Chapter 3
"The Journey to the Duelist Kingdom"
It started with Yugi and Fluttershy up on the roof of Domino High School looking at the sunset. "Fluttershy, how did I get into this mess? I can't believe that grandpa's actually gone. One minute, he's right beside us and lively, and the next, Pegasus shows up and uses some kind of magic to steal his soul away. But why? What could Pegasus possibly want with me? And could it have something to do with my Millennium Puzzle?" Yugi asked his dear friend. "Yugi, it's okay. I'm sure we can find out some way to get your grandpa's soul back, and beat Pegasus at his own game. Whatever it may be." Fluttershy said calmly as she hugged Yugi. Elsewhere, at some apartments in another part of Domino City, Joey recieved a video tape in the mail. "Wonder who this is from." he said before he put it in his VCR. Soon, a young girl appears on screen, one that's all too familiar to Joey. "Hey, there, big brother, how've you been? I really miss you." said the girl as Joey looked on in shock. "Serenity?" Joey asked himself. "I can't believe it's been six years since we've seen each other. I'll never forget the day mom took me to live with her." Serenity said with a slight giggle, while Joey had a flashback to when he and Serenity were separated, likely due to a divorce. "I'm sending you this video just so you don't forget your little sister's face. It seems like I'm running out of time. I was hoping to see you one more before...well, uh. You understand. Bye-bye, brother." she continued with tears in her eyes. "Run out of time? It can't be." Joey said in disbelief, also teary-eyed. "So long. Take care, Joey." Serenity said before the video ended as poor Joey was feeling heartbroken.
Later that night, Yugi returned home with Fluttershy and found an envelope in the door of Kame Game. "What's this?" Yugi wondered as he took the envelope and opened it. Inside were Duel Monsters cards. "Duel Monsters cards?" Fluttershy asked, but Yugi knew exactly who sent them. "It's from Pegasus." he said as he took out one of the cards and saw the picture of an island with a castle in the middle. "What kind of card is that?" Fluttershy asked. "It's not a card, Fluttershy. It's an invitation to the tournament at Duelist Kingdom!" Yugi responded. The next day, Yugi showed everyone else the cards. "That tournament at Duelist Kingdom Pegasus mentioned at the Regional Championship? It's on an island?" Rarity asked. "So, that's where Pegasus is keeping your grandpa?" Joey asked. "Maybe. The only way to know for sure is to be a contestant. The boat's going to be leaving in two days." Yugi answered as he held a card with a picture of a ship sailing across the sea on it. "But you can't go. It could be dangerous." Tea pointed out. "I have to go. It's the only clue I have for rescuing grandpa." Yugi retorted. "I still can't believe it, how can Pegasus use some kind of magic spell to grab your grandpa's soul away? And now he's toying with you, forcing you to compete in the tournament?" Tristan pondered. "I have a feeling it has something to do with the Millennium Item he has, the Millennium Eye." Twilight suggested.
"And each of these cards represents an element of the tournament. This card with the island on it, called Duelist Kingdom, it represents the island itself. This card, the one with the ship on it called Set Sail for the Kingdom, is a boarding pass for the boat that goes to the island. The card with the glove on it, called Duelist's Glove, shows what you need to identify yourself as a contestant in the tournament, that being the glove and stars Pegasus sent you in the first place. That card with all the treasure on it, called Glory of the King's Hand, represents the prize for the winner. But as for that card, called Glory of the King's Opposite Hand, I have no idea, it's blank, save for the title and the writing on the bottom I can just barely make out that reads; 'Present me to the ruler of the island'?" Spike said. "If this is a way to get Yugi to go to the island alone just so Pegasus can get his Millennium Puzzle, I think I can see that was the whole point of the package he sent." AJ pointed out. "Right. And without invitations, we can't even go there with you." Joey added. "Actually, funny thing, Joey. See, when me, the girls and Spike reached the apartment we're living in, we each found one of these waiting for us." Pinkie said as she held up an invitation card, followed by the others. "So Pegasus wants you all to go to the tournament?" Tristan asked. "Yeah, but we didn't get any other cards, so I'm guessing he only wants us as guest spectators." Twilight answered. "Well, they may have gotten invites, but I don't know about the rest of us. I wish we could help you, pal." Joey said to Yugi. Something then caught Tristan's eye, writing on the Glory of the King's Hand card that explains the prize. "Hey, Yugi, check this out. According to this Glory of the King's Hand card, the tournament winner takes the grand prize of three million dollars!" he said in surprise. "Three mil?" Joey asked.
