I own nothing.
Chapter 10: Self-Fulfilling Prophecy

The gang raced each other to the castle's entrance, Yugi's face fixed with a determined expression. The guard attempted to turn them away, but quickly shut up as Yugi, Mai, and Joey showed off their Star Chips, complying when a voice in his ear piece informed him that Rain was also allowed in, even without the necessary chips. He again tried to turn the others away, but a quick misdirect from Mai left him completely locked out.
Joey smirked and brushed off his hands as he locked the door. "Hmm, and that's that."
"Mai, any restaurant of your choosing, it's on me." Rain said as she high fived the older girl, hearing the goon demand entry and insult them from the outside.
Yugi chuckled at the girl's vindictiveness before turning to run down the hall. "There's no time to waste!"
"Aye aye, captain." Rain said as she followed after him.
Joey also agreed. "You heard the man. Let's go!"
They all ran through the corridors, Rain trying to recognize the halls from before to find Pegasus's throne room, only for them to come to a skidding halt as they saw someone in front of them gazing down a balcony at a lower floor."
"Bandit Keith." Joey growled.
Said delinquent heard them and glanced over at them. "Well, what do ya know? If it isn't big, tough Joey and his crew of duelin' dummies."
"You slime bucket!" Joey shot back. "I've been waitin' to find you!"
Joey charged the bigger guy, but Bandit Keith easily weaved through the blonde's punches, before grabbing his hand.
"Can't this little grudge of yours wait?"
"You wish, ya creep!"
"Okay. Suit yourself, but the real action's about to start."
Rain raised a brow at him. "Real action?"
Keith motioned to the bottom floor and everyone glanced over to see Kaiba making his way to a dueling field.
"Yeah, the world champ and Pegasus." Keith explained as Yugi and Rain gripped the railing, both angry. "I'd hoped to get first crack at the old man myself, but you know they save the biggest match for last."
"Wait a minute." Mai cut in. "Are you saying those two are gonna duel?"
"That is correct." A new voice said as another suited goon came out from the hall behind them. "Welcome, finalists, I'm Croquet, Chief Tournament Liaison. Congratulations on making it this far. Pegasus is quite taken with all of your dueling talents. In fact, he's so impressed, he wanted to reward you with some entertainment: a special exhibition match. I think you'll all be quite in awe of what you're about to see. This match should give you an idea of what's in store for all of you."
"So basically, it's meant to intimidate us, huh?" Mai asked. "Why would Pegasus so something like that?"
"'Cause he's a grade-A nutcase." Joey answered.
"And a lover of power trips." Rain added.
Croquet only chuckled and turned away. "Enjoy the match."
They all turned back to watch as Rain bit her nail.
"This isn't going to end well."
(Y/N) appeared beside her. "You said it yourself, Rain: Kaiba chose this path himself."
"I know what I said." She sighed. "Doesn't mean I wanna watch him go down in flames."
"Rain?" Yugi asked.
"Oh, sorry I was-," She stopped as she realized she didn't need to lie anymore. "I was talking to her."
Yugi gave her an uneasy expression, probably still having thoughts about his own counterpart. Joey overheard them and promptly changed the subject once he was sure Mai wasn't paying attention. "Say, Rain, that spirit friend of yours."
"(Y/N)."
"Yeah, her. What's she like, anyways?"
Rain gave him a look. "What do you mean? You guys have met her. Maybe not to your knowledge, but she's been showing up plenty of times."
"Well, we see her when you duel or when we're in trouble, but we don't know much about her." Tea pointed out.
"I guess so. For now, I can tell you (Y/N) is loyal to a fault and downright terrifying if you cross her."
"Yeah, we got that." Tristan said. "I think they were talking more personality wise."
"Oh, well, she might look all calm and composed on the outside, but she is a snark, through and through. Gods help you if you give her even an ounce of ammunition."
"Uh oh, you better steer clear, Joey." Tea joked.
"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?"
Rain laughed before looking down at her hands. "It wasn't easy at first, but now I know (Y/N)'s always gonna have my back."
Yugi didn't say anything, glancing away. (Y/N) might be like that, but his spirit might not be. The conversation was cut short as the door opposite to Kaiba opened, revealing Pegasus, who smirked.
