Weeks passed on end with Harry not once leaving Pegasus' side. The two spent many a time duelling one another until it was simply a case that Pegasus couldn't beat Harry anymore. With nothing left for the two to do, and while trying to distract Harry from the absence of his past life, Pegasus had to recruit some help.
"I'm glad you could come." Pegasus greeted his guest as he walked inside the castle. "I know I'm not you're biggest fan right now but I'm at a loss as to what to do. This is the first time he's left my side in weeks and I need to set up his education if he's going to stay here."
The guest simply raised his eyebrows in response before nodding. "Where is he now?" The only question he asked as they began moving down the hallway.
"Croquet has been monitoring him. A castle as big as this who knows where he could wind up. He's in my collection room."
The guest simply nodded before heading down to the room upon the directions of Pegasus. Stopping only to take in the sights the walls had to offer as he neared the room. Rumours of Pegasus' collection reached the ears of every duellist who had ever played the game but nobody alive had ever seen it aside from the man himself. The fact that Pegasus let a mere child inside was astounding. The chance to go in as well if only to speak to the child was also something he was eternally grateful for.
And what a sight it was. He had seen many collections in his days. His own was one of the more vast ones, containing even the Seal of Orichalcos and other such cards, but this was unbelievable. His eyes were drawn naturally to the black boxes that lined the walls looking at the cards with unmistakable wonder and suppressed desire.
"You know, you're the first person besides me and Max to ever step inside here." A voice spoke from behind causing him to gasp and turn towards it. "I've only played the game for a few weeks and the wonder never wares off. Just when I think I've seen all the cards a new one shocks me."
The guest simply nodded and listened. Words far beyond the child's age were music to his ears and he could not bring himself to interrupt.
"Even though I prefer one type of card, that doesn't mean to say that I don't appreciate others you know? This game is so fascinating. And yet Max tells me that it's more than just a game to some people."
The guest nodded. Taking the brief pause to interject. "Are you familiar with the Egyptian side of the game?" He asked to which he received a nod in return. "Back then it wasn't played with cards, but with stone tablets." Another nod to show that Harry understood if not already knew. "But it goes back further than that. The stone tablets where actually containers for spirits of the monsters. People summoned them for thousands of years before the Egyptians even knew how."
Harry listened with rapt attention. Noting how the voice spoke with familiarity. Looking into the sparkling blue eyes that told the same amount of wisdom as another set he saw once before.
"Tell me" The guest spoke suddenly. "Why do you only look at the cards? Why not use them?"
Harry looked around the room once more before looking at the deck box in his hand and finally back to the guest.
"They're not mine to use. Pegasus said I could. And I used the cards that felt right and would get me by but beyond that, I would rather start my own collection than borrow from another."
"Well I can help you there. My grandfather owns a card shop. You can come and start your new collection."
Harry found the idea tempting.
"But what about Pegasus?"
The guest smiled. "Don't worry; he brought me here to entertain you. He never said how." Turning towards the door. "Croquet, you know what to do."
And that was how Harry found himself once more in Pegasus' private plane. This time under the supervision of Croquet and the guest, though now that they had left the castle he was no longer so. The plane ride was the same length as last time but this time there was no distractions to take Harry's mind off the world outside the window. Watching it all race by Harry realized he would never see sights like this from Hogwarts. But he did miss his powers.
He had tried everything to recover them in any form. Pegasus had tried as well and in between and during duels they attempted to gauge a reaction to force magic out of him but nothing could be done. His powers were either gone or so dormant that nothing they knew of could unleash them.
As the plane landed the three were quickly inside one of the limos waiting at the airport. There they made their way to the game shop where the guest's grandfather lived. As they got closer Harry noted that the guest's facial expression became more and more sombre. Too afraid to ask why he stayed silent but it appeared he needn't have bothered.
"I haven't been home in a long time." He explained to the car. His eyes not meeting anything in particular. "I'm not quite sure if he'll be angry at me or not."
"He's your family right?" Harry asked to which he received a nod. "Then if he's nothing like mine. He'll be glad to see you."
Mentally filing away the choice of words, the guest nodded once more as the limo pulled up outside the card shop. Croquet left them on their own in order to grab files from the local industrial illusions building for Pegasus. And so it was just the two of them standing outside.
Raising his hand to knock the door only for it to hit air as the door opened the guest stumbled. Luckily he was caught by a pair of old hands holding him up.
