Chapter 2: Joey vs. Sotachii
".Dark Magician defeats Flame Swordsman.I'll show him."
"Joey, wake up! You're going to be late for the duel!"
Groaning from the rude awakening, Joey sat up and looked at the clock. "GAH! It's six o'clock, and I forgot all about the duel!" He pulled on his white shirt and dashed down the stairs. "Sotachii's really going to chew me out for this! He's gonna call me a chicken!"
Tristan watched as Joey hopped around on one foot while struggling to put on his shoes. "Uh, Joey, you want me to see if I can borrow your mom's car and."
"Thanks, Tristan, but I don't really have time for you to bargain with my mother right now." He grabbed his jacket and ran out the door. "Man, I really wish I had a hoverboard like Sotachii's. I'd be there in two swipes of the Red-Eyes' tail!" He laughed to himself. Those things are awesome! Large enough to ride, then they shrink down to the size of the card it resembles.Eh, speakin' of cards. He reached into his pocket, but found nothing except a small stick with a curved plastic blade. "So that's where I put that." When he checked his other pocket, he found nothing. Frantically, he stopped and searched all his pockets "Dang! I forgot my cards!"
"I have them right here, Joey!" Yugi, joined by the brown-haired Anzu, caught up to him. In Yugi's hand was a deck of cards. "I saw them on your desk after you left your room."
"Man, thanks, Yuug." Joey took the cards from Yugi and smiled. "I'll see you guys later!"
***
Joey dashed through the doors of Kaiba Land and skidded to a halt just inches away from the horse of a statue of Gaia the Fierce Knight. "Eh, waiter, I'd like a fresh pair of underwear." He dropped into a sitting position in front of the statue.
"So you finally decided to show yourself." From the direction of the cafeteria, Sotachii walked slowly toward him. He wore the same clothing that he wore to school, but he had an interesting addition. A black replica of Bakura's Millennium Ring hung from his neck. "I suppose you were cowering in a corner somewhere after realizing what a weakling you are."
"I am not a weakling!" Joey rose to his feet and stared into Sotachii's eyes. "I simply fell asleep and, well.kinda forgot about the duel."
"I knew it!" Sotachii laughed. "You were."
"I believe that's enough out of both of you."
Instinctively, Joey's eyes went to the person that spoke. Behind Sotachii was a man with pale lavender hair that was mostly tied back in a ponytail. Both his eyes were hidden in shadows made by his face. He wore a loose turtleneck and black pants. His bared arms, slightly muscular, were folded across his chest.
A snirk escaped through Joey's nose. "Calling me a chicken when you're hiding behind your older brother!"
"Just as stubborn as you were during your duel against Yugi, I see." The man looked up. Light glinted off the golden surface of something behind his hair. "You haven't changed much, Joseph."
"Pegasus?" Joey glared at Sotachii. "Okay, Sotachii. How do you know this creep?"
Sotachii growled. "Pegasus is my employer, and he's going to be one of the referees for our duel."
"That so? Who's the other one?"
"Miss Megumi Nekoi," Pegasus said calmly, taking a sip from a water bottle.
"Eh." Joey tried to figure out the connection of names just as the violet- haired girl walked up to the small group. "Her?"
"Nice to see you too, Joey," she said with a smile. "Shall we go."
A loud crash occurred near the cafeteria. When the group ran to check on it, all they saw was Bakura sitting among two toppled garbage cans, with Kaiba walking away as though nothing happened.
"You weren't trying to pull Kaiba's jacket up over his head again, were you?" Megumi asked.
"Gee, Megu." Bakura, whose hair was now spiked like a pair of horns, looked up at Megumi. "What gave you that hint?"
"I'm not letting you out of my sight for the rest of the evening, Bakura! You got that?"
"I love you, too, Megu."
Joey crossed his arms over his chest. "Well, let's go get this duel in motion!"
***
The duel between Joey and Sotachii drew an interesting crowd. Duelists stopped playing their own games to watch the two players battle. Among the crowd were Mai Valentine, a duelist beaten by Joey during the Duelist Tournament, and Duke Devlin, the creator of a game called Dungeon Dice Monsters.
