A/N: Hey there everyone! I'm sorry it took so long to get out this chapter! Even though summer has started and school is out, I must've gone potentially psychotic because I decided to take two summer classes, on top of a part-time job and teaching my younger brother how to swim. It's been a tad busy in my household too, so I've had a lot of things to take care of and get done before I finally had time to sit down and write this chapter out! There might be a bit of time in between this chapter and the next one because the next chapter is when we get into the actually dueling again! And because of that I need to plan out the duels and make sure that it's all cohesive and would make sense! Depending on their length I'll write around two duels per chapter starting from here until the end of the tournament or I might add an extra duel if they aren't too long! Anyway, I want to thank everyone who has favorite and followed and reviewed. I appreciate all your support more than you can imagine and I hope you all enjoy this next chapter!
angiembabe: Thanks! I've happy to be bback to writing for this story! And I noticed a lot of the duels on the TV anime didn't follow the actual rules which made it really difficult to try and discern between which was accurate! And there issue of spectators being allowed hadn't actually occurred to me, but I think it's an awesome idea, so I plan to include it so I thank you for that! And I'm very glad that you liked the argument between Yugi, Danni and Jesse. I tried to make it as realistic as possible so I used a lot of my personal experience to write it and it's very common for people to bring up past resentment!
KuramaFTW: I'm glad you liked the water slide! I was debating whether or not to add it in, but I just couldn't help myself! And yeah, Danni did really kind of explode on them! I always thought about what Yugi's constant globe-trotting and getting into life-or-death situations would have on those in his family so I decided to play on that a little bit, and they were totally being hypocritical!
Guest (Regarding D-Gazers): Thank you for clearing that up! I didn't realize that Yugioh Zexal had something like that, but the glasses aren't like that at all, it's pretty much just a way for the audience at home to see what's going on! They can't see any battle calculation or anything like that, but it will show up on the bottom corner of the live feed screens if they're watching on the computer or how it would normally if they were watching just the TV and not the live feeds!
Corinne the Anime: Thanks for your comment and I'm glad that you love Danni! She's one of the first OC's I made so she's very dear to me so I'm glad that you like her!
BLS Barbaros: For the chapter with Atticus, Danni, Aster, and Syrus heading to the second round location, there was no way to make it interesting without letting it be Atticus-centric! It was fun writing for that chapter just to add a load of humor that can only come courtesy of Atticus! And the 'I sense some sarcasm here' line was one of my favorites throughout the arguments and it's one I use a lot!
Shiori Kudo: Thankfully Danni isn't dead and she held her own with the argument! Though if she hadn't dragged up all that stuff about them being hypocritical I could totally imagine the argument going in a very different direction!
Guest: I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter and the argument! I hope you enjoy this chapter since it's sort of the start of the second round with the duels being picked!
Thank you guys so much for your continued support!
Yugioh GX: The Ancient City Tournament
"THAT WAS AWESOME!"
"Jaden Yuki, we're seriously going to have to discuss what you consider to be 'awesome'."
Jaden couldn't help but smirk as he and Alexis let the current pull them down the river. The two-toned brunette had been concerned that they wouldn't ever make it to the second round—and that they wouldn't even make it out of the cave—before he and Alexis had been pulled into the waterslide cave system. While Alexis had clung onto his jacket and screamed her head off, Jaden merely tightened his grip on the blonde and started whooping and laughing, having the time of his life. He found it even better when they were suddenly shot out of the waterfall and into the river below. Alexis, however, wasn't nearly as excited.
"Aw c'mon Lex that was fun!"
Alexis rolled her eyes. "We were nearly slammed along the rock walls of a cave water slide. How was that fun?"
"It was an awesome cave water slide," Jaden retorted with a wide smile.
"Aw man!"
"You owe me fifty bucks."
The two duelists turned towards the sound and saw Atticus and Zane standing on the edge of the river bank a few yards away from them. Just behind them was an elaborate looking stone staircase with statues on either side, a gazebo that held glowing orange light just on the inside and a massive stone structure that looked ancient. Atticus was whining on the bank while Zane was smirking. Jaden waved to the two and swam over. "Hey guys! Man it's great to see you two again!"
