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Seto Kaiba and Joey Wheeler vs Yugi Moto

The spotlight shines brightly upon Kemo as he steps up to the microphone. He stands at the center of a gigantic dueling arena packed with thousands of enthusiastic Duel Monsters fans who are cheering at the top of their lungs, eagerly anticipating the main event.

Kemo: Attention duelists! It's time for the special exhibition match of the New York City Duel Monsters Tournament - officially sponsored by Industrial Illusions and its CEO, the creator of duel monsters, Maximillian Pegasus! As you all know, Mr. Pegasus has a flair for the theatrical and wanted to put on a duel the likes of which you've never seen before!

The audience cheers and the cameras zoom in on as Pegasus. The former wielder of the Millennium Eye sits in a chair in the front row sipping a glass of red wine. He smirks and raises his glass as a toast to the start of the show.

Kemo: Through a lottery, two of the top 100-ranked duelists in the world will be randomly selected. They will join forces and attempt to do what no single individual has been able to achieve: defeat the #1-ranked duelist in the world, Yugi Moto! And on that note, ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the King of Games himself! Here he comes!

Yugi enters the stadium to a standing ovation from the sold-out crowd in New York. Despite wearing the Millennium Puzzle around his neck, it is clear that the pharaoh is not in control for the moment. Little Yugi shyly waves towards the legions of fans and nervously smiles at random people as he takes his position on the duel field.

Opposite him, the top 100 duelists are all assembled and awaiting the results of the lottery. The impressive collection of champions includes the likes of Weevil Underwood, Rex Raptor, Mako Tsunami, Bakura Ryou, Mai Valentine, Bandit Keith, Rebecca Hawkins, and even the one and only Johnny Steps.

Deliberately standing a few inches in front of the group is Seto Kaiba. He pays attention to no one but Yugi as he makes his entrance.

This whole thing's a joke, not that I expect any different from Pegasus, Kaiba thinks to himself as he observes the proceedings. It should be obvious to everyone that I'm the only one who deserves to duel Yugi. Which is why I hacked into Industrial Illusion's mainframe and programmed the computer to select MY name first. I also made sure that the computer selects a veteran duelist by the name of Adrian Suzuki to be my partner. He's not in my league – which goes without saying - but the kid has a solid resume: rank Obelisk Blue at the Duel Academy, 5-time regional champion, 3-time national finalist. He should be able to pull his weight.

A small smirk crosses the face of the man who prides himself on always being in control. And when I win this duel, it'll be a victory everyone will hear about. Yugi will have no choice but to give me a one-on-one match, and then the title "King of Games" will rightfully belong to me. Not some porcupine-headed nerd with an oversized necklace.

Kemo points to a giant screen at the top of the stadium where a list of all 100 participating duelists starts spinning, accompanied by a dramatic drum roll. The crowd falls silent, eagerly anticipating the first reveal. Gradually, the roulette spins slower and slower until it settles on one name: "SETO KAIBA". The roar of the crowd vibrates throughout the arena, everyone absolutely ecstatic that the two legendary rivals will clash once again, with an added twist.

What a shocking turn of events, mulls Kaiba as he pretends to look surprised. Per Kemo's request, the KaibaCorp CEO struts over to the duel field opposite Yugi. Even though the person wearing the Puzzle around his neck appears to be a simple teenager, his eyes contain a hidden fire and intensity as they meet Kaiba's steely blue gaze. The pharaoh is watching.

The roulette begins to spin again to select Kaiba's partner. The drum roll is the only sound in the arena as the crowd falls into a vigilant silence once again, the names rolling by slower and slower until the arrow trickles down to the last few. It appears to settle on the name of Adrian Suzuki, Kaiba's chosen duelist. The CEO smirks at the apparent success of his plan…

But the arrow doesn't stop there. It passes Suzuki and slows to a stop at the next name down:

"JOEY WHEELER"

Kaiba is stunned. The crowd erupts in cheers, almost unable to believe that Joey and Kaiba will actually duel as a team for the first time ever – a match made in heaven for any duel monsters fan. An unmistakably thick Brooklyn accent is heard from the rabble of duelists as Joey picks his way through it.

Joey: Hiya folks, how ya doin? Joey Wheela comin thru. Make way, make way. Pleasure's all yours, I know. Ey, did someone just grab my butt? Hands off da merchandise til after da duel, okay?

Joey spends perhaps a little too much time showing off to the other duelists before waltzing up to the duel field past a bewildered Kaiba.

Kaiba: This has got to be some sort of prank! I demand a do-over!

Kaiba scowls at Kemo, expecting the large bodyguard to do his bidding. Kemo isn't fazed.

Kemo: I'm afraid I can't do that, sir. It's against the rules.

Kaiba: SCREW THE RULES, I HAVE MONEY! And with it I can hire an army of KaibaCorp lawyers and sue Industrial Illusions for everything it's worth!

Kemo: If you would like to pursue legal action, then please step off the dueling field while we select a replacement partner for Joey to duel against Yugi.

Kaiba: Wait! Hold on, I- uh…

The president of KaibaCorp uncharacteristically stutters while searching for the right words to bark at Kemo, but in the end nothing manages to come out of his mouth. Even a situation as bad as this won't make Kaiba pass up the opportunity to get even with his arch rival.

From the front row, Pegasus can't help but chuckle at the unfolding events. He instinctively rubs the spot where his Millennium Eye used to be, wishing he could read the thoughts running through the mind of Seto Kaiba at this very moment. Now this is what I call quality entertainment! Sorry Kaiba-boy… but the punishment fits the crime.

Yugi: How have you been, Joey? I'm looking forward to this! It's nice to be able to duel my best friend without the fate of the world hanging in the balance.

Joey: Got dat right, YOOG! You know your old pal Joey's always up for a good time! Too bad we gotta put up with rich boy. But we've been thru worse, right? Not much worse, but worse.

Kaiba is nearly shaking, his fist clenched tightly. The calm and calculating demeanor he begins all his duels with is completely gone, replaced with nothing but frustration. WHEELER! That blonde-haired buffoon is going to ruin this moment for me! This wasn't supposed to happen!

Kemo's pointy hair gleams under the bright spotlight as he takes the microphone and speaks to the three assembled duelists in front of him.

Kemo: Attention duelists! Before you begin, here are the official rules for this 2-on-1 duel! In an attempt at balance, Yugi will start with 8000 life points while Joey and Kaiba will start with 4000 each. Duelists on the same team are allowed to use each other's monsters for fusion or tribute summons. Also, a duelist can command their own monster to intercept a direct attack on their partner's life points. The game will continue until all members of one team have no life points remaining. Any questions?

Kaiba looks like he definitely has some, but Kemo steps forward and stands between the three duelists, holding a coin.

Kemo: A coin toss will determine which of you will go first. Who would like to call it?

Kaiba, still seething, doesn't budge. Joey takes this as his cue and greedily grabs the coin out of Kemo's hands. He kisses it and proudly holds it up.

Joey: Lady luck's always been in love with yours truly, so I should be da one doin' dis. I call heads!

Joey flips the coin and then slaps it on his wrist. It lands on heads, meaning that he will go first. He jumps in the air, happy that his lady luck came through for him again, and attempts to fist-bump Kaiba (who doesn't oblige). The result of the coin toss only increases the CEO's frustration – as always, he preferred to go first and set the pace of the duel.

Kemo: Attention duelists! Shuffle your decks and activate your duel disks, because the duel will now commence!

As soon as Kemo says this, Yugi's Millennium Puzzle begins glowing. An ancient, powerful aura begins to emanate from the young boy and he seems to grow not only taller, but stronger and wiser too. A faint chant… "Yugioooooooh", can be heard coming from inside the Puzzle right before the transformation completes. Pharaoh Atem finally arrives, and in a commanding Dan Greenish voice announces:

Yugi: Kaiba. Joey. Prepare yourselves, because IT'S TIME TO DUEL!

Turn 1 – Yugi: 8000 LP, Kaiba: 4000 LP, Joey: 4000 LP

The crowd roars and life point screens light up all across the huge stadium as the duel officially gets under way. Yami Yugi whips out his huge deck and sticks it into the deck slot of his KaibaCorp duel disk. It barely fits, as this is the biggest and most powerful deck he has ever constructed. Usually the King of Games would strive to be using a regular-sized, more concentrated deck, but for this duel he preferred to utilize a vast pool of cards from all throughout his dueling career.

Joey: You ain't da only one who can transform, Yoog! Check DIS out!

Joey does some sort of weird karate moves, slowly chanting "Brooooooklyn Raaaaaaagggggeee" before jumping up and flexing his muscles. His chin contorts into a creepy grin.

Joey: Dis is what I like to call my SSJ form – Super Saiyan Joey. It's go time!

Kaiba facepalms.

Kaiba: This is going to be a disaster.

Joey disapprovingly shakes his head at his partner's pessimism.

Joey: Ey, Mr. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind over there... lighten up, will ya? Can't you appreciate that we're not fightin' to save da world for once? This duel's just for fun!

Kaiba: I don't have fun.

Joey: If it makes ya feel any better to know dis… if you lose dis duel, nobody'll think you're any less of a douchebag. In fact, you should consider yaself lucky - cause you get ta tag with da Godfada a Games himself: Joey Wheela!

Kaiba's expression doesn't change. He just stares a hole through the man who is now officially his partner.

Kaiba: I'm thrilled.

At last, Kaiba takes a deep breath, activates his KaibaCorp Duel Disk, and places his deck into it - determined to plow ahead and battle despite the very less-than-ideal circumstances he finds himself in.

Kaiba: All right, Wheeler. I might as well play along. Not that I have a choice. But let's get one thing straight. This duel should be between me and Yugi, and you know it. If I lose, it'll be because of YOU. So do me a favor - and I know this is probably the hardest thing you've ever had to do in your entire life – but just keep your mouth shut and try not to screw things up. Got it?

Joey: Nah, you need me. You just don't know how badly yet. Cause without me, Yugi would mop da floor with ya. Just like he's done the last 500 times. Ain't that right, Yoog?

Kaiba grits his teeth, always hating when someone reminds him of his numerous losses to the King of Games. Yugi is examining the five cards he drew in his first turn and trying to ignore the delightful conversation between his opponents. Without much success.

Yugi: I think Kaiba may have a point, Joey. You should probably stop talking now and make your move.

The pharaoh's comment flusters Joey for a second. The Brooklyner then draws five cards from his deck, plus a sixth card for his Draw Phase, trying to shift his focus on what to play. Not bad, not bad at all. Thinks Joey as he looks over his opening hand. Yeah, definitely some things I can work with here!

Joey: All right folks, hold on to your hairdos! I'll start things off by throwing dis little baby down... Baby Dragon dat is, in attack mode!

The holographic technology Kaiba pioneered projects a realistic 3D model of one of Joey's classic monsters: Baby Dragon (ATK: 1200/DEF: 700), which appears on the dueling field in front of its master. The little orange dragon flexes its chest and muscles in an attempt to look more intimidating than it actually is.

Kaiba: THAT'S what you're leading with? A baby dragon? Surely you're not serious.

Joey: I AM serious and don't call me Shirley! My Baby Dragon may look all cute and cuddly for now… but they grow up fast, so enjoy him while you can! Anyway, I'm also gonna throw a cahd face-down. You're up, Yugi.

A projection of a face-down spell or trap card appears on Joey's side of the field behind Baby Dragon.

Turn 2 – Yugi: 8000 LP, Kaiba: 4000 LP, Joey: 4000 LP

Knowing Joey, he wouldn't throw out Baby Dragon unless he also had a Time Wizard nearby, thinks Yugi as he plans his initial strategy. It must be in his hand, and he'll use it to power up Baby Dragon next turn. I've got to put up a defense!

Yugi: I'll set a monster in defense mode. That ends my turn.

A silhouette of a face-down monster card appears on Yugi's field. Kaiba is unimpressed.

Kaiba: This duel has only lasted two turns and it's already boring me. I expected a pathetic first move from the amateur, but not from you, Yugi. Now allow me to demonstrate what a real first turn looks like, because it's my move!

Turn 3 – Yugi: 8000 LP, Kaiba: 4000 LP, Joey: 4000 LP

Kaiba draws a card and wastes no time activating it.

Kaiba: First off, I activate Pot of Greed! Do you know what it does, Wheeler?

Joey actually hesitates for a moment before remembering what Pot of Greed does, and that just about every duelist seems to have one in their deck.

Joey: You're a regular comedian, ya know dat? Your jokes really kill the audience.

Kaiba: Your dueling skills already have them on life support. Now as I was saying… the spell card Pot of Greed allows me to draw two cards from my deck and add them to my hand! Then I'll play—

Before he can finish his sentence Kaiba is interrupted by Joey, who is frantically waving his arms and trying to get his partner's attention.

Joey: Yo Kaiba! Just so ya know, I have a strategy dat involves my Baby Dragon. So I think you should summon another monsta dis turn. Dat way we can overwhelm Yugi and expose him for a direct attack on his life points! Sound like a plan?

Kaiba nods at his partner.

Kaiba: There's a plan all right. I sacrifice my assistant's Baby Dragon in order to tribute summon Kaiser Glider!

Joey: SAY WHAT!?

Much to his surprise and dismay, Joey's dragon is erased from the field and Kaiba's dragon emerges. Wrapped in a ball of fire, Kaiser Glider (2400/2200) glides down into the arena and lands with a loud thud on Kaiba's side of the field.

Joey: Ey, what gives? You just ruined my strategy!

Kaiba: "Strategy" implies that you're actually capable of using your brain. Oh, I knew all about your little scheme. If you expect me to just sit here and allow you to gamble this duel away with a card as unpredictable and dangerous as Time Wizard, you're even dumber than I thought. If that's possible.

Joey looks at the Time Wizard in his hand, irritated by the fact that he can no longer use the card's effect to its full potential.

Joey: I'm not askin' you to become a member of da Time Wizad Fan Club, but we're supposta' be working as a team!

Kaiba: Aren't we? I got rid of your useless baby and replaced it with a dragon that's twice as strong. You're welcome.

Joey grits his teeth, but before he can think of a comeback Kaiba cuts him off.

Kaiba: The difference between you and me, Wheeler, is that you rely on dumb luck to hide the fact that you have no idea what you're doing. I rely on power and precision to win duels, and you're about to find out why. Kaiser Glider, attack Yugi's face-down monster!

Kaiser Glider takes flight. It wraps itself in a ball of flame and dives down toward the opposite side of the field, crashing into Yug's set monster at full-speed. For a moment, a thick layer of smoke covers the entire field, making it impossible to see the aftermath of the battle. When the dust settles, the outline of Yugi's monster appears, unscathed. A surprised Kaiba finds himself staring at Yugi's faithful defender: Big Shield Gardna (100/2600).

Yugi: Kaiba, after all these years you still haven't learned that powerful monsters aren't the only ones that win duels. Sometimes, the best offense is a good defense. My Big Shield Gardna withstood the attack of your dragon, and since its defense points were higher than Kaiser Glider's attack points, the difference comes out of YOUR life points!

Kaiba's life points decrease by 200. Due to its effect, Big Shield Gardna's switches to attack position after being attacked.

Kaiba: Spare me the lectures, Yugi. I've heard them all before. Another thing I'm all too familiar with is your Big Shield Gardna. On your next turn, you're going to switch him back into defense mode. But that's not going to happen this time around, not once I put a stop to it with this spell card!

Dark magic clouds the mind of Big Shield Gardna. It starts wobbling, becoming dizzy and disoriented.

Yugi: OH NO! What have you done, Kaiba?

Kaiba: Me? You should be blaming your monster for not having the strength to overcome the debilitating magic of my Mesmeric Control. It entrances your Gardna and prevents it from changing its battle position during your next turn. And since it only has 100 attack points, even a duelist as incompetent as Wheeler should be able to take it down. Though I'm not holding my breath on that one.

Joey: And I'm not holdin' my breath on you getting dat stick outta your rear end.

Kaiba ignores Joey's retort and places a face-down card that appears behind Kaiser Glider. His turn is over, and though he couldn't penetrate Yugi's defense, he undoubtedly had the most impactful of the duel's three turns so far.

Turn 4 – Yugi: 8000 LP, Kaiba: 3800 LP, Joey: 4000 LP

The pharaoh draws and surveys the terrain. Joey has no monsters on his side of the field, so I could attack him directly. On the other hand... with 2400 attack points, Kaiba's Kaiser Glider could pose a serious problem if I don't do something about it soon. It doesn't take long for the King of Games to translate these thoughts into actions.

Yugi: All right Kaiba, it's time for me to rid the field of your dragon! First, I'll discard the Beast of Gilfer from my hand in order to special summon… a monster known as The Tricky.

The strange jester-like wizard known as The Tricky (2000/1200) is special summoned from Yugi's hand by its effect. Its face has no eyes or nose, only a big red question mark. What tricks does it have up its sleeve?

Yugi: And that's far from all! When Beast of Gilfer goes to the graveyard its special ability activates, allowing me to reduce the attack of any monster I choose by 500 points.

Yugi's archfiend crawls out of the ground, now taken the form of a demonic ghost. It floats up in a black cloud and possesses Kaiser Glider, lowering its ATK from 2400 to 1900.

Yugi: The monsters in my deck work as a team, building upon each other's individual strengths. Their combined abilities have now turned the tables on your dragon, making it no match for my magician. Tricky, ATTACK!

The Tricky prepares to launch an attack on the weakened Kaiser Glider, but before it lunges forward, dozens of chains erupt from the ground and wrap themselves around the spellcaster's limbs, completely immobilizing it.

Kaiba: I'm afraid your Tricky won't be going anywhere, thanks to my Shadow Spell trap! Not only does it prevent your monster from attacking or changing its battle position, but it also reduces its attack by 700 points. Tricks are for kids.

Yugi can do nothing but watch helplessly as The Tricky's ATK drops to 1300, once again lower than Kaiser Glider's. Kaiba smirks, satisfied that he ended up on the better end of this brief exchange between old rivals. Yugi smiles, allowing himself to relax for a moment and enjoy the competitive, non world-saving nature of this duel.

Yugi: I see your dueling skills are as sharp as ever, Kaiba. I'll set two cards face-down before ending my turn. This one ended in a stalemate, but I have a feeling the next one won't.

Two mystery cards appear in Yugi's spell/trap card zone behind The Tricky and Big Shield Gardna.

Turn 5 – Yugi: 8000 LP, Kaiba: 3800 LP, Joey: 4000 LP

Joey quickly conducts his draw phase, anxious to regain his foothold in the duel after having his Baby Dragon/Time Wizard combo messed up by Kaiba in his first turn. He's about to make a play when a certain bullheaded billionaire starts barking orders at him.

Kaiba: All right Wheeler, you're on! And you better be paying attention! I've set things up perfectly for you. Attack that Big Shield Gardna right now before Yugi switches it back into defense mode on his next turn!

Joey hesitates. His eyes dart between both of Yugi's monsters and his two face down cards, not certain that Kaiba's plan is one he should follow.

Joey: I got a bad feeling about dat Tricky of his… and not just cause it's creepy-lookin.

Kaiba: Nobody cares about your feelings. His Tricky is completely immobilized and drained of its power by Shadow Spell. On the other hand, Big Shield Gardna will only be vulnerable for one turn. An opportunity like this won't come again! Do you hear me Wheeler?

Joey: Look, I've known Yugi almost all my life, and if there's one thing I've learned it's dis: he can pull off just about anything when there's a magician by his side. What if he WANTS me to destroy his Big Shield Gardna so he can use his Tricky to cast some crazy spell next turn and clean our clocks?

Kaiba: That's probably what he expects you to think, because he knows you're a moron and you'd fall for his bluff!

Joey clenches his fist as he endures more verbal abuse from the CEO. Quickly running out of patience, he makes his move.

Joey: Da only thing that'll fall around here is your teeth if you keep messin' with me! Now shut up and say hello ta my little friend!

Little Winguard, a small blue knight armed with a sword and shield (1400/1800) is summoned on Joey's side of the field. Kaiba takes one look at it and groans.

Kaiba: Another weak monster? You might as well put that dog costume back on and summon yourself.

Somehow, none of Kaiba's previous insults hit Joey as hard as this one does. A repressed image of Joey dressed as a dog, kneeling and whimpering at Kaiba's feet floods back into his mind. A bad dream he once had? A forgotten memory? He finds it hard to tell the difference. Feelings of insecurity and inadequacy flood Joey's mind, and he completely snaps.

Joey: DAT'S IT! IF'VE HAD IT WITH YOU AND YOUR WISECRACKS! WEAK, HUH? I'LL SHOW YOU WHO'S WEAK!

Smoke is practically coming of Joey's nostrils as he grabs a card from his hand and crams it into one of the spell/trap card slots in his duel disk, almost bending the card.

Joey: I equip Little Winguard with da spell cahd Lightning Blade to boost his attack by 800 points, and then I attack Da Tricky!

Little Winguard's tiny sword transforms into a huge blade surging with electricity and its ATK rises to 2200. It leaps into the air and makes a beeline for Yugi's The Tricky, which is still chained to the ground by the effects of Shadow Spell and unable to avoid the attack in any way.

Kaiba: No! You fool!

But Joey is now beyond reason, hell-bent on sticking it to Kaiba any way he can. Right before Little Winguard reaches its target, Big Shield Gardna moves in front of The Tricky and uses his giant shield to block the sword slash. Little Winguard is shattered along with his Lightning Blade. When the battle is over, Big Shield Gardna disappears from the field and a stunned Joey watches his life points decrease by 1700.

Yugi: Your attack triggered my trap card: Ambush Shield! It allowed me to sacrifice Big Shield Gardna and transfer his defense points to The Tricky's attack points. So it looks like you got what you wanted: My Big Shield Gardna is destroyed. But he took your monster down with him.

