[TEN] ["WE ARE]
"A tournament at Duelist Kingdom? Isn't that an island?" Téa asked.
Across Yugi's desk spread several cards. Five cards, five kids stuffed around them like sardines. Téa knockers practically knocking Amy in the face as Ms Gardner leaned in to see the cards. There are no middle seats in lunch, but Amy somehow felt she had once again gotten the middle seat.
No amount of "Did you want to sit here," or "Please sit here," or "Oh my god take the chair," had succeeded in giving Téa a front view of the entry tickets, so Amy guessed she just lived in Boob Town now. The only thing she could do to get out of Boob Town was sprawl out on the desk. Which meant Tristan, sitting at the perpendicular side, now lived in Elbow Town.
The card Yugi was currently showing had a grand island painted on it. The top of the card labeled 'Duelist Kingdom'. A few environments on the Island and a grand castle. 'Almost like a map.' Amy thought. The envelope the had come in was laid out next to the entry tickets, unmarked from mail-to or mail-from address
Joey, hands in his pocket, seemed to be looking at the other four cards more than the map. He looked over them quickly, trying to put them in some coherent order in his head, "So that's where Pegsus is keeping your Grandpa?"
Technically Grandpa was being kept in a card, not a castle. Maybe a card within a castle, but Grandpa definitely wasn't being kept in a castle. That's for damn sure.
Amy kept that thought to herself.
"Maybe." Yugi passed it to Tristan to view, after he tried pushing Amy's arm out of the way for the third time just to have it flung back at him. "The only way to know for sure is to become a contestant." In the meantime, he picked up another card. 'Voyage to the Kingdom' was labeled on it, this one picturing - well - a boat obviously.
"The date on the invite," Téa said, "it's two days from now? That's not a lot of time."
Oh, Yugi knew. He kept the sigh internal, but Amy was starting to que in on the 'I'm in emotional turmoil' cheek puckering. "I have to be there." It could have been the lighting of the classroom, but she'd swear the circles under his eyes had gotten saggier.
The very conceptualization of those words exacerbated Téa's best sensibilities. "You can't go. It could be dangerous, this guy…" She stopped to look around. When all seemed clear she continued in a whisper, "stole a person's soul. It's dangerous."
"Suspect or not, it's the only clue he has to go on. Yugi has to go." Tristan countered.
Pointy head and aggressive punching knuckles Tristan then threw 'Duelist Kingdom' back on the table and leaned his temple on those aggressive knuckles. Which gave Joey just enough space to reach over to the Amy blockade.
"This bites. I can't believe there's nothing we can do. Pegasus uses some weird spell to grab your Grandpa's," Tristan also brought his voice to a hush, "soul away. Now he's toying with you."
"I think the word you want is [4filter]. This [4filter]." Amy said. It was perhaps the one and only thing her and Tristan ever, and would ever, agree on. This [4filter].
"Without an invitation, we can't even go to help ya, pal."
Cut off Yugi's support system. It was cunning, evil, and truly Maximillion-ly fabulous.
In the least elegant was he could have, Yugi honed in on his fellow bean sprout. Unsubtly and completely earnest, he asked, "What do you think, Amy?"
"I'm mostly thinking about all of those dozens of other kids he invited who he didn't blackmail by stealing someone's soul, and if they know they're just literal cannon fodder." The way Tristan looked at her was beyond words. As if she hadn't been listening the entire conversation, to any of it. She caught the flicker in his eyes that said we're talking about our friend right now. Which was true; it was so true in fact that she was at a loss for something new to say.
The only thing that hadn't been said was, "It doesn't matter what gets in the way, I can, and will, go with Yugi to the Duelist Kingdom, I will find a way and nothing or no one will stop me." But that would be rather bold to say.
Ryo joining the group was wholly unexpected and also welcomingly un-welcomed. He, in true Ryo fashion, moseyed on over from his desk to join a group huddle he wasn't invited to. Hands clasped behind his back, looking curious, attentive, properly ready to hone in on the worst of subjects, "What's this about stealing souls?"
