Joey had been coming over to the house the past week for private lessons in Duel Monsters. With him coming over, I was about to get some idea of what I should know about my own deck and apply it for effective strategies. Knowing my deck was important in understanding how to use them correctly. I was glad Grandpa went easier on me, when it came to teaching me how to play. Why was Grandpa going easier on me? Did he think I was not capable of pushing myself? Or did he think I needed a more gentle approach? Maybe it was a good thing he didn't push me too hard, Grandpa was making Joey give it his all. Yugi taught me more by practicing during our free time. I would ask Yugi questions about the cards in my deck, and he would answer the best way he could. I felt like we had been getting closer by spending time together like this. I had also began to get to know the rest of Yugi's friends. They were not so bad once I let my guard down around them. I knew that was a big risk for me but I trusted Yugi more than anyone.

While we were gathered around in the living room Grandpa came in with a package for Yugi.

"Who's it from, Yugi?" Téa asked.

"It's from Industrial Illusions," Yugi eagerly replied.

"How come you got mail from them?" I wondered, then paused as I had no idea who or what that is. "Who are they exactly?"

"That's the company that created the Duel Monsters game," Joey explained.

"I see," I said as I peered down at the mystery box. That was awfully strange, for a company as big as the creators of Duel Monster, to be contacting Yugi personally. How did they know about Yugi or his mailing address? This made me a little uncomfortable, but it could be good news. "Wonder what's in it..."

The championship duel happening in Tokyo was live on television, drew our attention away from the parcel. The match was between Weevil Underwood, the Insect specialist, and Rex Raptor, the Dino Duelist. The bowl hair cut on the insect duelist grossed me out a bit; no one really wore that haircut anymore. Not only that, but with that look on his face, he seemed malicious in nature. He was not someone I believed I would be able to trust. I had my money on Raptor because he looked more tough than that insect duelist. Though, size does not always matter. Both of these kids look about my age or younger.

"So, are these duelists any good, Yug?" Joey asked, gesturing to the screen. I wondered that, too, however I didn't feel like talking over the television. These duelist looked tough, I bet they'd be able to duel circles around me and maybe other shapes besides. As if I would get the chance to go up against those guys. They were champion duelist… I was simply a novice. At least Joey and I have something in common; our new interest in Duel Monsters, and we were both amateurs.

"Yes, Weevil is a strategist while Raptor uses his monsters' powers to overwhelm his opponents," Yugi explained.

"So, there are different methods to defeating your opponent?" I wondered.

"Yeah. Everyone plays differently," he said with a short smile. "It's all a matter what works for you."

I pondered about my what kind of dueling strategy I use get accustomed to. I looked through my deck and stopped at first monster I drew, which was one of my fairy dragons. With myself laid back into the couch I admire the design on it. The dragon was kind of cute, green little guy with petite wings. No sign of legs or arms. I kept admiring the card in my hand until I heard klrrrr sound.

"What was that?" I said aloud.

"What was what, Abigal?" Téa looked at me as I put my card back into my deck.

I paused for a minute, trying to hear it again but all I could hear was the television. "Never mind," I shook of the question. Where did that sound come from? Surely not from the Fairy Dragon.

The sound of the crowd cheering from the television redirected attention. Maybe I was going crazy for hearing such sounds. But Rex Raptor and Weevil Underwood were battling for the championship cup, so I wanted to pay closer eye on this duel, maybe I could learn something to apply to my own style. Rex played a Twin-headed T-Rex monster then Weevil played a weak bug card and placed a card faced down. Rex was quick to fall for Weevil's trap. Forcing his dinosaur to be unable to attack. Weevil then equipped his monster with some kind of magic card, which gave his insect a big power boost. Enough to destroy Rex's monster. Eventually, the game was over and Weevil won the match.

"That was a good match," I heard Yugi say as I walked into the kitchen to fetch a drink.

"Yugi, you were caught up in the tournament that you forgot about your package," Grandpa said. He seemed more eager about the parcel than Yugi did, though I was a little eager to know what was inside as well.

"Oh right," he said as he opened it up. I was still in the kitchen, gathering cookies on a plate for everyone to snack on.