Joey gives no indication that he heard Yugi. He vacantly blinks at his now vacant field, still trying to come to terms with the fact that his second turn ended in failure just like his first. Kaiba makes a quick mental calculation and shakes his head at Joey.

Kaiba: That's what you get for not listening to me. This wouldn't have happened if you had attacked Big Shield Gardna, because the boost from Ambush Shield wouldn't have given it more attack points than Little Winguard.

His partner's latest criticism snaps Joey back into reality. Having no one else to direct his anger and frustration toward, he goes after the obvious target.

Joey: I only wish I COULD stop listenin' to you! All you've been doin' is messin' up my concentration! If I wanted color commentary during dis duel I woulda asked Tristin, Tea and da rest a da gang to be here!

Kaiba: My mistake. I forgot that you can't tie your shoes without the rest of the geek patrol cheering you on. That pretty much sums up your entire dueling career, doesn't it? If it wasn't for Yugi taking pity on you and holding your hand every step of the way, you would still be living in some crappy apartment in Domino watching him duel me on TV instead of being the third wheel right here with us. You weren't even supposed to be at Duelist Kingdom or Battle City, and now that Yugi's not holding your hand anymore... it's painfully obvious that you don't belong here either.

Joey is shaking, too disarmed by Kaiba's statement to do anything. The Tricky's ATK returns to 1300 as the effect of Ambush Shield wears off and the turn ends.

Turn 6 – Yugi: 8000 LP, Kaiba: 3800 LP, Joey: 2300 LP

Yugi observes the constant bickering between his two opponents and shakes his head in disappointment. He opens his mouth and is about to say something to Kaiba and Joey, but thinks better of it and decides that perhaps the best way to steer them back on course is to put them on the defensive.

Yugi: I'll begin my turn by summoning Skilled Dark Magician in attack mode!

A cloaked wizard wielding a staff (1900/1700) appears next to The Tricky. His face is concealed by shadow, and three golden spheres decorate his robe – two on his shoulders and one on his chestplate.

Yugi: Skilled Dark Magician is a younger version of his more well-known counterpart, and he possesses a rather unique special ability. Every time a spell card is activated, he gains one spell counter. When he has three spell counters he can evolve, allowing me to sacrifice him and special summon the Dark Magician from my hand, deck, or graveyard. So to give him his first spell counter, I'll equip him with the spell card Book of Secret Arts! It will raise his attack and defense points by 300 each.

The Book of Secret Arts materializes in front of Skilled Dark Magician and he begins reading its ancient texts, increasing his knowledge of arcane magic. His stats rise to (2200/2000), making him the strongest monster on the field. One of the three golden spheres begins glowing, indicating that he currently has one spell counter.

I could go after Kaiba's dragon again… but a direct attack on Joey's life points would greatly weaken him and leave him with almost nothing, muses the pharaoh as Skilled Dark Magician awaits his master's orders. This also presents an opportunity to test their bond as a team. For their sake, I hope they pass.

Yugi: Skilled Dark Magician, attack Joey's life points directly!

Skilled Dark Magician points his staff in the direction of Joey's blonde hair and shoots a golden beam of magic out of it. All eyes are on Kaiba's Kaiser Glider, everyone aware that according to the rules of this duel he can order it to intercept the direct attack on Joey's lie points. But Seto doesn't move a muscle.

Kaiba: Don't look at me. If you think I'm going to sacrifice a level-6 monster just to save Wheeler's hide, think again.

Joey: Why you son of a—

Joey's expletive is cut off when Skilled Dark Magician's beam zaps him. The shockwave from the attack knocks him back a few steps and causes him to yelp out. When Joey recovers, he is shocked to discover that he only has 100 life points remaining. And then, the even more horrifying revelation that his face-down card is still on the field, untouched.

Joey: Ah man! I forgot to activate my face-down cahd!

Kaiba: Why am I not surprised.

Joey's face turns red from embarrassment and a bead of sweat rolls down his forehead. He can feel the entire arena watching him, and he curses himself for making such an amateur mistake due to getting so riled up by Kaiba.

Kaiba: And now you're one attack away from being eliminated from this duel. You should just quit and spare yourself any further embarrassment.

Joey just stares sadly at his duel disk, where only the number "100" illuminates the tiny screen. Yugi has grown tired of all this, and finally decides to give everyone a piece of his mind.

Yugi: That's enough, Kaiba! And that goes for you too Joey!

The pharaoh's booming voice causes both Kaiba and Joey to jerk their heads toward him in surprise.

Yugi: Don't you two understand that this is about more than just yourselves? You've each proven time and time again how good you are individually. This duel tests you differently - but more importantly, it presents you with an opportunity to mature as duelists. Are you willing to put your differences aside, in order to work together and combine the strengths of your decks? Because if you cannot, I can assure you that you will NOT beat me. Look at the scoreboard! Both of you have lost life points while I still have all 8000 of mine

Seto Kaiba smirks, completely unaffected by Yugi's pep talk.

Kaiba: And I've got some words of wisdom for you. Enjoy those life points while you can, because they're not going to last much longer.

Turn 7 – Yugi: 8000 LP, Kaiba: 3800 LP, Joey: 100 LP

The KaibaCorp CEO smirks when he views his newest draw. Business is about to pick up.

Kaiba: Your Skilled Dark Magician is about to lose his reading material. I activate the De-Spell card to eradicate your Book of Secret Arts!

Kaiba's spell takes effect, neutralizing the power boost of Book of Secret Arts and bringing Skilled Dark Magician's stats back down to (1900/1700). Because Kaiba activated a spell card, the second gold sphere on Skilled Dark Magician's robe begins glowing, indicating that he now has two spell counters.

Kaiba: Next, I'll summon my Kaiser Sea Horse in attack mode!

Kaiser Sea Horse (1700/1650), the aquatic warrior from the depths of the ocean, surfaces beside Kaiser Glider.

Kaiba: And don't think I'm blind to the fact that your Skilled Dark Magician needs only one more spell counter to activate his special ability. But unfortunately for you, he won't be around to complete the trifecta.

Yugi furrows his brow, confused by Kaiba's apparent intentions.

Yugi: Hold on. Both of our strongest monsters now have 1900 attack points, which means that if you attack they'll both be destroyed.

Kaiba: Not quite. You see, Kaiser Glider's special ability prevents it from being destroyed when it battles a monster with equal power. Kaiser Glider, attack his Skilled Dark Magician with golden burst!

The dragon takes to the skies once again and dive bombs towards Yugi's magician. However, right before it crosses the threshold into Yugi's side of the field, a gigantic barrier of pure light rises up like a curtain and stops the dragon in its tracks. Kaiser Glider crashes into the barrier but doesn't even make a dent in it.

Yugi: None but the strongest of monsters can penetrate my Wall of Revealing Light! By giving up 2000 of my life points, I've reinforced the wall with enough energy to block any attack from monsters with 2000 or fewer attack points.

Kaiba grits his teeth, irritated by the fact that neither of his two monsters have enough ATK to break through the wall, meaning that his newly summoned Kaiser Sea Horse can do nothing this turn. Yet despite this unforeseen setback, the CEO promptly puts a backup plan into motion.

Kaiba: The only thing you've accomplished with that move is delaying your defeat. Stalling won't get you anywhere when you come face-to-face with the creature I will soon unleash. But first, I activate the spell card Cards of Consonance! It lets me discard a dragon-type tuner monster with 1000 or less attack, and in return I get to draw two cards from my deck.

The monster Kaiba chooses to discard is The White Stone of Legend. As soon as he does so, a huge white stone glowing with hidden energy bursts out of the ground on his field and rises up like a monolith.

Kaiba: And when The White Stone of Legend goes to the graveyard, I'm able to add a Blue-Eyes White Dragon from my deck directly to my hand. Come to me my legendary beast!

The white stone begins pulsing like a heartbeat, thudding louder and louder until cracks start to appear on its smooth surface. When the great power contained within the stone becomes too strong, the spirit of a Blue-Eyes bursts out of it and goes to Kaiba's hand. The third golden sphere on Skilled Dark Magician's chestplate starts glowing, indicating that he has attained his third and final spell counter.

Yugi can go ahead and summon his Dark Magician. I'll be ready for it, thinks Kaiba as he sets the two cards he just drew with the effect of Cards of Consonance in his spell and trap card zone. Then on my next turn, I'll use the special ability of Kaiser Sea Horse to sacrifice him and bring out my Blue-Eyes White Dragon using only one tribute. With 3000 attack points, it'll have enough power to easily bypass Wall of Revealing Light. Nothing will be able to protect Yugi from the wrath of my Blue-Eyes. He's finished!

Kaiba: So the King of Games bought himself another turn. Better make the most of it, your highness.

Turn 8 – Yugi: 6000 LP, Kaiba: 3800 LP, Joey: 100 LP

Surging with the same confidence he has in all his duels, Yugi draws and gets ready to call up an old friend.

Yugi: Be careful what you ask for. I activate the special ability of my Skilled Dark Magician, in order to sacrifice him and special summon… the one and only DARK MAGICIAN!

Yugi's signature monster, the ultimate wizard known as Dark Magician (2500/2100) emerges from the deck, spins in the air, and nimbly lands on his feet to the roar of the crowd. Yugi's expression then turns serious as he looks at Joey and with a hint of regret says:

Yugi: I'm sorry, Joey. Dark Magician, attack Joey's life points directly and eliminate him from this duel! Dark Magic Attack!

Dark Magician nods upon hearing his master's command. He expertly twirls his staff and then points it at Joey, unleashing a beam of dark magic from it. But this time, Joey is well aware of his face-down card and intends to make full use of anything that can give him a lifeline.

Joey: Go Scapegoats! Protect my life points!

Joey's quick-play spell card special summons four Sheep Tokens (0/0 each) in defense position to guard him from the direct attack. Dark Magician takes out one of them, leaving three Sheep Tokens. Yugi appears relieved that his friend is still in the duel, while Kaiba's reaction is the exact opposite.

Yugi: Good move Joey! Better late than never, I suppose. It would have been disheartening to see you fall this soon because of one mistake. I'll set two cards face-down before ending my turn. Make a comeback Joey, I know you've got it in you!

Two shadowy cards appear behind Yugi's magicians as the turn ends.

Turn 9 – Yugi: 6000 LP, Kaiba: 3800 LP, Joey: 100 LP

Joey can't help but crack a smile after hearing his friend's reassuring words, though he doubts his fortune will change much this turn. But then, he draws. The smile turns into a large grin. Booya! This card could kick some serious Yugi butt.

Joey: You're right, Kaiba. I am the third wheel. Or should I say the third Wheela.

Kaiba glances at Joey, thanking him for stating the obvious.

Joey: I mean, look who I'm up against. The guy with the only three playable copies of Blue-Eyes White Dragon in his deck, and a guy with a 5000-year old spirit in his head telling him how to play. And I'm just a regular Joey trying ta hang with these guys. Real fair. It's okay though. I'm no stranger to being the underdog. As a matter a fact, dis is where I do my best work. So if ya think I should call it quits, I got news for ya. Joey Wheela don't quit. As long as I have even 1 life point left I'll keep fightin'. I'll keep fightin' to show everyone out there dat you don't need money or magic to be a great duelist. You just need ta believe in yaself!

Kaiba rolls his eyes, greatly missing the old days when he was the top-ranked duelist and nobody had ever heard of these dorks and their collection of lame speeches. He has no idea that his daydreams are about to be rudely interrupted.

Joey: Since Mr. Kaiba is SUCH an intelligent duelist, maybe I should follow his advice and bring out a more powerful monsta. The only problem is, I need to sacrifice something to play it, and I can't use my Scapegoats. If only I could use my partner's monstas for a tribute summon…

Kaiba goes wide-eyed, not liking where Joey is going with this. Not liking it at all.

Kaiba: Wheeler! Don't even think about—

But it's too late. Kaiba helplessly watches his Kaiser Sea Horse disappear and the robotic Jinzo (2400/1500) emerge on Joey's side of the field. The appearance of the famous machine-type monster is met with a loud cheer from the crowd.

Kaiba, beside himself with rage, stares at the two face-down cards he set during his previous turn. Because of Jinzo's effect, he can no longer activate them. Wheeler has screwed things up for the last time! He's going to pay for this. Dearly.

Joey: What's the matter, rich boy? I got rid of fish head and replaced it with a cool psychic android dat can destroy trap cahds. You're welcome.

Joey chuckles to himself, giddy that he got even with Kaiba by doing the same thing Kaiba did to him earlier in the duel.

Joey: Hehe… I guess third time's da charm, baby! Dat's why they call me Wheela da Showsteala! Now Jinzo, do your thing! Toast Yugi's trap cahds!

Jinzo's eyes light up and fire a laser beam that sweeps Yugi's field, detecting and destroying any trap cards. Wall of Revealing Light is engulfed in flames, the heat causing Yugi to raise one arm to shield his face from its intensity. But he quickly regroups, knowing he still has the advantage.

Yugi: Your Jinzo may be a formidable monster, but it's still 100 attack points weaker than my Dark Magician.

Joey: Oh yeah? What if I juice it up with Graceful Dice?

Joey inserts a spell card into his duel disk. A fairy holding a blue six-sided die appears in the sky above him.

Joey: Now I'm no statistics expert, but it seems to me dat the odds are in my favor. I only need to roll a 2 or higher to make Jinzo stronger than Dark Magician.

With that said, Joey presses a button on his duel disk. The fairy releases the die and it rolls onto the field. Joey eagerly watches it, expecting it to land on a good number. The die gradually slows to a halt. At first it looks like it will land on a 6, but to Joey's disappointment it lands on… 1.

Joey: NYEH!?

Jinzo's ATK barely goes up to just 2500 – equal to that of Dark Magician's. Joey is clearly unhappy with the result, but nonetheless he intends to make the most out of his turn.

Joey: I could attack Dark Magician, but then I'd lose my Jinzo too. So I guess I'll go for Da Tricky instead. Jinzo, take out dat creeper with cyber energy shock!

Jinzo cups its hands together and generates a swirling black ball of energy. It makes a direct hit on The Tricky, creating a blast which obscures most of the field in a layer of smoke. However, when it clears, there is not one, but THREE Trickys on Yugi's side of the field. Joey rubs his eyes, wondering if he's seeing things.

Joey: I wanted to make less of your monster, not more of it!

Yugi: As its name implies, The Tricky is full of tricks. Right before your attack made contact, I activated a quick-play spell card known as Tricky Spell 4. It sacrificed Tricky and special summoned a Tricky Token in defense mode for every monster my opponents controlled. Your Jinzo just destroyed one of them, leaving three. The Tricky Tokens are exact duplicates of the original, except for the fact that they can't attack. But my Dark Magician CAN attack, and on my next turn I'll order him to wipe out Jinzo and the rest of your life points! This could be your final turn, Joey. Make it count.

Heeding Yugi's grave words, Joey looks at the one card in his hand that can save him. I've got no choice but to rely on Lady Luck again, and she's been giving me the cold shoulder dis whole duel! Oh well. Kaiba's not gonna like this. But then again he doesn't like anything, so who cares?

Joey sets a single card in his spell/trap zone. He closes his eyes, placing all his faith into it.

Joey: All right Yoog. Dis is it. Do your worst!

Turn 10 – Yugi: 6000 LP, Kaiba: 3800 LP, Joey: 100 LP

The 10th turn of the duel begins, and the King of Games intends to fulfill Joey's request. Jinzo's ATK reverts to 2400.

Yugi: First, I play Card of Sanctity! It allows each of us to draw until we're holding six cards in our hand.

All three players fill up their hands and Yugi looks over his, already formulating strategies against Kaiba after Joey has been eliminated.

Yugi: Now that the effect of Graceful Dice has worn off, my Dark Magician is once again the strongest monster in play. Dark Magician, annihilate Jinzo with dark magic attack!

Joey: I had a feeling you would do something like dat, which is why I set dis little guy on my last turn, and now I'm gonna introduce him to your Dark Magician. Go Roulette Spider!

A mechanical spider flies out of Joey's quick-play spell card and attaches itself to Dark Magician's face. The mage desperately tries to rip the spider off, but it clings on with its metallic legs. It acts as a magnet, dragging Dark Magician to the center of the field. A multi-colored web then appears below him. Each strand of the web points to a different target: Yugi, Kaiba, Joey, the three Scapegoats, the three Tricky Tokens, Jinzo, and Kaiser Glider.

Joey: It's kinda ironic dat I'm usin' Roulette Spidah to protect my Jinzo, cause dis is the cahd I used to win Jinzo from Espa Roba! By giving up half my life points, I've basically blindfolded your mage and turned him into a loose cannon. He'll spin round and round until you tell him to stop. Then, he'll automatically attack any target he's pointing at – me, you, rich boy, or any of our monstas.

Joey's life points get cut to a mere 50 as Dark Magician begins spinning on the roulette table, the velocity increasing with every second. Round and round he goes, where he stops nobody knows. Yugi grows increasingly nervous, until he simply can't bear to see his favorite monster suffer like this any longer.

Yugi: Dark Magician… STOP!

The roulette gradually stops spinning, until it ends with Dark Magician pointing at Kaiser Glider. Roulette Spider disappears from his face and then the magician blasts the dragon, destroying it and decreasing Kaiba's life points by 600. Yet the CEO doesn't look even remotely concerned about the loss. In fact, it's as if this is exactly how he hoped things would play out.

Kaiba: For once Wheeler did something useful. Thanks to Kaiser Glider's second effect, when it's destroyed I can return one monster on the field to its owner's hand. And I choose…

Kaiba sticks his finger out, and for a moment it looks like he'll point to the obvious choice (Dark Magician), but to everyone's shock, the monster he ends up pointing at is entirely different.

Kaiba: JINZO!

Before Joey has time to react, his cyborg leaves the field and returns to his hand. Kaiba flashes a wicked smile, knowing that now nothing can stop him from carrying out his plan.

Kaiba: And now that I can use my trap cards again, I'm going to kill two birds with one stone. Go face-down cards: Ring of Destruction and Ring of Defense!

Kaiba presses two buttons on his duel disk and the lethal combination springs forth. Ring of Destruction surrounds Yugi's Dark Magician and starts spinning, while Ring of Defense opens its petals and spins in front of Kaiba, shielding him from the damage of the blast.

Kaiba: Not only will Ring of Destruction decimate Dark Magician, but everyone will lose life points equal to its attack points. Everyone but me that is… since I'll be safe behind my Ring of Defense.

Yugi looks at Kaiba in horror, refusing to believe that even he is willing to eliminate his partner so shamelessly.

Yugi: But Kaiba… this will cause Joey to lose the duel!

Kaiba: It will? That's a shame.

Yugi clenches his fist and adopts a frustrated tone as he pleads with his headstrong opponent.

Yugi: KAIBA! Please don't do this!

Kaiba: ZIP IT YUGI! I refuse to allow this clown to hold me back any longer! So say goodbye to your magician AND your friend!

Ring of Destruction spins faster and the flames around it blaze with hotter intensity. Joey's buttocks clench up as he prepares to witness the rest of his life points drop to zero.

Suddenly, Dark Magician disappears in a cloud of smoke. Ring of Destruction detonates, sending a shockwave throughout the field that nearly knocks over the participants. But there was nothing for it to destroy. Kaiba is furious.

Kaiba: Did your magician just pull a vanishing act? Where did he go?

Yugi laughs, always relishing moments like this when his opponents are caught off guard by his magician's many tricks.

Yugi: You won't destroy my Dark Magician that easily. He was saved just in time by my Monster Recovery card. It returned Dark Magician to my deck a split second before your Ring of Destruction exploded. And that's not all. I must also shuffle my hand back into my deck and draw an equal number of cards.

Yugi unites the six cards he was holding into his deck and then draws a fresh hand of six. His Millennium Puzzle starts glowing as if it has detected tremendous power nearby.

Yugi: And with this new hand, I've drawn the card I need to win this duel.

The skies above the dueling arena suddenly darken. No weather report predicted a storm that day.

Yugi: I sacrifice all three of my Tricky Tokens!

Kaiba and Joey both turn pale, knowing this can only mean one thing.

Yugi: In order to summon… the Egyptian God Card SLIFER THE SKY DRAGON!

Three lightning bolts strike the Tricky Tokens, obliterating them. Their life force is converted into energy which is then funneled into a portal in the sky. From this portal a gigantic red head pokes out, horrifying the more skittish audience members. The heavens twist and thunder roars, signaling the coming of this ancient creature and the dawn of true power. Gusts of near hurricane intensity buffet Joey and Kaiba, forcing them to clench the cards in their hands to prevent them from being blown away. Yugi's duel disk surges with electricity as the holographic projector struggles to animate the gargantuan beast. Slifer the Sky Dragon slowly descends, flashes of lightning revealing more and more of him, until he wraps his long serpentine body around the perimeter of the entire colosseum. Joey, in what could be his final act, desperately turns to his partner and tries to reason.

Joey: Look Kaiba. I know you and I get along like two peas in a pod, but Yugi's right. If we don't start working together, we're BOTH goners!

Kaiba doesn't reply, rendered speechless for the first time. He just stands there, pale and wide-eyed, staring into the face of a God.

To be continued…

Chapter Text

Yugi: Stare into the face of defeat!

Slifer the Sky Dragon roars. The sound is so loud that it reverberates multiple times throughout the entire stadium and shatters several large screens where the audience is watching the duel, causing people to duck and cover as broken glass rains down on them. Slifer curls his long serpentine body more and more around the colosseum. His gigantic head hovers mere feet above the pharaoh.

Kemo (who looks like he's about to get a heart attack) runs over to Pegasus, who has stopped sipping his glass of red wine.

