Lumen: Well, you'll have to see how the little relationship between Kyle and Monica is going to turn out for yourself. Feel free to make assumptions, of course; that's one of the fun things about reading a story, trying to predict what's going to happen!
Monica: Well, her love life isn't much to brag about at this point. Let's see what her future brings, hmm?
Wolf: You'll see her true intentions soon enough, I imagine. And there might be a couple twists even you might not expect!
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Kyle sighed as the door closed behind Monica. He wasn't sure whether or not he wanted a relationship with her like Chubs thought he wanted... but whatever was happening to their relationship, Kyle only knew that it was turning into something he'd never had with anyone before.
Some part of him – a rather significant part – wondered if she felt the same way.
He looked back down at the notice in his hand, and frowned at it. "So," he said aloud. "What do we do about you?"
Obviously that invitation was issued you for a reason. Your merit, perhaps?
Kyle shook his head. That wouldn't make sense. I haven't dueled enough on the ladder to become noticeable. If big tournaments needed competitors, they'd invite those on fourth and fifth tiers, not third. They'd wait for third-tier duelists to figure it out for themselves.
You said it yourself, they would practice these customs at a large gathering. If it is not a large one...
Then they would have even less reason to invite me, Kyle pointed out. I'm not that good yet. If this is about anything, it's got to be about Sanga.
I believe there is a term concerning your feelings... some way to describe them... is this term... "schizophrenia"?
In spire of himself, Kyle laughed. No, Theoris. I think the word you're looking for is "paranoia".
Ah. Why is it, then, that I continue to hear you mockingly refer to yourself as one suffering from "schizophrenia"?
Schizophrenia is a mental illness. Most people associate it with the symptom of hearing imaginary voices.
So people would consider you to be one with schizophrenia if you told them of me, correct?
Har har. But if it couldn't be about Sanga, then go ahead and give me another plausible reason why a corporate mogul would suddenly take interest in a low-talent college student.
Random selection?
Kyle hummed at that possibility, but then shook his head once more. Nah. It's a gut feeling. It's something to do with the fact I've got Sanga, it has to be. Didn't Jade herself say that I'm worth watching as long as I have a card like that?
She did. But frankly, I fail to understand the hype of this game, especially when one considers how dangerous it used to be...
There you go again, getting all morosely cryptic. You're going to have to tell me everything sooner or later. I may not be able to understand what I saw in your memories, but I saw them, nonetheless. And if these magicians turn up...
They will. They were after the shield. They still will be.
Now who's paranoid?
It is not paranoid, Kyle. It is simply... inevitable.
Whatever. Kyle's eyes refocused on the invitation. So. Back to this. I'll admit I'm curious.
Then sign it and sate your curiosity when you arrive at the gathering.
You make it sound so straightforward.
It is precisely that.
Kyle shrugged and grabbed a nearby pen. In the middle of writing his last name, however, his mind got ahead of his wrist and he wrote an "a" where the first "c" was supposed to go. He groaned and muttered a curse, then tried his best to correct for the mistake.
Such language, Kyle, Theoris admonished. They offered you the invitation; surely they will know your name whether or not you recreate the symbols correctly.
What do you know about my language? You don't speak English.
That point is irrelevant when I can hear your thoughts. You associate that word with a detestable animal by-product and powerful negative emotion. We had similar "forbidden" terms in my time. Keep that in mind.
Kyle rolled his eyes as he put his signature below his printed name. Yeah, yeah... He strolled back over to the door. I guess I'll just leave this back underneath... I'd love to see who's picking it up, though. He grinned suddenly. Stakeout. I'll just wait here and open the door the moment the invite disappears.
Kyle felt waves of wry amusement. This should prove interesting, if nothing else.
Kyle sat down next to the door, his back against the wall, and grabbed a book that had been carelessly tossed aside. And while I'm waiting, he thought, pointedly ignoring Theoris' comment, I'll do some more studying.
--
Kyle.
The only sounds in the apartment were the gentle hum of the refrigerator and Kyle's rhythmic breathing... which had reached a volume level dangerously close to that of a snore. He'd fallen forward into the book he'd been reading and was now using it as a pillow.
Kyle. Wake up.
Kyle stirred. "Hrrm... what?" he muttered.
The invitation is gone.
At that, the teen's eyes snapped wide open. What?!
Theoris didn't repeat himself; if he'd had a body, he would have shaken his head and tried – failingly, of course – to suppress a smile. As it was, his amusement was not lost on his corporeal companion. Kyle glared in annoyance (at nothing) as he looked down at the edge of the door. Sure enough, the small card had gone AWOL.
