Chapter 53

Pegasus' Castle...

In a pitch-black special room, Mokuba, whose feet were tightly chained, sat against the wall with his head down.

This was Pegasus' so-called "warm" hospitality. Initially, Mokuba was only placed under house arrest. However, Pegasus underestimated Mokuba's resilience and he managed to escape In an unexpected way. After being recaptured, the security personnel had no choice but to add extra precautions.

Having been imprisoned overnight, Mokuba slowly opened the locket around his neck. Inside was a photo of him with his older brother from when they were children.

"Brother, you'll definitely come to save me, right? I'll hold on until then," Mokuba, still young, clung to his only hope and belief—his brother, Seto Kaiba.

The guard outside, a man In sunglasses and a black suit, turned his face away coldly as he watched the weakened Mokuba in the cell. However, this act of turning away was probably the biggest mistake of his life.

Kaiba, who had already infiltrated the ceiling compartment, seized the moment when the guard looked away and accurately landed behind him, delivering a hand chop that knocked the guard out instantly.

After taking down the guard, Kaiba gripped the cold bars and anxiously called out to Mokuba, who was squatting in the corner of the cell. "Mokuba, are you alright?"

"That voice…?" Mokuba, with his head down and eyes blank, lit up with hope upon hearing the familiar and comforting voice. "Brother, it's my brother!"

Dragging his heavy, iron-ball-chained feet, Mokuba struggled to the iron door. "Brother, I knew you'd come to save me! I never doubted it! I didn't give the key you gave me to anyone. I successfully protected the Kaiba Corporation!"

"Mokuba, hold on. I'll save you now!" Seeing Mokuba so worn out, Kaiba frowned with concern as he searched the unconscious guard for the cell key.

"Got it!" The shape of the key was distinctive, making it easy to recognize at a glance. "Mokuba, don't worry. I'll be right there…"

*Clap, clap, clap* Applause echoed through the darkness.

"Who's there?" Startled, Kaiba stopped his actions immediately and instinctively adopted a defensive stance.

"What a touching brotherly reunion. I was moved to tears." Pegasus emerged from the darkness, clapping.

"Pegasus!!" Seeing the mastermind behind all the despicable plans and the man responsible for Mokuba's misery, Kaiba gritted his teeth, barely restraining his anger.

"I'm sincerely blessing your heartfelt reunion, yet your attitude, Kaiba-boy, isn't very nice," Pegasus sneered, hiding his hands behind his back.

"Pegasus, you scum!" Mokuba, seeing Pegasus in the darkness, shouted angrily.

"Shut up!" Pegasus' expression turned vicious as a dark power surged from his left eye, blowing aside the hair covering the Millennium Eye.

The eerie dark power enveloped Mokuba, making him collapse to the ground as if his soul had been drained.

"Damn you, Pegasus!" With the Millennium Eye glowing, Mokuba collapsed instantly. Although Kaiba didn't know the reason, it was clear that Pegasus was behind it, fueling Kaiba's rage even further. "What did you do, Pegasus?"

"Kaiba-boy, don't be so impatient," Pegasus said in his usual slow, mocking tone, further irritating Kaiba.

"I merely sealed Mokuba-boy's soul into this card." Pegasus raised the card that had somehow appeared in his hand, showing Mokuba's helpless image on the card's face. "Just like I did with Yugi's grandfather, Sugoroku Mutou."

"This can't be real." Witnessing the supernatural phenomenon before him, Kaiba's face filled with disbelief. "The Millennium Eye?! So what Yugi said was true."

"That's right. If you want to retrieve your dear brother's soul, there's only one way: defeat me in a duel." Pegasus taunted, putting the card with Mokuba's image back in his pocket.

"Perfect!" Kaiba's expression turned confident. "Let's settle this, Pegasus!"

"NO~NO~NO~" Pegasus shook his head with a disdainful laugh. "You can't challenge me directly. This is Duelist Kingdom."

With that, Pegasus tossed five metal star chips, symbols of duelists, onto the floor. "To challenge me, you must follow the rules of Duelist Kingdom."

"What are you planning, Pegasus?" Kaiba glared at the star chips on the ground, then at Pegasus.

"Go and defeat a Hoshino Chiyuki." Pegasus' tone shifted from playful to serious.

"Hoshino Chiyuki? Why her?" Kaiba was surprised to hear this name from Pegasus.

"Hoshino Chiyuki possesses the ability to communicate with spirits and unlock the full potential of the holographic projection system," Pegasus explained calmly.

"Unlock the potential of the holographic projection system? That's impossible…" As the developer of the holographic projection system, Kaiba was about to dismiss Pegasus' claim but then remembered something.

("Let me show you! The real anger of Seto Kaiba!"

"Take this! Point-blank attack! Burst Stream of Destruction!")