"Bastard." Rain growled under her breath.
"Where's my brother?" Kaiba demanded.
"What? No hello? No, how are you?" Pegasus taunted. "I thought we were friends, Kaiba-boy. Don't tell me that my kidnapping Mokuba and seizing control of your company has put a rift between us. It was nothing personal. Besides, it's not like I hurt your kid brother. He's perfectly safe. In fact, you can have him back if you'd like. Just beat me in a duel, like we agreed and I'll hand him over. I mean, one little victory shouldn't be a problem for the Duel Monsters World Champion."
Yugi studied Pegasus's expression, seeing the glint from his Millennium Eye from under his hair. From what Rain had told them about that particular item, it was gonna cause serious problems for Kaiba.
"Can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm not hopin' Kaiba loses this duel." Joey said. "I still say he's a first-class jerk for everything he put us through, but I can't help but feel for him, tryin' to get back his kid brother."
"You're not wrong." Rain said somberly. "About any of it."
Yugi saw her fidget uncomfortably and felt stupid he hadn't realized it sooner. Despite what she had told Kaiba before, Rain was still close enough that Kaiba hadn't acted against her when she punched him, and they clearly knew some personal stuff about each other if their argument was anything to believe. Plus, she clearly cared about Mokuba. Yugi placed his hand on top of hers and she didn't pull away.
"Rain, are you okay with this?"
She sighed. "I told him he was on his own, and I meant it."
"Doesn't mean you don't have to feel bad."
Rain didn't say anything, neither of them moving.
Yugi glanced down and thought. "Kaiba, I hope you've learned to fight with your heart and your head. Not just for your sake, but Rain's too."
Pegasus glanced away. "Come now, Kaiba. It's so gauche to keep us in suspense, especially with an audience waiting in the wings."
Kaiba looked and was surprised to see the group looking down at him. Rain glanced away.
"Kaiba." Yugi greeted in her place.
"Yugi! How could you be in here after I defeated you?"
"I had some help." He smiled at Mai and then glanced back at Rain.
Kaiba gave her a hard look before the girl held up her glove, showing the incomplete set. The older male blinked at her in shock.
"Rain! You gave up-,"
"Some things are more important than a stupid game, Kaiba!" She snapped, glancing back at him.
Pegasus was quite amused with all this. "I hope you're ready, Kaiba. I've been looking forward to this for quite some time."
Kaiba pulled out his briefcase, grabbing the same duel disk he had used against Joey and Yugi.
"Good." He tossed one over to Pegasus, who studied it with great interest. "Then you'll have no problem dueling with this. Well?"
The adult seemed genuinely surprised, but toyed with the machine. "You want to duel me with your latest contraption? But I don't even know how this silly device even works. Do I spin it like a top, or roll it like a ball?"
"Cut the theatrics!"
"Ohhh!" Pegasus said condescendingly. "Kaiba means business. Okay then, how about we settle this like businessmen would? I'll agree to use your system if you agree to a request that I have."
"What?"
"Nothing that will change the game, of course. I just want someone else to operate your little device for me."
"I smell a rat." Keith growled from his new spot, far from the group.
Pegasus chuckled at the accusation. "I assure you, I'll still make all the strategic decisions. The game play won't change at all."
"So why the request?" Kaiba demanded. "Why not fight your own battle for once in your life?"
Pegasus smiled sinisterly before clapping his hand. "Show Kaiba the lad who'll play as my pawn, and he'll understand my request."
The doors opened, and everyone gasped as a chained up Mokuba was led inside.
"Mokuba!" Rain and Kaiba yelled.
"Something's wrong." Yugi noted, seeing the far off look in the young boy's eyes.
"It's like he's been hypnotized." Tea said.
Rain shook, grabbing her shoulder with her free hand. "It's worse than that. Pegasus took his soul."
They all looked at her in shock. "What?"
"After I got separated from you guys, the tunnel I went down led me to the castle. Pegasus showed me Mokuba...and then he tried to do the same to me."
Yugi's hand tightened around hers.
"Rain, why didn't tell us!?" Bakura demanded, very much concerned. "Are you hurt!?"
"I'm fine, clearly. And I did tell you."
