Disclaimer: All rights go to Takahashi Kazuki and Konami.
~Chapter Two: The Invitation
"Finally," Jessie threw her arms over her head with a yawn. "I thought the teacher would never stop talking."
"He did, right when he heard you snoring." Added Tyler with a roll of his eyes.
"I wouldn't be if his lessons weren't so boring," Replied the blonde as they made there way over to Tristan, the trio now venturing to the cafeteria for lunch. "If his lesson had been about Duel Monsters, then I'd stay awake. Do you know how cool that would be?" She asked with stars in her eyes.
"Right. A class that teaches how to play Duel Monsters," Taylor shook his he added an apple and sandwich to his lunch tray. "Good luck with that."
"She's not wrong, though," The three of them found a spot outside after they paid for their food. "But it looks like you're going to have to settle for Yugi as your teacher." Said Tristan as he popped open a bag of chips.
"That won't be for a while, since she's taking some days off to watch her gramps," Pointed out the blonde as she leaned back against a tree. "Ty, did Yugi tell you how he's doing, by the way?"
"He's still in the hospital, from what Yugi told me." Tyler took a bite into his sandwich. "They want to keep him in for a few days since he was in pretty bad shape after his duel with Kaiba." Bad back pain and exhaustion. That's what he heard from Yugi when she called him last night. It sound like she wasn't getting enough sleep herself but when Tyler pressed on about it, Yugi told him not to worry.
"That sleaze," Jessie spat. "Good riddence, I'll tell ya. That guy couldn't have dropped out of school fast enough." She said with a leer. Even with the upper-classman gone, she could still feel traces of his presence. Especially after seeing members of his fan club still in mourning even days after he left.
"It's kind of weird that he just dropped out though, isn't it?" Asked Tristan. "I mean, he just appeared during the middle of the school year, and now he decides to drop out? Don't you guys think that's a little weird?" The three of them sat in silence. A fan club member's crying could be heard in the distance.
"The dick is probably so used to having his ego brushed, he crumbles and hides if someone decides to knock him down a few pegs," Pointed out Jessie with a firm nod. "Don't forget, he's still the, "Number one Duelist in the country," bleh," She stuck out her tongue. "He'll be back on his feet in no time if he's got a rep to protect."
"But if Yugi beat him, wouldn't that make her number one?"
Again, the three of them fell into silence. "We gotta talk about this Yugi." Said Jessie. "She's definitely gonna want to hear this."
"Want more jello, grandpa?"
"I've had enough jello, Yugi," Her grandfather chuckled, grunting as his back started to hurt. Yugi rushed over and adjusted his pillows in a hurry. "I'm fine, dear. I just forgot to be careful." He had never seen his granddaughter as fidgety as she was now, and that was saying something. Was she really shaken from what had happened? "I only need to be here for a few more days and I'll be free to go. Having said that, I think you should head back to school tomorrow."
"Huh?" Yugi looked surprised. "School?"
"Yes, dear. It's been a week since you've went to school," Solomon rolled his shoulders into the pillows for comfort. "Don't you think you should be going back? You've been missing out on your studies and your friends probably miss you."
"O-Oh," Yugi looked away for a moment, her grandfather hoping she wasn't hurt by what he just said. He did collapse in front of her and had to be rushed to the hospital, after all. He wouldn't be surprised that she was sticking to his side almost all the time now. But she needed to go back to school. It was the one thing her parents asked her to do if she wanted to keep living in Domino city. "OK, grandpa." She said after while. Solomon only grew more worried as she forced a smile on her lips. "You're right, I'll go to school tomorrow. Just promise me you'll take it easy and you'll let me walk you home when they release you from the hospital."
"Alright, alright." That was the least he could do for her, seeing that she was worrying so much over him. When visiting hours drew to a close, the two hugged their goodbyes and Yugi made her way back home, fiddling with her hair nervously.
