"Mai's your sister?" Joey jumped forward and cried out.
"Yeah, Sorority Sister we went to College together, we pledged the same house and were roommates." Sammantha had a slightly exasperated look on her face as she explained.
Then she shot a look at Robert, "You should know all about this I told you all about it a few weeks ago!" She was starting to get that edge in her voice again.
"Umm, oh yeah, her name must've slipped my mind... heh heh." Robert was slowly backing up rubbing the back of his head.
"That was a REALLY good duel Sammantha, I've never seen a deck built like that before." Yugi stepped forward diverting Sammanthas furious gaze away from Robert.
'Yugi, you're my new hero.' Robert thought as he sighed in relief.
"Thank you Yugi, I appreciate the compliment." Sammantha smiled at the young man.
"That really was a great duel honey, You did a fantastic job modifying your deck." Robert said as he stepped up and put his right hand on her left shoulder.
"Yeah I guess." Joey was hanging back, with a somewhat sour look on his face.
"What's the matter Joey? That crow not tasting very good?" Tristan teased.
"What?" Sammantha was confused by Joey's reaction to the outcome of the Duel.
"Joey was kinda pushing for Mai." Robert politely explained, leaving out the more colorful parts of the debate.
"So Yugi, you're the number on ranked Duelist in the world huh?" Sammantha turned her crystal blue eyes back to the spikey haired young man.
"Yeah, I guess, but you know what they say, there's always some one better." He replied smiling meekly.
"C'mon Yug, no one's better than you." Joey called as he walked up.
"Isn't that just about the same boast you made about Mai?" Robert sarcastically said.
"Hey, Yugi's number one in the world for a reason, He beat all three of the God cards, he beat Kaiba, Pegasus, Malik even Me!" Joey boasted for his friend. Yugi was beginning to look some what uncomfortable.
"Alright Joey, you're sucha hot shot Duelist. Let's go. I could use some warm up matches before the Tournament." Robert stepped forward and locked his Duel Disk in place.
"I'd love to!" Joey locked his Duel Disk into position aswell, then his cell phone Rang.
"Uh, hold on a sec okay?" Joey didn't wait for a response as he answered his phone.
"Hello? Oh hey sis, what's up? They what!? Why? Don't sweat it, your big bro is on his way." Joey ended the call and turned back to Robert who had a some what bored look on his face.
"Listen, as much as I'd like to wipe the pavement with you my little sister needs me, so I'll need a rain check." Joey deactivated his Duel Disk and slowly started towards the road.
"I'll look forward to our match on the Island Joey, No interruptions there." Robert smiled and called after the blond man.
"No Problem, I'll toast you there." Joey smirked as he picked up his pace and made his way to a parked car, a few moments later he was gone.
"So Yugi," Robert turned towards the young man as he deactivated his Duel Disk. "You've actually beaten the God Cards? I thought that was impossible." Roberts interest was piqued.
"Yeah, it was tough too, each card has a weakness but it was so hard to find them." Yugi's face darkened as he remembered each of the duels.
"And while beating them was hard, controlling them was even harder, it was like I was being swept away in a strong river each time I played them, their power was amazing." Yugi's demeanor seemed to change slightly as he recalled the experiences, his voice changed slightly and his presence seemed, somehow more imposing.
"Both Obelisk and Osiris were certainly a handful, and Ra..." Yugi trailed off, as though the memory of the usage of that card in particular were to much to bear.
"If you'll excuse me, I need to attend to something, and Unfortunately the duel after the announcement has put me behind schedule, I'll see you both on the Island, I look forward to facing you both, good bye." With that he turned and walked away.
"Strange guy." Robert said quietly to himself. Then quickly ran after Yugi, "HEY YUGI! What ever happened to the God Cards?"
Yugi stopped and stood perfectly still, his spine went stiff as if he'd felt a shiver run up it. "The were locked away after the first battle city, but unfortunately a few days before the announcement of this Tournament all three of them were stolen. Now Excuse me, I have to go." He finished as he walked away.
Kaiba Corp. Tower, across town...
