Wonderland

On a hot summer day, Yugi and his friends came to relax in the Secret Garden. "What a great day for a swim," said Yugi. "There's not a cloud in the sky."

"The temperature's just right too," said Emily.

Everyone came dressed in their swimsuits and set their belongings down near the lake. Before going in for a swim, Emily and Téa helped each other apply sunscreen on their bodies.

"Guys, look," Joey said, looking near the cliffs. "Those waterfalls are formed like water slides."

"Awesome," said Tristan. "This'll be like we're in a water park."

"I wonder if those water slide falls appeared after we rescued the world of the Sailor Scouts," Emily suggested as she rubbed sunscreen on Téa's back. The Pure Valley was always changing every time the heroes saved a new world.

The falls were like water slides, all right. The rides were smooth and landed right in the lake. Joey rode down one of the slides and landed in the lake. "It's like a water park, only much better."

Tristan agreed. "It's not crowded here, the water's nice and clean as well as refreshing, and there are no crowded snack bars. It sure beats going to a public swimming pool."

"And we can come here whenever we want to," Joey added. "No business hours, no rules-,"

"That doesn't mean we don't have to be careful," Téa interrupted. She got up and switched places with Emily so she could help her put sunscreen on.

While Joey and Tristan were enjoying the water slides, Yugi positioned himself underneath another waterfall. He wanted to check the flow of the water. It was flowing smoothly, so he decided to unfold his wings and position them in the water. His wings felt like they were being massaged by the water.

As Joey saw Yugi taking a human birdbath, he thought about doing the same thing, but quickly objected. His wings were made of fire and he didn't want to risk getting them extinguished and losing his ability to fly. Then again, the fire was magical. If it didn't burn his body, maybe it wouldn't get extinguished. The only way to know was to test it for himself. He unfolds his wings and carefully pours water over his shoulder. Joey didn't hear a sizzling sound and wondered if the water failed to touch his wings.

Joey was scared to do it, but he took a deep breath and placed his wing close to the waterfall. As the water fell on his wing, the fire quickly reformed. His wings really were made of a magical fire. Joey still had to be careful, though, and avoid conditions like stormy weather such as rain, snow, and wind.

Now that Téa and Emily had finished putting sunscreen on, they could go swimming. Emily eagerly jumped in. Téa took her time so her body could get used to the temperature. Thankfully, the water wasn't too cold and she began swimming right away. She left the shallow part of the lake and joined Emily where the water was deep.

It had been a while since the group spent time together like this after all the adventures that had been going on in the past few months. In the beginning, it always just used to be Yugi, Emily, Joey, Téa, and Tristan. Then they made more friends and their team got bigger. Now it was just the five of them again just like how it used to be. At least, for the moment.

Max was with them too, but rather than join the others for a swim, she decided to meditate under another waterfall. Yugi and the others didn't always understand what she was doing. Was she trying to get in tune with nature? Was this her idea of relaxing? Whatever the reason, it would be wise not to disturb her.

Rather than leave her be, Joey decided to play a sneaky trick. He cupped some water in his hands and splashed it against her face. Hearing the sound of his laughter, Max knew he did this to her. "Damn it, Wheeler," she snapped. She tripped him up, causing him to slip on the rocks.

He came to the surface and wiped the water from his face. "What'd you do that for?" he asked.

"You ruined my concentration."

"Come on, Max, have some fun," Joey insisted.

A sly smile crossed Max's face. "So it's fun you want, is it?"

Joey didn't like the way Max was smiling. He began swimming away from her, but wasn't getting anywhere. Max began using her magic to control the flow of the water and turn it into a wave strong enough to cover Joey and submerge him underwater.

Joey came up to the surface and began gasping for air. Some water also managed to get in his nose, making it a little painful. "Was that really necessary," he asked Max.

Max smiled innocently and replied, "No, but it was still fun."

"I didn't even have a surfboard," Joey complained.

"What good would that do you?" Tristan asked, helping him up. "You don't even know how to surf."

"I can learn," Joey snapped. "And I can practice."

Max handed Joey his towel. "You would need years of learning, knowing you."