"In the end, I never got to give my letter to him. I ended up..." She shivered, remembering the duel she had with Kaiba. It kept coming back to her even though it a few days had passed since then. She couldn't explain what had came over her but Jessie had given her the short version("You somehow got the balls to whoop Kaiba's ass and scare him enough to make him drop out of school! You have any idea how badass that is, Yug'?!") "I wasn't trying to be badass, though. I was just..." She stopped, looking at her shadow. "What... What was I trying to do? I remember feeling angry, but that didn't mean I wanted to hurt him that way. Something just happened. But what was it exactly?" Her mind was drawing to a blank, and that alone couldn't stop her from feeling nervous the whole week. The fear of nothing was a terrible feeling. "My puzzle..." He held the large trinket in her hands, staring at it as if he answer would reveal itself. "It had to be because of the puzzle... But what?"
As she made it closer to home, she noticed a letter was wedged into the door frame of the card shop's door. "What the-?" She unlocked the door and pulled it out, flipping it around a few times. "Who sent this?" She looked around, but saw no signs of idle cars or people. With a little unease, she opened the letter and reached in, pulling out five cards and a little note card. Her eyes widened as she noticed the wax seal that had held the letter closed was engraved with, I2.
"An invitation to a card tournament?" The next day, Yugi had managed to get herself to school and gather her friends in class during lunch, making sure that no one else was around. "Held by Industrial Illusions?"
"That's the company that makes Duel Monster cards all around the world, right?" Asked Jessie.
"They're actually the ones who introduced the game in the first place," Yugi pointed out as she laid out the five cards and note card on her desk. "What I don't get is how they found out I beat Kaiba. Our duel wasn't even official or anything."
"Jessie."
"What?" The blonde looked back at the two brunettes who stared her down. "What?! I didn't say anything! I swear!" She said as she shook her head and her hands. "Come on, I wouldn't do something like that! Every girl in school would be jumping Yugi if they found out what happened! I didn't say anything!"
"Anyway," Tyler still looked skeptical, but he pressed on. "Looks like they're holding the tournament on an island owned by Industrial Illusions. Duelist Kingdom..." He looked back at Yugi. "Are you going to go?"
"I'd want to, but my grandpa is still recovering." Yugi looked back at the cards. "I can't just leave him while he's still hurt. Besides, aren't tournaments usually broadcast and have a lot of other top duelists like Kaiba participating?" She shivered, pulling her blazer closer to herself. "I don't want to go in front of a crowd, and even if I did go, I'd be going against other tough duelists. I don't want to get caught up in all that."
"But, Yugi," Tristan picked up one of the cards and gave it a wave, an illustration of a pile of treasure designed on it. "Look, there's a huge cash prize for the winner. Wouldn't it be cool to win all that money?"
"Cash prize?" Jessie echoed, and swiped the card from Tristan. ("Hey!")
"It would, but I don't even know what I would do with it," The small girl shook her head with a nervous smile. "People who win the lottery say they regret getting all that money. I don't want to turn into someone's mobile bank or something." She looked over at Jessie and notice her friend staring hard at the card. "Jess?"
"Huh?" The latter looked up, as if she just woke up from a hypnotic state. "Oh, sorry," She handed the card back. "I just wanted to take a closer look at the card..." She grew quiet after that as Tristan and Tyler checked out the cards for themselves. Yugi bit the inside of her cheek, getting a bad feeling in her stomach that her friend was hiding something.
"Jessie," Yugi knew that bad feeling in her stomach was right. She just didn't know it was going to lead to this. "You said we were going to get some ice cream." She whined as sea breeze blew into her face.
"Yugi, this party you got invited to for the tournament probably has better ice cream than Mr. Smarty will ever have." Jessie was ginning as she dragged the smaller girl through the docks, her eyes glued on the cruise liner that had people by the dozens flocking around it.
"Mr. Smarty always gives us double scoops for half-off," Yugi quickly shook her head, getting back to the point. "Why do you want to go check it out so badly, though? I only have one invite!"
"The letter said that opening night was like an introductory night or something, yeah? That means we can get off the boat later, just as they'er about to take off!" Jessie flashed her friend an assuring smile. "I promise! Thirty minutes top! We go in, grab some food, mingle, take some photos for Tyler and Tristan to get jealous over, we go home. Come on, this is hosted by Industrial Illusions, right? You can probably find out what kind of decks these elites are into and give your grandpa a heads up on which cards to sell when he gets back on his feet."
