A/N: What's up, loyal readers? A quick reply to your reviews, and I'll start the next chapter:

LadyPhoenix: I just have one thing to say: this is where this fic will get it's true start! You can take that one to the bank! Thanks for reading!

The Broken Bow: Hey...hope you get a chance to read this! Good luck with your work, and enjoy the chapter!

With that out of the way, I guess we can continue on with the fic. Enjoy!

Chapter Ten: Arrival, Part I

Yugi and his friends arrived in Starlight City on an early Wednesday morning. They saw the mountains overlooking the city, the many skyscrapers and buildings, and something that appeared to be an indoor arena of somekind in the middle of the city. By all accounts, it had to be one of the better looking cities they had ever visited. After leaving the plane, the young duelists were met by a man in a buisness suit.

"Are you part of the delegation from Japan?"

Yugi nodded his head. "Yes, sir. Is this where we were supposed to report?"

"Yes. I have been instructed to give you the keyes for your hotel suite downtown. You will be residing on the fifth floor. All other instructions await you in your respective rooms. Good day."

After recieving the keys, Yugi and his friends were directed to a bus that would take them to the hotel in which they would be staying.

"Geesh...dat guy seemed a little stiff ta me." Joey said as he fixed his shirt collar.

"Yeah, he was probably some underpaid newbie who got stuck with the job of running this tournament." Tristan put in.

Yugi looked out of the window of the bus, taking in the scenery of the city. There were flower shops and restaurants on every corner, and it seemed like a pleasant place to visit. But something was still bothering him.

Quincy had finally arrived. He parked his motorcycle in the parking lot, and removed his helmet.

"Um...excuse me, sir. Are you one of the competing duelists in the competition?"

The tall biker glared down at the young woman questioning him, his emotionless brown eyes startling her a little. "Yes. Is this the piece of crap hotel that I was supposed to report to?"

"Yes, sir. Your keys and registration papers are waiting in the lobby."

"Good." He glared at the woman again, and made his way towards the hotel lobby. Quincy knew that very soon is dream of dethroning Yugi Mutou would soon be realized.

Gabe was struggling to stay awake. Fortunately for him, he had finally arrived at his destination. "Starlight City. It's a beautiful place."

He remembered where he had come from. His mother and father were divorced when he was a baby, and his mother took custody. He loved them both, but each had their share of problems. His father was a convicted felon, making good jobs very difficult to find. His mother was worse. A lot worse.Gabe was hiding in his closet, silently praying that his mother didn't find him. She hated her when she drank. She would start wrecking things around the house, shouting curses at him and their neighbors, and anything else she could think of.

"GABE! Where are you, boy? You come here NOW!"

He had no clue why she was so angry with him, but just knew that she was. He knew that she would find him eventually. And find him she did.

"What in the hell is this?" She waved a piece of paper in his face, her hazel eyes glaring at him harshly.

"It's my report card, mama. What's wrong?"

"Look at it you little pissant!" She threw the paper in his face.

"I thought you would like it. No Bs or Cs this time!" The boy tried to put a smile on his face to cheer up his mother.

"Shut up! You...you're just like your daddy, aren't you? Think you're so smart don't you? Your little report card doesn't impress me any, and neither does your attitude. Come here, I'm going to teach you a lesson!"

She grabbed the boy by the arm and dragged him into her bedroom, a whip behind her. "You know something, Gabe...my daddy used to take this very same whip, wrap it around this wooden stick he had and beat me and my older sisters across the stomach with it until we got sick and threw up. You know what? That's the same fuckin' feeling I get when I look at you, sick to my stomack!"

She raised the whip up and began to lash on the ten-year-old. All the little boy could do was cover up and hope that this torture would end soon. He felt the whip tear through his clothes and skin, drawing blood as it did.

Those beatings continued until he was twelve, when the State of Alabama took custody rights away from his mother and gave him to his father, who had become an auto technican. He had forgiven his mother, but he would never forget. Never.

Karin sat in her dressing room, fixing the blouse that she had decided to wear for the occasion. All the pieces are in place now. Soon, I'll have enough power in my posession to bring the entire world to its knees...Father, you better stay out of my way, or I'll make sure that you live to regret it!

Interesting developments before the start of the tournament! And what does Karin mean by bringing the world "to its knees"? Find out next time, as the rest of our competitors arrive and the tournament officaly gets underway...in a nightclub?

Thanks for reading, and I have an announcement up on my profile about my new update plan. I'll only be updating my stories once a week all the time now, part to make it easier for my fans to keep up with when I'll update, part of it to give me time to turn out longer chapters for you guys (or girls). Thanks for reading, criticisms are welcome, and thanks for spending part of your day (or night) with me!

BDB...out.