All right, I know the last chapter was a little short, and this one will be
too. But after this, they'll start getting longer.
I know my story is looking a little sloppy right now, but after a few more, I will proofread, fix a few things, and organize the original cards. Just bare with me.
For all those who have kept up with this, thanks. I still would like more reviews, so R&R.
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Chapter 4
Destruction is the work of an afternoon. Creation is the work of a lifetime.
Minutes after Kaiba's duel had ended, Mai, Ryouta, the silver haired kid (Gene), Knux, and another one of the aqua haired guy's (Romulus) group, a turquoise haired girl named Kris. Everyone took Romulus up on his offer. They left the card shop and walked down to a local diner a few blocks away. After they had all ordered, Romulus sat with Yugi, Joey, Ryouta, Mai, and Kaiba. After being informed that Bakura failed, Romulus decided that it was time to inform the group about his reasons for being here.
"Many ages ago, during Yami's reign as Pharoah, everything was peaceful, for the most part. Amenhotep, Yami, as you know him, had a prosperous reign with almost constant peace. Of course, this you all knew. But, another nation, Rath, was formed near Egypt at the time. They were based solely upon one thing: overthrowing the gods. As you know, this is thought to be impossible. But the leaders had found a loop hole, which would let them traverse the lands of the dead and living. Through this loop, they thought that they could overthrow the gods. Most people, including the Pharoah, deemed the small nation to be full of insane ideals. Some people in Egypt realized that if the Rath's leaders were able to succeed in their plans, they would end existance. You see, the gods can't be wrong. If they are proven wrong, then their plan would be shattered, thus ending existance. A small group of people with these beliefs set out to stop the nation's leaders. They called themselves the Shadow Guild. The Shadow Guild was very successful in secretly thwarting Rath's plans. They brought the nation's progress to a near halt. But, it wasn't good enough.
"The leaders of Rath were ready to commence with their plan. Walking in through the doors to a Temple of Ra, they believed that they would succeed. Of course the Shadow Guild showed up. In the end, however, the Shadow Guild members were sealed in magical tablets for eternity. Before the leaders could enter an Obelisk by the doorway put up a barrier of light. The leaders saw this as a sign sent from Ra. They challenged the god. So, Ra descended upon the unworthy nation of Rath. He attempted to destroy the temple, but the Obelisk would not allow it. So Ra called down the fertility god, Osiris, who descended in its dragon form. It gave the Obelisk life, and amazing powers for being such a loyal servant. Then, Ra proceeded to destroy the temple. The leaders of Rath weren't worried, they had a backup plan. Using ancient magics, they sacrificed themselves to turn their whole nation into a void of ntohingness. The nation started to get sucked up into the quickly surrounding black barrier. The gods, not having enough energy to switch dimensions, knew that if they were trapped and transported into nothingness, chaos would consume Earth. No one knows how, but Several eye witnesses in Egypt claimed that Rath was consumed by a white void, and afterwords, nothing was there except desert.
"One of the descendents of a man who fled Rath when it was being engulfed in darkness has shown himself. He is hell bent on raising Rath from the ashes. He will reveal himself very soon. I warn you to be on the lookout for him, he is a very dangerous adversary." Romulus finished his story, along with his lunch. As the idea of having to save the world again sank in, everyone finished their lunches. After finishing, Romulus took everyone's decks. As he held each different one, they glowed gold. Giving them back, he stated that their chances of winning had been increased.
----
When Yugi got back to the card shop, he noticed his grandpa putting up posters. "What are those grandpa?" Yugi asked. "Well, a Duel Monsters tournament is being hosted a few miles away. I just got the info. You have to sign up to enter it first." Yugi's grandpa informed as he hung a poster on the front window. "Can I sign up Grandpa?!" Yugi was getting excited. It had been a while since a tournament was hosted in his area. And, as he read the poster, it looked to be a big one. "Of course you can. Signups are tomorrow near the placewhere they're hosting the tournament." "Thanks grandpa!"
----
The next day, Yugi got up bright and early. The signups started at noon, and he wasn't going to be late, seeing as it was an hour and a half long walk. On his way to Battle Island, as it was called in the poster, Yugi met up with his friends. Jonouchi, Kaiba, and Mokuba had all gotten up early too, and were walking together to the Battle Island. Anzu and Honda, as always, were along for moral support. Together, the group finally made it to the sign ups. The sign ups were located at the entrance to a bridge leading to Battle Island. The island was so far away that it could barely be seen. Honda, as usual, put useless emphasis on the sight.
"Wow, guys, the island is really far away!" Honda stopped for dramatics, as did the rest of the group. The all gaped at the island.
