Chapter 22: Underdog
Joey couldn't remember a time he'd been happier. He'd spent most of the night in the employee lounge, burning through opponents, handing out tips after each victory like he was Yuugi or something—"You need more support cards to balance your monsters, pal; don't just count on attack strength to win"—things Yuugi had taught him months before that were now ingrained in his duelist soul. He'd gone through Serenity's new deck and stood at her back while she faced her first opponent. He'd shown her how to summon monsters, how to set traps, and he'd laughed along with her when someone in the audience said, "Look at that fierce glow she's got! We'll have another tournament winner soon."
After some begging from the audience, he and Ryou had even joined up for a tag match. Joey had only ever played tag matches with Yuugi (or maybe it had been the pharaoh), but nevertheless, he'd done his best to shake off the shivers at Ryou's occult cards and work to support the albino. And he didn't completely understand it, but after their team won the game, Ryou had thanked him quietly and said, "I needed that, mate." Joey didn't have to understand it to appreciate it, so he just slapped his friend on the shoulder and said, "Anytime, pal."
And throughout all the games, all the distractions, Joey had stolen glances at the mint-eyed girl hanging back from the crowd, and each time, she'd given him a gentle smile that melted his heart. Even as staff members began to peel away and head for the bunks, she stayed.
Tristan had wandered in somewhere in the middle of all the duels, but he'd been the first to wimp out and head to bed. ("My blood sugar's already gonna kill me tomorrow as is," he said. Joey had gotten used to watching the guy stab himself with needles a few times a day, but he never envied it.) When Serenity finally said she couldn't keep her eyes open any longer, Krisalyn volunteered to find her a bed.
"I'll take good care of her," she promised Joey.
"I'm trustin' you," he said back.
That was it, but even a two-sentence conversation was enough to make him feel like the floor had suddenly lifted and every step was a bit harder to find.
He and Ryou finally made their way back to the finalist's rooms around 5:30 AM, and Joey collapsed into a heavy, dreamless sleep that was interrupted by someone very rudely pounding on his door. When he stumbled out of bed, still clutching his pillow, it was his sister he found in the hall.
"Morning, Joey!" she said, a hundred times too chipper. "Breakfast time!"
He dropped his pillow on her head, and she giggled.
"'Time's it?" He covered a yawn.
"8:00. They just announced breakfast in the lounge, and we're supposed to be landing any minute. Come look!"
She grabbed his arm, dragging him from his room until they reached one of the big viewing windows on the side of the blimp. The ocean water sparkled blue and white in the morning sun, and ahead of them, their island destination awaited.
"That lousy Kaiba!" Joey pressed his face to the glass, squinting for a better view. "Filthy rich and he couldn't spring for a real beach?!"
The island was hardly glamorous. It was covered in wreckage like someone had dropped a bomb on it. The only intact part seemed to be an enormous tower, rising from the ground like a steel skyscraper. Not a single palm tree in sight.
"I think it's awesome!" Serenity's eyes sparkled like the water. "It's like a post-apocalyptic playing field where you'll battle to be not only the world's greatest, but its sole survivor. I hope there are robots."
Joey mussed her hair. "The lack of sleep's gotten to your brain, sis."
They headed to the lounge. Mai was already there, filling a plate from the giant breakfast spread. No one else had arrived yet.
"I see the strategy here." Joey smirked. "You were gonna clear out the food before the rest of us could show up. Then we'd all be hungry and weak through the finals, leavin' you the winner."
Mai sighed dramatically. "Ah, my evil plan has met its end. Now I reluctantly must share my spoils."
As Joey filled two bowls of rice porridge and Serenity moved for the omelets, Mai glanced at the door.
"You have not seen Anzu?" she asked.
Joey shook his head, since he'd stuck a piece of toast in his mouth.
"She was not there when I returned to Odion's room."
He shrugged. After he made it to a table and set his food down, he said, "I'm sure she's with Yuug'."
Mai seemed to accept that. She and Serenity joined him at the table, and after a "So which is your favorite sea creature?" from Mai, Serenity went off on a bunch of marine biology stuff that made Joey's head spin.
"Hey," he protested at one point, "when did you get so much smarter than me?"
She gave a cheeky smirk. "Birth."
He pushed her chair with his foot, almost tipping her off it, but she only laughed.
