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Fanfic Chapter 24: Duel of Tears
Episode Basis: Shining Friendship
Previously on Yu-Gi-Oh! It looked like Yugi had this match clenched. His multiplying Kuriboh proved more than a match for the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon's Neutron Blast, his Mammoth Graveyard forced fusion was draining attack points away and his Celtic Guardian was ready to deliver the death blow. Suddenly Kaiba got onto the edge of the tower and announced that if Yugi delivered the final attack, he would take a step back and fall off the tower, possibly to his death. But if Yugi didn't deliver the final blow, then Kaiba would use his resurrected Blue-Eyes White Dragon to finish off Yugi's Celtic Guardian. Yugi was literally arguing with himself and for a moment, it looked like he was willing to risk Kaiba's life to save his Grandpa. But as Tea rushed onto the field to stop him, the original Yugi wrestled control and halted the attack giving Kaiba the opportunity he needed to finish off the Celtic Guardian. You'd think that Kaiba would've just picked up his star chips and left, but instead he put down Yugi's decision. Tea gave him a verbal slap all but calling him inhuman but it didn't seem to affect Kaiba, who took his star chips and entered the castle. Now how's Yugi going to enter the palace?
"Yugi?"
"Yugi, please say something!"
"Come on; at least tell us you haven't zonked out on us." Yugi was on his hands and knees in front of the castle, the same frightened look on his face as it was when his duel with Kaiba ended.
"Why won't he answer us?" Tea asked.
"Well he did just lose his only chance to save his Grandfather," Bakura pointed out.
"Actually, Bakura, I think it's more than that," Harold said looking at Yugi's deck in his hands.
"I'm afraid of this spirit inside me," Yugi admitted. "So afraid that… I will never duel again!" The others gasped.
"Yugi, be reasonable," Harold argued. "I know you can fight this, we'll help."
"No, I'll never duel again!" As if to emphasize his point, Yugi took out his deck and slammed it on the ground.
Yugi cherishes his deck because it was made by his Grandfather. To throw away such a treasure like that would be insane. Yugi, have you really closed off your heart that much?
"Yugi, let us help you," Tea muttered softly.
If Yugi could hear her, he didn't acknowledge it. He was deep within his own thoughts. What's happening to me? Yugi wondered thinking back to a few minutes ago. One minute I'm fighting against Kaiba and then…
"Yugi, don't do this!"
I hear Tea cry out and the next thing I know, I'm fighting against myself.
"I must!"
"I can't!"
"We must!"
"No, it's not right! There must be another way!"
"There isn't."
I can't win against Pegasus without it, but I also can't let it do what it wants to win the duel. It doesn't matter now, I don't have the star chips I need to enter the castle and therefore, my Grandpa's will remain a prisoner of Pegasus forever!
"We have to do something, Joey," Tea said, nearly breaking down herself.
"Yeah," Joey said solemnly. "Okay, I'm going in, cover me." Slowly, Joey walked up until he was standing next to Yugi, staring at the door. He turned towards his young friend and offered him a reassuring smile. "Cheer up, bud, it's just a couple of star chips." He held out his dueling glove. "Here, use mine, I owe you a lot for getting me this far, plus the original star chip was yours to begin with so you deserve these just as much as I do, if not more so."
Tea, Harold, Bakura, and Tristan gasped. "But Joey," Bakura protested. "What about…"
"My sister? Sure, she needs my help, but Yugi's gramps is in more danger. And I owe him a lot too; he taught me the heart of the cards and the soul of a Duelist. This is the least I can do. Besides, Serenity's understanding, she would agree with me. Come on, Yug, take them."
"Maybe we can go find some more of Pegasus' Eliminators, I mean we've already proven that we can handle two (well, three, I guess) of them."
Yugi's lone thought: I can never duel again.
Why does my backpack feel like it has 80 pound dumbbells in it? Harold couldn't help but wonder as he dropped it on the ground.
Joey was rapidly losing his patience with Yugi. He pulled Yugi by the collar and held him up, shaking him as he blasted Yugi verbally with, "Listen, man, you're really beginning to tick me off!"
"Joey, stop that, what are you trying to do, knock his head off?" Harold asked as he and Tristan tried to separate the two.
