punkish furball – Hey, ev'rybody! X3
Words to Ponder:
Sorry for the delay, guys, but the fall semester is almost over in my neck of the woods. I won't go into details, but it's definitely crunch time on my end!
Thank you for reviewing: Bishonen'sFoxyMiko, animelver14, Sin of the Fallen, TsukiyoTenshi, moi-moi819, starmienight, animemangalover13, DragonFire Princess, Fyuu, Fanficlover16000, CrystalVixen93, zoey tamagachi, Pumpkin Maximus, Monk-Miko, Applejax XD, Bumblebeecamaro38, Resha Tsubaki, foxgodess07, Scrawny Scrivener, Cosmic-lover, Unnamed Wanderer, Rc1212, Kenzkitty, Speedykitten1643, AnimeFreak 49, Heiress of the Hyuuga, CrescentMelody, Mori' Tsukiko, RebellAngell21, dragonfly1339, and avalongal316! X3
Chapter 8
"Ojii-chan, we're leaving!" Yugi called out as he and Kagome walked downstairs. The two exited of the game shop and saw Sugoroku sweeping just outside the door. His grip on the broom handle was tense and tight, and he seemed deeply troubled.
"What's up, Sugoroku-san?" Kagome asked.
"Is there something wrong?" Yugi added.
"That new game shop finally opened!" Sugoroku exclaimed and pointed in the direction of the new building. From the distance they stood, Yugi and Kagome could see that all of the construction equipment that surrounded the building before was removed, and the large store was opened for business.
"This is a real crisis!" Sugoroku cried dramatically, "A man my age shouldn't have to go through something like this!"
"What are you so upset about?" Yugi questioned, trying to console his grandfather, "There's more than enough business in town for both stores."
"True," Sugoroku relented before confidently adding, "and it's not like they can beat my secret weapon!" He looked to Kagome and gave her a thumbs-up with is free hand and a teasing wink.
"No one can top the Kame Game Shop's mascot girl!" he stated proudly. Kagome sighed and ran her hands through her raven mane.
"Don't remind me," she said exasperatedly, "Photos of me in those costumes have practically gone viral."
"Viral?" Sugoroku repeated curiously.
"That's right," Yugi affirmed, "Almost everyone at school has at least one picture of her dressed as a Duel Monster. There are even rumors around school that Kagome-chan's fans are gonna start a club for her."
"I can't go five minutes without someone showing me one of the pictures as their phone's wallpaper or asking me to pose for a new picture," Kagome said woefully, "but hopefully this fad will be over after I quit this little side job."
"You know," Sugoroku began suggestively, "I was thinking about that. I know I promised that you could stop doing this by the end of October, but you are aware that the real holiday season starts right after Halloween, right? So I was thinking that—"
"No way," Kagome dryly cut Sugoroku off, "This mascot girl is hanging up her wigs, capes, and all the other Duel Monster accessories long before the Christmas season starts."
Sugoroku pouted briefly before grinning widely at Kagome. "We'll see about that! I'll have you know that this old man can be quite persistent!"
Yugi frowned as he watched the exchange between Kagome and his grandfather, absently reaching for his right pocket that contained his mobile. While the image wasn't his phone's background graphic, a picture of Kagome as the Dark Magician Girl was saved in its memory. He managed to keep it hidden from her and the pharaoh, but he still felt guilty about having it. Kagome was obviously upset when the pictures were being passed around at school, and their friends, the pharaoh included, teased her about it whenever they could. Yugi couldn't help but feel irritated as he watched his peers blatantly pass around pictures of Kagome without asking for her permission or even caring how she felt about it.
'But I have one too. If only Kagome-chan knew,' Yugi mused.
Jonouchi even openly admitted to having a small photo collection saved on his mobile much to Kagome's annoyance and anger. She put him on lunch probation and refused to make him boxed lunches until he deleted all of the pictures and any copies he made of them. As much as he loved Kagome's homemade bento, Jonouchi still hadn't erased the images from his phone.
Yugi quickly shook his head to throw his mind off its current train of thought.
"Well, since the store's open," Yugi began, looking excitedly in the direction of the new building, "We could probably tak—"
"Don't even think about it!" Sugoroku shouted, abruptly causing his grandson to cringe, "I don't want either of you to go near that shop. You do, and I'll mark you a traitor!"
"It's really not all that serious, Ojii-chan," Yugi commented causing Sugoroku to glare in his direction.
