I decided to separate this chapter into two parts since it was getting kind of long. Joey will attempt to secure his trade, and his exhaustion will catch up with him.





Rain fell hard on the city of Domino that day. A gloomy cloud hovered over everyone's heads, reminding them of the dark days in which they lived. Everybody longed for the sun to return and smile upon the people once more. Make them forget their troubles, even if only for a while. However, such grace was absent of late. It seemed that the sky grew just a little darker every day, the sun setting just a little sooner each time. It was not uncommon these days to look into the sky and be met by a stinging raindrop in your eye. Small shelters had been made out of old umbrellas in some alleys, providing the people some solace from the harsh realities. Sadly, there would be no respite for anyone who did not have a home to go to, no roof over their heads. An arc of lightning cracked overhead, sending people scurrying into the comforting arms of their kin. Seldom did lightning strike, but when it did it was a sight to behold. Brilliant arcs would streak through the sky, and connect with the large tower sitting atop the KaibaCorp complex. No one knew why such a tower was built. Apparently to collect lightning, but for what purpose one could only speculate. People who lived underground, in tunnels, or have simply isolated themselves from the outside world often knew nothing of what was happening outside. To them, their own world existed away from others, away from the outside. Rarely were there windows to peer at the sorrow through, only the harsh artificial light from old bulbs. A set of eyes peered out of one of these few windows, observing the landscape in all of it's wretched beauty.



Mokuba hopped down from the box he was standing on. "Looks like the storm is getting worse out there. Lucky thing we're inside or we'd drown like the rats we are."



Joey nodded in agreement and turned his eyes back to the small booklet he held. Joey borrowed the latest copy of the duel monsters rulebook from Mokuba and was studying it fiercely.



"You know Joey, you sure aren't the same guy I used to know. In fact, you're probably the exact opposite of that Joey Wheeler I met at Duelist Kingdom."



Joey nodded to show he was listening, but kept his eyes on the book in front of him. "Really? Hows that?"



"Well for one thing, you're actually really applying yourself to studying. You've hardly said a word since you started reading. You're really taking things seriously. Makes me think I should have done the same much earlier."



"Of course I'm taking things seriously. We're talking about the fate of the country, maybe even the world here. Before now it was always up to Yugi to save the day, him and that spirit in his puzzle. Seems like the ball is in my court now, which means I have to get as tough and smart as Yugi is, maybe even smarter if I have to. I have to save my friends, and then together we'll set things right."



"Yeah, you're right. I guess that's one thing that'll never change about you, your devotion to your friends."



Joey nodded and let out a burp in agreement. Mokuba wrinkled his nose and looked at the pile of discarded plates and food containers at Joey's feet. "And I guess that's the second thing that'll never change about you."



"Hey, come on, I can't save the world on an empty stomach. I'll pay ya back for it, I promise."



"Yeah, I bet you will. Anyway, we should get a move on. Not far now."



Joey marked his page in the book and slid it in his pocket. The two continued down the dimly lit hallway, Mokuba offering friendly smiles and waves hello to a few people.



"Wow, you sure are a popular guy. I thought I'd never see the day someone was happy to see a Kaiba."



"When you're in the same drifting boat as these people, you can't help but make a few acquaintances. Ah, we're here."



Joey looked at the large door before them. It was quite wide, looked like it was made out of a very durable metal, and it had a bird's wing etched on it's surface.



"That's their calling card of sorts. There's plenty of them all over the city, marking where their goons have duelled and won against someone trying to rip them off. It's easy to see one and assume that it's just another place someone got crushed." Mokuba took a deep breath and slowly opened the door. Without warning someone from the other side of the door yanked hard on it and pulled the two startled companions inside and slammed it shut. A pair of strong arms held them in place.



"Hey! Nobody man-handles Joey Wheeler without gettin' a one-way ticket to the hospital!" With that, Joey struggled free and slammed his fist into the face of his captor. The stricken person stumbled backwards and fell to the floor, not moving. Joey spun around and got ready to kick Mokuba's captor in the head, when Mokuba's shouting broke through his adrenaline-fuelled rage.



"You idiot! This is just how they do things, for security reasons! They have to make sure that we weren't the police or anything! Then you went and punched one out! I'd say our chance of getting an audience with their leader is pretty much gone now!"



