Yu-Gi-Oh! Love Selflessly (Version 2 - SEMI FINAL)

Chapter 3

Emiko skidded to a halt as she reached Domino pier. The many duelists were already filing onto the boat that would take them to Duelist Kingdom. She hopped off her bike, abandoning it and parking it out of the way, not expecting to retrieve it after everything was over. She ran to join the short line of duelists as the staff finished loading everyone into the boat. As she reached the guard, she pulled out her star chips and tournament entry cards, not really sure what she would need and she stated, attempting to sound confident, "My name is Emiko Kaiba. I'm taking my brother, Seto Kaiba's place in the tournament." The guard raised an eyebrow, then nodded, listening to his earpiece for a moment.

"Very well," he said, "Right this way, Miss Kaiba." She followed him as he led her through the common area. She walked cautiously, keeping the lower half of her face covered by her vest collar. The two walked on until they finally reached a large hallway with several rooms. He stopped in front of one and said, "This is the room reserved for your brother, but seeing as how you'll be filling in for him, you can stay here." She nodded and the guard walked away. She stood out in the hallway for a moment, considering finding Yugi and Joey, but decided against it.

"I still don't know," she thought, "What will they think? What if they don't want to be my friends anymore?" She sighed and turned, walking into the decently-sized room. She said sadly under her breath, "I don't want to lose my friends, too." She leaned against the door and let out a long sigh, looking up at the ceiling. She slipped off her backpack and walked over to the couch, setting her bag down next to her. She took off her boots and crossed her legs, reaching into her bag, searching for her cell phone. She groaned as she realized she had left it on her bed at home.

"It figures," she thought, "Oh, well. They probably won't have much in the way of signal on the island, anyway." She shook her head and took the time to actually fold the clothing she brought. She neatened up her backpack before taking her deck out of its case and flipping through it. She thought, "I hope these will be good enough." She grabbed the locket around her neck and flipped it open, seeing the picture of herself, Seto, and Mokuba when they had picture day at the orphanage. She smiled.

"That was when Seto used to actually smile," she thought, "We were so happy. Despite being orphans. We were together. We were there for each other." Her smile fell and she wondered, "What happened? We were so close before." She brought the locket up to her heart and sighed. She thought, "I promise I'll rescue you two. I should never have been so careless to leave Mokuba alone." She stood up and walked over to the bed and laid down. She tossed and turned for a while, but before long, she finally fell asleep.

The next morning, Emiko awoke bright and early, the sunlight shining through her window. She yawned as she sat up, running her fingers through her hair. She stood up and walked over to the window that looked out over the water, wondering how close they were to the island. She opened the window and leaned out, feeling the cool ocean breeze hitting her face along with the gentle mist of the water as the boat cut through the waves. She turned her head and saw that the island was just on the horizon. She thought, "This is it. I have to do this. It doesn't matter who I face, just as long as I can get Seto and Mokuba back." She pulled her head back inside and shut the windows. She paced around the room for an hour before an announcement came over the loudspeakers.

"Attention! We will be reaching Duelist Kingdom in less than thirty minutes. Please ensure that you have all of your belongings with you before you leave. Industrial Illusions is not responsible for any items lost. That is all."

She sat on the bed, grabbing her vest and clutching it to her chest. She asked herself, "Why is Pegasus after them? Why is he after Kaiba Corporation?" She furrowed her brows and sighed. She shook her head and pulled her arms through the sleeves, standing up and gathering her backpack, deck, and shoes. She waited as patiently as she could for the boat to come to a halt before walking outside and disembarking onto the island, still on edge and being careful not to be seen by Yugi or Joey. She looked up into the blue sky, seeing that it was dusted with white, puffy clouds. She smiled, remembering when she and Mokuba used to try and find shapes hidden in the clouds as they drifted by at the orphanage. She held her locket and squeezed. She saw that all of the duelists around her were walking up towards the castle, so she followed, trying to blend in with the crowd.

The trek was a long, tiring climb up to Pegasus' castle. She adjusted her backpack and kept pushing forward. She felt a single bead of sweat drip down the side of her face, but paid no attention. Around her, she heard whispers about some of the other contestants. She heard mentions of Weevil Underwood, Rex Raptor, Mako Tsunami, and several others, some of whom were contestants at the Regionals. She also heard several people gossiping about her brother. Some wondered where he was. Others were talking about his defeat at the hands of Yugi. She looked around, then moved to a shaded area beneath one of the large trees below the castle. A man in a black suit finally walked out onto the ledge and announced, "Attention! Please gather around! Your benevolent host is anxious to greet you all!" The duelists all fell silent as the man himself walked out onto the balcony. He cleared his throat, grabbing the attention of every duelist.

"Greetings, duelists," he said, "I am Maximillion Pegasus! It is my great honour and pleasure to welcome each and every one of you to Duelist Kingdom!" He paused and said, "You stand before me, the world's greatest duelists; however, come tournament's end, only one shall be crowned King of Games! I implore you all to assemble your duelling decks with care, with creativity, and with cunning, for this competition will test your skills like never before. In order to track your progress in the tournament, you have each been given a special duelling glove." Emiko, along with many others, reached into her backpack and grabbed the glove, slipping it onto her right hand. She grabbed the two star-shaped tokens and listened, placing the stars into the spaces on the cuff of the glove, as Pegasus explained, "You've also been given two precious star chips. You must wager these star chips in each duel you compete in. To advance to the final level of this competition for a chance at the three-million-dollar prize, you must win ten star chips. Ten star chips will grant you admission into my castle, where you will face me in one final duel! This will be a tournament unlike anything you have ever experienced. State-of-the-art duelling arenas are scattered across this entire island and intriguing, new rules will be in effect. I could tell you what these new rules are, but that would be spoiling the fun!"

"Really," Emiko wondered, "What kind of rules is he talking about?" He continued, "You'll discover them as you compete, or you won't last very long." He chuckled, then said, "Just remember: play boldly, think strategically, and duel mercilessly! You have one full hour to prepare yourselves. When the fireworks light up the sky, the duels will begin!" Applause rang out, many duelists already scattering in several directions. Emiko watched Pegasus as he turned and walked back inside. She looked back down at her star chips, thinking, "Here goes nothing. Time to duel. I hope my skills will be enough to get me up to the castle."