A few days later.....
Mai and Shayla were learning what it was like to be roommates. They worked to clear out Mai's spare room to use as Shayla's bedroom. Mai had to leave for school every morning, leaving Shayla to entertain herself. They had talked about getting Shayla enrolled into Domino High, but had done nothing yet. Mai mostly talked about going on a huge shopping spree with Shayla, Tea, and Lara.
"Mail's here," said Mai as she walked into the apartment one afternoon. She set a package on a nearby chair.
"How were things?" asked Shayla who had been listening to the radio.
"Dull, boring, and tacky," said Mai as she flipped through the letters. "You have something."
"What?" asked Shayla.
"You have some mail," explained Mai.
"Impossible!" protested Shayla.
"It is here, your name and all," said Mai as she handed Shayla the large, manila envelope. "It is from your friend."
"Martin?" asked Shayla as she opened it. A magazine fell on her lap.
"What is it?" asked Mai.
"It is my subscription to The Ultimate Duel Monster's Guide. Martin sent it," said Shayla with a smile. "He even wrote over most of the articles with the label maker."
"He must be bored," muttered Mai.
"You have no idea," agreed Shayla. She set the magazine on the table and began to skim the various articles.
"The newest edition of cards have been released. And Kaiba's virtual game is going to go on the market in a month. An American dueling prodigy is in town. Her name is Rebecca Hawkins," Shayla read. "Industrial Illusion's newest game; Dungeon, Dice Monsters is on hold because of Pegasus's mysterious illness. An Egyptian exhibit featuring Duel Monsters opens at the end of the week. Oh! Stats and strategy for the new cards."
"Can I borrow that when you're done?" asked Mai, clearly interested.
"Sure," agreed Shayla as Mai picked up the package she had set down.
"Huh, you have more mail," she said when she read the label.
"What?" asked Shayla.
"This came from Kaiba Corp.," she said, "along with the check for testing the game."
"What came from Kaiba Corp.?" asked Shayla.
"This package," said Mai as she set the package in front of Shayla, right on top of the magazine. "Well, open it." Shayla did. The first thing that she found was the letter. The person had considerably written it in Braille.
"Dear Shayla," she read. "Thank you for your help during my captivity in the Duelist Kingdom. And thanks for your help during the malfunction of my virtual reality stimulator. To show my gratitude and express my interest to help a duelist of your caliber, I feel that the contents of the package would be most helpful. I also invite you and Miss. Valentine to a tournament that I will be hosting this weekend. This tournament is for all finalists of the Duelist Kingdom who did not have the ability to finish that competition. To keep things interesting a few other elite duelists have been invited as well. Sincerely, Seto Kaiba."
"You got a letter from Kaiba?!" exclaimed Mai.
"Apparently," said Shayla, shocked. "It sounds like he is trying to make up for the near take over of Kaiba Corp. He is trying to have one up one Pegasus."
"I don't believe it!" Mai continued to shriek. "You get a gift from him as well. I don't even get a card. And he definitely won't send one to Yu-Gi or Joe."
"They probably got invited to the competition," said Shayla.
"What is in the box?" asked Mai. Shayla reached in.
"Oh my gosh!" she exclaimed louder than Mai ever was.
"What is it?!" demanded Mai.
"Duel Monster cards!" exclaimed Shayla. "They are even written in Braille!"
"Wow!" exclaimed Mai. "I think Kaiba likes you."
"No way!" protested Shayla as she pulled out the various cards. "Oh my gosh! Leopard Girl, Dunames Dark Witch, Commencement Dance, Performance of Sword, Dark Magician Girl, Cosmo Queen's Prayer, and the Cosmo Queen. Those are the last cards I need from the old series. How did Kaiba know?" (AN/ The tournament and these cards refer back to Kaiba's two ideas in the last chapter of the prequel.)
"Oh my gosh!" agreed Mai. "Those are some of the rarest cards around!"
"And there is more," added Shayla. "Oh, my! It is every female monster card from the new series! Even some helpful magic cards!"
"I am jealous," said Mai. "I wish I had a rich admirer." Shayla was about to protest when she had a better idea.
"At least Joe has a sense of humor," she retorted.
"What? Hey!" protested Mai.
"Admit it, you like him. I heard how you talked to him in the virtual world," teased Shayla.
"No true!" protested Mai. Then for a reason only known to girls, they both broke into giggles.
"Let's look over those articles so we will be ready for the tournament this weekend," suggested Mai, and they did.
