[IC] Yu-Gi-Oh! 5DX: Wishmaster Part 1 { Jazz & Angel }

[Jazz]

With the motions from Shadow to release him from their embrace, realizing that they were still hugging and that alone made him blush and flustered from the contact and had too pulled away and sitting cross-legged with his cheeks red as well as the back of his neck of which he rubbed, feeling embarrassed. But other than that he was fine and the young Duelist looked to the window of his Soul Room. "Joey is really doing his best. He'll beat Mai. Im sure he will." becoming slightly distracted but was worried about friend though having confidence.
_______________________________________________
Joey then realized card that he needed, sifting though his memories to when he was back on the boat with Yugi and gotten his cards. The Time Wizard... This is the kind a' tight spot Yugi musta been talkin' about. Now if I can just remember what Gramps taught me about the way to use a magic card; 's my only chance. But, do I have it in my hand?'
Mai, meanwhile is ignored throughout this deliberation and is getting pretty tired of it and just wanting the duel finished so she could move on. "If I'd known how long it was going to take you to make a move, I would've brought a magazine." Speaking out in hopes Joey would get a move on. Wheeler though, looking through the cards in his hand to see that the card he needed, was the card that wasn't in his deck. "Uh-oh. The Time Wizard's not in my hand. Ah, I'll have to draw for it." Muttering to himself. Luckily it was his turn and so Joey reaches for the top of his duel deck with a trembling hand; this is it. The moment of truth. He was hesitating. "But what if I don't get it? Rrgh, what if..."

Yugi watches from where he is as if he was able to feeling Joey's hesitation and doubt. 'Trust in your cards, Joey, trust in yourself!' Thinking to himself as Joey would somehow hear him.

The blonde shakes his head and makes his decision. "Uh, here I go. It's all or nothin'! Rrrgh!!" Joey draws, and lifts the card with his eyes closed, almost afraid that he would draw the wrong card. Yugi is staring intently, willing the card to be the right one; maybe that intense look even affected the draw. Joey still has his eyes closed, hardly daring to look. He peeps at it, then cheers out loud! "Hm? Alright!! It's the Time Wizard!!" Full of glee as his friends smile and grin. Jaden though a grin, was so invested into the Duel now was feeling he was on the edge of his seat. Figureatively speaking.

The Time Wizard appears on Joey's side of the field, a round, red analog clock with eyeballs on its face and clock hands for a nose; white-gloved hands and purple-slippered feet; with yellow gears for shoulder clasps, from which hang his fuchsia cape; with another gear for the band of his hat, and two more for anklets; and carrying a little staff with a dial at the top.
Time Wizard[ATK: 500 - DEF: 400]

Mai looked at the monster with the narrowing of her eyes as if she needed a closer look. "Hm? What good is that thing?" Joey looked at the female blonde like she grew a second head at that question. "Don't you KNOW? The Time Wizard can make time go faster, causin' my Baby Dragon to grow into a Thousand Dragon!" He explains with a gleeful grin. The Spirit smirked at that. "Right Joey, and that's not the ONLY effect your Time Wizard will have." He admits confidently. Time Wizard speaks in a mechanical, nasally voice and raises the little staff above its head. "Time magic!" Before their eyes, the air above Time Wizard begins to swirl inward on itself, and shoot out beams of green and red light. Joey seemed full of confidence as things were finally going good for him and he couldnt have done it without Yugi and Grandpa's help and training. "Baby Dragon, transform intoooo Thousand Dragon!" He announced. Jaden was fully amazed of the move that was done and was bouncing in place from where he was at what he noticed would happen next. Thousand Dragon is Baby Dragon, a thousand years old. His bright orange hide has turned more of an ochre or brownish-yellow, he's grown hair on his face, and his attitude is one of smug laziness, ready to pounce.
Thousand Dragon [ATK: 2400/ DEF: 2000]
Mai though didnt look impressed one bit. So now you have a bigger dragon. Big deal! My Harpie Ladies STILL have greater attack power! Attack it, my three Harpie sisters!" Then she sees that the Harpies are worn with age; their vivid hair is faded, and their faces are covered with wrinkles. They still look vicious, but they sit limply on the ground, too feeble and aged to fly. "What?! What happened to my Harpie Ladies?! They've gotten so OLD!" Their attack points are now 1300 apiece; they've lost all their bonuses.

Yami looked pleased knowing this would happen.....somehow.... "Heheh. I WARNED you. A millennium has passed on the playing field, and your Harpie Ladies have become old and decrepit. Face it, Mai, time's running out for you AND your LADIES."

