Chapter 3: Defeated!
"Rock, paper, scissors, GO!"
Their hands flew out at once, one in a flat position, the other in a tight fist. Kiichana squealed with delight.
"I win!" She dashed around the corner and opened the door. Joey stood at the door with a paper bag.
"Here's your cards," he said, handing her the bag. "Do you mind telling me your plan?"
She shook her head. "Top secret. No one can know about it except me."
Just as Joey was about to add another comment, footsteps came in their direction. "Um, Kiichana?" queried a voice. "Paper defeats rock. Not the other way around." Nervous laughter came from behind her.
She looked back. "Mr. Honda, what are you.?"
Joey laughed. "Tristan! What did you do to Sotachii to get this punishment?"
"Nothing." Tristan smiled calmly. "Her father hired me, but Linkin doesn't know about it."
"So that's why you were agreeing about the whole work ordeal yesterday, eh?" Before anyone could make a comment, Joey continued. "So, Kiichana, what's this plan of yours?"
Though she tried to cut him off, Tristan placed his hand on her shoulder. "Yeah. What's this plan, Kiichana?"
Her head dropped. "Yugi told me about the ultimate beast he once had in his deck, and how he lost it. If I could find that and give it to him, he'd be able to beat my brother instantly!"
"Point well taken, but those cards are rare." Joey walked in, removing his shoes as he did, and found a seat near the window. "The only reason he had them in the first place is because his grandfather gave them to him."
"But I still want to try finding them!"
Snatching the bag from Joey, Tristan looked at the contents. "Five packs isn't going to be enough, Kiichana. You'll be lucky to find one."
"I'll chance it." She grabbed the packs from Tristan and disappeared out of the room.
***
"Come on, Kiichana! He'd never win that battle!"
"But Serenity, he has such a good winning streak! Let him try!"
Yugi stopped and looked toward the two arguing girls. The moment he stopped, they looked up.
"Hi, Yugi!" Serenity smiled softly. "We were just talking about you."
Also smiling, Kiichana nodded. "We're trying to figure out who would win if you and my brother were to hold a duel."
"I would, of course!" Sotachii's voice rang boastfully in the short duelist's ears. "With my winning streak, I'm certain I can beat you, Mutou!"
"You can try." Yugi smiled innocently. "I really can't guarantee that you'll win, though."
A smirk appeared on Sotachii's face. "Okay, then. I'm sure my boss won't mind us using his arena."
***
"Really?" Pegasus smiled. "A duel? You and Yugi-boy? For that, you can use my arena."
"Thank you, sir. I assure you that you will not be disappointed. Sure, Yugi's been playing longer than me." A smirk appeared on Sotachii's face. "I predict the dethroning of the legendary King of Games."
"I don't doubt you one bit, Sotachii. I'll ask Krokei to oversee the match."
Sotachii nodded and started for the door, but paused when he didn't hear footsteps behind him. "Sir, aren't you coming?"
"No." He closed his visible eye. "I trust you will defeat Yugi with no effort."
Nodding again, Sotachii walked off. "No effort? No problem." He pulled out his deck, staring at the Dark Magician at the top of his deck. "Yugi has only one Dark Magician, while I have three at my disposal. If I can get all three onto the field at once, I'll be unstoppable!"
At the end of the hall he saw Yugi and his friends just entering the hallway. Not to his surprise he also saw Serenity and Kiichana. The short duelist waved calmly.
"I'm looking forward to this duel," Yugi said when Sotachii drew nearer.
"So am I." He smirked deviously. "It's time that the King of Games passed the crown on. This duel will decide who the better duelist is!"
Kaiba snorted. "Don't get your hopes up. As long as I've known him, Yugi Mutou has never lost a battle to anyone and has surrendered only once."
"Yeah, yeah. Whatever, Blue-Eyes." Sotachii waved his hand, dismissing the blue-eyed duelist's words. "Let's go, short-stuff. You've got a duel to lose!" He tapped on Yugi's head. "And no tricks! I made a challenge to the real you! Not that dark-voiced freak that claims to be your alter- ego."
***
Yugi positioned himself at the console and stared across the arena. "Okay, Sotachii," he said. "Whenever you're."
"YAII!" Above in the balcony, Krokei shouted out in surprise as Kiichana jumped into his lap. "Miss Kiichana, what are you doing?"
"I just wanted to say how much I admire you, sir."
The older man cleared his throat. "Wait until after the duel to continue your praising please. You can, however, stay on this side of the balcony."
