Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-gi-oh, simple as that. Get off my back already!
Chapter Eight: Place of the Finals: The First Two Duels
There were many people plotting at the same moment, some within the same building. At the unfinished Kaiba Corporation Stadium there were two. Malik Ishtar who was discussing his plan for getting the god cards with his underling, Rashid. Seto Kaiba on the other hand was discussing his plans for crushing all competition and creating the ultimate deck. Both had done roughly the same a dozen times previous.
While those two plotted away and laughed about their own superiority, Bakura readied his own plans for defeating his opponents and getting the Millennium Items, just as had been promised by Malik. His plotting was of little concern. It was the plot of a nondescript boy with dark hair that was of greatest concern, and yet unknown to all. Lurking deep within this boy was something ancient and powerful, something that intended to unleash the greatest of all horrors upon the Earth, and the Universe itself.
However the main focus is not own these plotters, it is on the multiple groups of people approaching the stadium. One group is that of Drake, Kensai, and Kirani. The second consists of Ryu, Hinata, and Dalin. The third and last group is that of Yugi, Mai, Joey, and the rest of their friends. They are not the only finalists approaching, merely the only ones in groups.
All three groups reached one of the entrances at the same time, and stopped there starring at something on the ground. A small envelope addressed to Ryu and someone else whose name they didn't recognize. Once informed Ryu made his way to the front and opened it, emptying its contents and taking the note out as well. The note hardly seemed important next to the dozen locator cards that had spilled out, enough to make them a finalist twice. "Well are you gonna read the note or not?"
"Fine fine, stop harassing me. Sheesh. Ok...Ryu Shigeru and Takuya Shinomori, the two of you have proven yourself to have great skill, and should be welcomed into the tournament finals with open arms. To accommodate my wishes I have enclosed twelve locator cards within this envelope, enough to allow both of you to enter the finals. Please do so, or risk disappointing me."
Ryu groaned inwardly, assumming that it was Malik, still trying to get him to serve the freak. "Well I might as well take the locator cards, I'd like a piece of Malik at the very least, even if I don't win. But, do any of you know who Takuya Shinomori is?"
A growl from the back of the group caught everyone's attention, and after a bit of pushing and shoving Kensai managed to make his way to the front and snatched the other six locator cards from Ryu. "That would be me. You didn't actually think my name was Kensai did you?" The blank stares and sheepish looks all around were enough to give him his answer. Sighing he brushed past Ryu and became the first of the group to enter the stadium, soon after the rest followed.
After all the duelists had arrived, a surprising total of fourteen duelists, all of which arrived at roughly the same time. There was a big hassle about who the final eight would be, but eventually Kaiba chose to change the tournament to allow for the fourteen finalists. Though this action surprised most of them, it wasn't until a little bit later that the few who were aware of the god cards realized that they were the reason for Kaiba's generosity. He had no way of knowing which of them might have really rare cards, and at least one of them, the one who said he was Malik, had the last remaining god card.
Shortly after the duelists were organized into their separate rooms about a giant blimp that had descended from the sky. To each duelist's surprise, the duels would be held roughly four thousand feet above sea level, on top of the blimp. Each duelist was aware that soon the time would come for them to duel their absolute hardest, for they would be facing the toughest competition yet, the best of the best. Each of them took time preparing themself, doing whatever they had to in order to be ready.
****************
Author's Note: I don't want to bore anybody with the specifics of what Yugi and his gang did during this time, as anyone who has seen the episode or read the manga knows how this went. I will not go into the duels that they have, those that do occur that are the same, but I don't want to do this part.
****************
Everyone had been introduced to everyone, friendships could be made or broken in a tournament such as this, and everyone had at least a little something at stake. Some more than others, and some nothing but the fame of winning such a prestigious tournament. Like all such tournaments, what would come would change everything.
