Yu-Gi-Oh! Love Selflessly – Chapter 11
"Emiko?"
She heard a soft, familiar voice calling her name, "Emiko, wake up!" She grunted and shifted, opening her eyes. As her vision returned, she saw Bakura, standing over her, his long, white hair swept to the side over his shoulder. Her eyes widened and she jumped back, gasping and falling out of his arms. Yugi said, laughing, "Woah! It's alright, Em! It's okay!" She shook her head and rubbed her eyes, then asked groggily, "Wait. Where...where are we?" Yugi said, "We're at the campsite." Emiko sighed. She looked up at Bakura and said, "I just had a really weird dream. Y-you and Yugi were duelling." He smiled meekly. She continued, "You were evil and we were all dressed as Duel Monsters." Yugi asked, "Hey, by the way, Bakura, where did you get your Millennium Ring?" Bakura looked down at the beautiful artifact hung around his neck and said, "My father picked it up on one of his trips to Egypt. You see, he's a collector of sorts, so he was shopping at a merchant bazaar when the Ring caught his eye." Emiko's eyes narrowed.
"That thing," she thought, "In my dream, it's the Ring that caused him to go off the deep end." He continued his story, "The man who sold the Ring to my father said that it had something to do with Duel Monsters, but that never really made any sense to me. I mean, the card game is pretty new and the Ring is clearly ancient. When my father got back, he gave it to me." Behind Emiko, Tristan muttered, "Woah, I just dreamed Bakura went totally mental." Joey yawned and said, "Same here. That's the last time I snooze with duelling cards under my pillow." Bakura, remembering how Emiko reacted, walked over and said, leaning down and smiling playfully, "Sleep well, guys?" Tristan and Joey jumped into each other's arms and screamed, "Bakura!" Emiko, Yugi, and Bakura laughed. Téa thought for a moment and said, "Well, I dreamed Yugi had us all dressed up like Duel Monster cards and you'd gone nuts. So, no." Emiko frowned, wondering, "We all had the same dream?" In the distance, the group heard a woman's scream.
"That voice," Joey said, turning toward the sound, "It sounded like Mai! Come on!" Joey immediately took off, nearly leaving the others behind. They sprinted through the trees, ducking and dodging branches and shrubs. Bakura tripped on a loose rock, but Téa caught his wrist, pulling him to his feet. As they came upon another clearing in the forest, Mai was being lowered from a duelling arena, her face pale and her head hung in shame. Yugi called out to her, "Mai! Are you okay?" She said sadly, "You're too late." Téa asked, confused, "Too late? For what?" On the other side of the arena, an older man, enormous in stature, with dark, messy hair laughed and said in a gruff, hoarse voice, "Too late to watch your friend get completely destroyed!" Joey shouted, "Hey! Mai! This sideshow freak giving you a hard time?" The man walked closer and said, "That's right. Just like Pegasus pays me to do. Root out all of the weak duelling filth on this island and dispose of it." Tristan said, "Doesn't that make you a garbage man?" Mai said, her voice trembling, "This is no joke! Panik is one of the island's Eliminators and if you don't get out of here, he's gonna do to all of you what he did to me!"
"Eliminator," Emiko asked, "What's that?" The man, Panik, roughly grabbed Mai's arm and said, yanking it up, causing her to grimace at the pain in her shoulder, "Look. This right here is what she means." He growled, "Check out her duelist's glove. Not a single star chip left. She was one of my easiest victims yet." He carelessly threw Mai at them and laughed, sending Joey into a rage. He ran at Panik, only to be stopped by Tristan and Bakura. He shouted, "You creep! There's no excuse for being so rough with a girl!" Bakura, struggling against Joey, said, "Calm down, Joey! I know how you feel, but that guy's more than twice your size!" Joey snapped angrily, "I can take him!" Yugi said, calmly stepping forward, "No, Joey. Fists aren't the answer. Violence won't solve anything. I've dealt with a lot of bullies in my life and I'm afraid there's only one way to deal with them." Panik chuckled. Emiko sighed. Yugi, his voice sounding bolder and more confident, said, "Now, Panik. Let's see you try your intimidation tactics on me. I don't scare easily, especially when I'm standing up for my friends. Now, let's duel." Panik laughed, "You twerp! I'll eliminate you from the tournament just like I did to her! Tell him how I trounced you!"
