YU-GI-OH! Forever

A fan-fiction by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: Do not own, do not own, do not own, do not own…)

CHAPTER 52

THE NEXT MORNING

"Uhhh…"

Yugo woke up, groaning and rubbing his belly. "Note to self: never pig out again," he moaned.

"Having stomach trouble, Yugo?" Kyo needled him from the other side of the room. "I knew eating too much would land you into trouble."

Yugo gave him the finger. "At least I have an iron stomach," he growled. "I just still feel full after last night, that's all."

A knock at the door interrupted their conversation. Yugo went to answer it, and found Miki standing there, all smiles. "Hey, guys!" she greeted them. "You ready for another day of dueling?"

Yugo quickly snapped to attention. "Yeah," he said, gravely. "I need to hurry and get ready." And with that he dashed to the bathroom.

"Whoa…I've never seen him so serious upon waking up," Kyo remarked.

"Well, that's because…his opponent is Malachi's sister," Miki reminded him.

"Oh, yeah. THAT'S why." Kyo scowled immediately. "Well, my duel's against him today, too. I'll beat the crap out of him and make him pay for what he did to Raven."

Miki looked worriedly at him. "Kyo…please, don't let your emotions carry you away. I don't want to see anything happen to you."

"Nothing will happen to me, Miki – don't fret." Kyo chuckled. "All that'll happen is, I'll make it to the next round. But what about you – you're supposed to duel Jenna, aren't you?"

"Yeah." Miki nodded. "And frankly, I don't really know for sure if I can beat her. But at least, I'll do my best."

"That's the spirit!" Kyo agreed. "Now, let's go win us some duels, what d'you say?"

"Yeah!" Miki smiled now.

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Honey walked past Raven's room, looking in as she did. He was lying in his bed, tubes inserted into his chest, motionless as if dead. "Raven…" she sighed.

"Excuse me…"

"Huh?" Honey looked up and saw the hospital matron. "Oh, sorry. I just came here to check on my brother."

"I'm sorry, dear, but there's been no change," the matron apologized. "You shouldn't worry yourself, though – we're doing everything we can for him."

Honey smiled. "I know. Thank you."

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In the lobby of the dining area, Jenna was trying to make a long-distance call to home. "Come on, somebody pick up," she muttered furiously.

After a few rings, she heard her mother's voice on the line. "Wheeler residence."

"Mom, it's Jenna! I'm calling from London!" Jenna exclaimed.

"Jenna? Oh, how wonderful to hear from you!" Mrs. Wheeler's voice brightened. "How are you kids?"

"Just wonderful, thanks. Listen, Mom – all of us won our first duels in the first round! The second round begins in another hour or so," Jenna reported.

"We know about that – we've been keeping up-to-date on TV," said Mrs. Wheeler. "Congratulations to all of you. But, Jenna…"

"Yeah, Mom?" said Jenna, sensing the troubled note in her mother's voice.

It took a moment before Mrs. Wheeler spoke again. "Sweetheart…be careful, okay? I saw what that Malachi Jordan boy did to his opponent…I don't want the same thing to happen to you. So please, please be careful."

"I know, Mom. And I will be all right," said Jenna gently.

"Okay." Mrs. Wheeler's tone was filled with approval. "Now, go ahead and win, dear!"

"Yeah, Mom. And give my love to everybody back home." Jenna smiled. "Bye!"

She hung up the phone and sighed in satisfaction. "Well, so much for that," she said, almost to herself.

"Hey, Jenna, you ready to go? We're going to the dome right now," Yugo's voice came behind her. Turning, she saw him, Kyo and Miki standing there, prepared to tackle the tournament again.

Jenna chuckled and patted her own Duel-Disk. "I'm ready and rearing to go, all right! Let's head out!"

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AN HOUR LATER

One hour later found them all in the dueling arena. Jenna looked around as the spectators came in and filled the seats. "Hope the other duelists get here soon," she whispered.

"Are you scared?" Miki grinned and gave Jenna a knowing look.

"Of you? I don't think so!" Jenna retorted with a grin of her own.

