Chapter 160: Pegasus, the Scapegoat of This World
"So it went like this, and this, and that." Chumley sat at the round table in the room, explaining what he had done to Yugi and the others, one thing at a time.
"That bastard Pegasus! Not only did he seal Kaiba and Mokuba's souls, but he also threw their bodies in a dungeon. That's just too much!" Joey said furiously.
Tristan, however, let out a sigh of relief. "Still, it's a good thing Chumley brought them out. This way, Pegasus can't use Kaiba and Mokuba as leverage to cheat in the Duel, right?"
Mai Valentine glanced at Kaiba, who was sitting next to Chumley in the same pose as before. "Aside from that, aren't you guys creeped out by having that Seto Kaiba hold that pose? His eyes are especially unsettling."
Chumley casually grabbed a pair of sunglasses from the side and put them on Kaiba's face. After a careful look, he nodded in satisfaction. "How about now? Hmm, the synchronization rate with Commander Ikari is even higher."
"Speaking of which, I remember you telling me, Chumley, that Pegasus and some people from KaibaCorp seemed to have some kind of wager." Watching Chumley contort Kaiba's stiff face into various bizarre expressions, Yugi suddenly remembered something.
"Ah, yes, that did happen. Yugi, didn't you defeat Kaiba once? And you did it at the height of his power, defeating him head-on after he summoned three (Blue-Eyes)," Chumley recalled. "And right before you defeated him, KaibaCorp had been heavily promoting their ambition to enter the Duel Monsters field."
"Then, because you defeated Kaiba and sent him into a long slump, all of KaibaCorp's previous promotions went down the drain. One moment they were boasting about having the three strongest White Dragons, and the next second he was defeated. It was a huge slap in the face, and KaibaCorp's stock price plummeted. It was at this moment that Pegasus approached KaibaCorp's Big Five with an acquisition proposal."
"And KaibaCorp's Big Five made a demand: as long as Pegasus could defeat you, Yugi—the one who had beaten Seto Kaiba—in a public match, KaibaCorp and the Solid Vision Technology, which is crucial for Duel Monsters, would fall into the hands of Industrial Illusions. That's also why Pegasus sealed Grandpa Sugoroku's soul, to force you to participate in the Duelist Kingdom tournament."
"To think he'd steal Grandpa's soul for such a reason!" Even the good-natured Yugi couldn't help but clench his fists in anger, his heart filled with rage, after hearing the full story from Chumley. "Kaiba, Mokuba, Grandpa... their souls were sealed just for Pegasus's selfish desires. It's unforgivable, Pegasus!"
Seeing the angry Yugi, Chumley sighed inwardly. He hadn't actually told the whole truth; he had intentionally revealed half and concealed the other half. His goal was to provoke Yugi, to make him give his all in the Duel against Pegasus.
It wasn't that Pegasus wanted to buy out KaibaCorp, but that KaibaCorp's Big Five wanted to betray Kaiba due to old grudges and were actively trying to sell out the company. Pegasus's need for the Solid Vision Technology wasn't to expand Industrial Illusions, but to combine it with the power of the (Millennium Eye) to revive his deceased lover.
However, revealing these truths would only hurt morale. Besides, Pegasus, whose mind had been corrupted by the Dark Power of the (Millennium Eye), was no saint right now. It was fine to let him be the scapegoat.
"What a bastard! He's not even human anymore!" Joey was also incensed. He looked at Yugi and Chumley and said with sudden seriousness, "Yugi, Chumley! I'm counting on you two! You have to save Grandpa Sugoroku, and for my sake too, you have to teach that Pegasus guy a serious lesson!"
"So that's what a despicable person Pegasus is." Even Mai Valentine's expression showed a hint of anger, as she realized that if she were in Yugi's shoes, she would probably want to kill Pegasus outright. "I don't know that Kaiba guy very well, but if you can, give that bastard a good thrashing."
Chumley looked at the gazes directed at him and Yugi, and nodded seriously in agreement. "Of course. The thought of having my soul turned into a card by Pegasus is really unpleasant. I don't want to end up like Kaiba."
Meanwhile, inside his Mind, Yugi was having a conversation with his "other self"—
'Please, Yami Yugi, you have to win tomorrow's Duel.'
'Mm, don't worry, Aibo. I'll definitely defeat that Pegasus guy.' A voice that only Yugi could hear came from within the (Millennium Puzzle). After a pause, the voice continued, 'But, I still haven't figured out a way to counter Pegasus's Mind Reading ability.'
'About the Mind Reading, Chumley secretly told me that the (Millennium Ring) he has can apparently block Pegasus's (Millennium Eye), but only for himself. And in tomorrow's Duel, Pegasus will be facing two people at once.'
'In other words, while Chumley can execute his own Strategy independently, our thoughts will be read?' The voice of "Yami Yugi" didn't come for a while, as if deep in thought. 'Aibo, do you remember that day, Kaiba's Duel with Pegasus?'
Yugi thought back, recalling the choice Kaiba made during that Duel after realizing Pegasus could read his mind: 'I remember. After Kaiba discovered Pegasus's Mind Reading ability, he seemed to choose to abandon his own Hand, and then each Turn he would only use the new Card he drew?'
'More accurately, he chose to use the unknown card he drew, rather than using his known resources.' "Yami Yugi" explained his thoughts. 'Although Pegasus can read people's thoughts, it seems limited to information that person already knows. He can't read things that are unknown even to the person himself.'
'Speaking of which, this time, all three parties heading into the final battle—you and I, Chumley, and Pegasus—each possess a (Millennium Item). Since Pegasus is using the power of the (Millennium Eye) to cheat in the Duel, then Aibo, perhaps we can also try to use the power of the (Millennium Puzzle) in the Duel?'
Yugi heard the plan "Yami Yugi" came up with. He thought about it and found it to be very plausible. He looked down at the Deck in his hand, which he was adjusting for tomorrow's Duel, and drew a card from the top.
It was a Spell Card, (Creature Swap).
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Author's Notes:
This chapter is really just about laying some groundwork for the upcoming Duel, like the well-known strategy of Yugi and Yami Yugi swapping places.
Also, the Deck the protagonist redeemed is about to be put to use. It's a Deck I personally really like, and it will be one of the protagonist's main Decks from now on (in other words, there's going to be a new Soul).
The Duel begins tomorrow. As for now, I'm going to go Grind FGO, the material hunt just started. I have time but I'm not writing, sigh, just gotta play.
(end of chapter)