"Vaguely!" Tea shot back. "You said something happened, you didn't say Pegasus tried to take your soul!"
"Not like he could have. The Millennium Bracelet protects me from dark attacks. Plus, I'm pretty sure (Y/N) came pretty close to giving Pegasus hell."
"She should of!" Joey yelled, glaring down at the older male. "That creep didn't even give you a fight? He just ambushed you!?"
"Joey, let it go." Rain insisted. "I'm okay. I knew it was a trap and walked into it."
"Doesn't make it okay." The blonde grumbled.
Pegasus ignored the death glares from the peanut gallery in favor of heckling Kaiba.
"I apologize if he doesn't seem quite like himself, but I happen to find that the captives I keep are far easier to manage after I've made an extraction of sorts."
"You monster!" Kaiba yelled.
"Oh, Rain over there said the same." Pegasus chuckled before pulling out the card containing Mokuba's soul. "Now, now, Kaiba-boy, petty insults aren't the way to get your brother's soul back."
"What's with all this soul talk?" Mai asked.
"I'll tell you later." Rain said.
Pegasus laughed. "I told you, your little brother was perfectly safe, and he is, but how long he remains that way is up to you. Beat me in a duel, and I'll release him as promised. But fail, and not only will his soul remain in bondage, but yours will join it."
"Beat you?" Kaiba repeated. "I'll crush you!"
One of the goons then handed Mokuba the dueling device. "So it's settled. We'll use your new invention, but your brother will operate it for me."
Kaiba's eyes widened. "Wait! Pegasus!"
"What's the matter, Kaiba-boy? This was your idea. Using your own system is sure to give you quite the advantage. What's the problem?"
Kaiba looked down, shaking. "He's been through enough already."
"Well, if you don't want to duel Mokuba..." Pegasus smirked up at the gallery. "Rain, care to be my champion instead?"
"Now you wanna drag Rain into this!?" Tristan yelled.
Rain seethed down at the crazed man. "Dream on, Pegasus! I'm done playing your sick games!"
"Oh, Rain, I'd reconsider. After all, you wouldn't want anything bad happening to your grandfather, would you?"
"Nice try. We both know if you managed to catch my gramps, you would've been parading him off to me. You're never gonna catch him, Pegasus!"
"On the contrary, I'm more than certain the old man would show his face if members of his tribe started getting hurt, like say, Avaria's family, or perhaps your friend Samson?"
Rain gritted her teeth. "You psychopath! You leave them alone!"
"Enough!" Kaiba yelled. "I make it a point not to cross loyal business partners. We won't use it."
"Kaiba..."
"I already made it clear, Rain. This is my business. We'll duel on your terms, Pegasus. Just keep both of them out of this."
"So rather than duel an empty shell or a girl you claim is simply a business partner with the device you perfected, you'll give me the home field advantage. Fine with me. Take him away."
Mokuba was dragged off.
"Creep." Kaiba growled.
"Watch yourself, Kaiba, you're in my world now." Pegasus snapped his fingers as the bridge they were on separated, making room for the arena that came down from the ceiling.
"This should be good." Mai said. "The two biggest legends in Duel Monsters going at it? This is what it's all about."
Once the field was ready, both males stepped up.
"Ready, Kaiba?" Pegasus asked. "Your brother's fate hangs in the balance."
"Kaiba!" Yugi yelled. "You gotta believe in the heart of the cards! It's the only way to rescue Mokuba!"
"Keep out of this!" The brunette snarled back. "I'm fighting this duel my way."
"Kaiba, please listen to him!" Rain insisted before Yugi jumped back in.
"Just remember, it'll take more than a strong monster and clever strategies to win this! That Millennium Eye Pegasus has changed everything. You have to-,"
"Yug, don't forget Kaiba's the guy who took your stars." Joey pointed out.
"I know. But I also know what it's like to be dueling for someone you care about, and I couldn't live with myself if I held back on anything that could help Kaiba get his brother back!"
Rain squeezed Yugi's hand, now trying to comfort him.
Kaiba glanced away. "Yugi, you're a good duelist, but I don't need your help. It's my battle to fight now, and I will win."
Pegasus chuckled. "Poor fool. He needs all the help that he can get."
"We've known each other for a long time, and now we'll see if the master is the Duel Monsters creator or champion! You have nowhere left to hide, Pegasus!"
"Time to duel!" They both declared.