After the duel was started and well underway, Joey was starting to have a slight advantage. Having a much better knowledge of the duel arenas, he wasn't as awestruck as Sotachii. The spiky-haired teen, though victorious in his first two matches, was already down by 700 points.
"I thought you weren't an amateur, Sotachii!" Joey smirked. "Where's that confidence you had this morning?"
"Just shut up! I'll play my Dark Magician in attack mode, and attack the one you have in defense mode!"
"And I'll thank Bakura for letting me borrow this card. Man-Eater Bug allows me to destroy one of your cards, and I choose to destroy your Dark Magician!"
"My best card!"
"Chalk one up for the mighty insects!" laughed the voice of Weevil Underwood.
I have him right where I want him, Joey thought. Where I have four monsters on the field, he has none. I could just use my Red-Eyes and. What the.?
Sotachii's sudden yell derailed Joey's thoughts. He was clutching his head and screaming as though he was shot in the chest.
Maaan! This guy's a sorer loser than Pegasus and Kaiba combined!
"What was that, Joseph?" Pegasus' Millennium Eye flashed at Joey.
Whoops. "Sorry, Pegasus! I didn't mean it that way!"
"I'll show you who the sorer loser is, Wheeler." Sotachii rose to his feet and glared across the arena at Joey, but the glare sent a chill down Joey's spine. He wasn't sure, but it seemed as though Sotachii's eyes were completely blank, with no iris or pupil. "Sure you have four more monsters than I do, but that means you have fallen into my trap! Earlier, I had placed a trap card: Just Desserts! Sure you may have taken most of my life points, but this precious move will take all of yours at once!"
"GAH!" Joey's face suddenly blanched. "Why didn't I see that coming?"
"Linkin, Linkin, he's the best!" cheered three girls on the sidelines.
Man, why did Devlin bring his cheerleading squad? Joey groaned. If he hadn't played that stupid trap card, I'm sure those girls would be cheerin' "Joey, Joey, he's da bomb!"
A look of concern crossed Bakura's face. "Something smells fishy."
"No farkin' duh!" Megumi started to pummel Pegasus with a water bottle. "Why the devil did you even make that card to begin with?"
Sotachii laughed. "You lose. I think I'll do the world a favor by removing you permanently." The strange Millennium Ring replica glowed brightly.
"Woah, boy." Joey looked to the two referees. "Hey, Pegasus, you wanna use that eye of yours on Sotachii before he zaps me to oblivion?"
"Why?" Kaiba asked. "He'd be doing us all a favor!"
All color drained from Joey's face. He started to back up until he was at the edge of his platform. His body became paralyzed with fear as he closed his eyes braced for whatever attack he was in for.
The attack never came. When he finally was able to open his eyes, he noticed that Sotachii was nowhere in sight.
"Eh, what just happened?"
"I think Sotachii passed out," Devlin said calmly.
"Oh, I see. It's his turn to look like a fool!"
"Who are you calling a fool?" Sotachii rose to his feet, cradling his head in his hand. "Can we just get this duel over with?"
"The duel's over, Sotachii." Kaiba walked up to the spiky-haired teen. "You won."
"What are you talking about? I haven't made my move yet!" He looked down at his console. "Hey! Why has my Just Desserts card been played?"
Over his initial shock, Joey started to turn bright red. "Because you used it to destroy all 2000 of my life points in one turn! You're not playing dumb, are ya?"
"Go take a hike, Wheeler. You're nothing but a sore loser, but I swear I didn't play that! Unless." He turned to Bakura. "Your little 'house guest' didn't invade my territorial space, did he?"
Bakura's features suddenly took a different shape, as the spirit of his Millennium item possessed him again. "You are an idiot, Sotachii. The only way I'd be able to do that is if you were wearing the Millennium Ring!"
"What does this look like?" Sotachii dangled his Millennium Ring replica where everyone could see it.
"Oh. Fair enough." Yami Bakura paused. "Wait a second. I would remember being torn through a space that wide!"
"You tried to do some weird zappity thing to me with your Millennium item lookalike!" Joey blanched again. "And your eyes were all.white and glowing!"
Enraged, Sotachii crossed his arms. "You're just making that up!"
"I'm afraid he's not, Sotachii." Devlin looked up at Sotachii. "It even gave me the chills!"
