Joey gasps when Rex, having just won his duel against Espa Roba, turns around and walks away from his defeated opponent... towards him.

Uh oh. Rex has seen him. He's approaching. Is he going to challenge Joey to a duel next? The blond boy gulps. The fighting spirit he can sense being emitted from the shorter boy is huge. It might sound funny, crazy, even irrational to those who have never held a duel monsters card in their lives, but experienced duelists eventually and unconsciously develop the ability to assess the opponent's skills even before the battle, by sensing the size of their dueling aura.

And what Joey can right now sense being given off by that hooded boy is truly enormous. This is by no means the same Rex he fought at the Duelist Kingdom. What made him so much better? And, most importantly, can he... (gulp)... can he win against him again? The Duelist Kingdom semi finalist is not so sure. Don't get him wrong, Joey loves challenges. He definitely loves facing strong opponents. But, still having only one locator card, perhaps it would be wise to avoid, for the time being, someone THAT powerful.

Uh oh. Rex keeps approaching. With his hands in his pockets in a confident manner. And his eyes fixed on Wheeler! He has definitely seen him! And now, it is almost certain that Rex is going to challenge him! What is Joey going to do? According to the Battle City rules, one is not allowed to refuse to duel an opponent who challenges him. It seems there is no longer any way out of this. 'Darn, I should have run away before he saw me,' Joey thinks.

So be it. The blond duelist braces himself and takes a determined expression, ready to be challenged. Give it your all, Joey!

Rex stops next to him. The two duelists exchange looks. The blond boy tries to act cool and not gulp again.

'Hey, Wheeler,' the shorter boy says, in an unfriendly tone of voice, with his hands still in his pockets.

'Umm... hey... hey, Rex,' Joey replies with uncertainty.

And then... Rex keeps walking away. He didn't challenge Joey after all!

Joey doesn't want to admit it, but he feels really relieved that he won't have to start off with such a strong opponent. How come Rex ignored him, though?

As Rex is slowly getting lost from view, Joey is still looking at him, scratching his head and trying to understand what is in that guy's head. Little does the blond simpleton know how the Japanese Championship finalist feels. Little does he know how humiliated, how broken he felt when Mai cheated and defeated him on that ship that carried them to Pegasuses island.

That night, when Mai accepted his invitation to his room, the teenage boy was elated. Although he was trying to act cool, confident and perhaps somewhat experienced, deep down inside, he was just a virgin boy drooling over the voluptuous, hot, blonde babe in front of him. A virgin boy who hoped he would at last get some, that that was his 'big night'!

The truth, though, was that all that Mai chick wanted was to stay in his luxurious room, since, as one of the latest grand tournaments' finalists, he had been assigned one of the most comfortable cabins of the ship. How stupid and gullible he was! How could he believe that a woman 10 years older than him, a woman rich men would kill one another to get laid with, would ever be genuinely into him?

No, it's not like Rex is heartbroken or anything. He did not fall in love at first sight with Mai or anything; he was just a normal teenage boy wanting to bang a hot girl. What truly broke him was how easily he was played. How easily he fell for the 'I'm so impressed and aroused by how well you play a children's card game' trap.

When Mai challenged him to a duel that night, Rex refused at first. He saw no reason to bother. Because, as much as he liked Mai as a woman, he didn't hold her in high regard as a duelist. I mean, how good could a no name be? It was clear she stood no chance against the second best player in Japan and there was no reason for him to mentally fatigue himself a few hours before the great tournament by engaging in a pointless friendly duel.

When Mai put on a meaningful smile and promised to kiss him if he won, though, the prospect of that duel started seeming interesting. The boy instantly got a boner. He wondered how far that 'kiss' would go! Oh God, at last, all that time of spending his allowance on trading cards rather than at some local brothel would finally pay off! Needless to say, he agreed to play after all. Equally needless to say, he also agreed to leave the room if he lost; it was a chance worth taking. I mean, how likely was it that a blonde bimbo was good enough to defeat him? Girls are not good at anything. It is common knowledge! Girls are just sluts that were created for sex.

The next thing he knew, he was kicked out of his room! How the hell did that slut beat him? How did she know what her cards were before she drew them? She must have cheated, that's how! Back then, Rex was still too flustered to realize it and, for a while, he believed that Mai really had telepathic powers. But now he knows that she's not a psychic; she's just a dirty cheater (and whore!)

When he met her again later, on the island, he tried to get revenge on her, but Mai further humiliated him by turning him into her slave and making him duel Joey. The last straw, though, was when he learnt that Mai had become the Duel Queen!

Rex sure hated Mai in the original timeline too, the one where the series took place. However, in this timeline, he hates her even more. Being humiliated by a whore is one thing, but seeing that whore proceeding to fulfill your own dream and become the best duelist on the planet is too much to take.

Rex resents her. And that resentment gave him the determination to try even harder. And so, he became a formidable duelist, far better than what he was at this point in the original timeline.

Not that he's on good terms with Joey, mind you, but, right now, his target is Mai. Joey can wait.

Marik and Yami Mokuba are watching Yugi. Not on the giant screens this time; they never actually needed those screens to begin with. Right now, the Millenium Rod, which Marik is holding vertically, is projecting an immaterial image above it. And neither of them seems to like what they see right now. In fact, Yami is exasperated.

