On the middle of an island in the Pacific Ocean, on a castle's wall, a battle of the ages broke out. Two legendary duelist clashed in the rematch of the century, for the highest stakes imaginable. The winner would be the only one to enter the castle and save their loved one. Yūgi Mutō was a newcomer to the duelling world, yet he had already beaten the world champion, Seto Kaiba, before. There was no way he was going to lose, his grandfather's soul depended on his victory.
Kaiba has really played a brilliant strategy, setting me up with that Crush Card holding out for all three of his Blue-Eyes, and at the same time whittling down my life points to a sparse 400, Yūgi thought. Now he's got me cornered and staring down the toughest monster I've ever faced. Yūgi glanced up to get another glimpse of the mighty three-headed beast. The majestic white dragon Kaiba controlled was the most deadly card Yūgi had ever seen. Its 4500 attack points dominated the 1500 or fewer attack point monsters Yūgi was now limited to due to the effect of Kaiba's Crush Card Virus trap. The Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon! That is Kaiba's strongest monster! Meanwhile I've only got Giant Soldier of Stone in defence position. Even it's 2000 defence points will be no match for the dragon's might.
"Yūgi, how I savour this moment," Kaiba began. "This is the moment I've been wanting for. Ever since you handed me my first and only duel monsters defeat. Prepare yourself to see the power of my creature unleashed! Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, neutron blast attack!"
Yūgi could only watch as the monsters three heads charged up its attack. White super-charged lightning shot out of the dragon mouths. The force of their attacks combined into a devastating white light that pierced through the sky. The blast connected with Yūgi's Giant Soldier of Stone, shattering the rocks that made up his monster's body. Yūgi stood there in shock, but his "other self" cried out in a fit of rage. "No, my stone soldier!" Yūgi could sense his rage, he felt the same way too. That was barbaric overkill. Shockwaves erupted from the blast as it died down, like winds of a hurricane, but Yūgi stayed on his feet.
"Ha!" Kaiba laughed. "You're lucky your stone soldier was in defence mode." Yūgi could sense Kaiba's mocking tone. He tried to steady himself following the attack, fear now racing through his mind.
"Wow!" Joey exclaimed. "At least Yūgi didn't lose any life points." Joey was clearly struggling to recover from the impact of that attack too. He had been watching the entire duel unfold from the sidelines alongside Yūgi's other friends, Téa, Tristan and Bakura.
Stone Soldier was the last of my defences, Yūgi thought.
"My Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon atomised your creature to dust, Yūgi," Kaiba taunted. "You know you have nothing to stand against it. You should concede," he suggested.
Never!
Yūgi felt a deep, ancient voice from within the puzzle he had hanging around his neck. As he reached down to draw the next card, he realised his hand was shaking. I don't think I can do this, Yūgi thought. Understanding resonated through the link he shared with his other self.
"No, Yūgi!" Joey interrupted, bringing Yūgi back to reality.
"You can win this!" Bakura chimed in.
"That's right!" Téa encouraged. "We all believe in you." Hope replaced the fear in Yūgi's mind. His friends were still here. They were still supporting him.
"You gotta' remember what your fighting for here, Yūg!" Joey shouted. "The heart of the cards, just like your grandpa taught ya! You've never let anyone down before and I know you're not going to let your grandpa down now!"
A noble sense of duty filled Yūgi's link with his other self as both of them felt the full impact of the stakes pressing down on them. If they lost now, they would never get Yūgi's grandpa back. Grandpa, I won't let you down. I have to keep fighting for you. His hand was steady now, tightening on the top card of his deck.
"No, Kaiba, I will never surrender to the likes of you," his other self called out.
"That's it! That's the kind of determination I expect from you. Fight on! Gather every last bit of your strength, Yūgi. I prefer to take you down when you're fighting your hardest," Kaiba said, confidence booming in his voice.
Everything rides on this last card. This duel, this tournament, my grandpa. But as hopeless as it seems, I still have to believe, Yūgi thought.
Don't worry, Yūgi. We can do this, the spirit thought, filling their link with confidence.
He is right, Yūgi thought. Heart of the cards guide me. Yūgi drew the card, his heart pounding in his chest. An unwarranted faith overtook him. He hadn't even looked at the card, yet he knew it would help him. He knew this card would lead to Kaiba's defeat.
