The next day, Yugi, Teá, Joey and Tristan all sit in a huddle in Yugi's room around the television, taking in the latest news report. Cairo sits at a further distance with her arms and legs crossed and her eyes closed in meditation.

It appears to be a tranquil morning in light of last night's chaos. But unexplained illuminations in the night sky and unusual weather patterns were reported in dozens of countries around the globe. Are these events related to the recent monster sightings? More to come. But first, the lottery numbers!

"I guess what happened here, happened everywhere," Teá says.

"Yeah, but thanks to Yugi's card, he kicked that big eyeball's butt!" Joey says, picking up the Eye of Timaeus card in his hand to examine it.

There is a brief knock on the door and Grandpa Mutou enters carrying a box. "I'm sorry to interrupt you kids, but something came in the mail for you, Yugi."

Yugi gets up and takes the box out of his hands. "Any idea who it's from?"

His grandfather shakes his head. "My eyes aren't as good as they used to be."

"Well let's see…" Yugi looks closely at the label on the box and he gasps. Teá gets up as well and looks over his shoulder to read what is says.

"It says, 'From the office of Maximillion Pegasus,'" she reads out loud. There is silence followed by multiple blinks from the group before they all shriek in realization. Cairo's eyes fly open after the collective scream and she tilts her head in confusion. Why were they freaking out over a package? Yugi opens up the package, revealing a video tape.

"I say we toss the thing," Tristan suggests, remembering all of the pain and anguish Pegasus had caused them in the past during Duelist Kingdom.

"I'm with Tristan," Joey agrees, a bit of sweat dripping down his forehead and he grins. "I say we tape over it with some Saturday morning cartoons!"

Yugi looks over his shoulder as Yami appears. 'What do you think we should do?'

'Let's hear what he has to say,' Yami replies with his arms crossed over his chest. 'Besides, he did invent the game of Duel Monsters.'

'You think he has something to do with what's going on?'

'Perhaps. Let's play the tape.'

And with that, Yugi picks up the tape and walks over to the VCR to everyone else's horror. Joey and Tristan both cling on to the couch, not knowing what to expect, while Teá clenches her fists in anticipation as Yugi presses play. An image of a man wearing a red suit and long grey hair appears on the screen. He sat at his office desk with one leg crossed over the other.

"Greetings Yugi boy. It's been awhile. You never call, you never write. After all we've been through, you could've at least emailed me," Pegasus begins somewhat sarcastically. "Now unless you've been living under a rock for the past two days, you've realized that duel monsters have suddenly been living amongst us. Luckily for me, Kaiba-boy has been taking the heat for all of this. Of course I know who's really behind this and I must stop them. They are ruining the reputation of my game and I'm afraid that's just not good for business."

"I knew we should've played the tape," Joey blurts and Teá and Tristan give him the side eye.

"The only catch is, it's too risky for me to leave any information on this recording. That means you're gonna have to meet me in person."

Joey shutters. "Say what?!"

"It's the only way to ensure complete secrecy. And lastly, I've also enclosed a special card within your package," he continues, before his gaze becomes more serious. "Just make sure you don't lose it!"

Yugi's eyes widen. "Fine, I won't. Sheesh…"

"It's the only way you'll be able to enter my compound. Guard it with your life! They mustn't take it!" The screen goes to static signaling the end of the tape.

Yami appears next to Yugi once again. 'Let's go. Pegasus may be our only hope.'

Yugi nods in agreement. 'True.' He turns around to the rest of the group with a look of determination. "Alright guys, I'm going."

Joey blinks. "You sure?" Yugi nods. "Then I'm coming to! Consider my bags already packed!"

"Well then, count me in!" Teá chimes in.

"Me too!" Tristan says. "He is flying us first class right?"

Yugi smiles. "Thanks guys."

Teá walks over to Cairo and crouches down to her. The little girl opens her eyes and stares into Teá's. "Well what about you? Gonna tag along?"

