On the deck of the ship, Joey, Rainbow, and Yugi are leaning on the railing as Spike and Pinkie are standing close by.
“I'm glad they let you on board, Joey,” Yugi said to his best friend.
“Only because you sacrificed one of your star chips for me. But if any of the other players find out we only have one star chip each, they could really try to take advantage of us,” Joey warned.
“Aw, I doubt that anyone here would do that,” Pinkie optimistically said.
“Chances are there are people that would,” Spike pointed out.
“Spike is right, Pinks. You may still have both star chips, but remember that the rest of us only have one. We can’t go losing them right away….not that we’ll lose them,” Rainbow partly boasted.
“If all goes well, Rainbow, we should do fine. However, we need to make sure to be quiet about our star chip situation for now,” Yugi reminded.
“Yugi is right. We can’t just rush into a Duel without thinking here,” Spike agreed.
Mai walks up behind them, “Hmmmm.”
“Kinda exciting, isn't it Yugi?” Joey asked all pumped up.
“Yeah,” Yugi agreed.
“You better believe it is! We get to test out our Duel Monsters’ skills against other opponents. No doubt we’ll win, however,” Rainbow said confidently.
“Now, now. We can’t get too confident. We should come up with a plan of some kind for when we get to the island,” Spike warned.
“What? We are amazing at this game now! We’ll win this tournament and save our friends in no time! Plan or no plan!” Rainbow boasted as the others looked on in worry.
“Well what do we have here?” Mai said as she approached the group
“Huh?” Everyone turned to see Mai.
Joey blushes before saying in awe, “Wow.”
“So…who is this girl? Oh, do you think she wants to be our friend?” Pinkie excitedly asked.
“Friends? Please! I’m not here to make friends. They just slow you down,” Mai admitted.
“Yeah. Right. Like we should listen to the woman that likely just grew up without a friend!” Rainbow snarked.
“Remember, though. Twilight went here entire younger life without friends. So it’s nothing new,” Spike reminded.
“Yeah, Dashie! Maybe we just need to befriend her! You wanna be friends miss-?” Pinkie asked innocently.
“I’m not here to make friends. I’m here to win,” Mai declined before turning to Yugi, “So, you're the Yugi kid everybody's talking about, huh?”
“Whoa. Check it out,” Joey said.
“What? The rude girl is noticing Yugi?” Spike asked snarkily.
“But I'm amazed that a squirt like you could beat Kaiba. You're famous, you know,” Mai admitted with some respect.
Yugi responded, “Uh, thanks very much. I think…”
“Hey! I did help him pull out a win against Kaiba, you know. Guess that means I’m pretty respectable too, right?” Rainbow asked.
“Uh…no. You may have gotten in a few lucky moves, but you were a weak amateur compared to the Pendulum Duelist,” Mai responded, much to Rainbow’s anger.
“Why you! Joey and I were able to learn more about Duel Monsters and have improved a lot since then! Tell her, Joey!” Rainbow countered.
“Rainbow here has a point. We’re really good friends of Yugi, the master duelist, in fact-,” Joey began, only to be interrupted.
“Look, you're either a champ or a chump. Cut this guy loose,” Mai said in regards to Yugi. “He's fashion challenged and deserves to be crushed in the games.” Mai then began to walk off.
“Please, crush me,” Joey grumbled.
Mai looks back before responding, “I'll crush you all eventually. The name's Mai.”
“Why you-!” Rainbow grumbled before trying to rush Mai only for Yugi, Pinkie and Spike to barely hold her back.
“We shouldn’t stoop to her level, Rainbow!” Yugi said.
“Yeah! Do you want to get kicked out before we find our friends?” Spike reminded.
“N-No…I’ll play nice for now, but when the tournament begins I’m gonna kick her out fast!” Rainbow begrudgingly said.
—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Téa said from hiding, “How arrogant. There's nobody better at playing Duel Monsters than Yugi.”
“Shhhh! Quiet, they'll hear you,” Tristan warned.
“Also, for all we know she could still give Yugi trouble. Remember, she was invited to this island to compete, so she must have skill,” Rarity pointed out.
Téa responded, “I don't care. He's still the best.”
—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Inside of the ferry…
“Hey, is this a joke or what? This is a luxury cruiser. I know you've got better rooms somewhere,” Joey complained.
