Yo! Well, here we are at the next chapter. I know, things are going a little slow. I won't be going on a "chapter copies episode" thing, not always. So, in other words, each chapter won't be based on a single episode. One chapter might smash together two or three eps. It just depends. Well, why don't we get started, eh?
Chapter, Start!
"Battle City?" Joey asked, everyone standing atop the school's roof.
"Uh-huh. It all kicks off tomorrow." Ava said, turning to Yugi. "Yugi's competing. We're going to get his new Duel Disk after school."
"After school? Great, I have to work…" Tea grumbled.
"Hey, you could always take a sick day." Ava said, but Tea put her hand up in protest.
"This is going towards my funding for when I can go to America after I graduate, Ava. Every little bit will help, so I can't afford 'sick days'!" Tea scolded, Ava shaking her head.
"Duel Disk? You mean like what Kaiba used during Duelist Kingdom?!" Joey exclaimed, leaving Ava rather confused.
"Huh?" She asked. eye brow arched.
After a quick explanation, much to Joey's dislike on remembering such a humiliating defeat, Ava shook her head, speaking, "I saw what this thing looked like and it sounds very different. It's probably an updated one."
Joey pouted, "The other one was too advanced…"
"There's another rule, too." Yugi stated, continuing, "The Ante rule."
Joey's ears stood up at the comment, "What…? Ante?"
"Yeah, where each player forfeits his or her rarest card to the winner. That would mean the winner of Battle City would have the ultimate deck! It's awesome!" Yugi said, excitement clearly building inside his little body.
"Yeah, for the winner…not the losers. But…they're just cards. Rare ones, yes, but still cards." Ava chimed.
Joey began growling in frustration, like he had been doing before, "I can't believe that Kaiba! I was the second-runner up in Duelist Kingdom! I'm not some schmuck! Unforgivable!"
"Hey, aren't you forgetting something? Your sister's operation? It's tomorrow, genius! You ain't got time to worry about some card battle!" Tristan stated, sounding a little peeved as he did. "You're not seriously thinking of attending, are you?"
"…Serenity." Joey whispered, only to regain his passion once more. "Of course I'll attend! And I'll be there for my sister, too! Joey Wheeler is a man of many talents, you see."
"More like a man of incompetence…" Tristan muttered.
After school let out—Tea leaving for work as a result—everyone else decided to head to that new card shop, which was selling the Duel Disks. The game shop didn't have them, so they were forced to enter another game shop, much to grandpa's dislike.
"Hmm, I thought it was somewhere around here." Yugi said, seeming to be a little misplaced.
"It's up ahead, around the corner." Ava said, pointing the way.
Joey and Tristan ran the way Ava pointed, her giving them a sweatdrop stare. Ava could understand why Joey was excited, but why was Tristan? With a mental shrug, she let it go. Yugi's voice distracted her from the thought as he began to speak.
"You know this store? I'm a bit surprised." He said, seeming to be a little impressed.
"Yeah, since I came here while on my, ahem, 'date' with your other self…" Ava said, crossing her arms as she looked down at Yugi.
Yugi immediately blushed, "Umm…I already apologized to you both! I didn't mean for…well, you know."
Ava sighed, shaking her head, "It's fine. He didn't seem upset by it. So, then, what did he tell you from that day?"
"Oh," Yugi replied, "just Battle City stuff. He didn't go into much detail. Still, I can tell you cheered him up. He seems to have regained of his spirit."
Ava couldn't help but have a mental chuckle at the word "spirit". After all, Yami was a spirit. It seemed a little…off. Either way, she even had to admit; she enjoyed the time they spent, too. Perhaps, like it helped him, it had helped her, too. Still, Ava didn't like something. Yami hadn't told Yugi anything about Ishizu or the tablet. Nothing about the museum had been told, she was sure of it. Keeping Yugi in the dark, even though she had promised to keep it a secret, still felt wrong. Yugi was a good friend. His grandpa had taken her in, at least until her parents arrived back from their trip.
"I wonder how long I'll have to keep quiet about it…" Ava wondered inside herself.
"It's strange, though, now that I think about it." Yugi said, pulling Ava from her thoughts. He continued, pulling out his deck, "I'm surprised he accepted the Ante rule. He doesn't have any interest in betting or winning rare cards, much less having to give up even a single one we own. Out of all the thousands of cards out there, these 40 were specially picked. Not even a single card can be replaced. It's why he believes they can't be used for betting. But…"
Ava looked to Yugi, "What?"
"Well, I think he, the Spirit of the Puzzle, is looking for something. His mind still seems…I don't know, not able to focus." Yugi said, obviously trying to figure out this little dilemma of his and his other self.
Ava, again, felt that guilt return; she knew why Yami was so unfocused. After what Ishizu said, she, too, wasn't really able to focus on much. Honestly, she hoped she would be involved in much more weirdness from this point on, but…well, she had a feeling that was just wishing and not at all possible.
"She said I was tied to the pharaoh…the Spirit of Yugi's puzzle. That, right there, is setting me up for more weirdness." Ava complained inside herself.
