Too Much To Ask

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Chapter 9: We're Dueling in the Sky?


Eshe's Point of View

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I was very rudely awakened by someone splashing water in my face.

"What the hell…?" My body shot upright, my eyes wide like saucers.

"Oh, good, you're awake."

Great, another Brit…I think I've had enough of them for one day.

A young boy with snowy white hair loomed in my face, smiling sweetly.

I was on my feet immediately. "What do you want?"

"Are these yours?" He held up six locator cards.

My locator cards!

I searched frantically for my purse, which, I realized, was in his other hand.

"Yeah…so is the purse."

He handed me my belongings.

"Thank you."

He flashed another friendly smile at me, but stood there silently, an awkward stillness between us.

"So…you've qualified for the Battle City Finals."

"Yeah," I replied nonchalantly. "Are you a duelist as well?"

"Yes, but I'm afraid I'm not much of a duelist…"

"I see."

"Would you duel me for a locator card? I'll probably just lose, anyway…"

No way am I risking my locator cards!

I sighed. "No, sorry. I have to make sure I hold onto these things," I told him, putting the locator cards back in my purse.

"Of course," he replied, ducking his head sheepishly. "It was silly of me to ask. After almost losing them to those bums, I'm sure you'd want to be extra careful."

"Yeah…what happened to them, anyway?"

The boy smiled faintly. "I took care of them."

"Both of them?" I asked, awestruck.

"All three of them," he corrected.

"There were three of them?"

"Yes; I can't believe they'd gang up on a nice girl like you."

I blushed slightly. "I'm sorry; I didn't catch your name."

"It's Bakura."

What an odd name for a British lad.

"Well, Bakura," I held up my hand, and he shook it, "thank you for returning my locator cards to me, and getting rid of those thugs. You must have some awesome Karate skills or something to be able to fend off multiple attackers."

Bakura laughed. "Well, I don't know about that…"

"How many locator cards do you have?"

"I don't have any, actually."

"How did you expect to obtain any?" I asked incredulously. "Technically, you've been kicked out of the tournament."

A darkness passed over Bakura's eyes that I couldn't identify. He seemed a bit lost in his thoughts.

"Bakura? Are you okay?"

"You didn't tell me your name."

"My name is Eshe," I told him, embarrassed. "Sorry."

That darkness passed over his eyes again.

"I'm sorry, Eshe…but I've got to go," he sputtered. I could see traces of fear in his eyes. "Maybe I'll see you around."

"See ya…"

He ran off.

What was that all about…?

I hurried out of the cemetery area myself. I wanted to get away from that place and go somewhere that had civilization.

I stopped and sat down on a bench in the park. I took the locator cards out of my purse and held them in my hand.

Aren't these things supposed to tell me where the Battle City Finals are?

The sun was setting in the distance, all of the pinks, oranges, blues, and a tinge of violet melding in the atmosphere. It was a truly magnificent sight. Darkness shrouded the sky, but the sun still stood out, a bright, luminous, light. I was captivated by its phosphorescent glow.

Hey…these locator cards are the same size as my Duel Monsters cards…

I placed the locator cards on my duel disc, and a bright, shining light projected onto the ground.

"It's a map of Battle City…" I said breathlessly.

It's a good thing I can follow directions, or I would have never found my way.

Not that I can follow directions well…It took me a good hour to find the place, since I am not familiar at all with any of the areas of Japan outside of my immediate residence.

As I entered the stadium, I prayed silently that I wasn't the last one to arrive.

There were already at least seven people there, by the looks of it, but not all of them were wearing duel discs. I only counted four duel discs…worn by Seto, Yugi, Wheeler, and a female duelist. Oh, wait…I recognize her…she was another one of the finalists in Pegasus' Duelist Kingdom Tournament. Her name is Mai Valentine. She's another tough duelist, even if she dresses a bit…unconservatively.

I recognized Bakura, who was standing with Yugi and Wheeler.

"Oh, hello, Eshe," he greeted me. "Fancy meeting you here."

"I didn't expect to find you here," I admitted. "I thought you didn't have any locator cards."

"That's true," he replied. "I'm friends with Yugi and Joey."

I blinked. "Are you serious?"

"Yugi, Joey, this is Eshe," he said, introducing me to the two duelists.

I shook their hands. "It's an honor to meet you both."

Yugi only giggled and blushed, while Joey puffed his chest out proudly. "Well, I was runner-up in Duelist Kingdom," Joey boasted.

I struggled not to roll my eyes. Who knew Joey Wheeler was so full of himself?

Another duelist, with platinum blonde hair entered the dueling arena. He had bright lavender eyes, and a periwinkle shirt that brought out the violet flecks in his eyes.

"Hey, it's Namu!" Joey shouted. He and the dark-haired girl ran up to the duelist named Namu. "Thanks for helpin' out Bakura, man."

Bakura walked up to Namu timidly. "So you're the lad who saved my life, huh?"

"Oh, it was nothing, really," Namu insisted. "I just did what anybody would've done."

So Namu saved Bakura, and Bakura saved me…what a freaky coincidence.

"So you're the guy Joey and Téa have been talking about," Yugi remarked. "Well, Namu, any friend of Joey and Téa is a buddy of mine."

I guess the brunette is Téa, then…

"Well, I guess you made it to the finals after all, Namu," Joey stated.

"Yes," Namu agreed. "I couldn't believe it when I finally got my sixth locator card."

The wind picked up suddenly, sharp gusts tugging out my jacket. A tall, cloaked man entered the stadium. Everyone inside had stopped talking.

What the hell is going on…?

"Who are you?" Seto demanded icily. "State your name at once!"

"I am Marik Ishtar."

Marik?! I thought he was that short dude in the cloak!

"It looks like you don't have any friends here, Tattoo-Face!" Mokuba called out shrilly.

Mokuba?

My eyes shot in the direction of the young voice.

He's alive!! He's okay!!

A small smile of relief crossed my face.

I wonder if Seto recognized me?

"I should disqualify you now for hacking into my computer system and for kidnapping Mokuba," Seto continued, "but you have something I want."

Marik simply dismissed Seto's words and stood there, his arms crossed.

What does Seto want from Marik?

I couldn't worry about that right now. What if Seto wanted to disqualify me for entering his tournament?

I glanced over at Seto worriedly, but frigid glare yielded no emotions except for anger and distrust. He seemed to be glowering at nothing in particular; he must be thinking about something.

I noticed a rather large blimp in the sky, heading towards our direction.

"Attention, all duelists," Seto's associate spoke. "Although your locator cards led you here, this is not the location of the Battle City Finals."

"Please standby for embarkation of KaibaCraft 3!" Mokuba announced.

The blimp was getting larger.

"We're dueling in the sky?" Yugi asked.

"That's right!" Mokuba responded excitedly, his eyes bright with animation. The blimp finally landed. "Now get on board for the start of the Battle City Finals!!"


I know some people call Mai "slutty" because of the way she dresses, but I had Eshe call her "unconservative" instead, just to show that she respects Mai as a duelist.

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