The clock in the police station continued to tick endlessly — the only sound in the empty front room. Yami sat stiffly next to Junior, the father reading a magazine he swiped from the front window. Across the room stood just as rigidly, Tetsu Trudge. He leaned up against the far wall, the entire time trying to avoid eye contact with the Pharaoh. Yami was also attempting to keep his eyes away. Still, this similar goal only made the two meet gazes more often than either would have liked. Each time violet met brown, they bristled and quickly turned away. This continued in silence until Junior's chuckling got the two's attention.
"You two look like the guiltiest gulls. I understand why, but if I didn't know any better, I'd guess you two were the ones to rob the store." He said. Yami tried to hide his embarrassment as Tetsu rubbed the back of his head. Junior then stood up. "I suppose this quiet is a little awkward. Let's see… If this building used to be the DMV, that means… ah." Junior walked over to a corner of the room. There, attached to the wall, was an old brick of a TV.
As Junior started fiddling with the TV, the policewoman the Mutos met the night before came up from the back. "Sorry, you had to wait. There has been a large disturbance in the city center." She said.
"We saw the traffic leading to it," Junior said as he finally got the TV started. It flicked onto a news channel.
Yami's interest was piqued when on the staticky screen, duel monsters could be seen rushing past. The report showed these monsters running and flying outside of the duels they were in, not following KaibaCorp protocol at all. Yet, unlike when Dartz released real monsters into this world, they were only holograms. The news report seemed to be originally broadcasting Pegasus's tour of the city. Pegasus had been showing off a new monster and its holographic design when his beast twitched to life. Duel spirits without holograms couldn't be seen in recordings, even by the few with the ability. Yet, as soon as a spirit jumped into the hologram, both Yami and Junior noticed a difference. They didn't even need to witness the monster running rampant to know a soul was in there. Soon, other holograms came to life and started causing havoc. Yami tried to listen to the report to see if the duel spirits were talking. But either duel spirit voices couldn't be transmitted over video too, or the monsters were so preoccupied with panicking they weren't speaking.
An emergency world bulletin changed the local report. Duelists' holograms were going wild all over the world. Some seemed calmer than the ones at Pegasus's event, but they weren't much better at conveying to the scared humans what was wrong. The newscasters were debating whether this was the same problem they had earlier this year. Thankfully, since the monsters were only holograms, they couldn't physically affect anything. They simply caused panic as these wild creatures tore through cities, flying through walls and stampeding past people.
Junior looked to Yami for an explanation, but Yami could only shrug. 'Maybe it's thanks to the lockdown? But then why would the spirits wait a day before trying to get the humans' attention? And if they were trying to talk to the humans, why were they so bad at it?' Yami pondered. From what he had seen, duel spirits could only possess the holograms for their specific monster. Once they found one, they could move around and speak using it like a normal body.
"It's going to be more than a one-time incident then." The policewoman sighed.
"It looks like it's going to be a long day. Should we come back later?" Junior asked.
"No, I can take your statements now. I'll start with Tetsu then-"
"Julia." Another policeman came up from the back. As soon as Junior saw him, he froze. Yami immediately noticed the change in Yugi's father and looked to the new policeman. He was a taller man with a thick mustache. "Your son just called. He got hurt when his hologram went crazy. I can take this; you go deal with him." The policewoman thanked this new man immensely while she ran back into the station.
"Hello, officer Trek!" Tetsu smiled for the first time Yami had seen that day.
"Oh, hello, Tetsu." The man smiled. "I thought we agreed you didn't have to come after you finished your student hours? Though I won't fight you if you want to help us out."
"I'm actually here to give my statement, but I probably would have come to help anyway with that whole hologram thing going on," Tetsu said as he straightened his back to look taller for the policeman.
"Right! I apologize. I was just put on this case in all this hologram madness. I haven't had a chance to see everyone's names yet." Trek then looked down at his clipboard where a file of information was. "You must have been courageous, Tetsu. Going up against those brothers like that. I knew you had the guts for this job… Let's see, so you were the first person to call 911, then we have the second boy to call, and then the one to disarm…." The officer's body became very still, yet his eyes kept darting back and forth on the page. He then slowly looked up, swallowing hard. He turned until his gaze landed on Junior. They both remained frozen, like two predators that met in the wild. Both Tetsu and Yami stared too, feeling the immediate tension in the air. Eventually, the two boys got over their reluctance and look to each other for answers. Yami could only shrug while Tetsu watched worriedly from the side.