"There it is!" Yugi said, running to the store window, he, Tristan, and Joey ogling at cards like they were hot models or something.
"Geez…" Ava chuckled inside.
"Let's head inside, unless you guess want to ogle a little longer." Ava said, bemused.
Inside, the store clerk greeted as everyone entered, "Can I help you?"
"Umm…are you selling the new Duel Disk?" Yugi asked, not really wasting time.
"Oh, so you're all duelists looking to enter, then?" The store clerk said with kind of a blank look.
"They're the duelists," Tristan stated.
Ava waved her hands before her, "Hold on. I'm not entering!"
"What?!" Yugi and Joey said, both looking at Ava.
Yugi stepped forward, "Ava, you did well in our duel yesterday. With a little more practice, you might have even been able to beat me! You should enter! He even said so."
"…really, Yugi? You used that card?" Ava thought, a little bitter.
"I haven't dueled in a few years, so I probably won't even qualify. If it's Seto Kaiba, I'm sure he set some sort of standards in entering." Ava said, hands resting on her hips.
The clerk caught a glimpse of her bracelet, his eyes widening behind his glasses, although no one caught the reaction. This was the girl who had something his master desired! And she wore it so openly?! This was his lucky day! If he could persuade her to enter, it would make it that much easier to find her for later!
"Miss, tell me your name and I will see what level you are listed as. Duelists with level five and above get their Duel Disk for free! However, if the level is too low, the duelist is not allowed to enter." The Clerk stated.
"Yugi, just tell him your name…" Ava said, stepping back behind everyone else.
Yugi saw no sense in arguing, so he stepped up, "Yugi Motou."
"Okay, let's see." The clerk said, typing in the letters. "Ah ha! At level 8, you quality for a free Duel Disk! Congratulations!"
Handing Yugi—who was surprised that he got the thing for free—Joey pushed Yugi aside.
"I'm Joey Wheeler! Runner up for Duelist Kingdom! With that title, I'm definitely a level five, and probably higher!" Joey said, his pride getting in the way, like always.
"Hmm," the clerk said, typing in the name.
However, the information that showed was nothing like what Joey thought it'd be. Actually, comically enough—or at least Ava found it funny—Joey had been, in fact, listed as "Nobody". Kaiba obviously had a sense of humor, or…well, he just hated Joey.
"WHAT?! LEVEL TWO?! NOBODY!?" Joey shouted in pure rage. "THAT BASTARD!"
"Hey, calm down!" Tristan shouted, grabbing Joey before he could choke the clerk,
Or possibly break the monitor. Ava would be surprised if Joey, actually, did both.
What the group didn't see was the shock on the clerk's face, but it wasn't at the reaction from Joey. It was the rare card that was shown: Joey's Red Eyes Black Dragon. That was a card that the Ghouls had been searching for. This "nobody" was their next prey.
"Oh, sorry," the clerk said, after making a minor adjustment when the group hadn't been looking. "My system must have been malfunctioning. It lists you as level five. You qualify."
Ava immediately looked to the clerk, her suspicions rising. Something didn't feel right. Of course, with Joey's new-found excitement the others didn't notice, joey taking his new prize. Next, Joey looked at Ava.
"You're up!" Joey said, pushing her forward.
"Joey!" Ava said, almost growling.
"Ava, I think it'd be fun to have you participate. If you want, you could always lose on purpose and forfeit the tournament. Getting one of these Duel Disk, I think, is worth it!" Yugi said, trying his own hand at persuading.
"It wouldn't hurt to at least see what Kaiba Corporation has you listed as," Tristan said.
Ava sighed, giving in, "Fine. My name is Avianna Soule."
The clerk put the name in, speaking moments after, "You qualify."
"…what?" Ava said, blinking.
He turned the monitor around, displaying Ava's "Mage" card, as well as a seven-star ranking.
"Whoa…" Tristan said, feeling the same amazement as Yugi and Joey.
"Av', you're almost at the same level as Yugi! Just one star away!" Joey said, turning his attention at her. "You never even said you played, and you're this skilled?!"
"I said it'd been awhile, so I didn't know he'd put me at a freaking seven-star! How was I supposed to know?!" Ava shouted in reply.
The clerk offered a duel disk, "It's yours, if you want it. You deserve it, according to our information."
Ava looked a little unsure. Yugi, however, continued to push her, "Ava, go. Take it."
Finally, Ava grabbed the box, giving a "thank you" to the clerk, everyone exiting the shop. Ava stared at the box, a sigh coming from her. She really wasn't planning on entering, but…well, maybe she was supposed to. Perhaps, like Ishizu had said, this was all part of some destiny-thing.
As they left, the clerk gave a smirk, picking up his phone, "Our next prey just left. Also, the girl with the bracelet received a Duel Disk. Look out for someone with the name 'Avianna Soule'. Master Marik is very interested in her possession, as well as the girl herself."
"Well, I gotta go, guys. I gotta get to that hospital room so I can help my sister get through the night. I'm sure she's nervous, after all." Joey said, separating from the group.
