Smetti di sfinirti, di impegnarti a dover fare sempre di più e comincia ad impegnarti a fare diversamente e se di solito fai o hai sempre fatto troppo, allora fermati e ozia, perché la soluzione per te, potrebbe anche essere, dover smettere di fare.
( formerly known as HikoShrine, I decided to revamp and create a new vibe without abandoning Hiko completely, something make me reminisce about interacting like how I did with 3.7 and her other anons. So I've returned as Asin, although I wouldn't be consistent probably since the reason that Hiko ran away in the first place was the overbearing feeling to continue writing. I'll try finishing up old requests ) — interact to be mooties 👩🦲 (I take forever to finish my own work and requests)
"Are you certain you are ready for this?" Atlanna asked two days later, sitting on her host's bed in spirit form as she watched the girl pack the last of what she needed.
"Like I told Sophie, it hardly matters if I am or not. Somebody's got to duel to get my niece back, and it's gonna be me." Alita answered, just as set in her decision as she had been with Sophie.
"I have just been sensing this darkness about as of late... It makes me uneasy, especially since the darkness does not seem to be caused by Pegasus." Atlanna mused. The spirit's words gave Alita pause. 8 years of living with the 5 millennia old spirit had taught her to be cautious if Atlanna ever spoke up about something like this.
"You think it's being caused by someone we haven't met before?" Alita asked. Atlanna closed her eyes for a moment, her head bowed as she tried using her magic to sense the source of the darkness.
"Unfortunately, I cannot specify further... Ever since being locked away in the Millennium Bracelet, my visions have been clouded. Perhaps with time, the answer will reveal itself. I just pray that we are not caught off guard when that day comes." Atlanna answered. Alita nodded after a moment, taking Atlanna's words as a plea for caution.
"In that case, we'll both be on guard." Alita replied. Atlanna nodded in response.
"Thank you."
A couple hours after the conversation with the spirit, Alita was standing on the Domino City docks along with several other contestants. There's gotta be hundreds of people here... Maybe I'm not ready for this after all... Alita shook her head, getting rid of the negative thoughts. No, this tournament isn't for me, I have to remember that I'm fighting to get Bethany back. She gave herself a mental pep talk before the ship’s horn interrupted her thoughts. “Attention all duelists, welcome to this event sponsored by Industrial Illusions. You received with your invitation the star chips that will grant you entry into the contest. You are all elite, invited by us after close observation of your past Duel Monsters contests. You each have a fair and equal chance to win. It all comes down to how well you’ve chosen your cards and how well you play. Now then, duelists, cross the ocean, and enter the Duelist Kingdom.” A tall man in a suit announced. Alita got in line with the other duelists, trying to stop her hands from shaking from the nerves.
“Present your star chips as you board the vessel.” Another man requested of the duelists. Just as Alita was about to show hers, however, a shout came from one of the other guards.
“Hey, you! Get out of here! Only official contestants are allowed on board!”
“How do you know I’m not official?”
“Because the official duelists aren’t trying to sneak on board through the lower hatches.” Two guards started dragging the boy off, but the sight of him gave Alita the impression that she’d seen him before.
“Joey? What the..” A voice sounded off from behind her. When she turned, she saw a short boy with tri-colored hair. That’s Yugi! Alita thought as she watched the interaction.
“Stop struggling! We’re gonna have to throw you out!” The guard shouted at Joey.
“No way, I came here to duel, and I’m gonna duel!” Joey replied. Alita went to step out of line to help when the guard across the table from her stopped her.
“You’re next. Star Chips, please.” He told her. Alita glanced back, watching as Yugi gave Joey one of his star chips. Hopefully they’ll let both of them on. Alita thought before showing the guard her Star Chips. “Thank you, next.” Alita moved forward to keep the line moving, but hesitated for a moment to see one of the guards on the phone before nodding the boys onward. A sigh of relief left Alita, glad that the boys could join the tournament together. As the boat sailed away from the shores of Domino City, Alita leaned her arms against the railing, letting the ocean breeze move her hair out of her face.
“First tournament?” A voice caused Alita to turn around. She came face to face with a girl taller than her by about 4 inches, with familiar sapphire blue eyes and waist length, ebony black hair, kept out of her face by a white headband. She wore a black shirt that hung off her left shoulder, dark jeans and black combat boots, the duelist glove with her two star chips on her left hand.
