Author's Note: Wow, a nice review, thank you PhoenixGal! =D

So
here is a new chapter, a little bit more action-filled and suspenseful. Hopefully the tone change won't throw you: in a little while, it'll be back to playful again. I hope y'all enjoy.
And
my apologies for Yami's behavior in this chapter, it's inspired by some of his actions in the first manga. Those who've seen his methods of punishment know what I'm talking about.

Chapter Three - Allegro Maestoso

The
sunset came and passed, a blush of crimson on Domino City before the night-orange of streetlights settled in. There would be no stars tonight.
All
through the afternoon, Yugi had kept a silent, dark vigil. He saw the great rush of students escaping their daily prison with the toll of the final bell. He saw the bullies and the tardies straggle out from detention. He saw the teachers leave, carrying stacks of papers to grade.
He
saw the abuse that the principal put his secretary through when she snuck out of the building, her eyes full of tears. He saw those teachers who had gone into his office leave it with crushed hearts and fear.
Ever
since this principal had arrived, he had been cold and cruel to the students. And now, he had denied them this opportunity to travel to America--and for what? So the school would have a better attendance record, and the superintendant would give him a raise. It was despicable to have a principal who cared so little for the students.
All
the while Yugi watched, staring up at the window to the principal's office. Now, with the darkness coming of a sudden, he could see the cast shadow of the one he was waiting for. The light in the window flickered out, and Yugi--possessed by the Yami of his puzzle--knew it was time to make his move.
A
soft breeze caught some leaves and scattered them across the patch of concrete where the Yami had just been standing.

Meanwhile...

"All
right, girls, let's go! And one, two, three--hit it!"
A
blast of loud, heavy-synthed pop music shook the mirrored walls of the dance studio, and nine teenaged girls jumped into the Britney routine. In the center, Anzu tossed back her cropped brown hair before performing a set of moves that would make any overpaid pop princess green with envy.
And
hanging from the window ledge outside, Jounouchi wiped away a spot of drool. "So dis is what Burger World was payin' for. I like!"
*Tap
tap* A hand tapped his shoulder, and he sprang three feet in the air before landing flat on his tailbone with a dull thud. Jou rubbed his injured coccyx and broke into a string of loud profanity.

"Huh?"
said Anzu, suddenly distracted by noise outside. She turned to look, and was smacked in the face by another girl's elbow.

"SHHHH!"
hissed Honda, pushing Jou away. "Do you want to blow our cover?"
The
blond instantly calmed at the sight of his friend, then as quickly became angry again. "'Ey, Honda, where ya been? It was your idea to follow Anzu to that creepy teacher's house, and her class is almost over!"
Honda's
expression turned smug. "For your information, I was gathering some equipment to facilitate our investigation. Behold!" He pulled a wallet-sized digital camcorder from his pocket. "The amazing mini-cam 5000, with optional infrared and nightvision enhancements! And that's not all!" He opened his other hand to reveal three tiny discs, no bigger than the star chips they'd used in the duelist kingdom. "With these super high-tech spy sensor microphones, we can hear anything within a half-mile radius! Pretty sweet, huh?"
"I'll
say!" blurted Jou, his eyes wide with the joy of new toys. "Where did you get all this stuff?!" He grabbed for one of the discs, but Honda whisked his hand away and tucked them into his shirt pocket.
"I
borrowed it," Honda replied confidently.
"From
who?"
"...The
AV room..." Honda mumbled.
"You
STOLE this stuff from the school?!" Jou shouted.
"I
didn't steal it, and pipe down! Besides, you'd never believe what happened while I was there."
"I'm
all ears," Jou grinned.

The
principal of Domino High School pressed the little button on his keychain, and heard the reassuring squeak of the doors on his monstrous SUV--license plate "IRULEU"--as they unlocked. But looking up, he saw in the flash of the headlights the silhouette of another person, and this gave him pause.
"Who's
there?" he called, but there was no answer, just a sudden sharp wind that stung his eyes with playground sand.
He
dismissed the silhouette as an illusion, and opened the driver's door. Climbing in, he clipped on his seatbelt and slid the key into the ignition. The only sound was the grumble of the engine. He hated the radio. It was time to go home. The SUV backed up slowly, then peeled out of the parking lot like a drag racer.
He
had driven several miles before he saw the narrow purple eyes staring at him from the back seat.
"We're
going to play a little game," said Yami. The principal screamed.

Back
at the dance studio, Anzu rubbed her injured cheek while the other girl poured on apologies. The instructor was not so sympathetic. She ordered Anzu to take five, and sent another girl up in her place "like last week, when our prima donna didn't feel like coming to rehearsal." Anzu's eyes burned, and she excused herself, heading for the locker room, where a girl could cry in peace.
"It's
not fair," she whispered. "I was hardly gone at all, and I've already been replaced. And I'm still a better dancer!"
The
injury on her cheek had become slightly swollen, and she touched it gingerly, staring at it in the mirror. "And now, we're not even getting to go to America for this tournament! It's not fair...I'll never get to see New York!" Then she thought of Yugi, and she felt very selfish. Tears streamed out of her eyes. "Why am I crying?" she asked the mirror, but it only misted, and she got no answers.
She
pulled a towel from her bag and wetted it at the sink, and dabbed her face. The warm water felt good, and she thought about her friends, and their adventures together. "Things will be okay," she told her mirror self.

