|
Yugi continued scowling at Bakura. "You can't just come here, out of nowhere, take over my
friend's body and threaten us all without a fight! I won't give up! I'll save my friend Ryou
and I'll save my Puzzle's Spirit too!"
Ch. 6 -- A Succession of Sinister Spirits
//////////////////CH6////////////////////
*~*~*~*A Succession of Sinister Spirits*~*~*~*
////////////////// ////////////////////
Yugi was in serious trouble now, and you knew it. He was playing against an evil spirit!
But there was nohing You or The Spirit could do! This was just a memory - you knew that.
But you still wanted to change what had happened. You still wanted to change the past! There
was no way Yugi could fight against this guy! No -way-!
You gave the cards on the table a worried look. Bakura had out his 4550 attack point
Maha Vailo from those three equip cards PLUS a face down monster. But he only had one card
in his hand, so maybe Yugi had a chance.
Then again, Yugi's board was looking relatively bare.
As your focus drifted from the table, you could see thick clouds all around Yugi and Bakura.
Massive, black and purple auras clashing in the air. There was something especially evil and
ominous about the clouds...you figured that it was Bakura's doing...
"Foolish boy! This is now a Shadow Duel! I assume, from your previous experience
through that Millenium Puzzle Spirit, that you know what this means?"
That's when you noticed that Yugi had come out from up under the table.
Yugi was glaring at Bakura. "Look, I don't know what you want with my puzzle. I don't
know why you hate Ryou so much. I don't know why you want us all dead, but most importantly,
I have no idea who you think you are!"
Yugi continued scowling at Bakura. "You can't just come here, out of nowhere, take over my
friend's body and threaten us all without a fight! I won't give up! I'll save my friend Ryou
and I'll save my Puzzle's Spirit too!"
Bakura smiled, exhaling sharply. "I have no reason to believe -you- are
any braver or more talented than anyone else I have killed."
"I am -going- to kill you." He shurgged arrogantly, mocking Yugi with
every fiber of his being, including the snarky grin plastered on his face. "Go ahead and
resist if you really think it will make a difference."
Yugi's glare was fixed on Bakura's face as he drew his next card. He slapped the same card
down onto the table intensely. "I play one card face down!" He finally sat down.
Bakura sighed, still grinning and drew his card. "Well, then I will play
a Black Pendant magic card again." He looked up from his side of the table to Yugi.
"Maha Vailo can enjoy yet another boost! But that pathetic face down monster is in the way..."
Bakura, grinned again. "I'll play the magic card, Pot of Greed, allowing
me to draw two more cards..." He picked up his cards and gave them a thoughtful look. "...and
now, another magic card, Tribute to the Doomed!"
Bakura discarded one of the cards in his hand. He only had one left..."I'll
destroy that facedown card you've got there..."
Yugi frowned, but pushed his Catapault Turtle into his discard pile.
Then, Bakura pushed his Slate Warrior aside, to the discard pile, and laid down -another-
magic card. This time it was called Share the Pain.
"Although I will lose a monster also, -this- card will destroy that
troublesome face down monster of yours." Bakura was still smirking arrogantly.
Yugi slid his Giant Soldier of Stone over to his discard pile and sighed
heavily. He knew what was coming next, but continued to give Bakura mean looks.
"You seem to be wide open." Bakura frowned. "It would be a shame if you didn't take any
damage...so Maha Vailo will pay you a visit!"
Yugi winced. His life points were now down to 1550 from 7050! You couldn't believe it. He
had gone from barely scratched to barely alive!
Yugi howled out in pain. He rocked back in his seat from the impact, and fell out of his
chair. It looked like he was shivering a lot.
Bakura let out an obligatory evil chuckle. "This is a Shadow Game, boy. The damage being done
to your life points is real, now!" Following with another evil laugh, Bakura crossed his arms
and grinned contently.
He was beginning to freak. You could see it in his eyes. He had been trying to stare Bakura
down, acting tough, but now you saw how afraid he was.
The Millenium Puzzle started glowing a there was a big flash of light. Then, after the smoke
has started to clear away from around Yugi's body, you could see that he was standing up
again, but his posture seemed more...
You sighed, folding your arms and letting out a just-loud-enough-for-a-certain-someone-to-hear
scoff with a scowl on your face. Saw that one coming...
That Spirit, now glowing with confidence for no apparent reason, gave Bakura a scowl. "I've
had just about enough of this, Bakura." He narrowed his eyes. "-I'll- be your opponent now...!"
Bakura chuckled. "The other Yugi..." He took on a slow and mocking tone. "What an impressive
entrance...!" He gave a half-hearted applause.
"If that's how you want to play it, fine." He shrugged. "Either way, I
will destroy you!
That Spirit sat down in the seat Yugi had been dueling from and laid his index and middle
fingers on top of Yugi's deck. He pressed down on the stack of cards, and drew the top one
forcefully, with conviction, and accented the motion with a complacent smirk and narrowed
eyes. "We'll see about that, -Bakura-!!"
That Spirit's eyes shifted to the card he had drawn. You started to move in closer, to see
what kind of card it was, but he had already planted it face down on the table.
He gave Bakura a sneer. "I'll play this card face down..." He looked at his hand, picking up
another card. "...and I play Dark Assailant in attack mode and end my turn!"
