Chapter 4: Feastings

Ash, Rebecca and Mako enjoyed more milkshakes as Ash showed the two a photo of him, Misty, Brock, Pikachu, Togepi and a brunette boy in a pink/blue striped shirt and denim shorts. "So that's Misty, huh?" asked Mako.

"That is," Ash confirmed.

"And in her arms is her baby?" asked Rebecca. "She's a bit young to raise a child on her own." Ash was willing to correct Rebecca.

"Togepi is a Pokémon," he pointed out. "If you know how to raise a Pokémon, you're fine."

"Well, I guess it makes sense," Mako sighed. That's when Mai and Bulbasaur showed up, finding the trainer.

"So this is where you are," she discovered. All turned to the blond and the Bulbasaur.

"Mai!" recognized Ash. "How's Bulbasaur?" Mai snickered to the question.

"Bulbasaur actually is a lot sweeter than his aggressive nature wanted to depict. Though, some of that may be due to the fragrances I let waft around my bedroom. Never seen one of them become cozy around a few scents." To Mako, it sounded familiar.

"Hold on, didn't you use those fragrances in your duel against Wheeler at Duelist Kingdom?" he accused.

"It was the last time I did," she admitted. "Since then, I practiced to be a diligent duelist. I mean, I didn't use it in my duel against Yugi in the Semifinals. Speaking of, I believe I saw a duel between you two."

"We did." Rebecca also noted the duel.

"Mako had Ash up the river without a paddle," she nagged. "But, Ash stormed back in a hurry and won." Ash nodded, but had a confession of his own.

"Of course, Rebecca helped give me a winning hand," he pointed out. "So, some of that is on her."

"Maybe, but you're the one who drew the cards." Ash giggled to the counterpoint. Mai petted Ash's head in praise.

"Looks like the right boy came to me," she teased. "That was a new experience and one you adapted quickly." Ash nervously laughed to the reward.

"I'm honored," he muttered.

"And Rebecca says I'm too old for Yugi," Téa sneered. All turned to see Yugi and his friends arrive from school. Rebecca ran to Yugi and embraced him in a hug.

"Shmoopy!" she cheered. The rest saw Ash's extra friend.

"Mako?" guessed Joey. Mako let Totodile off his lap.

"Hey, guys!" he greeted. "Got to know this little croc and what it can become. Maybe if there's a way to his world, I may set up new business there." To Tristan, Mako wanted to stop dueling.

"Are you saying you'll retire?" he wondered.

"Slow down, Taylor… I didn't say anything about ending my game." He picked up his milkshake. "Anyway, I'm heading back out to my vessel. Those fish aren't gonna catch themselves. See ya!" He left while Rebecca told Yugi about Ash's duel.

"That's great, Ash!" he praised. "How did it feel?"

"The winning or the game?" asked Ash.

"The game, silly!" Ash stood up with an answer.

"Let's just say I've got good teachers on hand." Joey laughed to the recognition.

"Come on, Ash!" he brushed off. "You're talking to a great duelist, second to Yug, of course."

"Third…" Téa corrected. Joey irked to the renaming.

"Third!?" Unfortunately, Téa had kept a record of Joey's record.

"You keep forgetting about Kaiba and what he's done to you… over and over again!" Joey growled while Ash pictured Mokuba celebrating a win against an angry Joey.

"Mokuba's that good?" he guessed. Joey yelled, grimacing the thought.

"You haven't met Mokuba's brother," Yugi explained. "See, Seto isn't just the president of his own company, but is a terrifying duelist with his Blue-Eyes White Dragons. He's beaten me a couple of times, but won't let go of the grudge against me." Ash and Pikachu awed the history of him and this Seto.

"Sounds a little like my rivalry with Gary," he compared.

("Except he's undefeated against you, Ash,") Pikachu mocked. Ash glanced over to Pikachu for that remark.

"Don't remind me…" That's when Tristan had a suggestion.

"Hey, how about we head to a buffet down the road?" he suggested. "There's a monthly eating contest and I've been training for it." Téa and Serenity groaned to the idea.

"Seriously, Tristan," the sister mulled. "Eating a lot of food isn't gonna impress me." Ash snickered to the idea.

"You might wanna be careful," he sneered. "I haven't had a bite to eat. I'm always hungry for action." Tristan grinned to the challenge.

"Consider yourself on!"

"And that goes for me, too!" added Joey. Yugi and the girls groaned to the upcoming contest.

"This is gonna be a train wreck," Mai murmured. "One you can't watch, yet you can't turn away." Yugi palmed his head.

"I wanna stick with the 'can't watch' part," he mulled. The gang soon arrived at the restaurant where Ash, Joey and Tristan signed up. Joey removed the uniform shirt, a sky blue striped shirt underneath. Tristan switched into a brown leather jacket. Ready, waitresses guided ten men to a line of tables including Ash, Joey and Tristan. Pikachu waited in Serenity's arms.

"Alright, let's bring out this month's contest!" an announcer urged. The waitresses lifted the domes, showing steaks. "And there you have it: our mouth-watering, fan favorite tenderloin steaks!" Joey's mouth watered, Ash grinned to the servings of steak and Tristan rubbed his hands in anticipation.

"Can't complain with this!" he sneered.

