A/N: Hey, loyal readers. Thanks for taking some time to read my fics, and I hope you like this chapter.

Shy and LeighC: Well…this is a three-part story, if you didn't know, and I can guarantee that the finale will be happy. But as far as this first part, I can't. Hope you still love me! Thanks for reading.

The Broken Bow: LOL, you're welcome. It appears that it will be slowing down even further! I'll probably be working late night shifts a lot, so there won't be as much update time as before. Enjoy this one, another chapter may not come in this story for a while yet!

Chapter 11: Arrival, Part II

Alex looked around at the devastation, the sky blackened by smoke and rainclouds. Dozens of people lay on the ground, slaughtered. Men, women, children...the evil was indiscriminant. He was desperately searching for his friends by this point as panic and terror reigned supreme in his mind. He tripped over the body of a young boy who appeared to be no older than eleven or twelve with long black hair. Laying beside him was another boy, older with chestnut colored hair.

There is nowhere else to run...

He heard the voice calling out to him and tried to run away.

You're wasting your time trying to run. If you give up, I'll bury you with your friends...

He kept running, but deep in his heart he knew there was nothing to run to. Everything was gone.

Maybe if you beg...I'll let you be my pet. Would you like that?

Suddenly, the voice was replaced by another voice, this one appearing to be at least somewhat friendly.

Listen young one...this is your fate, should you and your friends fail. They will all die and you will be doomed to wander alone. to defeat your enemy. You will be tested...people will pretend to be your friends, others will pretend to be your enemies. You must trust only one thing: your heart. If not, the entire planet could suffer the consequences.

With that, the dream ended.

Alex jumped up with a start.

"Are you O.K?" Kat looked over at him as if he were from Mars.

"Yeah...just had a bad dream."

"O.K...take it easy, alright? We'll be landing in about twenty minutes."

Alex nodded as he rested his head on the seat pillow.

What the hell was that dream about? Who was speaking to me? And who were those two dead guys I found?

Yugi and his friends were heading downstairs on the elevator in the hotel provided for the Duelists competing in the tournament.

"Hey Yug, when are we supposed ta start?" Joey was looking over his deck, making sure that everything was in order.

"I don't know. Karin said something about a party tonight downtown; perhaps we'll find out more then."

When they finally made it down the elevator, Yugi noticed a group waiting for them. There were eleven of them, four young men, seven young women.

"So...you're the legendary Yugi Mutou!" One of the young men spoke up, his skin a dark brown. He wore a purple shirt with the face of a tiger printed on the front.

"Uh-oh...do you know who these guys are, Yugi?" Tea said as she looked over the group with a great deal of worry.

Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to come here. All of the duelists here are probably after Yugi's God Cards! Thank God he left them home...

The group stepped forward to stand face to face with Yugi, Joey and their supporters.

"And you must me Joey Wheeler, the blundering fool who couldn't close the deal not once but TWICE at Battle City!"

At this comment, Joey was immediately restrianed by Tristan and Ryou. "Who da heck are you guys anyways!"

The young black duelist smiled. "Here in the U.S., they call us the Alliance. A group that has had a grip on Duel Monsters ever since it's been here. Let me introduce our members."

"Over on the left, we have Penny."

The skinny strawberry blonde wore a red cap on her head, a T-shirt that was both red and grey, and very tight blue jeans. She looked over in the direction of Ryou and gave him a seductive smile and wink. Ryou's cheeks immediately flushed with embarassment.

"She's out of Columbus, Ohio. Next, we have Zach."

A massive figure appeared behind the girl he had just introduced. He wore a burnt orange shirt and a big white cowboy hat. As he was introduced, he tipped his cap to Yugi and the gang.

"If you couldn't tell by the clothing that our big friend has on, he's from Austin, Texas."

"Next, we have the Sterling Triplets: Vivian, Veronica, and Vanessa."

The three were identical triplets with dark hair and green eyes, so they each wore different clothing and hairstyles so that they could be told apart. Vivian let her dark auburn hair grow long and curly, and she wore a T-shirt and shorts which were about five inches above the knee. The shirt was orange and blue and had the letters "AU" displayed prominently in the front. Veronica wore a similar outfit, accept her shirt was orange and white and had a giant capital T in front. Her hair was done into one long braid going down her back. Vanessa dressed more conservatively than her sisters, choosing to wear a medium length skirt and matching blouse. Her hair was short, and she wore a pendant with a golden capital V on the centerpiece.

"These three beautiful ladies each live in different areas of the Southeast. Now, onto the Granger Twins, Harlan and Wade."

Harlan smiled menacingly in Yugi's direction, his blonde hair covered up by a Confederate battle flag bandana. His green eyes had a certain arrogance to them, but also a genuine, hidden warmth. He wore a dark blue shirt and black jeans.

His brother Wade had a similar set of green eyes, but his hair was a wavy brown and came down past his shoulders. His shirt was maroon and hada giant M displayed on the front.

"These two bad boys reside in Starkville and Oxford Mississippi."

The young man pointed to three young women who were sitting down in the center of the lobby, reading.

