Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Do You Dream of Me? ❯ Chapter 44

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

 

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“Here's a game I think you'll like,” Sugoroku told them. “Monster Fighter!”

 

“Monster Fighter?” Jou asked, holding what looked like a water pistol with a half-circle platform on top of it.

 

“Yup! It's like a combination of a monster boxing game and arm wrestling!”

 

“Wow, that sounds neat!” Jou looked at the thing with new appreciation.

 

“Yeah, I'm sure it's going to be hot!” Yugi agreed.

 

Sugoroku explained the game. Jou picked one from over a hundred types of monsters, stood it on the platform and hooked it up to the gun-controller. Then he linked his gun to Yugi's, the half-circles making a full circle and put in the move disc.

 

The buttons on the controller made the monsters punch and kick in a simulation of a boxing match.

 

“Awright, Yugi! Let's battle!”

 

“Okay!”

 

I am sure you will win, Ma… Yugi! Yami cheered him on.

 

The game went on for some time, both of them blocking each other's moves, until Yugi hit Jou's monster's weak point, making it stay still long enough for him to use his monster's finishing move. “Mach tornado punch!”

 

“Urk…” Jou could do nothing as his monster was knocked off the platform. Ring out!

 

“I did it! I win!” Yugi cheered.

 

“Do you ever lose anything?” Jou asked him.

 

“So what do you think?” Sugoroku asked his guinea pig.

 

“It's awesome! I love it!” Jou grinned at him.

 

“Thank you! In exchange for trying it out, you can keep it, like the other games,” Sugoroku told him.

 

Jou shook his head. “No thanks, Gramps. I have money now. Ring it up for me.”

 

Sugoroku shook his head. “It's not charity, you're a good way of telling how many I should order. Consider it payment for your help.”

 

Jou shrugged. “Awright, Gramps.” He turned to Yugi. “C'mon Yugi! Let's show everybody at school!”

 

“Okay!”

 

“Thank you!”

 

The next day, Yugi and Jou demonstrated the game for the class during break. “Critical hit! Ring out! Alti wins!” Yugi grinned, mentally high-fiving Yami.

 

“Darn! You got me again!” Jou looked fierce though, not ready to give in. He never gave in.

 

Jou's a really good friend. Other people used to get frustrated and angry with me for winning all the time, Yugi confided in Yami. He just cheers me on no matter what.

 

He is a true gamer that understands that pushing yourself to face a strong opponent is the way to become better. Yami smiled. It is good you have such a friend.

 

Like I duel against you. Only pretend duels so far. But one day I'll be strong enough we can have a real duel! Yugi looked forward to it.

 

Yami nodded. Soon. You are becoming stronger every day, Yugi.

 

Curious classmates were asking what the game was. Yugi explained.

 

Soon the game was really popular at their school. Sugoroku got a lot of business and considered his investment paid back many times over. Just because he was old didn't mean he wasn't a shrewd businessman.

 

“I didn't think Monster Fighter would be this popular!” Jou told Yugi, looking at two other people playing a game.

 

“Yup!” Yugi agreed. “It's great that people are enjoying a game! Our store is sold out, same with all the others. Grandpa's really happy but it's almost like it's too big a hit…” A lot of them are just doing it because it's popular. It made him sad that people didn't properly appreciate a good game.

 

“Hey, Yugi.” Two students came up to him. “Is your place still sold out?”

 

“Yup. We don't know when we'll get any in.”

 

“Too bad. I give up.” They went away hanging their heads.

 

“That's the 100th time I've been asked today… it's a shame the people who just bought it because it's popular are keeping the people who really want to play from getting it.” Yugi sighed.

 

Jou blinked. “I didn't think of it that way, but that makes a lot of sense.”

 

Another student came up to them. “Yugi, there's a guy asking for you. Over there.” He pointed to the door where there was a tough-looking guy wearing a black shirt with a spider on it. “Be careful, Yugi. That's Koji `the spider' Nagumo. He's good at games, but they say he steals from people.”

 

Yugi looked at him, worried. I don't want to listen to rumors, but it's really a shame when a gamer does wrong things. They especially should know better, right Yami?

 

Right. There is no purpose, no victory without honor. Yami regarded Koji, eyes narrowed. Be careful.

 

Yugi followed Koji up to the roof. “Um, if this is about Monster Fighter, our store is still sold out.”

 

“I know that! I don't go to the store. See?” Koji showed Yugi a Monster Fighter gun.

 

“Oh, you already have one.”

“I called you up here because I knew you would have a Monster Fighter. Did you bring it with you?” His smile was wrong.

 

“Yes.” Yugi took it out.

 

“That's a good boy.”

 

So arrogant merely because he is older than you? You are by far his superior! Yami bristled on behalf of his Master. His beloved.

 

Yugi agreed.

 

“Let's have a battle right here. I'm a gamer, just like you are.”

 

As though he is worthy to claim that title.

 

“I'm the one who made this game so popular!”

 

No, you and Jou-sa… Jou did that. A liar as well?

 

“Okay, let's do it!” Yugi agreed. He might have a good heart. We'll see in a game.

 

That is true. Yami smiled. You are so pure of heart, to see good in all.

 

“Huh? So your monster is Alti? Nice scapegoat for a weakling… dude!”

 

He holds your ally in contempt? This one will fall fast.

 

Yeah! He can't be that good if he doesn't know Alti is one of the best! He's got

 

“My monster is Wild Spider! Just so you know, he's undefeated!”

 

One of the ones that people think are the best. It's good, but Alti's better if you know the tricks to it.

