"Falling over the edge!" Yugi exclaimed. Quickly he and the others abandoned the jagged rock and made their way over to where the scream had come from. A large group of people were gathered around a cliff. "What's happened here?" the violet-eyed boy demanded.
"It's DeeDee," a man Yugi didn't know informed them. "She was teaching her class and demonstrating a certain tecnique when her skis broke and sent her flying over the edge!"
"That's horrible!" Tea gasped.
"She's hanging on to a tiny ledge, but we have to get her up immediately!" the man continued seriously.
"Has 911 been called?" Bakura asked.
"Yes, and they're on their way, but I don't know if DeeDee can hold out much longer," the man replied grimly.
Quickly Yugi tuned in to his Millenium Puzzle and summoned his Yami. "Bring me that rope over there," he directed, pointing to a rope tied between two trees. Two people he didn't recognize untied the rope and brought it over. "Alright. Now . . ." Yugi leaned over the edge, inspecting the situation. "There's no way DeeDee can get back up without someone's assistance. Tie one end of the rope around this tree here . . ." He indicated a nearby spruce. ". . . and lower me down," he finished.
"I don't know about this," the nameless man said doubtfully.
"Do you have a better idea?" Yugi returned. The man sighed and shook his head.
"Yugi, be careful!" Tea called uneasily.
"Don't worry, Tea," Yugi returned with a smile. "Everything will be fine." He tied the other end of the rope around his waist and held on tight as he disappeared over the side. "DeeDee!" he called, seeing the frightened young woman clutching frantically to a tiny niche, and losing her grip fast, "I'm here to help you." He felt slightly dizzy and tried not to look down at the deep canyon below them.
**Be strong, Yugi,** his Yami told him. **We can do this.**
~That's right, we will!~ Yugi agreed, gathering his courage. If he was nervous, how much more nervous must poor DeeDee be? Aloud he called, "Get ready to pull us up!" Grabbing onto the stone wall, he cautiously moved closer to DeeDee, suddenly snatching her into his arms and away from her precarious position. Instantly she reached out and took hold of the rope, giving Yugi a smile of immense relief and gratitude.
"Thank you," she said softly. "I didn't know if I was going to be able to hold on much longer."
Yugi smiled at her in reply and tugged gently on the rope. "I've got her! Pull us up!" he ordered.
Soon they were back on the snowy ground, much to everyone's relief.
"That was terrific!" the nameless man proclaimed. "Are you alright, DeeDee?"
"I am now, thanks to Yugi," the blonde-haired woman replied.
"You were great, Yugi!" Tea beamed.
Yugi, feeling his Yami disappear back into the Millennium Puzzle, blushed. "Well, I had to do something."
"What made your skis break, I wonder," the man mused, speaking to DeeDee.
"I can't imagine. They should've been just as strong and secure as anyone's," DeeDee replied with a confused shrug. She bent down to remove what was left of her skis and examine them.
"Oh my goodness!" Bakura gasped. "Look!"
Both of DeeDee's skis had broken right on either side of the foot straps in thin, straight lines.
"These skis were practically new!" DeeDee murmured. "This shouldn't have happened at all!"
"Unless . . ." Bakura paused, looking worried.
"Unless it was done on purpose," Yugi realized grimly.
"Oh no! Not another so-called 'accident,'" Tea moaned.
"This one could've had some very tragic results," Bakura pronounced.
"Yeah," Tristan agreed. "Being stuck on a ski lift would be an inconvenience, but probably not especially dangerous, like this most certainly was."
"Most of the 'accidents' around here have been dangerous," Bakura said grimly.
"Which is why it would be better if Mokuba didn't get involved," Yugi added. "I'm sure your brother wouldn't want you to, either, Mokuba," he said to the young boy.
"You're probably right, Yugi," Mokuba sighed, "but I want to help somehow."
"What's going on here?" a familiar voice demanded.
"Big brother! Hi!" Mokuba leaped into Seto's arms excitedly. "Did you ever find von Bruno?"
