The Pharaoh and the Wayfarer (Atem/Yami Yugi x Spirit! Reader)

Chapter 2: "Yugi" vs Weevil

I own nothing.
Chapter 2: An Annoying Insect and A Familiarity

Rain wasn't actually sure if (Y/N) needed to sleep given that she was a spirit. If she did, she was fairly certain that she didn't after that encounter with Yugi. She herself had barely managed to sleep given the implication of Yugi having the Millennium Puzzle and what they saw. Yugi seemed really nice, but both of them knew the stories the tribe had passed down. The Millennium Puzzle held great power, dark power even, and Yugi seemed a bit too interested in the Shadow Games for their comfort. Rain prayed she was off the mark with this. She had been looking forward to meeting new duelists at this tournament and maybe making some friends, and it wasn't everyday you get to meet the guy who beat the dueling champion. As the island came into view in the morning light, Rain once again leaned against the railing.
"(Y/N)?"
The spirit appeared behind her, also lost in thought it seems.
"Yes, Rain?"
"What's your take on all this?"
The spirit sighed. "I think your vacation has landed us into a much greater conflict than we're aware of. Having two Millennium Items with wielders come into contact with one another can't be a sign of a mundane experience."
Rain gave a sad chuckle. "Guess La Fontaine was right: a person really does meet their destiny on the road they took to avoid it. Maybe it's not all that bad. We've been waiting for something to happen for so long, so might as well get it over with."
"Rain, stopping a calamity isn't something you just 'get over with'. We have no idea what our situation is, much less how we're supposed to resolve it."
"The way I see it, I doubt there's anything on the island you and I can't handle. We've traveled through trap ridden tombs, fought murderous thieves, and won our fair share of Shadow Games. There's nothing we can't face together."
(Y/N) gave her a sharp look. "Except people with similar abilities. Rain, you know my powers are limited. If we were to battle someone with a better understanding of the powers-,"
"Hey, you haven't let me down before." Rain assured her with a smile. "So what if you don't have all your memories? I'd say you're pretty badass without them."
(Y/N) laughed with a teasing look. "Flattery will get you nowhere, young Wayfarer."
"Worth a try." Rain then frowned sadly. "Do you think Yugi's...you know..."
"A threat?"
"He seems really nice though."
"He could very well be. What resides in the Millennium Puzzle may not be."
Rain put her hands behind her head. "So you did see it. There's definitely a spirit in that Puzzle, like you?"
(Y/N) put her fingers beneath her chin. "I was locked away in the bracelet. It's not out of the realm of possibility that the other Millennium Items house spirits of their own. We know something was locked away in the Puzzle, and very rarely are benevolent beings locked away."
"Good point." Rain conceded. "I guess we have to wait and see."
"I'm more curious as to why they're here."
"What do you mean? Yugi beat Kaiba, of course Pegasus is gonna invite him to the tournament."
(Y/N) shook her head. "You weren't paying attention. Yugi's question didn't just hint that he has experienced Shadow Games, he may have lost one recently."
"But he seemed completely fine." Rain pointed out. "There's no way he could've lost a Shadow Game recently."
"Maybe he wasn't the one who paid the price."
The boat let out a sound, signaling that they were going to dock soon. Rain sighed, putting her chin on her hands.
"So, I'm guessing the plan is to keep an eye on them and decide if Yugi's the enemy or just someone caught up in this craziness too."
(Y/N) nodded. "That is the responsible thing to do, and it aligns with our mission."
"Which means lying to kind people I was hoping to make friends with. Great..."
(Y/N) looked at her sympathetically and a bit guiltily. "I am sorry, Rain. I've only managed to inconvenience you since you woke me."
Rain raised her head with a small smile. "Stop, I'm the idiot kid who touched the centuries old bracelet. I saw enough movies by then to know something bad probably would happen. And hey, I got a permanent conversation partner out of it."
The two laughed together as they gazed back at the island, only slightly prepared for what was to come.
(Timeskip)
Rain glanced around, whistling at the lush island terrain that laid before her as they climbed the steps towards the gates.
"Man, Pegasus makes gramps look like a beggar."
Stepping through the gates to a large castle, Rain was left jostled by a crowd of top ranked duelist, some of which she actually knew. As she heard a few excited whispers about her when an announcer stepped onto the balcony above the crowd.
"Attention all duelists, your benevolent host is anxious to greet you all!"
Pegasus stepped out haughtily onto the balcony in a bright red suit that would put a strawberry to shame.
"Well, good to know he's as flamboyant as I remembered." Rain snarked as she saw (Y/N) appear beside her with a troubled look.
"Rain, correct me if I'm wrong, but he is looking at us."
The (L/N) girl took a glance, and sure enough, Pegasus was looking pretty smugly in their vicinity. It wasn't too noticeable for anyone not looking, but the gaze made her skin crawl. She then caught the slightest glint of gold from the side of his face covered by his hair. It made the girl curious as she felt a chill run through her.
