"Maximillion Pegasus..."
Kaiba's voice dropped, heavy with something close to awe.
"He's not only the creator of Duel Monsters, but the undisputed strongest, standing at the very peak of all duelists..."
He drew a deep breath, eyes piercing the night as if seeing the massive shadow coiled in the island's heart.
"Here on Duelist Kingdom, he is a 'god' above every rule."
Kaiba turned to Yuto, his usual arrogance replaced by a deep, genuine concern.
"Yuto, listen to me. Even you... may not be able to move Pegasus an inch. I've witnessed his power with my own eyes."
The memory brought a subtle tremor to Kaiba's voice.
"It was at the U.S. Championship in New York. I was invited as a guest to watch. His opponent was Keith Howard—Bandit Keith—the reigning champion who had swept every major league."
Kaiba spoke faster, as if trying to recreate the suffocating scene.
"When the duel began, Pegasus simply... simply watched Keith. Then he did something unbelievable—he took out pen and paper and quickly wrote a few lines."
"Next..."
Kaiba lowered his voice further, tinged with fear.
"He called over a child from the audience."
"That child, following the instructions on that paper, step by step..."
Kaiba's hand clenched unconsciously.
"Crushed Keith completely! The entire process... it was as if Pegasus had already read Keith's mind, seeing every card in his Deck!"
At the end of his words, Kaiba's confidence seemed to drain away, leaving only a heavy helplessness.
Just then, Yuto stepped forward, walking right up to him.
"Kaiba, put away your worries. Pegasus's mind games won't work on me! So leave defeating him to me."
For an instant, shock flickered across Kaiba's face, as if he'd never expected anyone to dismiss Pegasus's terror so lightly.
Nevertheless, the surprise lasted only a heartbeat. Slowly, the corners of his mouth curved into a familiar, challenging, almost relieved smile.
"Heh..."
Kaiba let out a quiet chuckle, straightening his back as his pride returned.
"In that case, I'll put it another way: I'll slip into Pegasus's castle first and wait for you there."
His figure was quickly swallowed by the dense jungle.
Their tense nerves finally eased, and exhaustion flooded in like a tide.
Yuto and the others returned to camp, collapsing in their tents.
The night had been nothing short of eventful.
First, the Shadow Game with Bakura, then the Duelist Hunter's ambush, and just as they had dozed off, the helicopter had thrown everything into chaos.
Téa was already half-asleep; the moment she touched her sleeping bag she sank into slumber.
This time, there were no more interruptions. Everyone slept soundly until daylight.
"Morning! Everyone up!!"
Joey's booming shout split the morning calm.
He was answered by Tristan's foot kicking out of the tent.
"Too loud... we heard you... haaa~"
Joey stumbled out of the tent.
Yuto, Yugi, and Bakura rubbed their eyes and crawled out too, the five boys stretching in the morning light.
Téa and Mai emerged more slowly; once they were ready, the group packed up camp to set out again.
"Come on! We need to collect Star Chips fast and storm Pegasus's castle!" Joey shouted with renewed fighting spirit.
At that moment, Mai walked gracefully to Yuto and handed him a spare pack.
"Here's a backup. Take it."
Her tone was casual. She turned and left as soon as she spoke.
"Not coming with us?" Joey called after her.
Mai only waved over her shoulder, her figure soon vanishing into the forest path.
Yuto opened the pack curiously. Inside were practical camping supplies like an alcohol stove.
And a neatly folded piece of white paper.
He unfolded it to see a line of elegant script written in lipstick:
"IOU: I'll just borrow those Star Chips for now~"
At the end was a clear lipstick kiss mark.
Yuto's heart skipped a beat. He quickly crumpled the note and stuffed it deep into the pack.
If Téa saw that... there would be trouble!
"All right, all right! Let's move out!" Joey waved grandly, striding ahead as if last night's chaos had never happened.
Yugi watched his energetic back with a flicker of worry.
After the humiliation Kaiba had dealt him last night... could he really let it go so easily?
Morning sunlight filtered through the dense canopy, casting dappled shadows on the forest path.
The six of them walked over the soft fallen leaves, their footsteps whispering.
Breaking the quiet was Bakura's curious voice.
"By the way, how many duelists are even left on this island now?"
Joey paused, one hand on his hip, the other scratching his head as he tried to remember.
"Hmm... Yesterday at the Duelist Hunter's spot, I saw at least a dozen already eliminated."
Téa added with a hint of concern.
"Yeah, and who knows how many more were taken out by that 'Duelist Hunter' last night."
Walking in front, Yuto crossed his arms, analyzing calmly.
"Conservatively, I'd say more than half the duelists are already out."
Joey gasped.
"What?! Then if we don't hurry, we might not collect enough Star Chips in time?!"
Tristan hurried up beside him, patting his shoulder with encouragement.
"Don't worry! Between you and Yugi, you only need five more chips. There's plenty of time. We'll make it!"
Yuto nodded.
"Yeah, there's time. But that's exactly why we need to stay extra alert now. Any duelist who's lasted this long is tough. Every duel from here on must be chosen carefully and fought with everything we have..."
Joey pumped his fist for motivation.
"No matter how strong the opponent, I'll beat them!"
"That's the spirit! Go for it, Joey!"
Abruptly, just as Joey finished his rousing declaration, his expression froze.
He suddenly clutched his stomach and bent over.
"Ugh...! Oh no! Guys, wait up!"
Before he finished the sentence, he was already clutching his stomach and dashing headlong into the nearby undergrowth.
...
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