Bakura exhaled sharply in amusment. "...oh...?" He kept giving That Spirit a really weird
grin that just kind of mocked him. "You definately live up to your reputation, making power
plays like that one..."
As Bakura drew his card, That Spirit gave him a disgusted sneer. "My reputation comes down to
winning, not necessairly flashy moves. And just so you know..." He pointed at Bakura
incriminatingly. "...I don't have the patience for sarcasm!"
Bakura frowned a bit and shrugged. "How unfortunate...for -you-."
He slid a card from his hand to the table. "Now...Slate Warrior in attack mode, and I'll
attack with Maha Vailo!"
That Spirit used his index and middle finger to twist and flip over one of his trap cards.
"Not so fast!" He used the same fingers and slid the card off the table and held it up for
Bakura to see. "I activate Negate Attack!"
That Spirit continued. "Now it's my turn." He drew his card, just as dramatically as the first
time.
You were beginning to wonder if all of these ridiculous arm motions would eventually lead to
over-exertion. The Spirit was definitely trying to intimidate Bakura, but...
Bakura's eyes only narrowed -- no twitching, here.
Regardless, That Spirit played his cards -- a face down magic/trap card and a monster card,
Beaver Warrior. They were starting to make moves so quickly, that you couldn't tell which
cards That Spirit was playing before he laid them face down.
That Spirit pointed forcefully at Bakura's beatstick, the super Maha Vailo. "I'll take care
of -that- little problem soon enough. I end my turn!"
It was now Bakura's turn. You watched closely as he drew his card. What was it? Would That
Spirit have any way of stopping whatever it was Bakura drew?
That Spirit flicked Beaver Warrior and Dark Assailant into the discard pile. "By
sacrificing two of -my- monsters, I can destroy one of -yours-! Namely, Maha Vailo!"
Bakura stiffened slightly, giving That Spirit a menacing glare. He pushed his Maha Vailo and
all of the equip cards attached to it, to the discard pile.
Surprisingly enough, Bakura did nothing, and motioned to That Spirit. He was passing his
turn...?
Bakura smirked and shuffled the cards in his hand. "I have a feeling this game will be over
quite soon, Other Yugi."
That Spirit sneered back. "As do I." He drew his card and held it sideways, real dramatic-like.
His eyes glanced at the card quickly, and he placed it on the table, face up.
"I play the magic card, DARK HOLE!" That Spirit was getting a little excited now. This
magic card would destroy all of the monsters on the field -- that meant both his and Bakura's
sides at the same time.
Bakura said nothing, but his eyes widened because of That Spirit's move. That Spirit, apparently
could recognize Bakura's figure tensing up and decided to add "And -that's- not all!"
Bakura scowled. "What kinds of tricks could you possibly have up your sleeve now? You've
lost so many monsters this duel; you can't have many left!"
That Spirit grinned arrogantly. "Well, that may be true, but I don't intend to find a -new-
monster to defeat you -- I'll just use one of these in my graveyard! Monster Reborn!"
That Spirit slapped Ancient Elf onto the field again. "Ancient Elf! Attack his life points
directly!"
Bakura's eyes narrowed, as his life points dropped down to 2900. "Your turn -- still think
you can defeat me? Prove it!" That Spirit snapped, as Bakura drew his card.
Grimacing, he played a face down monster card. "I'll set this monster in face down defense
position. Make your move wisely, fool."
That Spirit closed his eyes and put his fingers on top of his deck, resting them a second.
Arrogantly, he then snatched the top card off, and looked down his nose at it.
Grinning, he placed it onto the table, still under one finger, and slowly slid it forward, next
to his Ancient Elf. "I play, Celtic...Guardian...in attack mode."
He was drawing out his voice, the same way he had done in the memory of his fight against Yugi.
Did he know he was going to win? You wondered if he really had enough information to assume
that much?
"And I think I'll attack -- First, your face down monster with my Ancient Elf." He said. Bakura
sniffed disgustedly, and revealed his card...
Petit Dragon.
You almost laughed out loud. That's ridiculous! Look at that monster! It doesn't even have
legs, let alone claws!
The Spirit gave you an amused, albeit bewildered look. Is it really -that- funny...?
You turned to present form of The Spirit. It's just that...Bakura looks so evil, and that
card, is just...it's almost cute!
The Spirit exhaled sharply with a small smile. Yes, well...these aren't our own decks.
At this time, I hadn't even made one, but Bakura -does- have a deck of his own...
Your attention swung back to the duel, as That Spirit was attacking with his Celtic Guardian.
"Now, with my Celtic Guardian, I will attack your life points DIRECTLY!"
That Spirit seemed to be really getting into this game now. Bakura's life points took another
decrease, down to 1500. Now That Spirit actually had more life than Bakura!
A truly condescending smirk was plastered on That Spirit's face. "Ah, you seem to have dropped
that pretentious tone and arrogant pronoun use, along with enough life points to put -me- in the
lead!"
Bakura, however, didn't really seem fazed at all. You wondered what must have been going through
his head...
But it then occurred to you -- this was just a card game! Even evil spirits have to know when
they've lost. Maybe he just took losing well?
But actually, and probably more realistically, he had some kind of trick up his sleeve. Even
though he had no cards on the field, and one card in his hand, maybe he still had a plan...?