I heard Tristan say that there was a glove, two gold star chips, two cards and a video tape. There was nothing else in the box so they figured that the tape would have more information. I heard the voice of very prestigious sounding man from the television, addressing himself to Yugi. He said he would like to congrate Yugi on his victory with Seto and would like to personally invite Yugi to participate in the Duelist Kingdom tournament, that he was hosting, in a week. As I walked towards the group, in the living room. Everything started to grow cold and dark. I couldn't move but I could still hear and see, though it seemed like everyone else was frozen in time.

What was going on? Why couldn't I move my body? I panicked in my frozen state. How could this happen? My heart pounded against my chest. Where was this power coming from? I kept trying to move myself closer to Yugi but nothing. It was like my entire physical body was shackled by darkness. I shifted my attention to the television screen, my eyes were the only part of me that could still move, and I could hear everything. My mind and body felt as if they were disconnected from the material world. Like reality was non-existent for the moment. Even though I could not move my head, I still tried to look down at my physical body, there was no sign of breathing, but the warmth of my breath touched my nostrils. I could not move anything! Why?

Joey, Tristan, Téa and Grandpa were all frozen, like they were unable to do anything. How was it that I was still able to see Yugi and the picture on the television screen? The person responsible for all this was Maximillion Pegasus, the man who created duel monsters. This was getting really strange. Pegasus challenged Yugi to a duel. But how could this happen against a recording? Yugi agreed to the match, idea of Pegasus putting all of us in danger made him angry. I could see the puzzle around in his neck glow. Magic? But how? I thought it was just a piece of ancient jewelry. His voice was deeper and I felt something else, like it wasn't actually Yugi anymore but his body remained the same. Was this the same thing that happened during his duel with Seto Kaiba?

As the duel began, Pegasus explained that the world he took Yugi was called the Shadow Realm. The place where the monsters actually come to life and someone's soul will be captured when there was a loser. I did not think Pegasus was aware that I was able to know everything that was going on. What? Was this man serious? Someone was going to lose their soul? Whose soul did he plan on taking? And there was no way that these monsters are real. Yugi then summoned a monster named Koumori Dragon but it got caught by Pegasus's trap, Dragon Capture Jar. That was a trap card that takes a dragon from the opponent. Pegasus was able to predict Yugi's moves, that was the conclusion I came up with. But how? Every play that Yugi was making was not successful. Then Pegasus explained that he too had a Millennium Item called the Millennium Eye and he planned on taking Yugi's puzzle for himself. He had no regular left eye so the golden item took its place.

"What if I told you that the game we're playing wasn't actually created by me?" Pegasus asked. "That this game was created a very long time ago."

"What?" Both of us were shocked.

"That's right, Little Yugi. About five thousand years ago, Egyptians used to summon these monsters for power, bringing about mass destruction. A brave Pharaoh sealed away these monsters in stone tablets and only those trusted were allowed to use these monsters," Pegasus explained. "So, as you see, I did not create the game. Just revived it to modern society."

If that were true, wouldn't that mean bringing this game back to life cause a possible impending doom to the Earth once again? What if someone could access the powers like Pegasus and use it for more evil purposes? What kind of madness have Pegasus revived into modern society? If they were so dangerous, then what makes anyone think they wouldn't be so dangerous now? This had to be a joke.

Not all of us are bad, I heard a majestic male voice say over my anxiety. Struggling to shift my eyes around the room, the voice came from the monster Yugi just put out to play; Dark Magician.

Now I knew I was going crazy. It just sounded like that magician could talk. There was no possible way! I kept my eyes on the playing field, long enough to see the Dark Magician glancing in my direction before attacking Pegasus's monster. This had to be dream! A Duel Monster just spoke to me and I could understand his words! And because of Dark Magician and his faith in the heart of the cards, Yugi started to have lead on Pegasus but, sadly, the fifteen minute time limit on this duel was up. It was over. Yugi failed to meet the challenge through no fault of his own. Pegasus wanted Yugi to play in the tournament and "no" was not going to be an answer. Before the tape turned off, a light beam of magic shot out of Pegasus's golden eye and hit Grandpa. Within a blink of my violet eyes, I saw Grandpa calling out to Yugi from the television screen as everyone was able to move again.

