Wolfwings - Ahh, you know me too well. Just try not to be TOO disappointed that I produce chapters at such a rapid pace in a week's time! *wink*
Wolf - Well, as noted in Ch. 30, they're rather hesitant on betting their trump monsters, and with good reason. They'd have to have a comparable wager from their opponents first and there's no proof that Madison, nor anyone else, has anything worth it... hence the tourney. But keep reading anyway.
Monica - Morale booster, eh? I suppose having a namesake in the story isn't all that bad for what ails you. As for Theoris and Monica... just how good would the story be if they weren't cool to pick up Kyle's lack in that area, hm? *grin* Here's your update.
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July 19th
--
Kyle opened the door and found himself looking at the rather perturbed visage of Monica Zocallos. He rubbed his eyes with thumb and forefinger. "Good God, Monica, it's siesta time, didn't anyone give you a memo?"
"You don't have time to nap, the plane's on its way here. And you haven't even gone through your mail yet," she responded, and indeed, she was bearing a handful of letters that he hadn't bothered to pick up on his way in.
He sighed and took the pieces. "I wanted a little sleep before going through all this stuff."
"Well, go through it first, then see if you'll be able to get any sleep," she charged.
"That was exactly the point," he grumbled, though he did begin to shuffle through it. "I haven't gotten a wink since the Govern– what?"
The third letter down had a Madison Enterprises return address on it. Monica crossed her arms. "That's why I wanted you to see it now."
"What, you've been going through my mail?"
She rolled her eyes and scoffed in exasperation. "No, dork, I got one myself. Wake up and get with the program, Kyle. Then open the damn letter and read it. And would you mind letting me in while you're at it, or are you just going to make me stand here in the doorway?"
"The thought had occurred to me..."
"Let me in, smart-ass."
Kyle scoffed, then stepped aside as he ripped the envelope open. "Yes, ma'am."
"Better. Now sit down somewhere so you don't have to go to the effort of standing and reading at the same time."
He glanced up and scowled at her. "Just what the hell has got you in such a tiff?"
"Read it, Kyle."
"Then shut up and let me read." He pulled the letter out of the envelope and unfolded it; Monica opened her mouth as if to retort, but she apparently thought better of it.
Mr. Kyle McCraine:
Greetings once again! I'm writing this as a bit of a prelude to the tournament you'll be attending tomorrow in Los Angeles. There are going to be a few changes to the rules, as you know them, and so I figured you might like a heads-up on those changes while you still have the chance to study them. These rules have been devised by Seto Kaiba himself, and this is just the right opportunity to implement them.
Firstly, the opening Life Point count is being changed from 2000 to 4000.
Secondly, as I'm sure you and your fellow duelists will be eminently happy to hear, in order to counter the increased opening Life Points, there will no longer be a restriction on how many attacks can be performed in a turn. Instead of restricting you to strictly one attack per turn, you will be allowed to attack once per monster on your field able to attack – unless, of course, that monster contains a special effect to the contrary.
Thirdly, in order to make the dueling experience even more exciting, high-level monsters will no longer be played directly to the field without a cost. Monsters with level stars of 4 or less can still be played directly to the field. Monsters with 5 or 6 level stars cannot be played to the field, however, unless you first send one monster on your field to the graveyard. This is called sacrificing. Similarly, monsters with 7 or more level stars also cannot be played directly to the field without the sacrifice of two monsters from your field. STUDY THIS RULE CAREFULLY.
Of course, all of these rules will be strictly enforced, and anyone who violates them will be disqualified, as well as lose all stature in the Duel Monsters community. We do not tolerate cheaters.
I look forward to seeing you tomorrow!
Abigail Madison
Senior Vice President
Madison Enterprises
Kyle frowned at the letter and looked back up at Monica. "So... if any of our high-levels get Trap Holed, we lose both the high-levels and the low-levels we used to bring them to the field in the first place?"
"Sounds like you've got it down," she muttered.
He snorted. "Great. Just great. But I suppose there's an advantage to that."
"Oh?"
