With an emotionless tone, Yugi finally completes his turn.
Yugi: Setting two cards face-down. Your move.
Two dark silhouettes appear behind Dark Paladin, whose ATK has been boosted to a massive 5400 by the spirits of every dragon slain in this war. These are the three cards on Yugi's field. Kaiba doesn't have anything in play besides the continuous spell cards Spell Sanctuary and Soul Absorption. All Joey has is his Dangerous Machine Type-6, though is hasn't been of much use in this duel thus far. The situation looks dire for the two partners.
Turn 37 – Yugi: 5000 LP, Kaiba: 2100 LP, Joey: 2350 LP
Gotta say, dis new Yugi is givin' me da creeps, thinks Joey as his turn begins and he draws. I haven't seen him cis intense since he was possessed by da Orichalcos. He's all business now… no more foolin' around. Well… I guess dat makes three of us!
Since it is now the Standby Phase, the Dangerous Machine Type-6 begins to buzz and vibrate, shaking the ground around it. Joey encourages his machine as numbers start spinning. Come on ya rust bucket! Third time's gotta be da charm!
At last, the noise dies down and the number "5" comes up. Joey can hardly believe it. His chin contorts creepily and he yells out as loudly as he can:
Joey: YEAAAH! READ 'EM AND WEEP, YOOG!
Kaiba: A five? What does that mean?
Joey grins. The machine suddenly starts to shake extremely violently, causing an earthquake around the entire dueling field. It is transforming.
Joey: You're about to find out…
A huge laser cannon sticks out of the machine. It is pointed directly at Dark Paladin.
Joey: "Five" means I get to put da kibosh on any opponent's monsta. Say adios to Dark Paladin!
The machine powers up to full capacity and discharges a laser cannon shot that makes a direct hit on Dark Paladin, creating a big explosion. Kaiba and Joey brace themselves from the shockwave, hoping that their path to victory has been cleared of obstacles.
But when the smoke clears, Dark Paladin is still standing, completely unscathed.
Joey: Say what?!
Yugi: Your gun is firing blanks. Thanks to his second special ability, Dark Paladin is capable of neutralizing your spell card immediately. All I had to do was send one card in my hand to the graveyard.
The pharaoh discards one card to his graveyard; Dark Paladin leaps up and slices the Dangerous Machine Type-6 in half with his great blade. It crumples into a heap of scrap before exploding. Kaiba looks at his partner and attempts to get his thoughts off this setback.
Kaiba: Now would be a good time for a Plan B.
Trying not to appear too flustered, Joey looks back at Kaiba and gives him a thumbs-up.
Joey: I'll do ya one better: Plan P, which stands for Premature Burial. It resurrects a monsta from my graveyard in exchange for a small fee of 800 life points.
Joey's score goes down to 1550 as a grave rises up on his side of the field, acting as a temporary portal to the underworld. Kaiba's optimism goes up as he makes a mental list of each and every monster in Joey's graveyard, wondering which would be the best choice to bring back. But his optimism is quickly crushed.
Time Wizard pops out of the grave.
Kaiba: Wheeler… please tell me this is some kind of joke.
Joey: Nah. Strap in rich boy, cause it's gonna be a wild ride. This ain't no KaibaLand!
Kaiba's fists are shaking. He walks over to his partner, actually pleading with him.
Kaiba: If you think I'm just going to stand here and let you decide this entire duel on a coin toss… after everything we've been through. I didn't sacrifice my Blue-Eyes just so you could bring that silly toy out for a spin! You can't seriously tell me this is the only monster that can—
Joey: It is. Whether you like it or not. I promise you didn't sacrifice your Blue-Eyes for nothin'. So I suggest you back up a few feet and let da man work. I ain't gonna ask twice.
Kaiba realizes he has no control over this situation, and does the only thing he can: He walks back over to his spot and nervously watches things unfold.
Joey: Time Wizahd won't go at it alone though, cause I'm activatin' da Swing of Memories cahd to special summon one normal monsta from my graveyard. Long time no see Baby Dragon!