Cairo glances over at Yugi then back to Teá before shrugging her shoulders. "I guess I should. Seems like all of the action happens around you guys. Besides, those souls are after the pharaoh. I should probably stay close by so I can capture them."

Teá smiles before standing up straight. "Then it's settled! We're going shopping!"

"Huh? How does me agreeing to accompany you on your trip correlate to…shopping?"

"I'm sure you're tired of wearing the same clothes and it'll help you fit in more!"

"Welp! Good luck Cairo! I'm headed out!" Joey says quickly slipping out the door and Tristan follows, only leaving Yugi. Whenever Teá gets into her little shopping moods, it can sometimes turn into an all day thing and the boys wanted nothing to do with it.

"You coming too, Yugi?" Teá asks.

"Uh…" He blushes and taps his chin and then quickly switches over to Yami who blinks a few times with surprise at the sudden switchover.

'Yugi! This isn't a duel!' he yells internally.

'Aw come on, it won't be too bad. Besides, maybe you can get to know Cairo more since it seems like you're both from the same time period,' Yugi replies in his head and Yami groans.

YGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGO

The three of them walk down a shopping district filled with different boutiques and small shops. The sidewalk is filled with pedestrians, some carrying shopping bags and others eating food on the go. Teá smiles brightly as she holds onto her purse. This is totally her zone and she believes that shopping is a great stress reliever. Yami and Cairo on the other hand walk alongside her, both of them sporting identical pouts on their faces after practically being dragged there. Teá points to a nearby boutique and they all enter inside.

The amount of pink within the boutique is almost nauseating. It is filled with frilly dresses and other semi-casual clothes. As they walk through, Cairo can't help but notice the stares she is getting from other women that scoff at her clothes and whisper to each other. Yami feels a tug on his jacket and looks down to see Cairo holding onto it, as if doing so comforted her. It seems even she has her own insecurities despite not being the typical little girl, he thinks to himself.

Teá and Yami stand outside the dressing room, waiting for Cairo to appear. An employee that works there assists Cairo with the clothing that she deems to be odd. "So what do you think?"

Yami looks over at Teá with an eyebrow raised.

"Do you think Cairo will be able to help?"

"There's so many things we don't know about her, Teá. I'm not sure what to expect from her."

"Yeah, you're right. I was just hoping…"

"Hm?"

"What if it does turn out that she's someone from your past? Maybe she could be of some help to you."

"Perhaps. We will just have to wait and see."

The curtain to the fitting room flings open, revealing Cairo and the employee who seems a bit exhausted over fighting with Cairo over the wardrobe. "She wouldn't let me take that thing off her head," the employee says, wiping sweat off her brow.

"It stays," Cairo says, staring forward with a blank expression.

Teá chuckles. "Well, you look like a normal kid from Domino, Cairo." She is wearing blue jean shorts, a black fitted tank top with a loose gray crop top that hung off her shoulders with the word "CHAMP" that is is written in black, huge text. Cairo looks down at herself and moves her feet a little, gazing down at the black and white chucks that encloses her feet.

"What do you think?" Teá asks.

The girl looks at a mirror to observe the rest of her new clothing in full. She definitely looks like the typical person walking around and shouldn't have an issue with fitting in. But it's definitely going to take some getting used to. "Uh…thanks?" She makes her way to the exit and the employee's jaw drops as she walks out the door.

"Hey! You gotta pay for that!" the employee yells and Teá laughs nervously.

"Sorry. She's not from around here," she apologizes, quickly taking out a debit card out of her purse.

Cairo walks outside to get a little fresh air. The boutique was small in size and cramped with so many clothes that she could hardly breathe in there. She looks up to the buildings that tower above her. These glass structures definitely weren't around during her time. Nor were the fast moving metal objects in the street. Everything here is so different, she thinks to herself as she begins walking, observing every shop and corner. Even the food is something she isn't accustomed to, although she could see herself being accustomed to it rather quickly because of her love of food.

