Part II: The Voice of Reason
Yugi, Pegasus can never take me from you, just as he can’t take anyone else from you, including Grandpa, unless you let him. And trust me, Grandpa is closer than you think. You just have to trust in the heart of the cards. Trust in the heart of the cards and you can never be truly defeated. The heart of the cards; Yugi that is what the game was all about, many millennia ago. Go, and duel Pegasus to return your friends to you.
“But what do I have to wager? I’ve lost my Millennium Puzzle. Now it will be different dueling.”
No, it won’t be different. Pegasus stole the puzzle, but not the Yami presence inside of it. That presence is me. As long as you trust in the heart of the cards, dueling will always be the same. For this duel, you must wager what your friends cannot. Good luck, Yugi Moto. Trust in the heart of the cards…
The voice faded away, and left Yugi alone. Or was he, he could swear he could see Joey right next to him. “Comon’ you can do it Yug’.” Then Téa, “I believe in you Yugi, we all do.” Was that Tristan? “Kick his butt Yugi.” Then Kaiba’s voice made itself heard above all the others. “Defeat him because you must Yugi!” Mokuba cried out next, “Go Yugi, you can do it, save us.” Mai crooned, “Do it for me Yugi,” then blew a kiss. Right before they all faded away, Yugi heard a voice he had not heard in a while, “Go Yugi, make me proud!”
The thought of all those depending on him made the Yami in him flare up once again. But this time, the blinding light came from his heart, not a millennium item. What stood after made Pegasus’s jaw drop. But only for a second before he smartly closed his mouth. “Pegasus, I challenge you to a duel in the same style as the last, only the stakes are my soul for theirs! Do you accept?” challenged Yami Yugi.
“Of course, I can’t resist the temptation of a new piece in my collection. Again, I choose Kaiba. Make your pick again Yugi, go for the puppy dog.”
“I choose Joey, but he’s not a puppy dog. His devotion may be that of one, but his spirit certainly is not!”
“This time, I choose Bakura, for his mystery intrigues me.”
“I choose Mokuba. He will serve me well, just as he serves his brother.”
“The brat again, huh? I choose Mai, our sleeping beauty, she would make an excellent wife, don’t you think Yugi? But there’s time enough for that after I win.”
“You won’t win Pegasus, so it doesn’t matter. I choose Téa. Her magical abilities will aid my cause.”
“That leave’s me with brave Tristan, always willing to go along with the puppy dog, no matter where it leads,” Pegasus mocked
“Let the dueling begin!”
Yugi slipped a card out of his right pocket and added it to his deck.
Again the table appeared. The life points of both players spun to 2000. Again Yugi meditated, but this time for nearly ten minutes. When he was done, he did not appear as the Dark Magician or any other card. To anybody he would have looked normal. Anyone except Pegasus. To the creator, he appeared as all the souls flickering back and forth between images of those he had captured. Joey, Téa, Kaiba, Mai, Grandpa, Tristan, Bakura, Mokuba all forming a force field around Yugi. “Make your move Pegasus,” exclaimed Yami Yugi, opening his eyes truly for first time. He saw now the Light Yami flowing through him and also the Dark Yami throughout Pegasus. Except for a small patch of Light, that seemed to be growing on Pegasus’s chest. As Pegasus drew his hand, Yugi knew exactly what cards his opponent had drawn and could already see the strategy was the same as last games. Pegasus held Kaiba, Bakura, the 2000 card, Trap Hole, and Toon World. Pegasus drew, a Blue Eyes Toon Dragon. Then he laid out the same combo he had laid out last game: A Toon World and a BETD. Yet, Yugi didn’t seem phased. He was counting on one special card in his deck, one even Pegasus didn’t know about.
Yugi drew, a Jar of Greed. Then he summoned a Giant Soldier of Stone face down in defense mode. Playing the Jar of Greed, Yugi drew two cards, Mokuba, and Dark Knight Gaia of the Gale. Again, he played a De-Spell on the Toon World destroying the BETD.
“Your move Pegasus.”
