Chapter 11!
Eunice Pachec: Thanks.
Flame-Metal-Hear: As long as Yami keeps his mouth shut, then yes he will! XD
Bentstua: Glad you were able to get a good laugh. I was worried the Chapter wouldn't make any sense, so I just took a risk and it seems to have worked.
A/N: Anyone who's read Bentstua's latest Chapter of "Dreams of True Love", you might have wondered what they meant by mentioning me on the Author Note just before the Chapter started (even if you didn't I'll explain what happened late last week).
You see, when I was on a search engine, I typed in something Yu-Gi-Oh! related and, as I was reading the results, I found one of my stories on it. However, it was not from Fanfiction and it was on a website I never recall going to. I clicked on it and found that someone, that I do not know, had copied and pasted one of my stories onto the website. It was word for word and even the description was almost an exact copy (it took out only the end with Faithshipping, Ooc, etc.).
I never gave permission to this person to do this. I am flattered that someone enjoyed the story enough to want other people to read it. However, I am upset that I was not informed of it as well as the fact that they never asked for permission. I do not want to cause a big fight, as the reason why I'm not posting where/who did it. However, I do ask that anyone who wants to use my work, please ask me for permission first. I will be more times than not, happy to let you use it. Ironically, the day after I found it, Bentstua asked me to borrow my make out scene in Chapter 13 of "Learning About Love and Each Other", and I was more than happy to help out.
In conclusion, please ask me, before taking or using any of my Fanfiction work in anyway. I put many hours of hard work into them.
Anyways, with that being said, please enjoy this next Chapter!
The next morning, Yami got up, and realized that, even through Luna's diary mess, they hadn't gone to the Card Shop to finish Jaden and his deck. "Crap!" he muttered as he sat up in bed. He looked at Jaden nestled comfortably in at the foot of the bed. Yami laid back and knew that their "little lie" was probably going to have to spill over into reality. There was no way Yusei and Akiza were going to complete their task in time for Yami and Jaden to quickly leave without a duel.
The only good news is that no one recognized them (outside of the fact that he looked like Yugi Moto). Otherwise, no one would remember or know just how good of duelists that they were. Yami knew that them bursting onto the scene might have much more serious consequences than lets say eating a hot dog in the future. How would the future be changed if they dueled and then were gone? The puzzle said that it wouldn't matter, but how would that play out? What would happen if they won a few tournaments, even if they were very small?
Yami sighed. He didn't want to do something that would ruin someone else's chances. However, he knew he couldn't just hold back and do nothing. His friends would be able to tell if he lost on purpose, as they were all great duelists, even Leo and Luna. However, that meant that Yami wouldn't be able to throw away duels or fake losses. Crow was an expert at doing that, but Yami had no experience and neither did Jaden. Yusei might, if he ever lost to Leo and Luna, but that was the only other person who might have experience when it comes to losing on purpose. Even Yami did approach Crow, he would have to reveal his secret to him.
Yami tiptoed out of the room and went back to the kitchen. No one was up yet, so Yami decided to make his own breakfast. As he sat down to eat, Yusei came down in his sleeveless black undershirt, and yawned loudly as he rested his long, thin arms against the wall. "Hey Yusei. You look tired," Yami commented. Yusei looked drowsily over at him. "Yeah," he replied and yawned again. "Why don't you go back to bed?" Yami questioned.
"I could, but then my sleep schedule will be all screwed up. Not to mention..." Yusei stayed quiet for a moment and Yami listened closely as Yusei pointed upstairs. He could hear something playing, but he wasn't sure what. "What is that?" he asked. Yusei sighed. "Jack must have feel asleep with the TV on again, since all I heard since 6 AM is a kid's show." Yami tilted his head. "A kid's show?" he asked.
In Jack's room, Jack snored lightly as a TV played in front of him. "Okay kids! Can you count to three?" the host questioned, "You can? Well lets count to three then. One...two...three! Yay!" Jack rolled over and kept sleeping.