Up in his room Ryu was going over his deck for the third time, just to see whether everything was in its place. After finally decided that every single card was in its place he took out the Blue Eyes White Dragon, and calmly inserted into his deck. It wasn't until after he had done so that he realized that he hadn't had a single flashback or vision since right before the tournament began. "Maybe they gave up on me."
He tried taking them off again, but despite the effort he put in, the gauntlets didn't even bother to budge. He had managed to get the thing on when he first got it, but since then he hadn't managed to remove it, which was a really bad thing if he happened to get an itch on his hand. "Damn."
Then he remembered seeing Drake split in to two people, the second form had the Millennium Item hung around her neck, it had just materialized there, as had she. Concentrating on the item, not knowing what he was doing, just relying on instinct, Ryu gave it a push (the best he could describe it). The item disappeared and his deck fell to the floor, as he picked up the cards he tried to make the item materialize again, and to his surprise it worked. He was finally rid of the burden of his past.
He turned at the sound of the door opening, he smiled as he saw Hinata standing there. She rushed over to him to see how he was doing but stopped in her tracks when he handed her the Jinzo she had given him. "Thanks. It helped me...but I'd rather fight these next duels on my own strength. The fact that you were willing to give me your rarest card is enough for me."
"You're…you're welcome…" Hinata looked up at him sadly, knowing that he still thought of her as a sister, she was also beginning to sense how he felt about a certain girl, a girl who just happened to be a finalist. She flicked her gaze to the wall, the only barrier between Ryu...and Autumn. "Since you have your Blue Eyes back, when this is over and we get back to your place…we need to talk."
"I'm going as far into the finals as I can, so it might be a while. I have the locator cards anyway, so I might as well do my best," replied Ryu. Hinata smiled back at the older boy, both of them just standing there. She wondered whether it was right to just leave things unsaid for right now...maybe she should wait...
Once again the door opened, this time revealing the last person Hinata wanted to see, Autumn. The brief look that crossed Ryu's face before he got control was enough to tell her exactly what she had feared, he had a crush on this girl. "I was wondering whether you knew why someone would leave those locator cards for you. I mean, its not like getting locator cards was easy, and whoever left them had enough to toss aside twelve without really caring."
Ryu shrugged and glanced over at Hinata, she to had no answer. "Sorry, I really can't help with that. At least not probably. I think it may have been that Malik guy...he wants something from me, but I'm not so sure now, I don't really know why he'd also give locator cards to Kensai." Silence permeated the room for a few moments before Ryu managed to make an important decision.
Standing, Ryu made his way over to the smaller auburn haired girl. He handed her a small piece of paper and turned away quickly. Not letting her get a good look at him, just in case. "If you want...you can call me after the finals."" He didn't wait for a response, afraid that he'd get a negative response. He opened the door for Hinata and walked out behind her. He followed her at a rushed pace until they reached the main area, where at that moment a buffet was being served. He thought about eating, but dismissed the idea when he caught site of Joey eating. Anyone eating like that was enough to get rid of anyone's appetite.
Once they were far enough away from other people to be heard, Hinata started to speak to him right away, "I don't like Autumn."
"Why?"
"Because…because I…I guess I'm jealous of her, I know that you like her," Ryu began to open his mouth but she interrupted, "I know, I know that you think that it's your duty to protect me. To replace Robert as my brother. I don't want that…"
Ryu tried to speak again, but he was interrupted, "Ryu…I…I'm sorry. That was probably the last think you wanted to hear. But do you mind, I need to be by myself right now…I'm going out somewhere." He tried to protest, but she left to quickly, not letting him say a word. He closed his eyes, feeling an intense pressure upon his heart. She was right...this wasn't something he needed at the moment, but she should have told him earlier he could have...could have what? There was nothing he could do about it, she thought of him in a way he didn't think of her, how could he changed that, or do anything to help her? Being around her right now was just going to hurt her, and that was the last thing he wanted.
