Welcome to the Kaiba Corp Grand Championship! This is actually one of my favorite arcs in the anime so I knew I had to add this into my story somewhere. There are so many funny moments to let Christine be the biggest sass master she can.

*I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! I only own Christine, my OC. If you recognize anything, I don't own it either.*

I did not want to get up the next day. I was regretting staying up all night with Meg.

Jounouchi barked around the large hotel room, doing his utmost to wake everyone up as noisily as possible. Thankfully, Yugi remained quiet, tip toeing around our shared room to avoid waking me. I was already awake but I appreciated Yugi's kindness. When Jounouchi finally banged on our door, I opened my eyes and glared at the sheet of wood. If Jounouchi weren't mortal… Yugi groaned at that moment as well.

"I understand he's excited but…" Yugi groaned again.

"It's ok, Yugi." I hummed, going to sit up and rubbing my eyes.

"You still need rest though!"

I smiled at him as I turned to climb out of bed. "You also didn't help it since you and Meg stayed up more than half the night doing whatever you were doing!" So Yami did tell him about that… I gave an embarrassed chuckle as I walked towards the bathroom.

"I feel so chastised… Whatever did I do to deserve this from one of my bestest friends?"

Yugi scoffed and it made me laugh. "But really, Yugi. I'm just tired." Yugi's amethyst eyes seemed to look through me but I smiled at him. "I'm pretty sure Kaiba won't torture us before the tournament even starts as much as he probably would like to." That finally made Yugi laugh. "Now scram! Let me get dressed."

I turned around to walk towards the bathroom again before seeing him leave but stopped short when a shiver shot down my spine and hands took my shoulders gently. The kiss at my cheek gave the identity away.

"I'm glad you're feeling better." Yami hummed in my ear.

My smile turned stupid at the sound. I pulled away from his grip but stayed to wrap my boyfriend up in a tight hug. The Millennium Puzzle dug into my side but I didn't let it bother me.

"Thank you again for coming after me, not that I doubted you wouldn't."

Yami hummed contentedly. I pulled away after a long moment and playfully tapped his shoulder. "Now scram! I wanna get dressed in a reasonable time frame." Yami chuckled but did turn to leave, ensuring I was alone to get dressed for the day.

With the California heat, I settled for a comfortable tank top with a thin blouse on top with a pair of black mid-calf leggings Meg obviously stuck in my bag when I wasn't looking. For shoes, I opted for ballet flats that I had bought in Domino. I'd never been to California before so I wasn't entirely sure what to wear at all. Once I was dressed, I quickly washed my face, pulled my hair back into a loose braid to keep it off my neck, then walked out of the room to convene with the gang.

The first thing I see is Anzu glaring daggers at Rebecca, who was clutching onto Yugi's arm like a python. Yugi's expression was unconcerned but he did look a tad uncomfortable with Rebecca being so close. I couldn't help but laugh to which he attempted a glare in return. I smiled back, if only to tease him.

"You're not concerned about that?" Anzu whispered, hopping over to have my ear. "I mean…"

I turned to her and lifted a finger to my lips. It kept Anzu quiet.

"She doesn't know about him nor am I telling her. It's fine."

Anzu gave a soft huff but did nod her head. Rebecca was all over Yugi, not Yami. If anything shifted, Rebecca would be hearing from me.

"Ah!" Professor Hawkins called from the adjoining dining room. "Good Morning, Christine!"

I gave one last comforting smile to Anzu before stepping around Yugi and Rebecca to the table.

"Good morning, Professor. It's been a while, huh?"

"Indeed it has! I do hope you're feeling better today; you looked so…"

The older man fought to say the right word but I smiled at him, stopping his words.

"I'm better today. Thank you for the concern."

Professor Hawkins smiled at me again before turning back to the kitchen and his making of breakfast. "Here, let me help." I took over the making of the eggs while he finished the toast. We worked in silence for a long moment before the Professor spoke again.

"Christine?"

"Hmm?"

"May I ask you a question?"

I turned my head to the older man. The movement ensured he asked his question. "Your friends explained a little about what had happened before you arrived here. About how you are the Great Royal Wife to the Nameless Pharaoh." I couldn't help but be nervous with the sentence.

"Yes?"

"Do you remember anything about the carvings of monsters from your previous life? I have a theory based on them and their placement in temples and other holy places."

"I believe Pegasus has mentioned to me that he based some of the cards off of the sculptures, though he only mentioned the God Cards specifically."

"Though what was the context of the carvings near 3000 years ago? My theory is that the ancients actually played a version of Duel Monsters, albeit with different rules of course."

That was indirectly mentioning the Shadow Games but he didn't want to mention them out loud. "With your memories, perhaps…" I finally shook my head.