Pegasus 2000LP/Kaiba 2000LP

Given it was Pegasus's castle, he got the first turn.
"Look at you." The creator mocked. "The first move, and already you're nervous. Here, a defensive move. Feel better? Oh, and I'll play this card too, but I think I'll keep it facedown for now, just to keep you guessing."
The two cards appeared on the field, not revealing anything.

Pegasus 2000LP/Kaiba 2000LP

Kaiba drew his card.
"It's my turn now."
The brunette hesitated, likely trying to strategize the best way to reveal Pegasus's facedown.
"Come on, Kaiba." Rain murmured under her breath.
"I'll lay a card facedown, too." Kaiba finally said. "And also, I play Rude Kaiser in attack mode."
The blade wielding, armored reptile man rose to the field with a hiss.

Rude Kaiser
1800 ATK/1600 DEF

"Go, Rude Kaiser!" Kaiba ordered. "Attack Pegasus's defense card with Forearm Slash!"
The monster lunged as Pegasus's monster was revealed to be a Toon Alligator.

Toon Alligator
800 ATK/1600 DEF

The little guy didn't stand a chance, getting torn to shreds.
"Oh no!" Pegasus said dramatically.
"I'd expect more from you, Pegasus." Kaiba huffed.
"I had no idea that you had such powerful cards at your disposal, Kaiba." The silver haired man feigned. "I don't think I have a beast in my entire deck that could compare with that creature!"

Pegasus 2000LP/Kaiba 2000LP

Pegasus then drew and smiled crazily. "Hold on. I may have spoken too soon. Yes, here's the perfect card: Parrot Dragon."
A green dragon with a parrot's head and crazed eyes materialized in place of Toon Alligator.

Parrot Dragon
2000 ATK/1300 DEF

"Attack! Bombarding Beak!"
"Not so fast." Kaiba said as the avian reptile dove. "I placed a card facedown too, remember?"
"You what?!"
"And I'm activating its effect right now. The Mesmeric Control Card  entrances your monster and reduces its attack power by 800 points." Parrot Dragon became dizzy and stumbled about. "Kaiser, Forearm Slash! Carve up that bird!"
The lizard man leapt forward, striking down the still dizzy dragon. Again, Pegasus pretended to be shocked.

Pegasus 1400LP/Kaiba 2000LP

"I don't get it." Tristan said. "Pegasus talks a big game, but he duels like a kid."
"It's almost like he's toying with him." Mai said.
"Yeah." Joey then stiffened, turning to Yugi. "Wait, didn't he pull this act with you?"
Yugi nodded. "Yep. He doesn't even take the world champion seriously. I just hope Kaiba catches on before its too late."
"Kaiba's smart enough to know when he's being played with." Rain said.
Kaiba seemed to know this, given his pauses, but that didn't stop him from dueling.
"It's my turn, Pegasus."
"Stop right there!" Pegasus commanded as Kaiba was about to play a card.
"Huh?"
"I'd like to play a little guessing game with that card you're about to throw out on the field."
"A game? We're in the middle of a duel here!"
"What? I'm allowed to play a game, my magic card says so."
"Magic card?" Kaiba repeated.
"I played a facedown, don't you remember? It's called Prophecy, and it gives me the right to guess whether the card you're about to play has an attack power higher or lower than 2000, and if I manage to guess correctly, Kaiba-boy, then the card in question becomes mine."
"What?" Kaiba said in shock. "You can't just-,"
"And I think I'll prophecies that it is indeed over 2000." Kaiba's face said it all. "But, wait, wait, something else is coming. Yes, yes, I see blue and I see white! Could it be? Yes! Of course! I see Blue Eyes White Dragon! Was I right? I was right, right? I so hope I was right."
Kaiba growled. "Enough! Here! Take it!"
The card was laid down on the monitor and was sent over to Pegasus who chuckled in delight.
He proudly showed it off. "Now the most valuable card in your deck is mine."
"He's using the Eye's power." Rain said.
Yugi glanced at her worriedly. "Even with Kaiba's skills, he doesn't stand a chance against Pegasus's powers."
Pegasus laughed again. "Now I have two things you care about, Kaiba: your dragon and your brother. Let's see what else I can take. After your turn, of course."
Kaiba huffed. "Without my Blue Eyes, I have no choice but to switch my monster to defense mode."

Pegasus 1400LP/Kaiba 2000LP

"Goody." Pegasus cheered. "Now it's my turn again. I'll lay one card facedown on the field and one monster facedown. And I'm afraid that's the best move that I could come up with."