Well, almost all of them did.
"Are you going to stand there all day and restate the obvious?" Kaiba called from several yards away.
Everyone rushed to catch up to Kaiba, who had stopped where the three sign up lines began. The sign ups were divided into three lines in front of three tables that were set across the bridge entrance. On the three tables sat large black machines which read the duelists' decks, and gave their stats. Behind each table sat a person, who would take the read out and give the duelists a sliver pack containing neccessary items for the tournament.
The group got in the shortest line. After about two hours, they finally reached the end of the line. Yugi was up first.
"Name." Said the woman behind the table.
"Yugi Motou."
"Place your deck in the slot and write your main card on this." She handed him a notebook and a pen. He placed his deck in the slot and wrote Black Magician in the book.
His stats appeared on a small monitor. They were read out by a mechanized voice. "Overall rating: 150. Chances of winning: 72%. Class A."
A list of cards in Yugi's deck printed out of the side of the machine, which the woman took. After getting the list, she reached under the table and took out a silver bag. She then slid it to Yugi.
"This contains all you will need to prepare for the tournament. You may take you deck and leave."
But Yugi just stepped to the side and watched his friends go throught the same process. Mokuba was up next. Yamata Dragon was his choice card. His deck was rated 73 and his chances of winning were 39%. He was in B class. Then came Joey. He put Ultimate Griffon as his main card. His deck was 134, and his chances were 58%.
Mai and Ryouta had jumped in line in front of Kaiba. Mai put Harpie Lady as her main card, and got a 127 with a 54% chance of winning. Ryouta was next. He put his main card as The Legendary Fisherman. He gave Yugi a wink and inserted his deck. He got the exact same stats as Yugi.
Kaiba was up next. He put his main card as Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon. His deck got an amazing score of 170, and an 81% chance of wining.
The group of duelists that Yugi and the others had dueled the previous day had filed into line. They all got ???s with unknow statistics. Last out of the group was Ramulus. He inserted his deck and turned around.
No one listened to him though. His deck remained in the slot for a good five minutes as the machine attempted to rate it.
"Anyone in the immediate area would do good to step aside right now." Romulus said, taking two giant sidesteps from the machine. He shut his eyes and covered his ears.
The machine promptly exploded.
Romulus walked over to it, as is machines explode on a regular basis, and retrieved his deck from the ashes. Seeing that the woman had been blown backwards from the explosion, he reached under the table and grabbed a silver pack.
"Whoops."
----
The insides of a raw egg splashed into a glass, swirling with the other four insides. A shaded man downed the glass in one gulp. He then crossed the darkened room and sat down at a table. Picking up a barbell with 550 pounds on it, he began to curl it. All the while, he was staring at a coffee table. On the table was one of the silver packs torn open. On the table was a booklet listing the tournament rules. On the side of the booklet was a card. With a black background.
----
Meanwhile, five others were also pulling all-nighters.
----
[A/N: I don't care how you do it, buy the CD, download it, I don't care. Listen to 'Loser' by Beck untill you reack the next A/N.]
Three dribbles. Bend, elbows, eyes, followthrough. Swish.
"Fifteen."
Yugi always practiced basketball when he had serious thoughts on his mind. Currently, he was outside of the game shop, in the back. A concrete half court rested between the shop and the building behind it. A floodlight from the game shop basaked the court in a flourescent bluish light. Yugi was out in an oversized sweatshirt and red gym shorts practicing his shot.
It was 4:00 in the morning.
He was reflecting upon a past memory. This particular one was of an old duel between Kaiba and Yugi. Osiris was up on the line, as was Obelisk. Yugi already had Osiris on the field.
Swish. "Sixteen."
Yugi was in his Yami form. Before every duel he won, Yami always felt a surge of confidence before he won every duel. He felt it now. But Kaiba wasn't about to be put down. He used an Iron Cage of Nightmares, stopping Osiris for two turns. Yami thought it wouldn't be enough. Kaiba used the first turn to set a monster. On the second turn, he set another monster and a trap. Yugi took the bait and attacked. Kaiba played his Attack Nullification.
Swish. "Seventeen."
As Kaiba's turn came by, he played an Iron Devil Sanctuary. Yugi's downfall. Kaiba sacrificed all three to summon Obelisk. Obelisk wiped out Osiris with its God Hand Crusher. But Yugi still had life points left. He drew his next card. Kuribo.
Swish. "Eighteen."
