(A/N: Hey, folks. Ready for an exciting mini-tournament arc? Please note that I don't know how official national level tournaments work so I'll be taking liberties because, well, it's fiction. Now then, enjoy!)
"You're sure you're going to be okay?" Mahiru asked Joey as she and Serenity stood in front of the airport with him.
"Yup," Joey said, with a loose bag over his back, his deck in a holster along his belt and a rolling suitcase in the other hand. "I'm all set. Thanks again for promising to keep an eye on Serenity while I'm gone, Mahiru."
"I mean…it's the least I could do. You guys have been…good to me," Mahiru said, trying not to blush.
Serenity gave her a hug. "Awww, I could never just leave you to be so unhappy Mahiru."
"H-hey, w-watch it! P-people are staring."
Joey, as if Mahiru was his flesh and blood sibling, took his thumb and struck it playfully across her cheek. He then gave the two teenage girls a salute like a soldier going to war. "I'm leaving a nobody, but I'm gonna come back a champion, I swear it!"
"Good luck, big brother!"
"Be sure to tell us when you get there, okay? I'm gonna be real mad if you make Serenity worry, got it?"
"Y-yeah…I got it," Joey stuttered. It was strange how Mahiru's fussiness could actually discombobulate him. His phone suddenly buzzed. It was a text from Mai.
U Rdy?
"Mai's here. I'll see you two later."
"Have fun!" Serenity called out.
Joey turned around about halfway and waved to Mahiru and his sister. Mahiru took that exact moment to snap a picture.
"Perfect!" she said with a happy smile. "All right, let me let Yukizome know we're done here."
"Time to go shopping, right?" Serenity asked.
"Yup, chips, dip and all the comfort snack foods you need for something like this," Mahiru proclaimed cheerfully. With Joey going away for the tournament, Mahiru decided to indulge a little with her friends. She, Sato, Hiyoko, Ibuki, Mikan, and Serenity were all going to share her dorm room for a multi-day slumber party to watch the card tournament unfold. Normally this wasn't allowed, but given what Mahiru had been through during Dartz's attack, the school decided to placate her.
"This is going to be so much fun," Serenity said with a bubbly smile. "I've never been to a sleepover before." She then looked troubled and asked, "You're sure your friends won't mind?"
"I mean, you already know Ibuki quite well. Not to mention, you've already met Mikan even though you didn't exactly see her."
"Oh! Mikan will be there?" Serenity seemed excited to see the nurse. "Wonderful! I can properly thank her for helping me!"
"The only one you really need to watch out for is Hiyoko. Sometimes she says rude things she doesn't mean. Kill her with kindness and she'll come around."
"Got it," Serenity said. She and Mahiru began walking back to Yukizome's car. "Oh! Maybe we could have our own little dueling tournament. You know, casual play."
"Y-yeah, m-maybe," Mahiru stuttered.
"Oh, you don't want to?" Serenity asked, feelings hurt.
"N-no, it-it's not that, it's just…"
Mahiru was surprised when Serenity grabbed her hand. "Ah…"
"It'll be okay. It's just a normal game. I'm right here."
"Yeah…thanks…"
Ever since Dartz added to what she'd been through with Marik, Mahiru was having a bit of a stigma against duel monsters. She'd heard about what Sonia had been through, but she knew her fears weren't that severe. Still, she knew she needed a friend. It ended up leading her to calling Serenity and that led to her becoming good friends with the Wheelers…well…the siblings at least. She'd yet to meet the parents. Joey told her it was better that way. Oddly enough, and before she'd realized it, they'd become like the siblings she never had. She kind of liked it, even if Joey could try her patience.
Yukizome waved to the two as she stood by her car and they got in the backseat.
"He gone?" Yukizome asked.
"Yup, we're all set!" Serenity exclaimed. "Thanks again, Miss Yukizome!"
"It's no trouble, really," Yukizome said, waving a hand up and down dismissively with a smile. "Now, hold onto your seatbelts!" She said, putting the car in drive. "It's snack central from here on out!"
Mahiru smiled awkwardly. Yup…this was going to be an interesting few days.
After parting ways with his sister and Mahiru, Joey checked his bag through customs and got his ticket scanned. His flight wouldn't be taking off for about another hour and wouldn't start boarding for another 45 minutes. Not finding Mai or Byakuya, he decided to get something to eat: one slice of pizza, a hot dog, a 24oz soda, a giant soft pretzel with cheese dipping sauce, nachos, a big ol' greasy burger with cheese, and some chili fries.
He was chowing down when someone approached his table. "Honestly, I come looking for you and of course I find you shoveling food into your face like some cave man. Revolting."
Joey looked up seeing the well-dressed young blond man in front of him. "Oh, hey Byakuya."
"Even if you refer to me by last name, your casual address makes me ill," Byakuya replied, looking slightly pale.
"Nyeh? I thought we were pals."
"Don't be ridiculous. I'm using you to test my thesis. Your comfort is to my benefit," Byakuya said, glaring at Joey, clenching a fist, "So I can crush you at the nationals."
"You sound almost like Kaiba," Joey said, taking a big sip of his soda.
"Hmph," Byakuya responded, gazing at Joey as though he were looking down on him. "Let me be perfectly clear, while I respect you as a duelist, Joseph Wheeler, as a person, you disgust me."
"Okay, now you sound just like Kaiba."
Byakuya sighed.