“My nerves are that obvious?” Alita asked in retalition as the girl stood next to her, leaning her back against the railing and shaking her head.
“Nah, I’ve just never seen you before, so I figured you must be new to tournaments. I’m Sadie, by the way. Sadie Kaiba.”
“Kaiba, as in Seto Kaiba?” Alita questioned with wide eyes. Sadie nodded.
“Yep, the one and only, he’s my older brother.” Sadie responded.
“Well, it’s nice to meet you, Sadie. I’m Alita. Alita Nakamura.” Alita’s introduction made Sadie freeze up.
“Hold on… Nakamura? As in Sophie Nakamura?” Sadie looked at Alita.
“To quote a certain someone, the one and only. She’s my older sister.” Alita answered. Sadie laughed.
“Looks like we’ve got more in common than we think.” Sadie replied. A giggle left Alita before she noticed a blond woman walking up to the two boys from earlier. Alita straightened, watching her.
“I don’t know about you, but I’m not liking the look in that one’s eye, she looks like trouble.” Alita told her new friend. Sadie turned her blue eyes to see who the other teen was talking about, only for a cold look to cross her face. “Uh, Sadie?”
“That’s because she is trouble. That’s Mai Valentine, you could say we have a rather unfriendly rivalry.” Sadie told her, her eyes closing shortly before her nose crinkled. "Ugh, and by the smell of things, she put on way too much perfume."
“Well, what do we have here?” Mai asked, the boys turning their heads to see where the voice was coming from. Mai stood around what Alita guessed to be 5 foot 9, fair skin, amethyst purple eyes and long, thick, blonde spiky hair. She wore a short-sleeved purple coat over a white tube top that exposed her midriff, a dark purple mini-skirt, black socks and purple high-heeled boots. Alita couldn’t help but notice the deck holder strapped to her thigh, which Alita assumed held the woman’s deck since the skirt didn’t appear to have pockets… Joey blushed bright red like an idiot.
“Wow…”
“So, you’re the Yugi kid everybody’s talking about, huh?” Mai asked, her tone as sweet as honey, but the fakeness of it ticked off both of the teenage girls watching her.
“Whoa, check it out!” Joey shouted, causing the teen girls to sweatdrop. What a moron, she’s not even paying attention to him and he’s too enamoured with her to notice.
“But, I’m amazed that a squirt like you could beat Kaiba. You’re famous, you know.” Mai finished, her sentence coming off as a backhanded compliment. But, due to the poor boy’s blush, it didn’t seem like the off handed remark went right over his head.
“Thanks very much, I think.” Yugi was able to stutter out.
“Hey, miss, I’m a very good friend of the famous Yugi, the master duelist. In fact…”
“Look,” Mai’s sweet tone dropped to a fierce one, causing the blond boy to sweat drop once he noticed that he was being completely ignored. “You’re either a champ or a chump. Cut this guy loose. He’s fashion-challenged, and deserves to be crushed in the games.” It was then that the girls decided to intervene.
“That’s rich coming from you, considering the fact that you couldn’t even beat a 12 year old when you were twenty and have been losing to the same girl for the past 4 years ever since.” Sadie quipped, popping her hip and crossing her arms over her chest. The smug smile on Mai’s face instantly dropped.
“Speaking of Kaiba… Sadie, how was your stint in America? Business going well?” Mai asked, the fake sweet tone returning, Sadie smirking at the chance given to her.
“Thriving as always, and as for the trip, it was invigorating. But, as exciting as winning an overseas tournament is, it’s better to win on home turf, don’t you think? Oh, wait, you wouldn’t know what that’s like. You haven’t won a single tournament back home for 4 years.” Sadie answered, making Alita turn her head to hide a snicker.
“Things could be different this time around, you little twerp!” Mai’s fierce tone was back.
“Right, as if Pegasus’ Island is going to be where you finally beat me. Just let me know when you’re up for a duel, I could use the practice.” Sadie fired back, a tick mark appearing on Mai’s head before she stormed off. Alita erupted into giggles, her face red from having to hold back her laughter while Mai was within ear shot. Sadie turned to the boys as Alita was trying to recover from her giggle fit. "Sorry about that." She rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly. "Mai tends to get on my nerves when she's around. Anyways, allow me to formerly introduce myself. I'm Sadie Kaiba." Sadie offered a hand out as Alita finally quit her giggling, noticing that Joey's blush had grown even darker at the sight of Sadie.