"Not you again." Trek finally said.
"Me again." Junior nervously chuckled as he forced on a smile.
Trek was staring down Junior, though Yami couldn't quite read the policeman's expression. Junior seemed to be standing nonchalantly, but Yami could tell he was ready to spring. Yami didn't know whether he was prepared to attack or run and hoped not to find out. Yami took in a deep breath and was about to break the silence when Trek did it for him. Just as suddenly as the officer lost his smile, he gained it again. He even chuckled a little. He then walked up to Junior, who was too frozen to react.
"I should have expected the random bystander that took out the armed men to be you. So glad to see your skills be put to good use again." Trek smiled. Junior did not seem any calmer. In fact, he looked more ready to bolt. "Well, we'll have to catch up later. I'll take Tetsu back first, and then I'll grab you two. Hope you don't mind waiting a bit."
"Not at all." Junior finally broke out of his frozen state. Trek then led Tetsu back, the boy tossing Yami one more questioning glance before disappearing down the hall.
Junior remained standing, almost in disbelief, before letting out a long exhale. He then collapsed in his chair, sinking as low as he could go.
"Now, who's the guilty… seagull," Yami said, hoping he got Junior's weird wording right.
"Can we be done with surprises for the week?" Junior sighed.
"Constant surprises come with the knowing-about-me package," Yami said as he too leaned back in his chair.
"Greeeat."
After a minute of more silence and Yami glancing expectantly at Junior, the father finally spoke. "I recognize that expression. You want to know what was up with that officer?"
"Only if you want to share."
Junior shrugged, "With you telling your second life story, might as well say a little more of mine." Junior then sat up in his chair. "Aaron Trek was a classmate of mine back when I went to school in Domino."
"Oh?"
"Remember what I was like when I was younger? Before I went to that school for troubled kids?"
"Yeah, you said you found enjoyment in controlling and the pain of oth-oh dear."
Junior ruefully laughed at Yami's realization. "Yep. Aaron was one of the first to figure out the puppeteer of everyone's pain. He tried to stop me on multiple occasions, but at the time, I was pretty good at covering my tracks. He could do nothing but become the biggest target for me." Junior took in a sharp breath. "He withstood so much... In the end, his perseverance finally led him to expose my manipulations to my parents and the school. Ending in me being sent away for the good and bad that did. Then, of course, decades later, he was the one assigned to my case when I stabbed a homeless man. Now here we are again."
Yami turned to the hallway with a bit of trepidation. "Should we be worried about him?"
"I don't think so." Junior sighed as he leaned forward. "Maybe if this happened when I first moved back into the city. Back then, he really… wasn't a fan of mine. In fact, I think he was one of the biggest supporters of locking me up and throwing away the key. Over the years of running into him since then, his demeanor slowly changed. Today has been the friendliest he has ever been towards me, and I didn't read any lies in his words or expression. So at least he doesn't see me as a full-on monster anymore. For what truth is in that statement."
Junior then absentmindedly reached for Yami's hair to ruffle it. He quickly put his hand down when he noticed Yami's surprise and glanced at the Pharaoh with an apologetic smile. Yami nodded to him to let him know he was forgiven. The Pharaoh thought it a little strange, but a small part of him kind of wished Junior went through with it. He quickly buried that odd thought and focused on the hall this Trek went down with Trudge. He was less looking for the policeman and more for his old classmate. This situation felt so familiar to Yami, yet it was much different from his current one.
"How did Trek's opinion change?" Yami involuntarily asked. Junior glanced at him before looking down the hallway himself.
"I'm not really sure. Time is my best guess. Well, time and my actions reflecting my change." Junior said as Yami turned back to him. "If I had to guess… I've dedicated my life after KaibaCorp to helping others. From the big, government scaring threats to humanitarian aid to the villages I helped destroy, to even just volunteer work when I am back in Domino city. I've met Aaron a few times over the years during these help missions. We never spoke much, but I believe he's a very 'actions speak louder than words' person."
Yami looked to Junior for more explanation, almost begging for it. Then he pulled away, knowing he shouldn't pry. As Yami looked away, Junior kept an eye on him.