"And to think I went through all the trouble to pack snacks on my carry on," Mai said, approaching the two men. She was dressed in a brown jacket with a fur hood over a green sweater that seemed to announce her endowments. Below the waist, she wore insulated, gray, spandex pants, hugging at her legs like cling wrap. "Can't you go anywhere without stuffing your face?"
"What are you two in sync or somethin'?" Joey asked. "A friendly hello woulda been nice."
Mai chuckled. "Hey, Joey."
"Hey, Mai," Joey said, waving from his seat, not even getting up. "But, uh, what's with the jacket?"
Byakuya answered even though the question was directed at Mai. "Please tell me you bothered to pack warm clothes. We're going to Canada in the middle of Autumn. The temperatures will be freezing."
"Then why are you all dressed up in a suit?" Joey inquired.
"Hmph, I can withstand the cold, for I am the chosen one that will lead this world to greatness."
"Right, great Togami genes, blah blah blah," Mai said, mocking Byakuya's lips moving with her hand. "Do you ever get tired of bragging?"
"Bragging would imply that I'm not simply stating fact," Byakuya said.
"And this is why I will never accept your proposal," Mai quickly retorted.
"Do you two mind?" Joey asked. "I'm trying to eat in peace."
Nearly an hour later, Joey, Mai and Byakuya were taking off into the air, headed for Toronto. Byakuya, as expected, rode first class. Mai and Joey were given economy next to each other.
As the flight left the runway, Joey put his arms up behind his head and leaned back. "Man, almost doesn't feel real, you know."
"What do you mean?" Mai asked.
Joey gazed seriously at the back of the seat in front of him. "I ain't never been outta the country before. And now I'm headed for my first real duel tournament. I mean, yeah, I did well in Battle City, but this is the real deal pro circuit. This is the place where Kaiba and Bandit Keith made themselves into legends."
Mai smiled at Joey. "You're going to be fine. You may not win the whole tournament, but I know you won't get booted out in the first round."
"Thanks, Mai," Joey said.
Mai's lips turned into a crooked smile. "Course if you do, I'll be happy to laugh at you all the way home." She then began kicking her legs and laughing herself sick.
Joey sighed deeply. There was the usual backhanded remark he knew Mai best for.
A little after the plane reached cruising altitude, the stewardess came by for Mai and Joey's drink orders.
"I'll take some grape juice," Mai said.
"I'm so sorry, ma'am, I'm afraid we ran out on our last flight and weren't able to restock," the stewardess apologized.
"Well that's disappointing," Mai said and reached into her purse for her driver's license, reaching over Joey to hand it to the stewardess. "Sangria then, extra cranberry."
"Certainly," the stewardess replied after checking Mai's license. She then handed it back to her and Mai put it away.
"I'll just take a canned soda," Joey said.
The stewardess reached into the ice bucket below her cart and handed the soda to Joey as well as a small plastic cup for him to pour it out into. However, in true Joey Wheeler fashion, he ended up drinking it right out of the can.
Mai rolled her eyes.
As the stewardess left, Joey settled his soda can on his tray and then took out his deck, thumbing through it.
"Doing a little last-minute examination?" Mai asked.
Joey nodded. "More like a trip down memory lane." Joey looked at each card in his deck. Each one held a precious memory of the lawn he had to mow, the bird bath he had to clean, or the dogs he had to walk just to get his hands on them. And then, of course, he spotted his winnings from Battle City.
"And now, to seal your fate, I shall sacrifice both of my monsters to play the almighty Battleguard King!" Joey could hear Peko's voice echoing as he remembered the first time he ever saw the massive monster.
"My Battleguard King's strength is unparalleled, capable of trading blows with even the mighty Blue-Eyes White Dragon. None of your monsters could ever hope to match it at its full power. And without skull dice, you have nothing left in your deck that can stop it from obliterating you next turn."
"Not true," Joey said. "I've got one card in my deck that can turn this whole duel around."
"Then draw your last card," Peko said. "Because it will be your last."
"It'll count for everything!" Joey declared defiantly. "Because I believe in the heart of the cards!"
Joey drew the top card off his deck. He smirked. "Peko, thanks for the duel. Whatever happens next, I've got no regrets. Now go, Time Wizard! Time roulette!"
Joey smiled at the card. His duel with Peko was a true taste of the duelists he could face beyond Battle City. Thumbing more through his deck, he spotted First of the Dragons next.
"With these!" Fuyuhiko declared. "Go Ancient Tool and Baron of the Fiend Sword, fuse together to create First of the Dragons!"
Joey remembered when Fuyuhiko played this and what a hard rush it was.
"This turn is all I'm gonna need, cause now I activate my face-down card: Graverobber!" The little dirt covered, green clad gremlin appeared with his trusty pickaxe and bag. He then dug through the bag and the card he had in hand made Fuyuhiko break out into a cold sweat.
"Zoa?"
"Yup, and since Zoa's hittin the field after I played Shield and Sword he isn't gonna be affected by the attack and defense switch. And since your Malevolent Nuzzler only raises your monster's attack power, Zoa's stronger this turn than First of the Dragons!"
"You…you bastard!"
"But wait, there's more!" Joey declared and activated Monster Reborn. "I'm also bringing back Gilford the Lightning back from my graveyard!"
"This can't be!" Fuyuhiko shouted.
"Zoa! Take out Fuyuhiko's First of the Dragons! Soul Beam!"
