"You call me cocky. You say that I act like the king of the world, act like I am the best. You complain that I walk around with a chip on my shoulder and treat you all unfair.

But what has given you the insight, the intelligence, the right to proclaim who is worthy to act in such ways and who shouldn't? Who proclaimed you judge and jury in my manners? Do you know of my trials? Have you fought the battles I faced? Did you war against my enemies and win my battles? If not, then who are you to judge me?

-Geno Roads

Entrance

"Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to Kaibacorp Stadium and the preliminary duels!"

The crowd cheered this, waving flags and posters decorated with the images of duel monsters, duelists and team logos. After about a minute, the announcer began again.

"As you all know, these duels will determine the ranks and orders for the upcoming Duel Monster's Duelist Kingdom tournament. The next two weeks will determine the ranks for the finals, so each duel is important. Make sure to give each team and duelist your love!" The crowd cheered again, and chants of various names filling the arena. "Ladies and Gentlemen....the duelists!"

Seto sighed. "Give the duelists your love? Geez....if he wanted to make me vomit, he could have played the tape of Wheeler winning the King of Games Title"

Tea looked over at him. "It's nice to know that after all these years, you still have a sharp tongue."

He leaned in very close and whispered, "You would know."

Tea's eyes went wide and she smacked him on the shoulder. "You and your mouth! Whatever possessed me to marry you?"

"There are bets in Vegas it was my money."

"Speaking of Joey, looks like his daughter's team is coming out." Tea pointed to a tall 17 year-old with long blonde hair. She grinned and waved to the ground, only to trip over the first step of the platform.

"Joey's kid alright."

"You know, I am sitting right behind you."

Seto looked up at Joey and frowned. "don't remind me."

Mai looked at Seto, her mouth twitching. "You can insult me, you can insult my husband...no offense Joey...but I draw the line with our daughter." Mai leaned closer. "I can serve as many insults as you can Seto. How would you like me to begin to talk about your son and a certain duel monster he uses...."

Yugi sighed. "Guys, can we try and act like adults?" He leaned back in his seat, looking over at everyone. This box was Kaos' private box at the stadium as well as Seto Mokuba, Raia and Guy's. The four of them had overruled Seto, and made it that family and friends were allowed to view the matches there.

"You know, your all only here because of my sister's choice of husbands."

Raia glared at him and began to stand up, Guy's hand catching her and gently pulling her down. He turned and looked at Seto. "I will ignore that first comment. However, my father made this box for family, and I am not going to allow my sister and brother-in-law to sit with the common folk."

Galanodel, who had official changed her name from Michelle to the name her father had given her during their first travel, nodded and squeezed Yami's hand. "Thank you little brother."

"Don't call me little. I am a foot and a half taller then you!"

Gala looked at her brother. "I was talking age you nitwit."

Guy frowned. "it's called a joke."

"Children." Everyone turned at looked at Yami, who closed his eyes and prayed everyone would calm down. He slowly looked down at the duelists and watched as another team entered.

Seto shook his head. "And you expect me to act civil when I have to be near Yami....the guy that magically appeared out of Yugi?!?"

Yami frowned. "Kaiba, we are related, so I suggest you deal with it. Now, as much as you dislike it, Yugi and I are like brothers, and as such, him and his friends are welcome here anytime they want."

Rebecca Hawkins-Moto nodded. "So watch it or I'll...."

Yugi gently pulled her back to her seat. "Doesn't anyone find it sad that we are all around 40 years old and still act like teenagers?"

Guy shrugged. "We all haven't aged a day in 20 years, why act like we have?"

Mokuba chuckled as he got out of his seat and walked over to the mini-fridge. "Speak for yourself." He flexed one of his biceps, watching the muscles dance. "You happen to look nothing like I did 20 years ago."

"That's just because you had Kaos train you for hours on end for 4 years....Mokie." Raia grinned as Mokuba paled. "Hey....were is Tristan and Serenity?"

Joey scoffed. "There with Dr. K and what's her face...."

"What's her face?" Yugi looked at his best friend. "Veronica is going to be marry Dr. Kevin, their godparent's to Tristan and your sister's son...and you don't know her name?!?!"

