Okay, so I want to make something clear: I chose this particular Yu-Gi-Oh! Duelist character as the true identity of Yami because he's awesome, and because I thought the method of his defeat left the possibility of his return open. But yeah, I acknowledge that this is a guy who almost beat the Pharaoh, so I have John beat him only because he pulls out all of the stops right from the start, and only because he quite literally just unlocked the Yu-Gi-Oh! DF equivalent of Super Saiyan Level 2 earlier the same day.
Duel Force on the Attack;
John vs. Yami!
I followed Fiend’s spirit through the constantly shifting Shadows, letting myself ride the tail end of his spirit’s wake. I reached out into the world around me periodically to try and get a feel for where I was going. It was pretty obvious that I was heading toward Egypt. I mean, where else? It’s always Egypt.
After a while I felt the spirit of Archfiend Ruler disappear. Immediately I stopped and stepped from the Shadows, finding myself in a dimly lit room made of sand stone, lined with hieroglyphs. In the center of the room sat a tall throne made of the same tan-colored stone, upon which sat a figure, shrouded in darkness.
In his left hand he held a glowing sphere that flashed with more than a dozen individual lights. I watched through my Soul as the spirit of Archfiend Ruler entered the sphere. A new light appeared within it. The figure stood, and I saw something in his right hand as well: a black rod topped by a sphere, marked by a silver Wdjat eye. He set the orb down atop a pedestal next to the throne and said, addressing himself, his voice deep and raspy, “Did it arrive, the power that I seek?”
He paused, then said, “No, it’s just that fool who calls himself Archfiend Ruler. I told him not to engage the Duelist of Darkness. I told him to return to me if the Duelist awoke. Now the Duelist walks free, and I have no way to reach him!” He slammed his fist into the arm of his throne. That’s when I decided to make my presence known.
“Don’t worry Yami,” I said, “I’m right here. This has to end, one way or another. We’re going to finish this now, once and for all.”
As I spoke, Yami turned to face me, his face still hidden. Two goons ran out of the shadows in the corners of the room. They were huge, at least twice my size. Really? You’ve got to be kidding.
The closer of the two guards punched at my head. I ducked and punched the man in the gut. He fell to his knees, and I spun kicking him in the head as hard as I could. He fell, unconscious or worse. I turned toward the second guard and flared up my Soul. The shadows along the wall lashed out at him, slapping him in the head, knocking him out.
“You know,” I told Yami, “you really should find better help. You’re player killers are all dead, and your bodyguards are pansies.”
“Are you stupid?” Yami demanded. “You fool! You came right to me! Are you out of your mind?!” He laughed. It was an insane, murderous sound.
“No,” I answered, moving to stand directly in front of Yami’s throne, “I just refuse to leave the souls of my friends in the hands of an evil madman like you.”
Yami laughed again, “Do you even know who you’re dealing with? Do you know who I am? Who I used to be? I was once one of the most powerful Duelists to ever walk the face of this planet!!” He stepped forward, stepping down from his throne, into the flickering torchlight the lit most of the room, and finally I could see his face.
He was dark skinned, an Egyptian, with long, spiky white-blonde hair. His eyes were glassy and dark, like the eyes of a man possessed. He had visible veins on his face, coming up from his neck. He wore a black leather tank top lined with gold and long baggy pants. Over his shoulders he wore a long flowing golden cape. On his forehead he wore a golden headband bearing a silver Wdjat eye.
I recognized him. He was one of the participants in the old Battle City Tournament a few years ago. He was the man who had wielded the Egyptian God Card ‘The Winged Dragon of Ra’ against the King of Games, Yugi Muto, and nearly won!
“You’re Marik Ishtar!” I said. To say that I was surprised would be an understatement.
“In the flesh,” he replied, “more or less. I made some mistakes that led to me being trapped between this dimension and the dimension of Shadows. Which has been an interesting experience. But I am ready to return, and I am very close to being able to. But first, boy, I need your Soul. Hand it over, or I’ll take it from you!”
“You won’t get my Soul,” I said, “and you won’t get my team’s Souls either. I challenge you to a Shadow Game! If I win you empty that orb and return everything in it to their proper places, and if you win, you get my Soul.”
Marik took a moment to size me up, and then he said something that I hadn't considered. Something that I should have thought of. Something that terrified me. "I couldn't be sure last time we met, since I wasn't actually there," he said, wearing an evil sneer, "but now it's clear. There is a great darkness within you. Greater than any other that I have encountered."