Zoa unleashed its bright blue beam attack and destroyed Fuyuhiko's First of the Dragons. Fuyuhiko's life points ticked down to 1200. Joey's fell to 1300 because of Business Deal.
"And now it's time to end this duel once and for all! Gilford the Lightning, attack Getsu Fuhma! Lightning Blade strike!"
That was how he had won Fuyuhiko's best card from him. The two monsters had become practically at home in his deck. And then Joey spotted Thunder King. He could practically see Ibuki's smiling face superimposed over the card.
"Good luck, Mr. Super Drummer!" That was what Ibuki had said to him when Joey told her where he was headed off to.
"Ibuki…" Joey said.
Mai chuckled. "Thinking about the band?"
"Yeah, I mean, they can't practice without us."
"We'll only be gone a few days. Besides, Ibuki said we were making good progress, right?"
"Yeah, I guess so."
A couple of weeks ago, Joey and the rest of Lords of the Duel had found themselves in the Hope's Peak Academy gymnasium. At Ibuki's request, they had been excused from school, or work in Mai's case, to sit in on her practical. There wasn't much to it of course. Ibuki had said they wouldn't need their instruments.
"And now, the practical of Miss Ibuki Mioda, the Ultimate Musician!"
"Yahoooooooooo!" Ibuki exclaimed, rising from her chair and spinning towards the judges. She held up a CD inside a CD case to the judges. "Ta-da!"
"And what is this, Miss Mioda?" the head judge asked.
Ibuki winked, open eye twinkling. "Ibuki started a brand new band with some not Ultimate students. This is our demo CD. We've been practicing." Ibuki looked like she was going to have a seizure. "Ibuki stayed up all night nervous about what you'll think of her music." She smiled. "Now, please enjoy our hit single, from Ibuki's new band, Lords of the Duel! Our song is called: Monster Card Without a Name!"
The CD was inserted into a boom box as everyone in the audience got to hear Ibuki's unmistakable shredding guitar do a 30-second intro, accompanied by the gentle serenade of the piano. Fans of her when she was still in Black Cherry, instantly recognized her sick guitar playing.
And then, Mai's vocals came out. "The fairy type, died to my dragon. I couldn't begin to know where to continue my turn. On this foggy night, let my field spell float. Look at me. Stare at me."
"Whoa, who's the singer? That's not Ibuki!"
"I dunno, but I like her!"
"Wait, I think that's Mai Valentine!"
"Who?"
"You know, the pro duelist."
"What? She can sing? I didn't know that."
The song continued as Tristan's smooth bass could be heard accompanying Mai's vocals along with Joey's sick drum skills. Each member of the band could hear all their hard work from the outside and it felt amazing.
"Man, listen to that!"
"Whoever her new band mates are, they're awesome!"
"She said they're not ultimates? No way! I don't believe it! They sound even better than she did with Black Cherry!"
While not everyone in the audience was a metal head, those that were clearly enjoyed the song. More impressively, as the song entered its second bridge, Ibuki was air guitaring, seemingly completely in sync with her own guitar playing as though it were second nature.
"Mioda! Mioda! Mioda! Mioda!" The audience cheered.
However, Ibuki wasn't listening to them. She was imagining herself on stage with her band at an open concert theater, neon lights and smoke machines everywhere, performing in front of a crowd of hundreds of thousands.
This is it. Ibuki thought. This is what Ibuki was missing. This is the type of music that shoots down straight into Ibuki's soul!
The hit single demo went on for a good 5 minutes and 15 seconds
"Play that trap and target my soul. My life points are cracked, my deck stained with guilt. But I will draw my hero, my fated draw. See my scars. My life points below 1,000. I call to you as I draw, my nameless monster card!"
That was the final chorus as Ibuki's guitar shred along with Miho's violin and Joey's drums. Téa had faded out of the performance right before the last chorus and Mai had just finished her part and the song ended with one last jam of Ibuki's guitar.
"WHOOHOO! YEAH! Ibuki's all fired up!"
Her fans in the audience were cheering wildly, everyone clapping, including her own band.
Ibuki spun around to face the judges, hands behind her back. "How was that? Great, right?"
The judges were sweating. These kids today and their crazy music. However, the audience seemed to like it and the music was clearly new, fresh and the singer wasn't off pitch at all. Nodding to each other, one of the judges said, "Miss Mioda, is your band here today?"
"Ibuki was hoping you'd ask." She waved to the audience. "Okay, everyone, come on down."
From their seats, Joey, Tristan, Mai, Téa, and Miho marched down to stand next to Ibuki, Mai and Joey on either side of their guitarist, hands on her shoulder.
"Whoa, that really is Mai Valentine."
"Hold on. Is that Joey Wheeler?"
"I think those others are from Domino High too."
"I like the brunette. You think she's single."
"This is Ibuki's band," Ibuki said, ignoring the clatter from the crowd. "Ibuki feels perfectly in sync with them. They're not Ultimates, but they're the best friends Ibuki's ever had."
"Them? You have complete faith in these normal individuals?" the female judge asked.
"Yup! And if you got a problem with that, Ibuki'll drop out of Hope's Peak right now!" Ibuki exclaimed, getting intense. "No one disses Ibuki's band!"
The judges all smiled. One of them then spoke. "Miss Mioda, we would like to see the sheet music of this number and any works in progress you have. If you can present those to us, we would then like to see you give a live performance of this and two brand new songs unprovided by the end of the school year. Can you do that for us?"