"You know, if I didn't have feelings for you, I'd give you a piece of my mind," Joey grumbled as he walked off.

Max heard him and replied, "And I'd take it. But that'd leave you with none to spare."

"Damn it, Max!" Joey shouted. He curled his hand into a fist and hit it against a hard wooden surface. He winced and rubbed his hand, wondering what he hit. When he turned the other way, Joey saw a strange wooden well. "What the heck? Where'd this come from?"

Max looked too. "Where did it come from? It definitely wasn't here before."

Yugi got out of the water and began drying off. "What's going on, you guys? What are you looking at?" Emily and Téa got out of the lake and began following him.

"It looks like some kind of well," Max told him.

"Come on," Tristan scoffed. "Wells don't just build themselves."

"Apparently, they do here in the Secret Garden," said Téa.

"Remember, this place is always changing, so you can always expect surprises," cautioned Emily. She softens her voice and mutters, "But there's something familiar about this well." When she placed her hand against the rim, a voice echoed in her head, "It is a doorway to a new world."

"A new world," gasped Emily.

"Say what?" asked Joey.

"Just now, I heard a voice in my head telling me that this well leads to another world," the blonde girl told her friends.

"Like Alice in Wonderland," Tristan assumed as he looked down the well. "Maybe that's where your next adventure is."

"Alice fell down a rabbit hole, not a dried-up well," Téa reminded him. She softens herself and sighs dejectedly. "But if this really does lead to a new world, I guess that means you've got to go and save it."

All of Téa's friends understood her sadness. She and Tristan couldn't go with their friends only to risk getting trapped with the possibility of never getting back home. Other than that, Téa had been looking forward to spending time with everyone for a long time.

"We don't have to go right away," Emily assured her. "We can keep hanging out. There's really no rush."

"Then again," continued Téa, "time does pass differently in the other worlds. So if you go, you'll be back in an instant. That means there's really nothing to worry about. But you'll still be in another world for a long time."

"We know how tough the situation is," Yugi said with empathy. "That's why we want to spend as much time as we can with you guys before we have to go."

Téa smiled and said, "Thanks, Yugi. I wish we could go with you, but knowing what you warned us, it'd be best for me and Tristan to wait. Besides, once you save this world, we can come back and see it for ourselves whenever we want to."

Joey nodded. "That's right. So let's spend as much time together as we can until it's time for us to go."

Téa had a better idea. "Why don't we help you get your supplies together for when you head out? I'm sure you've got to go back anyway to tell Kaiba."

She was right. Yugi and the others would need Kaiba for this next adventure. So it was decided that they would return to their world to get all the essentials they would need for the journey and notify Kaiba that a door to a new world had opened.

In many ways, the Pure Valley was a wonderland to the people who came to visit. And this wonderland was also a gateway to a whole new wonderland. That was when Emily began singing.

Slipping, sliding

Free fall flying

Spinning, spiral, stripping around

Reeling, rolling

Tipping, toeing

Think we're going underground

There's a whole new world on the other side

We can find our friend at the end of the line

No matter where we fall or where we land

I believe we're part of a master plan

Téa joined in and began singing, Who knows where

Who know where the journey ends, Emily sang.

The journey ends, Téa sang.

Catch me if you think you can, Emily sang.

Téa sang as she held out her hand, Take my hand

Emily held her hand and sand, Take my hand, we're going to

We're going to Wonderland, they sang together.

Way up high, Téa sang.

Way up high, I'll fly with you, Emily sang.

We can fly, Téa sang.

To a place where dreams come true, Emily added.

Take my hand, Téa repeated.

Take my hand, we're going to, Emily echoed.

We're going to Wonderland, the girls repeated.

Emily danced around and sang, Twisting, turning

Living, learning

Forever changing where we're at

Plotting, scheming

Hoping, dreaming

Two steps forward, one step back

Her friends danced with her as she continued, Look to the left, look to the right

Look straight ahead, you'll see the light

Take a deep breath, then let it go

Together we'll travel down every road.