"That's enough, Panik," Yugi said sternly, "If you're looking for someone to pick on, try picking on me. Playtime is now over, Panik." Mai shrieked as Yugi and Panik took their places on either side of the arena, "No, Yugi! You don't have to do this! Please! Panik's ruthless!" Panik placed his deck on the board in front of him and said, "Yugi, huh? It must be my lucky day. Pegasus has promised a generous bounty to the Eliminator who defeats you!" He snarled, drawing his cards as the life point counter set itself, "I wonder. Do you think he'd throw in some extra cash for inflicting bodily harm? Not that I wouldn't do it for free, of course." Yugi folded his arms and said, "You'd better start thinking of better ways to make money because after I get through with you, not only will you be out some star chips, but you'll be out of a job." Panik said, "Who ever said I was an Eliminator just for the money, Yugi? I've made more than enough cash to have retired long ago, but I won't quit because there is no better thrill than breaking weak duelists like you. So get ready, Yugi. I'm about to take you into a world of hurt!" Yugi stated confidently, "I won't be bullied by the likes of you, Panik! I play with all my heart. That is why I'll always win against your type."
"You've never faced my type before. When I'm in a match with someone, there's a lot more to it than sheer duelling strategy."
Yugi asked, skeptical, "Meaning?" Mai shouted, "Yugi, He had me totally terrified!" Panik explained, "That's right and she's not the first, either. We Eliminators have built our careers on stalking weak players like her and strong-arming them into duelling us!" Emiko shivered at the sound of his laugh. He said, "You see, when you're as I am, you learn to appreciate the hunt just as much as the duel itself." Yugi smirked and said, "Oh, I see how you work, Panik. Sneaking up on unsuspecting duelists because you haven't the courage to challenge them face-to-face." Panik snapped, "Watch your mouth, you insolent cur!" Yugi said, "True duelists fight with honour and respect. Not with the underhanded tactics of a poacher. To prove my point, I'll wager all the star chips I have to win back Mai's." Panik snickered, "It's a deal. If you win, I'll give you all eight of her star chips. The bet makes no difference to me. When you duel against Panik, you're putting more than just your star chips on the line." He reached down and pressed a button, laughing, "Oh, yes. Much more!" Mechanical arms reached up and grabbed Yugi's ankles, locking him in place, unable to run away. From the base of the arena, large flamethrowers rose up and shot hot jets of fire up into the air around Yugi. Yugi gasped. Emiko shouted, "Yugi! Get out of there!" Joey said, "There's no way we can let this duel continue! We gotta get him down!" Panik taunted, "What's the matter, Yugi? Can't take the heat?" Joey shouted, "Turn it off, Panik!" Téa yelled, "Come on, Yugi! You don't have to do this! It's too dangerous!" Mai said, sweat dripping down her forehead, "He used those on me, too." Bakura muttered, "Stay strong, Yugi."
"I can see the fear growing in your eyes, Yugi," Panik said, "I can hear you quaking in your boots!" The flamethrowers finally stopped erupting and Yugi said without hesitation, "Are you finished, Panik?" Emiko gasped. He said, "It's going to take much more than some cheap pyrotechnics to make me lose my cool." Panik barked, "The last time someone had the nerve to talk to me like that, I snapped them in half! Now, let's duel!" The duel began and Panik immediately played a card that concealed his side of the field in darkness, the Castle of Dark Illusions, not only concealing his cards, but also preventing Yugi's monsters from receiving any kind of field power bonus. After several unsuccessful attempts to attack Panik's hidden monsters, Yugi was left with only 1600 life points. Panik laughed, "Keep struggling, Yugi! Bullying is so much more fun when you resist!" Yugi said, "Tough talk, Panik, coming from someone who's made all their attacks while hiding in the safety of the shadows!" Panik once again pressed the button below his side of the arena, sending jets of flames into the air once again. Panik said angrily, "You uppity little cretin! Perhaps you should think twice before you insult someone who can scorch you with the press of a button, huh?" Yugi chuckled, "Panik, I can see right through you."
"What? What are you talking about, you little runt?!"
Yugi said, "You're the Bogeyman, Panik. Scaring children into being afraid of the dark...that is, until they realize that the dark is nothing to be afraid of. Just like you." He said, holding up a card, "And now, I will lift the veil of shadows that you have been hiding behind to teach you a lesson!"
