The Pharaoh and the Wayfarer (Atem/Yami Yugi x Spirit! Reader)

Chapter 8: Joey's Resolve

I own nothing.
Chapter 8: Scars of Defeat

With no good way of rescuing Mokuba that night, Yugi managed to convince Rain to go back to camp and get some shut eye. Being gentlemen, the boys gave the girls the only tent and offered to sleep outside, though Rain insisted they at least take her sleeping bag. While Tea, Joey, and Tristan snoozed, the three Millennium Item wielders sat away. Yugi was again attempting to get more context from the Wayfarer girl, but yet again, he was interrupted.
"Bakura, am I hallucinating or is your Millennium Ring glowing?" He asked.
"If it's not, then we're both hallucinating."
He held up the artifact and sure enough one of the prongs was not only glowing, but standing up. Both boys, not so subtly, looked at Rain who sighed.
"The Ring supposedly points the wielder in the direction of what they most desire. It's basically a compass."
Bakura tilted his head. "It feels as though it's pulling me towards the castle though. I don't feel that strong a desire to win, do I? In fact, I felt a similar pull the day I met you, Yugi. I had just been into your school and I was watching you guys play Duel Monsters, when suddenly my Ring started to glow and pointed right towards your Millennium Puzzle."
"Any thoughts, Rain?" Yugi asked.
She pursed her lips. "Hmm...maybe it has the power to track other Millennium Items? We know Pegasus has one, so..."
(Y/N) then appeared, sitting next to her. "It could also be that the Ring is only divining the desires of the spirit trapped inside. He did say he has sought the Millennium Items for some time."
Just as she said this, another prong on the Ring glowed and began to move, though not as strongly as the first.
"Again?" Bakura said. "That's odd."
To the shock and horror of the girls, the prong was pointing weakly at the unseen spirit. With an angry huff, (Y/N) returned to the Millennium Bracelet, causing it to dim and fall.
"What was that?" Yugi asked, noting the worried look on his new friend's face.
"The Ring was pointing at (Y/N) for a second there. I think she's right, it's going after the desires of the spirit in the Ring. Man, I know that guy has answers for (Y/N), but I know him just being in the same room as her is a bad idea."
"(Y/N)?" Yugi repeated.
"Oh, I suppose I didn't give you a proper introduction. (Y/N) is the name of the spirit who lives in the Millennium Bracelet. You kinda call her my dueling partner. She tends to step in when things get dangerous."
"You seem much more in tune with your spirit than either of us." The white haired male noted. "And aware of her for that matter."
"Well, I think we can chalk that up to two things: one, the Millennium Bracelet is inherently tied to my tribe unlike the other seven, and two, I've had my item for way longer than both of you. I've had my item for 8 years, and even then, I only realized she was there last year."
Yugi's eyes widened. "That long?! What made you finally notice?"
"Remember what I told you about me and Samson running into trouble during my trip to Egypt? I had to play a death game with a mirror version of myself. I couldn't play as myself because the twin knew my moves, so (Y/N) took over and won the game. When I looked at my reflection though, she was the one staring back at me. That night, I sorta just...confronted her and we decided on the partnership."
"So, you've been switching places with a spirit, both of us have, and nobody noticed!? How!?"
"The human mind is an odd thing when faced with magic, Yugi. If something doesn't make sense, it tends to twist perceptions until it does."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, take you and your spirit for instance. Due to their cognitions, whenever you two switch, everyone else sees you and assumes your behavioral changes are just you getting into the zone. However, I'm also partnered with a spirit and thus, I can actually perceive the differences between you and the spirit. Think of it as an optical illusion, but entirely in your head."
Yugi seemed to get it somewhat, at the very least it explained why no one besides Rain had noticed before.
"So...what are the differences between us?" Yugi asked, more than a little curious.
Rain chuckled. "Well for one thing, he's a little taller than you." Yugi immediately hung his head in disappointment. "His voice is also way deeper and he has a sharper expression. Oh! He's also got more gold bangs than you."
"Even the spirit I share a body with is taller than me..." the poor guy moaned as Rain gave him a comforting pat on the back.
"Aw, don't worry. (Y/N)'s taller than me too. It stinks..."
"What else?" Bakura asked.