I was taken aback. I glanced at the dark metal rod that he carried, the rod that he had used to drudge up the darkness hidden within many troubled Duelists, Karen included, making them more amicable to his will. Could he do that to me? Would my Soul protect me? I didn't know, and I could feel myself beginning to shake as I pictured it happening. Then, Marik smiled, and continued, putting me at ease.
"I get the sense, however," he said, "that if I were to draw that darkness out, it might make you into an actual threat to my power."
Marik laughed again, “You have a deal, boy.” His face contorted into a ferocious snarl. A Duel Disk grew from his wrist. It was similar to a standard KC Duel Disk, except that it was light yellow, lined with gold trim, and that the shape was a bit off. There was a deck sitting on the arm of his throne. He propped his Shadow Rod against the side of his throne, picked up his deck, and placed it in the Deck Loader.
I flared up my Soul and raised my Dark Disk. Hiro, you there? I haven’t heard from you in a while.
Yes, He answered. Until recently, some strange power kept me from connecting with you. But I’m with you now.
I don’t think I can do this alone, I told him. Our power. I think this is the right time to use it.
I couldn’t agree more!
The light of my Soul grew brighter and my mind and Hiro’s mind merged together. Everything was clearer, and I could focus on any one detail of anything in the room as if it were the only thing in the world, or I could take in every detail of the entire room all at once with almost no effort.
“Bring it on Marik,” I said, drawing my opening hand, “I’m ready for anything.”
“Oh,” Marik replied, “I can guarantee that you are in no way ready for what I have in my deck. I draw, and I begin my turn with the Spell card ‘Magnet Circle LV2’ allowing me to Special Summon a level two Machine monster. I choose my ‘Bokoichi the Freightening Car’!”
A freight car appeared, a sinister face on the front (DEF: 500).
“Next,” Marik continued, “I increase my monster’s numbers with the Spell card ‘Machine Duplication’.” The freight car monster glowed, and two more identical monsters split off of it (DEF: 500 (each)).
“Finally,” he said, “I place one card face-down and set a monster! End turn!” He laughed. I had no idea what he had planned for those weaker monsters, but if I’d learned anything from the ‘Guardian Sphinx’ deck that Yami had used in our last duel, it was that a face-down monster can be more trouble than I'm willing to put up with.
Okay, here goes, “I draw, and I activate ‘Pot of Greed’ to draw two more cards,” I pulled two cards from the top of my deck, “and play ‘Mystical Space Typhoon’ to destroy your face-down card.”
Winds erupted from my Spell card and tore at Marik’s hidden Trap. He threw up his arm, shielding his face from the wind. “Activate!” he called out, “the Trap card ‘Waboku’!” Three priests in black robes appeared, raising a barrier around Marik’s monsters. “My monsters are impervious to Battle Damage this turn,” he explained, darkness seeping into his voice. “Essentially, you wasted your Spell! Heh heh!”
“Maybe,” I said, “but I didn’t waste my turn. I summon, my favorite card, ‘The Fiend Megacyber’!”
A vortex of static energy appeared at my side, and from the vortex rose the yellow armored warrior, energy building in his hands (ATK: 2200).
“Next,” I declared, “for my turn’s Normal Summon I call the mighty ‘Chaosrider Gustaph’, place two cards face-down, and end my turn.” Alongside my ‘Megacyber’ the motorcycle-riding demon warrior appeared, twirling his pike (ATK: 1400).
Alright, I thought to myself, ignoring the growing weight of the sense of fear growing within me, I may have gotten a little ahead of myself here. This guy is in an entirely different league than me. I was impulsive, and I challenged him without really considering what I was getting myself into. Now I have to hope that my plan is enough to handle whatever it is that he plans to play. After all, he had to have summoned all of those weak monsters for a reason.
“My turn,” said Marik, “and I begin with the Permanent Spell card ‘Infinite Cards’, making the hand size limit for both of us nonexistent. Next I activate the Spell card ‘Card of Sanctity’, allowing both players to draw until they hold six cards. I draw five cards, and you draw four.”
Marik scanned his new hand and then looked right into my eyes, smiling maniacally, and said, “Time to put my strategy into motion. I Flip Summon my face-down monster, ‘Dekoichi the Battlechanted Locomotive’,” A dark purple steam engine appeared, with a demonic face on the front. Its eyes glowed red and it bared its teeth, showing off a pair of razor sharp fangs (ATK: 1400).