********************
Drake finished going through his deck and set it aside, next to his duel disk. He felt ready enough, certainly he could probably improve his deck if he really tried to, but there wasn't much point in going through some huge rush in an attempt to improve his deck, not with the time he had at the moment. His time was better spent focusing on what was to come. There wasn't much pointing in thinking about potential strategies, he only knew the way a few of the finalists dueled.
At one point or another, depending on how far he got, he'd end up dueling at least one of the top duelists in the world. Whether that be Yugi, Joey, Mai, or Kaiba he couldn't be sure. But he was reasonably ready for anything that they threw at him. The only thing he really had to fear were the god cards, but they weren't that big a deal. He had gone over the god cards enough times to know their weaknesses and strengths.
The first weakness of the god cards was the current sacrifice requirement. To bring out a god card you needed to sacrifice three monsters, and it wasn't exactly easy to get three monsters on the field and keep them there long enough to perform the sacrifice. The second weakness was actually a strength as well. When it came to magic cards, god cards could only be affected for a single turn, and magic cards that would destroy a card wouldn't effect them. This became a strength against cards like Raigeki, but a weakness if the god card ever ended up in the graveyard...they could only be resurrected for a single turn, afterwards the magic cards effect would fade.
Traps were absolutely useless against god cards, so while trying to use them on one of the gods was pointless, you could still use them against other monsters, preventing their attack or destroying them. Amongst the gods, Obelisk was the easiest to use, he had a set attack and defense, so you didn't have to worry about the cards in your hand or the monsters being sacrificed like with the other two. Osiris recovered from its hand-size strength by having an incredibly powerful special effect, any monster summoned after Osiris would instantly be reduced by 2000 points from whatever mode it was in, if that monster happened to be under 2000, then it was destroyed.
Ra was the one god card that frightened him. Its attack and defense depended on the monsters sacrificed for it, which wasn't all that impressive, but its numerous special abilities made it dangerous. Not only could it be used to destroy a monster, no matter its attack strength by paying 1000 life points, it could also have its power increased by either sacrificing a monster to it, or paying all but 1 of your life points.
"Thinking hard, or hardly thinking?" Drake looked up at the door and grinned as Kirani stepped in. She was just as beautiful as ever. Shaking his mind from those thoughts, he turned to the issue at hand.
"I'm thinking about the upcoming duels, things like the god cards...and Malik." They both lowered their heads in silent respect for the Rare Hunters who had lost their lives or minds to the lunatic. They hadn't necessarily been good people, but they hadn't deserved what had happened.
"Look...lets focus on something a bit lighter for right now. We could both do with a little bit of relaxation. I hear they have a buffet out there, want to check it out?" Grinning like an idiot Drake nodded, and followed Kirani to the main room. Sure it wasn't like she had asked him on a date, but it would do for now.
****************
Dalin did not trust the boy who had introduced himself as Taichi Nobuki, nor did he trust that Malik had introduced himself as Namu and Rishid as Malik. Something was going on, but what it was he didn't know. He could also feel incredible power surging from three cards somewhere in the room, power that outshined that of any of the other cards in the room.
Seto Kaiba quickly organized them together and watched them, smirking the whole time, as everyone's number was announced. Kaiba was one, Joey was two, Yugi was three, Mai four, Namu five, Bakura six, Malik seven, Drake eight, Autumn nine, Ryu ten, Taichi eleven, Kirani twelve, Kensai thirteen (he groaned in agony upon hearing his number), and Dalin himself was fourteen. They were informed that before each duel a bingo machine containing bingo balls with their numbers on them would be used to determine the duelists, when the numbers were called, those duelists would take their places, and the duel would begin.
After a few hour, during which there was much contemplation and preparation on Dalin's part, everyone was assembled. Duelists and observers. Kaiba faced them all and gestured to a bingo machine. "In mere moments I will use this bingo machine to determine the first duelists. This is how all the first round duels will be decided. Each duelist once selected will have fifteen minutes to make their way to the arena. If they take even a minute longer they will be disqualified."