I fell to my knees, stunned by what I just witnessed. This could not be happening! This man has Grandpa's soul! First my parents, and now Grandpa? How come everyone I chose to get close to always got taken away from me? Maybe I was cursed, destined to have no family. Téa then came over to me and wrapped a comforting arm around my back. I was too much in shock to fight off Téa's embrace. Yugi was yelling for Grandpa at the screen. I could not blame him, both of us had no idea what was going on. Joey and Tristan both looked at each other, oblivious to the situation.

"He took Grandpa," I breathed.

"Who are you talking about?" Joey questioned as he knelt down to me with a hand on my back. "You mean Pegasus?" I forced a nod as I looked down at the floor, refusing to give anyone eye contact.

"But how?" Tristan raised his tone, clenching his fist.

"Whatever magic Pegasus was using took the soul from Grandpa," Yugi hit his fist to the floor. I found myself crawling over to Yugi. He was enraged from not being able to protect Grandpa. "How come you were able to know what happened in the shadow realm?" His weeping eyes shifted towards me.

"I… I don't know," I softly said, with my head down. "All I know is that that was an experience I never want to happen again."

"What was it like?" Téa wondered, sounding concerned.

"Cold and terrifying. Like, my body was restrained while my mind was still full functional," I said without giving eye contact. My mouth moved but I tried hard to not think about it. My eyes shifted to Grandpa, who was passed out on the floor. This was going to be a hard one to explain…

...I laid in my bed, wide awake as the final part of the week crept up. Grandpa was admitted into the hospital. We had no choice but to put him there and we explained to the doctor what happened, without telling him about magic or who the perpetrator was. While the man did not seem to believe us, he agreed to take care of him until we came home. It was quiet in the house, there were no lights on. All I could hear were the soft murmurs of the refrigerator. I wondered if Yugi was still awake. It would be a big day for him tomorrow, so maybe he was asleep by now. We hardly spoke throughout the week. Not like we did not have anything to say but words could not come out. I would take care of the meals like usual, but it was heartbreaking to set the table for just two people, rather than three. However, Yugi had not given up. There was still determination. The brightness of the moon's light glistening from the window above. I just looked up at the night sky, pondering on what was yet to come. I came to the conclusion that my dueling skills must improve, in order to save Grandpa. In all my life, I never knew that a card game would be the one thing that could save my family from disaster.

I came up with an idea. My body jolted out of bed before the moment could pass. I got out a burgundy glove from the closet, I made sure it was right shade, then began to make my own Duelist Kingdom gauntlet. I started by cutting off the fingers as far as the second knuckle, sewing up the ends to make it more neat. Then I began to think about to use for rest of the glove. For the details, to make it look authentic, I would have to be clever. Then I got the idea of using cardboard. Grandpa gets a lot of that since he owns a card shop. I ran down the stairs and brought up the boxes up to work my magic. Hopefully, I could make this work.

Before I knew it, daybreak was just peaking over the horizon. My eyes were really heavy by now, but I did it. My glove looks almost identical to Yugi's, I even made fake stars and glued them inside the right star holes. Once I got admitted to the tournament, I could get rid of it. This was only to get me far enough to make it look like I was in the game. Yugi was more experienced in dueling, so I couldn't actually compete… could I? I looked at the time then gave a heavy yawn. I was at my desk all night finishing this project, some sleep could do me good, I simply laid my head down on my arms and drifted off to sleep. Dreams started to take hold. Nothing I ever dream were usually good. But this time it was.

My entire family was having a picnic. My mother and father, Yugi and Grandpa, and I. I had no memory of other relatives. So this was my only and real family. Yugi and I were our current age, all of us were chatting and laughing over deli ham and cheese sandwiches. Mom served everyone soda to drink. My father was the way he was before the spell broke, joyous and happy. This was paradise. Everyone seemed so happy and at peace. I was in love with this moment. No chaos, just love. No interruptions of evil forces and my mother was alive. Could this moment be any better?

My eyes then scanned the scene once again, but I this time saw something in the distance. It was an armored soldier. Greenish human flesh on the face but that was the only bit of flesh to be seen. The rest of his body was covered in blue and green armor. He held a shield and a mighty sword. The mysterious person just stood there, eyes directly on me. This was the same person that kept showing up in some of my other dreams. Could he be a Duel Monster? If so, which one? I tried calling out to him, but I got no answer. His purple eyes kept looking in my direction, like he was staring straight into my mind. As I kept looking at him, a wordless conversation was spoken between us. Should I trust him? I tried calling out again, but there was no reply. I looked to Yugi and the other, no one seemed to notice that I was raising my voice at this strange man in armor.

