"Are you okay, Yugi?!" Tristan anxiously checked his condition.
Those thugs didn't hold back—what if they broke his ribs?!
"No, I'm fine… but Joey…"
Yuto quietly watched them leave. If they fought now, they'd be beaten senseless by sheer numbers, and Téa might get dragged into it. He had to stay calm!
His fists clenched so tightly his knuckles went white as he struggled to endure.
"That guy! What a bastard! I thought going to college might've straightened him out…" Tristan muttered bitterly.
They brought Yugi to a nearby park, where Yuto gave him a quick check.
"Lucky—it didn't hit any bones. Just put some ointment on when you get home."
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
"That was so scary just now…" Miho gripped her clothes tightly.
"I still can't believe Joey would hang out with people like that…" Yugi's voice was heavy with disappointment.
Tristan then dropped a bombshell that stunned everyone. "Joey's old friends. Back in high school, Joey was just like them—always fighting every day."
He plopped down on a stone post. "Their leader's name is Hizutani. He used to be Joey's big brother figure. I thought Joey left them behind after going to college…"
Yugi shook his head. "No, I believe in Joey. He wouldn't."
"I don't think so. That guy's always had bad character. You'd better stop looking for him." With his hands in his pockets, Tristan walked off.
Despite that, Yuto and the others didn't give up. Instead, they headed to the place those thugs mentioned earlier.
"This is the place—Jz, right?" Téa looked at the building uncertainly.
"Only one way to find out. Let's go in—it's our only lead." Yuto stepped toward Jz.
"Maybe we shouldn't… Miho's really scared…" Miho clutched Téa's sleeve, trembling. Clearly, the thought of entering a delinquent hangout terrified her.
It was true—bringing girls here was dangerous. Yuto hesitated.
"Téa, you and Miho should go back," Yuto said.
"What are you talking about, Yuto?! We can't just walk away!" Téa's eyes widened, her tone firm. "If we quit now, then everything we've done so far is for nothing!"
"But—" Yuto tried to argue, when Téa cut him off.
"No buts! We're going in together!" Her voice left no room for negotiation.
"…Then at least let Yugi and me check first—" Yuto began reluctantly.
At that moment, Tristan came striding down the street with a fierce look, a pink ribbon tied to him, stopping right at Jz's entrance.
Jz was a small bar.
Standing at the door, Tristan took a deep breath and muttered to himself, "Joey, I think I'm the only one who can make you wake up…"
A breeze blew by, and suddenly the atmosphere felt strange.
"Feels like BGM's playing just for you, Tristan. You really do know how to act cool," a familiar voice called from behind.
Tristan jumped, nearly collapsing in shock. He spun around to see Yuto, Téa, Yugi, and Miho lined up, smirking knowingly.
"See? You said you'd leave Joey behind, but here you are," Yuto teased.
"No! I just… as a Beautification Committee member, I need to purify Joey's heart!" Tristan stammered, embarrassed.
"What's that?" Yugi pointed at the ribbon curiously.
"It's a secret!" Tristan quickly covered it.
"But Miho wants to know~" she cooed, batting her eyes.
Tristan's face went red. Hesitating, he finally said, "Two years ago…"
Yuto nearly laughed—Tristan had completely become Miho's toy, dancing in her palm.
Tristan didn't care about his pride. He only wanted to make his crush happy.
"Back in high school, Joey and I were picked for the relay team in the Domino City High sprint relay championship. Our team was dead last halfway through; however, I ran with everything I had and brought us up to second."
"Then I passed this ribbon to Joey. He didn't let us down—he finished first."
"That was the start of our friendship! And this ribbon is the proof of it!"
Miho gazed at him in awe. "Amazing! So this is men's friendship?"
"I know it—when Joey sees this ribbon, he'll snap out of it!"
Everyone nodded. "Yeah, he will!"
"Let's go!"
With determination, the five of them stormed into Jz.
Normally, this would've been the start of a heated speech about friendship and Joey's awakening—though unfortunately, they were too late.
The Nintama delinquents had already left with Joey.
"They're not here?" Tristan asked the bartender in surprise.
"That's right. My guess? They're probably fighting somewhere, or maybe holed up in that abandoned warehouse on the outskirts. That's their hangout."
He poured five glasses of orange juice and slid them over. "On the house. You kids are from Domino City University, right? Take my advice—stay away from those guys. Another student from your school came in once, and they forced him to join."
Tristan turned back to the group. "It must be Joey!"
Yugi nodded eagerly. Joey was still Joey after all!
Yuto happily drained his juice. "See? Joey was forced into this. He'll probably be back tomorrow. Let's all go home."
Téa and Miho cheered up, chatting animatedly.
The three boys exchanged looks—they understood each other without words.
Late that night, silence blanketed the city, moonlight silvering the ground.
Yuto crept toward the abandoned warehouse, footsteps as light as a cat's. He didn't want to wake anyone nearby.
Tristan and Yugi were already waiting, shivering from the cold wind.
"What took you so long?" Tristan complained.
"Had to wait for Téa to fall asleep before sneaking out…" Yuto murmured sheepishly.
"Man, you really are henpecked," Tristan teased with a grin.
Yuto flushed and scratched his cheek, not answering.
"Come on, let's find Joey already!" Yugi urged impatiently.
The three approached the warehouse entrance—a crumbling hole in the wall, poorly covered with a wooden plank.
As they drew close, voices echoed from inside.
"Now that Joey's joined us, we've got nothing to fear, right, Hizutani?" one said excitedly.
"Yeah, that's right! We'll be the strongest in this city!" Hizutani answered confidently.
Tristan didn't wait any longer. He shoved the plank aside and charged in with Yugi and Yuto.
"Joey!"
...
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