RN: There's a new Yu-Gi-Oh! movie coming out! WHUUUUUT I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS. It's like a relapse of my childhood! I saw the trailer, and I was like "This is what the effects of a Duel were meant to be like!" If I owned Yu-Gi-Oh!, I'd have done the whole show over in it! Go watch it when it comes out!

Chapter 22: King of Which Game?

The King of Games. Everyone knew what that title meant, none more so than Yugi and his friends. No matter what the game was, he would win. It didn't matter if he'd never even heard of it before, the Pharaoh's unparalleled aptitude for learning quickly and seeing strategy more than made up for ignorance, so that with even the most obscure games he could look as if he'd been playing them all his life.

But that was just it: strategy. Anything that involved the slightest bit of strategy, the Pharaoh could win. But all this time, it was assumed this meant board games, card games, and the like.

Nobody expected he'd excel at sports games as well.

It started when the Pharaoh tried his hand at Foosball at the arcade. Tristan had invited them all along one day, when the series of rainstorms seemed to have passed. The Pharaoh was particularly eager; though he'd been with Yugi to the arcade before as a spirit, this would be his first time actually playing any of the games. It was markedly different from what he was used to. There were some games where there was no strategy to be drawn, only pure chance. With these, Joey was in his element. Perhaps this was where he gained his affinity for luck in Dueling, because before the Pharaoh's eyes he won prize after prize from stations many had sworn, angrily, were rigged.

"I come here sometimes if I wanna get somethin' for Serenity," Joey said smugly, a large, stuffed yellow chick under one arm and a bag full of smaller items in the other. "I can't do it all the time, though. My money usually gets eaten up pretty quick."

"I'm surprised I've never seen you do this before. You must have closets full of this stuff," Téa commented, impressed.

"Ah...not exactly..." Joey's expression turned suddenly sour. When he didn't elaborate, Tristan laughed and put an arm around his shoulders in mocking comfort.

"I can explain," he sniggered. "Y'see, Joey's luck only works when he's trying to get something for Serenity. When it's for himself he's just the same as the rest of us, 'cept maybe a little luckier."

"So it only works when you're playing for someone else," Yugi reasoned aloud, nodding. "Just like when you Duel!"

"And when you're selfish, it tries to teach you a lesson," Téa finished, looking smug herself. "Karma at its best, I like it."

Joey pulled a grumpy expression. "Ah, shaddup, all o' ya."

Téa, naturally, went straight for the dance games as soon as she had the chance. Within minutes she had collected a small crowd of onlookers, who cheered each time she flawlessly completed a difficult step. Recalling her battle against Johnny Steps, the Pharaoh felt a swell of pride for his friend—she was truly going to be a great dancer someday.

Tristan preferred the more sports-oriented games, citing Foosball as his all-time favorite. "It just gets your blood pumping, I can't explain it," he told them, and he wasn't wrong. Even Téa, who'd never played the game before, found a strange competitive urge when the ball was on the field. Tristan had clearly been playing for a long time, because though each member of their group challenged him to a match, he scored time and time again. Sometimes it seemed he spun the players so fast the ball simply shot a different direction on its own, and any confidence the others might have had starting out sunk into reluctant admiration.

The Pharaoh was the last to be his opponent. Throughout the other matches he'd stood off to the side, observing quietly. If one looked closely, they might be astonished to find his eyes flickering back and forth in perfect time with the ball, so that it was a wonder he didn't dizzy himself. When it was his turn he stepped up, not a change in his expression, and curled his palms around the handles, flexing his fingers experimentally. He met Tristan's gaze and gave a small smirk, signaling he was ready.

"I won't go easy on you," Tristan promised.

The smirk widened. "I wouldn't forgive you if you did."

Yugi dropped the ball into the slot, and it rolled onto the field. Confident, Tristan slid a bar into place, and...

SMACK!

His jaw dropped open. Somehow the ball had been shot faster than he could process...directly into his own goal.

Across from him, the Pharaoh stood almost innocently, his hand raised off to the side, after he'd flicked his own bar so fast it spun the players fast enough to shoot a direct score. He lowered it and tilted his head to look at Tristan's goal, his expression like that of a scientist having just collected results. "I believe that's one point to me," he said simply.