A tree with a swing hanging from its branch appears on the field. A little girl has her hand on the swing; Joey can't help but think that she reminds him of Serenity. Not long after, the girl is joined by a boy and they begin playing, taking turns on the swing. A tear rolls down Joey's check as he recalls fond childhood memories. He closes his eyes for a moment. When he opens them, the first thing he sees is two of his oldest monsters standing in front of him: Time Wizard and Baby Dragon.
Joey: Speakin' of memories, you know who gave me my Time Wizahd cahd? You did, Yoog. And it's about ta come back to bite ya!
Yugi: We'll see who bites who. If Time Wizard's effect succeeds, my Dark Paladin will go to the graveyard. And I confess that I don't have any card that can save it from that fate. However... if Time Wizard's effect backfires, it will eliminate all of YOUR monsters instead AND take a chunk out of your life points too.
With a nostalgic tear in his eye, Joey nods. There's only one thing left for him to say.
Joey: GOOOOO TIME ROULLETE!
Time Wizard flies up to the center of the field and begins spinning its roulette. Everyone in the entire arena eagerly watches with anticipation as the arrow rotates between landing on a skull or landing on a time warp. Joey and Yugi intensely stare at the clock while Kaiba grits his teeth with anxiety.
After a minute or so, the arrow begins to slow down. It lands on a skull… then on a time warp. At last, it goes back to a skull. Then finally settles on a time warp and stays there. Joey cheers and Kaiba breathes a heavy sigh of relief.
Joey: Here we go, gentlemen! Hold on to your butts!
Time Wizard says "time magic" and raises its wand, creating a time warp. Reality distorts, a vortex appears in the sky, wind blows everywhere. Time flies.
Joey: They grow up so fast, don't they? We just fast-forwarded a thousand years into da future, turning Baby Dragon into... a Thousand Dragon!
Thousand Dragon (ATK: 2400/DEF: 2000) stands in the spot where Baby Dragon was a moment ago. Small puffs of smoke come out it its nostrils.
Time hasn't been as kind to Dark Paladin. His sword has fallen to the ground, now rusty and unusable. Most of his armor has fallen off, and the previously clean-shaven face of a magician in his prime has now become the haggard face of an old man with a full white beard.
Kaiba: Hold on. Why is Dark Paladin still there? Yugi, you said it yourself: you didn't have any card that could save it. YOU LIED!
Yugi: I said that I could not prevent Dark Paladin from going to the graveyard if Time Wizard's effect were to succeed. Indeed, what you see before you… is no longer Dark Paladin.
Joey suddenly has a flashback to the Duelist Kingdom semi-finals when he dueled Yugi. Time passes, but history repeats itself.
Yugi: When the time warp began, I had to act quickly. Using my De-Fusion spell card, I split Dark Paladin back into the two original monsters used to fusion summon it: Buster Blader and Dark Magician. And while a thousand years of time may have decayed and disintegrated Buster Blader, the effect of this time-skip had a rather… different effect on the Dark Magician. A millennium has passed, aging him greatly. But with age comes great wisdom. A thousand years of wisdom that has transformed him into… THE DARK SAGE!
The decrepit wizard casts aside his rusty armor and wraps himself in a new cloak. He now wields not a sword, but a wooden staff adorned with arcane gemstones. The Dark Sage (2800/3200) sits cross-legged, levitating in the air.
Yugi: Joey! Dark Sage is the monster who defeated you at Duelist Kingdom, and now he's back to trounce you again! You know that he lets me add a spell card from my deck directly to my hand as soon as he is summoned. What you don't know is that when I activated De-Fusion, I also activated my second face-down card: Hidden Spellbook. It let me recycle two of the spell cards in my graveyard back into my deck. I will now use Dark Sage's special ability to transfer one of those cards from my deck to my hand.
Yugi adds the card to his hand as Kaiba carefully observes the newest magician they now find themselves up against. He's never seen this one before.
Yugi: And with Dark Sage being 400 points stronger than Thousand Dragon, there's nothing you can do to prevent me from using that spell card on my next turn.
