Peggrin kept tabs on what was going on ins his tournament. There were some winners and there were some losers. There was one particular duelist he had his eye on.
"Ichika Orimura..." Peggrin said. "You seem to be doing well, but I wonder how long you will last? Will I have to face you myself or will one of my associates be the one to bring you down."
"Excuse me, sir." One of his employees said as he entered Peggrin's room.
"What is it, Crone?" Peggrin asked.
"I'm afraid I have some bad news, sir. It would seem that our little "guess" has just left the castle." Crone said.
"Has she?" Peggrin said. "That's just fine. I know what she plans to do, but the poor thing has no clue what she's even doing. I'm sure she'll be back here before we even know it." It would seem this tournament isn't the only thing Peggrin's got going on and it probably isn't good.
...
Ichika
Ichika has done well in his duels. He now has a total of five stars. He's halfway to getting in the castle. Another couple duels and he'll be able to enter the castle to face Peggrin.
"You're doing quite well, Ichika. Have you thought about who you were going duel next?" Charlotte asked.
"Not quite, but I'm sure something will turn up. A couple more wins and I'll be able to enter that castle." Ichika said. "Nothing is going to stop me from getting in that castle and helping Chifuyu."
"That's right. We can't let anything stop us." Houki said. "Although, I can't help but wonder. What is Peggrin trying to gain by doing all this? Why would he force Ichika in this tournament?"
"Because he's crazy. That's why." Rin said. Ichika had a different feeling. He believes Peggrin might be after his charm. He seems to know much more about it than Ichika does, but he does know he can't allow someone like Peggrin to get it.
"Hold on. What's that?" Cecilia said as she pointed up ahead.
"Stop! Put me down!" They saw a fellow duelist being carried away by a guy in a suit, one of Peggrin's employees. "Someone help me!"
"Hey!" Ichika called as he hurried to help the fellow duelist. The man turned around and faced him. "Is there a problem?"
"Buzz off. This has nothing to do with you." The man said.
"You might want to rethink that." Laura said.
"Oh? What are you little brats going to do about it?" The man said as he gave Laura a little shoved. That was a big mistake. Laura moved quickly and was able to land a few strikes against him and got the kid free.
"Nice moves, Laura." Ichika said.
"That's why you shouldn't make someone who has a military trained body." Rin said. Sometimes, Laura can give them a good scare.
"Come here!" The man said as he grabbed the kid. "Listen, this kid lost all of his stars. Therefore, he's out of the tournament and I'm escorting him to the loser's boat."
"Looks to me you're dragging him against his will." Cecilia said.
"I told you that I didn't lose them. They were stolen from me." The kid said. "Whoever did it stole my deck and my duel disk too."
"Be quiet. No stars, no dueling." The man said.
"Wait. They were stolen. How could you not know who stole them?" Charlotte asked.
"I know it was a girl, a young one from the looks of it, but I didn't see her face." The kid said. "I don't know who she was, but I swear that's what happened."
"Too bad." The man said. He didn't care for the reasons. He's just making sure he gets the failed duelist off the island. That's why he just carried him off and took him away.
"Stealing someone's stars is one thing, but stealing someone's deck is going too far for a duelist." Houki said. "Ichika, there's got to be something we can do."
"You're right. Come on!" Ichika said as the six of them hurried. The man carried the duelist all the way to a dock and tossed him right on a boat with the other duelists that lost. "Wait!" Ichika called as the six of them made it just in time.
"What do you brats want now?" The man said.
"This doesn't seem fair." Cecilia said. "Why should that young man be kicked off if he didn't lose a duel? He claims his stars were unrightfully stolen from him."
"Cecilia's right for once. You can't kick him out like this." Rin said.
"Can't you give a chance?" Charlotte asked. He was getting annoyed by them, but he could tell they weren't going to drop this.
"Listen, this boat leaves in one hour. You've got until then to get his stars back." The man said.
"We'll be back in plenty of time." Laura said. "All we need is a location and I should be able to track the one who did this."
"Where did all this happen?" Ichika asked the duelist.
"In a small meadow just to the north of here." The duelist said. With that, Ichika and the others hurried to help a fellow duelist. They need to get his deck and the stars back all within one hour. They just hope they can get it done. Ichika and the others hurried as fast as they could to the meadow. Once they got there, they looked around for any clues that could help them track down the perpetrator.
"I wish we knew who we were even looking for." Charlotte said.
"Laura, do you see anything?" Ichika asked. Laura studied the ground carefully to find tracks or anything.
"Nothing quite yet." Laura said. What they didn't know was that someone was watching through the bushes and had their eyes on Ichika. However, she made a slight noise and that alerted Laura of her position. "There!" Laura moved quickly to the bushes and rumbled a little with whoever was hiding there. She forced her out in the open, but her face was covered by a hat and scarf.