"You don't have to worry about that, Sugoroku-san. We won't be paying your rival a visit any time soon. We'll see you when we get back!" Kagome said while quickly grabbing Yugi's hand and pulling him forward. Once they were far enough from the shop, Kagome sighed, and her mood visibly deflated.
"Might as well get this over with," Kagome glumly muttered, "I wonder what my adoring public has in store for me today?"
There was another strong pang at Yugi's conscience. Was Kagome really that distressed about going to school?
"I'm sorry!" Yugi suddenly blurted out, causing Kagome to look at him curiously, "About the pictures I mean. I'm sure Ojii-chan never intended for anything like that to happen."
"Don't worry about it! I'm just being a drama queen," Kagome replied with a smile, "It's irritating, but, sooner or later, there'll be a new trend and I'll be yesterday's news. I'm just hoping that it happens sooner rather than later."
"Well, for what it's worth, I think you look really cute in all those pictures," Yugi admitted with a faint blush.
"You really think so? Thanks, Yu-chan!" Kagome remarked, playfully blowing Yugi a kiss before dashing ahead and leaving him behind with a lobster red face.
"Kagome-chan!" he cried as he ran after her, "That's not funny!"
"Aww, you don't like me teasing you, Yu-chan?" Kagome shouted over her shoulder, "The only way to stop me is to catch me!"
"But that's not fair!" Yugi cried and increased his speed.
'At least Kagome-chan seems to be distracted with her situation at school for now,' Yugi thought with a faint smile, 'Even if it is at my expense.'
It wasn't long before the two met up with Anzu at their usual spot further up the road. Kagome skidded to a stop with Yugi appearing right behind her.
"Hey guys," Anzu greeted them happily, "You're certainly energetic this morning. Especially the Kame Game Shop mascot girl. Excited to meet your eager admirers?" Anzu giggled when Kagome glared at her before lightheartedly punching her in the arm.
"Simply ecstatic," she replied humorously as the trio began walking in the direction of Domino High.
"We're not running late, are we?" Yugi asked, "Ojii-chan held me and Kagome-chan up for a few minutes this morning."
"We're actually pretty early today," Anzu commented after taking a quick look at her watch, "It'll be nice not having to rush to class for a change."
"Actually, since we have the extra time, mind if we take a little detour?" Yugi suggested, pausing before taking a few steps backward.
"Where did you have in mind?" Anzu asked as she turned to look at him.
"He wants to go to that new game shop," Kagome answered for Yugi, "Sugoroku-san's not gonna like that."
"What he doesn't know won't hurt him! You won't tell on me, right, Go-chan?" Yugi said playfully before he turned around and rounded the nearest street corner, quickly making his way to the new game shop.
"Go-chan?" Anzu repeated, giving Kagome a suspicious look from the corner of her eye, "What did Yugi-kun mean by that?"
"It's just payback for what happened earlier. He doesn't mean anything by it!" Kagome replied, turning away from Anzu as her face flushed bright pink. As naturally shy as Yugi was, she didn't expect him to turn her little comment against her especially in front of Anzu. She took a deep breath and crossed her arms over her chest. "At any rate, we should go after him. If we let Yugi-kun go to that game shop alone, there's no telling when he'll leave."
"I guess you have a point," Anzu remarked before she and Kagome begrudgingly followed behind Yugi at a much slower pace than he left in.
"Boys and their card games," Kagome commented with a slight snort.
Anzu sent her an extremely exasperated look and dryly responded, "Tell me about it."
Within a few minutes, the trio was standing in front of the large, three-level game store. The establishment was already crowded with game enthusiasts of all ages peering through the store's windows and walking in and out its doors. There were several women stationed around the store's perimeter, passing out flyers and coaxing passersby inside.
"The Black Clown?" Anzu read the store's name written in gold on a black background underneath the image of a large, colorful clown.
"I guess so," Kagome replied as too she looked up at the sign.
"You have to admit that it's pretty impressive," Yugi acknowledged, looking at the game store with approval, "I wonder if it looks just as good inside as it does out here."
"You better not let Sugoroku-san hear you say that, Yu-chan!" Kagome said jokingly. Playing along, Yugi placed his finger against his lip.
"But I can count on you to keep my secret, right, Go-chan?" Yugi asked and began inching to the entrance.
"Come on, Yugi-kun," Anzu reprimanded as she caught her friend moving in the direction of the store, "We don't have time to go inside. And would you two quit with the 'Yu-chan' and 'Go-chan'?" Before Yugi could reply, one of the women promoting the Black Clown and passing out flyers approached the group.