Tristan gulped, while Joey gleefully slid the point counter on the Pharaoh's side to 'one'. This match was going to go a little differently, and they all knew it.

"Okay, I'm honestly not that surprised you beat me, but I gotta know, how did you do it?"

"Come on, Tristan," Joey said, smacking his back. He was in an extremely good mood. "Ya really wanna do that to yourself? It's bad enough he beat ya 10-1. Best ta just leave it."

"There are a number of tricks," the Pharaoh began, as if Joey hadn't said anything. "I noticed most people keep their hands on the handles when they manipulate the players, and while that allows for better control over them, it also loses strength in your shots. Flicking your wrist makes for a much more powerful hit, though it has the downside of the ball possibly not going where you intended it to go. Additionally, changing how you stand can give you an edge. Most people stand directly facing the table, but if you angle yourself to the side, with your left side towards the table, you free up room for your right arm to move more easily."

Tristan groaned. "How is it that he can pick up on these things on his first try, and I've been playing for months and haven't known this stuff?"

"Ya learn ta stop asking questions like that," Joey said, more sympathetically. He flashed a proud grin to the Pharaoh. "Our man Isashi's just too cool for questions."

Unsure of how to respond, the Pharaoh merely returned the smile.

"Y'know," Tristan said, suddenly recovering from his slump, "I gotta wonder about actual sports, though. I mean, sure, Foosball's just a table-top game when you get down to it, but you ever thought of playing real football, Isashi?"

"Uh...not really," the Pharaoh admitted.

A wide grin spread over Tristan's face. "Well, how about you join in for a game, just to try it out? Say next weekend. We can use that open space in the park next to our school."

"You need eleven players for each side," Yugi said, frowning. "Who else is going to play?"

"Well, obviously it's not going to be real football. I figured we'd play two on two, with one person as the referee, and no goalies. We'll switch out every now and then."

The others, with the exception of the Pharaoh, pulled a hurt look. "That sounds boring as hell," Joey said.

"It sounds like it could be fun to me," the Pharaoh said, before Tristan could yell back. "I'm up for it."

"Yeah! All right, that's my man!" Tristan pumped a fist in the air.

"You don't have to, Isashi," Téa said. "I'm sure Tristan just wants to get back at you for losing so badly..."

Tristan shot her a peeved look. "I'm not that much of a sore loser," he grumbled. "That's Joey's area."

"Shaddup, Tristan, I'm the quintessence of a good sport!"

"'Quintessence', that's a big word for you. I'm so proud of you, Joey."

"Will you quit that, Téa? I go to school too, ya know!"

The Pharaoh chuckled. "So, Saturday, then?"

"Yeah. I'll bring the ball." Tristan nodded, grinning.

The Pharaoh turned to Yugi. "Are you all right with this, Yugi?"

"Well, we all know I'm not big on sports, but what the heck, I'll give it a try." Yugi gave a bright smile. "Maybe I'll stay as the referee so I won't have to run around that much."

Thus they found themselves, a week later, on a cloudy, slightly chilly day, with Joey and Tristan facing the Pharaoh and Téa. They were given five minutes to prepare with each other, then made their way to the center of the field. Their goals were two trees on each side, with a generous space between them. With Yugi as the referee, he put the ball in the grass and looked from team to team.

Joey and Tristan pounded fists. "We got this, dude," Joey grinned.

"Yeah, we do," Tristan said back.

The Pharaoh and Téa merely exchanged a look. Though their expressions were serious, there seemed to be a knowing smile in their eyes.

"Ready, GO!"

The Pharaoh immediately pulled back just as Joey charged forward, taking a flying kick at the ball. The Pharaoh, having put distance between himself and the others, caught it and began to dribble towards the outer perimeter. But in the middle of a pass to Téa, Tristan intercepted and took it towards the goal, where there was nobody to stop him.

"Haha, first point goes to us!" He drew back his leg for the winning kick.