Joey blinked and stared a moment, then put on his best innocent face. "Whoops. I guess I don't know my own strength. Sorry about that, here, let me help you up." Joey offered his hand to the fallen character. There was no response made to Joey's offer, in fact, no sign of consciousness whatsoever. "I guess this guy is a little tired or something. You should probably take him to a bed I guess, might be more comfortable..."



Joey continued his embarrassed mumbling, and the person holding Mokuba turned him around and looked at him face to face. The person's face was covered by a metal mask that seemed to be made of scrap metal welded together, and a rusty, metallic voice echoed out from within it. "The eagles soar ever higher."



Mokuba nodded. "And their eyes are ever watching."



Mokuba was released. His once-captor nodded. "That is the correct response. You are free to observe our wares. You may take your friend too, providing he keeps his hands where they belong." Despite the mask it was clear the person scowled at Joey, who laughed nervously. "If you have any rare cards, do not hesitate to call and they shall be appraised free of charge."



"Thank you very much."



"Yeah, uh, thanks."



The person sighed and slowly dragged the fallen guard out of sight. Mokuba spun around to face Joey. "And here I thought you were different! I thought you changed!"



"Woah, take it easy man! I didn't know what was goin' on! If you'd 'a warned me I would have handled that a little better!"



"Yeah I guess. Just, next time you hit someone, don't let it be someone we want to help us."



"Fair enough." Joey looked at his hand. He had been cut by the metal mask, and there was a bruise forming. "What's the deal with those helmets anyway? Did I get here in time for Halloween or something?"



Mokuba shrugged. "I'm not too sure. Rumour has it that this place is actually run entirely by women, and they hide behind those masks so nobody knows about it. That's why they use those voice altering things as well."



Joey's eyes widened. "You mean I mighta just hit a GIRL? Oh man, that's gonna haunt me the rest of my life..."



"Heh, don't worry too much, it's just a rumour. Besides, that mask took the hit, not the person's face. Don't think about it too much."



Joey tried to shrug off the nauseating pit in his stomach. "Man, I'll never live that down, not in a million years. So, uh, where are these cards that are supposed to be for sale?"



"Right over here." Mokuba led Joey further into the dark room, until they came across a large glass display case with dozens of cards prominently displayed within it. "There ya go. Just pick the cards you want, tell one of those masked people, then offer up your cards or money for the trade. Once the trade is final, you'll duel one of them to make the exchange. I heard if you're lucky enough to see their rarest cards and want one of those, you have to duel the leader instead."



Joey nodded. "Right. Now, let's see what we've got here." He took a deep breath and began studying the cards carefully. "Interesting choices." He thought to himself. "Archfiend Soldier. Nah, too ugly. Berserk Dragon. Hm, too pointy." Joey eventually decided on a few cards, but was dissatisfied with how many strong cards there were. "Yo, tall dark and gruesome! I need somethin' from ya!" Joey called out into the darkness. Mokuba covered his face with his hands and shook his head slowly. A guard holding an icepack against their head appeared from the shadows and groaned.



"What is it you desire? Just tell me from over there, don't come near me."



"Oh, you're the one I socked, right? Sorry 'bout that. I didn't know what was going down and... never mind. I wanna see your best cards. These things here don't cut it along the lines I'm looking for. Call out that leader of yours and let me have a look."



"I'm sorry, but you cannot simply demand to see our rarest cards. If you are worthy you may, but street punks like you have no chance."



"Oh, is that so?" Joey reached into his pocket and pulled out his Insect Queen card. He flashed it at the masked guard before him. "Well, if cards like these don't interest you, maybe I'll take my business elsewhere."



The guard quickly grabbed his hand. "No! I mean, uh, perhaps I was too hasty to dismiss you. If you will allow me to authenticate the card to make sure its not a fake, I would gladly show you our finest cards."



Joey shrugged. "Knock yourself out." He carelessly tossed the rare insect card at the guard, who scrambled to catch it and carefully cradled it like a newborn baby.



"Such an ancient and rare card... may I ask how you got it?" The guard asked while sliding the card into what looked like a duel disk rigged up to a monitor.