"You're wondering if you can do that with Tetsu or some of your other… err… not friends." Junior stumbled, clearly not wanting to use the word "victims."
"Maybe?" Yami whispered.
Yami would love for Tetsu, or Ryuichi, or any of his old enemies to stop glancing at him like he really was only a vengeful spirit. It was only when Yugi wasn't by his side did Yami realize how much it affected him to be seen as something so empty. He remembered back to the gas station, where Junior realized he was a child. While the Pharaoh didn't exactly take pride in his mental age (and it did NOT get in the way of saving the world, thank you very much), it was strangely… comforting to be acknowledged as such. It was another reason why he didn't want to be referred to as the Pharaoh right now. It put him on such a pedestal. He should have all the answers, yet he didn't. He should be the rock everyone else on their adventures relied on, yet he made so many terrible mistakes. Those reluctant looks people like Tetsu gave were a constant reminder of that.
Yami hesitated to turn to Junior again. His guilt over the first seven months of his second life had always weighed heavily on him, more than he ever let on to Yugi. He knew that the people he punished were always in the wrong, and even sometimes, like in Seto's case, the spirit might have helped. But the guilt never left. It settled like lead in his stomach. What made it worse was the reminder that Yami would have loved for these people to fear him back then. He drove these people insane. He didn't deserve forgiveness from them.
"You're not bad for wanting closure." Junior's words cut into his thoughts. Yami finally looked to the father. He had an understanding smile, so similar to Yugi's.
"It's natural to want… something, some book ending. I'm very fortunate with Aaron, but it rarely ends like that in these situations. We may work our hardest to prove we've changed and apologize properly, but the other party does not owe us forgiveness. And that's just how it is. I understand it's even worse when you can't make up for it. Either because the other party is gone, it's too dangerous or counterproductive to fix what you've done, or an apology will never be enough. You do have to keep yourself sane and safe, but it always leaves more of a hole. There's sometimes no closure, and you have to find closure in that. Did that make any sense?" Junior asked in a gentle voice. "We've-... You've fought and changed so much from that past time. Your continued friendship with Yugi is proof enough of that. And… You deserve to be happy in that thought. "
Yami glanced once again to the hallway Trudge went down, then back to Junior. Yami felt so cold at that moment, and not from the running AC. He remembered back to this morning with Yui, how much better he felt after some physical contact. It was still so strange to Yami, but after years of feeling very little but the cards between his fingers, he wanted more comfort. So slowly, against his better judgment, he leaned over and rested his head on Junior's chest. Junior was at first surprised, even a little worried. But then relaxed as he wrapped his arm around Yami. When Yami pushed into him more, Junior let his hand rest in Yami's hair as he softly ruffled it. Yami closed his eyes and took in a deep breath.
"I'm so tired," Yami whispered.
"I know," Junior said as he squeezed Yami more to his side.
…
Once Tetsu was done, the two went into the back for their statements. Since Yugi was still a child by law, Junior was there for Yami's account. He didn't add anything to Yami's statement, and Yami didn't flourish his witness with many descriptions. He just wanted to be gone. Junior then gave his statements, which Yami had to leave the room for, for some reason? More modern things Yami didn't have an answer for. So, Yami stood quietly in the front hall, waiting for that door to open again. Once it did, Yami walked back and stood by Junior, who happily nodded to him. It was a small way to try and calm Yami, but the Pharaoh wasn't quite sure why he did it. The Pharaoh was still completely fine.
Aaron seemed adamant about catching up with Junior. The two talked about simple things like the weather and how each was doing. Soon, Junior's son became the topic of conversation. Aaron was quite happy to see who he thought was Yugi. For one, he didn't think he had seen Yugi since he was a toddler, two because he wanted an autograph for his wife. She apparently was an avid dueler. Yami gave it, thankful he was able to copy Yugi's signature.
As the two adults continued talking, the Pharaoh heard Tetsu's voice just outside. Yami couldn't stop the way his body stiffened. Yami then saw as Junior readjusted his stance, so he had an ear turned towards the voice, all without breaking his conversation. Yami nodded to him briefly before pulling away. The Pharaoh could handle this. He needed to handle this. He knew he probably wouldn't get the outcome he wanted, but he had to try one more time. Not just for his own sake.
