Chapter 5

A Worthy Opponent

"So what kind of cards did you put in your deck? Grandpa wouldn't tell me what you picked." Yugi beamed as he walked alongside Anna.

"He didn't tell you because I swore him to secrecy. Besides, isn't it against the rules for you to know what's in your opponent's deck?" Anna was hiding her duel box between her hands. "So, you are just going to have to wait and see."

"Okay, then at least duel against me."

"Oh, no way! If I lose the first time out to the 'King of Games', my ego will be totally crushed. I'll melt into some kind of oozy blob on the floor. Then you'll have to mop me up and take me home in a jar."

Yugi laughed at her. "I'll take it easy on you, considering you've never dueled before."

"No, that's worse than being an oozy blob. When I play, I play to win. I don't want charity. And you're not watching me either. I'm nervous enough."

"It's a Duel Center; lots of people will be watching you."

"I don't mind other people, just not you. If I'm totally bad at this, I don't want to embarrass myself."

"Everyone loses; it's just a fact."

"Uh huh, and how many duels have you lost?"

Yugi stopped walking and had to think hard.

"See! If you have to stop and think, that just proves my point!"

"I've lost before, really! I just can't remember..."

"Too late! I'm here, and you need to go away." She made a fun fluttering gesture with her hands. "Go, go, go. I'll see you at four o'clock."

"It's a public arena; you can't stop me from going in," Yugi insisted as he trailed her into the Duel Center.

"Oh, but yes I can." She turned to him. "I knew you were going to follow me, so I can up with a plan. Actually, I came up with two plans. The first was to tie you up with your own chains and belts, but then I came up with a much more devious plan." Anna threw an evil grin at him and he knew he was in trouble. "So, you can leave now, or I'll execute Plan B. And you won't like Plan B."

Yugi stood his ground, he didn't think she would do it.

"Don't say I didn't warn you." Anna pointed at Yugi and screamed into the crowd, "Oh, look! It's Yugi Muoto, the Duel Monster World Champion!" Suddenly a mob of fans swarmed around him. He couldn't move as they clung to him asking for autographs or advice, and he was pretty sure a girl grabbed his butt.

Anna knew he was trapped, and she quietly slipped through the crowd. Yugi stretched his neck trying to see where she was going. He only caught a fleeting glimpse of her as she waved at him and stuck four fingers up in the air, to remind him of the meeting time. Then she was gone, and he had to contend with his fans alone.

Later in the day there appeared a solitary figure on the balcony overlooking the foyer. His arms were crossed in a defiant pose.

"Mr. Kaiba, sir." One of his lackeys addressed him. "Here are the third quarter numbers you had requested. Just as you predicted your Duel Centers have increased in earnings, and the sales of the Duel Disc have tripled since the Battle City tournament."

Kaiba glanced at the paperwork that he was handed and then passed it to an assistant who placed it in a briefcase. "That is all, you're dismissed," Although Kaiba didn't even look at him, the man bowed and left.

Kaiba continued to scan the building and the faces of the duelists. The Duel Centers and the Duel Discs were just the first step. He had much bigger plans, Kaiba Paradise. A theme park based on Duel Monsters. He had already secured the rights from Pegasus, all he had to do now was find the right way to pitch and sell it to the world. And the best place to get into the mind of a Duelist was here.

Kaiba's deep blue eyes pierced through the crowd picking out people to examine. Studying them he found that the majority of the Duelists were male, very few females...as he spotted one of the women in the mass of people, he stopped. 'Who is she?'

A few hours and few duels later Anna found herself in the common area. She was quite pleased with her games today. She had managed to surprise all of her opponents and even gained a small reputation. The word going around was, "You don't want play her, her deck is weird." She guessed that was a compliment, but it was also a burden. For once the word got out no one was willing to duel against her. So she resigned to hanging out. She, much to her later despair, entered into a conversation with a pair of duelists. They were both of short stature. The first had green hair and glasses, he seemed to be quite obsessed with insect cards. The other looked a little shady with his stocking cap and greasy hair. They must have known each other because they constantly bickered. One always trying to get one up on the other. They seemed so interested in bashing the other that Anna knew she could probably walk away and they wouldn't notice. But her obscure sense of humor found the entire situation delightfully funny, so she stayed. As she stood there a strange feeling overcame her. It was an eerie feeling like she was being watched. She looked up and over her shoulder to see a man standing on the balcony. 'Is he staring at me?' Anna looked away. Her experience was that most men who she caught staring at her would flee the scene, or at least advert their eyes in an attempt to convince her that they weren't staring, although she knew they were. She gave the stranger a few seconds, then looked again. He was still there, and still staring.