“Does that really matter? I could just fly up and…oh. Right,” Rainbow sadly remembered her lack of wings.
One of the employees runs up and restrains Joey. “You again? We cut you a break and now you're causing more trouble?”
“Uh…nopey dopey! He just wanted to be more comfortable is all!” Pinkie said.
“Yeah…so please don’t be too mad,” Spike agreed.
“Fine…but remember, Pegasus was kind enough to let you and your little friend go on this ship. Don’t mess this up by picking a fight with us. Do you want to get thrown out of here?” The minion warned as they let Joey go.
Before anything else could be said, they suddenly heard. “I’d listen to them if I were you.” As they turned around, they saw Weevil and Raptor walk up.
“Huh? Hey, aren't you that kid Yugi?” Weevil asked.
“Yeah. And you're-,” Yugi began only for Joey to cut in.
“Weevil. And Rex the dino duelist,” Joey said, impressed.
“Pleased to meet ya!” Pinkie said as she held out her hand.
“Same…,” Weevil reluctantly shook her hand.
“So… you were saying?” Spike asked.
“If you were looking for a good room, you're wasting your time with those guys. The private rooms only go to champions from the last tournament, like us,” Rex revealed.
“Congratulations on winning the regionals, Weevil,” Yugi said.
“It was nothing,” Weevil said smugly.
“Yeah. I went easy on him. That time,” Rex smirked.
“You sure? Weevil was able to summon a really powerful beastie that had 2400 Attack Points without releasing a monster!” Pinkie was in awe.
“Well…I guess I was fairly talented,” Weevil said smugly once more.
“Well this time, my pals and I are going to take the tournament. Right, Yugi?” Joey said.
“I guess…,” Yugi blushed in embarrassment.
“Yep! We are dead set on winning this tournament! Still, it’ll be fun to challenge you and win!” Rainbow said.
“Uh…who are you?” Weevil asked.
“Seriously? I’m Rainbow Dash! I helped Yugi win that Duel, ya know!” Rainbow answered.
“Right…you did…,” Weevil said with indifference, much to Rainbow’s annoyance, before saying to Yugi, “Though, to tell you the truth, winning the last championship didn't feel like that much of an achievement. I guess I can't really call myself a champion until I defeat the duelist who beat Kaiba. But I'm sure I'll end up battling you in the big tournament, Yugi. Frankly, I look forward to it.”
“I look forward to it too,” Yugi said with a warm smile.
“I'm looking forward to some dino demolition,” Rex said.
“And for my Synchro monsters to turn the contest on its head!” Rainbow said confidently.
“Wait…you’re a Synchro summoner?!” Rex was shocked.
“Of course! With my Junk Warrior on my team, I can’t lose!” Rainbow boasted.
“Junk Warrior? Sounds like a lame monster to me,” A boy with brown and yellow hair that was listening in said.
“Well, Yugi…Let me tell you a little secret. It's something none of the other players know about the games yet,” Weevil said.
“Oh, isn't that cheating?” Yugi asked with concern.
“The other duelists will find out soon enough. I just got early info thanks to winning the championship. But there are no rules on the island that require more strategy,” Weevil claimed.
“Ahh, rules are for wimps. In dueling you either smash your opponent or get smashed yourself. It's one or the other,” Rex said.
“I kinda like this guy’s approach. But…it’s also reckless,” Rainbow said.
“Excuse me?” Rex looked annoyed.
“Yeah! Strength is good, but you also need to combine them with other types of cards,” Joey said kindly.
“Who asked you? Stay out of my way, or I'll stomp you, like everyone else!” Rex yelled before storming off.
“Looks like he has a shorter temper than Rainbow,” Spike noted.
“Yeah…but I bet he’s a softie deep down!” Pinkie said.
“Maybe? Either way, we'll see who stomps who when we get to the island,” Joey decided.
“Ignore him. Let's scope out the competition,” Weevil suggested.
“What d'ya mean?” Joey asked.
“Check out those chumps. They're already trading over there. Players here are swapping cards and strengthening their decks, getting ready for the big tournament. It's also a good chance to get a feel for your opponent's cards,” Weevil noted.