Pegasus 1400LP/Kaiba 2000LP

"This is a bait." Rain said.
Yugi nodded. "You couldn't get more bait than that."
"My turn!" Kaiba declared as he summoned Saggi the Dark Clown and set a facedown, ending his turn.

Saggi the Dark Clown
900 ATK/1600 DEF

Pegasus 1400LP/Kaiba 2000LP

"Wait, I remember this move." Bakura said.
Tea nodded. "Yeah, it's the same thing Kaiba used on Yugi in their duel."
"His Crush Card combo." Rain said. "I've been victim to it before in some of our friendly duels. It's not something you easily dance around."
"Pegasus knows that it's coming." Yugi said grimly.
The Wayfarer girl sighed. "Without a doubt."
Of course, Pegasus just had to prove them right with his next statement.
"Since you just played your Crush Card, I think now would be an opportune time to activate this: Negative Energy! It doubles your clown's attack points, and since the Crush Card can only be hosted by monsters with less than 1,000 attack points, my magic makes Saggi the Dark Clown too strong for the job. So sorry! Oh, what's wrong, Kaiba? You look so sad. Keep your chin up. I'm sure it was just a lucky move on my part. But you know what they say, Kaiba, it's better to be lucky than good!" Pegasus then flipped his monster. "Ah, my Dark Rabbit. And thanks to my Negative Energy spell, he's twice as strong!"
A crazed hare popped up with a taunting smile on its face, growing bigger thanks to the effect of the spell card.

Dark Rabbit
1100 ATK/1500 DEF — 2200 ATK/1500 DEF due to the effects of Negative Energy

"But I'm sure he's still no match for your stalwart clown." Pegasus taunted as Dark Rabbit pummeled Saggi into dust, cutting Kaiba's lifepoints in half.
Everyone winced at the damage.
"And I always thought a rabbit punch was a wimpy move." Joey said.
"I've never seen Kaiba so shaken before." Tea added.
By now, Rain's hand was clutching Yugi's as if it were a lifeline. Yugi didn't attempt to pull away, even as it started to hurt, squeezing back softly if only to give her a small comfort.
"So long as Pegasus has the Millennium Eye, he'll be able to see Kaiba's hand. Kaiba's got no way to defend himself."
"Come on!" Mai said. "Tell me you're not serious, Rain."
"Rain, I know you said those things had magical powers, but can it seriously help him do that?" Joey asked. "How's anybody supposed to win against that kind of power?"
"Having another Millennium Item." She answered.
Tristan looked down at her. "Wait, really?"
Rain nodded. "It's not just the Millennium Bracelet. Theoretically, all of the items should be able to cancel each other's powers out. But Kaiba-,"
"I wouldn't count Kaiba out of this match yet." Yugi assured her. "Like you said: it's not over until your lifepoints hit 0."
Despite Yugi's optimistic words, Kaiba could only put a monster facedown in defense and end the turn.

Pegasus 1400LP/Kaiba 1000LP

Pegasus drew and looked quite pleased with the card.
"Tell me something, my old friend, did you like watching cartoons in your youth?" Kaiba said nothing, likely just as confused as everyone else. "Is that a no? Kaiba, you're even more cold-hearted than I thought. For me, they were the absolute best, and none was closer to my heart than the misadventures of one tricky hare! I am speaking, of course, of Funny Bunny! Such a clever rabbit, forever evading Ruff Gruff McDogg and his long paw of the law! Oh, how I'd spend hours watching their never-ending antics and perpetual game of hide-and-seek."
"Just make your move!" Kaiba yelled.
Pegasus laughed. "But, Kaiba, that is my move."
"Your move's a cartoon?"
"Not just a cartoon, you simpleton, an entire magical cartoon world! Welcome, Kaiba, to Toon World!" A pop-up book materialized on the field in a puff of pink smoke. "Let the fun begin!"
"You must be kidding!" Kaiba yelled.
Tea tilted her head. "Toon World? It looks more like some kid's pop-up book to me."
"I've never even heard of this wacky card." Joey said.
"Yugi, tell me that card doesn't sound familiar to you either." Rain pleaded.
"I'd be lying if I did." He admitted.
"Hey, I think that Pegasus' Dark Rabbit just pulled a Houdini." Tristan pointed out.
Kaiba huffed at the empty field. "So that's the magic of Toon World, now you can make your creatures disappear?"
"Heh." Pegasus laughed. "Even cartoon bunnies can't vanish into thin air. My Dark Rabbit simply went to his new home, and it's a home that will prove to be the safest of Havens, for as soon as I close that hard-book cover, Toon World's bindings can't be penetrated by anything. But don't worry, my Dark Rabbit won't lock himself away in those pages without first paying you a visit. Dark Rabbit, attack!"
The freaky hare popped out of the book and flew at Kaiba's defensive monster, Battle Ox.