He played Multiply with Kuribo to buy himself sometime. But Kaiba didn't want Yugi to have that time. He summoned a Blood Vors and attacked with both monsters. Yugi still had three Kuribos though. He drew his next card and sacrificed Fusion along with Black Magician and Buster Blader to summon Black Paladin. The confidence was back as Black Paladin was boosted greatly by all of Kaiba's dragons. It destroyed Obelisk. Kaiba was hanging by a shred of life.
Swish. "Nineteen."
Kaiba said that he could end it in one turn. He played Full Assault Order, changing Yugi's Kuribos to attack mode. Then he played Brain Control, getting Black Paladin. One attack to a Kuribo, and Yugi had to forefeit his Osiris. It was a good duel, but Yami was disappointed.
Swish. "Twenty."
"Yugi." Yami called. Yugi never removed his Millenium Puzzle.
"Yes?" Yugi answered in his thoughts.
"We must read the rules. The tournament starts in six hours."
----
[A/N: Again, I could care less how, just find a way to listen to 'Faith' by Limp Bizkit until the next segment.]
Across town, Mai sat on her bed in her apartment. She had been memorizing the rules, but a memory flooded back to her. She was dueling Moon, Sun and Stars for Joey, Yugi, and Bakura's souls. On her team were Honda and Anzu.
Mai had deemed the situation useless, and sullenly let her Amazonesses be destroyed. Anzu and Honda tried to get her back into the duel, but Mai had sunk into a depression. She thought she had failed Joey. The one time she got to make it up to him, and she had discouraged herself. Just as she was about to give up, she watched as the Snake Godess demolished Anzu's Holy Elf. Looking up, she saw Joey's smiling face. She realized that Joey would never give up on her, so neither was she.
She drew her next card - Harpie's Pet Dragon. She summoned it by sacrficing an Amazoness. In a selfless act, Mai attacked the powered-up Snake Godess, which was equal to the Dragon. This destroyed Mai's life points, but allowed Honda to destroy the rest of their opponents' life points.
As a reward, Mai was given the Snake Godess.
----
[A/N: I don't give a damn how, illegally or legally, get a way to listen to 'Just Because' by Jane's Addiction and listen to it until the next part.]
Ryouta was walking outside of his hotel. He was dressed for swimming and carried his father's spear with him. He stepped into the elevator and pressed the rooftop button. The elevator hummed to life and began to rise. Ryouta wasn't too fond of this feeling, but he didn't want to be caught with his father's spear. If he got it confiscated, he would never be able to live with himself.
A memory sprang to his mind. It was of a recent adventure on the Duel Monsters cruise. Trusdale was dueling for control of the Guardians. Ryouta's job was not that of a spectator, however. He was taken aside by a woman with blue hair. Her name was Keesuto. She related to him that in order to use the Guardians properly, their respective weapons had to be retrieved from a stronghold in the Shadow Realm. Ryouta had the genius plan of using the ship's propeller's movement to launch them into the stronghold.
When entering the Shadow Realm, one must create a portal to the exact location they want. But the portal could also be infused with something. This had effects on the way the perosn would enter into the Shadow Realm. Ryouta, taking this into consideraton, believed that the propeller's motion could shoot them straight into the stronghold wall, avoiding the traps and such.
So Ryouta and Keesuto swam under the ship and used the propeller as the portal. It worked perfectly. The king of the castle noticed that the weapons were being stolen, however. So Keesuto and Ryouta had to make a rather hasty retreat. But this was to no avail, as eventually the two were trapped in a hall, with guards on either side. He bravely summoned the Legendary Fisherman, and though the fisherman put up a good fight, he could not win.
That's when Yugi and Kaiba decided to drop by. A whole column and a half of guards were diced to bits by Blood Vors and Retrained Elven Swordsman. After escaping the castle, the king was overcome by one of his cohorts. The particular traitor was trying to complete a ritual that the king cut fundings to. He had now completed it.
The castle was destroyed by the ritual's completion, and two monsters stood in the rubble. Berserk Dead Dragon and Zork.
A long battle ensued. It was the two monsters against Yugi and Kaiba's Master of Dragon Knight. The battle raged into the sea. Keesuto took up the Rod of Silence and dove into the ocean. She the transformed into her true form - a male dragon. The dragon was in command of the sea itself. The waters engulfed Zork and the dragon, killing the two by sheer pressure.
Afterwards, Trusdale had won his duel. Ryouta picked Keesuto as his Guardian - in the female form, of course.
The elevator stopped and the doors opened. Ryouta walked out onto the roof. Taking a running leap, he dove into the harbor waters.
----
[A/N: I could care less yet again, same deal, just listen to 'I've Seen Better Days' by Sublime.]
