Lion's Mouth: Part I (Yu-Gi-Oh)

Chapter 10

"Am I that strong
To carry on?
I might change your life
I might save your world
Could you save me?"

– "Falls on Me" by Fuel

Chapter 10

"Be careful, Samia!" Bakura called from the balcony.

"You too, Yugi!" said Tea. "And don't let that creep intimidate you!"

I really did not know what had gotten into me. I could not remember ever having this much courage. Yet, looking at Yugi and the Spirit of the Millennium Puzzle, I couldn't not do something to help. And if I could find out information about my powers, it would be worth it.

Croquet suddenly took a step away from me, piquing my curiosity. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him talking into a radio. He spoke in a low tone, but I could still make out his words.

"What? What do you mean Mokuba's missing?" he said. "He is instrumental in the plan to take over Kaiba Corp. Find him immediately. Idiot! How hard could it be to recapture a soulless body? Do not make me come down there."

I did not let any surprise show on my face. How could Mokuba have escaped without his soul? Then I remembered Tristan was missing from the group. This must be his doing. I hoped he stayed out of trouble.

"Go ahead and make your move, Yugi boy," Pegasus said smugly, bringing my attention back to the duel.

Yugi played a card face down and Summoned Skull in defense mode. Then Pegasus switched Ryo-Ran to attack mode and attacked Summoned Skull. Yugi activated the trap card Spellbinding Circle, stopping the attack and reducing Ryo-Ran's attack points.

"Oh no!" Pegasus said dramatically.

"Alright!" Tea exclaimed.

"Looks like Pegasus is in big trouble!" said Joey.

I was not so sure. If Pegasus could read minds, he knew about Yugi's trap card. Did he really not have any cards to get around the trap? Was he sacrificing his monster so Yugi could not use the trap later on? From Pegasus' emotions, I suspected that he had something up his sleeve. This was no time for Yugi to be lowering his guard.

Yugi switched Summoned Skull to attack mode and ordered it to attack Ryo-Ran. However, Pegasus stopped the attack with Trap Displacement, which switched the effects of Spellbinding Circle from Ryo-Ran to Summoned Skull. I bit my lip. I was right.

"Why, it's almost as if I knew exactly what you were thinking, isn't it?" Pegasus taunted. He then had Ryo-Ran attack Summoned Skull, destroying it. Yugi's life points were now 1400 while Pegasus' remained at 2000.

"That mind-reading cheat!" Joey said. "What the heck's the use in going on?"

"Don't say that!" said Tea. "No matter how bad it looks, we can't give up, Joey."

"There has to be a way," I said, though I was unsure if anyone other than Yugi heard me. He had to think of a plan before he lost his confidence again. There had to be a way to counteract Pegasus' magic.

"Fat chance," Pegasus said, staring straight at Yugi. "Nothing you do can stop it. Face it, Yugi, you're at the mercy of my Millennium Eye. Don't you see? I already know every card you keep in your deck and have in my possession every card needed to stop them. I can see every strategy your feeble mind has concocted and have already designed my own counter tactics to render them completely useless. But even without my Millennium magic, you're no match for me. After all, who needs magic with this card? Perhaps you'll remember it." He held a card up. "That's right, Yugi. It's the magical Toon World." He played the card, and a book appeared on the field, opening to display a cartoonish popup of a castle.