"Everyone ready!?" the announcer asked. Everyone grabbed forks and steak knives. "Set… GO!" As the eaters dug into their steaks, Mokuba spotted and came to a tall brunette in a white trench coat under a black suit.

"I was wondering where you left for," he mulled. Mokuba looked to the taller young man.

"Sorry, Seto," he apologized. "I ran a delivery to Solomon." This rose an eyebrow from Seto's face.

"Yugi's grandfather? Why there?"

"He ordered one for a new duelist named Ash Ketchum. He came from Goldenrod City and-" Seto stopped his feet and turned to Mokuba with a stern face

"Where did you say?" The look startled Mokuba.

"Goldenrod City. Anything special about it?"

"Other than it doesn't exist… Do you have anything to show otherwise?" Mokuba looked in his coat and pulled pictures of Chikorita and Cyndaquil.

"This could help…" Seto looked to the Pokémon shown. This gave him pause.

"These aren't Duel Monsters? They're… real?"

"And I had a chance to know them." Seto looked at the two Pokémon with more disbelief.

"A dimensional rift… No wonder I'm having a hard time accepting this claim." He handed the photos back to Mokuba.

"What do you mean by that, Seto?" The elder Kaiba closed his eyes for a few seconds.

"I need to see these… creatures… and the owner of them. If Pegasus gets wind of this, there's no question he'll make new Duel Monsters and complicate the game." Mokuba seemed perplexed with Seto's claim. "I'm nearing the completion of a new prototype. Now I need to know how these creatures found themselves in Domino City." To Mokuba, Seto wanted to see Chikorita and Cyndaquil.

"Do- Do you want me to bring one of them to show you?" Seto didn't answer.

"On second thought, I'll wait for this Ketchum to show at Industrial Illusions." This surprised Mokuba as he stopped and watched Seto go forward.

"Wait, why change your mind? You're not gonna duel Ash, are you?" Seto stopped for a moment and turned around.

"Anyone trained by Yugi is not someone to be taken lightly." Seto departed to a giant blue jet in the shape of a dragon. After getting clearance, Seto took off. Back at the restaurant, there was a countdown to the end.

"Five… Four…" the announcer counted. "Three… Two… One… That's it!" Looking, Joey and Tristan had their own looks of disbelief. After an hour, Joey had six plates of steak while Tristan had four. Ash matched both with ten. He had more plates on him than anyone else, some having two or three.

"And I was starting to slow down," he admitted. The waitresses lifted Ash off the chair and wove his arms in the air.

"In a landslide, he is our winner: Ash Ketchum!" the announcer declared. Hands forced to the air, Ash was crowned. "Ash, here's the grand prize: two free meals here! You can use them at anytime." Ash wondered about a specification.

"Does dessert count?"

"No, you still have to pay- HA HA! Of course, dessert's included." The announcer and Ash shook hands.

"He's smaller than us, and yet put our training on stake…" mulled Tristan.

"How much does he eat daily?" asked Joey. "It can't be more than the ten slabs." Reaching the rest, Yugi gave Ash a high-five.

"Not a bad performance out there!" he complimented. "Didn't grandpa make breakfast for you?" Ash itched his head.

"His energy must have been running low before the contest," Bakura joked.

"Hey, I get competitive in a contest I'm involved in," Ash clarified. "Even eating contests." Téa sighed and turned her head away.

"I heard that a way to a man's heart's through his stomach," she murmured. "If that's the case, I'd rather remain single for life." Serenity patted Ash on the head.

"Ash, maybe I can fix you something back home," she offered. "It'll help with digesting all that steak." Ash could only wonder about her idea.

"Hey, I did better than a lot of those who ate!" argued Tristan.

"You didn't beat me, Tristan," Joey pointed out. Just then, a limousine parked in front of the restaurant. On the side was a giant "I" with a small "2" at the foot. Immediately, Joey recognized the number and letter. "Industrial Illusions?" Quickly, Téa had an idea.

"How did Pegasus know of Pikachu or any of Ash's Pokémon so fast?" she wondered. A mustached, bald man in black stepped out of the driver's door, sunglasses over his eyes.

"I came for the boy and his mouse," he ordered. "Maximillion Pegasus has seen the arrivals and has interests in the two." This astounded the group.

"At least Pegasus just wants to see the Pokémon," Yugi believed. To Ash, it was a chance to see this place."

"What's Industrial Illusions?" he asked.

"They're the ones who created Duel Monsters, bringing them to life alongside the Duel Disks from Kaiba Corp."

"I see, so Industrial Illusions and Kaiba Corp are working hand-in-hand?"

"Pretty much. Though Kaiba is rather personal about his business so don't bring it up." Ash nodded to Yugi's advice.

("Seeing the creator sounds nice…") Pikachu squeaked. Ash and Pikachu entered the limousine. Yugi soon had a request.

"Say, is it alright if I come along?" he asked the bald man. He smiled.

"Yugi Muto…" he realized. "I'm sure Pegasus would like to see you as well." Rebecca got nervous.

"We'll catch up with you, soon," she promised. Yugi nodded tp the plan.

"Okay!" he accepted. The bald man closed the door after Ash, Yugi and Pikachu entered. They're heading to Industrial Illusions to see the man known as Pegasus. What Yugi doesn't know is the other visitor ready to make himself known.

TO BE CONTINUED…