Hey everyone. Yawns Damn I'm tired. I got up at 5 am Saturday in order to go see Cindy, and didn't get to sleep any while with her sadly. Still, we did have fun, and her half dog demon is back up and happy. Falls asleep. About five minutes later, falls out of chair. Huh, what! Oh, sorry about that. I got little sleep and was worked to the max.

Oh yeah, I did pick up mine and Cindy's wedding rings Friday night. They're wonderful looking. They're silver with black inscribed into them, and there is a diamond on Cindy's ring. I like how they look, and we picked them out together a few weeks ago. We just had to get them sized to fit. But yay, now we have rings! We just have to go get married sometime, lol. We're planning next month, so happy day! At any rate, time for the reviews.

Isis the Sphinx: I did that from time to time. I tried to convert all numbers to words, but I didn't get them all. More than likely, I was tired, lol. I did a lot of writing near midnight or later. Of course, later on I did it through the day.

CWATZ: Yeah… Freaky indeed.

Metal Overlord 2.0: Try stripping Ryou naked and posting Polaroid's probably, lol. But yeah, he has to use all ten cards. You'll see the changes slowly throughout the duels with the associates. I made it competitive, but practical and possible. I think everyone will like the modifications I made.

Tomb Robber Vicky: I don't blame you about Joey. Everyone has a favorite they're protective of. Yep, Kuriboh has saved many lives this tournament. He'll maybe get the MVP award, lol. Yeah, he's allowing Illidan to fix his deck however he likes. Yep, it'll be interesting, that's for sure.

Ultimate Legendary Master: Thanks for the comments. Nah, they're not a chapter each. I think they ranged between 2-3, I believe. We'll find out later on about what Gozaburo has planned, so no worries. It'll be addressed, eventually, lol.

Brianna Ishtar: Ok… Slowly backs away. Yeah, you all go ahead and talk it out.

Pink-kiss-candy: NO! You poor thing, you had to burn all that stuff! My step brother in real life had to burn his cards. It sucked to be him, I'm sure, lol. This was due to a conflict with my step mom, his mom. She finds them "evil" and need destroyed. Yeah… Needlessly to say, I have since guarded my cards much better and have no intentions on burning them.

Fire Princess: Lol, it's alright. True, I have no clue what Croakie is, but it's alright. Glad it reminds you of your two's love. I tried to write it in memory of the love of me and my fiancé. And yes, English is hard!

Strawberry Cake: Lol, nice post. Good luck with work.

Well, that's all I have this morning. Since I didn't post yesterday, I'll post two this morning. Enjoy guys and girls, and invisible Ryou.

Chapter 114

Once the judge had left Illidan alone, he went over and started punching one of the walls of the tower.

"HOW COULD I HAVE LET HIM DO THAT TO THEM?" That question screamed throughout Illidan's mind. Just like in the past, he couldn't save all his friends, and worst of all, he had possibly lost Marie forever this time.

He continued to smash his fists into the wall, trying to work off all his anger. Even when his hands started bleeding from hitting the wall, he didn't stop. He just continued to punch it. Finally, feeling tired, he stopped. He slumped down against it, bringing his knees up to his chest. He then sat there with his head down on his knees. Tears had started forming in his eyes during the whole punching workout.

Softly, he said "I've failed them, just like I failed to save Marie back in ancient times."

He then buried his face deeper into his knees, crying even more. Suddenly then, he felt a presence of someone he hadn't felt in over 5 millennia. He looked up to see a ghostly like figure. Slowly, he recognized the figure as his former teacher from the group of nomads he'd trained with. It was the man who he had once called a second father and best friend. This man was none other than the leader of the nomads, who called himself Squall. Squall looked at the somber young man with eyes of fire.

"Get up Illidan. Why do you give up the fight when it's not yet over?" he said in a voice that sounded of another world.

Illidan dried his eyes and stood. He stared in disbelief. Here was his teacher, whom had been dead for five millennia. Staring at his teacher, he said in a curious voice "Is it really you Squall?"

Squall laughed and said "Is that all you have to say to your old teacher? Didn't I teach you any respect, my young pupil."

Illidan smiled and knew it was truly Squall. "How… how are you here Squall?" Illidan slowly asked.

Squall chuckled and smiled at Illidan. "Never mind that Illidan. Tell me, why you are giving up the fight when it's not yet over?" the spirit replied.

Illidan sighed and looked at the ground. "If I continue, I may lose them all, if not destroy them all. They shouldn't have ever been involved. It's because of me they're in danger anyways. I failed them, just like I failed my friends and Marie in ancient times." he said in a downcast voice.

Squall then walked closer to Illidan and said "Illidan, did I not teach you when to stop feeling sorry for yourself? Besides, from what I remember and saw while in this form, it was not your fault during those times. Gozaburo was the one who brought on the fight. He was the one who stabbed Marie as well. You did all you could and then some. If not for you, Yami's spirit and the others might have died that day. I was so proud of how you handled yourself that day, for you showed true courage and bravery, the one thing I had tried to instill in you. But now, you act as if you did the worst thing possible. Know that you did the right things that day. You saved them all, not failed them all. I know that, for many of them live on, and not one regret that day."

