//------------------------------// // The Night Before // Story: An Equestrian Element // by Quillion9000 //------------------------------// Pegasus’ Castle: Night… Everyone, competitor and tagalong, had eaten their fill which resulted in nothing being left on the table save some empty dishes. “I can’t believe you two drank your entire eyeball soups.” Tea noted to Tristan and Joey. “I can’t believe they ended up asking for and drinking ours as well.” Sunset added. Mektaveus noticed a certain someone shooting him a grin. “What are you looking at Keith?” “The guy who’ll be losing to me come tomorrow.” Keith retorted. “You already lost and don’t even deserve to be here.” Mektaveus retorted. “You have no pride as a duelist.” “I lost nothing.” Keith retorted. “That was Bonz.” “You played through Bonz, and I bet several cards in that deck weren’t even his.” Mektaveus retorted. “At this point, someone like you will never get past me.” He stood up before looking at the gang with a nod. “See you guys tomorrow.” Keith merely scoffed as he stood up and walked off in the opposite direction. “It’s not even the next day, yet the competition is just as fierce.” Mai stood before waving two fingers at the gang. “See you tomorrow boys and girls. As for you Sunset, I’ll show you just what I ended up learning.” Sunset smiled. “At this point, I’m starting to look forward to it, so don’t disappoint me with some other trick.” Mai nodded at that before taking off. Luthor started to walk off before stopping behind Blue Blood and looking at him with absolute loathing evident in his eyes. “Tomorrow, I’m crushing my opponent.” He put a hand on the Drytron user’s shoulder. “Then, I’ll do the same to you.” Blue Blood merely looked over his shoulder with a smirk. “Consider what I did to you before dinner, would you like to reconsider laying your hand on me?” Luthor growled before slowly removing his hand and clenching it firmly. “Just wait until tomorrow.” “Looks like that Blue Blood guy really has your opponent for tomorrow all riled up.” Thunder noted. “Considering he seemed to duel quite competently against me when he was calm, I’m hoping it’ll make someone like him sloppy come tomorrow.” Arctic responded. “Even if Blue Blood did something truly horrid to him, it doesn’t mean Luthor has any right to be here now.” “That clearly shows his inexperience.” Weevil thought as he stood up and walked away chuckling. “When you’re at my level, it’s easy to tell who falls victim to their rage and who can utilize it to be devastating. Tomorrow, that one will be in for a rude awakening.” “There goes bug boy.” Joey noted seriously. “Before I go to bed tonight, I’m making sure my deck is at its absolute best. Even though Blue Blood sweet talked him into this, I already know Weevil didn’t need much convincing.” “I should be turning in as well.” Shining nodded to all the younger duelists remaining. “Watch yourselves around quite a few of the other contestants, and if any of them do anything, come find me.” He gave them a soft, sincere look. “I will do my upmost to assist you.” Considering some of the things he has seen and heard today, Shining knew the best he could do was be someone these younger duelists could turn to should they need it. By the nods he got, they seemed to understand, so he took his leave. With the dwindling numbers, Sunset decided to stand up and approach Sonata hoping that she was calmed down enough to speak with her as opposed to what happened prior. “Sonata?” In that moment, fear gripped the Lyrilusc user’s heart. Being around Sunset after her initial freak out had been easier thanks to Arctic and Thunder supporting her. Having this girl standing this close, right before her, made her heart skip a beat once more and she started shaking again. That same memory of her sisters facing down Sunset’s prior life flashed through her mind all over again. That only proceeded to quicken her breathing and raise her heart beat further. She had to get out of here. She had to… Suddenly, her heart beat began to slow, and her breathing became more gradual. Arctic had once more grasped her hand while Thunder had rested a comforting hand on her shoulder. Arctic was assuring her with a whisper. “It’s okay Sonata. You’re safe.” “Sorry Sunset, but I don’t think Sonata can really talk to you.” Thunder apologized. “Oh, sorry about that.” The hero user rubbed the back of her head. “I thought that being in the same room as I meant we could talk. I just wanted to see if I’d done anything wrong and apologize for whatever it might have been.” “Sonata confirmed it doesn’t have to do with you.” Thunder responded. “You just happen to look like someone from her past. Apparently, that person did something terrible. She didn’t tell us what, but it brought her to this state in your presence.” “Someone that looked like me… Could that be this world’s Sunset?” Sunset pondered. It was still unclear to her where she really came from, so for all the hero user knew, this person from Sonata’s past could be this world’s version of herself. Of course, if Sunset knew the truth, she obviously wouldn’t draw such conclusions. “I see.” Sunset wasn’t about to press the poor girl for answers, so she walked away. “I’ll leave her to you two then.” She returned to her group. “We should all head off to our rooms.” As they