Small Note

Sakura: Not much to say this time around, except thanks for the reviews and I'm glad to see I'm collecting some new readers. It's good to see people are enjoying this story...

Chapter Thirty Eight

Monster Fight (Part One)

The sun was out making for a beautiful spring afternoon, however not everyone was enjoying the nice weather. Yugi's chipper mood that day had turned sour quick when his boyfriend had to cancel on their date once again. It was the third time in a week and he was most definitely ready for Seto to take his company back. Because of this turn in events Joey decided to give Yugi a ride home and hang out with him since he thankfully had the day off work. Due to the end of the semester coming soon, the professors had slow down on the assignments giving students more free time to study ahead for final exams. Although Joey and Yugi were the last people who wanted to study on a day like that.

As soon as they entered the Kame Game shop they found the shop empty of costumers and Solomon behind the counter reading a gaming magazine. He looked up when the bell rang and greeted them with a smile. "How were classes today?"

"Boring…" Yugi said with a sigh as he tossed his bag down and lean against the counter.

"It was alright, but Yugi is simply bummed out again." Joey informed the elder Mutou.

Solomon quickly caught on to what Joey was hinting at, "Yami cancelled again."

"Yes and it's the third time this week." Yugi complained as he checked his phone to see yet another apology message from his boyfriend. He did not want to appear clingy, but he hated when something came up and Yami cancelled.

"Well he is the acting CEO at the moment Yugi. This is something he is not use to and he has to put all his attention into it." Solomon reminded him, "Before long both of you will be working and it will feel like you don't have time for each other. You just have to make the most of the time you do have together."

"I take it your speaking from experience." Joey commented since Solomon had been married once before.

Solomon nodded, "Before she passed away my wife and I had to take every small moment we had together and cherish it. I traveled a good bit back when I was younger much like Yugi's father does now. It becomes harder when you have children, so it's best to enjoy these days you have now in your younger years."

"I know grandpa, but if Yami doesn't take a break I worry he might get sick. I barely see him as it is and he always looks tired when I do see him." Yugi said with a sigh as he finished his text to Yami and put his phone away.

"Just tell him you're worried and he'll understand. I bet it won't be long before Seto is back on his feet and Yami will be free to focus on you and his studies again." Solomon said before he decided to pull Yugi away from his depressing mood. "By the way I got that new shipment in. The one I was telling you about the other day."

Yugi eyes lit up at that. "It seriously came in? Where's it at?"

Solomon chuckled as he ducked down for a moment to grab something behind the counter before he presented the newest game he had gotten in. Yugi could never pass up the chance at being the first one to try out any new product the shop got. "I knew you would be excited to see it so I held off putting it on the shelf. It's called Monster Fighter and it's supposed to be the next big thing."

"Monster fighters…?" Joey questioned not sure what they were talking about. He watched as Solomon set out what looked like a gun but instead of a barrel it had a platform on it for something to sit on. He guessed the two monster figures Solomon set down were supposed to go on top of it.

"It's a combination of a monster boxing game and warm wrestling." Solomon went on to explain to Joey, "First you pick the monster you're going to use. There are over one hundred kinds and each has their own moves and hit strength."

Joey picked up one of the guns and one of the monsters which looked to be some kind of lizard man with boxing gloves. Yugi picked up the other gun and the other monster which looked like a ball with bunny ears and boxing gloves.

"You set it on the special 'fighting gun' like so…" Yugi showed Joey setting his own monster up on the gun and connecting the wires. "Then you link your gun with your opponent's gun and you're ready to battle." He linked up Joey's gun with his gun once Joey had his monster set up.

"So what about this thing?" Joey asked as he held up a coin size disk with a W on it. It had come with the monster so it had to have a point.

"That is your move data information," Yugi replied showing Joey his own, "There's a sensor on the back of the gun. You put the barcode disk on it and it scans it and reads your secret moves. Each monster has different finishing moves. Once the game begins, you watch your opponent for an opening and use the punch, kick, and guard buttons to defeat him." He showed Joey where and what each button did so he would be able to play. "There's two ways to win. You can knock your enemy out by hitting their weak points or you can force them out of the ring with a critical hit."

Joey nodded taking in all the information. "You sure know a lot about this game already Yugi."

"I got a little sneak peek at the game guide when Grandpa got it in the mail a month ago. The creators sent the guides out to different shops to see who would be willing to sell their items and grandpa thought this game would be a big hit for the younger kids that come around here." Yugi told Joey who shouldn't have been surprised. Every new game that came in Yugi would be the first to try it out and he used to take them to school with him back in high school to promote the game. That had changed a little since he was in college now, but he could still show off to his friends. "Ready for a friendly match?"

"You know I am." Joey prepared his monster and once they were both ready they started the match. He went first throwing a right punch at Yugi's monster.

Yugi used his monster to guard before he changed and went to punch Joey's monster. Back and forth the two went guarding, punching, and kicking trying their hardest to beat the other. Solomon watched the two having a blast playing the game, if they were having this much fun he was sure the game would sell well with the younger crowd.