“Oh, I bet this is how Weevil gets so much insight into his opponent's strategy,” Yugi noted to the others.
“Oh! Strong cards! Hey, wanna trade? How about you? Anybody? Help me out here,” Joey said as he ran over to the trading challengers.
“Guess Joey's trading,” Yugi said.
“If you've come all this way and you're still trying to improve your deck, you've got to be pretty desperate. I'll catch you on the flip side,” Weevil shook his head before walking away.
“He seemed nice,” Pinkie said.
“Yeah…at least we may have more friends to help us out on the island,” Spike said.
“And more friendly rivalries!” Rainbow said.
“Friendly? Weevil? Please!” A female voice said as everyone turned and saw Julia.
“And you are?” Spike asked.
“The name’s Julia Crystal. I am known as one of the strongest Fusion Duelists in the world,” Julia introduced herself.
“Nice to meet you! Wanna be friends?” Pinkie asked.
“No. I don’t. Listen here, you pests. In tournaments like this one, you either win or lose. Making friends with your opponent is a bad idea,” Julia coldly said.
“Says who?!” Rainbow grumbled.
“Says her and our friends!” The teen with the brown and yellow hair said as he approached the group.
“Oh! You’re the guy that said something earlier! Did you say something about Rainbow’s Junk Warrior?” Pinkie asked.
“Yes! The name’s Sylvio! But trust me. That monster is totally useless in a Duel. As fitting for a worthless Duelist like you as it is, I’d suggest you replace that card before you lose the tournament too soon for us to Duel,” Sylvio said.
“Sylvio… as true as you’re being, I’d suggest you at least be careful and not look down on your opponent. She could be tough, seeing as how she miraculously helped beat Kaiba,” Julia reminded.
“F-Fine. But I’ll still win soon enough. Let’s Duel right now. The sooner I win, the sooner I can advance,” Sylvio said.
“Uh…aren’t we not supposed to Duel for star chips prior to the tournament?” Yugi asked nervously.
“What?!” Sylvio grumbled.
“The twerp has a point, Sylvio. The rules forbid us from Dueling for star chips until the tournament officially begins,” Julia confirmed.
“So, stand down!” Spike said.
“F-Fine. You got lucky you rainbow-haired punk. I’m gonna go and get myself a steak from my lunchbox. I’ll show them I’m gonna be the winner later,” Sylvio said as he left.
“So…thanks a ton for the help there!” Pinkie thanked the tan girl.
“Don’t get me wrong. I didn’t do it for you. I did it to prevent Sylvio from getting disqualified,” Julia said dismissively.
“Yeah? Well, we didn’t need your help, anyhow!” Rainbow yelled. “Between all the help I’ve received from Yugi and his grandpa and from all the help I’ll get from Weevil, I’ll be the winner in no time!” Rainbow challenged.
Julia looked annoyed for a moment before warning, “Look, I know Weevil and, to be perfectly honest, he’s a massive jerk. He doesn’t play fair and he’s willing to do anything to get ahead. I’d rather earn my victories, even when they come from weaker victims. I’m outta here. I’d suggest you wake up before he messes you up.”
“Well…they sure were colorful…,” Spike grumbled, not wanting to be overheard and start a fight.
“Maybe…but we’ll show her once we make it to the finals by beating her and that Sylvio!” Rainbow said overconfidently.
“Aw! Can’t we try and make friends with them?” Pinkie asked as they all looked at her confused.
“As nice as that would be…for now let’s focus on the tournament,” Yugi said as he thought to himself, “Was Julia telling the truth? OR was she just trying to mess us up?”
—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Meanwhile, Mai was yelling at a lackey, “This is truly, truly outrageous. You expect a lady like me to stay in this dump without even a shower?”
The lackey retreated as he apologized, “Rules are rules, ma'am. There's nothing I can do.”
“Call your superior. Get him on the phone right now. I mean, he let those two dweebs on board even though they weren’t invited!” Mai yelled.
Rex walks over and warned, “Keep acting up and they'll throw you off the boat.”
“Who do you think you are?” Mai demanded.
“A champion with a luxury room,” Rex responded without thinking.
“Really? Could I see it?” Mai asked seductively.
“You bet,” Rex agreed while blushing. “Come check it out.”