Devlin's cheerleaders continued their cheers. "The greatest duelist ever is Link! He beat Joey before we could blink!"
"Will you shut those girls up, Devlin?" Sotachii growled.
Beside Devlin, Mai laughed. "This guy's been trying to prove that he's not a simple amateur, and he denies his move that wins him the game!"
"Mai!" Sotachii disappeared from his console, only to reappear beside Mai. "What I had really meant to say was."
Will he make up his mind? Joey dropped to a sitting position on his platform. Sure, he thinks he's a genius at a game he's just starting out at, but does he believe in the heart of the cards like Yugi and I do?
***
Quietly, Yugi sighed. "Well, I guess there was no way the heart of the cards could have saved you."
"How's that supposed to make me feel better, Yuug?" Joey groaned. "He lured me into summoning four monsters by summoning monsters that were slightly stronger than the ones already on the field. That idiotic jerk tricked me!"
"Watch who you're callin' an idiotic jerk!" Enraged, Sotachii started forward, but both Kaiba and Devlin grabbed him and held him back. "Let me go! I'll teach this jerk for calling me that!"
"Knock it off, Sotachii." Kaiba held Sotachii in a chokehold. "Being here is like being in my house, but the only fighting allowed is to be restricted to the Duel Monsters arenas. You got that?"
"Yeah!" Joey stuck out his tongue at Sotachii. "You got that, Sotachii?"
"I was talking to both of you," Kaiba growled.
"Oh. Well, in that case, yeah. I got ya."
"I.understand." Words were slightly difficult for Sotachii. "So.could you let me go?"
"What's the magic word?"
"Let me go before I steal all your Blue-Eyes White Dragon cards and use them against you."
"Fair enough." Bearing a grin, Kaiba released Sotachii. "Even though you didn't say please."
"Very funny." Sotachii resumed his position beside a Blue-Eyes White Dragon statue. "I think you just might be a comedian someday."
Joey grinned. "I'll bet he could get more people to laugh than you!"
A vein started to emerge on Sotachii's forehead. "You are really starting to get on my nerves, Wheeler. One more wisecrack out of you."
"What? Like how your sister thinks Yugi looks better than you even though you both have the same hairstyles?"
Sotachii's face became a bright crimson. "That's it! I challenge you to another duel, and this time, we won't be hiding behind some holographic monsters!"
Slightly annoyed, Megumi leaned against the statue. "Do I have to ref this duel as well?"
"No more cards, Wheeler. We fight fisticuffs now!
***
Man, how'd I get myself dragged into this mess? Tossing his jacket aside, Joey stared at Sotachii across the makeshift battle arena that was really the front courtyard of Kaiba Land. The spiky-haired teen had not only removed his jacket, but his shirt as well. Elaborate tattoos and several scars covered his arms and chest. Does he think he's Mako Tsunami or something? And isn't he a bit young to have tattoos?
"Go for it, Joey!" Tristan punched at the air a couple times before his fist connected with the nearby statue. "Ow."
Sotachii removed the strange Ring replica and placed it on his jacket. "What are you waiting for, Wheeler? Christmas?"
"Oh? I have the privilege of dealing the opening move?" Despite Joey's smart talk, he lashed out at Sotachii with a swift punch to the chest. Sotachii shot out a punch at the same time, hitting Joey's fist. Though the spiky-haired teen showed no signs of pain, Joey tried to hide the visible pain he felt from the punch. It's like punching a brick wall!
"YEOW!" Cradling his hand, Joey stumbled backward. "That really hurt!"
"Good." A grin played its way across Sotachii's face. "Pain is cowardice leaving the soul."
"I'm not a coward!"
"Then you must've learned your lesson. Are you going to give up?"
"No way! Quitting is only a coward's way out!"
Anzu's eyes grew wide. "Is that really Joey?"
"Besides, I should be asking you that!" He started throwing punch after punch at Sotachii, but he either dodged or blocked every attack he threw. "Come on! Fight fair, will ya?"
"Fair is where a Ferris wheel is!" Sotachii threw punch after punch at the blonde teen. Joey fell to the ground, cowering against the statue. "I live, duel, and fight my own way! If you ever want to stand up to me, you have to learn that!"