Once outside the room, Yami wasn't sure what he was going to do. Where did he even go in this building? It was Tetsu rushing past with a stack of files that led Yami. He didn't even notice the Pharaoh and kept going to a much larger room in the back. This room had many desks. At each was a frantically rushing policeperson— all working through their various disasters. With everyone hurrying about, Yami felt like he was in the way, just standing at the doorway.
"Here's your file Lazar," Tetsu said as he shakily balanced his stack and handed a manila file to a shorter man not much older than Tetsu himself.
"Thanks. You're a lifesaver today, student." The young man sighed.
Just then, a much larger woman yelled from the desk farthest in the back. "Get working, rookie! If you moved faster, we wouldn't even need to ask this student to stay outside of hours!" Lazar immediately scurried away as Tetsu went around the desks and handed out files. He would then ask if anyone needed something printed out. Most said no and tried to get Tetsu to take a break. Even still, Yami could tell they were all very thankful for Trudge being there. As Tetsu collected another stack of papers to copy, he came face to face with Yami in the doorway. For the first time, neither panicked nor grew wild-eyed. There was still an uncomfortable silence, but it wasn't translated physically.
"So, do you help this department often?" Yami started, still unsure of what he was even trying to get at.
"Uh, yeah. It started when I joined a program to see what it was like to work in the police force. There were observation hours needed, and, well, I like to get my hands dirty instead of just watching." Tetsu said with a bit of embarrassment. "I often come by just to help out."
"I think that's really cool. You're obviously helping quite a lot for Aaron to know you so well back there."
Tetsu smiled as he held his papers closer to his chest. "Really? You really think so?!" Then a bit of confusion came to his face. "How do you know officer Trek's first name?"
"He was a classmate of my Dad's."
"Of course. Life loves going in a cycle like that…." Tetsu sighed. Another stony silence fell over the two. Yami knew he should just leave Tetsu to his work, but his feet remained planted.
"About last night. I'm sorry I ran like that-" Tetsu began.
"No, it's fine. I wanted you to get out of danger as soon as possible. I should be the one apologizing here. I didn't mean to get you wrapped up in my magic-"
"Don't start again." Tetsu cut in a little forcefully. Yami immediately shut his mouth, and the two once again stood quietly. Tetsu eventually shook his head and put his stack of papers on a side table.
"Look, I'm not interested in any information regarding..." Tetsu waved vaguely in Yami's direction. "Whatever mess is going on here. But... I still want to thank you. You really saved Ryuichi and me last night. I know Ryuichi didn't make the best impression, but I promise he's grateful too. He was too deep to talk out of this time. Now that those two are in jail, I hope he can start healing again. I talked to him just this morning, and he's no longer angry from last night, I promise."
"But he's not here giving a statement." Yami pointed out, guessing that Ryuichi was trying to avoid meeting the Pharaoh. Not that Yami would blame him.
Tetsu rubbed the back of his head as he gave an embarrassed smile. "Yeah… he… had something going on at this time. He'll give his statement later today." Tetsu's eyes then widened. "Don't tell him I told you that!"
"I understand." Yami waved the comment away. "I'm glad you two are doing better. I truly am." Yami then glanced out at the busy police department. "You want to be a policeman?"
"Of course!" Tetsu's smile returned with a vengeance. "I want to protect people the right way! I can't wait until I can get on the street to help others."
Yami's grin grew when he saw the honest passion in Tetsu's eyes. It held none of the darkness he had seen so long ago on that school roof. He could only hope his own eyes showed none of that darkness either. "Well, I trust your judgment. I'm sure you won't let the scum of this city escape you."
"Yes!" Tetsu just about announced. "Just you watch, I won't let a single one get away! I'll be the hero this city needs!"
Yami had to back up a bit. Tetsu's excitement was making his headache grow. Though he still smiled. He wished he could do something more than leaving Tetsu with only an apology. "Wait. I think I still have your flashlight you dropped last night." Yami suddenly realized. It was still on his bedside table at home.
"Huh? Oh, that? Don't worry about it. I can get more."
"No, I want to give it back. really!"
Tetsu looked at first surprised and a little taken aback. Then he returned to a comfortable smile. "Ok, now's not a good time though with..." He gestured behind him just in time for the two to witness the young policeman from earlier fall flat on his face, papers flying everywhere.
