"It was just yesterday when the King of Games, Yugi Muto, returned to Domino City, turning the town into the frenzy you see before you." The reporter's voice droned on from the television, the static in the audio clipping off a syllable every few words or so. "The King of Games has not been seen in Domino for several years until now, traveling across much of America and speaking with investors for an, as-of-now, unannounced reason."
Yugi rolled his eyes at the report, shutting the television off as he paced around his old bedroom. The distraction he hoped it would be, it was not. Now he had to pay attention to the situation before him.
In his hands was his cellphone, open to an email which he stared at for a few more moments before closing.
Another polite rejection.
Sighing, Yugi stuffed his phone into his pocket as he exited the room, lost in thought. He should be used to these things by now, he told himself. Even with his title, no one was exactly jumping at the prospect of investing in a brand new game developed by someone with no experience, an amateur. His title could get him through the door, sure, but he was a ways away from even looking at a contract.
Maybe making a game was a lost cause, he pondered. Duel Monsters had a monopoly on the concept at this point. Heck, his title was The King of Games for crying out loud. Trying to move into that space— maybe it'd leave Yugi's project to the same fate as Dungeon Dice Monsters.
Shaking his head, Yugi decided to put his mind off it. He had other matters to attend to— the very reason he was even in Domino City right now: His grandfather's game shop.
"Hm?" Yugi paused, realizing he'd absentmindedly walked right into the game shop itself, when he was aiming for the kitchen. He laughed. Guess his body knew him better than he did.
Just before Yugi turned to find the kitchen he was looking for, however, he paused again. Something was catching his eye.
It was a photo of his grandfather.
The cheery expression of Solomon Muto beamed out from its spot on the wall, clear as the day it was taken. Yugi gave a weak smile as he went deeper into the room, perching a hand on the counter and looking up at the picture.
A mixture of joy and sadness stirred in Yugi's chest, nostalgia overflowing as he remembered his old school days. Coming home to his grandfather's cheery hello every day— it was such a routine part of Yugi's life. Only now that Solomon was gone, did Yugi realize how much he missed it.
"I really wish you were here, Grandpa," Yugi said with a sigh. "You would've loved to see my game in the shop, right there with Duel Monsters."
Yugi moved around the counter, crouching down as he reached for a box tucked inside. Pulling it out, he rested it on the counter and dug in.
The box was a trove of memories, bits and pieces left behind for Yugi to piece together— Parts of games so old the shop didn't carry them anymore, mementoes of Solomon's friends, there was even a whole deck that his grandfather held onto after passing his original onto Yugi.
And at the bottom of the box, Yugi found something that made him crack an odd look: a card torn in half.
"You actually held onto this, huh?" Yugi pushed the box away as he pulled out a small frame, the two halves of the card stored inside. It'd been well over ten years since he'd seen it, yet he recognized it in an instant.
The fourth Blue-Eyes White Dragon, torn in half by Kaiba all those years ago.
"All this stuff meant so much to you, Grandpa," he mumbled, perching himself on the counter as he gave the legendary card a good hard look. "For you to keep it all."
At that, Yugi looked around again at the game shop, at his grandpa's pride and joy. He sighed.
"Keep it all, huh?" Yugi couldn't run from it anymore. He had to face the dilemma before him: What was going to happen to the game shop?
With his grandfather not around, his mother living on her own in the countryside, and him living in America with Téa, there was no one left to take care of the shop. He could try hiring someone to manage it, but Yugi could barely afford all the expenses of getting his game off the ground already. That left Yugi with one other option, one he didn't like.
He could sell the shop and use the money to finance his game that way.
Yugi shook his head as he stepped out from behind the counter, the torn Blue-Eyes still in hand. The idea was tempting and he hated it. The idea of selling his Grandfather's shop, his home, didn't sit right with him, despite how much easier it'd make his life right now. He just needed to find another option.
At that, a knock came from the front door.
"Huh?" Yugi turned, confused at the sound at first. The gate kept anyone away, how could there be a knock? "Coming!"
Yet, when Yugi opened the door, nobody was there. Aside from the crowd who shouted in surprise at the sight of Yugi, there was not a person in view. What was there, however, was a package.
"This place still gets mail?" he asked as he pulled the box up off the ground, resting the Blue-Eyes on top as he carried it inside. Without giving it much thought, he walked through the shop and into the living room, placing the box on the table before opening it up. "A VHS?"
