*Author's Note: Ugh. Rather damp out here. Must have been raining earlier...
Catling: *leaning against an outside wall of the cave* Why do we have to be out here, anyway?
DG: Didn't seem right to intrude on Ay and Yami's space. Plus, I'm betting Yami still wants to kill me.
Catling: *sighs* If I had a dime for every person trying to kill you...
DG: Yeah, yeah. Now be quiet and let me answer reviews!
Zero - You continue to scare me. And I know who Sunflower Boy is! *huggles a Malik-kun plushie, seeing as how the last time I tried to admire the real one didn't turn out so well*
Tefla - ... YOU JUST STOLE ALL MY COOKIES! Er, Yugi's cookies. YOU JUST STOLE COOKIES FROM AN ANGEL!!! *gasp!!*
... Oh, well, I guess you deserve it, for all the great scenes you've been giving me... I'll be back in a minute.
*DarkGatomon scampers off, then comes back a few minutes later with a big bowl full of chocolate-covered pretzels, which she sets down on a convenient, if slightly round, rock.*
There. Best I could do without making a big racket in the kitchen. As it was, I had to take the back way around by that stream. Nearly fell in it, too.
Star - Ooh, hey! You might draw me a picture of pink bunnies and sporks if I keep writing?? Well, I'll definitely have to work extra-hard, then! ^_~
Shadow Vitani - There's an easy explanation for why Yugi tried to teach Rebecca about the unimportance of winning by losing to her: He's an idiot. This is true. Fortunately, I don't think we'll be seeing Rebecca again any time soon. *shudders* I, for one, think two episodes of having to write for her is more than enough... Such a repulsive mind to have to empathize with!
Bronze Eagle - Perhaps it's a compliment that we have such a good educational system that even our young children can be brilliant strategists. But probably not.
On a final note, I'd like to point out that the MM reviewing system doesn't say which chapter a review is for -- and so if you want to give the title of the ep as the subject line of the review, you could. Seems as good a use for the bugger as any.
Oh, yes, and one more thing -- THANK YOU to all my reviewers!! It really makes writing this thing worth while.
Téa: This is awful! When that bubble first appeared, even though I couldn't see Yugi, I could still somehow sense him. But now...
Joey: I know! It's like we've been cut off from him.
Tristan: Or maybe... Maybe he's been cut off from us!
Bakura: *leaning against the railing* *to himself* Or perhaps he isn't there anymore -- ever think of that?
Yami Bakura: Ah, awake again, are you? Come out here and pick me up.
Bakura: *stands up with a sigh* Yes, sir.
Grandpa: Yugi is still with you.
Yami: Huh? You must be...
Grandpa: Yugi's grandpa.
Yami: Yes, I know. After all, it is you who was never introduced to me, not the other way around.
Yami: But... but how can that be? I thought he was...
Grandpa: Dead? But then, why are you so jealously guarding his form from everyone -- even me?
Yami: Ahh... *seizes upon an excuse* Force of habit.
Yami: But... but how can that be? I thought he was...
Grandpa: You thought only what your eyes showed you.
Yami: Ah. *glances down at his aibou* I guess that's why he's still here, then. I was thinking that odd. After all, it's not like the other Yamis' soulrooms are filled with dead hosts. ... Probably.
Téa: Hey! I've got an idea. Yugi reached out to us, so we have to try reaching out to him in the same way!
Boys: Huh?
Joey: When the heck did he reach out to us?
Tristan: And how are we supposed to do it the same way?
Téa: If we concentrate our energies, and try to reach him with all our might...
Joey: ...then maybe our bond of friendship can get through to him, even in the Shadow Realm!
Tristan: *groans* I've never liked the parapsychic...
Pegasus: Impossible! Inconceivable! My Millennium Eye, it's being blocked. This can't be!
Yami: *smirks* I told you I had my own way of gathering souls, Pegasus.
Joey: Not so long as we're here helping our buddy out. Get out of his mind and stay out!
Yami: *to himself* Ah, so they do have some conception of privacy. Although surely an odd one.
Pegasus: My Detonator will win this duel for me despite your pathetic little friends!
Yami: Wrong! Because now that these friends are working with me on a whole new level, this is a whole new game!
Téa: So this is, what, the third all-new game during this duel?
Tristan: *to Joey* How come he didn't say we aren't pathetic?
