Well, the Battle City tournament is here! I will not discuss the real duels too much, because we have already seen them numerous times and we already know what happens with out reiterating it all. Anyway, Dayan will show you another point of Battle City. I did not give him a fake deck that I just put a bunch of rare cards in. I gave him my deck, because it just seemed more fair that way. So without further ado, enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh!.
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Dayan walked through the main streets of Domino. He had his Duel Disk on his arm awaiting the official launch of the tournament. He still had not found his sister, but maybe if she had already met up with the Pharaoh, she would be watching the tournament. He missed her dearly, but it was finally time for them to meet again. All those years he searched for her tirelessly, eventually he realized he would not see her until it was time for the Pharaoh's resurrection. He never stopped searching, however. He did not want to admit to giving up. He would not submit to that, but now the Pharaoh had returned. It was time for everything to finally come to a head, and he would be there for every minute of it. It made his thoughts return to Isis once more. He wondered where she was, what she was doing, and if she was thinking about him. He longed to see her again, but he knew he must find his sister first.
A giant shadow was suddenly cast over him. He looked up to see a giant blimp sailing overhead. Seto Kaiba's face was plastered on the giant screen attached to the blimp. Dayan's eyes widened as he realized who Kaiba really was. He would recognize that face anywhere. It was the very man who had killed his sister, and had eventually killed him as well. He seethed while gazing up at Kaiba's image looking down at all the duelists gathered for his tournament.
"Greetings, duelists," Kaiba's voice boomed from the ship and all through the streets and alleys, "It's time to put your dueling skills to the test. I hope none of you entered my tournament looking for friendly competition. Battle City's gonna be an all out war. But before my Battle City tournament begins, I thought I'd let you all know what you're in for in case you want to back out now. Let's begin with my new duel disks. Everyone who I decided was good enough received one. With it, you can duel anytime, anywhere, and they contain a tracking chip that allows me to watch every move you make."
A man in a business suit next to Dayan spoke up then, "All that for a card game?"
Dayan nearly choked, 'A card game?!!'
Kaiba continued, "Next, Let's talk about the most important tournament rule. The loser of each duel is required to fork over their rarest card to the winner. If you don't have the guts to risk losing your precious cards, then I suggest you forfeit now."
"Giving up my rarest card?," Dayan said to himself as he gazed down at his deck, "If I have to, I will, but how could I possibly part with one of my best cards?"
"And anyone who's foolish enough can challenge me to a duel, because I'll also be competing in this tournament," Kaiba boomed through the crowds.
"And I plan on it," Dayan seethed while glaring up at Kaiba's pompous face above the city.
"But don't get your hopes up, because I intend to win, and there's one duelist out there I can't wait to defeat," Kaiba then stopped and looked almost as if he were gazing through the crowd looking for the "one duelist."
"Yugi," Dayan said aloud, "But fat chance Kaiba has. With the Pharaoh on his side, Yugi is unbeatable."
"And speaking of winning, only the eight best duelists will make it to the final round," Kaiba's blimp was beginning to take another sweep over the street Dayan was on, "And these finals will be held in a hidden location. In order to find the finals, you'll need these locator cards. You've each received one with your duel disk, but don't get too excited, because one is not enough. You'll need six of them to make it to the tournament finals. Every time you win a duel, you'll get a locator card from your losing opponent. When six cards are stacked together, they produce a map of Battle City, and activate a global positioning satellite which will transmit the location to you, but the tournament finals are a long way away and most of you will be eliminated way before that. Alright, everything I just said and more can be found in my tournament rule book. Just remember only one player can win and claim the title of number 1 duelist in the world."
Dayan heard almost every duelist around him shouting out their claims on the title, and how they would be the ones to win it all. Dayan laughed a bit at their enthusiasm and said very quietly to himself, "And that winner will be Yugi."
"Now get ready duelists," Kaiba concluded, "Let the tournament begin!"
Everyone cheered and hooted their praise, but quickly started milling around each other scoping out the play.
