After a helicopter personally sent by Kaiba picks up Yugi and the gang and takes them back to Japan, they find themselves in the middle of Kaiba Land. Along with the contestants that will be competing in the tournament, the park is only doing a soft opening, so the amount of spectators is limited, yet still a good quantity. The park is full rides ranging from rollercoasters, a ferris wheel, carousels and more. In the middle is a mega dome in the shape of a Blue Eyes White Dragon head.
"This place is huge!" Joey says in amazement as they walk through the park.
"It's super over the top," Tristan says, noticing there are multiple statues of the Blue Eyes White Dragon in different areas of the park. "Seriously, this guy is obsessed."
"Well this is Kaiba we're talking about," Téa points out.
Cairo watches as kids giggle after receiving cotton candy and other treats by the Dark Magician Girl and the Dark Magician. But something seems off about them. The woman dressed as the magician girl is almost an exact match, but the man dressed as the Dark Magician bears no resemblance at all. "Weird…" she comments and she outstretches her hand, an energy ball forming.
Yugi gasps in realization of what she's about to do and he quickly stands in front of her with his arms outstretched. "Hey! Hey! Easy there Cairo!"
"They look like imposters."
Yugi chuckles nervously. "Yeah, that's because they're just people dressed in costumes, that's all! It's kinda what we do here!"
"Ohhh." She lowers her hand and he sighs in relief.
"You might wanna cool it on the powers," Duke mutters over to her, noticing the odd looks she's getting from nearby people.
"It's okay to let loose and relax sometimes Cairo," Tristan says kneeling down to her. "Come on. Wouldn't you like a day or two to just be a kid?"
"Ideally, yes, that would be nice," Cairo replies before scanning the area. She senses the presence of a Kul Elna soul in the area. "But unfortunately, there's still work to be done."
"You mean there's souls that you're looking for that's here right now?" Yugi asks and Cairo nods.
"I'm only sensing one at the moment. Maybe I can handle it before this place is at capacity."
"Yeah! And then you can enjoy the tournament and all the attractions!" Tristan exclaims. "I hear all of them are free today."
Joey's ears perk up and he clenches his fists with excitement. "Are you serious? They're all free?"
"Focus Joey. You have a tournament that needs all of your attention," Téa says, face palming.
"Catch you later," Cairo says, running off to find the host of the soul.
Téa frowns. "Poor kid. Must be tough always having to be on alert like that."
"She doesn't seem too bothered by it," Duke says naively, but Yugi knows better. He knows there's nothing she wants more than to be free from her duties. And the pharaoh made a promise that he will set her free once and for all.
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Cairo places her hands behind her back as she walks through the park. Never has she seen anything like this before. People dressed up as duel monsters, people screaming with delight on rollercoasters and just the amount of technology surrounding her in general is enough to make her a bit overwhelmed. It's going to be tough to find the soul that she is looking for with all of these people.
She stops in her tracks and drops her shoulders, exhaling and groaning with dread. "This is gonna take forever," she whines. She envies the people that are able to walk around without a care in the world. She looks at the kids her age, happily indulging in food and entertaining themselves with card games and various attractions that are open today. "Must be nice…"
"Hey! Give it back!" a boy yells nearby. He jumps up and down trying to get his precious card that is being dangled above his head. Three older kids laugh at the boy's failed attempts.
"Now how did a wimp like you get your hands on such a rare card," the older kid holding the card says. He wears a red bandana over his low spiky blonde hair.
"You wouldn't even know what to do with it!" yells another.
"Please," the boy with short black hair and square glasses pleads. "My grandfather gave that to me before he died. It's more than a card to me!"
"Well I'm taking it off your hands."
Tears well up in the boy's eyes. "No, please!"
The three bullies laugh and they turn to walk away, but stop when they see Cairo standing there with her arms folded. "Get outa the way little girl!"
"Return the card you stole," Cairo demands calmly, earning laughs from the group.
