Disclaimer: Again, I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! or any characters of the characters found in this story. Secondly, I did not come up with the song about someone's grandma getting run over by a reindeer. I haven't even heard the entire song.

Part Three

Pegasus's Castle

The twentieth of December was bright and lively at Duelist Kingdom, and a healthy boat load of duelists had arrived in safety at Duelist Kingdom early that morning. Each duelist had been given a separate room in the castle or in one of the buildings surrounding it, so the grounds were somewhat packed. The entire island was set up, the arenas cleaned and surprises installed behind every corner. Pegasus wondered if one could even walk twenty paces without encountering one of the prizes, treats or letters in machines that laid next to trees, the cobbled sidewalks, fountains, and holiday decorations. One or two of the prizes had even been put next to the tables set out in the large indoor courtyard serving as the feast center for the next three evenings. A huge Christmas tree went all the way up to the roof, and was set in a large pool that contained holographic projectors.

With all of the duelists on the island, it was extremely noisy, even through the stone walls of his room. Pegasus had to make an appearance in less than two hours, and scrabbled out of bed when his clock started to sing "Grandma got run over by a reindeer…" The clock also ran a song about dead puppies, but it was enough to make his stomach rebel, so he kept the alarm on the other one. It was the sick joke of a Christmas present that had been given to him last year by Shaadi. He didn't dare throw it away, as that Egyptian man still owned two Millennium Items, and the ability to pop up anywhere in the castle while bypassing locked doors and walls. If he threw away the clock, Pegasus would likely be thrown into the Shadow Realm for a day or two as the "light-hearted prank" from a "good friend." Pegasus was doomed to keep the clock.

He put a red bathrobe on. Pegasus was naturally gifted with straight white hair that grew in a widow's peak and went neatly down the sides of his neck. He was a tall, broad shouldered man, and easily reached past six feet. Looking at himself in the mirror while he brushed his teeth, two soft brown eyes stared back at him instead of one brown eye and the surface of a Millennium Item. His most definitive features were smooth, large hands, connected to long and dexterous fingers. Until recently, Pegasus had not used them for anything other than giving orders and holding things, but he had started to paint again. He had made several new cards, three of which were being put on the market next year. The other was one of the grand prizes of the Duelist Kingdom Party Tournament. That card was so original and powerful there would only be one copy in the world, making it rarer than the Blue Eyes White Dragon.

Hmm, if Seto Kaiba did decide to come, he is going to try with all his might to get that card. I better make sure not to give it to the winner until after the tournament so Kaiba can't steal it from him, Pegasus knew that Seto Kaiba would desperately want that card, and maybe even believe he was destined to have it. Unless Kaiba was randomly selected after winning a duel at the arena that contained the card, it would not be his. The young genius better not steal it, as Pegasus had painted the picture for that one himself. He had invited both Kaibas as an apology, but Seto Kaiba would find himself in deep water if he played one of his old tricks. By now, Pegasus knew how Kaiba had torn up Yugi's grandfather's Blue Eyes just so it couldn't be used against him in battle!

Awhile later, Pegasus left from breakfast and pressed a button against the wall. It shifted and a door slid open, revealing dimly lit steps into the inner tunnels that lined his island. Pegasus took a flashlight with him and walked underground as he maneuvered to the entrance of the inner courtyard. His footsteps were the only noises in the dark corridors, and Pegasus enjoyed the darkness and shadows. The goons that had swarmed his island during the last Duelist Kingdom Tournament were gone, and it was only Pegasus who walked this world. He finally arrived at the statue of a Pegasus with giant wings and stroked the technologically sensitive nose. The entrance was activated, and a staircase came down from the ceiling. Pegasus glanced at his watch and walked up the steps, to arrive in warm air. His eyes hurt from the light of day, but he adjusted quickly, and found himself in the large courtyard. The duelists were all talking avidly and eating breakfast, while some kind of Christmas music played in the background. Dozens of angels on coats and sweaters glittered under the lights like silver stars.

