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

6: Taking the Bait

    "Kira what happened to you?" Joey asked.

"Some men in suits tried to kidnap me," she told them. All of her friends pulled back she tried to breathe evenly.

"Why I ought to-" Joey began to say and then growled in anger

"Are you alright?" Tristan asked, helping her to her feet.

"Why would people want to take you Kira?" Téa wondered, rubbing her friend's back soothingly.

"Kaiba has a lot of enemies." Joey frowned. "Do you one of them could have caused this?"

"It doesn't matter right now," Yugi said, holding her hand. "All that matters is she is safe and not hurt."

"You probably shouldn't go off on your own again," Tristan suggested with a warm smile. "It's better if we stay together. We won't let anyone hurt you."

Kira murmured in agreement and Yugi helped her stand up.

Joey eyed her glove. "Whoa! You already have four star chips? That's awesome."

"Thanks Joey," she said. "How many do you have now?"

Joey gave her a huge grin. "Haheh, two stars! This is so awesome! I can't believe it happened! Am I cool or what? Come on let's go and get some more!"

Téa frowned as Joey sped ahead, still gloating to Kira as he dragged her along and left the others behind. "Is there a time limit on how long he gets to crow?"

Tristan laughed. "Cut him some slack, Téa." They began to follow, noticing that Kira and Joey had stopped to wait on them. "Did you ever think Joey would actually beat Mai in a duel? I mean, Joey... who would've thought?

Yugi smiled as they approached the two duelists. "I knew he'd do it! I'm really proud of you, Joey."

"Yeah!" Joey cheered and suddenly his stomach let out a loud grumble. Kira giggled and Joey turned red from embarrassment. "Ugh, all that duelin' made me hungry! Did any of you guys remember to bring any food with you?"

Yugi, Tristan, and Téa shrugged to one another. Kira reached into her bag and pulled out a cereal bar. "Here Joey. I brought a few snacks but its not enough for everyone."

Joey happily took it. "Thanks Kira! What were we thinkin', comin' here with no food?" He bit into the bar aggressively. "How're we ever gonna get through the rest of the competition without anything to eat?"

"That's a good question, Joey." Yugi looked around them. "This dueling really takes it out of you, and I haven't seen any burger stands or restaurants since we got here."

"Well, we better do something fast!" Téa exclaimed. "I've gotta have my five basic food groups, or else.... it's metabolic meltdown!" Kira gave her a confused look.

Tristan chuckled at the girls' reactions. "Hey, chill out, you guys. I got it covered!" Everyone looked at him expectantly and the brown haired boy pulled a book from his bag. "Check it out, the Great Outdoor Survival Guide!"

Everyone groaned besides Joey, who tilted his head. "Can we eat it?"

"Better than that," Tristan answered. "It lists all the plants, berries, and grasses we can eat!" Kira frowned and the others groaned some more.

"Do I look like a squirrel, ya big doofus?" Joey suddenly froze and smelled the air. "I don't need your dumb book anyhow. I smell something cookin' that-a-way!" Within a moment, the boy had disappeared through the forest and ran down towards the beach in the near distance.