Seto frowned and looked out over the field. "How the hell did Dr. Kevin Allen and Veronica Noga get a sky box...as big as ours!"

Tea chuckled. "He's a vampire, she's head of MIB...what did you expect?"

"Half vampire." Yami said.

"Speaking of people not here...where is your dad Gala?" Rebecca said. "I mean, counting your daughter Lysandra with Guy's kids, he has 4 grandchildren in this tournament."

Gala smiled. "Daddy.....he has another sky box." She nodded at Guy. "The four of us saw it before."

Rebecca looked at Yami. "You go from his hit list to kill to favorite son-in-law. Hmmm, that's what happens when you marry his daughter I guess."

"And not seal her soul in a golden little heart." Kaikou said, appeared next to Raia.

Seto shuddered. "As many times as I see her do that, it still freaks me out."

"So, what does this skybox look like Yami?" Mai asked.

"I'll tell you this....it's out of this world."

"All hail Lord Kaos, master of the heavens and..."

"Down in front!"

The angelic messenger looked at Kaos and sighed. "My lord, how am I suppose to do my job if you continually don't allow me to finish?"

Kaos shrugged and ran his fingers down Nephthys' back. She mummers softly and wiggled on his lap. He smiled and repositioned on the throne he had made out the very cloud they were now in. "I'm king, so I'll give you a new job.....if you want, you could work for Siris..."

"No no, I'm fine!"

Kaos and Neph giggled. Siris may have been a powerful magic user, yet he was still just a two month old. As such, he tended to drive many angel nannies crazy when he would summon cartoon characters into life and levitate sugar bags into his crib.

Neph laid her head on his shoulder. "Mmmm....we really need to get Siris a babysitter....I miss you so much."

Diantha looked at her parents. "First off...ew." Kaos chuckled and gave her a gentle squeeze on the shoulder. "Second off, if you're so desperate to give me a baby brother or sister, I could watch Siris."

The youngest Roads giggled from his baby carrier and clapped his hands, squealing happily. All three laughed at his celebration, and then Kaos clapped his hands. "Puck!"

The hobgoblin appeared. "Yes my lord?"

"What have we missed?" Kaos held out his hand, and a cloud billowed, becoming a TV screen.

"They have begun their silly opening ceremonies. If I may say my lord, what fools these mortals be."

"Some of those "mortals" are my grandchildren."

Puck paled. "Sorry my lord."

Kaos sighed and nuzzled Neph. "enough Puck....return to your service to Oberon." Puck faded and Kaos cracked his neck as Neph kisses her chin.

"I find it so funny how you can live as a mortal for 5000 years, and become so use to godhood in less then 30 years."

"Ha ha ha Neph." Kaos held out his hand and summoned a bucket of popcorn. He held out a piece, and Neph giggled, grabbing the kernel with her tongue and sucking it in quickly. Kaos smiled and took out on and tossed it in his mouth, and watched as the doom of the stadium closed and everything went dark. "Ooo, there they come."

The crowd grew quiet, all eyes straining to figure out from which entrance the group would come from, the final team to enter the Duelist Kingdom Opening Ceremony. After a moment, a woman's voice pierced the darkness:

"Let's Get It Started, in here"

And with that, the opening to the Black Eyed Peas' "Let's Get it Started" began to play over the loud speakers. The crowd remained quiet however, as the announcer began to speak during the opening lull.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, we are proud to present to you our final and oldest team. It's members in the past included Geno Roads, Bandit Keith, Seto Kaiba, Raia Chitoshi, Guy Roads, Mokuba Kaiba...and now, the current members, 3 of which are former winners at this tournament, including last years victor....ladies and gentlemen.....THE BANDITS!"

With that, the doom erupted in a shower of golden sparks as four figures stepped into the arena. The crowd erupted as the chorus to the dance beat began to play and each member began to bob their head to the music.

"Kenji Kaiba!"

Seto smiled as the lights turned to his son, Kenji staring out. He looked a lot like Seto, except he had his mother's hair and his face was softer. Yet there was that gleam, that gleam Seto had whenever he was about to duel. Kenji adjusted his coat, a black and red version of his father's Battle City coat. He looked out the crowd and nodded to his fans.

"Lilka Chitoshi-Roads!"