When everyone finished singing, the group decided to return to their world to get ready. Yugi, Joey, Max, and Emily packed everything they thought they would need such as extra clothes, cleaning products, sleeping bags, pieces of entertainment, snacks, and money. Yugi called Kaiba and told him that a door to a new world had just appeared. The brunette was happy to hear that. He had been waiting for a new adventure. He needed to get out of his office anyway. The air conditioning was down at the company and maintenance was working to repair it. After finishing up a few reports and packing everything he needed for his travels, Kaiba hurried to meet up with his friends.

Everyone met up at town square, ready to return to the Pure Valley. Téa and Tristan returned as well. They decided to stay in the Secret Garden and keep relaxing at the lake a little while longer due to the bothersome heat. They also wanted to wish their friends well as they would see them off.

Kaiba inspected the well. "This is the way to the new world?" he asked his friends. "Doesn't look like it."

"Things aren't always what they seem," Yugi reminded him. "Still, I wonder what awaits us in this world."

Emily wondered too. Usually the Great Goddess would emerge to provide her heroes a few words of wisdom to prepare them for their next adventure. For that matter, Emily decided to release the Millennium Star from her heart. When she did, the Great Goddess began taking on her true form.

"Greetings, my heroes," she greeted. "And, Max, it is good to see you again as well."

"It's good to see you too," Emily returned. "We were wondering if you could tell us something about the new world you're sending us to."

Millennia smiled and chuckled. "It is not just a matter of where you are going, but when you are going."

Kaiba crossed his arms. "We're going now, aren't we?"

"It seems I am not clear in my statement," excused the Great Goddess. "To be clear, you are going to another era."

"You mean, we're going to another time," Joey asked.

"Rest assured, this world will still be similar to the other worlds," advised Millennia. "It will still be a world of monsters and magic. It will also be another world that will test your loyalty and inner strength."

"Will it be like what we went through in the world of the Sailor Scouts," Yugi asked.

"That you will have to discover on your own," she told him. "In your last mission, you discovered new things about yourselves and each other. And I must praise every one of you for staying true to your feelings and loyalty to one another and your new allies." She stops smiling and advises her heroes, "But I must warn you, the monsters you face will be more dangerous. Monsters, the most feared and scorned of creatures to live. But what is it that separates man from monster? Is there even a difference?"

"Where are you going with this?" Kaiba asked.

Millennia began to explain the story. "Since the beginning, many humans have shared the misguided judgement that monsters represent all that is evil in the world. They have also failed to see the monsters they had turned themselves into for their own wrongs that they committed. Many people who showed no signs of fear or hate were able to live happily with their demon companions. Though monsters had the ability to masquerade as humans, in many ways, they were humans in body and in spirit. Sadly, human-demon relationships are still frowned upon by societies not just in your world, but the other worlds."

The thought of it saddened Emily. She knew that it was the same for relationships with people of mixed races and cultures and it still went on even today.

Millennia smiled at the heroes. "I hope the advice I have given you will not change your perspective on monsters. You have already met and befriended with many monsters in the past and accepted them."

"Yeah, why should we feel any different?" Joey asked.

"Still, some monsters will hurt us, but there must also be some that we can trust," Yugi added.

"We're not prejudiced," boasted Emily.

"I will leave it to you to decide friend from foe as I watch over you in the new world," said Millennia. "To help you on your journey, I will also give you a weapon to help you." Using her magic, the Great Goddess creates weapons and tools for the boys. Joey is given a bow with a quiver full of arrows, Yugi is given a sword, and Kaiba is given a golden staff decorated with rings.

"What about me and Max?"

"You will still have your magic powers," said Millennia. "I have one last warning: your adventures are starting to become more dangerous. Your powers are also becoming stronger and you are also gaining new abilities, but you must also continue to use all that you know and believe in. In the end, that will be your greatest weapon against the forces of evil. It will also help you stand united against your enemies."

Yugi looked down. "You did warn us that would happen. Things are getting harder."

"But we're not going to stop now," said Kaiba.

"Not until we make it through to the end," said Emily.

Millennia was pleased to hear that. "I am grateful to you for your dedication. And know that I am always with you." She returns to her form as a star and Emily places the Millennium Star back inside her heart. It was time for the heroes to go. One by one, they all jump into the well.