She looks over to a group of kids huddled in a circle in an alley across the street. Their laughter fills the air. Without looking both ways, she crosses the street, causing cars to abruptly come to a stop and angry motorists scolding her for crossing without looking both ways. As she gets closer to the group, something seems off. The laughter she hears doesn't seem innocent or fun-filled. Her eyes zoom in and she notices that they seem to be kicking around something.

"Stupid cat," a boy remarks with a grin, kicking the small gray kitten to the side. "Can't do any fun tricks."

"Just toss it in the trash," another kid suggests. "That's all he is anyway!" The kids laugh as the cat struggles to get up, but it is clearly injured from being abused. Cairo casually brushes past the group of boys to their surprise and she crouches down to the kitten, observing its injuries.

"Hey! Beat it, girl!" the large boy shouts. "Unless you want us to do the same thing we did to this fur ball!"

Cairo narrows her eyes, seeing the poor cat whimper in both pain and fear. How dare they do this to a poor, defenseless animal? She slowly lifts the kitten into her arms and cradles it carefully. "Don't worry," she assures it. "They won't hurt you anymore." She attempts to walk away, but she is blocked by the group.

The larger one, who appears to be the ring leader, stands in the front with his arms folded. "Where do you think you're going?"

Yami and Teá run out of the boutique looking for Cairo. "Where could she have gone?" Teá asks, looking around worriedly.

Yami scans the group of people, looking from left to right until his eyes land on a group of kids. "Over there," he points out and they both rush over. They stand behind the group and notice Cairo standing in the middle, carrying the weakened cat.

Teá narrows her eyes when she realizes what is going on. "Hey you guys! Leave them alone!"

Cairo sighs heavily as the boy in front of her laughs, the rest of the group egging on his antics. She has entertained this for far too long and she is more concerned about the well being of the cat. She attempts to walk forward a second time, but once again the boy makes her stop in her tracks, blocking her path.

"You're not going anywhere!"

She rolls her eyes and lets out an exasperated sigh. "Move." She uses her elbow to lightly nudge him, but that one small motion sends him flying into some nearby trash cans to everyone's shock. The rest of the group of boys all look in horror as their ring leader lays in a daze and they all back away slowly.

"Holy cow, she's strong," Teá says in shock.

"D-Did you see that? She barely moved a muscle!" one of them says.

"Let's get outta here!" another one yells, and they run over to grab the boy before running off. "Freak!"

"Cairo!" Teá exclaims as she and Yami run over to her.

"Are you alright?" Yami asks as Cairo looks down at the kitten that is bleeding and breathing heavily.

"That poor thing," Teá says with a frown. "We need to get it some help right aw—" She pauses when Cairo closes her eyes and her body begins to emit a purple glow. Miraculously, the cat's wounds slowly start to fade away.

"She's healing it," Yami remarks in astonishment.

After a few more moments, the kitten lifts his head and meows happily after being fully healed. It nuzzles its scruffy forehead into Cairo's chest with gratitude and she sets it down on the ground. "You be more careful okay?" She pets it on the head with a smile, before waving goodbye to it as she and the others begin to walk away. But the kitten doesn't let her go that easily as he begins to follow her. Cairo looks behind her and tilts her head. "Huh?"

She crouches down and blinks a few times. "Are you following me?" she asks the cat who responds with another happy meow before leaping into her arms. Cairo looks up to Teá and Yami questionably, not knowing how to take the cat's behavior.

Teá chuckles. "I think he likes you, Cairo."

"Is that so?" She looks down at the kitten who nuzzles her once more and perches on her shoulder, rubbing on to her cheek, causing Cairo to giggle. "Okay, okay. You can be my friend." Yami and Teá exchange looks before smiling.

Later on that day as the sun begins to set, they begin to make their back to their respective homes. Cairo walks ahead of them, the kitten resting on top of her head as she feeds it small treats. "Slow down little guy. I don't want you to choke!" she says as the kitten quickly eats up whatever treat she offers.

