Chapter 176: Yugi: Hayato Says, "It's Our Move!"
Hayato felt himself being swallowed by darkness.
His last conscious thought lingered on the instant before the attack of (Thousand-Eyes Restrict) was about to hit. His final memory was Yugi's shout, and his final sensation was a pain that felt carved into his very soul.
"How pathetic. Compared to other transmigrators, I'm probably the most disgraceful duelist, aren't I?" Hayato laughed self-deprecatingly. He felt his eyelids were incredibly, incredibly heavy; he just wanted to drift off to sleep.
Just for a second, just one second...
Just a little rest...
"Kuriboh!" A cry echoed in his ear.
But it failed to wake Hayato.
"Big Bro!" Such a noisy voice, how annoying.
Hayato remained deep in slumber.
"My lord!" Was that (Gaia)? Don't be so loud.
He slept soundly, like a baby.
"Fus Ro Dah!" A few Dragon Roars, probably from the (Armed Dragon)s? Whatever.
Hayato's will seemed to sink into the darkness.
But just then, he heard a strange voice—
"How unsightly and pathetic. I will not acknowledge a 'you' like this." A voice like the sun rang out, accompanied by a dazzling golden light.
Under the brilliant glare, Hayato found it impossible to sleep peacefully. He struggled to force his eyes open, to see which bastard was being so inconsiderate. But just then, he suddenly regained full consciousness.
"Hayato!" Yugi's cry was right beside him. Only then did Hayato realize he was slumped over the Duel Arena.
"Hayato, how are you!" Yugi's voice was filled with urgency. Although the pain in his body hadn't subsided in the slightest, for some reason, Hayato felt he could still endure it. Pushing himself up with one hand on the platform, Hayato replied, "For now... I'm not dead yet."
"Oh? You didn't have your brain fried by the attack of (Thousand-Eyes Restrict)?" Pegasus watched Hayato with great interest. "Losing your will would have been a blessing. Waking up will only bring misfortune. Because there is only one path ahead for your destiny—to be dragged into the bottomless darkness by my (Thousand-Eyes Restrict)!"
"I end my turn."
[Pegasus: 1000 LP]
[(Thousand-Eyes Restrict) (equipped with Blue-Eyes White Dragon & Staff of Dark Illusions)][ATK 3000]
"That's a future I refuse to accept." Hayato supported himself with both hands on the Duel Arena. Though he had successfully awakened, the previous 3000 points of damage had taken a real toll on his body. Hayato felt he could pass out at any moment. "The path one walks should never be decided by others. We should be the ones to forge our own destiny."
"If the path ahead is darkness, then we will use our gathered bonds to create a new, shining path! As long as the light of our bonds still exists, the darkness of death will never swallow us!" Seeing Hayato awake, Yugi was overjoyed and responded to his words. "Pegasus, let us show you the future created by our bonds!"
"The moment your turn ends, I activate my Set Card, Graverobber! I pay 1000 of my Life Points to activate it! Ugh!" Yugi finally activated the card he had Set long ago. The payment of Life Points caused him to stagger, nearly falling off the Duel Arena. "It's a mere 1000 Life Points! Compared to the damage you inflicted on Hayato, it's nothing at all!"
[Yugi: 1700 → 700 LP]
"Choosing a card from my Graveyard?" Pegasus was unconcerned. "There are no monsters or cards in my Graveyard that can defeat (Thousand-Eyes Restrict). Your struggles are merely an ugly and useless effort before your demise!"
"Heh, Pegasus, I see you don't understand Duel Monsters at all," Hayato said with a smile, trying to stay conscious. "The most important thing in Duel Monsters has never been the monsters on the field or a rich hand. The most important thing is, in fact, the Life Points of both players."
"Both my and Yugi's Life Points are at 700, lower than your 1000. These Life Points, flickering like a candle in the wind, have already declared our victory."
"Hmph, has the Shadow Game fried your brain?" Pegasus snorted and fanned out his Graveyard. "Choose the card you wish to steal, Yugi Muto. In any case, this turn will be your last struggle!"
But to Pegasus's surprise, the card Yugi ultimately chose was not one of his Toon Monsters, nor was it a powerful draw card like (Card of Sanctity). Instead, it was the (Necro Fusion) he had just activated this turn.
"According to the effect of Graverobber, if I choose a monster, I can Special Summon it to the field. If I choose a Spell or Trap Card, I can activate its effect directly." Yugi breathed heavily, exhausted, as he painstakingly activated the transferred (Necro Fusion) on his field. "I... I use (Necro Fusion)..."
'That's far enough, Aibo.' A gentle voice entered Yugi's ears. 'Leave the rest to me and Hayato.'
'Then... I'm counting on you, Yami Yugi.'