Kaiba was transfixed on this woman. He didn't understand why he was drawn to her, and worse, he couldn't make himself stop looking at her. What was it about her? And when she turned to face him the second time, their eyes met. Blue found brown. The impact of this union was intense. Almost overwhelming.

"Brother."

The voice of Mokuba broke his concentration, and he moved his head to see his little brother standing beside him.

"I've talked to a lot of Duelists; they all love the new Duel Discs. They haven't reported any problems with the system yet. And the card shop is reporting that they can't keep them on the shelves. You're promotion and marketing was perfect!" Mokuba couldn't have been prouder of his brother.

Although good news, Kaiba wasn't interested in what his brother had to say. He quickly looked back to the crowd, but she was gone. He glanced over faces, but couldn't find her.

Mokuba went to railing and searched the floor, "What are you looking for?"

"Nothing!" Kaiba snapped back. She was no where to be seen and that made him angry. "Let's go." He proceeded to the elevators with his younger brother in tow.

"So, are we going to duel or what?" Came a voice from behind him. He stopped dead in his tracks and pivoted on his heels to see the woman he had seen just a few moments earlier standing at the top of the stairs.

He did nothing but flash her one of his infamous glances.

"I admit I'm new to Duel Monsters, but I know a challenge when I see one." Was her only response.

"You are challenging me?"

"Gee, from the way you were staring, I thought you were the one challenging me."

"Challenge you?" Kaiba huffed. "Do you know who I am?"

"Yeah, you're a cute guy with a duel disc and a great sense of fashion. What else do I need to know?" She smirked at him.

Kaiba took a moment analyze her, trying to figure out what her game was. Mokuba was utterly confused. He stood there looking at each of them in turn. He had apparently missed something, and he had no clue what was going on.

Anna wasn't going to back down. She never wavered or blinked. Guys had been staring at her since she turned thirteen and she was getting tired of it. Normally she would throw an evil look toward the guy and he would retreat. But this guy couldn't be intimidated. She had to teach this one a lesson.

Kaiba squinted his eyes at her. "Follow me," he commanded. "This won't take long." His long white coat swished behind him as he marched off. Mokuba kept up with his brother, but looked back occasionally to make sure the girl was still there. Entering a large room he said, "This is a private arena. It is not accessible by the general public. This way when you lose, you may not be as embarrassed."

"I could have said the same thing to you."

Ten minutes later Kaiba's life points had been reduced to zero and his opponents were still at 4000. Kaiba looked like he had been shot in the stomach. Utter disbelief was plastered on his face.

On the sidelines Mokuba's mouth hung open. "She beat him? How could she do that? She didn't pull a single monster card. It's impossible!"

Anna gathered her cards and placed them back in her duel box. "That was fun. Thanks!" And she headed for the door.

"You lied!" Kaiba shouted at her.

Anna swung around in protest. "Excuse me! But I don't lie!"

"You said you were new to the game, but you are no amateur. How long have you been playing?"

"Officially?" Anna questioned. She looked down at her watch, "Four hours, thirty-eight minutes."

Kaiba rushed around the game board and cut her off before she could leave. "I want a rematch."

"I'd love to, but I have an appointment to keep. Maybe some other time."

"Tomorrow, then."

They looked at each other square in the face, sizing each other up. "Tomorrow works for me." And she smiled.

He reached inside his jacket and pulled a card out of his inner pocket. Handing it to her he commanded, "Be at this address tomorrow at five o'clock."

She took the card and nodded. He moved out of her path and she headed for the door.

"Your name?" He called after her.

She stopped, but didn't look at him. "Anna Sung," was all she said, then she left.

He watched her walk out, contemplating his next move. Mokuba rushed to him, "Who was that?"

"We've got work to do," was his only answer.