. . . = Yugi's thoughts
~ . . . ~ = Yami's thoughts
It was 7:59 PM, and Mai was already in front of the TV, clutching the totem in one hand, and the lottery ticket in the other. "Well, it's time. Come on," she said quietly to herself, as the drawing began. She flipped the totem upside-down and said, "I wish that my numbers will come out." She eyed her ticket.
"It's time again!" the announcer said. "Tonight, we have our specially-chosen guest, Trrrrristttttannnn Taaaayyyyylor from Domino City!!"
Tristan was so excited about being on TV, that he almost forgot the push the button when the cameraman raised his thumb. Finally, he pushed it.
The balls were rolling out one by one. "And the first one," Tristan said, striking a pose. "Is 32."
Mai smiled. The number 32 was on her ticket.
"The next two numbers are . . . 6 and 24."
"Yes, yes . . ." Mai, said, crossing her legs in excitement.
"The next two are . . . 22 and 45."
Mai's hand was trembling. "Come on, wooden stick . . ."
"And the last one is . . ." Tristan watched the last ball roll down, but he was so nervous, that he DROPPED it! He put one of his hands behind his head, and a sweat drop appeared. "Ahh, maybe that isn't quite the last one . . ." He pushed the button, and another ball fell out. "15!"
Mai was infuriated. The commercial had said that it was all or nothing. She watched as the camera zoomed out far enough to show the ball on the floor. It was her last number - 7!
"Tristan!!" Mai screamed. "That punk!" She got into her car.
* * *
"I'm sorry about that," Tristan told the cameraman.
"That's okay," the lottery man said, walking onto the set. He laughed. "According to our data, nobody has a ticket with all those numbers!" Ah, Tristan, my boy, you have saved us 50 mil!" He pat Tristan on the back. "Here, have a free box of chocolates."
* * *
"I can't believe that people buy into these things," Yami said, sitting on the couch after a long day at the Game Shop.
Yeah, what are the chances of winning?
~Exactly 1 in 158,209,761.~
Yami, I'm so proud that your math is improving.
Yami closed his eyes and beamed. ~I know.~
Finally, Grampa came home, and Yugi came back out again.
"Grampa, do you have the totem?" he asked, climbing on the back of the couch.
Grampa shook his head sadly. "I think it was destroyed in the car fire." He dropped his head. "I am so sorry, Yugi."
Yugi smiled. "Aw, that's all right, Grampa. I'm just glad you're okay."
~What?! No!!! Now there is no way of getting my love back!~
Calm down. You just need to duel . . .
~I must have talked to 30 customers, but they all refused my challenge!~
Well, that's because they recognize you - or me - as the Duelist Kingdom champion! Nobody in the right mind would accept such a duel!
~Find me a duel.~
But Yami . . .
~Find me a duel.~
Okay! First thing tomorrow. Yami was really starting to scare Yugi. Sure, Yugi liked Téa, too, but Yami seemed so disrupted, as though his feelings were manipulated by some outside cause.
* * *
The next morning, in a drunken stupor, Mai pulled up in front of Tristan's house, holding the totem and her lottery ticket. She rang the doorbell.
Tristan came out in his bunny pajamas, still rubbing sleep gunk out of his eye. "Huh?" he said, yawning. "What are you doing here, Mai?"
She took Tristan by the collar. "Do you see this?!" She held up her lottery ticket to his face. "I would have won if it weren't for you!"
Tristan pulled away from Mai's grip and backed away. "I - I'm sorry, Mai. Man, your breath reeks! Where have you been?"
Mai stumbled toward him. "It doesn't matter where I've been; what matters is where you're going!" She raised the totem and aimed it for his head.
"Whoa!" Tristan yelled, trying to defend himself. "I'm sorry! Really! I am!"
"Your 'sorry's won't make up for the 50 mil I could have had!" She kneed Tristan in the stomach.
Tristan really didn't want to fight back, since he didn't believe in hitting girls, so he continued to try to defend himself. Mai took the totem and tried to use it to knock him out, but it was too light.
A police car that was driving by saw what was going on because the door had been left open. It pulled up behind Mai's car. A policewoman walked out and came to the scene.
"What is going on here?!" she inquired.
"You gotta help me, ma'am," Tristan begged. "You see -"
Joey arrived just then.
"Tristan! Mai! What are you guys doin'?" Joey asked.
"Just play fighting," Mai mumbled loudly, trying to stomp Tristan's shoes.
"Are you sure?" the policewoman asked.
Tristan was about to protest, but Joey interrupted. "I'm sure. We're all friends here." He smiled.
"Stop this now," the policewoman said. "You guys are a little too old to be play fighting." She turned around. "The next time I see something like this, I won't let you off."
"Yes, ma'am," said Mai.
"And young lady," she said to Mai, "he's cute, but not worth almost being arrested for." She winked, went back to her patrol car, and drove away.