"So what, Tristan? Who cares about money at a time like this?" Yugi asked. "Hey, gimme that." Joey said as he took the card and gazed at it, thinking about the grand prize. "Guess Joey cares about the grand prize." Rarity said, though she and the others had no clue as to why. Later that evening, on the roof of the school, Yugi and Fluttershy found Joey watching the sun set. "Joey? What are you doing up here?" Yugi asked. "Is something wrong?" Fluttershy asked. "Ah, nothing. I'm just thinking about a whole lot of stuff." Joey responded. "Yugi, you do know that I care about your gramps, right?" he asked, knowing that he taught him about the Heart of the Cards. "Of course I know. We all do." Yugi answered, knowing that Fluttershy and her friends cared, too, since he also taught them about the Heart of the Cards. "I mean it! One way or another, I'll help you beat Pegasus. And I'm sure Fluttershy and the others would do the same thing." Joey said, with Fluttershy simply smiling, knowing he was right. "That really means a lot to me, Joey. I'm glad we're friends." Yugi said as he sat down next to his close friend. "How did you end up becoming friends anyway?" Fluttershy asked. "It's a pretty good story. I'm sure Yugi remembers it more than I do." Joey answered. "I'll never forget it. It was all because of the Millennium Puzzle. The way grandpa explained it to me, the Puzzle was originally found in some Egyptian ruins. My grandpa gave it to me and kind of dared me to solve it. It was the most incredible thing I'd ever seen. As soon as I touched it, I knew it was special. I made a wish on the centerpiece of the Puzzle, I asked it to give me a real friend, and I think the puzzle came through for me. That was when I met up with Joey and Tristan, although they sure didn't act like my friends at first." Yugi said, remembering when he first put the Puzzle together and how he met Joey and Tristan, back when they were just common bullies.
"You mean when we were playing keep-away with the Millennium Puzzle?" Joey asked with a laugh. "It was for you, man. We just wante to toughen you up so you could stand up to the real bullies. We were only teasing you." he continued as Yugi remembered another point in time before he completed the Puzzle. "Teasing? You took the centerpiece of the Millennium Puzzle and threw it out the window. And I was the one that tried to help you guys out when that bully, Tetsu Trudge, picked on you." Yugi pointed out. "He was a mean one, all right." Joey concurred as he remembered how Yugi stood up for both him and Tristan, taking every single blow Tetsu could throw before collapsing. "You stood up for us, Yugi. I'll never forget that. Because of you, we got Tetsu expelled, and Tristan and I learned what it was like to have a true friend." he continued, grateful. "Well, at least your retrieved the lost Puzzle piece. If you hadn't done that, I could never have saolve the Millennium Puzzle." Yugi responded as he remembered the moment that he and Joey became officially good friends. "The truth of the matter is, you're the best friend I ever had." Joey said. "That was a very nice story of how you two first met, and like me and my friends learned many times before, friends stick together from the moment they meet." Fluttershy said with a smile.
"Yeah. It's too bad that only Twilight and her friends are the only ones who can come with me to rescue grandpa." Yugi responded. "Don't worry. Somehow, someway, I promise, we'll do it together." Joey said, reassuringly. "Together?" Yugi asked. "You bet. We're a team, guys." Joey answered. "But how can you go without an invitation?" Fluttershy asked. Joey pondered on how he could go. Two days later, at 9:30 at night, all the Duelist Kingdom participants are gathered at a dock where a ship is waiting for them with multiple men in suits overseeing the boarding. "Attention all duelists, welcome to a grand event sponsored by Industrial Illusions. You recieved with your invitations, the star chips that will grant you entry into the contest. You are all elite, invited by us after close observation of your Duel Monsters contests. You each have a fair and equal chance to win, it all comes down to how well you've chosen your cards and how well you play. Now, then, Duelists. Cross the ocean, and enter the Duelist Kingdom!" said one of the guards aboard the ship. Soon, each contestant starts to board, presenting their star chips as they board. "Beg pardon, sir, but we recieved invites for the contest, but no star chips. The cards came by themselves, no gloves or star chips." Twilight said as she and her friends presented their cards. "Ah, you must be the special guests invited by Mr. Maximilian Pegasus himself. Please, provide your names for authentication." said the guard, and they all did so.
