Chapter 53: A Woman Like the Wind

One week later, 9:00 PM, Toono City Pier.

Having gathered at Hayato's house beforehand, Yugi and his group arrived at the pier half an hour early, only to find that many people had already gathered there.

"There must be nearly a hundred people here, right? Unexpectedly, a lot of people were invited by Pegasus to go to Duel Kingdom." Carrying nothing but a deck, Jonouchi looked at the massive crowd on the pier and said indignantly, "Even though he invited so many people, he didn't include the great Jonouchi. That guy Pegasus is truly hateful."

"And these aren't all the duelists here; they are just the duelists from one region in Japan. I'm afraid the total number of duelists gathered by Duel Monsters must exceed a thousand," Hayato said, looking around. However, seeing that Jonouchi was carrying nothing, he paused slightly. "Jonouchi, didn't you bring a bag?"

"Eh? Why would I bring a bag? Aren't we going to participate in a duel tournament?" Hearing Hayato's words, Jonouchi finally noticed that whether it was Yugi, Anzu, or Honda, they all had bulging backpacks on their backs. Only Hayato was traveling light just like him. "Besides, Hayato, you didn't bring anything either."

"Even though it's a Duel Monsters tournament, don't forget that the venue is on a private island. Think, think, Jonouchi—we are arriving at an island, and there are so many contestants. Do you think Pegasus would be kind enough to take care of every single participant?"

"It's more likely that they'll make us survive in the wilderness and then fight whoever duelists we encounter, right?"

Hearing Hayato's words, Jonouchi couldn't help but panic: "Then what do we do now?"

"I really can't do anything with you, Jonouchi. When the time comes, I'll share some of my food with you." Looking at the despairing Jonouchi, who was already imagining a future of starving, Honda sighed helplessly. "In exchange, you'd better actually achieve something this time."

"Of course! Thanks, Honda!" Hearing Honda's words, Jonouchi laughed heartlessly again and patted Honda on the shoulder.

"Please, I'm carrying nothing but food and water; it's very heavy. If you keep doing that, you can carry it for me."

"No way!"

Just then, a group of staff members dressed in black appeared on the pier. One of the leaders stood on a high platform, holding a megaphone and shouting: "Selected duelists! Welcome everyone to this tournament specially organized by Industrial Illusions!"

In an instant, everyone's attention was drawn to him.

"Everyone present here has been selected as elites through special investigations into your Duel Monsters. The opportunity is equal for everyone. Now, the radiance of glory shines upon your heads," the man in black—whose plain hairstyle made him look like someone who wouldn't even know how to play cards—raised his hand to the side. A gangplank was lowered from a luxury cruise ship docked at the pier. "Alright, duelists! Cross the sea, fight for glory, and let us depart together to the Kingdom!"

Although he looked like an ordinary extra, the man's speech was quite stirring. Many duelists present were pumped up by his words. Jonouchi was so eager he wanted to duel someone right then and there, and even Yugi was full of anticipation for "Duel Kingdom."

Hayato had no right to judge others, because even he couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement at the thought of becoming a Duelist of KaibaCorp—a Duel King.

After the announcement that boarding had begun, the crowd on the pier formed orderly lines, presenting their Star Chips to the men in black and boarding after registration. While the staff initially tried to drive Honda and the others away because they didn't possess Star Chips, their attitude reversed completely into one of extreme respect once Hayato presented that "Duel Monsters" card.

Once on the cruise ship, Jonouchi leaned against the railing, gazing at the distant seascape: "I saw this view many times on the way to Hayato's house, but seeing it from a cruise ship feels different. That guy Pegasus really has some skills."

"After all, because of Duel Monsters, Industrial Illusions has accumulated quite a lot of wealth over the years," Hayato said, fiddling with the "Duel Monsters" card. "And I remember a saying: 'Status determines mindset.' The same scenery is poetic to the rich, while the poor are just thinking about how the mushrooms here look good enough to pick and stew for soup."

While they were chatting, a charming laugh drifted from nearby: "What an interesting analogy. You're a humorous little brother, but it's better not to eat wild mushrooms~"

Hayato turned his head to see a mass of golden hair. The speaker was a tall lady dressed in sexy purple attire, wearing long high-heeled boots. As the breeze blew, it brought with it her elegant, subtle, and pleasant scent of perfume.

"So... so beautiful~" Jonouchi and Honda's eyes instantly went blank, staring straight at the blonde lady. Their gazes drifted repeatedly between her long, fair legs that her miniskirt could barely cover and her extremely prominent "assets." Even Yugi's face turned slightly red, which made Anzu feel quite annoyed and jealous as she compared herself to the blonde woman, suddenly feeling a sense of loss.

"And this lady is?" Hayato looked at the blonde woman who had approached them. Although he was equally struck by her beauty, he preferred long black hair, so he merely looked at her with an appreciative attitude. Although he recognized her identity, he still asked.

"My name is Mai Valentine. Like you, I am an invited duelist," Mai replied to Hayato. Seeing that Hayato's eyes lacked the lecherous gaze she often saw in men, Mai felt somewhat pleased, but she turned her attention to her main target for this interaction—Yugi. "You must be Yugi Mutou, right? I didn't expect to run into such a topical figure in the Duel Monsters circle on the same ship."

"A topical figure?" Anzu tilted her head, unable to associate those words with Yugi.

"Having defeated Kaiba, who holds three of the strongest White Dragons simultaneously, Yugi's fame in the Duel Monsters circle is quite large. Strictly speaking, his fame is almost catching up to Pegasus, because among all the duelists who have appeared so far, his dueling strength is the highest," Hayato explained. "In other words, he's a top contender for the championship. It's normal to be recognized, right?"

***

[The main duelists in DM can be described by their attributes Kaiba is Light. Yugi is Dark. Jonouchi is Fire. As for Mai Valentine, I personally feel she is Wind, since her main deck revolves around Harpies, and later becomes Amazons (fast-forward to: all women from the Aozaki family are Wind.jpg). (Small cards? They are obviously Traps.) Also, in the original work, only 40 people participated in Duel Kingdom, which was a bit too ridiculous, so I have made "a tiny bit" of an adjustment to the number of participants.]

(End of Chapter)