Almost everyone snapped to attention at IDGAF Merced. Also, in some circles, known as Loud Mouth Merced. Just Loud Mouth to her friends.
At least some of them were off the sad train for a second. Joey was still looking at the entry tickets he was hamfisting and Yugi tried to quickly sweep the rest into his lap.
"We're talking about a game." Téa said.
"Like one of those live roleplays? I got an envelope too. I was wondering if it was some kinda a quest?"
Joey was the most expressive with his shock. "You got one too?" At least they were now giving each other looks and not Amy. Now she was the one with dagger eyes, this time on the Albino.
Ryo just as leisurely reached into his inner pocket and produced another unmarked envelope. Same size and shape. He didn't open it slowly, but it still felt like it took forever to lift the flap. One finger at a time raising the flap with the utmost precision. He could have used some of that sweet time to read the room so he'd know to open it faster.
Or maybe at least acknowledge the several pairs of eyes boring unblinking into the pure white paper. Trying to see through it with x-ray eyes.
Finally, out of the envelop produced
A white paper. Not an island, or boat trading card in sight. He read off what the paper said, " 'Ryo, I haven't been able to stop thinking about this since we met. Meet me behind the Home Ec building to take the next steps. Signed M' I wasn't really sure what to make of it, but if you have one too, I thought maybe it was some kind of game."
Everyone - everyone - everyone - stopped. Stopped breathing, stopped processing, nearly fell out of their seat and stopped there. Maybe even one or two muscles on Tristan's and Joey's faces twitch. More than two of Amy's certainly did.
'This… this lying [4filter]. He's got to be playing us. There's no way he's this stupid.' She thought, mid twitch, while slamming her face on the desk.
"I don't think that's the same kind of quest Yugi had." Tristan said, twitching continued slightly.
"Don't… don't ever talk to me again man." Joey wheezed. His posture now like depressed noodles.
But a graduating Boy Scout could not have looked more proud than Ryo, as if he had just solved the world's biggest puzzle. "What kind of quest did you get?"
Yugi fake 'ha ha' face had been polished just for this moment. No one could say Yugi wasn't brave, because he boldly ventured to salvage the moment when no one else could. "Nope, no LARP here. Just talking about Duel Monsters."
"Oh!" If Yugi's intention was to disheartened him, it didn't work. Instead, Ryo asked if he could sit, pulled up a chair, and burrowed his eyes onto the table. Very eager. Yugi hadn't exactly hidden the entry cards very well, 'Duelist Kingdom' still facing upwards under his arm.
Much to Yugi's displeasure, Ryo's big doe eye were for more than attracting M. "Is that an invitation to the Duelist Kingdom? Congratulations Yugi. I heard only certain tournament winners from around the world were invited."
"Thanks. It's not that big of a deal, really." Yugi lied.
"It really is, winning Duelist Kingdom would be phenomenal. The prizes could be life changing. You're extraordinary to have been invited, Yugi."
'Brown nose.'
"How phenomenal are we talking?" Joey asked.
So Ryo sorted through the pile until he flipped 'Glory of the King's Hand,' "The winner could walk away with a three million dollar prize." Then, moved a blank card on top of it. The title said, 'Glory of the King's Opposite Hand,' but there was no painting in the center. Just a white box.
Téa squeezed Yugi's shoulder.
"For an even grander prize, the winner can choose to take on Pegasus himself. He promises anything to the duelist who beats him."
'But what if the duelist loses?' Although Amy thought of the question, parts of her already knew the answer. Like he was reading her mind, Yugi gave her a sideways glance. The empty void of white in between them. It was redundant even to ask.
Detective Tristan on the other hand, "So that's it? You have you to beat him in a duel to get your grandp-"
Amy kicked him so hard under the table his shin may have popped.
"- grandest wish! If you beat him he'll five you your grandest wish!" he corrected, now through clenched teeth.