"Alright, Kaiba," Dayan said as he stuck his deck into the duel disk, "Let's get this going. Though you may not remember, I'm coming after you. 5000 years may have passed, but my feelings toward you certainly haven't changed, so here I come."
Seto walked around his room while cruising 4000 feet in the air aboard the Kaiba Corp. airship. He walked over to a small circular window to gaze out at the sky above and clouds below. The air was crisp and thin even though he could not feel it brush against his face. The sun was peaking over the clouds giving them the look of a landscape created by a painter. The soft, white clouds were glazed with yellow and orange brushstrokes. All of the beautiful sights were not coveted by the infamous Seto Kaiba, however. He did not bore himself with such boring frivolity as that. He had much more important things on his mind.
His gaze hardened as he thought of Yugi. Yugi was his ultimate rival, but after the Battle City tournament was over and done with, he would finally show Yugi what a real duelist was. He hated thinking about Duelist Kingdom. The tactics he had used to defeat Yugi were underhanded, but Yugi was such a good duelist it was his last chance. He smiled upon the picture of Obelisk. Yugi did not stand a chance now. Duelist Kingdom was a long time ago, and now his deck was structured completely different to compensate for his Egyptian God card. He savored the thought of defeating Yugi once and for all, and claiming the title of Game King. He had once had the title of dueling champion. He was the glory of the dueling world, but then a pint-sized porcupine came along and stole it all away. He had to admit that he had owed Yugi for saving his and his brother's life from Pegasus's illusions, but that was all in the past now. This was the future, and Yugi's demise was the beginning stage of it all.
Something at the back of his mind started to tug at him. He felt his blood burn with anger as an image made its way across his thoughts. Every time he closed his eyes he saw long, ebony hair and harsh, moon-colored eyes. He cursed himself. Why the hell was she on his mind? He had a company, the duel tournament, and his plan to take Yugi down all in front of him waiting for him to take it all, but he could not squeeze her image out of his mind.
"Kuso!," he hissed between clenched teeth. What the hell was wrong with him? All he wanted was to claim the former glory he once knew, and collect the God cards to create the most powerful deck in all of duel monsters, yet he could not help but wonder where she was. He vowed the day she escaped from his limo that he would not ponder on her again, but that was like trying not to cough. He would find himself thinking of ways to come in contact with her through Yugi. Why not kill two birds with one stone? Duel Yugi and take away his title, and then sweep her away from him as well. He would then mentally curse himself for even thinking about the opposite sex. He did not have time for that kind of thing, but she ran across his thoughts again. Did he?
Dayan walked down the streets a bit sizing up his opponents looking for just the right one. He knew when he would find his opponent. It was something in their eyes that told him they had experience. He viewed each one of them looking to see if they had the right aura about them, but before he could challenge any of them a voice called out.
"You're just a little kid, dammit!," a guy screamed, "Who's helping you?!"
"You dare question my dueling skills?!," a little girl's voice screeched.
Dayan ran toward them to see a burly looking duelist staring down at a minuscule, blonde-headed girl who did not look like she was going to back down. They both were glaring at each other menacingly, when the taller of the two did a better job of it.
"I'm not handing over my locator card to a child!," he yelled.
"You'd better give me that card! It's Battle City rules! Besides, they already know you lost to me, so you have to give up your only locator card to me!," she said haughtily.
"Fine!," he tossed the card at her knowing he had been defeated, "Take it. It's not like you'll make it to the finals with it anyway." He walked away grumbling profanities under his breath. The girl took a moment to stash her new locator card with the other before she turned her gaze upon Dayan.
"What are you looking at?," she snapped, but then smiled at seeing his duel disk, "You look like an easy target. You want to duel?"
"I don't duel children," Dayan said mockingly. This kid was a brat! He needed to show her the ropes.
"What?! I'm a Battle City duelist no matter what my age!," she seethed, "My name is Rebecca Hawkins, and I bet I could duel circles around you!"
Dayan shrugged, "If you truly want to fight me, I won't deny you. Your locator cards are as good as anyone else's. Besides, I think I would like to show you what being a respectable duelist is all about."