Back downstairs, Yusei looked over at Yami. "Yusei, you didn't tell everyone about Akiza and yourself being more affectionate and having your first kiss." Yusei nodded. "I know, but there wasn't a good time yesterday. Luna was going to rip your head off and Akiza wanted to make sure nothing bad happened. So, I'll talk to her today and see what happens." Yami nodded. "Well...good luck."
When Jaden came down, Yami knew that they didn't have much time to be procrastinating about their decks. Jack had mentioned having them go out and duel in tournaments to help with their money woes. "Listen Jaden! We have to build our decks today! Period!" Yami said firmly as Jaden leaned back in his seat. "Just chill out," Jaden replied, "We don't have to build our decks now. If we can think of enough excuses, then maybe Yusei and Akiza will finally do what we need them to do and then we won't have to do any more work." Yami frowned.
"Listen Jaden, we're finishing our decks today and that's final." He got up and took his hand. "Come on," he said firmly. "But I didn't finish my breakfast yet," Jaden complained. Yami finally let go. "Fine," he replied, "What are you making?" Jaden thought for a moment. "Pancakes, turkey bacon, eggs, milk, cereal, toast..." Yami went over and grabbed him by the ear. "Look. We're making our decks now. If you didn't eat breakfast yet, then you can eat it when you get back," he said as he pulled Jaden out of the house. "Awww!" Jaden moaned.
As they walked, Jaden was confused. "Yami, where are we going to get money to buy our cards?" Yami smiled. He pulled out some green dollar bills. "I took a few from Jack's wallet," he replied, "It was just laying out there and Yusei told me that he hadn't paid them back for food. So, he said it should be fine, as he owed them money." Jaden nodded. "All right. That sounds fair. We would have gotten money from Yusei anyways."
When they got to the shop, Yami and Jaden each pulled their decks out, about 3/4th of the way full. They looked through the trap and spell card section, looking for any card that might make their deck stronger. As they looked around some more, Jaden found a couple right in a row, while Yami found the same amount over fifteen minutes. Even as Jaden had already picked out his new deck, Yami took his time, and Jaden even helped him out. When they finally got their decks ready, they smiled once they were paying for their purchases.
"Hey! You guys! Do you play competitively?" the manager asked as the cashier rang them up. Yami and Jaden looked at one another. "Um..." Yami started. "Yeah!" Jaden replied, "We want to try and make it to the pros!" The manager smiled. "Well you're in luck! We have a tournament starting in a couple days for amateurs that want a shot at the pros. It's a season of a number of tournaments that goes until mid-Summer. At the end of the season, the top three get to go to the local qualifying tournament. There, they can move onto regional amateurs. Then State. Then nationals. That's when you have a chance at the pros. Would you both consider signing up?" Jaden and Yami stared at the man's flyer.
Both of them loved dueling, but had never thought about it when they came to this time period. However, now that they were in this situation, what were they supposed to say? If they wanted Jack, Crow, and the others to play along with their story, they had to take a shot. "Um...sure," Jaden replied as he reached out for the piece of paper. Yami quickly put his hand on his shoulder. "Um...let us talk it over first," he replied, as he spoke for them both.
Yami the quickly pulled Jaden away and to a small corner of the store. "Yami! What are you doing?" Jaden whispered loudly. Yami shushed him. "We can't do that!" he replied, "We have to complete our mission first and then get out of here!" Jaden had a comeback. "But you were the one saying we could build our decks! That's why you dragged me here. And I didn't get breakfast! I'm starving!" Yami sighed.
"Look. I wanted us to build our decks and then we'd say that there haven't been any opportunities or something. Then, if we got pressured into doing a tournament, we'd do like one or only do it if we were forced to or something." Jaden stared at him in disbelief. "That's you plan! That's stupid!" he replied, "Besides, so what if we enter? What we do here won't affect us in the past." Yami nodded.