"Kaiba as in Seto Kaiba?" Yugi questioned, Sadie nodding in response.
"Yeah, he's my older brother... I promise, I'm not as cold as him." Sadie answered, laughing a bit nervously before Yugi shook her hand.
"Well, since Kaiba's your brother, you already know me." Yugi turned to Joey. "This is one of my friends, Joey Wheeler. He's here to duel too." Yugi introduced. Sadie smiled at Joey.
"It's nice to meet you, Joey." Sadie told the blond. Joey shook her hand, growing redder just by touching her.
"Nice to meet ya too, Sadie." Joey managed to get out before noticing Alita, who had finally stopped her giggle fit and was realizing that the two boys' attention was on her now. "Who's dat behind ya?" Joey asked, his blush gone. It was Alita's turn to blush bright red, trying to hide behind Sadie out of shyness, but the blue eyes girl wouldn't let her.
"This is my friend, Alita Nakamura." Sadie introduced.
"Nice to meet ya, Alita." Joey greeted, failing to notice that Yugi had turned red at the sight of the other girl.
"Nice to meet you too." Alita murmured shyly, her blush growing darker when she locked eyes with Yugi. Both looked at each other for a minute before blushing darker and looking away. In Alita's Millennium Item, Atlanna watched in amusement at the exchange, having to hide her own giggles. Alita was far from the most social person, and the poor girl had no experience with boys, let alone one she liked. But, as the group talked more, Atlanna smiled as she noticed Alita starting to relax. While Alita was shy most of the time, bringing up a subject such as Duel Monsters allowed her to open up. However, Atlanna's attention was drawn away from her host when a sudden feeling overcame her. She straightened. This feeling... I sense an ancient and powerful presence, but why does it feel so familiar? It feels like... Like home.... A home I haven't known for several Millenia, and yet, I can't seem to forget... Atlanna thought, suddenly noticing the pendant around Yugi's neck. Is that one of the Millennium Items Pegasus was talking about? Is that the source of this feeling? Atlanna examined the boy, watching his movements as he talked with Alita. In fact, this boy looks similar to someone I once knew... But who? With this thought, Atlanna's mind was made, and she closed her eyes.
When she opened them again, she found that she had successfully transported herself into the pendant. Looking around, she found herself in an area similar to that of the one inside the Millennium Bracelet. There were two doors before her, one of which was open. She peeked inside the door on the left to find an arrangement of different toys and games, but the door to her right... It was closed, looking like it was made of metal and had an Eye of Horus symbol on it. The closer she got to this door, the stronger the presence became. Just as she reached out to open the door, however...
"You may enter my chambers if you wish, but be warned, there will be many traps that await you. I will allow no harm to come to the boy whose vessel I share." Atlanna spun around to face a male. He looked similar to Yugi, although his violet eyes were more narrow, holding a more determined look. He also looked to be taller than Yugi, only a couple inches taller than her, and there were three gold hairs that stood up. This male, Atlanna realized, was the source of the presence she had felt. "Your presence intrigues me. I feel as if I've known you for centuries, and yet, I have no memory of you. Who are you, and why have you trespassed here?" He asked.
"I was actually about to say the same thing... As for who I am, I am known only by the name given to me by my Hikari. I am Atlanna, the spirit of the Millennium Bracelet. I apologize for intruding, but I sensed a powerful presence and came only to investigate, the source of which would seem to be you." Atlanna answered. The male before her gave a light chuckle.
"Well, it would seem that your curiosity just might be the end of you one day. But, that day will by no means be today. I, myself, have been known by many names through the ages, but call me Yami." He introduced himself. "I'm pleased to make your acquaintance."
"The pleasure is all mine." Atlanna smiled, gaining a smile back. Just as the two spirits were striking up a conversation, a different conversation was igniting outside of the Millennium Puzzle.
"Hey, aren't you that kid, Yugi?" A nasally voice asked from behind Yugi and Alita as Joey got in trouble with the security again.
"Yeah, and you're..."
"Weevil and Rex, the Dino Duelist." Joey finished. Rex chuckled a bit.