"Ask of her athletic pursuits, mon cher. She will surprise you even more."
"Do I dare?" Joey grinned. "A'ight, lay it on me."
And his little sister told him she was practically a pro tennis player.
"Not pro!" She blushed. "Honestly, my vision got bad enough, Coach wouldn't let me on the court anymore. Now when I get back, I have to make up a whole season's lost ground."
"You'll do it in a day," Joey said.
Her blush darkened, and she lifted her plate to hide her face. Mai and Joey snickered.
"Time for seconds!" he announced, gathering up his empty plate and bowls. But just as he stood, a face in the doorway caught his eye.
And suddenly, he couldn't care less about food.
"Be right back," he amended, dumping everything in his arms into the trash.
He slipped into the hallway and came face-to-face with Krisalyn. Before he could even say hi, she was blushing, and she held a hand out, fist closed. She had her laptop tucked under her other arm.
"What's this?" Joey stuck his hand out, heart thumping.
She dropped a little toy in his hand, except when he held it up to his eyes, he realized it wasn't a toy at all. It was a tiny glass piglet. It was a bit cartoony in feature—closed eyes, wide smile, floppy ears—but the detail in the glass was incredible, all the way down to the little curly-fry tail.
"I . . ." Joey didn't know what to say, but when he looked up, Kris was smiling.
"At home, we call it glücksschwein," she said. "A good luck pig. I bring him to all my competitions, and my luck has been steady so far. Hopefully he'll bring the same to you."
It was Joey's turn to blush. "You heard that thing with the barkeep yesterday."
Immediately, he realized he'd put his foot in his mouth again—she couldn't overhear a conversation like he could. He just wasn't used to being around someone who . . .
But she gave a modest shrug and moved on like he'd never said anything stupid. "I saw enough."
"I can't! I mean, you don't gotta—" He tried to hand the pig back, but she wouldn't take it.
"You were an amateur in Duelist Kingdom," she said, "against professionals. But you were brave nonetheless, and you worked hard nonetheless. You're doing the same here. When we're at a disadvantage but still trying our hardest, it's acceptable to wish for a little luck."
Joey shook his head helplessly. He closed his fingers over the glass luck charm, careful not to squeeze hard.
"You're incredible, you know?" There was still color in his face, but he didn't mind. "And way too nice to me."
"No such thing." She smiled, as stunning as ever. She didn't have the twisted braid-bun today; instead, her hair was gathered in a braid that looped her head. Joey didn't care so much about hairstyles, but it said something about her that she somehow found time in the middle of the hectic tournament for the things she cared about. Styling her hair. Doing her makeup.
Visiting him.
Suddenly, Krisalyn nodded down the hall. "I have to get back."
"Already?" Joey's heart dropped. "Come on, you gotta tell me how you know so much about me."
"I . . ." Her hesitation was clear, so Joey pressed on.
"You gotta give me somethin'. Pegasus didn't wave info around like Kaiba, so we at least gotta talk about Duelist Kingdom. You said you compete. Were you there?"
She glanced over her shoulder. Checked her silver watch.
"I'll walk you to the staff room!" he burst out, repeating it after she frowned a little, in case she'd missed it.
"I'm not headed to the staff room." Her smile returned. "But if it's not a bother, the company would be nice."
If it's not a bother. Like he was doing her some favor when really she was bending backwards just to be seen with a goon like him. He felt like maybe he should offer her his arm or something, so he swung it vaguely—then chickened out and turned it into some kind of stupid let's-get-going gesture.
She laughed. He didn't blame her. She tilted a palm in her own gesture, a much more graceful "after you" type, and though part of him wanted to bolt for the hills, he started walking next to her.
Tristan felt as rested as if he'd slept on a bed of rocks. It was his own fault for staying up so late, but his mood didn't benefit from knowing the source of his suffering. After all the male staff had already left, he finally dragged himself from his borrowed bunk, changed into his previous day's clothes, and stumbled his way to the lounge.
Mai greeted him as he entered; she and Serenity were the only two in the room besides the bartender.
Even though he would have loved to look at the Western-style breakfast options, Tristan grabbed a bowl of rice porridge because it was the first thing he saw and he was too tired to be picky. He dropped into the empty seat beside Mai.
"Joey?" he asked.