Yugi began to recall some very distinct memories of the last two times he'd been sent random VHSs in the mail, and those memories didn't cease as he turned the tape around to see what was written on it.
To my precious Yugi-boy, a message from the lovely Pegasus~
Pursing his lips, Yugi played with the idea of just tossing the VHS out. Messages from Pegasus didn't usually end well, after all. After giving it a moment of thought though, he acquiesced, bringing the tape over to the television and the DVR underneath. A moment after setting everything up, the screen came alight.
"Hellooooo, Yugi-boy!" The devious face of Pegasus shot into frame, a smile on his face as he addressed Yugi. "Thank you so much for giving my little bundle a chance— I know how stressful it may be, opening a package from moi."
Yugi rolled his eyes as the video continued.
"I'll cut right to the chase, Yugi-boy," Pegasus said. "In the next few days, our favourite tightwad, Kaiba-boy, will be announcing a new Duel Monsters tournament in collaboration with Industrial Illusions, and I must insist that you take part!"
"Oh come on," Yugi sighed as he realized this was nothing more than life trying to get him back into Duel Monsters. He didn't need another distraction right now.
"But please, before you go to shut off the recording, hear me out. I promise I didn't come empty-handed," Pegasus said then, making Yugi pause. "I wouldn't have sent this invite out of the blue without something to offer in exchange, of course."
Cocking a brow, Yugi crossed his arms as he continued to listen.
"Money has never been much of a motivator for you in the past, Yugi-boy. However, I know for a fact that you need it now more than ever!" Pegasus's words made Yugi blink in shock, as the recording was then moved to laughter. "Oh don't be surprised. It doesn't take a Millennium Eye to see you traveling around, looking for investors in your game."
The screen suddenly flashed then, with Pegasus relegated to the corner as a graphic played behind him. A cartoon caricature of Yugi, Kaiba, and some other duelists stood in a crowd, as a white card spun above them.
"You take part in this tournament Kaiba-boy and I are hosting, and I can promise you everything you'll need to get your game off the ground," Pegasus explained, as the caricatures on the screen began to fight for their apparent prize. "And that's not all, Industrial Illusions will also personally pay to cover any other expenses you may have— Including that game shop of yours that you need handling!"
"You would?!" Yugi shouted out loud as he stood up, forgetting that unlike those times before, Pegasus couldn't actually hear him. "But, wait. How do you know—"
"I have my sources, Yugi-boy," Pegasus said then as the caricatures went away, leaving him to take up the whole screen again. "So what do you say? It's everything you could need, an offer you simply couldn't refuse!"
"No kidding," Yugi muttered, as he began to think it over. While he did so, the recording kept going.
"A chance to preserve your grandfather's legacy, to make a name for yourself outside of Duel Monsters." Pegasus was laying it on thick. "And of course, the opportunity to stand at the very top, victorious once again. And all it'd take is one measly tournament participation."
That word, legacy, flashed through Yugi's mind. This whole place, the game shop, everything inside it, it was a part of his grandfather's legacy. And Yugi had to do whatever he could to save it.
"And I'm not done, Yugi-boy," Pegasus said then, pulling Yugi's attention back to the screen. "I'll sweeten the offer with this— Come to my estate and I'll supply you with anything you may need: new cards, new equipment, new clothes even! Whatever you may need, it'll be available to you."
Yugi stood there in thought, shock working its way out of his system as what had just happened settled in. The answer to everything, all his problems, just came to him gift-wrapped, quite literally. His game would be funded, the shop would be preserved, Grandpa's legacy would be honored, it was perfect!
"This is where I would go, so what do you say? But we both know what your answer is, Yugi-boy," Pegasus added, as Yugi looked up.
"I'll do it," he said, only half-aware that Pegasus couldn't hear him.
"That's the spirit!" Pegasus shouted. "You've made the right decision, Yugi-boy. I hope to hear from you in the next few days."
And with that, the recording ended, leaving the screen blank and a single word in Yugi's mind.
Legacy.
Looking down at the torn Blue-Eyes still in his hand, Yugi was overwhelmed with an odd feeling of nostalgia, of where his life had taken him up until this point. It all began with a duel to protect his Grandpa's honour, and it's all going to end with a tournament to preserve his Grandpa's legacy.
With a smile on his face, Yugi reached for his phone and made a call.
End of Chapter 7