"Respectable? What's that supposed to mean?!"
"It means that you do not respect your opponent, and you do not greet your opponent with honor and accreditation. I will show you what it means to be a reputable duelist."
"Whatever," Rebecca replied and shoved her deck into her disk, "Let's just get on with this!"
Dayan slid his deck into his disk as well. He was ready. This was his moment. This was the moment when he would prove himself, and finally let them all know what kind of duelist he was. Anzu came running up to them. She had recognized Dayan walking through the streets and wondered if he knew were the others were, but to see Rebecca facing him was a surprise she was not prepared for. She did not say anything to interrupt, but stood anxiously at the sides awaiting the bout that was ready to commence.
"Let's do this!," Rebecca cried out, "You're going to wish you never met me! I'm going to take you down!"
"We shall see," Dayan replied. He looked over at Anzu who gave him a reassuring nod. "Alright! Activate holoimagers!" The holoimagers from the duel disk shot out, and placed themselves at the corners of their makeshift arena. The duel disks powered up, and the battle was ready to begin.
"Alright, me first!," Rebecca said. She looked carefully at her hand, and then smiled deciding on a card. "I set this card face-down in defense mode." A large holographic card appeared out of nowhere face-down. "Now, let's see what you've got."
"Ok then," Dayan said as he drew his card, "I summon Opticlops in attack mode!" A holographic card appeared face-up and light shot up to reveal a single-eyed fiend waiting to attack. "Now, Opticlops, attack her defense!"
"Ha! I knew you didn't have enough brains to see my strategy," Rebecca laughed, "You've just attacked my Spirit of the Harp! She has a total of 2000 defense points. Your wimpy Opticlops has only 1800 attack points, so you lose 200 life points! Ha ha! Fantastic!"
"Damn it!," Dayan cursed as his life points dropped to 3800.
"Come on, Dayan!," Anzu called out, "You can do it! I know you can!"
"Cheering isn't going to help," Rebecca said quietly, "Not when you are up against a genius like me, but your tiny brain probably couldn't have thought of that. I set one card face-down. Your turn."
"Even geniuses have their mishaps," Dayan said as he drew another card. He smiled as his eyes gazed upon the image of his Summoned Skull.
"What are you smiling about?," Rebecca asked, "There aren't any cards in your deck that can get through my defenses."
"And how would you know my deck?," Dayan replied laughing, "You don't, because I am about to bring forth my Summoned Skull!"
"What?," Rebecca cried.
"I sacrifice my Opticlops to summon my favorite monster," Dayan said as he exchanged one card for another, "Come forth my Skull!"
Opticlops disappeared from the field and Summoned Skull rose in its place. "Now I set one card face down." Dayan laid down his Nutrient Z trap card. If she somehow did find a way to destroy Summoned Skull, his trap card would protect him against a powerful offense, "Now you had better be prepared, for I am about to attack."
"No!," Rebecca growled.
"Dayan puts on a totally different face when he duels," Anzu said in amazement at his forcefulness.
"Yes," Dayan replied, "Now my Skull attack her Spirit of the Harp!"
"Yeah!," Anzu cheered, "Take her down! I had no idea he had this much skill."
"You'll pay for that one!," Rebecca sneered as she drew a card, "Now it's time for some real damage!" A smile crept its way onto her face. Dayan wondered what card she drew, but he did not have to wait long.
"Why is she smiling?," Anzu asked no one in particular.
"You can say goodbye to your Summoned Skull!," Rebecca called out, "Pity, he didn't last long, and he is your favorite monster. Now I play my Tribute to the Doomed!"
"What? No!," Dayan cried. His Skull was done for. His trap card was only for attacks that would damage his life points more than 2000, not defending against a magic card.
"I discard one card from my hand, and in exchange I get to destroy your Summoned Skull!," Rebecca was now laughing and jumping with giddy delight as Dayan's monster was engulfed in burial bandages and taken down.