"Thats Grace with the long blondebraids. She's a super-hottie from Hawaii. Over on the other end of the couch is Marie, she's a fiesty little Jayhawk from Kansas. And sitting in the rocking chair is Alice, who comes to us from Boston. Thereare supposed to be twelve of us...but we lost him nearly three years ago."

Yugi nodded his head respectfully. "We're sorry to hear that."

"No, not like that. He just left our group after a little dispute. You see, the competition for national champion is not open to all in the US. Each year, only 119 duelists are eligible for the title. After long series of tournaments and such, a committee gathers and selects a champion. One year, our lost member was elected co-champion, along with me. Oh! I almost forgot to introduce myself! I am the pride of the Purple and Gold Nation, the Master of Beasts, and the undisputed leader of the Alliance. My name is Malakai Blair. Remember it, Yugi.my legions of fanswill chant it when I defeat you to win this touranment."

"Are you done?" The voice that came out of Yugi's body was no longer his own.

"So it's true...You do change. It doesn't matter. I will still emerge as champion."

Yami and Malakai glared face to face, a crowd of friends and duelists watching, including a certain CEO and his brother.

"I'm looking forward to meeting you in competition, Yugi. This will be a tournament to remember, eh?"

"It will."

"Are you two done grandstanding yet? I have buisness to take care of." Everyone's attention turned to Seto Kaiba, his little brother Mokuba at his side.

"Kaiba..."

"Oh, do my eyes decieve me? It's Seto Kaiba. You're here as well? The two big fish from Japan are on my turf at long last!"

"Spare me. You are nothing more than a paper champion who uses his influence to win titles."

"How dare you! You'll pay forinsulting methat way Kaiba! I swear it!"

"You're not in my league." Kaiba and Malakai faced off, doezens of duelists gathered around them.

This confrontation allowed Yugi and his friends to slip quietlyout of thehotel, where they unfortunately ran into another eager challenger. This one was a tall, lanky figure with long blue hair and brown eyes thatheld an intensity that was rivaled only by SetoKaiba.There was something different abouthis glare, however, that Yugi couldn'tquite put his finger on.

"You're Yugi Mutou, correct?"

Yugi nodded, as the entire group collectively heaved a heavy sigh and thought in their heads "Here we go, again."

"I'm Quincy Cole,Unbeaten Canadian NationalChampion."

Ryou's eyes turned into saucers as he realized who they were speaking with. "The 'Red EyesMaster'?"

"The same. Whichreminds me,Wheeler. You have something that I want, and Iwill have it."

"Oh, no!You're not gettin' ya grubby little hands on my Red Eyes Black Dragon!"

The tall figure laughed slightly and turned his back to Yugi. "We'll see. Yugi...you and anyone who opposes me will be destroyed. You can pull your little magic acts with these other ignorant fools, but I'm not afraid. I'll see you soon."

As he walked off,Tea finally spoke."That guy's pretty cute, but he'stoo damn creepy."

"Easy Tea, don't go falling for every guy you see!" Tristan mocked.

"That's impossible...I won't fall for you in a million years."

Tristan winced at the brunette's comeback. "Ouch!"

"Let's go see the city guys. Something tells me this might be the only chance we get!" Yugi half-joked. Everyone nodded in agreement, until they were stopped yet again.

"Joseph!"

Joey turned around...and immediately his pulse rate increased two-fold.

"Catch me...if you can that is!"

Mai disappeared into a subway entrance, and Joey decided to go and chase her. It may be the only chance of telling her how he truly felt.

Gabe had unpacked his bags, gathered his deck, and began to look through it.

Creatures of the deep, I hope you can help me once again. I've been away for what seems like an eternity. I'll need your strength if I'm to achieve my goal...breaking up the Alliance! I don't care at what cost, those corrupt individuals must be shut down, once and for all! That's the only way Duel Monsters will gain integrity here in the United States. That's the only way to make my National Championship mean a damn thing to me. That's the only way I'll be able to sleep at night. Malakai...your time is running short. Get Ready!

Karin walked into the giant underground hangar, amazed at the size of her father's ultimate project.

Soon, so very soon, the Vega Carrier will be fully operational. And when that happens, it will finally be time to eliminate my father. With him out of the way, I will be free to wage war on whomever or whatever I choose!

Alex, Kat, and Bo finally reached their shared hotel room. (Kat had a room to herself, but her room had a door which leads to Bo and Alex's room.)

"You boys ready?" Kat asked as she examined her dress in the mirror, ready to head to the big party that was scheduled.

"I was born ready. Alex?" Bo fixed the collar on his shirt and dusted off his hat.

"Of course. Rika, what are our instructions?"

"Simple...watch and wait. We'll make no moves until we're sure we have something we believe to be a threat on our hands."

While some people play the game of love, others are playing for personal glory and redemption. Some are ruthless, playing for revenge and corruption. Who will prevail? Finally, the tournament will begin. The first match? Let's just say there will be a lot of Crimson involved.

Hope you enjoyed it. I'm out!

BDB...out