Chapter 853: Is Joey Being Impersonated?
Although Atem had told Chumley and the others about his decision under the fireworks last night, he wasn't really in such a hurry that he had to leave immediately. At the very least, Atem would remain in the Real World until their trip in Egypt concluded.
A night passed, and the sun rose as usual. Due to Atem's words yesterday, Yugi hadn't slept particularly well. Even after washing up and leaving his room, he couldn't help but feel a little groggy, and his eyes immediately landed on Pegasus, who was elegantly enjoying something in the public lounge area.
"Good-Morning, Yugi-boy. Looks like you didn't get much rest last night?" Pegasus said gently, setting down his small cup. "Our journey today will be quite long, so you can get some more rest in the car."
"Hm, good morning, Pegasus-san."
Yugi also greeted him with a smile. Because Pegasus had placed his cup on the table, Yugi could see that it didn't contain black coffee, which foreigners were commonly thought to drink in the early morning. Instead, it was a cup of what looked like very sweet hot chocolate. No wonder Yugi had smelled chocolate the moment he saw Pegasus; he had initially thought he'd confused coffee beans with cocoa beans.
"Compared to the bitter taste of coffee, I've always preferred sweet chocolate cocoa. After all, I've never cared for this 'bitterness of adulthood' nonsense," Pegasus said with a smile, seemingly having seen through Yugi's thoughts. "So, would you like a cup too, Yugi-boy?"
While the chocolate certainly smelled good, Yugi felt he still couldn't stomach something so sweet first thing in the morning, especially with Pegasus actually using a fork to pick up a cream-filled cake slice to eat with the chocolate, making it even sweeter.
Waving his hand, Yugi declined Pegasus's offer, then heard Chumley's voice: "Who can eat something that sweet first thing in the morning, Pegasus? Your taste is way too weird."
"Exactly. What normal person drinks hot chocolate with cream cake first thing in the morning?" Marik's voice chimed in, agreeing.
Yugi nodded in agreement to their words. He looked over, but then froze, instinctively muttering, "But Chumley, Marik, you two are also…"
Holding a plate of curry, Marik took a spoonful and put it into his mouth. While eating the soft, mushy potatoes, he asked, a little confused, "Hm? What's wrong?"
"You say Pegasus eating sweets in the morning is weird, but you, Marik, aren't much better. Who eats curry first thing in the morning?" Chumley said, slightly muffled, holding a bowl of noodles and slurping a large mouthful.
"You're not much better yourself, Brother-in-law."
Although they were only staying for one night, the wealthy Pegasus didn't skimp and just pick any hotel. Instead, he lavishly booked eight of the top-tier suites at a local star-rated hotel in Luxor, ensuring each of the eight individuals had their own room to rest in.
While it seemed like they had no travel plans and just went wherever they pleased, they had at least done some basic research. The star-rated hotel they were currently staying at was not only in the best position to view the New Year's fireworks display, but it also offered the most diverse breakfast options, satisfying the needs of most guests.
However, before actually arriving here, Yugi hadn't imagined that this hotel could even accommodate requests like Marik's "pure vegetarian curry" or Chumley's "pork noodle soup made with a pound of finely diced lean pork belly."
Yugi ordered a Broad Bean Croquette and hamburger set. He saw Joey and the others gradually wake up and emerge from their rooms, so he greeted them. However, after learning about the extensive variety of dishes available at the hotel, Joey and the others also went to order dishes they usually wouldn't bother making themselves due to the hassle.
For example, Joey also got a plate of curry and asked the staff to add a side of fried pork cutlet.
As Joey walked back with his meal, he suddenly heard someone mention his name:
"That person over there, he looks like Joey Wheeler."
The language the speaker used was English, which Joey still barely understood (in his own words, "it doesn't know me, I don't know it"). But while he couldn't understand other words, Joey could at least understand his own name. He paused, looking towards the source of the voice that seemed to have recognized him.
Speaking were two young women dressed like socialites, who were turned sideways from him. Appearing in the public lounge area of this hotel's luxury suites, they were unlikely to be some 'fairies' crowdfunding rich women in chat groups. The two of them seemed not to notice Joey's gaze, continuing their conversation: "Really? But I don't think it looks like him?"
"It definitely is! I'll tell you, there's a way to identify powerful Duelists who are skilled at Duel Monsters: look at their hairstyles. The better someone is at Duel Monsters, the wilder their hair will be," the blonde girl, who had spoken first, said confidently after a pause. "Leaving others aside, Joey Wheeler's hairstyle is practically etched into my DNA!"
"Don't etch all sorts of random nonsense into your DNA! And I really don't understand why you idolize that guy named Joey Wheeler so much. Isn't he just someone who relies purely on his Luck to Duel?"
"Don't you dare talk about Joey Wheeler like that! Do you know how hard he works? No one knows better than me! Mr. Joey Wheeler practiced diligently for two and a half years to reach his current level, you hater!"
"Hmph, Lord Chumley will definitely wipe the floor with Joey!"
"Wipe your butt!"
In just a few sentences, the two best friends, who were just getting along, started arguing, verbally attacking each other over the Duelists they admired.
Behind Joey, Tristan urged him curiously, "What are you doing, Joey? Don't stop and block the way."
"No, Tristan, I just heard someone over there mention my name, and even though I didn't quite understand, I think Chumley's name was also brought up," Joey said, a bit troubled. "As expected, it's because my fame as Joey-sama is too great; I must have been recognized by my fans."
"Uh, was it those two ladies over there? It seems they really did mention your name." Tristan's English was much better than Joey's, but still only halfway decent. Speaking a couple of sentences was his limit; he couldn't do simultaneous translation. He could only confirm that the two girls had indeed repeatedly mentioned Joey's name.
