A/N: I had another idea for a bonus chapter, where Yoko, Rin, Yugo, Jack, Crow, and Shinji get into a multi-dimensional race. I couldn't get enough inspiration to write it now, but I'd love to write it in the future.
Fun Fact: Yuto really wants to discover a skunk ape.
Chapter Summary: Yugo notices Core has gotten fat.
Yugo burst through out of his room, slid down the fire pole to the first floor, and ran straight to his mother.
"Himomgoingoutgottagoloveyou," he said to her.
Yoko, who was sitting at the kitchen table and drinking coffee, just gave the boy a confused egao. "Hi, Yugo...?"
Yugo threw his arms around her and gave her a tight, big hug. Yoko lifted up an arm and brought her son in closer.
"Where are you going?" she asked.
"Rin, Gongenzaka and I are going to the movies," Yugo told her. "We're gonna see Beauty and the Beast, But the Beast is a Duel Monster Now."
"The remake, right? I thought I would have raised a child with enough sense to know remakes are shit, but to each his own."
"...What?"
"I asked if you could take Core outside before you go out. He needs some exercise."
Yugo looked into the living room. The couches all had at least seven animals resting on them. The carpet was sat on by five different dogs. Six cats were sitting in the cat tree. Twelve different kinds of birds were flying around the ceiling.
"Which one's Core?" Yugo asked.
"The fat one," Yoko replied.
Yoko pointed towards a large, furry, white lump by the door. It was almost the size of a full trash bag. And Yugo's surprise, it yawned and stretched out its body, revealing itself to be a cat.
"What the hell?!"
"Core's put on a bit of weight," Yoko explained. "He's been depressed ever since Mr. Trinity, Jr. died. Poor thing, they were best friends... So he stuffs himself with food."
"This cat's probably eaten more in a day than most Commons do in their lifetime. Why don't you stop feeding him?"
Yoko looked down at her coffee sadly. "I'm worried that, if I limit his food, he'll start trying to eat us. Poor thing, I woke up and found him trying to nibble off one of my toes."
Yugo nervously looked back to the huge blob of fat that was their pet. A ticking time bomb that threatened to destroy them all. And at the same time, a poor, depressed creature that was trying to fill a void in his heart.
"The movie doesn't start for a while," Yugo stated. "How about I take him out to get some exercise? It'll help him get back in shape."
"That's a great idea!" Yoko exclaimed. "Just make sure you don't put your fingers too close to his mouth. He'll see that as an invitation to bite."
He walked over to the cat then knelt down and patted its back. The cat let out a long, long yawn and looked up to the boy.
"Ready to go, boy?"
The cat just stared at him.
Yugo put his arms around the cat and attempted to lift him. But to his chagrin, the cat wouldn't budge. He was throwing in all of his weight to lift it up, but the cat was too heavy to move.
"G-H-How..." he gasped, in a strained voice. "H-how do I g-get-"
"Lifting him up is impossible," Yoko told him. "Just open the door; he'll see the grass and go to it."
Yugo stood on the front lawn, observing the cat. The same cat who was currently nibbling on some of the grass like it was no big deal.
"Core, let's try and hurry this up," said Yugo. "I'm gonna see a movie, and then me and Yuto can hang out."
The cat just looked at him.
"And you can join us!"
The cat just stared at him.
"We're going to go online and see a boob."
Core went back to nibbling on some grass.
Yugo frowned. "Yeah, you probably wouldn't care about a human boob. But we still need to get you exercised."
Yugo put a hand on his chin and looked around the area. He had hoped to find something that would give him an idea on what they could do. He saw the garden hose, two of their dogs... a ninja ties to a pole across the street, for some reason... a plastic ball, En's wooden wagon...
Yugo had an idea! He darted over to the small, red wagon and wheeled it over to the chubby cat.
"Hey, buddy!" he said to Core. "How about we go for a ride around the neighborhood? Get you some fresh air? Inspire you to see the world? Make you feel the need for speed? Eh?"
The cat continued to eat grass. He gave no indication that he was listening, much less that he was even aware of Yugo's presence. He just kept on keeping on.
Yugo knocked the wagon over on its side, then pushed it against the cat. One of the wagon's sides slid under Core; Yugo was using it like a dolly cart to try and lift up the cat.
With a heavy heave, he pulled the side of the wagon up. The wagon let out a horrible groan, and the wood started to bend slightly. But Yugo remained steadfast and kept trying to pull up the wagon.
"J-jeez!" he groaned. "You're almost as heavy as my bike...!"