"Aye, aye, sir!" Ibuki exclaimed.
No one in Ibuki's band so much as flinched. If Ibuki thought they could do it. They could do it. They were past the point of doubting themselves.
"And we would like you to perform a full live concert one year from now. Thirteen songs won't be a problem, will it?"
"A full concert during Ibuki's second year Fall practical?" The shock in Ibuki's voice made the others a bit nervous.
"Can you do it, Miss Ultimate Musician?" One of the judges asked.
Ibuki poked at her forehead, "Hmmmmmmmmnnnnn…" she said, thinking so hard, Joey thought she was going to hurt herself. Then she pointed to one side like her hands were guns and said very affirmatively. "Yes! Ibuki thinks she can pull it off." She then got intense, holding up her index finger and clenching her other hand into a fist. "What's life without a little challenge after all?"
"Then you're dismissed, Miss Mioda. See to it."
"You got it. Thank you, everyone!"
"Joey! Are you listening?" Mai asked.
"Nyeh?" Joey asked, jumping in his seat. He'd been off in lala land for so long he hadn't even noticed that Mai had her drink.
"I was asking if you wanted to watch the in-flight movie with me," she said.
"Huh? Oh, sure," Joey said, grabbing for the headphones inside the pocket of the back of the chair in front of him.
"What were you thinking about just now?" Mai asked. "Fame and fortune?"
"Nah," Joey said. "If I get overconfident, I'll definitely lose. I was thinkin' about Ibuki and the band and how she totally got a perfect on that practical a hers."
"Well, we helped," Mai said.
"Yeah," Joey nodded. As the movie's opening credits played, Joey leaned towards Mai and said. "You think if dueling doesn't work out that we could be a legitimate band?"
"Hey, anything's possible," Mai said. "Now hush, I don't like to be talked to when I'm watching a film."
"Yeah, sure," Joey said.
Neither he nor Mai realized it, but, as they watched the move in silence, their hands crept towards each other's, pinkies, ring fingers and thumbs interlocking, a testament to the strong as steel bond that they shared.
More than half a day later, Joey, Mai and Byakuya's flight stopped off at the Toronto airport. No sooner had Joey gotten off the plane and beyond the exit gate, he started shivering.
"Ohhhh, man, you were not kidding about the cold." He began dancing around, holding his shoulders for warmth.
"Did you seriously forget to pack a warm jacket?" Byakuya asked in disbelief.
"NO!" Joey exclaimed. "Maybe…yes…darn it! I'm turning into a Joeysicle!"
Byakuya sighed. He pointed to the gift shop. "They're cheaply made, but you could get a nice coat from one of the stores. I did say all expenses paid."
Joey shivered, snot dripping down his nose. "Togami, you're a real pal," he said, speeding off for the emporium.
Byakuya sighed. "I really don't know what you see in him."
"What are you talking about?" Mai asked.
"Right, like you totally don't have a thing for him," Byakuya said.
Mai blushed. "Th-that's none of your business!"
"I noticed you're not denying it," Byakuya responded. "And that doesn't answer my question."
Mai's face scrunched up in irritation. "I said that's none of your business! Who cares what I think of Joey? Who cares if he's just that friendly and I might appreciate it more than I let on? That's none of your business."
Byakuya sighed. "So it's because he's nice, is it?"
Mai looked like she was going to scream. She'd said too much.
"Well, it's not my place to judge, but I honestly think you could do better than him."
"You mean like you?" Mai asked, irritated.
"I didn't say that."
"You implied it."
"Don't put words in my mouth," Byakuya said, glaring. "It was merely a statement. I made no inference of my own superiority."
"So you admit it," Mai huffed.
"I admit only that I am superior to Joey Wheeler and through this tournament, I will prove it. Battle City was a fluke. I've redoubled my understanding about the Heart of the Cards and honed my skills even further. Neither you nor Joseph Wheeler will be able to defeat me."
"We'll see about that," Mai responded, glaring.
"Ohhhh, man, much better. Thanks for the suggestion, Byakuya," Joey said, walking up to his two traveling companions. The jacket was the same shade of blue as his Domino High uniform with a light-colored fur hood. Joey had also purchased an insulated black top to go under it and the jacket wasn't zippered up all the way for the moment.
"Hmph," Byakuya grumbled. He still couldn't believe Joey was so careless. "There should be a limo outside waiting to take us to the hotel. I made arrangements for us each to have a separate room. Tomorrow, we will convene in front of the casino at 8 in the morning."
"Whaaaat?" Joey complained. "Why so early?"
"Oh, I'm sorry, do you want to be disqualified from the tournament before it's even begun? Proceedings begin at 9 and we have a little detour to make before we get to the convention center where it is taking place. Make to eat and take care of your hygiene before then."
"Yeah, whatever," Joey said. He checked his phone and set it to the destination time zone. He yawned.
"Jet lag already?" Mai asked.
"Can't help it. Only got a two-hour nap on the plane," he said.
"Try to hold it together until you're alone at the hotel. Then you can do whatever manner of embarrassing things you wish," Byakuya said.
"Yeah, yeah," Joey responded.
The trio were escorted in style to their high rising hotel. Joey could hardly believe the view and sent a picture and a selfie to Yugi, his band, and his sister. Then he collapsed backwards on the bed, shoes off.