"Well..." In a weird way, Jessie had a point. And Yugi would be lying if she said she wasn't a little bit curious about what this party was like. "Alright," Jessie cheered, tugging on her harder than before. "But no more than thirty- Jessie! Jessie, not so fast!" Jessie yanked and pulled her along with her like an impatient dog on a walk, and the two high school girls made it to the end of the rapidly moving line.
"Hey, you still got the cards and letter packed in your bag, right?"
"... No." Yugi thought they were going out for ice cream, not party crashing.
"What? Shit!" Jessie groaned. "How are we supposed to go inside now?!"
"Hey, pipe down!" Two security guards posted nearby came running over, the contestants moving aside in fear of the large men trampling them. "If you're going to start trouble here, Ms, we're going to have to ask you to leave."
"S-Sorry! I didn't mean to cause any trouble, sir!" Jessie gulped as she looked up at the man. "Sorry, w-won't happen again. Hey, um, do we absolutely need to have the letters we were sent in order to get on the boat?"
"Those are the rules," Said security. "No one's allowed on unless they provide the letter sent to them. If you don't have you cards or invitation-"
"Hold on," The other burly man was looking at Yugi, who was pale with fear. This man looked strong enough to knock her down with a simple tap. "Ms, you wouldn't happen to be Yugi Muto, would you?"
"I-I am!" Yugi managed to squeak that out with the very last breath she had. She huddled closer to Jessie as the man went to his walkie-talkie. She could make out the words, "young girl," "No cards," and "Special exception," as the man muttered to the other person on the end of the wire. He hung up a moment later and called over a few other security men, one of them bringing a silver suit case. "You'll be needing this, Ms." He said as he opened the case and handed a strange glove and little trinkets in the shape of golden stars to Yugi. "Your gauntlet and your star chips. Every contestant here is given five star chips at the start of the tournament. Think of them like bargaining chips."
"Bargaining chips? Wait," Yugi shook her head. Now was not the time to be thinking about that. "We aren't here to join the tournament-"
"Ms. Muto, we need to start moving things along," The man placed a hand on her shoulder and gently tried to usher her away. "The boat is about to leave-"
"Hold on a sec!" Jessie grabbed her friend and pulled her back to her side with a firm glare, a protective air swirling around her. "You aren't just going to force her onto the boat! That isn't how it works, pal!"
"Mr. Pegasus specifically requested for her to be escorted to the boat. She is an important guest." Replied the man in black in a matter-of-fact tone.
Yugi looked back at Jessie in worry. "C-Can't I at least have my friend come with me?" She didn't know why it was important that she was invited aboard but that didn't mean she wanted to go alone.
"Only paricapants with at least one star chip are allowed on the boat."
"Then I'll give her three of mine!" Yugi threw her arm around Jessie's shoulders, growing tired of being scared and pushed around by these men. Was that her Millennium Puzzle giving her this surge of confidence, or did it come from herself? "I'm not going on that boat without her. So you either let the both of us on, or neither of us!" Yugi had nothing to lose. If she got on, then she would just have to ask to be let off. If she couldn't, then at least she tried.
"Yugi..." Jessie was stunned. After practically dragging her to this thing, her best friend was trying her hardest to make sure she could come along. Jessie felt her heart ache with guilt. 'Some friend you are.'
"Having less star chips will put you at a disadvantage, Ms."
"Both of us, or neither of us."
The group of men looked at one another and the head of the pack went back to his walkie-talkie. After a few minutes of back and forth talking, he called over one last man with a spare gauntlet.
"Mr. Pegasus doesn't do this often," Said the man as Jessie was handed the glove. "Please try not to inconvenience him with too many requests."
"We understand," Yugi beamed at her best friend as they were moved to the head of the line and walked up the gangplank to the boat. "Well, it looks like we can check out the party for a little longer, right, Jess?"