were leaving, Duke decided to head out after them. Hallways “Hey, wait up you guys.” Duke called out getting the group to stop and turn to see the luck user smiling at them. “Looks like the three of you who entered this tournament actually made it all the way here.” “Hey Duke.” Joey grinned as he gave a thumbs up. “After Sunset got me into this, there was no way I was about to fail.” “I was wondering if this guy really was Duke Devlin.” Tea voiced. “Indeed, he didn’t seem to acknowledge any of you.” Bakura added. “Can you really blame me?” Duke chuckled. “Things were heavy right up until people began heading off to their rooms. Looks like there’s a lot of stiff competition, but I seemed to have lucked out considering I’ve never heard anything about this Blue Blood guy.” “Don’t underestimate Blue Blood.” Yugi voiced seriously. “Yeah, he took Yugi and I on with a deck that wasn’t even his own.” Sunset added. “While we did win, it wasn’t easy.” She still had the feeling those large monsters they saw belonged to him. Given how Kaiba’s own monster essentially confirmed that big monsters can be dangerous, the potential for him to be a true threat on a duel field was there. That’s not even accounting for his physical feats. “It’s sweet you’d worry about me.” Duke winked at her while conveniently ignoring the fact Yugi had done the same. “In the end, I don’t underestimate anyone.” He smiled. “I merely let lady luck dictate who comes out on top. Sometimes she’s kind and other times she’s bitter. In the end, she hangs over us all. It’ll come down to who she decides to favor tomorrow and throughout this tournament.” He started walking away. “Anyways, I just wanted to touch base with you guys. See you all tomorrow.” “Man, there really is a wide range of people competing in this tournament.” Tristan noted. With that, the gang all went to the hallway containing their respective rooms before entering. Each room was rather lavish with a bed, couch, and a chair with a table between them, and plenty of windows which showed the night outside. Mektaveus’ Room Mektaveus set out his outfit for tomorrow which consisted of a clean version of his current attire; however, this set also came with faux samurai shoulder armor his sister made for him. It honestly looked quite impressive to the point he was thinking of one day paying for classes if she wanted. He promised to wear it once he made it to the castle and not just because he always wanted his sister to be happy. He would also wear them because it’d mean his family was with him. Mektaveus felt he’d need them for some of the most challenging duels he’s participated in. “The ‘armor’ my sister made for me, the deck my mom got me despite how long she had to work, and the card that represents my father.” Mektaveus grabbed his deck box. “Without any of them, I wouldn’t be standing where I am now, so I got to give this my best.” The Superheavy Samurai user did want to win it all, but he could be content with being good enough to start the ball rolling on supporting his family. On that note, he decided it would be prudent to look over his deck, but a certain card almost immediately caught his attention. “I had planned on giving this to my bud, but that first day was such a whirlwind that I never got the chance.” Mektaveus rubbed his chin. “While I could give it to him later, I think there’s a different card for him. Someone else could use this now.” The machine user couldn’t explain it but looking at this card gave him a gut feeling that it should go to the person he was thinking of. He set it aside before continuing to work on his deck. Once he was done, he’d be stepping out of his room. Keith’s Room Keith was kicking back on his bed feeling rather confident. “Tomorrow, I’ll warm up by demolishing that first round joke of an opponent, crush Wheeler beneath by boot, and decimate Shining Armor before finishing it out by making Pegasus pay.” Sunset’s Room The Elemental Hero user didn’t have much in the way of extra cards. She’d given quite a few of what she did have to Joey when they all made that new deck. Still, there were at least a few cards she could investigate at least. “When this is over, I should probably look into other hero cards that could potentially empower my deck.” Sunset thought. Despite the situation they were in, she had hope. Sunset believed someone, preferably someone they could trust, would win this tournament. That person would then face Pegasus and bring things to a close. Seto, Mokuba, and Grandpa Muto would be free. She’d then get to return home with her friends. That said, if you shoved everything Pegasus has done, and those she knew had ulterior motives, to the side, then this honestly hasn’t been a bad experience. The hero user was simply longing for home. Despite longing to be back in Japan now, Sunset was happy she considered Domino City her home. At one point, she thought that was back in the Equestria’s version of Canterlot, then she came to think that could have been this world’s version of Canterlot. Now, even with the various questions moving to Domino City had raised within her mind, it was home. All that said, it didn’t mean she wasn’t going to give the rest of this tournament her best. If she got the chance to take on Pegasus, despite how strong he seemed, she’d give it her all. There