"So, now the Tournaments been finalized. Good, The Tomb Keepers thank you Seto Kaiba." A tall attractive woman spoke through a white veil.
"Don't thank me, just remember my price for this, I want MY card back." Kaiba turned the chair behind his desk away from the window it had been facing and looked intently at the woman standing on the other side of his desk. His blue eyes shinning in the office lights, his gaze never wavering.
"Don't worry, It's destiny has returned to your family again, as it will in the future, as it has in the past. The Immense Divine Soldier of Obelisk will be yours again, but the other two cards..." She trailed off.
"They must find their users on their own." With that she turned and left the office.
"Oh, they'll find their user alright. Me." Kaiba said to no one in particular. Never having noticed the small camera placed in a darkened corner of his office.
Location: Unknown
In a darkened room a computer monitor turned off and the person who had been watching the events in Seto Kaiba's office turned, a twisted smile playing on his lips.
"Excellent, he's doing just as I'd hoped. Five years ago that fool Malik squandered the greatest opportunity in history by letting his ambition become tainted by his thirst for revenge, that however will not be the case with me... Oh no, I learned my lesson the last time." The man said in a low, ominous voice.
"Now, Chemo." He turned his attention to a tall man in a black suit, still wearing dark black sunglasses, his right wrist contained in a fresh cast.
"You've failed me. I do not tolerate failure!" The man behind the desk rose abruptly, his face catching briefly in the small amount of light that filtered into the office from a window to his right. To brief for a full image of his face, but enough to know his face was scarred, his eyes a cold golden yellow color.
"However, unlike Malik I am willing to forgive minor failures, provided you're able to survive a trial by fire." The figure's voice became even more sinister, a distinct chill came over the small office.
"Wh...What do you mean sir?" Chemo stammered as he began backing towards the door, moving his injured right arm behind him in a vain attempt to protect the damaged limb.
"Oh, Just this." the figure reached over and pressed a button on his desk, two men came into the office and began dragging the confused Chemo towards the northern wall of the office, their faces cold and impassive they locked his legs and arms into the brackets on the wall, having a small amount of difficulty with his right wrist.
"Now Chemo," the dark figure started. "What's going to happen is this, you're going to be branded with a scar, when the pain from the infliction of this scar can be completely blocked out, so you show no sign of pain, you'll be forgiven." The figure motioned to the two guards who promptly tore open Chemos neatly pressed business suit and opened two cabinets on each side of him.
"Shall we begin?" The figure asked politely, though a cold edge had entered his voice. He reached over and pressed another button on his desk. From the cabinets on each side of the restrained Chemo came a large drill attached to a robotic arm, and some type of nozzle with a hose leading into it, a small glowing pin which promptly ignited into a small flame attached to yet another arm.
Chemo began to scream, a scream that one would not expect from such a large man. A scream of absolute terror.
After several hours the dark figure approached the prone body of Chemo.
"Oh, you've finally passed the test, what a shame... I really thought you'd last longer than your predecessor." The figure walked to his desk and picked up the phone.
"Yes, I'll require a clean up crew here, it seems our dear friend Mr. Chemo has decided to end his employment with our organization." The figure hung up the phone and turned back to the prone form of Chemo,"I guess I forgive you Chemo, you stopped showing signs of pain." He began to laugh. A bone chilling laugh that only a truly mad individual could produce.
The Marcus Residence, 7:45pm
"You did very well in that Duel Sam." Robert said as he set down a plate of food before Sammantha and then took his place on the opposite side of the table.
"Thanks honey, It felt good. It's the first time I've EVER beaten Mai." Sammantha paused and took a spoon full of rice." Why did you go all out on dinner tonight?" Sammantha asked as she sprinkled a little salt onto her meal.
"Well, I figure while the Tourney's going on good home cooked meals won't really be an option, so why not get what we can while we can? Robert said, then stuffed a piece of chicken into his mouth.
As the meal wrapped up they both took care of the dishes, Robert washing Sammantha drying, trading ideas on what the Tournament might be like, this was the first time the Island was being opened to the public, several months before it's announced opening date.