"Yeah, but at tournaments, they ask for last names," Yami replied, "If they see that, then we'll be creating almost a whole new history here. That might get us in trouble." Jaden shook his head. "Nu uh," he replied, "Besides, we'll just lie about our last names if we have to." Yami thought about it. "I'm not doing that!" he replied, "Besides, it wouldn't feel right." They both sighed and thought for a moment. "Tell you what, I'll try to have us use our last names. But I have to double check the puzzle first." Jaden nodded and they went up to the counter. "We'll take these fliers and see if we have any openings," Jaden finally answered back. They then bought their cards and headed outside.
When they got out Jaden knew what he wanted to do. "I have to get some food in me!" Yami just rolled his eyes and sighed as they headed home, wanting to get some food into their bellies. When they got there, only Jack and Crow were there. "Hey! Where's Yusei?" Yami asked they went inside and then went down the steps. Crow looked over at them. "He wanted to spend more time with Akiza," he replied, "Figures."
Just as Crow said, Yusei was standing at the door of the Izinski manner. When the door swung open, and Akiza was the only one there, Yusei quickly wrapped her in a hug. "Hey Akiza," Yusei said as he tightly wrapped his arms around her, "I missed you." Akiza smiled as she responded by putting her arms tightly around him too. "I missed you too Yusei," she replied as they gave each other a squeeze. They soon leaned back and smiled at one another.
"Come on in," Akiza offered and Yusei stepped inside. As he did, he made sure to keep holding Akiza's hand. She shut the door and the two headed for the living room together. The Izinski parents weren't there, so that put some pressure off of Yusei. He continued to walk next to Akiza and they soon spotted a sofa. As Yusei went over with Akiza, he made sure to keep a firm grip on her hand, even as he sat down. When he sat down, Akiza sat with him, and noticed his firm grip. Her hand wasn't in any ounce of pain, but it was the first time she really noticed how long they had kept their hands interlocked.
"Um...Yusei, is everything all right?" Akiza asked as they continued to hold hands. Yusei turned to her. "Yeah. Why? Is something wrong?" Akiza shook her head. "No, but it's just...we've held hands since we came in." Yusei looked over and looked at their hands. "I'm...I'm sorry," he replied and let go. Akiza quickly reached out and grabbed his hand back. "No!" she cried and took his hand back.
Yusei looked a little shock and Akiza looked away. "I'm sorry. It's just..." She looked down. "I really enjoyed what we just did and I'm very happy that you want to be affectionate with me." Yusei smiled. "Well of course Akiza and I love it that I want to be affectionate with you too." Yusei and Akiza both knew they were repeating themselves. So, Akiza made Yusei an offer that he couldn't refuse.
"Yusei, I wouldn't mind if you sat a little closer to me either." Yusei looked over and saw that Yusei and Akiza had their arms resting on the top of the sofa. Yusei and Akiza were separated by one of Yusei's arm lengths and one of Akiza's arm lengths. Yusei decided that he couldn't turn down an opportunity to be close to Akiza, so he started to scoot over. Their elbows bended as he came closer and closer. They were almost on the same couch cushion as Yusei sat in-between two of them. They stared deep into each other's eyes and remained quiet for a few moments.
"Yusei...I know I've said this before, but I'm so happy that we're dating. I mean, you helped save the world, and I'm so happy you chose me." Yusei looked down and chuckled to himself. "I am too," he replied, "I mean, you have any guy you wanted Akiza. And yet, despite all the guys who would get on hands and knees for you, you picked me." Akiza blushed.
"I love being affectionate with you too Yusei. Even if it's just holding hands with you." Yusei's ears perked up when she said that. "I love being affectionate with you," he replied and he let go of her hand. However, he then gave her affection right away, by wrapping her in a hug.
"Speaking of affection," Yusei replied, "When are we going to show everyone that we're going to be very affectionate with one another?" Akiza sighed. "Well..." She put her arms around him. "I really enjoy being affectionate with you," she replied, "Just the two of us. Alone." Yusei frowned. "But didn't we agree that we would be affectionate no matter when or where?" Akiza nodded. "Yes. I would love to do that too. However..." Akiza bit her lip and Yusei leaned in close. "What is it Akiza?" Akiza sighed. "I just don't want other women coming over and trying to steal you from me." Yusei was confused.