"So that's it, Pegasus." Understanding Pegasus' motive, Kaiba stared at him.

"Yes. I want you, the genius developer of the Duel Monsters holographic projection system, to duel with Hoshino. Your brilliant mind will surely uncover the hidden possibilities of the system. If we can develop a more perfect device, the reputation of Kaiba Corporation will be restored, and its value will increase exponentially."

"Looks like Pegasus doesn't know I've already dueled Hoshino once." Kaiba thought to himself. "So that's it. Although all the duel arenas on the island are under Pegasus' surveillance, my newly developed duel disk isn't."

"This means Pegasus can see his opponent's cards by cheating through the specialized duel arenas," Kaiba smirked, thinking he had figured out Pegasus' secret.

"Well, Kaiba-boy, do you accept the condition?" Pegasus asked as Kaiba fell silent in thought.

"I accept!" Kaiba picked up the five star chips from the floor, clenching them in his fist as he pointed at Pegasus. "After I defeat Hoshino, I'll destroy your invincible legend, expose your ugly face, and make sure you can never stand in this world again."

"I'll crush you with the full force of my cards, Pegasus!!" With those final words, Kaiba turned and left the room.

"I'm looking forward to it, Kaiba-boy…" Watching Kaiba leave, Pegasus smiled, his plan coming to fruition.

…

"Hoshino Chiyuki, what a remarkable duelist." Leaving the castle, Kaiba silently recalled his duel with Hoshino from the previous night.

("What awaits us is a [different ending]!

"Special summon a new monster: [Crimson Demon Dragon—Siegfried Alter]!"

"Since there are eight dragon-type monsters on the field and in the graveyard, Siegfried Alter's attack power increases by 4000."

[Crimson Demon Dragon—Siegfried: 7000]

"Impossible, it's stronger than the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon!"

"See, Kaiba? This is the potential that the Black Dragon brings to the deck!")

"A deck of heroes, though still immature, is an interesting opponent," Kaiba thought, a rare smile of appreciation appearing on his usually stern face.

Ray: "Aaaah!!!"

Ray LP: 800 → 0

"Yes! Yugi won!" The spectators cheered excitedly. Even though they had already won several duels that morning, their excitement never waned. Truly, whether participants or spectators, everyone could fully enjoy the fun of dueling.

"That was easy~" Jounouchi said contentedly, looking at the metal star chips embedded in his duelist glove, counting the morning's spoils.

"Yeah, it's great that things are going so smoothly, Jounouchi~" Yugi said, genuinely happy for Jounouchi's winning streak.

"Hehe, this is great~" Hoshino said, for the umpteenth time raising her duelist glove to admire it closely. "I have to say, this glove is really stylish."

The duelist glove that Hoshino was so fond of was her prize from the only duel she fought that morning. Like Jounouchi taking the glove from the eliminated Weevel, Hoshino had claimed the glove of a bespectacled girl she had ruthlessly defeated.

Did Hoshino feel guilty? Watching the girl's eyes swell up as she handed over her last star chip, Hoshino almost felt like refusing it. But the girl knew that by the second day of the competition, with only one star chip left, it was nearly impossible to collect ten chips and enter the castle within the remaining time.

"Everyone comes here with dreams, to Duelist Kingdom," Hoshino murmured, raising her gloved hand to the sky. The dazzling sunlight shone through her fingers, illuminating the seven star chips embedded in her glove, which, combined with her slender, fair wrist, showed a touch of elegant design.

Current standings:

Hoshino Chiyuki: 7 star chips

Yugi Mutou: 6 star chips

Katsuya Jounouchi: 5 star chips

…

On a hill, two men were stealthily watching Yugi's group.

"They won again, huh?" the shorter man, nervously asked the taller, skinnier man beside him. "Should we report this to the boss?"

"Yeah, let's tell the boss. There's a particularly strong duelist in that group named Yugi Mutou," the skinny man replied, feeling uneasy. "I heard Yugi Mutou is the legendary duelist who defeated Seto Kaiba and is a top contender in this tournament."

"Let's report back and pick another target. This prey is too tough," said the short man, the fear spreading and affecting his confidence. He got up and ran back to their camp.

"What? You want to let this prey go? Do you know how many star chips they have? There aren't many duelists left. To gather enough star chips for all of us to enter the castle, we must take down this prey." The apparent leader scolded the returning short man. "Although Yugi Mutou might be tough, his companion, Jounouchi, is just a rookie. You can handle him easily, right, Ghost Kozuka? Or do you doubt my ability?"

Though initially frightened by the leader's scolding, Ghost Kozuka quickly regained confidence, "Of course, I trust you, boss. Thanks to you're adjustments to my deck, I've won so many star chips."

Kozuka raised his six star chips, their metallic gleam reassuring him further.