"No, I didn't, actually," Seto replied, returning the embrace. "But what's been happening here?" he demanded again.
"Someone sabotaged DeeDee's skis and made her go over the edge of this cliff," Mokuba reported.
"But then Yugi rescued me," DeeDee added.
Seto's eyes narrowed angrily. "Someone is going to get hurt one of these days," he muttered. "How can this place even be staying open with these kinds of everyday happenings?"
"You've got the right idea, young man," Owen Bridges' unmistakably grumpy voice boomed out. "The board of health should shut this junkyard down, at least until whoever's doing this is caught."
"Junkyard!" everyone else said indignantly.
"This is a very beautiful place," Tea cried. "We are going to find out who's behind this and bring them to justice!"
"A bunch of kids doing work that even professionals can't always get done? Give me a break," Mr. Bridges grumbled. "Go on back to your homes before you get hurt."
Then Seto laughed. "Don't let their age fool you. They've dealt with things worse than this before and come out on top."
Mr. Bridges squinted at him. "You know them?"
"For quite a while now," Seto replied.
The old man sighed, shaking his head. "Kids chasing down criminals and running their own companies. . . . What's next? I suppose some foolhardy high-school student will decide to run for office."
Joey, coming up behind him and hearing the last remark, cracked up. "Hey, sure, maybe I should give that a try," he grinned teasingly, winking at Yugi. "President Wheeler! Has a nice ring to it."
Yugi chuckled while Mr. Bridges threw his hands up in disgust and stalked off, muttering to himself again.
"Well, President Wheeler," Tristan smirked, "how did things go with Lisa?"
Joey sighed. "Well, everything was just going good until her boss called and wanted her to do a piece on a crime in the city."
"What kind of crime?" Yugi asked curiously.
"I dunno," Joey shrugged. "Something about some old piece of paper or something."
"That sounds strange," Tea remarked. "Maybe we should go see if we can catch the story on the news."
"Be my guests," Seto replied with a shrug. "And if you see von Bruno, tell him I'm looking for him." With that he turned and walked away, Mokuba in tow.
"I'll see you guys later!" the younger Kaiba called to Yugi and the others.
"Goodbye, Mokuba!" Yugi returned, waving. "You had a good idea, Tea," he said, turning back to her and the others. "Let's go see if we can find anything out on the news!"
****
"So now, what was stolen again?" Joey said, scratching his head. "It just sounded too ridiculous to really be true."
"It really doesn't make much sense," Tea agreed.
"Somebody busted into someone's house and stole a whole bunch of letters," Tristan remarked, shaking his head. "Just the letters. They didn't even touch the expensive jewelry or electronics."
"There must have been something very important in those letters," Bakura stated.
"What're you kids babbling about?" Mr. Bridges asked grumpily.
"We're just talking about that strange theft," Yugi replied.
"Bunch of nonsense," the old man grunted, taking a newspaper off the coffee table and opening it up.
"Hey, wasn't Carl gonna tell us more about that weird phantom we saw?" Tristan said suddenly.
"That's right!" Yugi exclaimed. "With all the other excitement, I completely forgot!"
"Oh yeah, I heard about that phantom thing," Joey said. "The Cobbs kids came up to me and Lisa and were talking about it. That was some crazy trick that guy pulled!"
At that moment, Carl came out from one of the storage rooms. "Well, everyone, I'm sorry your first full day here hasn't been exactly pleasant," he sighed.
"Oh, that's alright, Carl," Yugi replied.
"We want to help you solve this mystery," Tea added.
Carl smiled. "And I'll be honored to have your help. Yugi, I heard about how you saved DeeDee today. That was a brilliant piece of thinking! And you stayed calm during the crisis. That's something some people can't always do."
"Yeah, Yugi here is the best," Joey grinned, clapping his friend on the shoulder.
Yugi smiled a little embarrassed-like and proceeded to change the subject. "So, Carl, we were wondering about those legends that phantom mentioned earlier."