"You too Jaden," Zane replied before reaching down a hand to help the brunette out of the water.
"Why do you now owe Zane fifty dollars?" Alexis asked as her brother hoisted her out of the river and onto dry land.
Atticus pouted dramatically. "I bet that it was going to be Leon and Mark that were here while Zane said it would be you two."
"You bet against us?" Jaden asked with a frown.
"Hey! I was given misleading information! Yugi said that it was totally Leon and Mark's notification that went off first before yours!"
"Regardless," Zane interrupted, tossing Jaden and Alexis a smile. "You two probably want to dry up and get some food."
At the word 'food' Jaden's face lit up like a Christmas tree. "Lead the way!"
The excited two-toned brunette and blonde followed closely behind the two older boys and entered the gazebo, immediately spotting the others seated around the fire. "Jaden!" Syrus exclaimed excitedly, waving towards his friends. "Alexis, you guys made it!"
"Man, it's good to see everyone!" Alexis smiled, waving at the group. Her eyes landed on Danni, noticing the ice pack and the wrapping around her ankle and frowned. "Danni, are you okay? What happened?"
Danni grinned sheepishly and shared a look with Yugi and Jesse. "I just took a little spill. it's nothing to worry about."
"Yeah, a little spill off a cliff and onto me," Atticus muttered, returning back to his spot before pointing in the direction of the food. "The food station is set up over there if you guys are hun—" Jaden was gone before he could finish his sentence and Alexis was right on his heels, hungry and eagerly awaiting food. It didn't take long for the two teens to load up their plates with food before returning towards the group around the fire with towels around their shoulders courtesy of the tournament staff. Jesse and Danni had scooted over to make room for them, so Alexis quickly sat down beside the Princess of Games while Jaden sat behind Alexis so he was beside the Southerner.
"Aw man this tastes great!" Jaden cheered, digging in enthusiastically. Alexis nodded her agreement but continued eating.
"Better than fruits?" Aster asked with a smile on his face.
"Much," Alexis answered in between bites.
"Did you two get any notifications about anyone else before you got here?" Kaiba asked curiously.
Alexis paused with her fork hallway to her lips before lowering the utensil and looking up in thought. "Hm… I think Mai and Frankie finished just as we were entering the cave," she muttered, causing Danni to flop down and groan dramatically at her rival potentially being in the next round while Jesse rolled his eyes and looked at her in amusement. "And I think another notification went off during the water slide, but I'm not sure."
"That water slide was awesome!" Jaden cheered.
"Wasn't it?" Jesse beamed, just as excited.
"I swear, you two are crazy," Danni muttered, sitting back up.
Alexis nodded her agreement. "That's the truth."
"Hey!" Both boys whined.
"AHHH!"
Syrus smiled. "Do you think that's Mai and Frankie?"
"We'll we're going to find out," Yugi asked, standing up and nudging Kaiba. "It's our turn to check."
Kaiba rolled his eyes before getting up to follow the King of Games out of the gazebo and down to the water. The group of duelists all talked excitedly, wondering who it was before Kaiba appeared less than thirty seconds after leaving. He sat back down in his spot and acted as if nothing had happened. "Uh… who was it?" Atticus asked curiously.
"Some obnoxious brat and the Beatdown duelist."
"Where is she?"
"Uh… why are you asking—"
"Look I don't care who you are, just tell me where Alexis is!"
Jaden's back went ramrod straight and he swallowed the last bite of food in his mouth before he put the half empty plate on the ground. He could see that Alexis had frozen up in front of him so he quickly wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer to him, causing her to jump in surprise. Everyone looked surprised and confused as they watched the two—save for Danni who had started trying to hide behind Jesse as soon as she heard the voice arguing with her brother. Before anyone could question the actions, Mark stalked into the gazebo with Leon and Yugi trailing behind him. The second his eyes landed on Jaden and Alexis, he glared daggers at him. "Get the hell away from her, Yuki."
"Do something about it, Johnson," Jaden challenged.
"Well, this escalated rather quickly," Aster piped in, earning a glare from Alexis. He just smiled in response, before looking up to Mark with a smile still present on his face. "Would you mind explaining what exactly this is all about?"
