jack's Knight, my Queen's Knight, and my King's Knight in order to summon Slifer, the Sky Dragon!' He slapped the card down and electricity crackled as the power of the monster rushed through the duel disk.
The Pharaoh raised his hand to the Heavens.
'Reveal yourself, my all-powerful beast!'
Dark clouds gathered overhead and lightning cracked. Then a blast of red energy hit the field behind him and smoke billowed. Slifer emerged out of the smoke with a growling roar, coiling around the tower. Due to the card Malik had just played, Slifer had a total of 6,000 attack points.
'Just as I thought,' Malik said. 'The war begins!'
Below, their friends all cheered.
…All except Sharee and Mayet.
YGO
'Marik's move backfired! No matter what he does, this freak is toast! So attack him and win this duel!'
It took every ounce of Kaiba's self-control not to roll his eyes at Wheeler's premature grandstanding. Yugi may have Slifer out, but there were still three face-down cards on the field. And Marik would likely still have another way to summon the Winged Dragon of Ra.
Marik, after all, wasn't the kind not to make back-up plans.
YGO
'Behold!' the Pharaoh declared. 'The power of Slifer, and its Thunder Force attack!'
Slifer drew his head back and opened his mouth. The attack built up.
Malik chuckled.
'Huh?' The Pharaoh stared across at him.
'Your monster's nothing!' Malik declared. 'I have this! Reveal magic card.' One of the three cards in front of him flipped up. 'Dark Spell Regeneration!'
The Pharaoh's eyes widened. 'No!'
YGO
As Kaiba had suspected.
Mokuba looked up at him. 'Hey, Seto. What's that?'
'It's a rare card,' Kaiba said. 'With it, Marik can move any magic card he wants from the card graveyard back to the field now.'
Mokuba's eyes widened. 'Any one he wants?!'
'Yes, and we both know what that means.'
YGO
'And now,' Malik said, 'I'll choose to play Monster Reborn, Pharaoh, which allows me to revive my mighty Winged Dragon of Ra!'
A gust began to blow and the symbol for the God Monster appeared on the field.
'Now, my Dragon, emerge in your unstoppable Phoenix Mode!' Malik ordered.
Flames erupted from his Duel Disk and the flaming form of the Winged Dragon of Ra appeared over Malik with a loud screech. Slifer fired his attack and the Phoenix wings of Ra merely moved over Malik's entire side of the field. The attack was completely cancelled out.
This was not good.
'My Egyptian God has neutralised the power of yours,' Malik declared. 'In this mode, Ra is immortal for one whole turn! So nothing you do can stop it!' He laughed. 'Thanks to the fiery wrath of Ra, Little Yugi will soon be consumed by Darkness and absolute power will be mine!'
Malik laughed maniacally.
AN: NO artworks or commission requestions will be accepted.