Bakura was giving That Spirit a blank look. Well, as blank as evil spirits can manage. "How foolish
of you, other Yugi, to assume I am out of options!"
Bakura's voice started echoing through the room, and those purple clouds you had seen before...they
were sinking slowly towards the table.
"Bakura!! What is the meaning of this?!" That Spirit huffed angrily, randomly looking around for
something to make sense.
Bakura just laughed. "Because of that terrible handicap, I have decided that we
should start over. Not even someone as powerful as I can make up for the weakness
of that pitiful fool Ryou's deck!"
That Spirit lowered his head. "If you think I'll agree to start this duel over, you're dead wrong.
I've already beaten you once. What makes you think you deserve a second chance against me?!"
Bakura shrugged. "It doesn't matter whether you agree to it or not, you WILL duel again! But -this-
time..." He hissed that last bit, as Ryou's deck dissolved out of sight, consumed by the purple clouds.
"...-This- time you will face the wrath of my deck!"
(A/N: The version of Bakura's deck the Yu-Gi-Oh! World Tournament 2004 game uses is a combination
of his Occult Deck from Battle City, and a bunch of 'staple'[ie. too good to not use] cards
like S. Skull, and Raigeki, M.Reborn, you know, the usuals. So that's the one that was used for
this duel. Not that anyone would be familiar with his deck ANYWAYS, I'm just sayin'...)
As you looked over at That Spirit, Yugi's deck was disappearing too, but different from the way Ryou's had.
It was more of a dissipating effect from Star Trek or something. You wondered how they would duel without decks...?
Your attention turned to Bakura now, who had just slammed fiercely on the table. "I will
now explain the parameters of our duel, other Yugi."
That Spirit just glared at Bakura, without saying anything. His eyebrow seemed to twitch, slightly.
Bakura, in an arrogant and nonchalant manner, began to go over the rules. "First of all, the loser WILL be
sent to The Shadow Realm, his spirit destined to be consumed by it for all eternity."
That Spirit kept his responses minimal, responding with, "Naturally."
Bakura grinned. "Ah, it Is true that you have been doing this very thing to people yourself recently. Then
you know that no two people can share the same Shadow Realm experience?"
You frowned. Really?
That Spirit tilted his head to one side. "Can that be...?"
The Spirit let a small smile escape his arrogant demeanor. Apparently.
Bakura chuckled softly. "Of course! The Shadow Realm is an eternal punishment for the souls who reside there.
It is much like the "Hell" the western cultures speak of. Therefore, according to the amount and nature of the evil
committed by a soul in question determines their fate."
That Spirit still seemed confused. "All those other cases, when those people tried to manipulate Yugi and his
friends...I thought I was giving them very appropriate and ironic punishments. Are you saying these ideas were
never my own...?!"
Bakura gave a sufficiently evil laugh. "Honestly, you give yourself too much credit! How amusing!"
That Spirit just growled in response. You were thinking about this second duel though...
and about Bakura's rules for it. Would That Spirit be able to beat him twice? That Spirit
had defeated everyone ELSE though, and there was still the fact that he was there with you
-now-, right then.
So then, Bakura had definitely failed.
Bakura continued on with his rules. "Accordingly, we will have different punishments. I
will relive my past -- a horrible event that has shaped my life, even to this day -- but most
importantly caused by -you-. It was-" He began to explain, but That Spirit cut him off, with
a offended scoff.
"I would do -no- such thing at random, Bakura. If you suffered, it was a result of your own doing!
I am an instrument of true justice, not a fickle lord of chaos like -you-." He sneered.
Bakura's eye twitched. He hadn't liked That Spirit's last comment, you could tell. "You will
undergo the 'Change of Heart', turning on all those close to you and your host, that boy."
That Spirit nodded confidently. "It seems we both have something to lose, then. It's good to
know the stakes ahead of time. Now I know exactly what I need to do!"
Bakura replied, sneering, "As do I...now..." He started, but they both finished the thought.
"LET'S DUEL!"
*~* {[SHADOW DUEL: Battle of Balance]} *~*
Both Bakura and That Spirit's life counters were reset to read "8000".
You looked carefully at That Spirit's opening hand: two magic cards (De-Spell and Rush Recklessly)
two trap cards (Magic Cylinder and Mirror Force) but only one monster card (Ancient Elf).
Bakura chuckled. "You can go first, other Yugi."
That Spirit twitched, but complied. You had, in fact remembered that he hated to go first.
So, he drew his card, Horn Imp: another monster.
"I'll play Ancient Elf in attack mode and one card face down, ending my turn." He said quickly.
You were amazed by what had happened next. The Ancient Elf card had come to life! Although That
Spirit was just putting a piece of paper on the table, it now had a manifested self, that was right
in front of you! You could see the folds in the Ancient Elf's purple clothing as if they
were being worn by a real person. You couldn't believe your eyes!
Bakura nodded solemnly, but then, almost out of nowhere, started grinning wildly. "I
will use the magic card Raigeki and destroy that monster!...and set one monster face down..."
He cackled evilly, for no apparent reason.
A lightning bolt streaked out from the clouds surrounding the table and literally incinerated
the Ancient Elf! It's singed, cloth armor was burning slowly amongst a pile of ash: the remains
of the Ancient Elf.
This game was starting to get way too real for you, way too soon.