"Well, I don't know about you but I might just sleep up until we have to leave for the harbor." Robert said as he stretched his arms above his head and yawned.
"Yeah, I'm feeling a little 'tired' too." Sammantha nudged Robert in the ribs and gave him a kiss when he looked at her.
The both headed upstairs, turning lights off as they went, the last light out was the one in their bedroom...
Muto Residence, 10:45pm
"Hmm... so If I take out the feral imp and add in La Jinn My deck should have a little more power to it, and with the magic and trap cards that were swapped in we should be pretty hard to beat." Yugi said, seemingly to thin air. In truth he was talking to the Spirit of the Millennium Puzzle.
'Yes Yugi, but remember even the most powerful cards are useless if you don't use them properly.' The spirit "Said" though only Yugi could hear it at the moment.
"Yeah, I know..." Yugi yawned and rubbed his eyes looking over at his desk clock he realized why he was so tired.
"I think it's time for bed, I'll be useless in a duel if I'm exhausted." Yugi climbed into bed and reached over turning off the lamp at his bedside.
Downtown Domino, Tanoshii Taizai Suru* 11:45pm
"It's not going to happen again, I won't let her beat me again." Mai mumbled to herself in her hotel room as she looked through her deck and spare cards.
"And while Joey was watching too..." Mai's face took on a sad look...
"Never again." She sternly repeated as she went through her deck yet again.
Wheeler Residence, 1:00am
"Joey?" Serenity entered her big brothers room, having seen the light on and the door ajar.
"Joey, are you..." She trailed off, Joey was face down on his desk snoring. Duel Monsters cards scattered about the desk, some piled neatly others simply sitting in a heap.
"Oh Joey..." She sighed as she hoisted him to his bed and pulled the covers over him.
As she left she turned off the lamp on his desk...
Kaiba Residence, 2:30am
"There, all done. Now no one can touch me." Kaiba announced to himself smiling as he shuffled his deck a few ties, drawing a hand and reshuffling each time.
"Soon, I'll have my God Card back, then... the other two will be mine as well." Kaiba shut off the lights in his office and retired to bed.
"Yeah, Sorority Sister we went to College together, we pledged the same house and were roommates." Sammantha had a slightly exasperated look on her face as she explained.
Then she shot a look at Robert, "You should know all about this I told you all about it a few weeks ago!" She was starting to get that edge in her voice again.
"Umm, oh yeah, her name must've slipped my mind... heh heh." Robert was slowly backing up rubbing the back of his head.
"That was a REALLY good duel Sammantha, I've never seen a deck built like that before." Yugi stepped forward diverting Sammanthas furious gaze away from Robert.
'Yugi, you're my new hero.' Robert thought as he sighed in relief.
"Thank you Yugi, I appreciate the compliment." Sammantha smiled at the young man.
"That really was a great duel honey, You did a fantastic job modifying your deck." Robert said as he stepped up and put his right hand on her left shoulder.
"Yeah I guess." Joey was hanging back, with a somewhat sour look on his face.
"What's the matter Joey? That crow not tasting very good?" Tristan teased.
"What?" Sammantha was confused by Joey's reaction to the outcome of the Duel.
"Joey was kinda pushing for Mai." Robert politely explained, leaving out the more colorful parts of the debate.
"So Yugi, you're the number on ranked Duelist in the world huh?" Sammantha turned her crystal blue eyes back to the spikey haired young man.
"Yeah, I guess, but you know what they say, there's always some one better." He replied smiling meekly.
"C'mon Yug, no one's better than you." Joey called as he walked up.
"Isn't that just about the same boast you made about Mai?" Robert sarcastically said.
"Hey, Yugi's number one in the world for a reason, He beat all three of the God cards, he beat Kaiba, Pegasus, Malik even Me!" Joey boasted for his friend. Yugi was beginning to look some what uncomfortable.
"Alright Joey, you're sucha hot shot Duelist. Let's go. I could use some warm up matches before the Tournament." Robert stepped forward and locked his Duel Disk in place.
"I'd love to!" Joey locked his Duel Disk into position aswell, then his cell phone Rang.
