Atem versus Dan. Who will win? This fight has been played in my head countless times. Countless times in as many different ways. But always the same result:

"Field Open!!"

"Let the duel begin!" Atem said strongly.

Atem: Life Points-500

"You bet," Dan returned with the same passion.

Dan: Life Points-500

Both players set their first Gate Cards. The cards seemed to move on their own. Dan's glowed red in front of Atem and Atem's purple in front of Dan.

"You should go first. You'll need a head start to beat me," Dan said confidently.

Atem smiled at the thought. He'd have to teach this pup some respect! "Vary well, my move!" Atem announced as he drew a card from his deck box turned card holder on his waist. "I'll set a card on the board face-down." The card glowed similarly as the last one. "Next I'll call on my Curse of Dragon," Atem said as he threw a red Bakugan onto Dan's card.

He's calling me out, Dan thought. "Well I won't disappoint you!" Dan yelled across the battlefield, "Bakugan brawl! Pyrus Siege, stand!" A red knight and a tan, skeletal dragon appeared on the Gate Card.

"Siege power level: 4-4-0 Gs, Curse of Dragon power level: 4-0-0 Gs," the mechanical voice of the announcer informed the players.

"Dan," Drago said in a warning tone, "something seems off."

"What do you mean, Drago?" Dan asked.

"The Bakugan Atem was talking to earlier was a darkus attributed Bakugan," Drago reminded. "And all the Gate cards he's thrown appear to be darkus as well."

"What are you saying, Drago?" Dan asked.

"Just be careful. He may be up to something," Drago warned.

"Got it," Dan told his partner, "You think you're a hot shot?" Dan said now refocused on Atem, "Well then try this on for size, Character!" The Gate Card flipped over under the combatant's, or at least Siege's feet. The card had a picture of Siege on it. "This card doubles Siege's power. Now slay his dragon, attack!"

"I'm afraid I can't allow that, activate Ability Card!" Atem said as he tossed a card at his dragon, "`Burning Land` will incinerate your Gate Card and its effect on your monster." Curse of Dragon reared back then forward. It released a jet of flame that burned away the Gate Card. But in the same breath, Dan's Pyrus Siege struck the dragon with his lance. Curse of Dragon fell and returned to ball form at Atem's feet. Siege flew back to Dan's hand.

Dan did his signature thumb-across-the-nose-pose, "How do you like them apples?"

"My move just didn't cut it…" Atem mused, "I guess I'll have to try harder."

Atem: Life Points-460

"I don't like the sound of this, Dan," Drago warned.

"He's toying with us…" Dan agreed.

"My turn," Atem said, "My next creature is the…"

Dan cut Atem off, "No, no, no. You're doing it all wrong!"

"I am?" Atem asked absently.

"Do it like this," Dan said as he pantomimed throwing, "Bakugan brawl!" Dan stood up straight again, "Like that."

"Dan, I don't think this is the best time to be giving our opponent tips!" Drago protested.

"Well, I don't want him to embarrass himself," Dan explained. Atem thought he looked less like a fool using Duel Monsters speak, but new game, new rules.

"Well then, Bakugan brawl," Atem said as he through his second monster. "Darkus Kuriboh, stand!" The black puff-ball of a fiend arose on one of the Gate Cards. Atem, smiling and with his arms crossed, seemed proud of his last move.

Kuriboh: G-Power-60

"Kuriboh?" Drago wondered out loud, "It's more cute than intimidating…" Kuriboh cooed angrily upon hearing that.

"Careful," Atem warned, "Kuriboh can defeat opponents a thousand times stronger than he is."

"Kuri, kuri!" Kuriboh added.

"He's taunting us!" Dan said in disbelief.

"If that's what you think," Atem said dismissively, "then hit me with all you've got!!"

"That sorry excuse for a mop is mine!" Drago said angrily.

"You sure?" Dan asked. Drago nodded. "Okay then, Bakugan brawl!" Dan exclaimed as he threw Drago to the same card as Kuriboh. Drago towered over little Kuriboh.

Ultimate Dragonoid: G-Power-550

"Finish him off, Drago!" Dan ordered.

"With pleasure. Boosted Dragon!!"

"I don't think so," Atem said coolly, "I play the Ability Card known as Multiply!" Suddenly Kuriboh began to duplicate its self. Before long the field was littered with them.

"What's this?" was all Drago could manage.