That Spirit just grimaced and drew his next card -- Summoned Skull! Even though it required a tribute, Summoned
Skull was an especially powerful card. Even a beginner like you recognized it's strength.
Setting Mirror Force face down first, That Spirit summoned his Horn Imp in attack mode. "I'll
end my turn." He said curtly.
Bakura's grin was getting more and more freaky as the turns went on. "I
will sacrifice this pathetic face down monster!" The monster's skin dissolved, as the decks had
earlier. It's dripping flesh made it unrecognizable.
Continuing, Bakura shouted "And I will bring forth, the Summoned Skull!" Now, the same puddle of flesh
that had come from the previous monster, was swirling around the remaining skeleton, filling
in the space between it's ribcage and behind it's spinal cord. Eventually, you could recognize
the monster as Summoned Skull, but you were almost physically sickened by it's entrance
Bakura, giving the most unnerving version of his grin yet, pointed at That Spirit. "Now, attack
Summoned Skull! Demon LIGHTNING!"
(A/N: Isn't it called something like that...? Anyway...)
The Lightning spewed forth from Summoned Skull's bony, vacuous maw and hurdled towards the
Horn Imp, fluctuating wildly, like it was out of control.
That Spirit assertively flicked his face down card up, "I activate Mirror Force! Reflecting Summoned
Skull's attack back at itself!"
The air around the Horn Imp seemed to ripple, like water, as the Demon Lightning attack
came in contact with it. It seemed to be absorbed by the central point of the ripple effect,
unleashing a white beam of light that pierced Summoned Skull's sternum (chest bone), impaling
it.
Bakura twitched, as his Summoned Skull slumped over and disintegrated upon contact with the table.
"You've...destroyed Summoned Skull..."
That Spirit deftly drew his card, Feral Imp, but his Horn Imp was undergoing the same transformation
that Bakura's face down creature had. In fact, you could recognize the pattern the flesh was taking...
"Now, I'll play MY Summoned Skull! And I also activate my face down card, Rush Recklessly, adding 700
attack points to his current 2500!" That Spirit really seemed to be getting into this duel...
"Let's see how YOU deal with -HIS- DEMON LIGHTNING!" That Spirit roared. The same lightning you
had seen before, except a bit less stable, erupted from That Spirit's Summoned Skull and nailed
Bakura in the chest.
Bakura, shuddering slightly, shook his head lightly as if he was ignoring the pain, as his life
points dropped to 4800.
But he wasn't defeated yet! Bakura snapped his head up at an unnaturally high speed and drew his card,
then slapped it on the table. "I play the Magic card MONSTER REBORN!"
The spot on the table where Bakura's Summoned Skull had fallen, seemed to go back in time. A
mini video of it's death was playing in reverse, is what it was like, and Summoned Skull now
faced itself.
That Spirit snorted. "You intend to defeat me with an identical monster?"
Bakura chuckled softly, his laugh growing louder and louder until he was cackling at what you hoped
was full volume -- you couldn't handle much more evil laughter, it annoyed you.
He sighed. "It does seem identical doesn't it? But I intend to make one minor
revision -- I play the Equip Magic Card, Axe of Despair!!"
That Spirit's jaw dropped so quickly, it would have hit the floor, had it been physically
possible. "Th-That means it gains an addition 1000 attack points!"
"It seems you know your cards...but now you will know PAIN and DEFEAT! Summoned Skull, ATTACK!"
Bakura's sneer became a full-fledged shriek.
Each of the Summoned Skulls vomited lightning, and they crashed at a point in between the two
of them, but Bakura's was obviously much stronger and blasted right through That Spirit's
Summoned Skull's attack and the Summoned Skull itself.
That Spirit's life points dropped down to 7000 -- still far ahead of Bakura.
Bakura played another magic card though, "I will also play
Gravekeeper's Servant! If you attack me, you will be forced to discard from the top of your
deck!"
That Spirit flinched, but drew his next card with the same overbearing confidence he always
had. He had drawn the Giant Soldier of Stone.
That Spirit looked carefully at his hand, and Bakura's side of the field, and at each one
again. He nodded confidently and spoke "First, I'll use De-Spell on that Gravekeeper's Servant.
I need the cards in my deck too much to allow them to be discarded."
The gravekeeper's servant card was blown apart, as That Spirit announced the next part of his move.
"Then I'll place one monster card face down, and set one card face down, ending my turn."
He exhaled slowly after that turn. That Spirit was under some pressure to win this, considering
that his soul was at stake!
Bakura drew his card, also setting a monster card face down. His face angled up from the table,
to glare at That Spirit. "Go ahead, other Yugi. It's your turn now."
That Spirit drew his next card: Mystical Space Typhoon! That would allow him to destroy one
of Bakura's magic cards, which he seemed to like using.
That Spirit set his magic card face down. "I'll end my turn with one more face down card."
Bakura frowned, but shrugged soon after. "It was wrong to assume you would foolishly attack
me. So I will flip summon my own monster!"
That Spirit leered at Bakura, but didn't really seem to know how to react after that. Bakura
revealed his monster to be the Magician of Faith.
Bakura cackled. "With this card's flip effect, I can return one magic card
from my graveyard to my hand, and I will choose Monster Reborn!"
That Spirit, at first, did not seem impressed with the revelation of the Magician of Faith.
