The Bittersweet Fate Of A Duelist

Chapter 7

«I sacrifice my Big Shield Gardna and Kuriboh, to summon my Ace Monster!».
Yugi's voice, amplified by the perfect soundproofing of the Domino Stadium, resounded firm and decisive, vibrating proudly in the air while the King of Games replaced the two cards on the Duel Disk's blade with the one he just Summoned on the Field.
His most faithful monster, companion of all his Duel, appeared on the Field in place of the warrior and the fluffy demon, floating upright and austere, his long scepter already aiming at Seto, ready to let his dark magic free.
The protector of the Pharaoh. Yugi's best friend in a Duel.
The memory of Mahad.
The Dark Magician.

Yugi lifted his right arm, pointing towards Seto, almost leaning forward toward him: «Go, Dark Magician! Destroy Seto's remaining Life Points! Dark Magic Attack!».
Seto's Field was not empty.
His majestic Blue-Eyes White Dragon stood out in front of Yugi, large wings and jaw full of sharp teeth wide open. The mighty dragon was ready to strike his opponent with a powerful and beautifully terrifying burst made of white light, but the noble beast could not stand against the Dark Magician's assault.
The dragon was imprisoned in the Spellbinding Circle, weakened of 700 ATK points. Consequently, with 2500 ATK points, the Dark Magician dominated the 2300 ATK points of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon.
With one single attack, he would inflict Seto a 200 points damage, equal to the last, sparing handful of Life Points the CEO still had.
Moreover, Seto no longer had Spell or Trap Cards on the Field, the last one swept away thanks to Yugi's Mystical Space Typhoon.
He lost. Again.
Raided by the attack filled with dark holographic magic, Seto fell down to his knees while his Life Points went down until they hit zero, defeated by umpteenth time, annihilated again by his fierce rival.
Down, on the ground, laid there in yet again another submission.
Nevertheless, the CEO smiled.
He managed to change his always-present frown to a gentle smile, not too wide but still there to be senn, between frustration and failure. He was inflamed by that challenge, scorched by the hot burning energy Yugi had thrown at him.

The Heart of the Cards was still mushy nonsense to Seto, but the merged souls of Yugi and the Pharaoh were capable of burning brighter and more radiant than the most intense fire.
Their Duel had been a clash of wild fire against standing ice, of darkness against light.
A Duel, like all their battles, worthy of being remembered.
Seth's presence flickered in the recesses of his mind, and when Seto lifted his head, blowing away strands of brown hair obscuring his vision, the CEO's gaze linked to Yugi's, big, purple eyes contaminated by the intense crimson of the Pharaoh's soul.
After a moment, Seto realized Yugi had held out his hand, a gesture the man had refused uncountable times, afraid, because Seto Kaiba did not accept help.
But then, with Yugi's eyes gleaming with joy, brilliant crystals staring at him from above, so full of new life, Seto gave in.
He grabbed his outstretched hand, and pulled himself to his feet.
Without warning, Seto pulled Yugi into a firm but tender hug, bending over to lock his smaller frame in a kindhearted and loving grip. Yugi's crazy hair tickled his chin as he tightened the embrace, like a seashell around his precious pearl, and Seto smiled again.
«Sooner or later, Yugi, I will win. Sooner or later... I will be able to defeat you», he said, a quiet whisper lost in the silence of the empty Stadium, kept between their bodies, pressed close together in a warm and comforting sensation.
And Seto did not lose his smile.
Seto had never been so happy to have lost to his rival, the person he had swore to defeat. He would have lost another thousand times, just to keep the sparkle of life in Yugi's eyes, to avoid seeing it disappear again.
Yugi did not reply to that.

Later that day, after shutting off the lights and closing the Domino Stadium, Seto and Yugi strolled around in the mildly cold weather, stopping in a small park nearby. A tiny green spot in that ultramodern area of the city.
All around them, even if the land was still wet with the rain that had stopped falling two hours prior, children and older kids were playing and running, carefree and giggling, with the eyes of their parents on them. Some of them were joyfully playing with their dogs, throwing balls and sticks or just sprinting alongside the animals.
The majority of the people Seto and Yugi passed by turned to look at the two Duelists, clearly recognizing them but not daring to approach. A lot of children immediately ran to pull the sleeve of one parent or another, pointing at the world famous men.
Because of that, Yugi often asked Seto why he never wore some kind of disguise, if only to not be recognized by every single passerby, but the CEO limited his answer to a fancy shrug.
«You know, if I wasn't this familiar with your presence, I would probably have the same expression», Yugi said with a smile, nodding at the bewildered faces of kids and adults alike.
Seto stared at a particularly large group of young teenagers, who seemed torn between the decisions of approaching or stay intimidated, and crossed his arms, resting his back on the bench on which they had just sat down: «I could easily say the same about you, and it would be an euphemism».
Yugi frowned, but it was an amused frown: «You're feeling generous today, uh?».
«I can't deny the truth», Seto simply said. «You are the King of Games, after all. It's obvious every Duelist aspire to become like you».
«Is that why you insist on putting on display my Deck and my Duels at Duel Academy?».
Seto tried to reply, but in that moment one member of the teenagers group, a boy that could have been not older than 14 years, had detached himself from his friends, and was approaching, showing visible signs of both agitation and excitement.
Stuck in his hands, he was holding what was, with all probability, his Deck.