"Well, compared to Yugi and his spirit, our differences are much more subtle. Really, the best way to tell me from (Y/N) is our eyes. Mine are darker than hers. Since I've told you guys this, you should be able to notice next time she takes over in a duel."
"It's quite alarming to think others have this same...affliction." Bakura didn't seem to even like his own term for it. "Do you think Pegasus is also partnered with a spirit?"
"Well, we have three of the items here, and all of them have spirits, so it wouldn't be too much of a stretch to say he could."
"So, it might be the spirit doing this, like how it was Bakura's spirit who attacked us?" Yugi pondered.
Rain shrugged. "I won't know for sure until I see him duel, but regardless of the truth, his Millennium Eye has robbed people of their souls. Someone has to take responsibility for that."
Bakura frowned. "It's all kind of scary. Pegasus grabbing souls with his Eye and my Ring dragging us into the Shadow Realm."
"We'll just have to be careful about this." Rain then stood up. "It's getting late. We all need sleep. I'll tell you guys more in the morning."
She began to walk away, only for Yugi to call out to her.
"Rain." She turned back to face him as he smiled. "Thank you for telling us this."
She smiled back. "It's the least I can do."
(Timeskip)
Rain couldn't actually get back into the tent because Tristan was slumped in front of it, a position that would no doubt ruin his back, so she, Bakura, and Yugi slept against a nearby tree. The Wayfarer girl did swipe back the sleeping bag, and she and Yugi used it as a pseudo-blanket. Yugi was kept up by thoughts of his alter ego, leaving her to drift away next to him, her head eventually lulling against his shoulder. Ordinarily, Yugi would be embarrassed or super bashful at having a girl lean against him, much less one like Rain, but he felt calm with her presence, downright peaceful even. Rain was a kindred spirit, clearly in more ways than one, but despite only just meeting her a day ago, Yugi felt as though he had known her for much longer than that. Of course, the universe couldn't let him ruminate on these feelings for five minutes as a helicopter rose from the cliff side and blinded him with spotlights.
"Oh, come on!" Rain groaned, trying to hide her face in Yugi's shoulder, which did make him blush.
"Hey! Some of us are tryin' to get some shut-eye here!" Joey yelled as everyone woke up.
As the helicopter landed, everyone reluctantly got up to greet whoever decided to disturb them at this ungodly hour. To their shock, a familiar face stepped out of the copter.
"It's Kaiba!" Tea yelled, still a little drowsy.
Joey was on guard in contrast. "What's he doin' here?"
"I don't know, but it looks like he means business." Tristan said.
Yugi walked up to Kaiba, who as usual had a sour expression on his face.
"I haven't seen you since our duel, Yugi." The brunette 'greeted'.
Yugi nodded, before pulling out the cards he retrieved from the imposter. "Here's your deck. I've been keeping it for you. Just think of it as a thank you for helping me win that duel."
Kaiba nodded, taking his deck back. "Thanks. You'll be compensated for all of your trouble." He then noted the familiar face in the background. "(L/N)?"
She waved, still sleepy. "Evening, Kaiba."
"Send my regards to your grandfather and apologies for any trouble I've caused you."
Rain yawned. "Don't bother, I would've gotten dragged into this one way or another."
He grunted and began to walk off.
"Wait, Kaiba!" Yugi interjected. "I was thinking that since we're all headed for Pegasus's castle, you could stick with us. Of course, you'll need some star chips."
"Don't be so naive." Kaiba shot back. "This isn't just a game for me, Yugi. (L/N), I assume Pegasus has my brother?"
Rain looked down shamefully. "I'm sorry, Kaiba. I had him! But he ran off and by the time I got there, the goons had already snatched him!"
"Hey, it ain't on ya, Rain." Joey assured her. "You got sick. Tea wasn't gonna let ya go anywhere."
Tea nodded. "You would've collapsed before you reached him, and I don't want to think about how things would've played without you."
Kaiba didn't seem interested in shifting blame and instead continued to walk away from them.
"I'm going after Pegasus to save my brother, not so I can win a prize. Have fun with your tournament."
"But, Kaiba."
The CEO had already left before Yugi could explain his situation. Joey was seething and ran to cut the brunette off, grabbing him by his shirt.
"Hey! Listen, tough guy! I can understand you wantin' to get your little brother back and all, but don't go thinkin' that you're the only one here with a noble cause, capisce? We've all got something to fight for, so if you want a piece of Pegasus, get in line or deal with me."