"Of course. Do you know who I am?" The leader proudly pointed to himself with his thumb. "I'm the multiple-time U.S. Duel Monsters champion and bounty hunter, Bandit Keith!"

…..

"Is it just my imagination, or are there fewer duelists now?" Honda grumbled after a long walk without encountering any duelists.

"Maybe many have already been eliminated," Yugi mused, rubbing his chin.

"There were nearly a hundred duelists when we first gathered on the island," Hoshino recalled the bustling scene when they first arrived.

"With so many participants, only four can enter Pegasus' castle. It makes sense there would be duelists designated as 'duelist killers' to control the numbers," Yugi concluded, realizing something and hitting his palm with his fist.

As everyone was analyzing the situation, Jounouchi suddenly ran into the woods. "Wait for me, I'll be right back."

"What are you doing at a time like this?" Honda asked impatiently.

"Nature calls! Stop asking so many questions!" Jounouchi complained, running towards the creek.

"What a troublesome guy," Honda shrugged. "We'll have to wait for him here."

"Do you think Kaiba has met Pegasus yet?" Anzu asked, looking up at Pegasus' large castle looming in the distance. "I hope he's already rescued Mokuba."

"I doubt it," Yugi said, shaking his head. "Pegasus' Millennium Eye can seal souls. Even though I don't know how it works, it seems unlikely Kaiba could rescue Mokuba."

"I see…" Anzu lowered her head, feeling dejected.

"Aaaah!!"

A familiar scream echoed from deep within the forest.

"Jounouchi?!" Everyone immediately recognized Jounouchi's distinct scream.

"Could he have been attacked? He never stops causing trouble!" Despite his complaints, Honda's worried expression was evident as he ran towards the source of the scream.

"Let's go too," Yugi urged, looking equally concerned.

In the cave…

"What do you guys want?!" After finishing his business, Jounouchi was dragged here with a bag over his head. Finally, seeing his captors, he demanded, "Do you plan to take my star chips by force? Don't you know violence against duelists is forbidden in Duelist Kingdom?"

"You're Jounouchi, right?" Bandit Keith, sitting arrogantly on a rock, looked at him. "We're not taking your star chips by force. We just want a fair duel."

"This cave has a hidden duel arena. It's never been used, but Pegasus has some twisted tastes." Keith pressed a switch with his foot, and a large duel arena rose from the ground. "You've been winning thanks to Yugi's helped, so we separated you to make you duel on your own."

On the raised arena stood a small figure. "I, Ghost Kozuka, will defeat you with my ghost deck!"

…

"Where did Jounouchi go?" After searching around the water's edge without finding any trace of Jounouchi, everyone regrouped.

"Damn it, he's always causing trouble!" Honda kicked a stone into the water, splashing a large wave.

"Honda…" Yugi looked at Honda, understanding his frustration. He knew Honda was as worried about Jounouchi as anyone else.

"Could he have been caught by a duelist killer?" Anzu suggested, remembering their earlier conversation. "If that's true, with Jounouchi's skill level, he's in trouble."

Feeling helpless, Hoshino stood silently, unable to think of a solution to their predicament.

"Hoshino, Hoshino…" A gentle voice whispered in Hoshino's ear.

"Huh?" Recognizing the familiar tone, Hoshino looked around but saw no one.

"Don't look around. You can't see me right now. Just listen," the voice continued.

"Mr. Holmes!" Hoshino finally recognized the voice, gasping softly.

"I suspect there's a hidden place nearby," the semi-transparent figure of Holmes, resting on Hoshino's shoulder, said, rubbing his chin in thought.

"Why do you say that?" Hoshino asked, puzzled.

"In Duelist Kingdom, everyone aims to win star chips through dueling. It's likely that Jounouchi was taken for a duel," Holmes explained, aligning with Anzu's earlier guess.

"Considering the size of the duel arenas and the timing of Jounouchi's scream, if he was taken against his will or was unconscious, they couldn't have moved him far without us noticing the arena rising. So, there must be a hidden place nearby, likely a cave, given the terrain."

"Really?" Though Hoshino barely understood, she relayed Holmes' reasoning to the group.

"Found it!" Honda, running along the water, discovered a hidden cave behind a waterfall.

"Amazing, Hoshino! Are you a detective?" Bakura, looking at Hoshino with admiration, clenched his fist in excitement.

"Haha, is that so…" Hoshino, embarrassed, turned her face and muttered, "You're amazing, Mr. Holmes, truly a legendary detective!"

"It's just common sense, my friend~"

Jounouchi: "Aaaah!!!" LP → 300

"Damn it! You call this a ghost deck, but all the monsters are zombies!" Jounouchi complained, looking at Kozuka's field full of zombie monsters.