was suddenly someone knocking at her door. “Who would be?” She got up and answered it before smiling. “Oh, hey Tea. What’s up?” “Hey Sunset.” Tea nodded as she was let into the room. “I just came by because I thought of something that could help you through the rest of this tournament.” “Really?” Sunset asked. “Well, what is it?” “Considering some of the things we saw after that other Yugi dueled Bakura, I’m willing to bet that actually happened rather than it being a dream, like you and Yugi let us think.” Tea began. “So, I think this would serve you well since I’d like to think Yugi gave you that fusion.” Tea presented Sunset with her Magician of Faith. The former was correct in that Yugi had handed over that fusion to the latter, but she’d simply resolved to find one of her own later. “Tea, this is your favorite card.” Sunset held it out to her. “There’s no way I could take this.” “Despite the fact that I do still feel silly looking back on it, you are right.” Tea smiled. “It is my favorite card, but that’s exactly why I feel comfortable entrusting it to you. I know you’ll take good care of it, and you’ll put her to good use.” “Well, alright.” Sunset slipped the card in her deck. “I will take good care of her.” She then looked at her deck box before smiling at her friend. “Hey Tea, since you’re here, why don’t you help me look over my deck? A pair of outside eyes might help me see something I’ve missed.” Tea smiled. “I’d be happy to.” They took a seat across from each other while Sunset spread out her deck and took out what remained of her extra cards. Mai’s Room Mai was before her table with her deck already spread out. “I’ll need to ensure my deck is fine-tuned if I want a shot at beating Sunset.” She began laying out potential combos before herself. “I’ll need to make sure there isn’t a wasted card in here.” Duke’s Room Duke didn’t have many cards he could slot into his deck, but he still made the few changes he thought were needed before ultimately turning in. From here, it would all come down to lady luck in his mind. Blue’s Room Blue Blood saw no reason to change a thing about his deck. Why would he? He hasn’t used all that much to advance here. His two boss monsters have wiped the floor with the competition. Even if anyone here could beat them, they weren’t all he had. All he needed now was rest. Yugi’s Room Yugi was hard at work sorting through his extra cards and making substitutions in his deck. After his duel with Kaiba, and Kaiba’s duel with Pegasus, he saw plenty of ways to improve his deck beyond what he’d initially thought. Even with all these new ideas, something was missing. It didn’t take him long to realize it was that other version of himself. Ever since Yugi completed the Millenium Puzzle, even if he hadn’t realized it, that other version of himself had influenced how he built his decks. That influence always made them stronger than he could have alone. Right now, Yugi was working off all the prior knowledge he’s accumulated from that other him, but it just didn’t feel complete. Without that other him, he just knew there were key cards he was overlooking. That wasn’t good considering his first opponent was the American champion. “Other me, are you there?” Yugi sighed as he received no response. “Please, can’t you help me? I need to keep winning if I want to rescue grandpa, Seto, and Mokuba, but I just know there are cards I’m overlooking.” He waited for a response, but there was nothing. He couldn’t hear that other version of himself nor feel the presence that he now knew had been there. Yugi sighed, but he couldn’t simply give up just because his other self wouldn’t help him. He reached for a card. “Ritual monsters…” Yugi paused because that wasn’t his voice. He looked around frantically and ended up catching sight of that other Yugi, just transparent, with his back turned to him. Not even a moment later, he faded. “Other me!” Yugi stood up. There was nothing but silence once more. No follow up words nor the slightest presence like he felt just a moment ago. Yugi took his seat and mulled over what his other self said. “Ritual monsters…That’s it!” He flicked through his extra deck pulling out Ritual Monsters, spells, and complimentary cards he owned. “I might not have Xyzs or Tuners & Synchros, but I do have plenty of Rituals.” It was a whole new avenue Yugi could explore in upping the power of his deck, and it made him realize there were certain fusions that could utilize his ritual monsters as materials. “Thanks, other me.” Yugi thought warmly to his other self. “I’m glad you haven’t completely abandoned me.” Even if it was brief, those two words gave Yugi hope that he could help his other self through whatever that loss to Kaiba ended up doing to him. For now, he was content in the knowledge that the other Yugi hadn’t completely sealed himself off. Shining’s Room As Shining Armor worked through his deck, his mind wandered to Twilight and Spike. The American Champion was glad his siblings weren’t roped into this like these other, younger duelists. There were a great deal of unknowns with Pegasus’ motives being one of them. Aside from Pegasus, Shining knew Keith was another person he needed to try and keep an eye on. Even then, Weevil, Blue Blood, and Luthor were there giving him similar vibes now. Win or lose tomorrow, he