Sorry for the long wait. This chapter has been a challenge to write, considering it doesn't follow the typical formula. I guess I must be getting rusty. Well, regardless of how long it's taken, I hope you all still manage to enjoy it. Now, onto the chapter!

…

*The Main Office*

"Attention students!" Kemo announced. "Everyone needs to report to the auditorium to begin the elections!"

*The Back Stage*

While the auditorium was being filled with voters, the backstage was a hub for the candidates and staff members. The candidates for president were Yugi, Marik, and Bakura. Meanwhile, the vice president candidates were Duke and Joey. The class secretary candidates were Miho, Serenity, and Tea. Kaiba and Bonz were the class treasurer candidates.

"Now," Dartz spoke as the candidates tidied themselves up. "When I bang the giant Gong, each group of the called candidates will go on stage and present their cases. When I bang it again, you leave. Understood?"

Bonz raised his hand.

"Yes?" Dartz inquired.

"I'm very sensitive to loud noises. This gong won't be too loud, will it?" Bonz asked.

"…um, no…it shouldn't be," Dartz answered.

As Yugi polished his Millennium Puzzle, he was approached by the evil Bakura, who had a hand behind his back and his free hand extended out to him.

"I just wanted to wish you good luck, Yugi," he said with a sinister grin. "May the best man win."

"Um, I'm not shaking your hand," Yugi said flatly.

Bakura's jaw dropped, and he narrowed his eyes.

"Now that's just rude!" he spat. "I'm trying to be a respectable rival!"

"There's a razor blade in your hand," Yugi stated.

Bakura scoffed and rolled his eyes.

"You're being paranoid," he objected.

"I can see the blade taped to your hand," Yugi pointed out.

Bakura looked down at the blade. He chuckled nervously and peeled the tape away.

"Now how did that get there?" he said, then extended out his other hand. "Good luck."

"There's a blade on that hand too," said Yugi.

The spirit of the Ring frowned and tore the tape away.

*The Auditorium*

After the seats were filled, Dartz proceeded to pick up a giant stick and slammed it against the Gong. Everyone screamed and covered their ears, with Bonz screaming the loudest. Dartz, who was somehow completely unaffected, put the stick down and picked up a microphone.

"Now," he announced. "It's time to begin the debates!"

Everyone cheered.

*Back at the Back Stage*

While the audience was cheering, Serenity began to cringe.

"Joey, I-I don't know if I can do this!" she panicked.

"Relax, sis, you'll do fine," Joey assured.

"If you're really that nervous you can just get drunk like your old man does," Kaiba suggested with a snort.

Joey growled and turned to face him with his fists balled up.

"Hey! My sister would NEVER stoop that low! Right Serenity?" He turned around to see that Serenity was nowhere in sight. "Uh…Ren?"

While everyone was looking for Serenity's whereabouts, Miho snuck away from the group and approached two figures standing in the shadows by the emergency exit. The two stepped out towards her, revealing themselves to be Para and Dox.

"Alright," Miho said. "When Mr. Kaiba stands at his podium, Miho wants you to release the net. Understand?"

"Don't worry, you can count on me and my brother," said Para.

"With this net, Seto Kaiba will become your lover," added Dox.

At the other end of the back stage, Gozaburo stood by the steps, talking to two men. One of the men was tall and lean with spiked, blue-green hair. The other man was short and round with a bald head.

"Now, when Seto stands at his podium I want you to take him out. Can I count on you?" asked Gozaburo.

"This is what my partner and I do best," answered Lumis.

"Don't worry, Mr. Kaiba," Umbra assured. "We'll make it look like an accident."

"And get back at him for beating us in that duel," Lumis reminded him.

"That too," Umbra agreed.

*The Main Stage*

"Alright," Dartz. "First up are the candidates for class secretary!"

He then banged the giant gong, causing everyone to scream again and cover their ears. Tea, Miho, and Serenity walked to their respective podiums, with Serenity stumbling while holding a bottle.