—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Outside of the ferry…
“Hey, Téa, stay down or we're busted,” Tristan whispered loudly.
Téa responded miserably, “But I really need to go to the bathroom and we could get seen if I try and head over there!”
“You know you could just go over the edge?” Tristan joked.
Téa growls, “That's not funny, Tristan.”
“Agreed. Ladies don’t have the capability to do that without making an uncouth mess, I’m afraid. Maybe we should…,” Rarity was about to suggest risking going to a bathroom when suddenly a nearby door opened.
“Get down!” Tristan whispered loudly as Tea ducked.
A boy with silver hair, Bakura walks out of door.
“Look, isn't that Bakura?” Tea asked.
“Bakura? You mean Bakura from school?” Tristan asked.
“Wait. Bakura who?” Rarity asked.
“We don’t really know much about this guy. All we know is that he moved here some time ago and, apparently, his father died at some point,” Tea explained.
“Oh…I’m sorry for his loss…,” Rarity sincerely apologized.
“What do you think he's doing here?” Tea asked Tristan.
“Uhh. I guess he's in the tournament,” Tristan suggested.
—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Inside of Rex’s private room…
“So, what do you think of my cool digs?” Rex boasted.
“It's beautiful. You must be quite a strong card player,” Mai complemented.
“I am,” Rex said, taking the bait.
Mai proceeds to laugh. “Really? I love Duel Monsters. How about we play a game?”
Rex laughed overconfident, “Who do you think you're talking to. There's no way you could beat me.”
“Please? Let me try,” Mai said in a faux nice way.
“You'd never win,” Rex warned.
“Tell you what, if you win I'll give you a kiss,” Mai offered.
“Huh?” Rex says before he blushes and smiles.
—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
On the deck, exterior of the boat, Yugi's sitting at a table with the others and Joey's standing next to him.
“Yugi, I got some good card trading in,” Joey said.
“Really now? I bet you got yourself some good cards!” Pinkie said.
“Hey, let me see them. Salamandra and a Kunai with Chain. Baby Dragon and Shield and Sword! Great! With these new magic cards combined with your monsters, you'll have a real strong deck,” Yugi complimented.
“Are you sure? Some of those cards don’t seem to be the best,” Rainbow said.
“Says the girl that has a deck of mostly weaker monsters,” Spike reminded.
“Hey! I can pull off some combos to make them work, remember?” Rainbow pointed out. “We’ll win for sure when the tournament starts in a few hours!”
“Agreed! So now I'm ready to win every duel I play,” Joey agreed.
“I think you're going to find it's a bit harder than that, Joey,” Yugi politely pointed out.
“Yeah, you two! We’re facing champions in this tournament. We’ll need every edge we need to win,” Spike reminded.
“Speaking of which, why didn’t you trade, Dashie?” Pinkie asked.
“Well…As much as I’d like to get stronger cards, I don’t wanna give up the ones I have. I wanna keep them and find ways to make them work better for me,” Rainbow said.
“Aw! Dashie’s loyal to her cards!” Pinkie said as Rainbow tried to hide her blushing.
“Spike is right about us needing all the edges we can get. So…Here,” Yugi said as he reaches into the box, and pulls out Time Wizard. “Add this to your deck. It can be helpful in a tight spot.”
Joey takes the card. “Thanks. I'll take it. I can't get over how you're always helping me out.”
“Aw, think nothing of it, Joey! You’d do the same for me,” Yugi said kindly.
“Ahh, we meet again,” Weevil greeted.
“Ah, Weevil,” Yugi said, not noticing that Weevil’s smile wasn’t really genuine.
—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Back in Raptor's private room…
“Okay then, cut the cards,” Mai said.
“Playing with your deck, huh?” Rex says before he laughs. “This'll be a snap. What if you win?”
“If I win, you agree to clear out of the room for the rest of the trip. Okay?” Mai said in a false kind way.
“Clear out? I'm not gonna lose. You've got a deal,” Rex agreed recklessly.
“Hmmmm. The first card is Shadow of Eyes,” Mai guesses.
Rex flips the card, seeing that it was that card. “How'd you do that?”
“Hmm!” Mai smiled before saying, “The second card is Harpie Lady 1. Then Elegant Egotist. Followed by Cyber Shield. Finally, Harpie Harpist.”