"Let's finish this, Kaiba," his other self called out, brimming with pure confidence.
"It doesn't matter what card you play next, Yūgi. You have nothing that can withstand the phenomenal attack strength of my Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon," Kaiba taunted. "You might as well give up."
Yūgi's confidence was high, but it quickly died the moment he saw what card he'd drawn. Kuriboh. But the spirit clearly had other plans as his confidence had not wavered, but only grew. The spirit chuckled, echoing his confidence through Yūgi's mouth.
"Kaiba…" he began. "I just drew the card that will defend me against your Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon." His other self remained confident, though Yūgi himself had second thoughts.
"Impossible," Kaiba stated.
"Watch and learn," the spirit retorted. "This is it." His other self placed Kuriboh on the duel disk and launched it towards the centre of the battlefield. A projection of Kuriboh began emanating from the duel disk. "The beginning of your defeat! Kuriboh in defence mode!" As he was finishing his sentence, Kuriboh, a furry ball-like monster with 200 defence points, now stood on the field facing down the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon.
"That's ridiculous!" Kaiba exclaimed. "In the entire game, Kuriboh is the weakest monster!"
"He's right," said Joey. "What can Yūgi be thinkin' playin' dat little guy?" Yūgi felt the same way. Surely, this would only delay the inevitable. Kaiba just chuckled.
"Yūgi, you're free to concede and forfeit the match," said Kaiba, "but come on! Don't embarrass yourself by playing that runt of a monster! You must know that's the puniest monster with the lowest attack points in all of duel monsters. I've never known a serious duelist to even keep one in their deck," Kaiba mocked. "Yūgi, don't insult my intelligence pretending that miserable creature can defend against the unbridled might of my ultimate Blue-Eyes."
Well, that was one thing he got wrong, Yūgi thought.
"Kaiba, you're mistaken!" Yūgi's other self replied. "This card will defend everything! And before this duel's over, your dragon will fall!" That was the part of the plan Yūgi didn't quite understand.
"My ultimate dragon!?" Kaiba asked. "Nonsense! Hurry up and finish your turn so I can knock the stuffing out of your Kuriboh and win the game."
"As you wish!" replied Yūgi's other self. "My last card will be the magic card: Multiply!" The spirit's unbridled confidence was filling Yūgi with hope of victory. "Multiply works with monsters with attack power below 500 and multiplies them endlessly." Suddenly, the Kuriboh's hologram began to duplicate. Dozens of replica Kuribohs began swarming the field. "More than you bargained for, eh, Kaiba?"
"So, is this some kind of a joke?" Kaiba asked. The spirit chuckled.
"The joke's on you, Kaiba. When you attacked, you thought I only had one defender, but now I have many. And I'm getting more and more defenders by the second."
Yūgi's other self was right. One Kuriboh had indeed multiplied into hundreds of small, brown furballs covering the field. Their number only increased the longer Yūgi and Kaiba talked.
"No matter!" Kaiba dismissed. "Have you forgotten the incredible assault power my dragon possesses? It'll burn 'em to a crisp. Neutron blast!" Kaiba commanded his mighty three-headed beast to attack Yūgi's side of the field, but neither Yūgi nor his other self were afraid of this attack. The Blue-Eyes shot out its blinding light attack, destroying a handful of helpless Kuribohs. "So, there!" beamed Kaiba. However, the majority of Kuribohs were left standing, despite Kaiba's dragon's powerful assault. "But wait, what's going on here? My dragon's attack had no effect on your life points at all, and those annoying creatures continue to multiply."
Now Kaiba had realised what he had truly gotten into, Yūgi thought.
"That's right. You can't take my remaining life points away, Kaiba, until you wipe out all the Kuriboh. But as quickly as you destroy them, they multiply right back," the spirit said, dripping in confidence.
"Hairball! For each one I destroy, two more take its place."
"That's right. Kaiba, you may have created the ultimate attack monster, but I've created the ultimate defence—an ever-expanding army of furry protectors. They may not look like much, but they've stopped your dragon in its tracks." The spirit drew the next card and realisation resonated through their link. "That's just the beginning. For now I go on the attack!"