wasn’t leaving this island. “If it comes down to it, no matter what, I’m taking on Pegasus before any of those younger duelists must.” Shining resolved. The Noble Knight user had never been a big believer in magic, but he’d been confronted with it firsthand. Even then, no matter what powers Pegasus had, Shining was determined to take him on. With that in mind, he continued building the best deck he could. Arctic’s Room Arctic felt lucky he got an opponent he’s dueled with before. That didn’t mean he thought it’d be simple to beat Luthor the second time around. No matter what he thought of the guy, he certainly wasn’t the nicest out there, he couldn’t deny the skill. In a way, their decks were like two sides of the same coin. Quite a few low level monsters with the potential for powerful effects that altered the game. That very understanding was just another tool Arctic felt he had to utilize against his opponent. “I got to wonder what that other guy, Blue Blood, did to Luthor’s brother.” Arctic thought. “Given how the Ojama user reacted, it couldn’t have been good. Despite what I do think of him, no one deserves something bad happening to their family. Especially their brother.” That was just another facet to all this that Arctic didn’t quite understand. He couldn’t imagine being the type of person Luthor was when he had a little brother to think of. To him, it just didn’t make sense, yet he couldn’t deny that raw emotion that came from the love for your sibling. Luthor’s Room The Gladiator Beast user had to make a choice on just what he would do about Blue Blood. Fortunately, having this space and time away from him did help clear his mind. No matter how much he loathed that guy for what he did, the seal couldn’t be used. Dartz’s orders were clear. That card was off limits until the day he gave them all permission to use it. If such a thing were to be blown wide open, he would not be the one to do it. He would not risk all that he and his brother had received on mere revenge. Now, he’d simply rest. Weevil’s Room Despite Joey making it this far, Weevil wasn’t concerned about their coming rematch. In fact, having an easy win like that would propel him through this tournament as he faced the more troubling competitors. Troubling quite a few of them were. He had little to no information about most who made it this far. Ultimately, he believed none of them would pose much of a threat. It was the same with Yugi. At first, the boy concerned him, but his rematch with Seto Kaiba proved their initial duel had been nothing but a fluke. “With the cards I already have, I’ll barely need to put any work into countering Joey.” Weevil thought as he perused his information and made tweaks where he felt necessary. “In the end, my main concern should be what comes after.” Joey’s Room Normally, Joey would be asleep by now; however, he knew first hand just how tough Weevil was before he got some apparently powerful cards from Blue Blood. Given that combination, he felt better going into tomorrow with a solid deck. This time, he wouldn’t lose. “Bug boy’s going to pay for taking my first deck from me.” Suddenly, he heard knocking at his door. “If that’s Weevil, I am slamming the door closed and moving something in front of the door.” After the sunt the insect duelist pulled to take his deck, Joey wasn’t taking any chances. No matter how Weevil acted, he wouldn’t buy it. The guy stood up and approached the door. When he opened it, he found Mektaveus standing there with a card in his hand. “Mektaveus, what are you doing here?” Joey asked. The Superheavy Samurai user looked at him closely before speaking. “I thought so.” He nodded. “You know, a lot of crazy stuff has happened since that moment I decided to join up with your friends to come find you.” “Yeah, I’d say so.” Joey agreed. “What exactly is your point?” “Take it from one big brother to another.” Mektaveus began. “We all have something that represents us. You lot may call it something mystical, but I don’t know if I’d believe it.” He shook his head. “Regardless, since my old man passed, I sometimes get these gut feelings. It feels like it’s my dad telling me I got to do something, and in this instance, it feels like he’s been telling me this card I have in my hand should belong with you over me.” He passed the card to a stunned Joey. “So, I want you to keep it.” Joey looked at the card. “Colossal Fight?” His eyes then widened when he noticed what type of card it was. “A Synchro!?” He looked at the Superheavy Samurai user. “I can’t take this.” “That card there does me a fat lot of good.” Mektaveus shrugged. “I can summon it, but I don’t have a single warrior to make use of it. You do. From what I’ve seen, you got warriors to spare and Comrade of Landstar is a tuner. Level 3 if I recall from our tag duel. That means you only need a total of five more levels to bust him out. Honestly shouldn’t be hard given you’ve seen someone like me synchro summon. Besides, if we end up potentially facing off, I like the sound of a fusion and synchro user better. Makes for a greater challenge. If you can use that, then it’ll mean you could hit me harder, and there’s nothing more I’d want from a duel like that. Especially since big bros like us always fight for what we hold dear. So, in short, take that card with my blessing, or