"Huh? Oh yeah..." Jessie looked the other way, and Yugi swore that she could see her shoulders trembling. "Yugi?" Her voice warbled. "Th-Thanks..."
Yugi smiled, knowing that Jessie needed a minute or two. "No problem, Jess."
"Oh shit, I'm in heaven," Jessie stuffed her second piece of cake into her mouth, the sweet and bitter taste of dark chocolate filling her senses. "This is the best cake I've ever had in my life. You gotta try it, Yugi."
"After I finish this sherbet," Giggling, Yugi took another spoonful of her frozen treat, amazed that they were able to get their hands on these sweet treats. They had spent a good twenty minutes grabbing food and drinks while checking out the venue, and Yugi was almost sad that they would have to leave it all behind when they left. 'Maybe I can pack something for the guys and grandpa before we leave? I wish they were here to try some...'
"Hello, ladies. May I have this seat?" The school girl looked up, her eyes meeting a valley of muscle. "My eyes are up here, hon." Yugi blushed, looking up at the smirking young man. He was handsome, if the love sick puppy look on Jessie's face didn't prove that enough.
"G-Go on ahead." Stuttered Jessie, and the young man sat down, pulling up his sun glasses and resting them on his forehead.
"I hope I wasn't interrupting anything," He said as he crossed one slender leg over the other. "I needed to get some fresh air, since the lobby is pretty much packed to the brim with people trading their cards. You ladies don't mind, do you?"
"It's fine," Yugi was able to find her voice faster while Jessie was still searching for her jaw on the floor. "We were just about leave anyway."
"What?" The young man had a puzzled expression on his face. "But, aren't you the girl who beat Seto Kaiba? Yugi Muto, right?"
"H-How do you know that?!" Yugi yelped, nearly sending the food on the table flying.
"It's been going around, hon. Word travels fast," The handsome man leaned forward, resting his chin on his propped arms. "Don't worry, I'm not the one babbling, and I won't go telling everyone else. I just want to know why you're suddenly dropping out. You were strong enough to take down one of the best duelist in the country. Why stop at that?"
"I didn't duel him just to take his title..." Yugi mumbled.
"Then why did you?" Yugi didn't say anything, because she was still trying to figure that question out herself. It was first for her grandpa, then for herself, and then something else just happened along the way. Something she couldn't explain. "Well, if you do decide to stay in the tournament, you can bet on me rooting for you," He winked. "I'm Saint. Saint Valentine. Just call my name whenever you need me, hon."
"I-I'm Jessica." Yugi almost jumped when she saw the state her friend was in. All shy and red in the face. Just what had happened to her these past few minutes?
"Oh," Saint pushed his glasses down and smiled at her. "So you can talk. I'm glad I got the chance to hear your voice." He stood and nodded at the both of them. "Yugi. Jessica. I hope I can catch you two later." With that, he strutted away with the confidence of a man who knew he got it.
"I call dibs." Jessie said all of a sudden, and the serious look on her face made Yugi laugh.
"You can have him!" She laughed until her eyes began to water and she calmed down enough to gather the empty plates and cups on the table. "Come on, we should get going already. We said we'd only be here for half an hour."
"Yeah, I know." Reluctantly, Jessie picked up her share of the mess and followed Yugi back into the main lobby, the room still filled with people.
"So everyone here is trading cards?" Asked Jessie as they left their plates on a revolving conveyor belt.
"That's right, babe." Jessie flinched as an arm wrapped around her waist and her head whipped down to see a short guy in a beanie grin up at her in a lecherous way. "Don't bother wasting your time with these chumps. Why don't you and your friend come hang out with me in my room? It overlooks the entire harbor."
"Now Rex, be nice." A girl their age came walking over, his green coat and shinning glasses bright enough to make Yugi's eyes sting.
"I am being nice." Jessie had to pry herself away and glare at the smirking boy, not liking that his hand was moving down south when he spoke to her. "I'm just messing with you!" He chuckled. Jessie didn't laugh.
"Rex?" Yugi looked in-between the two of them and suddenly it all clicked together. "Oh! You're Rex Raptor and Weevil Underwood." It took her a while but she had recognize them both from TV. They were both champion duelists in their own right.