"You've nothing strong enough."
"Watch me, for I'm going to show you the combo that will bring your dragon down," both Yūgis said together. They both were filled with confidence now. Confidence that they would win. "Mammoth Graveyard, Polymerisation and the Living Arrow card."
"What's a Living Arrow card?"
"Living Arrow allows me to use my other cards in combination not with my own cards but with my opponent's monsters. I'll show you. Normally, I make a fusion with my cards, but for a new twist, Living Arrow lets me fuse my cards with your cards, opening up bold new possibilities." The holographic cards summoned Mammoth Graveyard to Yūgi's field ready for the fusion.
"Now what?" Kaiba asked.
"I can use the magical power of the Living Arrow to bond my Mammoth Graveyard to the heart of your beast." Mammoth Graveyard became an arrow that flew through the air and struck Kaiba's Blue-Eyes in the chest. The dragon cried out in pain as Mammoth Graveyard became part of the fusion.
"No, my dragon!" Kaiba yelled. "What have you done?"
"Since my Mammoth Graveyard is an undead monster, he can't properly fuse with your living Ultimate Dragon. Instead, it causes your monster to rot and decay from the inside out. Each turn, your ultimate dragon will lose attack points, until your creature is no more. Your so-called Ultimate Dragon and your victory is rotting away, Kaiba. It's only a matter of time now. And there's nothing you can do to stop it."
"There must be something I can do to save my Ultimate Dragon," said Kaiba.
There was a slight possibility of that, but both Yūgis couldn't think of one. "My Mammoth Graveyard has attack points of 1200. That means that each turn that goes by, he drains 1200 points from your Ultimate Dragon's attack power. Soon it will be weak enough for me to destroy." The moment Yūgi ended his turn, the dragon's attack points slipped from 4500 down to 3300 while the holographic display reflected its weakened state.
"All right! That single attack is bringing Yūgi back from the brink," Tristan commented.
"Way to go, Yūgi. Ha! You're the man," Joey encouraged.
"Great move!" Téa chimed in.
"You've had it, Kaiba," Joey taunted. "You're never gonna win this match. So what do you say now, Kaiba? Guess three heads aren't better than one."
"Uhh, can't lose," Kaiba muttered, now desperate. "The fate of Mokuba's soul rides on this game. Attack now, Ultimate Dragon! Neutron blast!"
"Again?" asked Yūgi's other self. Once again, some of the Kuribohs were destroyed, but the majority were still left standing. "When will you learn? The Kuriboh multiply faster than you can eliminate them with your neutron blasts." But an expert such as Kaiba would know that, Yūgi thought. Maybe the fact the Pegasus kidnapped Mokuba is throwing Kaiba off his game. That or…
"No!" Kaiba growled. "I will not—can not be defeated!"
"I'll draw one more card and let my mammoth finish my turn," said Yūgi's other self. Just as before, as soon as Yūgi ended his turn, Kaiba's Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon lost 1200 attack points because of its fusion with the undead Mammoth Graveyard. With its attack points whittled down to just 2100, Kaiba's all-powerful dragon began to melt away slowly.
"Go, Ultimate Dragon! Neutron blast!" Kaiba commanded.
He keeps trying the same thing, Yūgi thought. He really wants to rescue Mokuba. Still, I can't let him win. Once I defeat Pegasus and free grandpa's soul, I will also rescue Mokuba and reunite him with Kaiba. Just like I promised.
"Once again your attack has failed, Kaiba," his other self stated. "My defence holds. And you have no other strategy to use against me. Your time is running out. You should never have challenged me, Kaiba. You see? My mammoth takes another 1200 points from your dragon."
Now, the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon's strength was just 900 attack points.
"Even my weakest monsters can destroy it now."
But Kaiba didn't respond. He was staring off into space like he was in some kind of trance. Kaiba hasn't said a word. It's like he's in another world, Yūgi thought. After a while the silence was broken.
"What's with Kaiba?" Joey asked. "He's just standing there, completely spacing out."
"Maybe it's finally sunk in he's lost," Tristan suggested.
"True. In just a minute it will all be over," Bakura added. "But, it's almost sad to see a player of his calibre take losing so hard."
