Goddess of Cards
The arena was packed to capacity. It was compareable to a cattle shoot. It was loud too...thundreds of voices in dozens of different languages. Needless to say there were many translators running around frantically. The girls had long since left the guys behind at the gates, after many wishes of luck were exchanged. Now, the boys were watching to whole fiasco going under way via constant-streaming website camera on teh site that held on-line info for the torunament.

In the heart of the crowds, the girls stayed close to each other, and keeping protective hands over their decks, now guarding the Goddess Cards. Maii was still slightly peeved that she got Buto, she WAS the owner of a Goddess card, so she didn't raise her voice too high in protest.

The stadium lights dimmed and the stage in the center of the area was illuminated. A lone figure stepped into the light, a female silouette. The sqeal of a sound system echoed for a second before the voice spoke.

"Welcome Ladies, to the All Goddess Tournament! You have been hand picked from the elite of the Duel Monsters world. You are the best of the best, and equal to any man on this planet, including the likes of Seto Kaiba, and Yugi Mutoh! This is not only a competition, but a celebration of a kind. Years ago, this tournament wouldn't have been possible. Women have come very far in the past century, both in social status and acceptance. This is a time to celebrate that progress! Show the world that women are not second class!!"

Everyone, including the girls despite themselves, cheered loudly. This speech was meant as an ego-booster, and they knew it, but it was a comfort to know someone thought this way. In all honesty, they were tired of men being to only duelists who recieved reconition. The roar died down, while at the Turtle Game Shop, Jouno, Honda, and Kaiba were laughing their heads off at the speech. Yugi and Yami were to busy trying to find the girls.

The speaker went on for a while, before she cleared her throat and got down to the details.

"Each arena is scattered over a 30 square mile area of diverse landscapes. There are deserts, forests, grasslands, lakes, rivers, swamps, ect. Upon each battle, each Duelist will scan their ID cards into the system which will allow them to hook up their Full Holograpic Sense Emersion Battle Systems....called Armors for short. Each of you, as known, are collected in a groups called clans, each clans has selected a mascot, which will help identify you, and make it easier for those who will observe this tournament online to find each clan. You will now leave this arena and find each building that has your mascot on it's front and receive your Armors. Look around well, you WILL want to be here later, this is where the finals will be held! I wish all of you luck!"

The last sylable hung in the air as the speaker disapeared into the shadows. On all sides, doors opened and they slowly began to file out. The girls stuck close as they could to each other. They wandered about quietly until they saw the motif of a fairie with black wings, seeminly casting a spell. Around it, where two others, one was a gray bolt of lightining, the other was a knarled, old, black tree, with a red moon hanging over it. They walked in, and looked around.

The leader of the Blair Mists, the clan with the black tree and red moon symbol, looked up as the Godess clan wondered in, looking rather confused. She locked the last clamp of her deep red body armor that was her battle system, they were called armors for a reason it seemed. She dusted off her leg peices, and arm guards, and chest plate before she walked over to them.

"Well, you must be the Goddess clan. I heard that all of you personally know Yugi Mutoh and Seto Kaiba, is that true?" she asked, flicking back a strand of black hair that matched her undersuit that went with the suits. Anzu nodded.

"Yeah, I'm Yugi Mutoh's best friend..." she replied. The leader bawked, and had the further nerve to laugh.

"Yugi Mutoh?? THE Yugi Mutoh?? You and every other hot-shot-wannabe in this tournament dear." She turned and looked dead at Maii. "I suppose you're Maii Valentine's sister or something huh?" she cackled. Her posse, the other members of Blair Mists, sneered behind her. Maii instantly went to her famous "Supreme Bitch" mode.

"I am NOT Maii Valentine's sister!! I AM MAII VALENTINE!!!" The leader rasied her eyebrow in mild shock.

"Okay then...prove it." she said. Maii dug into her pockets and pulled out the ID card she received from Ms. Talladega at the gate, and shoved it into her face.

"Here, here's the proof!! And for your information, that girl DOES know Yugi Mutoh personally! And Seto Kaiba too! That girl over there is Malik Ishtala's big sister! And she's Jouno Wheeler's sister!!" she pointed to Anzu, Isis, and Shizuka in turn. Anzu and Shizuka blushed silently, they really didn't want to bring that whole "We-are-related/best friends with-famous duelists" thing.

The members of the other clan in the building, the Silver Bolts, came around just in time to hear Maii's bendiction to the Blair Mists. One of the girls instantly jumped Shizuka.

"Are you REALLY related to Jouno-sama?? Is he as cute as he is in the pictures?? Does he have a girlfriend?? Does he like chocolates?? How tall is he really? What kind of hairspray does he use??" she babbled. Their leader came and pulled the starry-eyed duelists off Shizuka.

"Sorry," she spologized. "Mikan has a thing for guys..."

"Especially famous guys!! Like my Jouno-sama!!" Mikan squealed. The rest of the Silver Bolts sweatdropped.Shizuka blinked. Another girl, from the Blair Mists this time, came to Isis.

"Can I ask you something??" she was right up in Isis's face, her eyes burning with seriousness.

Isis gulped and nodded. "Uhh...yeah.." The girl nodded, and took in a deep breath.

"Does Malik wear boxers or breifs?!?!" she cried.

"WHA?!?!" Isis trilled before the whole building face vaulted. The Balir Mists dragged her charge over to her and promtly sat on her back.

"Any other stupid questions?" Maii asked. One girl raised her hand timidly from the back of the building.

"Uhh....do you guys know where the bathroom is? I gotta pee."
Shizuka tapped her foot on the floor, securing her foot inside the boot. She did a last minute check over herself. All the armor was in place. Arm armor on arms, leg guards on legs. Her chest armor was well-fitted. The black undersuit was snug. If Jouno saw her in this, he's have a fit and set his Red-Eyes on the idiot who created it. Honda would look shocked, and most likely start to babble. Honda was so sweet.....

She walked from behind the changing curtain, the girls turned and looked at her.

"Not bad." Maii said, ringing a knuckle on the shoulder guard, causing a definate ping of metal to echo in the room. Isis handed her the last peice of her armor, the head peice. She took it in her hands and began to fiddle with it. She slipped it over her head, and brushed back her hair. A small adjustment...and everything was secure. Her deck was in a holder on her hip. She looked like some modern age Cyber-Amazon. A little buffing, and the pale green armor shone.

"I actually like it." she relpied, swinging her arms and legs about. "Lighter than it looks. Plently of mobility, and it's warm." she apraised. Isis took up a box, and walked behind the curtain, now sure that everything was okay. One by one, they all changed into their armors. Isis's was a medium blue, Maii's was purple, and Anzu came out..in black. Anzu was irked by this.

"I hate black..." she muttered. They all swiped their ID cards in a slit on the arm guard, as the instructions said. Their decks were secure in the holders in their hips. Head peices were secured as well. They left their clothes in closets that had been set aside from them.

"Ready to go Goddess Clan?" Maii shouted out.

"Hell yeah!"

"You bet!"

"Yeah!"

"Then let's go!!" Maii cried out. "CHARGE!!!!"

Laughing, they left the welcome complex, and entered the surrounding forest.