"So
there I was, sneaking into the AV room after school. I had to wait until everyone was gone, or else they might see me." Honda smiled at his captive audience, and began his flashback...

The coast was clear. Only a few homework assignments floated like tumbleweeds down the long, shoe-scuffed corridor. Honda slid out from the shadows by the water fountain with the grace and deadly precision of a serpent. Three steps, and he was in front of the AV room door. With a swift and surreptitious glance, he took a nerdcount. There were five--three at ten o'clock, grouped around a computer with pixellated porn. Then, two more, playing duel monsters (badly) at a table at two o'clock. The AV closet door stood straight ahead at noon. There was no way in without being seen.
He
needed a plan, and fast. Dropping down below eye level, he gathered his thoughts and composed a strategy. Then, with lightning speed, he dashed down to the chemistry lab.
The
chem lab was dark, but unlocked. Without turning on the lights, he slipped in and made a beeline for the supply closet. That, too, was unlocked. The lab assistants were lazy, and Honda knew this better than anyone. He opened the cabinet marked "flammable." There it was, on the solvent shelf: an enormous can of ether. Honda snickered to himself, then hoisted it up, his strong arms easily lifting the heavy can of liquid. Swiftly he left the chemistry lab and dashed back to the AV room.
Honda's
plan was flawless. Earlier that day, he'd pretended to have to go to the men's room, but instead went down to scope out the AV room's setup. Right next door to it was one of the main hubs for the central air conditioning system. Honda had figured this, because the equipment needed to be kept cool. This meant that there was direct access to the air vent.
And
into the air vent went the bottle of ether, after Honda unscrewed the cap. Within minutes, the AV room was filled with the delicate smell of the euphoria-inducing chemical. Honda checked the room again. As predicted, they were all sleeping like babies. He removed the ether, capped it, and made his move, knowing he had little time.

"Genius!
What the hell's reefer, though?" Jou asked.
"Not
reefer, ether!" Honda corrected. "Actually, ether is the classification for such organic compounds that follow the general formula R-O-R', R being a shorthand notation for variable group."
"Geek,"
mumbled Jou.
"Do
I smell Chanel no. 5?" taunted Honda.
"Aa,
never mind!" Jou snapped. "Besides, now that ya got all those things, what are we gonna do with them?"
"I
was getting to that part, but first, something happened while I was in the AV closet..."

"You're
that Yugi kid!" the principal blurted. But something was different about him; where before he was tiny and awkward, this time, Yugi seemed strangely confident, almost frighteningly so. "What are you doing in my car? What do you want?"
"I
just want to play a game. The rules are simple. We take turns with the wheel. If you crash, you lose. If you break the rules, you face a penalty. I'll go first."
"No,
way, you freaky-haired little rodent. You'll drive my car on a cold day in hell."
"I'm
shivering," Yami deadpanned, and reached out a hand. The SUV veered in front of a motorcycle, then just as quickly cut in front of a van.
"AAAHHH!!
You crazy little shit! How in the hell are you doing that?" The man slammed on the brakes, but nothing happened.
"I'm
warning you, don't break the rules. It's still my turn."
The
terrified man watched as Yami turned the car onto the beltway, cutting across several lanes of traffic. His heart pounded in his ears, and his eardrums threatened to burst. Then he heard the roar of a motorcycle engine. Checking the mirror, he saw the cyclist that Yugi had cut off, as well as five more, all shiny Harleys with angry looking drivers. They were being followed by a gang. The man felt a warm dampness in his trousers.
"Your
turn," said Yami, and the principal frantically grabbed the wheel as the SUV lurched, threatening to roll into oncoming traffic. He was fine for a moment, then he saw a sign--the lane was becoming an exit. The principal looked for a way of getting out of it, but found himself surrounded by growling Harleys. One of the bikers threw a glass bottle. It crashed into the windshield and shattered, streaking caramel-color down into his vision. The glass bits jammed his wiper blades. He had no choice but to take the exit, and he veered off, no longer sure where he was.
Then
there was a loud "bang" like a gunshot, or a backfire. Not wanting to take any chances, he realized he was going to have to go faster. Buildings disappeared from the side of the road, and as he raced on he saw fewer cars. He realized what was happening too late. They were headed into a remote, forested area. The road narrowed into a single pair of lanes, and the shoulder disappeared.
Worst
of all, that Yugi kid seemed completely unperturbed.
"You
have done well," said Yami. "I take my turn again."
The
principal sighed, collapsing back into the seat. The moisture from wetting himself had seeped into the seat, and he fidgeted uncomfortably. What magic did this kid possess that let him take control of his car? What did he want? The man's mind raced, and then he felt a terrible jolt.
The
frenzied bikers were trying to run them off the road! One zoomed in front of them, but Yami accelerated and the man was forced to drop back. As Yami drove further, a fog began to settle in, glossing the road and making it slick. The windshield fogged, and both Yami and the principal strained to see through the pane. Another biker pulled in front of them, and then another. The principal began to pray.
Gritting
his teeth, Yami veered the car off the road and into the forest, the bikers in hot pursuit.