Joey: You feel his mind? I get the feelin' we are, man.
Yami: With Yugi's friends preventing you from seeing the cards that I pull, you'll just have to take them as they come. And for this turn, they don't come any better than this. Go, Mystic Box!
Pegasus: *groans* Mystic Box? I could have countered that if I had been able to see it coming.
Téa: What? But how? I mean, it's the spirit's turn right now -- Pegasus couldn't have played!
Yami: ... I can almost feel my skill being eaten away from the inside...
Yami: The magic of the Mystic Box frees my Magician and puts your Bakudan Detonator in his place.
Pegasus: Well, obviously. Even were I not the most knowledgeable person in the world about this game, just seeing the monsters themselves would have made it perfectly clear.
Pegasus: No, now its blast will only destroy Relinquished! No fair!
Joey: Aww, look at dat. Pegsy over there's reduced to schoolboy taunts! Poor Pegasus...
*The cheerleaders snicker.*
Yami: How does it feel, Pegasus, to have the tables turned and the magical powers of Mind Control used against you?
Pegasus: Mind control? I think you have your Millennium Items confused, Spirit.
Yami: Eh. Ring, Eye, Rod... They're all the same.
Pegasus: *cackles* Go ahead and take Relinquished, you fool. That Detonator you attached to him is set to go off this turn. It'll blast your Magician and deplete your Life Points!
Yami: You're wrong, Pegasus. Remember, I still have one more card out -- the card that took the last bit of Yugi's courage to play. And now it's time to find out what it is! *flips it over*
Pegasus: Huh. Spellbinding Circle. *starts laughing hysterically*
*Téa stands slack-jawed, the boys curse, and Yami collapses over the arena, sobbing.*
Pegasus: No, Bakudan's been sacrificed before it could detonate. But what has he created in its place?
Yami: *stops his ranting with a startled cough* You actually have to ask? You actually have to ask?
Téa: *cheerfully, to the boys* Wasn't me!
Yami: The offering has been accepted. A new power is brought forth! Now, Pegasus! Behold! The Magician of Black Chaos!
*The feet of the Magician of Black Chaos appear slowly.*
Pegasus: *waits*
Yami: *waits*
*Ten minutes later...*
Pegasus: *still waiting*
Yami: *still waiting*
Relinquished: *snores*
Yami: You may have succeeded in putting Yugi out of commission, but not before his final courageous act set the stage for the greatest magician in all of Duel Monsters! And with the Magician of Black Chaos, I will avenge my fallen friend!
Téa: Uh, Yami? Why are you still speaking of Yugi like he's dead?
Yami: *to himself; not answering her* Oh, god, they're all this annoying...
Pegasus: You know, I think you're right about that Chaos Mage. I think he will bring about the end of this match, and a lot sooner than you may think!
Yami: Seeing as how I can't imagine it taking more than one or two turns at the most in any case, I don't see how that's possible.
Pegasus: It's my turn now, and the effects of your turn are over. Now, your Brain Control spell has expired, and Relinquished is back where he belongs: with his daddy.
Joey: Dat's one ugly baby!
Tristan: Yeah, for one ugly mind.
Pegasus: Prepare yourself for the ultimate merged monster. Oh, yes! Behold my beauty!
Joey: Uh... that was...
Tristan: Random.
*Téa shudders.*
Pegasus: With the Thousand Eyes Idol and Relinquished fused together, I've created the one, the only, the Thousand Eyes Restrict!
Yami: Fond as I am of my Eye of Re, Pegasus takes his Millennium Eye to an obsession.
Joey: I think Pegasus takes everything to an obsession, man.
Yami: Good point.
Pegasus: He's quite a looker, eh?
Téa: *drolly* Ha. Ha.
*Joey snickers.*
Pegasus: If you think he's a real stunner now, well, just wait until all one thousand of his eyes open up! Then I think you'll find that he's much more than just a pretty face.
Yami: I'm not sure I know of a definition for "face" that applies to this creature.
Téa: Keep it up, guys! We have to stay strong for Yugi!
Tristan: We're not letting up, Téa, not 'til he's home safe.
Joey: Yeah, seriously. You don't need to keep cheerin' on the cheerleaders. We know the drill already! *rolls eyes*
Pegasus: The end is truly in sight, wouldn't you say?
Yami: *growls* Not with my Chaos Mage protecting me!
