Chapter 54: So This is What You Call VIP Treatment, Huh? (Tactical Lean Back)
"Just like that. I just didn't expect Yugi to be such a cute little kid." Ignoring the lecherous expressions on Tristan's and Joey's faces, Mai Valentine leaned in close to Yugi, examining his regular self up close, and even reached out to pinch his cheek.
Having never been so close to a girl before, Yugi blushed beet-red. "I-I am Yugi."
"Oh? I heard that Yugi is quite a decisive and domineering person during a Duel. It seems rumors aren't always true." Amused by Yugi's shyness, Mai Valentine finally let go of his face under Téa's piercing gaze and took a step back. "However, on the Duel Field, even a child can't be underestimated. I look forward to seeing you all again in Duelist Kingdom~"
With that, Mai Valentine departed as she had arrived, like the wind, leaving behind only a lingering scent of perfume that left Tristan and Joey mesmerized. But it was soon scattered by the sea breeze.
Watching Joey gaze after Mai Valentine's figure, which had already been swallowed by the crowd, while muttering things like "What a woman," and "I'd love to Duel her," Téa complained in annoyance, "What's with that woman? So flirtatious! She'll never find a boyfriend!"
"I doubt that. It's mature women like her who are popular. Though she's not really my type," Hayato commented lightly. But noticing the strange look Téa was giving him, he quickly added, "Téa, you'll still develop more! Eat more papaya, yeah, you can do it~"
By now, the duelists had mostly finished registering, and the Cruise Ship bound for Duelist Kingdom officially set sail. The deck was only a temporary assembly point and not very safe, so after the Cruise Ship departed, the Men in Black opened the doors to the ship's interior, leading everyone inside.
However, after following the main group into the ship's cabins, Yugi and the others discovered that what awaited them wasn't a comfortable bed in a private room, but a vast, empty Field. According to the Men in Black, this was the resting area prepared for the duelists.
"This is supposed to be a luxury Cruise Ship, so why is it just a big common room?!" Joey immediately tried to argue with the Men in Black. Although Hayato attempted to hold him back, he couldn't stop the hothead. "There are so many people and so little space! Are we here to Duel or to suffer?!"
"Exactly!" Just as Joey finished speaking, he saw Mai Valentine, whom he'd met earlier, also step out from the crowd with a look of dissatisfaction. She stood beside him and joined the argument with the Men in Black. "You're telling me a lady like myself doesn't even have a place to shower, and I have to sleep in the same room as a bunch of smelly men? You've got to be kidding me!"
"Regarding this matter, it is all part of Mr. Pegasus's arrangements." But faced with the two noisy blondes, the Man in Black maintained a calm and composed expression.
"What's all this? So noisy." A voice that sounded suspiciously like a streaker's came through. A short boy wearing a hat and carrying a backpack walked into the cabin. He had an "I'm the best in the world" swagger on his face. He picked at his ear, seemingly annoyed by the protests from Joey and Mai Valentine. "Making such a racket is just improper."
Another person walked out from behind him. Under a greenish mushroom-cut hairstyle was a pair of yellow-framed glasses. His head-to-toe green outfit was... an acquired taste. "These Fodder Monsters won't have a chance to make noise once the Match starts. This is their last hurrah."
The two were about the same height, and their personalities were just as arrogant, making them unpleasant to look at.
"That's... Weevil Underwood and Rex Raptor? As expected, the champion and runner-up of the qualifier tournament were invited too." Mai Valentine watched the two, a thought forming in her mind as she quietly slipped back into the crowd.
The all-green... 'Triangle Arrow'—I mean, Weevil Underwood—squinted at the crowd in the cabin, his thoughts unreadable. But the moment he saw Yugi, his eyes widened. "Huh? Yugi?! You're Yugi, right!"
Yugi was standing next to Hayato, never imagining that he, who was usually just a wallflower at school, would be recognized again and again today. "Ah, hello. I'm Yugi. My friends just call me Yugi."
"What a coincidence, Yugi. I never thought I'd see you here." Hearing Yugi confirm his identity, Rex Raptor maintained his nose-in-the-air attitude. Weevil Underwood, on the other hand, broke into a smile and approached Yugi to greet him. "I've heard all about you, defeating Seto Kaiba. I bet among all the duelists participating in this Match, your Exodia is the strongest, right?"
"Ehehe, I was just lucky to have beaten Kaiba." Yugi, not used to such praise, laughed shyly. "Oh, that's right. I saw your Match against Rex Raptor, Weevil. Congratulations on becoming the national champion of Japan."
"Not at all~" Weevil said with a smile, his eyes narrowing into slits.
"Hmph, that's only because I went easy on you," Rex, who was standing at the side, said unhappily, hearing Yugi bring up that Match again.
Weevil didn't get angry. Instead, he said to Yugi in a friendly manner, "Well, I heard this competition is going to be different from all the previous ones. It seems they've added a lot of New Rules, so we can't apply our experience from past matches. We're all actually starting from the same place."
"Who cares what the rules are! Whatever difficulties we face, my Duel Monsters and I will crush them all!" Joey didn't seem to care much about the "New Rules" Weevil mentioned, speaking with great confidence as if the title of Duel King was already in his grasp.
Rex glanced at Joey. "You know, you're surprisingly my kind of guy."
"However, this Weevil guy got one thing wrong. We're not all starting from the same place." As he spoke, Rex took out a special "Duelist Kingdom" Card with a golden sheen on its Card Art. "As contestants from the last tournament, we get to enjoy the special services of this luxury Cruise Ship, while you all have to cram together with everyone else in this big common room, hahahaha."
He had just started laughing when a Man in Black walked out from behind him. Upon seeing Hayato, the man trotted over, bowed, and said, "We have kept you waiting, Mr. Hayato. As a specially invited guest of Mr. Pegasus, you and your friends can enjoy our top-tier VIP service."
"VIP service? What's that?" Rex didn't quite understand. "I only heard that contestants get a private room. I'm a VIP too, right?"
"You are Mr. Rex, correct? You and Mr. Weevil are eligible for the most basic room service. The VIP-level service is not open to the public. Only the most distinguished guests of Industrial Illusions can enjoy it, which would be Mr. Hayato."
Watching Rex get shot down so instantly, Hayato chuckled. "The Cruise Ship is huge, there are plenty of private rooms. Don't tell me someone actually thought having a private room made them a VIP? No way, no way, right?"
"Hmph!" Unable to stand Hayato's sarcastic tone, Rex stormed off with a dark expression on his face, not even waiting for Weevil who was still trying to get friendly with Yugi. And in the crowd, a certain blonde woman locked her eyes on the departing Rex and quietly followed him.
(end of chapter)