"Nnnggh..." Mai scowls. Joey though still can't believe it. "I believed...! And the cards came through for me! Awesome!! Go, Thousand Dragon!" Thousand Dragon takes flight, looming over the zombielike Harpies. "Attack with Inferno Flame Breath!" Thousand Dragon breathes fire, singeing the entire field. Mai looks slightly ill, watching as her Harpies get toasted. Joey is confident and resolute. Mai's lifepoints go straight from 2000 to 0, and Joey still has 1020 left. Joey Wins the duel.

Joey was only awe struck as he had then realized that he had won the duel against Mai. His friend however decided to root for him in celebration for him.

"He did it, Joey won!!"
'I knew you could do it!"
Joey decided to break his own silence. with slight tears in his eyes. "Thanks, guys!"
Yami winks and gives Joey a thumbs-up of which Joey returns with a thumbs up. Mai is leaning on her hands against the card console, completely floored that Wheeler beat her. "Nngh, 'How'! How could I ever lose, to such an....amateur!

"Hey-- Mai!" Joey shouts out to her as her card console lowers her to the ground. Mai looks confused. "Huh?"
"I tried to tell ya, there's more to Duel Monsters than just kickin' the other guy's butt." Joey states with a small smile. For once, Mai is speechless, listening intently, shocked into taking him seriously. "If you're ever gonna be a real champion, ya gotta learn to care about someone. Other than yourself. Isn't that right? Yugi?" Joey continues, looking over to Yugi when he asked Yugi for confirmation. "Mmm-hmm!" was his answer as he nods, and the Puzzle glows again. The timider, gentler Yugi has returned, and is no less proud of his blonde friend.

'I'm proud of you, Joey. All your hard work and training paid off. You went from a guy with nothing but eagerness and attitude, to a winning duelist who battles with his head, and his heart.' Yugi can tell that Serenity has won along with him.

[AngelBites15]

Shadow didn’t really want to let the boy go, considering that she wanted to shield him from the dangers, but she also knew his boundaries. As a result, she let go of him, just in time to see his red, embarrassed face. It made her chuckle but in a good-hearted way. Turning her attention to the window, where Yugi was looking, the genie swore she heard about her master’s determination in knowing that his best friend will pull through. Internally, she knew he will...his victory proved that.

Appearing next to Yugi, back in her duel monster form, she gave Yubel a smile, and a wink, silently telling her that more victories are to come, and that their goal will be met...in helping their owners beat Pegasus.

[Jazz]

"Whoo-whee! Haheh, two stars! Hmhmhm, this is so awesome, I can't believe it happened! Am I cool or what!? Heheheh!" Joey gleefully saying as he wore a child-like grin while he used his arm to polish the three starchips that he had on his gauntlet. It had Yugi looking at his own to see the same amount as he walked beside his best friend and Jaden walking on the otherside of Joey.
"Is there a time limit on how long he gets to crow?" Tea asks with a deadpanned expression. "Cut 'im some slack, Téa. Did you ever think Joey would actually beat Mai in a duel?" He asks with some enthusiasm. "I mean, Joey... who would've thought?" Yugi looked back to his two friends that were traveling a little bit behind them. He had a proud and encouraging smile to his features. That proud smile though was from both Yami and Yugi. But yet it was only Yugi and Shadow would know and none of his friends. "I knew he'd do it! I'm really proud of you, Joey." he said while also turning that sentence toward him. Jaden with a childlike grin to agree. "Same here pal! That was amazing with what you did back there!"

"Yeah! It-" However his stomach having other plans and that was by interupting him. "Ugh, all that duelin' made me hungry! Did any of you guys remember to bring any food wit'cha?" Joey groaned as he now looked like he was about to fall over if he got no food in his system. The rest looked through their packs and looked ashamed of themselves when they realized that they had nothing that was food related.

In unison they spoke while shaking their heads. "Sorry, Joe."

"Ugh! What were we thinkin', comin' here wit' no food? How're we ever gonna get through the rest of the competition without anything to eat?" Joey groans aloud while he held his poor neglected stomach that grumbled again.

"That's a good question, Joey. This dueling really takes it out of you, and I haven't seen any burger stands or restaurants since we got here." Though wondered if Pegusus ever had thought about that. Probably not. Let them all live off the land and all. He would admit he had never done that before and therefore was a little useless in something like that.