"Man, if this is how you treat your friends, I can't wait to see how you treat your enemies." Tea turned around and saw Mai standing at the top of the stairs. "What's up, if you have enough star chips, why don't you enter?" She gave them a sly smile. "Or were you guys waiting for little old me?"
"I wish it was simply that, Mai, but it isn't," Joey said. Mai was mentally taken aback. Of all the people to suddenly go morbid, Joey Wheeler was the last person she expected. "It's Yugi, he lost his star chips to Kaiba and now it's like he lost the will to duel."
"So the little guy finally lost one, huh? Good thing I came along, then."
Kaiba stood inside the castle's antechamber. All right, Pegasus, I played your game and won, and now I'm coming for you! He walked towards the interior of the castle.
"Ah, Kaiba-boy," Pegasus said raising his wine glass. "Shall we toast him, Croquet?" As usual, his second-in-command was confused. "A toast to Kaiba, and his stunning upset over Little-Yugi! Of course, if he thinks he can just waltz in here and rescue his brother, then he over-estimates his chances and under-estimates my abilities. But he'll see; he'll see soon enough." Pegasus chuckled.
Outside, the gang informed Mai on the details of Yugi's duel with Kaiba.
"Okay, listen up," Mai said with the harshness of a drill sergeant. "Especially you, Yugi, you got beat, well toughen up, it's not the end of the world!"
No, but it's the end of his Grandfather, Harold thought.
"When I got beat by Panik, I thought it was all over for me too, but then Yugi stepped in and showed me what the soul of the true Duelist is, someone who doesn't quit. Yugi saved my star chips, so… I'm returning the favor." Mai held out five star chips. "I know I said in my note that I owed you eight, but since you only need five…"
"Mai, you're willing to give up your star chips for Yugi?" Harold asked.
"I'm nice, not stupid," Mai said showing her own dueling glove which already had ten star chips. Casting a side-glance at Harold, she said, "And I didn't even use the whole psychic shtick as Joey would say."
"No wonder she's being so generous," Tristan said.
"Well I suppose there's nothing wrong with giving star chips," Harold said. He nudged Yugi forward. "Go on, Yugi, take them." Yugi was silent. "Uh… Yugi, did you hear me?"
"Hey, Yugi!" Mai snapped. "Earth to Yugi Moto, star chips at twelve o'clock; move to intercept!" Mai said sarcastically. Yugi didn't respond. Mai looked like she was ready to slug Yugi but instead withdrew her hand. "Fine, if you don't want them, then I'll keep them and you can just wallow in your self-pity!"
"Now wait a minute!" Joey protested.
"You don't understand," Tea argued.
Harold stepped forward. "Yugi's problems go far beyond missing star chips, Mai."
"How so?"
"Yugi's afraid that he's losing himself every time he duels. Something in the Millennium Puzzle he wears around his neck made him go bonkers and try to do anything to win the duel, even sacrifice Kaiba. As irritating as Kaiba is, not even he deserves that sort of fate. It's not that Yugi doesn't want your star chips, Mai, I'm sure he would say so if that was the case, but he's just… afraid, afraid to duel."
"So he's afraid, huh? Well join the club, I was terrified in my duel with Panik, but I did it anyway. He should just suck it up and move on!"
"If that's an American's idea of giving advice, I hate to see how they insult one another," Harold whispered to Bakura who nodded.
"If Yugi wants to conquer his fear, then there's only one thing to do: face it. He's afraid to duel; then if he wants that glove filled up again, he'll have to duel for them!" She looked down at Yugi. "Well, chicken-boy, what'll it be?" Yugi was still silent. "Fine, be a stuck-up for all I care, maybe…"
"I'll duel you!" That came from, of all people, Tea! "I'll duel you right here, right now, for Yugi!"
"Tea, have you flipped your lid?" Harold asked. "Come on, Joey's got more professional dueling experience than you and he was barely able to defeat Mai!"
"Gee, thanks for the compliment," Joey said sarcastically.
"I'm dead serious about this. Yugi needs those star chips, and I'm willing to do whatever it takes to get them for him, even duel you, Mai!"
Whatever it takes? Harold repeated in his mind. What's with Tea today? First she runs out onto the dueling field to stop Yugi from delivering the deathblow, and now she's willing to duel someone with three times the experience for star chips that she's probably going to just hand over in the end anyway? Can she really care about Yugi that much?
