A/N: Hello, loyal readers! I should be trying to update Angry People, but my mind is in a rut as far as that is concerned. Even my brainchild "Heart of the Hoops" is giving me some writer's block right now. This is only story I can come up with enough to update it. I'll be experimenting with a different order of things in this chapters…thank you's will come after the chapter itself. I don't know why, just thought I would point that out.

Chapter Four: Wheels in Motion

"Kat….NOOOOOOOO!"

I told you last chapter about the suffering that the three of us went through as we went through our training. That was nothing compared to what we would go through later, but it was hell to us at the time. Anyway…I couldn't save Kat from the arrow, it hit her in the back and I thought she was dead for sure. I saw who fired that shot, and I lashed out the only way I knew how.,.

Alex saw that Rika had shot Kat with an arrow, and was in a state of confusion as to why she shot the girl.

"Are you INSANE? Why did you shoot her? You could have killed her!"

Bo had turned around and was doing his best to see if Kat was all right.

"She has to learn…there's no room here for the weak, slow, or timid. One weakling can screw up an entire team's work, and in your line of work, you CAN'T afford a screw-up."

Alex turned to Bo, who nodded his head quickly, signifying that Kat was still alive.

"I should have shot her in the head…I don't think she has it in her to finish this training anyway." Alex couldn't believe the harshness in her voice. She had nearly taken the life of a fellow human being, and she acted as if she had wounded a wild dog.

Suddenly Alex lunged for his teacher's throat, swinging his fists in blind fury. One of his blows connected in the jaw, decking Rika.

"You cold-hearted bitch! My father…. he beat me and my mother black and blue for twelve years until he died…MY OLD MAN'S A SAINT COMPARED TO YOU!"

He actually knocked me over! No student has EVER toppled me before!

Rika jumped up and glided behind her student, and applied a painful hold on his arm.

"You little snot-nosed punk, have you ever been in combat?" She applied more pressure on his arm, causing him to yelp in pain.

"I'm thirty-four years old, and I've been in too many combat situations to remember! Desert Storm, Enduring Freedom, Bosnia, Chechnya, the Congo. I've been watching people like you three die since I was seventeen! DO YOU KNOW HOW LONG THAT IS?" Alex yelled in agony as Rika's grip began to get even tighter.

"You know, there are two people who die in my line of work: the one's like your weakling friend Catherine, and the ones like you who try to save them. It's people like you and her that get people killed in combat…remember that." With that, she broke her grip.

Alex, standing on his own, holding what appeared to be a broken arm, spoke in a surprisingly quiet fashion.

"Rika…if I had to make a choice…if I had to chose to let someone die or die with them, I would gladly die with them."

Rika, whose anger had subsided seemingly, replied with a slightly subdued tone. "Then you're a fool…a brave one, but a fool."

That day, that horrible day, I will never forget as long as I live. Kat survived, mostly due to the placement of Rika's arrow. She still had all of her vital organs intact, and no spinal injuries to speak of. And this was the easy part! Just kidding…most of the difficult times were behind us after this terrible day, but the seeds of a bigger threat were being planted at this time…

Kaiba Mansion

Seto Kaiba looked over the offer sheet to buy some of Kaiba Corporation's stock. It was a generous offer, but Kaiba wasn't interested. The company was his and Mokuba's to run, and Kaiba absolutely refused to share with anyone else.

"This offer is great and all, but I really have no interest in selling Kaiba Co. at the moment, Mr..."

"Bautista…. Ivan Bautista." A man with a gray, pinstriped suit with jet-black hair and a massive frame extended his hand for Seto to shake. When Kaiba didn't reciprocate, he continued to speak.

"I don't blame you for not wanting to part with Kaiba Co. stock, it's some of the highest rising stock in the Asian market. Oh, well."

At this, Kaiba grunted.

Ivan pulled a CD out of his coat pocket and put it on Seto Kaiba's desk. "My daughter asked me to deliver this to you…her sixteenth birthday is coming up soon and for a party idea she's decided to have a Duel Monsters tournament. I don't get her sometimes…well, she hopes for you to respond soon. I'd better take my leave; it's a long flight back to Starlight City. Good day."

Greedy bastard…and yet another invite to some lame tournament! What does some girl know about throwing a Duel Monsters tournament anyway? I held the GREATEST tournament of all time in Battle City…no one can compare!

Seto's curiosity got the better of him, and he popped in the DVD. What he saw was a girl of fifteen, with curly blonde hair and emerald-green eyes, smiling at him.

Hello, if you're watching this than my daddy delivered this as I hoped! I'm Karin Bautista, his one and only child. After watching your Battle City tournament, I was inspired to have one of my own. It's the only way I could think of to celebrate my birthday in style! Money probably doesn't mean much to you, but the prize to the winner is five million dollars. I think you and I both know what you want if you're going to enter this tournament, so I sent HIM an invite as well. The tournament starts three months from now at my dad's headquarters in Starlight City…I do hope you decide to attend.

With a wink and a flashy smile, the DVD ended.

"So…are you going Seto?"

The elder Kaiba turned to see his younger brother standing there in his PJs.

"I'll be thinking about it…"

Seto Kaiba wasn't the only one, dozens of duelists received personalized invites like this one. Another recipient of this invitation resided in Toronto, Canada…

Hello, if you're watching this right now, UPS did their job! Now…I know it's been hard for you lately. Passed over for Duelist Kingdom…Snubbed from Battle City. I know you don't deserve that sort of treatment. I mean, you're freakin' UNDEFEATED! You've never lost a duel, and you've won the Pan-American Championship THREE STRAIGHT TIMES! Enough is enough…I'm giving you a chance to prove yourself. You want Seto Kaiba…you got him! Joey Wheeler? Go for it! And if you're really ambitious, The King of Games himself, Yugi Mutou! They'll all be there…in three months in Starlight City. Be there. And if money is what motivates you, the top prize is five million dollars! See you there!

A young man in his early twenties turned off his television, his brown eyes glaring at the blank screen. Running a hand through his midnight blue hair, he laughed lightly to himself.

"Yugi Mutou…you and that punk Kaiba have hogged the spotlight for way too long. When this tournament is done, my name, Quincy Cole, will finally be mentioned as the greatest Duelist of this age…a title I DESERVE!"

Next Time: Kat recuperates from her injuries, and just in time for the "final exam"! More invites are handed out for the tournament in Starlight City…but is there more to this tournament than meets the eye?

Snow Weaver: Yeah…I've tried to mix a little of Rouge and Knuckles in my OCs. One of them has a little hedgehog in them too, I bet you know whom! Sonic X isn't a bad show; my brothers are big fans of it. Thanks for your review.

The Broken Bow: I'll be honest, there's no way in hell I would finish that either! Talk about hell. Alex as Joey? It's not too far out of reasoning I guess; they have some similarities, besides the blonde hair. On a more personal note, do you mind telling me what happened to your legs? You mentioned crutches in the review, and I was a little worried. In any event, thanks.

That pesky ANGRY PEOPLE update is coming, so be on the lookout!

BigLos…out