Kiichana beamed. "Thank you!"
"Now that that is over with." He lifted his arm into the air. "The duel between Linkin Sotachii and Yugi Mutou is about to."
"Okay, Serenity! We get the picture!" Joey and Tristan stumbled out onto the balcony, closely followed by Serenity. "Can we watch the duel now?"
"Sorry." She blushed slightly as she leaned against the rail. "Okay, we're here!"
Sotachii growled. "Good. Let's get this duel over with!"
Satisfied that no more interruptions would occur, Yugi drew five cards from his deck, but did not look at them. "You have the honors, Sotachii."
"How lucky I am." He slapped a card down. "First, I'll play Dark Magician in attack mode!" His lips curled up in a devious smirk. "Let's see you beat that, Your Majesty!"
Calmly Yugi drew a new card and looked down at his hand. His eyes grew wide. "Uh."
"What?" From across the arena, Sotachii laughed. "Did you just now realize you can't use a Dark Magician to defeat a Dark Magician?"
"No, not really." He placed down five of the cards. "I play.Exodia."
"EXODIA?" Everyone in the arena, save Serenity and Kiichana, went pale.
"Impossible!" Sotachii stared at the monstrous hologram, mouth agape. "Kiichana said you told her about how you lost it!"
Recovering from the initial shock, Krokei rose to his feet. "The.winner, of this duel.is Yugi Mutou."
Sotachii continually shook his head. "No.No!" He slammed his hands onto his console. "You cheated somehow! There is no way in the Shadow Realm you could've bought enough packs to find Exodia! No way at all!"
From the balcony, Kiichana laughed. "You are a sore loser, bro!"
***
"It worked!" Kiichana ran out of the arena area and down the hall to where Yugi was exiting the arena, staring down at his cards. "Congratulations and thank you, Yugi!"
"Thank you, and what are you talking about?"
"My brother has been overconfident for the longest time. I wanted someone to beat him and finally get him to shut up." She threw her arms around his neck, almost hanging off him despite they were the same height.
"You're.welcome." He placed his cards in his pocket, but handed her the five Exodia cards. "Here are your cards back."
She blanched. "But.how did you know? Joey and Mr. Honda didn't tell you, did they?"
"Joey and Tristan knew about this?"
Realizing that she had exposed two of her adversaries, she slumped down against the wall. "I know it's only been a few days since he's gotten those cards, but he's no longer the smart-alek brother I used to know. He became overconfident after his first three battles. I wanted him to know that he could still be beaten."
"By having someone else fight your battles?"
"I wanted to buy enough cards to start my own deck, but I only had enough for five packs. It came as a surprise to me that each pack had a different piece of Exodia in it."
Yugi knelt down and grabbed her shoulders. "Who else did you involve in this, Kiichana?" When she looked away, he growled. "Kiichana! Who else was involved?"
"Serenity and Mokuba." She kept her eyes from making contact with his. "Mostly because they didn't like the way Linkin treated their brothers." A tear rolled down her cheek. "I'm surprised they're still willing to be friends with me."
"It's your brother they fear, Kiichana. Not you." He sat down beside her. "Take those five cards and make your own Exodia deck. I'll teach you how to play, too, when you get your deck together."
The sadness left Kiichana's face. "Thank you, Yugi." She smiled at the spiky-haired duelist. "I look forward to the lessons when the time is right."
***
Sotachii fell to his knees. "I lost. I actually lost a duel." He closed his eyes. "He defeated me in one turn!"
Quit whining! hissed a voice in his mind. His eyes snapped open and he swiftly looked around. Everyone had left the arena except him.
"Who's there?"
You will not find me anywhere around you, mortal. I am the dark thoughts and fears from deep within your mind.
"Who are you?"
My name does not matter. What does matter is that you retrieve that Millennium Puzzle from the kid! Steal the king's crown!
The room seemed to spin around him. Within his head, the nameless voice laughed frighteningly.
Come on, Linkin! On your feet! We have work to do!
"But, how.?"
That item Pegasus gave you is a special tool. It warps the mind of the person wearing it, but that is not all. It has a dark energy spell on it that can shred even the strongest soul. Use the spell to destroy Little Yugi's soul, and take the Puzzle as your own!
"Go away! I never asked for you to be here!"
But I've been with you since your birth, but I've been hidden deep within the recesses of your mind. Another evil laugh echoed in his mind. After seventeen years, I am finally free!