"Thank you. You may board." he said, but right then and there, guards were heard trying to handle a stoaway. "Hey, get out of here! Only official contestants are allowed onboard!" one of them said. "How do you know I'm not official?" asked the familiar sounding stowaway, whom Yugi and the others discovered was Joey. "Because the official Duelists aren't trying to sneak onboard through the lower hatches." answered one of the guards. "Joey? What in tarnation is he doing?" AJ asked as she and her friends went to investigate. "Stop your struggling, we may as well call the police if you keep it up." said one of the guards. "No way, I came here to duel, and I'm gonna duel." Joey responded, defiantly. "Leave him alone." Yugi said as he and the others ran up. "Hey, guys." Joey said. "What in tarnation are you doing here, Joey?" AJ asked. "Did you all really think I'd let Yugi do this without support from me? Come on, help me out." Joey answered. Meanwhile, Tristan and Tea were finding their own way aboard the ship. "They're distracted. Let's go." Tea said as she and Tristan snuck into one of the shipping containers. Meanwhile, Yugi was negotiating with the guards. "He's with us. You gotta let him on." he said. "Only people with a star chip or an invitation from Mr. Pegasus, like your friends there, can get onboard. There are no exceptions. Understand?" said one of the guards. "But Joey has a star chip, didn't he tell you?" Yugi retorted, which confused everyone. "I do?" Joey asked. "He does?" Rarity asked. "See?" Yugi said as he extended his hand and put one of his own star chips in Joey's hand. "You're giving Joey one of your star chips? Why?" Rarity asked. "According to this Duelist's Glove card, a star chip is proof that one's a duelist in the competition." Yugi said as he held up said card. "That may be, but all participants are given two star chips. You'll be at a disadvantage." said one of the guards. "Maybe, but I'd rather take that risk than be without my friend when we get to the Duelist Kingdom. I need him." Yugi responded, touching Joey's heart. "What do we do?" asked one of the guards, prompting the other to get on his phone and tell Pegasus the situation.
Meanwhile, Tea and Tristan are lowered onto the ship in the shipping container, but both stumbled a bit upon being lowered. Soon, the ship is out on the water and headed for Duelist Kingdom. "I'm glad they let you onboard, Joey." Yugi said to his friend. "Only because you were a true friend and sacrified one of your star chips for him." Pinkie said with a smile. "Yeah, but if any of the other players find out we have one star chip each, they could really try to take advantage of us." Joey pointed out. "Then be quiet about it." Rainbow suggested, but they were unaware that someone was listening in. "Kind of exciting, isn't it, guys?" Joey asked. "I agree. A whole island full of surprises is my kind of island!" Pinkie said with an even bigger smile, when the woman who had listened in on what Joey said about star chips approached. "Well, what do we have here?" she asked as everyone turned around to see her, while Joey was quickly entranced by her beauty. "So, you're the Yugi kid everybody's talking about, huh?" she asked as Joey further was amazed by the sight of her. "But I'm amazed that a squirt like you could beat Kaiba. You're famous, you know." she continued. "Thanks very much, I think." Yugi said bashfully. "And it looks to me like you already have a few girls on your heels." she added as she looked right at Twilight and her friends. "Hey, miss, we're all really good friends of the famous Yugi, the master duelist. In fact..." Joey said before being rudely interrupted. "Look! You're either a champ with an entourage or a chump with a play group. Keep the girls and cut this guy loose, he's fashion challenged and deserves to be crushed in the games." she said before walking away. "Please, crush me?" Joey asked. "I'll crush you all eventually. The name's Mai. Mai Valentine." she answered before walking away, unaware that Tea and Tristan were watching and listening. "How arrogant! There's nobody better at playing Duel Monsters than Yugi!" Tea snapped, only to get shushed by Tristan. "Quiet, they'll hear you." he said. "I don't care. He's still the best." Tea responded.