Kemo: Attention duel— I mean, Mr. Pegasus sir! That THING… that huge monster card is far too dangerous! People can get hurt and we could be opening ourselves up to some serious lawsuits! I strongly suggest we order Yugi Moto to remove it from the field immediately!

Pegasus is visibly shaken, but his voice remains steady when he answers his employee.

Pegasus: And have thousands of people asking for a refund? No. I have felt the wrath of an Egyptian God myself, Kemo. So have all three of those duelists. Yugi is fully aware of the risks. Maybe this was his plan all along - to bring Kaiba and Joey to the brink of destruction so that they would be forced to rely on each other to survive…

I do wonder what's going through that head of yours, Yugi-boy, thinks Pegasus as his finger rubs the spot where his Millennium Eye used to be. Nobody appreciates a good show more than I do, and you're putting on quite the performance. But you now wield an ancient and dangerous power, and with great power comes with great responsibility.

The sold-out crowd in New York starts up a "this is awesome!" chant, experiencing the once-in-a-lifetime event of seeing a God Card in person – blissfully unaware of the present danger.

Seto Kaiba hasn't moved a muscle since Slifer arrived. Nearly in a catatonic state, the KaibaCorp CEO stares wide-eyed at the gargantuan beast now before him. Joey is shaken up too, but he fights back memories of Marik's Winged Dragon of Ra sending him to the hospital and tries to reach out to his partner:

Joey: Didya hear what I said, Kaiba? If we don't get on da same page, Yugi's gonna take us out one by one!

Kaiba makes no sign that he heard Joey; his gaze is still fixed on Slifer.

Joey: Hey Kaiba! Earth to Kaiba! Hey, are you in there? It's your turn!

Finally, the sound of that annoying Brooklyn accent proves enough to snap Kaiba back to reality. He runs his fingers through his brown hair as he assesses the current predicament, then turns to Joey. The classic Kaiba scowl returns.

Kaiba: You're the reason we're in this mess in the first place, Wheeler! If you had just followed my instructions, kept your mouth shut and not screwed things up, this duel would have been over by now! Instead, you let him summon enough monsters to sacrifice for his Egyptian God Card!

Joey rolls his eyes, kinda getting used to everything being his fault now according to professor Kaiba.

Joey: Don't "Wheeler" me! If you don't need any help to beat Yugi, then quit putting the blame on everyone but yourself!

Kaiba: That's right – I don't need you. I've taken down Slifer the Sky Dragon on my own before, and I can do it again.

Kaiba stubbornly turns away from Joey and locks eyes with Yugi, determined to make good on that promise.

Turn 11 – Yugi: 6000 LP, Kaiba: 3200 LP, Joey: 50 LP

Yugi smiles at Kaiba, looking forward to meeting his challenge. Perfect! thinks Seto to himself as he sees the card he pulled in his Draw Phase. Just what I needed.

Yugi: True, you've defeated Slifer before. But never against such odds. Take a look, Kaiba: Your field is empty. While I have five cards in my hand, meaning that Slifer's attack and defense points equal 5000!

Screens around the dueling arena display Slifer's stats as (ATK: 5000/DEF: 5000), a value so high it causes onlookers to gasp and wonder what plan Kaiba can possibly concoct to take down such a powerful monster. The rest of the dueling field looks like this: Yugi has no cards in play other than Slifer the Sky Dragon, and the only three cards on Joey's field are his three Sheep Tokens (ATK: 0/DEF: 0) that were special summoned during turn 8.

Kaiba isn't nervous. He takes his new card and places it on the duel disk horizontally.

Kaiba: First, I'll set a monster card in defense mode.

A dark silhouette of a monster card appears on Kaiba's side of the field. Slifer immediately reacts by opening the higher of his two enormous mouths.

Yugi: Have you forgotten about Slifer's second mouth? It'll automatically attack any new monster that appears on your side of the field and lower its attack or defense by 2000 points - depending on what position it's in. And that's not all. If that monster's points are reduced to 0, it'll be destroyed!

Slifer generates a supercharged ball of lightning in his second mouth and then fires it off towards Kaiba's set monster.

Kaiba: Don't insult me, Yugi. Nobody has studied the effects of the three Egyptian God Cards more extensively than I have. Have YOU forgotten that I discovered Slifer the Sky Dragon's weaknesses long before you ever did?

When Kaiba says this, Yugi's mind creates a flashback to Battle City, to when he was dueling Strings the Rare Hunter while Kaiba was watching from the sidelines. At one point in that duel, Yugi had lost all hope and had fallen to one knee, unable to do anything but bow before the superior might of Slifer the Sky Dragon. It was Kaiba that motivated Yugi to "get up off his feet" and continue the duel, because Kaiba had already figured out the dragon's weakness. He's using the same strategy right now! realizes a shocked Yugi as his mind returns to the present time.

Slifer's swirling ball of electricity makes a direct hit on its intended target. Before it goes to the graveyard, Kaiba's set monster is revealed: Cyber Jar.

Kaiba: Slifer has no choice but to attack any monster I play, making him powerless to stop Cyber Jar's special ability from activating! Now observe, as Cyber Jar wipes out every monster on the field. Then, we must each draw five cards and summon any monsters with 4 stars or less.

Cyber Jar's portal opens up and absorbs every monster on the field. Slifer is unaffected, but Joey's three Scapegoats are sucked into the portal. The jar then closes and explodes, destroying all creatures trapped within it. Joey winces from the sound of the detonation, feeling sorry for his furry friends.

All three players then draw five cards. Slifer's ATK skyrockets to a mammoth 10,000 points. Kaiba special summons Blade Knight (1600/1000) in defense position. Joey special summons Rocket Warrior (1500/1300) in defense position. Yugi has no monsters he can special summon. Slifer's second mouth ability then activates once again and fires off two thunderballs at both of the newly summoned monsters. Since neither monster has enough DEF to withstand the 2000 points of damage, both Blade Knight and Rocket Warrior are destroyed and sent to the graveyard.

With both of his opponent's fields cleared of monsters, Yugi is more confident than ever.

Yugi: It seems your plan backfired! Not only did you make Slifer even stronger, but you also destroyed your only line of defense.

Slifer the Sky Dragon (10,000/10,000) appears to be even more colossal than before. But despite the sudden surge in the Egyptian God's power level, Kaiba laughs, enjoying this rare moment when his strategy has managed to catch even the King of games off guard.

Kaiba: It makes no difference how many attack points Slifer has, you fool. I don't need to beat him to win this duel. I just need to beat YOU.

Yugi's eyes get wide, suddenly catching on to Kaiba's real plan. But it's too late to do anything about it.

Kaiba: Thanks to Cyber Jar, I just drew the card I needed to seal your fate. I banish Cyber Jar and Blade Knight from my graveyard, in order to special summon one of the most feared creatures in all of Duel Monsters!

The ground starts shaking, signaling the imminent arrival of the monster every duelist dreads.

Kaiba: Prepare yourself, Yugi, because the end is here. Arise... CHAOS EMPEROR DRAGON - ENVOY OF THE END!

The energies of light and darkness intertwine, unleashing unfathomable power in an invasion of chaos. The terrifying Chaos Emperor Dragon (3000/2500) emerges on Kaiba's field in defense position. Slifer's second mouth fires off a shot directed at the new dragon, but with 2500 DEF, Chaos Emperor Dragon is sturdy enough to survive the blast with 500 DEF points to spare.

Kaiba: Now I activate Chaos Emperor Dragon's special ability! First I must give up 1000 of my life points – a small price to pay for what I'll get in return. Because Chaos Emperor Dragon will obliterate every card on the field and in our hands, inflicting 300 points of damage to your life points for every card it sends to the graveyard. According to my calculations, that should be more than enough cards to bring your life points down to zero. You're FINISHED!

Kaiba's life points drop to 2200 as Chaos Emperor Dragon starts glowing and generating the supernova that will end the duel. But at that moment, hundreds of giant hairy balls pop up out of nowhere and start covering the dragon from head to toe, smothering it and preventing it from activating its effect.

Yugi: Guess again! I discard Clear Kuriboh from my hand to negate the special ability of your Chaos Emperor Dragon! Clear Kuriboh is just as useful as the rest of the Kuriboh brothers, and he can protect me from any monster effect that damages my life points.

Kaiba clenches his fist so hard his hand goes numb, furious that one of his almighty dragons was humiliated by floating hairballs once again. On the sidelines, Pegasus laughs at the unfolding events, knowing that when he made new Kuriboh cards one of his hopes was that Yugi would use them to troll his opponents just like he did with the original Kuriboh.

Joey: Nice going, money bags. I demand you pay restitution for da Scapegoats you just blew up.

For once, Kaiba doesn't have a comeback. He just scowls at his hand, not willing to admit that the only plan he had against Slifer failed. He sets two cards in his spell/trap card zone before quietly ending his turn.

Turn 12 – Yugi: 6000 LP, Kaiba: 2200 LP, Joey: 50 LP

Yugi swiftly conducts his Draw Phase, eager to utilize the full might of his God Card.

Yugi: I'll begin my turn by playing Pot of Greed! This spell card lets me draw two cards from my deck and add them to my hand.

After making sure everyone heard his robotic explanation of how the card works, Yugi unites his two new cards with the rest in his hand and seems very pleased at the possible combinations now available to him. Slifer's ATK is now 11,000.

Yugi: Next, I activate Polymerization to fuse Berfomet and Gazelle the King of Mythical Beasts, in order to fusion summon… Chimera the Flying Mythical Beast!

The two fusion materials swirl together and merge into one two-headed beast, one head resembling Gazelle while the other resembles Berfomet. Chimera the Flying Mythical Beast (2100/1800) flies down with a roar and lands next to Slifer. It looks unusually small in comparison to the huge God, whose ATK drops to 8000 due to the three cards Yugi just played from his hand.

Yugi: Then I'll boost Chimera's attack and defense by 700 with the Horn of the Unicorn!

A mystical horn protrudes from Chimera's Gazelle head, imbuing it with electrical powers. Its stats increase to (2800/2500).

Yugi: And now, Kaiba… prepare to experience a force like none other! Slifer, annihilate Chaos Emperor Dragon with thunder force attack!

Slifer opens its gigantic lower maw and releases a stream of fire so intense it incinerates Chaos Emperor Dragon almost instantly. Kaiba is nearly knocked down from the shockwave generated by the attack, and he must use all his strength to hold his ground. When the air becomes still again, he looks up and finds that his deadly dragon has been reduced to a tiny pile of ash. At least in was in defense position, so his life points were unharmed.

With Kaiba's monster taken care of, the pharaoh turns to his friend and prepares for part two of the assault.

Yugi: Joey. I didn't want to subject you to a direct attack from an Egyptian God Card unless I had no other choice. So I'll have my Chimera finish you instead. You only have 50 life points remaining and no monsters with which to guard them. My friend, you have fought valiantly… but your journey ends here. Chimera, attack Joey's life points directly and eliminate him from this duel with pulverizing pounce!

Chimera leaps at Joey, but he doesn't seem concerned about the oncoming threat.

Joey: Hold ya horses, Yoog! I ain't ready to kick da bucket just yet!

Suddenly, Chimera freezes. A monster that kinda looks like a sword has appeared in front of it like a stop sign. Chimera proceeds no further.

Yugi: Where did that creature come from? You had no cards on your field!

Joey: Got dat right! It came from my hand, and it's a handy little monsta called Battle Fader. It's kinda like my version of Kuriboh - when you attack me directly, I can special summon Battle Fader from my hand and immediately end da Battle Phase. Not too shabby, eh?

Yugi does seem to think Battle Fader is a neat card to have, but even more so he's relieved that his friend is still hanging on. Unfortunately for Joey, a blast from Slifer's second mouth quickly erases Battle Fader from the field, leaving it barren once again.

Yugi: Well, since my Battle Phase is over I may as well play out my Main Phase 2. So I'll set one card face-down and end my turn. Your move, Joey.

One mystery spell or trap cards appears behind Yugi's monsters. Slifer's ATK is now 6000.

Kaiba: I'm not impressed, Wheeler. Stalling won't help if you don't have what it takes to defeat an Egyptian God Card.

Joey: You had your chance to take down Slifer and you dropped da ball, so pipe down! Now it's my turn.

Kaiba smirks.

Kaiba: Like you could do any better than I did.

Joey: We'll see about dat. You're right, Kaiba, I've never beaten an Egyptian God Cahd before. But I've also done something you never have: beat Yugi Moto fair and square!

Kaiba's head snaps towards his partner in bewilderment.

Kaiba: What are you talking about? YOU... beat Yugi? That's preposterous.

Joey nods at Yugi so that he backs up what Joey's about to say. But Yugi averts his gaze, unable to look Joey in the eyes.

Joey: Guess you didn't hear dat me and Yoog dueled each other after the Battle City Tournament. He had my Red-Eyes Black Dragon card, so I beat him to get it back.

Kaiba stares at Joey incredulously.

Kaiba: Do you honestly expect me to believe that? Or are you just trying to save face because you know how close you are to losing this duel?

Joey tries to appear confident, but a bead of sweat rolls down his forehead.

Turn 13 – Yugi: 6000 LP, Kaiba: 2200 LP, Joey: 50 LP

As someone who is a firm believer in superstition and luck, Joey can't help but feel unnerved by the fact that it's the 13th turn of the duel. He looks at his latest draw (Flame Swordsman) and sadly puts the warrior-type monster back into his hand, knowing it would be easily vaporized by Yugi's killing machine.

How am I supposta put up a fight when Big Red weakens the attack or defense of every monstah I play? thinks Joey as he desperately tries to come up with a strategy. Come on Joseph, think! There's gotta be some cahd, some combo in my hand dat can come thru for me here!

Joey raps his knuckle against his skull, trying to get the noggin going. It actually works.

Attack OR defense…wait…dats it! He realizes, then begins chucking at his own brilliance. Slifer only decreases my monstah's attack OR defense points. Not both!

Joey: Hehehe… I just figured out how to beat your unbeatable God Cahd.

This statement catches both Kaiba and Yugi by surprise.

Kaiba: No way! You must be bluffing.

Joey: Yes way, and I don't need some big fancy "chaos dragon" to do it neither. I just need a little critter called Copycat!

The mischievous wizard known as Copycat is summoned in attack position. It holds a mirror in front of its face which is reflecting Slifer the Sky Dragon.

Joey: Copycat lets me copy da attack and defense points of any monsta on da field. Guess which one I'm gonna pick?

Copycat's mirror shines as it copies the power of the monster it's reflecting. Its stats become (6000/6000). Slifer's second mouth then triggers, lowering Copycat's ATK to 4000.

Joey: Now dis is where it gets interesting! I activate Shield & Sword, which swaps the attack and defense points of every monsta on da field!

The magic of Shield & Sword kicks in, changing the field's gravity and reversing all monster's offensive and defensive values. Chimera's stats change to (2500/2800). Copycat's ATK now becomes 6000 – equal to Slifer's once again. But this time it will stay that way.

Kaiba gasps when he figures out Joey's plan, floored by the fact that Wheeler was actually able to put together a combination of cards capable of felling the mighty dragon. Joey stands up straighter and his eyes sparkle with renewed passion as he recalls every trial he's been through to get to this moment.

Joey: I've been mind-controlled by evil robe-wearing freaks, trapped in virtual words by creepy geezers who wanted to take over my body, almost drowned, struck by lightning, forced to put on a dog costume, and have been putting up with Seto Kaiba for the past 13 turns. If you thought some overgrown lizard was gonna spook Joey Wheela... you thought wrong! Copycat, take out Slifer da Sky Dragon!

Copycat's mirror shines once again as it imitates Slifer's thunder force attack. A stream of supercharged fire comes directly out of the mirror and heads straight for Yugi's giant beast.

Yugi: That was a good move, Joey. But not good enough. Your attack triggers my trap card: Mirror Force!

Joey almost faints when he sees Yugi activate the card that has saved him countless times. Copycat's stream of fire is reflected right back at it and the trickster is burned to a crisp, feeling the wrath of the God whose power it stole.

Ah man! The only monsta I had dat could beat Slifer just got barbecued! What the heck am I gonna do now? worries Joey as he slumps down to one knee, staring at the smoking pile of ash where his best bet was standing just a moment ago. Kaiba stares at the same pile with a conflicted expression – surprise at Wheeler getting so close, and disappointment at Yugi stopping the attack cold.

The King of Games crosses his arms and smiles, invigorated by the failures of his foes.

Yugi: I commend both of you for finding ways to exploit Slifer the Sky Dragon's abilities, but you've each made a critical error in judgment. You were so focused on Slifer that you turned a blind eye to the rest of my cards - and the traps lying in wait there. A good duelist never leaves his best monsters unsupported, no matter how powerful they may be on their own. And the same holds true for both of you. Though you may be powerful duelists on your own, if you support one another you will be unstoppable.

Joey looks down in despair, knowing that Yugi is right, but Kaiba's ego will get in the way of any productive cooperation between them.

All I got is deez two traps, and they ain't gonna be enough. Oh well… might as well go down swingin'. Joey inserts the two cards into his duel disk and they are projected face-down on the field in front of him. He ends his turn, preparing for the worst. I tried my best. Guess my best just wasn't good enough.

Chimera's stats revert to (2800/2500) as the effect of Shield & Sword wears off.

Turn 14 – Yugi: 6000 LP, Kaiba: 2200 LP, Joey: 50 LP

Yugi draws; Slifer's ATK climbs to 7000. Joey decides that now is as good a time as any to springs one of his two traps.

Joey: Not so fast there, slick! Reveal face-down cahd: Drop Off! It forces you to send da cahd you just drew straight to da graveyard. So Slifer's attack points will stay da same.

Slifer's ATK falls back to 6000 as Yugi nods and puts the card into the graveyard slot of his duel disk. Joey manages to catch a brief glimpse of the card as it's deposited: Dark Magician.

Yugi: Very well. True to form, you're not going down without a fight. But it won't make a difference. We're right back where we started two turns ago, except this time you're out of Battle Faders and out of luck. Chimera, crush the rest of Joey's life points!

Joey closes his eyes and tightens his butt cheeks, bracing himself for the final assault. Chimera roars and leaps into action. Joey doesn't dare open his eyes until it's over.

Kaiba: NEGATE ATTACK!

Chimera crashes into some kind of invisible force field mid-leap; its two faces squish against the barrier as they collide with it. The beast then hops back to Yugi's side of the field with its tail between its legs.

Kaiba: Sorry Yugi, but we're going to be putting up with the blonde buffoon for at least one more turn. Thanks to my Negate Attack card, your Battle Phase is now over. So you can forget about attacking with any more monsters this turn.

Joey opens his eyes and blinks a few times to make sure he's not dreaming. He raises his eyebrows at Kaiba, wondering if he finally managed to remove the stick from his ass.

Kaiba: Don't look at me like that. I didn't have some sudden change of heart after hearing one of Yugi's cheesy motivational speeches, and I don't plan on signing up for your Friendship Club any time soon. I only bailed you out because if I hadn't, Yugi would have just used Slifer to wipe out my life points after Chimera wiped out yours. And I doubt a trap like Negate Attack would have much effect on an Egyptian God Card…

Yugi thinks there are more reasons for Kaiba coming to Joey's aid than the CEO lets on, but the pharaoh decides not to say anything. Kaiba isn't done, however.

Kaiba: Yugi. You dare lecture ME about the mistakes in judgment I've made in this duel, yet you just made the biggest mistake of them all. You didn't have the guts to directly attack your best friend with an Egyptian God Card, because you know he's not as strong as you and I. That is a sign of weakness, and there is NO room for weakness in Duel Monsters! Don't tell me that not having to "save the world" anymore has made you soft.

Yugi narrows his gaze upon Kaiba, not appreciating his tone.

Kaiba: How could you let a third-rate chump like Wheeler almost take down your Egyptian God Card single-handedly? If you no longer care about defending your title of King of Games, then perhaps it's time that someone more deserving of that title takes it from you. And I'll do it. By any means necessary.

Yugi doesn't reply. He sets one card - undoubtedly something else intended to protect Slifer. The turn concludes with Slifer's ATK at 5000.

Turn 15 – Yugi: 6000 LP, Kaiba: 2200 LP, Joey: 50 LP

The card Kaiba draws is usually a duel-ender, but not under these circumstances. Crush Card Virus. Not only would it cripple Yugi's deck, but his hand as well, and would therefore also weaken Slifer the Sky Dragon, thinks Kaiba as he remembers the hundreds of monster card this devastating card has eliminated over the years. Unfortunately, I don't have a monster with 1000 or less attack points to combine it with. But Wheeler does. I'll need to buy some time…

Seto presses a button on his duel disk to reveal his second face-down card:

Kaiba: Your puppy dog is about to be put down. I activate Soul Exchange, which lets me sacrifice your monsters instead of my own. So I'll sacrifice Chimera the Flying Mythical Beast in order to tribute summon Dragon Seeker in defense mode!

Chimera is enveloped in a magical vortex which absorbs its energy and uses it to call forth the fiendish Dragon Seeker (2000/2100) to Kaiba's field. It takes a knee and crosses its arms as it takes a defensive stance. Slifer's second mouth lowers the Seeker's DEF by 2000 points, but it barely survives with 100 DEF left.

Kaiba: Unfortunately for you, my move also comes with a nasty side effect. When Horn of the Unicorn is sent from the field to the graveyard, it returns to the top of your deck. And you know what that means. You'll be forced to draw it next turn - instead of a monster card you could have summoned and attacked us with.

As per the rules of the equip spell card, Yugi takes Horn of the Unicorn out of his graveyard pile and places it on top of his deck.

I hate hiding behind monsters almost as much as I hate having to rely on Wheeler's pathetic cards, but it's necessary if my plan is to succeed, thinks Kaiba as he watches his crippled Dragon Seeker act as a feeble guard against a direct attack. But it will be worth it in the end, because everyone will know that it was through MY superior strategy and dueling skills that we emerged victorious. The glory will be all mine.