"Howdy, everyone! I'm gonna wash away the entire competition now!" Wade's cheerful voice sounded behind them.

"Boy, you sure sound confident, don't you?" said Jenna. "Especially considering you're going up against Seta."

"Yeah, so? I'm not gonna let something like that cramp my style!" Wade replied.

Alongside him were Flora, Marcus and Blaze. "We'll be watching all the matches from the stands," announced Flora. "Make a good impression now, Wade."

"Of course I will!" declared Wade.

Then Yugo looked to one side – and his attention was suddenly arrested. "Guys…"

Turning to look in the direction where he was gazing, the gang saw Malachi, Miriam, David and Luke heading their way. Malachi, as before, had his arms folded and a frown on his face.

There was a deathly silence as the group walked past them. But then Malachi paused and looked sideways at Kyo. "You, angel user…you will be my next prey."

Kyo stiffened and glared at him. Malachi merely returned the glare and then walked on. Miriam, right behind him, sighed and shook her head as she walked past; Luke and David kept looking straight ahead.

"Hmph. The bloodthirsty punk and his entourage have walked right past," said Marcus with distaste.

"Marcus, ssshhh – he might hear you!" Flora scolded.

Another voice grabbed their attention. "So, I take it you are all ready to be stomped today?"

Turning, they saw Seta Kaiba coming forward with his Duel-Disk on his arm and a massive smirk on his face. "After witnessing my Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon in action yesterday, I'm surprised you guys haven't immediately quit."

"We have our reasons for staying in the tournament," said Kyo flatly.

"Yeah, and besides – don't forget, even your dragon isn't invulnerable!" Yugo then jumped on a surprised Seta's shoulders. "Nya-nya-nya! Your dragon can be beaten easily, and I'm proof of that!"

"Would you shut it? And get off me already!" Seta yelled, flustered.

"Awww…they make such a cute couple, don't they?" Miki asked sweetly, even as Seta tried to wrestle Yugo off his back and Yugo stubbornly held onto the other boy's neck.

"That's not funny, kid!" Seta shouted.

"Well, at least we have the luxury of a few minutes' wait until they're ready to start the duels," remarked Wade.

"We'll take our place with the spectators now. Do your best, Wade!" said Blaze, as she, Flora and Marcus took their leave.

"Just you watch! I'll definitely win!" Wade called after her, grinning.

Some considerable distance away, Malachi regarded the group with a scornful eye. "Overconfident fools," he grumbled.

"Well, uh…let's just do our best, eh?" Miriam suggested.

He shot a look at her. "YOU can do your best – I'm here to crush all opposition."

Miriam flinched at this, but Malachi didn't seem to care. Sensing the tension, Luke decided to take the conversation into another direction. "So, Miriam, you'll be dueling first, I take it…whatcha think your chances are?"

"Well, considering that my opponent is going to be the guy who beat you," said Miriam, "I think it'll be interesting."

Luke laughed and scratched the back of his head. "I sure botched that one, didn't I?"

"I don't think it was you, Luke," said Miriam. "I saw how he handled his cards…he certainly seemed to know what he was doing when he made that comeback against you at the last minute. But the only way I can know for myself how good he is, is if I face him personally."

"You'll beat him down for sure, Miriam – I know it!" David said eagerly.

Malachi turned his head to one side. "Pft."

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"Where ARE they?" Mr. Devlin fussed. "This is so bad that they're late!"

Presently Mrs. Taylor came along. "Sorry I'm late; I overslept," she apologized.

"Well, as long as you're here, at least we can start soon," said Mr. Devlin. "Where's Pegasus, anyway?"

"Still in his room, I take it," suggested Mrs. Taylor. "He was quite torn up about what happened to Raven, anyway."

"Yeah…I guess that's right," said Mr. Devlin thoughtfully.

Just then Pegasus appeared. "Well, here I am," he said cheerfully. "So, let's get this show on the road, eh?"

"Yes." Mrs. Taylor nodded and gave Pegasus her best smile.

Mr. Devlin then addressed the crowds in the stands. "Good morning, everyone, and welcome back for another day of the Intercontinental Championship tournament!"