There were a few muttered comments, but nothing spoken to loudly. And seeing that there were no questions Kaiba opened a hatch at the end of the spinning machine and held out the first bingo ball. "Duelist six will be dueling in the first match!" Off to side Bakura grinned and quickly took his place at the arena. He was curious as to who his opponent would be.
"Duelist three will also be dueling in the first match." The spirit of the Millennium Ring hid his grin, he would have a chanced to get revenge on the Pharaoh for his previous defeat...perfect. Once Yugi joined him at the elevator they were whisked up to the top of the blimp to the Stratos Arena, where the dueling would take place. Each duelist took a position opposite to the other, activated their duel disks, and drew their opening hands. Everyone else took observation positions in order to enjoy the duel more fully.
Confident of his upcoming victory, Bakura smirked and said, "Ready to lose Yugi?" Snarling the transformed Yugi, or the Pharaoh that resided in the Puzzle shot back at Bakura, demanding to know who really was in control of Bakura.
Yami Bakura reveals the Millennium Ring around his neck, and Yugi realized that his opponent is the same opponent he fought in the Shadow Realm at Duelist Kingdom. Tristan is shocked to see the Millennium Ring after he threw it into the woods of Duelist Kingdom, Namu and Mai don't understand what all the fuss is about until Tea and Joey explain how Bakura's Millennium Item contains an evil spirit.
As Joey hopes that they won't end up dragged into the Shadow Realm again, Namu is amused that none of the others realize he is really Malik. "Why are you here thief? Why in the name of Ra are you dueling?"
"Foolish Pharaoh, I am no longer intent on taking the Millennium Puzzle, I have my sights set on something far more powerful. You see so little it's pathetic, you can't even seem to see that not everyone on the ship is exactly who they appear to be!" Before Yami Bakura could continue he was stopped by Malik who contacted him mentally, and briefly warned him that he was giving too much away.
Yami Bakura is confident that victory will, in the end, be his however as his first turn begins everything begins to change. "I summon The Portrait's Secert(1200/1500) in attack mode."
The rest of the duel went by with a fast paced and dangerous essence to it, ending with Yugi summoning Osiris for the first time and using it to finish the duel, keeping Bakura from victory. After the duel ended there was a thirty minute break, and during this time a secret duel took place between Malik and Bakura...ending with Malik as the winner and Bakura nowhere to be found.
The second duel began shortly after the end of the Malik/Bakura duel, and it turned out to be Joey versus Malik. The duel was a dangerous one, with the supposed Malik using a trap deck. Near the end it was revealed that he was not in fact Malik, but Rishid, Malik's assistant. In order to try and keep up the pretense that Rishid was Malik, the real Malik ordered the Rare Hunter to summon Ra, but the card was a copy and the real Ra rose from its card and used deadly energies to strike down the two duelists. Kaiba ruled that the first duelist to rise would be the winner, and Joey was able to rise first, making him the victor.
Another thirty minute break was about to begin, and then the third duel would commence, there was no telling just what this duel would include, and Kaiba had hopes of seeing the real Ra in action...hopes that would shortly be fulfilled.
___________________________________________
Next Time: In the next chapter the third duel of the Battle City finals commences, and its a shocking one as the real Malik steps up to duel for the first time, and reveal the powers of Ra, the strongest of the three god cards. With Ra's terrible power dominating the field, Malik's opponent must find the strength within themself to defeat a god...
Author's Note: Yes I'm fully aware that this chapter sucks, originally it was two chapters that included both the Yugi/Bakura duel and the second one the Joey/Rishid duel, but because these duels are not original ones I do not wish to put them up, not only that but not everyone knows how those duels went, so I don't want to go through a play by play of them and spoil things for those who don't know. I apologize to those who had hoped to read a good duel in this chapter, and I hope to make up for it in the next chapter.