Kaiba: Before I end my turn, I'll place these two cards face down. Now make your move!

Hidden from everyone but Kaiba, Crush Card Virus appears face-down behind Dragon Seeker, waiting to unleash its chaos.

Turn 16 – Yugi: 6000 LP, Kaiba: 2200 LP, Joey: 50 LP

Yugi draws Horn of the Unicorn as expected, but unbeknownst to Kaiba he possesses a card that can thwart the CEO's strategy.

Yugi: As you well know, there are ways of drawing outside the Draw Phase. This spell card is one of them: Graceful Charity! It allows me to draw three cards from my deck as long as I then discard two cards from my hand.

Kaiba holds his breath, praying that Yugi doesn't draw a monster as the pharaoh picks up the top three card of his deck and adds them to his hand, then discards Horn of the Unicorn and Lightforce Sword. But judging by his pause, it appears that he did not draw a summonable monster card. Kaiba's breathing returns to normal

Kaiba's right, Yami, says little Yugi to his alter-ego as they communicate inside their shared mind. Joey is the only one of us who can't control an Egyptian God Card. Attacking him directly with Slifer could be too dangerous. How do we know Kaiba will come to his aid?

It's okay, Yugi, replies the pharaoh reassuringly with his deep Dan Greenish voice. Kaiba will make the right decision. If he doesn't—

Joey: Just do it, Yoog!

The mental conversation between the two Yugis is interrupted by Joey. His arms are outstretched and he has a fearless look in his eyes.

Joey: I don't want you goin' easy on me. Take your best shot! Or I'll make ya regret it.

Yugi nods at his friend.

Yugi: All right. Slifer, attack Joey's life points directly!

Slifer opens its enormous mouth and starts generating the blast that will eliminate Joey from the game.

Kaiba: Dragon Seeker, intercept the attack!

Before Slifer's beam can reach Joey, Kaiba's Dragon Seeker moves in front of him and takes the full force of the attack. The creature melts, but Joey's life points are safe.

Joey: I knew it! You can't do dis without me. Admit it.

Kaiba smirks and deliberately avoids Joey's gaze.

Kaiba: Don't flatter yourself. The way I see it, you got us into this mess, so you have to help get us out of it. It's only fair.

Joey nods.

Joey: You got yaself a deal. Now let's do dis!

Yugi's face is glowing. Things are developing just as he'd hoped.

Yugi: I'm glad you have finally come to your senses. But at this point, I'm afraid it's too little, too late.

Kaiba: Wrong. Your little social experiment is about to blow up in your face. I'll make you regret ever trying to manipulate me.

The two partners take a deep breath and prepare for a double-teamed assault on Slifer the Sky Dragon.

Turn 17 – Yugi: 6000 LP, Kaiba: 2200 LP, Joey: 50 LP

Kaiba puts phase two of his plan into motion.

Kaiba: Listen to me very carefully, Wheeler. I need you to summon that Time Wizard of yours.

Joey is baffled. He cleans his ears out, not sure he heard Kaiba correctly. This is coming from the same guy who called Time Wizard an "unpredictable" and "dangerous" card at the beginning of this duel and specifically wanted Joey NOT to summon it.

Joey: But Time Wizad only has a few hundred attack and defense points. He's not gonna make it!

Kaiba: I'm well aware of that fact. Just play it.

Joey sees that Kaiba isn't messing around. is He plucks the Time Wizard from his hand, shrugs, and slaps it onto his duel disk. He doesn't have much choice anyway.

Joey: Ok. Gooooooo… Time Wizad!

The famous clock-loving magician (500/400) is summoned to Joey's field, but it doesn't have a chance to use its time magic before Slifer's second mouth opens and the red dragon fires off a thunderball at the newly-summoned monster. Time Wizard disappears in a cloud of smoke just as quickly as he arrived.

Yugi: Your Time Wizard has been destroyed!

Kaiba: I suggest you take a closer look. Was it destroyed… or sacrificed?

Following Kaiba's advice, Yugi takes a closer look at the field. The charred remains of Time Wizard levitate in the air. They quickly crumble into dust, but that dust seems to have a mind of its own. It forms a dark cloud and then starts floating towards Yugi's hand and deck.

Kaiba: Time Wizard turned out to be a fitting host for my lethal Crush Card Virus. As we speak, the virus is beginning to infect your hand and deck, exterminating any and all monsters with 1500 or more attack points!

The black cloud of disease infiltrates Yugi's deck. Kaiba watches the process with glee, as he does every time Crush Card devastates his opponent's best cards.

Kaiba: Several turns ago, Cyber Jar forced you to summon almost every weak monster in your hand. Judging by the fact that your hand is now full yet you haven't played another monster, I'm betting that you must have several high-level monsters in your hand that can't be summoned without sacrifices. The virus will force you to discard those monsters, thereby lowering Slifer the Sky Dragon's attack points!

Crush Card would seal the fate of any other duelist, but not Yugi. The King of Games presses a button on his duel disk and his counter trap card is flipped up.

Yugi: Not if I eradicate the virus with the Seven Tools of the Bandit! At the cost of 1000 of my life points, Seven Tools of the Bandit negates the effect of your Crush Card trap. So it looks like the monsters in my deck – and my hand – just got a clean bill of health!

Yugi's life points drop to 5000 as the virus is expunged from his cards. Kaiba turns pale, defeat flashing before his eyes, his final plan to dethrone Yugi Moto foiled. He has a counter for everything! How can this be?!

Joey on the other hand is ecstatic.

Joey: You just fell for our REAL trap! Dat was the plan all along. To get you to use your face-down cahd… so you couldn't stop mine.

Both Yugi and Kaiba freeze and stare at Joey, neither of them aware of any such plan. A mocking laughter fills the arena, but it's not coming from any of the three duelists.

Joey: I play Graverobba to steal a monsta from your graveyahd!

The mischievous Graverobber pops up on Joey's field, laughing at Yugi while holding a card from his graveyard in its hands. It slowly turns the card over so its owner can see it: Dark Magician. Yugi's faithful wizard is special summoned in attack position, now under Joey's control.

Yugi: OH NO! My Dark Magician! I was forced to discard him when you played Drop Off!

Yugi is powerless to stop Slifer's second mouth from lowering his faithful servant's ATK by 2000 points, but Dark Magician is powerful enough to survive with 500 points left – as Joey undoubtedly knew he would.

Joey: Why da long face, Yoog? I thought you'd be happy to see your favorite monsta. Maybe you'll feel betta if I combine him with MY favorite monsta. I play Polymerization to fuse Dark Magician with da Flame Swordsman in my hand!

Magic and fire become one as Dark Magician and Flame Swordsman merge to create the Dark Flare Knight (2200/800). Despite Slifer's second mouth leaving it with a mere 200 ATK, the warrior still looks noble and combat-ready. A long black cape billows out behind it. Its armor is made of materials taken from the armors of both monsters used to create it. Its sword burns not with a red flame but with a blue one, indicating that the knight can control extreme heat. Yugi is shaking his head, having a hard time believing that he allowed himself to be caught in this trap. He knows exactly what's coming next.

Joey: Alright, here I come! Dark Flare Knight, attack Slifer da Sky Dragon!

Kaiba: Are you crazy!? Look at the difference in their attack points!

Kaiba wildly rants and raves at Joey, making all sorts of threatening gestures as he panics. Joey ignores him and carries out his attack. Dark Flare Knight raises his sword and points it toward the imposing Egyptian God Card. A tornado of magic and flame erupts out of it. Slifer counterattacks, and both monster's beams collide in the air. Slifer's beam easily overpowers Dark Flair Knight's and sends it crashing back down toward the warrior-type monster. The ensuing explosion wipes out Dark Flare Knight. Yet Joey's life points remain the same.

Joey: Dark Flare Knight has not one, but two special abilities! First, it prevents me from losing life points when it falls in battle. Second, when it goes to da graveyard, another even more powerful monster takes its place. So goodbye Dark Flare Knight, hello MIRAGE KNIGHT!

A new hero clad in golden armor materializes in the same spot where Dark Flare Knight stood. Mirage Knight (2800/2000) endures the blast from Slifer's second mouth and has only 800 ATK remaining, but like his predecessor his true power is yet to be revealed. Yugi has witnessed this hidden power before - for this was the card he and Joey used to defeat the Big Five's Five-Headed Dragon in the Virtual World.

Joey: And I'm just gettin' warmed up! Your Egyptian God on the other hand... is about to be ancient history. Mirage Knight, slice and dice Slifer da Sky Dragon!

Mirage Knight leaps into battle, fearlessly rushing at the dragon. Slifer counterattacks, engulfing Mirage Knight in a stream of fire.

Joey: Did I mention Mirage Knight has a special ability too? He's able to absorb da attack points of da opposing monsta to boost his own!

Mirage Knight's ATK shoots up to a grand total of 6800. For the first time, Slifer is outmatched. The knight emerges from the fire unscathed and swings his scythe, cutting the God in half with a single stroke. The long serpentine body writhes and thrashes about in agony as it falls in two pieces onto the arena floor. The pieces then shatter and explode, shaking the stadium to its very foundations. Slifer the Sky Dragon has been slain.

Joey: AAAHHHHHH YEAAAAAAAHHHH! Who's da man? I'm da man!

The crowd bursts into cheers and applause, and it doesn't take long for the sound to reach deafening levels. Even Pegasus and Kemo are on their feet and clapping from the sidelines. Seto Kaiba is beyond words. Incredible. He actually did it. The imbecile actually did it. Maybe he IS a better duelist than I thought. Or maybe just the luckiest duelist I've ever seen. The KaibaCorp president wrestles with the decision of how much credit Joey actually deserves long enough to almost forget about his face-down card.

Yugi: I wouldn't be so quick to celebrate if I were you. This duel is far from over.

Kaiba: Indeed. Your suffering has only just begun. And I'm about to intensify it. Reveal trap card: Flat Level 4! It allows each of us to special summon a 4-star monster from our decks directly to the field. Now stand back, as I call upon the mighty Vorse Raider!

The wicked man-beast (1900/1200) emerges from the darkest recesses of Kaiba's deck in attack position, eager to spill new blood.

Joey: Vorse Raider, huh? Then I guess it's a raiding party!

Axe Raider (1700/1150) answers the call of duty, firmly gripping its double-headed axe. Joey is proud to have this old warrior by his side once again, recalling all the times it took care of business for him at Duelist Kingdom.

Yugi: As for me, I'll summon Magician's Valkyria in defense mode!

A female spellcaster with a twisted wand (1600/1800) takes a knee on Yugi's field, ready to defend the pharaoh's life points with her life. Since Valkyria's DEF is higher than Axe Raider's ATK, Joey figures that there's no point in attacking this turn. Despite this he's still on cloud nine, certain that the tide has turned in his and Kaiba's favor.

Joey: Well what do ya know, we got Yugi Moto on da ropes playing defense! You don't look so tough without your Egyptian God. I'll set one cahd face-down and end my turn. Let's see what else ya got.

A concealed card appears in Joey's back row behind Axe Raider.

Turn 18 – Yugi: 4200 LP, Kaiba: 2200 LP, Joey: 50 LP

Yugi seems pleased with his latest draw, but he adds the card to his hand without playing it. Just like assembling the pieces of a puzzle. One down, two more to go.

Yugi: You're half right. I am on the defensive… for now. But as far as having me on the ropes is concerned… you are sadly mistaken. First I activate the spell card Pot of Dichotomy! It lets me return three monster cards from my graveyard to my deck; then I draw two cards.

Yugi shuffles Dark Magician, Berfomet, and Gazelle back into his deck and draws two cards, one of which is exactly the one he was looking for. Two down, one to go.

Yugi: Then I'll reinforce my line of defense with the Giant Soldier of Stone!

A colossal warrior made of solid rock (1300/2000) is summoned in defense position next to Magician's Valkyria.

Kaiba: OH MY GOD A GIANT ROCK! It's a rock and it's giant!

Kaiba can't resist poking fun at Yugi's guardian, but his joke is met with a tough crowd.

Yugi: Mock my Stone Solider all you want. With 2000 defense points, there isn't a monster on either of your fields with enough attack power to penetrate its armor.

With a devilish grin, Kaiba looks down at one of the monster cards in his hand.

Kaiba: You'll live to regret those words.

Turn 19 – Yugi: 4200 LP, Kaiba: 2200 LP, Joey: 50 LP

Kaiba takes his time conducting his Draw Phase, enjoying the chance to be in control and make his greatest rival squirm.

Kaiba: Allow me to introduce you to the Kaibaman! I don't believe you two have met.

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? Did Seto Kaiba clone himself? A man wearing a Blue-Eyes mask and the same outfit as Kaiba appears before him. Upon closer inspection he's actually a holographic projection of the monster card known as the Kaibaman (200/700). Not the hero we deserve, but the one we need right now.

Joey: Kaibaman? How come there's no Joeyman?

Kaiba: Because only the world's best duelist has cards custom-made just for him.

Pegasus rolls his eyes (eye?), knowing it took serious monetary incentive from the Kaiba Corporation to produce the card, and serious threats from its president to convince Pegasus not to name the card "Kaibaboy" instead.

Kaiba: What the Kaibaman lacks in attack and defense points, he more than makes up for with his unique superpower. You see, I can sacrifice him to bring out my ultimate beast: the BLUE-EYES WHITE DRAGON!

Kaibaman is tributed and sent to the graveyard, having served his role and now possibly off to join The Justice League. Kaiba's legendary engine of destruction descends from the sky, bathed in a shower of glittering white light. The Blue-Eyes White Dragon (3000/2500) lands in the arena with an assertive thud and roars. Fans in the colosseum welcome it with a massive ovation, showing how much they respect and admire one of the most famous duel monsters of all time.

Kaiba: And I saw, and behold a pale dragon. And his name that sat on him was death, and hell followed with him.

Even Yugi is unnerved in the presence of Blue-Eyes. Though he has faced the creature many times, the Blue-Eyes White Dragon always projects a certain aura that is both awe-inspiring and bone-chilling to even the most experienced of duelists.

Kaiba: Blue-Eyes, turn that giant rock to dust! White lightning!

Blue-Eyes White Dragon opens its mouth and unleashes a beam of white lightning. Giant Soldier of Stone tries to stand its ground, but it has no chance against the supreme power of Blue-Eyes. The colossus crumbles, causing an earthquake as pieces of its body topple onto the field.

Kaiba: Your turn, Vorse Raider! Carve up his Magician's Valkyria!

Vorse Raider jumps up and slices the magician, shattering the hologram into hundreds of pieces. Since both of Yugi's monsters were in defense position his life points remain the same, but his field is now unguarded against a direct attack. Kaiba can't resist the opportunity to gloat.

Kaiba: You're unusually quiet, Yugi. Too busy consulting with your imaginary friend? KaibaCorp employs some of the best psychologists in the country. You should really give them a call. I'd even be willing to foot your bill.

Yugi doesn't fall prey to Kaiba's mind games. He maintains his concentration, knowing that all he has to do is bide his time and let destiny take its course.

Turn 20 – Yugi: 4200 LP, Kaiba: 2200 LP, Joey: 50 LP

Yugi draws the third and final card he needed. He smiles up at Kaiba.

Yugi: I combine Alpha, Beta, and Gamma the Magnet Warriors in my hand, merging them together to form a new monster with 500 more attack points than your Blue-Eyes. Behold… Valkyrion the Magna Warrior!

Alpha. Beta, and Gamma all emerge from Yugi's hand and fly into the air. They disassemble and then their individual body parts combine and lock in place one by one. Valkyrion the Magna Warrior (3500/3850) is created. It has the body and sword of Alpha, the horns of Beta, and the wings and feet of Gamma.

Kaiba grits his teeth in frustration, having nothing planned against Valkyrion's surprise appearance. But Joey does.

Joey: You might wanna tell Valkyrion to watch his step!

Yugi doesn't know what Joey means until he looks down just in time to see the Magna Warrior falling through an endlessly deep pit in the ground. Its metallic body quickly disappears in the blackness of the chasm.

Yugi: Valkyrion! What have you done?

Joey: On my last turn, I placed a hidden trap on my side of da field. A trap dat triggers when you summon a monsta with 1500 or more attack points. It's called Bottomless Trap Hole, and it banishes Valkyrion from da game!

Yugi isn't sure how to respond. Very rarely does one of his most powerful monsters get shut down so abruptly. Kaiba is once again taken aback by Joey's impressive moves and quick thinking. Wheeler is really pulling his weight. About time.

Yugi ends his turn, still trying to process what just happened.

Turn 21 – Yugi: 4200 LP, Kaiba: 2200 LP, Joey: 50 LP

Joey draws. Joey grins.

Joey: Hey Kaiba… mind if I use your Vorse Raider?

Kaiba does mind, but he has a pretty good idea of what monster Joey intends to tribute it for. He smiles.

Kaiba: I've always wanted to see those two fight side-by-side. Do it.

Joey giggles, unable to contain his excitement any longer. This is something he too has always wanted to witness.

Joey: I sacrifice Vorse Raider and Axe Raider. Come on out RED-EYES!

At first, only the scarlet eyes of the ferocious Red-Eyes Black Dragon (2400/2000) are visible in the darkening sky, glowing like two hot coals. The creature's silhouette comes more and more into view as it dives down into the arena and lands next to Kaiba's dragon. Cameras flash all throughout the stadium as fans try to capture the dream team now standing side-by-side for the first time ever. Red-Eyes Black Dragon and Blue-Eyes White Dragon have joined forces.

Yugi: Red-Eyes… and Blue-Eyes… on the same team? Never thought I'd see the day.

Joey: And if you think Red-Eyes is a tough customer now, wait till ya get a load of this makeover! I equip him with Dragon Nails to increase his attack points by 600!

Red-Eyes Black Dragon's claws are transformed into steel nails, and his ATK rises to 3000 – equal to that of Blue-Eyes. Joey breathes a sign of relief, not having to worry about his dragon looking inferior to Kaiba's any longer.

Joey: Now Red-Eyes, attack Yugi's life points directly! Inferno fire blast!

Red-Eyes arches its head back and spits out a supercharged fireball directed at Yugi. But the King of Games always has one more trick up his sleeve.

Yugi: I banish Clear Kuriboh from my graveyard to activate its second special ability! When I am under a direct attack, Clear Kuriboh allows me to draw a single card from my deck. And if that card is a monster, I can summon it to the field right away!

Yugi places his thumb and index finger on his deck, but hesitates before drawing. If this doesn't work, Joey's Red-Eyes will wipe out almost all my life points – a setback I may not be able to recover from.

Destiny rewards him. The card is indeed a monster. Obnoxious Celtic Guardian (1400/1200) is special summoned in defense position and takes the full force of Red-Eyes Black Dragon's fire blast. But when the smoke clears, the elf swordsman is completely unscathed. Joey does a double-take.

Joey: Hey, what gives? Celtic Guardian only has 1200 defense. He shoulda been torched!

Yugi: And he would've been, if not for his special ability. This isn't just any Celtic Guardian, Joey. This is Obnoxious Celtic Guardian, and he can't be destroyed in battle with any monster that has 1900 or more attack points. Your Red-Eyes Black Dragon is well above that number.

We can barely make a dent in his lift points! thinks Joey in frustration. We still got da advantage though. Nobody can hold back both Red-Eyes and Blue-Eyes for long. Not even Yugi.

With no other cards to play, Joey has no choice but to end his turn.

Joey: You ain't kidding about the "obnoxious" part…

Turn 22 – Yugi: 4200 LP, Kaiba: 2200 LP, Joey: 50 LP

Now that he's been granted a second chance, Yugi intends to do what he does better than anyone else in the game: turn the tables.

Yugi: I sacrifice Obnoxious Celtic Guardian in order to tribute summon the second-most famous magician in my deck. Behold… the Dark Magician GIRL!

Every female fan in attendance squeals with glee when they see the beautiful Dark Magician Girl (2000/1700) flying through the air like she's in a Broadway musical. She twirls her wand and strikes a cute pose in front of Yugi, glitter falling off her body when she lands on the field. Dark Magician Girl winks at Joey, nearly causing him and every other male in the audience to faint. The only person who isn't affected by her charm is Seto Kaiba.

Kaiba: I'm beholding. Tell me, what chance does she possibly have against our dragons?

Yugi: Oh, she won't be alone for long.

Both Kaiba and Joey knows exactly where this is going.

Yugi: I activate the spell card Sage's Stone! With Dark Magician Girl on the field and the Sage's Stone in play, I am able to call forth Dark Magician from my deck!

A spellbinding circle appears next to Dark Magician Girl. A shiny purple stone floats in the center of the circle, glowing and pulsing with hidden magical properties. She casts a spell on the stone, unlocking its true power. The stone submerges itself into the circle, and moments later Dark Magician (2500/2100) rises up from it, standing right beside his female counterpart. The unstoppable duo has reformed. The magicians nod at each other, ready to kick ass and perform magic tricks. And they're all out of ass.

Yugi: It's time for me to take this duel to the next level. Kaiba. Joey. Ready your cards, forge your strategies, and prepare yourselves. This will be a fight like you've never seen!

Red-Eyes and Blue-Eyes stare across the field at Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl. The battle lines have been drawn. A war is brewing.

To be continued…

Chapter Text

The battle lines have been drawn.

On one side of the field stand two of the greatest dragons in all of Duel Monsters. The legendary Blue-Eyes White Dragon (ATK: 3000/DEF: 2500) proudly roars, announcing it is once again ready to serve the will of its one and only master, Seto Kaiba. Beside it, the ferocious Red-Eyes Black Dragon (3000/2000) glares at the opposition with crimson eyes, enjoying a 600-point power boost due to being equipped with Dragon Nails. Joey Wheeler lovingly gazes at his reptilian friend, a card that has come through for him on countless occasions ever since he won it from Rex Raptor back in Duelist Kingdom.