However, upon further inspection, he noticed a creature in his own graveyard that could be
targeted by Bakura. His eyes narrowed, "So, you're going to..."
Bakura grinned. "I will play the Monster Reborn, targeting YOUR Summoned
Skull!"
You gulped. That Spirit was in some deep sh*t. He couldn't even use that Mystical Space Typhoon
since it wasn't his turn! How was he going to stop TWO Summoned Skulls?
"I will attack your face down monster with your own Summoned Skull!
Demon Lightning!" Bakura laughed evilly as the lighting bolt zapped what was revealed to be
the Giant Soldier of Stone.
He chortled again, as he said "Now, you will feel the wrath of MY Summoned
Skull!" Then, to his monster, "Attack his life points with your Demon Lightning of Despair!"
That Spirit smirked. "Yes, of course, but will your attack succeed? I think not! I reveal the
trap, Magic Cylinder!"
A large tube formed in front of That Spirit, and consumed the Demon Lightning. It flipped around
and fired it right back at Bakura, who stumbled on impact. His life points were now down to 1300!
But, after rising, Bakura just stood there looking content with this turn of events. "Hm. That's
all for this turn, Other Yugi. Make your move."
That Spirit was obviously trying to ignore the fact that Bakura didn't seemed fazed by his low life points.
"Then I'll do just that!"
That Spirit drummed his fingers on his deck for a second, then drew his top card, and played it.
"I summon one monster, face down, in defense position."
Bakura laughed at That Spirit. "It is obvious then, who has the real power in this duel. I have
dealt more damage to myself than you have! When will you start an attack of your
own, other Yugi?"
That Spirit glared at him. "If you keep attacking me, and I reflect your own attacks back, there's
no need for me to attack by myself, -is- there?"
Bakura shrugged. "It might seem close, Other Yugi, but you don't stand a chance against ME!!"
That Spirit smirked, giving Bakura a nod of condescendingly sarcastic agreement. "Of course not."
Bakura returned the facial expression and drew his card. "Ah, this will work out nicely. I
play the magic card, Black Pendant on MY Summoned Skull!"
Bakura's own Summoned Skull, the one with the Axe of Despair, had gained an additional 500 attack
points, putting its adjusted attack strength at 4000!
That Spirit twitched at the sight of such a powerful monster, although, it had been nothing like
the Maha Vailo from before. But, That Spirit had the resources to deal with it accordingly at that
time. He didn't seem to have much now.
Bakura pointed ominously at That Spirit. "Now, I will attack your face down monster with your
own Summoned Skull!"
The Demon Lightning ripped through the face down card, which was revealed to be Mystical Elf.
Her green robes ignited and her whole body was incinerated, leaving another pile of ash on That
Spirit's side of the table.
Bakura, still pointing, declared his second attack. "And finally, MY Summoned
Skull will divide your life points in half! Black Demon Lightning of Despair!!"
You twitched at the attack names. He keeps modifying the name for every equip card the
monster has...
The Spirit smirked. It's more fun that way.
You glared at The Spirit. It was a life or death situation, and you're talking about fun?
The Spirit shrugged his shoulders and accompanied it with a sigh. I was just telling you
it's fun...what's wrong with having fun and saving the world at the same time?
You shook your fist at The Spirit, wishing he was in a substantial form so you could smack him.
Saving the world isn't a GAME! It's risky business!
The Spirit just chuckled softly. Then tell me: Why are so many games based on saving the
world?
You shook your head in anger. It's hopeless...YOU SUCK!
The Black Demon Lightning of Despair ripped through That Spirit's chest, and he cried out in pain.
His life points diminished drastically from 7000 to 3000!
"Your turn, Other Yugi!" Bakura gloated, infuriating That Spirit even more.
He drew his card uncharacteristically slow, and gave it a pained look. He gave Bakura the same
expression and flipped over a face down card. "I'll trigger my Mystical Space Typhoon, destroying your Axe
of Despair..." That Spirit nodded, almost as if to increase his own confidence. “I’ll now play Giant Trunade, returning you black pendant to your hand and avoiding the penalty of just destroying it!”
"And now, I'll activate the Swords of Revealing Light!" He grimaced slightly as he added, “and with that, I’ll end my turn…”
As a black whirlwind snatched the Axe of Despair from Bakura's Summoned Skull, several sword-shaped
light beams enveloped Bakura's side of the table, and both of his Summoned Skulls.
Bakura chuckled ominously. "Sounds good to me: A few turns to develop my true strategy! Beware,
Other Yugi!"
Instead of re-equipping his Summoned Skulls, Bakura laid down cards in his magic/trap field for three turns! Conversely, That Spirit had drawn several decent cards: Kuirboh(300/200, Discard to negate one source of damage), and Dark Magician (2500/2100)!
Swords of Revealing Light had just been destroyed on the end of Bakura’s third turn, so That Spirit drew his next card – Pot of Greed (Draw Two) and played it.
A gaudy green pot, with an ugly, yellow, snaggletoothed smile plastered on its broad side appeared and tilted over towards That Spirit. A seemingly regular cloud erupted from the neck of the bottle.
Bakura gave the card an unimpressed eye roll as That Spirit applied his stock dialogue. “I now activate the magic of my Pot of Greed card!”