"But, if we're affectionate out in public, wouldn't that keep women off me if they know I'm with you?" Akiza shrugged. "Yeah, but I just don't want them giving me mean looks or saying mean thing about my, you know, past." Yusei leaned forward and whispered in her ear. "Akiza. I want them to stare. I want them to look at us, because then they'll know that we care about each other more than anyone else. I don't care if they give us mean looks, because I'll right there to defend you and our love for each other. I will always stick up for you Akiza." Akiza was stunned. "Really?"
Yusei nodded. "Of course and I am always by your side Akiza. Even when we're separated." Akiza smiled. "Thanks Yusei and I'm always with you too." She leaned over and gave him a kiss on the cheek. Yusei smiled and did the same for her on her cheek. "You're the best," Akiza whispered. "And you're the best as well," he replied. The two leaned over and kissed on the lips.
"So...when do you wanna tell everyone?" Akiza asked. Yusei smiled. "We'll wait until the moment's right, but for now, would it be okay if we're affectionate by ourselves?" Akiza smiled. "That sounds wonderful Yusei." Akiza leaned forward and Yusei fell onto his back. "Just as long as you're okay with it," she said from above. Yusei nodded. "Of course. It'll be great." Akiza leaned forward. "Just be sure to keep our clothes on," she advised, "And we're no losing our virginity over this." Yusei nodded. "All right," he replied, "Martha would explode if I got you pregnant anyways Akiza, so I don't want to lose my virginity either."
Akiza smiled. "Good and you're clothes are staying on?" Yusei nodded. "Absolutely. 100%." Akiza grinned slyly and leaned forward, letting Yusei see down her top at her ginormous breasts. "Then lets have our first make out session." Yusei and Akiza had both never done this before, but Akiza stayed on top and they slowly got in the mood. Akiza then lead him and helped show him what to do. After a few minutes, they both knew what to do and started heating things up.
Back at the garage, Yami headed towards the bathroom. He knew he couldn't visit the puzzle out in the open. He went to the bathroom and rubbed the puzzle. When he did, it started to glow and he was suddenly back inside the puzzle. He noticed it was the same room as before and the scroll was there too. However, it read, "You may change clothes, eat, and alter time without worries about it affecting your time." Still, Yami was worried. He decided that it was right, but it didn't make him feel good. He still had his concerns.
He still would feel guilty beating many worthy players that would have won without him there. At the same time, he wanted to help Yusei and Akiza. He wanted to help them make money, so that Yusei could have better things. He remembered how much Jaden wanted to do it and how excited he was. So, maybe it would be okay. Besides, it would be fun to try these new decks, especially one that was made in honor of Dexter. Yami rubbed the puzzle and was instantly placed back into the bathroom.
As he went back, Jaden was talking about the card shop and showing his awesome new cards. As Yami stepped downstairs, Jaden looked up. "Come on Yami! Lets show them your cards." Yami nodded and got out his new deck. After showing them off, Jack and Crow looked at them. "Wow!" Crow replied, "These are really good combos. How'd you guys think of such great moves?" Yami and Jaden looked at one another and shrugged. "We want to be pro duelists, so we just figured them out." They both hid the fact that they were two of the best duelists of all time and making a powerful deck, for them, was a breeze.
As Yusei came over, he realized that his hair was a bit messed up. Akiza had been very good during their little make out session and Yusei had been very, very grateful for it. He complimented Akiza on leading him through the session and guiding him so that it gave them both a lot of pleasure. Still, her hands had roamed his black and yellow hair, that almost make him feel like he had bed head. He luckily found a glass window that gave him barely a reflection, but it helped him straighten it out a bit (at least enough to not make Jack and Crow question his head and ask him embarrassing questions).
When he got inside, the guys were all at a table, looking over the cards. Yusei went down and started looking them over too. "Don't these seem like powerful combos?" Jack asked, "These two must really know what they're doing." Yusei gave Yami and Jaden a look. "Ye...ah. They must." Yusei knew that Yami and Jaden were two good duelists, so Yusei wasn't as surprised as Jack and Crow were. Still, it was nice to see both of them compliment Jaden and Yami's work.