"Excuse me," she said cheerfully while holding out a flyer, "Welcome to the Black Clown Game Store! Please take one." Yugi nodded and took the handout, curiously looking it over. Over the images different Duel Monsters and a pair of red dice was an advertisement for a new game.
"Dungeon Dice Monsters?" he read aloud, "I never heard of this game. I wonder how you play it." He yelped when Anzu grabbed him by the back of his collar and started dragging him away from the Black Clown toward Domino High. Kagome giggled and followed after them as Anzu picked up the pace.
"Enough window shopping or we'll be late for class," Anzu said hotly.
"Okay, I get it!" Yugi remarked and tried to pull away from her grip, "I can walk on my own!"
"I think it'll be okay, Anzu-chan. I doubt he'll turn around as soon as you let him go," Kagome added in Yugi's favor.
"I'm not gonna risk it," Anzu replied and continued her hold on Yugi's collar. As the Anzu, Yugi, and Kagome left the Black Clown, two figures watched them from the top floor of the store. A bright green-eyed youth looked out the window over his shoulder with his black ponytail gently grazing the base of his neck. He noticed that the three teens he observed were clothed in the uniform for Domino High School, the same institution he transferred to.
"So that's Muto Yugi, eh, Otogi-chan?" the bespectacled man at his side asked. Otogi Ryuuji, owner of the Black Clown Game Store, scowled as he watched the diminutive duelist being pulled from his establishment while twirling a red die around his fingers. The girl dragging him away was clearly Mazaki Anzu. She was one of the three companions consistently seen at Yugi's side, cheering him throughout his Duel Monsters victories. The other two members of the group, Jonouchi Katsuya and Honda Hiroto, were noticeably absent. Otogi didn't recognize the raven haired girl with Anzu and Yugi, but assumed she was part of the same group.
"Once I get him in the ring," Otogi stated, tightly gripping the die in his palm, "his defeat will promote DDM worldwide."
The man at his side turned his attention from the window to Otogi and lightly pushed his glasses onto his nose. "I'm sure you know what you're doing, right? It would be a shame if your plan doesn't succeed."
"Don't worry about me," Otogi replied reassuringly, "You'll get your share of the profits soon enough." He left his spot by the wall and headed toward the door, grabbing his backpack on his way out. It was time to put his plan into motion.
-O0o0O-
"See you guys later!" Kagome said after Yugi and Anzu walked her to her classroom.
"Okay! We'll meet you for lunch," Anzu stated before she and Yugi left Kagome and walked down the hall to their class.
When they were gone, Kagome turned and walked into her classroom, taking her seat close to the door. Most of her classmates were already inside, sitting or standing in their usual groups and conversing loudly with each other. Within the next few minutes, their teacher arrived and quickly called the rowdy class to order.
"Good morning, everyone," she greeted her students happily, "Today, we have a new transfer student joining us, Otogi Ryuuji-san."
A black haired teen swaggered into the classroom with his bag slung over his shoulder, winking at the female students as he passed in front of them. He quickly won them over with his good looks if their love-struck sighs echoing throughout the room were anything to go by.
'I have to admit that he's a handsome one. His appearance even reminds me of Koga-kun,' Kagome briefly assessed, 'but he seems like he's the cocky type. To would be another similarity he has with Koga-kun.'
When Otogi's emerald orbs briefly flicked in her direction, Kagome was sure that he smirked at het but supposed she imagined it.
"Is there anything you want to share with the class before you take your seat?" the teacher asked Otogi.
"I hope that we'll all be able to get along this term," he announced politely, "And I also hope you'll all pay my new game shop a visit, the Black Clown."
At the end of Otogi's statement, the class was immediately thrown into a slight uproar of chatter. Apparently, many of the students knew of the newly opened establishment.
"That's that new place that just opened up down the street from the arcade, right?"
"Yeah, I stopped by this morning."
"Me too! The girls outside were pretty cute, but they have nothing on Higurashi-chan, the Kame Game Shop's mascot girl."
"She's definitely hotter! No contest!"
A majority of the class agreed and threw appreciative looks in Kagome's direction. Finding her self the object of everyone's attention, Kagome quickly lowered her head and rested it on her desk to hide her blushing face. Just before she did, Kagome saw Otogi look to her again, and she was certain he grinned at her this time.
"Settle down class," their instructor stated, causing all side conversation to cease, "But I will admit that Higurashi-chan is one of our local celebrities."
Kagome quietly groaned and kept her head firmly planted on her desk. She hoped her teacher would start the class soon. When she finally did, the instructor directed Otogi to the vacant seat next to the series of windows. The excitement of the new transfer student was quickly set aside for classes to officially begin.