"Joey!" Rain yelled sharply, only to be ignored.
"That's right, hot shot, I ain't scared of you."
"Strong grip." Kaiba mocked, grabbing Joey's wrist. "Let me show you mine."
The taller male easily tossed Joey down.
"That was uncalled for!" Bakura yelled as Rain and Yugi ran to Joey to help him up.
"Joey, can you hear me!?" Yugi asked as the blonde was unresponsive to Rain's prodding.
"Don't think it's a concussion."
"Relax, I'm fine." Joey said, brushing Rain away as Kaiba glared at them.
"Do you really think I'm gonna let you and this little tournament you're in delay me from finding Pegasus?"
"Forget Pegasus!" Joey snapped back. "Now you got me to deal with, so bust out your cards and let's get it on!"
"Knock it off, both of you!" Rain hissed, getting in between them. "We're not each other's enemies. Kaiba, listen for two minutes: it's not just Mokuba, Yugi's grandfather's also being held hostage. Unless we want to risk them, we have no choice but to play by Pegasus's rules."
"Stay out of this, Rain." Kaiba hissed. "And tell your new friend to look for an opponent he can actually beat. Maybe an infant monkey."
"Huh!?" Joey growled, pushing past the Wayfarer girl. "What did you say!?"
Kaiba rolled his eyes. "I don't have time for your nonsense, loser."
"Go ahead and run. Everyone knows you're nothin' but a washed-up has-been!"
Rain facepalmed as Yugi, sensing the oncoming disaster, tried to reason with his friend.
"Joey, be careful what you say. Kaiba may be a creep, but he's still pretty much considered the top duelist in the world."
"Not anymore!" Joey snarked, causing Kaiba to stop. "That's right, tough guy. I bet ever since Yugi mopped the floor with you, you can't even lay a trap card without flinchin'!"
Rain, still trying to avoid a brawl, attempted to push Joey and again put herself between him and Kaiba.
"All right, let it go, Joey. It's not worth it."
"Just listen to her." Tea encouraged. "This is not a fight you want to pick!"
The blonde, of course, ignored them. "What do you say, Money Bags? Care to prove me wrong?"
Kaiba smirked. "On one condition: we play using my newest innovation in holographic duel technologies."
"What do you mean by that?" Yugi asked, fairly worried.
"It means that if Joey's really that eager to duel me, he's gonna have to do it using my latest holographic system." Kaiba held up the briefcase he had been carrying around. "It's a new, hi-tech dueling device that allows players the realism of arena matches in any setting."
"Looks like a regular old briefcase to me." Joey said.
"It's in the briefcase, you moron." Kaiba opened it up then tossed a Frisbee shaped object to the blonde. "Its technology is unprecedented."
"Looks like a flyin' saucer."
"Don't be an idiot. This is the most state-of-the-art display modulator ever built. So, if you think you have what it takes to handle it, just strap it on."
Realizing neither boy was backing down, Rain reluctantly held on to the device, much to Kaiba's relief, and handed Joey the wrist strap portion that he slipped on.
"Okay, now what happens?"
"First, insert your deck into the display drive recognizer." Kaiba instructed. "A lifepoint counter will light up and keep score for the entire match. Then we chose a card to play and set it on the digital card reader. I think the rest will explain itself."
Joey nodded and placed a card on the reader as instructed, taking it from Rain and holding it up.
"Huh, cool."
"All set?" The brunette asked. "Then let's duel."
"You got it!"
(Timeskip)
The duel went about as well as Rain expected, that is to say a pretty sound beat down on Joey's end, though he did manage to get a hit in thanks to Red Eyes Black Dragon. Kaiba was amazing as he claimed, hitting sense to make the monsters seem as though they were alive. Of course, Kaiba had to mock Joey at the end, rubbing salt in the wound, only for Rain to glare him down.
"You've made your point, Kaiba. Let it go."
He huffed. "I'd say my duel disk system has proven quite effective. Not only did it's stunning realism knock Joey into complete and utter submission, but just look at him. He's moping like a frightened dog with his tail between his legs, which is exactly how I intend to leave Pegasus."
"Kaiba!" (Y/N) took over for Rain, the sharpness of her voice seeming to somewhat reach the prideful male. "The person in front of you isn't your enemy. I would think someone of your position would show some grace in victory. There is no victory in humiliating your opponent."
