Ladies and gents, this is a short chapter, so expect another chapter today~

Yu-Gi-Oh! Power of the Elements

Chapter Two: Sail On

On the date appointed by their letters, all of the contestants for the Duelist's Eden assembled at the dock at Annapolis Harbor specified on their tickets. They were a mixed bag, from all over the country and perhaps in some cases even other countries. Among the eager crowd were the three duelists who had been under observation by the Queen of Oblivion and her King.

Christopher Kaniel, a master of magicians and warriors, whose ancient ancestor was the dark sorcerer who had helped imprison the Queen and her consort.

Guinevere Martins, whose formidable Gladiator Beasts could self-recycle, returning to the deck to bring out more powerful monsters. Her Wildmage ancestress, with her strong tie to animals, would have been proud.

Oliver Clayborne, a dragon master like his own ancient ancestor. His deck contained monsters that were not only among the strongest in the game, but that were despised by the Queen.

Currently, the three of them were total strangers to each other, coming from different states and backgrounds.

"Hey everybody," a young woman, in her early to mid-twenties, stood at the end of the gangplank, looking down at the gathered duelists. She was tall, with shoulder-length brown hair and brown eyes. "I'm Eleanor Vargas-Ella. I'm one of the members of the Duelist's Eden council, and I'll be your host for the beginning of our tournament. If everyone could file onto the boat in an orderly fashion…" She requested, then stepped out of the way as people began to crowd onto the gangplank. "Or you can just all run up like a bunch of stampeding animals." She muttered, away from the microphone.

As they boarded the boat, each duelist was checked for ticket and Crystal Cards, and their name was marked off a list of invitees. Once everyone was onboard, Ella picked up her microphone again.

"There are snacks in the onboard cafeteria. Dinner will be at six PM, and the cafeteria will have a full breakfast buffet starting at seven tomorrow morning." She announced. A small buzzing noise erupted form her pocket, and she tensed up, switching the microphone off. She pulled out her cell phone, answering it. "Hello?" She said nervously.

"Are the three 'special guests' on board?" The deep voice of the King of Oblivion sent chills up and down Ella's spine. She quickly checked the guest list.

"They are," she acknowledged.

"Excellent. Make sure they, and all our other guests, are well taken care of. If they are harmed, we will be most displeased, Eleanor." There was a click, and she knew the King had hung up. She relaxed.

"God help those kids," she said. "They'll need it."


Not far from Ella, one of the three she was so concerned for was wandering through one of the ship's many trading lounges. Oliver looked over the other participants, making last-minute edits to their decks and trading in hopes of improving them. He sat down at one of the tables, and began going through his deck to see if there was anything he could take out or put in. Then, he stopped and set the cards down. There was no point in switching around his deck, not now. He had worked hard for a long time to build it, and if it wasn't ready yet, it would never be.

"Working on your deck?" A feminine voice asked. Oliver looked up, suddenly discovering that there was someone else at the table-a pretty, pale girl with white-blonde hair and bright green eyes.

"No," he replied. "If it's not ready now, it never will be." He explained, and shrugged.

"Good philosophy." The girl replied, looking a little amused. "Honestly, I doubt that even if I did want to change mine around, there would be anyone here who would have what I might need." She shrugged. "Anyway, see you later." She stood up, turned, and walked off.

"Wait!" Oliver called, but it was too late. He sighed. "Didn't even get her name…"

On the other side of the lounge, Chris had noticed Oliver and Gwen talking. He briefly wondered if they knew each other, but brushed it off as unimportant. He was shuffling his deck in an almost bored manner. He pulled out his three rarest cards- Dark Magician, Dark Magician Girl, and Sorcerer of Dark Magic. There was a very interesting story behind how he got them, one he liked to keep to himself.

He shrugged, slipping them back into his deck with the barest hint of a smile. There was something almost…wrong about this tournament, but there was nothing he could do. Not yet, at least. Besides, who was he to look such a great gift horse in the mouth?