When the class's free period rolled around, Otogi's desk was instantaneously surrounded by the female portion of the class who all asked him questions, trying to vie for his favor. Only a few girls, Kagome included, didn't flock to his presence. Otogi quickly had all the girls crowding him cheering when he began performing a few sleight of hand tricks with a cup and some dice he pulled from his backpack.
"Keep your eyes on me, ladies," Otogi instructed suavely causing the girls to swoon as he completed his trick.
Kagome rolled her eyes at the shameless display of her peers before looking away from them. When she looked toward the doorway, she immediately spotted Yugi, Anzu, Jonouchi and Honda standing in the hall and curiously peering in the classroom. She quickly stood to her feet and walked up to them.
"Hey guys," she greeted cheerfully as she looked over the group, "I see Ryo-kun's not with you today."
"He's always in and out of school," Anzu explained with a shrug of her shoulders, "He'll pop up sooner or later."
"Yo, Kagome," Jonouchi began as he pointed to the section of the classroom where Otogi and his growing fan base were stationed, "What's going on over here? Who's that new kid?"
"That's Otogi Ryuuji-san," Kagome answered briefly, "He's also Sugoroku-san's rival."
"Really?" Yugi commented, "He's the one that owns that new game shop?"
"I guess," Kagome answered with a shrug, "It's what he told us this morning anyway."
"Just look at him over there!" Jonouchi exclaimed, watching their new classmate with a scowl, "Showing off to all those girls. How disgraceful!"
"Is that so?" Anzu asked teasingly, "Are you sure you're just not jealous he's more popular than you?"
"That's not it at all!" Jonouchi remarked, "I could act just like he does, but I'm an innocent boy! I don't go around showing off my talents in public like that."
"Sure you don't, hot shot," Kagome whispered out of the corner of her mouth, but Jonouchi heard her. He quickly appeared behind her and pulled her into a headlock, ruffling her hair.
"Let me go!" Kagome cried and squirmed in Jonouchi's grip, but, as always, she couldn't break free from his tight hold. As she began to struggle, Otogi's bright green eyes shifted in the direction of the group of friends. He watched them intently with a slight smirk on his face.
"Not until you take it back!" Jonouchi replied with a devious grin, "You know I can get the ladies without even trying! Admit it!"
"Of course you can. Besides, all the ladies love headlocks and noogies," Honda dryly pointed out.
"What are you trying to say?" Jonouchi asked him accusingly. When Jonouchi's grip on Kagome loosened, Honda managed to slip her away from him. He looked at Jonouchi smugly as he placed his hands on Kagome's shoulders standing behind her.
"Listen, Jonouchi. We all know you're sweet on our friend, Kagome, here," he stated assuredly, "There's no point in trying to deny it since it's so obvious. You might as well just tell her how you feel."
"Say what?" Jonouchi cried, turning beet red, "What the hell do you think you're talking about?"
"Don't joke about things like that!" Kagome sputtered with a cherry red face while elbowing Honda in the stomach. He barely flinched at the force of the blow but released her.
"How many times do I have to say Kagome and I are friends?" Jonouchi asked exasperatedly.
"As many times as you want," Honda replied harmlessly, "I already said denying it isn't going to make much of a difference." Jonouchi growled in frustration and quickly struck up an argument with his male friend while Kagome had to endure Anzu's gentle teasing.
"You know," Anzu contemplated aloud, "Honda-kun might be joking, but the more I see Jonouchi-kun and Kagome-chan together, the more I think you two look like a good couple."
"Anzu-chan, not you too," Kagome began warningly, and the other girl giggled.
"Relax!" she remarked, "It's just a thought I had."
"Thoughts like those should really be kept to your self," Kagome told her dryly.
Although his friends were merely joking about the idea, Yugi thought about the possibility of Kagome and Jonouchi actually becoming a couple. He wasn't sure how he would react if they actually started dating. While Yugi was certain Jonouchi never had a girlfriend or even went on an official date, he knew almost nothing about Kagome's love life. The only thing he did know was that Kagome used to be romantically involved with InuYasha to a certain extent; she mentioned it when she told him the story behind the Shikon no Tama. Kagome didn't go into many details about that aspect of their relationship, but she made it clear she no longer wanted a romantic relationship with InuYasha.
Other than InuYasha and a few clueless suitors, Kagome didn't have much experience with dating either. Yugi was surprised to hear that a girl as appealing as Kagome didn't seem very interested in having a boyfriend, but she simply shrugged her shoulders when he mentioned it. She confessed that she didn't have any time for a boyfriend in either era and, after she realized she and InuYasha would never be more than friends, she never really looked for anyone else to fill that role.