That weekend.....
"We're registered, let's check out the competition," suggested Mai. The competition was being held at Domino's Mall. Crowds of duelists and spectators were everywhere. Mai kept window shopping as Shayla tried not to get trampled.
"OK," agreed Shayla. She smoothed her scarlet shirt with flared sleeves as she stood up. They were in an overcrowded food court. Chaotic noise filled the air.
"I really think you should do something with you hair," said Mai as they walked. "I would kill to have dark curls like yours, and you just let them hang."
"What do I care how my hair looks?" asked Shayla.
"That is why I need you to come shopping with me. You would look killer in this," she pointed through a shop window. "The greens would bring out your hair so much. And you need to lose the grunge look. And Lara too. You both look like junkyard escapees."
"Well. We are both run-a-ways," chimed Shayla. "And Drake would kill you if he heard you talk about Lara that way."
"With her lilac hair I could do so much. I have this cute blouse that would match her skin tone perfectly," Mai continued on, ignoring Shayla. She did this quite often. "And I could make Tea drop-dead gorgeous. A nice pair of high heels, a mini skirt, and a make-over and even Yu-Gi would be drooling over her."
"Speaking of which, do you see Joe or Yu-Gi here anywhere? They should be here," said Shayla.
"Not yet," said Mai. "But I do see Bandit Keith and Collin. What is Bandit Keith wearing!? He looks like a Goth!" Bandit Keith was wearing straight black leather and a robe. The robe was dark, and open so everyone could see the rest of his outfit. Shayla felt a chill slid down her spine. She clutched her backpack tighter. As she did she felt her Millennial Scales vibrate.
"Excuse me," said a young girl who accidentally bumped into them.
"Watch it pip-squeak," snapped Mai, who was still looking for Joe and Yu- Gi.
"You'd better not talk to me that way, right Teddy?" the girl asked her Teddy bear. "Or she just might lose when she duels."
"What was that?" asked Shayla.
"She is Mai Valentine and she is competing, right?" asked the girl.
"Yes, but how did you know?" asked Mai as she turned to face the girl.
"I am Rebecca Hawkins and I am going to win this!" she bragged.
"You're that good duelist from America, right?" asked Shayla.
"Yes. I even beat Yu-Gi Motuo. Well, he withdrew, even though he could have won. But I have The Ties of Friendship to prove it!" she said.
"What?!" exclaimed Mai and Shayla at the same time. Rebecca quickly told of how she had challenge Yu-Gi for his grandpa's Blue-Eyes White Dragon card. She should have lost but Yu-Gi withdrew. He did this to show her that there was nore to Duel Monsters than winning. He gave her the card so they would always be friends.
"That is some story, squirt," said Mai. Rebecca stuck her tongue out at her. "Do you know if Yu-Gi is here yet?"
"He isn't coming," said Rebecca. "Haven't you seen the TV. He got conned into testing the Dungeon, Dice Monsters game. Him and that puppy friend of his aren't going to be here. That means I am going to win!"
"Joe is not a puppy!" yelled Mai. "Come on, Shayla, let's find a TV."
"Attention all duelists," came a voice over the loud speaker. "The tournament is about ready to begin. Please report to the dueling arena outside of Sears."
"I guess we have to go," said Shayla as they joined the flood of people heading to Sears.
"Welcome dueling elite," greeted Seto Kaiba, who stood on one of the dueling platforms. "All of you are advance duelist here, and now the rules. So, I am not going to bore you with repeating them." His eyes scanned the crowded and he spotted Shayla next to Mai.
"I wonder if she will use any of the cards I gave her," he wondered before continuing.
"This is an elimination tournament. All dueling matches and results will be posted on the side of the holo-field. Let the games begin!" Kaiba stepped down. There was much cheering, as well as a little booing. The three girls stood in silence.
"This may be a while," said Mai. "There is only one field, and a lot of duelists."
"That is why they have chairs," said Rebecca. They took seats near the back. Kaiba sat next to his brother up front, eagerly watching each duel.
(AN/ To save time and page space, not to mention I don't want to be stuck forever writing dueling chapters, I am skipping right to the final round. The four finalists are Collin, Bandit Keith, Shayla, and Mai. Rebecca and another duelist named Mike were the runners up. Rebecca lost to Bandit Keith in a very close duel. But we all know how Bandit Keith 'wins.')
"I guess I am on," said Mai. "Wish me luck." She climbed her dueling platform. She would be facing Collin.