"Stop it, Rain." Joey said. "Don't give that creep the satisfaction."
"Look, kid, do you honestly believe that if you were dueling Pegasus, he would've been any more merciful with you than I was? I understand that the Heart of the Cards is a powerful philosophy and that it all works well for you, but I need to duel my own way now. I can't risk trying something new, and maybe Joey shouldn't either, unless he likes life as a dog, scrounging on the scraps of past victories."
"That, that is the issue I take with you, your disgusting attitude! That isn't how a duelist should behave!"
"She's right, Kaiba!" Yugi agreed.
"It's the attitude you need if you want to stand a chance against Maximillion Pegasus. Yugi, Rain, you don't understand. This is the man who created duel monsters. He has every card that's ever been made at his disposal. He's mastered every strategy that's ever been played. Pegasus always makes sure that he has every possible advantage working in his favor. If I'm to stand any chance against him at all, I'll have to play by my own ruthless rules. Not his. Open your eyes, even with both your talents, you'll be defeated like all the others, because when Pegasus duels, he uses much more than mere skill. I've seen him use a magic that's stronger than any card."
"It's the Millennium Eye." (Y/N) stated. "It's why you won't stand a chance by yourself. He doesn't just predict strategies, he knows every strategy available to you outright."
"Are you accusing him of cheating?" Kaiba asked.
"If mind reading qualifies, then yes."
"Mind reading!?" Yugi repeated.
"It's the power of the Millennium Eye, Yugi, it gives its user the ability to see through their opponent's thoughts. It's how he was able to perfectly counter you during your duel, he knew every move you could've made."
Tristan gritted his teeth. "That dirty cheat! Of course he's so cocky! How are you supposed to counter that!?"
Kaiba rolled his eyes. "Not these Wayfarer myths again, Rain."
"They're not myths, Kaiba! You said you saw it for yourself! You can't beat Pegasus by yourself!"
"Watch me."
He began to march off, only for Yugi to stop him.
"Kaiba, we may not agree with each other's methods, but we all agree Pegasus needs to be stopped. I hope you succeed in rescuing your brother."
To his credit, Kaiba did look back and nod. "And I hope you succeed in your ventures. Let's just hope our paths don't cross again before this is all over."
He finally managed to get away, causing (Y/N) to huff in annoyance.
Yugi walked next to her. Just like Rain had said, once she had told him the differences between her and the spirit, the boy was actually a little embarrassed he hadn't noticed.
"Thanks." He said. "For standing up for us."
She smiled and nodded at him.
"Don't mention it."
(Timeskip)
The next morning, after everyone managed to get back to sleep, Rain was woken up by Joey seething and growling about Kaiba.
She narrowed her eyes and covered her ears. "Someone please, shut him up."
"Everybody up!" Joey yelled.
Yugi yawned. "What's wrong, Joey?"
"Ah, nothing's wrong. It's just a brand new day of the tournament, and I'm hot to find us a duel!"
"Well, you don't have to yell about it." Tristan groaned as Yugi attempted to get Rain up who was being stubborn.
"Hey, guys. What's all the commotion?" Tea greeted.
"Joey wants us to get moving despite our late night." Rain explained as Yugi continued to try and drag her up.
He was half laughing at her behavior. "Come on, Rain. You know you aren't getting back to sleep."
"Nooo..."
Tea helped Yugi get their friend up and eventually they moved out, following the forest trail.
"I wonder how many duelists are left on the island." Bakura wondered out loud.
Rain yawned, stumbling a bit with closed eyes. "A fair amount were eliminated yesterday. There can't be that many left."
"And some of them were really good duelists with really powerful cards." Yugi pointed out. "We could be next."
"Not a chance, Yuge." Tristan assured. "Those other guys just wanted the prize, you and Joey have a lot more at stake...er, no offense, Rain."
"None taken, I know what my motives are."
"Still, the duelists we face today will be even stronger." He then grinned jokingly at his female counterpart. "So maybe you should wake up, Rain!"
She tried to bump his shoulder, but only to nearly fall over. "Just throw me in the first lake you see. That'll wake me up."
Everyone laughed, save for Joey who stopped in his tracks.
"Even stronger?"
