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Lightning cracked the sky. The ground rumbled. The Pharaoh lifted his hand into the air and yelled, "I summon Osiris!"
The red dragon burst from the dark clouds above them and the wind whipped the Pharaoh's hair and coat around as the creature roared down at its opponent. That was too much for the opponent, who felt his knees go weak, cards falling from his fingers.
It was too much, too familiar, he wasn't strong enough to do this again—
"Yuugi!"
The scene froze and Yuugi felt a hand press against his back. His vision was blurry as he looked up, seeing the concerned face of Mokuba Kaiba. "I'm okay," he told him, but Mokuba shook his head.
"Your vitals spiked. That's not good," Mokuba protested, and Yuugi forced himself to laugh.
"I promise not to sue Kaiba Corporations if I have a heart attack," he joked and Mokuba frowned. "Though I probably should. You know how it is in America. If you have no health insurance, you're in trouble."
A technician, unseen behind the curtain of virtual Domino, laughed and it broke the tension in the room. There were murmurings and someone agreeing that the red dragon was pretty scary, enough to make children scream in terror. Yuugi smiled and patted Mokuba's arm. "It's all right, Mokuba. It was just..."
He trailed off. He didn't want to say it, and Mokuba probably understood. Yuugi looked back at the Pharaoh, and swallowed around the lump in his throat. He was so majestic, arm thrown in the air, duel disk up like a shield, glint of light caught on the puzzle.
He was so real that Yuugi wanted to run over and throw himself into his arms and sob, "Other me!"
But he wouldn't.
"Let's finish this duel," he whispered, bending down to scoop up his cards and then shifting back into a dueling stance. Mokuba looked over him worriedly, and Yuugi forced a smile. "C'mon, Mokuba. This is for your brother's academy. Your graduates are going to get their money's worth, getting a chance to duel against the King of Games... well, sort of."
Mokuba grinned. "Resume the beta testing!" he cried, disappearing behind the virtual screen. Yuugi let out a deep breath and closed his eyes, listening to the computers hum getting drowned out by the wind and roar of the monster. He opened his eyes again when it faded, looking back at the Pharaoh. He wasn't real, but he was just as powerful as the former Pharaoh; however, Yuugi had fought this battle before. And he had won.
He let out another breath and then shook his head with a smile. "A god card? They're supposed to be the strongest cards in Duel Monsters," he said and the Pharaoh's eyes narrowed as he smirked.
"I only use them against my strongest opponents."
Yuugi felt his heart soar, and he grinned. "I can beat god," he challenged, and the Pharaoh's eyes glinted.
"Show me," he said, and Yuugi grinned again, reaching for a new card.