Slight wetness coursed its way down Joey's cheek. He reached up and wiped it away. Blood stained the back of his hand, relieving him and frightening him at the same time.
Angered, he grabbed Joey by the front of his shirt. "Now, are you going to apologize for those wisecracks, or do I have to send you home with a few more souvenirs?"
"Why should I apologize? I meant every one of 'em!"
"So if this is the way you want to do it, then we can do it this way." Sotachii pulled his fist back, ready to punch Joey in the face, but he stopped dead in his tracks, holding his fist only an inch away from Joey's face.
Woah! Too close! Joey's heart beat wildly. I can only hope that Pegasus is right behind me, or.
"Okay, who just hit me in the back of the head?" Releasing Joey, Sotachii glanced around at the onlookers. "I thought it was clear that this was a fight between the two of us! Whoever's next can wait until this fight's over!"
As soon as he had the chance, Joey scrambled away from the enraged teen. He looked at Tristan, who was nervously looking at an object at Sotachii's feet. Isn't that the fake Millennium Ring?
Indeed it was, sitting on the ground as though it had just been thrown. Sotachii's eyes went to the item, then to Tristan. "You must really think you're funny, Honda. Let's see how well you laugh after I break your funny bone!" He started toward Tristan, but Anzu stepped between them. "Out of the way, Anzu!"
"It wasn't Tristan!" she retorted. "Some strange force lifted it off your stuff and sent it hurtling at your head."
"Yeah. Honda's hands are strange enough."
While Tristan was staring confusedly at his hands, Bakura and Megumi stepped forward.
"She's right," Bakura said. "I've seen this sort of thing happen with my Millennium Ring, and it's the real deal!"
"He's not joking!" Megumi started waving her fingers in the air as though she was casting a spell. "If Bakura's not wearing the Millennium Ring, it'll float around behind him as though someone else was wearing it! It freaked my mom out quite a few times!"
"And it-Will you shut up?" Bakura flicked one of the ornamental tassels angrily. "No, I mean it! .Fine! Have it your way!" He tore the Millennium Ring from his neck and walked up to the nearest storm drain, where he proceeded to throw it down. "I hope you can swim!"
Joey raised an eyebrow. "Eh, can we get back to the phony Ring hitting Sotachii in the back of the head?"
"Forget it." Sotachii grabbed his shirt and jacket. "I'm going home."
"What a good idea." Megumi walked up to her moped, closely followed by Bakura. "You wanna ride with us?"
"I'd rather be run over by you." As he pulled on his shirt, Sotachii walked off. "Besides, I don't live that far from here."
Annoyance flashed across Joey's face. "Touchy."
After Megumi and Bakura were gone, Kaiba shook his head. "You're as bad as he is, Wheeler. Now go home and nurse your wounds. I don't want to see your face again until tomorrow at class." He turned around and walked off.
***
"Ow! Careful!"
"First of all, stop squirming so much, and second, don't pick anymore fights with my brother."
Joey's eyes darted toward Sotachii's little sister. "All I said was."
"It doesn't matter what you say, Joey. Linkin's a ruthless monster, and it seems to have gotten worse since his boss gave him that weird ring-like object."
"Are you sure it's that? He didn't seem so boastful until he got his own Duel Monsters cards."
Kiichana nodded. "True, but I'm a bit worried. Normally, if he's upset or overly excited about something, he'll cool down after a couple hours." She gently rubbed the bandage into place. "But you could be right. He still seems to be overjoyed by his minor victory over Mr. Crawford."
"I would be too if I beat Pegasus in three turns."
Hand to her chin, Kiichana leaned back. "Maybe I can overtake the mighty lord and return peace to the countryside." She looked up at Joey. "Can you get me some of these cards as well?"
Is she joking? Joey paled. "You're kidding, right?"
"He's overconfident in the game because he won three duels on his own. If."
"You hardly know the game, Kiichana! Let Yugi take him." He barely got the sentence out of his mouth before she started piling change into his hands.
"Please, Joey! Buy me as many packs as you can with that money!"
She's dead set on this. I guess I should help her. He looked down at the money she had placed in his hand. There were several quarters and only a couple bills. "Kiichana, this is only enough to buy five packs."
"Then get them! Bring them over tomorrow while Linkin is at work. My 'babysitter' will be there, but that's it."
