"Don't you think Mai's been gone for a long time?" Joey commented suddenly. He stood up and started to walk into the underbrush, calling her name.
"Uh, Joey, you might not want to do that," Anzu said, well aware that Joey might see something he shouldn't.
"Wait did you hear that?" Joey said and froze, his ears perked like a golden retriever.
"I didn't hear anything," Yugi said, confused.
"Sh!"
Anzu and Yugi remained silent for a few moments as Joey listened carefully. Then their blond friend suddenly took off into the woods.
"Hey Joey, wait up!" they called as they dashed after their friend, but Joey didn't wait. He'd heard a cry for help, he was sure of it. He broke through the bushes into a clearing where he saw a Duel Arena, but he wasn't paying attention to that right now. He was focused on the huge man molesting Mai, the way he gripped her arm so tightly
"Hey, why don'tchya pick on somebody your own size, ya giant freak!"
The man looked up and released Mai just before Joey barreled into him, knocking them both off-balance, though not quite off their feet. Joey recovered first and punch the other in the face good and hard, then quickly darted out of range, taking Mai's hand and tugging her further away from the man who'd been molesting her. That was when Joey turned his attention to her and realized that she looked absolutely terrified and was fighting tears.
"Didn't anybody ever tell you not to make a lady cry!" Joey shouted angrily at the freak, who was still recovering from Joey's punch. He wasn't used to people retaliating with physical violence.
"Are you okay Mai?" he asked gently, turning his attention to the duelist at his side. Mai threw her arms around Joey as she hugged him tightly, surprising him and making him blush as he returned the embrace.
"Joey, you saved me!" she cried, blinking back her tears as Joey realized that she was trembling in his arms. "Thank you, thank you!"
Anzu and Yugi burst onto the scene just then.
"Who's he?" Anzu asked, eying Mai's assailant with suspicion.
"My name is PaniK, and I'm an eliminator."
"An eliminator," Yugi repeated in wonder. "What's that?"
"Check out her duelist's glove. Not a star-chip left."
"But that would mean she's been disqualified," Anzu said, unable to comprehend that the seasoned successful duelist might have lost.
"I root out all the dueling filth on this island and dispose of it," PaniK continued, crossing his arms smugly. "Just like Pegasus pays me to do."
"I guess that makes you a garbage man," Joey retorted disdainfully, holding Mai in a reassuring embrace as she clung to him. She released him now, though, pulling back and turning to face the others.
"So, you're out, Mai?" Yugi asked in shock.
"I am," she answered regretfully starting to regain her composure. "It all happened so fast. The way PaniK duels, I just… lost it."
She hung her head, ashamed of losing the eight star-chips she'd earned her first day of the tournament. She flicked her warm violet gaze back to Joey, looking almost guilty. Joey knew that she was omitting the part where PaniK had assaulted her.
"This isn't right," Yugi said softly, his inner sense of justice rebelling against the way his new friend had been treated.
"Ha! She was one of my easiest victims yet!" PaniK laughed maniacally, a crazed look in his eye that made Joey hate the man all the more.
"You creep!" Joey shouted, his fists balled at his sides as he started to approach the eliminator. "There's no excuse for—"
"Calm down, Joey," Mai interrupted as she grabbed his arm, afraid that he would say what he'd seen. Joey looked back at her for a moment, starting to understand. She seemed too ashamed to speak of the assault aloud, which reminded Joey of another duelist he knew well. Fine, he wasn't going to say anything if she didn't want him to. After keeping Seto's secrets for so long, he'd actually gotten good at keeping things to himself. "I know how you feel but that guy's more than twice your size!"
"I can take 'im!" Joey growled, glaring at PaniK again.
"No, Joey, fists aren't the answer," Yugi said calmly as he stepped forward. "Violence won't solve anything. I've dealt with a lot of bullies in my life, and I'm afraid there's only one way to deal with them."
The impulsive blond looked down at his friend as the shorter teen approached PaniK, starting to feel a bit ashamed as well as confused. "Whaddaya mean?"
"You have to stand up to them!" Yugi looked up at the much larger man, looking determined.
"But Yugi—" Mai tried to stop him, not wanting him to be knocked out too, but Yugi continued speaking anyways, his voice taking on a new quality. Joey and Anzu exchanged a glance: that was the Pharaoh speaking, not just Yugi anymore.
