-Knock, knock~
A cautious knock on the door, Hoshino lightly tapped on Mai's door. "Mai, are you there?"
It didn't take long for Hoshino's patience to be rewarded. As the door handle turned softly, Mai's door opened quietly. "I knew it was you, Chiyuki. I figured you would come looking for me. Come in."
"Hmm?" Hoshino was slightly taken aback, not expecting Mai to have already figured out her intentions. She went along with Mai's invitation and entered the room.
Anzu wasn't visible, but the sound of running water from the bathroom indicated that she was taking a shower.
"Mai, why are you only wearing underwear?" In the hallway, Hoshino had only seen Mai's head poking out and hadn't realized the situation. But once inside, she saw that Mai was clad only in underwear, her smooth, sensual body fully on display.
"Chiyuki, you are such a child. A mature woman feels free to be herself in her room~" Mai struck a pose, unabashedly showing off her perfect figure to Hoshino.
"Mai... I'm not here for that..." Hoshino blushed furiously, so nervous she didn't know what she was saying.
"Oh? What 'that' are you talking about~" Mai touched Hoshino's flushed cheek, the more embarrassed she got, the more Mai wanted to tease her.
"I'm here to..." Hoshino's mind was a mess, unable to find the words.
"You want to ask about the qualification cards, right?" Mai's suggestive tone suddenly shifted to a gentle one.
"Ah, Mai, you already knew?" Hoshino looked at Mai in disbelief, not understanding how she knew.
"Haha~, the way you looked at me during dinner gave it away!" Mai laughed, answering Hoshino. "Remember when we first met on the cruise? I suspected you weren't a formal contestant back then."
Recalling that moment, Hoshino awkwardly laughed. Mai had indeed questioned her then, and she had managed to ease the situation by showing two Duelist Stars.
"Chiyuki, although I don't know your secret or your purpose for coming to the Duelist Kingdom, I'm still willing to support you." Unlike the sharp Mai she had first met, the gentle Mai before her seemed like a different person. "After all, I earned my qualification because of all the stars you gave up."
"Mai, if you're talking about that, you returned the stars to me when I needed them most." Hoshino scratched her head, feeling a bit overwhelmed by Mai's kindness. "You don't owe me anything."
"It's different, Chiyuki. You were the first person to help me without expecting anything in return." Mai sighed, looking out the window. "I've seen so many ugly faces scheming for their benefit in my life. You appeared like an angel when I was at my lowest."
"An angel..." Hoshino felt a bit embarrassed by Mai's heartfelt words. "I didn't expect the usually cool and serious Mai to say something like that."
"Haha, I'm still a girl, after all. Isn't it normal to have such innocent fantasies?" Mai stood up, laughing, and pulled two cards from her clothes hanging on the rack. "[Glory of the King's Right Hand] and [Glory of the King's Left Hand]. You only need one to participate in the final elimination match. You can choose either one, Chiyuki."
"Mai, but isn't your dream..." Hoshino never expected Mai to offer her the card representing the large prize money, [Glory of the King's Right Hand]. Seeing Mai's sincere smile, Hoshino knew she wasn't joking.
"Don't worry about small things. After all, it doesn't matter which card you take~" Mai playfully knocked on Hoshino's hesitant head, trying to hand her the [Glory of the King's Right Hand].
However...
"Mai, I had already decided before coming here." Hoshino took the blank card from Mai's hand, her eyes firm. "I want to use [Glory of the King's Left Hand] to challenge Pegasus."
[Glory of the King's Left-Hand effect: The winner of the elimination match gets the right to duel Pegasus.]
Mai looked at Hoshino in disbelief, never expecting her to challenge Pegasus. "Chiyuki, don't worry about me. Even if you take the prize card, it's completely fine."
"I've thought about it a lot, Mai. This blank card, [Glory of the King's Left Hand], probably symbolizes the souls of those who are sealed." Based on Yugi's and her guesses, Hoshino figured that the blank card [Glory of the King's Left Hand] likely represented the souls of important people. "So I need to challenge Pegasus, to reclaim the souls of Kaiba, Mokuba, and Yugi's grandpa. And then..."
"And then seek revenge on Kaiba?" Mai, intrigued, put away the card symbolizing wealth. "I didn't realize you valued dueling this much, Chiyuki."
"Maybe I've been influenced by all the passionate friends around me." Hoshino sighed, recalling all the duels on the island.