Pegasus pulled a Blue Eyes White Dragon and immediately played it, commanding the dragon to assault the warrior, “Blue Eyes White Dragon, White Lightning Attack.” The fearsome blow dealt 700 damage to Yugi’s life points. Even as the white light washed over him, Yugi remained silent, not even flinching, like he’d expected it. For once, it was Pegasus who was doing the wondering. What I little Yugi doing?
It was now Yugi’s turn and he drew. This time he was rewarded with a Swords of Sealing Light. He immediately played it along with a Mystical Elf. This would buy him time, if only a little.
There was nothing to do so Pegasus ended his turn after drawing a Seven Tool’s of the Bandit.
Yugi picked Téa from the deck. The next turn he drew a Reborn the Monster. Téa was now facedown on the field, ready for when the swords were gone.
Finally, that turn came and Pegasus played his Kaiba, just as had the previous duel. This time, he had no Giant Growth in his hand. Sacrificing Kaiba, one fourth of his life points, and discarding Polymerization Pegasus special summoned the Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon into play. He attacked the Giant Soldier of Stone with the BEUD and Téa with the BEWD; both were destroyed. He used Téa’s ability to return the SOSL to his hand. During his next turn, he played them again, buying him three more turns. He was really on the ropes now
-Two 1/2 Turns Later-
Yugi had enough monsters out to hold Pegasus off for one more turn. In his hand he still held Mokuba and Reborn the Monster. Pegasus ended his turn with a BEUD, BEWD, and a Toon Goblin Strike Team in play.
This was it, Yugi’s last card to draw in the duel. He knew there was only one card that could turn this around, and the odds of getting it were slim to none.
Then there it was, that voice. Yugi, trust in the cards, trust in them and they’ll reward your trust. Remember why you’re dueling. Remember Yugi, remember…
Suddenly, all his friends surrounded him again, cheering and encouraging him. He could do it. Do it for Joey, and Téa, and Tristan, and Grandpa, and Kaiba, and Mokuba, and Bakura, and Mai! He could do it! Sticking his hand out he remembered the sign Téa had drawn on their hands. Staring at the spot where it had been he could almost see it. “Draw your last pathetic card little Yugi,” mocked Pegasus.
“It has none, and the one I’ll draw will teach you that!” replied Yugi confidently as he drew it, his last card. There it was, the downfall.
On the card, was a picture of an old man that didn’t look nearly strong enough to stand up to even a Silver Fang let alone BEUD. He had a gray mustache, beard, and hair and he wore and orange bandana. He was dressed in a white work shirt with green coveralls. But this man had inner strength. He was a special monster. Not just because he was an effect monster, but also because he was Yugi Moto’s grandfather.
“This is the last card Pegasus, and it spells defeat for one of us, but not me! I play Mokuba, but you didn’t read carefully enough because I can return him to my hand to bring Kaiba back into play, that means that when I win, his soul is released. I then play monster reborn on Téa. That leaves me with just one move. Sacrifice my Mystical Elf to activate this card’s special effect. I activate the special effect of Grandpa from my hand, summoning the legendary Exodia. Exodia, Obliterate!!”
The duel was finished and Yugi now wore the Millennium Puzzle around his neck again and held the Millennium Eye in his hand. When it had ended, everyone was returned to normal and basked in the bright whiteness of extra light Yami energy being released from Yugi. He’d built up so much, maybe even Kaiba could change.
Bakura once again controlled the power of the Millennium Ring and friends surrounded Yugi. Yugi Moto. They stood outside the entrance to Grandpa’s Shop. “Here Yugi, I thought you might want these,” Kaiba said, “I found them with Pegasus.” He handed Yugi all five parts of Exodia. “Gee, thanks a lot Kaiba, I don’t know how to thank you.”
“Don’t kid, and this one I owe you personally,” Kaiba replied giving a Blue Eyes White Dragon to Grandpa. “Oh, someone’s got a soft spot,” jeered Joey. “Oh, I don’t know, I kind of like him that way,” flirted Mai, fluttering her eyes in her best cute girl impression; which wasn’t hard.
The friends talked long about things of the past and what was to come. But, the question that sat on all of their minds, though none would say it, was what had happened to Pegasus after Yami Yugi had ripped the Millennium Eye from his face. The Shadow Realm caused people to act weird, but that was far out of character, even for a five thousand year old Yami Presence.
So Ends Discarded Souls