"Rock, paper, scissors, GO!"
Their hands flew out at once, one in a flat position, the other in a tight fist. Kiichana squealed with delight.
"I win!" She dashed around the corner and opened the door. Joey stood at the door with a paper bag.
"Here's your cards," he said, handing her the bag. "Do you mind telling me your plan?"
She shook her head. "Top secret. No one can know about it except me."
Just as Joey was about to add another comment, footsteps came in their direction. "Um, Kiichana?" queried a voice. "Paper defeats rock. Not the other way around." Nervous laughter came from behind her.
She looked back. "Mr. Honda, what are you.?"
Joey laughed. "Tristan! What did you do to Sotachii to get this punishment?"
"Nothing." Tristan smiled calmly. "Her father hired me, but Linkin doesn't know about it."
"So that's why you were agreeing about the whole work ordeal yesterday, eh?" Before anyone could make a comment, Joey continued. "So, Kiichana, what's this plan of yours?"
Though she tried to cut him off, Tristan placed his hand on her shoulder. "Yeah. What's this plan, Kiichana?"
Her head dropped. "Yugi told me about the ultimate beast he once had in his deck, and how he lost it. If I could find that and give it to him, he'd be able to beat my brother instantly!"
"Point well taken, but those cards are rare." Joey walked in, removing his shoes as he did, and found a seat near the window. "The only reason he had them in the first place is because his grandfather gave them to him."
"But I still want to try finding them!"
Snatching the bag from Joey, Tristan looked at the contents. "Five packs isn't going to be enough, Kiichana. You'll be lucky to find one."
"I'll chance it." She grabbed the packs from Tristan and disappeared out of the room.
***
"Come on, Kiichana! He'd never win that battle!"
"But Serenity, he has such a good winning streak! Let him try!"
Yugi stopped and looked toward the two arguing girls. The moment he stopped, they looked up.
"Hi, Yugi!" Serenity smiled softly. "We were just talking about you."
Also smiling, Kiichana nodded. "We're trying to figure out who would win if you and my brother were to hold a duel."
"I would, of course!" Sotachii's voice rang boastfully in the short duelist's ears. "With my winning streak, I'm certain I can beat you, Mutou!"
"You can try." Yugi smiled innocently. "I really can't guarantee that you'll win, though."
A smirk appeared on Sotachii's face. "Okay, then. I'm sure my boss won't mind us using his arena."
***
"Really?" Pegasus smiled. "A duel? You and Yugi-boy? For that, you can use my arena."
"Thank you, sir. I assure you that you will not be disappointed. Sure, Yugi's been playing longer than me." A smirk appeared on Sotachii's face. "I predict the dethroning of the legendary King of Games."
"I don't doubt you one bit, Sotachii. I'll ask Krokei to oversee the match."
Sotachii nodded and started for the door, but paused when he didn't hear footsteps behind him. "Sir, aren't you coming?"
"No." He closed his visible eye. "I trust you will defeat Yugi with no effort."
Nodding again, Sotachii walked off. "No effort? No problem." He pulled out his deck, staring at the Dark Magician at the top of his deck. "Yugi has only one Dark Magician, while I have three at my disposal. If I can get all three onto the field at once, I'll be unstoppable!"
At the end of the hall he saw Yugi and his friends just entering the hallway. Not to his surprise he also saw Serenity and Kiichana. The short duelist waved calmly.
"I'm looking forward to this duel," Yugi said when Sotachii drew nearer.
"So am I." He smirked deviously. "It's time that the King of Games passed the crown on. This duel will decide who the better duelist is!"
Kaiba snorted. "Don't get your hopes up. As long as I've known him, Yugi Mutou has never lost a battle to anyone and has surrendered only once."
"Yeah, yeah. Whatever, Blue-Eyes." Sotachii waved his hand, dismissing the blue-eyed duelist's words. "Let's go, short-stuff. You've got a duel to lose!" He tapped on Yugi's head. "And no tricks! I made a challenge to the real you! Not that dark-voiced freak that claims to be your alter- ego."
***
Yugi positioned himself at the console and stared across the arena. "Okay, Sotachii," he said. "Whenever you're."
"YAII!" Above in the balcony, Krokei shouted out in surprise as Kiichana jumped into his lap. "Miss Kiichana, what are you doing?"
"I just wanted to say how much I admire you, sir."
The older man cleared his throat. "Wait until after the duel to continue your praising please. You can, however, stay on this side of the balcony."