'Maybe it wouldn't be so bad if those two started dating,' Yugi thought optimistically but immediately began feeling unexpectedly uneasy about the notion. He couldn't understand why.
"Yugi-kun, are you alright?" Kagome asked him, looking at him curiously.
"I'm fine," he quickly reassured her, "I'm just thinking."
"Excuse me, but I couldn't help but overhear your conversation," Otogi's smooth baritone coasted over the group and broke them from their engaging banter. He stood in front of them with a relaxed stance and his hands in his pockets. His eyes were instantly on Yugi.
"You must be Muto-san, the Duelist Kingdom champion," he said appreciatively, "I've heard many good things about you and your dueling skills."
Yugi grinned nervously and began to shyly rub the back of his neck. "Thanks."
"And me?" Jonouchi asked, eagerly jumping in the conversation, "What have you heard about Katsuya Jonouchi, the runner-up at Duelist Kingdom?"
"Not much," he answered, "but, if you're really that good of a competitor, how about you and I make a little wager?" Otogi pulled out a die and placed it on a desk beside him and positioned a cup over it, the same one he used for his other tricks.
"I bet that I can move the die into my right hand without touching the cup," he stated confidently.
"No way! That's impossible!" Jonouchi shouted in disbelief.
"Are you sure?" Otogi asked, "Perhaps the die is already gone."
"What?" Jonouchi remarked before reaching for the cup and lifting it despite the warnings from the others.
"The die's still there!" Jonouchi exclaimed hotly. Before he could replace the cup, Otogi reached for the die and picked it up with his right hand, holding it between his thumb and index finger. It was obvious that Jonouchi fell for Otogi's trap.
"That was a dirty trick!" Jonouchi shouted angrily.
"It wasn't a trick," Otogi said innocently despite the conniving grin on his face, "I moved the die into my right hand, and I never had to touch the cup as I said I would."
"It was obviously a trap, Jonouchi-kun. Just let it go," Anzu commented as she tried to lure Jonouchi away from a possible fight, but he wouldn't hear of it.
"That doesn't matter!" he retorted loudly, "A real man would play a real man's game and not resort to dirty tricks. I challenge you to a game of Duel Monsters, Otogi!"
"I don't have a deck of my own, but I accept your challenge on the condition that we make our own decks from unopened packs of cards from my game shop," Otogi replied, "How does that sound?"
"That's no fair," Yugi immediately protested, "The game will be pure luck if you don't play with your own cards. And there are many cards that we don't even know about, Jonouchi-kun."
"Don't worry, Yugi!" Jonouchi remarked confidently, "I'm a finalist from Duelist Kingdom. I know what I'm doing."
"I wasn't doubting your—" Yugi began, but his friend quickly cut him off.
"I accept your conditions," Jonouchi told Otogi proudly.
"In that case, let's make another friendly wager," Otogi added, "If I win the duel, you have to do what I say for a week."
"Alright, but if I win, your fan girls will become my fan girls!" Jonouchi replied. Otogi's fan girls instantly cringed at the notion of having to leave their beloved Otogi for Jonouchi.
The remainder of the school day passed without any more confrontation between Otogi and Jonouchi until it was time to leave for the day. After a brief encounter immediately after classes were dismissed, the group decided to head to their homes before they met up at the Black Clown for Jonouchi's duel with Otogi.
"Kagome-chan, you ready?" Yugi asked outside Kagome's room after he had changed his clothes. He wore jeans with a long sleeve gray shirt and a black vest over it with the Millennium Puzzle around his neck around his neck as always. His outfit was a change from his usual custom of wearing his school uniform outside of school, but it seemed to fit the occasion.
"I'm ready!" she replied in a whisper before emerging from her room wearing a dark denim jean skirt and long sleeved white top. The Shikon no Tama was hidden underneath her collar leaving only a thin silver chain around her neck visible. Kagome gently closed her bedroom door behind her making sure she didn't make a sound.
"Any reason you're being so quiet?" Yugi asked curiously.
"Shush!" Kagome whispered and lightly pressed her finger to Yugi's lips, "This mascot girl is playing hooky today, so Sugoroku-san can't see us sneaking out."
"Gotcha," Yugi agreed, "Ojii-chan would have a fit if he knew we were going to Otogi-san's store!" The two quietly crept downstairs and exited the game shop through the back door without letting Sugoroku see them leave.