"Uh, hold on a sec okay?" Joey didn't wait for a response as he answered his phone.
"Hello? Oh hey sis, what's up? They what!? Why? Don't sweat it, your big bro is on his way." Joey ended the call and turned back to Robert who had a some what bored look on his face.
"Listen, as much as I'd like to wipe the pavement with you my little sister needs me, so I'll need a rain check." Joey deactivated his Duel Disk and slowly started towards the road.
"I'll look forward to our match on the Island Joey, No interruptions there." Robert smiled and called after the blond man.
"No Problem, I'll toast you there." Joey smirked as he picked up his pace and made his way to a parked car, a few moments later he was gone.
"So Yugi," Robert turned towards the young man as he deactivated his Duel Disk. "You've actually beaten the God Cards? I thought that was impossible." Roberts interest was piqued.
"Yeah, it was tough too, each card has a weakness but it was so hard to find them." Yugi's face darkened as he remembered each of the duels.
"And while beating them was hard, controlling them was even harder, it was like I was being swept away in a strong river each time I played them, their power was amazing." Yugi's demeanor seemed to change slightly as he recalled the experiences, his voice changed slightly and his presence seemed, somehow more imposing.
"Both Obelisk and Osiris were certainly a handful, and Ra..." Yugi trailed off, as though the memory of the usage of that card in particular were to much to bear.
"If you'll excuse me, I need to attend to something, and Unfortunately the duel after the announcement has put me behind schedule, I'll see you both on the Island, I look forward to facing you both, good bye." With that he turned and walked away.
"Strange guy." Robert said quietly to himself. Then quickly ran after Yugi, "HEY YUGI! What ever happened to the God Cards?"
Yugi stopped and stood perfectly still, his spine went stiff as if he'd felt a shiver run up it. "The were locked away after the first battle city, but unfortunately a few days before the announcement of this Tournament all three of them were stolen. Now Excuse me, I have to go." He finished as he walked away.
Kaiba Corp. Tower, across town...
"So, now the Tournaments been finalized. Good, The Tomb Keepers thank you Seto Kaiba." A tall attractive woman spoke through a white veil.
"Don't thank me, just remember my price for this, I want MY card back." Kaiba turned the chair behind his desk away from the window it had been facing and looked intently at the woman standing on the other side of his desk. His blue eyes shinning in the office lights, his gaze never wavering.
"Don't worry, It's destiny has returned to your family again, as it will in the future, as it has in the past. The Immense Divine Soldier of Obelisk will be yours again, but the other two cards..." She trailed off.
"They must find their users on their own." With that she turned and left the office.
"Oh, they'll find their user alright. Me." Kaiba said to no one in particular. Never having noticed the small camera placed in a darkened corner of his office.
Location: Unknown
In a darkened room a computer monitor turned off and the person who had been watching the events in Seto Kaiba's office turned, a twisted smile playing on his lips.
"Excellent, he's doing just as I'd hoped. Five years ago that fool Malik squandered the greatest opportunity in history by letting his ambition become tainted by his thirst for revenge, that however will not be the case with me... Oh no, I learned my lesson the last time." The man said in a low, ominous voice.
"Now, Chemo." He turned his attention to a tall man in a black suit, still wearing dark black sunglasses, his right wrist contained in a fresh cast.
"You've failed me. I do not tolerate failure!" The man behind the desk rose abruptly, his face catching briefly in the small amount of light that filtered into the office from a window to his right. To brief for a full image of his face, but enough to know his face was scarred, his eyes a cold golden yellow color.
"However, unlike Malik I am willing to forgive minor failures, provided you're able to survive a trial by fire." The figure's voice became even more sinister, a distinct chill came over the small office.
"Wh...What do you mean sir?" Chemo stammered as he began backing towards the door, moving his injured right arm behind him in a vain attempt to protect the damaged limb.
"Oh, Just this." the figure reached over and pressed a button on his desk, two men came into the office and began dragging the confused Chemo towards the northern wall of the office, their faces cold and impassive they locked his legs and arms into the brackets on the wall, having a small amount of difficulty with his right wrist.