Pegasus walked up the ramp and on to the podium. The crowd silenced as they noticed him, and speaking into the microphone, he welcomed them all to the Duelist Kingdom Party Tournament. While he absentmindedly laid out the rules, he looked at the faces in the front rows. Seto Kaiba and his brother had actually come, and were sitting off to the side in the shadows. Kaiba didn't seem to be paying attention, even though his younger brother looked extremely eager to learn all the rules. Little Mokuba was probably going to be a true duelist in this tournament, obviously counting himself among them by wearing an angel pin. He must have gotten the best cards and strategies from his brother, and would be a terrifying opponent, despite the fact he was the youngest duelist in the entire room. Yugi Motto, still King of Games, and Joey Wheeler, second place winner in the Duelist Kingdom tournament, were also there. Yugi's violet eyes remained on him, trying to see if Pegasus had done anyone damage or was hiding some kind of evil agenda, and Joey Wheeler devoured food. He looked for Mai Valentine, his possible heir. She was off in the back, not knowing how important she was to Maximillian Pegasus and the Duel Party itself.

Pegasus was almost done, and a movie screen flickered on when he pressed a button on the podium. To him there was a computer screen, and he opened the file that contained the pictures he needed. The four new cards he had made appeared on screen, and he looked at the audience that had just stirred with newly attained interest. Even Seto Kaiba had come out of his shell and paid attention. Pegasus made the pictures of the cards larger, and three huge Duel Monsters cards appeared on the movie screen. They were all face down, and their swirling brown sides were turned toward the audience.

"Prizes will be littered throughout the island and be awarded randomly. I've created several new cards recently, and three of them will be put on the market after the start of the year. Types of prizes will include gift packs, checks, and rare Duel Monsters cards. Among the cards will be advanced copies of these new ones. As it is, all three of them will very rare on the market, so this tournament is a chance to receive them freely. The fourth card is one of the top prizes in this tournament, and shall be addressed in a minute," Pegasus announced. This had definitely gotten everyone's attention. He touched the first card, and it flipped over. This card was "Annoying Fan Girl," a monster that had a special effect which would block the attack of any male spell caster or warrior monster with attack points above a certain level for two turns. He had created that card especially with Yugi Motto's Dark Magician in mind, as the Dark Magician wouldn't like the card very well. If the Annoying Fan Girl and Dark Magician were on the field at the same time, the Annoying Fan Girl would become an annoying fan girl, run across the field and beg for the Dark Magician's autograph. The second one was Midnight Warrior, a female warrior card that used a sword and had sweeping moonlight hair, swirling about her as she attacked in the picture. It was going to very rare, and had 2450 in attack points and 2650 in defense. The third card was one he had created with Mai Valentine in mind. It was a new version of Harpy Lady that was more powerful, and had bolder coloring and lemon hair. From what he could see of Mai, she seemed extremely interested in that particular card, just as he had predicted.

Then he revealed the last card by taking it out of his pocket and placing it on the computer screen very carefully. It was laminated and warm from being in his pocket for so long. The card showed through the plastic and shimmered, reflecting light as the paper for the card was holographic. It was of a very high level, and a very impressive piece of art work. The real phenomenon was revealed when the card was used during a holographic game, when a person met face to face with the full reality of the monster. There would only be one of this monster in the entire world, so whoever won it during the tournament was extremely lucky.

The monster began to appear as the holographic projectors surrounding the pool formed it in a whirl of shimmer and light. The monster was larger than a Blue Eyes White Dragon, but looked like it was the cousin of that card. In fact, thousands of years ago when the monsters had been real, they likely had been cousins of a sort. The dragon was longer and slimmer than the Blue Eyes, and had a crystalline, silvery skin run through with bright rainbow highlights, while his eyes were dark pools of indigo and black. Seto Kaiba and Mokuba were very close to the dragon, and Seto Kaiba's mouth dropped while Mokuba squeaked, "Bro, is that a Blue Eyes?"