"This jackass," Mark spat, pointing towards Jaden who glared immediately at the insult, "is trying to move in on my territory!"
"I'm sorry you're not talking about my sister, are you?" Atticus asked with a narrowed glare and a steely tone. "Because I'm pretty sure my sister isn't 'territory' or an object."
"Don't try and get high and mighty pretty boy. This doesn't concern you. Just sit there and shut up."
Atticus looked like he was just about ready to jump up and attack Mark, and the rest of the gang looked about ready to help him. A scream off in the distance caught their attention for only a second before Kaiba looked at Mark in disinterest. "Are you done making a fool of yourself yet? I for one don't care for this love triangle you have going on. I came here to duel, not to watch the plot of 'Twilight' play out in front of me."
Mark opened his mouth, gearing up for a retort before Leon groaned dramatically. "Dude, please don't tell me you're about to try and get on Seto Kaiba's bad side. Seriously, do you want everyone here to hate you?"
"He's right," Yugi piped up, looking back and forth between Mark and Jaden, sensing that the situation could go very badly if it wasn't handled properly. "Let's just stop and think."
"Oh I'm thinking alright," Mark hissed, turning to glare at Jaden. "I'm thinking of kicking his ass and taking back what's rightfully mine."
"I told you to stop talking about her like that," Jaden hissed, his arms subconsciously tightening around Alexis so he wouldn't jump up and attack Mark like he so dearly wanted to. Alexis turned her head slightly to look up at him, her face just inches away from his because of their positioning. She tossed her a look that begged him not to do anything stupid, and with her in his arms and so close to her he could feel his anger slowly starting to dissipate.
"C'mon guys, let's jus' calm down," Jesse suggested with a small smile on his face.
Mark snorted gesturing towards Jesse and Danni, his eyes on the brunette girl. "You just worry about handling your bitch and I'll handle mine."
Almost immediately it was as if everyone stopped breathing. The group was dead silent for at least five seconds, allowing them to hear a second scream, before all hell started to break loose. Jaden was on his feet within seconds, and Jesse was just a split second behind him, the two stalking towards Mark with their hands clenched into fists. Alexis had tried to call out to Jaden and Danni tried to catch Jesse's leg before he started making a beeline for Mark, but neither female was successful. "What the hell did ya jus' say?!" Jesse demanded, his accent getting thicker with anger. No one called Danni a bitch and got away with it. Jaden, however, was too angry for words. Mark had just called Alexis a bitch. All sense of reasoning and logic had flown out of his mind. He couldn't formulate any sentences or threats. He only had one thought in his head and that was to kick Mark's ass.
Before Jaden got the chance to throw a punch he felt pairs of arms on him, grapping for his neck and arms. He shouted in surprise and annoyance and heard a similar noise coming from his Southern friend. He looked to his left to see Kaiba holding Jesse in a headlock, dragging him away from where Mark was and back over towards Danni while Yugi tried fruitlessly to calm him down. "Knock it off, Jaden!" Aster's voice called out, right by his ear. Jaden looked around and saw that Atticus, Zane, and Aster were all holding onto him and starting to pull him back as well. He struggled against them, glaring into Mark's smirking face, but they had the numbers in their favor and they slowly started to drag him backwards towards Alexis.
"What did we miss?"
Everyone froze and turned towards the voice to see Mai and Frankie entering the gazebo with confused looks on their faces. Just behind them were Chazz and Joey, arguing about something before they silenced upon seeing the group of other duelists. Mai raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms on her chest, her eyes scanning over the group, trying to get a feel for what had just happened. "Looks like we got here in time for a show. Anyone care to explain why you're all acting like a bunch of children?"
"Don't lump me together with them," Kaiba retorted immediately, still not relinquishing his hold on the struggling Southerner.
"What da heck is going on?" Joey asked with a pout on his face. "Why does it look like ya were gonna start throwin' punches?"
"It's called a 'fight'," Chazz retorted sarcastically.
"Keep it up and we're gonna have one of our own!" Joey shot back without hesitation.
