Yu-Gi-Oh! Love Selflessly – Chapter 19
Emiko sat up the next morning and glanced over at the clock on Bakura's bedside table. It read 6:37 AM.
"Wow. What a night. It's so early," she thought, swinging her legs over the side of the bed and folding her covers back. She yawned, stretching her arms over her head. She rubbed her eyes and stood up, grabbing her locket off the nightstand and walking over to the window. Outside, it was still dark, but there was a faint glow on the horizon which told her that the sun would be rising very soon. She sighed.
"Well, Seto. Mokuba," she thought, "Today is the day. I have to beat Bandit Keith. I have to." She gripped the locket in her hand and gritted her teeth. She was still nervous about duelling Keith, but she knew she had to beat him. Her brothers' souls were riding on her victory. She thought, "Can I really beat him, though? Even if I do, how in the world is anyone supposed to beat Pegasus? He beat Seto like it was nothing. I don't even come close to my big brother in duelling skill." She turned around, looking at Bakura, who was still fast asleep on the couch, wrapped up in a thick blanket. She looked down at the locket in her hand and clicked it open. She furrowed her brows and thought, "I won't stop. I have to bring our family back together again." She gazed down at the old photo, her mind flooded with happy memories of her time at the orphanage with her brothers. Playing tag on the playground with Mokuba. Sitting on Seto's bed with them both, listening to the oldest telling bedtime stories. Playing chess and often losing to Seto. There was so much laughter then. Smiles all around.
"We used to be so happy," she thought, smiling, "It was easier then. Nobody trying to capture us one-by-one. No company to worry about. Just what book we were going to have Seto read or what game we were going to play." She let out a long sigh. She thought, "That all changed after Gozaburo showed up." She closed the locket, her thoughts invaded by the horrible memories of the abuse she and Seto were subjected to. The tutors that would shout at them or threaten to hit them if they so much as looked out their windows. She shuddered at the thought of Seto's outbursts which were usually followed by harsh beatings from their step-father. She bit her lip, pulling the locket over her neck. She walked over to the bathroom, looking into the mirror. She had light bags under her eyes, but she just splashed some cold water on her face before going back out to the window. As she looked out at the rising sun, she heard Bakura stirring awake behind her. He muttered softly, "Oh, good morning. You're awake already?" She sighed, "I couldn't sleep any longer. Did I wake you, Bakura?" He shook his head and ran his fingers over his knotted, messy hair.
"No," he said, "I'm a light sleeper. I tend to wake up with the sun." She said, smiling at him, "Wow. Must be nice." He sat up and said, stretching, "Yeah, I suppose so." She said softly, pulling her red vest on over her long-sleeved, black shirt, "I'm still not sure about this. What if I can't beat Keith...or Pegasus?" He said, his tone serious, "I believe in you. Don't forget, Yugi and Joey are also in this tournament. No matter what happens, no matter who wins, I'm sure your brothers, Joey's sister, and Yugi's grandfather will be saved." She looked down at her feet. She thought, "I hope he's right. It's impossible for us all to win, though." She looked back up, then stood up. She walked to the door and grabbed her backpack off the floor, put her boots on and looked back at the clock, which now read 7:29 AM. She said, giving her best effort to sound confident, "Then, let's go." He nodded and followed her lead.
Down the hall, Yugi sat up in his bed, lost in thought. He thought, "That wasn't an ordinary dream. I know my grandpa was trying to send me a message from the Shadow Realm." He glanced over to his Millennium Puzzle on his bedside table next to the clock which read 7:32 AM.
"What could the secret to my Millennium Puzzle be," he wondered, "How do I control it? I'm not sure, but I'm running out of time." He stood up and threw the Puzzle's cord around his neck and buckled up his shoes. He thought, his brows furrowed, "I have to win this. For Grandpa, for Emiko's brothers, and for the entire world." He heard a knock on the door, tearing him out of his thoughts, and said, "Who is it?" The door opened and Joey came in, followed by the rest of the gang. Téa said cheerfully, "Hey, Yugi!" Yugi said, "What's up, Téa? How you doing, guys?" Téa asked, "Aren't you ready yet? You're going to be late." Joey teased, "Yeah, and if you're late, they'll disqualify you right out of the tournament!" Emiko just smiled. Yugi grabbed his jacket off the coat rack and threw it over his shoulders dramatically as though it were a cape and said, his voice more confident and with determination in his eyes, "Let's do it."
As the group walked to the duelling arena, Tristan, Téa, and Bakura stopped. Tristan said, gesturing over his shoulder, "We'll have to cheer you guys on from the balcony. Only duelists are allowed on the arena floor." Téa said, "Well, guys, guess this is it. I'm so proud. Kick some butt!" Tristan said, "Best of luck, guys!" Emiko nodded, following behind Joey and Yugi as they entered the waiting room. Mai, leaning against the nearby wall, said to Yugi, "Well, look who finally made it. Did you sleep well?" She chuckled, "I was starting to wonder if you would even show up." Yugi politely acknowledged. Keith snickered and said to Joey, "Hey, there, dweeb. So, are you and your little girlfriend about ready to have your butts kicked across the arena and back?" Emiko balled up her fists, annoyed, but Joey snapped, stepping forward, "Dream on, Keith! At least we didn't have to go and steal the star chips to make it up here to the finals. Just you wait. Emiko, who's not my girlfriend, by the way, won't have to cheat to beat you, Keith." A static buzz over the loudspeakers caught the duelists' attentions. Croquet said, "Attention! The Duel Monsters Championship Playoffs are about to begin. All finalists will now enter the arena!"