“Oh no. She's right again,” Rex began to panic a bit.
Mai laughs as she grabs her five cards. “This is my own card technique. I always know what cards I have and can pick any one I like at any time. So, go ahead and deal 'em, Rex.”
Raptor has a frozen smile. “Oh, I think I'm in trouble.”
“Seeing as how you are frozen in panic, I’ll go first. I summon Harpie Lady 1 in Attack mode(1300->1600 Attack). When she’s out, all my Wind monster’s gain 300 Attack points. I’ll then set Shadow of Eyes facedown and end my turn. It’s your move, Rex,” Mai began.
“R-Right! My turn! I draw! And…I summon Crawling Dragon #2(1600 Attack)! Next, I play the spell card Double Summon! This will allow me to Normal Summon again this turn. Say hello to Two-Headed King Rex(1600 Attack)! Battle! I’ll have Crawling Dragon wipe out your Harpie Lady 1! And then…I’ll have my Rex attack you directly(Mai-2400 LP)! I end my turn! So, Mai…you impressed with my skills?” Rex asked, beginning to regain confidence.
“Not all that much. You’re being way too confident if you ask me. My turn. I draw!” Mai drew without looking. “And I drew the spell Pot of Greed, which I’ll play in order to draw two cards!” Mai said as she drew Double Summon and Cyber Harpie Lady. “Now…I summon my Cyber Harpie Lady(1800 Attack)! Next up, I play my spell Double Summon in order to Normal Summon again, just like you did hon. I summon my Harpie Harpist(1700 Attack)!”
“Y-You must be cheating! There’s no way I can lose now!” Rex nervously and angrily yelled.
“Oh, hon, you make the silliest jokes,” Mai said with a grin.
—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
On the outside of the boat near the railing…
“Ahh, the evening wind sure feels nice. So, did you trade for any good cards, Yugi?” Weevil asked, seemingly nicely.
“Nah. I'm gonna duel with the cards I brought along with me,” Yugi said.
“And you, miss Synchro Summoner?” Weevil asked.
“Like I told my friends earlier, I’m not giving up the cards I currently have. If I get nay new ones, it’ll be to make them work with my Deck,” Rainbow answered.
“Right…I figured as much…for both of you. You used the Exodia cards in your duel with Kaiba, right? Those are the strongest cards of them all…well…aside from those Pendulum cards stashed away in your deck that is,” Weevil noted.
“Yep. All of those cards are not only my most powerful, but they are also really rare,” Yugi agreed.
“Could I possibly see those legendary Exodia cards?” Weevil asked.
“Um…I guess-,” Spike began to reluctantly answer.
“Why, of course! We’re all friends here! Can we take a look at your Deck too?” Pinkie asked.
“I have to agree with Pinks here. It’d be great to see what a championship Deck looks like!” Rainbow agreed. “Still, why does this guy give me a funny feeling?”
“Maybe afterward I’ll show you my Deck…But first, Yugi?” Weevil asked as he held out his hand for the cards.
“I don't see why not. Just be careful with them. Okay?” Yugi politely agreed as he opened the box.
Weevil’s glasses glint sinisterly as he replies, “Hah.”
“Am I the only one that suddenly thinks this isn’t a good idea?” Spike nervously asked.
“Now that you mention it…Something doesn’t sit perfectly with this guy. But…maybe we shouldn’t judge him too harshly,” Rainbow responded uncertainly.
“Yeah! I mean, he tried to help us earlier with some advice! What’s the worst that can happen?” Pinkie asked.
Yugi rummages through the box until he finally finds the Exodia cards and grabs them. “Here!”
Weevil finally grabs the cards and looks at them. “So these are the cards to summon Exodia. For a long time, I've been trying to come up with some kind of strategy to finally beat these cards. But I couldn't come up with anything. Until just this moment,” Weevil’s smile suddenly becomes much more sinister as he walks toward the edge of the boat.
“Huh?” Yugi is confused for a moment until…to his horror, throws cards off edge of boat.
“Say goodbye to Exodia!” Weevil yells out with a cruel laugh.
“No!” Yugi yells out in horror.
“Grrr! I had a feeling that we shouldn’t have trusted you! I should have listened to that inkling sooner!” Spike yelled.