He stared up at the light, the back of one hand brushing up under his bangs. This was it, no turning back now. Tomorrow, he'd compete in a tournament in the pro-dueling circuit. A gaze of determination waved over his face. He was psyched to duel…only for him to nod off on the comfy hotel bed.
He was woken up by the loud rapping of knuckles against his door.
"Joey! You okay in there?" Mai asked, having no idea he'd fallen asleep.
Joey bolted upright. "Hey! What gives? I was fast asleep."
"Well, excuuuuuse me," Mai responded. She started to rant as Joey turned his head right.
"Huh? When did the sun go down?"
"I mean, far be it from me if you just want to ignore everything that you—"
Mai stopped ranting when Joey opened the door to his hotel room to see her standing there with full lip gloss and eye shadow in a fancy parlor blouse with frilled cuffs, a pleated, green skirt, and knee high, black, leather boots with buckles over the ankles. She looked classy. Joey was taken aback by the appearance, not used to seeing Mai in much more than her leather jacket and corset.
Like a shaggy dog, Joey shook off his disorientation and tried to play it cool. "What uh…what do you want, Mai?"
"Do you want to come downstairs? It's all you can eat wings night apparently. My treat."
"All you can eat chicken wings? I'm there!" Joey exclaimed and scrambled for the elevator. He and Mai rode down into the lobby among all the casino machines with food being served by a pair of pool tables.
"You're a minor so you're not allowed in the casino area, but let's go get ourselves a table."
"Where's Byakuya?" Joey asked.
"Up in his room. Something about plebian food disgusting him. So he's ordering room service."
Joey sighed. "He would. Oh well, his loss. Bring on the hot wings!"
100 chicken wings later…
Joey picked his teeth of the last buffalo chicken wing in his mouth. "Now that's what I call a good meal."
Mai sat across from him flabbergasted, wondering how someone Joey's age went and packed away 100 hot wings and acted like he could still eat more.
Joey heard the sound of someone winning a jackpot on one of the machines behind him. "Man, they sure are havin' fun in there. Too bad they'll card me if I try to sneak in."
"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" A gruff voice called out.
"Hey, wait a sec, I recognize that voice."
Joey and Mai looked across the tables to see a man in a heavy leather coat with a flag tied around the back of his head in fashionably torn blue jeans and black sneakers.
"Bandit Keith!" Joey exclaimed, rising to his feet.
"Sup, loser?" He looked at Mai. "Miss Valentine."
Mai stuck her tongue out briefly at Bandit Keith, indicating she had just as low an opinion of him as Joey.
"Lemme guess, couldn't stick it out in the States, so you came all the way here to make a name for yourself in Canada?" Joey asked. "That is so you, you cheating snake."
Keith laughed. "What can I say? Here in Canada, no one cares about how I was humiliated. These are my stomping grounds, punk."
"Save it for the tournament, you two," Mai said, realizing how heated this was getting.
"Oh, why bother? If they get arrested, that's just two fewer top competitors for us to deal with."
Joey, Mai and Keith all turned their heads to see one Celestia Ludenburg walking up to the three of them. "My, my," she said, suppressing her sophisticated chortle. "Fancy seeing you here, Joey."
"Frenchy?!"
Upon seeing Celeste, something primal in Mai snapped and her mind growled like an angry puma.
"Yes, tis I," Celeste said, curtsying, "Celestia Ludenburg."
"What da heck are you doing here? I don't remember Byakuya inviting you."
"Oh my, that answers that question," Celeste said, with mock surprise. "I was wondering how a low-income mutt like you made it all the way to Canada."
"What'd you say?" Joey snapped, standing, slapping the table.
"Ahahahahaha," Celeste chuckled provocatively.
"And what does that make you then?" Mai asked her. "I didn't take you for having deep pockets."
"For your information, I can go wherever I wish. My bank account is bigger than all three of yours put together."
"Quite a claim, toots," Bandit Keith retorted.
"It's not a claim, it's fact," Celeste said, twirling one of her ringlets. "You'd be surprised what you can make with a little bit of gambling money."
"Gambling?! You're the same age as me!" Joey exclaimed.
"Oh? Would you like to gamble, Joey? It's easy to break the law if you know a little trick."
"What do you mean?" Joey asked.
Celeste glanced over the railing at the slot machines below. "Wait here. Eyes on me," she said. She then walked promptly up to a member of security. She was too far away to be heard by her onlookers. She chatted with security for what seemed like a few short minutes and then she was promptly let into the casino and sat down at a machine.
"Wha…?" Joey was completely confused. The guard wasn't even paying Celeste that much mind. No one was. More importantly, Celeste was winning. She came back out of the casino and smiled to the others when she returned within ear shot of them. "And just like that, I've turned one dollar into 70,000 Canadian Dollars," she said, holding up a voucher.
"How the heck did you pull that off?"
"Follow me, I will show you," Celeste said and brought Joey back to talk to the guard.
"Hold up," the guard said. "ID young man."
"Well that's awfully bold of you," Celeste said. "This young man is the younger brother of the one and only Byakuya Togami."
"I—"
Joey was cut off by Celeste elbowing him in the ribs.
"His older brother took pity on him because he was raised in a barn." Celeste wiped away a fake tear. "All he wants is for his little brother to have fun at a casino." She stared at the guard. "And if you don't let him in, Byakuya is upstairs resting on his laurels right now in this hotel. Perhaps I should call him down here and ask him to ask his father to bring the wrath of the Togami family upon this casino."