Pegasus: *sighs* You just have no appreciation for a good pun, you know that?
Joey: I wonder if he would have an appreciation for a good whack in the head! *makes a fist*
Yami: *thinking* I may not know what Pegasus is planning to do with that monstrosity of his, but whatever it may be, I can't let it happen. Not after the tremendous act of bravery Yugi made to give us a fighting chance against Pegasus.
Téa: Aww, see that? He could be worrying about himself, and what would happen if he lost, but instead he's thinking of Yugi! *bear-hugs Yami from behind* You're so sweeeet!!
Yami: *half-strangled* Some help... please... guys?
Joey: Uh, sure thing.
Tristan: Right away.
*Joey and Tristan, by dint of some struggling, manage to free Yami from his crazed fangirl.*
Yami: My Chaos Mage!
Pegasus: *chuckles* Is trapped by the mystic gaze of my ultimate beast!
Tristan: Pegasus is...
Joey: ...a total slimeball!
Pegasus: Accept it! It's all over. Yugi's last card has failed you both. His Millennium Puzzle will soon be mine!
Yami: His Puzzle? His Puzzle?! Why must it always be Yugi's Millennium Puzzle, not mine, even when I am the one being spoken to?
Pegasus: Chaos Mage, come to me! Absorption Force!
Yami: Just the play I was waiting for! *flips over his magic card*
Pegasus: In mere moments, your Magician of Black Chaos will be assimilated and all his powers will be mine!
Yami: What, were you not listening to what I just said?
Pegasus: Of course I was. I just presumed you had been dreading the inevitable.
Yami: You were right about your Thousand Eyes Spell, it did affect all my hidden monsters. Specifically, my Kuriboh. And it paralyzed him along with my Chaos Mage!
Téa: Whoa, talk about your lucky breaks!
Joey: Hey, you can never go wrong with a Kuriboh! Er, or somethin'.
Pegasus: No, this can't be!
Yami: *smirks* Yes. And how ironic that this was a feature you built into a card you designed specifically for this game. What a shame, Pegasus.
Pegasus: Nggghhh...
Yami: And because it's too late to call back the Absorption Force spell that you just cast, your Thousand Eyes Restrict has no choice but to assimilate them all. If it can!
Téa: *blinks* I'm confused. The part where the monster started sucking in all the Kuriboh, like Relinquished did, made sense. But why are all the Kuriboh going and sticking to its eyes now, instead?
Joey: Uhh... Static cling, Téa.
Téa: *sweatdrops* You don't say.
Pegasus: Those furry freaks have covered him from head to toe! There must be a thousand of them!
Yami: *chuckles* Tens of thousands, Pegasus!
Pegasus: Hmm, no, I'd say exactly a thousand. After all, there are a thousand eyes, and no Kuriboh left over.
Yami: Oh. Well, alright. A thousand, then. Still, that's an awful lot, don't you think?
Pegasus: That's what I just said!
Yami: ... Whatever.
Pegasus: No! Kuribohs self-destruct on contact with the enemy!
Tristan: That doesn't really seem like a good survival technique, to me.
Téa: Well, maybe they're depressed because they're so small and weak, so they don't mind dying.
Yami: *mutters* I can sympathize with that...
Pegasus: Curse you, Yugi Moto! You and your Kuribohs!
*The cheerleaders burst out laughing.*
Yami: Hey... what?
Joey: *singing between laughs* "I'm off to see the wizard, the wonderful wizard of Oz..."
Tristan: "My pretty!" HA!
*Yami blinks in confusion while the cheerleaders laugh their heads off.*
Yami: *triumphantly* Your Thousand Eyes Restrict has been... destroyed!
Téa: Of course, if the Restrict was another one of those zero/zero monsters, then Pegasus still needs to play something with attack points for Yugi to destroy.
Joey: Nah, Téa. This is the dramatic climax of the duel. It's all over.
Téa: *bewildered* Oh.
Joey: Hey, do you guys feel what I feel?
Tristan: Totally! It feels like Yugi. Like he's okay! *frowns* Well, it felt like Yugi...
Yami: *carefully laying the again-unconscious Yugi down on his soulroom floor with a sigh* I told you that you should have waited to regain your strength before re-entering the Shadow Realm, little one. Talk about an exercise in futility.
Yugi: Spirit of the Puzzle, I don't know how to thank you.
