Heart of the Duel: A Yu-Gi-Oh Fanfiction

4: Bracing the Sting

 Tristan had a huge grin on his face as Yami didn't cower away from's Weevil's monster. "He wiped out Weevil's army in one move!"

Téa exclaimed. "All right! You've got him on the ropes!"

"Yugi, be careful. There's a reason Weevil saved this one for last. He's got some tricks but you have the talent!" Kira told Yami and the boy closed his eyes, listening to her soothing voice. "You're so close. You can do this."

"Ahaha! Yeah, right!"

Téa said, "Huh?"

She and the others turned around to see the tall and pretty blonde from the boat watching them.

Joey and Tristan said her name at the same time. "Mai!"

Mai let out a sympathetic laugh. "No offense to you Kira, but you losers don't seem to realize who your little pal is up against. Weevil's regional champion. He's got moves your shrimp couldn't even dream of!"

"Nobody asked you! So why don't you just take a hike!" Tea shouted at her angrily and Kira put a hand on her shoulder to calm her. Joey looked uncomfortable with his friend's anger.

"And miss the chance to watch a champion like Weevil, as he turns this around? No way," snickered Mai.

Joey shrugged. "Yeah, I mean Weevil really came from behind to win the Regionals."

"He's tough and sneaky," Tristan agreed, observing the cackling kid glaring at Yami.

Téa turned to them. "Whose side are you two goofballs on anyway?"

Joey put his hands up in defense. "All I'm saying is, for Yugi, this is his first official duel."

Tristan added, "And he's fightin' a champ."

Mai let out a satisfied sound and gave Téa a sideways glance. Kira could have sworn she heard Téa growl. To keep her friend from doing anything rash, Kira wrapped an arm around her shoulder.

"Don't worry Téa," she assured her upset friend. "I already know Yugi is going to win. You can tell just by watching the game. His skill trumps Weevil's expierence."

"And what dear says you are qualified to make that statement," Mai asked, slightly annoying Kira.

"Well, I am more qualified than you." She turned to the blonde. "I spent more time with the former World Champion than anyone else on the planet and I watched every game he has ever won. I also watched the one he lost to Yugi Muto." Kira smiled up at the dueler. She knew he could hear her thoughts but she was going to say it anyways. "Yugi is the most talented duelist I have ever seen and I only had to watch him duel one time to figure that out." She glanced at her new friends and saw all of them smiling at her. Mai didn't reply, she just glared at her feet.

Weevil spoke up, intimidated by Kira's speech. "You may have flattened my army of bugs, Yugi, but you haven't won! I have plenty of tricks up my sleeve!"

Yami, now motivated by his friends and their defense for him, shot back. "You've done an awful lot of buzzing throughout this whole duel, Weevil, but I'm still here waiting for the sting."

"Since you're new to this whole dueling tournament thing, I'll try to make this simple for you." Weevil's voice went dark. "I'm gonna wipe that goofy grin from your face! Now let's see which lucky bug gets to take the first bite! Oh! But this little bug won't stand a chance against all your ferocious monsters!" The kid snickered. "Oh, well, I'll play him in defense mode."