"Oh yeah," Jessie crossed her arms over her chest, impressed. "It's no wonder the both of you are here..."
"And it's no wonder why the duelist who beat Seto Kaiba is here, too," Giggled Weevil. Yugi really hoped she would get off this boat before everyone else knew that. She didn't want that kind of attention. "Congratulations, by the way. I look forward to having the chance to duel you at the island."
"Oh no," Yugi shook her head. "I'm sorry, but I'm not going to be attending the tournament. Jessie and I just kind of dropped in to..." How awkward would it be to say they were there just for free food? The answer was very.
"What? You guys can't leave," Rex looked up at Jessie, who looked very uncomfortable at this point. "We didn't get the chance to know each other yet."
"Yeah, we gotta go." Now Jessie looked more than ready to leave. "Sorry, but we have some stuff to do and we aren't exactly prepared to go to some island yet."
"If they want to leave, Rex, they want to leave," Weevil tossed her shoulder-length hair back as Rex started to protest. "You shouldn't harass girls like that. You're coming off much more creepy and perverted than you already are. Girls don't like that."
"How would you know? You're barely a girl yourself." Deadpanned Rex, causing Weevil to flare up with an appauled look.
"W-What?! You're just saying that because I beat you in our last duel! Still sore about it, I see." She said with a smug giggle.
Rex narrowed his eyes with a growl. "You damn bitch-"
"Come on, he's not worth our time," Weevil hooked her arm around Yugi's and started dragging her away. "Us champions don't need to deal with the likes of him."
"W-Wait!" Yugi yelped as she was tugged along for the second time tonight. "Ch-Champions?!"
An hour had passed by. Yugi really hoped the boat was jut swaying in place and not sailing through the water.
"And then I heard from Rex that the girl who beat Seto Kaiba was invited to the tournament as well," Yugi snapped herself back into the conversation, at least managing to get bits and pieces of what Weevil said. "And I'm so glad I managed to find you! I haven't met anyone who's made me more excited for a duel in a long time!"
"Weevil," Yugi softly reminded her. "I have to leave soon. I'm taking care of my grandpa while he's recovering from the hospital."
"I know, I know." It looked like she was only pretending to know but Yugi didn't push it. And thankfully, neither did Weevil. "It's a nice night out tonight though, isn't it?" The both of them took the salty breeze in silence before Weevil spoke again. "That friend of yours went back to the lobby to trade cards, right?"
"Yeah," Yugi looked back at the doorway that led inside. "She's been gone for a while, though. I wonder what's taking her so long..."
"When you're so unsure of your deck, it'll take people ages to decided on what they need," Weevil waved her hand dismissively. "That's why champions like us will never need to trade cards." She leaned forward as she folded her arms on the table. "How's your deck looking by the way, Yugi?"
"It's one that my grandpa helped me make, so I say it's pretty good," The rookie champion giggled, adjusting the straps of the backpack on her back. Weevil's eyes flew to it faster than flies to honey.
"Your deck has the legendary Exodia cards, doesn't it?" Yugi nodded. "Those are said to be the strongest and rarest cards ever. Would you mind if I take a look at them?"
"I don't see why not. Just please be careful with them, OK?" Yugi fiddled around with her bag and pulled the five cards out of the box in her bag. She handed them to Weevil and smiled as the other girl looked at them with glee. "My grandpa's been collecting cards for as long as I can remember, and I think he managed to get his hands on Exodia back when Duel Monster cards were just for collecting. He's never had the chance to use them in a duel though, since drawing all five in a game is pretty rare."
"Indded, it is..." Weevil stood, taking the cards over to the railing. Yugi panicked a little on the inside and stood, following after her.
"Weevil," She gulped back the fear in her voice. "Please, be careful. My grandpa already lost-"
"I'll be honest with you, Yugi. I was so nervous when I found out you were going to be in this tournament," Said the blue-haired girl as she shuffled the five body parts. "I know I said I was excited, but I was nervous, too. Terrified, even. I'd probably have to face you in the tournament, the one who beat Seto Kaiba in a duel. And then you tried to fake me out by saying you're not joining, because of your grandpa," She spat out the last word, like it was too sickly sweet. "You lying tramp. You could win the whole tournament with just these five cards. Well," She smirked. "I'm not going to let you have an unfair handicap. Say goodbye to Exodia!"