"Get lost!" the blonde hair kid yells.
The boy whose card got stolen looks on with worry. He feels so pathetic letting a girl stick up for him. Instead she should be protecting her, he thinks to himself. He hurries over and stands protectively in front of Cairo to her surprise. "Don't hurt her!" he exclaims, holding his hands out.
"Move out of the way or I'll pulverize you both!" the blonde haired bully yells. "I'm not afraid to hit girls!"
"I don't have time for this," Cairo says, moving past the kid and standing inches away from the bully. In one swift motion, she jumps up, grabs the card and roundhouse kicks the bully, sending him hurdling to his group of friends and they all land in a heap. She lands gracefully on her feet and looks down at the card. A gasp escapes her lips when she realizes what monster is on the card.
The Magician of Black Chaos. In the past, she not only was able to cast spells, but she could summon a monster as well. What are the odds that the card she is currently holding in her hand is the same monster that she had the ability to summon?
"E-Excuse me…" She turns around to the boy who hesitantly walks up to her. "But…how did you do that?"
"Do what?" Cairo asks. The boy only points to his bullies that are out cold on the ground. "Uh…" Darn. And Duke literally just told her to tone it down on the powers.
"Are you some sort of mutant or superhero?" he asks, the excitement clearly showing in his face. Seeing Cairo's questionable look, he pulls out a comic book out of his backpack and shows her. There are people dressed in different costumes with capes, using their different abilities to save humanity. "Maybe your superpower is super strength?"
"Here's your card," Cairo says, handing it back to him and turning away to leave.
"Wait!" the boy yells as she walks away and he scrambles to catch up with her. "I'm Roy! What's your name?"
"Cairo."
"Thanks for saving me back there and getting my card back," Roy says with a smile. "Are you participating in the tournament?"
"No, but my friends are," she replies, keeping her gaze forward as she focuses on her mission.
"Awesome!" he exclaims before frowning. "But why aren't you with them?"
"I have to retrieve a soul," she says bluntly and he blinks a few times. She finally looks over at him, waiting on his reaction. She is certain this will make him go away and scare him off. But instead, the exact opposite happens. Instead, he is filled with even more excitement as his smiles grows bigger.
"I knew it! You really are a superhero! Can I tag along?"
Cairo scratches the back her head, confused by why he's so thrilled with the fact that she has powers. "I don't know...could be dangerous. It's probably best we go our separate ways."
The boy stops in his tracks and there is silence. Cairo sighs and turns around, but to her surprise, he has a huge grin on his face. "It's okay! I understand! You're a superhero!"
"A what…?" Cairo says to herself.
"...And I can't get in the way of a superhero!" he finishes.
"Uh…right. See ya." Cairo waves and the boy happily waves back as she walks away. A small smile forms on her lips and she shakes her head.
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"Ladies and gentleman! Duelists of all ages! Kaiba Corp is proud to present the KC Grand Championship Tournament! We've assembled an outstanding lineup of first class duelists from around the world just for you! One of which will be crowned world champ!"
Joey grins as he stands up on stage with the rest of the duelists. "I think we all know who that's gonna be," he states with confidence.
Yugi looks around in amazement, surrounded in the Kaiba Dome by hundreds of people. "Wow! Can you believe this crowd!"
"Yeah! It's huge!" Téa agrees, also looking around with fascination.
"Peace and love baby!" Tristan exclaims, chucking up two peace signs at a camera that is pointed at him. That is until Téa whacks him on the head.
"Can you try and act normal for once?" she grumbles with embarrassment.
"And now make some noise for our master of ceremonies!" the announcer says as a cloud of smoke appears in the middle of the stage. A platform raises, revealing Mokuba holding onto a microphone and he looks out to the crowd.
"Do they have to be so dramatic?" Duke groans.