"What do you want from me?" I screamed.

"I need you to wake up!" I jolted out of my desk chair as Yugi rudely yelled in my ear.

I looked up at Yugi from the warm carpet floor. All of that was a dream? Of course, my parents are dead and Grandpa was captured, I couldn't allow myself to be caught in the illusions of my dreams. Yugi was in front of me and I was sure he would understand how I was feeling but I could not show him my emotional pain. Not because I didn't trust him but I didn't want him to feel any worse about the situation. He looked like he has own emotions were settled and he was fully determined to tackle whatever challenges awaited him.

"You spent the whole night making this?" he asked as he noticed my handy work.

"Yeah. I just need it to get as far as Duelist Kingdom. When I get there, I can just keep a low profile," I shrugged hoping he would approve. The really did look almost identical to Yugi's authentic one.

"You did a good job, even the places where the stars go look legit," Yugi complimented.

"Thanks." I blushed, rubbing that back of my head. "We better start packing."

As the day went on, we started packing a knapsack each. I started packing the necessities, like clean underwear and soap. Then I thought about food. I looked through the cupboards and picked out any quick canned foods. I took the manual can opener from the drawer and put that in the bag along with plastic bowls and eating utensils. Maybe a pot will do as well. I hated the reason for all this gear. Why couldn't I simply live a normal life with Yugi and Grandpa? Maybe this was my punishment for wanting more.

It was time. Everyone pitched in together to pay for a taxi to take us to the dock. Joey was determined to enter in this tournament as well. He was going to help us get Grandpa back. After we got to the dock, there was no sign of Téa or Tristan. Where could they have gone? We were rushed by the dockers to get on the boat. I hoped they found a way to make it safely on board. I quickly put on my fake duelist glove. Getting on to the boat was easier than I thought, having a gauntlet was proof that I was invited. One of the security guards looked at me, he glared in my direction, like he knew something was up. Did my glove not look the part or was it because of how I was acting? Sweat poured from my neck, I was so nervous. I had to practice my poker face, it could save me in the long run. If these men knew something was up, I would not be able to help Yugi save Grandpa.

I looked over my shoulder to notice Yugi and Joey were nowhere to be seen. I spotted them still at the security pass. There were issues with Joey getting on to the ship. The guard did not see any star chips in Joey's possession, which a contestant needed in order to participate in the tournament. Yugi, being the kind person he was, gave Joey one of his two star chips, even though that was a risky move. But it did not bother him and, because of that, Joey was able to get onto the ship.

"Look at all the duelists." Yugi was in awe as we settled to the main deck. There were people from different parts of the world. I spotted Rex Raptor and Weevil Underwood among the crowd.

"This is amazing. There's so many!" Joey gawked, echoing the sentiment.

Most of the people were sat down with each other, either trading or practice dueling. A lot of these duelists looked really serious, which was intimidating; I didn't think I could stand a chance against any one of these people. Joey, however, ran over to some people in hopes to get some good trades. His enthusiasm was relaxing, somehow. With all this tension in the room, some positivity could do us good.

"You must be Yugi Moto," said the sly guy with beetle glasses. Everything about this kid gave me the creeps. I was aware that this was Weevil from the championships, but seeing that bowl style haircut in person was even less attractive. I felt like getting the bug spray and pouring it over him. I remembered the last time a beetle came across my path, it did not end well. Maybe one of us could have the opportunity to stomp on him, like that beetle.

"And you're Weevil Underwood. We seen your match on TV. Congratulations on winning." Yugi smiled, his praise genuine and sincere.

I was looking at myself in the mirror. I picked an outfit to make myself look a little like I meant business. Purple turtleneck shirt with a V cut out at the chest, showing cleavage, but maybe it could attract a few duels? I patted off my black spandex that went down as far as my knees. My socks were cute, yellow with black stripes at the end of them, which rose mid leg. For footwear I thought it would be best to wear something comfortable, in my case a simple pair of black flats did justice. The cut from that day left a scar on my cheek. Was that going to be my reminder? That Calcifer caused a world of pain for me? I sighed as I fixed up my hair, this bang was a little less attractive but there was no arguing with this one. I noticed Weevil staring at me, I watched him from the corner of the mirror. He was talking to Yugi but I think he wanted to know more about me.