"N-no, p-please. None of that," the security guard said. "Go on through."
Joey was stunned. That worked?!
Celeste chuckled. "Yes, thank you, kind officer. Come along, Joey."
Fortunately, Joey was the only one that needed to be snuck in. Mai and Bandit Keith were both of age to gamble.
"Happy now?" Celeste asked when they were far away from the entrance.
"I cannot believe that worked," Joey said, rubbing his head.
"Well it did," Celeste said. "So, pick a machine, any machine, and test your luck, Joey."
Joey looked around wildly, trying to settle upon any machine in the casino.
"Celeste," Mai said to her. "I'm going to head for the poker table for some nostalgia. If I leave Joey with you, no funny business."
"I haven't the faintest idea what you could possibly mean," Celeste said, but her attitude suggested otherwise.
Mai glared.
Celeste chuckled. "Oh relax, Mai. I'm not the type. Unless you want me to take Joey back to my hotel room and—"
"Do it and I'll go back to the guard and expose you both," Mai shot back.
Celeste only chuckled sportingly and smiled a bit too sweetly for Mai's liking. "I have every intention to behave myself."
Mai gave Celeste an estranged look as she headed for the poker table, eager to relive her pre-dueling years as a card dealer from the other side of the table.
Meanwhile, Joey finally found a machine. Celeste was entirely unsurprised by his choice. The machine had a plastic Red-Eyes Black Dragon with glowing red-eyes crawling around the machine, breathing fake fire that also glowed. The entire machine was Red-Eyes themed.
"Aw, yeah, my kind of slot machine!" Joey said, rubbing his hands together. He reached into his wallet and took out a bill and inserted it. "Let's go!"
Celeste expected this to be a valuable life lesson to Joey, to point and laugh about how he might've been the superior duelist, but she was the superior gambler.
However, on his third pull, Joey hit the jackpot, a big fat 64,000 dollars.
Celeste was stunned. A small "what?" that Joey failed to here, barely escaped her lips.
"Aw yeah! Big money!" Joey exclaimed.
"B-beginner's luck," Celeste stuttered, blushing.
But it wasn't beginner's luck at all. Joey proceeded to win just as big as Celeste throughout the night. While he came up short on the actual earnings won by about 250,000, when both were in the sextuple digits of dollars to start with, that was hardly important.
Impossible, how could his luck be so undeterred. There has to be a weakness. No one has better luck at gambling than me, Celeste thought. And then she landed on an idea. "Joey," she said sweetly. "Perhaps I could interest you in a few rounds of poker."
"Poker? Sure, I'm game," Joey said. He and Celeste, coincidentally enough, ended up sitting down to the same table that Mai was currently sweeping.
"Thank you, come again," she said, raking in the winnings of another wannabe millionaire.
"You seem like you're doing well," Celeste said. "May we join you?"
"I'm on a hot streak right now," Mai said. She'd racked up nearly 2 million in chips. "You sure that's a good idea?"
"A hot streak hmm, well I believe a cold front is about to blow your way."
Joey and Celeste took a seat at the same table as Mai and two other faceless players. Bandit Keith was hidden from view with a beer and a cigarette, watching the action.
It might not be duel monsters, he thought, but this is a perfect chance for me to see which of these dweebs are the biggest threat to me in the tournament.
Mai, Celeste, Joey and their opponents were dealt two cards each. Celeste twirled a ringlet of hers when she saw the double aces in her hand.
A tell? Mai thought. Good or bad?
Joey looked at his hand: the king and queen of hearts. Mai could read him like a book. She looked at her own hand: Ace of spades and 7 of hearts. Not the best hand, but she'd see how much Celeste was willing to push. The flop cards were a 7 of spades, jack of diamonds and the king of diamonds.
Mai watched the whole table call, except Joey, who raised. One of the opponents backed out like a coward while Mai and the others called Joey's bluff.
Then came the turn card: ace of diamonds. Celeste's face went stone cold. And it was then Mai noticed something. She was sending random signals on purpose. Celeste didn't have a tell, she went for random bouts of body language to confuse people into thinking she had a tell.
Oh she's good, Mai thought. "Call!"
At the river, the 7 of clubs, Mai thought to call a raise, but that might not be the best idea. Much to her surprise, Joey folded.
Interesting, Celeste thought.
Now, between Mai and Celeste, it came time to decide to play the full hand or back out like a fool. Mai felt secure with her full house, but then Celeste pulled a raise on her, shaking her confidence. Mai knew she had a full house. And she had the Ace of Spades so she'd win in a tie. What the heck was Celeste so confident about? No, she couldn't possibly have a better hand. Wait, no, there was one possibility. If Celeste had the Queen and 10 of Diamonds, she'd have a royal flush, but that seemed absurd.
Mai scanned Celeste's face. She looked bored, waiting for Mai to make a move. She was good, really good. Mai looked at her winnings. No, it wasn't worth the risk.
"Fold," Mai said.
Celeste laughed. "Ahahaha, as you should," Celeste said, raking in the chips. Her bluff had been successful. A veteran like you would never raise if you had a really good hand. I saw the reflection of your eyes, Mai. Well, that and after what I said, you wouldn't want to risk your hard earned money, now would you?