Yami: It was your courage, and the love your friends had for you, that prevailed this day. Although, with at least two of them... *trails off with a disturbed look*
Yugi: What is it, Yami?
Yami: *shakes head sharply, as if to clear it* Nothing about you, aibou.
Yugi: We all did it. Together!
Yami: That's right. As friends.
Yugi: *crestfallen* Right. Friends.
Yugi: And in the end, that's what it came down to. Friends being there for one another.
Yami: *nod* Mm. So, now what?
Yugi: Well, I'd say that one of us has some cleaning to do! *gestures to a bucket and mop over by the wall*
Yami: What?!
Yugi: *rubs at a smear of dirt on his cheek* I still can't believe how filthy that floor is...
*Yami just stares, shocked and distressed at the mere notion of washing a soulroom.*
Joey: Aargh! You guys are stealin' everything I was gonna say! Grr...
Téa: So then talk! Sheesh!
Joey: ... Well, if you aren't competin' with me, then there's no need for me to be competin' at all!
Tristan: *groans* The lengths some people will go to to get a guy...
Téa: So then talk! Sheesh!
Joey: Ah, forget it. Who cares? He won! Yugi won!!
Yugi: *aggrieved* Hey! I was getting all kinds of compliments here until you interrupted them! *sighs*
Téa: Wait! Let's not forget, this isn't over until Pegasus releases everyone's souls, just like he promised.
Joey: Yeah, Téa's right.
Tristan: So then, let's go grab the creep.
Yugi: *turns around and gasps* He's gone!
Joey: Why am I not surprised by this?
Yugi: Well, you were looking right in his direction! Why didn't you say anything?! Did none of you keep your eyes open?!
Tristan: *whispers to the others in justification* He's had a rough couple of hours.
Yugi: All that work... All those risks... And they can't even watch him for five seconds for me! AGH! *storms off*
Téa: Let's not forget, this isn't over until Pegasus releases everyone's souls, just like he promised.
Yugi: *nods* Hmm. *turns to see that Pegasus has GONE!*
Bakura: 'Ee's buggered off!
Random Other British Person: So 'ee 'as then, 'ee's scarpered!
Tristan: Slippery double-crossin' snake! Let's go find him!
Téa: But we can't just leave Mokuba and Bakura here all alone.
Yugi: Well, I guess if Bakura doesn't want to come, then he can reasonably be expected to look after himself for a few minutes, can't he?
Tristan: Hey, there! Feelin' back to normal?
Bakura: What? Back to normal? Have I not been normal, Tristan?
Tristan: Yeah! Man, do you actually pass out so much that you don't even think it strange anymore?
Bakura: Ah, well, something like that, yes.
Tristan: Yeah, that weird ring you wear around your neck was making you act like a real freak again.
Bakura: Freak? Oh, my.
Yugi: His... Millennium Ring? Where is it now?!
Tristan: Gone. I chucked that thing as far away as I could.
Yugi: Aww... Poor Bakura... Lost his Yami... *sniffles and hugs his Puzzle*
*Bakura sweatdrops.*
Bakura: Oh, well. If it was making me act weird, then I guess it was for the best.
Tristan: You guess it's for the best? Is that really the most enthusiastic response you can come up with?!
Bakura: Why, yes, it is. *meaningful look*
*Yugi-tachi remains completely oblivious.*
Tristan: Well, alright, then, but I for one don't think a "thanks" would be out of order.
*Bakura sighs deeply.*
Téa: Well, if you're okay, could you watch Mokuba for us?
Bakura: Sure, I suppose.
Joey: Good. Then let's go and find that creep Pegasus.
Tristan: Am I the only one feeling at all iffy about leaving Mokuba with the person who was trying to kidnap him?
Joey: Yep.
Téa: Mmhmm.
Yugi: Definitely.
Tristan: *sweatdrops* Well, alright, then.
Yami Bakura: If Pegasus restores Mokuba's soul, his body will be useless to me. But it matters not. Because now that Pegasus is weakened by his duel with Yugi, he has given me the opportunity I have been waiting for. The time has finally come for me to add Pegasus's Millennium Item to my collection.
Bakura: *almost daring to hope* Is there any chance you could take over Mokuba on your way there, and then just put a blockade up against his soul?
Yami Bakura: *momentarily shifty-eyed* No. Most definitely not.
Bakura: *sighs* Worth a shot...