"Also, if you think about it, saving Seto Kaiba means saving KaibaCorp. We'll never lack money again~" Hoshino whispered in Mai's ear, revealing her true thoughts.
"Haha? Really?" Mai, skeptical, twitched her lips. "Even if you save him, Kaiba might only say 'thank you' and that's it."
(***)
After finishing her talk with Mai and returning to her room with [Glory of the King's Left Hand], Hoshino's emotions were still in turmoil.
"You were only half-honest with Mai, weren't you?" A translucent Sherlock Holmes appeared, smoking a pipe.
"Haha, nothing escapes you, detective." Hoshino laughed at herself, looking at Holmes. "Did Da Vinci allow you to materialize?"
"The concentration of dark energy in this castle is high enough to maintain my materialization." Holmes shrugged, sitting on a chair by the round table. "Miss Hoshino, the night is still long. Shall we..."
"Shall we what?" Hoshino looked nervously at Holmes' meaningful gaze.
"Haha, Miss Hoshino, what do you take me for? I mean..." Holmes set down his pipe, crossing his legs as he sat. "Shall we have a duel?"
"A duel? Now, with you, Mr. Holmes?" Hoshino, puzzled by Holmes' proposal, was a bit confused.
"A duel in name, but it's a special training, Miss Hoshino." Holmes's eyes suddenly sharpened.
"Tonight, I won't let you sleep easily~"
(***)
"The title of King of Baker Street is not just for show~" Holmes pushed the cards on the table and revealed his victorious smile again. "I attack with the monster card [Heroic Spirit - Holmes]!"
Hoshino Chiyuki LP 1000 → 0
"Sigh, I lost again!" Throwing her cards on the table, Hoshino slumped back in her chair. "It feels like Mr.Holmes can see through all my cards. Are you secretly using some unique skill to cheat?"
"It's just a basic deduction, my friend." Smiling at the slumped Hoshino, Holmes quietly tidied up the scattered cards on the table. "And Miss Hoshino, remember, the Millennium Eye you're about to face is far more terrifyingly real than my deductions."
"Millennium Eye?!" Hoshino jolted, her previously slumped body miraculously sitting upright. "One more round, Mr. Holmes!"
"Hehe~" Holmes chuckled gently while shuffling the cards. "I was here to accompany you, after all. We can go as many rounds as you like. But Miss Hoshino, it seems you haven't added the two cards Da Vinci gave you to your deck."
"Yeah, since it's special training, I want to grow relying on my strength first." Now sitting up, Hoshino began sorting her scattered cards. "If I always rely on Da Vinci's power, I'll become weak."
"Da Vinci gave you those cards because she believed you wouldn't rely solely on her power." Holmes placed the neatly shuffled deck on the table and began drawing cards. "Wow, another great hand. Miss Hoshino, it seems you'll lose again."
"Cut the chatter and play!"
Later that night...
Holmes LP: 800 → 0
"Hehe, Miss Hoshino, you finally beat me." Holmes praised, satisfied with his empty life points, but received no response from Hoshino. "Miss Hoshino?"
Looking at Hoshino across the table, Holmes smiled warmly. "Rest well, Hoshino..."
(***)
-Knock, knock~
Mai Valentine knocked on Hoshino's door, calling loudly from outside. "Chiyuki, wake up, or you'll miss breakfast!"
Awakened by the urgent knocking, Hoshino, who had fallen asleep in her chair at some point, rubbed her eyes, groggily removed the blanket covering her, and wobbled to the door.
"Huh?! Chiyuki, what did you do last night? You have such dark circles." Mai looked at Hoshino's haggard face in surprise and asked worriedly.
"It's nothing, Mai. I was just too nervous last night to sleep well." Finding a random excuse, Hoshino then went to the bathroom to freshen up.
Splashing cold water on her face, Hoshino immediately felt more awake. Looking at herself in the mirror, Hoshino reminded herself that everything was real. "Today is the final battle!"
"Chiyuki, do you want to have breakfast together? You hardly ate anything last night." Although Hoshino seemed back to her usual self after freshening up, Mai was still worried about her health.
"Of course, I want to eat! You said fighting on an empty stomach is no good for dueling, didn't you?" Having eaten almost nothing the night before and dueled all night with Holmes, Hoshino's stomach had been growling.