Yami then thought of a crazy idea. "Hey, my family is having a barbeque at the end of the week. Do you want to come to pick it up then? You could even talk to Yugi at that point." Yami added a 'hopefully' in his thoughts.
While Yami was happy to invite him, Tetsu seemed more trepidatious. "A family event? You want me barging in on that?"
"I can invite others." Yami then paused when he found a flaw in his plans. "Like how Yugi already invited his friends. Joey and maybe even Tristan will be there…." He said in a much lower voice. Tetsu echoed his uncertainty with a frown. Meeting the boys he bullied before would probably be a few steps too far for Tetsu. "So maybe not…." Yami sighed.
"Um, you're free to say no to this, but maybe you could come to a dueling club I go to? Just to give back the flashlight, of course. It's a small little group, but my friends would be absolutely ecstatic to see the King of Games there, even if it's for a brief time." Tetsu then paused. "Though it's at a rival shop to your not-grandpa's store…."
"No, no. That's perfect." Yami smiled. Tetsu grinned back as they worked out the details. Once everything was settled, Trek and Junior came over. Both seemed happier than when they came into the station. Everyone said their goodbyes (Tetsu once again announcing how he wouldn't let scum escape him, maybe a little too enthusiastically), and everyone went their separate ways.
"That went well," Junior said as the two stepped into the sunny outside. Yami had to shield his eyes to stop his headache from getting worse. Then Yugi's cellphone rang. It was the game shop's number.
"Hello?" Yami asked as he answered the call.
"Hey, it's Mom. First off, are you safe with all these holograms flying around and getting in people's way?"
"Yes. Both Dad and I are good."
"That's relieving to hear. Secondly, a few of your friends called. They asked if they could come over to the house. I told them friends were always welcome, but I wanted to give you a heads up."
"What is Yui asking about?" Junior asked.
Yami pulled away from the phone and answered him. "Sounds like Téa and Joey called the shop before Grandpa could get to them." He then leaned back into the phone. "It's fine. We are about to pick them up, actually."
"Oh, are they staying for dinner?"
"I don't think so."
"Ok. Well, do you have the food for the barbeque?"
"We separated from Grandpa, who went to get it while we were at the police station. The police statements went well, by the way."
"That's good! I'm just at home, washing the side of the shop. And I'm sure your father's leaning in, so tell him I'm doing it in a completely safe way. I'm using no ladders, and there are no wasp nests this time." As guessed, Junior was trying to listen to the call. He smiled at Yui's comment.
"Ok, we'll be home soon." Yami glanced at Junior for a few moments before speaking again. "We have something important to tell you when we get back. So be ready."
"Oh?" Yui chuckled a little. "Then, I will prepare mentally and emotionally. Love you two." She then hung up.
"We shouldn't keep her waiting," Junior said as he started heading down the hot city streets. Yami once again felt his exhaustion returning. He wouldn't be able to keep up with Junior's normal walking pace. Yami felt too embarrassed at his seeming lack of fitness to ask Junior to slow down. He instead reached out and took Junior's hand. Junior wordlessly slowed down and walked next to Yami. He too, seemed more relaxed when holding onto Yami. This let the rest of Yami's embarrassment slip away. He held on tight to Junior's side and walked proudly down the street.
...
It was a good ten minutes later that the Muto family car made its way through the traffic. Junior and Yami waved it down, and Grandpa parked on the side of the city road (causing much honking behind him). The two quickly jumped in.
"How did the station go?" Grandpa tried to keep his voice cheery, but Yami could tell he was hiding worry.
"Everything went fine, Dad. We went in, gave our statements, and left." Junior said.
"That's very good for your father's old heart. I'm always worried when you have to go back to the police, even when you aren't the one in cuffs." Grandpa sighed as he forced his way back into the traffic. Junior seemed more focused on how many people Grandpa just cut off than anything his dad said.
"Did you contact Téa and Joey?" Yami asked, raising his voice over the myriad of car horns.
"Yep, they are both waiting for us at the Gardners' residence. Téa even said she'd bring pictures to help with our explanation. I also got the groceries and some breakfast for you two, so we can head straight home." Grandpa said in a bubbly tone before cussing out the next car over for daring to try and switch lanes.