"Now—let's see you try your intimidation tactics against me, Panik. I don't scare easy, especially when I'm standing up for my friends! So let's duel!"(1)
The morning was peaceful as Marik and Ryou slept cuddled together in their sleeping-bag. Ryou's cell phone rang, waking up its owner with its urgent, metallic ringing. Ryou rubbed his eyes as he reached for his phone, finding it with his fingers after a few moments. He yawned and lifted the phone to his ear as he sat up on his elbows.
"Hi Mom, what's up?" he said.
"Ryou," she said, but the rest of her words were obscured by static.
"Mom, I can't hear you," he said loudly, worried by his mother's panicked tone. He could hear her try to speak to him again, but while he heard snippets of her voice, he couldn't make out a single word. "Mom, the connection's really bad. I'll try calling you later, okay?" He heard more static, but the sound was cut off by a beeping noise. He lowered his phone and sighed as he looked at the screen. The call had been dropped.
"What's going on?" Marik asked as he stretched his arms, Ryou's voice having woken him.
"My mom called me," Ryou explained. "She was trying to say something, but the connection was really bad. I'll have to try calling her later from a higher point on the island. Don't let me forget, okay?"
"I won't," Marik assured with a small smile. Ryou seemed pleasant this morning, which probably meant that Bakura had altered his memories of last night. Marik wasn't keen on upsetting Ryou, who needed to focus on his duels so that he could enter the castle, so he decided to keep his mouth shut about what had happened last night. He watched the white-haired teen as he searched for his shirt and jeans, dressing quickly as Marik crawled out of bed and pulled his pants back on as well. He'd redressed before sleeping, only leaving off his sleeveless hoodie and his cargo pants for comfort. They packed up their things quickly and took off in search of another duelist. When they came to a cave, it was Ryou's idea to enter it, although Marik was understandably hesitant.
"With the field advantage that my monsters will get in a cave, though, I'm sure to win my next duel!" Ryou had enthused. In the end, it was a hug and a kiss that had persuaded Marik to enter the cavern. They passed coffins, skulls, and other macabre imagery before they found a Duel Arena—and their next opponent.
"Oi, Bonz," the orange-haired Australian said to the shortest of the three goons the two teens had encountered. "Looks like we've got ourselves a challenger."
"You don't stand a ghost of a chance in a duel against me," Bonz bragged as he stepped up to one side of the Duel Arena, Ryou doing the same as a sly smile crossed his face.
"If you're so confident, then how about we raise the stakes: winner takes all?" Ryou proposed, making Bonz cringe.
"Not likely," the Australian scoffed.
"You think we're dumb enough to risk all five star-chips?" the tallest of them said, his hair dark and spiked upwards like grass.
"Your cowardice comes as no surprise, considering that you're hiding here in the dark waiting for unsuspecting duelists to wander their way in. But let me remind you that the finals start soon, and you're running out of time."
Ryou had already taken on a different tone and posture, a hand on his hip as he fixed his opponent with a look of confidence. This did not disturb Marik, who had seen this same behavior yesterday. Some duelists focused entirely on acquiring the best cards and memorizing every possible combination they might use in battle. Others invested their energy in creative ways to cheat in order to ensure their victory. Once Ryou had assembled an excellent deck and side deck, he'd focused on something else entirely. He understood that psychology was half the game, and his ability to manipulate his opponent was his secret weapon. He never dueled like that when they were dueling for fun back home, but this was a tournament, so he was going to duel using every skill he had.
"He's right," the tall one agreed.
"I have stated my case clearly, and if you are wise, you will duel me," Ryou said calmly with an air of certainty. The duel hadn't even started yet, and he was already working his subtle wiles on them. "The winner will advance to the Duelist Kingdom Tournament."
"I accept your challenge," Bonz said confidently, stepping into the Duel Arena as Ryou did the same. "If you were dumb enough to walk into my trap and challenge me, then I doubt you're very much of a duelist anyways."
Ryou glanced over his shoulder at Marik and winked as the Egyptian smiled confidently back at him. He turned toward his opponent again, thinking to himself, Accepting my challenge was your first mistake. And once I'm through with you, it will be your last in this tournament.
"If you want my star-chips, you'll have to be prepared for anything," Ryou said mysteriously as he shuffled his deck. "Time to begin our duel, so get ready." They both drew their starting hands and Ryou drew a sixth card, wordlessly claiming the first turn as his. That was a part of his psychological strategy: by going first without asking for preference or tossing a coin, he was subtly asserting his will over the other. "Are you aware of the legend of this crypt?" He quirked an eyebrow at them as he asked the question that was meant to draw attention to their own ignorance.