Hurriedly, he got to his feet and flung the door open.
He was just in time to see a black sedan pull away from the curb. The windows of the car were tinted, so he couldn't even make out any shapes within.
Kyle's frown deepened. Jeez... what's with all this cloak and dagger, anyway?
Look to your feet, Kyle.
Huh? Kyle did as he was told, and saw that there had been another notice tucked slightly under the door, although it evidently hadn't made it far enough to be seen from the inside. This one, unlike the last, was inside an envelope. On the front were stylized versions of the letters "M.E." Madison Enterprises, no doubt.
He ripped open the envelope and found inside a full-size letter, typed and on letterhead from Madison Enterprises. He rolled his eyes. No expense spared. His eyes scanned the paper.
Mr. Kyle McCraine:
Congratulations! You have been invited to attend the Madison Enterprises exclusive Duel Monsters tournament. This tournament is meant as a tribute to those exceptional people whose accomplishments in the field of Duel Monsters have drawn significant attention. By signing the initial invitation you were issued, you have thereby signified interest in participating, so sit back and enjoy yourself as I tell you more about what your achievement means.
Madison Enterprises is inviting duelists from across the country to participate in the tournament being organized. You will be competing against 127 other duelists for the chance to make yourself even more visible in the Duel Monsters world, acquisition of a virtual treasure trove of rare cards of your choice, and cash prizes.
This tournament has a requirement of those who participate: those who attend must wager at least one (1) Duel Monsters card of third-level rarity (super rare) or higher. All wagered cards will be submitted to judges before the tournament begins, and placed in a lottery. No two wager cards can be alike, making the speed of your acceptance or rejection of this invitation even more critical, unless you happen to have a surprise no one else does!
The prizes for this tournament are as follows:
Finalist – his/her choice of half of wagered cards; a check for $10,000; a one-tier increase in duelist rank
Semi-Finalist – his/her choice of one-quarter of wagered cards; a check for $5000
Quarter-Finalists – one-eighth of wagered cards (randomly selected); a check for $2500
The commencement proceedings are scheduled to take place at the Madison Enterprises headquarters in Los Angeles, California, on July 20th at 6:15 a.m. Pacific Standard Time, and the tournament will run throughout the day, culminating with the final duels starting at 9:00 p.m. that evening.
Obviously, many of your opponents – and most likely you, as well – do not reside in a convenient location near the Madison Enterprises headquarters; therefore, transportation will be provided to all those who continue to express interest in participating, absolutely free of charge. And if there are any other concessions we can afford you, we'll be happy to do what we can.
Enclosed, you will find a card with a phone number you will need to call to make your reservation confirmed for the tournament. You need only call that number, and you will become one of the 128 registered to compete in this exciting event; you will also be sent information regarding the new conventions this tournament will follow. You may also call that number for more information about the tournament, or to cancel your reservation to make room for another duelist of your excellent caliber.
I hope to see you there!
Abigail Madison
Senior Vice President
Madison Enterprises
His frown continued to deepen until it almost hurt to push it any further. This gets more and more suspicious as we go. I'll bet somebody's trying to get me to wager Sanga. He looked up at the calendar. July 20th. That's coming up next week. Pretty short notice. And that's only a couple days after my finals. I'll be exhausted from all the studying and schoolwork.
Then it should be even more of a challenge to you, Kyle.
Kyle shrugged. Maybe. What do you think?
I think it is your decision. Do you wish to participate in the tournament? I may not quite understand your currency, but you seemed very intrigued at the prospect of that amount of it. And then there are also the rare cards to consider.
It's the perfect ploy. They lasso a bunch of poor patsies who don't have a lot to lose, save for their cards, and then some corporately sponsored eliminator comes sweeping in to beat the crap out of everyone else. Or worse... four eliminators. That way they get all the good cards and save all the money at the same time.
What were we discussing about being paranoid, Kyle? While it may be suspect that they would contact you specifically, that may easily be attributed to the theory that you were being watched during your battle with Zack – thusly they would know that you have Sanga. Not only that, but they know that you managed a rather impressive turnaround where none seemed forthcoming.
Yeah, but how would they get that information?
Did Monica not say that Madison Enterprises is servile to Kaiba Corporation? And did you not once tell me that Kaiba Corporation is responsible for creating the battlefields you use to bring the game to reality?
What, you think that KaibaCorp keeps records on what's used on their dueling platforms? And that, in turn, Madison would also keep those records?
I would.
Oh, would you?
When I was a soldier, I made sure to know every relevant detail I could find about every person I could possibly meet. That way I could ascertain whether they might be a threat. I believe much the same process may be occurring here.