"Now, now, we can't have that!" At the newest voice the group all turned to see Derrick Lane entering from the opposite end of the gazebo with a smile on his face. Immediately all the duelists forgot about their individual problems and remembered that they were in a tournament. Jesse and Jaden stopped struggling—the latter albeit reluctantly—and Kaiba, Atticus, Aster and Zane all let go seeing that the threat of a fight was gone. "I'd like to congratulate you all on making it to the second round of the Ancient City Tournament! You sixteen duelists have fought hard to get here and now you'll get a chance to show your dueling prowess against some of the best duelists in the world! Mai, Frankie, Chazz, and Joey, if you four would kindly allow the staff to know what food you'd like to eat so that they can prepare you a plate then we can get started. There are also towels for each of you."
The four did what they were told—Joey asking for an almost comical amount of food—before they rejoined the group, causing Derrick to smile. "Now that we're all ready, why don't you all follow me so we can get to the location of round two?"
"Isn't this the location of round two?" Yugi asked in confusion as the group started gathering their stuff to follow Derrick. Jesse put his jacket back on before slipping his bag onto his chest so he could carry Danni on his back so she didn't have to hurt her ankle more. Danni blushed and glared at Atticus who was smirking in her direction. Jaden walked close to his southern friend, strategically placing Alexis in between himself and Jesse, walking so close to her that their hands brushed against each other. Alexis blushed and held onto Jaden's arm, before tensing upon seeing Mark glare her way.
"Yes, it is, but we're going to a very special dueling arena."
"What is this place?" Kaiba asked with a raised eyebrow.
"This place is known as Isla Gerta, the location of the Angel Ruins," Derrick started to explain as they walked towards the large sand-stone temple. As they got closer they could see intricate carvings on the walls. "History states that these ruins were built back in the time of the Ancient Egyptians. Many of the angel statues like the ones you saw on your way here are commonly found on different points of the island and within the very ruins themselves. It was rumored that the Pharaoh of the time period had ordered the creation of these ruins in order to house some treasure because of the difficult layout of the island. It's nearly impossible to get to this area without a helicopter. The only other way in was through the cave system you all entered."
"S-So is there really treasure here?" Syrus asked curiously.
Derrick smiled and shrugged as they walked into the temple, passing by more angel statues just as Derrick said. However they didn't go through the front of the temple and instead started following a path that was filled with wires lining the floor. "No one knows. Many people journey here in the hopes of finding the treasure, but many have died trying. These ruins are full of booby-traps and secret passageways. And if one isn't too careful, you can get lost in this forest wandering around for days never to be seen again."
"And we're having this tournament here why?" Frankie asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Dramatic effect!" Derrick joked. Upon seeing the unamused faces from a large majority of the other duelists, he cleared his throat. "In all seriousness, there is nothing to worry about. The area of the ruins that the we're going to be using has been checked over and over again. There is nothing to worry about, and we have the best technology out here to insure that no one gets lost out here. Now, here we are! This is the housing hall!" Derrick explained, gesturing to a large hall with loads of rooms. The first sixteen, however, had modern doors, while the others had doors that had ancient looking ornate wooden doors. "Feel free to pick your rooms and leave your bags in there. Then we'll get down to business."
Without needing to be told twice, everyone broke off, heading towards a room. Kaiba just walked into the first room on the left with Yugi took the one just across from his on the right. Danni steered Jesse into the room beside Yugi's before she let out a yelp as he dumped her on the bed in order to walk across the hall to take the room by Kaiba's. Alexis took the room next door to Danni and Jaden wasted no time taking the room next to the blonde. Atticus quickly got the room across from his sister and Zane pushed Syrus into the room next to Atticus's and he took the room by his brother so that Mark would be forced at room farther from Alexis's. Mark wasn't happy. He took the room by Zane while Leon took the one next to Mark. On the other side of the hall Chazz had taken the room by Jaden while Joey took the room by him, Mai got the room by Joey and Frankie took the room by Mai. After everyone had picked their rooms they all met out in the hallway, with Danni now perched on her brother's back.
"Alright, now everyone please follow me," Derrick spoke up, walking back down the hallway they'd just come from, doubling back to where they'd originally entered. Derrick took them down another side hallway filled with cables running along the floor, avoiding the main portion of the temple altogether. They took a few twists and turns before they arrived in what could only be described as an ancient duel stadium. The room they entered in was large with torches along the walls lighting the area in an orange glow. They were standing on a stone viewing deck that overlooked the floating platform made of intricately carved stone. It was held up by a large stone column, suspending it over a pool of water and it seemed the only way to get onto the duel platform was through two large openings on either end of the platform where a small lever was on the side of the wall. What the lever was for, no one knew, but the sight of the ancient area caused them all to smile.
