Chapter 10
"Addy wait," She heard Kyle say, as he began to jog after her. Addy continued to walk, still crying as she could only think about how she let her brother down. A hand grabbed her shoulder. "Addy," Kyle said, pulling Addy to a stop. "Addy, what do you play for? Any other duelist here would just shrug of a loss, and go home. Why does it bother you so much that you don't advance to the semi finals?" Kyle asked, once again looking Addy in the eye.
Addy wiped the tears from her cheeks as she began to tell him about her brother. "I'm playing in my brother's honor," She began, still crying. "To prove to him that I'm not a failure… and I couldn't do it; I failed him."
Kyle looked down to his hand where he still held Addy's star chips. Addy was still crying, and he felt generous. "I'll tell you what." He began, catching Addy's attention. "I'll give your star chips back. But you'd better win this tournament. Think of these as a gift. I do not want them back." He said, sternly as he handed her a handful of stars, and began to walk away.
Addy, still crying and slightly unsure of what just happened, looked down to her hand where he'd placed the chips. To her amazement, in her palm lay ten star chips. Addy looked up in order to inform Kyle of his obvious mistake, although she saw no one. He was already gone. Addy looked down at her palm again and began to laugh, as her fortune returned, and she began to plug the star chips into her glove. She wiped away the rest of her tears as began to walk; now searching for Yugi. And she knew exactly where to find him.
Addy immediately began to head for Pegasus's castle at the heart of the island. She couldn't help but smile; just as before, she had extraordinary luck, although this time she learned that luck can run out.
-3 Months Ago-
The crowd cheered as one Seto Kaiba easily won the televised tournament that Mike was hosting. Pegasus was seen walking up to him, raising Kaiba's arm in victory. "Congratulations, Seto Kaiba! You have won an invitation to my exclusive Duelist Kingdom tournament!" Pegasus proudly declared.
"Did you see that, mom?" Addy asked; smiling as her mom sat next to her on the couch. "Yes, honey, I'm right here." She replied, and Addy continued. "Wow, I wish I was Mike! I wish I could've seen that live!" She said, still smiling.
"Alright, Addy; it's time to go to bed honey." Addy was told. Her smile vanished. She hated going to bed when there was this much excitement going on. "Go on, go to bed. Your brother will be here tomorrow to tell you all about it." Addy smiled again, and finally agreed to go to bed.
Addy woke the next day and found the house apparently silent. She got up quickly, wanting badly to interview her brother about the tournament. She raced into the kitchen, only to find her mom sitting there, crying.
"What's wrong mom? Where's Mike?" Addy asked, as she began to rub her mom's back. That usually made her feel better. "Mike died, Addy." Her mother replied abruptly, and continued to cry. Addy's jaw dropped. She ran back to her room and threw herself onto her bed. She could breathe. How could Mike be dead?
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Within an hour, Addy reached the castle. She walked up to the entrance, where she saw what seemed to be a relief with ten stars missing from it. Addy quickly removed her star chips and placed them inside, after which the door opened. "The real action is on the balcony" She overheard on of the guards say. With nothing better to do, she headed in that direction.
She slowly walked through the main hall. It was decorated beautifully, and the large center table appeared to be set for the semifinalists, although food had not been prepared yet. 'I must be early', Addy thought to herself, as she continued to walk; now looking for stairs to reach the balcony. As she exited the hall through a door opposite the entrance, she saw the stairway she was looking for, and began to climb.
When she came to the top, she heart nearly leapt out of her chest as she heard Yugi scream. "Stop!" He cried. Fearing that he was in trouble, Addy started to run, and was stunned at the sight before her.
To her left, was Yugi on his knees, surrounded by countless holograms of Kuribo. Just ahead of him with a sword drawn, was the Celtic Guardian.
To her right, Addy saw Seto Kaiba. He was standing on the ledge of the castle, dangerously close to falling. In front of him sat a dragon. Addy knew this monster; it was the Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon. But something wasn't right. From its stomach emerged what appeared to be a Mammoth Graveyard. The dragon appeared to be rotting from the inside out.