"I use the effect of (Necro Fusion)!" All his previous weakness was swept away as Yami Yugi, who had taken over for Yugi Muto, declared in a clear voice, "By banishing monsters from the Graveyard face-down, I can Special Summon a monster. But you should be quite familiar with this effect, Pegasus."
As Yugi spoke, he drew the (Dark Magician) card from his own Graveyard and looked to the other side. "Hayato, let's go!"
"Yeah, go for it, Yugi. Just like before," Hayato said with a smile, drawing (Performapal Sky Magician) from his own Graveyard.
"The (Dark Magician) and (Performapal Sky Magician), a Fusion of your two ace monsters?"
Yugi: "The materials are (Dark Magician) and a Spellcaster-Type monster!"
Hayato: "Banish them both! Overlay!"
Together, they slapped their cards onto the field. The power of Duel Monsters at that moment became a miracle of light, and a brand-new Fusion Monster materialized on their field—
"Fusion Summon! (The Dark Magicians)!!!" they both shouted.
[(The Dark Magicians)][Level 8/DARK]
[Spellcaster/Fusion/Effect]
[2800/2300 → 1300/2300]
Before they could even pose stylishly, (Thousand-Eyes Restrict), completely ignoring the gentleman's agreement between heroes and villains not to attack during transformation sequences, dishonorably bound (The Dark Magicians) in a purple light.
Initially on high alert, Pegasus burst out laughing when he saw the Attack of (The Dark Magicians) drop to a mere 1300 and that it wasn't immune to the attack-sealing "Thousand-Eyes Curse". "Hayato Kobayashi! Yugi Muto! You two are truly the world's greatest comedians!"
"Is this all your so-called bonds amount to?"
"Hmph, don't forget, Pegasus, my turn has only just begun," Yugi sneered, placing his fingers on his Deck. He drew a card and activated it. "Spell Card, (Single Strike Wand)! I Equip it to (The Dark Magicians)."
A magic wand appeared before (The Dark Magicians). Just as (Dark Magician) was about to take it, (Performapal Sky Magician) standing next to him snatched it away and held it in his own hand.
[(The Dark Magicians)][ATK 1300 → 1700]
"At the same time, I activate the effect of (The Dark Magicians)!" Yugi placed his hand on his Deck again. "Once per turn, when a Spell or Trap Card is activated, I can draw one card from my Deck. If it's a Spell or Trap Card, I can Set it."
"And if it's a Quick-Play Spell or a Trap Card, it can be activated this turn," Hayato added. "Just a reminder, Pegasus, Yugi has a (Breakthrough Skill) in his Deck."
"Hmph, Yugi Muto has so many cards left in his Deck, how could he possibly draw that specific card!" Though he said this, Pegasus felt a sense of dread. If Yugi really drew that (Breakthrough Skill), he would lose!
"That's not how it works, Pegasus." Yugi drew the card without hesitation. "For a true duelist, everything is inevitable. We can even create the outcome of our own draws!"
"The card I've drawn is—" Yugi revealed the card. "—(Breakthrough Skill)!"
Hayato pointed a finger at (Thousand-Eyes Restrict). "Your troublesome effect ends now! The loser leaves the field!"
The air shattered. (Thousand-Eyes Restrict), which had been radiating its evil magical energy in all directions, was horrified to find that the powerful magic it took pride in was stripped from its body in an instant.
The attack-suppressing "Thousand-Eyes Curse" lost the power to sustain itself, and its numerous eyes closed one by one. Even the (Blue-Eyes White Dragon) it had devoured took this chance to break free from its boney wings, hovering in the air and eyeing it menacingly!
[(Thousand-Eyes Restrict)][3000/2500 → 0/0]
[(The Dark Magicians)][ATK 1700 → 3600]
"This is the final blow, Pegasus!" Looking at the panicked Pegasus, Yugi's face was cold as he roared in a low voice, "Pay for the crimes you have committed! On your path to hell, count up your sins one by one!"
"At this point, can he even count that high?" Hayato sneered. "Pegasus, Duel Monsters was supposed to be a game that brings people joy, yet you used it to inflict pain on others and steal their smiles. As a farewell gift, how does despair suit you?"
Yugi glanced at Hayato and saw that he was also looking his way. He smiled helplessly. "Just this once, I'll play along with you."
"He is the final boss, after all. It'd be a shame not to have a victory line."
As if in a mirror, the two raised their arms, forming the shape of a gun and pointing it at (Thousand-Eyes Restrict). Before them, (Dark Magician) and (Performapal Sky Magician) simultaneously struck the same pose.
"No, I can't lose like this! It shouldn't be me who loses!" Pegasus clearly couldn't accept reality. "My magnificent mind cannot disappear from this world! Yugi Muto! Hayato Kobayashi!"
Surging magical energy gathered into two spheres, floating before the two great magicians. As the energy reached its peak, Hayato and Yugi shouted in unison:
"Jackpot!"
(end of chapter)