"Greetings, duelist!" He announced. "I am Maximillion Pegasus! It is my great honor and pleasure to welcome you all to the Duelist Kingdom. You stand before me, the world's greatest duelists, but come tournament's end only one shall be crowned King of Games! I implore you all to assemble your dueling decks with care, with creativity, and with cunning, for this competition will test your skills like never before! To track your progress in the tournament you've each been given a dueling glove. You've also been given 2 precious star chips. You must wager these star chips on each duel you compete in." Rain placed her glove on as he explained. "To advance to the final level of competition for a chance at the $3 million prize, you must win 10 star chips! 10 star chips will admit you into my castle, where you'll face me in one final duel."
Rain smirked. "10 star chips? No problem."
(Y/N) rolled her eyes. "Rain..."
"Oh relax, I know what I'm capable of, and I've got you in my corner."
"Just keep your ego in check." The spirit then smirked. "And maybe don't make others believe you're talking to yourself."
Rain grumbled. "You're no fun."
"This will be a tournament unlike anything you have ever experienced!" Pegasus continued. "State-of-the-art dueling arenas cover this entire island and intriguing new dueling rules will be in effect. I could tell you what these new rules are, but what fun would that be? You'll discover them as you compete, or you won't last very long. Remember, play boldly, think strategically, and duel mercilessly. You have one full hour to prepare, both your cards and yourselves. When the skies light up with fireworks, the duels will begin."
The crowd cheered as Pegasus returned indoors, only for Rain and (Y/N) to catch that glint yet again. Rain rubbed her arms, feeling goosebumps.
"(Y/N), please tell me you don't have a bad feeling."
"I'd be lying if I did."
(Timeskip)
"You should start out with lower ranked duelists." (Y/N) advised as Rain marched out into the fields. "If only to figure out some of these new rules Pegasus mentioned."
"Good point."
"However, that doesn't mean you should be timid in your approach. It won't be long before duelists will know what kind of monsters you favor."
"Don't worry about that." Rain assured her spirit friend. "I've got my fair share of new cards to duel circles around the competition."
"Oh, so you've stopped having nightmares about Kuro then?"
"Hey, we agreed that was a forbidden topic!"
"Hey, Rain!" A voice called out.
The duo looked up to see Yugi waving at Rain, Joey, Tristian, and Tea all there. Rain waved back hesitantly, still feeling guilty about spying on them.
"Rain, we just need to know Yugi isn't the enemy." (Y/N) assured. "If he isn't, then you have no reason to hide."
"I know, but it still seems wrong." Despite this, Rain ran over to the group, greeting them with a big smile. "Hey, there you all are."
"Good to see you too, Rain." Yugi greeted. "Are you set to go?"
"As I'll ever be. Hey, you and Joey are short star chips and a dueling glove. And Tea, Tristian, where are your gloves?"
They all looked away bashfully, rubbing their necks.
"Well, you see, Tristan and I aren't...actually duelists..." Tea explained.
Rain nodded with a smile. "Ah, snuck aboard to watch your friends compete, then."
Tristan held up his hands. "We'd really appreciate you not telling anyone!"
"Done. I've done my fair share of sneaking into places I shouldn't...sometimes almost getting killed, but it's usually worth it. So what about you two?"
Tea and Tristan both sweatdropped at the idea of this being a lethal journey as Joey began explaining his situation and what Yugi did for him, Brooklyn accent and all.
"Aw, Yugi, that's super sweet of you! Tournaments are always better when your friends are competing in them with you!"
Yugi blushed pretty hard, running a hand through his hair. "Oh, it wasn't that great. I'd do anything for my friends."
"Mind of I join you guys? This contest would be dreadfully boring by myself, and I gotta say, you're probably the most interesting people here."
"Are you sure?" Tea asked, a bit concerned. "We'd love to have you, but wouldn't it get in the way of you dueling?"
"Hey, give me some credit. I'm a dueling champ myself. Besides," She smirked at her competitors. "Yugi, Joey, and I can duel it out in the finals like real duelists."
Joey smirked right back at her, extending his fist for a fist bump. "You're on, (L/N)."
Yugi and Rain joined. As they sealed the promise, fireworks went off in the sky.
"It's starting!" Tea said.
"Let's do it!" Yugi exclaimed.
(Timeskip)
The group walked the trail through the meadow, Rain keeping a close eye on the forest in case she saw anyone there she could challenge. (Y/N) was extra quiet somehow, but Rain could sense the spirit was on edge, not helped by the fact the Millennium Bracelet was faintly reacting to the Millennium Puzzle.
"So, what's your plan, Yugi?" Joey asked.
"Well, I might as well stick with Weevil. After all, we do have a score to settle."
Rain smirked. "Good plan, revenge is completely underrated at times."
"Can't argue with that!" Joey said, high fiving the short female.
"Speak of the devil, heads up." Tea said.
Sure enough, the creepy little bug duelist was waiting on a path to the forest. Yugi glared at him.
"Weevil, I challenge you to a duel!"
Weevil took off down the path, laughing.
"Hey wait!" Tristan yelled.
"I can't believe it!" Joey said through gritted teeth. "He's running away!"
Yugi tried to bolt after him, but Rain caught him by the collar.