"Okay."
".Dark Magician defeats Flame Swordsman.I'll show him."
"Joey, wake up! You're going to be late for the duel!"
Groaning from the rude awakening, Joey sat up and looked at the clock. "GAH! It's six o'clock, and I forgot all about the duel!" He pulled on his white shirt and dashed down the stairs. "Sotachii's really going to chew me out for this! He's gonna call me a chicken!"
Tristan watched as Joey hopped around on one foot while struggling to put on his shoes. "Uh, Joey, you want me to see if I can borrow your mom's car and."
"Thanks, Tristan, but I don't really have time for you to bargain with my mother right now." He grabbed his jacket and ran out the door. "Man, I really wish I had a hoverboard like Sotachii's. I'd be there in two swipes of the Red-Eyes' tail!" He laughed to himself. Those things are awesome! Large enough to ride, then they shrink down to the size of the card it resembles.Eh, speakin' of cards. He reached into his pocket, but found nothing except a small stick with a curved plastic blade. "So that's where I put that." When he checked his other pocket, he found nothing. Frantically, he stopped and searched all his pockets "Dang! I forgot my cards!"
"I have them right here, Joey!" Yugi, joined by the brown-haired Anzu, caught up to him. In Yugi's hand was a deck of cards. "I saw them on your desk after you left your room."
"Man, thanks, Yuug." Joey took the cards from Yugi and smiled. "I'll see you guys later!"
***
Joey dashed through the doors of Kaiba Land and skidded to a halt just inches away from the horse of a statue of Gaia the Fierce Knight. "Eh, waiter, I'd like a fresh pair of underwear." He dropped into a sitting position in front of the statue.
"So you finally decided to show yourself." From the direction of the cafeteria, Sotachii walked slowly toward him. He wore the same clothing that he wore to school, but he had an interesting addition. A black replica of Bakura's Millennium Ring hung from his neck. "I suppose you were cowering in a corner somewhere after realizing what a weakling you are."
"I am not a weakling!" Joey rose to his feet and stared into Sotachii's eyes. "I simply fell asleep and, well.kinda forgot about the duel."
"I knew it!" Sotachii laughed. "You were."
"I believe that's enough out of both of you."
Instinctively, Joey's eyes went to the person that spoke. Behind Sotachii was a man with pale lavender hair that was mostly tied back in a ponytail. Both his eyes were hidden in shadows made by his face. He wore a loose turtleneck and black pants. His bared arms, slightly muscular, were folded across his chest.
A snirk escaped through Joey's nose. "Calling me a chicken when you're hiding behind your older brother!"
"Just as stubborn as you were during your duel against Yugi, I see." The man looked up. Light glinted off the golden surface of something behind his hair. "You haven't changed much, Joseph."
"Pegasus?" Joey glared at Sotachii. "Okay, Sotachii. How do you know this creep?"
Sotachii growled. "Pegasus is my employer, and he's going to be one of the referees for our duel."
"That so? Who's the other one?"
"Miss Megumi Nekoi," Pegasus said calmly, taking a sip from a water bottle.
"Eh." Joey tried to figure out the connection of names just as the violet- haired girl walked up to the small group. "Her?"
"Nice to see you too, Joey," she said with a smile. "Shall we go."
A loud crash occurred near the cafeteria. When the group ran to check on it, all they saw was Bakura sitting among two toppled garbage cans, with Kaiba walking away as though nothing happened.
"You weren't trying to pull Kaiba's jacket up over his head again, were you?" Megumi asked.
"Gee, Megu." Bakura, whose hair was now spiked like a pair of horns, looked up at Megumi. "What gave you that hint?"
"I'm not letting you out of my sight for the rest of the evening, Bakura! You got that?"
"I love you, too, Megu."
Joey crossed his arms over his chest. "Well, let's go get this duel in motion!"
***
The duel between Joey and Sotachii drew an interesting crowd. Duelists stopped playing their own games to watch the two players battle. Among the crowd were Mai Valentine, a duelist beaten by Joey during the Duelist Tournament, and Duke Devlin, the creator of a game called Dungeon Dice Monsters.
After the duel was started and well underway, Joey was starting to have a slight advantage. Having a much better knowledge of the duel arenas, he wasn't as awestruck as Sotachii. The spiky-haired teen, though victorious in his first two matches, was already down by 700 points.