Inside the main cabin of the ship, everyone is settling down. "Excuse me, but where are we supposed to stay?" Rarity asked. "She's got a point, this is a luxury cruiser, so there has to be better rooms for all of us somewhere." Joey added, clearly not happy about the living conditions for the contestants. "I'm sorry, but all the luxury rooms go to people who are tournament finalists and runner-ups. The only exceptions are the rooms prepared specifically for these seven friends of yours." one of the guards responded before two familiar faces show up, Weevil Underwood and Rex Raptor. "Hey, aren't you that kid, Yugi?" Weevil asked. "Yeah, and you're..." Yugi began to say before being interrupted. "Weevil Underwood, the Regional Champion!" Fluttershy said in surprise. "And Rex Raptor, the Dino Duelist!" Joey added. "What the guards said is true, the private rooms go to either finalists from the last championship, like us, and to special guests invited personally by Maximillian Pegasus, like you lovely ladies." Rex said, looking right at the girls. "Congratulations on winning the Regionals, Weevil." Yugi said after running up to him. "Yeah, I'll admit, you amazed me with your strategy to take down a monster like King Rex." Rainbow added. "It was nothing, and I'm glad you were impressed, miss." Weevil responded. "Yeah, I went easy on him, that time." Rex said. "Yeah, well this time, Yugi and I are gonna be in the tournament. Right, Yugi?" Joey pointed out. "To tell you the truth, winning the last championship didn't feel like that much of an achievement. I guess I can't really call myself the Regional Champion until I've defeated the duelist who beat Kaiba." Weevil admitted. "But I'm sure I'll end up battling you in the big tournament, Yugi. Frankly, I look forward to it." he continued with a grin. "I look forward to it, too." Yugi responded. "So are we. After all, I want to see a match to remember between the Bug Brawler and the young duelist who beat Kaiba." Rainbow said with enthusiasm. "I'm just looking forward to some dino demolition." Rex simply said.
"Allow me to tell you all a little secret, it's something none of the other players know about the games yet." Weevil whispered. "But isn't that considered cheating?" AJ asked. "The other Duelists will find out soon enough, but I've heard a rumor that there are new rules on the island that will require more strategic thinking." Weevil answered. "Ah, rules and strategies are for wimps and slow thinkers. In dueling, you either smash your opponent, or get smashed yourself. It's one or the other." Rex put in. "Trust me when I say strength is good, but you also need to combine strong monsters with other types of cards." Joey pointed out. "Who asked you? Just stay out of my way, or I'll stomp you like everyone else." Rex retorted before walking away. "We'll see who stomps who, when we get to the island." Joey said, angrily. "Ignore him, let's go about the competition." Weevil suggested. "What do you mean?" Fluttershy asked. "Check out those chumps. They're already trading over there. Players here are swapping cards and strengthening their decks, getting ready for the big tournament. It's also a good chance to get a feel for your opponent's cards." Weevil said, pointing to some of the other contestants as they were trading. 'Oh! I bet this is how Weevil gets so much insight into his opponent's strategy.' Yugi thought to himself. Suddenly, Joey headed over to the other contestants, looking to make a quick trade or two. "Maybe Joey is doing the smart thing by trading." Twilight said. "If you've come all this way and you're still trying to improve your deck, you've got to be pretty desperate. I'll catch you on the flipside." Weevil remarked before walking away.
Elsewhere on the ship, Mai was upset at one of the guards. "This is truly, truly outrageous! You expect a lady like me to stay in this dump without even a shower and yet let a group of six pastel colored nobodies and their young man servant have rooms with showers?" she said "Rules are rules, ma'am. And the individuals you mentioned are special guests invited by Pegasus hismelf. There's nothing I can do." the guard responded. "Call your superior. Get him on the phone right now!" Mai dared. "Keep acting up and they'll throw you off the boat." Rex butted in, having heard everything. "Who do you think you are?" asked Mai. "A championship finalist with a luxury room." Rex answered. "Really? Could I see it?" Mai asked. "You bet! Come check it out!" Rex said, blushing a bit. Meanwhile, Tea is walking about. "Hey, Tea! Stay down or we're busted!" urged Tristan. "It's freezing out here, I can't sit still." Tea responded. "In another few hours, the sun will rise." Tristan joked. "That's not funny, Tristan!" Tea responded, clearly not laughing at his joke. Suddenly, a door opened. "Get down." Tristan whispered, but as Tea did so, she saw someone familiar to her, a boy with white hair. "Look. Isn't that Bakura?" Tea asked. "Bakura? You mean Bakura Ryou from school?" Tristan asked back. "Yeah, but what do you think he's doing here?" Tea responded. "I guess he's in the tournament." Tristan suggested. Meanwhile, in Rex's private suite, Mai is amazed at what she sees. "So, what do you think of my cool digs?" Rex asked. "It's beautiful. You must be quite a strong Duelist." Mai responded. "I am, even though I let Weevil win the Regionals." Rex confirmed, Mai then came up with an idea. "Really? I play Duel Monsters myself. How about we play a game?" Mai suggested. "Who do you think you're talking to? There's no way you could beat me." Rex responded. "Please? Let me try." Mai pleaded. "You'd never win." Rex responded. "Tell you what; if you win, I'll give you a kiss." Mai suggested, causing Rex to blush and smile.