"She may be different in many ways, but she's still just a kid at the end of the day," Yami comments and Teá nods in agreement.

"Yeah. But wow, did you see what she did back there? As if the first time we met wasn't enough as far as showcasing her powers, she shows us that there's even more to her."

"Indeed. She seems to be quite powerful…more than what we could ever imagine."

"Glad she's presumably on our side."

YGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGO

"The white zone is for immediate loading and unloading. There is no parking in the white zone," a voice announced over the speakers of the airport the next day. Yugi and the gang hang out at their terminal, waiting to board their flight. The airport is packed with various people, from businessmen and women, to families eagerly looking forward to their vacation. Teá, Yugi, Tristan and Joey stand at the large window, watching as planes take off and land.

"There it is!" Teá exclaims in excitement, pointing out a private jet that Pegasus had set aside for them.

"Whoa! This is awesome! A private jet!" Tristan says, looking on.

"Eh…it's alright," Joey says with a shrug and he grins while poking his chest out. "I plan on having a whole fleet of these some day. Air Joey has a nice ring!"

"Hey guys, where's Cairo?" Yugi asks, looking around and they all join him in looking out for her.

"We're gonna board soon," Teá says anxiously.

"I'll find her," Joey says and he dashes off in search for her.

"Hurry Joey!"

Cairo walks around the huge airport, carrying a red backpack on her back. This new world never ceases to amaze her. How on earth were humans so capable of achieving so much? Ancient Egypt came with its own sets of achievement as well, but nothing compares to the time she is in now. She approaches a window and places her hand on it.

"Wow…" Is all she manages to say as she watches the planes take off into the sky. To think that she will be on one of those soon.

"There you are!" a voice calls out and she turns around to see Joey running to her. "I've been looking all over for ya! It's time to go!"

"Joey, what are those things called?" she asks, pointing to the flying objects.

"Eh? They're planes," he answers. "It's just another way to get around and it's much faster than a car."

"I see." She feels shuffling in her back, and a certain furry kitten pops out of her book bag, revealing himself with a meow.

Joey's face drops. "You brought a cat?"

"Ebo."

"Huh?"

"His name is Ebo," she says as the cat nuzzles against her cheek.

"I don't think cats are allowed around here without being in a cage, Cairo," he tells her, only to be met by her confused expression. He sighs. "Let's just go. But don't let anyone see you with a cat in your bag."

Teá, Yugi and Tristan have already boarded the private jet by pilot's orders. It is very spacious, complete with furniture ranging from a full couch and a table and comfortable seating for take off and landing.

"I feel like a total rockstar!" Tea exclaims with excitement.

"Yeah, this is the life!" Tristan agrees, plopping down on one of the seats and taking a relaxed sigh. Yugi takes his seat next to him and looks out the window.

"So Yugi, why do you think Pegasus wants to see you?" Teá asks as she takes her seat in front of them.

"I'm not sure. I'm assuming he wants me to help him duel whoever is causing this mess," he guesses.

The door to the airplane closes and the pilot announces their preparation for takeoff to everyone's horror.

"Oh no! Joey and Cairo haven't made it in yet!" Teá says.

Tristan runs up to the cockpit and bangs on the door. "Hey! My buddy still isn't here yet! We can't leave!"

Joey and Cairo run up to the terminal window and Joey slams his fist into the glass as he sees the plane that they are supposed to be in, taking off already. He growls. "Darn it! We didn't make it back in time!" He slides down to the floor in defeat and clenches his fist. "I'm supposed to be helping my buddy Yug. Who knows what we're up against. He's gonna need all the help he can get!"

Cairo glances out the window and then sets her sights on Joey. "But what about all of those other…planes? They can't take us to our destination?"

Joey sighs. "Unfortunately that's not how that works." He sucks in his teeth with frustration. "Too bad we can't just magically fly and meet them there."