'Your henchmen are worthless, Marik,' the spirit in the boy's body yells. 'How did that Arcana mortal manage to lose that duel? He practically had it won and threw the victory away because of his ineptitude!'

'Calm down, partner,' Marik chuckles, stroking his rod. 'The tournament has just begun. It wouldn't be fun if we killed Yugi so soon, would it? That's why I sent him one of my weaklings. You know, as a warm up.'

With his hands in his pockets, the possessed boy rolls his eyes. 'So, whom will you send next?'

Marik lowers his eyes and looks at his rod for a while. His eyes back to Yami. 'Strings!' he answers with an evil smile. 'The bearer of Slifer the Sky Dragon!'

Yami gets angry anew. 'You trusted a random person with one of the two God cards? Are you out of your fucking mind?'

Marik chuckles. 'That "random person", as you call it, is one of my brainwashed slaves. A vessel with no volition. He, or should I say it, will do anything I command. When it duels, it might as well be me!'

'Still, though, I think it was a bad idea to part with your God card. It's risky,' Yami sighs, unconvinced.

Marik's face hardens. 'Never question my methods,' he says threateningly.

Still in his Yami form, Yugi is walking on the Battle City streets, looking at the two locator cards in his hand. He got the second locator card from Arcana, that psychotic conjurer who played a Dark Magician themed deck.

'So, we managed to overcome the first obstacle that Marik threw our way,' Normal Yugi comments in Yami Yugi's head.

'Yes,' Yami Yugi replies. 'Barely! I'm sure glad we made it alive out of that sadistic duel. However, relax not, partner; I have a feeling that the worst is yet to come!'

The two Yugis chat some more while walking, until, at some point, they notice a strange guy standing on a bench. He is bald and his face is bleached and full of piercing. He's wearing a black shirt and crimson trousers held up by yellow suspenders.

Yami Yugi takes a curious expression. Why is that person standing there, motionless, expressionless, ignoring the people that have gathered round and staring at him. Is he a mime?

'I love mimes!' Normal Yugi comments happily, inside Yugi's mind. 'Let's go closer and have a look, partner.'

Suddenly, Yami Yugi has a bad feeling. 'No, Yugi,' he refuses. 'I think we should probably go away.'

However, the innocent Yugi does not listen. 'Come on, partner, don't be paranoid,' he chuckles and regains control of the body he and his partner share.

'YUGI, NO,' Yami Yugi cries in vain as the body reverts to its shorter form.

Normal Yugi walks over to Strings, Marik's possessed slave.

Rex is walking on the Battle City streets, with the expression of a lioness searching for her pray. He's holding three locator cards in his hand; during the off screen time between the previous scene we saw him and this scene, some brainless no name walked over to him and challenged him. Rex disposed of that weakling easily, thus getting one more locator card.

Okay, enough with the small fries. Now, where is the big fish? OH, THERE SHE IS!

Rex points at Mai, even though her back is turned to him, so she cannot see him. 'Mai Valentine!' he cries to draw her attention.

Mai gasps, merely with startlement. The next moment, though, when she realizes whom that voice belongs to, she takes a more indifferent expression. She sighs and turns around. 'What do you want, Rex?' she asks.

'What do you think that I want?' the boy rhetorically asks and takes out his dueling deck.

Mai rolls her eyes. She guesses that that loser's locator cards are as good as anyone else's locator cards, but still, she's irritated that this boy is so obsessed with her and what he perceives as 'revenge'. That boy's mommy should get him a life!

Anyway, let's get it over with. It won't take long to make that guy eat dirt again. Mai takes out her deck too and places it on her duel disk.

'How many more times do you have to become a laughing stock, Raptor?' she asks, preparing to duel. 'You didn't learn your lesson when I beat you in a laughable manner on the ship. You didn't learn your lesson when you lost to that Joey blockhead. (Mai respects Joey more than she shows!) When will you learn your lesson?'

'When I have disqualified you,' Rex replies with a serious expression. 'I see you have two locator cards. So I bet two of my three locator cards. When this duel is over, you will be out of the tournament.'

'YOU will be out of the tournament,' Mai corrects him.

'Huh?'

'You, too, will wager all your locator cards!'

Rex chuckles. 'And why am I supposed to risk three locator cards when you have only two?'

'Because I have something else that I'm sure you want as well,' Mai answers with a determined but also meaningful expression.

'Which is?' Rex raises an eyebrow.

To make her point, the woman places her hand on her crotch!

Rex gasps, his eyes widening in arousal.

'If you win, not only do I give you my locator cards, but also you get to screw me,' Mai unnecessarily explains. 'As you have always wanted! With your tiny dick!'

Rex ignores the comment about his cock's size and grins. 'Are you serious?'

'I swear,' Mai places her hand on her chest this time, with a solemn expression. 'As much as I dislike you, both as a man and as a person, I'm an honorable duelist above all else. And honorable duelists always pay what they wager in a duel. If you win, we will go to an alley or a motel or your house or anywhere else you want and you will put your cock anywhere you want!'

Rex rubs his palms together. 'Okay,' he agrees. 'Just wait a minute. I'll go and buy some condoms before this duel begins.'

'Don't worry,' Mai chuckles with a dismissive gesture. 'If you win, I'll even buy condoms for you as well! But, trust me, you're not going to need them.'

'LET'S DUEL,' both duelists cry simultaneously.