That Spirit drew two more cards: Polymerization and Celtic Guardian (1400/1200). He took the Guardian and played it face down. “I’ll end my turn now. Let’s see what you have planned next, Bakura.” He leered at his opponent; overconfidently, of course.
Bakura just shrugged, seeming to be enjoying all That Spirit’s arrogant antics. “Well, if you insist, I will go ahead and play the same card that you used: Pot of Greed!”
The Shadow Realm’s animated rendition of the Ugly Pot was repeated for Bakura. He then started to laugh, almost uncontrollably, and then stopped suddenly, just long enough to make a move.
“I will play -each- of these cards face down and allow you to go ahead with your final turn, Other Yugi!” Bakura then resumed his sadistic laughter.
Bakura now had 5 cards in his magic/trap zone, backing up two Summoned Skulls. That Spirit was armed with his Dark Magician and face down Celtic Guardian, but no magic cards.
Was…Bakura…actually winning?
That Spirit drew his card in silence and stared at it hard. What he really needed, you figured, was a way to get rid of all of Bakura’s cards that were on the field.
Obviously, that made sense, but did That Spirit have cards like that? More importantly, did Yugi use cards like that? You had almost forgotten that Bakura had a new deck, while That Spirit did not get a chance to upgrade.
It was hardly fair, but you reminded yourself that this was The Spirit you were talking about! He was not a person who lost at any kind of game – he had told you so himself. Plus, he was standing right next to you! If he had lost, he would have been sucked into the Shadow Realm.
That Spirit sighed heavily, but then glared up at Bakura, slapping his drawn card on the table. “All right, Bakura! Now I will activate the magic of my Monster Recovery card!”
“By sacrificing one monster from the field, you can shuffle it and your hand into your deck and draw the same number of cards in a feeble attempt to get more monsters…” Bakura recited, unimpressed. “Do you really expect this to work, Other Yugi?”
That Spirit glared defiantly at Bakura. “I’ve used a lot of magic and trap cards this game, so there should be plenty of monsters to choose from!” He paused, then, “You’re going down, Bakura!” He added, quite scornfully.
Bakura’s eyes widened with…was it…excitement? “YOU FOOL!” He roared, as a giant book, representing Monster Recovery, began to inhale That Spirit’s Celtic Guardian and hand!
That Spirit seemed to be taken over by misbelief. “Wh-What is the meaning of this, Bakura?! You’ve lost this du-”
But Bakura cut him off. “NO, other Yugi, YOU have lost this Duel, because in response, I activate my DESTINY BOARD!”
In response to the book that was absorbing That Spirit’s cards, a giant tablet with a large letter ‘D’ appeared.
That Spirit narrowed his eyes. “Bakura…what kind of evil are you using to manipulate this duel…?”
Bakura let out a contemptuous chuckle. “Evil?” He looked up at the wispy tablet in the air. "You mean this…?”
But he leveled his line of sight, towards That Spirit. “I have not even finished! I now activate the Spirit Message!”
Now, there were four more wispy screens in the sky above the duelists’ table. They each had their own letters too…
‘E’
‘A’
‘T’
and ‘H’.
You looked at the completed Spirit Message, shocked. It says…the Spirit Message is…”DEATH”…?!
Bakura’s laughter…it seemed to ring so loudly in your ear now. It shook your entire body! It was as if his laugh, amplified by the power of the Shadow Realm, was shaking every single molecule of air around you.
But you weren’t even really there! It must have been so much worse for The Spirit when he actually went through this…It was just his memory though – how could you be feeling this?! Spirit….I can feel it…it feels like an earthquake…!
Even That Spirit seemed disgruntled by this display of raw power. Yes, well, it’s my memory, and we are now, technically, the same person. You are experiencing it as I did, or at the very least, as I remember it.
The force of Bakura’s voice had you doubled over on the floor. You could understand The Spirit’s explanation, but…you looked up at him – he was just standing there.
How is it…how can you stand there? Don’t you…can’t you feel this?!
The Spirit didn’t turn his head, but gave you a peripheral, nonchalant look. Since it happened, I have done nothing but relive this moment…over and over…I have become used to this aural force. It was quite dominating at first, as you can see. He motioned plaintively towards That Spirit, who was also buckling under the force of Bakura’s laughter.
From the floor, you looked up at Bakura, who was now moving towards That Spirit. He had finally stopped his laughing, so you could finally stand up.
You must have gone too fast though, because all the blood rushed to your head, and you grabbed your face in frustration. But you dropped your hands immediately, you heard Bakura’s voice again.
“You’re such a fool, Other Yugi. You thought you could defeat ME? Now, you will be banished to the Shadow Realm!”
Bakura raised his hands above a still, face-down-on-the-floor, ‘That Spirit’. A hole was forming in the dark-purple cloud formation above the table.
You could see random lightning bolts coming down at all kinds of angles from this hole, as well as some kind of…monster…?
Wh-What…What is that!? You gasped to The Spirit.
He is…Zork Necrophidius. He sniffed. The Spirit was scowling, despite his offhanded tone.
Your attention returned to Bakura and That Spirit. Zork was reaching out to both of them, with scaly clawed arms, behind Bakura’s back!
LOOK OUT! You screamed. They were just standing there, about to be…eaten, or…you didn’t even know what. You just knew that Zork was bad news.
That Spirit’s eyes widened an unnatural amount. “BAKURA!” He cried, with tremendous panic. “Behind you! It’s Zork Necrophidius! From your tabletop game! He’s…ALIVE!”