On the opposite side of the field, the ultimate spellcaster tag team is ready for action. Dark Magician (2500/2100) and Dark Magician Girl (2000/1700), the two monsters that have fought at Yugi's side through the harshest of times and against the strongest opponents. This may prove to be the duo's toughest test yet.

Kaiba and Yugi stare each other down like only true rivals could, the air between them so tense you could cut it with a knife. They know the showdown has arrived. Joey tries to imitate them, but he can't seem to contain his inner fanboy.

Joey: Ah man, dis is too awesome! Red-Eyes and Blue-Eyes versus Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl? Dis is da kind a thing I read about in fanfics, yet it's actually happening right now! Hey, Yoog, guess what? Red and blue make purple, which is exactly what your magicians are gonna be after our dragons are thru with 'em! HAHAHA!

Joey's chin contorts into a creepy grin as he shakes his fist at Yugi and trash talks the King of Games. As usual, Kaiba is not impressed.

Kaiba: Wheeler, you make it sound like this is actually going to be some kind of contest. Those magicians are the weakest monsters in play. Our dragons will make quick work of them. And then, it'll only be a matter of time before we win this duel and I get one step closer to reclaiming the title that is rightfully mine. The title of number one duelist! The title Yugi stole—

Kaiba's monologue is suddenly interrupted when three giant bright swords fall from the heavens and surround the two dragons, preventing them from attacking for three of Kaiba and Joey's turns.

Kaiba: Damn.

Yugi: Well Kaiba, it seems you're all too familiar with the card I just played, but you don't seem to grasp where the real strength of my spellcasters lies. It's support. My deck is filled with cards that enhance and expand the magical capabilities of my Dark Magicians. And now that both of them are on the field at the same time, they are unstoppable! I'll be interested in seeing if Blue-Eyes and Red-Eyes can support one another the way my magicians do.

Yugi sets one of these support cards in his spell and trap zone, intending to bolster his forces while under the protection of the Swords of Revealing Light.

Joey: Yugi makes a good point. It won't be easy to take those magicians down when they're together like dat.

Kaiba: Speak for yourself. If I had a dime for every magician my Blue-Eyes has wrecked over the years… I'd be even richer.

Turn 23 – Yugi: 4200 LP, Kaiba: 2200 LP, Joey: 50 LP

Kaiba glances at his newest card and bursts into an arrogant cackle. Looks like he won't be waiting 3 turns after all.

Kaiba: You're getting predictable in your old age, "pharaoh". Those swords have been wasting my time ever since our very first duel. But times change. I'm always upgrading my deck, refining my strategies, ensuring I don't fall victim to the same moves again. Unfortunately for you, I now possess a spell card that allows my Blue-Eyes to bypass the Swords of Revealing Light.

A curious Yugi listens, having several ideas about which card Kaiba could be referring to.

Kaiba: It's called Burst Stream of Destruction, and for one turn it unlocks the Blue-Eyes White Dragon's most devastating attack. An attack so powerful, it can obliterate every single monster on your field in a single shot. Now my dragon, take flight! Burst Stream of Destruction attack!

Kaiba activates the card and Blue-Eyes begins flapping its giant wings, generating an intense gust that forces Joey and Yugi to put their arms up. The pale beast then takes off with the speed of a fighter jet, soaring higher and higher into the sky, above the stadium, through the clouds. The audience members crane their necks to try to see how far up Blue-Eyes is going, a task which soon becomes nearly impossible. When it has almost reached outer space, Blue-Eyes finally stops its ascent and begins charging its blast.

Yugi: Oh my gods.

Seto Kaiba laughs, relishing the sheer amazement and terror his holographic technology is now capable of instilling in people. Even he didn't know it could go this far. For a moment, Joey's instincts kick in and he feels concerned for his friend.

Joey: YUGI! Hang in there!

Blue-Eyes unleashes its attack. A massive beam of electricity is discharged from its mouth and plummets toward the arena, ripping through cloud after cloud. Yugi's entire field is engulfed in the storm, and he musters all his strength to prevent being knocked over himself. For a moment it appears as if his two magicians were instantly vaporized by the attack. But looks can be deceiving. It soon becomes clear that Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl are holding their own. The tips of their staffs are touching, forming a protective bubble that surrounds the two mages and shields them from the blast.

Kaiba: How are they withstanding my dragon's wrath? Explain yourself!

Yugi: Gladly! My magicians are under the protection of Spell Shield Type-8, a trap card I set on my previous turn. All I had to do was discard one spell card from my hand, and Spell Shield negated the effect of your Burst Stream of Destruction. It's going to take much more than that to beat my Dark Magicians, Kaiba! Though it wasn't a bad first try.

Kaiba grits his teeth in frustration as Yugi inserts Dark Magic Curtain into the graveyard slot of his duel disk to pay the cost of Spell Shield Type-8. Blue Eyes White Dragon's attack is cancelled and the dragon returns to its master's side.

Kaiba: Inconsequential. I may not be able to attack for a while, but you're in no position to do so either. So I'll do things your way – use this downtime to build up my strength. And then… when those swords expire… I promise it'll take a lot more than one card to hold back what I have in store for you!

Kaiba sets two cards in his back row and ends his turn. One of the Swords of Revealing Light disappears. Two remain.

Turn 24 – Yugi: 4200 LP, Kaiba: 2200 LP, Joey: 50 LP

Just as he was hoping, Yugi draws another useful support card for his magicians and places it in his back row along with one other – building up his arsenal of spells and traps in preparation for the impending war.

Yugi: I'll also place two cards face-down. That will be all for now.

Turn 25 – Yugi: 4200 LP, Kaiba: 2200 LP, Joey: 50 LP

Joey is relieved that the pace of the duel has slowed for the time being. This is a good time for him to build up some defenses of his own to try to protect the few life points he has left. He draws a card and immediately activates it; it happens to be one of his favorites.

Joey: I'm on a roll! A Roll of Fate dat is. Dis cahd lets me roll a die and then whatever numba I get, dat's how many cahds I get to draw from my deck. Of course I also have to send da same amount of cahds from my deck to da graveyahd, but so what?

Roll of Fate is activated and a six-sided die is cast onto the field. Come on baby! Joey needs a new pair a shoes! mutters Wheeler to himself as he eagerly watches the die roll. It finally stops on a "4". Good enough for me, thinks Joey as he draws four cards and then sends Battle Warrior, Salamandra, Giant Trunade, and Gearfried the Iron Knight from the top of his deck to the graveyard.

Joey: Then, to keep things interesting I play Dangerous Machine Type-6!

Joey inserts the continuous spell card into his duel disk. The earth starts shaking as a large metal machine emerges from underground, steam hissing from its many gears and cogs before it settles in front of Joey. Neither Yugi nor Kaiba are sure what to make of this strange gadget, but Kaiba tends to lean towards pessimism more often than not.

Kaiba: I don't like the look of that thing, Wheeler. What does it do?

Joey scratches his blonde hair.

Joey: I have no idea.

Kaiba: WHAT!?

Joey giggles, reeling Kaiba in after the he took the bait.

Joey: Relax, I'm just messin' with ya. What I meant is, Dangerous Machine Type-6 does something different every turn. We won't know what, until I give it a spin during each of my Standby Phases. What numba comes up determines what effect the machine has on dat turn.

Seto groans in frustration and tries to focus on his own cards, but his eyes keep darting toward the big machine on Joey's field.

Joey: Anywho, I've given both you guys plenty to think about for now, so I'll set three cahds face-down and then end my turn.

With these three cards, Dragon Nails, and Dangerous Machine Type-6, Joey's spell and trap card zone is now full. As his turn concludes, the second Sword of Revealing Light vanishes. Only one sword remains.

Turn 26 – Yugi: 4200 LP, Kaiba: 2200 LP, Joey: 50 LP

Not quite ready to go on the offensive yet, the King of Games is content to play out this turn in much the same way he did his previous one.

Yugi: I'll set another two cards face-down, and then end my turn.

Yugi now has a total of four face-downs in his spell and trap card zone.

Turn 27 – Yugi: 4200 LP, Kaiba: 2200 LP, Joey: 50 LP

Kaiba: You disappoint me, Yugi. Whatever it is you plan on doing next turn, it had better be worth the wait. Because you're out of time, and I'm out of patience.

Kaiba then sets three face-downs in his spell and trap card zone, maxing it out. Joey nods at his partner and then does some shadowboxing to stretch out his muscles.

Joey: We're ready for ya, Yoog! Come get some!

Yugi: Very well. It is time.

Kaiba has five face-down cards in his spell and trap zone. Yugi has four. Joey has three. All preparations for the battle have been made. Every man's full arsenal amassed, just waiting to be unleashed. An eerie stillness has descended over the stadium. It's so quiet you could hear a pin drop. The calm before the storm.

As the final Sword of Revealing Light vanishes, all three participants look at one another and shout the same thing:

Yugi, Joey, and Kaiba: LET'S DUEL!

Turn 28 – Yugi: 4200 LP, Kaiba: 2200 LP, Joey: 50 LP

The clash begins.

Yugi: To start things off, I play the spell card Dark Magic Twin Burst! It increases Dark Magician's attack points by the total attack points of Dark Magician Girl.

The two magicians bring their staffs together to unite their magic. Dark Magician Girl transmits her energy to Dark Magician, raising his ATK by 2000 points: from 2500 to 4500.

Kaiba: Why thank you. That's exactly what I was expecting you to do. I activate Absorb Spell! This card will absorb the power of Dark Magic Twin Burst. Therefore, the attack points you just added to your Dark Magician will be transferred to my Blue-Eyes White Dragon instead!

Dark Magician glows red as its ATK returns to 2500. Blue-Eyes glows green as its ATK climbs from 3000 to 5000.

Yugi: I thought you might try to counter that, so I prepared a counter of my own: Mystical Refpanel! Now I can redirect the power boost your Blue-Eyes just gained… right back to my Dark Magician!

A blue-haired fairy holding a big mirror appears in front of Yugi. It reflects Kaiba's Absorb Spell, then turns around and shines it on Dark Magician, bringing his ATK back up to 4500 while the ATK of Blue-Eyes returns to 3000. With the advantage in his corner again, Yugi transitions into his Battle Phase.

Yugi: Dark Magician, vanquish Joey's Red-Eyes Black Dragon! Dark magic twin burst attack!

With the power of Dark Magician Girl making him almost twice as strong, Dark Magician leaps up and points his staff at Red-Eyes, preparing to vaporize both the monster and Joey's life points.

Joey: Not if I sic dis trap on ya: KUNAI WITH CHAIN! It switches David Copperfield to defense mode!

Joey presses a button on his Duel Disk to raise his face-down Kunai With Chain. A long chain with three blades erupts out of it, heading straight for the attacking Dark Magician.

Yugi: You used that trap for the first time when we dueled the Paradox Brothers. Ironically, that's also the first time I used THIS trap: It's called Shift, and it makes my two monsters switch places!

Dark Magician vanishes and then reappears in the same spot Dark Magician Girl was standing in mere seconds ago, while she teleports to his spot. This forces Kunai With Chain to wrap itself around Dark Magician Girl instead, pulling her down into defense position. Dark Magician is unaffected.

Yugi: Let's try this again. Dark Magician, attack Red-Eyes Black Dragon now!

Kaiba steps in, surprising everyone.

Kaiba: You're going up against two duelists, remember? Not just one. I activate Magical Trick Mirror, which in turn lets me activate any spell card from your graveyard and use it against you. Tell me, Yugi… how does it feel when YOU have to wait 3 turns before attacking for a change?

A mannequin wielding several mirrors is summoned on Kaiba's field. It points those mirrors at Yugi's graveyard, reflecting back an image of three bright swords, which then fall around Yugi's monsters the same way they had confined Joey's and Kaiba's dragons for the past several turns.

Yugi: You chose Swords of Revealing Light? Very well. I'll just blow them away with Dust Tornado!

Dust Tornado quickly goes to work, sweeping Yugi's field and erasing the Swords of Revealing Light.

Yugi: You keep springing them up, I'll just keep shutting them down. Dark Magician, att—

Kaiba: GO COMMAND SILENCER!

Before Yugi can finish his sentence, Kaiba activates yet another one of his face-down cards. A totem pole materializes on his field and begins emitting a supersonic screech. The noise is so loud it causes Yugi to drop to his knees and cover his ears in a feeble attempt to block it out.

Yugi: What… is… happening?

Kaiba: It's quite obvious. Your monster couldn't hear your command, therefore your attack is cancelled. Ready to throw in the towel yet? I can do this all day, Yugi!

When the totem pole leaves the field, Yugi picks himself up, looks his foe right in the eyes, and grins – never happier than when he's right here in the heat of battle.

Yugi: So can I! First, I activate my final face-down card: Zero Gravity! It changes the battle positions of all monsters on the field.

The ground trembles as gravity is reversed and all face-up creatures are affected. The chains ensnaring Dark Magician Girl shatter as she stands up and switches to attack position (ATK: 2000), while Dark Magician changes to defense position (DEF: 2100). Red-Eyes (DEF: 2000) and Blue-Eyes (DEF: 2500) both take a knee.

What's he planning? wonders Kaiba, confused by this latest move. Dark Magician Girl can attack now, but that prostitute doesn't have enough attack points to bring either of our dragons down. Unless…

Yugi: Then, I play a spell known as Dedication Through Light and Darkness. My Dark Magician will now conjure up both dark magic and light magic, combining their powers to enhance his own. And when the boundaries between light and darkness are broken… chaos reigns. So observe, as I sacrifice Dark Magician to call forth… DARK MAGICIAN OF CHAOS!

A portal to the dimension of chaos opens up beneath Dark Magician. He crosses his arms and sinks into it. After a few moments, a new, much more powerful mage slowly begins rising from the portal. Dark Magician of Chaos (2800/2600) is special summoned in attack position. On the sidelines, Pegasus feels a chill run down his spine. For this is an even more powerful version of the ritual monster that defeated him in Duelist Kingdom.

Yugi: I'm afraid there's more. With Dark Magician now in my graveyard, Dark Magician Girl gains an extra 300 attack points!

Dark Magician's Girl's ATK rises to 2300 due to her effect, higher than the DEF of Red-Eyes. Kaiba catches on to Yugi's brilliant play.

Kaiba: With our dragons in defense mode, they won't be able to survive an attack! Their defense points are too low!

Yugi: And therein lies their weakness. Now that I've exposed it, your dragons are no match for my sorcerers. Dark Magician of Chaos will rid the field of Blue-Eyes, while Dark Magician Girl does the same to Red-Eyes!

The pharaoh launches a double-teamed assault as both of his magicians point their rods at the opposing dragons and simultaneously shoot out beams of dark magic.

Joey: What if I even the odds with a little Skull Dice action?

In the midst of all the monsters about to collide, a naughty little demon flies overhead and drops a red six-sided die onto the field. It lands on a "3", meaning that all of Yugi's monsters lose 300 ATK until the End Phase. Dark Magician of Chaos' ATK drops to 2500, making it equal to the DEF of Blue-Eyes. Dark Magician Girl's ATK reverts to 2000, which is equal to the DEF of Red-Eyes.

The beams of dark magic hit their intended targets, creating a large explosion that obscures the entire field in smoke for a few minutes. The fans in the stadium are on their feet, eagerly anticipating the outcome of the collision. When the dust clears, all four monsters are unscathed.

Kaiba: It's a stalemate!

Yugi: Not necessarily. My turn isn't over yet.

Both Joey and Kaiba gawk at Yugi, wondering what the King of Games can possibly throw at them next.

Yugi: When Dark Magician of Chaos was summoned, his special ability activated - allowing me to return one spell card in my graveyard back to my hand. The card I chose was the Card of Sanctity. I shall now activate it - meaning we all draw until we're holding six cards in our hand.

Transitioning into his Main Phase 2 now, Yugi reloads his guns as Kaiba and Joey do the same.

Yugi: Next, I play Dark Magic Inheritance. It transfers one Dark Magician-related spell card from my deck to my hand, as long as I banish two spell cards from my graveyard first.

Yugi removes from play Swords of Revealing Light and Horn of the Unicorn in his graveyard before searching his deck for the Dark Magician-related card he needs.

Yugi: I cannot use this card if Dark Magician is not on the field. So first, I'll resurrect him by invoking the Dark Magic Veil spell and paying 1000 life points.

Yugi's life points drop to 3200. An enchanted vortex opens up on his field and Dark Magician leaps out of it, returning in attack position next to Dark Magician Girl and Dark Magician of Chaos. Three of the mightiest spellcasters in all of Duel Monsters are now assembled on the pharaoh's field.

Joey: Yeah, dat's it. Line up every magician ya got. Red-and-Blue Eyes will send 'em packing one by one! Summon a thousand magicians for all we care!

Yugi: What about a Thousand Knives?

Hundreds of razor-sharp flying daggers suddenly appear out of thin air in front of Dark Magician. Evidently, this is the card Yugi took from his deck by the effect of Dark Magic Succession.

Yugi: If I can't blast Blue-Eyes away, then I'll just skewer him. Go Thousand Knives!

With a single phrase, Dark Magician releases the daggers and they all head straight for Blue-Eyes White Dragon. But right before they impale it, the beast dematerializes. The knives continue on their original trajectory and head for Kaiba instead. He doesn't even flinch as the holographic knives crash against his body.

Yugi: Do my eyes deceive me, or did Blue-Eyes just vanish? Where is it?

Kaiba: In a different dimension and safely away from your kitchen utensils, thanks to my handy Interdimensional Matter Transporter. It banished my monster for one turn. So I regret to inform you that its absence is only temporary.

Kaiba and Joey then brace themselves for the next wave, not certain they have anything left to repel it. But Yugi is out of ammo too, so he has no choice but to cease the assault. For now.

Yugi: There's nothing more I can do. I set two face-downs and end my turn.

Two shadowy cards appear in Yugi's back row behind his three magicians, whose ATK points are restored to their original values as the effect of Skull Dice wears off. Blue-Eyes White Dragon rematerializes in front of Kaiba.

The crowd holds their breath in anticipation of the next card activation. When they realize the turn has officially concluded, they erupt in a simultaneous, thunderous cheer. The sudden noise snaps the three duelists out of their intense concentration and they each take a deep breath, realizing how tense they've been throughout the battle.

Everyone is on their feet clapping for the back-and forth sequence they just witnessed. Even the hard-to-impress Pegasus is on his feet with the rest of them, spilling red wine over his expensive clothes in the midst of all the excitement.

Pegasus: Incredible! The combos, the counters, the reaction time… these truly are the top three duelists in the world.

Those top three duelists are already examining the new cards in their hand, deciding which of them to utilize during the next round.

Turn 29 – Yugi: 3200 LP, Kaiba: 2200 LP, Joey: 50 LP

Joey's Dangerous Machine Type-6 begins shaking and buzzing with electricity as his turn starts.

Joey: Time to give the old one-armed bandit a spin!

Numbers begin turning inside the machine as it vibrates. The number that eventually comes up is "4". Joey seems disappointed with the result.

Joey: Knew I shoulda put some grease in dat thing… anyway, 4 means you get to draw one cahd from your deck, Yugi.

A grumble can be heard coming from Kaiba's general direction. Yugi picks up the top card from his deck and adds it to his hand, hoping the rest of Joey's turn goes as well as it has thus far.

Joey: First I'm switching my Red-Eyes Black Dragon to attack mode!

Red-Eyes stands up and points its steel claws at the trinity of magicians in front of it. With 3000 ATK, none of them can withstand its ferocity. Of course, Yugi knows this and came prepared.

Yugi: Sorry, gonna have to take a rain check on that attack. Reveal face-down card: Mystical Space Typhoon!

Joey: Let me guess – you'll use it to negate Dragon Nails, right?

Yugi: Right. Well… technically, wrong. I'll use it to destroy them. MST doesn't negate.

Before the rulings of the card can be debated any further, a black typhoon is generated. It encircles Red-Eyes, erasing its Dragon Nails equip spell card and lowering its ATK by 600.

Yugi: With only 2400 attack points, there's nothing preventing me from destroying Red-Eyes next turn. And when it goes, so will the rest of your life points. It's been fun, Joey.

Joey chuckles as he presses a button on his duel disk.

Joey: Sure has, Yoogs. And it's about to get funner, once I give old Red-Eyes a little upgrade...

Joey activates his trap; Red-Eyes begins transforming. A layer of nearly impenetrable stainless steel begins covering the black dragon's entire body from head to toe, making it even more deadly and intimidating than it was before. Its stats rise to (2700/2300).

Joey: Metalmorph turns my Red-Eyes Black Dragon into a Red-Eyes Black METAL Dragon, boosting its attack and defense by 300 points. But wait, there's more! Whenever Red-Eyes attacks, it gains attack points equal to half da attack points of its target. Your three amigos ain't got nothin' on him now!

Kaiba is clearly impressed by Red Eyes' new paint job. If there's one thing the KaibaCorp president knows how to appreciate, it's a cool-looking dragon.

Joey: I plan on reducin' the local wizarding population from 3 to 1 dis turn. To help with dat, I summon Goblin Attack Force!

A rabble of green goblins armed with clubs (2300/0) is conscripted on Joey's field. With that, the Battle Phase is under way.

Joey: Red-Eyes Black Metal Dragon, show Dark Magician a Chaos why you're da top of da food chain! FLASH... FLARE... BLAST!

Metalmorph's magic boosts the metallic dragon's ATK to 4100. It rears its head back and spits out a fiery orb at Dark Magician of Chaos. The mage is engulfed and promptly destroyed by the blast. Yugi grimaces as the shockwave ripples through him and his life points decrease by 1300.