"Ah yes! The legends," Carl mused. "Well, just come along all of you to the library and we'll see what we can find there."
"It's DeeDee," a man Yugi didn't know informed them. "She was teaching her class and demonstrating a certain tecnique when her skis broke and sent her flying over the edge!"
"That's horrible!" Tea gasped.
"She's hanging on to a tiny ledge, but we have to get her up immediately!" the man continued seriously.
"Has 911 been called?" Bakura asked.
"Yes, and they're on their way, but I don't know if DeeDee can hold out much longer," the man replied grimly.
Quickly Yugi tuned in to his Millenium Puzzle and summoned his Yami. "Bring me that rope over there," he directed, pointing to a rope tied between two trees. Two people he didn't recognize untied the rope and brought it over. "Alright. Now . . ." Yugi leaned over the edge, inspecting the situation. "There's no way DeeDee can get back up without someone's assistance. Tie one end of the rope around this tree here . . ." He indicated a nearby spruce. ". . . and lower me down," he finished.
"I don't know about this," the nameless man said doubtfully.
"Do you have a better idea?" Yugi returned. The man sighed and shook his head.
"Yugi, be careful!" Tea called uneasily.
"Don't worry, Tea," Yugi returned with a smile. "Everything will be fine." He tied the other end of the rope around his waist and held on tight as he disappeared over the side. "DeeDee!" he called, seeing the frightened young woman clutching frantically to a tiny niche, and losing her grip fast, "I'm here to help you." He felt slightly dizzy and tried not to look down at the deep canyon below them.
**Be strong, Yugi,** his Yami told him. **We can do this.**
~That's right, we will!~ Yugi agreed, gathering his courage. If he was nervous, how much more nervous must poor DeeDee be? Aloud he called, "Get ready to pull us up!" Grabbing onto the stone wall, he cautiously moved closer to DeeDee, suddenly snatching her into his arms and away from her precarious position. Instantly she reached out and took hold of the rope, giving Yugi a smile of immense relief and gratitude.
"Thank you," she said softly. "I didn't know if I was going to be able to hold on much longer."
Yugi smiled at her in reply and tugged gently on the rope. "I've got her! Pull us up!" he ordered.
Soon they were back on the snowy ground, much to everyone's relief.
"That was terrific!" the nameless man proclaimed. "Are you alright, DeeDee?"
"I am now, thanks to Yugi," the blonde-haired woman replied.
"You were great, Yugi!" Tea beamed.
Yugi, feeling his Yami disappear back into the Millennium Puzzle, blushed. "Well, I had to do something."
"What made your skis break, I wonder," the man mused, speaking to DeeDee.
"I can't imagine. They should've been just as strong and secure as anyone's," DeeDee replied with a confused shrug. She bent down to remove what was left of her skis and examine them.
"Oh my goodness!" Bakura gasped. "Look!"
Both of DeeDee's skis had broken right on either side of the foot straps in thin, straight lines.
"These skis were practically new!" DeeDee murmured. "This shouldn't have happened at all!"
"Unless . . ." Bakura paused, looking worried.
"Unless it was done on purpose," Yugi realized grimly.
"Oh no! Not another so-called 'accident,'" Tea moaned.
"This one could've had some very tragic results," Bakura pronounced.
"Yeah," Tristan agreed. "Being stuck on a ski lift would be an inconvenience, but probably not especially dangerous, like this most certainly was."
"Most of the 'accidents' around here have been dangerous," Bakura said grimly.
"Which is why it would be better if Mokuba didn't get involved," Yugi added. "I'm sure your brother wouldn't want you to, either, Mokuba," he said to the young boy.
"You're probably right, Yugi," Mokuba sighed, "but I want to help somehow."
"What's going on here?" a familiar voice demanded.
"Big brother! Hi!" Mokuba leaped into Seto's arms excitedly. "Did you ever find von Bruno?"
"No, I didn't, actually," Seto replied, returning the embrace. "But what's been happening here?" he demanded again.