The car ride was (relatively) quiet after that, not an uneasy calm, just a quiet peace as Grandpa focused on not getting them killed. Junior even leaned back and took a quick nap. Though Yami thought it was more likely, he chose to sleep to not have to witness his father's driving. Yami found it a little funny. When he rode with Grandpa before, he hadn't been that bad of a driver. Sure, he couldn't quite read the street signs, and he tended to race traffic lights, but nothing compared to the mess that was today's drive. Yami hoped it was merely the traffic and that this wasn't a usual near-death experience for Yugi.
As Yami looked out the window at the bustling city, he expected to see wild duel monster holograms. With how crazy they had been on TV, he thought he could at least flag one down and find out what was going on. But to his surprise, there was nothing: not a single duel spirit, hologram or not. Yami grasped his deck pouch, wondering if he should summon Dark Magician. Then he pulled away. Dark Magician needed a break from last night. Yami would wait to call on him.
The car finally made it to Téa's house. Outside Joey and Téa were waiting on the steps and quickly ran to the car. To Yami's growing worry, Red-Eyes wasn't with Joey.
"About time ya got here! I got so worried I even called the shop. I hope I didn't worry your ma too much." Joey smiled as he slid right to Yami's side, giving him a playful shove. Téa followed close behind.
"We were nervous when it took so long," Téa added.
"It's the whole hologram hullabaloo that's caused everyone to drive like idiots," Grandpa grumbled as he pulled back onto the road.
"What's going on with that? Are KaibaCorp's systems going haywire?" Téa asked.
"It's duel spirits, probably from the lockdown," Yami said. Both of his friends turned to him in shock. Yami realized he hadn't explained the situation to the two and quickly rectified that.
"Seriously!? A magic wishin' well took Yugi?" Joey was at first stunned, then leaned back in the seat. "Well, I suppose weirder has happened. I guess we should be happy it wasn't some maniac dis time."
"Don't remind me." Junior sighed as he rubbed his head. "I'm still very much in the disbelief phase at what danger you kids threw yourselves into. Once we get Yugi back, we are sitting you all down and having a long talk on safety." The three glanced worriedly to each other, though there was a bit of hope in their eyes. For the first time in years, non-possessed adults knew what was going on. It was reassuring, even if they were about to get in a whole heap of trouble.
"I just hope Red-Eyes shows up to tell us his plan," Yami said as he looked up into the clear skies.
…
The group made it back to the shop safely, despite the traffic's best attempts. Yui was where she said she would be, pressure washing the sidewalks and sides of the shop. Everyone got out and helped bring groceries into the kitchen. Even Téa and Joey joined in, all without a word to anyone. They had hung around the shop enough these last few years that it was second nature to them.
When Yami was inside putting away food, he suddenly heard Joey exclaim loudly outside. He immediately ran out, thinking that Joey had once again tried to carry too many bags and hurt himself. Outside Joey seemed fine, but that wasn't what made Yami pause.
"What you doin' here, Ryuichi?!" Joey demanded. It was only because he held a mountain of bags that stopped him from stomping right up to the shorter boy.
"None of ya business!" Ryuichi shot back.
"Ryuichi?" Yami gasped from the storefront. At his voice, Ryuichi immediately stiffened. He then quickly shook away his fears and faced Yami.
"I wanted to talk to you, just the spirit. Alone." He said in a much colder voice.
At that moment, Yui came around the corner with the pressure washer still in hand. "What's going on here?" She asked. "Who is this? Another friend?"
"This is Ryuichi, an old classmate of mine-" Yami began.
"Oh, don't be nice, Yami! This jerk helped electrocute me on live TV, then pretended to be Yugi's friend so he could hurt him." Joey said as he stomped to Yami's side. He then stood in front of him, protectively.
"He what?!" Yui gasped in nonbelief.
"You only got shocked because you pretended to be Yugi to get on that show!" Ryuichi yelled back, though Yami could tell he wasn't as confident with an adult around.
"You were going to electrocute Yugi?!" Yui gulped.
"Look, it was just a show." Ryuichi backtracked, lowering his voice. "It was never deadly levels of current. And the thing about pretending to be Yugi's friend. While that is true, I was being paid by someone else to do it. I never had anything personal against- PHPHPHFF!"