Later that day, Crow found the flier that was given to Yami and Jaden. "Hey! What's this?" Crow asked and saw that it was addressed for the card shop. He then spotted one more on the table. He wondered who's they were before a bell rang in his head. He then brought them over to Yami and Jaden as they sat and watched TV. "Hey you guys, were you thinking about entering the local card shop tournament?" Jaden and Yami nodded.
"It's a good way to have us move up and see if we're good enough to reach the top," Yami replied. "Yeah, it's not like we got any sponsorships or anything," Jaden replied. He then laughed. "Hey wait!" He turned to Yusei. "Yusei, if you won the Fortune Cup, saved people from the Dark Signers, won the WRGP, and saved people from ZONE, wouldn't you think you'd get a sponsorship or something?" Yusei shook his head.
"They all wanted me to go solo or team up with other people on the team. And that meant that I would have to leave my friends. I couldn't do that. Not after all we've been through. Besides, if I got a sponsorship deal, do you think I'd still be living in a basement with barely any food?" Jaden nodded. "Yeah. That makes sense." Yusei looked around. He wished Akiza was here, because out of all the people that he would have had to leave, Akiza would have been the one he missed the most. Still, it might have been best that she wasn't here, as Jack and Crow would have been mad that he said he wouldn't have missed them as much.
"Still, it'll be fun going back to dueling again and I can't wait to kick some butt!" Jaden replied. Yami was a bit more content. "Yes. It will be fun and see how people around here handle dueling. Especially since you three are such great duelists." Crow and Jack smiled proudly. "Don't forget Akiza," Yusei added, "She's just as good as we are." For once, Jack and Crow agreed. "Agreed," Crow replied, "Akiza is on our level as well. I wonder why she doesn't go pro." Yusei shrugged, but figured that Akiza's career path wasn't destined for the pro ranks and neither was his.
Later that night, Jaden and Yami were going to fill out the flier. Yami was hesitant putting in his name, but he figured that he had the reassurance of his puzzle. He put in "Yami Yugi" and filled out the rest of the information like sex, sex preference, deck type, etc. Jaden and him looked at both of their fliers once they were done. They each had to pay an entry fee, which to everyone's surprise, Jack handed them the cash.
"I know you two are going to be top notch," he replied. Jaden nodded. "Sure thing!" he replied, but as he reached for the money, Jack pulled the dollar bills back. "But just so you know, I want credit for being part of you guys getting off the ground." Yami and Jaden both rolled their eyes, but agreed to his terms and took the cash. "We'll just do it once," Yami whispered to Jaden as they walked away, "But we'll mostly thank everyone else too." Jaden nodded and liked the idea, as it would make Jack really irritated.
The next day, Yami and Jaden took their filled out applications to the card shop. "All right boys, here's your entry ticket. Now don't lose them! There will be about 16 to 32 duelists or so. Since you guys haven't entered before, you might have to go through a round of qualifying. Once we have a good number for a bracket, then we'll have one on one single elimination that ends with a championship and consolation match."
"Where will the duels be held?" Jaden asked. The man smiled. "We'll have the qualifying and early rounds on tables, since there isn't nearly enough space for everyone to have a duel disk one. Once we reach the quarterfinals, we'll then take them outside or make some room in our dueling area for rounds on duel disks." Jaden and Yami were a bit disappointed they'd have to wait a few rounds until they could play their cards. However, they were starting at the bottom, so they couldn't expect a to be stadium packed filled duels. "Does that still sound good?" the owner asked. Yami and Jaden nodded. "It sounds great," Jaden replied. "Indeed," Yami replied, "Lets do this." The two high five'd and the owner smiled. It was going to be a fun time dueling and getting to see just how far they would come.