"No, Mokuba Kaiba, it's not," Pegasus answered his question gleefully and stared in surprise as the dragon responded to Mokuba's voice by shifting his gaze to the boy. Mokuba nearly yelped and shrunk into his chair, but his eyes were fixed on the holographic monster. The dragon lowered his head so his eyes were aligned with Mokuba, and there it stayed. Mokuba looked like he wanted to touch the monster and pet it on the nose, but the dragon was only a hologram. Pegasus had been designing his newer cards with more personality, but this was ridiculous. The holographic monster was acting like it was friends with Mokuba, or even that Mokuba was his master, given the fact the dragon seemed to be bowing to the young adolescent. Pegasus looked for one of his guests out of the corner of his eye, and found Shaadi, who held a glass of juice and set an intense gaze on the boy and monster. Pegasus was going to need to talk to turban-head as soon as possible, "This is the Silver Millennium Time Dragon, and there will only be one of these cards made. It's attack power is 3200, with the defense at 3000. There is also a special effect as well. There is a card that is almost exactly like this, but I haven't finished it yet."

A wave went through the crowd as the monster was revealed. This prize was almost more precious than the one hundred-thousand dollars awarded to the winner of the Duel Party, as one hundred-thousand dollars wouldn't necessarily buy the one-of-a-kind Silver Millennium Time Dragon. While the card wasn't as powerful as the God Cards Kaiba or Yugi had owned at the Battle City tournament, the attack power was also very high. Pegasus looked down at Kaiba, who seemed about as enamored with the monster as Mokuba was. While the hologram seemed to love Mokuba back, it glanced at Mokuba's brother and blinked indifferently.

Pegasus made a concluding statement, and stepped off the platform. Immediately, he was confronted by Seto Kaiba. Right then, he wished Kaiba hadn't sat so close so that Pegasus couldn't escape him, or rather, his greed. Seto Kaiba was rather tall, and wore a long black coat, his brown hair tapering to a distinct point at the back of his head. Kaiba was a man moving with a purpose, and there was nothing else on his mind at that moment. Pegasus stopped and resigned himself to being badgered by Kaiba, as he knew exactly what Kaiba wanted to ask.

"What about this 'other card?'" Kaiba stepped directly in front of Pegasus and tried to command a dominating presence. It didn't work very well, as Pegasus was an equally powerful man in personality, even if his company was messed up and his magic gone.

"I told you, it isn't finished yet. If you must know, the other card is the Silver Millennium Sun Dragon, and the attack and defense are equal to the Time Dragon's," Pegasus told him quietly so other duelists wouldn't hear. Shaadi was listening in on the conversation though, and was smiling. Pegasus glared at him and watched Kaiba's eyes light up with an incredible possessiveness.

"Could I buy it from you?" Seto Kaiba was definitely still an idiot. Hadn't he learned yet that money couldn't get him everything he wanted?

Pegasus sniffed mercilessly and eased out of the trap Kaiba had tried to set, "I don't sale Silver Millennium Dragons, young man. You own three Blue Eyes, so your deck is strong all ready. Those two cards are extraordinary, as I think you have all ready seen. I'm not even sure I choose who they go to, as it all ready feels like the subject is out of my hands."


THE day continued on, and Mai enjoyed herself immensely. She won a lot of duels, and her score was kept on the island's computer system, which she could access through a hand held device. With it, she tracked the results of the Duel Party. Only a few people had more wins than she did, including Kaiba, Yugi, and Joey. It was pleasing to see Rex Raptor below her, and Mokuba Kaiba managed to maintain his spot two places below her own. Losses didn't really matter as they didn't directly affect who won or lost. The random prizes won by all the duelists were also tracked, and Mai earned two prizes after defeating opponents in duels. Neither of them had been the brand new Lightening Harpy Lady that she so badly wanted. It didn't water her enjoyment, as besides dueling, there was also good food, live music and dancing. That evening the first feast started, and a band was scheduled to play for three hours throughout the dinner. This tournament definitely beat living out in the wilderness, escaping from crazy eliminators and struggling her way in the castle, like she had during the Duelist Kingdom tournament. It was too bad Pegasus wasn't going to hold Duel Parties regularly, as there couldn't be that many Heirs to honor.

For the feast, most duelists had the sense to dress up somewhat. Yugi Motto and Joey Wheeler managed to be presentable, while Mokuba ran around in a suit Kaiba had forced him to wear. At some point Mokuba disappeared and reappeared in more comfortable attire. Seto Kaiba seemed to be unfocused, and Pegasus talked to the duelists and sat with his friend, Shaadi. Mai arrived, still wearing her angel pin, and found herself a seat with Yugi and Joey. They seemed rather lonely, considering the fact that the entire "friendship team" hadn't come to the island with them. With a bowl of cold gazpacho soup and chocolate chip cookies, she joined them at their table.

