Chapter 53: A Woman Like the Wind
A week later, nine o'clock in the evening, Domino City Dock.
Gathering at Hayato's house beforehand, Yugi and the others arrived at the Dock half an hour early, only to find that quite a few people had already gathered there.
"There must be over a hundred people here, right? It's surprisingly many people invited by Pegasus to Duelist Kingdom." Traveling light with only a Deck on him, Joey Wheeler looked at the dense crowd on the Dock and said indignantly, "He invited so many people but didn't include Yours Truly, that Pegasus guy is really hateful."
"And these Duelists here aren't all of them, they're just Duelists from one region of Japan. I'm afraid the number of Duelists gathered for Duel Monsters has already exceeded a thousand," Hayato said, looking around. But upon seeing Joey Wheeler carrying nothing, he was slightly taken aback. " Joey Wheeler , didn't you bring a Package?"
"Huh? Why would I bring a Package? Aren't we going to participate in the Duel Tournament?" Joey Wheeler heard Hayato's words and only then noticed that Yugi, Téa , and Tristan all had bulging backpacks on their backs. Only Hayato, like him, was empty-handed. "Besides, Hayato, you didn't bring anything either."
"Although it's a Duel Monsters Tournament, don't forget, the Field for the Match is on a Private Island. Think, think, Joey Wheeler . We're going to an island, and there are so many Players. Do you think Pegasus will be kind enough to take care of every single Player?"
"It's more likely that he'll make us survive in the Wilderness and then Duel against the Duelists we encounter, right?"
Hearing Hayato's words, Joey Wheeler couldn't help but panic a little. "Then what do we do now?"
"There's really no helping you, Joey Wheeler . I'll share some of Yours Truly's food with you then." Tristan looked at Joey Wheeler , who was imagining his future of starving and had a face full of despair, and sighed helplessly. "In return, you'd better achieve something this time."
"Of course! Thanks, Tristan ." Hearing Tristan 's words, Joey Wheeler laughed carelessly again and even patted Tristan 's shoulder.
"Come on, everything I'm carrying is food and water, it's really heavy. If you touch me again, you can carry it for me."
"No way."
Just then, a group of Staff wearing black appeared on the Dock. The leader stood on a High Platform, holding a megaphone, and shouted, "Selected Duelists! Welcome to the Match specially organized by Industrial Illusions!"
Instantly, everyone's attention was drawn over.
"Everyone present here is an elite chosen through Duel Monsters after our special investigation. The opportunity is equal for everyone. Now, the light of glory is shining above you," the Staff member, whose unremarkable hairstyle suggested he wouldn't be Dueling, raised his hand to the side. A luxurious Cruise Ship docked by the Dock lowered its boarding ramp. "Alright, Duelists, cross the sea, compete for honor, and let's set off to the Kingdom together!"
Although he looked like just a regular Small Fry, the Staff member's speech was quite passionate. Many Duelists present were stirred up by his words, and Joey Wheeler even wished he could Duel against these Duelists right now. Even Yugi was full of anticipation for "Duelist Kingdom".
Hayato wasn't really in a position to criticize others, because even he couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement when he thought about the scene after becoming Sai Q's Duelist—the Duel King.
After the announcement that boarding had begun, the crowd gathered on the Dock consciously formed a long queue, orderly showing their Star Chips to the Staff and boarding the ship after registration. Although when it was Joey Wheeler and the others' turn, because they didn't possess Star Chips, several Staff members tried to turn Tristan and the others away, after Hayato showed them that "Duel Monsters" Card, the Staff's attitude reversed, becoming extremely respectful.
Boarding the Cruise Ship, Joey Wheeler leaned on the railing, gazing at the Sea View in the distance. "I saw it many times on the way to Hayato's house, but seeing it from the Cruise Ship feels different. That Pegasus guy really has some tricks up his sleeve."
"After all, thanks to Duel Monsters, Industrial Illusions has accumulated quite a bit of wealth over the years," Hayato said, playing with that "Duel Monsters" Card. "And I remember a saying, 'Status determines mindset'. The same scenery, in the eyes of the rich, is picturesque and poetic, while poor people think about how the mushrooms here are growing well and they could pick some to take home for soup."
Just as the group was chatting, a charming laugh came from not far away. "That's a really interesting analogy, funny little brother. But it's best not to eat wild mushrooms, you know~"
Hayato turned his head. What met his eyes was a mass of golden long hair. The speaker was a tall Woman wearing a sexy purple outfit, with a pair of knee-high heeled boots on her feet. As the breeze brushed past, it carried a faint, pleasant perfume scent from her, not overpowering.
"So... so beautiful~" Joey Wheeler and Tristan 's eyes instantly went wide, staring straight at the blonde Woman. Their gazes repeatedly lingered on her long, slender, pale legs, barely concealed by her short skirt, and her extremely prominent "Heart". Even Yugi's face turned a little red, making Téa quite annoyed and jealous as she compared the difference between herself and the blonde Woman, then suddenly felt disheartened.
"And this lady is?" Hayato looked at the blonde Woman who had approached them. Although he was also amazed, he preferred long black hair, so he only looked at her with an appreciative gaze. Although he recognized the newcomer's identity, he still asked.
"My name is Kujaku Mai, and like you, I'm also an invited Duelist." Kujaku Mai replied to Hayato. Seeing that Hayato's eyes didn't hold the lecherous gaze she often saw in men's eyes, Kujaku Mai felt a little pleased. However, she still looked towards her main target for this conversation—Yugi. "You must be Mutou Yuugi, right? I really didn't expect to meet the talk of the Duel Monsters scene on the same ship."
"Talk of the scene?" Téa tilted her head, unable to connect those words with Yugi at all.
"By defeating Kaiba, who possessed three of the strongest White Dragons simultaneously, Yugi's Fame in the Duel Monsters scene is quite significant. Strictly speaking, his Fame is almost catching up to Pegasus, because among all the Duelists who have appeared so far, his Dueling Prowess is the strongest," Hayato explained. "In other words, he's a hot favorite to win, so it's normal for him to be recognized, right?"
The main Duelists in this chapter can be described by their Attributes.
Hayato's Light
Yugi's Dark
Joey Wheeler 's Fire
Kujaku Mai's Wind (Personally, I feel it's Wind, after all, she mainly uses Harpies, and later becomes Amazoness (Fast forward to the women of the Aozaki family are all Wind.jpg))
Kaiba (Of course, he's the King)
Also, in the original work, only 40 people participated in Duelist Kingdom, which is a bit too absurd, so I made a "billion" point adjustment to the number of participants.
(End of this chapter)