Chapter Eight: Place of the Finals: The First Two Duels
There were many people plotting at the same moment, some within the same building. At the unfinished Kaiba Corporation Stadium there were two. Malik Ishtar who was discussing his plan for getting the god cards with his underling, Rashid. Seto Kaiba on the other hand was discussing his plans for crushing all competition and creating the ultimate deck. Both had done roughly the same a dozen times previous.
While those two plotted away and laughed about their own superiority, Bakura readied his own plans for defeating his opponents and getting the Millennium Items, just as had been promised by Malik. His plotting was of little concern. It was the plot of a nondescript boy with dark hair that was of greatest concern, and yet unknown to all. Lurking deep within this boy was something ancient and powerful, something that intended to unleash the greatest of all horrors upon the Earth, and the Universe itself.
However the main focus is not own these plotters, it is on the multiple groups of people approaching the stadium. One group is that of Drake, Kensai, and Kirani. The second consists of Ryu, Hinata, and Dalin. The third and last group is that of Yugi, Mai, Joey, and the rest of their friends. They are not the only finalists approaching, merely the only ones in groups.
All three groups reached one of the entrances at the same time, and stopped there starring at something on the ground. A small envelope addressed to Ryu and someone else whose name they didn't recognize. Once informed Ryu made his way to the front and opened it, emptying its contents and taking the note out as well. The note hardly seemed important next to the dozen locator cards that had spilled out, enough to make them a finalist twice. "Well are you gonna read the note or not?"
"Fine fine, stop harassing me. Sheesh. Ok...Ryu Shigeru and Takuya Shinomori, the two of you have proven yourself to have great skill, and should be welcomed into the tournament finals with open arms. To accommodate my wishes I have enclosed twelve locator cards within this envelope, enough to allow both of you to enter the finals. Please do so, or risk disappointing me."
Ryu groaned inwardly, assumming that it was Malik, still trying to get him to serve the freak. "Well I might as well take the locator cards, I'd like a piece of Malik at the very least, even if I don't win. But, do any of you know who Takuya Shinomori is?"
A growl from the back of the group caught everyone's attention, and after a bit of pushing and shoving Kensai managed to make his way to the front and snatched the other six locator cards from Ryu. "That would be me. You didn't actually think my name was Kensai did you?" The blank stares and sheepish looks all around were enough to give him his answer. Sighing he brushed past Ryu and became the first of the group to enter the stadium, soon after the rest followed.
After all the duelists had arrived, a surprising total of fourteen duelists, all of which arrived at roughly the same time. There was a big hassle about who the final eight would be, but eventually Kaiba chose to change the tournament to allow for the fourteen finalists. Though this action surprised most of them, it wasn't until a little bit later that the few who were aware of the god cards realized that they were the reason for Kaiba's generosity. He had no way of knowing which of them might have really rare cards, and at least one of them, the one who said he was Malik, had the last remaining god card.
Shortly after the duelists were organized into their separate rooms about a giant blimp that had descended from the sky. To each duelist's surprise, the duels would be held roughly four thousand feet above sea level, on top of the blimp. Each duelist was aware that soon the time would come for them to duel their absolute hardest, for they would be facing the toughest competition yet, the best of the best. Each of them took time preparing themself, doing whatever they had to in order to be ready.
****************
Author's Note: I don't want to bore anybody with the specifics of what Yugi and his gang did during this time, as anyone who has seen the episode or read the manga knows how this went. I will not go into the duels that they have, those that do occur that are the same, but I don't want to do this part.
****************
Everyone had been introduced to everyone, friendships could be made or broken in a tournament such as this, and everyone had at least a little something at stake. Some more than others, and some nothing but the fame of winning such a prestigious tournament. Like all such tournaments, what would come would change everything.