"Put a deck in his hands and he's the envy of the world but have him do something like knock a door and he falls flat on his face." A voice said, the owner blocked from Harry's view by the body of his guardian. Suddenly that obstruction was pulled forward and the head of an old man appeared from his shoulder. "Welcome home Yugi"
Harry was honestly shocked. This was the Yugi Muto that Pegasus had told him so much about. The one who housed the ancient spirit of the pharaoh and saved the world several times, but he couldn't be that much older than he was.
"Hey Grandpa. We have a visitor." Yugi replied. His eyes suspiciously moist at the welcome he received.
"Oh" Grandpa exclaimed as he opened his eyes and saw the young boy before him. "Well hello there. Solomon Muto at your service. Are you responsible for bringing my Yugi home?"
Harry shook his head. His right hand hidden behind his back while the left fiddled with the leg of his pants.
"Then what brings you two here. Hardly to come by and say hello?"
Yugi was shocked at the exclamation and was quick to explain. "Grandpa you know I would be home every day if I could but people need help."
"Adventure is in your blood Yugi but don't you think you've had enough of it for now?"
"That's why I'm here. I'm going to be one of Harry's teachers."
"And?"
"Well he said he wants to increase his collection."
Right away Solomon's attention snapped to Harry who was admiring cards throughout their conversation. When he saw what he was looking at he smiled in fondness before making his way over.
Harry was currently looking at the cards laid out in singles, completely ignoring the booster packs and starter decks lying beside them in favour of analysing the cards themselves. One in particular caught his attention.
Dark Magician
Everywhere he went he found something linking to the dark magician or one of his variations. In this case he was looking at the chaos version. According to Pegasus this was one of those banned cards that couldn't be played without serious consequences. Only in this case the Dark Magician was so rare it wasn't worth banning.
'But then' Harry thought 'How did it get here'
"I see a booster pack just won't satisfy you." Solomon's voice from behind him caused him to jump back in fright. As he did so his hand landed on the Chaos card causing a small burst of light to escape it and into Harry. None of the occupants in the room noticed this aside from Yugi who came to inspect the card once the two moved away to discuss trading cards.
Though the card looked no different from before. Yugi could feel the power emanating from the card unlike the rest of the shop. Whatever Harry had done had reawakened the spirit inside the card. Unsure, Yugi pocketed the card after sharing a look with his grandfather expressing his desire to explain later.
And so it was that Harry perused the card stacks once more. This time with the guidance of Solomon, Yugi having disappeared into a back room long ago to do something neither knew. As he looked Harry found himself leaning more and more to the spellcasters but found himself attached to cards that wouldn't suit a spellcaster deck.
"I just don't understand. Why have cards you'll never use when somebody else can use them better than you ever could." He said exasperatedly some time later as they looked through stacks of cards. "You at least have them to sell and Pegasus created them but me? If spellcasters are calling out to me then why should I go for cards like these?"
Showing the card in his hand and similar ones near him Harry found his moral dilemma to be a great one. Solomon on the other hand saw only himself and Yugi inside the small boy. New to the game but loving it for the games sake.
"You can have more than one deck Harry. Yugi has a connection with some of his cards more than others but they don't necessarily work together. So he makes a deck for those that do." Solomon explained picking the cards up and placing them near others. "What matters is that no card is neglected in favour of others, each card from the weakest Kuriboh to the Egyptian gods, can win a duel. No matter what anybody says about a cards power, rarity or even how it looks, if it speaks to you, then that's a bond worth far more than anything else in this world."
Harry nodded. Taking the words to heart and strategies to mind he began to form decks around the cards that had called out to him. By the time Yugi came back there was a big list of cards to be gotten but Harry was smiling like a kid at Christmas.
"Well Harry a couple of friends of mine are going to come around. We can hang out for the day then we can check up on Pegasus okay?" Yugi asked upon seeing the smiling boy near his sleeping Grandpa, apparently old age had taken its toll on the man.
Harry nodded before grabbing his deck from a nearby table and slipping it back into the card box he had on his belt.
Yugi smiled at the young one before grabbing his own deck as well as a duel disk. Turning back he saw Harry looking at the duel disk in awe.
"What's the matter Harry, surely you've seen a duel disk before?"
Harry shook his head. "Pegasus only uses the duel arena"
Yugi was shocked but then a wicked grin began to form on his face. Now he had a reason to go annoy a certain somebody. "Well what do you say we go get one then huh?"
Harry just nodded and followed Yugi out, unaware of his role in a now devious plan of Yugi's.