“Of course you shouldn’t trust others! The only one to trust is yourself!” Weevil sneers. “Now there's no one who can challenge me.”
“Why you-!” Joey growls as he looks ready to punch Weevil.
Before he can, however, Yugi cries out, “My cards! Those were the Exodia cards that my grandpa gave me.”
“I'll get 'em!” Joey decides as he jumps over the railing and into the water.
“Joey, don't! Joey, where are you?!” Yugi yells out in concern as he looks for Joey, unable to see him struggling to stay afloat in the water.
“Looks like I’ll have even less of a challenge. Well, time to get going to sleep for a good while. After all, the best of the best should be well-rested,” Weevil said as he began to walk away…only to be knocked over by Rainbow Dash who looked ready to hit him again as she grabbed him by the shirt.
“I’ll show you not to mess with me or my friends! I thought I could trust you! I thought you’d be a friend that could save my other friends from Pegasus! But…you’re just a cruel bully! You’re just like Gilda!” Rainbow growled as Pinkie looked worried and Spike was watching for Joey.
“Please! Have mercy on me! I don’t wanna get hurt!” Weevil pathetically begged.
Rainbow stood there for a second before she turned and saw that Pinkie looked scared. In an instant, she calmed down, realizing that, as much as she wanted to, hurting him wouldn’t help. So, she let him go for now. “You better hope we don’t run into you again during the tournament. Now…go!”
Weevil immediately returned to being smug after being freed. “Good luck with trying to survive long enough to even get the chance to face me, rainbow-haired freak!” Weevil laughed as he left.
“A-Are you okay, Dashie?” Pinkie asked with worry.
“I-I’m fine. Right now we should help Joey,” Rainbow said as she and Pinkie turned to look for Joey in the water. “Joey! Where are you?!”
“He’s right there!” Spike finally noticed the blonde teen as he pointed over to him swimming and looking for the Exodia cards.
“I promise you, I'll get them, Yugi!” Joey reassured.
“No, Joey! They're not worth drowning over,” Yugi cried out, more worried for his pal than the cards.
“Don't worry, Yugi. Look, there. I got one of them,” Joey tried to reassure as he finally found one of the cards.
Yugi proceeded to yell out, “Joey, swim back to the ship!”
“No way. At least this time there's something I can do to help someone I care about,” Joey says as he goes under for a moment.
“Oh no! I know the water is rough, but I’m not losing another friend!” Rainbow yelled as she tried to jump in after Joey. However, before she could jump, Spike and Yugi grabbed her arms.”What in the-?”
“I know we can’t just leave him alone, but without a plan you could end up drowning as well!” Yugi reminded Rainbow.
“We need to think fast, though! Otherwise we could lose Joey!” Spike agreed.
“Screw the plan! I’m jumping in!” Rainbow yelled as she broke free and jumped in after Joey.
“Current sure is strong though. It's hard to fight. But if I punk out now, who's going to help my sister, Serenity?” Joey says to himself as he grabs a card. “Just three more now.” Joey is relieved for a moment before he is pulled under.
At this point, Rainbow reaches Joey and tries to help him up…only for the water to begin dragging her under as well. “Y-You won’t be claiming our lives today, water!” Rainbow yelled as she struggled to help Joey.
“Joey!” Yugi yells as he ultimately forgoes a plan and dives into the water.”Joey! Hold on!”
“Well…so much for a plan…,” Spike noted as he began to look for a way back up.
“Should we tell those crew guys about the others?” Pinkie suggested. “I mean, that water bath looks fun, but I could be wrong…”
“Not a bad idea…but…can we find them in time?” Spike wondered as he suddenly saw some familiar faces.
Meanwhile, down in the water…
“Yugi, just three more,” Joey goes under the water once more as Rainbow tries to regain control and save him and herself.
“And I thought I could be reckless!” Rainbow yelled.
“Joey!” Yugi yells as he works with Rainbow to pull Joey back up.
“Look, I get wanting to undo that jerk’s stunt, but risking our lives to do so isn’t always the best idea,”Rainbow said.
“And when is a good time?” Joey snarked.
Suddenly, the trio heard a familiar voice from up on the ship. “Yugi!” The trio looked up and saw that in addition to Pinkie and Spike, there was also Rarity, Tea, who was the one to yell, and Tristan.