Joey was almost asleep. He had memorized the rules, well he thought he did, by staying up all night, eating pizza, watchin TV, and glancing a few times at the rules. Now he sat at his desk, attempting to read them in order get some advantage. He couldn't help thinking about one thing. One thing nagged him. It always did, too. Yugi had given Joey Ra, claiming he didn't need it.
So one day, Joey challenged Kaiba to a poker game. After some raunchy insults, Ra was eventually bet. Of course, Joey got three of a kind. But Kaiba had a straight flush.
Joey couldn't have been more embarrassed.
But another memory was recalled. He, Kaiba, and Yugi were facing Varron, Raphael, and Otogi. It was supposed to be a fun duel using Kaiba's new Duel Disk system. It wasn't looking good. Yugi had a Phantom Beast King Gazelle out on the field. Joey had a Tiger Axe. Kaiba had a Sull Red Bird. Not many options considering their opponents had managed to summon Meteor Black Dragon. Joey drew his next card and decided to give it a whirl. Kaiba had said that any monsters could be fused with the new system. So he threw down a Fusion and discarded all monsters his team's field. To everyone's surprise, Ultimate Griffon was the result. Joey attacked and won the duel for his team.
After the duel, Kaiba decided that the Ultimate Griffon was too good to pass up. He gave Joey his Skull Red Bird, and Yugi followed suit by giving his Gazelle. Kaiba typed in a code or something on the duel disks and an Ultimate Griffon popped out.
Joey always enjoyed looking at his Ultimate Griffon. It was his most valued card. Currently, he was holding the powerful fusion in his hand, looking at its pictures. His eyes began to droop and................
----
[A/N: Same as last time, just this time it's 'Caught in the Rain' by Revis. After this, give your stereo/computer/headphones a break.]
Kaiba was pulling an all nighter, updating his card database on his labtop. Mokuba had passed out quite a few hours ago. Night meant nothing to Kaiba; years of staying up and working had seen to that. He had already memorized every part of the rules.
The tournament had three classes, A, B, and C. A being the highest. The champion of C and the runner up in B would face off in a match, to name the Junior Champion Duelist. B's champion would face A's runner up to decipher the Duelist Champion. A's winner would go to face the host of the tournament, then the winner would be Planet's Duelist Champion. Before the finals, no one could fight someone of a different class.
The Island itself was made of many Dueling Gyms. Inside each gym was where the duels would commence. Each gym had a special type of duel (such as chess). After a person duels in one gym, they are not allowed to duel there again unless named Champion of the gym, which was only given to people of the tournament host's choosing. The gyms also ranged in difficulty. C class gyms were simple duels with some field differences (fire, water, etc.) and A class gyms had the duelists actually feeling pain. And everyone had to stay in the gyms that they were classed. The finals, however, would be regular duels, nothing fancy.
Kaiba disliked the ruling, obviously made for him, that only one God card could be in each deck. Another one that he wasn't too fond of was that certain monsters may be given effects or have effects changed depending upon what gym it was.
Kaiba sat on his bed, typing away at his labtop. Suddenly, a memory assualted him.
Yami Yugi and Kaiba were standing in a large open field. Rain drizzled, making it hard to see. Kaiba and Yami stood about fifty yards away from each other. Both stood upright against a tree. It was a Shadow Game.
Kaiba announced that he would go first. He produced four small throwing knives from his pocket. Placing one between each finger, Kaiba threw.
The knives thudded into the tree, surrounding Yami's head, but not even severing a hair. Now it was Yami's turn. He produced the first knife, and for the first time in his life (that he could remember), he hesitated. Yami was unsure if he could do this. His face twisted in concentration. He threw the dagger.
It thudded into the tree. Right through Kaiba's left arm. Blood seeping from his arm, Kaiba violently ripped the dagger from the tree. Yami walked over, defeated, and handed Kaiba three cards. Gemini Elf, Iron Devil's Sanctuary, and Obelisk.
Kaiba snapped awake. 'I actually dozed off.... hmmm, not a good sign. I'll turn now, I guess.' Kaiba thought, shutting down his labtop and crawling into bed. A staggering thought crossed his mind. 'I haven't checked my deck yet! I know Romulus did something to them, and I haven't even seen it yet.... damn...' Kaiba thought as sleep overwhelmed him.
----
Dawn arose as the five finally got some sleep. This day promised to be an eventful day.
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Well, this might be the last time I update for a bit. I might put up the next chapter, but I'm not entirely sure. In reality, this chapter should also include the next chapter, but I don't have enough time. So, the next one will be real short. I'm also going to post another story, probably after the next chapter, so look out for that. And remember, read and review, dammit!