"You good, Joey?" Tristan asked, noticing he was off. "You look like you're shaking in your sneakers."
"What!? You think I'm a scared little puppy dog!?" He snapped.
Tristan got in his face. "Well, if the collar fits!"
"All right." Tea said, getting between them. "Break it up!"
"Hey, you just bring on any duelist!" Joey challenged. "I'll cream 'em!"
Yugi nodded. "Right, you gotta believe in yourself, Joey."
"Yeah! That's right!"
Joey shouted at the sky, causing the drifting Rain to face plant into the dirt. She raised her head with an unpleased expression.
"All right, I'm up."
Everyone laughed this time. Time passed, and they didn't find any more duelists.
"Did you hear that?" Joey asked suddenly. "I think we're being followed."
"I think you're getting a little paranoid, Joey." Tea argued.
Tristan agreed. "You've been jumpy ever since you woke up. Man, what the heck is eating you, anyway?"
"I'm telling you, somebody's stalking us!"
(Y/N) then appeared. "He's not wrong."
Rain side eyed the spirit, but shrugged. "Guys, I think we should listen to him."
Joey headlocked the smaller female. "See? Rain gets it! Come on!"
He began to drag the girl away, much to her discomfort as Yugi called.
"Where are you going!?"
"To stalk them!"
Eventually, Joey stopped when they made it to a small stream with a waterfall and Rain managed to kick herself free. While she was splashing her face, Joey whistled, a bit happier.
"Guess Tea was right, I must've just heard the waterfall."
Rain glared at him. "Yeah, thanks for dragging me half a mile before realizing that."
He chuckled nervously as she dunked her head back underwater. "Yeah, sorry 'bout that. Huh?"
Joey suddenly felt someone behind him and turned to see some shady creep. "Can I help you?"
The guy didn't answer and whacked the blonde on the head, knocking him out.
"Joey?" Rain said, coming back up.
Seeing Joey out cold, she barely got a moment before having to dodge a swing from behind. Thinking quickly, she yanked the guy's weapon, knocking him off balance and into the water. The guy who had knocked out Joey tried to grab her, but Rain's smaller size made her a slippery target. She tried to make a break for the woods, only to stop as she forgot about Joey. That split second of hesitation gave their third companion time to appear and grab the girl from behind. Rain thrashed to get away.
"Don't struggle, you little-!"
The Wayfarer didn't give him time to finish, swinging her head back into the guy's face. While he was dazed, (Y/N) took over and sent a precise kick into the joint of the male's knee. Given that Rain had already dazed him, the shock of pain made him lose his grip as fell. Not wasting any time, (Y/N) raced off into the woods.
"Wait, what about Joey!?" Rain argued.
"We don't know how many more of them there are." The spirit pointed out. "We need to get back to the others and come up with a plan."
"We don't need a plan! We have the Millennium Bracelet! We can beat those guys!"
"Or we could fall into a trap by Pegasus and be another set of people to save. Rain, rushing in blindly isn't the act of a Wayfarer."
"Neither is abandoning a friend!"
"I promise, we'll save Joey, but we have to be strategic about this."
"GRRR! I hate it when you're right sometimes!"
(Timeskip)
"Joey and Rain have been gone an awfully long time." Yugi noted.
Tea nodded slightly. "You don't suppose he got them lost?"
"Give Rain a little more credit than that." Tristan joked as Yugi's expression became more worried.
"One of them could have been challenged to a duel."
"That must be it." The taller male said, clenching his fist. "I must've gotten in his case a little too hard about being scared, so now he's gone off to fight a duel to prove something."
"Okay, let's split up and try to-," Bakura stopped for a moment, rubbing his eyes. "Is that Rain?"
Everyone turned and saw the girl emerge from the woods, Yugi being only one who could tell (Y/N) was the one in control.
"Rain!" Tea yelled as the girl came to a stop. "Where's Joey."
"We were attacked." (Y/N) explained. "Three males ambushed us by the waterfall. I got away, but Joey was hit. I'm sorry."
"It's okay (Y-, Rain." Yugi almost slipped up. "You did the smart thing by coming to find us."
She turned around. "I can you lead you back there. We should go, before they get far."
"You lead Tea and Yugi first, Rain." Tristan said. "Bakura and I will circle around in case they try to jump you again."
"If you're sure."