"No!" Yugi ran for the cards, but she was far too late. Weevil tossed them straight into the ocean, just as the boat was beginning to sail. "What?! No!" Yugi cried out as she held onto the railing, the cruise liner seeming to push further and further through the water, farther and farther away from the cards as they landed in the water.
"You fuckin' bitch!" Weevil was shoved out of the way by Jessie as she came charging through. "I'll deal with you later!" The blonde snapped before kicking off her shoes and diving straight into the water. Weevil got up from the floor and brushed dirt off her coat, glaring after Jessie before she turned and walked away.
"I hope your friend drowns with the cards." She sneered.
"Jessie!" Yugi ignored her and called out for her friend as she swam through the water. "They aren't worth drowning over! Please, get back on the boat before you get caught in the current!" Jessie shouted something back, but she was getting farther and farther away from hearing range. "Hold on, Jessie! I'm coming!" With her shoes and backpack kicked off, Yugi jumped into the freezing sea water and resurfaced a second later, her small form bopping along the dark waters as she looked around for Jessie.
"Yug'!" Jessie paddled over to her against the current, grinning and already looking winded as she held two cards triumphantly. "Look! Only three more-" But a huge wave washed over her and sent her deeper into the water. Her ears rang and Jessie could only hold her breath for so long as she sank deeper into the murky black depths. Her eyes squeezed shut as her life flashed before her eyes, the one smiling face always coming back to her as her consciousness began to fade.
'Serenity...'
"Jessie!" The next moment, Jessie was hacking water out of her lungs as she clung to Yugi, who managed to keep them both afloat. "Just hang on, Jessie!" Yugi was shouting right in her ear, but it still felt like she was far away. Her mind was swimming and her vision was blurry, but she kept a tight grasp onto the two cards she managed to save. This was the least she could do for her best friend.
"Hey!" Yugi was moving, kicking her legs with all the strength she had. Jessie began to kick too, because she knew she couldn't let Yugi pull both their weight. The both of them paddled over to the side of the boat and Yugi grabbed a hold of a rope ladder that was dangling at the side. Who sent that? Jessie got her answer as the pair of them were dragged up and back onto the ship, Tristan and Tyler's relieved faces greeting them.
"When did you guys get here?" Jessie asked as she coughed up some water, silently thanking Tristan as he handed her his jacket to warm up with.
"We thought you guys were getting ice cream." Said Tristan. "So we wanted to crash your ice cream date. We followed after you guys and kind of snuck on the boat while you were trying to get in."
"Kind of glad we decided to," Said Tyler as he placed his own coat on Yugi's shoulders, the latter shivering where she sat. "You OK?"
"Y-Yeah," Yugi's teeth chattered, but Tyler's coat was helping her warm up. "Thanks guys." She said before looking at her soaking companion. "Are you OK, Jessie?"
"No, I'm not," Jesse shook her head, looking defeated. "Yugi, I'm sorry. I only managed to save two of your cards."
The smaller girl smiled. "It's OK, Jessie-"
"No, it's not!" Yugi closed her mouth, surprised as tears began to fill Jessie's eyes. "I fucked up big time, Yugi. I always do. It's always been this way with me. I'm never able to help anybody..." She looked at the ground, blinking away her tears and sea water. " I couldn't help your grandpa when he got hurt. I couldn't help you when Weevil threw Exodia into the water. I can't even help my own little sister."
"You have a sister?" Asked Tyler. Everyone was shocked. Jessie had never bought up her little sister before.
"Our parents divorced when we were kids. I sometimes talk to her over the phone but our parents always gripe and get bothered by it, especially my dad," She huffed and sat up, her venting calming her down. "I don't get to see her as much as I want since she lives so far away with my mom. And just recently, I heard that she's going to have to go through an operation."
