Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Do You Dream of Me? ❯ Chapter 42

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-gi-oh.

 

Peace by the Sword and Pseudonym will be completed in a few weeks. Please review if you have an idea for what you want me to work on next.

 

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“What?” Honda asked, surprised.

 

“You're going to be on TV, Jounouchi?” Yugi was shocked.

 

Jou was jubilant. “Yup! It's this show called `The Get the Million Game!' If you win all the challenges, you get a million yen!”

 

A million yen? Everyone was shocked and amazed.

 

Jou was already celebrating the fact that once he won he wouldn't have to work his butt off at part-time jobs anymore to pay his dad's debts. Anzu felt sorry for him, but wished the school would allow her to get part-time jobs instead of her having to hide them from everyone.

 

Honda reminded Jou he hadn't won the money yet.

 

“You've been working to put yourself through school for a while now, haven't you Jou?” Anzu asked. She felt sort of selfish next to him. She was working to pursue her dreams, but he had to work just to go to school and get barely-adequate grades. What would his grades be if he wasn't tired all the time?

 

It was really rough for him. She wished she'd understood that, gotten to know him before Yugi had brought them all together. She had thought he was just a panty-raiding punk.

 

“Remember that paper route in middle school?” Honda asked, surprised. “Everyone called him the `Lone Paperboy.'”

 

“Hey! Let's be in the studio audience so we can all cheer him on!” Yugi suggested, grining.

 

“You bet!” Honda agreed and Anzu smiled.

 

Jou was still grinning at the thought of one million yen. He would be able to change his life with that kind of money.

 

Isn't this great! Yugi said to Yami, so happy for his friend.

 

Yami smiled in agreement. Jou-sama has the potential to be a great gamer. I am sure he will win!

 

Jou. Yugi reminded Yami. You're being not so formal now, remember? These are our friends. Our friends, not just mine.

 

Yami bowed his head. I do respect them. I am very glad for Jou, then. He will win, and with his responsibilities lessened he will have more time to spend with you.

 

Yugi looked at him funny. It's not about me.

 

No, this is only a side effect. Yami shook his head. But I want those around you to be happy.

 

Yugi hugged him. You're so nice. I know you want them to be happy for their sakes, not just for mine.

 

They are our friends.

 

Yes. Yugi nodded. This is so great!

 

Yes, it is. Yami wished there was something to do to help Jou, but it would be his game. Interfering would not be fair to him. Still, they could cheer him on, support him and give him their best wishes.

 

It was so like Yugi to think of that. So kind. So wise.

 

The game show was on Saturday evening. They all went, Anzu even skipped practice! It was worth it for Jou, she would just go in at 6am the next morning instead of 7.

 

The game show host started to introduce Jou fifteen minutes after they had all settled. Honda had given Jou a good luck charm, and they were all determined to cheer their friend on!

 

“Hey out there to all the fans at home! It's time for The Get the Million Game! Today's challenger is this strapping young man: 16-year-old Jounouchi from Domino City!” Jou looked determined, but then he saw Yugi and waved.

 

“Hey! Yugi! I'm on TV! Hey Honda!”

 

“That's the spirit, Jou!” Anzu yelled back.

 

“Go for it, man! Get the million!” Honda also yelled. Yugi waved, smiling.

 

The first game was a dart board. The board spun: there was a small “Lose” sector but as long as the dart landed in the rest of the circle Jou would win 100 thousand yen and move to the next round.

 

“This'll be a cinch,” Honda told the others. “Jou's great at darts.”

 

“But it's spinning.” Anzu was nervous.

 

“He'll be fine, Anzu. Don't worry so much. This is Jou!” Yugi told her.

 

Anzu looked at him. “I know it's Jou. That's why I'm worried.” He just had to win the money!

 

“Go for it, Jou!” Yugi yelled.

 

“Leave it to me!” Jou said to him, grinning. “This is a cinch!” he said as he threw.

 

The dart landed just barely outside the Lose zone. Jou paled. Too close.

 

“You win!” The host announced cheerfully. “You get 100,000!”

 

“All right!” A medallion with 100 on it was hung around Jou's neck.

 

“Good job!”

 

“You're #1, man!”

 

That was not right. Yami was frowning.

 

What wasn't right? Jou won, right? Yugi didn't understand.

 

By such a narrow margin? With his gamer's luck? It is like his opponent also had gamer's luck, and wanted him to almost lose. But he has no opponent in this game, correct?

 

Right. It's just luck and skill. The show doesn't want you to lose, but it does… Yugi's eyes narrowed. Want things to be exciting for the people watching.

 

Could some mechanical thing have altered the speed of the wheel?

 

I don't know. Hopefully we're just being paranoid.

 

We shall see how the next games go, Yugi. Yami looked throughful. Perhaps I am worrying too much because I want Jou to win. But his luck should be better than that.

 

I really want him to win too. Yugi nodded.

 

“Now the stakes go up and so do the risks! Can you get 500 thousand yen? For our second game, the electric helmet!”

 

Jou was putting a helmet with a metal bar sticking up from it on. There was a track over an semi-obstacle course between two wires where the bar would stick up.

 

“The rules are simple! Before time runs out, the contestant must run between the high voltage wires while wearing the helmet! But don't touch the wires! The slightest bump, and the metal helmet will conduct a devastating electric shock!”

 

Jou gritted his teeth and said firmly, “I'll do it!”

 

“Then let's start the game!”

 

Jou carefully navigated the track, but at the end he was almost out of time and had to run!