"My memories at the moment are more… personal… rather than more court proceedings, if that is even the case."

I turned back to the eggs. The echoes of the nightmare flicked through my head for a second before I pushed it away; I didn't want to fall back into that. "Playing as a child, learning how to read and write hieroglyphics, clutching onto him when I was afraid…" I trailed off from there as Honda quickly stepped through the kitchen to get to the gang. Once he was gone, I spoke even softer than before. "I'm sorry I can't be more help."

"No, dear. It is no trouble at all. I apologize for making you remember painful memories."

I didn't want to burden him with my painful memories so I smiled at the Professor gently.

"None of them are painful, Professor. The memories I have of Egypt right now are very close to my heart; I like remembering them."

If the eggs stayed on the pan any longer, they would burn. "We should finish breakfast before Jounouchi starts to explode from hunger." The Professor acquiesced easily, not fighting me from changing the subject.

We all ate quickly before Mokuba came to collect us. He had grown in the short time we hadn't seen him. I was the only one he wrapped up in a tight hug, asking if I felt ok. How did Mokuba find out about that? I only smiled at him, saying I felt well. The younger Kaiba then practically dragged us out the door, leaving the Professor to relax his day away.

We entered a large gate and Mokuba gestured wildly to the park in front of him.

"Ladies and Gents!" Mokuba proclaimed. "Welcome to Kaiba Land!"

"It's huge!" Jounouchi gawked at the size of the entrance.

The park stretched for as far as I could see. Anzu plucked a map and cozied up to me to look it over. It really was huge! Maybe just as big as Cedar Point when I went with Meg; maybe even bigger.

"We plan to open tons of these all around the world!"

"Looks like they've got every ride ever invented." Anzu mused from next to me.

"Oh, yeah!" Yugi cheered. "Though, I don't think I want to ride next to Christine…"

"It was one picture!" I huffed back at him. "And it was adorable! Are ya gonna blame me?!"

"You put it on your wall!"

"Because it was cute!"

People laughed at our 'argument' with Yugi giving me an annoyed expression while I smiled at him. The fun probably would have continued if Rebecca hadn't grabbed Yugi's arm again.

"I just hope they've got a Tunnel of Love, don't you?" Rebecca hummed.

The familiar annoyance from so long ago came rising out of whatever pit it hid in. Yugi may have looked uncomfortable but he didn't say anything to shake her off; probably just being polite. To keep my face calm, I took a deep breath and focused most of my annoyance into my fist. Anzu seemed to notice as well as she wrapped my own arm up in her own.

"Don't worry." She whispered. "If there is one, I got you."

The annoyance faded into a bright blush.

"Thanks…" I whispered.

Anzu laughed at my bright blush and we continued after Mokuba.

We continued down the main entrance when Jounouchi finally set the mood.

"Before we get the full tour…" Jounouchi breathed. "I gotta use the little boys' room."

"First door on the left!" Mokuba pointed to the door he mentioned but I watched as Jounouchi didn't pay attention.

He continued walking straight until there was a 'Nyeh!' We all turned to see he had nearly walked into the Blue Eyes statue in the middle of the road. Anzu and I both laughed at his surprise.

"It's Blue Eyes!"

"That would be a statue." Honda corrected, leading to more cackling from me.

Once Jounouchi came back, we continued into the park. I was actually amazed to see Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl handing out balloons to children; I'm amazed Kaiba actually allowed that. Kids were everywhere: riding the rides and practically dragging their parents to see every single detail of the park.

"I thought you said the park didn't open yet." Anzu breathed.

"It didn't." Mokuba replied. "These are special guests."

Mokuba then turned around with a smile. "Oh, and did I mention every ride is free today?"

"You guys rock!" Honda cheered.

"I love this place!" Jounouchi cheered with him. "Let's Tilt N' Whirl until we hurl!"

"Yeah!"

Anzu sighed next to me.

"We need more female friends." Anzu sighed.

"Agreed." I sighed back. "Sadly, I think Meg would go with them."

"I thought you liked roller coasters."

"I do. I just hate tilting and whirling until I hurl."

Anzu nodded her head knowingly. I rolled my eyes at my excitable friends before following after Mokuba again, Anzu still on my arm.

"I saved the best part for last!" Mokuba cried once we got everyone moving again. "We call that the Kaiba Dome!"

It was literally a Blue Eyes head as the shape of the stadium. This was definitely Kaiba's park.

"Is that a Blue Eyes arena?!" Yugi gasped.

"We're not dealing with normal people here." Jounouchi breathed.

"No, we're not." Ryuji agreed.

"Agreed." I breathed as well.