To both Joey and Yami's shock, Yui had turned up the power of her hose and shot straight into Ryuichi's face. While it wasn't at a level high enough to cut skin, it was still a pressured hose. Yui's face twisted as she forced Ryuichi off the sidewalk and away from the shop. Eventually, Ryuichi had to turn tail and run from the furious mother.
"And stay away from my son!" She shouted before another coughing fit took her words.
Yami and Joey could only stare in utter shock at the little woman with one hand still in a cast. Yami remembered back to a conversation he and his partner had after their first failed attempt to tell Yui the truth. One sentence Yugi said stood out in his mind. "Yeah, if my mom was with us during Battle City, I'm pretty sure she would have stomped right up to Ra and demanded to speak to his manager. And Ra would have had to find someone quick. My mom doesn't like waiting when she's angry."
Yui then turned back to the boys. She quickly grew embarrassed under their staring eyes. "I don't like people taking advantage of my son." She whispered as she wiped her mouth.
Joey's face lit up in a big grin, and he cheered. "Woah! You go, Mrs. Muto!"
Yami kept looking wide-eyed from Yui to where Ryuichi ran. While he agreed he would have liked to power wash Ryuichi at one point, this was not the time for that. "Fuwa!" Yami shouted as he ran after him. Joey looked confused for a few moments but tried to follow as Yui stayed behind. While Yami was grateful that Joey was so willing to follow him blindly, he had to ask him to go back. Joey did as requested, but Yami could tell he didn't like it.
Thankfully, it wasn't long that Yami had to run (in fact, he couldn't run long even if he wanted to). He followed the water puddles to find Ryuichi hiding by a dumpster in a nearby alley.
"Are you ok?" Yami asked. When he tried to walk closer to Ryuichi, he jumped away from the Pharaoh.
"I'm fine. I'm fine!" Ryuichi grumbled as he wrung out his hair.
"I… I didn't ask her to do that." Yami managed to stammer.
"I could tell. How did the Yugi I know come from her?!" Ryuichi sighed before leaning back on the alley wall.
"You did admit to wanting to electrocute her son. And tricking him with the intent to hurt him. All for money."
"Well, when ya put it like dat, it sounds like everyone should be hosing me down!" Ryuichi said as he turned away, his arms wrapped around his body. His gaze then went to the ground. "I don't know why I came. You should just get back to your family." He shivered.
Once again, Yami found his feet planted firmly in place. He very much doubted he would get anything substantial from staying, but he needed to try. "Hey… Has your luck come back?" Yami asked, grasping at any straws he could.
Ryuichi turned to him with a cold glare. "No."
Yami shifted awkwardly, not knowing what he was expecting. "Where did your luck come from? Is it a family trait, or did you earn it somehow?"
"It's nothin'!" Ryuichi blurted out as he threw his hands in the air. "It's all been rigged since the moment I was chosen for that show. It's all so clear! I was lied to all my freakin' life, dat's all. And I was stupid enough to believe it!" He then leaned up against the wall and slumped to the floor. He wrapped his arms around his legs and looked in every direction but Yami's.
"I don't think so. You had so many miraculous events happen when you were out in everyday life. I also don't think Seto would have hired you if you didn't have some real power." Yami tried.
"Den, what happened? You said you didn't take it, and…." Ryuichi quickly looked over Yami with another glare before sighing. "And as much as I hate it, I believe you."
Yami clutched the puzzle's chain as he tried to think. It wasn't just because he was missing his magic that he couldn't find Ryuichi's luck. He really had nothing to do with its disappearance, if it was even there to begin with. He wished he had a better answer, but he wasn't about to lie.
Yami leaned down to try and look Ryuichi in the face. "Is it maybe an emotional thing? Non-shadow magic is often controlled by emotions and… well."
"Don't you give me dat, 'it's all from your own heart' crap too. I get enough of dat from the counselin' Tetsu drags me to." Ryuichi then looked up at the clear sky, becoming quiet for many moments. He seemed to fight within himself. His face creased into a grimace, then it disappeared. "Fine! Thank you!"
Yami, at first, didn't believe the words that came from Ryuichi's mouth. He stayed frozen in surprise as Ryuichi waited for his reaction.
"Don't look at me like dat! It's not like I can't see what you did for me." Ryuichi then buried his head in his legs. "I was in real trouble last night. I was about to get Tetsu hurt…." He whispered. "So… thanks."