"Give me that!" Joey snatched 'Glory of the King's Hand' from the center of the table. He held it up to the ceiling to look at it beyond the light. "Three million."
"Three million in cold hard cash." Joey Wheeler lay comfortably on the roof, watching the purples and pinks flutter away. He layed firmly on his back, one arm supporting his head and neck. The other holding 'Glory of the King's Hand' to the sky.
After lunch had ended, Joy had taken it to his seat. Yugi hadn't stopped him.
He couldn't help it, Joey couldn't stop looking at it. Every opportunity he could, under his books, in his bags, anywhere Joey could sneak it to look at it. As if the card would vanish the moment he took his eyes off it. It was too good to be true. It had to be. there was no way to get that much money doing something he loved.
Which of course, he was right. There's no way he'd be taking home three million by playing a card game, not with taxes involved. They want a cut from that, yes they do.
But, Joey Wheeler wasn't thinking in terms of taxes when he thought that, rolling over to his side briefly before sitting up. He was thinking in terms of "Wheeler Luck", more commonly known as "[4filter] Luck." The kind of luck that filled his happy family of two with the smell of gin. The kind of luck that got him sold shoes, which the seller had never intended to let him keep.
The one simple rule of Wheeler Luck was that if it seemed too good to be true, it wasn't. So Joey let out a sign and stared aimlessly up at the deeping orange sky.
Despite the various safety hazards it presented, the school never locked the roof like they should. JJoey and Tristan discovered this about a year ago while laying low from unsavory upperclassmen. Not many knew about that, however, so it was always a surprise to hear the metal door push open. Yugi emerged, a half hearted smile painted on his face.
Joey, surprisingly numb to the surprise, simply greeted him with "Hey Yug."
"I thought I'd find you up here." Yugi took a seat next to the blond. Although when Yugi sat, it was with the gentle grace of a grandma, much different than Joey's fall and lumber.
Yugi, knees up, schoolbag crammed between his torso and legs, and Joey, crossed legged and hunched forward, watched the blue clouds swallow the remainder of the sunset.
"You always seem to know where to look." Joey answered.
"I mean, there's only so many places to go on campus. Especially with behind Home Ec being… potentially occupied."
"Bakura, that jerk." All but steam coming out of his nose, a cringe wider than any other cringe accompanied Joey's, "Some guys have all the luck! An' he doesn't even appreciate it. You'd appreciate it if it were you - wouldn't ya' Yug?"
Yugi's face said 'I couldn't even imagine' with an admittedly forced lower teeth grin. Instead his words said, "Sure I would."
"Right? An' then he rubs it in our faces like it's nothing! That guy - I swear!"
"Is that what's got you so down today?"
The tip of the sun had almost disappeared on the horizon. "Nah, I'm not down. Just thinking about a whole bunch of stuff." Joey curled one knee and placed his forearm on it, watching the last bit of daylight fall over the building.
Stuff like Wheeler Luck. There was only time for one left forlorn glance at 'Glory of the King's Hand' before handing it back to its owner. "Sorry I walked out with your invitation."
That replaced Yugi's lower jaw grin with one more genuine, "Nothing to be sorry for. I knew it was in safe hands."
Safe hands. That was a lot of blind faith. Still, Joey knew what he meant and returned it with a mutual head nod. An automatic light flicked on above their heads. It took two tries, but the bulb eventually came to life if not barely.
Blind faith was suitable for Yugi. Joey looked up at the light bulb's barely sustainable glow, knowing it was just enough to allow Yugi to open up his bag, dig for the evelop, and reunite all five entry tickets. He was still looking at the light when he said, "You know it's gonna be okay. We're gonna help you get gramps back. I don't know how yet, but we'll do it."
"Yeah, you're right."
"I mean it! For you and for him. He taught me how to duel. He taught me a bunch, an' didn't give up on me when he could of. So there's no way I'm giving up on him."
"I know Joey."