"So are you people ready to get your duel on? I can't hear you!" he yells to a response of loud cheers. "Great! Cuz it's time to kick off the greatest duel monster's tournament ever organized! And before the day is through, we may have a new international duel monsters champion! So give it up for the current title holder, Yugi Mutou!"
The jumbo screen in the arena pans over to an embarrassed Yugi who turns red. The crowd begins to chant his name and he sinks deeper into his seat.
"Come up and say a word or two to your fans!" Mokuba encourages.
'Pharaoh, I need you,' Yugi says in his head with a panic.
'No,' Yami says, appearing next to him with a smile. 'You can do this.'
Before Yugi can protest any further, Yami disappears and he reluctantly gets up, walking stiffly as he goes up the stairs leading to the stage. "No one told me there'd be public speaking," he whines to himself. All eyes are on him as he manages to raise his hand in a slight wave, his cheeks turning red.
Luckily for him, Seto Kaiba appears, wearing a white suit with a blue tie and Mokuba hands over the microphone. He raises the microphone to his mouth and speaks. "Alright! I'm gonna make this brief! This is not a show! It's the ultimate test of survival! And it's gonna push everyone involved to their limits! So if you came for a friendly game, then I suggest you go home! This is a ruthless battle! And only one duelist will remain standing! From this point on, KaibaLand is a battlefield! So trust no one and let the best duelist win!" He raises the microphone to the crowd chanting his name.
Joey growls. "That show off! He's just lucky he's not dueling!" After losing to him at Duelist Kingdom, Joey has wanted a rematch with him ever since. But it looks like he's going to have to wait longer for that chance."
Colorful fireworks shoot up into the air, signaling the start of the tournament and the contestants go their respective locations for the first round.
Cairo goes on guard when she sees the colorful explosions in the air and she squints her eyes, looking at the smoke from the fireworks that linger in the air. "Doesn't appear to be much of a threat…" she comments to herself. "This world has such odd practices and traditions." Feeling the presence of a soul, her eyes slowly scroll over to a crowd of people that surround two fighters. The crowd ranges from mostly men, but also small children as well. As she walks closer to the cheering crowd, she observes the two fighters, trying to pinpoint who the Kul Elna soul is possessing.
One of the fighters is a muscular man with long blonde hair. He wears blue jean shorts and a tight white t-shirt. He seems to have taken quite a beating from his opponent, a tall woman with long purple hair, black shorts, a white tank and a black vest. She also wears black leather boots that go just over her calf muscles. Her body isn't as built as the man's, but she is still showing a great amount of strength.
"Hm…that's the one," Cairo says, folding her arms as she watches the fight continue.
The woman lands a flying kick to the man, finally knocking him out and the crowd cheers.
"Whoa! She's amazing!" a man comments, looking her up and down, admiring her strength and beauty.
"I wanna be just like Tara the Great when I grow up!" says a girl with clenched fists. Her and the rest of the kids crowd Tara, asking for her autograph and cheering after seeing such a great fight.
"Here you go little one," Tara says with a smile, giving one of the children her autograph before going over to the next child to sign their autograph book as well. "So, who wants to be my next challenger in order to win the grand prize of ten thousand dollars?"
The group of other fighters begin to cower and have their doubts. She just beat one of the strongest in the group. She is truly undefeated. There's no way any of them will be able to defeat her.
After no one answers she shrugs her shoulders and turns her back with a smirk. "Guess I'll just keep it all to myself then."
"I'll challenge you," Cairo says, walking up behind her.
Tara raises an eyebrow. The voice sounds like it's coming from a child. They can't be serious. She begins to turn around to see her opponent will be. "Who challenges—" She gasps when she sees who it is and her eyes narrow. "You…What are you doing here?" She grunts and looks down at Cairo in disgust. "I see those other souls were unsuccessful in getting rid of you and I'm assuming the pharaoh as well."
"You'd be correct," Cairo replies with a smile. "Sorry to disappoint you."
"Well you're the one that's going to be disappointed. I won't be returning to the shadows."