As he ran, he came across a rather menacing-looking group. This wasn't good. When the center figure, a man by the sounds of it, said his name, Joey knew that he had found trouble. After a short talk, he figured out who these freaks were. They were "Ghouls", people that acquire rare cards, by any means needed. Sadly, Joey was their next target, and they weren't letting him pass without a duel.
((A/N: Skipping the duel…))
This wasn't fair. Not only had he beat beat—by Exodia, nonetheless!—but these creeps had beaten Joey to where he felt faint. His Red Eyes was gone, stolen. What would he do?
~~~That night, at Yugi's~~~
Ava sat on the bed she'd been sleeping on while at the Motou residence, her using the guest room now that it was all cleaned out. All she could do was stare at the box she had gotten at the store. Yugi had congratulated her, opening his box upon getting home. He was so excited, it warmed Ava's heart. But…well, it wasn't the same for her, and Yugi couldn't understand why. Finally, an idea came to him, Yugi giving a small grin.
"Spirit…can I ask a favor?" Yugi asked, Yami appearing behind him in spirit form.
As Ava continued to stare at the box, she felt a sudden weight on her bed. Blinking, she looked at the new presence, a small smile appearing as Yami met her eyes.
"What are you doing here? Again, I'm in no danger." Ava said.
"Yugi is worried and asked me if I would speak with you about what is on your mind." Yami replied, completely honest. "He doesn't understand your current self. We were both impressed at your results in Kaiba's system. Which makes me wonder if you were even trying in our duel from before."
Ava let out a long sigh, finally speaking, "I haven't dueled for a long time. And it all centers on my mother and father."
Yami blinked, a little surprised at that news.
Ava continued, "A few years back, I entered a large tournament, one that Kaiba had entered, only to have to drop out of. Something about his company caused him to have to leave, much to his hate. That was the one tournament where I was doing really well, beating all my rivals and making many friends along the way. My parents promised they would be there for the final battle, so they could see me duel. They promised, something they hadn't done often. Their work usually came first, which I understood. The crowd that watched was so large, there was no way I could've found their faces; so, I assumed I would just meet up with them afterwards. I won the duel, winning the title, too. But…they weren't there. I asked why, holding their promise against them. All my father said was that he couldn't let 'kid stuff' come in front of what really mattered. He apologized and congratulated me, the whole nine-yards. Then, they left and went back to whatever country they were headed towards. I never dueled after that. Even the trophy I hid away in some dark storage place."
Yugi, appearing beside Yami, felt his eyes dim. Yami noticed, also feeling his own heart drop a little. No wonder she wasn't so happy about getting the Duel Disk.
"I guess…I lost my will to duel. I didn't have any friends, and the ones I met while dueling only cared if I was currently number one. Some friends, huh? So, when I said that me living in my own home, without my parents there, wasn't a big deal…I was being honest." Ava said, Yami's heart seeming to drop even more.
"Bakura scared me, definitely, but…that feeling didn't even compare to the feeling that I would always be alone in the world." Ava continued, further sinking into her own growing depression. "It's dramatic, I know, but…it's how I felt. That duel with you was the first time I'd dueled in, probably, three years."
Yami felt lost as to what to say. He couldn't imagine feeling like that, and all because her parents had jobs that meant they travelled a lot.
"I'm sorry, Ava, but your parents are wrong." Yami said.
"Yami…" Ava said, but was cut off.
"If dueling is something you're passionate about, do not let sad memories stop you from doing it. Yugi and his friends will not abandon you, like your mother and father did years back. You have friends who do not care if you're number one or level zero. When we dueled, I could tell you were enjoying yourself. So, enter in this tournament and find that love that you lost." Yami said, a reassuring smile upon his face. "We will be there every step of the way."
Ava couldn't help but smile, "It did feel good to hold Amaranth in my hand, rather than she being stowed away in my deck."
That smile faded, however, "My fear was always the same. Someday, I'd get that call. That my parents died in a wreck, or that their plane went down. It's hard, you know? Being alone for so long, and…suddenly, I'm not."
Yugi took over, not speaking just yet.
"I'm so afraid I'll push you guys away…" Ava said, not even noticing the switch.
"That isn't going to happen," Yugi said, a big smile on his face. "Once you're our friend, it's till the end!"
Ava smiled, placing her hand on the box, "I'll take your…his…whose ever advice. I'll enter into the tournament. Our destinies are tied, I guess."
"Wouldn't have it any other way, Ava." Yugi said, getting up and leaving the room. Before he left, he paused and turned around, speaking, "I'm glad he can talk to you, Ava. He doesn't do it much. Well, good night!"
Next day…
So, Joey had been found by Tristan and rushed to the hospital. Yugi had been told that Serenity's operation was successful, meaning a good bit of tension was lifted from several shoulders that day. Sadly, new tension replaced it when Yugi and the others had heard about these so-called "Ghouls" who had attacked Joey, stealing his card in the process.
Yugi didn't like this.
He felt like danger was resting around the corner, and whether he liked it or not, it was going to come to him and his friends!