I know my story is looking a little sloppy right now, but after a few more, I will proofread, fix a few things, and organize the original cards. Just bare with me.
For all those who have kept up with this, thanks. I still would like more reviews, so R&R.
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Chapter 4
Destruction is the work of an afternoon. Creation is the work of a lifetime.
Minutes after Kaiba's duel had ended, Mai, Ryouta, the silver haired kid (Gene), Knux, and another one of the aqua haired guy's (Romulus) group, a turquoise haired girl named Kris. Everyone took Romulus up on his offer. They left the card shop and walked down to a local diner a few blocks away. After they had all ordered, Romulus sat with Yugi, Joey, Ryouta, Mai, and Kaiba. After being informed that Bakura failed, Romulus decided that it was time to inform the group about his reasons for being here.
"Many ages ago, during Yami's reign as Pharoah, everything was peaceful, for the most part. Amenhotep, Yami, as you know him, had a prosperous reign with almost constant peace. Of course, this you all knew. But, another nation, Rath, was formed near Egypt at the time. They were based solely upon one thing: overthrowing the gods. As you know, this is thought to be impossible. But the leaders had found a loop hole, which would let them traverse the lands of the dead and living. Through this loop, they thought that they could overthrow the gods. Most people, including the Pharoah, deemed the small nation to be full of insane ideals. Some people in Egypt realized that if the Rath's leaders were able to succeed in their plans, they would end existance. You see, the gods can't be wrong. If they are proven wrong, then their plan would be shattered, thus ending existance. A small group of people with these beliefs set out to stop the nation's leaders. They called themselves the Shadow Guild. The Shadow Guild was very successful in secretly thwarting Rath's plans. They brought the nation's progress to a near halt. But, it wasn't good enough.
"The leaders of Rath were ready to commence with their plan. Walking in through the doors to a Temple of Ra, they believed that they would succeed. Of course the Shadow Guild showed up. In the end, however, the Shadow Guild members were sealed in magical tablets for eternity. Before the leaders could enter an Obelisk by the doorway put up a barrier of light. The leaders saw this as a sign sent from Ra. They challenged the god. So, Ra descended upon the unworthy nation of Rath. He attempted to destroy the temple, but the Obelisk would not allow it. So Ra called down the fertility god, Osiris, who descended in its dragon form. It gave the Obelisk life, and amazing powers for being such a loyal servant. Then, Ra proceeded to destroy the temple. The leaders of Rath weren't worried, they had a backup plan. Using ancient magics, they sacrificed themselves to turn their whole nation into a void of ntohingness. The nation started to get sucked up into the quickly surrounding black barrier. The gods, not having enough energy to switch dimensions, knew that if they were trapped and transported into nothingness, chaos would consume Earth. No one knows how, but Several eye witnesses in Egypt claimed that Rath was consumed by a white void, and afterwords, nothing was there except desert.
"One of the descendents of a man who fled Rath when it was being engulfed in darkness has shown himself. He is hell bent on raising Rath from the ashes. He will reveal himself very soon. I warn you to be on the lookout for him, he is a very dangerous adversary." Romulus finished his story, along with his lunch. As the idea of having to save the world again sank in, everyone finished their lunches. After finishing, Romulus took everyone's decks. As he held each different one, they glowed gold. Giving them back, he stated that their chances of winning had been increased.
----
When Yugi got back to the card shop, he noticed his grandpa putting up posters. "What are those grandpa?" Yugi asked. "Well, a Duel Monsters tournament is being hosted a few miles away. I just got the info. You have to sign up to enter it first." Yugi's grandpa informed as he hung a poster on the front window. "Can I sign up Grandpa?!" Yugi was getting excited. It had been a while since a tournament was hosted in his area. And, as he read the poster, it looked to be a big one. "Of course you can. Signups are tomorrow near the placewhere they're hosting the tournament." "Thanks grandpa!"
----
The next day, Yugi got up bright and early. The signups started at noon, and he wasn't going to be late, seeing as it was an hour and a half long walk. On his way to Battle Island, as it was called in the poster, Yugi met up with his friends. Jonouchi, Kaiba, and Mokuba had all gotten up early too, and were walking together to the Battle Island. Anzu and Honda, as always, were along for moral support. Together, the group finally made it to the sign ups. The sign ups were located at the entrance to a bridge leading to Battle Island. The island was so far away that it could barely be seen. Honda, as usual, put useless emphasis on the sight.
"Wow, guys, the island is really far away!" Honda stopped for dramatics, as did the rest of the group. The all gaped at the island.