"But didn't you say last night that you wouldn't eat anything from Pegasus?" Mai teased Hoshino, who was now headed straight to the dining hall.
"Fine, the food smells too good!" Hoshino retorted without looking back.
In the Duel Hall—
"Oh! It's Hoshino." Jonouchi seemed a bit nervous as he saw Hoshino arrive after breakfast.
"What's wrong, Jonouchi? Are you scared before the duel even begins?" Hoshino teased, noticing Jonouchi's complex expression.
"N-No, I'm not scared!" Jonouchi quickly defended himself, then awkwardly scratched his face. "I just hope we have a duel we won't regret. If I win, you better not get mad."
"Hah! Dream on, Jonouchi. The duel hasn't even started and you're already dreaming!" Hoshino pinched Jonouchi's arm. Despite her words, she never underestimated Jonouchi as a duelist.
"Anyway, good luck to both of you!" Yugi cheered for the two, who were bickering.
"Yugi, you have time to cheer for others?" Mai, standing beside Hoshino with arms crossed, warned Yugi. "Be careful, or I'll defeat you before you even get to Pegasus."
"Don't worry, Mai. I'll give it my all!" Yugi nodded firmly, always respectful to every opponent.
"The final elimination match of Duelist Kingdom is about to begin. Please welcome Pegasus to the arena!" The familiar old butler announced loudly beside the dueling platform. Pegasus, wearing large loafers, stepped onto his special throne on the platform, his designated viewing spot.
"King of Duelist Kingdom, huh..." Hoshino murmured, looking at Pegasus on his throne.
"Now, let the participants of the first match come forward: Hoshino Chiyuki versus Katsuya Jonouchi!"
"It's our turn. Let's go, Jonouchi!" Drawing her carefully adjusted deck, Hoshino took a deep breath and stepped onto the final duel platform.
"Oh yeah!" Jonouchi, with a peculiar laugh, also took out his deck. "Shizuka, give your brother strength!"
"Please show your qualification cards." The butler requested as per protocol.
"Hmph, of course, I have the qualification card!" Jonouchi proudly pulled out a shining golden card from his pocket. "[Glory of the King's Right Hand], see? No problem, right?"
The butler nodded, indicating that Jonouchi's card was valid. Jonouchi had likely received this card from Yugi.
"My qualification card is!" Slowly taking out the blank card from her clothes, Hoshino glared at Pegasus on his throne as she showed the card. "[Glory of the King's Left Hand]!"
"Hoshino is going to use [Glory of the King's Left Hand] to challenge Pegasus?!" Yugi exclaimed in disbelief, surprised at Hoshino's choice. "I always thought Hoshino joined the Duelist Kingdom tournament just for the prize money."
With both qualification cards verified, the butler officially announced the start of the match.
"The duel begins Hoshino Chiyuki vs. Katsuya Jonouchi!"
"Katsuya Jonouchi will go first!"
"Great, I get to go first!" For some reason, Jonouchi always seemed particularly excited when going first. "My turn, draw!"
"I summon [Armored Lizard] in attack position!" After a moment of thought, Jonouchi played his monster card on the table. "End my turn."
[Armored Lizard ★★★★ Earth] [Reptile][ATK:1500 DEF:1200]
"Seriously? You get so excited about going first, and then just summon this monster and end your turn?" Hoshino couldn't help but complain about Jonouchi's move.
"Huh? Isn't this how normal duels go?" Jonouchi asked innocently, confused by Hoshino's reaction.
Jonouchi's response made Hoshino realize that this was the standard level of dueling in this world. Most duels on Duelist Kingdom's island were like this. The sense of dissonance she felt was due to her recent opponents being abnormal. Kaiba never shuffled and always played Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon; Da Vinci had mysterious decks with unpredictable traps; Holmes felt like she was playing with open cards.
"It's a relief, Jonouchi, to duel you in the first match." Hoshino sighed, finally feeling back to normal dueling. "And today, I'm feeling lucky. Let's try out a new card I drew this morning!"
"I summon the monster card [Heroic Spirit - Caligula] in attack position!" Throwing the new monster card on the table, the hologram of Caligula appeared on the battlefield.
[Heroic Spirit - Caligula ★★★★ (4 stars) Dark] [Warrior/Effect][ATK:1500 DEF:1200]
"Neroooo!" The terrifying roar of the mad emperor echoed across the field.
(*****)
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