Chapter 1
It was hard to believe after everything that had happened to them over the years that peace would ever come to them yet peace was indeed what had come. The crazy years of fighting for the world and preventing the various dark powers out there from destroying the world had come to an end. The road to discovering the lost memories about the mysterious soul inside the Millennium Puzzle and returning the seven items to their home, even that had come to an end. But not everything had ended. The friendship of the four teens from Domino City with an ancient spirit which had once resided inside the Millennium Puzzle hadn't ended. Although a battle had taken place to determine the Pharaoh's fate, the outcome had not been what they'd expected which none of them complained about. That battle had named a new King of Games and released the former from his prison. However, when the once King had prepared to leave the world of the living it had been revealed that he actually had the option to stay if he wanted. The gods had decided after everything the king had done for the world, he deserved the chance to enjoy the world and for once make his own choices about what he wanted to do. Initially the once King had been reluctant to make a decision, being presented with a decision about his own fate which for the first time was about him and his life was odd. Nobody was at risk with this decision, the fate of the world was not hanging in the balance which after all the years of fighting for the world was a strange feeling. But eventually a decision had been made and that decision was to stay, to live and experience the world without the fear of what dark force would come next.
That decision had been almost a year ago and the Pharaoh had not regretted that decision at all. The last year had been a whirlwind for all of them but they had for the first time in years truly relaxed. The Pharaoh had taken every opportunity to explore and finally experience the world. Whilst he did that Yugi took the title of King of Games and had run with it. He'd built his already huge reputation and grown with it. Another tournament had come along and it was no surprise that he won with ease. He'd cruised through the tournament with the same old deck but with several new tricks which had won him even more fans. Yugi had got used to people running up to him in the streets and asked for an autograph, it was all part of being the number one ranked duellist and he was loving it. The previous holder of that title had been more than happy to see his successor thrive. He'd past the reins of Game King to his closest friend and quietly retreated from the world of duel monsters. That is not to say the once King did not play, he did however with so much more to do in the world it was actually now unusual to see him play. It was more common to see the once King out in the world and looking truly at ease. He was no longer plagued with desire to discover his past or watch out and prepare for the next danger. This had been really strange at first but now he'd got used to the idea of being truly in control. The Pharaoh was and felt truly free.
The autumn breeze had a slight bite to it but Atem didn't mind, he was finding, with the weather moving towards the colder months, it much more interesting to him. In his homeland of Egypt the weather had mostly been hot and dry although the nights had been cooler, although in his life time there he'd never experienced the temperature getting this low and from what Yugi had told him they would get even lower. Perhaps when the winter months arrived he would see snow for the first time in his life or at least that was what Yugi had told him. In all his years living in the puzzle it had never snowed which meant if the snow did come then it would be another first for him. He walked across a large playing field towards a small playground which was hardly ever used which made it the perfect place to wait. It was the mid-afternoon, the sky was clear with the occasional cloud and the leaves on the trees had turned showing the glorious colours associated with the time of year. It truly couldn't be a more classic autumn afternoon. Entering the playground Atem settled himself on one of the swings and gazed around trying to memorise everything that he was looking at. He did not want to miss anything. Although he had to admit he was not keen on memorising the rather large dog which bounded across the field to relieve itself. Smiling to himself, he pushed his heel into the ground to make the swing rock slightly backwards as his gaze fell upon a bird launching itself out of a tree.