"I'll ask you one more time, are you willing to duel me?" Mai asked firmly. Tea gulped, but nodded.
The group descended the stairs and once back on the ground, Harold summoned a dueling ring. Tea reached into her vest pocket and took out her own dueling deck.
"This won't be pretty," Harold said. "Even without her psychic power routine, Mai's still a champion-level Duelist with dozens of matches under her belt. Tea hasn't dueled professionally at all. It'll be a massacre."
"I know, but perhaps when this is all over, it'll benefit everybody," Bakura said, his arms holding Yugi's shoulders.
"This match puts Tea Gardner versus Mai Valentine with five star chips on the line," Harold announced. He turned to Tea. "Tea, if you feel you can't continue with the duel, just tell me and I'll stop the match."
"I'm going through with this," she said firmly.
"Duelists, begin!"
"Let's duel!"
(T: 2000)
(M: 2000)
"Get ready, Mai," Tea warned. "I play the Petit Angel (1) in attack mode!" A little pink ball with feet, wings, and a halo appeared.
"What the…" Joey gasped.
"Come on, Tea, that's not funny!" Tristan snapped.
Mai, on the other hand, did find some amusement in Tea's initial move. "I play Harpie Lady in attack mode!"
"No surprise there," Joey critiqued.
"I also lay one card face-down. Attack!" The attack came so suddenly that Tea didn't even have time to blink as her monster was sliced to ribbons by Harpie Lady.
(T: 1300)
(M: 2000)
"You know, Tea, if you're trembling in fear from just the opening move, maybe you should quit now," Mai suggested.
Tea quickly fought down the wave of tears. "No way, I'm in it to win it! Go, Fairy's Gift (2)!"
Mai all but rolled her eyes. "Another one of these cutesy cards, what are we having, a duel or a pageant?"
Tea just grunted and looked at her hand. She spied a trap card underneath her Magician of Faith. Waboku? I almost forgot I had this card. It could come in handy later on. She laid it face-down.
"Okay, it's a rocky start, but I think Tea's back on track."
"I hope you're right, Joey, because everything is riding on this duel."
"Go, Fairy's Gift, attack with Enchanted Dust!" Little particles of light covered Harpie Lady. But for some reason it wasn't being destroyed. What's going on? My Fairy's Gift should be able to take down that Harpie? So why isn't it working? Unless… Tea gasped as the Harpie Lady repelled Fairy's Gift's attack.
"Sorry, honey, but I activated my magic card," Mai said as she held up her face-down card. "The Rose Whip, an equipment magic card that increases my Harpie Lady's attack strength by 300 points."
(HL: 1300- 1600)
"Now my Harpie can overcome your pixie's moony attack and destroy it in one crack. Harpie Lady… whiplash attack!" Harpie Lady swung her whip and blasted Fairy's Gift back. The monster cried out as it was destroyed.
(T: 1100)
(M: 2000)
"If you have any idea what you're really up against, Tea, you'd call it quits and go back to cheerleading which is apparently the only thing you're good at."
"No, I'm not going to let Yugi down."
"Oh please, if this is going to mark the beginning of another of your long-winded friendship speeches, save it, because I heard it already. That thing you called friendship might be fitting for everyday scenarios, but on the dueling field, a Duelist can only rely on himself or herself."
"N… not…"
"'Not true?' Perhaps this duel will prove whether or not it is." Mai looked at her hand. On top was a magic card called Harpie's Feather Duster, a magic card that can destroy all the magic cards on the opponent's side of the field. "My turn, Tea-chan," Mai said making the 'chan' suffix sarcastic. "And I'm playing this face-down."
I hate it when she does that, Tea thought as she drew her card. It was Shining Friendship (3), a fairy monster that looked similar to Petit Angel except for the color which was lime green. Shining Friendship, hey, it's just like all of us. She recalled the friendship sign she drew on all of their hands the day of Yugi's first duel with Kaiba. I wish this card was as strong as our real bond. It would have Joey's courage, Harold's wisdom, Tristan's spirit, Bakura's optimism... She looked down at Yugi. And Yugi's heart. Tea recalled something Yugi said to her last night.