Well, almost all of them did.
"Are you going to stand there all day and restate the obvious?" Kaiba called from several yards away.
Everyone rushed to catch up to Kaiba, who had stopped where the three sign up lines began. The sign ups were divided into three lines in front of three tables that were set across the bridge entrance. On the three tables sat large black machines which read the duelists' decks, and gave their stats. Behind each table sat a person, who would take the read out and give the duelists a sliver pack containing neccessary items for the tournament.
The group got in the shortest line. After about two hours, they finally reached the end of the line. Yugi was up first.
"Name." Said the woman behind the table.
"Yugi Motou."
"Place your deck in the slot and write your main card on this." She handed him a notebook and a pen. He placed his deck in the slot and wrote Black Magician in the book.
His stats appeared on a small monitor. They were read out by a mechanized voice. "Overall rating: 150. Chances of winning: 72%. Class A."
A list of cards in Yugi's deck printed out of the side of the machine, which the woman took. After getting the list, she reached under the table and took out a silver bag. She then slid it to Yugi.
"This contains all you will need to prepare for the tournament. You may take you deck and leave."
But Yugi just stepped to the side and watched his friends go throught the same process. Mokuba was up next. Yamata Dragon was his choice card. His deck was rated 73 and his chances of winning were 39%. He was in B class. Then came Joey. He put Ultimate Griffon as his main card. His deck was 134, and his chances were 58%.
Mai and Ryouta had jumped in line in front of Kaiba. Mai put Harpie Lady as her main card, and got a 127 with a 54% chance of winning. Ryouta was next. He put his main card as The Legendary Fisherman. He gave Yugi a wink and inserted his deck. He got the exact same stats as Yugi.
Kaiba was up next. He put his main card as Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon. His deck got an amazing score of 170, and an 81% chance of wining.
The group of duelists that Yugi and the others had dueled the previous day had filed into line. They all got ???s with unknow statistics. Last out of the group was Ramulus. He inserted his deck and turned around.
No one listened to him though. His deck remained in the slot for a good five minutes as the machine attempted to rate it.
"Anyone in the immediate area would do good to step aside right now." Romulus said, taking two giant sidesteps from the machine. He shut his eyes and covered his ears.
The machine promptly exploded.
Romulus walked over to it, as is machines explode on a regular basis, and retrieved his deck from the ashes. Seeing that the woman had been blown backwards from the explosion, he reached under the table and grabbed a silver pack.
"Whoops."
----
The insides of a raw egg splashed into a glass, swirling with the other four insides. A shaded man downed the glass in one gulp. He then crossed the darkened room and sat down at a table. Picking up a barbell with 550 pounds on it, he began to curl it. All the while, he was staring at a coffee table. On the table was one of the silver packs torn open. On the table was a booklet listing the tournament rules. On the side of the booklet was a card. With a black background.
----
Meanwhile, five others were also pulling all-nighters.
----
[A/N: I don't care how you do it, buy the CD, download it, I don't care. Listen to 'Loser' by Beck untill you reack the next A/N.]
Three dribbles. Bend, elbows, eyes, followthrough. Swish.
"Fifteen."
Yugi always practiced basketball when he had serious thoughts on his mind. Currently, he was outside of the game shop, in the back. A concrete half court rested between the shop and the building behind it. A floodlight from the game shop basaked the court in a flourescent bluish light. Yugi was out in an oversized sweatshirt and red gym shorts practicing his shot.
It was 4:00 in the morning.
He was reflecting upon a past memory. This particular one was of an old duel between Kaiba and Yugi. Osiris was up on the line, as was Obelisk. Yugi already had Osiris on the field.
Swish. "Sixteen."
Yugi was in his Yami form. Before every duel he won, Yami always felt a surge of confidence before he won every duel. He felt it now. But Kaiba wasn't about to be put down. He used an Iron Cage of Nightmares, stopping Osiris for two turns. Yami thought it wouldn't be enough. Kaiba used the first turn to set a monster. On the second turn, he set another monster and a trap. Yugi took the bait and attacked. Kaiba played his Attack Nullification.
Swish. "Seventeen."
As Kaiba's turn came by, he played an Iron Devil Sanctuary. Yugi's downfall. Kaiba sacrificed all three to summon Obelisk. Obelisk wiped out Osiris with its God Hand Crusher. But Yugi still had life points left. He drew his next card. Kuribo.
Swish. "Eighteen."