"Wha-? Rain!"
"He's baiting you." She warned, letting him go.
"What do you mean?" Tea asked.
"He wants to pick the site of the duel, for what reason, I don't know. What I do know is Weevil's not above playing dirty. I think you should be cautious about this."
"Thanks for the warning, Rain, but I have to. My grandpa gave me my deck, and Weevil threw away Exodia. I can't forgive that."
She sighed. "All right, but just be careful."
They all raced into the forest after Weevil, who was still cackling. Rain bit her cheek.
"I hate this guy."
A swarm of moths suddenly covered them, causing the group to sputter back. Eventually, they caught up to the little creep, who stood ready.
"There he is!" Joey said angrily.
"Welcome, said the spider to the fly." He said annoyingly. "You flew right into my trap again!"
"Hello, Weevil." Rain said, her demeanor completely pissed off as she cracked her knuckles with a murderous grin.
He immediately flinched back. "Gah! Not you!"
"Oh, yes me. Yugi, I can knock a couple of his teeth out if you want, one for each piece of Exodia."
Joey smiled. "I knew I liked this girl for a reason."
Yugi grabbed her hand, trying to calm her. "That's really not necessary, Rain!"
"It wouldn't be the first time I slugged him."
Tea joined in. "Rain, we appreciate what you've done for us, and it is because of that appreciation that we really don't want to see you with an assault charge!"
"But I don't mind an assault charge against that twerp."
"No. Assaults."
Rain turned away, pouting. "Fine, mom."
Yugi nervously chuckled before turning with a serious expression at Weevil. "It's time you answer for what you did on the boat, Weevil!"
The shine of the Millennium Puzzle was not missed by Rain as in the blink of an eye, Yugi seemed to change. His demeanor was that of a completely different person, one more confident and stern.
"All right, Weevil. It's time to find out if you're as good at dueling as you are at running away." Yugi's voice was deeper now, and it all but confirmed Rain's suspicion.
"So, he really is like me."
"Caution, Rain." (Y/N) warned. "We don't have enough information yet."
None of the others noticed the change, which was unsurprising as it took Carter nearly eight years to notice his granddaughter was switching places with a separate personality. As it turns out, most people tend not to notice the switch, even though Rain swore she was a bit taller when (Y/N) was in control, compounded by 'Yugi' now being taller. The only thing that ever gave them away really was the change in eye color, and even that could be explained away by lighting.
Weevil, realizing Rain was in fact not going to beat him up, went back to his smug personality. "Was I simply running away or cleverly weaving you into my web?"
"It's time to duel." 'Yugi' answered back confidently.
"As you wish."
The ground rumbled as the arena began morphing.
"Woah!" Tristan cried, nearly falling over.
"Watch your step." Rain warned as the field popped up from the ground.
"It's gigantic!" Tea yelled.
Joey nodded. "Man, these aren't going to be like the duels back home."
"Nothing less from Pegasus, I suppose." Rain said, crossing her arms.
"You've just stepped into a hornet's nest!" Weevil taunted. "And there's no way out!"
"What is that?" 'Yugi' asked.
"An arena." Rain explained. "These are probably set up all over the island."
"Man. You're taking this in stride, Rain." Tristen said, impressed.
"I've met Pegasus before. He's a real 'go big, or go home' type of person."
"I'll just meet you on the field." Weevil said, running to the red side of the field.
Joey gritted his teeth. "I don't like this. Weevil's a little too cocky."
"Yup. Yugi, that punch is still on the table!" Rain offered as he walked to the blue side.
"Rain!" Tea scolded.
"Look at him, Tea! Tell me he doesn't have a punchable face!"
"I'm not disagreeing with you, I just don't want to see you in jail!"
As the girls argued, Weevil continued to taunt the other Yugi.
"I noticed that you have just one star chip, Yugi. I guess that means I'll have the pleasure of eliminating you from the tournament! Then I'll take out Rain. Once you're both gone, everyone else's chips will be easy pickings!"
"Dream on, bug boy!" Rain yelled. "I clobbered you in Germany, and I'll do it again!"
"Not unless I take his 2 star chips first." 'Yugi' declared.
"What?" Both pro duelists said, stopping their argument.
"This will be an all or nothing match for both of us."
"Ha!" Weevil spat. "Why should I risk both my star chips when you only have one?"
"Because I have something else I think you want, my whole duel monster's deck!"
"So, you'd risk your grandpa's deck?" Weevil mocked. "Fine by me. Winning all your cards will be an easy way to exterminate you once and for all!"
"Swat that little twerp like a mosquito!"
Rain ignored the other duelists drawn in by the duel, more focused on studying this other Yugi.
"Yugi!" She called out. "Weevil's got something planned if he led us out here, probably something that would make his deck stronger. Be careful!"
"Hey! Shut up!" Weevil yelled at her. "Don't tell him that!"
She smirked. "Why not? I don't see any rule stating I can't."
Yugi smiled and nodded to her. "Thank you, Rain."
"Now crush that insect. I'm tired of looking at his face."
"Duel!" Both males said.