"You're welcome. I am happy that you two came out ok. At least, Tetsu didn't seem too affected by it this morning."
"You talked to him?" Ryuichi looked up in genuine surprise. "I…just didn't think you'd have the time while doing your weird… ghosty stuff."
"Yes, we talked quite a bit. I'm even going to his dueling club next week."
"You are? Do ya know how happy dat'll make him?!" Ryuichi stood up with a growing smile. "The King of Games makin' an appearance at deir club? Tetsu will be a hero to his duelin' buddies."
Yami nodded with his own small smile. "Yes, though I don't intend to join the club or anything like that. I'm just returning Tetsu's flashlight."
"Well, who cares about ya?! What dey want is the King of Games! Just don't embarrass Tetsu, or I swear ya won't be able to scare me off with a simple pressure washer." It was about that moment Ryuichi realized he just threatened an ancient Pharaoh. Yami had to give him credit; he hid his fear and embarrassment well.
"You care a lot for Tetsu." Yami chuckled as he took a step back.
"Yeah, he's a big idiot, but he's my big idiot," Ryuichi said as he put his hands back in his pockets, not meeting Yami's eyes. "He was the first to reach out to me. My stellar personality didn't seem to attract anyone after I lost my fame. When we both got assigned the night shift, he went out of his way to get to know me." Ryuichi slowly fell into a smile. "He really deserves better dan me, but he's stuck with me now." He seemed to realize who he was talking to and shook his head.
"Anyway, I should get goin'. I don't care about my luck. I just want ya to stay as far away from me as possible. We're even, capeesh? Keep your weird dead spirit stuff to yourself."
"As you wish. I hope things go well for you." Yami said as he waved him off. While this was not how he expected this conversation to go, it was better than he had hoped. Ryuichi only nodded to him before running in the opposite direction, seeming to want to get away from the Pharaoh as fast as he could; Right into a busy street.
"Watch out!" Yami screamed as he saw a truck heading right for Ryuichi.
Just at that moment, a wild Duel Monsters hologram came flying down the street, causing a group of builders pulling a filled trailer up a nearby hill to accidentally disconnect it. It went tumbling down the road. This trailer caused a cart full of farm products to slip out of the owner's hand as he also tried to push it up the hill and out of traffic. The two rolled right into the street, seemingly avoiding every car rushing by, except for the incoming truck. Yami ran to the scene of the crash, expecting to find a horrible wreck. Instead, while the trailer and cart were demolished, the driver and even Ryuichi were uninjured. The movers and cart owners from up the hill came running down to check on the driver and Ryuichi.
"Boy, you were lucky." One of the movers said to Ryuichi. Those words were the one thing to break Ryuichi out of his frozen fear. He looked to Yami with wide eyes and an almost hopeful glance. Yami shrugged and then brought two thumbs up, a perplexed smile on his face. Yami then looked to see if he could find where that duel spirit went, but the thing seemingly disappeared. Just like Ryuichi as the boy fled the scene as quickly as he could. Yami watched the boy run, wondering if this was a sign of supernatural luck or just dumb luck. Maybe Ryuichi needed something akin to closure too. Either way, Yami would respect his wishes and hopefully never see him again.
After making sure everyone was ok, Yami walked back to the house with a lighter pep in his step. When he got back, Yui immediately mobbed him and apologized profusely for scaring Ryuichi off. Yami repeatedly told her it was fine but accepted the side hugs she gave happily. They only stopped when the two went inside the house portion of the shop. There they saw everyone on or around the family couch. Grandpa had his yellow notebook, and Téa had the pictures she promised she would bring on her lap. They all looked to Yui with resolve, mixed with a bit of worry.
"What's going on here?" Yui giggled. "So serious. Is this an intervention or something?"
"Not quite," Yami said as he pulled away from her and stood in front of everyone else. "We have something vital to tell you. It's going to sound crazy, but you have to listen to us. We will explain it the best we can."
"What's wrong?" Her voice lowered into a worried pitch. "Yugi-"
"That's the thing. I am not Yugi."
Alternate Chapter Title: You should have expected Truck-kun! This fic is already an isekai with Yugi going to another world and collecting a group of beautiful girls(?) that fawn over him.