Joey: Down goes your strongest monsta, and there's more where dat came from. Now I would personally never hit a woman, but my goblins have no such issues. It's clobberin' time!

The army of goblins surround Dark Magician Girl and start pummeling with their clubs so wildly that they create a cloud of dust. But when the dust clears, Dark Magician Girl is nowhere to be found. A solitary white pigeon flies over the heads of the goblins and past Yugi before disappearing into the winds.

Joey: Did… did they get her? I would hate to see her go, but I love to watch her leave. Know what I'm saying?

Yugi: The only place she went is back into my hand, thanks to my Magical Pidgeon spell card. It transformed Dark Magician Girl into a pigeon, allowing her to easily slip past your clumsy goblins and escape harm. They're a reckless force. Too reckless. One attack is all they can manage before they're out of breath and on the defensive.

Yugi's words ring true. The Goblin Attack Force is panting heavily; some of the band members are on their knees while others are on their backs. The monster card has been switched to defense position. Its DEF points are 0.

Joey: Yeah, but in defense mode I won't lose any life points if they get attacked. So I didn't leave any openings for you to poke through. All you gotta worry about is my Red-Eyes Black Metal Dragon breathing down your neck. And on dat note... it's your turn.

Joey sets one card in his back row before throwing it to Yugi. As the turn ends, Dark Magician Girl returns to the field and takes her place beside Dark Magician.

Turn 30 – Yugi: 1900 LP, Kaiba: 2200 LP, Joey: 50 LP

Neither of my magicians are strong enough to take down Joey's evolved Red-Eyes. But those goblins... are a much, much bigger target than he realizes, thinks the pharaoh while surveying the field.

Yugi: If you think your life points are safe with Goblin Attack Force in defense mode… think again. I equip Dark Magician with the spell card Dark Spear!

The magician's staff transforms into a lance. His ATK and DEF points stay the same however, so there must be another benefit.

Yugi: From now on, every time Dark Magician attacks a monster in defense mode whose defense points are lower than his attack points, the difference will be subtracted from your life points.

Wheeler! mutters Kaiba, realizing that his partner is about to be eliminated from the duel. Why does it not surprise me that he runs Goblin Attack Force, a glass cannon whose weakness can easily be exploited. And we're up against the master of exploiting weaknesses.

Dark Magician leaps at the exhausted Goblins. He easily pierces their nonexistent armor, taking them out along with the rest of Joey's life points.

Yugi: Joey, you should know by now that defense mode isn't always enough to protect your life points, especially since you only had 50 of them left. You simply couldn't afford to make such moves.

Yugi is confused. Joey's life point counter reads 1550. Is it a glitch in the system? Surely KaibaCorp has ironed out all the kinks in its duel disks by now.

Joey: Hehehehe… I knew you would think dat I would think dat. It's a new technique I've been practicing called "reverse psychology". I WANTED you to attack my Goblins so I could activate my wonder drug, Nutrient Z! It increased my life points by 4000 right before I took the damage from your attack. So 50 plus 4000, minus 2500, equals…

Joey quickly glances at his duel disk life point display.

Joey: 1550! Not only did I survive, I managed to restore my life points too. Ya keep underestimatin' me, Yugi. Bad idea.

Yugi and Kaiba are floored, once again finding themselves surprised by Joey. With each passing turn, he keeps proving more and more than he belongs on this stage.

Yugi: I should've known you'd have a Nutrient Z lying around somewhere. Good card. Just as good as these.

Yugi sets three cards in his spell and trap card zone, then ends his turn.

Turn 31 – Yugi: 1900 LP, Kaiba: 2200 LP, Joey: 1550 LP

The spotlight now shines on Kaiba, and he intends to make his presence known.

Kaiba: It's my move, so stand back!

Seto dramatically pulls his next card, KaibaCorp cape billowing majestically in the wind.

Kaiba: The scoreboard says I'm in the lead. And with this two-card combination, you geeks will be eating my dust. I play the spell cards Soul Absorption and Soul Release!

Kaiba slips them into his duel disk. As their magic takes effect, a green aura begins emanating from Seto's body, healing and powering him up to new levels.

Kaiba: Soul Absorption gives me 500 life points every time a card is removed from play, while Soul Release lets me banish up to five cards from any graveyard. Do the math.

Chaos Emperor Dragon, Kaiser Glider, Slider the Sky Dragon, Valkyrion the Magna Warrior, and Beast of Gilfer are banished to ensure that Yugi won't be able to revive the strongest monsters for the rest of the game. Kaiba's life points increase by 2500, climbing all the way up to 4700. He now has more than twice as many life points as either of the other competitors in the duel.

Kaiba: All right Blue-Eyes, it's just another day at the office. Annihilate his Dark Magician and prove your superiority once and for all!

Yugi: Magical Hats, materialize!

Two giant hats with big "?" question marks hover above Yugi's field.

Yugi: As for my magicians: now you see them…

The hats drop on top of Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl, concealing them. The two hats then double into four and spread out in a line across Yugi's field.

Yugi: ...now you don't.

Kaiba shakes his head, chuckling to himself.

Kaiba: The same old tricks again. Fine, I'll bite. Blue-Eyes, attack the hat on the far right!

Blue-Eyes opens its mouth and unleashes a beam of white lightning that instantly vaporizes the hat. But it appears there was nothing underneath it.

Yugi: Wrong guess. I take it it's my turn now?

Kaiba: Not so fast. You see, unlike Wheeler I don't rely on luck to win duels. I create the odds!

With that, Kaiba presses a button on his duel disk to activate his trap card: Tyrant Wing.

Yugi: OH NO!

Kaiba: OH YES. With Tyrant Wing, my dragon can attack twice in one turn. Looks like my odds just went up!

The white dragon's wings shine and grow twice as big. Only three Magical Hats remain, giving Kaiba a 2/3 chance of taking a monster out.

Kaiba: Blue-Eyes, attack the middle hat! White lightning!

The center hat is obliterated. As the smoke begins to dissipate, a dark shape becomes visible in the spot where the hat previously stood. Bingo, thinks Kaiba as he grins in satisfaction. The crowd gasps, wondering which magician was hit.

Kaiba: Got him. Or her?

Yugi: You certainly got something…

The King of Games returns Kaiba's smile. For he used one trick to mask another. The shape beneath the hat wasn't a monster at all, but a trap. An enchanted circle imbued with arcane incantations rises up and attaches itself around Red-Eyes Black Metal Dragon's body, paralyzing the creature. Joey can do nothing but gape in shock as his dragon's ATK falls to 2000.

Yugi: Theatricality and deception - powerful agents to the uninitiated. I secretly hid a Spellbinding Circle underneath those hats, and your second attack triggered it. It weakens Red-Eyes by 700 points and prevents it from attacking. Now I've neutralized the offensive capabilities of both your dragons for the foreseeable future.

Kaiba tries to hide his frustration at failing to destroy Yugi's magicians once again. He steers ahead and transitions to his Main Phase 2.

Kaiba: What befalls Wheeler's metal hunk of junk is of little concern to me. I activate my Cost Down card! By discarding one card, Cost Down lowers the level of all monsters in my hand by 2 stars. That allows me to summon Gadget Soldier, normally a 6-star monster, without a sacrifice.

Seto discards Judge Man to pay the cost. A bulky warrior, half man and half machine (1800/2000), is called up to his field in defense position. It comes equipped with a grenade launcher propped up on its shoulder.

Kaiba: Finally, I'll place these two cards face-down and end my turn.

Two dark cards fill the row behind Gadget Soldier and Blue-Eyes White Dragon. The two remaining Magical Hats fade away, revealing the monsters underneath them.

Turn 32 – Yugi: 1900 LP, Kaiba: 4700 LP, Joey: 1550 LP

Dispatching the weakened Red-Eyes this turn won't be enough. I'll still be at the mercy of Kaiba's Blue-Eyes next time it attacks, mulls the pharaoh as he picks up Summoned Skull in his Draw Phase. I need to wipe both of their dragons out. And I need to do it now.

Yugi: I'll begin by activating Altar of Restoration. It banishes the top two cards of my deck. In exchange, it returns one spell card in my graveyard to my hand.

As the top two cards in Yugi's deck (Catapult Turtle and Gazelle) are removed from play, Kaiba's continuous spell card Soul Absorption kicks in to raise his life points by 1000.

Yugi: I select Card of Sanctity and then activate it. You know what that means.

Once again, all three duelists draw until they're holding six cards. Kaiba wonders if Yugi's plan will pay off or come back to haunt him. He keeps recycling Card of Sanctity to replenish his hand. Not a bad strategy, except for the fact that it helps us out as well…

Yugi: Since one of the cards I drew with Card of Sanctity was Watapon, I can immediately use its special ability to summon it directly to the field.

A cute little furry called Watapon (200/300) is special summoned in defense position. A collection of "aaaaww!"s can be heard coming from female fans in the audience.

Yugi: Next I reveal my face-down: Card Destruction! Now we must discard our entire hands and draw the same number of cards.

Having no choice but to obey the card's rules, Joey and Kaiba throw out their hands and draw six cards again.

Joey: Bad hand da first time around?

Yugi: Quite the contrary. I just needed to double it. And I'll do it with this trap card: Disgraceful Charity! Now we take the cards we just sent to the graveyard and add them back to our hand.

The duelists unite everything they discarded with their existing hand, giving them a wide variety of cards to use. Unfortunately for Kaiba and Joey, it's Yugi's turn. And he got just the cards he wanted.

Yugi: I sacrifice Watapon in order to tribute summon… the mighty Summoned Skull!

A portal to the realm of Archfiends opens up beneath Watapon, swallowing the little hairball up and replacing it with a far scarier creature. Summoned Skull (2500/1200), one of Yugi's classic creatures, rises up in a dark cloud and opens its wings. The demonic monster terrifies the same girls who squealed at Watapon earlier.

Yugi: Next I play the spell known only as… MAKIU, the Magical Mist!

The weather suddenly takes a turn for the worse. A fine mist rains down on the field, and it doesn't take long for everything to become soaked.

Kaiba: It'll take a lot more than a light drizzle to intimidate me.

Yugi: I'm sure it will, but can the same can be said for your monsters? Drenched in water, they've all become one giant lightning rod… the perfect targets for my Summoned Skull's electrical attack. Through Makiu, it will wipe out any and all monsters on my opponent's field with defense points equal to or less than its attack points.

Joey gasps, realizing that none of his or Kaiba's monsters have more DEF than Summoned Skull's ATK. It's going to be one hell of a fireworks show.

Yugi: Summoned Skull, LIGHTNING STRIKE!

The fiend roars and calls down an electrical current that surges from its body, quickly spreading from Red-Eyes Black Metal Dragon to Gadget Solider to Blue-Eyes. Expecting huge explosions and resulting shockwaves, Joey puts his arms in front of his face to protect himself. But nothing happens.

Yugi: It's not working! But why?

Kaiba: See for yourself.

To Yugi's horror, Summoned Skull is shrinking. As its size diminishes, so does its strength. A once-powerful electrical storm has now been reduced to mere sparks, harmless to Joey's and Kaiba's monsters.

Kaiba: My Shrink card cuts your Summoned Skull's attack points in half, making it lower than all of our monster's defense points. At this rate, its electrical output isn't high enough to charge a phone, much less inflict damage.

Eventually, the storm subsides and the tiny Summoned Skull (now much cuter as a result) makes a disappointed high-pitched squealing sound.

Kaiba: You also neglected to mention the drawback Makiu has, so allow me. On the turn in which Makiu is activated, you can't attack with any other monsters. In other words, your Battle Phase is effectively over.

The pharaoh nods, but he's not worried. With Spellbinding Circle ensnaring Joey's Red-Eyes, he does not fear a counterattack coming next turn. So Yugi sets two cards and ends his.

Turn 33 – Yugi: 1900 LP, Kaiba: 5700 LP, Joey: 1550 LP

Dangerous Machine Type-6 buzzes to life once again as numbers spin and gears turn. Joey eagerly watches the gadget, excited to see what fortune will bring him this time. The number "1" comes up. The machine dies down, and so does Joey's enthusiasm.

Joey: I get 1, which means I gotta… discard a cahd from my hand dis turn.

Joey discards Jinzo as he gives his machine the stink eye. It had better start producing some good results soon.

Kaiba: Hold on, Wheeler. Before you do anything else, listen up. I have one question to ask. Can you summon a monster with at least 2000 attack points this turn? I have a plan.

Joey groans and looks at the hand he just discarded Jinzo from. NOW he tells me!

Joey: There is... one monsta I can summon. And it's a big one. But I need dat Summoned Skull.

Kaiba nods, smiling at Joey for the first time. But only because if this works, they win.

Kaiba: I have just the thing. Reveal face-down card: Enemy Controller!

Kaiba's quick-play spell card produces a huge joystick in front of him, and the KaibaCorp CEO begins reciting a code required to trigger one of the card's effects.

Kaiba: A! B! A! Left! Right! Up! Down! Up! Down! C! A! Left! Left! A!

Summoned Skull twitches as its mainframe gets hacked. It then levitates from Yugi's side of the field to Kaiba's. Enemy Controller allows him to take control of it for one turn, at the cost of 1000 of his life points.

Joey: Now dat Skeletor is on our team, I can use him to bring out one of my all-time heavy hitters. Get ready for a blast from da past, Yoog. Cause I activate my Red-Eyes Fusion spell cahd to combine Red-Eyes and Summoned Skull, in order to create…

Red-Eyes Black Metal Dragon merges with the Summoned Skull on Kaiba's field, shattering Spellbinding Circle in the process. A new, far bulkier, far stronger dragon now stands on Joey's field.

Joey: Da supreme BLACK SKULL DRAGON!

Half-demon, half-dragon, with black horns protruding from its cranium. The feared Black Skull Dragon (3200/2500) roars to announce its presence.

Yugi: Black Skull… I've faced it before. I've used it before. But as impressive as it is, do you think it will be able to do what your other dragons couldn't – overcome my magicians?

Kaiba: It doesn't have to. It's not going after them. It's going after YOU.

Kaiba presses a button on his duel disk to activate his other face-down card, and Gadget Soldier is tributed to pay for its cost. A blue reflector appears behind Yugi and opens up like a flower. It's shaped like a satellite dish with an antenna pointed at the pharaoh.

Kaiba: Here's the plan, Wheeler. Once your Black Skull Dragon attacks, my Reflect Energy satellite will redirect the blast directly to Yugi's life points. His spellcaster buddies won't be able to pull any parlor tricks to bail him out of this one.

Joey salutes Kaiba.

Joey: Aye aye, captain. Our phasers are at da ready. Black Skull Dragon, attack his life points directly! Molten fireball!

The demonic dragon opens its maw to generate a swirling ball of magna and launches it towards the spellcasters. The blue satellite behind Yugi captures the flaming ball, then shoots it directly at his back. Neither of his magicians are in a position to protect him. He's defenseless.

Time seems to slow down as the blast gets closer and closer to Yugi's body. Just then, a wall of Kuribohs surrounds the pharaoh. The blast makes contact and explosions starts happening all around Yugi. But he is calm, standing perfectly still with his eyes closed. More and more Kuribohs get blown up, but even more take their place, multiplying faster than they can possibly be destroyed. The blast eventually fizzles out even with the Kuribohs still multiplying infinitely.

Kaiba: You've got to be kidding me! Those annoying furballs have gotten in my way for the last time!

Kaiba's fist is clenched. He truly thought they had checkmated Yugi there, and his frustration is mounting.

Kaiba: I'll beat you. Whatever it takes. WE'LL beat you. That's what you wanted, right? Wheeler and I being a "team".

Yugi nods and smiles at his opponents as he puts Kuriboh in his graveyard pile. This is exactly what he wanted. They've both made leaps and bounds as duelists in this match alone. Their teamwork has vastly improved. But they have to keep it up.

Joey: Since I played Red-Eyes Fusion, I can't summon any more monstas this turn. But with Black Skull Dragon being da strongest thing on da field without any competition, I ain't exactly sweatin'.

The Reflect Energy satellite behind Yugi disintegrates.

Turn 34 – Yugi: 1900 LP, Kaiba: 4700 LP, Joey: 1550 LP

The ball is in Yugi's court, but he doesn't have anything that can overcome the dragons this turn, so he'll just have to buy time until he does.

Yugi: I switch Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl to defense mode, then play two cards face-down. What do you have for me, Kaiba?

Both sorcerers take a knee.

Turn 35 – Yugi: 1900 LP, Kaiba: 4700 LP, Joey: 1550 LP

Angered by his recent failures, Kaiba is in a hurry to have some successes.

Kaiba: Plenty. I activate Spell Sanctuary! Does it look familiar?

Indeed it does, thinks Yugi, identifying the continuous spell card. Kaiba used this when we dueled in the Battle City finals.

Yugi: It treats all spell cards as quick-play cards, and it also lets us add any spell card from our deck to our hand. But why would you let me do that?

Kaiba: Because I'm going to use the spell card I pick this turn to win the duel. Now make your choice!

Joey and Yugi spend a few minutes searching their decks for the right spell card to take, while Kaiba makes his decision quickly and then impatiently waits for the others to finish. After all decks are shuffled, he proceeds.

Kaiba: I discard Thunder Dragon, which lets me add two more Thunder Dragons to my hand. Then I'll fuse them together with Polymerization!

That must have been the card he got with Spell Sanctuary!, thinks Yugi as a thunder clap signals the arrival of Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon (2800/2100).

Kaiba: First I'll use Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon to wipe out both your magicians at once, then I'll have my Blue-Eyes attack your life points directly and finish you off. Any questions?

Yugi: You have a card that allows your Thunder Dragon to attack multiple monsters at once?

Kaiba: No, but you did. Take a look at the field, you fool! It's still drenched in water from Makiu the Magical Mist. My Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon is a thunder-type monster – meaning it attacks using electricity just like Summoned Skull!

Yugi looks around at the wet state of his field, surprised that Kaiba figured out how to use Makiu against him. Still, it won't make a difference. Thunder Dragon calls down a surge of electricity to strike down the magicians, but they are unaffected by it.

Kaiba: What now?

Yugi: My Black Illusion trap card! It prevents all spellcaster-type monsters with at least 2000 attack points from being destroyed by attacks or effects for the remainder of the turn.

As the electrical storm rages fruitlessly on his opponent's field, Kaiba looks at the magicians with a blank look on his face. He failed AGAIN. Very rarely does he run out of ideas, but this is one of those moments.

Joey: I told you, Kaiba. We can't beat those magicians when they're together. It's impossible.

Kaiba silently ponders what they can possibly do to make some progress, staring at the cards in his hand with a blank expression. He looks at his partner and solemnly nods.

Kaiba: You're right. We can't beat them.

He places two cards face-down.

Kaiba: I end my turn.

Joey looks at Kaiba in surprise, not believing that he would give up so easily. On the other hand, what can he do? Are they going to keep throwing attacks at Yugi until the pharaoh runs out of cards to protect his magicians with?

On the sidelines, Pegasus and Kemo are intently observing the duel.

Kemo: I'm no expert at this game, sir, but it seems like neither side can gain the upper hand. They're going back-and-forth every turn, but there's still a bunch of dragons and magicians on the field.

Pegasus: Something has to give.

Turn 36 – Yugi: 1900 LP, Kaiba: 4700 LP, Joey: 1550 LP

Yugi draws a card that will allow him to go on the offensive again.

Yugi: I switch Dark Magician to attack mode and then equip him with Magic Formula! It raises his attack strength by 700 points.

Dark Magician gets to his feet and reads the ancient tome that has appeared in front of him. His ATK shoots up to 3200.

Yugi: Dark Magician, attack Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon! Dark magic attack!

Kaiba: ENOUGH OF THIS. Activate Attack Guidance Armor!

A sinister-looking piece of armor appears in front of Kaiba. It has the ability to attach itself to any monster and act like a magnet for Dark Magician's attack.

Yugi: NO! KAIBA, PLEASE DON'T!

Kaiba: If I can't destroy those magicians, then I'll just get them to destroy each other!

Attack Guidance Armor equips itself to Dark Magician Girl. She helplessly squirms, trying to get it off, but the evil armor cannot be overcome. Dark Magician's spear turns away from Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon and points at her instead. With great anguish on the duel monster's face, Dark Magician tries to control his weapon and turn it away. But he can't.

Yugi: No! Not like this!

Dark Magician thrusts his spear deep into Dark Magician Girl's heart, impaling her. Her face turns pale and the light in her eyes goes out.

Kaiba: Pop goes the weasel.

Dark Magician Girl's hologram shatters before Yugi's eyes. The pharaoh is motionless. The crowd is quiet, shocked at the cruel way one of their favorite duel monsters was just eliminated. Joey doesn't say anything. The silence is broken only by Kaiba's laughter. At long last, he is triumphant.

Kaiba: That's the problem with you "good guys". That's the problem with your "Heart of the Cards" philosophy. You become too attached to your monsters, and suddenly you're heartbroken when they get butchered. I'm not a good guy. I'm Seto Kaiba.

Yugi is still staring at the spot where Dark Magician Girl stood a minute ago.

Kaiba: Why the long face, Yugi? Was she the closest thing you'll ever have to a girlfriend?

Yugi looks up at Kaiba. With a dead-serious expression, he says only one thing:

Yugi: You'll pay for that.

Seto is unnerved by Yugi's tone. He isn't sure how to respond. But before he can think of a witty comeback, Yugi goes ahead with the rest of his turn.

Yugi: I activate Double Spell. It duplicates the effect of a spell card in your graveyard.

A grim Dark Magician points his finger at Kaiba, invoking a spell from his graveyard. The spirit of Dark Magician Girl appears beside her partner, strengthening his spell with her own. As they perform their magic, both magicians look at Kaiba with an accusing expression. He feels even more uncomfortable.