Cairo smirks. "I can arrange that."

YGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGO

"I have worked too hard repairing the reputation of this company! This has to stop! I want answers and I want it now!" Kaiba yells into his phone at one of his workers. The recent days have been hectic for him and he is getting the majority of the blame for the duel monsters sightings. The door to his office opens and in runs his little brother Mokuba, a small kid wearing an orange shirt and blue jeans with black hair that reaches his back.

"Seto! Check out our database! There's someone out there buying shares of our company!" Mokuba reveals.

"Impossible!"

"It's true! I saw it myself!"

Kaiba leans over to access the data on his computer and he bangs his hand on his desk. "There's only one person capable of doing such a thing." The phone rings and he reluctantly picks it up. The screen on the phone reveals none other than Pegasus, confirming Kaiba's suspicions. "So it was you."

"Hey Kaiba boy. I missed you," Pegasus says sarcastically, lounging at his desk with a smirk. "It looks like we're partners now! This is gonna be so much fun!"

"This company is mine!" Kaiba growls.

"You're always so uptight Kaiba boy. Why don't you treat yourself to a vacation?"

"Enough! There's no way I'm gonna let a snake like you wrap yourself around my company, is that clear?!"

"Relax. I don't want your company. I just needed the upper hand so I could force you to do something for me," he replies. "Plus I was bored and it was fun." He leans back in his chair with a somewhat carefree look on his face before continuing. "You see, since both of our reputations are at stake thanks to these pesky monsters, I thought we could boost our public image by dueling each other."

"Are you out of your mind?"

"Should I take that as a no? Well I'd reconsider that if I were you," he says, pointing at Kaiba thought the screen. "Because if not, I'll buy the rest of your company and take it apart, piece by pathetic piece."

Sweat begins to form on Kaiba's forehead. Pegasus has definitely put him in a tough spot and all of this couldn't have come at a worse time. He was in the process of announcing his newest project which is to build a Kaiba Land theme park. He has even promised his little brother that he wouldn't duel so that he could solely focus on that project.

Sensing's Kaiba's hesitation, Pegasus grins. He had him. "So what do you say, Kaiba boy? Do we have ourselves a duel?"

"Fine. You have yourself a duel, Pegasus."

"I thought you'd see things my way. I've set up an arena for us in Duelist Kingdom for old time's sake. See you there!"

Kaiba hangs up the phone and lowers his head with narrowed eyes. "Are you sure you wanna go through with this?" Mokuba asks.

"I have no choice."

Meanwhile in the sky…

"ARE YOU SURE THERE ISN'T ANOTHER WAY?!" Joey yells as he uses one hand to hang onto his luggage and the other is holding on to Cairo's hand for dear life as they fly high in the sky.

Cairo laughs. "Careful what you wish for!" she replies, referring to his earlier comment on being able to magically fly to meet the others at their destination.

"Stop getting a kick outta this!"

"I'm sorry," she giggles. "It's just…it's been so long since I've been able to fly and be this carefree. Even if it's just for a moment."

Joey frowns, realizing where her previous "home" is prior to her coming here. It's no wonder why she is so happy. "Must be tough," he comments in a more serious tone all of a sudden, causing her to look back at him. "Having to live in the Shadow Realm. To be alone."

She turns her head to focus on where she's going, not wanting to delve deeper into the subject.

"You're alright with me, Cairo."

"Hm?" She looks back once more, taken off guard by his comment.

"Anyone that would put their life on the line to save my friend Yugi, is a friend of mine."

"Friend…?" she repeats and he nods. She looks away, focusing on what's ahead. She has to stay focused, she tells herself. She didn't come here for new bonds or friendship. For ages, she has gotten used to being alone. It is her new reality, unfortunately, but she has come to accept it.

And yet, a smile finds its way upon her lips at her newfound friendship.

YGOGOYGOYGO

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