"You dropped your guard." Yugi warned Joey and before his friend could do anything Yugi used his monster to kick Joey's monster in the side.

"Ack! That hit made the grip vibrate!" Joey shouted out in shock not knowing the device could do that.

"When you're hit in your weak point, you can't move for two seconds," Solomon filled in for Joey before he told his grandson, "This is your chance, use your finishing move."

"Okay!" Yugi pulled the finishing move trigger allowing his monster to use its Mach Tornado Punch to send Joey's monster off the platform and leave it hanging from the gun thanks to the wire still attached. "I win!"

"Do you ever lose at anything?" Joey wondered out of the blue because it seemed like every game Yugi played he won no matter if he was new at it or not.

Yugi grinned at his friend. "You just got to keep trying Joey, one day you might defeat me." He placed the two guns and monsters back on the counter.

"So what do you think?" Solomon asked the boys.

"I think it's awesome," Joey commented since it was like a portable fighting game. It beat going to the arcade every day and having to pay coins just to play a fighting game.

Solomon was glad to hear that, "Well since you boys like it so much, I'll let you keep these two devices if you can do me a favor."

Yugi was surprised by that, "Sure what is it?"

"I want you to promote the game while on campus. I'm sure most of the students have younger siblings and if they see you playing the game it might catch their interest. I think the best way to advertise is to see other people playing the game."

"That's a good idea grandpa…" Yugi said liking the idea. He never had a problem playing games in between classes with his friends.

"It might even catch on with the college crowd." Joey pointed out agreeing with the idea, "I'm in, it will make the days a little less boring."

Solomon gave the devices back to the boys, "Well we will just have wait and see how popular this game gets." He knew Yugi and Joey would be the best ones to show off the game. Hopefully it would not be long for the game to catch on.

Within a week, monster fighter was a big hit throughout Domino. Word of the game spread fast after Joey and Yugi were seen playing the game during their free time on campus. Students simply passing by would stop and wonder what they were playing. Since it was new it had everyone's attention and ended up catching the attention of the college crowd like Joey thought it might and once the older teens were playing, then it moved down the chain to the younger teens and children. It became a new trend in the gaming world and really did boost business for the Kame Game Shop.

Yugi was glad to have been able to help his grandfather out, however once the game became popular it was harder and harder to keep the items in stock. His family's store could not stay stocked long enough with the demand of the crowd.

"So your store still out?" Duke asked after he watched Yugi have to tell another student that his store was out. The student walked away without another word allowing Yugi to turn his attention back to his friends.

They were all trying to enjoy lunch together and it was one of those rare days where even Yami was able to join them. He had been trying to come back to classes slowly, but there were some days when he was needed more at Kaiba Corp. They had a few quizzes that day in different classes so Yami made sure to come that day.

Yugi nodded, "It's a pain having to turn costumers away. This game became almost too big of a hit." He stole a few of Yami's fries before he asked, "What about your store?"

Duke shook his head, "We've been out for two days now and I think my father isn't going to order anymore. We have other items in our store that sell well so it's not a huge lost. It just means your grandfather will be the only one in that area selling them from now on."

"I think grandpa might enjoy that." Yami said with a chuckle. The two game shops had been rivals since Duke moved to Domino back in their high school days. His father opened up a game shop not far from Yugi's and they have been in competition ever since. Yugi and Duke got along just fine, but there was word from both teens that Yugi's grandfather and Duke's father hated each other. There was no clue as to why from both boys since neither of their relatives had met before or so they think they hadn't. It was a mystery that no one bought up anymore.

"If we could just keep them in stock I'm sure he will." Yugi agreed before he looked down at his watch. "Oh crap… Yami I'll be right back."

"Where are you going?" Yami asked confused.

Yugi stood up while tossing his back pack onto his back. "I have to turn in some papers before our next class. Just wait here for me it shouldn't take long." He took off without another word hoping to make it back to his friends before they headed over to the building for their last class of the day.

"What was that about?" Tea wondered as she watched Yugi hurry off.

"I think it has something to do with his major." Joey pointed out causing all eyes to turn to him. "He was talking about finally deciding on a major and just having to fill out the paperwork."

Yami recalled Yugi talking to him about what major he should take. He had told him he would support him in anything he chose to do and that must have helped if Yugi was filling out the paper work to change from undecided to a real major. "I wondering if he is going for the archaeology major he was telling me about."

"Probably so, then it will just be Joey who has to decide." Duke said teasing the blond at their table who was always late deciding things.

Joey flicked a fry at Duke, "I'll have you know I'm filing for a major next week. My adviser gave me a few chooses to look over that might interest me."

"Just make sure you want to do it Joey." Tea reminded the blond, "You don't want to get stuck with something that you don't enjoy."

"I know, you don't have to worry I got it covered."

