Domino City Center was crowded now that it was afternoon. Previously in the day it had been deserted. Now the shouts of vendors, kids, and gamers filled the air.
"Sausage Puffs! Only two dollars!"
"Save your animal friends! Buy Carrot Puffs! A buck fifty!"
"Mr. Murphy! A few words for the Daily Domino?"
"How'd you get my limited-edition Pumpking card?"
"Tag! Dave's it!"
"Sign up now for Capmon lessons! First two lessons fifty percent off! Become the best in no time!"
"Rain on the way, folks! Big storm coming!"
"Looking for a challenge? Play Duel Monsters against one of our professional duelers!"
The last shout caught Yugi's attention. He'd seen professional duelers go head to head before. Much like professional wrestling, everyone knew the matches were planned. Great "strokes of luck" were common occurrences. And every dueler had a catch- The Warrior had a Warrior-type deck, the Russian Rage Beast flew into a frenzy, spitting out Russian obscenities, when he lost. Stupid, yes, but Yugi liked to watch the championships on T.V. every year. Never before, though, had there ever been the chance for just anyone off the street to duel one of them. Yugi could finally get the chance to see if they were as good as they claimed. He walked over. Téa, Joey, and Tristan followed.
"Ya' interested in a duel, boy?" a blue-eyed man in a gaudy top hat asked, "Take a look around. Choose a duelist. They've each got their own prices." The man grinned at sauntered back over to a wooden stall at the edge of a black plastic platform. On the platform were numerous professional duelers. They walked along the side of the platform, checking out the names of each one.
"Drama King, Road Hog, Hangin' Johnny, Captain Sails…" rattled of Téa, "How pathetic." She rolled her eyes but stopped when Captain Sails shot her a vengeful look.
"Hey Yugi, ya' goanna duel anyone?" Joey asked, "Yugi?" Yugi was looking quizzically at a duelist a few meters away. The duelist wore a long black cloak with a hood, looking much like the Grim Reaper. His face was deep in the shadows of his hood. Tristan came up behind him.
"The Steam Engine?" Tristan read, "Probably some kinda Machine-type deck, right? That shouldn't be too much of a challenge for you, huh, Yugi? You don't wanna duel hi… Yugi? Are you listening? What are you lookin' at? Yugi? Are you trying to get a look at his face or what?" But Yugi's eyes weren't fixed on the duelist's face, but rather, the Millennium Ring in his left hand.
"How much?" Yugi queried, "How much does it cost to duel you?" The hooded head lowered and unseen eyes pierced Yugi's own.
"Your Puzzle. I want your Millennium Item…" the duelist said in a monotone voice. Yugi glanced back at his friends. Téa was shaking her head furiously, mouthing the word "No" over and over. Tristan appeared surprised, but Joey was anything but shaken.
"Sure Yugi'll duel you!" Joey said with conviction, "But if he wins, we get your Millennium Ring!"
"Yugi, no, you can't! You can risk your Millennium Puzzle!" Téa interjected, but Yugi gave no heed.
"It's a deal." Yugi said with conviction.
"Followed me…" said "The Steam Engine". You could almost hear him smiling. He descended from the platform and walked away. Yugi looked back, mouth "Sorry" at Téa, and followed the hooded figure into and alley.