Kaiba: Well, don't stop there... What card were you planning on-

Yugi: Polymerization. With it, I will fuse Dark Magician with the Buster Blader in my hand.

Kaiba stiffens. Flashbacks to his greatest loss atop KaibaCorp Tower fill his mind. A nightmare he never wanted to relive.

Yugi: But before its effect resolves, I'll chain my Emergency Provisions spell card. Then I can send every spell card on my field to the graveyard, gaining 1000 life points for each one. And because of Magic Formula's second effect, I'll gain another 1000 life points on top of that when it goes to the graveyard.

As his demise draws near, a bittersweet Joey can't help but marvel at Yugi's play. Those cards were going to da graveyahd anyway cause Dark Magician is too, so he's not really sacrificin' anything and still increasing his life points. With moves like that, we never stood a chance, did we?

Dark Spear, Magic Formula, and Double Spell go the graveyard, boosting Yugi's life points all the way to 5900. And now that he's all powered up, the King of Games unleashes his wrath. The effect of Double Spell (Polymerization) resolves, merging Dark Magician and Buster Blader.

Yugi: Behold the harbinger of your demise. Dark Paladin, the ultimate magical swordsman!

A magical whirlwind swirls before the pharaoh, and from it leaps a heavily armored version of the Dark Magician. Wielding a great sword, Dark Paladin (2900/2400) hits the field, ready to decimate everything in his path.

Yugi: Dark Paladin is the greatest dragon slayer in all of Duel Monsters. His special ability boosts his attack points by 500 for every dragon-type monster in ours fields and graveyards. Your own monsters... turned against you.

Dark Paladin raises his great sword, using it to collect the spirits of Blue-Eyes White Dragon and Black Skull Dragon, as well as the spirits of the Red-Eyes Black Dragon and Baby Dragon in Joey's graveyard and The White Stone of Legend in Kaiba's. The paladin's ATK climbs to a massive 5400.

Yugi: It gets worse. I activate Diffusion Wave Motion. All I have to do is pay 1000 life points, and Dark Paladin will be able to attack all of your monsters at once. You're done. Both of you.

Listening to the emotionless tone in which Yugi delivers these lines, the thought crosses Kaiba's mind that he might have pushed the pharaoh too far. Joey is thinking the same thing. Knowing that the ensuing attacks will eliminate out all their monsters AND their life points, the Brooklyn native looks at his partner - proud that they made it so far considering all the problems they had working as a team in the earlier rounds.

Joey: So long rich boy, and thanks for all da insults!

Dark Paladin continues to absorb energy, forming a glowing orb at the top of his sword. The orb is getting bigger and bigger.

Yugi: Dark Paladin, attack everything! WIPE THEM OUT.

The swordsman gives a heroic battle cry and unleashes wave after wave of magic attacks at the opposite side of the field. The relentless barrage slices Blue-Eyes, Thunder Dragon, and Black Skull Dragon into hundreds of pieces. Their severed limbs go flying in all directions.

Joey's and Kaiba's fields are empty; all of their dragons massacred. The stalemate has finally been broken. On the other side, the King of Games stands tall and observes the damage.

Yugi: THIS DUEL... IS OVER!

When the dust clears around his opponents, Joey is literally glowing. His body is surrounded by white light.

Joey: Uh… what gives? Am I dead?

Joey looks at his partner for answers. Kaiba has his arm outstretched, pointing to a single trap that has been flipped up in front of him.

Kaiba: We're not done. I had a card. It's called Wish of Final Effort, and it converts every one of my Blue-Eyes White Dragon's attack points into your life points, Joey.

Yugi can hardly believe his eyes. This is the same card Kaiba used to save him when they dueled Dartz.

Joey looks at the life point display screen on his duel disk. Kaiba's trap card explains why it reads 2350 instead of 0. Kaiba has 2100 life points left. If he hadn't sacrificed Blue-Eyes for Wish of Final Effort, both of them would have lost. Seto looks at his partner sternly.

Kaiba: It's up to you now. You must find a way to turn this around. Got it? If you screw this up after all we've done, I will haunt you till the end of your days.

Joey: Even more than ya already do?

Kaiba can't help but smile.

Kaiba: Yeah.

Joey nods and looks at Yugi's Dark Paladin, knowing he has a tall task ahead of him.

To be continued…

Chapter Text

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 dis 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…

Chapter Text

Kaiba, Joey, and Yugi all know one thing: the end is near. With their decks almost empty, the world's finest duelists pull themselves together for one last dance.

Seto Kaiba has two Blue-Eyes White Dragons (ATK: 3000/DEF: 2500) in attack position on his side of the field. Between them, their servant Lord of D. (1200/1100) is bowed in defense position. In his back row, Kaiba has two cards face-down and the continuous spell card Soul Absorption in play, which increases his life points by 500 for each card that gets banished.

Towering over all of this on the opposite side of the field is Yugi's Obelisk the Tormentor with an imposing 4000 ATK and DEF points.

Joey has no cards in play, but that's about to change.

Turn 41: Yugi: 3500 LP, Kaiba: 1600 LP, Joey: 1450 LP

Joey: First I play da spell cahd Pot a Greed! It lets me draw two cahds. Greed is good.

The infamous green pot materializes in front of Joey, grinning at everyone as if delighted that its effect was explained for the third time in this duel. Joey draws from his ever-shrinking deck and seems pleased enough with the results. Well… none of deez cahds can take da fight to his roided out Egyptian God, but at least I got enough here to keep it away from our life points. So I'll lay down some defense, in the hopes dat Kaiba can dish out some offense…

Joey: I'll play two cahds face-down and then call up some reinforcements with Landstar Forces! This spell automatically summons every "Landstar" monsta in my hand directly to da field, no questions asked. Da boys are back in town!

Swordsman of Landstar (400/1200), Knight of Landstar (1000/1200), and Brigadier of Landstar (900/1200) are all special summoned. The three small soldiers take a knee, forming Joey's line of defense.

Joey: If Obelisk wants to punch my lights out, he's gonna have to go through every single one of my Landstar guys first! And with three of 'em watching my back, it might take him a while.

Turn 42: Yugi: 3500 LP, Kaiba: 1600 LP, Joey: 1450 LP

Yugi: It won't take him anywhere near as long as you think.

The reigning duelist champion barely acknowledges Joey's ragtag troop of Landstars. He can hardly even see them from behind Obelisk's giant hologram.

Yugi: When will you learn? Once again you have mistakenly chosen quantity over quality, so I must again teach you that numbers aren't everything. Especially against an Egyptian God. I'll commence this final lesson by summoning Celtic Guard of Noble Arms in defense mode!

An elf warrior with blond hair who duel-wields two large swords (ATK: 2100/DEF: 700) is called to his master's field, ready to receive orders.

Yugi: Celtic Guard of Noble Arms can then use his special ability to call forth... the original Celtic Guardian!

Another elf nearly identical to the first one joins his brother in arms as it is special summoned in defense position. Yugi nods at one of his classic monsters, Celtic Guardian (1400/1200), the warrior who was moments away from dealing the death blow to Kaiba atop Duelist Kingdom castle when Yugi called off the attack at the last moment. This time around, there'll be no restraint.

Kaiba: Two Celtic Guardians? OH NO! Now he has enough monsters for the sacrifice!

As the former owner of the Egyptian God Card, Kaiba knows the implications of this fact better than anyone.

Yugi: Prepare to experience the true might of Obelisk the Tormentor.

As Yugi says this, Obelisk unclenches its giant fists and starts reaching for the two elves.

Yugi: Obelisk… I offer you these two monsters as tribute. Absorb their power to increase your own!

But right before Obelisk can grab them, two mechanical arms emerge from Joey's direction and extend themselves all the way across the field, clamping Celtic Guardian and Celtic Guard of Noble Arms. Joey did learn.

Joey: If anyone's gonna be tributin' two monstas around here, it's gonna be yours truly, thanks to my Double Magical Arm Bind!

Joey sacrifices Knight of Landstar and Brigadier of Landstar to pay the cost of his trap card. The two mechanical arms pull Yugi's monsters away from Obelisk, placing them on Joey's side of the field and under his control.

Joey: Looks like your two monstas just changed hands, leaving Obelisk a bit… empty handed. But don't worry Yoog, they're in safe hands. I would never let things get outta hand!

Joey's puns don't seem particularly amusing to anybody else, especially Obelisk. With its fists now clenched once again, the God glares at Joey with its blood-red eyes. Smoke comes out of its nostrils.

Joey: Your big boy in blue can mean-mug me all he wants. I ain't scared! I still got three monstas defendin' me, while he's outta juice!

Kaiba smiles at his partner's clever method of delaying their defeat for the time being. But the feeling is short-lived as something else quickly grabs his attention. For Obelisk is now looking at HIM.

Yugi: The torment is not over. You might have prevented Obelisk from unleashing its special ability this turn, but not from attacking. And while all of your monsters may be in defense mode, the same cannot be said for your partner. Obelisk, destroy Kaiba's second Blue-Eyes White Dragon with your fist of fury!

The blue juggernaut pulverizes yet another of his beloved Blue-Eyes. The dragon's hologram shatters into a million pieces, sending a shockwave that pushes the KaibaCorp president back several feet. He uses all the grit he can muster to prevent being knocked down like last time. When the shockwave subsides, Kaiba drops to a knee, breathing heavily. His life points drop by 1000.

Joey: Kaiba…!

Joey tries to approach his partner, but Kaiba puts his hand up to shrug off concern.

Kaiba: Is that the best your God can do? Feels like Obelisk punched harder when it was working for me.

Yugi stoically observes Kaiba, knowing the CEO is trying to downplay his diminishing energy.

Turn 43: Yugi: 3500 LP, Kaiba: 600 LP, Joey: 1450 LP

With the smirk still on his face, Kaiba fully stands up, takes a deep breath, and stares directly into the eyes of the monster that used to be his. Then, he starts walking towards Obelisk. The crowd gasps in surprise.

Yugi: What are you doing?

Kaiba calmly walks right up to Obelisk the Tormentor and looks up at the colossal monster.

Kaiba: So this is what it feels like. To stand in the same place that so many of my victims stood mere moments before I used Obelisk to crush them. Now I find myself facing that very same obliteration. This is my final test. In order to defeat Yugi, I must defeat my own Egyptian God Card. And there's only one monster at my disposal that can do it.

Yugi thinks he knows which monster Kaiba is referring to, but he shakes his head.

Yugi: It's too late. You're down to only one Blue-Eyes White Dragon. Not only that, but you already used your Polymerization card. You lack the resources to summon that monster.

Kaiba scoffs before turning around and walking back to his spot.

Kaiba: I wouldn't be so sure.

Obelisk has destroyed two of my Blue-Eyes. I don't intend to let it take a third! thinks Kaiba with determination as he plays a card that will hopefully pave the way for something better.

Kaiba: I'll increase my resources by playing Card of Demise! Now I draw until I'm holding 5 cards in my hand, provided I discard my entire hand in five more turns. Though I expect this duel will be over long before then...

The KaibaCorp CEO starts to make what could be his final draw, but pauses before picking up any card. If this is to be his end, then what's the harm in giving Yugi's silly philosophy a little test drive? Kaiba clears his throat and with an exaggerated voice proclaims:

Kaiba: Heart of the Cards! I command you to do my bidding! Give me what I need this instant!

The crowd laughs and Yugi raises his eyebrows at his rival, surprised that Kaiba of all people would invoke humor at a time like this. Has he truly accepted his fate and is just playing for fun?

Kaiba takes pleasure in watching the reactions as he draws two cards from his deck. His eyes light up upon seeing results. Well, what do you know. Yugi's mumbo jumbo junk actually worked.

Kaiba: There's more than one way to fusion summon. I activate the Dragon's Mirror! It will banish the two Blue-Eyes White Dragons in my graveyard, along with the one on my field, and fuse them in order to summon a monster with power beyond imagining! A duel monster without peer, with attack force so great, no creature can stand against him…

A winged mirror appears before Kaiba. It reflects his three Blue-Eyes White Dragons. The three reflections swirl and mix together until they fuse into one three-headed behemoth. This new monstrosity bursts out of the mirror and flies onto the dueling field.

Kaiba: Now you will bear witness to my deck's ultimate creation. I summon… THE BLUE-EYES ULTIMATE DRAGON!

Yugi's eyes widen as the entire stadium, including Joey, erupts in applause. Ultimate Dragon (4500/3800) has arrived. The continuous spell card Soul Absorption kicks in to increase Kaiba's life points by 1500 for the three cards he just banished.

Kaiba's best monster roars, challenging the dominance of the God it stands against. Seto has a flashback to the last time these two mighty beasts faced off against one another. It was the first time he had used Obelisk the Tormentor in a duel, testing its capabilities against a dueling computer who had managed to summon Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon against him. Now the tables have turned.

Kaiba: Blue-Eyes, show Obelisk why you're known as the ultimate. NEUTRON BLAST!

All three heads of the hydra act as one, generating a force so intense that it atomizes even the mighty Tormentor. Yugi and his entire field are engulfed in the atomic blast and his life points drop to 3000. But Kaiba isn't done.

Kaiba: I'm afraid the worst is yet to come. Reveal face-down card: Return from the Different Dimension!

Kaiba's life points are split in half, but it's a small price for what he will get in return.

Kaiba: This rare and all-powerful trap card bends space and time itself to my will, allowing me to bring back the three Blue-Eyes White Dragons I just banished!

A portal to a different dimensions opens up in the sky, and all three dragons that were removed from play for the effect of Dragon's Mirror fly out of it, special summoned in attack position right next to their fused counterpart. Everyone in the audience has been brought to their feet by the incredible move.

Kaiba: I believe that's checkmate.

Through the smoke, a defenseless Yugi looks up at the silhouettes of the three winged beasts that are about to blast him to oblivion.

Kaiba: Any last words?

Yugi bows his head in acceptance. The three Blue-Eyes White Dragons open their maws and begin generating swirling balls of energy in preparation for Seto Kaiba's final all-out assault.

Kaiba: None? Then these will be mine: TRIPLE WHITE LIGHTNING ATTACK!

All three white dragons launch their beams simultaneously, dealing catastrophic damage to Yugi's life points and enveloping him in a giant explosion that causes everyone to cover their ears.

Kaiba: VICTORY IS MINE!

Joey: Victory is ours!

Kaiba: Ours! But mostly mine.

Yugi's life points drop. To 2100.

Joey: Wait a sec…

The smoke clears, revealing that Yugi survived. But how? Everyone is shocked, and some in the crowd even murmur accusations of it being foul play or a glitch in the display screen. He should have lost 9000 life points, not 900.

Kaiba: As President of KaibaCorp, I declare this invalid!

Yugi: It's perfectly legal, thanks to my Reduction Barrier trap! It reduced the number of life points I lost to only ten percent of the original value.

Joey tries to do the math in his head rather unsuccessfully, but then notices something else amiss.

Joey: Hold on, I never saw you set a trap!

Kaiba: It must have been hidden from our view by Obelisk the Tormentor's hologram. In any case, it matters not. All that card did was delay the inevitable. Now that my Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon is here, Yugi doesn't stand... a ghost of a chance!

Transitioning to his Main Phase 2 now, Kaiba figures he has the time to toy with his prey before delivering the killing blow on his next turn. There is… one more thing I can accomplish. Something I have greatly desired. I may never have this opportunity again…

Kaiba: After I make this next move, you'll wish you hadn't activated your last card. Prepare yourself for ultimate humiliation, but first... I will invoke the magic of the Mystical Elf to boost my life points by 300 for every monster on the field.

Seto presses a button on his duel disk to activate his second trap card. He's laying the groundwork for something, wonders Yugi as a female elf with green skin and a white headdress rises, chanting a spell that raises Kaiba's life points by 2400. Last time he used Gift of the Mystical Elf was during our match atop Duelist Kingdom castle, to give himself one last safety net right before he summoned the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon. But with Ultimate Dragon already on the field… what can possibly be coming next?

Kaiba: Now to twist the knife even deeper. I activate Lullaby of Obedience!

Yugi freezes, remembering this spell card from when Kaiba used it against him during their clash in the coliseum.

Kaiba: At the mere cost of 1000 of my life points, Lullaby of Obedience transfers any monster I choose from your deck straight into my hand! And I think you know precisely which monster I have in mind…

Yugi grits his teeth, but he has no choice in the matter. He reluctantly picks the card from his deck and throws it at Kaiba, who skillfully catches it with two fingers. The CEO gives the card a loving glance before adding it to his hand. His gaze lingers on it for several moments longer before he looks up. An unholy light shines in his eyes.

Kaiba: At long last… the most powerful card to ever exist is in MY control.

Joey feels his anxiety climb as he catches on to which monster Kaiba chose, and one by one, the audience members do as well. Yugi sternly watches Kaiba fiddle with his acquisition as if it's a shiny new toy, but the pharaoh is well aware of the danger associated with this card.

Yugi: Use it wisely.

Kaiba: Oh, I will. You see, at the end of this turn, the portal that was created by Return from the Different Dimension will vanish, along with the three dragons it brought with it. But before they disappear, I intend to make good use of them. Very good use indeed. So brace yourself as I sacrifice… ALL THREE of my Blue-Eyes White Dragons!

Kaiba clears the three Blue-Eyes cards from his duel disk, replacing them with a single monster card that immediately creates sparks as soon as it is placed down. A luminous sphere appears in the sky above the stadium, so bright it's as if the sun itself has descended from the heavens. Everyone shields their gaze from the blinding light. Everyone except Kaiba. He begins reciting the ancient Egyptian chant that he had expertly memorized.

Kaiba: Almighty protector of the sun and sky. I beg of thee, please hear my cry. Transform thyself from orb of light and bring me victory in this fight…

Something stirs within the giant sphere in the sky as Kaiba continues reciting the chant needed to unlock its secrets.

Kaiba: I beseech thee, grace our humble game. But first, I shall call out thy name…

The transformation of the orb continues. It descends lower and lower into the stadium, its light gradually fading while the emerging creature becomes more visible. A euphoric Seto Kaiba outstretches his arms to welcome its arrival as he utters the final part of the verse.

Kaiba: WINGED DRAGON OF RA!

The mystical creature lands with a decisive thud which shakes the entire arena to its foundations. It's even bigger than the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon standing next to it. Mad with glee, Kaiba cannot stop laughing maniacally. This may be his crowning achievement. Long has he dreamt of this moment.

Kaiba: Tell me…where is your God now?

For the first time in the duel, Yugi looks demoralized. He just stares in awe at the two huge dragons in front of him, unable to speak. Joey shudders at the sight of Ra, a monster that inflicted so much pain to him and his loved ones. Now it answers to a different master, but the creature itself is still just as destructive as ever.

Joey: Yugi… please tell me you don't plan on fighting dis thing!

Kaiba laughs again, emboldened by everyone's reactions.

Kaiba: He can't! We all know there is only one course of action our opponent should take now… and that's SURRENDER.

Yugi looks up at his opponent, but he does not argue against Kaiba's statement.

Kaiba: You heard me! I want you, Yugi Moto, to forfeit this duel. If you don't, on my next turn, I will ignite The Winged Dragon of Ra's blaze cannon and incinerate you and your good intentions once and for all!

Joey: I hate ta tell ya dis, Yoog, but Kaiba might be right. Remember what Ra did to me? What it did to Mai? Even you couldn't handle an attack from it! Do yourself a favor and call it quits.

Yami makes eye contact with his best friend, sensing Joey's honesty. He has a flashback to the moment when he attempted to use his body to shield Mai and Joey from the Winged Dragon of Ra's blaze cannon. He withstood the attack for a few seconds, but eventually it knocked him unconscious. Joey's right. None of the cards in my hand can even take down Kaiba's Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, let alone The Winged Dragon of Ra. Is this it for me?

Kaiba chuckles to himself. He doesn't have a care in the world anymore.

Kaiba: I suppose I'll end my turn and let you think about your decision. Not that there is much choice. You lose either way. It really is too bad. We were having such a good time out here. But you know what they say: all good things must come to an end.

Kaiba suddenly notices something different about his duel disk. Strange text has appeared on The Winged Dragon of Ra monster card. It looks like ancient Egyptian writing, and for some reason he can read perfectly well as if it were written in plain English. What's going on? Is this another one of those hocus-pocus mind tricks? Or am I just seeing things? Whatever. I'm not the one who needs to be questioning himself right now.

Kaiba smirks and points at his arch rival.

Kaiba: It's your move.

Turn 44: Yugi: 2100 LP, Kaiba: 2450 LP, Joey: 1450 LP

The audience has grown completely silent. Everyone is holding their breath, wondering what Yami Yugi is going to do. Up in the stands, Pegasus and Kemo are observing as intently as everyone else.

Kemo: Pardon me, sir, but is Yugi really out of options? Is that third Egyptian God Card as strong as they say it is?

Pegasus: If not more so. Allow me to lay out the facts, Kemo. The Winged Dragon of Ra's attack points are equal to the total combined attack points of the monsters used for its tribute summon. Since Kaiba-boy sacrificed three Blue-Eyes White Dragons, that means Ra… has 9,000 attack points.

Kemo: What!? Nine thousand!

Pegasus: Then there are Kaiba's other two monsters. The Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon is terrifying enough on its own, and as long as Lord of Dragons is on the field, none of Kaiba's dragon-type monsters can be targeted by card effects, making Ultimate Dragon even harder to eliminate. I must say… in all my years, I have never seen the deck so stacked against one duelist.

Kemo: But this is Yugi Moto we're talking about. Surely, if anybody can pull off the right combination of cards to turn this around, it's him?

Pegasus looks away from Kemo, down into the arena where all eyes are on the turn player.