Agreeing on the plan, the female spirit led the two back to the waterfall. Unsurprisingly, Joey wasn't there.
(Y/N) glanced around, trying to find signs of a trail. "They couldn't have taken him too far..."
"If they had forced him into a duel, wouldn't we see the arena?" Tea suggested.
"They're probably dueling some place hidden, somewhere we couldn't interfere." Yugi said as the female spirit finally found obvious drag marks.
"We'll see about that. This way!"
Trailing behind their friend, it didn't take long for them to find a cave. Certain this was the place, and seeing how they could exactly be snuck up on once inside, they reconvene with Tristan and Bakura.
"You sure he's down there, Rain?" The brunette male asked.
"Positive. It's the only place nearby where they could hide an arena."
Without much of a choice, they plunged into the hole, trying to navigate through the dark.
"What is this place?" Yugi asked, before they bumped into an ominous sight: a line of coffins.
Tristan hid behind (Y/N). "Well this just keeps getting creepier. What's with the coffins?"
Bakura, being more bold than anyone gave him credit for, walked up to the nearest one.
"Beats me. Who'd leave them just standing here?"
"I wouldn't touch those." The female spirit warned.
"Don't be silly." Tea brushed off. "It's just a wooden bo-AHH!"
A trap was set off as the lids of the coffins opened and skeletons fell on them. Bakura and Tea began running in circles as if they were on fire as (Y/N) sighed.
"Relax, you two."
As they ran past her, she yanked the offending objects off, causing them to crumble.
Tristan flinched. "That was cold blooded, Rain."
She shrugged. "I've gone through trap riddled tombs. This is tame in comparison."
"Still, that Pegasus has a sick sense of humor."
Yugi nodded. "You said it, Tristan."
(Y/N) looked down a nearby tunnel, feeling a pull. "This way. No turns in case we need to retrace our steps."
They all followed the girl deeper in, sprinting as much as they could before stopping to catch their breaths. By now, Tristan was becoming agitated.
"Still no sign of Joey."
"He has to be somewhere in here." (Y/N) insisted before noticing they were short one. "Where's Bakura?"
"He was right behind us." Tea said, looking around. "We didn't take any turns, so where could he have gone?"
"Don't know." Yugi said, hanging his head.
A shriek filled the air, catching everyone's attention.
"Help me!" The Brit cried as he came running out of the darkness with something hanging on his back.
The other three took off screaming as the white haired male bolted passed (Y/N), pleading for help.
The spirit gritted her teeth, trailing after them. "For the gods' sake, Bakura! Hold still and I'll get it off!"
Given her shorter stature, it took her a bit of time to catch up to them and knock the skeleton off. Everyone else collapsed from exhaustion as (Y/N) shook her head at them.
"New rule, no one touches anything."
"Yes ma'am..." They all moaned.
Yugi sat up, still panting. "You gave us all quite a scare with that skeleton, Bakura. Except Rain, of course."
The white haired male hung his head in shame. "Sorry..."
"Never mind that." Tristan said, standing up. "Now we have another problem."
They all turned to see a split in the road with no way to discern which road was correct. Slowly, they all turned their eyes to the Wayfarer girl who walked up to the line of candle filled skulls between the two paths.
"Any idea, Rain?" Tristan asked as Tea sweatdropped.
"Gee, both ways look so inviting."
(Y/N) closed her eyes, attempting to listen for any signs of Joey being down one of the paths as the others chatted in back. A sharp click caught her attention.
"What was that?"
"I stepped on something." Bakura admitted.
A sound came from the other end of the tunnel as a boulder came rolling out of the darkness. With little time to think, everyone went left as the death rock chased them.
"Why is it chasing us!?" Tea yelled.
"We're running downhill!" (Y/N) explained, trying to find a way out of this.
The bracelet could put up a barrier, but it would only be a temporary solution as it would only continue to roll once it went down. So running was their best bet as everyone else screamed and Bakura kept chanting apologies. Eventually, the white hair male tripped and was 'crushed'. While everyone else screamed at his supposed death, (Y/N) noticed how the boulder seemed to warp over him, only then noticing how the sound of the boulder didn't seem to match its movements.
"Hold a moment." She came to a halt.
"What are you doing!?" Yugi screamed as she held out her hands.
