Chapter 9
"Yuta, are you really not coming with us?" Yugi said reluctantly to Yuta.
"If you come with us, we can look out for each other," Jounouchi added, trying to persuade Yuta.
"Jounouchi, you just want Yuta to take care of your meals, don't you?" Honda teased, giving Jounouchi a playful punch on the chest.
"No, thank you all for your kindness." Yuta shook his head and looked ahead at Hoshino, who was chatting with Anzu. "I've already said I'm letting go. Continuing to hang around would be too unmanly."
Understanding Yuta's intentions from his gaze, the three friends decided not to press the matter any further.
"Let's set off again," said Hoshino. After resolving their food issue, the five rested a bit before preparing to continue their journey. After all, they were still in a competition and couldn't rest too long if they wanted to gather the ten duelist stars within the 48-hour limit.
Hoshino carefully placed the three stars she had into her pocket. She needed seven more to qualify for entry into Pegasus' castle.
"Hoshino, wait a moment." Yuta, who had decided to go his own way, called out to Hoshino.
"What's up? Changed your mind and decided to join us?" she asked.
"No." Yuta hurried over and pulled a card from his deck, handing it to Hoshino. "Hoshino, I hope you'll accept this card."
Hoshino looked at the card in her hand and shook her head in surprise. "I can't accept this, Yuta. It's too precious."
However, Yuta showed no intention of taking it back. He scratched his nose, feeling a bit shy. "Even though I've given up pursuing you, I still hope you can remember me. If you see this card in the future and think of me even a little, I'll be satisfied."
In this situation, refusing would be too cruel to Yuta, and Hoshino understood that well.
"Thank you, Yuta. I won't forget you." She put the card into her deck and smiled at Yuta.
"Well then, until we meet again, Hoshino." Yuta waved and ran off without looking back.
Parting ways with Yuta, the five wandered away from the seashore, and the surroundings gradually changed to grassy fields.
The vast, seemingly endless grassland featured towering duel platforms easily visible from a distance. The Duelist Kingdom competition had just begun, so there were still many contestants. The expansive grassland had about seven or eight duel platforms in sight, each with a considerable number of spectators.
"Since we don't have a specific destination, why don't we watch a duel and maybe find someone willing to duel with us?" Yugi suggested.
"Good idea. I also want to see how others duel." Hoshino, eager to gain experience and learn strategies, readily agreed.
"That platform over there has a lot of spectators. Let's check it out." Jounouchi pointed to a distant duel platform with significantly more onlookers than the others.
"So many people wasting their valuable duel time to watch. The duelist must be very strong, and everyone is observing their deck."
Indeed, in this world, skilled duelists were very famous. Since their goal was to become the King of Games, they would eventually face these renowned duelists. Knowing your opponent was crucial.
"Let's go quickly." Eager, Hoshino ran ahead.
...
"Let me see who's dueling." The platform was crowded, making it hard for Hoshino to see the duelists clearly.
"It's no use. There are too many people; we can't see anything." Yugi, aware of his height disadvantage, shook his head in frustration.
"Who could be attracting such a large crowd?" Jounouchi grumbled. "Hoshino, do you want to sit on my shoulders to get a better view?"
"Jounouchi, you pervert." Hoshino glared at him, her body instinctively reacting with resistance. "I can't believe I thought you were kind of cute when we first met. I was so naive."
"If you want to carry someone, carry Yugi." Anzu rolled her eyes.
"The duel is over. The winner is..."
"Ah, it's over already?" The group was a bit disappointed.
"The winner is Weevil Underwood!" The familiar synthesized voice announced.
"Weevil Underwood!" Hearing the winner's name, Jounouchi and Yugi clenched their jaws, their eyes filled with anger.
"Weevil Underwood? Who's that?" Hoshino, clueless, asked again.
Honda almost lost his balance. "Weevil Underwood, The Regional duelist champion! How could you not know the champion, Hoshino?"
Scratching her head awkwardly, Hoshino stuck out her tongue. "I didn't follow that tournament, sorry."
But Hoshino's real thought was, "How could I know this minor character who barely appeared in the anime?"
"And he's also the despicable person who threw Yugi's Exodia into the sea," Jounouchi added, seething with rage.(TL: In the Raw version it said Dark Magician I changed it to Exodia to align in the anime)
"Exodia, thrown into the sea? Oh, that time." Hoshino recalled the scene when she first arrived in this world. So, that's why Jounouchi jumped off the ship.
"Weevil Underwood!" Yugi, who had been speaking softly, suddenly shouted towards the stage.
"Well, well, isn't that Yugi Muto?" A boy with round glasses and a green coat descended from the platform.
"Weevil, you despicable person," Jounouchi scolded.
"Despicable? Watch your tone when talking to The Regional champion." Despite his short stature, Weevil's words were full of arrogance.
"Weevil, I challenge you to a duel!"
The Millennium Puzzle on Yugi's chest glowed, and the gentle-eyed Yugi transformed into the sharp-eyed Yami Yugi.
"Wow, he can really transform. It's not just the eyes; even his height changes." Hoshino's astonishment was a natural reaction to seeing Yami Yugi for the first time. "This is like two different people!"
"Duel accepted. Duelist Weevil Underwood versus Duelist Yugi Muto." The omnipresent black-clad, sunglasses-wearing adjudicator appeared again.
"Go, Yugi, you have to win."
"Teach that despicable person a lesson."
Jounouchi and the others loudly cheered for Yugi, who stepped onto the platform, seemingly oblivious to his transformation. Hoshino couldn't help but inwardly complain, "This is clearly two different people. Can't you see that? Is no one going to report him for using a stand-in?"(TL: Anime mystery)