"Well, we better do something fast! I've gotta have my five basic food groups, or else... it's metabolic meltdown!!" Tea was honestly beginning to freak out a little. "Hey, chill out, you guys, I got it covered!" Reaching into his pack he pulls out a book. Yugi and the rest look at Tristen as he seemed proud of himself. "Check it out, the Great Outdoor Survival Guide!" Sadly the group didnt look like they are more than enthusiastic about it.

"Can we eat it?" Was Joey's question, making them all groan, even Yubel who facepalmed at the question. "Better than that! It lists all the plants, berries, and grasses we can eat!" Tristen proudly explains, earning ewws and yucks from them all. "Do I look like a squirrel, ya big doofus?!" Joey stops a moment within his rant to sniff the air as if something seemed to catch his attention. "I don't need your dumb book anyhow; I smell somethin' cookin' that-a-way! Hah! See yuh!" Before taking off in the direction of which he had caught the smell with Jaden chasing off after him with shouts of wait and hang on being shouted toward him, leaving the other three standing there dumbfounded. Through the trees in that direction, can be seen the sparkling ocean.
"He's hallucinating." Tea remarked.
"Don't be so sure. Ya know, it wasn't his brain that beat Mai, it was his nose. So they went to catch up with the two in hopes they wouldnt get into any trouble.

[AngelBites15]

Shadow watched Joey in his rant, and all he could do was chuckle in amusement before looking back at Yugi. ‘You have a way of choosing your friends, puzzle-solver’, she then realized her mistake. ’Sorry, your name is Yugi! I’m trying’, she sighed, really needing to stop calling him by that title. Although she was obligated to call him by that alias, but she did remember him telling her to only call him by his name. It was gonna be a long process.

Just as the said-boy began to run, the genie disappeared, but not before suddenly reappearing once again.

’Yugi, wait! Stop!’, she told him, having to spot something in the forest.

[Jazz]

Yugi had smiled when Shadow was trying not to call him puzzle solver anymore. He had to admit she was trying indeed and knew it would be a bit till she woulf call him by his name but this was understandable. While running, he skid to a stop when Shadow appeared and asked him to stop. Yami curious of the sudden stop by Shadow, appeared on the otherside. "What is it Shadow?" he asks as Yugi wondered the same thing. "What did you see?" he asked next.

[AngelBites15]

Shadow looked around the forest, trying to find what was just there yet disappeared, as soon as it came. It was that kid again; the same one she saw back on the ship, as well as during the time of departing. “I thought...”, the genie said, still looking around. She was initially alert, but then calmed down, almost in disappointment. “I thought I saw someone. With white hair”, she thought aloud, voicing her thoughts to Yugi. Something about that individual was familiar; she just couldn’t pinpoint where.

[Jazz]

Looking around and in the direction of which she was looking in, the younger too found nothing though looked to Shadow when she said that she had thought she saw someone and that person had white hair. "White hair?" Yami thoughtful as he tried to think of anyone they knew with White hair. He came up with only one but knowing the multiple of people on this island, could be who knows how many. Yugi was confused himself but had perked up at the call of his name.

"Yugi? Yugi!" Yugi heard in looked in the direction to find Jaden with Yubel with about that time, Yami having disappeared and out of the boy and she demons sight. "There you are! You alright?" he asked, looking his friend over. Yubel looked to Shadow. "Yes. Im okay. Shadow thought she saw someone but they disappeared on her. Everything is fine. Promise." he assured the younger with a small smile of reassurance. Jaden shtugged and nodded, making his way back with Yugi.

What they didnt know was that they were being watched and not by who they thought it was.

[AngelBites15]

Shadow took notice of Jaden and Yubel approaching, no doubt making sure they were okay. In all honesty, the genie wasn't exactly sure whether if she should. Something...or someone, other than Pegasus...was watching their every move. With her senses, she knew that something was been a bit off, ever since they came upon this trip to rescue Solomon Muto. Whatever it was, Shadow could only stick close to Yugi, and make sure this individual didn't come any closer to him, her, or anyone in their group.

'Keep an eye out for anyone suspicious. I fear something big will occur, as long as they continue to track us', she warned them all.

That same alertness continued throughout the day, until the sun went down, and everyone sat down around the fire.

[Jazz]

Jaden could only nod, though wondering who would put the genie amd Yugi on edge. Yubel sure seemed to be on edge about this too and without whomever Shadow saw, Yubel was giving off a sutble protective aura and had her being a little closer to Jaden. Jaden was keen to keep his eyes peeled but it seemed to be weird for him since he didnt know what to look for.