Kiichana beamed. "Thank you!"
"Now that that is over with." He lifted his arm into the air. "The duel between Linkin Sotachii and Yugi Mutou is about to."
"Okay, Serenity! We get the picture!" Joey and Tristan stumbled out onto the balcony, closely followed by Serenity. "Can we watch the duel now?"
"Sorry." She blushed slightly as she leaned against the rail. "Okay, we're here!"
Sotachii growled. "Good. Let's get this duel over with!"
Satisfied that no more interruptions would occur, Yugi drew five cards from his deck, but did not look at them. "You have the honors, Sotachii."
"How lucky I am." He slapped a card down. "First, I'll play Dark Magician in attack mode!" His lips curled up in a devious smirk. "Let's see you beat that, Your Majesty!"
Calmly Yugi drew a new card and looked down at his hand. His eyes grew wide. "Uh."
"What?" From across the arena, Sotachii laughed. "Did you just now realize you can't use a Dark Magician to defeat a Dark Magician?"
"No, not really." He placed down five of the cards. "I play.Exodia."
"EXODIA?" Everyone in the arena, save Serenity and Kiichana, went pale.
"Impossible!" Sotachii stared at the monstrous hologram, mouth agape. "Kiichana said you told her about how you lost it!"
Recovering from the initial shock, Krokei rose to his feet. "The.winner, of this duel.is Yugi Mutou."
Sotachii continually shook his head. "No.No!" He slammed his hands onto his console. "You cheated somehow! There is no way in the Shadow Realm you could've bought enough packs to find Exodia! No way at all!"
From the balcony, Kiichana laughed. "You are a sore loser, bro!"
***
"It worked!" Kiichana ran out of the arena area and down the hall to where Yugi was exiting the arena, staring down at his cards. "Congratulations and thank you, Yugi!"
"Thank you, and what are you talking about?"
"My brother has been overconfident for the longest time. I wanted someone to beat him and finally get him to shut up." She threw her arms around his neck, almost hanging off him despite they were the same height.
"You're.welcome." He placed his cards in his pocket, but handed her the five Exodia cards. "Here are your cards back."
She blanched. "But.how did you know? Joey and Mr. Honda didn't tell you, did they?"
"Joey and Tristan knew about this?"
Realizing that she had exposed two of her adversaries, she slumped down against the wall. "I know it's only been a few days since he's gotten those cards, but he's no longer the smart-alek brother I used to know. He became overconfident after his first three battles. I wanted him to know that he could still be beaten."
"By having someone else fight your battles?"
"I wanted to buy enough cards to start my own deck, but I only had enough for five packs. It came as a surprise to me that each pack had a different piece of Exodia in it."
Yugi knelt down and grabbed her shoulders. "Who else did you involve in this, Kiichana?" When she looked away, he growled. "Kiichana! Who else was involved?"
"Serenity and Mokuba." She kept her eyes from making contact with his. "Mostly because they didn't like the way Linkin treated their brothers." A tear rolled down her cheek. "I'm surprised they're still willing to be friends with me."
"It's your brother they fear, Kiichana. Not you." He sat down beside her. "Take those five cards and make your own Exodia deck. I'll teach you how to play, too, when you get your deck together."
The sadness left Kiichana's face. "Thank you, Yugi." She smiled at the spiky-haired duelist. "I look forward to the lessons when the time is right."
***
Sotachii fell to his knees. "I lost. I actually lost a duel." He closed his eyes. "He defeated me in one turn!"
Quit whining! hissed a voice in his mind. His eyes snapped open and he swiftly looked around. Everyone had left the arena except him.
"Who's there?"
You will not find me anywhere around you, mortal. I am the dark thoughts and fears from deep within your mind.
"Who are you?"
My name does not matter. What does matter is that you retrieve that Millennium Puzzle from the kid! Steal the king's crown!
The room seemed to spin around him. Within his head, the nameless voice laughed frighteningly.
Come on, Linkin! On your feet! We have work to do!
"But, how.?"
That item Pegasus gave you is a special tool. It warps the mind of the person wearing it, but that is not all. It has a dark energy spell on it that can shred even the strongest soul. Use the spell to destroy Little Yugi's soul, and take the Puzzle as your own!
"Go away! I never asked for you to be here!"
But I've been with you since your birth, but I've been hidden deep within the recesses of your mind. Another evil laugh echoed in his mind. After seventeen years, I am finally free!