Up on the balcony, Téa, Bakura, and Tristan watched as the doors slid open and the five finalists walked out. Croquet announced, "And now, your host, Mr. Maximillion Pegasus!" Pegasus stepped out from behind the red curtain and cleared his throat. He said cheerily, "Yugi, Joey, Mai, Emiko, and Bandit Keith, I welcome all of you to the playoff arena! Here is where the last great Duel Monsters duels shall be waged to determine the championship of the Duelist Kingdom." He looked down at them all and continued, "Only one of you shall win the three-million-dollar prize and, of course, the victor in these playoffs shall also earn the right to challenge me in the final match." Tristan cut in, "Challenge you? Well, isn't that special? What exactly does the winner get for defeating you in that final duel?" Pegasus calmly explained, "The victor will be granted one request: whatever it is that his or her heart most desires. If it is within my vast powers to do so, their wish will be granted. The victor will also be declared the undisputed Duelist Kingdom Champion, ranked number one in the world." Mai said, "And that will be me." Pegasus asked, "Surely, any duelist who has made it this far must realize that the title, and not the money, is the real prize. Is that not so?" Emiko clenched her jaw and fists. Bandit Keith said, "You're a regular comedian." Joey snapped at him, "Listen, you! The money's all I need for my sister's operation!" Pegasus said nonchalantly, "Yes, yes. I'm sure some of you have more riding on this tournament than others. Anyway, without further ado, let's get this show on the road!" He clapped his hands and a computer lowered itself from the ceiling, showing the brackets from the night before.
"Only one of you shall emerge victorious from these playoffs," Pegasus said, "but I wish you all good fortune. Now, shuffle your decks and may the best duelist win!" Croquet said, "The first round of the semifinals will now begin. Emiko Kaiba versus Bandit Keith." Bandit Keith and Emiko walked to the opposite sides of the arena, Emiko on blue, Keith on red, and shuffled their decks. She placed her deck on the table and Keith said across the arena, "You ready to lose, little miss Kaiba?" Emiko said, "No. I'm going to win this. I have to. My brothers are counting on me." He laughed and said, "Not likely, little girl!" She narrowed her eyes and Croquet said, "Before we begin, you must show me the card required for your participation." Emiko held up the blank Glory of the King's Opposite Hand card. Keith snickered, holding up the Glory of the Kings Hand card, which held an image of gold and jewels.
"You both qualify."
Up on the balcony, Yugi and Joey walked out to watch Emiko's duel. Tristan asked, "What are you two doing up here?" Joey said, "We figured we'd come up here and get a birds-eye view of the action." Yugi nodded in agreement and shouted over the ledge, "You can do this, Emiko!" Téa called, "We all believe in you!" Emiko looked up and nodded.
Emiko and Keith drew their cards, the hologram projectors lit up, and their life points set themselves to 2,000. Keith shouted, "Let's go!" He made his first move, playing one card face-down and placing a monster in face-up defense mode. Emiko realized that it was a machine monster. She thought, "Great. Gatekeeper is a machine." She looked at her hand and contemplated, "My spellcasters will be totally worthless against them. I have to rely on my spells, traps, and my normal monsters." She placed her Protector of the Throne in defense mode to protect her life points, then finished with two traps. Emiko's and Keith's life points remained mostly untouched for several turns. The two were at a standstill until Keith made a sloppy move, losing not only the strongest monster he had built up, but also a substantial chunk of his life points. He growled, realizing that he had previously switched his Gatekeeper into attack mode and left it open to an attack.
"Yeah! Alright," Yugi and Bakura both cheered. Tristan said, "That was a great move!" Joey shouted, "That's it! You take that Bandit Keith out of the tournament!" Emiko shouted, "Alright! I will switch my Luster Dragon into attack mode and I attack your Gatekeeper!" Luster Dragon opened its mouth, shooting out a bright fuschia jet of flames, destroying the machine monster. Keith snarled angrily at her, "How dare you!? Nobody beats Bandit Keith!" She smirked and said, "Really? Nobody except Pegasus, right?" He snapped, "That's enough out of you!" He chuckled, peering at her over his sunglasses, and played the magic card, Swords of Revealing Light to stop her in her tracks. He used his three turns to their fullest, managing to bring back his powerful monster and wipe out her Luster Dragon and her other two face-down cards. The strategy was good, but she played three more spell cards, including Monster Reborn to bring back her Luster Dragon, and ended her turn, hoping the strategy would save her. Unfortunately, Keith had an extreme streak of luck, managing to draw the exact cards he needed at the exact right time to take out her Luster Dragon a second time.
"No," Emiko said, flipping a card over to reveal a trap, "I activate my trap card: Mirror Force!" She bit her lip, her heart racing. She just hoped this would work. Keith chuckled and said, "Not quite, little girl. Activate Trap Stun! This rare card negates the effect of all other trap cards on the field, making your Mirror Force useless!" Joey shouted, "No way!" She gasped, "No! My Luster Dragon!" He shouted, "Yes, and along with him go the rest of your life points!" She growled as the blast sent her dragon to the graveyard and took her life points down to zero. She leaned over the table, her head hung in defeat.
"The winner," Croquet announced, "is Bandit Keith!" She thought, looking at the locket dangling from her neck, "There's no way. Seto. Mokuba." Keith smirked confidently as they stepped off the platforms. Emiko turned and walked out of the room. Her eyes were glassy and full of tears as she stepped into the hallway. She said in a low voice, trembling, "I've failed...I'm so sorry." She sighed, leaning on the wall. She thought, "I really thought I could do it. I have to put my faith in Yugi, now."