"Wha!?" Joey exclaimed from the sidelines. "Where did she get dat!?"

"From me," Bandit Keith answered. "She was nervous, so I lent her some liquid courage!"

Dartz cleared his throat and spoke into the microphone.

"Now, Ms. Wheeler, what can you offer as class secretary?" he questioned.

Serenity giggled.

"Msh. Locklear shaysh I can do number magic. Hey, ish it hot in here am I jusht looking at Kaiba?"

Kaiba cringed at Serenity's remark. Joey's jaw was hanging halfway to the floor and Bandit Keith shook his head.

"One beer and she's slurring her words? What a light-weight," Bandit Keith remarked.

"Uh, alright," Dartz spoke. "Now, Ms. Gardner-"

"HEY!" Serenity spat. "Itsh very rude to interrupt me when I'm talking! ...Carry on."

"Uh, right," said Dartz. "Now, Ms. Gardner, your case, please?"

*Above the Stage*

The former Rare Hunters, Lumis and Umbra, stood on a cat-walk above the stage, looking down at the contestants.

"These candidates are terrible," Umbra remarked. "We should drop stage lights on all of them."

"Yeah, well, we're only getting paid to take out that Kaiba punk," said Lumis.

"HEY! What are you two doing up here!?" someone demanded.

The two looked to their right to see Para and Dox glaring at them.

"You two are not staff members! What is the meaning of this!?" asked Para.

"And tell us the truth, don't you try to resist!" added Dox.

"What's going on? Are you two Dr. Suess characters?" asked Umbra.

"No!...We're failed rappers," Dox confessed.

"Well, my partner and I have been tasked with eliminating Seto Kaiba, so I suggest you stay out of our way!" Lumis snapped.

"Well, unfortunately for you, we have been tasked with capturing him alive," said Para.

"So we'll have to ask you two to kindly step aside!" added Dox.

Lumis and Umbra exchanged quick glances, then doubled over in laughter.

"Oh yeah?" Umbra asked, finally calming down. "What are you going to do?"

The twins looked at each other and grinned.

*Back on the Main Stage*

"—and," Tea spoke, "Using computers for record keeping will not only save paper, but allow files to be transferred-"

Tea was suddenly cut off when Lumis fell from the ceiling and landed smack on top of her. Dust from the impact blocked everyone's view for a moment, but when it settled they saw that both Tea and the former Rare Hunter were unconscious. Dartz cleared his throat and held the microphone up to his face.

"Uh, well, thank you Ms. Gardner. Now, Ms. Nosaka-"

He stopped when he heard a man scream, followed by Umbra falling on top of Miho. Like Tea and Lumis, they too were out cold. Dartz coughed and resumed speaking.

"Well, it, uh, it would seem that wraps up the class secretary debates. Now, it's time for the class treasurer debates!"

Dartz picked up the giant stick and banged the Gong again.

*By the Emergency Exit*

"NO!" Gozaburo cried, watching his henchmen being dragged off the stage by paramedics. "My plan's failed…again! Well, it looks like I'll just have to take care of Seto myself!"

*Back on the Main Stage*

"Now," Dartz announced. "It's time for the class treasurer debates!"

As Dartz picked up the giant stick, everyone covered their ears, except for Bonz, who at that point had basically gone deaf. After the Gong was struck, Kaiba made his way onto the stage; but Bonz, who couldn't hear the cue, continued to stand around in confusion.

Dartz cleared his throat and looked over in Bonz' direction, glaring at him.

"If Mr. Richardson would be so kind to join us, we can get this debate started!" he snapped, to which Bonz continued to look lost. "Do I have to give the signal again?"

*Above the Stage*

"Alright brother, drop the net on my count," said Para, who was holding one side of the net.

"Let me get a hold of it first," Dox grumbled, still trying to unwind it.

"You two, step aside!" someone yelled. "I have a son to disown…with death!"