"Won it from a real creep. He cheated to try to knock me out of a tournament, but I kicked his little bug-butt right when he thought he was gonna win. Serves 'im right, too."



"I see." The monitor displayed the Insect Queen, and a series of numbers were being listed and little arrows pointed to parts of the card. In the lower corner of the screen, a green 'OK!' was flashing. "Seems your card is authentic. Come with me. Mokuba must wait here, however."



Mokuba nodded. "Fine by me. This isn't my area of expertise now. I'll be waiting when you come back."



Joey and the masked guard walked towards a large steel door. The guard placed a hand on a pad next to it and the door slowly slid open, creaking and groaning as it did. They stepped inside and the door slowly closed. When it finally slammed closed, lights slowly came up and chased away the shadows. This room was very much different from all the others Joey had seen since his arrival. For one thing, there was actual furniture instead of blocks of wood and rocks. Two large sofas sat on opposite ends of a large wooden table in the middle of the room, and there were various chairs and tables in other areas. Hung on the walls were paintings and photos of landscapes and beautiful homes. Everything was neatly arranged and everything meticulously measured to achieve aesthetic perfection.



"Man, what kinda nut would worry about how their furniture looks with everything that's goin' on?



The guard visibly stiffened. "Please take a seat. I will return shortly with the cards. Would you like something to drink while you wait?"



Joey unceremoniously dumped himself onto the sofa and put his legs on the table. "Nah, I'm cool."



The guard hastily dashed off out of sight, leaving Joey alone in the moderately lit room of comfortable furniture. He leaned back and took a slow, deep breath. "Man, all this excitement is tiring me out. Come to think of it, probably the last time I slept was the night before the Battle City finals. I guess they wouldn't mind if I took a nap..." Joey had little choice then as he dropped into a slumber, his hand instinctively clutching his duelling deck in case someone tried to grab it.



Joey looked around. He was in his room back on Kaiba's airship, the day of the Battle City finals. He was about to jump for joy, thinking he had somehow made it back to his time, but something was not quite right. He didn't feel the warmth of the heated air, or the softness of the carpeting beneath his feet. He reached out and touched a nearby chair. His hand made contact, but the chair didn't budge an inch. It looked to him like either time was frozen, or this was all a dream. He looked at the doorway, and there stood the Flame Swordsman. The large duel monster had it's huge sword slung over it's shoulder, and it motioned it's hand like it wanted Joey to follow it.



Definately a dream.



They walked through the corridors, Joey staying silent. Other duel monsters stood at attention in the hallways. In front of Tea's room stood a Magician of Faith, locked in silent prayer. In front of Tristan's room was the Lava Battleguard, it nodded at Joey as he walked past. Bakura and Mai's rooms were next, Dark Necrofear eyed him creepily and Amazoness Sword winked at him. Joey was not surprised to see the Dark Magician standing in front of Yugi's room, but was confused when he saw the stood the Buster Blader as well. As they approached, the Dark Magician looked at Buster Blader and nodded. The huge knight nodded back and began following behind the Flame Swordsman, ahead of Joey. They soon reached the main deck where the duels all took place, and Joey was shocked at what he saw.



The deck was swarming with 20 or so duel monsters. All monsters Joey recognized, in fact, all monsters he had in his deck. They all turned their heads simultaneously when Joey entered, and quickly lined up single file. It was then Joey noticed there were other monsters he did not have in the lineup as well, segregated from the others. A small group of shadowy men stood closely together, next to a dog in a samurai's outfit, next to a lizard-like monster that stood on two legs. The Flame Swordsman stood with the group of monsters he did have, and Buster Blader stood with those he did not. The Flame Swordsman gave Joey a solemn nod, like it was saying goodbye. Just then, it began to vanish. Joey was about to protest to seeing his favourite monster fade away, but decided to hold his tongue and see what came next. A few other monsters vanished as well; his Hayabusa Knight, his Axe Raider, his Sword Hunter, and several others. Once they had vanished, the remaining monsters turned and looked at the monsters Joey did not recognize. They then marched together and stood with the other group of monsters. Once they had formed a new line, Gearfried the Iron Knight and Buster Blader stepped forward. They looked at each other. Gearfried extended his large iron shield out towards Buster Blader, who tapped it with his enormous sword. They looked at Joey and nodded. Joey wasn't sure he understood what just happened, but kept watching. Just then everything but the new monsters faded out of sight. Buster Blader looked intently at Joey then, and a voice seemed to emanate from deep within it.