If you say so. Kyle sighed and plunked himself down on his couch. Well, we may not talk much anymore, but I can still contact Zack and arrange to get a super rare card or two. So that's no problem. No way am I wagering Sanga, though. That card's too important to me, and to him, for me to give up in a tournament. Especially one like this.
You intend to compete, then?
If it's as simple as all this... and if I don't have to wager Sanga... I may as well.
Kyle searched the envelope, and a moment later, found the card he'd been looking for. That in hand, he dialed the phone number.
--
"Sounds to me like they made a mistake."
Kyle harrumphed, but didn't look up from his books. "Nope, no mistake. They said they had my name on file."
"Maybe there's another Kyle McCraine somewhere in this country?"
He rolled his eyes and this time looked up at Monica. "Are you trying to offend me?"
"Not really, I'm just trying to be realistic." She was sitting opposite him, taking notes from her Government book. "Even you yourself said you're not that good yet. And if you don't think so, chances are not too many others do, either. Especially not a slave to Kaiba."
He rolled his eyes once more. "What about you? Were you invited?"
"Mm-hmm."
He blinked. "Guess I should've figured that."
"Yeah, you should have. Tournaments like this, it goes without asking. I've had my fifteen minutes and they saw it." She shrugged. "Makes sense to me."
"You're participating, I assume."
"Sure am. With luck, there'll be some poor bastard there with another Blue-Eyes, ripe for the taking." She grinned at him.
He scoffed in response. "The chances of that are virtually nil."
"How do you figure?"
"What brainless idiot would wager a Blue-Eyes White Dragon?"
"A brainless idiot who wants to take mine, of course," she answered, her tone telling him it seemed to her the most obvious reason in the world.
"You'd wager yours in the middle of a duel?"
"Why not? Loads of people do it. And look how the winners benefit. Speaking of which, I'm not going in purely on the off-chance that someone there'd have one of the other two Blue-Eyes cards. Look at all the rare cards the four highest-ranking duelists get. Even if I end up as a quarter-finalist..." Her grin widened. "Just imagine the treasures that await. And the winning duelist! God, that winner would walk away completely unbeatable."
"There's got to be a catch somewhere. Why is a senior VP running the show and not the president himself?"
"The president is always over in Japan, kissing the ground Kaiba walks on, I'll bet," Monica snorted.
"What're you wagering as your entry fee?"
She frowned. "Was afraid you'd ask that. I'll tell you if you tell me."
"Fair enough. Mine's Premature Burial."
She raised an eyebrow. "Good call. I'm tossing up Solemn Judgment. I'd have thought that would've been used already, but nope."
"Solemn Judgment... isn't that the trap card that pretty much keeps your opponent from doing anything worth doing?"
"Yeah, if you cut your Life Points in half to do it. Don't have it?"
"Nah, been sticking to the mundanes."
She gave him a look. "A deck composed entirely of common cards is not going to win a tournament like this one."
"Oh, you're sure of that? You've dueled my deck a bunch of times already, you know I've got better than just commons."
"And despite that, you haven't once beaten me. If you don't have the capacity to win against me, you're not going to win the tournament. It's as simple as that."
He raised an eyebrow. "Getting a little heady, are we?"
She threw up her arms in exasperation. "Kyle, get a clue! You're entering the tournament. So am I. If you and I both rise up through the ranks and become finalists, as unlikely as that might be, we'll have to duel each other. And so far I've seen no indication your skills and deck have improved, which means I could beat you senseless within five turns. And if, for whatever reason, I'm defeated, that means in order to win the tourney, you'll have to face off against an opponent who was even better than me. I'm not being 'heady', I'm being realistic."
He sighed and sat back. "Your 'realism' is something I'd much prefer to avoid."
"As would most people. Now... shall we get back to work?"
--
When Kyle received the Premature Burial card via FedEx the next morning – the 18th – he was feeling somewhat anxious. This was the last day of his final exams, and the tournament was only two days away.
I can do this. I can do this, he kept telling himself.
To his surprise, there was a handwritten note inside the package alongside the well-protected card. Kyle pulled the card out first, though he knew without even needing to look that it was real. Zack had never let him down in supplying him with cards.
The letter, though, was what stunned him.
Kyle,
I'll bet it was weird for you to get that letter from Madison. There's a reason for it. KaibaCorp has records of our duel back in Decatur. They extended the invitation to me first. When I declined, they asked me to recommend a duelist. You were the one I chose.
Kick some ass.
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...but of course, what else could we expect from Kyle? Reactions? Thoughts? Reviews, perhaps? All are welcome, just by clicking that little "Go" button there in the corner! Stay tuned!