"Don't think I am going to give up, Rebecca!," Dayan yelled out in the middle of her joyous celebrating.
"Well, then I don't want you to think that my turn is over!," she cried, "Now I summon the Koumori Dragon in attack mode. Alright, dragon, attack his life points directly!" Dayan watched helplessly as his life points dropped to 2300. "You are no match for me."
"Come on, Dayan!," Anzu now yelled out to him, "Don't let her walk all over you! Show her your true skill!"
Dayan nodded and drew a card. "Ok, I will set one card face down. Then I summon another Opticlops, but that's not all. I also play this magic card. The Yami field card! It covers the entire field in darkness that increases the power of spell casters and fiends by 200 points! Opticlops, attack her Koumori Dragon!"
"Yes!," Anzu cheered, "That's more like it, Dayan!"
"Not so fast!," Rebecca said, "I activate my face-down card. Negate attack!"
"A trap card?," Dayan asked.
"Yes, Negate attack ends your battle phase right here and now, so you can't defeat my dragon."
"Damn," Dayan said as he glared at the trap card on the field. "She has good cards and strategies," he thought, "But that won't save her."
"Now it is my turn," Rebecca said as she drew a card, "Alright! Whoo hoo! I sacrifice my Koumori Dragon to set this card on the field in defense mode, and then I lay one card face-down. Your turn!"
"All she can do is defend?," Anzu said to herself, "But she acted happy like she did something. What is she up to?"
Dayan drew a card, "She must have a strong defense. If she sacrificed something just to put it in defense mode, we aren't talking small business." He looked up at her, "Alright, Rebecca. Take this! I activate my Axe of Despair magic card, and I equip it to my Opticlops making his attack points 3000!"
"Whoa! That's a powerful move!," Anzu said in awe of the Imp's impenetrable power.
"Now, attack her defense card!," he yelled. "I hope this works."
"Ha!," Rebecca yelled, "Did you forget about my face-down card? I activate Mirror Force! With this trap card, I can destroy all of the monsters you have in attack mode! That destroys your Opticlops!"
"Shit!," Dayan cursed.
"Now, now," Rebecca teased, "The language isn't needed. Even if you are about to be defeated by someone half your age! Ha! That is what you get for going up against a genius! You are going to lose and you haven't even touched my life points yet! Now for my turn."
"Not so fast, Rebecca," Dayan said, "I activate one of my face-down cards. Michizure!"
"What?," she cried, "Oh no!"
"That's right," Dayan taunted, "My Michizure card lets me destroy one monster on the field if one of my monsters is sent to the graveyard." Rebecca's face down card revealed itself as the millennium shield, but was soon destroyed by Dayan's trap.
"No, no, no!," she cried, "You are so mean! I'm going to get you for this! I draw!" Rebecca drew a card, and then paused.
"Are you going to show me one of your genius moves, or are you just going to stand there all day?," he said taunting her.
"Enough! Don't interrupt me while I'm thinking!," she reviewed her hand again, "You may have destroyed my shield, but don't think it will stay gone! I play my Monster Reborn card and bring back my Millennium Shield! I set one monster in defense mode. I will finish my turn by setting one card face-down. Try and defeat that powerful move! It is a shame that you are going to be defeated, and you haven't even touched my life points!"
"I wonder why she set that card face-down in defense mode. My life points were wide open for an attack. It must be a trap. I have no card in my hand that can take down the Millennium Shield, so I must resort to defending," Dayan said as he drew a card, "This may work. I play my own Monster Reborn and bring back my Opticlops."
"What? Opticlops?," Rebecca laughed hysterically, "You think you can win with that? I wish you would give up on that monster once and for all. You are even dumber than I thought."
"Opticlops may not be able to defeat your monsters, but it is a good sacrifice so that I can set this in face-down in defense mode. I finish my turn by setting one card face-down." Dayan's fiend disappeared in a flash of light, and a face-down, defense card appeared in its place.