Joey chuckles, glad to have the opportunity to get even with the monster that cost him Duelist Kingdom.
Joey: I admit, dat geezer cleaned my clock pretty good last time we met. But I've become a better duelist since then, with better cahds. See for yourself, Yoog. Cause I banish Thousand Dragon to play… THIS!
The old dragon disappears from the field to make way for a far more fearsome one. The strongest dragon in Joey's deck slowly emerges from the shadows, coated from head-to-toe in steel armor.
Joey: Check out dis bad boy. I summon RED-EYES… DARKNESS… METAL… DRAGON!
With 2800 ATK, Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon is evenly matched with Dark Sage.
Red-Eyes Darkness Metal… since when did that dweeb have a monster like that in his deck? wonders Kaiba as he stares in awe at the impressive dragon. His continuous spell card Soul Absorption kicks in to raise his life points by 500 due to Thousand Dragon being removed from play.
Joey: Yeah, he's awesome, right? He's got a kick-butt special ability too! I can use it ta special summon any dragon-type monsta in my graveyahd. Welcome back, BLACK SKULL DRAGON!
The terrifying Black Skull Dragon (3200/2500) is resurrected next to his armored brother. Joey now has two imposing Red-Eyes heavyweights in play, and he doesn't intent to stop there.
Joey: And there's more Red-Eyes where dat came from. Next I'm activatin' da ritual spell cahd Red-Eyes Transmigration! In order to initiate da ritual, I need to sacrifice two 4-star monsters from my hand. Luckily, I got the perfect volunteers right here: Alligator's Sword and Panther Warrior.
Alligator's Sword and Panther Warrior appear on opposite sides of a circle. The circle begins burning with a mystic flame. It incinerates the physical bodies of the two creatures and combines their spiritual energy, in order to concoct an entirely different monster. In the center of the circle, what appears to be a man wearing a Red-Eyes costume materializes. His name is Lord of the Red (2400/2100).
Joey: Lord a da Red is an old buddy a mine. He hasn't seen much action since I used him against Valon, but now he's found his calling as da commander of my Red-Eyes army. What da ya say NOW, Yoog? Looks like your old man's outnumbered three ta one!
Dark Sage continues to stoically levitate in the air, despite now being up against Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon, Black Skull Dragon, AND Lord of the Red. Reflecting the mindset of his monster, Yugi is also calm and expressionless. Numbers aren't everything.
Joey: You're up first, Black Skull! Light up dat hobo with molten fireball!
Black Skull Dragon opens its cavernous maw, generating a swirling ball of magna. Suddenly, the dragon's attack is cancelled and its entire body stiffens as if it has been electrocuted.
Joey: My dragon's glitching up! Kaiba, is your tech going haywire? The intensity of dis duel must be overloading da system!
Kaiba: That's absurd. KaibaCorp holograms don't malfunction. No, this must be Yugi's doing!
Yugi: It's not what I did. It's what my Electromagnetic Turtle did when it was discarded from my hand by the effect of Dark Paladin a while ago. During the turn in which it is sent to the graveyard, Electromagnetic Turtle leaves tiny electrodes scattered all across the field. These electrodes attach themselves to any monster that moves, rendering them incapable of doing any battle.
Kaiba groans, remembering when Yugi surprised him with this move during their duel atop KaibaCorp tower.
Yugi: Joey. For all your posturing, the only thing you've managed to accomplish is cram your field with a bunch of useless monsters that will all be gone by the end of my next turn. What a waste.
Joey: No way you can take 'em all down in one turn!
Yugi: Watch me.
I'll be watchin' alright. Watchin' my Red-Eyes guys cream ya, thinks Joey as he sets a card face-down behind his three monsters. And even IF ya somehow manage to get past 'em, my Trap Hole of Spikes will be waitin' for ya. Joey Wheeler's got this duel in da bag!
Turn 38 – Yugi: 5000 LP, Kaiba: 2600 LP, Joey: 1550 LP
Yugi plays the card he recovered from his graveyard.