Up in his room Ryu was going over his deck for the third time, just to see whether everything was in its place. After finally decided that every single card was in its place he took out the Blue Eyes White Dragon, and calmly inserted into his deck. It wasn't until after he had done so that he realized that he hadn't had a single flashback or vision since right before the tournament began. "Maybe they gave up on me."
He tried taking them off again, but despite the effort he put in, the gauntlets didn't even bother to budge. He had managed to get the thing on when he first got it, but since then he hadn't managed to remove it, which was a really bad thing if he happened to get an itch on his hand. "Damn."
Then he remembered seeing Drake split in to two people, the second form had the Millennium Item hung around her neck, it had just materialized there, as had she. Concentrating on the item, not knowing what he was doing, just relying on instinct, Ryu gave it a push (the best he could describe it). The item disappeared and his deck fell to the floor, as he picked up the cards he tried to make the item materialize again, and to his surprise it worked. He was finally rid of the burden of his past.
He turned at the sound of the door opening, he smiled as he saw Hinata standing there. She rushed over to him to see how he was doing but stopped in her tracks when he handed her the Jinzo she had given him. "Thanks. It helped me...but I'd rather fight these next duels on my own strength. The fact that you were willing to give me your rarest card is enough for me."
"You're…you're welcome…" Hinata looked up at him sadly, knowing that he still thought of her as a sister, she was also beginning to sense how he felt about a certain girl, a girl who just happened to be a finalist. She flicked her gaze to the wall, the only barrier between Ryu...and Autumn. "Since you have your Blue Eyes back, when this is over and we get back to your place…we need to talk."
"I'm going as far into the finals as I can, so it might be a while. I have the locator cards anyway, so I might as well do my best," replied Ryu. Hinata smiled back at the older boy, both of them just standing there. She wondered whether it was right to just leave things unsaid for right now...maybe she should wait...
Once again the door opened, this time revealing the last person Hinata wanted to see, Autumn. The brief look that crossed Ryu's face before he got control was enough to tell her exactly what she had feared, he had a crush on this girl. "I was wondering whether you knew why someone would leave those locator cards for you. I mean, its not like getting locator cards was easy, and whoever left them had enough to toss aside twelve without really caring."
Ryu shrugged and glanced over at Hinata, she to had no answer. "Sorry, I really can't help with that. At least not probably. I think it may have been that Malik guy...he wants something from me, but I'm not so sure now, I don't really know why he'd also give locator cards to Kensai." Silence permeated the room for a few moments before Ryu managed to make an important decision.
Standing, Ryu made his way over to the smaller auburn haired girl. He handed her a small piece of paper and turned away quickly. Not letting her get a good look at him, just in case. "If you want...you can call me after the finals."" He didn't wait for a response, afraid that he'd get a negative response. He opened the door for Hinata and walked out behind her. He followed her at a rushed pace until they reached the main area, where at that moment a buffet was being served. He thought about eating, but dismissed the idea when he caught site of Joey eating. Anyone eating like that was enough to get rid of anyone's appetite.
Once they were far enough away from other people to be heard, Hinata started to speak to him right away, "I don't like Autumn."
"Why?"
"Because…because I…I guess I'm jealous of her, I know that you like her," Ryu began to open his mouth but she interrupted, "I know, I know that you think that it's your duty to protect me. To replace Robert as my brother. I don't want that…"
Ryu tried to speak again, but he was interrupted, "Ryu…I…I'm sorry. That was probably the last think you wanted to hear. But do you mind, I need to be by myself right now…I'm going out somewhere." He tried to protest, but she left to quickly, not letting him say a word. He closed his eyes, feeling an intense pressure upon his heart. She was right...this wasn't something he needed at the moment, but she should have told him earlier he could have...could have what? There was nothing he could do about it, she thought of him in a way he didn't think of her, how could he changed that, or do anything to help her? Being around her right now was just going to hurt her, and that was the last thing he wanted.