[A/N: Please see Vols. 6 and 7 of the Yu-Gi-Oh! Graphic Novels. I did not just randomly make this up lol.]
Bakura laughed. “Of course He is! You are not very perceptive, Other Yugi!” Bakura cackled. “Zork is more than a mere Tabletop RPG demon! He is a -true- demon, a creature from the Shadow Realm!”
That Spirit…you had never seen him look like this. His eyes were all dilated; he was just sitting there on his knees, literally shivering – scared shitless!
It was freaking you out, to see someone like him, someone with the confidence of at least a hundred people under normal circumstances, to be acting like this. If he continued to be scared, there was no way he would defeat Bakura and Zork!
That Spirit was finally starting to get on his feet though. It almost seemed like he had responded to your reaction. His breathing was still heavy though.
You figured all this “Demon from the Shadow Realm” stuff was getting to him, too. You took in a deep breath. Could That Spirit pull this one off?
That Spirit just glared at Bakura. “If you think I’m going to stand here and be defeated, you’re wrong. I won’t be taken Bakura! I’ve beat you and Zork before – this time is no different.”
Bakura, who had been chuckling to himself this entire time, decided to gloat again. “It seems you’ve ALREADY been defeated, Other Yugi! And so, Zork is here to claim your soul as his own, personal plaything! You will be tortured throughout eternity from this point on!”
At this point, Zork had finally descended from the hole in the purple clouds. He was standing on his legs, like a human does, which surprised you – he seemed like an “all-fours” demon.
Zork’s maw, well saturated with saliva, opened, and he released a roar – even worse than any laugh Bakura could come up with.
Surprisingly, to you anyway, Zork spoke. “You humans…are foolish creatures…”
Zork was really scary, but you refused to be intimidated, especially on your own turf…even though it was new turf, and most importantly, not permanent turf. You had no intention of dealing with The Spirit like this forever. You WOULD find a way out…
But anyway, the fact remained that The Spirit was not going to know that you thought Zork was creepy as hell. Who does he think he is, talking like that? Where the hell did this Zork dude come from anyway?!
The Spirit frowned at you, seemingly disappointed that you no longer seemed afraid of Zork. What are you talking about!? That’s the evil demon, Zork Necrophidius! Aren’t you afraid??
You shook your head fiercely. I ain’t afraid of no stuffy Shadow Realm demon! He’s no different from some regular bad guy -- like YOU for example.
The Spirit just gave you a deadpan look. “Some regular bad guy” ?And you said -I- was the one who wasn’t taking saving the world seriously enough…And what is all this “like you” talk!?! I’m one of the good guys!
May I remind you, Mr. Bad-Guy Spirit, You started antagonistically. That you KILLED me, TRAPPED me here, and have some other girl queued up for random punishment? These are the things that make up bad guys, ya know!
And may I remind YOU, Ms. All-my-problems-are-everyone-else’s-fault, that it was not -I- who initiated our original conversation, that it was not -I- who wanted to challenge YOU for the ownership of the Millennium Puzzle, and that it most definitely was not -I- who rushed through the game without hearing all the rules and got myself killed!!
You gave The Spirit an offended scoff. You know what, I’m just gonna go back to the memory, because arguing with you is not worth it. You’re just wrong, and that’s it.
I believe it is YOU that is wrong, and I REFUSE to-
Oh, put a sock in it, you arrogant jerk!
Arrogant?! I never!
And you won’t get to start now, either. Hush now, I’m trying to watch this!!
You will NOT blow me off!
In case you weren’t paying attention, I already have. Now, BE QUIET I said!
I’ll have you know, that I intend to make all kinds of noise just to spite you!
Do what you want. I won’t be listening.
WHY you!! You will not talk to me like this! I’ll have you know…blah blah blah…
Just as you said you would, you had drowned The Spirit’s voice out. Anyhow, despite your earlier commentary, before being so RUDELY interrupted, Zork continued. “You are all so willing to trust others…but I have a surprise for you, my loyal servant…!”
Bakura turned around, glaring violently at Zork. “What are you talking about?” He was careful not to insult Zork, but wanted to make sure he got a straight answer.
Zork chuckled. “It seems I have given you too much power, and in turn, it has turned against you…”
That Spirit was confused also. “What is the meaning of this, Zork?! How has Bakura’s power turned on him?”
“You see, Bakura won the duel, but he has lost the Shadow Game.” He received confused looks from That Spirit, Bakura, and you as well.
Zork continued. “Bakura defeated you in the second part of the duel, because he technically didn’t lose the first time.” Zork held up his index finger. “But, the two human boys had their own parameters for this duel. When Bakura started the Shadow Game, it was during the FIRST part of the duel, and so, those rules stand.”
[A/N: Confused yet? Zork explains it better in a second. I hope you understand, hehe ^^]
Bakura gave the same look That Spirit had earlier. “No…the boys’ rules…were that losing all your life points was the only way to lose…”
That Spirit nodded slowly, then faster, and struck his open palm with his other hand. “So then! The duel is still on because I haven’t lost!”
Zork shook his head. “You, too, are wrong.” That Spirit gave a confused look.
Bakura was now really pissed. “ZORK! You WILL explain yourself to me!”