Mai and Shayla were learning what it was like to be roommates. They worked to clear out Mai's spare room to use as Shayla's bedroom. Mai had to leave for school every morning, leaving Shayla to entertain herself. They had talked about getting Shayla enrolled into Domino High, but had done nothing yet. Mai mostly talked about going on a huge shopping spree with Shayla, Tea, and Lara.
"Mail's here," said Mai as she walked into the apartment one afternoon. She set a package on a nearby chair.
"How were things?" asked Shayla who had been listening to the radio.
"Dull, boring, and tacky," said Mai as she flipped through the letters. "You have something."
"What?" asked Shayla.
"You have some mail," explained Mai.
"Impossible!" protested Shayla.
"It is here, your name and all," said Mai as she handed Shayla the large, manila envelope. "It is from your friend."
"Martin?" asked Shayla as she opened it. A magazine fell on her lap.
"What is it?" asked Mai.
"It is my subscription to The Ultimate Duel Monster's Guide. Martin sent it," said Shayla with a smile. "He even wrote over most of the articles with the label maker."
"He must be bored," muttered Mai.
"You have no idea," agreed Shayla. She set the magazine on the table and began to skim the various articles.
"The newest edition of cards have been released. And Kaiba's virtual game is going to go on the market in a month. An American dueling prodigy is in town. Her name is Rebecca Hawkins," Shayla read. "Industrial Illusion's newest game; Dungeon, Dice Monsters is on hold because of Pegasus's mysterious illness. An Egyptian exhibit featuring Duel Monsters opens at the end of the week. Oh! Stats and strategy for the new cards."
"Can I borrow that when you're done?" asked Mai, clearly interested.
"Sure," agreed Shayla as Mai picked up the package she had set down.
"Huh, you have more mail," she said when she read the label.
"What?" asked Shayla.
"This came from Kaiba Corp.," she said, "along with the check for testing the game."
"What came from Kaiba Corp.?" asked Shayla.
"This package," said Mai as she set the package in front of Shayla, right on top of the magazine. "Well, open it." Shayla did. The first thing that she found was the letter. The person had considerably written it in Braille.
"Dear Shayla," she read. "Thank you for your help during my captivity in the Duelist Kingdom. And thanks for your help during the malfunction of my virtual reality stimulator. To show my gratitude and express my interest to help a duelist of your caliber, I feel that the contents of the package would be most helpful. I also invite you and Miss. Valentine to a tournament that I will be hosting this weekend. This tournament is for all finalists of the Duelist Kingdom who did not have the ability to finish that competition. To keep things interesting a few other elite duelists have been invited as well. Sincerely, Seto Kaiba."
"You got a letter from Kaiba?!" exclaimed Mai.
"Apparently," said Shayla, shocked. "It sounds like he is trying to make up for the near take over of Kaiba Corp. He is trying to have one up one Pegasus."
"I don't believe it!" Mai continued to shriek. "You get a gift from him as well. I don't even get a card. And he definitely won't send one to Yu-Gi or Joe."
"They probably got invited to the competition," said Shayla.
"What is in the box?" asked Mai. Shayla reached in.
"Oh my gosh!" she exclaimed louder than Mai ever was.
"What is it?!" demanded Mai.
"Duel Monster cards!" exclaimed Shayla. "They are even written in Braille!"
"Wow!" exclaimed Mai. "I think Kaiba likes you."
"No way!" protested Shayla as she pulled out the various cards. "Oh my gosh! Leopard Girl, Dunames Dark Witch, Commencement Dance, Performance of Sword, Dark Magician Girl, Cosmo Queen's Prayer, and the Cosmo Queen. Those are the last cards I need from the old series. How did Kaiba know?" (AN/ The tournament and these cards refer back to Kaiba's two ideas in the last chapter of the prequel.)
"Oh my gosh!" agreed Mai. "Those are some of the rarest cards around!"
"And there is more," added Shayla. "Oh, my! It is every female monster card from the new series! Even some helpful magic cards!"
"I am jealous," said Mai. "I wish I had a rich admirer." Shayla was about to protest when she had a better idea.
"At least Joe has a sense of humor," she retorted.
"What? Hey!" protested Mai.
"Admit it, you like him. I heard how you talked to him in the virtual world," teased Shayla.
"No true!" protested Mai. Then for a reason only known to girls, they both broke into giggles.
"Let's look over those articles so we will be ready for the tournament this weekend," suggested Mai, and they did.
