Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Devotion ❯ Chapter 30

Disclaimer: If I owned Yu-gi-oh, Mai would get that re-match!

 

VAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAV AVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAV

 

What the hell was up with you? You were so… it was like you were fighting with yourself.

 

You understood, even if that big goof Joey didn't at first. I was trying to help you.

 

Why the hell was I trying to help an opponent?

 

I wanted… I wanted to win this. To win that title, that prize money… the title. I wanted that title.

 

Everyone was so pissed off when Pegasus said about how to a true duelist, the title was the real prize.

 

That crack about how some have more riding on this tournament than others he made to you, Yugi…

 

When I was trying to get through to you, you said you were fighting for your Grandpa. You should have known, then. If this whole thing with souls and everything was true… you should have known you had to go all out, had to defeat whatever was inside you that was holding you back, keeping you from dueling all-out against me.

 

You said… you said you were giving the duel all you could, then. And yet… I wanted to believe you. The look on your face… like something was holding you back, like you were trying to give me the best duel you could besides it, but… it wasn't something you could fight. Like you were… waiting. Resigned. Arguing.

 

Like you wanted me to go on. Like you were unhappy about not being able to give it your best shot.

 

Oh gods. Did… did Pegasus… did he say you had to throw the duel or something? Is that why you played so poorly at the beginning? Are… are there going to be consequences for giving me the honorable duel we both wanted.

 

No, no. That wasn't it. You… you were fighting with yourself, I know it. You'd get the look of a true champion in your eye, about to go all out and have fun… then you'd rein yourself back, and you'd be unhappy with yourself… but know you had to go along with it.

 

At the end… when you solved that internal quarrel…. You smiled and said I was right, you were holding back. But you weren't any more. And I smiled.

 

Because you were smiling like you were going to kick my ass, like everything was settled, everything was perfect. And I was like, hello? Me two thousand, you three hundred.

 

I was already wondering what other tournaments you might show up at, so we could have a duel where you wouldn't be all distracted and I could see why you beat Kaiba that time.

 

I mean, you kicked Panik's ass and made it look easy, but… I wanted to have a challenging duel like that with you.

 

Something where we could have a real challenge. Which, like I told you, is the only reason I duel, aside from the island trips, clothes, cars, and prize money.

 

Not something where the only person you were fighting against was yourself instead of me.

 

But, you pulled together this amazing strategy, and managed to bluff me, which no one has ever done, and made it look so easy.

 

One turn.

 

One freaking turn.

 

Damnit!

 

Damnit, that was cool.

 

And you didn't rub it in, when I surrendered. Which you would have had an excuse to, after I did all that taunting to try to get a rise out of you.

 

You thanked me, for helping you. You acknowledged that if you hadn't pulled your act together, I would have kicked your ass.

 

You want to duel me again, like I want to duel you.

 

It'll be great.

 

I thought all you guys were losers. But… I've learned a lot, from you guys. Even that idiot Joey.

 

Punk.

 

Still… what was going on, in your head? You looked… schizo. Was it just that you were arguing with yourself… you seemed to know that your moves were bad as soon as you made them.

 

But if so, why did you still make them? It was like… someone was ordering you around, telling you what to do.

 

You looked especially unhappy when the Dark Magician was destroyed. Your favorite card… you didn't want to put him down like that. You knew I had something waiting.

 

But you did it anyway.

 

What…

 

You errors were the sort made by a thoughtless person, someone who wasn't thinking the several moves ahead this game requires. Yet… you saw them coming, my tricks and traps. Yet you continued to make the obvious, skill-less moves, even though you knew, you obviously knew, they were going to lose you the duel.

 

When I asked you if you had faced up to whatever had freaked you out in your duel with Kaiba it was like, like someone else was looking through your eyes. A child. And you closed your eyes then, and when they opened…

 

You were smiling, and you thanked me. And you kicked ass. Like it was nothing. Did you… with the Catapult Turtle, did you leave it wide open to give me a chance, a chance to still win, to repay me? To teach me a lesson, about not letting fear hold myself back, but to seize the initiative?

 

Or did you just not have anything to defend it with?

 

You didn't care, either way. You knew, you knew you would not lose. You were on the top of the world then, smiling happily to yourself.

 

Brilliant with the true duelist's focus, going to give me the game of my life. Later, you lost it, later some residue of doubt returned… but you pulled yourself together.

 

Luck, skill, everything was with you then. Your heart was in the game, for the first time since the duel started, and I saw your true skill.

 

And I'm glad. I don't care that I lost. You needed the victory more than I, and I won.

 

Like you said, you wouldn't have won if I hadn't helped you work through whatever was holding you back, crippling you. So, I helped you win, and so the victory was mine.

 

I gave you an honorable duel.

 

And damn, was it fun!

 

VAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAV AVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAV

 

If you want more Mai, read my story Costume Jewelry.

 

I love the Death's Gate Cycle. Don't like anything else by them, though.

 

Well… they didn't say the hooded guy fighting Pegsy was Malik's, but it makes sense Pegsy would have been after the Rod, since he needed all seven Items. So trying to get his hands on and duel Malik is rather obvious. Is reading between the lines.

 

And Malik had to be at least in the area, to pick Bandit Keith out of the sea. There to observe Pegsy challenging the Pharaoh would be obvious. And sending Rare Hunters to the tournament to swipe rare cards, like in Battle City.

 

It's cool that Pegsy has his own cult (all those guys in robes in the anime). I gotta do more with them.