But when he swung, his foot met only air, and the momentum made him crash on his back. Shaking his head to clear it, he looked behind him in astonishment to see Téa, who'd somehow stolen the ball. How...?

"Joey! Stop her!"

"I'm on it, dude!" Joey moved right in front of her and tried to kick it away. But amazingly, he couldn't touch it. He didn't know how, but Téa was passing the ball from one foot to the other, keeping it away from his own. She hopped, spun, and ducked.

Like a dance.

Finally spun low on the ground and sent the ball flying across the grass behind him, where too late for Joey to prevent it, it was picked up by the Pharaoh. Tristan, who'd picked himself up and run back into the game, moved in front of the goal to protect it. As he saw the Pharaoh draw his leg back for a kick, he lowered himself, ready to catch it.

But instead of flying right to him, like he expected, the ball went off to the side. Tristan gave a relieved smile. Shoulda guessed he'd be a bad shot...

"GOAL!"

"What?" Tristan whipped around to see that, indeed, the ball had made it through the gap in the trees that was their goal, and was coming to a stop a little ways beyond it.

"What...but how'd he...?"

"He bounced the ball off another tree, dude," Joey explained sourly as he came up to him. In the middle of the field, Téa was high-five-ing the Pharaoh, while Yugi cheered. "An' Téa used one o' her dance moves on ya, that's how she took the ball. Shoulda known they'd be up ta somethin'."

Tristan huffed, then leaned in close. "All right, we gotta be a little more serious," he said quietly. "Listen up, I got an idea..."

The next time they met on the field, Joey and Tristan wore matching smiles, the same secret glint in their eye. Far from being worried, the Pharaoh grinned all the wider. Now things were going to get interesting.

Now starting with the ball, Tristan rested his foot atop it while Joey moved into position off to the side. Téa followed to cover him, while the Pharaoh remained in front of Tristan.

"GO!"

Instead of kicking the ball across the field like Joey did last time, Tristan elected to hang back, dribbling the ball around for a little bit. He traversed slowly back and forth across the field, his eyes flickering from the Pharaoh, who was keeping in time with him, to the field in the back.

Suddenly, he made as if to kick the ball to the side. The Pharaoh followed accordingly. But instead he kicked the ball straight up and bounced it higher on his knee. Seeing what he was about to do, the Pharaoh changed directions and tried to block it.

But though the Pharaoh may have been better at strategy, in the end, Tristan was taller.

He knocked the ball into the air with his head, and it went sailing over the Pharaoh to Joey, who caught it with his chest. Astonished, Téa was too slow to intercept, but tried to block him as he ran towards the goal. Grinning, Joey passed the ball to Tristan, who'd already made it to the other end of the field, and before anyone else could stop him, he made a clean shot through the goal.

"Yeahhhhh!" Tristan ran a victory lap around the field, ending with him and Joey bumping chests. Clapping their hands together, they turned to see the Pharaoh and Tea laughing and applauding them.

"That's 1-1," Yugi called. "Want to change it up?"

"I dunno," Joey panted. "Me an' Tristan here make a pretty good team."

"Ah, let's give it a try. I'm guessin' you wanna stay ref?" Tristan shot a good-humored look at Yugi, who gave an embarrassed chuckle.

"All right. Then let's make it me and Téa, and Joey and Isashi."

They played like this for nearly an hour, with Yugi remaining as referee throughout. They changed up the teams so often that after the third switch they didn't bother to keep score. To them, all that mattered was the fun. Though by that time they were all soaked in sweat, none of them felt remotely tired, a fact which was helped by the cool breeze that kept blowing through the park. It was as if the longer they played, the more energized they became.

Whatever team the Pharaoh was on, he was able to devise a new strategy every time that guaranteed a winning goal. It was remarkable how he never seemed to run out of ideas, and how seamlessly he made use of the environment and each of his friend's natural talents. With Téa, he'd told her to act as if she were on the dance floor when she was dribbling, to confuse her opponents. He advised Tristan to take advantage of his speed and height. And for Joey, whose reflexes outmatched them all, the Pharaoh somehow managed to show him how he could use his skills at fighting to dodge others when he ran and catch the ball using his head, his knees, and even his elbows.

