Chapter 52: America Fights Industrial Illusions
When Chumley awoke again, he found himself lying in a hospital bed. Joey sat tiredly beside the bed, his eyes constantly wanting to droop, but he repeatedly forced himself to stay awake, even slapping himself occasionally to rouse his spirits.
"Joey," Chumley spoke weakly. Though his voice was faint, Joey, who had almost fallen asleep, instantly reacted, standing up excitedly. "Chumley, you're awake!"
Supporting himself to sit up, waves of sharp pain surged through Chumley's head, and he couldn't help but clutch his forehead. "What happened to me?"
"The doctor said your brain seemed to have been stimulated by something, becoming hyperactive, and then you got exhausted. Your physical strength couldn't keep up, so you fell into a coma." Joey handed Chumley a cup of honey water. "But Yugi said it seems you were trying to block an attack from Pegasus, and that's why this happened."
"Kuriboh~" Rainbow Kuriboh emerged from Chumley's collar at the right moment, looking at him with its big, watery eyes, its face full of worry.
"Though I had a headache at first, I'm fine now. Thanks for worrying." Chumley said this to Joey, but also to Rainbow Kuriboh. Then, the Ojama brothers also emerged from his collar.
"He actually said thank you~" "Broo~ther~" "So touched!"
"Ugh! You guys get off me!"
Chumley could tolerate the cute Rainbow Kuriboh hiding in his clothes, but the Ojama brothers were completely unacceptable, especially when they got emotional and wiped their snot and tears all over him.
Joey hadn't yet seen the Duel Monster spirits, so he only heard Chumley talking to himself. "Is he really okay like this?" He couldn't help but worry if Chumley had become mentally deranged due to his hyperactive brain.
Chumley suddenly remembered something, tossed the Ojama brothers he'd pulled from his clothes aside, and looked at Joey. "Oh, right, where are Yugi and Grandpa Muto?"
"So, Chumley, you know about Grandpa Muto then..." Seeing Chumley mention Solomon Muto, Joey couldn't help but feel a bit down. He sat down on a chair and said to Chumley, "That day after the duel, Pegasus seemed to use the power of some kind of eye to steal Grandpa Muto's soul and seal it inside that TV set."
"As expected, it still failed." Although he had already guessed before falling into a coma, Chumley couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed. Even though he was a transmigrator, in the end, he still couldn't change the original plot? But he noticed one thing. "That day? How long was I unconscious?"
"Don't worry too much, it was yesterday. You were only unconscious for one morning." Joey saw that Chumley's spirits had slightly recovered, and stood up. "You should rest a bit more, Chumley. I'll go call Yugi and Téa to let them know you're safe, so they can rest assured."
————Ojama brothers getting bandaged————
Standing on the rooftop, gazing through the wire fence at the sunset sinking below the horizon, Yugi's mind was filled with a myriad of thoughts. About the injured Chumley, about the unconscious Grandpa, and about Pegasus.
'Card combinations I've never seen before, and the ability of Mind Reading... can I really defeat such an opponent?'
'Yami Yugi.'
'Aibo, I'm fine. I'm just doubting if I can truly avenge Chumley and Grandpa.'
Just as Yugi was conversing in his mind with "Yami Yugi," who resided within the Millennium Puzzle, the sound of the rooftop door being pushed open came from behind him. "Watching the sunset alone on the rooftop? That's quite a poetic choice."
The familiar voice made Yugi involuntarily turn his head. Looking at the figure with gauze still wrapped around his head, Yugi couldn't help but call out his name with some worry, "Chumley, your body..."
"Ah, don't worry too much. The doctor said I'm perfectly healthy, I can eat at least thirteen slices of bread! The gauze on my head is because I accidentally hit the doorframe when I was discharged. Seriously, why are hospital doorframes so low?" With a relaxed smile on his face, Chumley walked over to Yugi's side, hands in his pockets, gazing at the rooftop scenery and feeling the evening breeze.
"So, what do you say? Are we going to Duelist Kingdom?"
Yugi didn't hesitate. "Yes, I'm going to Pegasus's place to reclaim Grandpa's soul, and to avenge you, Chumley."
"My revenge can't really be placed on Pegasus, right? After all, I proactively went looking for trouble. But what happened to Grandpa Muto truly cannot be forgiven." Pulling an envelope from his pocket, Chumley handed it to Yugi, swatting away Ojama Yellow that had climbed onto his shoulder again. "When the time comes, let's go together."
"Huh?" Yugi took the envelope, not quite understanding what Chumley meant.
"Actually, a month ago, Pegasus had already invited me, inviting me to Duelist Kingdom, both as a participant and as his invited guest. Open that and take a look."
Yugi opened the envelope and saw several cards inside. The card art on the cards varied, each seeming to have its own use.
"An invitation to the Kingdom, it serves as proof that you are an invited guest to 'Duelist Kingdom.' Additionally, there are a few cards that can be considered explanations of Duelist Kingdom's rules." Chumley also pulled out a stack of cards from his pockets, similar to the cards in Yugi's hand, though only a few of them seemed to have a slightly different design.
"'Boat Ticket to the Kingdom' is a pass to Duelist Kingdom. 'Left Hand' and 'Right Hand' are the final rewards, and 'Duelist Glove' is proof of a duelist's qualification." Unlike the last 'Kingdom' card in Yugi's hand, Chumley's last card was 'Duel Monster'. "This one can also be considered a boat ticket. Although I was also invited by that guy Pegasus, mine seems to be first class."
"Other duelists can only board the ship alone, but I can bring more than one person." Turning around with a smile, Yugi and Chumley's gazes simultaneously fell upon the few people who had also arrived on the rooftop. "Like Joey, Téa, and Tristan."
"Everyone, are you all going to Duelist Kingdom together too?"
"Of course!" Téa said assertively, hands on her hips, "After all, you, Yugi, are such a coward. What if you get bullied there?"
Tristan crossed his arms over his chest. "Aren't we friends, after all? At a time like this, of course, we'll stick together through thick and thin."
"That's Duelist Kingdom, you know! Although I really hate that Pegasus, the Duel Monster world's rare grand event can't be missed!" Joey patted his chest. "What's more, I still have to avenge Chumley and Grandpa Muto."
However, Joey had just finished speaking when Tristan mercilessly retorted:
"What 'avenge'?" Tristan said. "You clearly just wanted the prize money, just like last time at the National Duel Monsters Selection Tournament! As he spoke, Tristan also patted Joey's shoulder. "And with your skill level, don't make Chumley and Yugi have to avenge you then.""
"You punk, Tristan!"
The two's bickering enlivened the lonely atmosphere that had enveloped Yugi when he was alone on the rooftop. The others watched Tristan and Joey wrestling and laughed merrily. Yugi looked at his companions and secretly swore in his heart:
"Just you wait, Pegasus! I will definitely get Grandpa Muto's soul back!"
(end of chapter)