I understand what you're fighting for, Kaiba. But it will be better for both of us if I win, Yūgi thought. It doesn't matter what card I draw now. Any monsters can defeat his weakened dragon. Yūgi drew the next card and looked at what it was. Celtic Guardian. He placed his new monster on the duel disk.
"This is it, Kaiba!" his other self called out. "Prepare to meet your demise!" He threw the duel disk out, creating the hologram. A elfin knight, clad in green armour, with 1400 attack points took to the field. "Celtic Guardian, attack Ultimate Dragon!" The knight leaped into the air, slashing one of the heads with its broadsword. The melting head fell and splattered on the castle wall in a big clump.
"All right!" Joey and Tristan said in unison, but something was wrong.
"Hey, the Ultimate Dragon's still standing. What's up with that?" Joey asked. He was right. The other two dragon heads had not gone down alongside the first one.
"That's because the Ultimate Dragon is a fusion of three Blue-Eyes," Bakura explained. "Each of its three heads has its own attack power. Celtic Guardian took out one of them, and Kaiba lost the 500 points difference in their attack strength. But when the Celtic Guardian takes out another weakened head next turn, that will wipe Kaiba out and win the match."
Yūgi was worried it might have that effect. No matter. He was going to win next turn.
"You mean, Kaiba's toast!" Joey cheered.
"Yūgi…" began Kaiba, breaking out of his trance. "It can't end this way. If I don't defeat you in this duel, Pegasus will keep Mokuba prisoner… forever. I can't let that happen. And even though I don't have a card that can keep you from attacking, I think I still have a strategy that will stop you in your tracks."
"What do you mean?" both Yūgis asked.
"I'm going to force your hand and win this battle, Yūgi." Kaiba slowly began to walk backwards.
What is he doing? Yūgi thought.
"Looks more like he's retreating to me," Joey commented. "Is this a trick?" Now Kaiba was dangerously close to the edge of the castle wall. He stepped back onto the parapet, inches from falling.
"Kaiba! Stop this!" the spirit called out.
"What's Kaiba up to now?" Joey asked. "Does he think this cheap stunt's gonna keep Yūgi from winning the match and saving his grandpa?"
It might, if Kaiba does what I think he is doing, Yūgi thought.
"You're move, Yūgi. You can attack my Blue-Eyes again and wipe out my remaining life points, but if you do, the resulting shockwaves might cause me to lose my balance," Kaiba explained.
"Don't tempt me!" the spirit called out, to the surprise of Yūgi.
"What do you mean? You can't really be thinking about attacking!?" Yūgi mentally asked the spirit, but the spirit didn't respond. But then again if I don't attack, I can't rescue grandpa, Yūgi thought.
"My fate is completely in your hands, Yūgi. You'll decide this duel, one way or another. Of course, if you don't surrender, I might be hurt. You wouldn't want that, would you?" Kaiba asked.
"Stop it, Kaiba!" shouted Téa. "You know this is dangerous!"
"Ah, Kaiba's bluffing," Joey said. "Come on! Drop this cheap ploy and get down from dat ledge and fight far! You know dat Yūgi doesn't wanna hurt ya!" he yelled.
Kaiba only chuckled. Both Yūgis now knew he was being deadly serious. The full impact of Kaiba's ultimatum was now hitting both of them.
"He knows. He's counting of Yūgi to surrender," Bakura explained.
"Hmm? But he can't do dat!" Joey cried. "If he loses to Kaiba, he won't get into da castle!"
Yūgi didn't know what to do. He couldn't kill Kaiba, but he also couldn't surrender to him either.
"I'm warning you, Kaiba!" the spirit yelled. "Don't push me too far. I must win to rescue my grandfather."
"And I must win this duel to rescue Mokuba. The difference is, I'm willing to risk anything to do it. You know, I can stand up here all day, Yūgi. And I'm certain you won't make any attack for fear that you might knock me off. Even though you know by not attacking, you give up the only chance you have to save your grandpa. Which means I have the advantage over you. For in my case, there's nothing holding me back."
Kaiba drew his next card, signalling the start of his next turn, and looked at it.
"Ah, a magic card," he said. "Monster Reborn! Which I'll use to resurrect the Blue-Eyes head that was just destroyed by your guardian."