"He said he'd be right back. That was, like, ten minutes ago." Serenity glanced at the empty seat beside her that still had a half-full glass of water. Then she leaned forward with a conspiratorial smile. "I think he's talking to Kris. The really pretty maid."
"Good for him." Tristan meant it, but it came out almost deadpan.
Ryou entered the lounge, covering a yawn. He had his glasses on, so he must have been too tired for contacts. Tristan was afraid to ask how late he and Joey had stayed up in the end. Joey and Yuugi were the biggest night-owls of their group, but Ryou pulled his fair share of all-nighters if he got sucked into a game. At least Anzu was on Tristan's side—she hated staying up late even if she didn't have dance practice the next morning (which she usually did).
"This seat taken?" Ryou asked, gesturing at Joey's empty chair after he'd gathered a plate of food.
Serenity let out a dramatic sigh. "It has been abandoned in favor of a pretty face. I don't know if it will ever recover from the defeat."
Although Serenity was miles more mature than her brother, every once in a while, the resemblance was almost uncanny. Tristan smiled along with Ryou while the albino took his seat.
But his smile died when Serenity announced she was going to take breakfast to her boyfriend.
Mai's eyebrows rose. "Oh, it's official, ma chère?"
Serenity blushed, an adorable expression completely wasted on Duke Devlin.
"Does Joey know?" Tristan asked before he could stop himself.
"We talked," she said.
"I recall Joey once threatened shotgun consequences for any boy who approached you before your eighteenth birthday." Ryou gave a cheeky grin. "So you must have rolled critical persuasion."
"He's talked to you guys about me dating?" Serenity's blush darkened several shades, and she groaned.
Ryou laughed, but it was a gentle, almost pained sound. "Don't be too hard on him, mate. Big brothers always look out for their sisters."
Damn, sometimes Tristan completely forgot Ryou's family background.
"Since Joey's not here," he said quickly, "here's my concerned face on his behalf."
He tried to imitate Joey's suspicious scowl, earning a laugh from Serenity that pinched his heart.
"No touchin' allowed," he said, trying and failing to mimic Joey's accent as well. "Four feet away at all times. Back here in ten minutes or Dice-boy's a dead man."
"Best tell her some kind of fierce background story that supports your ability to carry out threats," Ryou added.
"Actually, I'm useless in a fight without my buddy Tristan. But he'd be happy to put Devlin in the hospital if he steps one toe out of line."
Serenity clapped politely. "A-plus impersonation. Joey would be so proud. Or he might fight you for that last part."
"Oh, he'd definitely fight me. But he'd lose because it's true."
She laughed again. It was like freaking music, and a dark part of Tristan's soul was glad she didn't live with Joey so he wouldn't have to keep being tortured by it after the tournament. Then again, if she'd lived with Joey, he would have had plenty of chances to get to know her without Duke in the picture.
"I'm glad Joey has such good friends," Serenity said.
That was Tristan in a nutshell: good friend. He should have been happy with the praise. Instead, he felt like an extra on a stage of more important people.
Serenity filled a plate and headed off, but just as she was leaving, the pharaoh rounded the corner and almost ran into her. After an awkward moment, she apologized, then continued on her way, and the pharaoh took her empty seat without even glancing at the food table.
"Dude, you look awful." Tristan had thought he'd had a rough night. "Did you get any sleep at all?"
"I require none to function," the pharaoh said. "A perk of being deceased."
Mai gave him the weirdest look for that, and Tristan felt a pang of sympathy.
"There's more than enough food," he suggested, trying to change the topic for her sake.
The effort turned out to be meaningless, since the response was, "Another unrequired luxury."
So at the next weird look from Mai, Tristan shook his head and said, "Don't ask. Really."
"Yori's the same?" Ryou asked quietly.
The pharaoh's expression darkened. "Until I beat Marik."
"You'll get him," Tristan said.
"When does the first match begin?"
"I haven't heard any details," Ryou said. "I imagine we'll find out after we land."
Just as he said it, the floor vibrated slightly, and Tristan's stomach lifted. He'd been feeling the minor changes since just before breakfast, so they must have been lowering in altitude for a while.
"I guess it's any minute now." Tristan said. "I'm curious to hear how the finals will work with five people. Not exactly even for matchups."
The pharaoh gave a distracted nod. Mai excused herself from the table, saying she wanted to check on Odion once more before landing. Ryou finished his food and then excused himself as well. Tristan needed an insulin shot, which meant getting his backpack from the staff room, but he sat there for another minute, trying to decide if there was something he could do.