The next day, Yami and Jaden were heading out to the tournament. Suddenly, the twins and Akiza came over. Yusei was more than happy to come over and greet them, even if that meant holding off on Akiza. Even after he hugged her, Akiza whispered to him, "When we get back is when we'll tell them." Yusei smiled. "Okay, but I'll have a hard time holding back. I'll be paying more attention to you than the cards being played." Akiza blushed. "Well...I'll be doing the same thing for you as well." They giggled to each other and then went over to everyone else.
"So, how badly are you guys gonna beat them?" Leo asked. Yami shrugged. "We'll see once we get there," he replied, "But I get the feeling it'll be a lot of them." Leo jumped up and cheered and they all headed out. As they went there, Akiza asked Yusei a question. "Yusei, are you sure you won't be mobbed by people wanting your autograph and stuff?" Yusei shook his head.
"I haven't gotten mobbed before," he replied, "But even if I did, I'll make sure that I sign every one of them." Akiza was happy that Yusei was that generous, but also worried that he would be stuck spending the whole time signing autographs. Yusei, without knowing it, made Akiza feel a little better. "But don't worry Akiza. I'll be standing next to you while we're there, so if there's only one person I can talk to, it's you." Akiza smiled and felt little better.
When they got there, the store was packed with people. As they all walked in, Yami and Jaden spotted a table with "Duelists" written on it. They both went over and saw two men sitting there. "All right boys," one of the men said, "Since you haven't been here before, you'll be in the qualifying rounds. They'll be over there at those tables and it looks like we'll have eight people. The top two will advance to the real tournament, with them both facing the number one and two seeds."
As Yami and Jaden went back, everyone caught eye that, not only was Yusei there, but all the Signers. A few people came up to them and wanted to shake their hands. However, no one asked for an autograph and it was rather calm. Yami and Jaden were surprised that the current best duelist in the world received such little fanfare. "Maybe it's because Yusei doesn't duel professionally and hasn't Turbo Dueled in forever," Jaden noted as the card shop owner came to the a small stage. Yami shrugged and didn't mind it, as less attention the better.
"Welcome everyone to the first tournament for our city amateur dueling tournament. I'd like to welcome all of the participants here!" Everyone clapped for them. "Now. To get things started, we're going to have our qualifying rounds over on those tables." Everyone went and surrounded the tables. "Okay. Our first qualifier is with George Kalwski and Jaden Yuki!" Everyone clapped and Yusei noticed that not a soul recognized Jaden or his real name.
"And for our next one: Richard Busch and Yami Yugi!" Everyone again clapped and Yusei again noticed that no one seemed to recognize him. Not even a little. It was still so odd for Yusei to know just how good these guys are, but yet no one knows how good they truly are. The rest of the matches were announced and they all watched as people started drawing cards. After a "lets duel," the matches all got started. From a short distance away, Yusei and the gang tried to watch both matches at once.
"What's going on?" Akiza asked. Yusei tried to squint. "I don't know," he replied. "What's going on Yusei?" Leo asked, "I can't see a thing!" Yusei shrugged as he whispered to him. "I don't know." Leo frowned and soon the group agreed that they had no idea what was going on. They did see that Jaden and Yami were talking a lot and explaining a lot of stuff. "That's either a really good or really bad thing," Yusei whispered to Akiza, who agreed.
Out of no where, Jaden stood up. "I win!" he proclaim and everyone cheered as Jaden gave his signature move. A few short minutes later, Yami stood up, and proclaimed victory. Everyone cheered as they both went over to the group and shook hands. "What was going on?" Jack asked, "We couldn't really see from far away." Yami nodded. "I was in control the whole match," he replied simply. "Really? Me too!" Jaden replied. They both laughed and everyone smiled.
Once the other two matches were over, it was down to four. "The winner of these two matches will face the top two seeds," the owner reminded them. They all nodded and the matches started. This time, they were able to hear Jaden and Yami explaining their affects some more. However, it wasn't like a normal standing duel, where they could actually see what's going on. However, just like before, it seemed like only a few turns and Jaden and Yami were done.