Yugi: First I play Card of Sanctity! Now draw until you hold—
Kaiba: Until we're all holding six cards. We know. Just go.
Yugi doesn't even acknowledge Kaiba as he reloads his guns, his opponents doing the same.
Yugi: I'll dispose of your face-down card by summoning Breaker the Magical Warrior and activating his special ability.
Breaker the Magical Warrior (1900/1000), an armored magician with a sword and shield, is summoned in attack position. His ATK drops from 1900 to 1600 and his sword glows as his effect activates, allowing him to destroy one spell/trap card on the field. Breaker leaps up and slices Joey's face-down Trap Hole of Spikes.
Yugi: The first of your creatures to fall will be Black Skull Dragon. And it starts with this: my Illusion Magic card! It'll sacrifice Breaker and in exchange, return Dark Magician from my graveyard to my hand.
Breaker the Magical Warrior becomes translucent, seemingly transforming into the spirit of Dark Magician himself, before disappearing into Yugi's hand.
Yugi: But my Dark Magician won't be there for long, because next I activate the spell card Magical Dimension! Observe, as one spellcaster seamlessly trades places with another…
A golden coffin appears Dark Sage. It opens up, absorbs the old spellcaster and Black Skull Dragon, and shuts. After a moment, it opens again and from it emerges the Dark Magician (2500/2100), ready to serve his master's call once more. Joey barely has time to process this before Yugi moves on.
Kaiba: Dark Magician is back again? It's almost like there's no limit to the number of ways he can utilize that card.
Yugi nods at his mage, intending to unlock another of its forms.
Yugi: Next, I hereby grant my Dark Magician the Knight's Title, making him a Dark Magician Knight!
Upon the activation of the Knight's Title spell card, Dark Magician's armor transforms and his staff turns into a sword. His ATK and DEF points do not change, so this new monster must have some kind of special power.
Yugi: When Dark Magician Knight is called to battle, he can automatically rid the field of any card I choose! Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon… BEGONE!
Special incantations appear on Dark Magician Knight's sword, and it glows with newfound energy. The warrior-type monster leaps into combat and slays Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon with a single stroke.
Joey: Hey, I remember Dark Magician Knight! It's the monsta we used to beat da Big Five in da Virtual World. You had Dark Magician on da field and then I played Knight's Title, and then—
Joey's voice trails off, saddened by the fact that the monster responsible for the Big Five's downfall is now being used against him.
Yugi: Two down, one to go, and my Battle Phase hasn't even started yet. Which means I can attack your only remaining dragon and make good on my promise to clear your field in one turn. Dark Magician Knight, dispatch Lord of the Red with sword of dark magic attack!
Dark Magician Knight cuts down Lord of the Red in half, costing Joey 100 life points and his only remaining Red-Eyes monster.
Yugi: I told you.
Once card face down appears behind Yugi's Dark Magician Knight as Joey sadly stares at his empty monster card zones. His entire field, gone in a single turn, just as Yugi predicted.
Joey: I gotta tell ya, Yoog... I'm really starting to wonder how the heck I ever beat you when we dueled after Battle City.
Yugi: You didn't.
Joey's head quickly snaps up, only to be met with Yugi's stern gaze. And eyes that will only tell the cold, hard truth.
Yugi: I let you win on purpose. So you could have your Red-Eyes Black Dragon card back.
Joey tries to say something but no words come out of his mouth. He looks like he was just shot in the heart. Kaiba on the other hand starts laughing hysterically.
Yugi: I'm sorry, Joey. But it's better if you know now. I went easy on you before. I will not do so again. I will not hesitate, I will not stop, I will not show mercy until both of you are eliminated from this duel.
Turn 39 – Yugi: 5000 LP, Kaiba: 2600 LP, Joey: 1450 LP
The president of KaibaCorp draws as his turn begins. He continues laughing.
Yugi: What's so funny?
Kaiba doesn't answer. He just keeps laughing till he's had his fill.