This time when the door pushed open, it was even more of a surprise. Most of the 'sneaking on the roof club' was already present. So Amy's entrance onto the roof was significantly less subtle and attracted a significant amount of eye. Especially as it was accompanied by the sound of things following to the ground and non child friendly cussing.
Energy that she used to justify sweeping into the crowd and commanding the attention of, still resting one of the brooms on her shoulder, "You guys know they locked the gates like, a half hour ago," before acclimating the situation as her god given right to invite herself to their one spot of flickering light.
Which, Yugi had to scooch over to give her adequate room. Joey did not give the same courtesy. "It's cool. Tristan and I used to get out of here all the time. I ain't worried about it."
To which, she, wholly unimpressed, replied with, "Just how many illegal things have you and Tristan done."
If there wasn't a smol boy between them, Joey and Amy surely would have started throwing hands - or at least elbows - right then and there. Luckily the human shield kept them physically at bay. Verbally however, "At least we haven't started a riot like someone who won't be named. Is that what you're still doing here? Beautifying."
"It was not a riot and you know that, Dogbreath. They know that. God what is wrong with this school." She held up her hands. Not to throw them, but to express wet sleeves that hadn't been otherwise protected with gloves. "When I got to this city I was told all the students were janitors. That everyone cleaned because it promoted a sense of responsibility. Community. Togetherness. So what the [4filter], all of a sudden did it become a one person job in this class."
"It was an everyone thing! Until someone -"
"I swear to god if you say riot one more time."
"What are you gonna do, wave your broom at me."
"Wave, no. Stick it somewhere, maybe!"
Which caused peace to break down, and Joey had to go over Yugi-Swizerland-Muto to grab Amy in a "Why you," head lock before she easily and obviously slipped out of and doubled back out of the overhead light. The edges of which caught just enough of her for front to catch her sticking out her tough and using her middle finger to pull down her lower eyelid. A cultural double whammy.
A second, more successful attempt to catch Amy's sassy [4filter] in a classic Wheeler headlock was something Joey didn't have to think about. It was a lot simpler than three million dollar prizes or duelist tournaments. "That's a lot of big talk coming from a runt."
Which prompted huffing, "let me go you big dumb lug!" making Joey squeeze his headlock in further victory.
Somewhere between the kicking and flailing, perhaps by accident or by design, Amy managed to get the length of the broom tangled up in Joey's ankles. Years later, if you were to ask Amy, she'd say it was by design. She planned it, because this runt was a big brain. Big brains know how to be resourceful with the tools they had.
But in the moment, Amy's yelp was suspiciously just as loud as Joey's 'Nhey' as they tumbled to the ground nearly on top of Yugi. A merry band of [4filter] all in one heap. The light stopped flickering in time for Joey, who'd fallen on his butt, to let out a stupid grin. "Who stuck it to who dis time. That's right, Joey Wheeler, dat's who." He gave his guns a flex for good measure.
Amy landed practically across Yugi's lap - who at least had the foresight to move the puzzle out of the way so no one got skewered. She didn't see the victorious grin, but could feel it radiating.
"Are you guys okay?"
"I am great Yug. Thanks for asking!" One more flex for good measure.
'[4filter].' Before taking her butt out of the air, Amy took and estimated shot as to where she might be able to get one more kick in. It sounded like it landed. She then rolled forward with one more good pulled eyelid. "There yes, you beat me, you won something. Are you going to stop brooding now."
"I wasn't brooding. I was thinkin'." Joey ran instantly to the offense. Because only pretty boys brood. Delinquents pondered at best.
This prompted one of Amy's famous eye rolls, knowing any acknowledgment would be an injustice. knees up, an elbow resting on the cusp of the kneecap. "Oh-kay. Well, whatever you're thinking about isn't my business. I don't want to know. But maybe thinking about stuff isn't your strong point." She left no room in between breaths for invenable argument, instantly adding, "Both of you," while shooting daggers at Yugi. "I have been around your group for like, two minutes, and I even I can see that thinking bums ya'll out."