"Well, look at it like this. Let's say you have a Hane-Hane on your field. Low power, totally sucks for the purpose of attack or defense. But its flip effect does wonders. What if it's not attacked? Once your next turn comes up, you flip Hane-Hane, return one opposing monster to your opponent's hand." He shrugged. "Best circumstance would be if that monster returned needed a sacrifice or two. Then sacrifice your Hane-Hane for a stronger monster, and you've got no messy openings to your Life Points."
"Some of us prefer not to have creatures like Hane-Hane in our decks at all, you know," she said. "Ugly little thing. I much prefer my dragons."
"Then you'd better stack your deck with cards that can stop effects like that. If these... sacrifice rules... are going to be enforced, like the letter says, I'm guessing you're going to need them. Particularly since you've got several dragons beyond level 6."
"I can handle myself, Kyle, you just worry about your own cards. And pack up; the plane's getting in at 8:30, leaving at 9."
"Mm." Kyle put the letter on the counter, then went over to his dresser and swiftly pulled out a change of clothes. He put the clothes in his empty backpack, alongside his card binder and a notebook equipped with a pen. At Monica's raised eyebrow, he responded defensively, "Hey, I get inspired in weird places."
She gave a shrug. "There could be worse places."
He grabbed the letter back off the counter, folded it, and placed it inside his notebook. "Since the rules are new... best to have a reference guide."
"Yeah." She chucked a thumb at the door. "I'd better get going. I just thought you should know about what you're getting yourself into."
"Yeah. Thanks."
"Well... see you tonight." She let herself out in the midst of the awkward silence.
--
Kyle and Monica stepped away from the ticket counter at the airport and tucked their licenses away, their tickets now in hand. Monica spied her ticket. "Hm. 19-A. What's yours?"
"19-B, looks like."
"Goody, more time next to the enemy. At least I get a window seat."
Kyle shrugged. "Maybe you might pass along more of your excellent Duel Monsters wisdom."
"Remember the new rules? It's a whole new game, Kyle. You've got to learn by experience now. There's not much I can show you at this point. I can only hope you've managed to make some improvements to your deck by now. You'll need everything you can get."
"Hm. Then what will there be to talk about during the ride?"
It was her turn to offer a shrug. "I dunno. What the free peanuts taste like?"
--
The Next Morning
--
Kyle tried not to yawn (and failed miserably) as he stepped out of the hotel. The place was ritzy, there was no question of that. Probably yet another attempt of Madison's VP to butter us duelists up for the tourney so we'll be off-guard and off-balance. I'll bet the nightowls will win this entire thing. At least the bed was nice. Plane ride wasn't so bad, either.
There were several dozen people of all different ages crowded around the curb. He scoffed. Goody, the many faces of the enemy. Don't get to liking 'em too quickly, McCraine. They were waiting for the three buses that had been ordered specifically for this occasion. Some of them were standing around patiently, while others were running about and trying to cause havoc – whether because they were bored or because they wanted to psych out their opposition, Kyle didn't know, nor did he care. He didn't pay attention, but instead pulled out the letter he'd been sent and pored over it once more. The rules in this thing are nothing short of bizarre... now we have to give up monsters from the field in order to put better monsters on it? Must be the catch I was looking for.
He sighed at the piece of paper and stuffed it back in his pocket after a few seconds. Everything else seemed to be the same, and for that, at least, he was thankful. But those "sacrifice rules"...
He glanced around, and his eyes caught the glint of silver.
Silver necklaces.
His gaze flicked up to the person wearing those necklaces... and his eyes narrowed. Oh, great.
For possibly the first time since he'd seen her, she wasn't reading a book. It may have been because she was standing, and reading while holding the book may have been uncomfortable, or it may have had something to do with the way her bright green eyes were flashing over the gathering of duelists, her mouth drawn into a tight line.
For some reason he couldn't even begin to explain, he felt himself being drawn towards her. He decided not to fight the automatic movement of his legs in her direction. What are the chances I'm going to face her in this thing, anyway? Not all that high, to start off with. So if I keep up my good sense and good strategies, I should be able to figure out my weaknesses before having to go up against her...