Honda
had not been in the AV closet long when he heard someone coming. He thought it was one of the nerds, and he ducked down behind a large projector cart to hide. The closet door opened, and a man stepped inside. Honda held his breath, partly to avoid detection, partly because all the ether was making him feel lightheaded.
"Wow,
I guess the AV club was feeling tired today," said a man's voice. Honda's eyes widened as he recognized Mr. Toshira, Anzu's teacher.

"Toshira?"
Jou exclaimed. "What was he doin' there?"
"The
same as me," Honda answered.
"Huh?

"Well,
while I was hiding, I saw him take a LOT, I mean a lot of equipment. Lots of video cameras, editing stuff, microphones--he just grabbed it all and stuffed it into this oversized briefcase he had with him."
"So,"
Jou began, puzzled. "Does this mean what I think it means?"
"Well,
either he's a thief for fun, or there's truth to the rumors."
"You
mean, he really is making porn films at his house? Oh, maaan, just think, it would be even better than watching them on tape..."
Honda
glared at Jou. "And he wants Anzu to come to his house. Jounouchi, he could be wanting to--"
Jou
silenced his friend, not wanting to think about it. It would be like watching his sister--that thought was even worse, and it made him shudder.

Just
then, Anzu remembered her promise to Mr. Toshira. She quickly pulled on some leggings and a sweatshirt over her leotard, and slid her feet into her sneakers. She'd be late if she didn't hurry. She knew there was some reason why she'd said yes when he asked, but couldn't quite remember. Anyway, it didn't matter--he was giving her an A in history, even if he did make her a little nervous. She ran out of the dance studio.
"Wasn't
that Anzu?" said Honda. Jou turned to look, and saw her disappear around a corner.
Without
stopping to answer, he took off after her.
"Wait
for me!" called Honda, following in pursuit.

Yami
tore through bushes as though they were made of air. He paid little heed to the following bikers: just enough to keep from flattening them with the SUV's monstrous tires. The principal was amazed that they were still alive. The kid seemed to have a sixth sense, knowing exactly when a tree blocked the path. One of the bikers had dropped out of the chase. If they kept this pace up, they might just survive.
/What
am I doing?!/
Yami
started, surprised by this interruption. It seemed that such dangerous activity could actually crack his control of the body, and let little Yugi's consciousness through. Little Yugi did not like what he found.
//Calm
yourself. Be at peace.//
With
a shift in the wind, a moonbeam broke through the clouds overhead. Yami realized that this game needed to end, and soon. As he reached a clearing, he said, "it is again your turn."
The
principal shrieked, but took the wheel. Mud flew from under the tires, and the vehicle flew over a fallen tree. The landing damaged the suspension, now the vehicle rattled and shook violently. Another biker dropped out, having hit the same fallen tree the wrong way. He flew through the air, and landed hard against an oak.
Then
suddenly, the principal let out a wild laugh. "Hey, kid! I'm going to win! These pussies don't stand a chance!"
The
third eye on Yami's forehead flashed. The man's true nature had revealed itself--a nature of ego, of narcissism.
"I'm
the fucking king of the road! Woo!"
And
the SUV hurtled toward a tree, out of control.
"SHIT!"
The man looked to Yami with wild eyes. "I'm outta here!" He turned and pulled on the door handle, but it was stuck shut.
Behind
them, the bikers pulled to a stop. The man was surely dead. They turned to get away, before they were discovered at the scene.
"You
would break the rules?!" said Yami. The vehicle squealed to a stop, but not fast enough, and the front end crumpled into the enormous maple. The principal was thrown forward into the airbag.
"Uhhh..."
he moaned.
"You
live for power and prestige. You see everyone around you as though they were little ants to be crushed under your feet. You believe yourself bigger than anyone else, so now, you shall see your true size!"
Yami
held up his hand for his trademark mindcrush. The principal closed his eyes in the brilliant light, and when he opened them, the boy had become fifty feet tall. The car, too, was huge. He reached out his hand, but could not grasp the steering wheel.
His
size had not changed, but his perception had. The whole world was big and he was small, the smallest man alive, no bigger than the rat he was.
"You
did not see me here," said Yami. The principal fainted, forgetting everything.

In
the fog and moonlight, a solitary figure walked toward the road. Only three miles away was the mansion of Mr. Toshira. If he hurried, Yugi might be able to catch up with Jou there. He wondered how he had gotten out here, but his Yami was not answering questions.
All
was quiet, but for the sound of his footsteps beating against the ground.

End of chapter three!! Next up, find out the real deal with Toshira. Will Anzu be okay? What will happen to Jou and Honda? And, what's going on with this tournament? Sorry to leave you in suspense, but I have to get to sleep, or I might miss the episode tomorrow morning!