"Multiply only works on monsters with 100Gs or less," Atem explained, "It makes copies of one weak monster, making it invincible! In addition, Kuriboh is a living landmine that explodes on contact with the enemy."

"If they keep multiplying like this they'll take up the whole Gate Card!" Drago said in desperation.

"Exactly."

In that moment the Kuribohs began to explode all around Drago. He was tossed around, but he couldn't leave the Gate Card. The smoke and fire engulfed the entire battlefield. Silence fell and the players waited for the smoke to clear. Drago fell defeated from the smoke and returned to Dan.

"Kuriboh blew its self up? How could you ask it to…?" Dan couldn't finish his question. Cooing could be heard from within the smoke. When the smoke cleared Dan could see Kuriboh leaping for joy at its victory.

"I'm not so cruel that I'd ask it to commit suicide!" Atem told Dan, "The original Kuriboh survived the firestorm and won the battle."

Dan: Life Points-500

"You don't lose any Life Points, but your strongest servant is out of the game," Atem said smugly.

"Hay, Drago's my friend, not my servant!" Dan protested.

"The soldiers who fight under you are servants," Atem said, "But what you call them is less important then how you treat them." Atem raised a black colored Bakugan, "See the power of my strongest servant and closest friend. Bakugan brawl! Dark Magician, stand!" Mahado rose in his true form, arms crossed, and staff in hand.

"Look out, Dan," Drago warned, "That's Atem's partner Bakugan."

Dark Magician: G-Power-500

"Come and fight me to avenge your fallen ally. Come and fight me with all the power of your soul!!" Atem beckoned.

"You got it! Bakugan brawl!! Pyrus Griffon, stand!" Dan's loyal griffon appeared before Mahado.

Griffon: G-Power-380

"Gate Card open! Village of Kul Elna!" Atem declared, "This will be the final card in the game."

"This battle ain't over until I say it's over!" Dan protested.

"Oh, but it is over," Atem said, "This card not only raises darkus Bakugan by 100 points, Dark Magician also gains 200 more points for every Bakugan removed form play by battle."

"That's another 400Gs!" Dan said in amazement.

"No Dan! It's more than that!" Drago realized out loud.

"Dark Magician gains 200 points for every Kuriboh duplicate that was destroyed," Atem said. The ghosts of all the defeated Bakugan, including Drago, swirled around the Gate Card. "Game over."

"I won't give up!" Dan shouted, "Ability activate! Fire Wall!! Griffon give it all you got, attack!!"

"That's right! Never give up! Magic Blast!!"

The battle ended. Time in the human world started again. "How did it go?" Runo asked Dan. He fell to his knees. "I guess that answers that question…" Atem walked over to Dan and looked down at him. With a big grin, Atem reached out his hand.

Dan looked up at Atem. He had the same goofy grin plastered on his face. "Beginner's luck," Dan said as he took Atem's hand.

"We'll see," Atem said confidently.

"Well, what happened?" Runo probed.

"He just caught me off guard, is all," Dan tried to dismiss the conversation.

"That was sort of the idea," Atem mused.

"Well, it's getting late," Runo said, "We should get going soon."

"Do you know where you're staying, Atem?" Tigrara asked.

Atem froze in place. "I have no place to stay for the night…" he said in fear.

"Pardon me??" Mahado asked.

"I hadn't thought of that before we came," Atem said still frozen.

"That's okay," Runo said happily, "You can stay at my place tonight. We have plenty of room." She wrapped her arms around Atem's and started to pull him away.

"Perhaps it'd be best if Atem stayed at Dan's house," Drago suggested strongly, "I'm sure your mother wouldn't mind."

"Good idea," Atem said quickly and slipped from Runo's iron grasp.

"Nice save, buddy," Dan whispered to Drago.

"Any time, my friend."

"Well see you tomorrow," Runo said waving good bye, "We'll introduce Atem to everyone else tomorrow at my parents' restaurant."

"I look forward to it," Atem said as Dan led him to his temporary home.

Atem: I play Multiply to turn Kuriboh into an invincible army of harmless fur balls!

Dan: Oh, snap! Did you just summon a bunch of monsters in one turn?

Atem: Yeah, so?

Dan: Oh, snap! That's against the rules isn't it?

Atem: Screw the rules; I'm voiced by Dan Green!

Dan: Oh, snap!