 

Yugi, Yami, Anzu and Honda watched breathlessly, Yugi getting ready to heal him if he needed to.

 

“Success! He wins!”

 

The hostess (in a bunny girl costume) hung a second medal, this time with 500 on it, around his neck. One more game to go!

 

“Good job, Jou!”

 

“That's the stuff!”

 

“One more step and you got the whole million!”

 

“We'll be back with the final round, right after this word from our sponsors!”

 

Yugi didn't want to wait. “Boy, this is really tense! I gotta go to the bathroom.”

 

He left his seat in the audience area and wandered through the halls, wishing he knew some bathroom-finding spell. “Wow, I'm in a TV studio,” he mused. “I wonder if I'll meet a star?”

 

He passed a big man in a suit and someone with a backwards baseball cap on in the halls. “So, how are the ratings?” The suit asked.

 

“Looking good, sir!”

 

“Good. So in the next round, the wheel is rigged to lose?”

 

Wait. Rigged wheel? Yugi started paying attention to the conversation. Do they mean…

 

Cheating. Yami's eyes narrowed.

 

“Yes sir,”Cap said. “Everything is ready!”

 

Yugi stopped walking and looked at their receding backs. “If there's one thing better than seeing a poor person struggling for money it's watching them fail at the last minute,” suit said and laughed. “Suffering always turns a profit!”

 

Yugi's eyes also narrowed. Why that, that…

 

The man continued. “What a joke! Who would give money to a poor person! Who cares? As long as I get paid! Bwa ha!”

 

You were right, Yami! All along this game show was rigged! How dare he use Jou's desperate hopes! I'll never forgive him!

 

Yami agreed. Do you wish to conduct this game, Mas… Yugi?

 

Yes!

 

Back in the studio, the host was saying, “Now! It's time for the final round! If Jounouchi clears this game, he will win one million yen!”

 

Jou was confident. He wouldn't lose.

 

“The Wheel of Fate!” It was divided into eight sections. One section with the million yen prize, three Lose sections, and four consolation prizes sections. The prizes were things like hand soap and lotion. Pitiful, Jou thought.

 

“Well, Jounouchi? Either you win the million yen—or you fail and lose all the money you've won so far!”

 

“I'll do it! It's as good as mine!”

 

“Go for it Jou!” Anzu called out.

 

“Knock `em out!” Honda chimed in.

 

“Now, the wheel has started spinning! It will spin until Jounouchi says stop!” Jou looked at it, nervous now.

 

The man in the suit (the producer?) and his assistant were watching from behind the stage scenery. “All right! When he says `stop' you press that button, got it?”

 

“Yes sir, I got it!” The red-painted button made Jou losing certain.

 

Suddenly they noticed Yugi standing there with cords in his hand.

 

“W-What do you want? Only staff are allowed back here! Get out!” The producer tried to get the kid to go away.

 

“Don't you want to try your luck?” Yugi smiled sweetly.

 

“What're you talking about?” He was worried now. This wasn't how things went. The kid should have shooed like he told him to. What if he had overheard?

 

“Look.” Yugi pointed. “There's a paint can on top of the scaffolding, right? And I have two ropes. One is tied to the handle of the paint can.”

 

“Wha?”

 

“You take one rope and I take one. On the signal, we each pull our rope. Come on, doesn't it sound fun?”

 

“What are you talking about? We're busy! We don't have time to play games!”

 

“You don't want anyone to find out your game is rigged, right Mr. Producer?” Yugi kept smiling innocently. “About the certain-loss wheel?”

 

Panic showed on the producer's face. He recovered quickly, telling his assistant to do it instead.

 

Retreating from a challenge? What a coward. This will not allow him to avoid the penalty. Yami smiled.

 

Yugi nodded inwardly. This is sort of fun.

 

He and the assistant both pulled on their ropes.

 

The assistant had the paint can's rope! Tugged toward him, the paint fell all over the control box with the buttons as well as the assistant!

 

The producer paled. Now he couldn't tell which button was the certain-loss button! They were all red! “If the wheel stops on the winning space, that shiftless bum will get a million yen!”

 

“Yes. Now it's time for your penalty game. Mind on air!”

 

“Stop!” Jou yelled, inwardly praying. Yes!

 

The show staff all seemed shocked. “C-congratulations! Here is your check!”

 

“Huh?” Suddenly he was distracted by a clamor.

 

“Bwa ha ha ha ha! Gimme your money!” the producer yelled into a camera. “Hey! All you broke, lazy, working-class couch potatoes! Get away from the TV just long enough to send me your cash! Checks! Money orders!”

 

The camera man was clearly going what the… other staff were trying to drag the producer away. “We're done for!”

 

It doesn't matter how much money you have if you're poor inside.

 

You are right. Should we go congratulate Jou?

 

Yeah. Let's go!

 

They all thronged around him, telling him how happy they were he had won. “I knew you could do it!” Yugi told him.

 

“Thanks, Yugi!” Jou grinned.

 

“You're welcome!” He decided he wouldn't tell Jou Jou had won because of him. This should have been his victory in the first place. And it had been his victory, without the button being pushed it had come down to Jou's luck.

 

“Man.” Honda was staring at the producer. They had come up on stage when Yugi had waved at them instead of heading out right away. “He's gone nuts.” He looked at Yugi. “Did Yami do something?

Yugi shook his head. “No, he didn't.” He had. He felt so proud. He had helped Jou!

 

“I'd better cash this check quick.” Jou frowned at the producer. “He might decide to cancel it or something if he's so nuts about money.”