Illidan still stood like a statue, eyes to the ground. His teacher was right, but still, he felt the guilt of that day. Suddenly, he felt a hand on his shoulder.

Squall had placed his hand on his shoulder, and then said "I taught you to never doubt your actions. You did what was right and honorable that day. You should never be ashamed of what you did. You protected them all, and thanks to that, each has had a chance to be reborn. If not for that, there would be no one here now to save this world from the reincarnation of Gozaburo."

Illidan lifted his face to Squall, realizing his mentor was right. He hadn't truly failed them, for each of his friends was now with him. He smiled, knowing for the first time with the knowledge that he hadn't failed them.

Squall smiled and softly chuckled. "Illidan, it's not over though. You must continue the good fight. If you let Gozaburo continue, he'll destroy them. You must find the courage to continue the good fight. Remember my young pupil, I taught you to never give up, even in the face of impossible odds. Surrender is not an option this time, for you know this. Go and fight him with all you have. I know you can win, if you believe in yourself, your deck, and your friends. And never forget, you are fighting for something that matters more to you than anything else. Remember that I always fought hard to protect my family, friends, and most of all, my wife. I know you do the same for Marie, for I watched as you fell in love with her then and now. Don't forget, she is worth the fight, no matter what."

Illidan nodded, for he truly knew what his friend was saying. "I will Squall. I promise to fight till my last breath to protect them all, especially Marie." Illidan replied.

Squall smiled and then replied "Good. And now I must go. Keeping this form is difficult and drains my power."

Illidan quickly asked "Wait, how you are even here? You've been dead for over 5 millennia. You should long be gone from this world."

Squall smiled and replied "I stay here due to the link I kept with you. I was able to maintain a connection to you throughout your life. In essence, I still remain due that I chose to protect and watch over you. True, I really can't protect you that well, but I have watched you slowly over time. I've always kept watch so I'd know the boy I helped raise would become a true man."

Illidan smiled and said "Thank you. I always hated parting with you like I did."

Squall smiled back and turned around. "Never forget that I am always here Illidan. I shall watch over you forever."

With that, he slowly disappeared. Illidan then lost the feeling of the presence. He smiled and looked at his hands. The places on them which had been bleeding were healed somehow.

"Thanks for healing me my friend." he said softly.

With that, he headed towards the elevator. Now renewed with words of his former teacher and friend, he knew what he had to do. He had to press on and win his friends back, at any cost. Slowly, he rode the elevator down to the floor which housed the card room. How he knew where the room was due to the key he had. It gave the room number and all.

Finally, he arrived at the room. He used the key he'd been given to enter and gasped. There were tons upon tons of cards within the room. They were on display all over. He walked towards the middle of the room where a large table sat. He then took his Duel Disk off and took his deck out. Slowly sifting through it, he tried to think what he should keep.

He laid the 10 cards he had to use to the side first. He spread them out and looked at them. He had his own Dark Magician of Chaos, Yami's Slifer the Sky Dragon, Marie's Tyrant Dragon, Joey's Red-Eyes Black Dragon, Marik's Winged Dragon of Ra, Noa's Yamata Dragon, Bakura's Dark Ruler Ha Des, Seto's Obelisk the Tormenter, Mai's Cyber Harpie Lady, and Keith's Perfect Machine King.

Each monster had a different effect. He then noticed 9 out of 10 were tribute monsters. Only Cyber Harpie Lady was thankfully non-tribute. He then made a row on that table for non-tribute, single tribute, double tribute, and triple tribute monsters. He had three monsters that required three tributes, which were all three God Cards. Then he discovered he only had one single tribute monster as well. It was just Dark Ruler Ha Des though. The remainder of the five cards required double tributes.

Sighing, Illidan shook his head. "I'll need many non-tribute monsters to even summon some of these cards. Maybe I should look into magic and trap cards that help me summon more monsters. Also possibly find some monsters that help summon other monsters." he said some what softly.

He then grabbed his deck. Slowly, he looked through it, trying to find out what he wanted to keep. So far, he had 10 cards he had to have in his deck. As he looked through his deck, he realized he wanted the other three tribute monsters he had, which were Jinzo, Chaos Emperor Dragon – Envoy of the End, and Valkyrion the Magna Warrior. So, he placed the three monsters out on the side. He then set his deck down and looked at each of the three cards. Finally, he took them and added them to the other 10 cards he had laying out. He added Jinzo into the single tribute area, and then stood there thinking where to put his dragon and warrior. Finally, he made a new row for them, calling it his special summon row.

Now he had 13 cards in his new deck. This made him realize in order to use Valkyrion, he needed all three Magnet Warriors. He slowly dug them out of his deck and placed the three in the non-tribute monster area. Now he had 16 cards picked out.