The wind picked up slightly and having stopped walking he was starting to feel the cold. Pulling the hood up from inside his coat he leaned against the chain of the swing and mused over the day's events. Whilst Yugi and the others had been in school he'd taken the opportunity to immerse himself in some learning of his own although it had not been the type of learning anyone would have expected. He'd taken himself to the Domino Museum where he'd wondered around the Egyptian exhibit which had partly been out of interest and partly for personal amusement. It was rather interesting to see the modern fascination to the way the world had once been and how the people alive then had lived their lives. For one having lived in those times seeing his home and childhood described was in some ways amusing in others bizarre. The display cases had been full of what the modern world would call artifacts, which to him had been strange as he didn't see them like that. It had also been nice to reminisce about his childhood in Egypt before all the danger had started. Back when he'd had nothing to worry about and no lives in his hands. Not for the first time Atem had a pang of longing for his friends and family in the Afterlife but he knew that they were always with him and had fully supported his decision to remain in this world. He had no doubt that although he did not know when he would see them again. A movement caught his attention, before he had even looked over to the movement he knew what or rather who they were. Not because after all this time he could recognise his friends from a distance, it was because of the sound of an argument. It was never unusual for Joey and Tristan to be arguing about something. The arguments could range between normal and completely extraordinary. Those two were the only ones who could still surprise Atem at what they would argue about and after all his years of existence surely he'd seen it all.
"What do you mean you can duel circles around me? You're the one that tried to operate a duel disk upside down!"
"Says the guy who bent his favourite card when trying to put it into the slot."
"That was one time and I had only just got the duel disk!"
Looking over to the group of teens he could see Joey and Tristan trailing behind Yugi and Tea. Even from this distance he could see Yugi laughing as the two boys continued to argue. Entering the park before the others, Yugi came straight over to where the once Pharaoh was sitting with a huge grin on his face.
"Have you heard this?" Yugi asked, motioning over his shoulder to the pair who were still arguing.
Atem nodded, "How did this one start?"
"How do they all start?" Tea replied, "Over absolutely nothing. But then again this is Joey and Tristan so are we really that surprised?"
As the two look-a-likes laughed the remaining two members of the group appeared. Joey looked rather disgruntled and kept glaring at Tristan who was wearing a rather triumphant smirk. It was obvious that Tristan had won the argument, whatever it had been about. There was a brief moment where nobody spoke but then Joey glared once more at Tristan before addressing the once King.
"Atem. You've seen me duel right, many times. Many many times right?"
Atem frowned slightly and nodded.
"Right and I've saved your bacon numerous times right?"
Although Joey may have twisted the truth slightly there the former Pharaoh was not too sure what was happening yet so concluded it was just best to go along with what was being said so he just nodded.
"So with that knowledge in me and my abilities you'd say that I would definitely survive longer then that goof over there in Egypt right?"
Atem didn't miss a beat; "No the sandworms would get you."
The others in the group burst into laughter, Joey's jaw dropped and he gawked at the once King. In return the once King just looked at him with a serious look in his eye. Although the others in the group had worked out the king was winding him up apparently Joey hadn't quite yet. He continued to gawk at him before managing to say;
"But… but those things aren't real. You said they weren't real."
Merely shrugging, Atem countered, "Whoever told you that certainly wasn't me."
"Man, you have to be joking right? Those things are fake just a part of that weird game we played in India."
"Was it fake? Or was it real…"
"No…"
"Maybe that whole ordeal then was to prepare you for the very real dangers of sandworms…"
"Atem stop…"
A sigh, "I remember various meetings with concerned villagers…"
"You're not funny…"
Apparently Joey had started to catch on to the joke.
"So many loved ones lost to the sandworms…."
"Yeah not funny anymore, I know you're joking."
Atem looked Joey straight in the eye, "Am I Joey? Am I really?"
There was a pause before Joey launched himself at Atem like he would with Tristan when he would wind him up. However, Atem knew exactly what was coming, leapt off the swing and out of the way just in time. Stumbling Joey, somehow, managed to keep his footing and simply straightened up glaring at the Pharaoh. In response Atem grinned at him.
"You won't be able to pull the wool over my eyes next time."
"My apologies Joey but in fairness you did walk into that."
Joey gave the once king a playful shove before the group left the playground and began to walk in the direction of the game shop. With Tristan and Joey staying away from each other the group was led by Atem, Yugi and Joey with the other two following behind. They crossed back across the field and began wondering through the city. Many people were still wondering round streets finishing up their errands before the light completely faded. Cars zoomed past them and many honked at one another showing the driver's clear impatience. The sights and sounds of a busy city never seemed to stop impressing the once King. He may have existed in this world for a few years now but experiencing the sights and sounds with his own body was still remarkable to him.