Joey broke up the fight. "What has gotten into you two?"
"It's her!" Tristan pointed to Mai. "She's totally wasted and tried to beat me up!"
"He cost me 50 mil!" she retorted, and punched Tristan in the eye.
"Whoa, that's enough!" Joey yelled. He forced Mai back into her car, and, feeling sick, she headed towards home.
"Tristan, buddy, are you okay?" he asked when he got back into the house.
"Yeah - just a little black eye," he said, stumbling into the kitchen for some ice.
"Here, let me get that," Joey said, darting towards the freezer. "I can't believe this happened. Speaking of that 50 mil, I came over because I had recorded it on tape last night. You were awesome, man!" He handed Tristan a cloth with ice.
"Yeah," said Tristan, "but I dropped the ball with Mai's last number on it. It's like she wanted to kill me."
"Don't worry, man," Joey assured his friend. "Once she's done being hung over, she'll come to her senses. I mean, this isn't the first time she came oh-so-close to a bunch of money. Remember the 3 mil from the tournament?"
Tristan laughed. "I guess you're right." He remembered at that moment that he has been wearing his bunny pajamas the whole time and turned red.
"S'okay, man," said Joey, laughing a little. "I was about to head out, anyway." He handed Tristan a tape from his pocket. "Get some rest, man."
Tristan went into his room, while Joey saw an ugly stick lying on the floor. It immediately perked his interest.
"What the -?" he said. He picked it up and headed out the door. "Tristan, I'm takin' this!" he yelled so Tristan could hear.
"Be my guest!" Tristan yelled back. "It must be cursed or somethin'!" He put his hand over his swollen eye, suddenly felt sick to his stomach, and ran to the bathroom. "Ugh, too much chocolate!"
* * *
Yugi changed into Yami, and they headed out of the house quite early.
Where are we going?
~Someplace where I can find a duel!~
When Yugi realized what direction Yami was going, he began to worry.
No! You don't want to go there!
~Why not? I am GUARANTEED a duel there.~
But . . . this won't solve anything!
~It will solve much. I will get my spirit back, and Kaiba will get another chance to duel me!~ He walked faster towards the Kaiba mansion.
* * *
Joey, sitting on his bed, just got off the phone with a pizza place. "Man! So they DO deliver early!"
He was using the ugly stick as a drumstick, tapping it rapidly on the side of his bed, when a piece of paper flew out. He picked it up and read it.
"Any wish? Really?" he wondered.
(To be continued.)
It was 7:59 PM, and Mai was already in front of the TV, clutching the totem in one hand, and the lottery ticket in the other. "Well, it's time. Come on," she said quietly to herself, as the drawing began. She flipped the totem upside-down and said, "I wish that my numbers will come out." She eyed her ticket.
"It's time again!" the announcer said. "Tonight, we have our specially-chosen guest, Trrrrristttttannnn Taaaayyyyylor from Domino City!!"
Tristan was so excited about being on TV, that he almost forgot the push the button when the cameraman raised his thumb. Finally, he pushed it.
The balls were rolling out one by one. "And the first one," Tristan said, striking a pose. "Is 32."
Mai smiled. The number 32 was on her ticket.
"The next two numbers are . . . 6 and 24."
"Yes, yes . . ." Mai, said, crossing her legs in excitement.
"The next two are . . . 22 and 45."
Mai's hand was trembling. "Come on, wooden stick . . ."
"And the last one is . . ." Tristan watched the last ball roll down, but he was so nervous, that he DROPPED it! He put one of his hands behind his head, and a sweat drop appeared. "Ahh, maybe that isn't quite the last one . . ." He pushed the button, and another ball fell out. "15!"
Mai was infuriated. The commercial had said that it was all or nothing. She watched as the camera zoomed out far enough to show the ball on the floor. It was her last number - 7!
"Tristan!!" Mai screamed. "That punk!" She got into her car.
* * *
"I'm sorry about that," Tristan told the cameraman.
"That's okay," the lottery man said, walking onto the set. He laughed. "According to our data, nobody has a ticket with all those numbers!" Ah, Tristan, my boy, you have saved us 50 mil!" He pat Tristan on the back. "Here, have a free box of chocolates."
* * *
"I can't believe that people buy into these things," Yami said, sitting on the couch after a long day at the Game Shop.
Yeah, what are the chances of winning?
~Exactly 1 in 158,209,761.~
Yami, I'm so proud that your math is improving.
Yami closed his eyes and beamed. ~I know.~
Finally, Grampa came home, and Yugi came back out again.
"Grampa, do you have the totem?" he asked, climbing on the back of the couch.
Grampa shook his head sadly. "I think it was destroyed in the car fire." He dropped his head. "I am so sorry, Yugi."
Yugi smiled. "Aw, that's all right, Grampa. I'm just glad you're okay."