"What legend?" Bonz asked hesitantly, looking guarded as he drew back a bit.
"Listen." An order, not a request. "This very mausoleum is haunted by the ghost of a knight who lost his head in battle." He spoke low, his tone ominous and smooth. It made Marik shiver as he moved to stand to the side of the Duel Arena where he would get a better view of the duel.
"What?" Bonz was starting to get spooked.
"When the clock strikes midnight," Ryou continued, laying one monster in attack mode as a mysterious purple smog shrouded the field of the Duel Arena, "He rises up from his grave in search of his missing head." You could tell from his expression that he enjoyed telling this ghost story very much.
"I-I don't believe you," Bonz stammered, failing to convince anyone of his words. Then the shorter duelist shrieked as Ryou's monster burst from the graveyard playing field of the Duel Arena, lunging up out of the earth, spraying particles of dirt toward Bonz. While the zombie duelist and his goons were freaked out, Ryou couldn't help but chuckle to himself.
"You're face is scarier than that Duel Monster's card, Bonz!" the taller grunt scoffed.
"Hey, I didn't see it comin'!" Bonz defended, trying to protect his dignity.
"Alright, I'll play one card face-down," Ryou continued, doing so as he kept a steady gaze fixed on his opponent. "I'm afraid the worst is yet to come."
"Ah!" This guy's creeping me out. I'll show him!" Bonz said, looking nervous.
Ryou smirked a little, glad to have an opponent who was so easily off-put. Now that Bonz was unsettled and embarrassed, he'd probably make a foolish mistake, one that Ryou could easily exploit.
"Now I'll take out Snake-Hair The Sorceress!" he declared, the monster materializing in the Duel Arena once he lay down the card in attack mode. "She'll bury your knight in no time. Snake-Hair, destroy his Headless Knight with your stone blizzard attack!"
The sorceress attacked and Ryou's knight shattered in a burst of bright pixels. Bonz chuckled as he watched his opponent's life-points drop slightly.
"So, it looks like your knight just lost a lot more than his head." He crossed his arms with a smug expression.
"Wrong. I assure you that you haven't seen the last of my Headless Knight so observe and learn." Ryou drew a card as he started his turn, then smiled to himself. "I reveal my face-down card: Shallow Grave. This magic card allows me to revive one monster from my graveyard, and place it back on the field in defense mode. So welcome back my Headless Knight." Ryou removed the card from his graveyard and placed it back on his field. The Headless Knight reappeared emerging from a coffin, its stats higher than before.
"Look out Bonzie, the headless guy came back from the grave!" the tall one warned.
"Wake up, Zygor," the Australian grunt retorted. "Snake-Hair's still got more attack points than that flimsy knight."
"Oh yeah," Zygor replied. "You got a point there, Sid."
"This monster may be too weak," Ryou continued after rolling his eyes at them. "But watch as I sacrifice my Headless Knight in order to summon a creature stronger than your Snake-Hair. Rise up my Earl of Demise!" He had been adjusting his cards as he spoke and now lay down the card for his new monster. It appeared with a flash of purple light, looking like a gruesome, half-rotten corpse. It was considerably stronger than the Snake-Hair Sorceress.
"Oh no, my moster's a goner!" Bonz looked frightened, realizing now that he shouldn't have let himself be talked into betting all of his star-chips.
"And now, Earl of Demise attack with your sword of peril!"
"Ah, no! Snake-Hair!" Bonz's cry was futile, however, for his monster was cut down by the earl. Ryou started to chuckle, and Marik felt another shiver down his spine as he looked at his lover with concern. Was the Spirit of the Millennium Ring doing it again? Was he pretending to be his host? Or perhaps he was influencing his behavior? This was so unlike the Ryou that Marik had grown to love in the past few months, and it was unsettling to know that his closest friend had a dark side that could remain hidden for so long.
"Have you amateurs had enough punishment yet?" Ryou asked condescendingly, a sly grin altering his features.