"You're wasting your time with those guys. The private rooms only go to finalists from the last championship, like us." Rex informed them, as Yugi approached Weevil.
"Congratulations on winning the Regionals, Weevil."
"It was nothing."
"Yeah, I went easy on him that time."
"Yeah? Well, this time, Yugi and I are gonna take the tournament. Right, Yugi?" Joey exclaimed as he got free of the guards. Alita tensed up with his words. Not the smartest thing to say when faced with two duelists who have a big chance of kicking you out of the tournament... She thought.
"To tell you the truth, winning the last championship didn't feel like that much of an achievement. I guess I can't really call myself the champion until I defeat the duelist who beat Kaiba..." His beady eyes remained on Yugi. "But, I'm sure I'll end up battling you in the big tournament, Yugi. Frankly, I look forward to it." Weevil's voice held a sinister tone, a tone that made Alita uneasy.
"I look forward to it, too." Yugi replied sincerely, missing the malice in the other boy's voice.
"I'm looking forward to some Dino Demolition." Rex added with a small smirk, eyeing Alita. Alita stepped behind Yugi a bit, not liking the look on his face.
"Let me tell you a little secret. It's something none of the other players know about the games yet." Weevil offered.
"Isn't that cheating, though?" Alita poked her head out from behind Yugi.
"The other duelists will find out soon enough, but there are new rules on the island that require more strategy." Weevil told them.
"Ah, rules are for wimps. In dueling, you either smash your opponent or get smashed yourself. It's one or the other." Rex continued.
"Strength is good, but you also need to combine them with other types of cards." Joey argued. Joey's comment made Alita smile... That is, until Rex butted in.
"Who asked you? Stay out of my way or I'll stomp you like everyone else." Rex commented before walking away.
"We'll see who stomps who when we get to the island." Joey growled.
"Just ignore him." Sadie advised, her words somehow claiming the blond down.
"Let's scope out the competition, shall we?" Weevil added.
"What'd you mean?" Alita asked. Sadie nodded toward the other duelists.
"Check it out. The other duelists are already trading over there. Players here are already swapping cards and strengthening their decks, getting ready for the big tournament. It's also a good chance to get a feel for your opponent's cards." Sadie pointed out.
"Whoa, strong cards! Hey, wanna trade? How bout you? Anybody? Help me out here!" Joey jumped right into the trading, making Sadie and Alita giggle.
"Guess Joey's trading..." Yugi trailed off.
"If you've come all this way and you're still trying to improve your deck, you've gotta be pretty desperate." Weevil mocked. Sadie whipped her head to glare at Weevil.
"I've done that a couple times and it's helped my deck out a ton. Desperation has nothing to do with it." Sadie told him, but found herself ignored.
"I'll catch you on the flip side." Weevil said to Yugi and Alita before walking away. Alita hugged herself as the duo walked outside.
"I've got a bad feeling about him..." Alita trailed off after a minute.
"I'm sure it'll be okay. Are you gonna trade too?" Yugi asked. Alita shook her head.
"No... To be honest, I'm a little attached to this deck." Alita brought out her deck, holding it in her hand. "It's one of the few mementos I have to remind me of my Mom... She built this deck for me when I was a kid and taught me everything I know about Duel Monsters." Yugi smiled.
"I get that, it's the same with my cards, though it was my Grandpa who taught me about Duel Monsters and built my deck." Yugi replied as he brought out his. Alita smiled. "If you want, you can take a look at it. I don't mind, but just be careful."
"You can take a look at mine, too." Alita replied with a nod, and the two switched decks, looking through the cards. Alita was amazed at the deck that had been built by Yugi's grandfather, handling each card with care the way she did with her own deck. "This deck's amazing, Yugi. It's almost as if I can feel your Grandpa's heart in these cards." Alita spoke up as she finished looking through the deck, bringing a blush to Yugi's face.
"I was actually thinking the same about yours, Alita. I can feel your mother's heart in this deck, and just looking through it makes me understand your want to hold onto your cards." Yugi responded as the two exchanged decks once more, putting their respective decks away.
"There was something I noticed about that deck actually... You could feel his heart, but something... I don't know, felt... Off."
"You're wondering if he's still around?" Yugi asked, finishing Alita's question.
"I don't mean to intrude..."