He played Multiply with Kuribo to buy himself sometime. But Kaiba didn't want Yugi to have that time. He summoned a Blood Vors and attacked with both monsters. Yugi still had three Kuribos though. He drew his next card and sacrificed Fusion along with Black Magician and Buster Blader to summon Black Paladin. The confidence was back as Black Paladin was boosted greatly by all of Kaiba's dragons. It destroyed Obelisk. Kaiba was hanging by a shred of life.
Swish. "Nineteen."
Kaiba said that he could end it in one turn. He played Full Assault Order, changing Yugi's Kuribos to attack mode. Then he played Brain Control, getting Black Paladin. One attack to a Kuribo, and Yugi had to forefeit his Osiris. It was a good duel, but Yami was disappointed.
Swish. "Twenty."
"Yugi." Yami called. Yugi never removed his Millenium Puzzle.
"Yes?" Yugi answered in his thoughts.
"We must read the rules. The tournament starts in six hours."
----
[A/N: Again, I could care less how, just find a way to listen to 'Faith' by Limp Bizkit until the next segment.]
Across town, Mai sat on her bed in her apartment. She had been memorizing the rules, but a memory flooded back to her. She was dueling Moon, Sun and Stars for Joey, Yugi, and Bakura's souls. On her team were Honda and Anzu.
Mai had deemed the situation useless, and sullenly let her Amazonesses be destroyed. Anzu and Honda tried to get her back into the duel, but Mai had sunk into a depression. She thought she had failed Joey. The one time she got to make it up to him, and she had discouraged herself. Just as she was about to give up, she watched as the Snake Godess demolished Anzu's Holy Elf. Looking up, she saw Joey's smiling face. She realized that Joey would never give up on her, so neither was she.
She drew her next card - Harpie's Pet Dragon. She summoned it by sacrficing an Amazoness. In a selfless act, Mai attacked the powered-up Snake Godess, which was equal to the Dragon. This destroyed Mai's life points, but allowed Honda to destroy the rest of their opponents' life points.
As a reward, Mai was given the Snake Godess.
----
[A/N: I don't give a damn how, illegally or legally, get a way to listen to 'Just Because' by Jane's Addiction and listen to it until the next part.]
Ryouta was walking outside of his hotel. He was dressed for swimming and carried his father's spear with him. He stepped into the elevator and pressed the rooftop button. The elevator hummed to life and began to rise. Ryouta wasn't too fond of this feeling, but he didn't want to be caught with his father's spear. If he got it confiscated, he would never be able to live with himself.
A memory sprang to his mind. It was of a recent adventure on the Duel Monsters cruise. Trusdale was dueling for control of the Guardians. Ryouta's job was not that of a spectator, however. He was taken aside by a woman with blue hair. Her name was Keesuto. She related to him that in order to use the Guardians properly, their respective weapons had to be retrieved from a stronghold in the Shadow Realm. Ryouta had the genius plan of using the ship's propeller's movement to launch them into the stronghold.
When entering the Shadow Realm, one must create a portal to the exact location they want. But the portal could also be infused with something. This had effects on the way the perosn would enter into the Shadow Realm. Ryouta, taking this into consideraton, believed that the propeller's motion could shoot them straight into the stronghold wall, avoiding the traps and such.
So Ryouta and Keesuto swam under the ship and used the propeller as the portal. It worked perfectly. The king of the castle noticed that the weapons were being stolen, however. So Keesuto and Ryouta had to make a rather hasty retreat. But this was to no avail, as eventually the two were trapped in a hall, with guards on either side. He bravely summoned the Legendary Fisherman, and though the fisherman put up a good fight, he could not win.
That's when Yugi and Kaiba decided to drop by. A whole column and a half of guards were diced to bits by Blood Vors and Retrained Elven Swordsman. After escaping the castle, the king was overcome by one of his cohorts. The particular traitor was trying to complete a ritual that the king cut fundings to. He had now completed it.
The castle was destroyed by the ritual's completion, and two monsters stood in the rubble. Berserk Dead Dragon and Zork.
A long battle ensued. It was the two monsters against Yugi and Kaiba's Master of Dragon Knight. The battle raged into the sea. Keesuto took up the Rod of Silence and dove into the ocean. She the transformed into her true form - a male dragon. The dragon was in command of the sea itself. The waters engulfed Zork and the dragon, killing the two by sheer pressure.
Afterwards, Trusdale had won his duel. Ryouta picked Keesuto as his Guardian - in the female form, of course.
The elevator stopped and the doors opened. Ryouta walked out onto the roof. Taking a running leap, he dove into the harbor waters.
----
[A/N: I could care less yet again, same deal, just listen to 'I've Seen Better Days' by Sublime.]
