"Hey, I have an idea," the Heathen King said, "what about another wager? Do you see that?"

He pointed towards Tèa, Yugi, and Kaiba, who were all gathered in a circle, chatting away. Ishizu took in the fact that Kaiba seemed lightheaded, and Yugi looked slightly red in the face.

"Two boys, best friends, no less," the Heathen King continued.

"Oh, in love with the same girl!", Ishizu exclaimed.

"I believe we have our wager," the Heathen King said to Ishizu, "Which boy will marry the girl?"

Ishizu smirked. "Fine. We will each choose one of these boys as our champion."

The Heathen King nodded. Ishizu quickly spun around, and jumped off the top of the building she and the Heathen King were standing on. The Heathen King wrapped himself around in his black dragon-like wings, and did the same.

The two were standing on the ground, now, but not in their spiritual forms. The Heathen King had been transformed into a young man, with a deep brown skin tone that was identical to Ishizu's, wearing a white turban. Ishizu was now wearing a white dress, and wearing a hat that was gold in color.

"Well, Mana, let's go wish our poor heroes luck.", the Heathen King said to Ishizu, called Mana in her mortal form.

"You go first, Shadi," Mana commanded to the Heathen King, who as a mortal, was called Shadi.

The two separated their own paths, Mana headed toward Yugi, Shadi headed toward Kaiba.

Yugi, Kaiba, and Tèa were now separate, and Yugi was watching his grandfather play Duel Monsters, at this point. As he watched his grandfather put a card face down, Mana came from behind him.

"Hello, young man," she said to him, "do you play Duel Monsters?"

Yugi turned around to see her. He jumped back, startled. "Not really. I just watch."

"I've been playing Duel Monsters for years," Mana said, "I've gotten pretty good at it. Do you own any cards?"

"A few," Yugi said.

"Well, I was wondering, do you have a Kuriboh? I need one for my deck.", Mana said.

Yugi dug a Duel Monsters card out of his pocket, and handed it to Mana. "There. Any duelist is a friend of mine.", he said.

Mana smiled. "Thank you, young man. In return, you have my blessing. May your heart be always, pure and courageous."

Yugi nodded, as he watched Mana walk off in the distance. Mana hid behind a small building, as she watched Shadi have his interaction with Kaiba.

Kaiba was standing outside of Town Square, with his father. His father thought that dueling was important, but only for his business. Kaiba knew how to duel, and loved doing it, too. He always found a way to crush his opponent, whether it be by luck, spirit... or cheating.

"Do you see how many duelists there are, Seto? The more, the better. Soon, every duelist will come to us, begging to be given cards and lessons. I love the sound of that," Kaiba's father said.

Kaiba stayed silent. He had his head down, his eyes closed. He didn't see his father walk away into Town Square, and he didn't see Shadi come up from behind him.

"Young man," he said, making Kaiba jump, "would you happen to be a duelist?"

Shadi either didn't notice the fact that Kaiba had taken out a dagger, or he didn't care. Either way, Kaiba hastily put it away. "Yeah," he said, "What's it to you?"

Shadi smiled. "I was looking for a Kuriboh, to add to my deck. Would you happen to have one?"

Kaiba pulled a card out from his pocket, and flipped it around in his hand. "I don't care how common this card is, it's mine, and you can't tell me different! I'm not giving it up, unless you've got something to trade for it!"

Shadi smiled, and pulled out a card. It had a purple background, and the picture depicted a blue dragon with three heads.

"This is a rare card: the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon. I understand that you run a Blue-Eyes White Dragon deck, Seto Kaiba.", Shadi told him.

Kaiba stepped back. How did this stranger know his name, and what deck he used? Either way, that card would fit perfectly in his deck, and all this duelist wanted was a Kuriboh?

Kaiba threw the card at Shadi. "Take it," he said, "I've been meaning to get rid of it, anyway."

Shadi handed Kaiba the card, and got closer. "But, beware," he whispered, "there is a thief, who will stop at nothing to get that card."

Kaiba knew who Shadi was talking about. Emperor Alister of the Thieves. He called himself an emperor, but he just commanded a band of thieves to do his bidding. Nearly every theft in the town of Domino was by the hands of Emperor Alister and his band of cruel thieves. Kaiba had never wanted anything to do with them, but this card caught him up in it. Then again, having this rare card made him a powerful duelist.

"You mean Emperor Alister, don't you?", Kaiba asked.

He turned around for Shadi's answer, but Shadi had disappeared from the premises. Little did he know that Shadi was now Heathen King Bakura, and he was standing on the top of a nearby building, along with Ishizu.

"So," the Heathen King said to Ishizu, "if my boy marries the girl, we'll trade lands, and I'll rule the Land of Remembered Ones."

Ishizu smiled. She walked behind the Heathen King. "And, if my boy marries the girl, you will...", Ishizu started stroking the Heathen King's hair, "stop interfering with the affairs of man!" Ishizu hit him hard on the back of his head, and he let out a slight moan.

"No!", the Heathen King exclaimed. He was flapping his wings, and was now six inches above the ground, furious. "That's the only fun I ever get!"

"Then the bet is off," Ishizu told him, and walked to the side.

"Oh, my love. Well," the Heathen King said, "then, by the ancient rules," he shook hands with Ishizu, "the wager is set."