The wood cracked open. Free of the weight, Yugo fell to to the ground, and the broken wagon crashed beside him.
Yugo rose his head to look at Core. The cat just looked back at him and started to purr softly.
"Y-you liked that, huh?"
The cat purred louder, and Yugo closed his eyes and listened. He could feel the cat's burly body rub up against him, and his head rub against his side. He could feel the cat's paws touch his chest, and the cat's body slowly slide on top of his chest, practically crushing his rib cage.
Yugo opened his eyes and pushed at the cat, in a desperate attempt to push the cat off of him. He gagged and choked for air while his legs kicked around wildly. And while he struggled to keep himself alive, Core just kept purring and licking Yugo's hand.
Yugo could hear a voice in his head. Or rather, a roar. It was the cry of his dragon reaching out to him, offering him advice and service.
Yugo closed his eyes and opened his heart. The dragon's roars pierced through every pore of his body. The pain he felt from Core started to leave his body, and he felt like he was floating on air. And he could understand everything. It was all clear to him now.
I understand, my friend, Yugo thought.
"Yugo... Yugo... Yugo!"
Yugo woke up to see an orange sky above. His eyes fell down on the sun setting on the horizon, and the faces of two people staring down at him.
"Wh- huh?" Yugo groaned. "What?"
"Are you okay?" Rin asked him. "How long have you been here? You're missing the movie!"
Yugo struggle to get up. His hands shakily propped him up, and Gongenzaka hoisted him onto his feet.
"Good think Gongenzaka knows CPR," Rin continued.
"I don't know what that is," Yugo replied. "But thanks, Gon."
Gongenzaka nodded. "You were half-dead by the time we found you. What happened?"
"The cat... Wait, where's Core?"
Gongenzaka tilted his head back, then took a step to the side to show Yugo what was behind him. Core was sitting on his back, pawing uselessly at a butterfly above it. It was still happily purring away, enjoying its time in the sun.
"Sweet Budha, that's a cat?" Rin asked. "I thought it was like some weird... possum-thing."
Gongenzaka shook his head. "Mrs. Sakaki's possums only come out at night."
"You're joking, right?"
"Yes," Gongenzaka answered, egao-ing. "There's only one possum, Squiggle."
"You're joking."
"Oh!" Yugo exclaimed. "Oh oh oh oh oh! Guys! Guys!"
Rin turned back to Yugo and asked, "What is it?"
"Go inside and cat some cat treats," Yugo told her. "Gongenzaka, ask my mom for some tape or rope. I have an idea!"
"An idea for what? Yugo, you should probably go to the hospital; you could have died."
But Yugo didn't answer. He already took off running, towards the Sakaki family garage.
Yugo sat atop of his bike in the driveway, waiting for his friends to return. He first looked to Core, napping on the grass. But his attention was soon changed to his two approaching friends.
Rin was carrying a small bag of cat treats in her hands. A small chihuahua (Hills) had bitten onto her boot, and was being dragged along. Gongenzaka was carrying a folded pile of rope in one hand.
"Dear Christ, there actually was a possum in there!" Rin cried out.
"I told you about Squiggles," Gongenzaka said simply. "Yugo, your mom ran out of tape. But your mom had rope and some leather straps. Will they work?"
Yugo nodded. "Yep! Now, tie the bag t the back of my bike."
Both Rin and Gongenzaka looked confused. Nevertheless, they decided to go along with it. Gongenzaka wrapped some rope around the middle of the bag, and Rin tied the bag around the back of the bike.
The three of them stared at their creation: a D-Wheel with a bag of cat treats tied to the end. It was not very impressive.
"And what does this accomplish, exactly?" Rin asked.
"Watch and learn, Rin," Yugo said to her. "CORE! Look over here!"
Yugo pressed his hands on the bag and opened up the top. The smell of fishy cat treats immediately poured out before them. This was followed by the meows of a hungry Core, who immediately started running towards them.
Yugo hopped onto the bike. He turned it on and let it rev up. "It was CLear Wing's idea: I'm going for a drive, and Core will chase after the treats."
Gongenzaka crossed his arms. Both he and Rin looked to each other, and then back to Yugo.
"So, about going to the hospital..." Gongenzaka said.
"No time for that, Core's coming!"
Yugo revved up his bike once more, and he drove down the driveway. Core ran straight after him, knocking Rin over as he passed by.
Rin and Gongenzaka watched as the cat chased after the bike. The cat meowed out loud, while Yugo shouted and cheered him on.
Next time: Summer school! Yuya and his friends visit Duel Academia to see old friends. But a certain teacher won't let Yuya go on without a fight.