It was the finals match at the international mah jong, riichi competition tournament. The stakes were higher than those found in underground Japanese mafia societies. Losing this tournament would mean living the rest of your life in debt – or worse: it could mean death.

The tournament would be broadcast, live, across all sports channels throughout the world. Everyone was interested – even the burly men who watched nothing but football. An international law had been established to allow for betting on this match, and everyone wanted a piece of the action. Who would win? The four masters of mah jong would soon face off.

On screen, there was an automatic mah jong table, 1-pin, 4 face down tiles, and the 2-pin. The table stood on a grand stage. Red, velvet carpet padded the steps up to the stage. Lighting was comparable to that of a rock concert. Strobe lights flared as an announcer with an all-too-godly-voice began to speak.

"Ladies and gentlemen of all nations!"

The announcer paused, and the same phrase was repeated in 25 other languages. "Are you ready for the greatest mah jong match in history?" The speaker paused again – this time, for dramatic effect.

"With 3 trillion British Pounds on the line, our four mah jong masters will have to put their lives on the line! These masters have conquered each of their opponents, literally wiping the floor with them!"

Pictures of former matches flashed across the screen. The darkened faces of the mah jong masters, towering over their conquered enemies were shown. Some of their opponents were dead. Others seemed to suffer from some psychological disorder. Some were pale, as if their blood had been sucked out of them. Others were burned. None were in good shape.

"Aaaaaand! Without further adieu, I give you the mah jong masters of the millennia!"

Dark silhouettes appeared behind the flashing strobe lights on stage. Steam rose from the ground, probably from dried ice. The first silhouette had large, spiky hair, and a thin body. He stood with his arms crossed. A spotlight landed on him.

"I give you, YUGI MOTO!"

"I now choose as my deck master, Mah Jong Warrior!"

Cheers erupted across the world as Yugi mimicked drawing a card from a non-existent deck on his arm, and flamboyantly placing the card onto a non-existent battlefield. A wave of holographic ripples appeared on Yugi's body, as he pretended to be summoned by a non-existent card.

Yugi approached the mah jong table. "I will now use the magical ability of Mah Jong Warrior to roll these dice and determine who the temporary dealer is! Activate magic card, Dice Roll!" Yugi rolled a 10, and took a seat.

The next silhouetted figure had a pointed nose that was much too big for his head. He was of a medium build, and had spiky hair, though he didn't use quite as much hair gel as Yugi. "Next, we have AKAGI! Master of the Japanese Underworld!"

Akagi stepped forward as a spotlight was shone on him. He said nothing, but just chuckled. He rolled a 7 and took a seat.

Next, a man stood, dressed in a suit. He was also of a medium build, and had rather normal hair. A spotlight shone on him, and an evil, red glint could be seen in his eyes. Behind him, an apple floated in the air, and bites could be seen coming out of the apple, though no one stood there.

"We now have YAGAMI LIGHT!"

Light walked up to the crowd and gave a short speech about the justice he would bring to the world if he won this tournament. Insolent fools, he thought. I am God! God does not lose at mah jong! He stepped up to the table, and rolled a 12, then laughed maniacally on the inside. Mwahahaha! See! He thought to himself.

The final figure was a shorter, mildly plump man. His silhouette showed that he was wearing a strange set of armor. Steam rose from in front of him, forming wisps in front of the topknot in his hair. A spotlight was shone on him.

The man stood, nonchalant, drinking a cup of hot, steamy tea. He seemed to be thinking of poetry. "Hello!" He exclaimed. "Mah jong is like a dark tunnel. You may not always see the light at the end of the tunnel, but if you keep moving, you will come to a better place."

"I give you UNCLE IROH!"

Iroh stepped up to the mah jong table, quietly sipping his tea. "Mah jong is like the rare white dragon bush. It can make a tea so delicious, it's heartbreaking. That, or, it is like the white jade bush, which is poisonous." Iroh rolled a 4.

"And now the world shall be silent as the game begins!"