"No, Alita, it's okay. Honestly, he still is around... In a way." Yugi sighed, leaning against the railing of the boat. The only reason I was invited to this tournament is because Pegasus took my Grandfather's soul after a duel with him." Alita softly gasped. Just like he did with Bethany...
"Yugi, I... I'm so sorry..."
"Don't be, it's not your fault." Yugi gave her a soft smile.
"To be honest, we're in same boat... And not just literally either." Alita leaned against the railing.
"What'd you mean?" Yugi asked.
"Pegasus dueled me too, but, it wasn't a guardian he took from me... It was my niece, Bethany." Not noticing the shocked look on Yugi's face, Alita continued as she looked up at the stars. "My sister was 15. The guy she was with, Bethany's father, he hurt my sister. She often came home with bruises or a black eye, and sometimes didn't come home at all. I remember, she called my Mom crying. Mom left the house in a hurry, and when she came back, she was carrying Sophie. Sophie looked worse for wear, and my Mom told me that Sophie was pregnant. A scare with Bethany's birth and two years later, she was a ball of sunshine... Until Pegasus took her." Alita bowed her head, her fists clenching. "I'd give anything to get her back safe." She felt a hand on her own and looked up to see Yugi, smiling softly at her.
"It'll be okay, Alita. Joey and I'll help you get her back, along with my grandpa." Yugi promised.
"You mean it?" Alita asked, only for Yugi to nod in response. A smile crossed Alita's face. "And I'll help you get your grandpa back, no matter what." Yugi smiled in reply.
"Hey, Yugi, I got some good trading in!" Joey's shout caused the two to pull apart and face Joey and Sadie.
"Hey, let me see 'em." Yugi told Joey before Alita and Yugi examined Joey's new cards together. "Salamandra and a Kunai with Chain, Baby Dragon and Shield and Sword? Great!"
"With these new magic cards, combined with your monsters, you'll have a real strong deck." Alita finished.
"All right! So now, I'm ready to win every duel I play." Joey exclaimed, making Sadie laugh.
"Hold on there, tough guy, don't get ahead of yourself." Sadie told him.
"I think you're going to find it's a bit harder than that, Joey." Alita told him as Yugi opened the gold box that had held his deck.
"Here, add this to your deck. It can be helpful in a tight spot." Yugi held out a card to Joey.
"That's the Time Wizard!" Alita exclaimed.
"Thanks, I'll take it. I can't get over how you're always helping me out." Joey told Yugi as he put the card with his deck.
"Ah, we meet again." The girls deadpanned at the voice behind them and turned to face Weevil again.
"Oh, Weevil..." Yugi trailed off, watching as Weevil crossed the deck and leaned against the railing.
"The evening winds sure feel nice." Weevil commented. "So, did you trade for any good cards, Yugi?"
"No, I'm gonna duel with the cards I brought along with me."
"I figured as much. You used the Exodia cards in your Duel with Kaiba, right? Those are the strongest cards of them all." Alita went rigid with Weevil's words. He's planning something...
"Yep, and really rare." Yugi added.
"Could I possibly see those legendary cards?" Weevil asked.
"I don't see why not, just be careful with them, okay?" Yugi answered.
"Yugi... I don't think it's a good idea." Alita spoke up, trying to warn Yugi.
"It'll be okay, Alita." Yugi reassured her, but it did nothing for her nerves. Yugi took out the Exodia cards and gave them to Yugi. "Here."
"So, these are the card to summon Exodia." Weevil mused as he looked at the five cards of Exodia in his hands. "For a long time, I've been trying to come up with some kind of strategy to finally beat these cards, but I couldn't come up with anything..."
"Weevil, just give them back." Alita told him, her anxiety growing. Weevil smirked at her, and in that moment, Alita knew her suspicions were about to be confirmed.
"That is, I couldn't come up with anything until just this moment." Much to Alita's horror, Weevil tossed the cards overboard. "Say goodbye to Exodia!"
"No!" Alita shouted as she tried to grab them, but her hands missed the cards as they fell into the water below.
"No!" Yugi exclaimed. Weevil laughed.
"Now there's no one who can challenge me!" Weevil cackled as he walked away.
"You bug eyed creep!" Sadie shouted. "Wait till I get to sick my dragons on you, you're gonna pay for this!"