As soon as it came in contact with her hands, the 'boulder' stopped, squishing inwards before popping. (Y/N) sighed, brushing her hands.
"Well that's embarrassing. It was just a trick."
Tristan walked up to her, kicked a speaker that fell out of it. "Somebody must've wired it for sound and I'm betting it was Pegasus."
She brushed her chin. "Maybe. Bakura! Are you all right?"
The male only responded with whimpering as Yugi sighed.
"Pegasus really wants to scare us to death."
"I believe it's safe to assume everything in here is fake." (Y/N) deduced. "Still, we should remain cautious. Come on, it seems the other path was the right one."
Unsurprisingly, the spirit was correct. In the deepest part of the cavern, they found Joey dueling a freaky looking duelist with barely any lifepoints left, staring down a field full of zombie like monsters.
"Joey!" Yugi yelled.
"Guys!" He yelled back, looking relieved. "You're really here!"
Across the field, a tall, blonde, bandana wearing male growled at them.
"Block 'em!"
"What kind of duel arena is this?" Yugi asked as Tristan decided to scold Joey.
"Are you nuts!? Why would you accept a duel in a place like this!?"
(Y/N) elbowed him in the gut. "I doubt they gave him much of a choice."
"Thank you, Rain!" Joey yelled. "Those creeps ganged up on me! Rain, you good?"
"I'm fine. I should be apologizing to you for leaving you behind."
"Nah, better me than you. Though, you'd probably be able to get out of this."
"Hey! You bitch!" The duelist who had grabbed her before yelled, coming at her. "You're gonna pay for what you did!"
(Y/N) sidestepped the guy and tripped him, shaking her head.
"They never learn." She stepped back as more of the goons showed up. "This duel is over."
"You want it to stop, you gotta get past us, runt." The biggest said.
"My pleasure." Tristan declared, charging them.
One of the goons flicked a marble into his head, leaving him too stunned to block the follow up punch.
"Tristan!" Joey yelled, trying to get to him.
"Joey, stay where you are!" (Y/N) warned. "If you leave, you'll forfeit."
"She's right!" The leader taunted. "Then all your star chips are mine!"
"The duel's illegal anyway!" Tea yelled.
"Unfortunately, if PaniK and Daemos taught us anything, strong armed duels still count to Pegasus. Joey, we can handle the small fry, focus on winning the duel."
"Big talk for a small girl!"
The ape swung at her, but again, (Y/N) stepped to the side. As he passed, she hooked her foot around his ankle and yanked, causing him to crash into a nearby wall with a sickening crack. Everyone else winced at the sound as Tristan got back up.
"She's right, Joey! We've got this. And if you need a little more motivation, catch!" He threw a photo of a young woman and Joey smiled, understanding. "You're dueling for Serenity!"
The blonde nodded. "Thanks man. Rain, if you keep tossing 'em like that, it would put a smile on my face."
"Noted. Now focus!"
"What's it gonna be?" The leader taunted again, sensing his fear tactic had failed. "You gonna cut and run, or are you gonna part with your star chips the hard way?"
"Hey, I've had it up to here with your smart remarks!" Joey snapped. "Spill! Who are you anyway?"
"Don't you know? They call me Bandit Keith."
"You're Bandit Keith!?" Yugi repeated.
Bakura pondered on it for a moment. "I've heard that name somewhere."
"Yeah, he's the intercontinental champion. He's only lost one duel and it was to Pegasus himself."
"Well, that's not the whole story." (Y/N) interrupted. "Pegasus thoroughly humiliated him by picking a novice out of the crowd and giving him the perfect instructions to beat him. Keith was humiliated."
"Huh, no wonder skull face there has outsmarted me at every turn."
"Which is why you ought to just pack it up and go home, dweeb." Keith mocked. "'Cause I've given my little pal Bonz here the perfect strategy. You couldn't beat him with every card in your deck."
"You fought your last duel, Joey!" Bonz yelled. "You're about to join the other zombies in this graveyard field. Come on, play your next card or rest in peace."
Joey was shaken, but thanks to the encouragement from everyone, he refused to back down. However, Bonz continued the onslaught, even stopping Joey from using monsters in Defense mode. The blonde remained persistent, managing to summon his Red Eyes for a brief counterattack, only for it to be destroyed. It was looking grim.
"Rain, Yugi, is there any way Joey can beat that little ghoul?" Tea asked.