"That is the best you can do?," she said in shock, "Well, you are going to lose this duel fast. This wasn't even a challenge! You are a minor defeat on my way to the finals. Thanks for making this so easy! My draw." She drew a card. "I now summon a very powerful monster! This card is my Susa Soldier! It may return to my hand at the end of my turn, but this baby's got 2000 attack points without needing a sacrifice! Alright, no waiting around! Attack his defense monster!"
"You've just attacked my Labyrinth Wall," Dayan laughed, "This defensive wall has 3000 defense points!"
"No! That means I lost 1000 life points!"
"Ha! Now you are in trouble!," Dayan yelled.
"I don't think so!," Rebecca yelled back. "I play my face-down card. The Pillager!" Rebecca walked over to Dayan with triumph on her face. With the Pillager card, she could see all the cards in Dayan's hand, and select one to take.
"Let's see what you've got!," she said. Dayan reluctantly shoved them at her. He knew which one she would pick.
"Yes! I want this one!," she walked back to her original position.
"I wonder which one she took," Anzu said aloud, "Dayan does not look happy."
"Alright, Rebecca," Dayan said as he drew a card. Her Susa Soldier disappeared from the field and she returned the card to her hand. He stared at the monster in his own hand that he had drawn. It was the only means of his salvation, but in order to take her down completely, he would have to do it all in one turn. He only had two monsters in his hand, so he would have to leave his life points vulnerable for a few turns. He had no other choice, "I pass this turn."
"Well, that was certainly a dumb move. You must realize that you have no chance of winning. Now, I play the card I took from you! Raigeki!," Rebecca called out happily.
"What's that?," Anzu wondered aloud, but soon got her answer when Dayan's Labyrinth Wall was destroyed.
"Now, I activate another magic card, Ookazi!," Rebecca said as she placed the magic card in the slot, "This card allows me to inflict 800 points damage to your life points!" Dayan watched the display on his duel disk take his life points down to 1500. He had not planned on that magic card. Rebecca laughed, "And now I summon Saggi the Dark Clown in attack mode! He's so cute! Attack Dark Clown!" Dayan once again watched helplessly as his life points were reduced by another 800. He only had 700 life points left, and Rebecca still had 3000.
"Dayan!," Anzu called out, "Please be strong."
"Rebecca, you are a strong duelist," Dayan said, "But this duel will end on my next turn."
"You are out of your mind," Rebecca interjected, "This duel will end before that. It will end when I take down the rest of your life points next turn! "
"I don't think so," Dayan said, "First I will set one monster face-down with another card face-down."
"That's it?," Rebecca laughed, "You have got to be one of the worst duelists I've ever faced! Half the elementary students at regional-finals could put up twice the fight! You are just handing me the game!"
"I don't think so," Dayan said smiling, "Make your move and we will see how this ends."
"Fine," she replied, "I will use my Dark Clown to go on offense. I will attack your defensive monster!"
"I don't think so," Dayan said as he activated his trap on the field, "Magic Cylinder will negate your attack and subtract it from your life points!"
Rebecca watched her duel disk as it counted off 800 life points, "Big deal! This duel is almost over anyway, and you barely have any of your life points left. I will win this next turn."
"There is no next turn, Rebecca," Dayan said as he drew a card.
"What? Are you telling me you are going to defeat me this turn?," she scoffed, "Yeah, I'd like to see that."
"Then I shall grant your wish," he smiled, "First I will flip my defense monster into attack mode. Reveal my Magician of Faith!"
Rebecca burst into laughter, "Magician of Faith?! She only has 500 attack with your field card! This is the most irate duel I have ever been in!"
"Keep on laughing all you want," Dayan said as he reviewed his hand, "While you do that, I will take you down. I now use Magician of Faith's effect to bring back one of my magic cards from the graveyard."
"What?," Rebecca cried, "You can't do that!"
"Oh yes I can," Dayan replied, "You may have used my Raigeki card, but it is still my card. I revive its power from the graveyard and clear your field of monsters!"
"No! You idiot!," Rebecca yelled as her monster was destroyed.