Pegasus: Normally, I would agree. But Yugi-boy isn't exactly playing with a full deck. He's barely playing with a fraction of a deck. It's almost inconceivable that even the Duel Monsters Champion can pull off a trump card now. No. The question is not "how can Yugi win?". The question is… "how should Yugi lose?" And there's only one person who can give us the answer.

Yugi hasn't done anything yet. He still stares at the two great creatures in front of him, two of the greatest dragons in duel monsters. In his mind, he might as well be staring at the faces of Marik, Bakura, Pegasus, Noah, Dartz, and all the other villains who put him and his friends in situations that seemed hopeless… at first glance.

Wait… that's it! My friends! They believed in me even when I didn't believe in myself, thinks Yugi as he turns to where Tea, Tristan, Serenity, Duke, and his grandpa are sitting. They are all cheering him on as they always have, and always will. As long as I have the support of my friends, nothing is hopeless!

Yugi places his hand over his deck, in a gesture that at first glance could be mistaken for surrender. But instead, he puts his index and middle finger on the top card, ready to draw. Heart of the Cards… GUIDE ME!

Kaiba: Draw your last pathetic card so I can end this, Yugi.

Yugi draws and looks at the card. He shakes his head.

Yugi: You're right, Kaiba. My deck only has pathetic cards left in it.

Then he looks at his rival and smiles.

Yugi: So I'm going to use your cards instead. Go BRAIN CONTROL!

Yugi's life points decrease by 800. A floating brain with hands materializes, ready to snatch a monster.

Kaiba: Brain Control? Have you forgotten about my Lord of Dragons' special ability? You can't target any of my dragons with effects!

Yugi: No, but I CAN target... Lord of Dragons himself! Unlike the creatures under his protection, he himself is powerless to resist my brainwashing spell.

The ghostly hands of Brain Control seize Lord of D, placing the sorcerer under Yugi's control for the remainder of the turn.

Yugi: Next, I summon Charging Gaia the Fierce Knight!

The sound of a galloping horseman fills the stadium as Charging Gaia the Fierce Knight (1900/2100) trots into battle, armed with two long lances.

Yugi: And now that I have accumulated monsters whose total combined levels equal eight or higher, the stage has been set for me to initiate… the Black Luster Ritual!

Two cauldrons appear behind Lord of D and Charging Gaia the Fierce Knight, while a closed door appears between them. Then, the monsters are sacrificed, their spirits filling up the two cauldrons. With enough energy gathered to complete the ritual, the door of chaos opens, bringing forth… the legendary Black Luster Soldier (3000/2500). He majestically lands on the field and slowly rises, golden armor gleaming in the sun and long red hair blowing in the wind. Joey can't help but admire the warrior's rare appearance. His partner does not.

Kaiba: What is the point of all these theatrics? The only thing your Black Luster Solider's good for is merging with my Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon. Otherwise he's just as useless as the rest of your cards!

Yugi: That is why I need your cards to help him reach his full potential. And on that note, I activate Spider Web! This spell lets me take any card that was sent to your graveyard on the previous turn and use it as my own. And my card of choice… is the Card of Demise! Now I am the one who draws until I'm holding 5 cards in my hand, provided I discard my entire hand in five more turns. Though I suspect this duel will be over long before then...

Yugi imagines Tristan, Tea, Serenity, Duke, and his grandpa each giving him a card as he takes the last five cards in his deck and adds them to his hand. His deck zone is now completely empty. All right, this is it. All or nothing! Everything left of my deck, and the support of all my friends… lies here in these 5 cards.

Yugi: As for my Black Luster Soldier... merging him with your Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon is precisely what I plan on doing!

The crowd roars in anticipation of an even rarer monster making an appearance. Kaiba shakes his head in disbelief.

Kaiba: Impossible! You can't fuse monsters that are on opposite sides of the field!

Yugi: You said it yourself, Kaiba: There is more than one way to fusion summon. I may have already used Polymerization earlier in the duel, but I haven't used… SUPER Polymerization!

In order to pay the cost of this powerful card, Yugi sends Ragnarok from his hand to the graveyard. A vortex opens up on his side of the field and begins pulling in Kaiba's Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon with hurricane-force winds.

Yugi: Super Polymerization allows me to merge any monster on my field with any monster on my opponent's field. Observe, Kaiba, as your Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon and my Black Luster Soldier combine, creating the very monster which represents the eternal connection between the two of us.

Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon is pulled all the way to Yugi's side of the field. Black Luster Soldier then jumps on top of the three-headed beast, becoming its tamer and master.

Yugi: Behold! The one. The only. DRAGON MASTER KNIGHT!

The newly-created Dragon Master Knight has 5,000 ATK and DEF points. Kaiba can't help but marvel at the ultimate fusion monster that is indeed the symbol of teamwork between himself and Yugi.

Kaiba: Your Master of Dragon Soldier may be formidable… but even with five thousand attack points, it still pales in comparison to The Winged Dragon of Ra.

Yugi: Not if I equip him with… EXCALIBUR!

Joey: Excalibur!? Not that! Wait... what does Excalibur do?

Yugi: It doubles my monster's attack points.

Joey: Oh.

Joey looks less than thrilled at the answer to his question as Black Luster Soldier's scimitar transforms into the mythical sword of King Arthur himself, making Dragon Master Knight's ATK skyrocket to a colossal 10,000 – greater than the greatest of the Gods.

Yugi: Dragon Master Knight, attack The Winged Dragon of Ra with DRAGON SABER BLAST!

Wielding Excalibur, Black Luster Soldier commands the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon he has mounted to unleash a supercharged neutron blast at the opposing monster. The Sun of God Dragon is obliterated, with Kaiba losing 1,000 life points in the process, bringing his score to 1450. Joey's jaw drops.

Joey: Holy smokes. He actually found a way to play something even stronger than Ra. Nobody can doubt it now. Yugi truly is da greatest of all time. The GOAT.

The entire area is chanting "King of Games" at the top of their lungs, including Pegasus, Kemo, Yugi's friends, and everyone else watching this historic duel. To their surprise, even Kaiba starts clapping.

Kaiba: Bravo, Yugi, bravo. Very impressive indeed. Once again you found the way to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat, like only you can.

But even after losing both Ra and Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon on the same turn, Kaiba doesn't seem even slightly concerned.

Kaiba: Or so it would seem. Unfortunately, in this game the jaws of defeat were already clenched too tightly around your throat. No duelist could have found a way out. Not even you.

Joey looks at Kaiba in surprise. Kaiba turns to him and smirks.

Kaiba: Relax. We have nothing to worry about. In case you haven't noticed, Yugi has no more cards left in his deck. Which means that as soon as his next turn begins and he is unable to draw, he will automatically lose the duel.

Joey looks across the stage at Yugi's duel disk. Sure enough, his deck is gone.

Kaiba: Wheeler, all you have to do on your next turn is pass, and we win. A plan so simple that even you can't screw it up. All you have to do... is absolutely nothing.

Yugi: That's where you're wrong.

Kaiba's calmness is finally interrupted. He looks at the pharaoh, baffled.

Yugi: While Excalibur is in play, I am forced to skip my Draw Phases. Something which would normally be considered a drawback… is now the very thing preventing me from losing this duel.

Joey: Say what?!

Kaiba and Joey look at each other in bewilderment.

Yugi: There will be no easy way out for you two. Hear this and hear it well! You will not defeat me unless you defeat my Dragon Master Knight. He is my last monster, this is my last stand, and I will fight till the very last card!

With that said, Yugi takes the only two remaining cards in his hand (Dimension Guardian and Meteorain) and sets both of them face-down in his spell & trap card zone.

Turn 45: Yugi: 2200 LP, Kaiba: 1450 LP, Joey: 1450 LP

It's all up to Joey now. He draws the card that will end this duel. JACKPOT! All we gotta do to win is get past one monsta? No problemo! I got just da guy for da job right here.

Joey: Meet da master of your Dragon Master Knight! Da cream of da crop, da man of the hour, too sweet to be sour! Give a big warm welcome to… Gilford Da Lightnin'!

Swordsman of Landstar is sacrificed along with the Celtic Guardian and Celtic Guard of Noble Arms that were taken from Yugi. The skies darken and a distant thunderclap echoes across the stadium. Joey's ace monster, Gilford the Lightning (2800/1400) appears from the shadows, illuminated by brief flashes of lightning.

Joey: Gilford is about to make your hair stand up even straighter. Since I summoned Gilford with three sacrifices instead of two, his special ability will fry every single monsta on your side a da field. And I'm pretty sure dat includes your Dragon Master Knight. LIGHT EM' UP, GILFORD!

With a triumphant battle cry, Gilford raises his lightning blade to callup an electrical storm that rages all over Yugi's side of the field, striking anything and everything in the vicinity.

Yugi: Guess again!

Yugi presses a button on his duel disk to reveal one of his final two trap cards, Dimension Guardian. A force field appears around Dragon Master Knight, shielding Yugi's final boss monster from the deadly storm.

Joey: Let me guess... it protects your monsta from card effects for da rest a dis turn?

Yugi: Not only for the rest of the turn, but the rest of the duel. You see, Dimension Guardian is a continuous trap, and as long as it remains in play my Dragon Master Knight cannot be destroyed by card effects OR by battle! Did you really think it would be that easy to take it down, Joey?

Joey: You know, for a second there... yeah, I kinda did.

The lightning storm subsides and the protective bubble around Dragon Master Knight disappears, out of sight but not out of mind, as the trap will activate again as soon as the monster faces any danger.

Kaiba: Let me get this straight. We're now up against an indestructible duel monster with ten thousand attack points? Just great.

Joey isn't feeling much more optimistic about their chances. I was really countin' on my main man Gilford to wrap dis up, but he didn't even make a dent in dat thing! Joey nervously looks at the face-down card he set on his previous turn: Sixth Sense. The last-last resort he really hoped not to resort to. All I got left now is this measly trap. If it doesn't work, I'm toast! And even if it DOES work, I might still be toast. Jeez oh man...

Kaiba: Whatever that card is, Wheeler, it had better be good! Because none of the cards I have left can turn the tables at this point. I'm done. So if you lose… I lose.

Joey does a double-take at his partner's confession. He never thought he'd hear Seto Kaiba be so brutally honest about his chances, or lack thereof.

Joey: And here I was, thinkin' I could play defense and buy time like I did before…

Yugi gives a knowing smirk.

Yugi: Defending will not help you either, thanks to the other face-down card I set. It's a trap known as "Meteorain". If I attack a defense position monster card while Meteorain is active, you will still lose life points. So as far as you're concerned, your best defense… will be a good offense.

Joey takes a big gulp and crosses his fingers. He presses a button on his duel disk.

Joey: Last resort it is then. Go face-down cahd: SIXTH SENSE!

Everyone gasps. Joey is laying it all on the line now.

Kaiba: Another gambling card. Of course.

Kaiba rolls his eyes as Joey gives him a sarcastic thumbs up.

Joey: Here's how da Sixth Sense cahd works: I pick any two numbahs from 1 to 6, then I roll a die, and if it lands on one of those two numbahs, I must draw dat many cahds from my deck. But—

Yugi: But if it lands on a number other than the ones you picked... you must send that many cards from the top of your deck to the graveyard.

Joey looks at his deck. There are only two cards in it. That means four of the six possible results of the die roll will cause him to deck out and lose the duel instantly.

Yugi: You're not playing the odds, friend.

But now, on the final turn of the duel, Joey finds himself no longer concerned about risk or pressure. All he feels is the daredevil's adrenaline rush. He grins at his friend, ready to leave it all up to chance one last time.

Joey: I wouldn't have it any other way, pal. If Joey Wheela's going down, he's going down in a blaze of glory! I pick"1" and "2". GO DICE ROLL!

A six-sided did appears in the air and starts spinning. Everyone in the arena is holding their breath. The only sound is the clattering of the die as it hits the ground.

If it lands on a 3, 4, 5, or 6, I'm kaput, thinks Joey as his heart beats faster and faster. And if it lands on a 1, I still might not draw da cahd I need. And even IF I get da cahd I need, it might not work! Come on Heart of Da Cahds! Show old Joey some love!

Kaiba just has his arms crossed, calculating the odds as he watches the die spin. I must admit it's somewhat satisfying to watch this goof crash and burn by playing one too many of his ridiculous luck-based cards. If we lose the duel, this would be the ideal way to do it. All the blame will go to Wheeler.

The momentum of the spinning die starts to decrease. Finally, it stops rolling. It lands on "1".

Yugi: So... The good news is you're still in this duel. The bad news is you're down to a single draw.

Kaiba: It's all bad news if you ask me. Wheeler, hurry up and draw so we can get this over with!

Joey exhales and slowly picks up the top card from his deck. He just stares at it for what seems like an eternity. Kaiba doesn't have the patience to continue this suspense any longer.

Kaiba: I'm sure this is a rhetorical question, but... did you draw anything that can help?

Joey: We'll see.

Kaiba: What do you mean "we'll see"?

Joey: I'm not sure if it will work. Guess I'll just play it and see what happens...

Joey takes the card and slowly inserts it into a spell/trap slot on his duel disk.

Joey: I activate... MONSTA REBORN!

The crowd cheers the appearance of the famous spell card, but this appearance is accompanied by a question.

Yugi: Which monster are you going to revive!?

Joey: The only one who can help.

A column of flames erupts from Joey's duel disk, shooting high up into the air. The flames become a raging inferno of ever-changing size and shape, eventually assuming the form of a bird. The Winged Dragon of Ra returns from the graveyard in phoenix mode. Kaiba is absolutely dumbfounded and the crowd explodes in a mixture of massive cheers and absolute shock.

Kaiba: YOU'RE IN CONTROL OF RA!? HOW!?

Joey looks up at the gigantic flaming bird, wondering if he is going to be hit by a bolt of lightning. But nothing happens. Ra just stares ragefully at Dragon Master Knight, eager to exact its revenge on the monster that destroyed it.

Joey: Beats me. All I know is… it's on my side for now. And dat's bad news for Yugi.

The pharaoh is unable to hear. Just like Kaiba he is simply mesmerized by the unprecedented sight of Joey Wheeler wielding a God Card.

Yugi: Egyptian... God... Phoenix…

Now all eyes are fixed on the two heavyweights about to clash in the main event that will decide the entire duel. Dragon Master Knight vs The Winged Dragon of Ra. Who will be left standing?

Joey: Alright, here goes. I pay 1000 life points to use Da Winged Dragon a Ra's special ability. Let's turn up da heat!

Joey's score drops to 450 as the phoenix spreads its flaming wings and flies toward its foe, bringing forth a firestorm with it. Dragon Master Knight is quickly surrounded by a giant vortex of flames. Yugi's trap Dimension Guardian is triggered, and the force field once again encircles Dragon Master Knight to protect it from all damage. But will it be enough to stop the most powerful God in its most powerful form?

The firestorm grows as the flames burn hotter and hotter. A huge tornado now encompasses almost the entire field. It obscures the two dragons and forces everyone to look away and shield their faces from the intense inferno.

The flaming tornado disappears. Both Ra and Dragon Master Knight are gone. The only signs of the phoenix are tiny embers raining down all over the field. Joey blinks a few times to make sure he isn't dreaming.

Joey: It... worked.

The last of the embers fall around Gilford the Lightning, the only monster left. Joey tries to snap himself back to reality and process this situation. This is it! Yugi's wide open. And since Dragon Master Knight is gone, so is Excalibur, which means Yugi will deck out next turn anyway. Should I attack or just end my turn?

Joey looks at Kaiba and Yugi for advice, but both of them are still too stunned to say anything. It's up to Joey to make the call. If Yugi's gonna lose, I'm gonna make sure he loses da right way!

Joey: Gilford, let's take it home. Attack Yugi's life points directly!

Joey's warrior jumps into action, swings his mighty sword, and slashes at the defenseless Yugi, inflicting 2800 points of direct damage. This time there are no counters. No traps. No effects. No surprises. The King of Game's life points drop straight to zero. The audience lets out a deafening roar. The duel is officially over.

Joey: Welcome to Loserville, Yoog. Population: YOU.

Joey' chin once again contorts into a creepy grin as he jumps up and down in glee. Kemo scrambles to get to a microphone while Pegasus just sits there in shock.

Kemo: Attention duelists! The winners of this duel are... Joey Wheeler and Seto Kaiba!

Confetti and fireworks go off all around the stadium as the celebrations get underway. Yugi is still silent, reflecting on the last moments of the duel when Joey walks up to him, grinning from ear to ear. The adrenaline of the duel is beginning to wear off.

Joey: Bet you didn't see dat one comin', eh? Me using your own mega ultra chicken to torch n' scorch ya!

Yugi looks closely at Joey. The man is always full of surprises. Though Joey tries to hide it, it's obvious that he surprised himself just as much. Yugi smiles and extends his palm. The two friends shake hands. There were some tense moments between them during this duel, but now that it's over, neither man wants to treat each the other like an opponents any longer.

Yugi: No, I certainly did not. Congratulations, Joey! To you and Kaiba both. I believe it was your destiny to prevail together. As it was my destiny to be defeated.

Kaiba: Ah, the old "destiny" spiel again. Don't tell me you still believe in those fairy tales and fortune cookies.

Joey and Yugi turn to see Kaiba strutting towards them. Joey grins at his partner.

Joey: So... is this the part where you say I've finally earned your respect as a duelist?

Seto looks at Joey for a while, his expression indecipherable. Joey can't tell if Kaiba is still in awe at what he witnessed, or just exhausted. Everyone else looks at Seto, eager to hear what he says.

But Kaiba says nothing. He just sticks his palm out to Joey. The two partners shake hands, an action which draws huge cheers from the audience as fans scramble to photograph the iconic moment on their cell phones.

Kaiba: This is the part where I get out of here because you dorks have wasted enough of my time already. I have a company to run.

After the handshake, Kaiba turns around and starts walking away.

Yugi: Kaiba! Aren't you forgetting something?

Yugi's booming voice makes stop Kaiba in his tracks. He turns around to see Yugi staring at him sternly.

Kaiba: Oops. My bad.

Kaiba brings out his deck and plucks out The Winged Dragon of Ra card he took from Yugi through the effect of Lullaby of Obedience. He hands Yugi back the card. Yugi grabs it and attempts to pull it away, but Kaiba doesn't let go of it just yet.

Kaiba: As for you, Yugi... perhaps you and I can finally have that rematch.

The King of Games smiles at his arch nemesis.

Yugi: Any time. Any place.

Yugi pulls on the Winged Dragon of Ra card again, and this time Kaiba lets it go. Joey suddenly butts in between the two legendary duelists, eager to have the last word. He squares up to Kaiba.

Joey: Speakin' a rematches, how's about you and me get it on one more time? Joey Wheela vs Seto Kaiba in the battle for da silver! Unless you're too scared after all the butt you just saw me whoop?

Kaiba chuckles, but it's clear that this time there's no ill will towards Joey.

Kaiba: "Battle for the silver"? Please. You wouldn't even win a medal in the Special Olympics.

Joey: Why you-

Joey takes an angry step toward Kaiba, but Yugi gets between them to prevent any potential hostilities. Kaiba laughs and starts walking away again.

Kaiba: I used to think you were a third-rate duelist with a fourth-rate deck. Maybe now you've graduated to being a second-rate duelist, but you've still got work to do on that deck of yours if you ever hope to stand a chance against me.

Kaiba now lowers his tone, and it's clear that what he says next is meant to be taken as a threat.

Kaiba: You may be on a lucky streak for now, Joey. But I guarantee that if you and I ever duel again… your luck will run out.

Joey and Kaiba stare each other down, like only true rivals could.

Kaiba: Now leave me alone. I've had enough of you for about 50 lifetimes.

As Kaiba struts away, his KaibaCorp cape flowing behind him, a genuine smile forms on the CEO's lips. That turned out to be a more interesting duel than I thought. Dare I say... fun? Maybe they were right about one thing: it's not always about winning or losing.

Joey clenches his fist, but he can do nothing except watch Kaiba gradually disappear from view.

Yugi: He may be too stubborn to come right out and admit it, Joey, but I think you've vastly improved your standing in Kaiba's eyes.

With his fist still clenched, Joey smirks.

Joey: Maybe da only way to get him to say it is by beatin' him in a duel.

Yugi: Well, now you have something to work towards. If we as duelists play every duel with the intention of continuously improving and learning from our mistakes, then the game never truly ends, and everyone wins.

Joey relaxes and pats Yugi on the back.

Joey: Well said, champ! You should really write a book sometime. So how about you? What was your takeaway from this duel?

Yugi looks down, thinking about how to best answer Joey's question.

Yugi: For a long time, my purpose was to save everyone from the evils of this world. After there was no more evil for me to vanquish, I still wanted to keep saving people… from themselves. You and Kaiba taught me a valuable lesson today. That I shouldn't try so hard to change people, and accept them for who they are, rather than who I want them to be. After all, this duel... it wasn't really for the three of us…

Yugi looks up and points to the thousands of fans in the stadium as confetti continues to rain down.

Yugi: It was for all of them. They wanted to see us stay true to our characters and do things our way, using our cards, in a duel for the ages. I hope we delivered.

With that said, the King of Games bows respectfully to the audience. Joey bows as well. Across the stadium, the screens are showing highlights of the duel: Yugi summoning Slifer the Sky Dragon early on, Red-Eyes and Blue-Eyes teaming up to fight Yugi's magicians, Time Wizard using his time magic, and Joey special summoning The Winged Dragon of Ra before landing the finishing blow with Gilford, along with many other moments.

Joey: I don't know about you, Yoog, but I'm starving! Let's go grab some food. Loser of the duel is paying.

No longer needed, the spirit of the Millennium Puzzle returns to his realm, leaving only little Yugi Moto. He and Joey give each other a high-five before joining all their friends in the crowd, ready for the next adventure.

The End