Lilka slowly scanned the audience, her blonde hair slightly fluttering from the wind machine that was on them. She wore a long brown coat tat came just below her hips, a black tank top and jeans. She smiled softly and continued to nod to the beat.

"Their newest member, Tressa Chitoshi-Roads!"

Tressa smiled, barely able to keep her head up. It had been easy not to get excited when no one could see her, but now, under the lights, the crowd cheering and welcoming her, she couldn't help the smile forming on her lips. She looked around, and then raised her arm, the crowd bursting with cheers.

"And finally, last years King of Games....Owen Chitoshi-Roads!"

The lights came on Owen, and the stadium shook due to the applause. Owen was dressed in a long crimson leather coat, a black muscle shirt and jeans nearly painted on him. But what got the most response was what adorned his head. He was wearing the bandana and glasses his grandfather Geno had worn when he had first started the bandits.

The name and group had begun as a duelist team. Instead, it had been a group, as the name implied, of thieves. Among its members had been Geno, Keith as well as Diane and Tanaika Chitoshi, the parents of Seto, Raia and Mokuba. The group had gone straight after Geno had staged a hostile take over of Gazabora Kaiba's international communications corporation and later been reborn as a duelist team with Geno and Keith during the first Duelist Tournament. Guy would take Keith's place, and the Chitoshi twins Seto and Raia taking their parents spots. After Geno had ascended, Mokuba became the 4th member, and had even lead the group till he had retired from duel a few years ago, giving the group officially and completely to Kenji, Owen and Lilka.

Owen reached into his coat and pulled out a mike. The crowd grew quiet and the music died. He looked at Tressa, and threw her the microphone.

"Light the fire sis."

Tressa gulped, and steadying her nerves, pulled the mike to her lips. Do it as Seto would have. she thought.

"Are you ready for a show?"
The crowd erupted, and she sighed with relief, grabbing the mike with a bit more confidence. "Then let's start this!"

The instant the words were spoken, it was as if something snapped in the bandits, and all 4 were running around signing autographs and amping up the crowd. Most notably, they each had a giant smile on their face.

"Tressa!"

Tressa looked up, and smiled as a little girl waved to her, a Blue Eyes on her shirt, begging for an autograph. Tressa frowned, the girl was seated too high up and there was no way she could reach her little fan.

"WHOA!"

Tressa's eyes went wide as she rose in the air. She grabbed Lilka's head as her sister stood up, lifting Tressa up on her shoulders. Tressa reached, and frowned as she came just a foot short. Lilka merely smiled. "OWEN!"

"On it!" Owen walked towards them, and Lilka jumped 7 feet vertical, landing on her brother's broad shoulders. He didn't even grunt as his sisters landed, and positioned. Tressa smiled and took the pen from the little girl and signed her book, the child grinning from ear to ear, then giving her a quick hug. Owen then jumped, and the three disconnected, landing on their feet to the roar of the crowd...and then their laugher as Kenji leapt over them and landed, hogging the spot light for a moment.

Finally, after a few minutes of working the crowd, the three ran up the steps of the main platform, shaking hands with the other duelists. However, everything frozen when they reached one duelist.

"Lysandra."

Lysandra, Gala and Yami's daughter, stood up and looked up at Owen. While each of Guy and Raia's kids were 6 foot 3, Lysandra was only 5 foot 4, so she had almost a foot to look up at her cousins. She had long silver and brown hair, with Gala's soft features and Yami's dark eyes. She stared back at him, both of their faces fixed in a frown.

"You know what I have to do, don't you?" Lys asked. Owen merely nodded, and Lys moved closer....and jumped up, giving him a big hug. Owen caught her and lowers a bit to allow her an easy access to his upper body. He smiled and patted her on the shoulder.

"How are ya Lys?"

Lysandra smiled. "Good. I got a new team."

"So I saw." Owen said, looking over the group of duelists and giving them a nod. He knew them all enough: they were each a child of a famous duelist. He nodded to Heather Wheeler and Kiarou Taylor, Joey's and Tristan's children, respectively. He looked over at Lilka to make sure she wasn't about to jump on Heather and do bodily harm. He then paused, and looked over at the four members.