"Now Chemo," the dark figure started. "What's going to happen is this, you're going to be branded with a scar, when the pain from the infliction of this scar can be completely blocked out, so you show no sign of pain, you'll be forgiven." The figure motioned to the two guards who promptly tore open Chemos neatly pressed business suit and opened two cabinets on each side of him.
"Shall we begin?" The figure asked politely, though a cold edge had entered his voice. He reached over and pressed another button on his desk. From the cabinets on each side of the restrained Chemo came a large drill attached to a robotic arm, and some type of nozzle with a hose leading into it, a small glowing pin which promptly ignited into a small flame attached to yet another arm.
Chemo began to scream, a scream that one would not expect from such a large man. A scream of absolute terror.
After several hours the dark figure approached the prone body of Chemo.
"Oh, you've finally passed the test, what a shame... I really thought you'd last longer than your predecessor." The figure walked to his desk and picked up the phone.
"Yes, I'll require a clean up crew here, it seems our dear friend Mr. Chemo has decided to end his employment with our organization." The figure hung up the phone and turned back to the prone form of Chemo,"I guess I forgive you Chemo, you stopped showing signs of pain." He began to laugh. A bone chilling laugh that only a truly mad individual could produce.
The Marcus Residence, 7:45pm
"You did very well in that Duel Sam." Robert said as he set down a plate of food before Sammantha and then took his place on the opposite side of the table.
"Thanks honey, It felt good. It's the first time I've EVER beaten Mai." Sammantha paused and took a spoon full of rice." Why did you go all out on dinner tonight?" Sammantha asked as she sprinkled a little salt onto her meal.
"Well, I figure while the Tourney's going on good home cooked meals won't really be an option, so why not get what we can while we can? Robert said, then stuffed a piece of chicken into his mouth.
As the meal wrapped up they both took care of the dishes, Robert washing Sammantha drying, trading ideas on what the Tournament might be like, this was the first time the Island was being opened to the public, several months before it's announced opening date.
"Well, I don't know about you but I might just sleep up until we have to leave for the harbor." Robert said as he stretched his arms above his head and yawned.
"Yeah, I'm feeling a little 'tired' too." Sammantha nudged Robert in the ribs and gave him a kiss when he looked at her.
The both headed upstairs, turning lights off as they went, the last light out was the one in their bedroom...
Muto Residence, 10:45pm
"Hmm... so If I take out the feral imp and add in La Jinn My deck should have a little more power to it, and with the magic and trap cards that were swapped in we should be pretty hard to beat." Yugi said, seemingly to thin air. In truth he was talking to the Spirit of the Millennium Puzzle.
'Yes Yugi, but remember even the most powerful cards are useless if you don't use them properly.' The spirit "Said" though only Yugi could hear it at the moment.
"Yeah, I know..." Yugi yawned and rubbed his eyes looking over at his desk clock he realized why he was so tired.
"I think it's time for bed, I'll be useless in a duel if I'm exhausted." Yugi climbed into bed and reached over turning off the lamp at his bedside.
Downtown Domino, Tanoshii Taizai Suru* 11:45pm
"It's not going to happen again, I won't let her beat me again." Mai mumbled to herself in her hotel room as she looked through her deck and spare cards.
"And while Joey was watching too..." Mai's face took on a sad look...
"Never again." She sternly repeated as she went through her deck yet again.
Wheeler Residence, 1:00am
"Joey?" Serenity entered her big brothers room, having seen the light on and the door ajar.
"Joey, are you..." She trailed off, Joey was face down on his desk snoring. Duel Monsters cards scattered about the desk, some piled neatly others simply sitting in a heap.
"Oh Joey..." She sighed as she hoisted him to his bed and pulled the covers over him.
As she left she turned off the lamp on his desk...
Kaiba Residence, 2:30am
"There, all done. Now no one can touch me." Kaiba announced to himself smiling as he shuffled his deck a few ties, drawing a hand and reshuffling each time.
"Soon, I'll have my God Card back, then... the other two will be mine as well." Kaiba shut off the lights in his office and retired to bed.