"We'll see which one of us is an amateur when I do this!" Bonz drew a card and declared, "I summon Dragon Zombie! Now I'll unearth my Magic Burial card." He threw both cards down and as the magic card was activated, Snake-Hair Sorceress returned to the field. "Look familiar? This magic card costs me 800 life-points, but since it brings Snake-Hair back from the grave, it's a price I'm willing to pay, especially once I activate my Polymerization card." He threw down another card from his hand. "It fuses my two monsters together, creating a creature so terrifying it will send shivers down your spine!" As the monsters fused together, Bonz looked triumphant. "Behold! The Great Mammoth of Goldfine! You are finished!" He plucked yet another card from his hand and continued, "Since fusion monsters have to wait one turn before attacking, I'll place one card face-down and I'll wait for you to make your next move. Are you gonna draw, or what?" He demanded impatiently.
"With pleasure," Ryou replied coolly, taking the card off the top of his deck.
"I'm playing a trap card!" Bonz announced suddenly as Ryou looked at his card. "Skull Invitation! Now every time a card is sent to the card graveyard, my Skull Invitation card will severely damage your life-points! So when my Great Mammoth of Goldfine destroys your Earl of Demise in my next turn, you will lose 300 extra life-points automatically! Ha! Talk about having one foot in the grave. You are finished, bud!"
Ryou started to laugh, and Bonz became confused again.
"Your trap card is meaningless to me, and to prove it, I'll send every card in my hand to the card graveyard." Marik gasped in surprise as Ryou placed his entire hand in the graveyard.
"What?" Bonz still didn't understand.
"He must be mad as a hatter to make that move," Sid scorned, one hand on his hip. "You can't lose, Bonzie!"
"Yeah," Bonz agreed, trying not to let himself be unbalanced by his opponent yet again. "Skull Invitation, do your dirty work!" Ryou lifted an arm to shield himself as the magic of Skull Invitation swirled around him. He grunted in pain as the realistic hologram attacked him directly.
"That's right!" Zygor cheered. "Squeeze the life-points right outta him!"
Ryou started laughing again though as he dropped his arm and shot his opponent another smirk.
"Now what's so funny?" Bonz demanded.
"You'll soon find out," Ryou answered ominously. "You were so distracted by the hopeless thought of winning my star-chips and advancing to the finals, you failed to notice that I played a magic card." he activated the card, and as it revealed itself to Bonz, the zombie duelist gasp in horror.
"Oh no!"
"It's called Spiritualistic Medium," Ryou explained. "And it provides my Earl of Demise with an additional 500 attack points for every card destroyed during my turn."
"It can't!" his short opponent denied.
"Oh, it can, and if you remember correctly, I destroyed four of my own cards, giving my monster 2,000 more attack points. Go, my spirits," he ordered, arm extended as he felt a bit of a thrill at being able to command ghosts. "And add your power to my Earl of Demise!"
"Ah! It's grown too powerful!" Bonz cried as the Earl of Demise was given 4,000 attack points.
"Yes! Earl of Demise, destroy his mammoth!" The earl leapt forward and sliced his mammoth in half, laying waste to Bonz's life-points in the process.
"My… life-points…" Bonz was stunned, his eyes wide as he saw his own life-point counter drop to zero.
"I'm disappointed that this duel had to end so soon. I was really quite enjoying it." Ryou sighed a little as he started to look and sound more like his normal self. He shuffled his cards back together and slid his deck into its case as he stepped down from the Duel Arena. "Now you owe me your star-chips."
"No way, I'm not getting kicked out of this tournament!" Bonz cried suddenly, taking off at breakneck speed with his buddies hot on his heels.
"Wait, where are you going?!" Ryou exclaimed, running after them with Marik at his side.
"Good duel," the Egyptian praised as they ran.
"Thanks," Ryou panted with a faint smile. "Now come on, let's catch them and get my star-chips!"
Seto woke later that morning than he'd intended, but once he was up, he immediately began his search for another duelist to challenge. His search came to a halt, however, when he encountered a paper airplane on the ground. It was made of that thin beige paper used in cheap children's coloring books, and maybe that piqued his curiosity enough for him to pick it up and notice that it had been written on instead of colored on. He unfolded it carefully, and as he read the message, the blood drained from his face:
"My name is Adina Kaiba. Pegasus stole me and he is going to steal Mokuba too. Please get help!"
Author Notes: I am so sorry this chapter took so long to write! I couldn't find an online transcript of one of the episodes I needed, so I had to transcribe the dialogue by hand. Hopefully the next chapter won't take as long to write! ^-^
Please review and let me know what you think!
(1) Much of this dialogue was quoted directly from the English dubbed episode. For details on their duel, watch episodes 14 and 15 of Season 1.
(2) Most of this duel dialogue is adapted/quoted from Season 2, Episode 30 of the English dub.