"Have you got a plan to beat Marik's god card?"
The pharaoh gave another distracted nod. Even if he'd said no, what could Tristan have done? He was familiar with the game, but he wasn't a duelist himself. He'd be no use for strategies. Better for the pharaoh to talk to Joey. Or Yuugi, however that worked.
"You'll get him," he said again, feeling useless.
When he left the table, he wasn't sure the pharaoh even noticed. But that was the thing about being an extra; except for a rare moment here and there, Tristan was unnecessary. He hadn't really felt it during Duelist Kingdom, but he certainly did during Battle City. Normally, he and Anzu stuck together as the non-duelists of the group, but even she had disappeared.
For a moment, Tristan wondered if his friends would even notice if he skipped the finals. Then he rolled his eyes and told himself to man up. The tournament wasn't about him; it never had been.
So he went to find his backpack and listened for the overhead announcement that would tell him what was next in store for his best friends.
Krisalyn von Schroeder had been sent to Battle City with one purpose. Meeting Joey Wheeler along the way had just been a happy accident.
He said something as he walked beside her. She smiled and kept her eyes straight ahead, tapping the ear closest to him. At home, she never let people stand at her profile, not only because she couldn't read lips in her peripheral vision but also because she didn't like people to see her hearing aids. She knew they stared. Especially her mother. Always with that same disappointed look.
But infiltrating KaibaCorp, she was unsupervised—which meant she didn't have to wear the confounded things at all, and there was nothing her mother could do about it, no lecture she could give on all the noble sacrifices made for Krisalyn to have the "tools to combat her disability."
So there was nothing in her ear, nothing behind it, and she wasn't afraid to let Joey stand beside her, to stare directly at her and see nothing that wasn't her. Even if it meant more guesswork in communication.
After she tapped her ear, a glimpse of his betrayed expression was enough to make her laugh. He stepped directly into her path, walking backwards in order to face her.
Walking and talking, she was pretty sure he said. I see the trick now.
With her best innocent expression, she shrugged. "A maid's gotta work."
His heel snagged on something, and he almost fell. She grabbed his arm, holding him up, and his return grin left her a little breathless. When her older brother had first told her of the underdog from Pegasus's tournament—the duelist who'd snuck in without an invitation and somehow claimed the cash prize, the duelist who'd beaten cheaters and champions alike despite having a deck of mismatched cards from the cheapest booster packs—she'd expected Joey Wheeler to be impressive in real life, expected him to be talented and determined. And he was.
It was the handsome she hadn't expected. His honey-wheat hair was as wild as his spirit, and it brought out a touch of gold in his fierce brown eyes. His expressions shouted for him, filling the air with boisterous energy whenever he was around—his smile especially, which seemed to come as much from his soul as from his features.
He was unlike anyone Krisalyn had ever met before.
Fine, you do the talking. Joey stepped back while she tried to fight the heat rising in her face. Just tell me about Duelist Kingdom.
Unfortunately, Duelist Kingdom involved her brother, which meant it was off-limits to talk about.
"I'm not a duelist," she said. "Card games weren't what I meant when I said I compete."
He frowned thoughtfully. She didn't quite catch what he said; she was still adjusting to how quickly he spoke, and she was almost certain he had an accent. But it wasn't hard to imagine.
She smiled. "Take a guess."
Debate team?
Well, it was nice to know he didn't put a limit on her communication skills. She shook her head.
Math stuff?
"Like an Olympiad? Not quite." He'd stayed away from the most obvious category of competition in history. Krisalyn was aware she didn't look like a traditional athlete, but it was still amusing that he pegged her for intellectual competition first. Her older brother was much more suited to battles of wits than she.
"Don't let the heels fool you," she said. "I'm very quick on my feet."
You a dancer?
Close enough. "I'm afraid ice dancing is the sport next door. I'm in women's figure skating."
His jaw dropped, and she enjoyed the moment.
You're one of those girls in the Olympics! What, seriously?
She couldn't blame him if he wasn't aware figure skating existed outside the Olympic rink; he wouldn't be the only one. And Krisalyn would make it to such a rink, even if her window was closing fast now that she'd turned eighteen without qualifying.