Battle Ox
1700 ATK/1000 DEF

The beast warrior stood no chance as the cartoon rabbit comedically punched his out, laughing maniacally before jumping back into Toon World.
"Quite a painful chapter in your Battle Ox's life, wouldn't you say, Kaiba-boy?" The creator mocked. "I'd brace for your revenge, but my Dark Rabbit's already safely back inside Toon World. Perhaps the next time that he comes out to give you a thumping, you can try taking a swing at him."
"You coward!" Kaiba insulted.
"That's not fair!" Tea shouted.
"He'll keep doing this the entire duel!" Yugi added.

Pegasus 1400LP/Kaiba 1000LP

With no way to attack Dark Rabbit, Kaiba was forced to end his turn with a facedown.

Pegasus 1400LP/Kaiba 1000LP

"Hmm. Looks like it's my turn again, and my chance to show off even more toon power." Pegasus then held up Kaiba's Blue Eyes. "And what better way to demonstrate than with the card I stole from you! Now I'll show you what your beast is capable of under my control. Blue Eyes White Dragon, awaken!"
The towering dragon rose up with a roar.

Blue Eyes White Dragon
3000 ATK/2500 DEF

Toon World lowered towards the beast.
"Cross the threshold into Toon World!" Pegasus ordered as the book opened and sucked up the monster. "Meet the new-and-improved Blue Eyes Toon Dragon!"
The book reopened as a chibified version of Kaiba's emerged with a devilish grin and a growl.

Blue Eyes Toon Dragon
3000 ATK/2500 DEF

"No!" Kaiba shouted. "You've stripped him of his pride!"
"Please! I've transformed this legendary beast into his most supreme form. Also, I've made him look much more cuddly!"
"Rain's Light monsters look cuddly!" Joey called out. "That thing ain't."
"Blue Eyes Toon Dragon, attack Rude Kaiser!" Pegasus ordered, as the little monster blew up like a balloon and blasted Rude Kaiser to bits, leaving Kaiba wide open. "How embarrassing. A world champion blasted by a caricature of his own most trusted beast. However did that happen?"

Pegasus 1400LP/Kaiba 1000LP

"Pegasus, your underhanded dueling tactics have gone on long enough. It's time someone put a stop to your cheating ways." To everyone's shock, even Pegasus's, Kaiba abandoned his hand, laying the cards down on the monitor. "I may not know exactly how you're cheating, but somehow, you can see my cards, so I'm abandoning my present hand. Perhaps if I can't see what I'm playing, you can't either."
"A gutsy move." Rain said, unsure. "But is it gonna be enough?"
"Well, here he goes." Yugi said as Kaiba drew.
"I've put all my faith in this next card, so now, let it be revealed!"
Kaiba threw the card down without looking, his faith rewarded as a second Blue Eyes came roaring onto the field.