"I thought you weren't an amateur, Sotachii!" Joey smirked. "Where's that confidence you had this morning?"
"Just shut up! I'll play my Dark Magician in attack mode, and attack the one you have in defense mode!"
"And I'll thank Bakura for letting me borrow this card. Man-Eater Bug allows me to destroy one of your cards, and I choose to destroy your Dark Magician!"
"My best card!"
"Chalk one up for the mighty insects!" laughed the voice of Weevil Underwood.
I have him right where I want him, Joey thought. Where I have four monsters on the field, he has none. I could just use my Red-Eyes and. What the.?
Sotachii's sudden yell derailed Joey's thoughts. He was clutching his head and screaming as though he was shot in the chest.
Maaan! This guy's a sorer loser than Pegasus and Kaiba combined!
"What was that, Joseph?" Pegasus' Millennium Eye flashed at Joey.
Whoops. "Sorry, Pegasus! I didn't mean it that way!"
"I'll show you who the sorer loser is, Wheeler." Sotachii rose to his feet and glared across the arena at Joey, but the glare sent a chill down Joey's spine. He wasn't sure, but it seemed as though Sotachii's eyes were completely blank, with no iris or pupil. "Sure you have four more monsters than I do, but that means you have fallen into my trap! Earlier, I had placed a trap card: Just Desserts! Sure you may have taken most of my life points, but this precious move will take all of yours at once!"
"GAH!" Joey's face suddenly blanched. "Why didn't I see that coming?"
"Linkin, Linkin, he's the best!" cheered three girls on the sidelines.
Man, why did Devlin bring his cheerleading squad? Joey groaned. If he hadn't played that stupid trap card, I'm sure those girls would be cheerin' "Joey, Joey, he's da bomb!"
A look of concern crossed Bakura's face. "Something smells fishy."
"No farkin' duh!" Megumi started to pummel Pegasus with a water bottle. "Why the devil did you even make that card to begin with?"
Sotachii laughed. "You lose. I think I'll do the world a favor by removing you permanently." The strange Millennium Ring replica glowed brightly.
"Woah, boy." Joey looked to the two referees. "Hey, Pegasus, you wanna use that eye of yours on Sotachii before he zaps me to oblivion?"
"Why?" Kaiba asked. "He'd be doing us all a favor!"
All color drained from Joey's face. He started to back up until he was at the edge of his platform. His body became paralyzed with fear as he closed his eyes braced for whatever attack he was in for.
The attack never came. When he finally was able to open his eyes, he noticed that Sotachii was nowhere in sight.
"Eh, what just happened?"
"I think Sotachii passed out," Devlin said calmly.
"Oh, I see. It's his turn to look like a fool!"
"Who are you calling a fool?" Sotachii rose to his feet, cradling his head in his hand. "Can we just get this duel over with?"
"The duel's over, Sotachii." Kaiba walked up to the spiky-haired teen. "You won."
"What are you talking about? I haven't made my move yet!" He looked down at his console. "Hey! Why has my Just Desserts card been played?"
Over his initial shock, Joey started to turn bright red. "Because you used it to destroy all 2000 of my life points in one turn! You're not playing dumb, are ya?"
"Go take a hike, Wheeler. You're nothing but a sore loser, but I swear I didn't play that! Unless." He turned to Bakura. "Your little 'house guest' didn't invade my territorial space, did he?"
Bakura's features suddenly took a different shape, as the spirit of his Millennium item possessed him again. "You are an idiot, Sotachii. The only way I'd be able to do that is if you were wearing the Millennium Ring!"
"What does this look like?" Sotachii dangled his Millennium Ring replica where everyone could see it.
"Oh. Fair enough." Yami Bakura paused. "Wait a second. I would remember being torn through a space that wide!"
"You tried to do some weird zappity thing to me with your Millennium item lookalike!" Joey blanched again. "And your eyes were all.white and glowing!"
Enraged, Sotachii crossed his arms. "You're just making that up!"
"I'm afraid he's not, Sotachii." Devlin looked up at Sotachii. "It even gave me the chills!"