"What!?" Yūgi asked. "Restore a head of the Blue-Eyes?"
This duel is full of firsts, the spirit thought. Out of the melted monsters rose a perfectly healthy Blue-Eyes head. Still, because it's connected to the weakened Blue-Eyes, it can't attack the turn it was summoned. So I'm safe… for now, the spirit thought.
"Now, one of my Blue-Eyes with its normal attack points of 3000 has just been reborn!" beamed Kaiba. "With all of your Kuribohs in defence mode, I couldn't touch you, but now that you've put an attack monster on the field, I can take out the rest of your life points. Which I'll do next turn. Two of Ultimate Dragon's heads are still weakened, but the third can wipe out your guardian in a breath. Our life points are equal, Yūgi. Strike now if you dare. Otherwise, next turn, I swear I'll take you down."
If I defeat one of the weaker Blue-Eyes, I win, but what if the duel battle accidentally knocks him off the ledge? Yūgi thought.
"Surrender, Yūgi. That is unless you have the courage to unleash your attack!" Kaiba motioned his hand across his neck, in a throat-cutting gesture.
He has given me no choice. I must, the spirit thought.
I can't, Yūgi thought.
We must, the spirit mentally retorted.
No! It's not right! There must be another way, Yūgi responded.
There isn't, the spirit stated. Determination flowed from the spirit. Yūgi's heart sank. The spirit was going to go through with this, whether he liked it or not.
"Kaiba," began the spirit, "I've never backed away, and I'm not starting now! Celtic Guardian, attack!" the spirit commanded, projecting the words out of Yūgi's mouth. Celtic Guardian ran forward obediently obeying its master.
"No! There's always another way!" Yūgi cried, but only the spirit could hear him. Téa suddenly ran towards him.
"Yūgi, you can't!" she cried. "You can't take this risk! Call him back!"
Yūgi knew she was right. He tried to force himself to switch places with the spirit. If the spirit could force a switch with him, why couldn't he do the same? He concentrated hard, but the spirit was blocking him. His force was a lot stronger than Yūgi's.
"Yūgi, you can't do this! You can't!" Téa panicked.
Yūgi tried with all his might, but he couldn't regain control of his own body.
"This isn't like you! You've got to stop!" she pleaded.
But Yūgi couldn't. He couldn't switch back. He couldn't take control. In a last ditch effort, he cried, "Please stop this spirit! Give me control!" But his voice clearly fell on deaf ears.
Celtic Guardian jumped into the air, ready to strike the weakened Blue-Eyes' head. Yūgi could see Kaiba close his eyes, ready to accept his fate.
"You're going to kill him!" Yūgi screamed with all of his heart. Then, suddenly, he could feel the wind again. He was back in control.
"Stop!" Yūgi yelled, but it was too late.
The Celtic Guardian's blade had already sliced through the Blue-Eyes' head cutting it in half. Téa slowed right before colliding with Yūgi, but he had already ran forward pushing her out of the way and drawing his duel disk back, catching it one-handed. The Blue-Eye's head fell apart causing the shockwaves he was so afraid of. The force blew Kaiba back and off the castle edge.
Yūgi sprinted to the ledge and flung his free arm down, hoping to catch Kaiba. Kaiba looked up, but made no attempt to even reach for his outstretched arm. Yūgi had missed him by inches. He knelt there, frozen, watching as Kaiba fell. Watching until his body collided with the rocky surface below.
Every part of Yūgi wanted to look away, but something deep inside forced him to watch. Forced him to see the results of his actions. Yūgi had never seen a dead body before, let alone watch them die, let alone having caused it. He did this. He murdered Kaiba. Deep guilt washed over his entire body. How could he have done this?
His mind raced back to when he had first met Mokuba. He promised him that he would reunite him with his brother. If he did defeat Pegasus and free Mokuba, how could he tell him that he killed his brother to get there? How could he justify it? He couldn't. He had broken his promise and destroyed Mokuba's life.
He finally allowed himself to take in Kaiba's mangled body. Kaiba was just like Yūgi and his friends. He was only fighting for someone he cared about. Regret, despair, guilt. All of those feelings poured through his mind. Suddenly, he could feel the spirit trying to take over as he usually did when he felt like this. Fear quickly joined his swirling emotions as he was thrust out of his body and back into a ghostly presence.