Joey was almost asleep. He had memorized the rules, well he thought he did, by staying up all night, eating pizza, watchin TV, and glancing a few times at the rules. Now he sat at his desk, attempting to read them in order get some advantage. He couldn't help thinking about one thing. One thing nagged him. It always did, too. Yugi had given Joey Ra, claiming he didn't need it.
So one day, Joey challenged Kaiba to a poker game. After some raunchy insults, Ra was eventually bet. Of course, Joey got three of a kind. But Kaiba had a straight flush.
Joey couldn't have been more embarrassed.
But another memory was recalled. He, Kaiba, and Yugi were facing Varron, Raphael, and Otogi. It was supposed to be a fun duel using Kaiba's new Duel Disk system. It wasn't looking good. Yugi had a Phantom Beast King Gazelle out on the field. Joey had a Tiger Axe. Kaiba had a Sull Red Bird. Not many options considering their opponents had managed to summon Meteor Black Dragon. Joey drew his next card and decided to give it a whirl. Kaiba had said that any monsters could be fused with the new system. So he threw down a Fusion and discarded all monsters his team's field. To everyone's surprise, Ultimate Griffon was the result. Joey attacked and won the duel for his team.
After the duel, Kaiba decided that the Ultimate Griffon was too good to pass up. He gave Joey his Skull Red Bird, and Yugi followed suit by giving his Gazelle. Kaiba typed in a code or something on the duel disks and an Ultimate Griffon popped out.
Joey always enjoyed looking at his Ultimate Griffon. It was his most valued card. Currently, he was holding the powerful fusion in his hand, looking at its pictures. His eyes began to droop and................
----
[A/N: Same as last time, just this time it's 'Caught in the Rain' by Revis. After this, give your stereo/computer/headphones a break.]
Kaiba was pulling an all nighter, updating his card database on his labtop. Mokuba had passed out quite a few hours ago. Night meant nothing to Kaiba; years of staying up and working had seen to that. He had already memorized every part of the rules.
The tournament had three classes, A, B, and C. A being the highest. The champion of C and the runner up in B would face off in a match, to name the Junior Champion Duelist. B's champion would face A's runner up to decipher the Duelist Champion. A's winner would go to face the host of the tournament, then the winner would be Planet's Duelist Champion. Before the finals, no one could fight someone of a different class.
The Island itself was made of many Dueling Gyms. Inside each gym was where the duels would commence. Each gym had a special type of duel (such as chess). After a person duels in one gym, they are not allowed to duel there again unless named Champion of the gym, which was only given to people of the tournament host's choosing. The gyms also ranged in difficulty. C class gyms were simple duels with some field differences (fire, water, etc.) and A class gyms had the duelists actually feeling pain. And everyone had to stay in the gyms that they were classed. The finals, however, would be regular duels, nothing fancy.
Kaiba disliked the ruling, obviously made for him, that only one God card could be in each deck. Another one that he wasn't too fond of was that certain monsters may be given effects or have effects changed depending upon what gym it was.
Kaiba sat on his bed, typing away at his labtop. Suddenly, a memory assualted him.
Yami Yugi and Kaiba were standing in a large open field. Rain drizzled, making it hard to see. Kaiba and Yami stood about fifty yards away from each other. Both stood upright against a tree. It was a Shadow Game.
Kaiba announced that he would go first. He produced four small throwing knives from his pocket. Placing one between each finger, Kaiba threw.
The knives thudded into the tree, surrounding Yami's head, but not even severing a hair. Now it was Yami's turn. He produced the first knife, and for the first time in his life (that he could remember), he hesitated. Yami was unsure if he could do this. His face twisted in concentration. He threw the dagger.
It thudded into the tree. Right through Kaiba's left arm. Blood seeping from his arm, Kaiba violently ripped the dagger from the tree. Yami walked over, defeated, and handed Kaiba three cards. Gemini Elf, Iron Devil's Sanctuary, and Obelisk.
Kaiba snapped awake. 'I actually dozed off.... hmmm, not a good sign. I'll turn now, I guess.' Kaiba thought, shutting down his labtop and crawling into bed. A staggering thought crossed his mind. 'I haven't checked my deck yet! I know Romulus did something to them, and I haven't even seen it yet.... damn...' Kaiba thought as sleep overwhelmed him.
----
Dawn arose as the five finally got some sleep. This day promised to be an eventful day.
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Well, this might be the last time I update for a bit. I might put up the next chapter, but I'm not entirely sure. In reality, this chapter should also include the next chapter, but I don't have enough time. So, the next one will be real short. I'm also going to post another story, probably after the next chapter, so look out for that. And remember, read and review, dammit!