Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Devotion ❯ Skepticism ( Chapter 20 )

Disclaimer: If I owned Yu-gi-oh, they would show Mai's duels!

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What the heck?

What are you talking about, Yugi?

Pegasus is reading Kaiba's mind? No way!

But… how did he do that? This is just too weird.

And that thing with bringing out Kaiba's little brother…was he drugged or what? Anyways, that was just WRONG.

Yugi telling him about the heart of the cards, that he needed to trust in it… it was like he thought Kaiba's life depended on it. On winning. The heart of the cards? Joey drawing Time Wizard against me…

What the heck is going on here? Since I started hanging out with these losers…Yugi asking me what I dueled for, I listed the obvious things: money, clothes, travel, and it was like he was disappointed in me. Like he was fighting for something much, much more important.

It's just a game! Just for fun and what winning can bring you!

Right?

Kaiba was fighting for his brother back. Wagering his soul… he was just a shell after he lost. He wasn't just crushed, he was horrified and this light and then… nothing. No one home.

Gods. Is this for real?

Yugi wouldn't be like this if it wasn't. Crying.

All this horrible stuff has happened, because of a card game?

You're here to help your families, you and Joey? Gods. It makes me look so…petty.

With the perfumes thing and everything. Gods, it's so embarrassing now. Was I that weak, that I needed to rely on a cheap trick like that to win? Did I have that little confidence in myself?

Seeing you, Yugi… you've changed me.

Now you're all stern, like you're condemning Pegasus. Such contempt and anger. You hate him. Hate the creator of a card game you like?

This seriousness… it's like everyone here has their life on the line.

It's just a game!

But it's not, is it. Not to you and Joey.

Joey wants to help his sister. It's like a bad soap opera, geez. And Yugi was talking about his Grandpa… did what happened to Kaiba and his little brother happen to him?

Winning his soul back… I can't believe I am actually taking this seriously. But everyone else is.

Pegasus was talking about the final resting place of Kaiba's soul… is there some game, some joke that everyone's in on but me? Bandit Keith was surprised too. He's got a good poker face, but I'm a pro too.

It was like he was going that's right, like it was explaining something he'd wondered about. He hates Pegasus too. Everyone seems to.

Gods.

Man, I'm saying that a lot.

I am totally out of my depth here. Whatever is going on…

I'm just a duelist. A good one. This is a tournament. And I'm going to win it. I wanted a fair duel with you, Yugi. I promised you.

I will fight you. And win. I am the best. Why do I need to prove it to myself?

If I beat everyone here, I'll win the duel with Pegasus.

Gods. I hope it's just some joke. If it were true… that'd be horrible.

Kaiba. The little kid. An old man. And Yugi's going to try to duel Pegasus.

Was that why he was so broken when he lost to Kaiba? Because he lost the star chips he needed to get into the castle to win the finals to duel Pegasus to rescue his Grandpa?

I knew there's no way he'd get that upset about a single loss. It just didn't fit with what I've seen of him.

He's so cute, and friendly, but when he duels, he's so serious, so strong. He actually cares about people, even cheaters like me, but he's not weak. He's stronger than I am.

Growing up alone…he's way too lucky, having friends like those.

Way too unlucky, getting caught up in this madness.

No.

It's not a game. Yugi would have let me in on the joke if there was one, he's too honest. He couldn't act that well. He was crying. There were tears. There one minute, and gone the next…

He completely changed.

What is going on here?

It's a joke. Just a joke. A little play, to make the tournament more exciting.

But…

No. I came here to win, and I'm going to win. I'll beat Yugi and whoever else I come up against, and I'll duel Pegasus and probably lose, given how he whupped Kaiba's ass after playing with him.

But at the end of the day, I'm taking home that prize money.

And Yugi and Kaiba and everyone are going to be fine. I can check out Joey's sister, see how much money she needs, set up some kind of easy loan… I've got tons of money saved up. More than I could spend in a lifetime, unless I was the total airhead I let people think I am.

Being underestimated rocks. I love what I did to Rex on the boat! Male pig. Sheesh, it was too easy.

I'm going to help you guys.

Why do I want to? You're opponents… but it's just a game, and you've helped me, including not telling everyone about my cheap trick. I'd never have lived it down.

You're nice people. I want to help you. I don't know why. I've never owed anyone as much as I owe you, Yugi. And don't think these measly bits of plastic are all I'm going to pay you back with. That would be cheating.

I'm going to give you that fair duel. I'm going to try my hardest to beat you into the ground. I owe you that.

And after this… you need me, I'm there.

If this is for real… if I'm fighting Pegasus anyway… why did I say fighting? It's not really going to be a duel for my life, not a real battle, right?

Anyways. This is probably just a game. But if I beat you and take away your chance at Pegasus, I'll duel him for you. It'd actually be a good thing, because my beating you would mean I'm better than you, so I'd have a better chance of winning against him.

So I wouldn't be winning selfishly, taking the victories you actually need, not just want, away.

I owe you. I want to help you, because I owe you. Right? Or is it more than that.

Whatever. It's just a game.

Right?

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Subieko: They do. After all, Yugi's always been strong…

Amber Eyes: It will improve in the Mai duel. Sorry!

Shandrial: Exactly!

Sylvia Viridian: Mai thinks that in the Vathara story Rolling the Bones. Everyone, read that story!!!!!!

Silvershadowfire: I'm doing the viewpoints of everyone who was there. On everything. See my author page for a list. And read my rant.

Pharaoh Atemu's Angel: Here you go!