Ghost Kozuka LP: 2700, [Zombie Dragon ATK : 2000 DEF : 0], [Pumpking the King of Ghosts ATK : 1800 DEF: 0], [Clown Zombie ATK : 2000 DEF : 0]

Jounouchi LP: 300, empty field

"Hahaha, still have the energy to talk? Are you ready to give up?" Kozuka taunted, confident in his victory.

"Damn it!" With trembling hands, Jounouchi reached for his deck, reflecting silently. "All this time, I've relied on Yugi and Hoshino in crucial moments. I've never fought alone."

"Am I really just a rookie? Even though I defeated Ryuzaki and Kaiba, it was thanks to Yugi and Hoshino. Alone, I can't do anything." Consumed by regret, Jounouchi's spirit waned, losing the strength to draw a card.

"Brother~"

"Shizuka!"

"There's no way I can't do anything!" The courage buried deep within Jounouchi suddenly surged up. "Kozuka, even if I'm alone, I can defeat a duelist like you!"

"Hahaha, don't talk big. Look at your life points, they're like a candle in the wind!" Kozuka, thinking Jounouchi was just bluffing, paid no attention to his words.

"Jounouchi!!" The group finally found Jounouchi dueling on the platform deep within the cave.

"Sure enough, Jounouchi was captured for a duel." Yugi said worriedly, seeing Jounouchi's low life points and the strong monsters on the opponent's field.

"Hahahaha, Yugi Mutou, you're too late." Keith, sitting on a rock and watching the duel, laughed when he saw Yugi arrive. "Your friend is about to lose all his star chips! Even you can't turn this situation around."

"Sorry, Yugi?" The bright light flashed again on the Millennium Puzzle, and Yami Yugi took over.

"Jounouchi, you can turn this around, you just have to..."

"Don't say anything, Yugi!" Jounouchi unexpectedly interrupted Yami Yugi, who was about to give him a hint.

Despite having almost no life points and no monsters on the field, Jounouchi's eyes were filled with hope. "This is my pride as a duelist. This is my fight, Yugi!"

"I see, Jounouchi." Understanding Jounouchi's thoughts, Yami Yugi smiled. "Then go for it, Jounouchi. Show them your true strength!"

"My turn, draw!" Slamming the card he drew onto the table, Jounouchi, as Yugi had said, pursued victory with all his might. "I summon, in attack mode, [Battle Tiger]!"

[Battle Tiger★★★★Earth][Beast][ATK : 0 DEF: 2100]

"Hahaha, summoning a monster with 0 attack points in attack mode, are you an idiot?" Kozuka laughed, clutching his stomach.

"Is that really the case, Kozuka?" Ignoring Kozuka's taunts, Jounouchi confidently placed two spell cards on the table. "Activate Spell Card [Shield & Sword]!"

"What?! A spell card that swaps attack and defense points!" Seeing Jounouchi activate the spell card, Kozuka, who had been relaxed, suddenly tensed up.

[Shield & Sword Spell Card Effect: Until the end of this turn, the original attack and defense points of all face-up monsters on the field are swapped.]

"All your zombie monsters have 0 defense points, while my Battle Tiger has a defense of 2100! So!" Raising his arm, Jounouchi shouted for victory, "Battle Tiger, massive attack boost!"

[Battle Tiger ATK: 0 → 2100]

"It doesn't matter. Battle Tiger's attack boost is temporary, and next turn you'll be defeated." Although surprised by Jounouchi's sudden move, Kozuka still believed he couldn't lose.

"There is no next turn, Kozuka. I activate Quick-Play Spell Card, [Graceful Dice]!" Using the second spell card, Jounouchi's confidence seemed unshakable as he watched the angelic figure materialize.

[Graceful Dice Quick-Play Spell Effect: Roll 1 six-sided die. All monsters you control gain ATK and DEF equal to the result x 100 until the end of the turn.]

"I can see it! I can see all six faces of the dice showing 6!" Jounouchi's eyes widened as he awaited the result.

Roll result: 6!

"Yes! Because of Graceful Dice's effect, Battle Tiger's attack increases by another 600!" Slamming the table, Jounouchi glared fiercely at Kozuka. "Send your zombies back to the graveyard, Kozuka!"

[Battle Tiger ATK → 2700]

"Battle Tiger, attack Zombie Dragon! Roaring Tiger Slash!"

With an attack power of 0, Battle Tiger had never imagined it could unleash such a powerful strike. The roaring blue tiger pounced on Zombie Dragon.

"How can this be?!" The roar of Battle Tiger hit the 0 attack power Zombie Dragon, causing damage equivalent to a direct attack. The powerful impact cleared Kozuka's life points.

Kozuka LP → 0

"Did you see that? This is the true strength of a proud duelist, Katsuya Jounouchi!"