Lion's Mouth: Part I (Yu-Gi-Oh)

Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Yugi and I finally reached the balcony where our friends waited for us. I was relieved to see Bakura kneeling over Mokuba, who had finally regained consciousness.

"How are you doing, Mokuba?" Yugi asked in a gentle tone. "Are you feeling up to getting off this island?"

"Not without Seto," Mokuba said. "Where's my big brother?"

"He's safe," I said. "I can feel it. He has to be around here somewhere."

Joey crossed his arms and frowned. "How do we know he didn't do more to him than steal his soul?"

"He's kept his word so far, hasn't he?" I could not explain the reason, but I felt we could believe in Pegasus just this once.

"Yugi, Joey, Samia."

We all turned around to see Croquet standing behind us, his expression and emotions unreadable.

"Croquet?" Yugi said.

"Due to his illness, Mr. Pegasus will be unable to attend," said Croquet.

"If you ask me, it's just a lame excuse to avoid paying off on the prizes," Joey said.

"All prizes are still to be awarded," Croquet said, seeming offended that anyone would offer such a suggestion. "Yugi already received his agreed upon award of three freed souls, but..." He stepped closer to Yugi and then loomed over him. "In addition, there's this." He held out an ornate box with a duel monsters card displaying a beautiful woman with wings inside.

"What is it?"

"It's a card called 'the Ties of Friendship.' It's the only one of its kind, hand painted by Pegasus himself. I was instructed to deliver it personally to Yugi Muto. You are now officially King of Games."

Yugi took the card and looked it over. The name of the card caught my interest. Did Pegasus decide to give it to Yugi because he was admitting that friendship was a powerful force after all? And if Pegasus already had the card but had never released it to the public, did he believe in friendship at one point? Once again, I had the sense that there was more to Pegasus than the evil I had seen from him. Something deep inside me longed to latch onto the hints of goodness, but I quickly shut it down. It would do no good. My mother had warned me against such desires.

Croquet retrieved a sealed envelope from his inside coat pocket. "This contains a check for the prize money won by Yugi in his duel with Joey Wheeler."

"It's all yours, Joey," Yugi said, smiling at his friend. "Just like I promised."

Joey smiled and nodded as he accepted the envelope from Croquet. "You're the best, Yug."

"Three million dollars, Joey!" Tea said.

"For your sister's operation," said Tristan.

"Congratulations," I said. It looked like everyone received a happy ending after all.

"Yeah," Joey said. His emotions of happiness and gratitude were almost overwhelming but they were a welcome break from everything else I had absorbed recently. "We've been apart for so long, but now I can save her from going blind."

"That's great, Joey," Yugi said.

"Yeah, you bet it is."

"And now for your prize, Miss Samia."