"It's like my Grandpa always says, it's not about the playing cards, it's about putting a little bit of your heart into anything that you care about."
"Yugi," she said quietly. "Where is your heart, is it locked up as tight as Pegasus' castle, or is it with your friends?"
Slowly, Yugi raised his eyes to meet Tea's. The two sets of eyes locked, both mirror reflections of each other, displaying the same emotion: uncertainty. Yugi, even if your heart isn't with us, my heart… will always be with you. And when hearts join together, anything is possible! She turned to Mai with fire in her eyes. "I summon Shining Friendship in attack mode!"
"You kept me waiting for that little butterball?" Mai asked. "Fine, then, Harpie Lady, attack it and wipe out her life points once and for all!"
"I don't think so," Tea said harshly. "Activate trap card: Waboku!"
"Waboku?"
"Waboku is a trap card that reduces all damage to 0, so Shining Friendship remains on the field," Harold announced.
"I think I taught her that," Joey said.
"If by teaching, you mean getting schooled every time she beats you with it."
"Watch it!"
"Maybe you're right, Mai, maybe I am scared. Dueling someone who's entirely out of my league for such high stakes overwhelming. But look at this monster. Your Harpie Lady won't stand a chance against it, and do you know why?"
"Enlighten me," Mai said sarcastically.
"Because, it has six times the strength of Harpie Lady!"
"What? That's impossible! What could possibly increase a monster's attack strength that much?"
"The hearts, Mai, it's the hearts of me and my friends are in this card. And this force is something no magic card can duplicate! Six hearts, bonded through friendship, shining through even the darkest times! And that's what helps me face the fear."
"Tea honors her friends more than she honors herself," Harold critiqued. "Sometimes, facing your fear is the best way to conquer it."
"Is any of this getting through to you, Yugi?" Joey asked.
"A pretty speech," Mai said scratching some gunk out of her ear. "It was so sweet that it made me want to throw up."
"Can it! You know, I've had it with your insults!" She took out her Magician of Faith. "I'm laying this in defense mode, but that's not all!" She took out a magic card. "I'm also using the Silver Bow and Arrow card to raise my creature's strength by 300 points!"
(SF: 1300-1600, 1100-1400)
"Fine with me," Mai said. "It's not like I don't have magic cards too! I activate Cyber Shield! Tell me what you think of this makeover." Harpie Lady was donned in a suit of gold armor. "Now Harpie Lady will be 500 attack points stronger!"
(HL: 1600-2100)
"But I'm not stopping there. I also play the De-Spell card. Sorry, Cupid, but you've been de-accessorized. The Silver Bow and Arrow disappeared.
(SF: 1600-1300)
"Hang on, Tea, this could be rough," Joey warned.
"Harpie Lady, attack her face-down card!" Tea's Magician of Faith was destroyed. "Well?"
"Huh?"
"Don't you know the rules? Since I destroyed your Magician of Faith by flipping it over, you're allowed to take back one magic card that you used." Since Tea had only used one magic card: Silver Bow and Arrow, she returned it to her hand. "Geez, how do you expect to beat me when you don't even know the basic rules of effect monsters? Look, dear, I'm sure everyone's impressed that you even managed this long, but all you're doing is delaying the inevitable." The tone in Mai's voice sounded like she wasn't exactly talking about Tea's defeat.
"I won't give up!"
"Come on, what you're doing is pointless, Yugi's already given up on himself." That comment alone was like touching a live wire for Yugi's mind. Mai continued, "You're not going to be able to fight for him, he has to learn to fight for himself. He has to stand up against anyone who tries to get in his way. And whatever's going on in his head, Tea, Yugi has to deal with it on his own."
Maybe Mai's right, Yugi realized. Maybe I have to fight harder, maybe I gave up too easily. But what do you do when what you're battling against is some sort of ancient spirit that can take control of you, something that's living inside of you. What do you do then?
"Face it, Tea, Yugi has checked out, he's given up, he doesn't care about this match and he doesn't care about you! Nothing's worth the humiliation you're going through."
"You're wrong! My friends are worth it, always! I don't care how much experience you have playing Duel Monsters, I don't care what the odds are or whether or not they're stacked against me! I won't give up, not on this match and not on Yugi either. I can't… I won't… I'll never give up!" A tear escaped her eyes and she started quietly sobbing.