The twins looked over to see Gozaburo standing before them, holding a large cinderblock in his hands.

"How did you climb up here with that?" asked Dox.

"It doesn't matter—now MOVE!" Gozaburo yelled.

"We think not!" said Para. "We were hired to capture Seto Kaiba alive!"

"I'll double whatever's being offered to you," said Gobzauro.

"…Let me discuss this with my brother," said Para.

The twins then huddled together and began whispering. After a brief moment, the two broke apart and faced Gozaburo.

"We've decided to accept your offer," said Para.

"Yes!" Gozaburo cheered.

"But we'll need the money upfront…sir," said Dox.

Gozaburo scowled and set his brick down, then whipped out his check book.

*Back on the Main Stage*

"Alright," Dartz said, holding the large stick. "I've been patient long enough!"

Everyone in the audience covered their ears as Dartz struck the gong. Unfortunately, the three men above the stage weren't paying attention. Gozaburo screamed and dropped his checkbook at the sound of the loud ringing. In his panic he stumbled over the brick he'd set down and sent himself flying over the rails. Gozaburo screamed as he fell down and landed smack on top of Bonz. Gozaburo and Bonz both groaned loudly.

"AH! MY BACK!" Gozaburo yelled.

"What in Atlantis is going on up there!?" Dartz demanded.

He looked up and saw Para and Dox standing on the catwalk. The two brothers noticed the dean looking at them and exchanged panicked glances.

"Let's leave before we are caught!" yelled Para.

"No need to tell me that, Sherlock!" agreed Dox.

With that the duo ran off, leaving Dartz' view completely. He groaned and looked back down at the mess that the stage was currently in.

"Well, I guess that wraps up the treasurer debates. Let's move on to the presidential debates," he spoke.

"HEY!" Joey protested form the sidelines. "What about the vice president debates!?"

"NOBODY CARES!" Dartz yelled. He banged the gong again and cleared his throat. "Now let's hurry up and get this over with!"

*Back at the Back Stage*

Yugi took a deep breath and looked down at his puzzle.

"Well Pharaoh, it looks like this is it," he spoke.

"Good luck, Yug," said Joey.

"Hey! What about me?" asked Marik.

"Well, technically it was your other self that wanted to run, and there's no way I'm wishing him luck," Joey pointed out.

"Fair point," said Marik.

*Back on the Main Stage*

With Dartz giving the last signal, the three candidates walked onto the stage and took their places at their podiums. Dartz cleared his throat and held the microphone up to his mouth, but was grabbed by Ms. Chono at the shoulder.

"I'll take over from here," she stated.

Confused whispers echoed throughout the audience. Dartz shrugged and stepped off stage, letting Ms. Chono take the helm.

"Now," she spoke, "This first question is directed at Mr. Ishtar. Why would Mr. Muto be unfit for office?"

"WHAT!?" Yugi exclaimed.

Marik seemed just as angry, and confused, as Yugi was.

"Erm, actually I think he'd be great for office," said Marik.

Ms. Chono's jaw dropped for a moment, but she quickly recovered herself.

"Mr. Ishtar, I believe you said earlier that you would be a much better 'ruler of souls'?"

"Uh…oh, that must have been my other self." Marik explained. "Actually, I don't even know why I bothered to show up. I have zero interest in running."

Ms. Chono became red in the face. Meanwhile, the Yami Bakura snickered and Yugi stared at the new principal in horror.

"Thank you, Mr. Ishtar," Ms. Chono said through gritted teeth. "That will be all. Now, Mr. Bakura, I believe you had an ad you wanted to present?"

"An ad? I don't recall those being allowed at the debates!" Yugi protested.

Ms. Chono's mood apparently perked up at this, as her scowl and replaced with a smug grin.

"Oh, you didn't get the flyer? Whoops!" Ms. Chono 'apologized', rather unconvincingly.