Blue Eyes White Dragon
3000 ATK/2500 DEF

Everyone was in complete shock as Kaiba seemed to get a burst of confidence.
"Yes! The Blue Eyes White Dragon!"
"Incredible!" Mai said. "That's gotta be the luckiest draw I've ever seen."
"I think that draw was more about faith than luck." Tristan corrected.
Joey nodded. "You said it, bud! Kaiba listened to his heart, and it paid off for him, big time!"
"Pegasus!" Kaiba yelled. "Your prophecies have failed you, and now your Toon Dragon will fail you as well!"
The older male clapped as the dragons roared at each other. "Oh, this is going to be such fun! A Blue Eyes attacking his toon counterpart? There's no end to the zany antics that could ensue from this!"
"Wrong." Kaiba said. "This isn't one of your hare-brained, after-school cartoons! Your toon won't escape this!"
"Oh no! Heh heh heh!"
"Something's not right here." Yugi noted.
Rain clenched his hands harder. "Pegasus is way too calm about this."
"Blue Eyes, attack with all your might!" Kaiba shouted. "White Lightning!"
The blast of electricity shot through the air, barreling at the toon at high speed, only for the monster to stretch out of the way with a psychotic smile."
"What was that!?" Joey yelled.
"You should've watched more cartoons, Kaiba." Pegasus said. "The cuddliest creature never, ever gets hit. In 3,013 episodes of Funny Bunny, Ruff Gruff McDogg never laid a paw on our cuddly hero. No, he would try and try, but never would he succeed. Such a clever little rabbit! And my creature will employ the same cleverness every time you attack, because as long as my Toon World card is out, everything I throw will be just as hard to pin down as my Toon Dragon!"
"That's as good as cheating!" Rain yelled. "Kaiba's gonna get creamed if all of his opponents are toons!"
"This ain't fair!" Joey accused. "Just 'cause Pegasus invented the game shouldn't mean he can use some super card that no one knows about."
Mai glanced over at the two shortest members of the group (who she would have gladly teased as lovebirds for their insistent handholding if the situation wasn't so dire). "Yugi, Rain, either of you heard of Toon World?"
"From what I remember, it was never put into circulation." Yugi answered. "It was too powerful."
"Pegasus must've kept the only copy." Rain spat. "Cause that's fair."
"How can anyone beat Pegasus when he has cards like that at his disposal?" Tea demanded.

Pegasus 1400LP/Kaiba 1000LP

Pegasus drew, holding up the card. "I play this. A new addition to Toon World, the Shine Palace!"
Toon World glowed with a blinding light as its pages turned to a shining castle.
"Luminous, isn't it? And it makes for quite a handy plot twist. You see, the Shine Palace raises my Toon Dragon's attack by 500 points."
"That still won't bring this story to an end." Kaiba shot back.
"I beg to differ, Kaiba-boy. I think that I've just written the final chapter of your defeat!"
Toon Dragon flexed as its attack increased, its biceps turning into volcanos as it let out a snarl.
"I'm no cartoon expert, but volcano biceps is bad, right?" Mai asked.
"Blue Eyes Toon Dragon, attack! White Lightning!"
"Not so fast!" Kaiba interrupted. "I activate Negate Attack!"
The attack was sucked into the vortex, though Pegasus remained confident, ending the turn.

Pegasus 1400LP/Kaiba 1000LP

"My turn now." Kaiba drew. "Go, Shadow Spell!"
Finally, Pegasus seemed knocked off guard as chains wrapped around Toon Dragon.
"Now, not only can your toon not move, but his attack power is lowered by 700 points. Looks like toons don't always get the last laugh. Blue Eyes, White Lightning attack!"
This time, Blue Eyes' attack landed, putting an end to its demented mirror.
"Hey, all right!" Yugi cheered. "Kaiba sent that toon back to the drawing board!"
"He pulled it off." Mai said. "Impressive."
"Come on, Kaiba." Rain said under her breath. "Just a few more like that."

Pegasus 1200LP/Kaiba 1000LP

"Now do you understand?" The brunette challenged. "Nothing will stop me from rescuing my brother, Pegasus, not even destroying my own Blue Eyes."
"Aw, Kaiba-boy! Your treasured Blue Eyes White Dragons mean so very much to you, don't they? Well, as the creator of duel monsters, I'm truly touched by your devotion. But, when will you learn that the same devotion is not returned by the Blue Eyes? For as you'll see, they are not so loyal! Go, Dragon Capture Jar!"

Dragon Capture Jar
100 ATK/200 DEF

"This will make two Blue Eyes that I've stolen from you, won't it? You must hate me." Blue Eyes was sucked into the jar, kicking and roaring. "Now all of your dragon's defense points have been transferred to my jar, where they'll be at my disposal, Kaiba-boy."

Pegasus 1200LP/Kaiba 1000LP

Kaiba growled, but drew. "All right, Pegasus, I'm playing this in defense mode."

Pegasus 1200LP/Kaiba 1000LP

"Then for my turn, I'll place this magic card facedown and bring out the Dragon Piper in defense mode." Pegasus announced as the piper monster appeared.

Dragon Piper
200 ATK/1800 DEF

"No!" Rain yelled. "That will put Blue Eyes under Pegasus's control!"
"Hehehe." The man laughed. "You read my mind. And soon, I will make him a toon, just like I did the other Blue Eyes, and then the fun will begin all over again."