"He's in a big jam, Tea." Yugi admitted. "Attacking the zombie army doesn't do any good, and Bonz's trap card blocks all of Joey's defenses."
"Defense...?" (Y/N) repeated.
"That's it!" She and Yugi said at the same time.
"Joey, there is a way!" Yugi called. "You've got a magic card in your deck that can turn this whole thing around!"
"Huh?" Both he and his opponent said.
Bandit Keith huffed. "You've got to be kidding. You're Yugi, aren't you? Well, maybe you beat Kaiba, but the strategy I gave Bonz is just perfect. Your friend's a goner!"
"No strategy is perfect." (Y/N) shot back. "Any strategy can be outplayed. A really duelist always considers that eventuality."
"She's right, Joey!" Yugi insisted.
"You sure?" The both of them nodded. "Okay, yeah."
Joey drew and it seemed as though he got the card Yugi was talking about.
"I set Battle Warrior!"

Battle Warrior
700 ATK/1000 DEF

Bonz smirked. "So, it's the only move you had left, huh?"
"And then, I activate this magic card, Shield and Sword!"
"What!?" Keith yelled.
"Go! Offensive Defensive Flip!"
The ground rumbled as Bonz's monsters seemed to deflate. When it was over, their offensive and defensive powers had been swapped, making them open targets. Meanwhile, Battle Warrior's points had also been swapped, meaning the monster had the power to end the duel.
(Y/N) smirked, crossing her arms. "What was that about a perfect strategy?"
"Smash those zombie freaks!" Joey ordered.
The monster knocked the head off the zombie dragon, putting an end to the duel. Everyone cheered.
"All right!" Tristan yelled as Tea smiled.
"Joey, you won!"
"Well done." (Y/N) complimented as Yugi nodded.
"You did it, Joey!"
He turned back to face them, grinning. "I did, didn't I?"
Keith growled and began to march off. "See ya around, losers."
"But, boss..." Bonz whimpered.
The gang watched Keith carefully, making sure he didn't try anything else.
"Bandit Keith!" Joey yelled. "Maybe next time, you'll have the nerve to duel me face to face, instead of hiding behind your creepy flunkies."
"Heh, duel you face to face? You're hopeless, dweeb. The game of duel monsters is all about keeping your opponents off balance. Winning the duel's all that matters, not how you go about it."
"We'll just see about that."
"Hahaha! Yeah, right. I'm quivering with fear already."
Once the offenders were gone, dragging the guy who got his nose broken, (Y/N) felt it was safe to switch back to Rain.
Tea scoffed at their retreating forms. "What a jerk."
"Creep is more fitting if you ask me." Rain said, crossing her arms.
"Hey, guys, I'm really sorry." Joey said, approaching. "I didn't mean to drag all of you into this mess. 'Specially you, Rain. I'm guessing those punks didn't let you go easy."
"Next time, don't be in such a big hurry to run off on your own." Tristan scolded. "Let alone dragging someone away!"
"Hey, it's all right." Yugi said. "This wasn't Joey's fault."
"And he won the duel." Rain pointed. "So all's well."
"You did have us worried at first." Bakura admitted. "But you really came through this time."
"I got lucky, that's all."
"It wasn't luck, Joey." Yugi corrected. "It was your determination, your trust in your cards, and the promise you made to your sister. That's what helped you."
Rain grinned, noticing his new chips. "Seems you and I are neck and neck for the finals now. I'm gonna have to watch my step."
Joey laughed as the two fist bumped.
"So, can we get out of this creepy pit?" Tea asked.
"Agreed!" Everyone yelled.
They all headed back towards the entrance, only to witness it being blocked by a giant boulder.
"Seriously!?" Rain yelled.
They all pushed, but to no avail.
"No good." Tristan huffed. "We're not getting out this way."
"We're trapped!" Joey screamed.
Rain got up, breathing heavily. "Come on, there's probably another exit somewhere. We're just gonna have to look."
"But these tunnels run everywhere!" Tea pointed out. "We could be lost down here forever!"
"We'll be stuck down here forever if we don't tr- Bakura?"
The white haired male was was already walking through the tunnels, his Ring guiding him.
Rain smacked her head. "Oh, that works too. Well done, Bakura. Come on guys, we're getting out of here!"