********************
Drake finished going through his deck and set it aside, next to his duel disk. He felt ready enough, certainly he could probably improve his deck if he really tried to, but there wasn't much point in going through some huge rush in an attempt to improve his deck, not with the time he had at the moment. His time was better spent focusing on what was to come. There wasn't much pointing in thinking about potential strategies, he only knew the way a few of the finalists dueled.
At one point or another, depending on how far he got, he'd end up dueling at least one of the top duelists in the world. Whether that be Yugi, Joey, Mai, or Kaiba he couldn't be sure. But he was reasonably ready for anything that they threw at him. The only thing he really had to fear were the god cards, but they weren't that big a deal. He had gone over the god cards enough times to know their weaknesses and strengths.
The first weakness of the god cards was the current sacrifice requirement. To bring out a god card you needed to sacrifice three monsters, and it wasn't exactly easy to get three monsters on the field and keep them there long enough to perform the sacrifice. The second weakness was actually a strength as well. When it came to magic cards, god cards could only be affected for a single turn, and magic cards that would destroy a card wouldn't effect them. This became a strength against cards like Raigeki, but a weakness if the god card ever ended up in the graveyard...they could only be resurrected for a single turn, afterwards the magic cards effect would fade.
Traps were absolutely useless against god cards, so while trying to use them on one of the gods was pointless, you could still use them against other monsters, preventing their attack or destroying them. Amongst the gods, Obelisk was the easiest to use, he had a set attack and defense, so you didn't have to worry about the cards in your hand or the monsters being sacrificed like with the other two. Osiris recovered from its hand-size strength by having an incredibly powerful special effect, any monster summoned after Osiris would instantly be reduced by 2000 points from whatever mode it was in, if that monster happened to be under 2000, then it was destroyed.
Ra was the one god card that frightened him. Its attack and defense depended on the monsters sacrificed for it, which wasn't all that impressive, but its numerous special abilities made it dangerous. Not only could it be used to destroy a monster, no matter its attack strength by paying 1000 life points, it could also have its power increased by either sacrificing a monster to it, or paying all but 1 of your life points.
"Thinking hard, or hardly thinking?" Drake looked up at the door and grinned as Kirani stepped in. She was just as beautiful as ever. Shaking his mind from those thoughts, he turned to the issue at hand.
"I'm thinking about the upcoming duels, things like the god cards...and Malik." They both lowered their heads in silent respect for the Rare Hunters who had lost their lives or minds to the lunatic. They hadn't necessarily been good people, but they hadn't deserved what had happened.
"Look...lets focus on something a bit lighter for right now. We could both do with a little bit of relaxation. I hear they have a buffet out there, want to check it out?" Grinning like an idiot Drake nodded, and followed Kirani to the main room. Sure it wasn't like she had asked him on a date, but it would do for now.
****************
Dalin did not trust the boy who had introduced himself as Taichi Nobuki, nor did he trust that Malik had introduced himself as Namu and Rishid as Malik. Something was going on, but what it was he didn't know. He could also feel incredible power surging from three cards somewhere in the room, power that outshined that of any of the other cards in the room.
Seto Kaiba quickly organized them together and watched them, smirking the whole time, as everyone's number was announced. Kaiba was one, Joey was two, Yugi was three, Mai four, Namu five, Bakura six, Malik seven, Drake eight, Autumn nine, Ryu ten, Taichi eleven, Kirani twelve, Kensai thirteen (he groaned in agony upon hearing his number), and Dalin himself was fourteen. They were informed that before each duel a bingo machine containing bingo balls with their numbers on them would be used to determine the duelists, when the numbers were called, those duelists would take their places, and the duel would begin.
After a few hour, during which there was much contemplation and preparation on Dalin's part, everyone was assembled. Duelists and observers. Kaiba faced them all and gestured to a bingo machine. "In mere moments I will use this bingo machine to determine the first duelists. This is how all the first round duels will be decided. Each duelist once selected will have fifteen minutes to make their way to the arena. If they take even a minute longer they will be disqualified."