Devlin's cheerleaders continued their cheers. "The greatest duelist ever is Link! He beat Joey before we could blink!"
"Will you shut those girls up, Devlin?" Sotachii growled.
Beside Devlin, Mai laughed. "This guy's been trying to prove that he's not a simple amateur, and he denies his move that wins him the game!"
"Mai!" Sotachii disappeared from his console, only to reappear beside Mai. "What I had really meant to say was."
Will he make up his mind? Joey dropped to a sitting position on his platform. Sure, he thinks he's a genius at a game he's just starting out at, but does he believe in the heart of the cards like Yugi and I do?
***
Quietly, Yugi sighed. "Well, I guess there was no way the heart of the cards could have saved you."
"How's that supposed to make me feel better, Yuug?" Joey groaned. "He lured me into summoning four monsters by summoning monsters that were slightly stronger than the ones already on the field. That idiotic jerk tricked me!"
"Watch who you're callin' an idiotic jerk!" Enraged, Sotachii started forward, but both Kaiba and Devlin grabbed him and held him back. "Let me go! I'll teach this jerk for calling me that!"
"Knock it off, Sotachii." Kaiba held Sotachii in a chokehold. "Being here is like being in my house, but the only fighting allowed is to be restricted to the Duel Monsters arenas. You got that?"
"Yeah!" Joey stuck out his tongue at Sotachii. "You got that, Sotachii?"
"I was talking to both of you," Kaiba growled.
"Oh. Well, in that case, yeah. I got ya."
"I.understand." Words were slightly difficult for Sotachii. "So.could you let me go?"
"What's the magic word?"
"Let me go before I steal all your Blue-Eyes White Dragon cards and use them against you."
"Fair enough." Bearing a grin, Kaiba released Sotachii. "Even though you didn't say please."
"Very funny." Sotachii resumed his position beside a Blue-Eyes White Dragon statue. "I think you just might be a comedian someday."
Joey grinned. "I'll bet he could get more people to laugh than you!"
A vein started to emerge on Sotachii's forehead. "You are really starting to get on my nerves, Wheeler. One more wisecrack out of you."
"What? Like how your sister thinks Yugi looks better than you even though you both have the same hairstyles?"
Sotachii's face became a bright crimson. "That's it! I challenge you to another duel, and this time, we won't be hiding behind some holographic monsters!"
Slightly annoyed, Megumi leaned against the statue. "Do I have to ref this duel as well?"
"No more cards, Wheeler. We fight fisticuffs now!
***
Man, how'd I get myself dragged into this mess? Tossing his jacket aside, Joey stared at Sotachii across the makeshift battle arena that was really the front courtyard of Kaiba Land. The spiky-haired teen had not only removed his jacket, but his shirt as well. Elaborate tattoos and several scars covered his arms and chest. Does he think he's Mako Tsunami or something? And isn't he a bit young to have tattoos?
"Go for it, Joey!" Tristan punched at the air a couple times before his fist connected with the nearby statue. "Ow."
Sotachii removed the strange Ring replica and placed it on his jacket. "What are you waiting for, Wheeler? Christmas?"
"Oh? I have the privilege of dealing the opening move?" Despite Joey's smart talk, he lashed out at Sotachii with a swift punch to the chest. Sotachii shot out a punch at the same time, hitting Joey's fist. Though the spiky-haired teen showed no signs of pain, Joey tried to hide the visible pain he felt from the punch. It's like punching a brick wall!
"YEOW!" Cradling his hand, Joey stumbled backward. "That really hurt!"
"Good." A grin played its way across Sotachii's face. "Pain is cowardice leaving the soul."
"I'm not a coward!"
"Then you must've learned your lesson. Are you going to give up?"
"No way! Quitting is only a coward's way out!"
Anzu's eyes grew wide. "Is that really Joey?"
"Besides, I should be asking you that!" He started throwing punch after punch at Sotachii, but he either dodged or blocked every attack he threw. "Come on! Fight fair, will ya?"
"Fair is where a Ferris wheel is!" Sotachii threw punch after punch at the blonde teen. Joey fell to the ground, cowering against the statue. "I live, duel, and fight my own way! If you ever want to stand up to me, you have to learn that!"
Slight wetness coursed its way down Joey's cheek. He reached up and wiped it away. Blood stained the back of his hand, relieving him and frightening him at the same time.