But something's weird here. Can't quite put my finger on it...
She does not have the same look of satisfaction she had the last time you spoke with her. Might that be it?
Kyle blinked as he realized Theoris was right. Yeah... yeah, that's it... not that same smug look...
And so, unbidden, the question simply rolled right off his tongue. "Is that a lemon you ate, or are you just happy to be here?"
Jade's smoldering glare could have seen the wall behind him, the way they bored into him. "Part of the misunderstanding, McCraine, is that I am not 'here'."
He blinked, blinked again. "What...? Wait..." His questioning expression turned into a frown as his fogged brain attempted to interpret the meaning of her answer. "You're not in this one?"
"Was jet-lag especially brutal to you, or are you just slow today?"
"No such thing as jet-lag when I stay in the same time zone," he yawned, letting the barb roll off him. "Just tired. When the sparks start flying, you can bet I'll be focused. Still, I figured you'd been invited."
"Well, I am sorry to have not met your expectations. Apparently," she bit out with a glare at the buses just rounding the corner, "I don't meet others' expectations either."
Kyle suddenly felt quite ill-tempered himself. Must be infectious. "In that case, maybe you should stop sneaking around so much and mark your territory on the Duel Monsters radar. You might gain a little more notice that way," he hissed.
"You're the one who doesn't fit in here, McCraine," Jade snapped back. "Don't pretend to have gotten here on your own. You ask any of them if they've heard of me, if you want to know about the radar. You ask them who's going to get the Gate Guardian."
He stared at her for a moment... and then he laughed.
She bristled. "What?"
"You," he responded, his fit of chuckling clearing up, "are completely obsessed. You know how easily a Duel Monsters card can tear? Become useless? Nothing more than tinfoil and cardstock? You're so serious about all this. It's a game. It's not life and death."
The buses pulled up to the curb and opened their doors. The duelists quickly began filing into them, and Kyle half-turned to follow them. "I sure hope that if things don't go your way, you'll still be able to make something of yourself. Otherwise your journey's going to be the penultimate modern retelling of Moby Dick."
"And there wasn't a man alive who didn't fear Ahab for his brilliance and command," Jade responded. "I'm the one who's obsessed... but you're the one getting on the bus. Be sure to give Ms. Madison my regards."
He scoffed, then turned to the nearest bus. He called over his shoulder, "I don't give people the bird these days. But I'll see what alternatives I can think of."
He shuffled up the aisle and took a window seat. Even though he didn't want to, he glanced back at the spot where he'd been arguing with her moments before.
But she was already gone.
He sighed and leaned his forehead against the glass. That... was insane.
Rude, as well.
Yeah, I know. She just... got to me there, for a sec. Assuming she's going to get into a tourney like this one... assuming something like that takes a lot of arrogance, wouldn't you think?
Perhaps. But for all you know, she has a right to be arrogant. You have not yet seen her duel, much less had the opportunity to be on the opposite battlefield.
There might be a chance for me to find out what her skills are like. She seemed pretty sincere about me asking around.
While you are asking, perhaps you should try to find out what she was doing here in the first place, since she apparently was not invited to attend.
Pretty obvious to me. She's still got me in her sights as an eventual target. I'll bet she was here to remind me of that. But jeez... she's followed me from Indiana, to Oregon... now to California. I guess obsession could do that to a person...
You were wrong.
What?
You were wrong. It is not just a game. In my time, it WAS "life and death", as you so excellently phrase it.
Gaming in general, you mean?
No. This game you play now. Duel Monsters.
Kyle frowned. Duel Monsters is a relatively recent game, Theoris. I mean, it's been around a few years, sure, but–
I shall explain later. For the moment, you must focus on your strategy. You will need your head clear for the coming trials.
You know I'll be thinking about this for the rest of the day.
Not if I have anything to say about such matters.