"Do you know who that girl is by the mirror?" the bug duelist asked, gesturing to me for emphasis. My lip curled slightly; I wasn't sure if I appreciated his interest.

"Yes, she's my cousin," Yugi answered straightly.

"She's pretty cute," Weevil commented, and my skin crawled. Perhaps he could be a nice guy, I really shouldn't be judging him, but… no, I was not appreciating it at all. "Does she duel?" he then questioned.

"Well, she's fairly new at it, so her dueling skills aren't as advanced." My cousin looked over his shoulder at me.

"Such a shame. A novice like her will be kicked out of the tournament fast." Weevil snickered. That sleaze, I could tell he by his tone that he was plotting something. This was making me even more uncomfortable. Two boys were talking about me as I fixed myself. Shaking my head, I tuned them out and continued on my way. I walked around the corner and glanced down at the glove on my arm. It was already starting to fall apart. Of course it was, it was only made from cheap cloth and cupboard. It was nothing like the real ones that let these duelists participate in the tournament. Maybe, if I could get my hands on an actual dueling gauntlet, I could-

No! I told myself I was not going to participate. But this was my chance to improve on my dueling skills. I had to figure out a way to get rid of the fake and switch for a real one. I looked around and noticed there were a couple of kids that didn't have their gloves on yet. Joey was still trading cards with people and I just walked around everyone and plotted how I could go about switch out the gloves, without anyone noticing. If Yugi found out about this, he'd be furious. I was doing this for Grandpa! That was my excuse. I came across the kids on the floor, dueling against each other. I made it look like I tripped over someone's foot and landed flat on my face. Through the commotion and confusion, I wouldas about to sneak my fake in and grabbed the real one and-.

"Are you okay, miss?" asked a kid.

Oh, crap, they were speaking to me! What should I do?! "Yeah, sorry. I was just thinking and forgot to look at where I was going." I knocked myself on the head, my tongue poking out briefly in a childish attempt to play cute. Play dumb, maybe they wouldn't suspect anything and I could get away. I turned away and cursed at myself for being so weird. Even though the plan work, that really hurt. The floor was not worth kissing. I had to make sure there was not any blood coming from anywhere on my face. Luckily, I managed to avoid major injuries. What was I thinking?

"Are you on this boat for this tournament as well?" ask one of the boys. I nodded, deciding it was best that I said nothing more on the subject. I didn't want to give myself away.. "Would you like to duel with us?" he asked.

"Uh… Sure." I was a little hesitant, but maybe practicing with them would not be such a bad idea. "I'm a little new at this game. So, forgive me if I make silly mistakes."

"Hang on, before we start, you should tell us how you were able to get in this tournament," said another kid. He was much more serious. I could tell he did not trust me. He was right to, but I still couldn't help feeling insulted. I raised a brow at him, urging him to continue. "If you're a novice, then how could you enter in the tournament? Only duelists deemed worthy in Pegasus's eyes were invited."

Damn, this kid had a point. I had to come up with a reasonable explanation. If I told them that ancient magic might be involved, they would never believe me and they might tell security. "You see, Pegasus is a distant relative of mine. Once he heard about my new interest in his creation, he invited me to come his tournament." That was the best excuse I could come up with? There was no way these guys would believe me.

"I see! Pegasus was proud of you and wanted you to participate in something he created." The kinder of the two boys smiled genuinely. I was surprised. He bought it? This kid kind of reminded me of Yugi, with his way of thinking and trustful nature. "So, what's your name?"

"Abigal Lungfur," I replied. Maybe I should take this opportunity to work on my social skills. The tournament could be good for that, too, right? "W-what's yours?"

"I'm Keagan Hotoma," he answered, smiling. He seemed friendly; I almost felt bad for lying to him. "This is my older brother, Tory Hotoma."

I could see the resemblance, now that I was looking at them. Both had dark blue eyes and similar facial structures. Tory's hair was blonde while Keagan was a redhead. I was unsure about how old these boys were, but Tory seemed to be my age. They invited me to duel with so I agreed. Not only would this improve on my own skills but knowing theirs could come as an advantage. We began the duel! Keagan was a Plant-Type user. I never seen much of these types before, so I would have to pay extra attention. He played a Mystic Tomato card then placed a card facedown to end his turn.