There were a few muttered comments, but nothing spoken to loudly. And seeing that there were no questions Kaiba opened a hatch at the end of the spinning machine and held out the first bingo ball. "Duelist six will be dueling in the first match!" Off to side Bakura grinned and quickly took his place at the arena. He was curious as to who his opponent would be.
"Duelist three will also be dueling in the first match." The spirit of the Millennium Ring hid his grin, he would have a chanced to get revenge on the Pharaoh for his previous defeat...perfect. Once Yugi joined him at the elevator they were whisked up to the top of the blimp to the Stratos Arena, where the dueling would take place. Each duelist took a position opposite to the other, activated their duel disks, and drew their opening hands. Everyone else took observation positions in order to enjoy the duel more fully.
Confident of his upcoming victory, Bakura smirked and said, "Ready to lose Yugi?" Snarling the transformed Yugi, or the Pharaoh that resided in the Puzzle shot back at Bakura, demanding to know who really was in control of Bakura.
Yami Bakura reveals the Millennium Ring around his neck, and Yugi realized that his opponent is the same opponent he fought in the Shadow Realm at Duelist Kingdom. Tristan is shocked to see the Millennium Ring after he threw it into the woods of Duelist Kingdom, Namu and Mai don't understand what all the fuss is about until Tea and Joey explain how Bakura's Millennium Item contains an evil spirit.
As Joey hopes that they won't end up dragged into the Shadow Realm again, Namu is amused that none of the others realize he is really Malik. "Why are you here thief? Why in the name of Ra are you dueling?"
"Foolish Pharaoh, I am no longer intent on taking the Millennium Puzzle, I have my sights set on something far more powerful. You see so little it's pathetic, you can't even seem to see that not everyone on the ship is exactly who they appear to be!" Before Yami Bakura could continue he was stopped by Malik who contacted him mentally, and briefly warned him that he was giving too much away.
Yami Bakura is confident that victory will, in the end, be his however as his first turn begins everything begins to change. "I summon The Portrait's Secert(1200/1500) in attack mode."
The rest of the duel went by with a fast paced and dangerous essence to it, ending with Yugi summoning Osiris for the first time and using it to finish the duel, keeping Bakura from victory. After the duel ended there was a thirty minute break, and during this time a secret duel took place between Malik and Bakura...ending with Malik as the winner and Bakura nowhere to be found.
The second duel began shortly after the end of the Malik/Bakura duel, and it turned out to be Joey versus Malik. The duel was a dangerous one, with the supposed Malik using a trap deck. Near the end it was revealed that he was not in fact Malik, but Rishid, Malik's assistant. In order to try and keep up the pretense that Rishid was Malik, the real Malik ordered the Rare Hunter to summon Ra, but the card was a copy and the real Ra rose from its card and used deadly energies to strike down the two duelists. Kaiba ruled that the first duelist to rise would be the winner, and Joey was able to rise first, making him the victor.
Another thirty minute break was about to begin, and then the third duel would commence, there was no telling just what this duel would include, and Kaiba had hopes of seeing the real Ra in action...hopes that would shortly be fulfilled.
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Next Time: In the next chapter the third duel of the Battle City finals commences, and its a shocking one as the real Malik steps up to duel for the first time, and reveal the powers of Ra, the strongest of the three god cards. With Ra's terrible power dominating the field, Malik's opponent must find the strength within themself to defeat a god...
Author's Note: Yes I'm fully aware that this chapter sucks, originally it was two chapters that included both the Yugi/Bakura duel and the second one the Joey/Rishid duel, but because these duels are not original ones I do not wish to put them up, not only that but not everyone knows how those duels went, so I don't want to go through a play by play of them and spoil things for those who don't know. I apologize to those who had hoped to read a good duel in this chapter, and I hope to make up for it in the next chapter.