"Not only will I do that, but I will also summon another monster," Dayan said bringing out a monster he had never used before, "I summon my Slate Warrior, but I also equip a magic card to him! I play Malovent Nuzzler! Now my Slate Warrior's attack is 2800!"
Rebecca started to tremble as she viewed the field, "It can't be. . ."
"It is," Dayan called over to her, "It's your end. I use my Slate Warrior to attack your life points directly!"
Rebecca screamed as the monster attacked and brought her life points down to 0. She was on her hands and knees kneeling while shaking. Dayan slowly made his way over to her wondering if she was alright. She shuddered as a loud sob escaped her. He leaned down and helped her up.
"Don't cry," he said with all his gentle natures coming back to him, "You are a fine duelist, and you gave me quite a fight."
"Well," she sniffed and reached in her pocket, "I guess this is yours." She held out her locator card. He took it and smiled. "I wish you the best of luck," she said quietly still shaking from tears, "Though I doubt you will need it with your strategies. I hate losing this card I just won, but you are clearly better than I am."
He kneeled down to her level and wiped a tear from her cheek with his thumb. In many ways, it reminded him of the way he would comfort his sister. All those times when their father would make her practice until she was about pass out from exhaustion, all the times she had to watch while their father beat him while she could do nothing to prevent it, all the times they were put to the test of their strength, he would always be there to wipe away her tears, and shield her heart from hate and fear. Rebecca looked up at him confused before he said, "For every tear, there is a new bond of strength that we gain. Never let that go." Rebecca pondered it for a moment. She did not quite understand, but there was something in his eyes that she had not seen before. What was it? As he smiled at her for a moment reassuringly, she saw. It was wisdom. She nodded silently, and made her way toward the edge of town while he watched her quietly.
"I never knew you were such a good duelist, Dayan," Anzu said as she walked up to him, "Now you have two locator cards!"
Dayan smiled, "Yes. It feels good to duel in the open."
"In the open? What do you mean?," Anzu asked curiously. What was he talking about?
"It's a long story," he said making his way toward the center of Battle City once again.
"Well, we've got plenty of time until you find another duelist," Anzu said, "How about you tell me over a hot coffee?"
Dayan stopped and looked at her curiously for a second, but then responded, "Alright, I could use a break."
The building was old and decrepit. Aida felt she could not trust it, but this was where he led her, so it was the only route to take at the current time. She walked toward the door and turned the handle. Its old works were creaking and gnashing together as she finally freed the door from its frame and walked inside. There was nothing in sight except large stacks of cargo littering the floor in various places. 'Great places for someone to hide,' she thought as she kept up her guard. Her ears suddenly pricked as she heard something rustling behind her. It shifted from the left side to the right all while remaining safely out of her sight. She turned quickly hoping to discourage the potential attacker. A creak sounded to her right while the rustling continued in front of her. She turned her head toward her right while keeping her body facing the rustling sound. A bang clattered causing her to jump came from behind her, and another creak sounded from her left. She was surrounded, and they were messing with her. 'That bastard!,' she thought, 'He set me up!' She flung out her staff and stood ready for the first attack. She was not going to leave without a fight.
Dayan and Anzu had the coffee shop in sight when they saw two very familiar people standing in the front of it.
"Yugi! Jonouchi! Hey!," Anzu said as she went running up to them, "I finally found you guys!" The two were breaking off from what looked like a handshake. Dayan calmly walked up to see the Pharaoh instead of little Yugi. He let out a quiet gasp as he felt the need to get on his knees to bow to him, but knowing his current situation, it was probably not the best idea.
"Hey, Dayan," Jonouchi greeted him totally different than he had the first day of school, "Comin' to watch me duel?"
Dayan laughed, "I'd love to, but I'm trying to work my way to the finals as well."
"Whaa?!," Jonouchi exclaimed, then realized that Dayan had a duel disk strapped to his arm, "You're in the Battle City tournament?!"
Dayan smiled, "Yeah, I am. I was hoping I would see you two here."
"Well, good luck to you," Yami said smiling honestly.