"I play my Twin-Headed Fire Dragon in attack mode," I summoned. Since my monster had more attack points than his tomato, I decided to battle.

According to Keagan, Mystic Tomato had a special effect; the ability to summon a dark monster with fifteen hundred attack or less. What? Monsters can have special abilities? That was cool! I smiled. Keagan seemed to be having fun playing with me, as I was. The duel was great, I actually won my first practice match, most of my duels with Yugi ended in failure. Keagan was a good sport and lost gracefully. Tory dueled me next, and he was taking it way more seriously even though this was only practice. We started our duel together.

"I summon a monster facedown and a card facedown." His eyes were like fire, staring straight into mine. Like he, too, was here for a purpose. Even though I could not help but admire his spark, I had my own reasons to improve myself.

I looked through the cards in my hand. I have a pretty strong monster in my hand known as Alexandrite Dragon, however, he had a facedown card. This might be a trap. "I play the magic card Mountain, then summon Alexandrite Dragon to the field." I smirked. Sadly, I was right about his face down card. It was a trap called Trap Hole. It destroyed my dragon as soon as I summoned it.

"Fine then. I put a card faced down and then end my turn," I said, feeling the flames of my own soul burning within the practice duel.

When he summoned a monster called Bean Soldier, I could not help chuckling. A green bean with a sword. Looking at it tickled me enough to laugh out loud. "What are you laughing at?" Tory was being snippy. "You won't be laughing when I equip it with this magic card: Vile Germ."

"Your monster is a bean," I answered, still snickering. Even though it had fourteen hundred attack points, I could not take it seriously. "All jokes aside, I activate my magic card. It known as Silver's Cry. This card allows me to bring back a dragon from the graveyard," I explained. "I summon my Alexandrite Dragon back to the field."

As the game continued, I learned that Tory was a better duelist than his little brother. He attacked my Soul Tiger, which to his surprise had a lot more defense points than he anticipated. Tory took his dueling very seriously and in all honesty, I had to as well. For the sake of my grandfather, I had to. Being able to duel these guys really helped me improve. Tory lost our match, but only because I managed to outsmart him with my fusion combination of Dragoness the Wicked Knight, equipped with the magic card, Dragonic Attack. We both decided it was time to give it a break after that duel.

I picked up my cards and took the original gauntlet, leaving my fake with them, then went to find the rest of my friends. There was no sign of Joey, Yugi or even that Weevil kid. I started calling out for them. I hope they didn't wander too far, but then again it was a ship, they could not go very far otherwise they'd fall into the ocean. Oh no… Did they fall off the ship somehow? I picked up the pace as my search for them intensified. What if something really did happen to them? I could not afford to lose Yugi! As I was running along the perimeter, I came across Weevil who had a devilish grin spread across his face, he looked at me from the corner of his glasses. What did he do? I ran faster to find them. I kept searching until I found Téa and Tristan pulling Joey and Yugi into the boat.

"Oh my gosh, what happened?" I screamed, rushing to them. I felt Yugi's face to make sure he was alright.

"Weevil threw my Exodia cards overboard." He sounded upset as he pulled away from me, not wanting me fussing over him. Those were Grandpa's cards, and cards that Yugi intended to use to save Grandpa's soul. He must have been devastated.

My hands balled into fists as they fell to my sides, shaking in my anger. "He did what?" I growled. "I'll have a few words with him!" I turned to go find that sleaze, but Yugi gently caught my wrist. I looked down at him to see him shake his head at me. I conceded, bowing my head absently, submitting to his protest.

"Sorry, Yug, I'm no good. I couldn't get them for you." Joey lowered his head.

"Joey, you can't be thinking like that. It wasn't your fault," Yugi told him.

Joey then explained to us about how he had a sister name Serenity. Ever since she was small she had bad eyes. After their parents' divorce, the two siblings were separated. They hadn't seen each other in years. But, apparently, Serenity's eyesight was bad. She needed surgery to correct it before it was too late. But of course it would not be cheap. That was why Joey entered the tournament, to get the prize money of three million dollars. A cause just as worthy as mine and Yugi's. With all of us fighting for someone we love, would this cause for hassle than we asked for?