Throughout the day of which not long, had Yugi against a Duelist who dealt in water monsters and a dream to find his father among the sea. With a field of mainly water and small bit of land, Yugi(Yami) was able to win against the fisherman and they both seemed to have a good time which had everyone feeling the affect that was their duel. In that time Yubel had taken the task of watching over everyone and the area around them so Shadow could focus on the duel. later that evening, Tristen got a campfire going after some walking then and everyone pretty much sat by the fire with relieved breaths, tea leaning against a tree with Tristen sitting by the fire. Jaden, Joey and Yugi having decided to lay on their backs feeling worn out.

"Man, I'm beat!" Joey lets out with a slight whine. Yugi on the other hand, though feeling worn out had to agree and was ready to sleep due to these events. Two duels and he was ready to pass out. Who knew dueling would take THIS much out of you. Jaden had pretty much used all his energy being an excited, energetic ball of joy that though he hadnt dueled at all yet. Jaden had used his energy to root for his new friends while they dueled.

"Hope I can find a Duel soon, I maybe down for the count for now but I cant wait till I can Duel someone. Its going to be so much fun!" the younger muses, leaving Yugi smiling and Joey chuckling. Yugi sits up and shrugging off his backpack to bring before him and hug it as he leaned forward a little bit. "Im sure you'll find a Duel. Maybe tomorrow we can go searching and find you one." Joey fist pumps the air at that. "Definitely! For now, food! Im Starvin'." This makes the group chuckle. Jaden sat up and looked to his new friends with a slfond smile. "Thanks guys."

[AngelBites15]

Shadow could only put her trust in Yubel to watch over the entire whenever she goes out into a duel. For some reason, it felt good to have another set of spiritual eyes. Not to mention that the whole scenario of a being spied on by a person with white hair, seemed to also become wary for Yugi’s safety. What is this person talked to him? What if he challenged him to duel? She didn’t want to feel paranoid, but something about this individual gave off all kinds of red flags. Therefore, she needed to remain alert.

At the campfire, her transparent form appeared next to her friend, sitting next to him, almost staring into space as she was mentally trying to figure out who, where, and when she had met this individual prior to coming here.

[Jazz]

Yugi was getting a laugh from Joey and Jaden about the situation of food and Tristens survival book. It was funny in a way and it went to where nearby Tristen and Tea found some berries that were edible thanks to this book. Yami could feel Shadows unease and so could Yubel. But to leave Jadens side of which she did, and sat next to the genie.

"I can see you are troubled and rightfully so. But must only stay and guard and keep a watchful eye on our charges. Trust them to make the right choice when it comes. Assist if necessary. This is though how i do things when it comes to Jaden. Maybe try this with Yugi. See how it goes as you continue to learn your friendship with him. Im here to to help you find this 'Spy' of yours." she explains with a smile. She pats Shadows head with a goofy grin before ruffling her hair a little for good measure. This didnt go unnoticed by Jaden and Yugi when they glanced to them and smiled softly toward them before deciding to call it for the night with the rest of the group.

[AngelBites15]

Shadow took notice of Yubel taking a seat next to her, having to glance at the demoness while she spoke, before taking a moment to look at Yugi. Nodding, the genie instinctively laid her head on the other female's shoulder, giving a chuckle at Yubel's actions towards her, feeling almost as exhausted as everybody else is, before looking at Yugi, once again. "Thank you. I'll need all the help I can get, if we mean to keep our charges", she said, sitting up, and placing a hand on the she-demon’s shoulder, before silently, and carefully, laying herself down next to the dozing Yugi, having to remain close enough to shield him from anyone who might sneak up on them.

[Jazz]

In the distance from the camp a tall figure stood with the cover of the forest at his disposal, making it hard for anyone to notice him. His piercing blue eyes looked to the group with observation and curiosity. "Seems I'll need to be more careful. She's interesting indeed. Time to keep my distance till the time is right. They maybe the only chance we have to save the future. I hope you're right about this." The figure spoke softly aloud before turning and walking away. "Now to look for Him..."

The Coming Morning......