Slowly, he constructed his deck. After a great while, he had his deck pieced together. Sighing, for he'd finally finished, he only hoped his new deck would work.

"I know it will." he told himself. He then continued with "I just have to put my faith and trust in it. Besides, I have nine cards in it from my friends who trust me. With their help, I'll win this tournament and put an end to Gozaburo's evil."

He then looked at the clock. He had started right about 1 P.M., and it was now 3:30. Sighing again, he got up and slid his new deck into his Duel Disk. Then he gathered up the cards he'd taken out of his deck. He placed them in his deck holder. He then made sure he had put everything else up. After getting the room cleaned up, he slowly walked out and locked the door back.

Illidan then headed for his room. Once there, he took a quick shower. When he got done, he placed his old cards in his suitcase, just for safe keeping. Then he fixed himself some dinner.

While eating, he began to think about the five associates of Gozaburo's that he'd have to face. He'd heard from Yami that those five had once worked for Gozaburo. When Seto had taken over Kaiba Corp though, they joined Seto. Seto eventually fired them all though. Then from what he remembered, Seto had their minds placed into the mainframe of Kaiba Corp as punishment for betraying him.

That's where things go weird. Yami had then told him that the five of them, along with Noa, took them prisoner and placed them all in a virtual world. There, the five fought them all for possession of their bodies. Luckily, all 5 failed to win their duels, so none escaped. What happened to them, Yami didn't know. He guessed more than likely Noa or Gozaburo one destroyed them then, but now that they knew five associates were waiting in the wings, more than likely they'd been saved. Illidan had asked Yami about the five's dueling tactics, but he wasn't sure. He had only faced one of the five and watched part of the others, but really had no clue how they dueled, for each had a different style. Sighing, Illidan wished he had pressed Yami for more information now.

Finally, he finished eating and checked the time. It was already 5 P.M., so Illidan decided to do a little work out. As his former master had always taught him, to train the mind you must first train the body. He went and practiced, gently kicking or punching the wall as some kind of target. Finally, at six, he stopped and cleaned up. After another shower, he was ready to go. It was 6:30, so he figured he'd go ahead and head up to the top of the tower.

"Might as well go early for once." he said with a chuckle. He grabbed his Duel Disk and made sure his new deck was still in it. Once satisfied, he headed towards the elevator. There the judge stood at it. He handed the key he had received earlier in the day back to him.

"Thank you Mr. Stormrage." He politely said to Illidan.

Illidan nodded and asked "May I go to the top now?"

The judge smiled and nodded. The 2 boarded then and went to the top of the tower. There sat Gozaburo in his throne. On each side of him stood two men each. There was a fifth man out in the middle of the dueling ring.

Gozaburo smiled at Illidan's arrival and said "Since you're early, we'll start early."

Illidan nodded with a glare at him. He then turned his attention to the man in the middle. He was a heavy set man with gray hair, which was slightly receding from the looks of it, who wore a business suit and had a cane. As well, he had a Duel Disk strapped to his arm.

He smiled as he saw Illidan. In a burly voice, he said "Is that the young punk I'll be dueling Mr. Kaiba?"

Gozaburo smiled and replied "Yes Gansley, it is."

Illidan smirked at the fact that this old man had called him a young punk.

"Duelists, if you're ready, we shall begin. Both of you please come forward." interrupted the judge. Both Illidan and the business man walked up.

"Please shuffle each other's decks. Then shake hands and return to your places. Next activate your Duel Disks and bring out your Deck Masters. Since Illidan is the champion, he has choice of who goes first." stated the judge.

Illidan thought for a second and then said "I'll go second."

The judge nodded and said "Mr. Gansley shall go first then. Now, hand one another your decks and shuffle. Then proceed."

Illidan handed his deck to Gansley and Gansley did the same to Illidan. Both shuffled and then handed one another back their decks. Illidan then extended his hand to shake, as did Gansley.

"May the best business man win." said Gansley. His handshake was strong to Illidan, but Illidan squeezed back pretty hard himself.

After shaking hands, Gansley then turned and slowly walked away. Once he walked to his position, he turned and threw his cane to the side of the dueling ring.

Illidan as well turned and walked to his designated position on the field and then turned back towards Gansley.

Both then activated their Duel Disks, which unfolded and lit up.

"I call forth my mighty investment, Deepsea Warrior (1600/1800)." An underwater warrior then appeared. He had green scales and some kind of odd armor. He carried a lance with him as well.

Taking a deep breath, Illidan then remembered all he was fighting for. Then in a voice of confidence, he said "Black Luster Soldier – Envoy of the Beginning (3000/2500), come and help bring me victory in this duel." The mighty warrior then appeared beside Illidan. His black armor shined in the setting sun.

Both Illidan and Gansley then drew their first 5 cards. "LET'S DUEL!" declared both.