"I win!" Jaden replied, "And that's game." He then gave his signature trademark. Yami stood up as well and was victorious. As they finished though, this time, Yusei caught both of them shaking hands, as part of the tournament rules. Since Yami and Jaden were on opposite sides of the qualifying bracket, Yami on top would face the top seed and Jaden on the bottom automatically faced the second seed. When there was a small break in-between the matches, Yusei told Akiza about the handshake at the end of the matches.
"I think that should be mandatory on all duels," he replied. "Why?" Akiza asked. "Because at the end of the day, it's just a game," Yusei replied. Akiza smiled. "I agree," she replied, "Do you think that people take dueling way too seriously?" Yusei looked over at one of the competitors and he seemed to be going through some sort of stretching routine, almost as if he was going to run a marathon.
"When you're doing that, I think you're going a bit too far," he replied. Akiza nodded. "I agree. I mean...dueling can be serious at times, but I think it should be more based on having fun." Yusei smiled and put a arm around her. "So do I," he replied. He looked around and gave Akiza a quick peck on the cheek. Akiza smiled and now the real tournament was about to begin.
"The first round will be here on the tables, with the quarterfinals on your duel disks," the owner announced. Everyone nodded and the duels started. Yami looked up at his opponent. Unlike the last two matches, where the duelists were much more friendly, this guy was all in. Jaden had the same feeling and became much more focused. As everyone watched, Yusei's heart sank when he saw Yami frowning. Akiza's did the same when Jaden had a frustrated look on his face. Leo and Luna spotted smiles on the opponent's faces, which was a bad sign too.
Suddenly, Jaden flipped over a trap card, and then played a card. Then another and then, what appeared to be, a Sunchro Summon. The player he was playing had his cards fall out of his hand and onto the table as Jaden called a attack. The player stood up and was upset. Jaden was smiling like a ray of sunshine and his opponent frowned like a downpour of rain. He grudge fully shook hands, grabbed his deck, and stormed out of the shop.
"It appears our number two seed has lost," the owner said in amazement. "What! That can't be!" a duelist cried. The owner looked over and saw Yami with his arms folded and smile on his face. "I win," he said coolly. Again, the opponent angrily shook his hand and stormed out. "It appears our top two seeds have both lost in the first round," the owner said over the microphone. Everyone gasped as Jaden and Yami congratulated one another.
For Akiza, Leo, Luna, Jack, and Crow, they were stunned as to beating the top two duelists in the tournament. "How's are seeds determined anyways?" Leo asked, as he started to second guess the top two's abilities. A man next to them explained it to them. "You see, each tournament, in our city tournament, has a standard points system, with more points going to higher finishes than the last. Since your two friends didn't compete in any of them, they had zero, and that's why they had to qualify first. As for the other two, they won most of the tournaments here last year. Both of those two were the top two in our city and then were one of the best in the local region. They then lost at State and that's why they got the top two seeds, because people thought they were shoe ins to win here again." They were all taken by surprise.
"So, Yami and Jaden both just beat guys that were one of the best in the State?" The man nodded and Leo was excited. "Wow! I know four of the best duelists in the world and now I know two of the best in the State." Yami and Jaden came over. "Hold on Leo, we haven't made it to state yet," Yami replied. Leo went up to them. "Can I have you two sign my face?" he asked. "You never asked me to sign your face," Yusei noted. Leo just grinned as Yami and Jaden took a marker and signed one of Leo's cheeks.
Once the other duels were over, it was time for the quarterfinals. Now that they were going to use duel disks, which Jaden and Yami were offered Crow and Jack's so they wouldn't have to buy new ones, everyone could watch each duel at a time. Yami and Jaden's duel were in-between the other ones (thus going second and last). So, after the first duel, Yami was up next. He stepped up and they told it other it was time to duel.
After the first turn, Leo already could see some similar stuff in Yami's deck, that was similar to Dexter's. He saw the similar type and even a couple of cards that Dexter used himself. Leo cheered loudly when Yami's main monster attacked, bringing his opponent's life points down to only a few hundred. It was only a couple of turns later, when Yami played a trap, and Yami was left standing.
