Mai Valentine

Name: Mai Valentine

Age: 24

Nationality: American

Special Skills: Gaming, boosting other people's confidence

Likes: Gaming, Joey, Valon

Best Friend: Joey

Background: Mai was orphaned at a young age and was always alone. Although she had wealth, she felt empty. When she grew up, she often looked for ways to make money or boost her confidence, such as by working as a poker dealer on a cruise ship. When she learned how to play Duel Monsters, she liked the game a lot but lacked confidence to play in tournaments. She used a perfume trick, spraying each card with a different perfume, so she would always know what card she had and be able to freak out her opponents. Joey discovered her trick and knocked it down, however, and from then on she played honorably and even gave confidence to Yugi, Joey, and others when they were dealing with demons of their own.

Over time, Joey, Yugi, and the others gradually began to make an impression on Mai's lonely heart and she started to believe they were genuine and really wanted to be her friends, unlike others she had met who betrayed her. But thanks to Yami Marik's cruelty, her self-confidence and her trust in her friends was shattered and she developed a psychological fear of losing, associating it with being sent to the Shadow Realm and suffering with all of her worst fears made manifest. In this fragile state, Valon convinced her to join with Dartz, and she accepted the promise of power without knowing what she would have to do to have it. By the time she learned she had to steal people's souls for the Orichalcos, it had already claimed her its and darkened her heart and mind enough that she agreed.

Joey finally got through to Mai after several attempts and she refused to take his soul even though the Orichalcos had convinced her she had to do it to get on with her life. She rebelled and fought against Dartz, only to lose her own soul.

Upon being restored, she was sickened at everything she had done while under the control of the Orichalcos and left, promising silently to return when she believed in herself again. She intended to see both Joey and Valon again, as they are both special to her in different ways, but for ages she could not manage to regain enough confidence and courage to go back. She did, however, help Duke, David, and Serenity when she found them in a desperate predicament in Germany.

After a chance meeting with Jean-Claude Magnum and discovering that he still believes money and fame are everything, she realized how ridiculous it was to think that becoming a better Duelist could make up for the hurt she brought to everyone. She returned to Domino to apologize, just in time to be caught up in the madness created by the Big 5 when they commandeered Seto's augmented reality game for themselves. She fought against them along with everyone else and has been warmly welcomed and accepted back into the group by almost everyone. Tristan was still suspicious for a while, worried about Joey being hurt again.

Personality: Mai comes across as a tough girl, but it's a facade for the scared girl hiding underneath. She longs desperately for friends, yet feels unworthy of them after what she's done. Even after receiving Joey's forgiveness and feeling able to be with him and the others again, she still struggles with her self-worth and forgiving herself for the past. Yami Marik's emotional scars still run deep.

Differences between the timelines: The old timeline had Mai along on many adventures before the Doom Arc aired. After it aired, mentions were made of her reconciling with Joey and Valon. In the new timeline, she took a very long time to come back, but now she finally has! I felt I had to get it just right, especially since she left in canon with the nonsensical idea that becoming a better Duelist was the only way she felt she could feel better about herself after what she did and be worthy enough to go back to the people she had hurt. I think I finally hit on an explanation that works.