"Hey, Yugi-kun," Kagome began once they were far enough away from the game shop, "I have a question."
"What is it?" he asked.
"Kaiba-san goes to school with us, right?"
"Yeah. He's in the same class as me and the others."
"Then where is he most of the time? I haven't seen him once since I transferred to Domino."
"Since Kaiba-san runs KaibaCorp, he has an arrangement with the school just like you do so he can leave school to do his work." Yugi paused and looked thoughtful for a moment as he recalled the last time he saw Kaiba on campus. "I haven't seen at school since the day you transferred. I don't think he's ever been away for so long, so I expect he's been working on something big. Why do you ask? Is there a reason you want to find him?"
Kagome flippantly shrugged her shoulders. "I'm just a little curious. Sota's started talking to Mokuba-kun a lot lately, and he's been asking me questions about Kaiba-san. I don't know what he sees in that guy, but he practically idolizes him."
"I see," Yugi replied with a slight smile, "Kaiba-san is a really good duelist despite how he acts sometimes."
"I guess, but, even so, Sota always asks me about the King of Games! You'll always be his favorite duelist, Yu-chan!" Kagome added jokingly and giggled when Yugi became flustered. Within the next few minutes of walking, the two arrived in front of the Black Clown and met the others standing outside the store's entrance.
"Bout time you two got here!" Jonouchi greeted them enthusiastically, "I'm ready to kick some butt!" He began heading inside the Black Clown and left the others behind him.
"I really hope Jonouchi-kun's not getting in over his head," Anzu remarked, "He better not be too cocky."
"I'm sure he'll do fine," Yugi reassured, but he didn't seem completely convinced of his friend's future victory.
"And this is Kagome's first official duel," Honda added, "It'll be a shame if he lost with her watching."
"Don't worry," Anzu said to Kagome, "This duel is just the first of many more."
"I'm sure I'll be looking forward to see those!" Kagome remarked cheerfully.
The group entered the store behind Jonouchi to see him being greeted by someone who worked for Otogi. When he finished speaking to him, the elevator door behind them opened. Otogi stood inside with a knowing smirk on his face and a large cardboard box stationed by his feet.
"You showed up," he welcomed Jonouchi and gestured to the box, "Go ahead and pick out your cards. I've already got mine." Otogi held out his hand to display several unopened packs of cards. Without any further encouragement from Otogi, Jonouchi knelt down before the box, pulled out several packs, and opened them. He grinned widely as he looked at the cards he obtained.
"I'm guessing by the creepy grin that you got some good cards?" Kagome commented.
"Don't worry about it!" Jonouchi reassured her as he stood to his feet, "I got this duel in the bag."
The remainder of the elevator ride was short, and the group quickly reached the basement floor that contained the dueling arena. Otogi's fan girls turned cheerleaders were awaiting their arrival and eagerly welcomed them to the arena with a series of cheers.
"It's so big!" Kagome exclaimed as she and the others exited the elevator, looking wide eyed at the expansive area nearly spanning over the entire basement floor.
"That's so cute!" Honda commented and fondly ruffled Kagome's hair, "I remember the first time I saw a Duel Arena." Kagome rolled her eyes but didn't move away. Between Honda and Jonouchi, she was already too used to this treatment to care.
"It looks exactly like the one Yugi-kun dueled Kaiba-san in," Anzu noted.
"I rented it from Kaiba-san so duels can be conducted on site," Otogi explained after he overheard her, "And it wasn't exactly cheap."
"But what's with all the cameras?" Jonouchi asked. Surrounding the impressive display were several lights and video cameras pointed at all angles.
"Duels are far more interesting when there's a large audience to watch them," Otogi explained, "To ensure that this duel is truly spectacular, it will be broadcasted worldwide so everyone will have the chance to see the second best duelist's defeat."
"Listen, Otogi," Jonouchi countered confidently, "I'm gonna win this match for sure! Then your fans will be cheering 'Jonouchi' from now on!" The cheerleaders sobbed loudly and protested leaving Otogi until he promised to spare them from such a fate. While Jonouchi began to further posture Otogi, Kagome turned her attention to the Duel Arena and looked over the edge at the large gridlines etched on the white surface below.
"So exactly how does this thing work?" Kagome asked curiously.
"Each player goes to opposite ends of the arena where they'll each have a digital Duel Mat to play their cards on," Yugi began, "When a duelist sets a card down on the mat, it will appear on the field as a giant hologram that will represent the monster, trap, and spell card the duelist played. Kaiba-san's company invented it."
"Is it safe?" Kagome asked tentatively.