Her coach would tell her she had no chance if she kept putting her brother's problems before her practices—Battle City alone had cost her several days of training. But she couldn't say no to Zigfried. She'd never been able to.
Joey said something else enthusiastic that was lost as he spun away, slapping a hand to his forehead. Krisalyn bit back her smile and continued walking. After a few moments, he caught up. She glanced at him, but he didn't speak. He kept pace with her down the next two hallways, then touched her shoulder lightly as he came to a stop.
He was staring at the lucky charm she'd given him, and his expression had lost its lightheartedness. You're miles above me, Kris. Why even give me the time of day?
It made her heart hurt.
"You're not great at Japanese," she said.
Color shot to life in his face.
"Neither am I," she hurried to add. "You hear it, right? My lisp?" Krisalyn certainly couldn't forget it was there with all of her mother's constant reminders. "No matter how many language tutors my parents pay, they can't quite fix me."
It's beautiful! Joey protested, and then they were both blushing.
Krisalyn had to struggle for a moment before she could get her words back. "I'm not miles above you, Joey. I think we're kindred spirits."
When she'd asked her parents to let her skate professionally, she'd been told in no uncertain terms that with her "handicap," it wasn't even worth being called a pipe dream. From what she understood, Joey had faced similar shutdowns when he'd entered the dueling arena.
She smiled. "We're the underdogs."
Then she saw the time on her watch.
Before she could think twice, she grabbed his hand. "I have to go. Good luck in the finals!"
She bolted down the hallway without looking back, and when she made it to her destination, he hadn't followed. She scanned her employee badge, and the door slid aside. The interior of the room lit up as she stepped inside. It was smaller than the previous control room she'd worked in, with just two cramped stations. She sat at the first one, settled her laptop on the open desk space, and attached it to the control panel.
Then she sent an email message: Ready.
You're late, came the reply. Zigfried was always prompt.
It's busy being a KaibaCorp employee.
Don't even jest. If you actually worked for him, I'd die.
Even if I smuggled you trade secrets?
Z made no response to that, and Krisalyn winced. She should know better than to make light of sensitive subjects.
She closed her email and watched the computer screen. Z had remote access, and no matter how many times she saw it, she always considered it unnerving to watch her laptop act possessed while he scoured Kaiba's system. The minutes ticked by, measured only by her watch, since the light in the room was completely artificial.
Eventually, the blimp landed. After flying all night, it was a little startling to suddenly feel so solid and heavy. Krisalyn checked her watch again. No doubt there had been an announcement with tournament details, but the radio announcements were useless to her.
Was Joey already gone?
Would she have a chance to watch him in the finals?
Everything on her laptop screen came to a halt, and Zigfried emailed again.
Nothing. 15 minutes.
Her brother wouldn't tell her what he was searching for, but he was insistent he had to find it today and it had to come from the airship's system. Krisalyn would have expected any of KaibaCorp's sensitive information to be under lock and key on its home servers, but she wasn't the expert here.
She unhooked her laptop. She had fifteen minutes to get into the next control room without witnesses. There were only two left to check, and the final one would be the hardest—it was the main control room, and though she knew Kaiba had the blimp on an autopilot system, there was still a staff member present to ensure no hiccups. Hopefully Z would find what he was looking for in the next room so she wouldn't have to figure out an excuse to access the main controls.
There was another reason to hope the search would end quickly—as long as Zigfried was still searching, she wouldn't get a chance to see Joey duel.
But it wasn't like she'd come to the tournament for enjoyment. She'd been sent to Battle City with one purpose: to help her brother get revenge on Seto Kaiba.
Note: Hey, guys. Chinese New Year starts this Saturday! Any Cantonese speakers in my readership? San Lihn Fai Lohk! San Tai Gin Hong! (Sorry my Mandarin isn't up to par. Xin Nian Kuai Le? If that isn't it, I'm definitely close, haha.) Happy year of the rat! My mom's a rat, so I'm hoping this will be a special year. I'm a rooster, for anyone interested. I've heard roosters are "complex people who seem strong but secretly need validation from loved ones." Isn't that everyone? Haha . . . awkward laugh . . . it's definitely me. What's your Zodiac? Do you celebrate Chinese New Year? I didn't until I lived in Hong Kong five years ago. I always miss my Hong Kong friends more around this time of year. Anyway. Next update will be next Thursday, January 30th.