"Looks like we found you." Ichika said.
"I've got to ask Laura how she does that." Houki said.
"She certainly is unique." Cecilia said.
"Okay. You got me, but I don't care. I was actually waiting for you, Ichika Orimura." The girl said.
"For me?" Ichika questioned.
"Enough of your nonsense." Laura said. "Hand over the stars and the deck you stole before we take it by force. You're outnumbered."
"I don't care. The only reason I took this stuff to beat you, Orimura." The girl said. "I'm going to take revenge on all that you did."
"Revenge? Ichika, what is she talking about?" Charlotte asked.
"I don't have a clue. I don't even know who that is." Ichika said.
'Ichika, let me take over. I think I already know who that is.' The spirit said telepathically to him. Ichika allowed it as he and the spirit switched places.
"You want to challenge me? Very well." Ichika said.
...
Conner Knight
Conner Knight was in a real funk ever since he lost to Ichika. He's been trying to figure things out since a champion duelist like himself lost to a nobody like Ichika. He took himself to a small house over a cliff, away from the public, until he can figure things out.
'How is it possible that a nobody like Ichika Orimura was able to beat me?' Conner thought as he was using a computer. He was trying to find way to get back at Ichika. 'How humiliating. Until I beat him, I'm not sure I can even lift a card, except one.' Conner did lift one card that he could never part with as he took it out of his deck, White-Eyes Silver Dragon. Conner was trying to figure something out, but that was when his door was busted down and a couple guys in suits.
"Hello, Conner."
"Peggrin would very much like to talk to you."
"Peggrin? Not interested." Conner said.
"I think you be very interested since it involves your company."
"My company?" Conner said as he didn't like the sound of that.
"That's right, and we're allowed to use force if we have to. Come with us." Conner had no interest, but he also knows Peggrin can't be up to good if it involves his company.
"You'll never take me alive!" Conner said as he kicked his chair over to them. Conner tried reaching for his deck, but there was no time. He had no choice, but to leave it behind as he jumped right out the window. Both of the guys looked out and it looked like a large drop.
"He's crazy. No one could have survived that fall."
"No matter. Master Peggrin wants the deck and we got it." Peggrin wants something out of Conner, but what is it he's trying to get out of all this?
...
Ichika
Ichika took his position against the thief. She challenged him to a duel and he went through with it as they took their positions.
"You stile some star chips as well. Does that mean you plan on waging some?" Ichika asked.
"Yeah. All of them to get you thrown out of the tournament." The kid said.
"Very well. Let's begin." Ichika said. They both activated their duel disks and were set to go.
"Is this a good idea? There might not be enough time for a duel." Rin said.
"Maybe, but it seems like this is the reason she's doing this." Houki said. "She wants to duel Ichika, but who could this kid be?"
"I'll start." Ichika said. "I summon my Rocket Battler to the field in attack mode." Ichika summoned out his transforming robot flew out on the field with it having 1400atk points. "That's all I'll do for this turn."
'Ichika, you messed up my family, and now because of you, we're on the verge of losing everything. I won't let that happen.' The girl thought. "I summon Silver Fang to the field!" She summoned out a wolf with it having 1200atk points. "Attack!" The wolf attacked, but Ichika's robot fired a laser and destroyed the wolf easily with her life points dropping to 3800.
"That was pathetic. Her monster was weaker." Houki said. "Does this kid even know what she's doing?"
"Try as you might, but you can't win like this." Ichika said. "That deck isn't yours and has no heart in it."
"Save it. I don't believe in that heart stuff." The kid said.
"Is that so? I guess that's not surprising." Ichika said. "After all, you are Conner Knight's younger sister. Why not reveal your face, Mila." The girls were a little shocked, but it was true. She ditched the disguise and showed that it really was Mila, Conner's younger sister.
"That really is Mila Knight." Charlotte said.
"But what's she doing here?" Cecilia questioned.
"A good question. Care to explain?" Ichika said.
"That's simple! It's to beat you and keep my brother's company safe!" Mila said, but none of them really understood. "My big brother is a great duelist, possibly the best in the whole world, but when you beat him, it broke him."
"Mila, your brother only played for power. That alone can only get a person so far." Ichika said. "I was able to defeat him because I dueled with my heart."
"Be quiet! You don't know what you did to him!" Mila said.
...
Flashback
"Conner, you should get going. Aren't you going to take part in Peggrin's tournament?" Mila said.
"I'm not going, Mila." Conner said as he was packing. Mila didn't understand why he would pass on a duel when it's his passion. "Ever since I lost to Orimura, I'm starting to question everything I knew about dueling. I just don't see how I lost to someone like him."