“When my ‘Dekoichi’ is flipped face-up," Marik explained, "I draw one card, plus one more card for every ‘Bokoichi the Freightening Car’ that I control.” He drew again, bringing his hand count up to ten.
“Finally,” said Marik, “I set one card and activate the Spell card ‘Book of Moon’, returning my ‘Locomotive’ to face-down defense position. And that,” he declared arrogantly, “ends my turn.”
What’s he doing? I wondered. I knew at least a little bit about almost every deck type ever made, and I’d never seen or even heard of a strategy like this. Normally I would have been excited, but I was facing an incredibly powerful Duelist for my very soul! I had to figure out what his strategy was before it was too late. Maybe he’s just trying to draw into something, I realized. But what could that something be?
“I draw,” I began, determined to force my opponent’s strategy out in the open, “and I place a monster face-down in defense mode. Next I attack the face-down ‘Dekoichi’ with my ‘Fiend Megacyber’, Megacyber Impact!”
“Reveal Trap card,” said Marik. “I discard ‘Drillago’ from my hand,” a barrier appeared around Marik’s monsters, “to activate ‘Hallowed Life Barrier’!” ‘Megacyber’ punched, and the train was revealed, but the barrier protected it, and Marik was able to use its effect to draw four more cards. I glared at Marik, frustrated, and declared, “I end my turn.”
Defending and drawing, defending and drawing. What is he doing?
“Reveal,” Marik declared, “the Permanent Trap, ‘Enervating Mist’.” A thick smoky mist formed all around me, and I coughed. “While ‘Enervating Mist’ remains in play under my power your hand limit is reduced to five! And since you have six cards in your hand at the end of your turn, you have to discard a card!” He laughed, wildly, at his own genius.
“Now I begin,” said Marik. “I draw (Hand: 12), and I change ‘Dekoichi’ to attack mode (ATK: 1400). I place another card face-down, and I activate ‘Card of Safe Return’! Next I summon the plasma monster, ‘Revival Jam’.” A distorted creature made of liquid appeared, vaguely humanoid, but with a mangled face (ATK: 1500).
“My ‘Revival Jam’ attacks and destroys your ‘Chaosrider Gustaph’!” The plasma monster stretched out its arms, crushing my demon biker, motorcycle and all (8000+1400-1500=7900). I felt a burning pain in my left shoulder and looked down. My shoulder was melting away, becoming black smoke! I jumped, “What’s going on?!”
Marik laughed hysterically. “You think you know Shadow Games?” he asked. “You know nothing about a true Shadow Game! You have only fought low level Shadow Games that had the potential to take your life. But the true power of a Shadow Game is to allow the winner to destroy his rival, body and soul! In this Shadow Game, every time you lose Life Points, you lose a part of yourself!”
“All the more reason for me to beat you,” I said, not nearly as confident as I let on. “Draw! And I activate ‘Monster Reborn’, calling back my ‘Chaosrider Gustaph’ in attack mode, and I remove ‘Monster Reborn’ and ‘Mystical Space Typhoon’ in my Graveyard from play to increase the power of my ‘Chaosrider’ by six hundred (1400 +600=2000). ‘Chaosrider’ kills the ‘Revival Jam’, and ‘The Fiend Megacyber’ destroys the ‘Battlechanted Locomotive’, Megacyber Impact!”
‘Gustaph’ revved his engine and rode past the plasma monster, slashing with his pike, reducing the monster to splatter. ‘Fiend Megacyber’ punched through the train’s boiler and jumped back. Steam poured from the puncture, and the train exploded, just as the splattered remains of ‘Revival Jam’ began to reform (8000+1500-2000+1400-2200=6700). I watched as a good deal of Marik’s right arm, left shoulder, and abdomen melted away into smoke.
“How’s that?!” I exclaimed, proud of my accomplishment, but Marik only laughed.
“Such damage is nothing to me,” said Marik. “In fact, I enjoy it! I’ll prove it by giving up one thousand of my own Life Points to activate my ‘Revival Jam’’s effect (6700-1000=5700).” More of his torso melted away, and the plasma monster finished reforming. “When ‘Revival Jam’ returns, it activates the effect of ‘Card of Safe Return’, and I draw another card (Hand: 11).
“Now,” said Marik, his voice and expression growing much more serious, “it’s finally time. I’m going to summon the monster that will end this duel, and your very life!”
Card of the Day:
Dekoichi the Battlechanted Locomotive
Played by: Dark Marik
This card is literally the linchpin holding Yami's strategy together, making it the most important monster in this chapter by far.
Next Chapter >>
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