Kaiba: I find you fools quite humorous. Though not as humorous as the fact that by playing Card of Sanctity again, you've given me all the cards I need to end this duel right here and now! I knew it was only a matter of time before that strategy backfired on you. Now at long last, your demise is nigh at hand!
Yugi: Is that so? Then give me everything you've got, Kaiba!
Kaiba grins. As if he needed to be asked.
Kaiba: As you wish. I call forth the Lord of Dragons in defense mode!
A half-man, half-dragon creature is (1200/1100) is normal summoned in front of Kaiba. It takes a knee.
Kaiba: Then I'll crank up the volume with The Flute of Summoning Dragon!
An ancient flute in the shape of a dragon appears in front of Lord of D. He takes possession of the flute and blows on it. The horns of hell ring throughout the entire stadium, and many of the duelists recognize the terrifying sound and what it forebodes.
Kaiba: Ah, music to my ears. This melody can be heard by every dragon in my hand, allowing Lord of Dragons to call two of them onto the field. Let the symphony of destruction commence!
Two Blue-Eyes White Dragons (3000/2500) are special summoned directly onto the field on either side of their Lord.
Kaiba: Three's company, wouldn't you agree? Now I shall activate Silver's Cry to revive my third Blue-Eyes White Dragon!
The roar of a Blue-Eyes can be heard, though the direction it comes from is uncertain. After a while, the Blue-Eyes that fell in battle earlier returns to join his two counterparts. The trio is complete. Everyone in the arena is standing in awe at the three engines of destruction. The KaibaCorp president proudly stands in the midst of his glittering beasts, admiring each one. The sight is dazzling enough to snap Joey out of his momentary disappointment.
Joey: Wait a minute, did you just summon a bunch of monstas in one turn?
Kaiba: Yeah, so?
Joey: You just saw what happened to my Red-Eyes army, right? What makes ya think your Blue-Eyes White Dragons will fare any better?
Kaiba: Because Red-Eyes are red, Blue-Eyes are blue, and I will always be a superior duelist to you. I know better than to throw out a bunch of dragons without giving them proper protection first. You see, thanks to the special ability of Lord of Dragons, all dragon-type monsters on the field cannot be targeted by card effects.
The three pale creatures snarl at the pharaoh, eager to engage in battle with him like they have so many times before.
Kaiba: You've been a better partner than I expected, Wheeler, but when all is said and done the record books will show that Seto Kaiba landed the final blow! Blue-Eyes, send his Dark Magician Knight to the Shadow Realm with white lightning!
The Blue-Eyes that was revived shoots out a stream of electricity from its mouth. Dark Magician Knight raises his sword in an attempt to block, but he cannot withstand the power of the attack. The knight is vanquished, and Yugi is down 500 life points.
Kaiba: Can't even protect your beloved Dark Magician anymore, eh? You've finally run out of magic tricks!
Kaiba takes a step forward, so keen on delivering the finishing blow to the pharaoh's life point total.
Kaiba: Now my two remaining Blue-Eyes White Dragons, it's time to turn this pharaoh into a mummy! Attack Yugi's life points directly with double white light-
Kaiba stops in his tracks. His voice is cut off. He turns pale.
Kaiba: No… it can't be…
Kaiba tries to speak, but no sound comes out. He just stands still, transfixed and terrified by what he sees.
Yugi: Something wrong?
A bead of sweat rolls down the KaibaCorp's president forehead. He keeps staring straight ahead at something.
Kaiba: How… DARE… YOU…
Kaiba is staring at himself. Or rather, a reflection of himself. A shiny metallic figure has appeared on the opposite side of the field. A Metal Fiend Token (0/0).
Kaiba: Yugi… you dare use that against me? I GAVE YOU THAT CARD! YOU WOULDN'T EVEN HAVE THAT CARD IF IT WASN'T FOR ME!
Kaiba is now shouting and shaking, the stress of the duel clearly having taken a toll on him. Joey finds this scene very unsettling.