After three hands, the same result came about: Celeste winning by bluffing everyone out, good hand or not. From this, Mai got up from the table. "I'm going back to my room."
"Mai, where are you going?" Joey asked her.
"Sometimes you have to know when to fold 'em, Joey. Poker isn't duel monsters. You can't just hang in there until the end. You'll wind up losing the shirt on your back." Mai then left the casino.
"Ignore her," Celeste said. "She won a lot and didn't have the spine to keep betting it. What about you, Joey? You're almost out of your own winnings." She'd cut Joey's earnings in half. "Care to call it a night?"
"Not a chance," Joey said. "One more round."
"Very well," Celeste said.
The other two players got up from the table.
"Guess it's just you and me, Joey," Celeste said. She looked at Joey's earnings: 250,000 compared to her 1.5 million thanks to winning so many times. "250,000," she said. "All or nothing, Joey."
"All or nothing!" Joey said, pushing his whole stack in.
Celeste was startled. Joey had to be mad. Any sane person would've backed down, so why didn't he?
Oh. Right, because he's too stupid to know when to quit. Celeste felt her face get warm. Ack! Stop it! Stop it! She exclaimed, swatting her cheeks. That's not a positive trait.
Celeste looked at her hand: king of spades and king of clubs.
The flop was the king of diamonds, the king of hearts, and the 7 of hearts.
Four of a kind. This is why you don't gamble with me, Joey, I'll clean out your wallet and show it to you.
The turn card was the five of hearts. And then the river was the four of hearts.
"Four of a Kind," Celeste said.
"Oh? Guess I win then," Joey said.
"Yes, yes, funny joke, Joey," Celeste said. "Now, I—"
Celeste's mouth hung open when Joey put down the 8 of hearts and six of hearts on the table.
"Straight flush," he said.
"I…I lost…" Celeste was not just stunned, her heart was also thumping in her chest. How?
"Like Mai said, know when to quit," Joey said, taking his 500,000 out of the game. "Thanks for the fun time, Celeste. I really appreciate it." Joey then walked out, leaving Celeste at the poker table alone, watching him go. However, rather than stare at him and wallow in her own self-pity, Celeste's lips broke out into a manic grin.
Fate truly does smile on me, doesn't it? Celeste thought. Joey, you beat me tonight at my game, but tomorrow, I'm going to beat you at yours. Celestia Ludenburg will not be made a fool! I will put you in such a hole in the ground, not even Graverobber can rescue you! For you, who has woken my competitive spirit, I will show you no mercy!
Nearby, Bandit Keith finished off his third beer. Yup, tomorrow was going to be interesting indeed.
Up in his room, Joey made some final adjustments to his deck and then started getting ready for bed, including brushing all the hot wing sauce out of his mouth. However, just as he was about to kill the lights and crawl into bed, he got a knock to his door.
Sighing, he looked through the peephole. It was Mai. He opened the door for her, only for her to stumble into his arms.
"Joeeeeeeeeyyyy!" She mewled like a girl his age or younger. She ran her hands up his chest. "Mmmmm, sturdy."
"Mai, what the hell are you doing?" Joey shouted.
Mai groaned. "You shouldn't yell so much," she said. She turned over, almost falling over, bending her knees as she gazed up at him with half-lidded eyes. Her hands were clung tightly to the upper ends of his forearms to steady herself. Her cheeks were bright red. He could smell the alcohol.
"Are you drunk?!" Joey shouted.
"Maaaaaaybeeeee," Mai cooed. "Are you handsome?"
"No, I'm Joey," Joey answered, not getting it. "Mai, why are you drunk?"
Mai didn't answer Joey coherently. She only giggled and then tried to pull him down on top of her. Joey was stronger though and instead pulled Mai up to his level, accidentally causing her head to collide with his chin. Joey stumbled back into the bathroom door and Mai stumbled into him. Their combined weight—and some coincidental fiddling with the knob—pushed the door open with Mai laying on top of Joey, purring and half curled up, the side of her head on his chest, index and middle fingers petting his abs and shoulder.
"Mai, cut it out," Joey said, sitting up. "You're not you right now. Come on, let's get you to bed."
"Noooooo," Mai mumbled weakly. "I'm too warm."
"That's just the alcohol talking," Joey said, helping her up. "Come on."
Mai fought playfully with Joey, but thanks to years of dealing with his father, Joey knew how to handle a drunk person. Mai might've not been violent and crawling all over him, but that didn't make her reflexes any less dull or her actions any less non-indicative of her behavior.
Using the door stop to keep his door open, Joey wandered down the hall with Mai slung over shoulder and headed for her door. Knowing Mai wouldn't be in any condition to get it for him, Joey went for her skirt pocket to get her door key to get her into her dorm room.
Mai saw Joey's hand floating in front of her face and grabbed his hand, sucking on his index finger lazily.
"Wha?! Mai! The heck you doin?!" Joey demanded.
Mai giggled only to drop her head and her legs slackened. Joey had to work to keep her propped up. He managed to get her card key out and opened her hotel room. The place was neat and tidy and reeked of perfume. But with the drunk, sleeping Mai over his shoulder, Joey wasted no time getting her into bed. He put her hotel key on her nightstand, leaving the light on with his room's phone number next to it. Satisfied as he made sure his friend was tucked in, Joey then headed for the door.
"Joey…" Mai mumbled in her sleep, turning over.