Turning back, Tristan sized up Joey, returning his proud expression with a skeptical glance: "But for you to have fans? No way. They didn't even look at you when they were talking, alright?"
"Hmph, then I'll show you. Here, take this."
Handing his curry to Tristan, Joey strode forward towards the two arguing girls: "Excuse me, ladies, did you just mention 'Joey Wheeler'?"
That sentence nearly exhausted Joey's entire English vocabulary. Although his pronunciation was clumsy, Joey believed that once he showed his face, the two girls would surely recognize him.
Hearing a strange voice, the two girls stopped arguing and looked at Joey. But to Joey's expectant gaze, the blonde girl, who seemed to be a fan of Joey, frowned: "Tch, who are you? You have the same hairstyle as Joey Wheeler. Are you trying to emulate him?"
"It's useless. So what if you have the same hairstyle? Do you think you can become as amazing a Duelist as Mr. Joey Wheeler?"
"Huh?" Joey was taken aback by this. From the girl's annoyed expression, he half-understood, half-guessed that something was off.
What's with this talk about "the same hairstyle"? But I *am* Joey Wheeler! Am I being doubted about my identity? Something feels wrong here. How am I supposed to prove I'm me?
"Exactly, exactly! While I still think Joey Wheeler is just some amateur, a Second-rate Duelist, not even worth a single hair of Mr. Chumley's... he's not someone you, who looks like a delinquent hooligan who hasn't even completed his Duel Academy Graduation and has terrible grades, can try to impersonate!"
The girl's friend chimed in, pulling on the blonde girl's arm as she spoke, "Especially since you're on the same floor as this hotel's luxury suites. Even a passerby like me knows that Joey Wheeler is poor. At least put some effort into your act!"
"Let's go, honey. Let's go downstairs and check if that really was Joey Wheeler. Wasting time is better than running into another guy trying to hit on us."
The two girls left. Tristan walked over, holding Joey's curry and his own pancakes. He looked at Joey, who was slumped on the ground in despair (OTZ), and immediately rushed to tease him: "Hahahaha, you weren't recognized at all, Joey! Are you trying to make me laugh myself to death so I can't get close to Shiz…"
Tristan's words cut short just as he was about to reveal too much. Joey, however, didn't pay attention to what Tristan almost let slip, wearing an annoyed expression: "Damn it, I don't even understand what those two were talking about anymore. It's one thing not to recognize me, but they were spot on with their judgments."
"No, wait, I get it! It must be because they saw someone impersonating me on one of the lower floors, which is why they didn't recognize me. I don't know who it is, but it's unforgivable!"
After a sudden sneeze from Pegasus in the distance, Joey stomped angrily towards the elevators, wanting to see which floor those two girls had gone to to meet the person impersonating him. Tristan, resigned, carried Joey's abandoned curry back to Chumley and the others, explaining Joey's whereabouts.
"Can I eat this?" Marik asked, removing the fried pork cutlet, then took Joey's curry and added some spicy miso. Chumley, upon hearing what happened to Joey, and being someone with an exceptionally strong desire for entertainment, had just finished his meal. He left Marik, who declared "I'll eat two servings," at the table. As for Pegasus, he still hadn't finished his cloyingly sweet cake, and Yugi and the others had only just begun their meal.
Seeing that Chumley would go down with Joey, everyone, who had initially been worried that Joey, not knowing a single word of the local language, might cause trouble, immediately relaxed and enjoyed their respective breakfasts.
Meanwhile, Chumley, due to the luxury suites having a private elevator, immediately noticed that the elevator was currently stopped on the first floor. He realized that the two girls Joey and Tristan mentioned had most likely gone to the first floor. He then took the elevator down to the first floor, searching for Joey, who had arrived there earlier.
However, before he could find Joey, he heard people among the hotel guests moving about on the first floor also mentioning Joey's name.
"Hey, hurry up! If you're too slow and miss seeing the Legendary Duelist, don't blame me."
"But I heard that person claimed he wasn't that Joey Wheeler? Is it true or not?"
"Nonsense! If you were a celebrity, would you want to be recognized eating a cheap hotel buffet? It must be true!"
Although the language the passersby were speaking was Arabic, Chumley understood it easily, and his eyebrow twitched. There really *was* someone impersonating Joey? No, from what he heard, the person who looked like Joey didn't actually claim to be Joey. This was getting interesting! He had to go join the fun immediately.
Inconspicuously, Chumley blended in with the group of passersby who seemed to know exactly where they were going to find someone, and followed them into the hotel's first-floor buffet restaurant.
The moment he stepped into the buffet restaurant, there was no need to rely on those passersby for guidance. With just one glance, Chumley noticed the figure surrounded by many people by the long table laden with food.
"I already told you, I'm not that Joey guy! Are you Egyptians face blind?! What part of me looks like him!? Don't bother me while I'm getting food! The buffet is only for two hours!"
Despite his insistence, the crowd around him didn't believe it at all, continuing to surround him and cause him great distress.
Chumley hadn't expected such a coincidence: he actually knew the person in the buffet restaurant being mistaken for Joey. However, he didn't plan to show himself to the person, because he noticed Joey also appearing in the buffet restaurant, and realized that Joey had likewise noticed this side of the room.
After searching almost the entire first floor, Joey finally found the guy impersonating him, surrounded by many female fans, in the buffet restaurant. How enviable... no, how detestable! Joey stomped angrily towards him.
"I finally found you, you imposter—Huh? It's *you*?!"
Mid-sentence, Joey himself froze upon seeing the person's true face. And that person, as if seeing a savior, quickly shouted, "Why are you just standing there watching, Joey?!"
Waving at Joey, the person explained to the surrounding crowd again, "That blond guy over there is the Joey Wheeler you're looking for! My name is Rex, remember that properly!"
(end of chapter)