Chapter 91: A Strange Boy Appears
Guided by Hayato, Mai Valentine went to look for Yugi and the others. Meanwhile, Hayato and Bakura followed the men in black, leaving the forest and heading towards the castle.
"Hayato-kun, why are we going towards the castle?" Bakura asked, puzzled, along the way. "Didn't you say you planned to challenge other Duelists earlier?"
Hayato, a lollipop in his mouth, said, "Then let me ask you, where do you think it's more convenient to find strong Duelists? Places where strong duelists appear? Rest stops? Neither."
"The most convenient place to find powerful Duelists is Pegasus's Castle, the final destination." Hayato revealed a "friendly" smile. "When they've finally gathered ten Star Chips and traveled countless miles to reach Pegasus's Castle, someone suddenly jumps out of the bushes and challenges them to a Duel."
"Don't you think that's super interesting?"
"I just feel, Hayato-kun, you have quite a twisted sense of humor," Bakura said with a wry smile.
Just as Hayato was plotting how to quickly rack up Duel points, as the group passed a patch of bushes, Hayato's peripheral vision caught a dark shadow darting through the woods.
The men in black didn't pay much mind; after all, this island was full of all kinds of Duelists, and some might just enjoy hiding in the forest. But Hayato seemed very concerned: "Who's there!?"
There was no response from the woods.
"Hayato-kun, could it be..." Bakura, who was afraid of ghosts, instinctively hid behind Hayato, even though he himself used the most Shadow Realm-themed Cards.
"It's probably just a small animal like a rabbit or a squirrel, Mr. Hayato." The men in black stopped as well, seeing Hayato's interest in the bushes.
Seeing no movement in the woods for a while, Hayato thought for a moment, then turned to the men in black and said, "It might really be some small animal, but I'm still quite curious about it. How about you go on ahead? I know the way to the castle."
The men in black didn't stand on ceremony; after all, Pegasus's Castle was built so tall that it could essentially be seen from anywhere on the island, and not everyone got lost on the island like Jaden. Since Hayato didn't need him to lead the way, he was glad for the relief; he still had work to do.
Watching the men in black gradually depart until they disappeared from sight, Hayato glanced at the nearby bushes and said, "Come out, they're gone."
There was no response.
"If you don't come out, I'll call them back, okay?"
In the woods, there was still only the sound of Hayato and Bakura's breathing, and the rustling of leaves in the wind.
Hayato raised an eyebrow: "You're really forcing me to use my ultimate move."
Turning around, he opened his mouth and began to shout, "Seto Kaiba, that guy lost to Yugi, what a pathetic loser to lose even with three Blue-Eyes White Dragons, what a coward—"
"You're the coward! Yugi just got lucky!" A child suddenly darted out from the bushes, his clothes torn and tangled with broken leaves and twigs. The child, roughly Yugi's height, glared indignantly at Hayato, who had stopped shouting. "My brother isn't a coward!"
"I didn't say that, you did." Seeing the person hiding in the woods finally appear, Hayato crouched slightly, leaning down to meet the child's gaze. "Finally decided to come out, huh? Speaking of which, it's been a while, Gomamon."
"My name is Mokuba! Mokuba Kaiba! What kind of name is that, like a puppy's!?" The disheveled kid—Mokuba—protested indignantly to Hayato about his name. "And who said it's been a while? We've only met once!"
"Ah, first time strangers, second time acquaintances, right? Last time we met was during Kaiba's Duel with Yugi, wasn't it? This is the second time, so we can barely be considered acquaintances, Little Jay?"
"It's Mokuba!"
"Alright, Takuya."
"Now the name's even stranger."
After teasing Mokuba for a while by constantly getting his name wrong, Hayato finally stood up and said seriously, "Alright, alright, let's stop messing around and get to business."
Ignoring Mokuba's look that clearly said, "Aren't *you* the one messing around, you scoundrel?", Hayato looked at Mokuba. "I see you don't have a Duelist glove on your hand, which means you probably weren't invited by Pegasus to participate in the Match, Mr. Mokuba?"
"Let me guess, you were sent here to Duelist Kingdom as KaibaCorp's representative, since Seto isn't around, planning to cooperate with Pegasus?" Hayato paused. "And then you found out that your subordinates, because Seto was absent, saw an opportunity to usurp power and planned to sell you out, so you escaped from Pegasus?"
"Tch, you got it all right, you bastard," Mokuba said, pouting. "Ultimately, it's all Yugi's fault. If he hadn't defeated my brother, my brother wouldn't be so dejected, wouldn't have the heart to handle company matters, and wouldn't have even gone missing."
Hayato looked at the dejected Mokuba. At this moment, he looked so fragile and in need of protection. Although his height was similar to Yugi's, he was still just a child and had lost the older brother he had always relied on.
"While I sympathize with you, I don't think Yugi did anything wrong," Hayato said, shrugging indifferently, ignoring Mokuba's suddenly fierce gaze. "That guy Seto won't face his own mistakes until he's defeated. Yugi, in fact, woke him up."
"Moreover, how competitive that guy Seto is, I believe you, as his younger brother, know better than anyone, right? If Yugi had gone easy on him during their Duel, I think that would have been the greatest insult to him."
'Except for that cliff-jumping incident,' Hayato silently added in his heart.
The sky gradually darkened. Almost ten hours had passed since Duelist Kingdom began. It was already seven in the evening, and even though Duelist Kingdom Island's location was quite far west, the sun was slowly sinking below the horizon at this hour.
"Alright, don't think too much about it. To get KaibaCorp, I'm sure Pegasus's people will keep chasing you. So, why don't you stay with us for a while?" Hayato extended his hand to Mokuba. "Please take care of us, Naruto."
"I'm Mokuba!"
Mokuba excitedly slapped Hayato's outstretched hand. Watching Hayato shake his hand in pain, Mokuba couldn't help but smile triumphantly. "Since you've asked so earnestly, then I, Mr. Mokuba, will stay by your side for a while."
"You're really a handful, Rambo."
"It's Mokuba! Mokuba, Mokuba, Mokuba!"
"Oh, want a lollipop? I have extras here, blueberry and orange-strawberry flavors."
"Don't think you can just trick me like that! I want chocolate."
To put it nicely, these chapters are transitional, a bridge to the later plot. But ultimately, it's just filler.
(end of chapter)