"Man, this place is cool," Aster commented, walking over to the end of the viewing platform to peer over the edge.
"Look at all the marking on the wall," Chazz pointed out, looking around in awe.
"It is a beautiful piece of history, isn't it?" Derrick asked grandly as a few cameramen flooded into the area. The duelists tried to act natural as the camera men focused in on their faces just as another worker walked in, pushing a cart that held a huge box with a hole cut out of the top. "This is where you duelists will all do battle, proving your worth against your fellow contestants. And now you'll draw numbers in order to form the brackets of our competition. So first, we will start with our resident King of Games, Yugi Muto! Yugi, please pick your number."
Yugi smiled and walked forward with Danni still on his back. "Hang on Danni," he told her quickly before he let go of one of her legs to reach his hand into the box, mixing around the numbered balls. He didn't have to worry about her falling off, however, since she was like a Koala bear when she needed to be. Finally grabbing onto one of the balls he pulled it out and smiled slightly at the number, holding it up for everyone to see.
"How ironic, you pulled number one," Kaiba snorted.
Derrick grinned. "And Yugi Muto is in our very first match of the second round! That should be an exciting one! Now, before you walk back, I think it's only fair to let our resident Princess of Games draw her number as well, especially seeing as she's already over here."
"Thanks," Danni said gratefully before she leaned down to reach into the box. Because of her positioning she couldn't reach many of the balls but she just grabbed one and pulled it out. She turned it over in her hand to find the number before holding it up with a smile. "I've got fourteen." With that Yugi walked back so they were over with the others.
"Seto Kaiba, if you would please pick your number," Derek spoke up.
Kaiba just nodded and walked forward, reaching into the box and pulling out his ball, showing it to the camera. "I have five."
"Next up to choose is Joey Wheeler!"
Everyone looked to Joey only to see that he had a large roll stuffed into his mouth, holding his plate of food in his hands and his towel over his hair. He looked around and noticed the stares and tried to talk but it only came out as muffled noises with a few pieces of bread flying out of his mouth. "You're disgusting, mutt," Kaiba spoke up as he went back to his spot in the group. Joey glared his way before handing his plate over to Mai. He swallowed the large amount of bread in his mouth just as he reached the box.
"Sorry 'bout dat! I was pretty hungry!" Joey reached into the box and mixed it around before pulling out the number four. He grinned at his number before rushing back to his spot to grab his plate back from Mai to continue eating.
"Mai Valentine, you're up!"
Mai rolled her eyes and patted her boyfriends' arm lovingly. "I told you to just wait until we got back to the rooms." He just grinned sheepishly before she shook her head and walked forward to pick her number. She got sixteen.
"Frankie Johnson, it's your turn!"
"I'm hoping for number thirteen," Frankie said maliciously, tossing a glare Danni's way. The Princess of Games just rolled her eyes from her brother's back while the Queen of the Archfiends walked forward to select her number. When she pulled the ball out she scowled. "Damn… just two numbers off. I'm fifteen."
"Jesse Anderson, your turn to draw!"
Jesse beamed and walked towards the box, practically bouncing in his spot from excitement he mix the balls up more than really necessary before he picked his number. When he looked at it he smiled and held it up. "Lucky number seven!"
"Leon Moore, please get your number!"
Leon walked forward and didn't bother mixing the balls. He grabbed the first one his hand touched and pulled it out. When he saw his number, however, his eyes widened and he cursed, clutching the ball in his hand tightly so no one could see. He looked back at the group and it was obvious he was upset about something. He looked apologetic. "Look, I really didn't want to draw this number. I don't like dueling girls because of my style so I apologize in advance," he spoke up before opening his hand to show the number to the cameras and the group. It was the number thirteen.
"And our first match has been discovered! It'll be Leon Moore vs. Daniela Muto in the second round!"