A giant screen descended from the ceiling and appeared behind the candidates. The room darkened and images projected onto the screen for all to see. The audience was faced with Mokuba, Noah, Rex, Weevil, Bonz, and other students, sitting in an empty hallway as a depressing melody played.

"Alone. Afraid. Teacherless," Yami Bakura's voice said over the video. "This is the current fate of our students."

The Yami then appeared on the screen, standing beside the wheelchair bound Noah.

"This young man will likely never walk down the graduation aisle, because four out of ten of students won't earn their diplomas—and also because he's in a wheelchair."

In the video, Noah scowled at him. Yami Bakura then walked over towards Mokuba and grabbed him by the shoulders.

"And just look at this little girl," he spoke.

"Um, I'm a boy-"

"This young lady still has several more years before she can graduate! Ask yourselves: is this the environment you want her in for the next few years?"

Yami Bakura shoved Mokuba out of the camera angle, causing a loud 'crash' to be heard off screen. He cleared his throat and spoke some more.

"I know what you're thinking: Bakura is just an evil spirit dwelling inside my great grandmother's necklace! How can he fix up this school better than the pharaoh? Well kids, did you know that the pharaoh endorses slavery?"

The audience gasped at this and stared at Yugi. He started to sweat and tugged on his collar.

"It-It was a different time! He didn't want to use slaves, b-but the labor was cheap!"

Everyone went back to looking at the video. In the video, the Yami Bakura walked up to Bonz, who was suddenly dressed like Moses.

"Moses, tell me: how did you feel when the pharaoh enslaved your people and banned Matzo?" asked Yami Bakura.

"THAT'S NOT WHAT HAPPENED!" Yugi screamed.

Everyone ignored him and continued to watch the video.

"Well, it didn't feel good. Not one bit," spoke Bonz.

"There you have it! Yugi Muto is unfit for office! Elect me, and together we can rule the world—erm—fix up the school!"

The video stopped and the room lit up once again. Yugi looked at the audience, who was giving him glares. Ms. Chono smirked.

"Thank you. Now, Mr. Muto, what is your case?"

Yugi swallowed a lump in his throat and began sweating. Ms. Chono's wicked grin deepened. Suddenly, a thought occurred to Yugi, and his nervousness faded.

"Bakura's blame is misguided," Yugi spoke. "He says that I am unfit for office due to the actions of a 3,000 year old pharaoh?"

"5,000," the thief corrected.

"Let's not forget one important thing," Yugi continued. "I, Yugi Muto, was nominated to run, NOT the pharaoh. So, it's only fair that I am judged based on MY merits."

The scowls on the faces of the audience disappeared. With their opinions changed, they began clapping in response to Yugi's statement.

"Now, my plans are simple," said Yugi. "We first need to raise money. We can do this through fundraisers such as bake sales or even Duel Monsters tournaments. Then we can focus on fixing the leaking ceiling in the band room, putting soap in our bathrooms, and most importantly, replacing the snacks in our vending machines with food that hasn't been recalled!"

The students cheered and jumped onto their feet. The room was filled with chants of Yugi's name while the students clapped even louder. Ms. Chono scowled.

"Thank you, Mr. Muto," she grumbled. "Well, that concludes our debates. Now, go to lunch so you can eat and cast your votes."

The Yami Bakura scowled and grumbled as he stepped off the stage. As Yugi began to step off, he was approached by his friends.

"That was a great speech, Yug!" Joey cheered. "You'll win the election for sure!"

"Hey!" Marik protested. "I could still have a…eh, no, Yugi's going to win. And I must say, this school would be lucky to have a leader like you."

"Yeah, I can't wait to be your vice president!" said Duke.

"Hey!" Joey protested. "If anyone's gonna be vice president it'll be me!"

"You guys need to get a grip," Tea scolded.

"Thanks, you guys," Yugi said with a smile, "Well, let's get going, then."

With that the gang headed to the cafeteria, ready to face whatever came next.

A/N: So, which of these candidates would YOU vote for? Let me know in your comments, along with your thoughts on the story.