 

Don't be…

 

I know. When am I ever overconfident? I'm just reading my opponent, like I'm supposed to. Games are about understanding, after all.

 

They started to play.

 

“Whoa! Not bad!” Koji looked impressed despite himself, forced to focus on the match.

 

At least he admits you are a worthy opponent. A point in his favor.

 

“By the way, I forgot to mention there's this house rule I always play with.”

 

“Huh?” Letting me know about a rule after Game Start!

 

Yami shook his head in condemnation. An unfair advantage.

 

“Simple! The winner gets the loser's fighting gun! And of course, the loser's monster too!”

 

“What?” Lose his ally! “B-but that's… No way! I'm not playing that way, Nagumo!”

 

“Oh, look out dude! You're wide open!”

 

“Huh?” Yugi looked at his monster.

 

“Fool.” Koji made a fist. “I said you're wide open!”

 

Yami blocked his punch, tearing his monster away from Koji's. “Is this another house rule?”

 

Koji grinned. “Yeah!”

 

“Then shall we have a shadow game?”

 

“Sure, go ahead.” Koji grinned.

 

“The game is three sets. The first to take two wins,” Yami informed him, letting their fighting guns lock together again. Are you sure you do not want to play this game, Yugi?

 

No, I like to watch you play. Yugi smiled. Go Yami! You always cheer me on. Aren't you glad I made you play those Monster Fighter games with Jou now?

 

I disliked taking gaming time away from you, but yes. I think I learned enough fighting him to deal with a dishonorable opponent.

 

It would be embarrassing to lose because you were bad at the game, huh? But you're great at every game, Yami!

 

All games are games. Yami shrugged mentally.

 

Yami played cautiously at first, blocking all of Koji's attacks but making none of his own. Koji started smiling. He will cheat soon.

 

Sure enough, Koji punched! Yami shifted his head to the side in the blink of an eye and dodged. “When you break your concentration, your monster is wide open! Left upper cut!” Alti landed a punch on the spider's face as Koji gritted his teeth, head thrown back by the blow. “Critical hit! Ring out!” One more victory and then game over.

 

Koji had fallen to the ground, curled up in fetal position. “Owwww! Gah! Aaagh! It hurts!”

 

“Don't worry,” Yami told him. “In this game, the monsters won't be damaged because we are the scapegoats for the monsters!”

 

“Wha!” Koji felt his face. There were a maze of cracks where the punch had landed on his monster!

 

“You get it, don't you?” Yami continued. “If you don't play the game seriously, your body will be broken instead of your monster! I take the first set.” Yami smiled chillingly. “This is Monster Fighter-the Shadow Game!”

 

“I see… If I don't pay attention to the game, I'm really gonna get hurt. Gg.. I get it! But now it's your turn!” Koji got to his feet.

 

“The game is three sets, the first to take two wins and I have taken the first.”

 

“I'm a gamer too, you know! I can really play when I have to! It turns my stomach to say it, but I'll play fair!”

 

Yugi smiled. Maybe we can save him without having to go as far as with Seto.

 

Seto was a special case. This one… though his monsters deserve to be involved in his penalty game.

 

You're sure he will get one?

 

I have played him and I know him. Yami shook his head.

 

“Yugi! I'll tell you why I'll never lose this game!” Koji said he had learned on the street and his experience was superior.

 

He's right, Yami. You've played what, five games?

 

If he plays fairly, he will deserve to win. Yami shrugged.

 

The second set started, and Yami was struggling to defend against Koji's attacks.

 

Finally, Yami turned off the power to make his monster hang limp, dodging an attack, then turned it on, feinted, and hit Koji's monster in its weak point, freezing it!

 

Koji looked horrified. If Yami struck now, a critical hit would make him lose the match!

 

Koji kicked.

 

Yami was so focused on properly executing the finishing blow that he didn't block in time. Distracted, Koji's spider landed hits on Alti's stomach, making Yami lose the game. As he bent over, Koji laughed, gloating, “Now this game is even!”

 

Yami stood up. “Nagumo… now you've really made me mad.”

 

Are you all right, Yami?

 

Yes, thanks to the armor.

 

Yami took off Yugi's white shirt, revealing black leather underneath it. The leather armor was dented from the hits but it had shielded Yugi's body from most of their force. “Until now, this shadow game was level 1, but for this final set, I'm raising the `shadow mode' to level three!”

 

Koji just laughed.

 

“Nagumo, you won't be able to cheat in the final set!”

 

“Oh? We'll see about that. I'll win in my own way!”

 

Sure enough, Yami hit he weak point again, and Koji decided to kick him before he could land the final blow.

 

But he couldn't move his leg.

 

All the monsters he had taken from the players he had defeated were grabbing on to it! “W…what the… !” Even his monster, the one he was playing with now was there!

 

“Apparently your monster won't sell its soul to evil.” Yami smiled, victory was certain now and Koji could see it in his eyes. “Isolated and friendless! It doesn't look like any of the monsters are on your side!”

 

Koji looked. If his Wild Spider was down there, what was on the field?

 

“You even betrayed the trust of your own monster… the only monster on your side in this game is…”

 

The spider had his head!

 

“The monster called your soul! Behold your twisted inner self! Now, I'll crush your `monster!' Finishing move!”

 

As Koji lay there on the ground, Yami told a mourning Yugi, A person can change their soul into any kind of monster, but in the end, the shadows always eat them alive.

 

Like in the other penalty games. He suffered because of what he turned himself into. Yugi nodded. I understand, Yami.

 

Perhaps he will learn from this. Perhaps it will scare him whenever he wants to cheat again.

 

There's always hope, Yugi agreed.