"I wish I had more star chips." Jaden said as they walking a path in the scattered forests and meadows of Duelist Kingdom. He was feeling a little down about them not having found a duel for the poor kid since they got here. He was beginning wonder if he would ever at this rate. Yugi was walking with the younger and gave a smile. "Don't worry about it, Jaden, you're doing fine. You'll be able to find a duel soon. I'm sure of it." Being positive about the situation. Joey grinned like a fool. "Yeah. I'll make it my mission if I have to!" suddenly running ahead to stop while looking to Jaden and puts his hands on his hips and standing proud like some hero from a comic book with his chest puffed out. Everyone couldn't help but laugh at Joey's antics, knowing it was to help Jaden cheer up which seemed to work. "Alright." Jaden grinned and Joey couldn't feel any prouder when Jaden perked up.

"He-e-e-e-elp!!" They just heard a scream. Everyone startled and looks around for the source of the voice. "What's that?!" Tristen asks sudden alert as was Joey, their fighter instincts kicking in.
"Help me, somebody, please!"
Down the path, Kemo, one of Pegasus' goons in charge of the tournament, has a young duelist in a choke hold and is dragging him away. The young duelist was the source of the yelling and screaming. "Aaaagghhh, let go of me, somebody help me!!" This was when Joey and Tristen jumped to action. They weren't a fan of bullies and that was what they were seeing. "Hold on, kid, we're comin'!!" Tristen declared.
"Help, you gotta help me!!"
Tristan lunges for Kemo, cocking back a fist. "Let that kid go! I'm on the big guy!"
As Tristan approaches, Kemo tosses the kid aside; Tristan grabs Kemo by the arm and throws him. "Not too shabby." As Kemo flies through the air, he turns ninja; he flips over and uses the momentum to kick off from the ground and delivers a flying kick. Tristan falls to the ground, winded. "Ugh... I'm off the big guy...
The kid tries to scamper away, but Kemo grabs him by the arms. "Put me down!" "Quit squirming, ya little brat!"
"You heard 'im, needle-head! Put the kid down!" Joey stopped about ready to go after the man that had the young Duelist. Tea and Jaden had gone to Tristen to tend to him, Yugi looked to Tristen then the kid and Kemo. "What d'you think you're doing?"
"This is none of your business. This duelist lost his star chips. And the rules say he's to be kicked off the island!"
"But I didn't lose my chips in a duel, they were stolen from me! My cards, too!" The kid exclaims trying to get the man to see reason.
"I don't care what lame excuse you have, kid, you need star chips to duel and you haven't got any, so you're shippin' outta here! Those're the rules; those are my orders from Pegasus himself."
Tristan gets up, rubbing his head. "Ugh, that big creep! I say we follow 'im!
Yami was listening to the whole scene when he came up with an idea and looked to Shadow. 'I say we help. Attach to his shadow and leave some sort of trail incase we lose them, I can teach Yugi how to find it.' Yami advised. They could do this much to figure out what was going on. Yami was curious too....

________________________________________________
Down at the dock, Kemo brings the struggling pink-shirted kid we saw earlier to a small rowboat, which is guarded by a couple of other tournament suits.
"Hey Kemo, what'd'ja catch?" One of them asks jokingly.
"Just another loser. Haha!" He tosses the kid into the rowboat, where he slams right into Weevil Underwood, and tosses his backpack onto his lap. Weevil rudely shoves him to the other side of the bench. "Hey, buzz off! They may be shipping me out, but I'm still Weevil Underwood, bug duelist extraordinaire!"
Intimidated, the kid stays away from Weevil, and sighs. "But I didn't even get a chance to duel..."
"Hey!"
The kid turns to look; Yugi and his friends are running up the path toward the boat. "Hey, you!" Yugi calls out.
"You again?!" Kemo exclaimed, clearly annoyed.
"What did the guy who stole your star chips look like?" Yugi asked the kid, ignoring the man. He clearly wanted to help the boy. "Well, I couldn't see his face-- i-it was covered with a bandanna. But he was a little guy, and he challenged me in the meadow." The kid explained.
"He challenged you to a Duel Monsters game?" Yugi asked, wondering why the boy he was describing was trying to hiding his face.
"Yeah. But as soon as I put my star chips and Duel Monsters deck down, he snatched 'em up and ran off with them!"
"You shouldn't be shipped off the island for that! We'll get your star chips back."
Kemo folds his arms, getting between Yugi and the boat. "This boat leaves in exactly thirty minutes. Anyone without a star chip ships out."
"Then we'll get his chips back by that time." Jaden said with confidence.
Tristan punches his palm. "We won't let you bully him out of the game!"
"Nope! We'll catch that little thief and bring 'im to justice! Believe me, kid, you can count on us to track 'im down and get those star chips back!" Joey declares. "But who are you guys?"
"We're the guys that're gonna save your chips! Don' worry, ya got the ba-rilliant mind a' Joey Wheeler on the case, and I always get my man."
Yugi, Téa, Tristan drip their heads in defeat at this declaration. 'There he goes again.' In unison mentally.
"Even if he's just a kid. Onward, troops!" Joey leads them off and yet, they all follow.