The rest of the time was spent finishing their meals and making small talk until Yugi returned to them.

Yugi stepped out of the administration building once he was done filling his paperwork. Now he would just have to wait until his new adviser called him to set up an appointment to meet so he could figure out what classes he would need to take. It was nice to have a major and know what he wanted to do with his life. He was also happy that Yami would support him just like he would support his boyfriend.

Checking his watch, Yugi found he still had over ten minutes to make it back to his friends so instead of having to run all the way back he could take his time. Now that he had everything taken care of before his last class, he could go home with Yami and enjoy the time they had together. Yami had assured him that morning that he would not be going into work, but there was no telling when he might get a phone call and have to go in. Yugi had to make sure he spent as much time with Yami as he could that day.

It was when he was passing between two of the buildings that he heard a voice from behind him.

"Hey Yugi…"

Yugi turned not recognizing the voice and found a tall tough looking guy walking up to him. He hated being cornered like this since it reminded him of his high school days, but he had to learn to not see everyone as a bully. "How do you know my name?" He asked not sure what the guy wanted.

"Everyone knows the name of the King of Games," The guy said as he stopped in front of Yugi. "The names Koji Nagumo and I hear you're pretty good at Monster Fighter."

"I'm okay at the game," Yugi admitted wanting to get back to his friends. "Is there something you wanted because I have somewhere I need to be."

Nagumo pulled out his own monster fighter gun, "You see I'm a pretty good gamer myself and have become a master at this game. I remembered hearing the King of Games went to our campus, so I thought I would challenge you to a friendly game. I've been looking for a real challenge."

Yugi knew what it was like to not have any real challenging opponents to go up against. However he promised his friends he would be right back. "Maybe some other time?"

"It will be real quick I promise. You do have your gun with you don't you?"

There was this gut feeling that he was not going to be able to walk away from here without a match, so Yugi pulled his back pack off and grabbed his gun and monster from inside it. "Sure…" He figured one little game could not hurt and he did have a few moments to spare. He hooked his monster up to his gun and then linked his gun with Nagumo's gun.

"Huh? So your monster is Alti he's a nice starter monster, but my wild spider is undefeated." Nagumo informed him as Yugi saw the monster Nagumo had which was a spider with boxing gloves.

The two did not take long to start their battle and honestly it was one of the harder fights Yugi had to face. Some of the players he had face from his classes were not as strong as this guy. There seemed like there was no opening to hit the spider's weak point or a chance to knock it off the platform.

"By the way I forgot to mention there's this house rule I always play with…" Nagumo mentioned as he kept his eyes on the game.

"Huh?" Yugi wondered trying to listen and keep his eyes on the game.

"The winner gets the loser's fighting gun and of course, the loser's monster too."

That threw Yugi off hearing that and it was at that moment he wanted to stop the game. "What? No way, I don't want to Nagumo."

"Oh look out you're wide open!"

Yugi quickly looked down at the game however it wasn't the game he should have been worried about as Nagumo repeated himself by saying, "I said you're wide open." It was at that moment Yugi should have realized it was him and not the game Nagumo was talking about when a pretty strong punch to the face sent Yugi flat on his back and making him lose his grip on his gun.

Nagumo chuckled as he turned to walk away with his prize. "It's the rules so I'll keep this. Got a lot of other appointments, so I've gotta run, but next time we fight I'll get serious."

Yugi was able to pick himself up long enough to watch Nagumo walk away with his gun and monster. He felt like a fool for trusting the guy and there was no way he was going to let him get away with that.

"Monster fighter hunters?" Joey questioned wondering if he heard Tomoya right as they continued to wait for Yugi at their table. They had been just making small talk when Tomoya started telling them about some of the things that had been happening on campus. Tomoya and Tea knew a lot more since they lived on campus.

Tomoya nodded, "There have been a lot of victims here at school over the past few days. The hunters steal the games then are selling them at a higher price trying to make some quick cash."

"I remember hearing about that, but I thought it was just some rumor." Tea mentioned having not realized it was true.

"I like to punch the lights out on the jerk doing all this." Joey growled, since games were supposed to be fun. No one should have to worry about getting their monster fighters stolen. Before Joey could decide to go hunt down the jerk stealing the games, Yugi reappeared at their table, but something was completely different.

"Yugi!" Yami gasped as he quickly stood up to tend to his lover. Yugi had a nasty bruise developing on the side of his face along with a cut bottom lip. The smaller teen had to deal with his concerned lover fusing over him, before Yugi could get a word in.

However instead of explaining how he ended up that way, Yugi turned to Joey with this serious look on his face. "Joey, I want to ask you a favor…"

Sakura: Well that is all for this chapter… I changed things up by ending it here since the manga chapter has more to it like the start of the revenge match between Yami and Nagumo. Those who have read the manga know what I'm talking about, but I wanted to hold off and leave people guessing whether Yugi will get his own revenge or if Yami is going to go kick some ass.

Yumi: Review!