We all climbed the steps up into the dome and I was amazed to see one of the largest stadiums I had ever seen.

"It's the world's largest indoor stadium!" Mokuba huffed, obviously filled with pride.

The younger Kaiba then dashed down the stairs towards the arena floor. We all followed a bit more carefully but made it soon after. "And that!" Mokuba pointed to the large almost old school duel platform. "Is the KC Dueltek 760!"

"Not too shabby." Jounouchi obviously reluctantly complimented.

"It's our new state of the art Duel Monsters platform."

There was a duel going on right now and all of our eyes flicked over to it. Jounouchi was sure to make known the rookie mistake the computer made with Mokuba saying to watch carefully. Sure enough, the computer had a plan with the face down card it had to summon the Five headed dragon I hadn't seen since after Duelist Kingdom inside Kaiba's virtual reality game. I flinched into Anzu at the sight and she wrapped an arm around my shoulder. Apparently, according to Mokuba, the computer had the cards and strategies of all the best duelists in the world, including Kaiba's and Yugi's. I couldn't laugh even as Jounouchi tried to beat up Honda when he commented that Jounouchi's deck was only there to ensure it lost once in a while.

"But what fun is it to duel against a computer that always wins?" Anzu asked.

"We thought about that. So we let players choose one of five levels from 'Beginner' all the way to 'Expert'.

It's a way of practicing. Even though Kaiba was a bit of a jerk, I didn't think he would torment kids like that. I smiled when Luke, the kid who was dueling, lost but was comforted and encouraged by the other kids.

Then came the cry of: "Hey! Isn't that Yugi Motou?!"

I saw Yugi flinch. Oh boy… Here it comes. Sure enough, a swarm of kids all came running up to Yugi. Rebecca continued to cling to him while Anzu and I stood nearby.

"Looks like someone's a celebrity." Anzu teased.

"Well…" Yugi replied shyly. "I wouldn't go that far."

"I can't believe it's you!" A tween boy with dark purple hair and sweet light brown eyes gasped when he got to the front of the crowd. "I've been a fan of yours since Duelist Kingdom!"

The boy reached a hand out politely to shake Yugi's. "By the way, I'm Leon!" Yugi was blushing at the praise but did accept the handshake.

"Heeey, anyone want my autograph?" Jounouchi was asking excitedly.

"Are we supposed to know you?" Another boy asked, eyebrow raised suspiciously.

I had to hold back a cackle at the expression that shifted Jounouchi's face. He tried to remind the boy of who he was but no such luck. Then a boy came rushing up to Yugi, deck in hand.

"Could you take a look at my deck, please?" The boy asked.

Yugi immediately finished the autograph he was signing and took the cards, sliding them through his fingers. "No matter what I do, I can't seem to win a duel."

"I see the problem." Jounouchi said as he leaned over to look as well. "All you've got are dragon cards!"

"Dragons are my favorite! I traded all my Spell and Traps for them."

"Sure, dragons are powerful but you'll never win with this deck." Rebecca added.

The slip in expression on the boy's face made me step over to the two interlopers and lean over threateningly. Jounouchi, of course, flinched while Rebecca paled slightly. He asked Yugi… why were these two interrupting?

"Why not?"

"Ah…" Rebecca seemed at a loss for words at the innocent question and at my threatening. "That came out wrong."

"Here's the deal…" Yugi finally spoke and I leaned away from the two interlopers. "It's obvious that you value your cards and that respect is gonna take you far. But you also need to balance your deck with Spell and Trap cards.

"I do?" The boy asked, obviously enraptured on what Yugi was saying.

Yugi nodded his head.

"Matter a'fact." He leaned over to pluck a card out of one of his holsters. "Take this card."

The boy stared at it for a second before speaking.

"You mean it?"

"Of course."

The boy finally took it and stared at the image on the card.

"Huh? Heart of the Underdog?"

"It reminds me of a good friend of mine and it could be just what you need."

"Ah… can I keep it?"

Yugi nodded his head and the boy's face shifted into the brightest smile yet.

A few more of the kids crowded over to look at the card. All awing over it or the fact that Yugi had given him it. Jounouchi, now freed from my threatening, popped over again.

"Who does that card remind you of anyway?" Jounouchi asked.

Yugi's face became a light pink and I had to hold back a cackle at it.

"I'll… tell ya later." Yugi hummed.

"I'm gonna test it out right now!" The boy dashed towards the duel platform.

"Good luck!"

"I wouldn't set the level too high if I were you!" Mokuba cried out.

"Good call!" The boy cried back.

I took the opportunity to sneak onto Yugi's shoulders as Rebecca had turned her attention to the boy starting up the computer.

"You are so sweet." I complimented. "That was excellent feedback."