"Oh?"
"When Dartz became aware that some of us had escaped from the Shadow Realm, a few of us were granted with powers in hopes that we would help him defeat you and retrieve the pharaoh," she explains. "And even though Dartz is gone, my powers still remain and I still despise you and your father."
Cairo pouts, poking out her lip. "Well that's not nice."
"Is that kid really going to go against someone as strong as Tara?" a spectator asks.
"I think the question is, is Tara really going to fight against a kid?" another says.
Tara rushes at Cairo, pulling her fist back to strike and Cairo blocks her with one hand to everyone's shock. Tara tries to land another blow with her free hand, but the girl quickly ducks out of the way before landing an uppercut that sends Tara flying.
"Whoa! That kid is strong!"
Cairo walks up to Tara who is just beginning to sit up, but she stops midway when Cairo's eyes glow purple. "You…" Tara grunts, clenching her fists. "Your family always ruins everything! Just like you ruined my life all those years ago!" Cairo magically makes her wand appear and points it Tara to everyone's shock. In that moment, she doesn't care that everyone is watching. She has a job to do and intends on doing it.
"Your anger is very misguided," Cairo tells her. "While it's true one of my family members is the cause of your destruction, neither my father nor my grandfather had anything to do with it."
"I don't care about anything you have to say!" Tara shouts. "Just send me back already. That's what you came to do right?"
"No!" a little girl yells and Cairo gasps as one of Tara's little fans runs over and stands protectively in front of the woman. "Don't hurt her you big bully! Leave her alone!"
"What…?" Cairo says, confusedly. This girl is protecting Tara like she is some sort of hero. In fact, she noticed earlier that Tara had quite the fanbase. Did she manage to do that in the short period of time that she was here?
"You see, I'm not bad to them," Tara says. "I never intended on using my powers to defeat you as much as I hate you and your father. I only accepted the powers from Dartz because I knew you were out looking for the lost souls, so I needed something to protect myself from you. But obviously that didn't work."
"What are you saying?"
"I was trying to move on!" Tara exclaims. "To start over and live the life that I never got to live to its full potential because it was cut short! In the short period of time that I've been here, I've been able to make something of myself and I want to continue doing that! But obviously you want to ruin that too!"
Cairo sighs and lowers her wand reluctantly. She knows all too well how it feels for one's life to be cut short from things out of her control. It happened to her. She looks over to the young girl protecting Tara who is shaking with fear. She frowns and then looks back at Tara before smiling to their surprise. Her wand disappears from her hand and she turns away.
"Where are you going?" Tara asks.
"There's another soul that I'm sensing that's far more dangerous than you."
"So you're letting me—"
"Stay?" She looks at Tara over her shoulder and smiles. "Sure. For now."
The woman quickly gets up and runs to catch up with Cairo who has started walking away. "So what's the catch?"
"No catch. But you don't seem like much of a threat, so I need to focus on the one that is."
Tara narrows her eyes suspiciously. "I still dislike you and your family."
"That's fine. "
"Wait what?"
"One of these days you'll realize that neither my father or I are the enemy. And I'm just an innocent girl that got dragged into this current role."
Tara stops in her tracks. "What do mean?" But instead of answering, Cairo fazes through the concrete ground, leaving Tara to wonder what she meant by that last statement.
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A boy with a red bandana dusts his clothes off after the quick beating he received from a girl. After such an embarrassing defeat, his gang ditched him, leaving him by himself. "Next time I see that kid, she'll regret ever making a fool out of me!"
As he walks through the amusement park, a red soul slowly descends on him and his body jerks a little. He clenches his head with both hands and grimaces, feeling another presence start to posses his body. After a few moments, the struggle suddenly stops and his eyes slowly open, revealing red glowing ones. He looks over to a nearby screen and sees someone resembling the pharaoh and he grins.
"There you are…"
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Sorry it took so long! But hope you enjoyed the newest chapter! Leave a review!