"My cards! Those were the Exodia cards my grandpa gave me!" Yugi exclaimed.
"I'll get 'em!" Joey exclaimed, running and jumping over the railing into the water below.
"Joey, don't!" Yugi and Alita exclaimed at the same time.
"Joey, where are you?!" Yugi yelled. Joey gasped for air as his head broke the surface.
"I promise you, I'll get them, Yugi!" Joey yelled back.
"Are you crazy?!" Sadie screeched.
"Joey, they're not worth drowning over!" Yugi exclaimed.
"Don't worry, Yugi!" Joey saw one of the cards and grabbed it as it floated past. "Look, see, I got one of them!"
"Joey, swim back to the ship!" Alita screamed at the blond.
"No way! At least, this time, there's something I can do to help someone I care about!" Joey screamed right back before his head went under water for a minute before the teen broke the surface again. "Current sure is strong, though, it's hard to fight. But, if I punk out now, who's gonna help my sister, Serenity?"
"Your sister?" Alita asked.
"Just 3 more now." Joey smiled as he got another one, but as he turned, a wave came up and dragged him underwater again.
"Joey!" Sadie, Alita and Yugi exclaimed at the same time before Alita dive over the railing too. The cold water almost froze her body, but she pushed through it, swimming toward Joey, who was struggling to stay afloat.
"Joey, hang on!" Alita exclaimed as she swam toward him.
"Alita, just three more, help me find them." Joey told her before sinking.
"Joey!" Alita exclaimed as she dove under to grab Joey and bring him back to the surface.
"Yugi!" Sadie exclaimed, Alita turning to see Yugi diving in too and swimming toward her and Joey.
"Yugi, what're you doing?!" Alita asked out of shock.
"Helping you get my friend back on board!" Yugi answered her.
"Are you guys okay?!" A different male voice shouted before a ladder descended from the deck, Sadie and two other teenagers peering over the side at them.
"Grab ahold!" The girl on Sadie's other side called to them.
"Hurry!" The boy on Sadie's left added.
"Téa, Tristan!" Yugi exclaimed as the two swam to the ladder and grabbed hold with one hand, hanging onto Joey with the other. As they were pulled into the deck of the boat again, Yugi looked at Alita. "Are you okay?" He asked. Alita shot him a small smile.
"That was close! I'm sure glad you guys showed up, really glad!" Yugi exclaimed after they reached the deck of the ship.
"We're a team." Téa replied. "We all stick together."
"We'll always watch your back." Tristan added.
"Thanks a lot, you guys." Yugi replied before introducing his other friends to Sadie and Alita. Once the introductions were made, Joey's voice broke the silence.
"I'm sorry, Yugi... I failed, I only found two of your cards."
"It's okay, Joey."
"It's not okay, it's always this way with me. I'm never able to help anybody, not even my own sister, Serenity."
"Serenity?" Yugi asked.
"Really? You have a sister, Joey?" Sadie questioned, kneeling next to him.
"Our parents' divorced years ago, when we were kids. She lives far away with my mother. My sister's had really bad eyes since she was born. Eventually, she'll go blind."
"I'm sorry."
"Thanks, Yuge... She sent me a message..." Joey then told the group about the message from Serenity. "The doctors told her that the time has come. Soon, her eyes'll be impossible to repair, even with surgery. But, there are specialists who could perform an operation now before it's too late. They could save her eyesight, but there's no way I can pay for the operation. I have to win, for her! Winning in the Duelist Kingdom and getting the prize money is the only way I can help Serenity!" Joey finished. He's so much like Seto... Sadie thought, reminded of how her own older brother would have done anything to keep her and Mokuba safe. As the sun began to rise, the group stood on the bow of the ship, watching as the sky lit up with the sun's first rays.
"We'll all do our best, Joey." Alita told him, Yugi nodding in agreement.
"You for your sister, Alita for her niece, and me for my grandpa." Yugi finished.
"That's right, we'll do this together." Téa replied.
"Look! The island!" Tristan pointed out the island getting closer to the ship.
"That's the Duelist Kingdom!" Yugi exclaimed. Alita nodded.
"That's it, we're almost there." Alita continued. As the ship approached the island, Alita felt a hand take hers. She looked up to see Yugi smiling at her, a silent promise in his face.
Whatever they would face on that Island, they'd face it together....