"Of course it is!" Honda exclaimed, "You really need to keep up with the times, Kagome!"
"Excuse me, but I guess I'm just an old fashioned girl," Kagome replied with a pout.
"They're about to start," Yugi announced and everyone grew silent.
Otogi and Jonouchi both approached the opposite ends of the arena and placed their decks on their respective Duel Mats. They each drew the cards for their first hand, and Otogi made the opening move.
"I begin by summoning Oni Tank T-34 in attack mode," Otogi announced and placed down his card. A large armored tank with a large horned ogre's head on the front materialized on his side of the Duel Arena.
"That thing is huge!" Kagome exclaimed. Whatever she expected to appear, this certainly wasn't it. The metal tank looked so realistic; it seemed like she could reach out and touch it!
"Yugi-kun did say 'giant holograms', Kagome-chan," Anzu jested. Kagome rolled her eyes before turning her attention back to the duel and waited for Jonouchi's turn. From the look on his face, he drew a good card.
"I summon Sword Hunter in attack mode and use him to destroy your Oni Tank," Jonouchi said proudly. A great armored man appeared on the arena floor and charged the large tank. With a single swipe of his mighty sword, Sword Hunter reduced the Oni Tank to a mass of dispersing pixels.
"Not only is your monster destroyed, but Oni Tank becomes a chunk of Sword Hunter's armor and raises his attack power by 200 points," Jonouchi finished with a grin.
"Wow," Kagome commented, "That attack took a lot of Otogi-san's life points."
"Yeah, Jonouchi might just win this one, right Yugi?" Honda said.
"Right!" he replied, but he didn't seem too sure. It was Otogi's next turn, and he placed the Dark Bat in defense mode before setting a card face down on the arena. Jonouchi drew and summoned the Mad Sword Beast before using it to attack the Dark Bat.
"Good thing my monster was in defense mode," Otogi stated, "No damage done."
"No way!" Jonouchi countered, "Mad Sword Beast has a special ability! It can do battle damage to your life points even when the monster it attacks is in defense mode." Otogi's life points quickly plummeted to 550 while Jonouchi's remained at the original 2000.
"You made a better move than I expected," Otogi began, "but you also made a mistake. I activate my face down trap card, Michizure. It allows me to destroy one monster on the field when one of my monsters is sent to the graveyard. Say goodbye to your Sword Hunter." Large arms reached out from beneath the overturned card on the field and grabbed the Sword Hunter by the waist before both disappeared in a storm of pixels.
"Don't underestimate him, Jonouchi-kun!" Anzu shouted, "Start thinking more than one move ahead!"
"Don't worry!" Jonouchi replied, his voice was shakier than usual, "I'm just making this game more interesting to watch! You know since I have to use all these boring cards." Anzu and the others sighed and continued to watch the game.
"Now, it's my turn," Otogi announced and drew, "I place one card face down and summon Spikebot in attack mode to destroy the Mad Sword Beast." Jonouchi cringed as Otogi destroyed his monster and left him with no cards on the field.
"Jonouchi-kun, get serious!" Anzu yelled.
"There's a lot at stake here!" Honda added, "Don't lose it!"
'They're right. I can't slip up now,' Jonouchi thought before taking a deep breath and drawing his next card. He grinned wildly at his draw.
"I play Goblin Attack Force and use it to attack the Spikebot!" he announced after playing the card on the field. A horde of green goblins clothed in matching uniforms with yellow hardhats appeared on the field and destroyed the Spikebot. Otogi's points were reduced to 50. The Goblin Attack Force lapsed into to defensive mode after attacking and Jonouchi ended his turn.
"Awesome!" Anzu said, "There isn't much Jonouchi-kun can do to mess this up now."
"But Otogi-san's been using a lot of cards played face down," Kagome commented, "Jonouchi-kun's not worried just playing monster cards?"
"Don't worry!" Honda remarked, "Otogi's got 50 points left. There's no way he can pull through from that last attack."
"But you do have a point, Kagome-chan," Yugi commented before looking worriedly at Otogi, "Otogi-san looks so calm. Even if he has a plan to recover from Jonouchi-kun's attack, he should still show some signs of being nervous. He must be up to something." Yugi leaned over the arena and began shouting at Jonouchi.
"Jonouchi-kun, be careful—" he began, but Jonouchi already entered his own fantasy world as he thought of what he would gain when he won the game. Yugi gave up trying to reach out to his friend and placed his face in his hands dejectedly.
"He just won't listen. He's hopeless!"