Téa asked, "Why would Yugi tell Panik his strategy?" Mai said blankly, "It's panic. The same thing happened to me. You feel the fear, then you start making amateur mistakes." Bakura, not taking his eyes off Yugi, said, "Hmm. I don't know, Mai. He doesn't look like he's panicking." Panik, regaining his confidence, cackled, "You almost had me there, but we both know that card's nothing but a big, fat bluff! Prove me wrong, Yugi!" Yugi said, placing his card face-down on the field, "Very well, Panik. Swords of Revealing Light!" Emiko's eyes widened and she said, "Of course! The light from Yugi's Swords of Revealing Light would not only stop all of Panik's monsters from attacking for three turns, but it would also illuminate Panik's side of the field, revealing his monsters!" Yugi said, "Soon, Panik, the monsters in your dark empire will have nowhere to hide. You have five turns, Panik. Five turns and my monsters will finish you off."
The duel continued. Panik attempted to destroy his face-down card, but Yugi countered, revealing that it was not the Swords of Revealing Light as he thought. Over the next several turns, Yugi continued to taunt his opponent, causing Panik to panic. Even with his most powerful card on the field, Yugi was confident that he would win. With the Swords of Revealing Light being brought into play, Panik began to boost his defenses, engulfing his monsters in a powerful Chaos Shield and adding a strong defense monster to his arsenal. Yugi's final play was a powerful combo that brought the Castle of Dark Illusions crashing down on Panik's entrapped monsters, winning Yugi the duel. Panik stared at the field in defeat. Téa cheered, "Alright! He won!" Joey added, "Yeah! And Panik is not taking it well!" Tristan said, "I'll say! Looks like Panik is having a panic attack!" Emiko and Téa exchanged a joyous high-five. Panik growled, "Nobody...beats...Panik. Nobody!" He slammed his fist onto the button on his side, shattering it and causing the flames to shoot out uncontrollably from every hidden flamethrower in the arena. Emiko shrieked, watching in horror as the flames engulfed the duelling arena, overtaking Yugi.
"He's trapped by the fire," Joey shouted, "He can't escape!" Emiko felt the extreme heat on her face. Her heart raced and she called out to Yugi. She felt Bakura's hand grab her arm and pull her away from the flames and he yelled, "Jump out of the way!" They both fell to the ground and she felt her scraped knees tear open again. Several minutes passed and the group watched on, terrified of what was happening, but shortly, the flames began to dissipate. As the last flames shrunk and eventually went out, Yugi was lowered to the ground. Bakura helped Emiko to her feet, asking, "Are you alright? Sorry for throwing you like that." Emiko nodded. Téa ran to Yugi and said, "You're okay!" Yugi nodded and said, "Yes. We were all protected by the magic of my Millennium Puzzle." Joey said in disbelief, "Wow. That Puzzle must have more power than we thought." Yugi nodded, then walked over to Panik's side of the field. He took Mai's chips from the unconscious Eliminator. Handing the little, metallic stars back to her, she said, "Yugi...I-I don't know what to say." He said kindly, "These are your star chips. Take them, Mai." Téa encouraged her, "Go ahead." Mai sighed, "I'm sorry, but I-I can't accept them. I fight my own battles." Téa said, "Mai, Yugi battled for you. He risked his life in this duel for you."
"I...I know, but-"
She was cut off by Joey, who shrugged and said, "You heard her. There's no point in arguing. She's way too thick-headed. I mean, if she'd rather just be booted off the island, then I'll take 'em." He grabbed the eight star chips and laughed. Mai growled in annoyance and shouted, "You think me losing all my star chips is funny, Joey Wheeler?!" Joey teased, holding them high above his head out of her reach. She tried to jump and grab them, shrieking, "Give them back!" He smiled softly and said, placing them in her hand, causing her to stop, "Of course you can have them. They're yours." She just stared at the chips. Joey said, "Didn't you learn anything from this duel? You can't always keep up your defenses. They'll just get in between you and the people who are trying to be your friends." Emiko smiled. Joey broke the soft moment with a laugh. As they all walked back towards the campsite, Mai called out, "Wait! Yugi!" Yugi stopped and turned around.
"I'll repay you for what you did for me today. You're the one who won these, so as far as I'm concerned, I still owe you. More than I've ever owed anyone."
She smiled and said, "So, when we finally do face each other in a duel, it'll be an honourable one!" Yugi nodded.
"Yes. An honourable one."
November 21, 2494 Words