Yugi: Oh, you mean Fiend's Sanctuary? Why yes, you are correct. It's the card you gave me to use against Marik in the Battle City finals. I couldn't have defeated him and saved the world without your help. I really can't thank you enough for giving me this card.
Yugi grins as he sarcastically mocks Kaiba.
Yugi: But perhaps… you should have asked for it back.
Kaiba growls, too overcome with frustration to be able to respond.
Yugi: Surely my little Metal Fiend Tokens is no match for your fearsome Blue-Eyes White Dragons? After all, it has zero attack points and zero defense points. You could say it's the weakest monster in my entire deck.
Kaiba is still silent. Joey has never seen his partner in such a state.
Yugi: But you know as well as I do that if you attack the Metal Fiend Token with your Blue-Eyes, any battle damage I take will be deducted from your life points instead. You would destroy it... but at great cost to you.
With only 2600 life points left, Kaiba knows a reflected attack would cause him to lose the duel immediately.
Kaiba: Fine. I set two facedowns and end my turn.
Turn 40 – Yugi: 4500 LP, Kaiba: 2600 LP, Joey: 1450 LP
On his Standby Phase, Yugi pays 1000 life points to keep the Metal Fiend Token in play.
Yugi: First I shall increase the number of Metal Fiend Tokens I have on the field from one to three, with the help of Multiply!
The spell kicks in, multiplying the tokens. Kaiba now sees three reflections of himself starting back.
Yugi: And now, I intend to use the card you gave me… to play another card… that you gave me.
Kaiba's eyes bulge wide, his panic skyrockets. Yugi smirks in satisfaction.
Yugi: I sacrifice all three of my Metal Fiend Tokens, in order to summon… the Egyptian God Card OBELISK THE TORMENTOR!
The crowd roars in unison across the entire stadium. Now it's Joey's turn to panic as he catches on to Yugi's masterful play.
Joey: Ah man, dis is not good, DIS IS REALLY NOT GOOD!
The descent of the mighty creature is heralded by burning winds and twisting lands. Lightning bolts strike down and disintegrate the three tokens, while more lightning strikes all over the stadium. Everyone is on their feet and out of their seats to bear witness to the God of torment. And with the coming of this horror, all who draw breath shall know the meaning of eternal slumber.
Obelisk the Tormentor (4000/4000) hits the ground like a meteor and slowly unfolds its wings to reveal an absolutely colossal duel monster that is all muscle. Seto Kaiba finds himself staring into the crimson eyes of the creature that Ishizu Ishtar gave him long ago. The card Yugi took from him after achieving victory in the semi-final match of the Battle City Tournament.
Yugi: Obelisk the Tormentor, attack Blue-Eyes White Dragon with your fist of fate!
The blue juggernaut clenches its massive fist and drives it into the heart of Blue-Eyes, punching a hole through the dragon. The blow is strong enough to generate a shockwave that reaches Kaiba and throws him back several feet. The KaibaCorp president falls to the ground, the cards in his hand falling around him.
Joey: KAIBA! Are you okay?
Kaiba doesn't respond. He lays motionless on the ground with his cards scattered around him.
Though he still has 1600 life points and two Blue-Eyes remaining, Obelisk the Tormentor towers above both of the dragons. Smoke comes out of its nostrils. The God's bloodlust won't be sated until it is the only creature standing.
Yugi: How arrogant of you to believe that Obelisk was ever rightfully yours. Ishizu only gave it to you because she knew it would motivate you to host a tournament big enough to gain the attention of the Rare Hunters. But instead of using an Egyptian God card only when absolutely necessary, you carelessly brought Obelisk out every chance you could, using it to inflict trauma and torment upon innocent souls. You never bothered to grasp the true purpose of Battle City or of the Egyptian Gods, because the only thing you care about is yourself. And you haven't changed. If you had destroyed my Metal Fiend Token, you would have lost, but Joey wouldn't have had to deal with it and I wouldn't have been able to summon Obelisk. He would likely have defeated me. But as soon as you saw your elimination from the duel, you became blind to all other possibilities. Well, look at you now. Laying there. Suffering the consequences of your ego. Taken down by the very card that once served you.