"An amazing display of dueling by Yami Yugi!" the owner said over a microphone, as one of the other workers helped call the play-by-play. Everyone cheered, but was also in aww of how well Yami was. "Maybe it's because he's good friends with Yusei and all those guys," is what most people were saying about him. After he came over and another duel went, it was Jaden's turn.
At first, Jaden struggled. However, he quickly turned it around with a couple of brilliant moves. He soon found his opponent on her knees and Jaden smiled as he had defeated her. Everyone cheered and it was now time for the semifinals. Yami and Jaden instantly thought of something. 'What happens if we both get to the finals?' they thought. Just before the matches were about to begin, Yusei spotted them talking to each other.
Akiza noticed it as well and Yusei put his arm firmly behind her back. "Do you think something's going wrong?" she asked. Yusei shook his head. "I doubt it," he replied and he quickly put his other arm around her for a moment. Akiza did the same and they quickly went back to being normal, but they stayed only inches apart from each other. The owner flipped a coin and, this time, Jaden went first.
His match went surprisingly smooth, as he landed the right cards all within the first three turns. He had a stack of monsters out on the field and, even as his opponent attacked one, Jaden had a special effect to get them back. "He sure is doing well," Jack complimented him, "But of course, I knew I bet on the right horse, because I see talent when I see it." Everyone rolled their eyes and went back to the duel.
It was only a couple attacks and Jaden found himself with a spot in the finals. He cheered and so did the rest of the group. "In stunning fashion, our local qualifier has made his way all the way to the finals! Can Yami do the same thing?" he wondered as he stepped onto the field. He smiled confidently and, rightfully so. Jaden cheered him on, along with the group.
Yami closed his eyes and looked over at all of them. It was just like before and Yami suddenly didn't feel like he was in another time period. It was like he was back in his own time with Yugi, Tristan, Joey, and Tea. He then focused on his duel and believed in the "heart of the cards." Sure enough, the cards didn't fail him, and he soundly defeated his opponent.
"What an amazing set of duelists we have for the finals!" the other employee noted, "And now it will be time for the consolation match." Once third place was decided, it was time for the final duel. Luna pulled on Yusei's pants. "Yusei, who do we root for?" Luna asked. Yusei shrugged. "Root for both of them," he replied, "Either way, this is as good as we can ask for. Both of our friends will finish first and second. Just let the best duelist win."
The twins nodded and they both cheered their hearts out. Unlike the other matches, which got tense at some points, but soon became easy wins, this one was tense the whole way through. Yami and Jaden went back and forth and the leader was never truly leading, as the other countered right back. As Yami was going to release his final attack, Jaden played a trap. The monster still attacked, but both monsters were destroyed. Everyone gasped as their life points were equally down to zero. The announcer looked at them and then shouted,
"It's a tie!"
Everyone was stunned and weren't sure what to do. The announcer quickly went up to both Jaden and Yami, who had shook hands. He put both in the air, as if to declare who won. "Both of these men put on a great show and I think it's great that both of them leave here winners! What do you say folks?" Everyone soon applauded and cheered. Yami and Jaden's friends were all happy as they soon brought out a small podium. However, they had Jaden and Yami both stand on top next to one another. They each got a small gold metal for their effort, as the owner used the next tournament's medal to make two. He promised he would order some more and be sure to have two for next time.
Later, they all walked home smiling. "Oh yeah. I have something I want to announce," Yusei said as they entered into the garage. Everyone went down the steps as Yusei and Akiza stood above them. "Akiza and I..." Yusei turned to Akiza and they shared a kiss on the lips. "Yuck!" Leo said as they turned back to them. "Are officially going to act like boyfriend and girlfriend," Akiza finished.
They both looked at Leo. "So, you'd better get used it Leo," Yusei noted. "Because we'll be kissing a lot," Akiza added. Yusei and Akiza exchanged smiles, as everyone went up to congratulate them on finally getting to act affectionate towards one another. The day had been one of the best days since Yami and Jaden had came and there were only even better ones soon to come.
A/N: Thanks for your patience!