Angered, he grabbed Joey by the front of his shirt. "Now, are you going to apologize for those wisecracks, or do I have to send you home with a few more souvenirs?"
"Why should I apologize? I meant every one of 'em!"
"So if this is the way you want to do it, then we can do it this way." Sotachii pulled his fist back, ready to punch Joey in the face, but he stopped dead in his tracks, holding his fist only an inch away from Joey's face.
Woah! Too close! Joey's heart beat wildly. I can only hope that Pegasus is right behind me, or.
"Okay, who just hit me in the back of the head?" Releasing Joey, Sotachii glanced around at the onlookers. "I thought it was clear that this was a fight between the two of us! Whoever's next can wait until this fight's over!"
As soon as he had the chance, Joey scrambled away from the enraged teen. He looked at Tristan, who was nervously looking at an object at Sotachii's feet. Isn't that the fake Millennium Ring?
Indeed it was, sitting on the ground as though it had just been thrown. Sotachii's eyes went to the item, then to Tristan. "You must really think you're funny, Honda. Let's see how well you laugh after I break your funny bone!" He started toward Tristan, but Anzu stepped between them. "Out of the way, Anzu!"
"It wasn't Tristan!" she retorted. "Some strange force lifted it off your stuff and sent it hurtling at your head."
"Yeah. Honda's hands are strange enough."
While Tristan was staring confusedly at his hands, Bakura and Megumi stepped forward.
"She's right," Bakura said. "I've seen this sort of thing happen with my Millennium Ring, and it's the real deal!"
"He's not joking!" Megumi started waving her fingers in the air as though she was casting a spell. "If Bakura's not wearing the Millennium Ring, it'll float around behind him as though someone else was wearing it! It freaked my mom out quite a few times!"
"And it-Will you shut up?" Bakura flicked one of the ornamental tassels angrily. "No, I mean it! .Fine! Have it your way!" He tore the Millennium Ring from his neck and walked up to the nearest storm drain, where he proceeded to throw it down. "I hope you can swim!"
Joey raised an eyebrow. "Eh, can we get back to the phony Ring hitting Sotachii in the back of the head?"
"Forget it." Sotachii grabbed his shirt and jacket. "I'm going home."
"What a good idea." Megumi walked up to her moped, closely followed by Bakura. "You wanna ride with us?"
"I'd rather be run over by you." As he pulled on his shirt, Sotachii walked off. "Besides, I don't live that far from here."
Annoyance flashed across Joey's face. "Touchy."
After Megumi and Bakura were gone, Kaiba shook his head. "You're as bad as he is, Wheeler. Now go home and nurse your wounds. I don't want to see your face again until tomorrow at class." He turned around and walked off.
***
"Ow! Careful!"
"First of all, stop squirming so much, and second, don't pick anymore fights with my brother."
Joey's eyes darted toward Sotachii's little sister. "All I said was."
"It doesn't matter what you say, Joey. Linkin's a ruthless monster, and it seems to have gotten worse since his boss gave him that weird ring-like object."
"Are you sure it's that? He didn't seem so boastful until he got his own Duel Monsters cards."
Kiichana nodded. "True, but I'm a bit worried. Normally, if he's upset or overly excited about something, he'll cool down after a couple hours." She gently rubbed the bandage into place. "But you could be right. He still seems to be overjoyed by his minor victory over Mr. Crawford."
"I would be too if I beat Pegasus in three turns."
Hand to her chin, Kiichana leaned back. "Maybe I can overtake the mighty lord and return peace to the countryside." She looked up at Joey. "Can you get me some of these cards as well?"
Is she joking? Joey paled. "You're kidding, right?"
"He's overconfident in the game because he won three duels on his own. If."
"You hardly know the game, Kiichana! Let Yugi take him." He barely got the sentence out of his mouth before she started piling change into his hands.
"Please, Joey! Buy me as many packs as you can with that money!"
She's dead set on this. I guess I should help her. He looked down at the money she had placed in his hand. There were several quarters and only a couple bills. "Kiichana, this is only enough to buy five packs."
"Then get them! Bring them over tomorrow while Linkin is at work. My 'babysitter' will be there, but that's it."
"Okay."