Joy: Okay, everyone. For those of you that have not gotten the word through the jumble of emails and such, here is the latest news. I am not discontinuing TE. I will also not be re-writing it. I am too lazy to start over. Plus, and I hope you all agree, the chapters so far were not too terrible.

The confusion is over, and I am a happier authoress for it. To those that are curious, I have a new game plan. The gang is going to separate almost completely during the tournament. You will see what I mean when you read this chapter. I will probably not focus too heavily on the other characters during the tournament, but they will reappear in the finals. I may or may not have them blink in during a duel to watch or not, but for the most part, they will be off fighting their own duels.

Whew. Long announcement there. Sorry about that. Now for review responses!

Sakura: I am separating Yugi, Seto, and Joy as well. But don't worry. I set it up so Sakura isn't alone in the tournament. She gets a traveling partner to hang out with. And she will meet up with the others soon.

Silver Moon Phoenix: Thank you for your encouragement and letting me know that I was not the only one with OC problems. It made me feel better.

Dark mage of sea 13: Sorry to upset you, Torru. I hope you like this arrangement better. And Dark mage, I will make sure Merina gets a good spot in the finals.

Winged Dreams: Arigatou. Your review was very touching and very encouraging. I am so glad that people like my series. (grins) Read on! Rest assured my stories will continue!

And so, without further delay, here comes chappie 10!

The Tournament At Last

Yugi…Yugi, wake up.

Huh?

It is morning, aibou. The tournament will be starting very soon, and you still must get ready and have something to eat.

Oh. Thanks, Yami. I would have overslept and missed the how thing!

Yami chuckled. Anytime, Yugi. Anytime.

Yugi opened his eyes, blinking several times before sitting up and looking at his watch. Seven o'clock. One more hour. He got up and got ready, then headed downstairs to the dining room. Everyone else had gathered there already for breakfast.

"Ohayo, Yugi! Come on in!" Joy called cheerfully. "I got breakfast for us!"

"How can you be so cheerful this early in the morning?" Seto asked, rubbing his temple tiredly and sighing.

"Well, back home my father gets up really early for work, and I always try to get up just as early to make sure he at least eats something before he leaves," Joy explained.

"That's very considerate of you, Joy. Thinking of your father and trying to look after him," Sakura said.

"Well, every since mom died, I kind of felt the need to step up and try to take care of the things she no longer can. Like looking after dad. It makes me feel like I am keeping her memory alive. Whenever I do something she would do, I think about her."

"Wow, Joy. That's so cool," Merina said.

Joy laughed a bit. "Thanks, Merina. Now come on, dig in! We have to head out before the tournament starts."

The way the tournament was sit up, it was kind of like Battle City. The duelists go out around the city and look for challengers, dueling their way into the finals, which would be disclosed to them after they got enough cards. The finals were held at a special location. There would be eight finalists at the end of the tournament.

During breakfast, the group talked about the tournament – what to expect and who they wanted to duel against during the event and during the finals. Of course, Seto voiced his desire to duel Yugi almost as soon as the subject arose, and Yugi agreed.

Merina voiced her own desire to duel against Joy. "Me?" Joy asked, raising an eyebrow. "Why me?"

"I am looking for a challenge and I am sure you would give it to me. Both of our decks are powerful and contain powerful spellcaster monsters. I'm just wondering who would win in a duel between us."

"Well, I guess we'll have to wait and see during the finals, eh?" Joy said with a slight smirk, which Merina returned.

"Definitely."

"Who would you like to face at the finals, Moon Shadow?" Ryou asked.

She thought about it for a moment. "Yugi."

"Huh?" Yugi asked, blinking a few times. "Why?"

"The thrill of facing the King of Games is too much to pass up. I would not care for the fame or the title you hold, Yugi. I just want to duel you just once. Though I do not know if I have a chance, I would be honored to face you in a duel."

Yugi thought about what Moon Shadow had said, and he felt himself blush slightly at the compliment. He had received a lot of recognition for beating Pegasus at Duelist Kingdom, and that fame had been both a blessing and a curse. There were a lot of duelists who had challenged him just to try and take him down, because he was the King of Games. Not to mention that Duelist Kingdom had been very dangerous itself. He almost lost his soul, as well as those of the Kaiba brothers and his grandfather.

But Moon Shadow didn't seem to care about the possibility of losing; she just wanted to face him in a duel, not take his title. It was a nice change. She was a good friend.

After breakfast the group headed outside the mansion and gathered right by the street. The plan was to go off their separate ways and meet up at the finals. Ryou, who was not participating, would accompany Joy because that way the Ring would be safe, just in case. Moon Shadow said she was sure Vargon would not interrupt the tournament, but there was always the threat, even with Bakura there protecting the teen.

Merina was the first to head off. "Well, everyone, I guess this is goodbye until the finals, of which I highly expect to see each and every one of you there," Merina said with a smile. The others returned the gesture.

"You bet!" Yugi and Joy agreed happily. Seto was silent, but did give the girl a barely noticeable nod.

Merina headed off to find her first duel. Sakura stared unhappily at the ground. She hated going off to duel alone, because she wanted her friends to watch and visa versa. Moon Shadow sensed her unease and made a quick decision. "Sakura, would you like to travel with me?"

"Hmm…well, I suppose, if it's not too much trouble. How about you four? Are you coming along?" Sakura asked, hoping the group could travel together.

"Actually, Ryou and I are gonna go off. Right, Ryou?" She turned to him. Ryou nodded.

"Don't worry about us, Sakura. Have fun at the tournament and see you at the finals…if they let me come and watch," Ryou said.

"Don't worry. They will," Yugi assured him.

Joy and Ryou said their goodbyes and wondered off in search of a challenging duel. Seto also said he would be dueling alone and left.

Yugi turned to his two friends. "I am going to head out now, too. I don't want to take all the duels away from you two," he said with a grin. Moon Shadow shook her head and laughed. "See you at the finals!" Yugi called as he walked off.

"I guess it's just you and me for now at least," Sakura said.

"I know how much you were hoping we could all stay together, Sakura. Do not worry, Sakura," Moon Shadow said as they too walked away from the old house. "We will see them all again very soon. Of that I am certain. Besides, this gives us a perfect opportunity to have a girl to girl chat."

Sakura nodded, perking up a bit. "Yeah, there are some things we could talk about, aren't there?"

The two female duelists headed off in search of duels and a chance at the finals.

And so, the Tokyo Tournament began.

Joy: And so it begins. The next chapters will kind of be back and forth between the main characters, with maybe a snippet or two of the OCs if I can manage it, but the next chapter focuses on Joy's first duel of the tournament.

Chapter 11 will be called: That Is So Disgusting! Heh. A funny chapter to reflect the authoress' new mood swing! (laughs) It will also introduce a really gross baka that I made up off the top of my head. He will be Joy's new rival.

I would like to take a moment and thank each and every one of you for emailing and reviewing. You have made me a happy woman because you gave me encouragement and support through my rough time. You are all such good people. Arigatou! I promise not to disappoint you. There will be humor, excitement, and dueling in the chapters to come! Enjoy and don't forget to review! Ja ne!