[AngelBites15]

The faded presence that was hiding wasn’t detected by Shadow immediately, as she dozed off, although she assumed, at the moment, that it was an animal. Tubeless couldn’t sense the presence of others through their shadows, so she could blame the she-demon for catching it too late. By the time she was able to fall asleep, Shadow faded away, and back in the Millenium Puzzle for the rest of the night.

The next morning was peaceful, but the bustling of other duelists nearby, wasn’t helping. They had to keep moving if they mean to reach their own desired-goals. They were already walking, by the time Shadow had managed to wake from her slumber. She made a small smile at Yugi, before hearing a call for help. The genie narrowed her eyes at the scenario, having to nerve to think on who would consider it right steal another competitor’s belongings. Cheaters? Possibly. She and Yami have expressed that same level of hate when it came to those who are dishonorable. Just imagine if that were Yugi’s things...

Something just didn’t seem right. ’Who would steal the star chips and a deck, at once? Desperation?’, Shadow thought, before seeing Yami appear next to her, and tell her to follow the man, who was taking the boy away. Nodding, she faded on the spot, until the captor’s shadow on the ground, started to move on its own, opening its eyes. By the time the man started to move, Shadow held onto her attachment, before noticing Kemo was taking the boy to a boat that seemed to be transporting the losing faction off of the island.

Yep, something didn’t sit right with this situation, just by how she listened to the conversations at-hand, while hovering from the ground in her shadowy-form, and standing behind the henchman, who shoved the boy into the boat. By the time Yugi and the others have managed to track her down, Shadow faded away, and reappeared by Yugi’s side, just in time, before departing to find the culprit.

[Jazz]

Later, elsewhere on the island...

"So what's you're ba-rilliant mind tellin' ya now, Sherlock?" Tristen looks to Joey with a Skeptical look on his face.
"Beats me. Right now, the only thing my brilliant mind is doin' is givin' me a brilliant headache!" Joey counters and he held his head with a wince.
Yugi was looking around where he could find a trace of Shadow, remembering what Yami taught him just earlier. Though he had found a moving shadow that was showing them the way, he did spot where the thieving took place. "Well, maybe we should stake out the scene of the crime. It's over there!" Yugi runs over to an arena with 146 stamped on the side and sits down on the ground. Joey was the first the speak up. "Think the thief'll come back?"
"He just might, and we can put our heads together and plan in the meantime," Yugi suggested while looking around some more, someone in the bushes is watching them, as the other three walks over and join Yugi.
"Yeah, but don't forget one of those heads is Joey's. That's sorta like subtractin' one brain!" Tristen said with a thoughtful look. Joey glared at his friend while being sarcastic. "Ha, ha."
Yugi in the meantime noticed something about the bushes. It was what he was looking for, straight face about it. "I know you're out there! Show yourself!" Yami from the sidelines nodded to Shadow, proud of helping out as she did.
The masked kid leaps out of the bushes. "Ahh- ha!! I've found you, at last, Yugi!!"
Everyone looked to the masked kid, ready for anything. "That must be the kid we were lookin' for!" Joey declared.
"I can handle 'im!" Tristen started walking towards the kid. "I hope so, you're twice his size!" Tea spoke up.
"Just try me, ya big dork!!" Mokuba challenged.
"Back off, kid!" Tristen warned as he stopped midway. "And hand over the star chips you swiped from that other duelist!!" Joey said next.
Yugi looked to the kid in realization. "Hold on. I think I know what this kid's after. He wants to duel." Joey and Tristen look dumbfounded. "Huh?"
Yugi looks solely to the kid. "That's what you want, right? You wanna duel me?"
"You better believe it!" The kid confirms. In no time, Yugi is sliding into place atop the blue dueling podium, and his opponent atop the red.
Joey and the others on the sidelines look confused. "I don't get it. Why is Yugi goin' to the trouble a' duelin' this guy, when we can just take those star chips away from 'im?"
"Y'know sometimes I don't think even Yugi knows why he does half the stuff he does." Tristen shrugs. Joey nods. "Huh. Yeah, it's kinda weird. D'ya think it has something to do with his Millennium Puzzle?" As Joey says this, the Millennium Puzzle begins to glow, and shakes and sways on its own. Yugi was replaced with Yami, though does anyone seem to notice but Shadow and Yubel.