"So has Yugi told you about the latest news yet?" Joey asked, addressing the once King.
Before he could respond Yugi looked at Joey with a look of astonishment on his face, "How could I have done when this is the first time I've seen Atem since this morning?"
"Well I would have thought something like this is something you would want to share with him as soon as you found out."
"Of course I did but I thought with something like this I wanted to tell him in person!"
"Or is it you didn't want to say anything because you're too afraid that this may just be the end for you." Joey teased.
"What do you mean the end for me? Surely even you know that I'm more the capable of taking this on and I have already started thinking about new strategies to try."
"Oh I see you're getting worried that Joey the untitled champion over here may just best you this time."
"Whatever this news must be, it must be very exciting to say the least," Atem said, interrupting Yugi before he could respond, "Does someone want to enlighten me about it?"
Yugi smiled, "Yes sorry. I got a call earlier from Mokuba about a new tournament that Kaiba has planned and needs me involved. It's not like the last one I did, you remember where I played the winner for the title at the very end?"
Atem nodded.
"Well it's not like that this time. It's open to more people and even I will have to battle my way through to the final to keep my title. So at any point someone could defeat me, claim my title before even reaching the final." Yugi explained.
The group paused to cross the road; the Kame Game shop was just coming into view. From this distance they could just see Yugi's grandfather sweeping outside the front of the shop.
"Interesting concept," Atem mused, his gaze thoughtful, "I suppose the idea of knocking the world number one off his throne at any point even the beginning rounds is a tempting idea for the up-and-coming duellists."
Joey looked over at the former King of Games, "Sounds to me as if you're thinking about participating there Atem. Could I be possibly looking at my first opponent?"
Looking round at his friend Atem smiled slightly. He knew that Joey was always eager to show off his duelling skills to him, he was a strong duellist there was no denying it. Since the battle between himself and Yugi there had been a couple of occasions where Atem and Joey had duelled. The latter had been keen to try his deck against the former Pharaoh and see whether he was strong enough to defeat him but alas Atem had come out on top every time. That was not to say Joey hadn't given him a run for his money it more came down to Atem's knack of getting himself out of a situation even when it looked impossible.
"Sorry to disappoint Joey but I have no intention of entering."
Joey tried to hide his disappointment, "Are you sure man? I mean you used to love duels and tournaments, aren't you itching to show off your skills again? It's been a while."
They came to a halt outside the shop Atem moving to stand opposite Joey, he was still wearing a smile albeit a sad one. Yugi eyed his closest friend, he knew what Atem was about to say and having once been able to read every thought and feeling the Pharaoh had he could completely understand the reasons he had.
"I'm sure Joey. I will never not be interested and trust me when I say I will be there to support both of you but after all these years it's… nice not to have to fight anymore."
"You kids wouldn't happened to be talking about this new tournament would you?" A new voice said.
Turning the teens saw Solomon Muto approaching, broom in hand.
"Hey Gramps," Yugi greeted, "Yeah we are but how did you know about it?"
"Well Mokuba came round not too long ago to drop a package off to you and when I asked he filled me in."
Yugi's eyes lit up, "I wonder what could be in there!" Turning to his friends he said, "Want to come in guys and help me open it?"
"I would Yugi but it's getting late and my folks are expecting me." Tea said.
"Yeah I should probably go as well," Tristan said, "But keep us updated. See you tomorrow guys!"
The two departed, waving as they retreated. Joey seemed to consider himself for a moment before saying;
"I think I'll take off too, I've got to prepare myself for this tournament."
With a quick fist bump he raced off, Yugi could just see him hurrying to catch up with the others. Smiling at his retreating friends he turned and followed his grandpa into the shop. He wasted no time in hurrying to his room to discover just what this tournament would be about.
Hello friends, It's been a while! With the past couple of years being the way the were I found my interest in Yu-Gi-Oh was rekindled so I thought why not I'll write another story! I do hope you enjoy!