"Who do you think this mysterious Heir is going to be?" Mai asked them, hoping they had heard rumors about who it was. It had been a hot topic among the duelists all day, and there wasn't a person who was not wondering who it was. No one seemed to be wondering "Is it me?", and no one was bragging that they were the Heir either. That was odd, but the Heir must have had some kind of relationship with Pegasus. There wasn't anyone who seemed to be that closely related to him. Mai was beginning to think the Heir was one of the Kaiba brothers, as it was the only possible solution she could come up with, no matter how improbable it was.

"I don't know Mai," Yugi frowned, looking out to the beautiful, holographic projector pool. The mystery was stumping all three of them, so they would just have to wait and find out. Mai watched Joey chew, and he shrugged. The music had started up awhile ago, and casually duelists were floating to and from the dance floor. A few minutes later Joey suddenly fixed his eyes on Mai as if he were bored. Mai felt like she were under a microscope, as Joey's brain wheels were definitely turning beneath his brown eyes. She turned to glare disapprovingly at him in return.

"You aren't thinking about asking me to dance, are you?" Mai laid out the words only to tease, but Joey's cheeks tinged pink and he looked down at his food. Mai raised an eyebrow in surprise, but was not immediately rejecting him in her mind. She was getting bored after all, as they had run out of Kaiba and Pegasus jokes awhile ago. Yugi was smiling a bit wickedly, his eyes down cast so they couldn't see him grinning.

"Yeah, I was," Joey nearly whispered, "but I wasn't sure if you would want to, and I was worried about Yugi being here all by himself."

"Go on!" Yugi protested by taking out his deck and placing it on the table. Mai and Joey looked at him, and he indicated the dance floor with the nod of his head. He was trying to pretend that they would be a distraction for him, and make them feel guilty if they stayed. "I need to work on reorganizing my deck for tomorrow, so go dance."

Even though they knew that Yugi was using this as a ploy, Joey surrendered and Mai left with him for the smooth dance floor. They waited for the song to end, and then walked on and began dancing awkwardly until they got used to the music and the way each other moved. Mai found out that Joey Wheeler could actually dance without stomping on her toes, and could keep some kind of rhythm as well. More than anything, they talked casually about different subjects: Mai asked about school, and Joey wanted to know about her progress. Both Mai and Joey were juniors and struggling with their Physics courses. Neither of them had yet won any of the rare cards, though Joey had gotten a gift set. It contained several candles that he planned to give to his sister Serenity as Christmas presents . After the mention of his sister, Joey decided to ask about her family.

Mai looked at blond, brown eyed Joey and sighed a bit sadly. Her family life was really interesting and complex, but she decided to tell him some of it. Mai had no sisters or brothers. She lived with her mother, who had turned rebellious during college and veered from a suggested career path that included an expensive, private school, and a guaranteed future as a lawyer. Her rich parents had been paying for the college, and when their youngest daughter decided to become a fashion designer, it had strained the ties between them somewhat. Soon after her mother had met a man and married him, and had Mai not too much later. When Mai was seven, her parents had divorced and to this day she rarely saw her father, and barely ever spoke with her mother's proper, blue blooded relations. Mai's strongest connections outside the immediate family were with her mother's brother and her father's parents . Also in the history of Mai's family was that her mother's sister, Cecilia, had died. As that had happened so long ago, Mai didn't know much about her.

Joey bit his lip as she told him about her parents being divorced. He then acknowledged that his parents were divorced as well, and because of that he didn't see much of Serenity or his mother. When Mai heard that, her heart beat a bit weakly in sympathy. She didn't feel much like dancing anymore. They both left the floor and returned to the table, to find Yugi working out new combos for his deck enthusiastically. He didn't ask why Mai and Joey had obviously returned in more muted spirits than in which they had left. When Yugi looked down to put his deck back together, Mai and Joey gave each other a glance and both smiled.

I think I really understand him now, Mai sighed and went to get some more punch, looking at the large and colorful Christmas tree on her way there, and we are more alike than I ever could have guessed. Hopefully I will get to duel him soon. It should be very enjoyable.