"Here, Joey, take this. It may help you get out of a tight spot someday." It was Yugi's voice, and it was what he had told Joey when he gave him his Time Wizard.



Joey's eyes widened as he understood what was happening. He nodded fiercely and thrust his fist into the air.



"Awright! I get it! Joey Wheeler is gonna be badder than ever!"



"Argh! You hit me face! Again!"



Joey's eyes snapped open to see the masked guard he had hit earlier, clutching their head and shouting furiously. Joey looked at his fist. It was reddened, like he had punched something. He sat up quickly. "Oh man, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to get ya that time! I was asleep and having this really weird dream..."



"Enough! I'm done dealing with you!" With that, the guard stomped off to get another ice pack. Joey sighed, exasperated.



"Man, at this rate, I'll be lucky if I get outta here without my head in a noose."



"We could have that arranged, you know."



Joey looked up at the new voice. Well, as new a voice as a computer-generated drone could be. This figure was dressed differently than the guards. This person had a more ornate mask, shaped somewhat like a bird. There were what looked like talons on the gauntlets and boots, and the person wore a purple robe that could be mistaken for wings.



"What? I'm the boss here, which means I dress to impress. You're the one that wanted to look at the rare cards, right? Well here ya go." The leader dropped a large metal suitcase on the table and sat on the sofa opposite of Joey. She undid the latches on it and opened it, revealing it's contents for Joey to see. Joey's eyes lit up excitedly.



"Aw yeah, now that's more like it! Come to papa..." He flipped through some of the pages until he stopped and looked at one card. It had the same group of shadowy looking men on it that he saw in his dream. It's label said 'Exiled Force'. Next to it was another card he saw, it looked like his Sasuke Samurai but was slightly different. Joey smiled. "This won't take long."



A minute or so later, Joey had all the cards he saw in his dream assembled in front of him. He snapped the briefcase shut and pushed it back toward the leader, then pulled out his deck and began selecting cards. Once he removed enough to equal the card value, the leader leaned over and looked.



"Hm, fine choices. And such rare cards you have as well. Are you sure you don't have to ask your mommy first before you trade them?



Joey's eyes narrowed. "Watch it."



The leader sat back and pondered a moment, then stood up. "Fine, I'll accept the trade. Should you defeat me in a duel, the cards are yours. If I beat you, your cards are mine. Sound fair?"



"Sounds fine to me. Let's get this over with soon, I've got a job to do with these here cards."



"Trust me hun, the chances of you winning are pretty much nil, so you might as well accept the fact you'll be leaving a few rare cards shorter than when you entered."



Joey stared a moment. "Did that guy just call me what I think he just called me? Nah, musta imagined it."



They walked towards another door. This one was elegantly crafted from wood, which surprised Joey. The leader pulled it back with ease and they entered. It was a fairly large room, with the duelling floor clearly identified by being a bit lower than the rest of the flooring. Sitting at a table was a guard holding two icepacks against their head. The guard took one look at Joey and immediately fled through another unseen door. The leader looked back at the blond and sighed disdainfully, Joey shrugging and trying to act innocent. Another guard entered, wearing a black and white checkered robe.



"I will be your Judge for the duel. Duelists, please take your positions."



Joey took his place. "Hey, how come you got a Judge down here? Couldn't you just use them Judgemaster guys that everyone else does?"



"Because, you can't trust those Judgemasters to be impartial all the time. If that lousy KaibaCorp bribes them enough they may reveal information about who's duelling where, namely, who on their blacklist is duelling and exactly where to find them.



Joey nodded. "Gotcha. Now, if you're ready, let's get this thing started!"



"I agree."



They slid their shuffled decks into their duel disks, which snapped into duel position. Life point counters rose to 8000 and a steady hum of the holographic generators resonated gently around them.



"Duel!"

"Duel!"







Was that dream a coincidence, or was someone trying to tell him something? Who is the masked leader of the underground card traders? Will that guard get hit in the face again? Next chapter: the duel will begin and we discover the leader's true identity.