"Now, how many star chips will you wager?" Yami asks calmly.
"To wipe you out? Five!" The kid declares.
"Then five it is; but only because I think I know why you're doing this," Yami states while setting down his four Star chips.
"I don't care what you think, Yugi, 'cause I think you're gonna lose!" The kid digs the stars from his pocket and scatters them on the console. As the more confident Yugi intently regards his opponent, the outline of a glowing golden eye shimmers on his forehead.

"What does Yugi see that we don't? It's like he's looking into the other player's soul." Tea noticed, unsure what to think about that.
"Hey-- soul, shmoll. I can see from here that that kid's gonna get his butt kicked!" Joey quipped
"Maybe, but Yugi should hurry if he plans to get those star chips back to the boat in time!" Tristen reminds.
"Don't worry, Tristan. He'll win the chips, and we'll be back at the dock with time to spare." Jaden says confidently.

"Duel!"

Life Point Score:
Yugi: 2000
Kid: 2000
This is it, Yugi. Now you're gonna pay for what you did to *my big brother*... The kid thought to himself.

[AngelBites15]

By the time Yugi and the group managed to track her down, Shadow retracted herself, and returned to his side, until someone jumped out of the bushes. It sounded like a kid, and the genie could have sworn that she heard that voice before.

”Big brother!”

She remembered hearing, back during Yami’s first duel with Kaiba. Could this individual be the same child, who exposed himself to be Seto Kaiba’s little brother. Narrowing her red eyes at the individual, she used her power to see into his very soul, trying to detect his shadow, and perceive whether if he is being driven by his own desires. He was...

By the time Yami shifted out into the open, Shadow’s form became solid, next to him, but it’s not like anyone noticed her, with the exception of Jaden and Yubel. “Yami, that’s Seto Kaiba’s little brother. If I’m reading his shadow right, he has some unfinished business with you; something to do with avenging his brother”

[Jazz]

"My first card is the Man-Eating Plant!" Mokuba shouts. As its name suggests, Man-Eating Plant is a gigantic, Vicious Venus Flytrap with long, thorny vines and bright pink petals.
Man-Eating Plant [ATK:800/DEF:0]
"Now it's my turn! I'll play The Winged Dragon, Guardian of the Fortress. Winged Dragon is a relatively small blue dragon, but still plenty tough.
Winged Dragon, Guardian of the Fortress #1 [ATK:1400/DEF:1200/L4/wind]

"Ha! Bad choice, Yugi! My Man-Eating Plant will eat your Dragon alive!" Mokuba seethed. "So now you're finally gonna pay for what you did, Yugi and your stupid dragon's gonna be plant food! Man-Eating Plant, attack!"

"Fireball Attack!" Yami going for the counter-attack. Winged Dragon counterattacks and Man-Eating Plant is lost in a blaze of fire. Mokuba flinches away, then turns back to the field, surprised. "Huh? My monster lost?"
Mokuba's life points fall to 1400.
Life Point Score:
Mokuba:1400
Yami Yugi:2000

"You can't win a duel with cards that don't rightfully belong to you. How could your heart ever live in cards that belong to someone else?" Yami asked. Not breaking his watch on the kid, listened to Shadow as she had seemed to piece it all together. 'I see. I should have known. He is upset about whatever may have happened to his brother Seto.' Yami communed with Shadow.

"Be quiet. I don't believe in that 'Heart of the Card' stuff you keep preachin' about. Cards have nothin' to do with heart it's all about power!" Mokuba seethed.
Yugi has closed his eyes. He then opened his eyes. "I know it's you Mokuba. The way you speak of power was the same as your brother Kaiba would." Yami announced.

"How did you know?! "pulls down the bandanna, "Well, it doesn't matter!"

Yugi's friends were quite surprised about the reveal of Mokuba. "Hey look! Its Kaiba's little bro!" Joey announced.

Mokuba pulls off the hat, letting his bushy black hair fall loose. "That's right; Seto Kaiba is my brother, and he's the best duelist that there ever was. But now, thanks to Yugi, he's gone; and Pegasus is trying to take over KaibaCorp!"
Yami looked to Mokuba with a surprised look. Pegasus wants KaibaCorp?!" Shocked to hear what Mokuba is saying.