That weekend.....
"We're registered, let's check out the competition," suggested Mai. The competition was being held at Domino's Mall. Crowds of duelists and spectators were everywhere. Mai kept window shopping as Shayla tried not to get trampled.
"OK," agreed Shayla. She smoothed her scarlet shirt with flared sleeves as she stood up. They were in an overcrowded food court. Chaotic noise filled the air.
"I really think you should do something with you hair," said Mai as they walked. "I would kill to have dark curls like yours, and you just let them hang."
"What do I care how my hair looks?" asked Shayla.
"That is why I need you to come shopping with me. You would look killer in this," she pointed through a shop window. "The greens would bring out your hair so much. And you need to lose the grunge look. And Lara too. You both look like junkyard escapees."
"Well. We are both run-a-ways," chimed Shayla. "And Drake would kill you if he heard you talk about Lara that way."
"With her lilac hair I could do so much. I have this cute blouse that would match her skin tone perfectly," Mai continued on, ignoring Shayla. She did this quite often. "And I could make Tea drop-dead gorgeous. A nice pair of high heels, a mini skirt, and a make-over and even Yu-Gi would be drooling over her."
"Speaking of which, do you see Joe or Yu-Gi here anywhere? They should be here," said Shayla.
"Not yet," said Mai. "But I do see Bandit Keith and Collin. What is Bandit Keith wearing!? He looks like a Goth!" Bandit Keith was wearing straight black leather and a robe. The robe was dark, and open so everyone could see the rest of his outfit. Shayla felt a chill slid down her spine. She clutched her backpack tighter. As she did she felt her Millennial Scales vibrate.
"Excuse me," said a young girl who accidentally bumped into them.
"Watch it pip-squeak," snapped Mai, who was still looking for Joe and Yu- Gi.
"You'd better not talk to me that way, right Teddy?" the girl asked her Teddy bear. "Or she just might lose when she duels."
"What was that?" asked Shayla.
"She is Mai Valentine and she is competing, right?" asked the girl.
"Yes, but how did you know?" asked Mai as she turned to face the girl.
"I am Rebecca Hawkins and I am going to win this!" she bragged.
"You're that good duelist from America, right?" asked Shayla.
"Yes. I even beat Yu-Gi Motuo. Well, he withdrew, even though he could have won. But I have The Ties of Friendship to prove it!" she said.
"What?!" exclaimed Mai and Shayla at the same time. Rebecca quickly told of how she had challenge Yu-Gi for his grandpa's Blue-Eyes White Dragon card. She should have lost but Yu-Gi withdrew. He did this to show her that there was nore to Duel Monsters than winning. He gave her the card so they would always be friends.
"That is some story, squirt," said Mai. Rebecca stuck her tongue out at her. "Do you know if Yu-Gi is here yet?"
"He isn't coming," said Rebecca. "Haven't you seen the TV. He got conned into testing the Dungeon, Dice Monsters game. Him and that puppy friend of his aren't going to be here. That means I am going to win!"
"Joe is not a puppy!" yelled Mai. "Come on, Shayla, let's find a TV."
"Attention all duelists," came a voice over the loud speaker. "The tournament is about ready to begin. Please report to the dueling arena outside of Sears."
"I guess we have to go," said Shayla as they joined the flood of people heading to Sears.
"Welcome dueling elite," greeted Seto Kaiba, who stood on one of the dueling platforms. "All of you are advance duelist here, and now the rules. So, I am not going to bore you with repeating them." His eyes scanned the crowded and he spotted Shayla next to Mai.
"I wonder if she will use any of the cards I gave her," he wondered before continuing.
"This is an elimination tournament. All dueling matches and results will be posted on the side of the holo-field. Let the games begin!" Kaiba stepped down. There was much cheering, as well as a little booing. The three girls stood in silence.
"This may be a while," said Mai. "There is only one field, and a lot of duelists."
"That is why they have chairs," said Rebecca. They took seats near the back. Kaiba sat next to his brother up front, eagerly watching each duel.
(AN/ To save time and page space, not to mention I don't want to be stuck forever writing dueling chapters, I am skipping right to the final round. The four finalists are Collin, Bandit Keith, Shayla, and Mai. Rebecca and another duelist named Mike were the runners up. Rebecca lost to Bandit Keith in a very close duel. But we all know how Bandit Keith 'wins.')
"I guess I am on," said Mai. "Wish me luck." She climbed her dueling platform. She would be facing Collin.