"Someone sabotaged DeeDee's skis and made her go over the edge of this cliff," Mokuba reported.
"But then Yugi rescued me," DeeDee added.
Seto's eyes narrowed angrily. "Someone is going to get hurt one of these days," he muttered. "How can this place even be staying open with these kinds of everyday happenings?"
"You've got the right idea, young man," Owen Bridges' unmistakably grumpy voice boomed out. "The board of health should shut this junkyard down, at least until whoever's doing this is caught."
"Junkyard!" everyone else said indignantly.
"This is a very beautiful place," Tea cried. "We are going to find out who's behind this and bring them to justice!"
"A bunch of kids doing work that even professionals can't always get done? Give me a break," Mr. Bridges grumbled. "Go on back to your homes before you get hurt."
Then Seto laughed. "Don't let their age fool you. They've dealt with things worse than this before and come out on top."
Mr. Bridges squinted at him. "You know them?"
"For quite a while now," Seto replied.
The old man sighed, shaking his head. "Kids chasing down criminals and running their own companies. . . . What's next? I suppose some foolhardy high-school student will decide to run for office."
Joey, coming up behind him and hearing the last remark, cracked up. "Hey, sure, maybe I should give that a try," he grinned teasingly, winking at Yugi. "President Wheeler! Has a nice ring to it."
Yugi chuckled while Mr. Bridges threw his hands up in disgust and stalked off, muttering to himself again.
"Well, President Wheeler," Tristan smirked, "how did things go with Lisa?"
Joey sighed. "Well, everything was just going good until her boss called and wanted her to do a piece on a crime in the city."
"What kind of crime?" Yugi asked curiously.
"I dunno," Joey shrugged. "Something about some old piece of paper or something."
"That sounds strange," Tea remarked. "Maybe we should go see if we can catch the story on the news."
"Be my guests," Seto replied with a shrug. "And if you see von Bruno, tell him I'm looking for him." With that he turned and walked away, Mokuba in tow.
"I'll see you guys later!" the younger Kaiba called to Yugi and the others.
"Goodbye, Mokuba!" Yugi returned, waving. "You had a good idea, Tea," he said, turning back to her and the others. "Let's go see if we can find anything out on the news!"
****
"So now, what was stolen again?" Joey said, scratching his head. "It just sounded too ridiculous to really be true."
"It really doesn't make much sense," Tea agreed.
"Somebody busted into someone's house and stole a whole bunch of letters," Tristan remarked, shaking his head. "Just the letters. They didn't even touch the expensive jewelry or electronics."
"There must have been something very important in those letters," Bakura stated.
"What're you kids babbling about?" Mr. Bridges asked grumpily.
"We're just talking about that strange theft," Yugi replied.
"Bunch of nonsense," the old man grunted, taking a newspaper off the coffee table and opening it up.
"Hey, wasn't Carl gonna tell us more about that weird phantom we saw?" Tristan said suddenly.
"That's right!" Yugi exclaimed. "With all the other excitement, I completely forgot!"
"Oh yeah, I heard about that phantom thing," Joey said. "The Cobbs kids came up to me and Lisa and were talking about it. That was some crazy trick that guy pulled!"
At that moment, Carl came out from one of the storage rooms. "Well, everyone, I'm sorry your first full day here hasn't been exactly pleasant," he sighed.
"Oh, that's alright, Carl," Yugi replied.
"We want to help you solve this mystery," Tea added.
Carl smiled. "And I'll be honored to have your help. Yugi, I heard about how you saved DeeDee today. That was a brilliant piece of thinking! And you stayed calm during the crisis. That's something some people can't always do."
"Yeah, Yugi here is the best," Joey grinned, clapping his friend on the shoulder.
Yugi smiled a little embarrassed-like and proceeded to change the subject. "So, Carl, we were wondering about those legends that phantom mentioned earlier."
"Ah yes! The legends," Carl mused. "Well, just come along all of you to the library and we'll see what we can find there."