"I dunno what you did to my big brother when you dueled, Yugi, but ever since that defeat, he hasn't been the same..." Mokuba told him as he looked to his console. He looked rather upset and worried. "He ran away 'cause of you! And with him gone, Pegasus moved right in. Some KaibaCorp executives invited 'im to some kinda secret board meeting. I heard a lot of what I could." Mokuba groaned at the memory of the meeting. He looked back to Yami with anger. "Ugh... It's all your fault; Seto deserted me 'cause of you!"

"You don't understand. Mokuba, your brother hasn't deserted you; he's searching for himself." Yami tried to console Mokuba in hopes he could explain it to him and understand.

"Liar! Tell it to my monster!" Mokuba said as he tried to deny it, shaking his head and placing another card in the field.
Krokodilus ATK:1100/DEF:1200]
"Go, Krokodilus!" Mokuba commanded. The Winged Dragon counterattacks and Krokodilus is destroyed. Mokuba's life points fall to 1100.

Life Point Score:
Mokuba: 1100
Yami: 2000

"Battling me won't bring your brother back. And we want to stop Pegasus as much as you do! He's taken, my grandfather prisoner." Yami told the boy, trying to get the boy to see his side and hopefully calm his rage.

"That's right, Pegasus is the bad guy here! Can'tcha see that, ya crazy little kid?!" Joey asked. Mokuba only shook his head at them. "You're wrong! I have to protect my brother's company, and Yugi's the one Pegasus has to beat to take it over!"

"Wait; I get it. Mokuba is trying to save his brother's company by defeating Yugi in a duel so Pegasus doesn't get to face Yugi at all!" Tea blurts out, seeing what was going on.
Jaden looks to Tea confused. "Whaddaya mean?"
"Whaddaya *mean* 'what do I mean'?!" Joey asks. Jaden looks to Joey with an eye raised. "I wasn't talking to you!" Joey whaps himself on the head. "Sorry, what did you mean, Téa?" Téa sighs 'these silly guys...' "If Mokuba can keep Pegasus from beating Yugi, he won't be able to take over Kaiba's company." She explains to Joey.

[AngelBites15]

Shadow kept her ground, as she stood next to Yami, while he tried to be the voice of reason for the young boy. It was clear that Mokuba was either trying to put himself into a state of denial, or is misunderstanding the situation. By the way he was speaking, this very deed was out of desperation, and considering that Seto has allegedly "abandoned" him, the younger Kaiba was putting matters into his own hands. Pegasus is already playing games with them, and the genie felt that Mokuba didn't have anywhere or anyone to turn to, in order to protect the company that his brother had worked so hard into building.

At this point, as the mastermind, Maximillion Pegasus was putting every single one of them in danger.

Shadow continued looking into the boy's very soul, as if she was trying to find out whether or not he was being honest. A person's shadow doesn't lie, and the desire hidden deep within Mokuba, was very clear. 'He's telling the truth. I can see it in his very soul', she informed the spirit. 'I can help him, Yami. We can promise him that we will beat Pegasus', she reasoned with her partner, before looking back at the boy before them.

[Jazz]

Yami had been trying to keep Mokuba from winning the Duel but trying to reason with the boy was even harder. That when Shadow spoke up; he looked to her with a sort of look of curiosity. 'Well, if you know a way that you can persuade him. Do what you can.' He told her. Yami figured by now that if Shadow knew a way to make something work, she would tell them. With that, she would help Mokuba see reason and help them fix this while trying to save both his Grandpa and now Kaiba.

[AngelBites15]

Shadow looked at Yami, as she was able to earn his consent to act, by means of helping Mokuba see reason, and perhaps get him to calm down, and think about what he was doing. Turning back to Mokuba, she looked into his eyes, the genie's red ones started to slightly glow, having to gaze into his very soul; something that Mokuba would be able to feel, as if she was passing within his very body. Even though she wasn't literally doing so, Shadow was reaching out towards the shadow part of his very being. 'I know you can hear me, child', her voice going to him in a whisper. Even though he can't see her, the boy can most-definitely hear her.

'I know that your brother is most-important to you. As his fellow kin, you would do anything for him. But you must see the bigger picture, Mokuba Kaiba. Pegasus is not what he seems and, even though your gut says for you to take him head-on, your heart can't reach Seto through theft and sabotage. Your life is just as in danger, as is your brother. Please, allow Yugi to help you. Allow us to help you. Pegasus can’t take us all, at once'.

Her persuasion power was in effect, after tapping into the boy's shadow-half. Eventually, she managed to let Mokuba go from her supernaturally-piercing gaze, allowing him to finally let out a breath.