Chapter 17: A Woman Like the Wind

One week later, at 9:00 PM, Domino City Port.

Having gathered beforehand at Hayato's house, Yugi and his friends arrived at the port half an hour early, only to find a large crowd already assembled there.

"There must be at least over a hundred people here! There are surprisingly a great many people invited by Pegasus to Duelist Kingdom." Traveling light with only a single deck on him, Jonouchi looked at the bustling crowd on the pier and complained angrily, "He invited so many people yet didn't include great Jonouchi-sama. That bastard Pegasus is truly infuriating."

"And these duelists aren't even all of them; they're just from one region in Japan. I'm afraid the total number of duelists gathered for Duel Monsters might already exceed a thousand," Hayato said, looking around, though he paused slightly when he noticed Jonouchi carrying nothing at all. "Jonouchi, didn't you bring a pack?"

"Huh? Why would I bring a pack? Aren't we just going to a dueling tournament?" Hearing Hayato's words, Jonouchi finally noticed that Yugi, Anzu, and Honda all had bulging backpacks, leaving only Hayato and himself completely unburdened. "Besides, didn't you not bring anything either, Hayato?"

"Even though it's a Duel Monsters tournament, don't forget that the competition venue is on a private island. Think, think, Jonouchi. If we arrive on an island with so many participants, do you think Pegasus will be kind enough to take care of every single contestant?"

"More likely, he'll make us survive in the wild and then fight pairwise against any duelists we happen to encounter, right?"

Listening to Hayato, Jonouchi grew somewhat flustered: "Then what should we do now?"

"There's no helping you, Jonouchi. When the time comes, I'll share a bit of my food with you." Looking at Jonouchi, who was currently imagining his future self starving with a despairing expression, Honda sighed helplessly. "In exchange, you'd better achieve something decent this time."

"That goes without saying! Thanks a lot, Honda." Hearing Honda's words, Jonouchi smiled carefree again and patted Honda's shoulder.

"Please, my pack is entirely full of food and water; it's very heavy. If you hit me again, you're carrying it."

"No way."

Right at that moment, a group of staff members dressed in black suits appeared on the dock. The leader among them stood upon an elevated platform, holding a large megaphone, and shouted: "Chosen duelists! Welcome to the tournament specially hosted by Industrial Illusions!"

In an instant, everyone's attention was drawn over.

"Everyone present here consists of elites selected through our special investigations regarding Duel Monsters. Opportunity is equal for everyone. Now, the radiance of glory shines above your heads—" The black-suited man, whose plain hairstyle clearly marked him as someone who didn't play card games, raised his hand toward the side. Beside the pier, a luxurious cruise ship lowered its boarding ramp. "Alright, duelists, cross the sea, contend for honor, and set off together for the Kingdom!"

Though he looked like a mere grunt, the black-suited man's speech was quite stirring. Many of the duelists present were inspired into a heated frenzy, and Jonouchi was so fired up he wished he could duel these people right now. Even Yugi was filled with anticipation for Duel Kingdom.

Hayato had no room to judge others, because even he, upon imagining the scene after becoming a true duelist—the King of Duels—could not help but feel his heart surge with excitement.

Once boarding was announced, the crowd gathered on the dock consciously formed a long line, orderly showing their Star Chips to the men in black and completing registration before boarding. Although the men in black tried to chase Honda and the others away since they didn't possess Star Chips, the moment Hayato displayed his "Duel Monsters" card, the attitudes of the men in black instantly inverted, becoming utterly deferential.

Aboard the cruise ship, Jonouchi leaned against the railing, gazing at the distant ocean view: "Even though I saw it many times on the way to Hayato's house, seeing it from a cruise ship gives it a completely different feel. That guy Pegasus actually has some tricks up his sleeve."

"After all, thanks to Duel Monsters, Industrial Illusions has accumulated quite a fortune over the years," Hayato fondled the "Duel Monsters" card. "Besides, I remember a saying: 'Status dictates mindset.' The same scenery appears poetic and picturesque in the eyes of the rich, while poor folks just think the mushrooms here look nice enough to pick and take home for soup."

Just as the group was chatting, a seductive laugh came from close by: "What an interesting analogy, humorous little mister, though you really shouldn't eat mushrooms from the wild~"

Hayato turned his head to see a cascade of long, golden hair. The speaker was a tall woman dressed in a sexy purple outfit, wearing thigh-high high heels. As a gentle breeze swept past, it carried an elegant yet subtle, pleasant fragrance of perfume.

"S-So beautiful~" Jonouchi and Honda's eyes glazed over instantly, staring straight at the blonde woman, their gazes repeatedly drifting between her long, slender, fair legs—unobscured by her short skirt—and her extremely prominent assets. Even Yugi's face blushed slightly, causing Anzu to look irritated and jealously compare the gap between herself and the blonde woman, before suddenly falling into dejection.

"And this lady is?" Hayato looked at the blonde woman who had approached them. Although equally amazed, his preference was for long, dark hair, so he merely looked at her with an appreciative gaze. Though he recognized her identity, he still asked.

"My name is Mai Valentine. Like you, I'm a duelist who received an invitation." Mai answered Hayato. Seeing that Hayato's eyes lacked the lecherous gaze she so often saw in men, Mai felt somewhat pleased, but she still looked toward her primary target for this conversation—Yugi. "You must be Yugi Mutou, right? I never expected we would end up on the same ship as a celebrity in the Duel Monsters circle."

"A celebrity?" Anzu tilted her head, utterly unable to connect those four words with Yugi.

"Having defeated Kaiba, who simultaneously held the three strongest White Dragons, Yugi's fame in the Duel Monsters circle is massive. Strictly speaking, his renown is almost catching up to Pegasus, because among all duelists who have appeared so far, his dueling strength is second to none," Hayato explained. "In other words, he's a favorite to win the championship; it's only natural that people would recognize him, right?"