The others just stood there speechless. Even Harold found that he couldn't ask her if she wanted to give up.
"Tea…" Yugi muttered.
"Maybe you're right, maybe Yugi does need to learn to fight for himself, but I'm not giving up on him! These aren't tears of sorrow, they're tears of strength! So you better get your star chips ready, because I'm going to beat you! And there's not a thing you can say or do that can stop me!"
"As much as I hate to admit it, you have a lot of spunk," Mai commented. "Give me your best shot!"
Tea drew a card, it was another equipment magic card called Elf's Light. This Elf's Light magic card could really boost my Shining Friendship's attack power. She looked at her hand. And I also have a De-Spell card. I can use that to get rid of Mai's Cyber Shield. Plus, since I recovered my Silver Bow and Arrow from the graveyard, I can add its 300 point boost to the 400 point boost that I get from the Elf's Light card. Then, my Shining Friendship's attack power will be 2000! I just hope that'll be enough.
The others watched with baited breath.
"First, I use this Silver Bow and Arrow that I brought back from the graveyard!" The weapon re-appeared in Shining Friendship's stubby little hands.
(SF: 1300-1600)
"Next, I'll use Elf's Light to power it up more!" The little ball of a monster was transformed into a green-haired (naked) pixie.
(SF: 1600-2000)
"That's still not enough. Harpie, attack!"
"Yes it is," Tea said firmly catching Mai off-guard. "Unless the magic of De-Spell not apply to you, Mai?" The armor disappeared leaving Harpie Lady in its original leotard.
(HL: 2100-1600)
"Attack, Shining Friendship, with Silver Lightning Arrow!" The pixie launched an arrow straight at Harpie Lady.
Mai fingered the face-down Harpie's Feather Duster then she took it off the table, a movement that wasn't lost on Yugi's eyes.
Harpie Lady was destroyed.
(T: 1100)
(M: 1600)
"I surrender, Tea," Mai announced. "I don't have the cards to win."
"Huh?" Was the group response.
"Giving up just like that?" Tea asked.
"Don't rub it in, Tea, Harpie Lady was my best card and seeing as how you beat her, there's really no point in me going on."
"Uh… the winner by forfeit is Tea Gardner!" Harold announced, visibly relieved. But deep down, he had a feeling that the star chips would exchange possessors no matter the outcome.
The others went up to congratulate Tea while Yugi went over to Mai. "Mai… about your face-down card…"
"Oh, this thing?" She asked showing it to Yugi but keeping it invisible to the others. "It's just a throwaway, even without all the power boosting; Tea's friendship would be able to counter it so there really was no point in playing it. A good Duelist knows what to play and what not to play."
"Man, Mai, you're one confusing person," Harold said scratching his head.
"That's just the kind of gal I am."
"Yugi…" Tea held out the star chips. "Here… I won these for you."
"I know," Yugi said with a smile. "Thank you so much. I'll never forget what you did for me, Tea, you did more than just win me star chips, you taught me something."
"I did?"
"Yeah," Yugi said fitting the star chips onto his glove. "You taught me to face my fears. I may not like what the consequences might be, but I'll face it with all the strength I got and then some."
"She taught ya' something else," Joey pointed out. "That when you're down, we can help ya' get back up." Yugi nodded.
"Yugi, here," Harold said handing Yugi his deck. "I don't think your Grandpa would be very happy if you just left it lying on the ground."
"Thanks, Harold," Yugi said, laying his hand on top of it before pocketing it.
"So, are we going to stand around patting ourselves on the back all day or are we going to go up those stairs and into that castle?" Mai asked.
Yugi nodded firmly. The group plus Mai turned to face the castle. Look out, Pegasus, I'm coming in and I'm not afraid any more.
Monster Glossary
(1)
Name: Petit Angel
Level: 3
Type: Fairy
Attribute: Light
ATK: 600
DEF: 900
(2)
Name: Fairy's Gift
Level: 4
Type: Fairy
Attribute: Light
ATK: 1400
DEF: 1000
(3)
Name: Shining Friendship
Level: 4
Type: Fairy
Attribute: Light
ATK: 1300
DEF: 1100