"Thank you. I wish you the same and more," Dayan said quietly. On the inside he was bursting with pride that the Pharaoh gave him such good tidings. He knew the Pharaoh would not remember who he was, but just knowing that someone of that caliber, of that intelligence, was giving him his good will was enough to make him happy for the rest of his life.
"I don't know about you two, but I'm ready for some duelin'!," Jonouchi exclaimed turning toward the crowd, "Let's get this goin' folks! I'll catch you guys later!" With that he went running off through the crowd.
"He's right," Dayan said looking down at his duel disk, "I should be dueling and making my way to the finals."
"You can't have a break?," Anzu asked discouraged. 'I want him to stay with me and have a talk.' She stopped suddenly wondering what the heck she was thinking. It's not like she liked him in that way or anything.
Dayan saw her hurt expression and gave in, "I guess a short break couldn't hurt."
"I guess I will see you two later then," Yami said as he started in the opposite direction, "Oh, and Anzu, if you see Aida, tell her I'm looking for her."
"All right," Anzu said remembering about Aida. In the time she had been with Dayan, she had forgotten about her missing friend. She mentally shrugged it off thinking that wherever she was, she was probably doing fine. Aida was definitely strong enough to take care of herself.
'Aida,' Dayan thought about the name, 'It seems so strange to hear the Pharaoh speak another woman's name, yet he means the same person he loved so long ago. I wonder how Ateyda feels. He doesn't remember the past. That can't be easy on her.' He sat down at a table with Anzu while their orders were taken and looked out the window, 'Be strong, sister. This will be the hardest life of all for both of us.'
"So Dayan," Anzu said striking up a conversation, "What was it that you were saying about dueling earlier?"
"Hmm?," he asked getting thrown back into reality from his thoughts, "Oh. Yeah. Well, I've never dueled in a reputable tournament before."
"Really?," she asked shocked, "You are definitely good enough."
He smiled softly, "Thank you. I guess it is just strange for me. It is weird to be out in the daytime dueling without reprimand."
Anzu studied him, "Reprimand?"
"Yeah," he replied, "You see, back in London, I was part of the underground. I learned to duel there. I was the top contender for quite a few years before I came here."
"The London underground?," she asked curiously, "What's that?"
He stopped for a moment with a very serious look on his face, "It's nothing really."
"Oh, but you were the top duelist there, you said. What is it like?"
He looked at her very serious once again which scared her, but he soon replied, "Being on an underground isn't the safest or best path to take, but those were my first stomping grounds. A lot of gangs would hang out there to duel and win cards for their lords, but I was an independent duelist. I didn't duel under anyone's colors. Usually it would get really late at night, and that was when we all came out."
Anzu sat enraptured by every word that came from his lips. She had never heard anything like this before.
"We would duel all through the night," he continued, "It was basically a large mass of people hanging out like gangs of duelists. I would go out about midnight, and would battle until dawn. It was fun for a long time, but eventually it made me start to skip classes and miss out on a lot of other things. It was an unhealthy obsession, and it got to me. That is why I came out here. I needed to get away from the fast night life, and come out to a place where I could get my life back on track. Ryou had been telling me about Domino, so I packed up and here I am." She merely gaped at him with all this new information he had just said. He chuckled a bit and said, "Well, now that I have told you my life story. . ."
"Yes, and I've heard about enough," a voice behind him said. A man sitting in the booth behind Dayan stood up walked over to their table. He had greasy, blonde hair that fell around his head like a chili-bowl haircut while his dull, hazel eyes glared at Dayan, "Funny, you basically explained about your whole life on the underground, but my name was not mentioned."
Anzu looked over at Dayan wondering if he knew this strange guy that had butted his way into their conversation when she saw his jaw was clenched and there were flames kindling in his eyes.
"What the hell are you doing here, Liam?," Dayan barely whispered through clenched teeth.
"Following you of course," he responded then held up his own duel disk, "I knew you'd be here. You are so predictable."
Dayan growled, "Outside. Now."
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