“I understand you were trying to do good, but maybe this was a bit too reckless to do…,” Rarity noted.
“Are you okay?” Tristan asks as he unrolls a ladder down to the water.
“Grab ahold!” Tea yells.
“Hurry!”
“Téa, Tristan!” Yugi is partly relieved and touched by the action.
“Well, what are waiting for, an invitation? Climb on up!” Spike yelled.
—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In the hallway, where Rex’s room is…
“Get out, loser. And thanks for the room, Rex,” Mai says in a faux nice way as she had kicked Rex out of room after winning their Duel.
—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Outside of the ship…
“That was close. I'm sure glad you all showed up. Really glad,” Yugi looked relieved.
“We're a team. We'll all stick together,” Tea reassured.
“We'll always watch your back,” Tristan agreed.
“If you thought we’d just stand idly by while you all went on an adventure, think again!” Rarity agreed. “We’ll help in any way we can!”
“Thanks a lot, you guys,” Yugi thanked the trio.
“So…did you three stow away or is this a massive party list change?” Pinkie asked.
“We still weren’t invited. But…I figured we couldn’t leave you guys to deal with the trials of Duelist Kingdom alone,” Rarity noted.
“So we snuck on while Joey and Spike had distracted the guards,” Tea explained.
“Well, either way, I’m happy to see that we’re all in this as a team,” Yugi said.
“I'm sorry, Yugi,” Joey sadly apologized.
“Huh?!” Yugi turned to look, confused.
“I failed. I only found two of your cards,” Joey said sadly.
“It's okay, Joey,”Yugi tried to reassure.
“Yeah! What’s important is that we’re all safe,” Spike said.
“Yeah! We’ll find a way to make Weevil pay for that jerk move! It’ll be fine!” Rainbow tried to reassure.
“It's not okay. It's always this way with me. I'm never able to help anybody. Not even my own sister, Serenity,” Joey admitted sadly.
“Serenity?” Yugi asked, surprised.
“Really? You have a sister, Joey?” Tea asked.
“You never told me about them. Huh…Twilight was right when she said you learn more every day…,” Rainbow noted as she felt sad at remembering her missing friends once more.
“So…is she just a young little girl or something? Maybe she’s just lonely and needs a party to cheer up!” Pinkie suggested.
“Uh…Pinkie? I don’t think it’s that simple…,” Rarity warned.
“It isn’t. Ya see, our parents divorced years ago, when we were kids. She lives far away with my mother. My sister's had really bad eyes since she was born. Eventually she'll go blind,” Joey revealed.
“Wait. What?!” Spike was shocked.
“Well…that was a sad twist…,” Rainbow noted.
“That isn’t easily fixed…is it?” Pinkie asked as Rarity shook her head.
“I'm sorry, Joey,” Yugi said sympathetically.
“Thanks, Yug'. She sent me a message,” Joey revealed. “The doctors told her that the time has come. Soon her eyes will be impossible to repair, even with surgery. But there are specialists who could perform an operation now, before it's too late. They could save her eyesight. But... there's no way I can pay for the operation. I have to win. For her! Winning in the Duelist Kingdom, and getting the prize money, is the only way I can help Serenity!”
“That’s…so very sad!” Pinkie cried as tears rolled down her face.
“I know! And…so noble as well!” Rarity agreed also in tears.
At this point, it is finally dawn, with the sun starting to rise on the horizon.
“So beautiful…,” Rainbow noted.
“You know, I’ve heard that in this world the sun and moon work without magic…,” Spike revealed.
“Really? This place is already strange enough, but that…,” Rainbow noted.
“I think we should focus more on the important details though. Like helping our friends,” Rarity said as she finally regained her composure.
“R-Right!” Spike said with a blush.
“I agree. We'll both do our best, Joey! You, for your sister. And me, for my grandpa. Oh, and you guys with your friends!” Yugi reassured.
“That's right. We'll do this together,” Tea agreed.
“Look, the island!” Tristan said as he pointed to the island in the distance.
“That's the Duelist Kingdom. That's it. We're almost there,” Yugi noted.
“And with it, the beginning of the real challenge…,” Rainbow thought.