Joey smiled at her. Rest easy, Mai, he thought as he swung the latch over the top of the door to help lock her in. I'll see ya tomorrow. I don't know what tonight was about, but I know you're better dan dis. Tomorrow, I hope I see that.
Joey then headed for his own room, shutting the door behind him. He then checked his deck, which he hadn't had the chance to put away when Mai barged in. He thumbed through his deck, making sure all his cards were there, learning his lesson from Duelist Kingdom when Keith snagged his tournament entry card. Relieved to know that Mai's little episode hadn't allowed an intruder into his hotel room, Joey locked his door and headed for bed. Tomorrow, the Canadian Nationals would begin.
Joey stood with his fist raised in excitement as he stood blocks from the entrance hall of the convention center. Balloons of different kinds of duel monsters were erected everywhere and men and women of all ages were here to compete.
"Aw, yeah! Bring it on!" Joey exclaimed, standing in between Mai and Byakuya. "Look out world! Here comes Joey Wheeler!"
"Not so fast," Byakuya said as Joey barely broke out into a run. Joey stumbled on his forward foot and nearly fell over, but managed to stay upright.
"What's the hold up, rich boy? You said 9 o' clock. It's 8:45. We gotta hustle."
"We have enough precious seconds for this," Byakuya said, reaching into his coat. "Miss Valentine, I can assume you know of what I speak."
Mai reached into a front jacket pocket and held up a photo ID card. It was silver plated with 3 out of 5 gold stars filled out. "Right here," Mai said.
"Wuzzat?" Joey asked, scratching his head.
Byakuya held up one of his own. His was bronze colored with 2 out of 5 stars colored in. "A Duel Monsters International League Identification Card. Or DuMILIC as you plebians refer to it. I simply call it a tournament ID card. Honestly, acronyms made by the 99% can sometimes be so childish."
"Wait a sec, I don't got one of those," Joey said, sweating.
"I'm aware," Byakuya said, tilting his head back. "But, fortunately, I am here." Byakuya reached into the inside of his jacket pocket and handed a laminated, green card with 0 out of 5 gold stars filled in to Joey. It had his name, his picture ID from Battle City, date of birth, and a unique 12-digit-ID number.
"Awesome, now I can compete! Thanks, Byakuya!"
"Joey, don't you understand what that is exactly?" Mai asked.
"Uhhh…" Joey scratched his cheek.
"An ID card such as that doesn't just let you compete in tournaments such as this, but any tournament recognized as official by the International League of Duel Monsters across the globe."
"Wait, but then…that means…" Joey said, trailing off.
Byakuya smirked. "Welcome to the pro circuit, Mr. Joseph Wheeler. Do not make me regret my decision."
Joey shook, staring at the card, head angled down.
"Joey?" Mai asked.
"Shadup…I'm not cryin'…you're cryin'!" Joey shot back and wiped his eyes. A pro duelist. He was officially a pro duelist.
"Took me a while to find you a sponsor, but I can think of none better than the Togami Corporation itself. Be advised though," Byakuya said, clenching a fist. "If you embarrass me, I will drop you like a sack of hammers."
"Byakuya," Joey said and held his head high. "Thanks. You didn't have ta do dis. When I entered the regionals, they asked me for one a deez, but I didn't have one. I was considered an amateur in the pro circuit."
"Yes, there are a lot of those," Byakuya stated.
"But now…I can…I can…" Joey said clenching his eyes shut as two tears formed. He swallowed hard. He was a man. He had his pride. Psyched up, he shouted, "AW YEAH! JOEY WHEELER'S COMIN' AT YA!"
"Heh, you certainly seem excited. Now put that excitement to good use. I expect to see you in the finals and no less."
"You got it, Byakuya, and thanks."
"Please, having you thank me makes me physically ill. I gave you that because it was necessary," Byakuya said and then immediately averted eye contact with Joey. "Nothing more."
Joey laughed. "Aww, you numbskull. Come here."
"What are you doing?" Byakuya asked, backing up. "Get back."
Byakuya soon found himself in a headlock, Joey's knuckles scraping against his skull, the blond grinning like an idiot. "Unhand me this instant, you Neanderthal!" Byakuya exclaimed, trying to squirm out from underneath Joey, but it was no good. "I am Byakuya Togami! You will release me!"
Joey did and then gave Byakuya a few hearty slaps on the shoulder, wiping a finger under his nose. He was grinning ear to ear.
"Joseph, if you ever do something like that to me again," Byakuya said, glaring as he fixed his hair and jacket, "I will personally see you punished in ways you can't imagine."
"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Joey said, too happy to be intimidated by the threat. "Now come on! I just downed a box a dozen doughnuts and I'm pumped up for action! Look out Canada!" Joey exclaimed and stared straight at the tournament convention hall. "HERE COMES JOEY WHEELER!"
(A/N: And I think that'll be good enough to cut it for now. A nice little introduction chapter, setting the stage for the arc at large, plus a little bit of world building and character moments. And I bet a bunch of you didn't expect to see Bandit Keith again, though abridged fans probably know why he's here XD. And if you think that this is all the named, familiar characters we're going to see this arc—Byakuya, Mai, Celeste, Joey and Keith—I've got one more surprise and no, you don't get a hint XD.
Let the games begin! And until they begin—that is, until next time—as always, from all of me, to all of you, let your hearts stay human and your wrath draconic. Ja ne!)