"Then what do you suggest we do? If we don't think about it, how are we ever gonna figure out what to do. It ain't like we can hitch hike to the middle of the ocean." Joey protested.
"You could think about it forever. Duelist Kingdom will come and go and you'll still be trying to figure out what you could have done. Stop thinking, and do what you do best! Go with your instinct."
"She's right Joey, you have great instinct." Yugi sat up completely, no longer a slump in his seat. Amy made sure to make eye contact so Yugi knew she wasn't dumb with his gloomy [4filter]. They'd get to him. But right now it was Joey time, "I can alway count on you to come through in ways I couldn't even imagine. Like when you got my puzzle piece back."
Amy wanted to hold her hands up and pause right there. That sounded like a story that needed more explanation. Instead she bit her tongue.
Joey, on the other hand, did not bite his tongue. In fact, he let it be very loose and incriminating. "It was my fault it was gone in the first place. I wouldn't call that being 'reliable.'"
"In the end, you didn't have to find it. But you did. You brought it back to me. Why did you?"
"I dunno," Joey shrugged and looked back at the overhead, "it just felt like the right thingta do."
No worlds could accurately describe the level of yearning for Joey's brain to stop making dial-up noises. "Stop thinking with your brain." Amy advised gently, while also giving him an elbow to the side. Still, his suspisouly-darker-than-the-rest-of-his-hair eyebrows furrowed. Positive and negative circuits were not connecting. If that wasn't brooding than the Rule Revolution definitely hadn't been a riot. Yugi certainly hadn't been gloomy for two weeks. And for sure Ryo's rendezvous was absolutely about a LARP and nothing else of suspect.
As a last ditch effort she finally reached into her blazer pocket and pulled out a her stack of Duel Monsters cards. "Start thinking with your deck. I can't believe I'm saying this because I will never believe Duel Monsters is a catch all solution for everything. But use your Duel brain Joey. When you duel you act."
Well, that stopped the dial-up face. Instead it was replaced by his toothy grin. "I don't get what you're saying, but I do get you wanna to duel right now!"
That was not what she was saying at all.
"I can get behind that. I accept your challenge."
There was never any challenge.
"Whadda you say Yugi, you wanna duel too? Battle royal style!"
Stop, no, he doesn't want to battle royal on a roof in the dark. No one wants to-
"Could we?"
[4filter].
Yugi's stupid panada eyes were gleaming at his reply. At that moment, Amy realized her free will had been taken away. No, maybe not taken away. Maybe it was always a lie. There was never any freewill when it came to that [4filter] face.
"[4filter] I'll go first."
"Why do you get to go first, you were the challenger!"
"I didn't challenge you Dogbreath, your squirrel brain just didn't listen to what I said."
"Ye' right, just like you didn't start a riot at the school."
"Wheeler I swear to [4filer] chri-"
Maybe it was the one shade of light, or the stars on the horizon, but for some reason it didn't feel like the worst thing. Those stars, as far away as they were, watched the three tiny silhouettes shuffled their deck. One silhouette throwing herself up in exacerbation. Probably placing her 'Neo the Magic Swordsman' and a trap card. Small in the grand scheme of the stars, and moon, and cosmos. However, for the silhouettes on the roof, there wasn't a grand scheme. So they together seemed very, very big.
[[I'm sorry for a(nohter) talking head chapter. That wasn't what this was chapter was supposed to be.
With the new dropping today I wanted to post...something more about connections and friendships. Real Duel Monsters themes. Themes that gave me baby's first fan crushes, gave me my biggest hobby of dvd collecting, gave me the first fic I ever was brave enough to put myself out there and post, gave me hours of childhood play that built a foundational bond with my cousins, and gave me an important friend and quite possibly the greatest writer I know.
All from a man I never met, for a story that was never conceived or expected to shape my life the way it did. Man didn't know me, I didn't know him. But somehow, here we are. His existence changed mine. That's weird, and cool, and incredible, and in this moment a little sad. But still the other things too. ]]