"An operation?" Asked Tristan.
"Yeah. She's had bad eyesight ever since she was born, and it's been getting worse and worse over the years," She pulled her legs to her chest, her sneakers squishing. "She called me awhile ago and the doctors said she'll eventually go blind if her eyes can't be fixed," She sniffed, wiping vigorously at her eyes. "There are specialists who can help her though, without question. But they'er really expensive and neither of my parents can afford it. That's why... That's why..."
"That's why you bought Yugi here in the first place." Tyler finished softly.
"Y-Yeah," She sniffed. "I'm sorry, Yugi. I dragged you here, thinking only of myself, and you lost Exodia. All because I was so fuckin' dumb and greedy."
"You weren't dumb or greedy, Jessie," Yugi wrapped her arms around the taller girl and that only made the latter tear up more. "You were trying to do whatever you could for your little sister. I just wished you told me. I would have said yes and I could have just given you my invitation."
"Its a once-in-a-lifetime-thing, girl." Jessie sniffed. "You don't just take that away from someone."
"We'll you're a once-in-a-lifetime-friend, Jess," Yugi pulled back and helped Jesse on her feet with a smile. "I'd be giving it to you. And don't worry about Exodia. I'm just so happy that you're alright."
"Yugi-" But Jesse was cut off as someone came running over to them.
"Ms. Muto, are you alright?" Asked the tall man, his green eyes flashing with worry.
"I'm fine, no worries." Replied Yugi with a smile. She wondered where this man had come from. She was sure she could have seen him on the ship earlier, especially with his long, silvery-green hair shimmering in the moonlight. "I'm sorry, but who are you?'
"Ah," The man placed his hand on his chest and bowed. "Forgive me for not introducing myself. I am Gekko Tenma, the captain of this ship and a consultant of Maximillion Pegasus."
"Oh shit, then you're the guy we need to see," Jessie stepped over to him, little flecks of water flying everywhere. "We want to report an accident. Well, maybe more like sabotage, but it's still wrong!" Jessie was getting fired up again. "This bitch, Weevil Underwood, threw my friend's cards into the ocean, on purpose! You gotta drop her out of the tournament, she cheated!"
"Do you have any proof?" Asked Gekko with a raised brow.
"W-Well," Jessie held up the two wet cards she managed to save not. "Not exactly..."
"Then I'm sorry to say that I cannot disqualify her without proof of sabotage. My apologies." He didn't look apologetic at all. It was almost creepy. "However, seeing that I can't leave you two cold and shivering, the best I can do is give you a room to warm up," His eyes shifted to the boys. "With your... Guests as well." He turned and began walking down the hall. "This way..."
"Looks like we're going to be staying here way more longer than we thought." Sighing, Yugi and her friends followed after the older man, leaving puddles of water along the way. With all that had happened so far, Yugi hoped it couldn't get worse than this.
"Mr. Pegasus," At the head of the long table, a slender and regal man with long white hair looked up from the comic book he was reading. His security men knew that interrupting his alone time was only allowed if something important came up, so he hoped this would be good. "Ms. Yugi Muto has made it on the ship, as you requested. However, word has gathered that she does not plan to travel to Duelist Kingdom. She insists that she has to take care of her recovering grandfather."
"Ah yes," Pegasus held a glass of red wine to the light, rolling his wrist to stir the drink. "Her grandfather suffered quite a lot after his duel with Kaiba-boy, didn't he? Very well," As he stood from his chair, his long hair swayed and revealed a glittering, golden eye etched into where his real one would be. "Tell Gekko to prepare a live feed in the room he assigned her. I believe it's time I have a chat with the dear girl and her grandfather."
AN: Hello, everyone! Thank you so much for the wonderful response to the fic and for following and favoriting it. I'm so glad people are interested in it ^^ As I said before, this is a retelling of the series so changes like episodes either being excluded or put together or manga characters being introduced will be involved in this fic as well, but I do apologize for any confusion. With that said, I can't wait to update this fic with more chapters and new stuff for you guys to read. Once again thank you for your support and I'll see you all in the next update ^^