I’ll chuck it in the nearest trash can.” Joey stared at Mektaveus for a moment before turning his attention to the Synchro monster and smiling. “I don’t know what to say.” “I’m not expecting you to say anything.” Mektaveus rubbed the back of his head. “Like I said, my deck isn’t suited to take full advantage of him while I think your deck can.” He shrugged. “If anything, that card is simply gone to a better owner.” “So, all I need for this guy is a tuner and one non-tuner?” Joey asked. “Well, that’s the basics of it.” Mektaveus sweat dropped a bit at that and scratched his cheek. “Tell you what, why don’t I give you a crash course in Synchro Summoning just to make sure you can actually use the thing tomorrow without voiding any rules?” “Well, I’d like to actually be able to use it.” Joey admitted before closing his door. “Okay, let’s start with the basics.” Mektaveus began. “Colossal Fighter is a level eight monster meaning the levels of monsters used to summon him must equal that number exactly. Comrade is a three star tuner monster meaning you need five total stars between any non-tuner monsters…” Pegasus’ Castle Every competitor prepared for the next day in their own ways, and by the time each of them went to bed, they at least felt ready for whatever was to come. In the end, the results of tomorrow’s duels would be the determining factor in if they were ready. Castle Courtyard:Morning… All the competitors, with their tagalongs, were led out into the same courtyard they’d stood in after disembarking from the ship. The only exception among them, not that anyone knew, was Luthor. Regardless, the 12 competitors were ready to continue with the tournament. First, they had to listen to Pegasus who, once again, made his appearance atop the balcony. “You lucky twelve who made it this far have earned the right to stand here; however, this morning marks the beginning of the end to your time on Duelist Kingdom. Since I know you are all just itching to further reduce those numbers, we’ll get started. The time now is nearing seven forty-five, and the first round of fireworks will go off in just a moment meaning the following people should make their way to their respective duel arenas. Mektaveus Armaldo, Mai Valentine, Duke Devlin, Shining Armor, Arctic Ace, and Weevil Underwood. You will take the red side and be awaiting your fellow competitors, who will leave with the second round of fireworks, fifteen minutes later, to join you. If any of you go to a duel arena that is not yours, you will be disqualified. Whether you lose or are disqualified, your time on Duelist Kingdom comes to an end, and you will be expected at the docks to catch ships heading home shortly after your loss. Now, let this next round commence!” The first round of fireworks went off prompting the people listed to start moving to wherever they’d be dueling today. This left Keith, Blue, and Luthor, who immediately went off to stand by themselves, while the gang, Sunset, Yugi, Joey, Tea, Tristan, and Bakura, were grouped together. “Well, looks like three of us will be expected to go our separate ways soon.” Yugi noted. “With you three heading for different arenas, the three of us will just have to split up to join each of you.” Tea declared. “Whoever is coming with me should instead head into the castle to keep an eye on Mektaveus.” Joey crossed his arms. “I don’t like him being in the castle, alone, with Bandit Keith and Pegasus.” That wasn’t his only reason. Mektaveus came with his buds to find him, dueled with Joey to secure both their places here, and managed to teach him a whole other summoning method with a card he could use. In his books, the guy was solid and needed someone to watch him. “You shouldn’t be alone with Weevil.” Sunset countered. “If we’re basing this on who is in the most potential danger, I’m the safest out of all of us. Mektaveus is in Pegasus’ castle, Yugi will be just down the stairs from it, and Joey’s going to be confronting Weevil.” “She does raise a good point.” Bakura noted. “What about you Sunset?” Joey asked. “What about me?” Sunset smiled. “Granted, Yugi had Joey and I there when he took on Kaiba the first time around, but not all of us were there in person.” “She’s right.” Yugi noted. “Even though they were the only ones there is person, the rest of you were there in spirit.” “Exactly.” Sunset nodded. “Even though I’ll be going to duel Mai alone, every one of you will be there in spirit.” She winked. “This just means Tea, Bakura, and Tristan will have to cheer for me over anyone else when the next round comes.” No one could really argue with what she wanted, so all that was left would be deciding who went where. Tristan took on the task of heading into the castle to keep an eye out for Mektaveus, Tea would be joining Yugi at his duel, and Bakura would follow Joey. When the second set of fireworks went off, Yugi said, “Alright Sunset and Joey, let’s meet up back here after we’ve won our duels.” “You know it.” Sunset agreed. “Yeah, bug boy isn’t beating me this time.” Joey added. With that, Yugi & Tea, Joey & Bakura, Sunset, Blue, Keith, and Luthor moved towards their respective duel arenas. Once these six duels took place, the top 6 of Duelist Kingdom would be decided. Who will make it? Who will be going home? Those questions would soon be answered.