Outside, Yugi and the others met up with Joey, having traded in some of his cards. "Guys, I got some good card trading in." Joey said before showing his new cards. "Alright, let's see em." Rainbow said. "Ooh, Slamandra. That one can boost a Fire attribute monster's attack power by 700 points!" Spike said with a smile. "That one looks cool. Kunai with Chain, and it looks like it has two effects. It can stop an opponent's monster from attacking and it can boost the equipped monster's attack power by 500 points." Rainbow pointed out. "That one looks so cute! Baby Dragon, a level three, Wind attribute dragon with 1200 attack points and 700 defense points." Pinkie said with a big smile. "And that one is a REAL life saver in the right situation. Shield and Sword, it can switch attack points with defense points all over the dueling field." Spike added. "Great! With those magic cards and that new trap card combined with your monsters, including that new Baby Dragon, you'll have a real strong deck." Yugi said. "All right! So now, I'm ready to win every duel I play!" Joey said with a smile. "I think you're going to find it might be a bit harder than that, Joey, and I'm speaking from experience." Rarity remarked, knowing that she had practice duels against her friends and lost a few times. "Here. Add this to your deck, it could be helpful in a tight spot." Yugi said as he handed a new card over to Joey. "I've seen that card before! That's the Time Wizard, a level two, Light attribute Spellcaster with 500 attack points and 400 defense points." Tiwlight said. "Thanks, I'll take it. I can't get over how you're always helping me out." Joey said as he took the gift. "Ah, we meet again." said a familiar voice, which belonged to Weevil as everyone turned around to find out. Inside Rex's suite, the game is about to get underway.
"Okay, then. Cut the cards." Mai said as she slid a deck of Duel Monsters cards to Rex. "Playing with your deck, huh?" Rex asked as he cut the deck, thinking that he'd win easily. "What if you win?" he asked. "If I win, you agree to clear out of the room for the rest of the trip, okay?" Mai said. "Clear out? I'm not gonna lose. You've got a deal." Rex said, confident that he'd win, despite the stipulation against him. "The first card is Shadow of Eyes." Mai said after closing her eyes. Rex picked up the card and found she was right. "How'd you do that?" Rex asked. "The second card is Harpie Lady, then Elegant Egotist, followed by Cyber Shield." Mai spoke as Rex found that all her guesses were right on the mark. "Oh, no. She's right again." Rex said, worried and surprised at the same time. "This is my own card technique, I always know what cards I have and can pick any one I like at any time." Mai explained before telling Rex to deal the cards out. "I think I'm in trouble." Rex said meekly. Back outside the ship, Weevil was enjoying the sea air. "Ah, the evening winds sure feel nice. So, did you trade for any good cards, Yugi?" Weevil said. "Nah, I'm gonna duel with the cards I brought along with me." Yugi responded. "I figured as much. You used the Exodia cards in your duel with Kaiba, right? Together, those are the strongest cards of them all." Weevil replied. "They are, indeed. Just holding all five in your hand gives you an automatic win. And they're really rare, too." Rarity pointed out. "Could, I, possibly, see those legendary cards?" Weevil asked, eager to see what them all together. "I don't see why not, just be careful with them, okay?" Yugi answered. 'Something doesn't seem right. Especially with the way this Weevil kid is looking.' AJ thought to herself as Yugi got out his Exodia cards. "Here." Yugi said happily as he handed them to Weevil. "So these are the cards to summon Exodia. For a long time, I've been trying to come up with some kind of strategy to finally beat these cards, but I couldn't come up with anything... Untill just this moment." Weevil said as he walked to the railing and did the unthinkable.