"If you're not packing for the tournament, why are you packing?" Mila said.
"I need some time. I need to figure things out." Conner said as he grabbed his case. "I'm leaving my company in your hands for now, Mila." He was on his way out. Mila couldn't believe this was happening. She admired her brother greatly, but she's never seen him like this and it's scaring her.
End of Flashback
...
"He wasn't the same after you defeated him, and now everything we have is in great trouble because of you." Mila said.
"I don't understand." Ichika said.
"Forget it! All you need to know is that I plan on beating you and avenging my brother." Mila said as she was in no mood to talk.
"Well, I'm right here. I'll let you have another turn." Ichika said.
"Fine!" Mila said as she drew another card. "Let's try this one." Mila summoned out Fairy Dragon, but it was too weak with it having only 1100atk points. Rocket Battler destroyed it easily.
"Mila, you can't beat me. Not like this." Ichika said. "I doubt you would go through all this just to have revenge on me. Why don't you tell me what this is really about. We might be able to help."
"The only way you can help is if I defeat you." Mila said. "I've got to in order to save Knight Inc."
"Your brother's company? What are you talking about?" Ichika said.
"If you must know, Peggrin is trying to buy the company." Mila said. That alone sounded interesting to Ichika and the others. "Peggrin made a deal with some of our business men. If Peggrin, or someone who works for Peggrin, beats you in a duel, he gets our company. However, since Peggrin needs a Knight to gain control, he came for me and my brother couldn't help me." Mila remembered what happened as she listened to Peggrin made the deal. That was also when she got caught. "I was able to escape and I need to beat you."
"But you can't. Not like this, and you know it." Ichika said.
"I don't get it." Rin said. "What is she trying to do exactly?"
"Wait. I think I get it." Charlotte said. "Mila is trying to protect her brother's company from Peggrin by being the one to defeat Ichika. If Mila defeats Ichika, Peggrin can't take control of Knight Inc."
"But why does defeating Ichika mean that Peggrin could take control of the company?" Houki asked.
"It must be a power-thing." Charlotte said. "Ichika defeated Conner in a duel, and Conner was a champion duelist. Peggrin defeating Ichika would mean Peggrin gains the company. Peggrin's and Conner's company are both part of the dueling finances. Peggrin must be trying to take Conner's company, but he can't make it official if Ichika isn't defeated by him."
"I see..." Ichika said as he turned away from Mila for a moment. "However, Mila, you won't win like this." That was when Mila surprised him by taking his dueling glove with his stars.
"I can at least get you disqualified." Mila said as she tried to run.
"Mila, wait." Ichika said as he grabbed her arm and stopped her. "I understand what you're trying to do. You wish to stop Peggrin. As do I. Peggrin is holding someone important to me captive. If we work together, we can both get what we want."
"How?" Mila said.
"Fight with me, not against me. We can stop Peggrin, help your brother if we do." Ichika said. "I just need you to trust me." Mila wants to save her brother and the company. She thought she needed to beat Ichika to do that, but she's starting to see that working with him might be better.
"First thing's first. We need to return what you stole." Charlotte said. "The boat is leaving any minute." Mila can see that they all really want to help her. So, she's decided to put her trust in them. With that done, all of them hurried as fast as they could to get back to the boat.
"There! We made it!" Houki said as they arrived back at the dock, but they saw it was just the guy in the suit from before.
"Too late, kids. The boat already left."
"What are you talking about? We still had ten minutes." Houki said.
"Not anymore. Look. No boat."
"What gives? We made it back with plenty of time." Charlotte questioned. All the man did was chuckle, and they all saw what really happened.
"You were never going to give us an hour. You were just trying to get us out of the way." Rin said with some anger.
"Please call the boat back. I have everything right here." Mila said as she held all the stuff she stole out. All the man did was knock it all in the water.
"You should hold on to your stuff, like this." The man said as he grabbed Mila. "You've been a naughty girl, but Peggrin will make sure you don't slip out."
"Hey! Put her down!" Houki demanded.
"I don't think so. Peggrin would like to have her back. She's our special guest."
"Hold it!" Ichika shouted. "You're not taking her back to Peggrin. You work for him, right? I know all about his deal. So, I challenge you to a duel! If I win, you let Mila go, but you winning would be exactly what your boss wants."
"Sure, but I'm not the one you'll be dueling. Your real opponent is coming right behind you." He pointed behind them. They all turned around to see someone coming, but they were all shocked to see who it was.
"It can't be! Conner?!" Ichika said. Conner was walking over to them, but he looked like he head a "dead"-look on his face.
"That's right, Ichika, and this time, you don't stand a ghost of a chance." Conner said. Conner is on the island? He's helping Peggrin? What is going on?