"Time to finished this!" Otogi stated before he began his next move, "I summon Gradius in attack mode and play my set magic card, Limiter Removal. This doubles Gradius's attack points from 1200 to 2400." Gradius appeared on the field as a large space shuttle that doubled in size once Otogi played Limiter Removal.
"That won't do ya any good!" Jonouchi shouted assuredly, "I have my goblins on the field in defense mode. Even if you destroy them, my life points are safe!"
"That's why I have this," Otogi said and held up a magic card before placing it on the field, "I equip Gradius with Fairy Meteor Crush. This card allows my monster to act just like the Mad Sword Beast you summoned before. My monster can now inflict battle damage to your life points equal to the difference between my monster's attack points and your monster's defense points when it attacks one of your monsters in defense position."
"But Goblin Attack Force has 0 defense points!" Jonouchi exclaimed just before Gradius attacked his mob of goblins. Jonouchi lost the remainder of his life points from the single attack. Listlessly, Jonouchi retreated from his position as Otogi's cheerleaders praised Otogi and applauded his victory.
"Jonouchi-kun," Anzu scolded when he reached the group, "You were way too full of yourself!"
"Yeah, I know," Jonouchi replied with his eyes pointed to the ground.
"But you did your best, right?" Kagome tried to console her friend, but she didn't sound very convincing.
"You don't have to lie to make me feel better, Kagome," Jonouchi remarked and looked up at her, "I was nowhere near my best today. Anzu was right; I have gotten too cocky."
A cheerleader walked up to the group holding a looked folded one piece suit and handed it to Jonouchi.
"What's this?" Jonouchi asked as he unfolded the bundle. It was a tan dog suit with brown spots and floppy ears sewn on the head piece.
"It's your new uniform," Otogi informed him arrogantly, "Don't forget your end of the bargain. For the next week, you're my personal dog. And the entire world will witness your humiliation." A camera zoomed in on Jonouchi's expression as he stared at the dog suit.
"Hey, that's not fair!" Kagome shouted, protesting the treatment of Jonouchi with a scowl on her face, "You can't humiliate Jonouchi-kun like this even if he did lose."
"That's right," Yugi agreed strongly, "You're taking this too far!"
"It's alright," Jonouchi interjected, "Otogi won the duel fair and square, and I'm a man of my word." He grunted with Otogi tossed some dice in his direction and hit him in the middle of the forehead.
"You're my dog now," Otogi stated harshly, "All you're allowed to say is 'woof'." Without another word, Jonouchi slipped the dog suit over his clothes before dropping to his hands and knees.
"Now bark!" Otogi ordered. Jonouchi gritted his teeth together firmly and tightly closed his eyelids before letting out a pitiful barking noise.
"Enough!" Yugi shouted and protectively stepped in front of his friend, glaring harshly at Otogi, "How dare you treat my friend this way!" The transformation was swift, but Kagome noticed it instantly.
'The pharaoh?' she thought curiously, 'What's going on? Why did he and Yugi-kun switch places all of a sudden?'
"Your next battle is with me," the pharaoh under the guise of Yugi stated firmly, "If I win, you will let Jonouchi go!"
"Fine," Otogi replied with a smirk, "but we're gonna change the game for this round. We'll duel in the game of my choice, Dungeon Dice Monsters. If I win, you give up your Duelist Kingdom championship title to me and vow to never play Duel Monsters again."
'So he wants Yugi-kun's title?' Kagome thought, 'That must have been Otogi-san's plan all along from the moment Jonouchi-kun challenged him to a duel.'
"No way," Anzu protested, "You can't do it, Yugi-kun. That's way too much for you to lose."
"She's right," Honda agreed, "Jonouchi was too cocky; he asked for this."
"They're right, Yugi!" Jonouchi shouted and stood to his feet, "Don't risk your title for me!"
"I told you not to speak!" Otogi shouted before flicking another die at Jonouchi's forehead. The pharaoh caught the die in his palm just before it made contact. He clenched it tightly in his hand before dropping it to the ground and stepping on it.
"I accept your challenge and all your terms," the pharaoh stated causing Otogi to grin.
Kagome looked back and forth between the next two combatants before sighing deeply.
'I don't get it. This was only supposed to be a simple card game, right?'
-O0o0O-
punkish furball – Hope you enjoyed! So the owner of the new game shop is Otogi as I'm sure we all guessed at one point or another. And do I detect a little jealousy? The Dungeon Dice Monsters arc will be over with by the next chapter so things won't get too boring. L83R, DUD35! X3
(revised 11.14.2012)