"Is there any kind of game you can't win?" Joey breathed in disbelief at one point. The Pharaoh merely laughed and shrugged.

It was Téa and Joey vs Tristan and the Pharaoh when it happened. Joey had the ball, while Téa covered Tristan, and the Pharaoh ran parallel to Joey on the other side of the field. The Pharaoh surpassed him by a little and began to curve around to intercept, when he suddenly stumbled. Joey, in mid-kick for the goal, saw too late what happened, and the Pharaoh was struck squarely in the stomach.

He fell to the ground, wheezing, and Joey was on him in a flash. "Isashi! Man, I'm so sorry, you okay?"

He helped the Pharaoh sit up, and the others joined them. "What happened?" Tristan demanded.

"It's nothing, I'm fine," the Pharaoh coughed. For the others' sake, he cracked a smile. "That was a pretty good hit, Joey."

"Aw, dude, I'm so sorry." Joey looked beyond guilty. "I didn't see you trip till after, an' by that time I'd already...Geez, you sure you're all right?"

"Yes...Maybe I'll just sit down for a while, then we can get back to the game..." The Pharaoh winced as he was helped to his feet, and wrapped an arm around his torso.

"Actually, I think we should end it here," Téa suggested. She wiped her forehead "It was fun while it lasted, but I think we're all kinda wiped."

"Yeah," Joey agreed, putting one of the Pharaoh's arms around his neck. "Here, let's get you over to the side..."

"I'm fine, really," the Pharaoh insisted, but he allowed himself to be led away.

Yugi appeared on his other side, all worries and frets. "Where does it hurt? Can you breathe okay? Do you need me to call Grandpa?" he asked at rapid speed.

"I just got the wind knocked out of me," the Pharaoh assured him. It came out a little more tense than he intended. Sensing he was growing tired of such questions, Yugi forced himself to believe his brother, and to relax.

"How's your leg?" Joey suddenly asked as he sat the Pharaoh down.

"What?" The Pharaoh looked up at him sharply.

"Somethin' made ya fall before I hit you with the ball, so I thought ya might've tripped on something, I dunno. Was there a rock, or what?"

"Oh...Yes, there was a rock. I didn't see it, and I slipped on it. But my leg's fine, it doesn't hurt." The Pharaoh rubbed his chest, and gave a couple of coughs.

Seeing that, Joey's expression grew even guiltier, and he rubbed his face in his hands. "Ah, man, I feel so bad. Will ya let me make it up to ya? I'll treat ya to a meal next time we go out."

"I don't think I can stop you," the Pharaoh replied amusedly. "But you don't have to do anything, really, Joey. It was an accident."

Sighing, Joey ran a hand through his hair. "If ya say so, man."

"Well, I think we could do with a snack or something after this. You all wanna head to a cafe or something after?" Tristan suggested to the group.

"You're welcome back at our house. Grandpa bought cakes yesterday," Yugi offered.

Téa put a hand to her head when she felt something drop on it, and looked up at the sky. "We'd better make it quick, I think it's starting to rain," she warned.

"Ah, damn. You good for walkin', Isashi?" Joey offered his arm to help the Pharaoh up again, but the Pharaoh refused, and stood on his own, albeit a little slowly.

"I'm fine," he said again.

"Whoa, it's really starting to come down. Come on, let's make a break for the station!" Tristan grabbed the ball, and all five ran as best they could when the rain suddenly began to increase, pelting them with small, icy droplets.

They were soaked by the time they arrived at the game shop. Grandpa had somehow had the foresight to prepare several towels, and they accepted them gratefully as they walked to the back part of the house.

"I've got some clothes for you youngsters if you want to change," Grandpa said. "Téa, you can use some of Mito's clothes, I'm sure she won't mind..."

"Thank you, Mr. Muto," Téa said, relieved, taking them and going into the bathroom to change.

"I'm good, Gramps, these clothes dry pretty quick," Joey said, toweling his hair.