The crowds cheered in response.

"Now, today we're gonna go into the second round of the tournament," went on Mr. Devlin. "And now, if you'll direct your attention to our monitor, this is the order in which the duels will go…"

All eyes turned to the monitor as it revealed itself above the announcer's podium. It displayed the names of the duelists left to participate, and the order was like this:

Miriam Jordan

Yugo Muto

Miki Taylor

Jenna Wheeler

Wade Ocean

Seta Kaiba

Malachi Jordan

Kyo Bakura

There was a general hiss of contempt from the crowd as Malachi's name came up. Blaze shook her head. "Okay, it looks like that Malachi guy's lost a few fans after what happened yesterday."

"Only a few?" Marcus asked skeptically.

Behind them, the ninja Shigeo sat down, perfectly calm. "Excuse me, but have you any favorites among those duelists down there?"

"Favorites?" Flora thought hard. "Well, I'd bet my money on Jenna. I think she's got a good chance with her Red-Eyes Black Dragon."

"You're only saying that because she beat me," Blaze said sourly. "Personally, I think either Miki or Wade has a chance of winning a duel in this round."

"Not against Seta Kaiba, Wade won't win," objected Marcus. "Hey, buddy, who's your duelist of choice?"

"I'd like to think that Miki will do well, to be honest," admitted Shigeo. "After all, she does have great potential. But on the other hand, Yugo Muto is no pushover, either."

"Well, all we can do is to wait and see," said Blaze, crossing her arms.

"Now, the first duel will be between Miriam Jordan and Yugo Muto!" Mr. Devlin announced. "Will the duelists please go to the platform…?"

Yugo's eyes narrowed. "That girl's good with her cards," he noted. "Wish me luck, you guys."

"Not really luck, Yugo," said Miki. "Just…trust in the heart of the cards."

"HUH?" Yugo turned and stared.

"Your dad told us about it," Jenna giggled. "Don't worry, we don't think you're weird – you're just a really, really good card-drawer, that's all. So…go ahead and win!"

"Yeah, man," said Kyo, adjusting his glasses once again. "Just go and win."

Yugo nodded. "I'll do that. Thanks."

Then he walked up to the platform and looked to where Miriam stood, and waited. "Come on up here, girl," he whispered. "Let's get this over with."

Over there, Luke noticed Yugo's glance. "He's waiting for you, love," he told Miriam. "Don't disappoint us, now."

"Don't worry – I won't." Miriam nodded.

Malachi kept his eyes closed and his arms crossed. He said nary a word.

Miriam left the group and walked toward the platform. As she did, she could hear several spectators hissing and booing. She knew who those insulting sounds were directed at, and why – it was because everyone knew she was Malachi's sister. But now, none of it mattered. All that mattered to her was this duel, and this was what she intended to win.

At length she stepped onto the platform and turned to face Yugo. "You…you're the one who defeated Luke," she said softly. "Well, here I am. And I promise you, I won't be as easy to defeat."

"I figured. I was watching your match against Marcus," replied Yugo. "I know your strategy. But you don't know mine all that well, do you?"

Miriam's eyes narrowed at this.

"Well, I don't intend to hold back," continued Yugo. "I'm not going to hide any of my power now."

Malachi opened his eyes upon hearing this. Hmmm? He's got something else…something other than what I saw in his duel against Luke?

"Pffffft…you're only bluffing," Miriam scoffed. "I, on the other hand, know for a fact that my cards will drive you into submission without me having to do anything whatsoever! So, I hope you'd packed your bags this morning, because you're going to be on the next flight home."

"In your dreams." Yugo's voice was full of determination.

The coin appeared on the field. "Heads or tails?" asked Yugo.

"Heads!" said Miriam.

The coin was flipped…and it turned out to be heads. "Nice!" said Miriam. "Now, let's do this!"

"Time to duel!" Yugo answered.

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neomage: I don't know…am I losing my touch? I don't really know how to class this chapter…oh well. At least it pushes the story forward a bit. Now, next chapter, the duel between Yugo and Miriam will get really hot! Keep reading and thanks for your patience!