Pegasus 1200LP/Kaiba 1000LP

"No way!" Kaiba declared. "Not if I can shatter that Dragon Piper right here. I'm invoking the powers of the Swordstalker!"

Swordstalker
2000 ATK/1600 DEF

"Now attack the Dragon Piper! Vengeance Strike!"
Pegasus smirked. "Hehehe. Did you forget about my magic card? It's a little doodad called Doppelgänger. It can copy anything on the field. I think I'll have it copy your Crush Card and infect my Dragon Piper with it."
Everyone watched helplessly as Swordstalker struck down Dragon Piper, triggering the virus and whipping out all of Kaiba's monsters with more than 1500 attack points. And since Kaiba was Kaiba, that was pretty much his entire deck.
"That's what you get, Kaiba-boy, when you stack your deck with monster cards with only offensive abilities."
"I don't believe it." Joey said. "Kaiba's getting done in by the same card that he tried to beat Yugi with."
"This can't be it." Yugi said, feeling Rain's hand go limp.
"It is. Crush Card just obliterated Kaiba's entire deck..."

Pegasus 1200LP/Kaiba 1000LP

Kaiba was left with a single card, Monster Reborn, using it to bring back Saggi, the only one of his monsters not affected by Crush Card.

Pegasus 1200LP/Kaiba 1000LP
"It's your last turn, and you're going to spend it reviving a clown?" Pegasus mocked. "Oh, yes, that's right, Kaiba. He's the best you can do with my virus still about. Shame, when you consider all that's on the line."
"Mokuba." Kaiba mumbled. "I tried my best."
"Your best failed you! I summon Bickuribox."
A crazed jack-in-the-box popped out of Toon World.

Bickuribox
2300 ATK/2000 DEF

The demented jester pulled out a scythe, cleaving Saggi to pieces, and with no cards left, Kaiba lost to deck out.

"You've lost, Kaiba-boy, and much more than just this duel." Pegasus gloated. "You've lost the only chance you had at rescuing your baby brother. You let him down. But don't worry, my dear friend, I will spare you the agony of carrying on in this world without him."
Pegasus pulled out a blank card that Rain immediately recognized and confused Kaiba.
"What's that?"
"KAIBA, GET OUT OF THERE!" Rain screamed.
Pegasus's Millennium Eye glowed. "It is the final fate of your soul, Seto Kaiba. Welcome to your new home, a place of solitude and seclusion. And while your soul is away, your body will be employed as my obedient servant."
Yugi pushed in front of Rain who looked away as Kaiba's soul was taken. He was determined to not let her see this.
Pegasus laughed. "Ah, the Kaiba brothers, one in each hand. But even though your cards are so very close, your souls have never been further apart. At least when I had Mokuba locked up, you were both still living within the same dimension. But now you're worlds apart! Take that empty shell away. Teach it to wash dishes or something."
Rain still couldn't look as Pegasus's goons dragged Kaiba off.
"Tell me I didn't just see that." Joey pleaded.
"Kaiba..." Yugi looked at Rain who was shaking, hugging her. "We'll get him back, Rain. I promise." Yugi then glared down at Pegasus, tears in his eyes. "Why, Pegasus!? Why are you doing this!? I won't let you get away with this!"
Pegasus brushed him off. "Just try and stop me, Little Yugi!"
Suddenly, both the Millennium Puzzle and the Millennium Bracelet shined as both spirits took control, sending deadly gazes at their enemy.
"Consider this a declaration of war." (Y/N) proclaimed.
"Pegasus, it won't be long now." Her male counterpart said. "We'll put an end to your games."
"Yugi-boy, don't forget that you have to make it through the remaining rounds of this tournament to even win the privilege of challenging me."
Other Yugi snarled. "Rest assured, I'll be at the finals, but the true privilege will be defeating you and undoing all the evil acts you've committed."
"I look forward to your finest efforts, Yugi-boy, and wonderful performances from all our finalists. You truly are the best of the best, the crème-de-la-crème. Rain dear, please be sure they're ready."
As Pegasus turned to walk off, (Y/N) squeezed Other Yugi's hand. Even after the transformation, they hadn't once parted.
"For the little ones?"
He squeezed back. "For everyone."