Yugi and Tristan went to change in different parts of the house, but before the Pharaoh could do the same, Joey caught his arm and said, "Yo, can I talk to you real quick?"

"Of course, Joey, what is it?" The Pharaoh frowned. Instead of answering, Joey looked around, then pulled him into Yugi's room. He closed the door and turned back to the Pharaoh.

"I know your leg hurt before you got hit," Joey said seriously. "That's why ya fell, right?"

The Pharaoh held his gaze for a moment, then sighed. "Yes," he admitted. "It twinged all of a sudden, and gave out beneath me. But it's fine now, it doesn't hurt anymore."

"I don't care about that. Why didn't you tell us it was still hurting?" Joey hissed.

"It wasn't hurting before," the Pharaoh said back, his tone tense"It stopped two weeks ago, like I said, and I thought that was the end of it. It's probably sore because I was running so much, that's all."

Hearing that, Joey believed him, though he didn't back down completely. "I guess," he murmured. "Sorry. Just wanted to make sure you were okay."

"I understand. I'm sorry for not telling you. I simply didn't want you to worry."

"We worry more when you don't say anything, dude," Joey grumbled. "You and Yugi both are better at keeping secrets about yourselves than the government."

The Pharaoh smirked. "Well, we are twins, after all."

A touch of concern returned to Joey's gaze. "Isashi...just promise me you'll get it checked out?"

The Pharaoh sighed again. "I really don't think it's necessary, Joey."

"Well, I think that-"

At that moment, Téa walked in, saying, "Bathroom's open."

"Thank you, Téa." The Pharaoh smoothly took his change of clothes and walked out. Joey stifled a sigh of frustration, and instead shivered when a breeze came in from the open door.

Téa raised an eyebrow at Joey's still-wet clothes. "You sure you don't want to change, Joey? You're going to catch something if you stay in those clothes. Especially now that flu season's coming up."

Joey gave an indignant sniff. "I'll have you know I have an excellent immune system. I ain't been sick for ten years. My Ma tells me I get it from her side o' the family."

Téa was unimpressed. "Well, if you end up with a fever tomorrow, you can blame your dad, then."

Joey stuck his tongue out at her, then yelped when she smacked him. "What are you, five?" she muttered, not entirely upset.

"Y'know, that really hurts. I oughta report you for abuse," Joey said crossly.

"I doubt you'd tell anyone you were beat up by a girl," Téa replied, not backing down.

"What girl? You ain't no girl, you're a squid with legs-eep!" He cowered and ran out of the room when Téa raised her hand again. Téa chased after him, shouting, "Who's a squid, now?"

When Tristan came out of the bathroom, he found Joey lying with his stomach to the ground, one arm forced around on his back by an irate Téa, who held him down with one leg and an elbow. "Ack, Tristan, help!" Joey wheezed when he caught sight of Tristan.

Alarmed, Tristan rushed forward. "Téa, I keep telling you not to send him to the hospital!"

RN: Mito is Yugi's mom. She doesn't have a name in the series, so I figured I'd make one up for her. Not sure if it's going to be used again in the future, but...

Things are finally picking up. The age of drabbles is over, and we're getting back to the plot of the story, so I should be writing more quickly from now on. The last five chapters were sort of made up on the spot instead of being pre-planned, so they took way longer to write, but I should have less trouble from here on out. Now, I can't guarantee I'll be updating as quickly as I just did, so don't expect me to. But I will do my best not to make you wait another year. Just know that I'll never give up on this story, even if it takes me the rest of my life to finish it! I really hope it won't take me the rest of my life, hopefully just another year or two tops, but with the way things have been going lately...

One thing I've been worried about is if my chapters have been getting repetitive. As heartwarming as it is to see the friends interact, having more or less the same interaction, just with different dialogue, can get tedious, and I definitely don't want to do that to you. So let me know if you've found yourself heaving sighs of boredom and thinking, Yay, another friendship speech...and I'll try to change it up a bit. I mean, if you can last through all the friendship speeches of the actual Yu-Gi-Oh! franchise then mine should be no bother at all, but then again, opinions can change a lot from your childhood days to now. So please let me know, and thank you for waiting!