Yugi scowls at Kaiba, who is still motionless on the ground with his cards scattered around him.
Yugi: I'm done trying to change you. The only thing left for me to do now… is use Obelisk the Tormentor to lay waste to everything. Unlike you, Kaiba I don't enjoy watching the Egyptian Gods punish people. But maybe… you deserve it.
A worried Joey looks at the dire situation around him. Obelisk towers in front of him and his partner isn't moving.
Joey: Come on rich boy, now ain't no time to be takin' a nap! The Seto Kaiba I know wouldn't go down like dis!
Kaiba begins to stir now, slowly picking up his cards one by one, much to the relief of his partner.
Kaiba: Listening to Yugi talk has the tendency to put me to sleep. I must've dozed off.
He finishes reassembling his hand and dusts off his KaibaCorp jacket. He looks at Yugi with a bemused expression.
Kaiba: Nice to know you're done trying to change me. Took you long enough. I've never wasted my time trying to change you, but maybe you should wake up and get with the times already. Don't you realize that these people watching us don't give a damn about your condescending speeches any more than I do? What they DO care about, what they paid good money to see, is the best of Seto Kaiba and the best of Joey Wheeler versus the best of Yugi Moto. The greatest duel in the history of Duel Monsters! And that's exactly what we've been giving them.
Kaiba now fully gets back to his feet and takes a deep breath. He points to the legions of fans who are packing the stadium and waiting for the next exciting move.
Kaiba: And the duel will be over soon anyway, no matter what happens.
Yugi: What do you mean?
Kaiba: You don't have to take my word for it. Just look at your deck! It's almost depleted. You've thrown nearly everything you have at us, yet we're still standing. But in just a few more turns, you're going to deck out. The final countdown has begun.
Yugi looks down at his duel disk, taking note of the small pile of cards remaining in the deck slot. He doesn't look worried though.
Yugi: I'm afraid your pathetic attempt to rattle me so that I foolishly rush in and make a mistake won't work. And I will tell you why. Because you won't change, Kaiba. If I deck out, you wouldn't consider that a true victory. Not with Obelisk still on my side of the field. No, you would consider it a stalemate at best. You won't play defense and wait for me to exhaust my supply of cards… even though that might be the right strategy in this situation. What you're actually going to do is desperately throw everything you have left at me. But considering that your deck is ALSO low on cards, do you have anything that can turn the tide? I doubt it.
Kaiba looks down at his small deck. But he just smirks.
Kaiba: Then I guess I'll just have to put my faith in the Heart of the Cards.
Yugi isn't sure how to respond to this. Kaiba seems strangely calm, a complete reversal from his mindset a few moments ago.
Kaiba: It's finally dawned on me that this duel doesn't really matter. The world is saved. Nothing's on the line. If we lose, I can just blame it on Wheeler. And if we win, it'll be because it was two against one. Win, lose, deck out, draw, nothing will be gained and nothing will be lost. So you're damn right, Yugi… I AM going to come at you with everything I have left. Not because I have to win, but because for the first time... I have nothing to lose.
Yugi feels a chill run up his spine. This is not a Seto Kaiba he's ever been up against before. How long was he knocked out by dat shockwave from Obelisk? thinks Joey as he worries about the mental state of his partner. Are Yugi and Kaiba engaged in da ultimate mindgame? What's going on here? But the more Joey thinks about Kaiba's words, the more they start to make sense.
Joey: Kaiba's right, Yoog. Dis here is one of da best duels I've ever been apart of. It's not about winning or losing anymore. It's about finishing it, no matter what. We owe it to these fans to play OUR way, not the "right" way. So do me a favor, will ya? Shut up and duel!
Yugi's eyes dart from one opponent to another, finding himself at a loss for words. Joey looks at his nearly depleted deck and nods, hoping lady luck must have a few more tricks up her sleeve for yours truly. Kaiba nods back, ready for the final chapter of this duel to begin.
To be continued…