~What?! No!!! Now there is no way of getting my love back!~
Calm down. You just need to duel . . .
~I must have talked to 30 customers, but they all refused my challenge!~
Well, that's because they recognize you - or me - as the Duelist Kingdom champion! Nobody in the right mind would accept such a duel!
~Find me a duel.~
But Yami . . .
~Find me a duel.~
Okay! First thing tomorrow. Yami was really starting to scare Yugi. Sure, Yugi liked Téa, too, but Yami seemed so disrupted, as though his feelings were manipulated by some outside cause.
* * *
The next morning, in a drunken stupor, Mai pulled up in front of Tristan's house, holding the totem and her lottery ticket. She rang the doorbell.
Tristan came out in his bunny pajamas, still rubbing sleep gunk out of his eye. "Huh?" he said, yawning. "What are you doing here, Mai?"
She took Tristan by the collar. "Do you see this?!" She held up her lottery ticket to his face. "I would have won if it weren't for you!"
Tristan pulled away from Mai's grip and backed away. "I - I'm sorry, Mai. Man, your breath reeks! Where have you been?"
Mai stumbled toward him. "It doesn't matter where I've been; what matters is where you're going!" She raised the totem and aimed it for his head.
"Whoa!" Tristan yelled, trying to defend himself. "I'm sorry! Really! I am!"
"Your 'sorry's won't make up for the 50 mil I could have had!" She kneed Tristan in the stomach.
Tristan really didn't want to fight back, since he didn't believe in hitting girls, so he continued to try to defend himself. Mai took the totem and tried to use it to knock him out, but it was too light.
A police car that was driving by saw what was going on because the door had been left open. It pulled up behind Mai's car. A policewoman walked out and came to the scene.
"What is going on here?!" she inquired.
"You gotta help me, ma'am," Tristan begged. "You see -"
Joey arrived just then.
"Tristan! Mai! What are you guys doin'?" Joey asked.
"Just play fighting," Mai mumbled loudly, trying to stomp Tristan's shoes.
"Are you sure?" the policewoman asked.
Tristan was about to protest, but Joey interrupted. "I'm sure. We're all friends here." He smiled.
"Stop this now," the policewoman said. "You guys are a little too old to be play fighting." She turned around. "The next time I see something like this, I won't let you off."
"Yes, ma'am," said Mai.
"And young lady," she said to Mai, "he's cute, but not worth almost being arrested for." She winked, went back to her patrol car, and drove away.
Joey broke up the fight. "What has gotten into you two?"
"It's her!" Tristan pointed to Mai. "She's totally wasted and tried to beat me up!"
"He cost me 50 mil!" she retorted, and punched Tristan in the eye.
"Whoa, that's enough!" Joey yelled. He forced Mai back into her car, and, feeling sick, she headed towards home.
"Tristan, buddy, are you okay?" he asked when he got back into the house.
"Yeah - just a little black eye," he said, stumbling into the kitchen for some ice.
"Here, let me get that," Joey said, darting towards the freezer. "I can't believe this happened. Speaking of that 50 mil, I came over because I had recorded it on tape last night. You were awesome, man!" He handed Tristan a cloth with ice.
"Yeah," said Tristan, "but I dropped the ball with Mai's last number on it. It's like she wanted to kill me."
"Don't worry, man," Joey assured his friend. "Once she's done being hung over, she'll come to her senses. I mean, this isn't the first time she came oh-so-close to a bunch of money. Remember the 3 mil from the tournament?"
Tristan laughed. "I guess you're right." He remembered at that moment that he has been wearing his bunny pajamas the whole time and turned red.
"S'okay, man," said Joey, laughing a little. "I was about to head out, anyway." He handed Tristan a tape from his pocket. "Get some rest, man."
Tristan went into his room, while Joey saw an ugly stick lying on the floor. It immediately perked his interest.
"What the -?" he said. He picked it up and headed out the door. "Tristan, I'm takin' this!" he yelled so Tristan could hear.
"Be my guest!" Tristan yelled back. "It must be cursed or somethin'!" He put his hand over his swollen eye, suddenly felt sick to his stomach, and ran to the bathroom. "Ugh, too much chocolate!"
* * *
Yugi changed into Yami, and they headed out of the house quite early.
Where are we going?
~Someplace where I can find a duel!~
When Yugi realized what direction Yami was going, he began to worry.
No! You don't want to go there!
~Why not? I am GUARANTEED a duel there.~
But . . . this won't solve anything!
~It will solve much. I will get my spirit back, and Kaiba will get another chance to duel me!~ He walked faster towards the Kaiba mansion.
* * *
Joey, sitting on his bed, just got off the phone with a pizza place. "Man! So they DO deliver early!"
He was using the ugly stick as a drumstick, tapping it rapidly on the side of his bed, when a piece of paper flew out. He picked it up and read it.
"Any wish? Really?" he wondered.
(To be continued.)