Dirt
By SMYGO4EVA
Secrets are always covered in something else that was a lie; a façade belies our perception of the world that we all exist in. An individual would pretend to be someone they're not, when at the same time they would hide their weaknesses in a tapestry of lies. They would to face the truth every day and night, forced to stay awake while their conscience was far from clear. They had to face the chimera they created and see for who or what they really are.
Joey despised being seen as weak when in front of his opponents, as weakness only brings despair and destruction to the duelist and its heirs. Hopes and dreams would be forbidden to the outcast and the fragile hearts. Just like the world around him, everyone used a twisted mirror or trick to assume that you are strong and unbeatable. He never had that chance, because his secret had been revealed many times.
Yugi sought the Pharaoh in the Millennium Puzzle for his own protection and illusion of leadership because he was considered the best. He won most of the duels he participated, thanks to the Pharaoh, but accolades and the God Cards were never enough. After all the time he spent in Yami's guidance and his friends' support, he was lying to them. He wasn't the real winner.
No matter how they hated it, Yugi and Joey sought truth in their own roles in the game in both Duel Monsters and the world around them. It was better to say that weakness made them stronger for the more duels to come, as the cobwebs and dirt that covered the truth was swept away in the winds of time.