"Say goodbye to Exodia!" Weevil shouted as he dropped the cards overboard. "No!" Yugi shouted as the cards landed on the water. "Now there's no one who can challenge me!" Weevil declared as he laughted and walked away. "Why, you... come back here, Weevil!" Rainbow shouted as AJ held her back. "My cards! Those were the Exodia cards that my grandpa gave me!" Yugi said. "I'll get em!" Joey said as he jumped overboard to get the cards back. "Joey! Where are you?!" Yugi shouted before Joey surfaced. "I promise you, I'll get them, Yugi!" Joey shouted. "Joey, those cards may be rare, but they're not worth drowning over!" AJ called out. "Don't worry, guys! Look! There, I got one of them." Joey said as he grabbed one of the cards. "Joey! Swim back to the ship!" Yugi shouted. "No way! At least, this time, there's something I can do to help someone I care about!" Joey retorted before the current got to him a bit. "Current sure is strong, though. It's hard to fight. But if I punk out now, who's gonna help my sister, Serenity?" he said to himself before grabbing the second card. "Just three more now!" Joey said before the current took him under. "Joey!" Yugi shouted before jumping overboard himself to save him. "Joey! Hold on!" Yugi called as he reached his friend. "Yugi, just three more." Joey said before sinking. Yugi proceeded to dive down to get him back up to breathe when two familiar voices are heard. "Yugi!" called one. "Are you okay?!" called the other before a rope lader dropped near them, courtesy of Tea and Tristan. "Grab ahold!" Tea called. "Hurry!" Tristan urged. "Tea! Tristan!" Yugi called out, happy to see them there at the right place at the right time. Meanwhile, back in Rex's suite, the loser of the game turned out to be Rex himself. "Get out, loser! And thanks for the room, Rex." Mai said after dumping Rex, his cards and backpack out of the room and closed the door.
Back outside, Yugi and Joey are safely back on the boat. "That was close! I'm sure glad you two guys showed up. Really glad!" Yugi said, gratefully. "We're a team. We all stick together." Tea said. "We'll always watch your back." Tristan added. "Thanks a lot, you two. If it weren't for you, Yugi and Joey would've been at the bottom of the ocean." AJ said with a tip of her hat. "But as for you, Joseph, those Exodia cards may have been rare, but you could've drowned because of them." Rarity said, scoldingly. "I'm sorry, guys. Especially to you, Yugi. I failed. I only found two of your cards." Joey said, holding them up. "It's okay, Joey. I'm sure Yugi can find other copies of the three missing Exodia pieces." Fluttershy said. "It's not okay. It's always this way with me. I'm never able to help anybody, not even my own sister, Serenity." Joey responded. "Serenity?" Yugi asked. "You never told us you have a sister." Twilight said. "Our parents divorced years ago, when we were kids. She lives far away, with my mother. My sister's had really bad eyes since she was born. Eventually, she'll go blind." Joey revealed. "I'm sorry." Yugi responded. "You have our sympathies, Joey." Rarity added. "Thanks guys. She sent me a message through a video tape. The doctors must've told her the time has come. Soon, her eyes will be impossible to repair, even with surgery. But there are specialists who can perform an operation now before it's too late. They could save her eyesight! But, there's no way I can pay for the operation. So I have to win the grand prize, for her. Winning the three million dollar prize at the Duelist Kingdom, is the only way I can help Serenity." Joey responded. Amongst the group, there wasn't a single dry eye. "The poor girl." Pinkie said as she blew her nose in a tissue. "I honestly hope you get to win the three million dollar prize, Joey. For your sister's sake." she added.
Later, the sun began to rise over the horizon. "We'll both do our best, Joey. You for your sister, and me for my grandpa." Yugi said. "That's right. We're in this together, and we're doing it for family." AJ said as she placed her foot on the railing. "Land ho! I see the island straight ahead!" Pinkie shouted. "That's the Duelist Kingdom?" Twilight asked. "That's it. We're almost there." Yugi answered. "Then get ready, Duelist Kingdom, because it's time to duel!" Spike shouted with a smile as the boat approached it's destination.
