Lion's Mouth: Part I (Yu-Gi-Oh)

Chapter 9

"Oh my," Tea said in worry after Yugi destroyed one of Joey's best monsters.

"This is what I meant," Bakura said, referring to something he had mentioned earlier in the duel. "No matter what happens, Yugi keeps a laser-like focus and makes the big plays when they really count. And now I guess we'll see if Joey can do the same."

"How can Joey make a big play with that Dragon Champion out there?" Tristan asked.

"It's not about what's out. You see, just as Yugi was able to keep his cool while facing that Flame Swordsman, now Joey needs to maintain his focus even while he's being attacked by his best friend. He's being forced to think on his feet."

I gazed at the duelists, gripping the railing to hold in their strong emotions. "Why are they battling so hard?" I said. "They're fighting each other without anger. It feels like they're trying to do something... positive."

"I'm sure you can figure it out." Bakura placed a hand on my shoulder and gave me a gentle smile. "Don't focus entirely on the emotions themselves. Try to really think about it."

He wanted me to exert more control over my powers. I had failed in the past, but I wanted to try now. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. I felt the boys' emotions. With that I added everything I knew about them and their friendship. From there, I felt my intuition rise, attempting to guide me to the answer.

I opened my eyes and gasped. "They're pushing each other to duel their best so that whoever wins will have the best chance of beating Pegasus!"

Bakura smiled and nodded. "Very good."

"That's amazing," Tea said.

"Even though they're being forced to fight against each other, they've actually found a way to help each other. It's quite impressive."

This new revelation eased my concerns and lifted some of the burden off of me. Now that I knew the reasons behind the emotions I felt, it was much easier to handle them. I let go of the railing as I looked down at the duel.

Sure enough, Joey came back hard. The duel grew in intensity as it progressed. I found myself getting into it. I could not tell who was winning anymore. My intuition told me Yugi had to win, but... could he?

Joey now took more time to make his moves, and his choices seemed to be better for it. The hot-headed guy was finally thinking through his moves and using strategy to overcome his opponent. This battle must be so fierce because the two of them knew each other well. They could both come up with great plans of attack and defense!

Finally, Yugi gained the upper-hand when he defeated Black Skull Dragon, Joey's strongest monster, with a powered up Dark Magician. Joey tensed as he struggled with what to do.

"Poor Joey," Tristan said. "He really got slammed there. You think this duel's over for him?"

"Well, it depends on what he does next," said Bakura. "

I glanced at him. "Huh?"

"What do you mean?" Tea asked.

"Losing that Black Skull Dragon was a heavy loss but not a critical one," Bakura said. "If Joey can just pull himself together, he can still win this duel."

"But should he?" I said.

Tea frowned. "Why does it matter?"

I bit my lip and looked away. Bakura understood my question, but I knew the other two could not. They still did not understand. Joey was an amazing duelist, but could he really stand up to the power of the Millennium Eye? And what would Pegasus do if he missed his chance to obtain the Millennium Puzzle by defeating Yugi? I shivered at the thought.