Then do me a favor and stop tempting me with all this almost-knowledge. Tell me when you're ready, but not before. I may not be the same person I was, but I've still got very little patience for this kind of thing. Either tell me or don't, but don't leave me hanging like that.
...Very well.
--
Once the buses arrived, Kyle spent a few minutes trying to locate Monica – and he was unsuccessful at the attempt. He sighed. Not like it matters anyway, I guess. I'll see her soon enough.
The collective duelists, who were all colors, shapes, and sizes, had been dropped off in front of what was one of the taller buildings in the smog-laden City of Angels. Traffic was still horrid, even at 6:10 a.m., and Kyle shuddered to imagine rush hour in a place like this.
"Duelists! May I have your attention, please!"
The diverse lot collectively turned toward the entrance of Madison Enterprises, where there were several people waiting for them. Kyle couldn't immediately tell which one of them was shouting, but he supposed it didn't matter; that they could hear the guy was enough.
"If I could have your attention please, duelists, we're here to escort you into the building. Ms. Madison is waiting to address you. Follow us, please!"
With that, the crowd quickly filed into the building – so quickly that Kyle, despite being among the last to get off the bus, made it through the door in less than a minute. Guess the duelists are ready for some action. So am I.
Everyone was taken to a spacious conference room. The quarters were less than comfortable... about two notches, Kyle guessed, above "sardine can". Nevertheless, they managed to make it in without too many complaints. Plus, the table had been removed from the room, which made it much easier for them to bear – otherwise, there'd have been no way everyone could have fit.
Standing at the front of the room was an aged woman, looking to be in her 60's, wearing a conservative blue pantsuit. A small smile creased her already creased (and slightly spotted) features, though the spirit of that smile was not reflected in her pale eyes, eyes the color of ice and just about as merciful.
"Duelists, welcome to Madison Enterprises," she pronounced. "I am Abigail Madison, the coordinator of this gathering. We are here to honor the best of you, and those of you who deserve recognition for your accomplishments. Succeed, and you will be rewarded handsomely. Fail, and..." She shrugged. "Well, I suppose you'll need to be persistent. Good to live by that axiom. But an opportunity like this probably won't arise again for a while for you... at least, for those of you who fail." Another small smile flitted across her pocked features. "Well. I suppose we should get to business. This tournament is actually going to be taking place in four separate buildings, to make things a little less cramped. On your way out, you'll notice that there are lists, in alphabetical order, of duelists who have been assigned to each of those buildings. There are copies of directions to those buildings on the table, should you require one. You have until 7:00 this morning to get to your destination, where you will submit your wagered card. After that, the fun begins."
She smiled more widely. "Duels will be arranged completely at random. You won't know who you're facing until you're seated. One entire floor of each of the four buildings has been designated specifically for the tournament. There will be several referees with a clear understanding of the rules, both old and new, and they will assist you where necessary. In the meantime..." Her smile became so wide she was in danger of smoothing out the creases on her forehead. "Have fun! The tournament begins at 7 a.m."
The group took that as their cue to leave, and soon enough, Kyle found himself looking up his name. He found it under the listing for "Madison Enterprises Headquarters". He blinked. Well,well. This building. That's certainly a time-saver. Okay, says here the "dueling floor" is the 17th floor. Off we go.
Things went by in a blur. If one had asked him later, he would have said he didn't remember the elevator, nor did he remember giving the judge at the door his Premature Burial card... and it didn't matter anyway, because he'd never put it into his deck, thus it had little to no sentimental value to him. I wonder if anyone else did it that way.
A referee had pointed him to the seat he was supposed to take, amidst a square of sixteen simple tables. Kyle nodded in approval. 32 people per building, so 16 duels to start with... then 8, then 4, then 2, and then the final. Let's see just how far I can go when I try. You watching, Theoris?
As always.
Good. Kyle rubbed his hands together eagerly as his opponent sat down across from him. The clock read 6:59. Then let's get started.
The minute hand moved.
The tournament was on.
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So watch as Kyle and Monica start in on one of their greater adventures... as both friends and enemies! Stay tuned, and don't forget to leave behind a review... please?