"No!" Yūgi cried, unable to hold back his feeling of anger with the spirit. A sudden stab of guilt echoed across their link. The spirit made Yūgi's body stand back up and compose itself.
"Give me back control!" But the spirit didn't obey.
Yūgi looked back at his friends. Téa was standing up from where he had knocked her over. Yūgi's feelings were already spiralling out of control, but seeing the look of combined sadness and shock on Téa's face destroyed him. Yūgi's eyes were now flooded with tears and he fell to the ground, sobbing. Joey quickly sprinted up to Yūgi's real body.
"Are you okay?"
Joey's normally cheerful nature had been replaced with deep worry. Yugi reached out to hug his friend, but only fazed through him.
"Give me control!" Yūgi screamed. But this time the spirit responded.
I'm sorry Yūgi, the spirit thought.
For the first time since the duel's end, Yūgi could finally sense which feelings were his and which were the spirits. Deep guilt and regret flowed from the spirit, while Yūgi was filled with sadness, anger, and the feeling of shattered trust.
I think it would be best if I explained my crime to your friends.
He was right. Yūgi hadn't killed Kaiba. It had been the spirit. His mind needed an outlet to pour all of his anger, and all of his hatred towards. But his heart was listening to the spirit's negative feelings, and thought more of remorse than anything else. The spirit looked up at Joey as the others came towards them.
"I'm sorry, I—" Yūgi could hear his own shaky voice and could feel the spirit struggling for words. All of a sudden, Téa flung out her arms and wrapped his body in a tight hug. Her eyes filled with tears.
"Give me control," Yūgi said, all of the anger having gone from his voice.
No, the spirit thought. I don't want your friends to see you like this.
"That's the point. They need to see me like this," Yūgi reassured, and with that, he was transported back into his body, feeling the warm comfort of Téa's hug. Tears fell out of Yūgi's eyes, but the feeling of unbearable sadness was gone now.
"I—I think I'm alright now," Yūgi said, his voice still shaking slightly. Téa slowly let Yūgi go from her grasp.
"What happened, Yūg?" Joey asked. "Why did you call an attack and then suddenly stop?"
"Because…" Yūgi's first thought was to tell the truth, but as he looked over at the spirit sitting defeated on the castle ledge he thought better of it. "Because I really wanted to get grandpa back, but I realised, I shouldn't kill anyone over it." Shock and confusion sprang from the spirit.
"No, Yūgi!" the spirit cried. "Don't take responsibility for my mistakes! Tell them the truth!"
But Yūgi had already made up his mind. If he told his friends the truth, they would direct all of their anger at the spirit, and Yūgi could tell he already regretted his actions. He didn't need anything else to worry about.
"I tried to save him, but he clearly didn't want my help," Yūgi explained.
"Tell them the truth!" the spirit cried. "Tell them or I will"
What good would telling them do? Yūgi thought. If they knew you killed him, we'd probably never see each other again.
"Well, we probably shouldn't!"
For the first time the spirit's negative emotions were stronger than Yūgi's. "You trusted me. You helped me. And what do I do? Force you to murder someone. There is blood on your hands when it should only be on mine. You deserve a much better partner than me."
In a flash, the spirit abruptly retreated into the puzzle. Yūgi could no longer hear the spirit's thoughts, or even see his ghostly form. He wanted to call out to his other self, but he was snapped back to reality.
"Why did he do it?" Tristan asked. The others looked at him with sombre gazes. "He had so much to live for."
"He had Mokuba to live for," Yūgi said quietly. "Kaiba loved Mokuba more than anyone else. Without him…" Yūgi's voice trailed off. He winced trying to imagine himself in Kaiba's shoes. "I will not let his death be in vain. I promise if it's the last thing I do, I will face Pegasus and free Mokuba and Grandpa from his evil clutches."
Joey placed his hand on Yūgi's shoulder. "Then, we'll be right there beside ya," Joey said, confidence returning to his voice. Yūgi nodded, but a sudden thought crossed his mind.
"I have something to do before we face Pegasus."