"No need to apologize," Danni smiled. "I'm sure it'll be fun." Leon didn't seem as convinced, but he gave her a tight smile and nodded, returning back to the group. Some of the males that were friends with the Princess of Games immediately grew tense. Leon was the Beatdown duelist for a very good reason and now Danni was going up against him.
"Mark Johnson, it's your turn!"
Jaden's eyes narrowed as he glared holes into the back of Mark's head. He walked forward and reached into the box, before pulling out the ball and showing it to the camera wordlessly. It was the number nine. Jaden saw the number and immediately hoped that when he went he would draw the number ten. Aster was called up in the middle of Jaden's plotting of how he could draw the number ten, before the Destiny Hero duelist pulled his number. Aster laughed and tossed the ball up in the air before catching it and showing the group the number. It was the number eight. "Destiny Heroes vs. Crystal Beasts," Aster commented, looking towards Jesse who had a grin on his face. "This should be interesting."
"And we have our second match locked in! It'll be Jesse Anderson vs. Aster Phoenix!"
"Man, now I can't wait!" Jesse cheered as Aster walked back to the group.
"Zane Truesdale, it is your turn to pick your number!"
Zane nodded and walked wordlessly up to the box. He mixed the numbers around before picking his numbers. He looked down at the number and his eyes widened before he closed them and let a small smile appear on his lips. "Looks like I've got a challenge," he commented, showing the number two he'd drawn.
"And now we know the very first match of the second round! It'll be Yugi Muto vs. Zane Truesdale!"
"I'm sure it'll be a very fun duel," Yugi smiled, looking at his opponent. "I look forward to it."
"Atticus Rhodes, please pick your number!"
"Alright! I hope I get a good number!" Atticus grinned, moving forward and reaching his arm into the box. He pulled out his number and his grin exploded into a huge smile. "Man, talk about starting big! I've got the number three."
Joey whistled. "Red Eyes duelist vs. a Red Eyes Duelist!"
"And it's going to be Atticus Rhodes vs. Joey Wheeler!" Derrick exclaimed, already loving the pairs that they've gotten so far. "Chazz Princeton, you're next!"
Chazz smirked and walked forward to select his number. He reached his arm into the box and mixed around the remaining numbers before plucking one out of the box. The second he saw his number he had to stop himself from laughing. Instead he just held it up to the camera with his smirk still present on his face. It was the number six.
"It'll be Seto Kaiba vs. Chazz Princeton!"
"Interesting," Kaiba muttered, his own smirk making its way onto his face.
"Alexis Rhodes, you're up!"
Alexis nodded and was about to move forward when Jaden suddenly leaned into to whisper into her ear. "Try not to get ten. I really want to duel Mark and I know you'd kick his ass before I got the chance."
The blonde tossed him a look, to which he just grinned, causing her to laugh. She shook her head and walked over to the box to reach her hand in and picked her number. She looked at the ball in her hand before smiling. "Looks like you don't have to worry, Jaden," she commented holding up the number twelve. Jaden grinned.
"Syrus Truesdale, it's your turn!"
Syrus snapped to attention before hustling over to the box. He reached in and only felt two balls. He did an internal 'eenie-meanie-miny-moe' in his head before grabbing one of them and pulling the ball out. He looked at his number before holding it up. "I have eleven." Jaden blinked for a second realizing that by default he got ten. The malicious smirk that formed on his face was one that would've made Yubel proud.
"And with that we know our last two matches! It'll be Syrus Truesdale vs. Alexis Rhodes and Mark Johnson vs. Jaden Yuki!" Derrick announced enthusiastically. "Our brackets are set for the second round and come tomorrow morning we begin a day full of dueling! Kicking off our morning will be Yugi Muto vs. Zane Truesdale followed by Atticus Rhodes vs. Joey Wheeler! After them we have Seto Kaiba vs. Chazz Princeton and Jesse Anderson vs. Aster Phoenix! After that we have Mark Johnson vs. Jaden Yuki and Syrus Truesdale vs. Alexis Rhodes! And out last two matches for tomorrow will be Leon Moore vs. Daniela Muto and Frankie Johnson vs. Mai Valentine! Who will win and make it to the quarter-finals? Who will triumph and become the champion? Stay tuned and find out!"