Zork chuckled. “I’ve been trying, but you dense humans don’t understand. Puzzle: you have lost because Bakura’s Destiny Board is a legal method of winning. “
“Bakura: You too will be banished to the Shadow Realm because, upon validating the original rules of the Duel through a Shadow Game, they are also count as parameters. The Shadow Realms powers were stacked on top of one another during the course of this duel. So, you have BOTH lost this duel and now, I will consume BOTH of your souls!”
You just let your shoulders hang limply at your sides. They…you…you BOTH lost?!
The Spirit gave a huffed response. Yes. This is what happened.
You scrunched up your nose in confusion. But…you’re right here! And I’m here too! We’re not in the Shadow Realm!
This is the part that I cannot understand either. The Spirit said flatly. You couldn’t detect any of his usual arrogance, so you assumed it was true. But this is exactly how I remember it – vividly, with the same pressure from Bakura’s laugh, and that feeling of dread upon seeing Zork Necrophidius again.
But, I don’t feel any different at all. The Spirit sighed. The only thing I -do- know, is that -did -happen.
You thought about that, while Bakura expressed his distaste for the situation. “This is ridiculous! I defeated the Spirit of the Millennium Puzzle! I won in a completely legitimate duel against the Other Yugi so that I could offer you his soul! Now I am supposed to sit here and wait for you to consume me!? I think not!”
Zork just growled at Bakura. “It is not YOUR decision to make. The authorities of the Shadow Realm created rules so that there would be order. We merely want the destruction of human spirits, not chaos. Therefore, our ruling stands: You will both suffer for eternity!”
That Spirit folded his arms over his chest and glared at Zork. “You forget that we ALSO have the power of the Shadow Realm on our side!” He turned to Bakura. “If we combine the power of our Millennium Items, Bakura, we can destroy Zork!”
Bakura looked at That Spirit out of the corner of his eye, leering and chuckling. “I hate the idea of eternal damnation, of course, Other Yugi.” He turned to face him fully now. “But I hate YOU more. Burn in HELL!” He cackled.
{[PENALTY GAME 1: Illusion of A Forgotten Past]}
Zork pulled his arm back and forced it through Bakura’s chest. You made a choking noise at the sight of his blood, but coughed as if it didn’t bother you.
It was definitely an odd spectacle though. The body of the boy, Ryou, was fine. Zork had only destroyed Bakura’s spirit, it seemed.
“You will relive the terror of your home village’s destruction, as you said before.” Zork said, flatly.
The Evil Shadow Demon then turned to That Spirit. Bakura’s upper body was still sliding off Zork’s arm, as his lower stomach and legs stood there, right next to That Spirit. His legs were still twitching.
Bakura could, strangely enough, still speak in his current condition. “Other Yugi…I will return…this is just a minor setback…!” With that and a groan, Bakura fell silent.
You frowned, but continued to watch this disgusting display. That Spirit just glared in defiance – he was screwed, but that’s no reason to go quietly, right?
You would have done the exact same thing.
That Spirit, still standing with his arms folded, spoke. “If Bakura thinks he can return to this world, I KNOW that I will be able to as well. Do not forget the day you made me your enemy, Zork Necrophidius!!”
{[PENALTY GAME 2: Illusion of the Change of Heart]}
Such big words for a skinny little guy in a very bad position. Zork impaled That Spirit as well, tossing his Spirit’s upper body to the opposite part of the room, behind him. Yugi’s body slumped to the floor, just as Ryou’s had.
You winced at all of the ethereal-looking blood. Was all that destructive force necessary?
The Spirit shrugged, as the environment began to fade out of visibility. “It’s the best idea to question the dark Lords of the Shadow Realm the way we did, I suppose.”
“So, you say after all this, you were fine?” You asked.
“I woke up in my soul room and everything was as it should have been. I expected Yugi to treat me differently, but that didn’t happen until…well, you saw it yourself.” The Spirit seemed especially dejected about that…
You felt bad for The Spirit. This really wasn’t his fault…and he seemed really sad. Sad people should cheer up. And you always cheered up when someone told a joke, so…
“Zork wasn’t as kind of a bad guy as you were. He didn’t even explain what was going to happen.” You quipped sarcastically.
The Spirit nodded. “Yes, that’s definitely how it-HEY!”
You chuckled at The Spirit, but looked up. “I guess now I understand the position Anzu is in. I mean, I really, completely understand now.”
The Spirit nodded. “Yes, but you must understand! Anzu is the one who came to ME and started it!”
You frowned. “That’s a really childish response…”
The Spirit stiffened at this. “No, you misunderstand. By telling you that, I meant to explain that I have figured out the Shadow Game!”
You scowled. “Then you should have SAID that!”
The Spirit shook his head. “Anyway, I have figured out my purpose within this Shadow Game. Zork called it “The Change of Heart”, right? So naturally, this means I must defeat all of Yugi’s friends and return to the real world.”
You frowned. “So what does that have to do with me?”
The Spirit held up his index finger knowingly. “You want to escape, don’t you? This would be the only logical way.”
You nodded. “...Defeating these weird versions of Yugi and Anzu in order to save them...It makes about as much sense as anything else that's happened here...” You tapped your lower lip with your index finger. “Alright then!” You cried.
“I’ll help you defeat Anzu!” You said, smiling. “What’s the plan?”
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