She was maybe a little older then Tressa, around 17 or 18. The girl was around Lys' height, her hair starting with a trail of purple that was framed with a bit of black and then a radiant blonde. She looked up at Owen, fingering an upside-down pyramid that hung from around her neck, her deep bright eyes watching him. He licked his lips and adjusted the hammer pendent that hung under his shirt and then turned to Lys.

"Owen, Lilka, Tressa, Kenji; meet Kelli Moto."

Tressa nodded. "So you're the legendary daughter of Yugi Moto? It's an honor to meet you....I heard you are quite a duelist."

Kelli smiled at Tressa. "And if you are anything like your siblings when it comes to dueling skills....you should be quite a duelist yourself." Kelli then muttered, "Let's hope you don't have their egos."

Lilka frowned. "what did you say little girl?"

Heather stood up. "I'd watch what you say Roads."

Lilka moved up closer and balled her fist. "what will you do about it, monkey girl."

"MONKEY!" Heather hissed, the word rapidly becoming a curse word in the Wheeler family.

Kiarou frowned and stood up. Kiarou had dark hair, which he kept at a medium length, just a bit shaggy as well as a goatee. He was wearing a simple black shirt and blue jeans, as well as MIB issued sunglasses. "Now both of you knock it off. We came her to duel, not fight. Now, sit down and let us get the games started.

Owen nodded and Lilka frowned, sitting down in a huff. Owen sat next to her, and to keep space between her and Heather, Tressa sat between Lysandra and her brother, Kenji at the end of the aisle.

Everyone turned as the lights focused on the center of the stage, and Maximillion Pegasus stepped out. Just as Seto had noticed, he too had been "frozen" at his age the day Geno ascended, and through he should have looked 60, was only around 40 years old.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to the start of the Duel Monster's tournament season. As always, we start out with my tournament, Duelist Kingdom, which will crown the new queen or king of games. I would like to thank Seto Kaiba for allowing us to use the KaibaCorp Domino stadium. Now, before we get to our first matches, we will go over the current rules.

"Every duelist begins with 6000 lp as the duel starts. You can win by either bringing your opponent to 0, decking them out, achieving an instant win or forfeit. Now, about the rankings.

"Now, there are two ranks, that of team and that of individual. The way this works is simple: every duelist receives a individual score that is made up of 2 parts. First, for every win, you receive 100 points to your score, which will start at 0. However, as always, there is a catch to winning if you plan to just beat your opponent to death. After each match, the total number of cards you used will be subtracted from your score. Each monster card has a value of their level, and each magic and trap card has a value of 1.

"Now, this year, we are adding a new twist. If the match is a close one, as in within 1000 points, both players will receive 50 points onto their scores. And, if you manage to come back from a deficit of 2000 lp, you will gain another 50 to your normal 100 for a win."

Owen an Lilka looked at each other and leaned in close. "This makes it interesting." Owen said.

"Ya...it instill the urge to never give up. You'll almost never see a forfeit now, as there is a chance to at least get 50 points."

"And if you can come from behind, you get an extra 100. They must be real interested in making the duels fiercer."

Pegasus allowed the duelist to talk about the new change. He smiled, watching them. There was nothing he enjoyed more then making duelists nervous. And this new twist was getting a few of them very alert.

"Now, the second part of your score comes from team rating. Now, if you are dueling without an affiliated team for that match, we merely double it to get your final score. However, if you have a team affiliation, we take the average score of all members and add it to your individual score. As you all can guess, this can be a double edge sword. IF your team does very well, it can raise your own ranking. But, if a member does poorly, it can lower you down and cost you easier matching during the official tournament."

Pegasus paused. "Ladies and Gentlemen, with that...it is time to begin Duel Kingdom!" The crowd cheered as duelist's names began to appear on the main screens. "There will be two rounds of duel, the first round taking place over the next two days, with the other one to be scheduled later. Now, it is time for the first match."

The names began to light up at random, and everyone waited to see who would go first. Finally, the flashing frozen, and the crowd cheered.

"The first match will be Kenji Kaiba vs. Weevil Underwood in 20 minutes. All teams may now move to their seats in the arena as we begin to get the duelist platform ready."

Owen looked over at Kenji. "You ready?"

Kenji smiled slightly. "If my father could beat that creep, I can too."