"I'm glad I can reach your expectations." Yugi replied with a playful shrug.

I finally gave a laugh and teasingly tickled him. The boy laughed as well but didn't pull away. Just as my laughter faded, the lights went out. I gave a shriek of fright from the suddenness, tightening my grip on Yugi's shoulders.

"Looks like the Kaiba boys forgot to pay their electric bills." Jounouchi playfully teased, lifting the mood.

"Either that, or there are still some kinks in your system." Rebecca added, decidedly less teasingly.

"That's impossible!" Mokuba huffed at them.

He ran over to a plate that lifted off of the platform. "We worked out every possible bug!"

"Well, apparently ya didn't." Ryuji added unhelpfully.

I would have reprimanded him but I remained with Yugi, concerned with trying to walk around in the dark. "One bug must have slipped through the cracks."

Mokuba lifted a phone from the platform, calling for people to remain calm. Then the power came back on. Well, slightly. The only light came from the dueling platform as it turned on. People cheered for a second before the doors to the Kaiba dome slammed shut, their protective coverings covering them. The calm voice of the computer then shifted into a distorted one, one that sent shivers up my spine.

"It's not responding! I've lost control!"

Rebecca took control, pulling out the laptop that had apparently replaced her teddy bear, and determined that the computer was being controlled by someone outside and someone who wasn't a beginner at it. Jounouchi and Honda suggested destroying it but Ryuji soundly suggested that we'd never get out if they did that; the hacker may not have let us out either way.

The only way out was the boy beating the computer, which had adjusted itself to be on the highest difficultly.

"Christine, will you let go?" Yugi asked softly.

I did so immediately, knowing what he was doing. Yami took over swiftly, but didn't move just yet as he leaned back to speak to me.

"Handle things down here." He said gently.

"Got it." I replied.

I stepped over to Mokuba and Rebecca while he jumped up to assist the boy on the platform but soon saw my talents better suited to the now crying children littered across the stadium floor. I took over one section of the crowd all of them crying for their mothers and fathers. The act of simply comforting them brought so much nostalgia; I had done this numerous times before.

I didn't pay attention to much of the duel, keeping my eyes on the kids who couldn't help but watch in abject horror. If I saw a child in tears, I carefully stepped over to them and comforted them as best I could. There were lots of tears but once the lights came fully on, they faded immediately. "What did I tell ya?" I teasingly asked a boy who couldn't stop crying. "Think you can last anther minute till we get the doors open?" The boy burst into tears again, wrapping me up in a tight hug. I gave a humming laugh but returned the embrace.

Once the doors were open, all of the kids raced out and towards their parents. There were no goodbyes but I was ok.

"Well done down there."

I glanced over to see Yami smiling at me. I playfully bumped my hip against his in reply to which I received a chuckle.

"Well done yourself. You doing well made my job much easier."

Yami raised a teasing eyebrow back but was interrupted when the boy turned back to him.

"Thanks for the card, Yugi." He thanked. "I'll take real good care of it."

"Good." Yami replied.

"See ya!"

The boy dashed off, crying for his parents to tell them what happened. Then Jounouchi turned around… Yami flicked an eye at me when I had to hold back a laugh. I remembered what this was.

"Uh…" Jounouchi managed slowly. "about that underdog card, you said it reminded you of someone, right?"

"I did?" Yami answered, obviously confused, still flicking his eyes at me, still trying not to laugh. "Oh, yes… uhhh… A little help here."

The switch was quick but the blush on Yugi's face, even quicker.

"Oh, yeah!" Yugi snapped, turning slightly to look at the spirit form of his other self. "Well that's really mature, Other Me!"

"Well, Yuge?" Jounouchi stalked over to wrap up Yugi in a neck hold. "'Cause, everyone else over there seems to think that I remind you of this underdog?"

"They do, huh?"

Yugi looked over at me as if to ask for help but I was still trying not to laugh. This was one of my favorite scenes! "Well… lemme think of the best way to put this, Jounouchi. That card makes me think of you because even when the odds are against you, you always pull through!" Jounouchi actually looked surprised at the words. It faded when Honda spoke.

"I can see your business cards now!" Honda teased. "Katsuya Jounouchi: Executive Underdog!"

"Hey, watch it!" Jounouchi snapped back.

I finally let my laughter escape and to avoid falling down, I held onto Anzu. She simply rolled her eyes at me.

"Even after running around through your head, I still don't understand you." She mused.

The sounds of a helicopter then took over our ears. Guests of the park dashed to be out of the way of the quickly landing helicopter. Once it was safely on the ground, the door opened up to reveal Kaiba… in the white suit.

Damn… Meg would love that as a picture.

"Mokuba!" Kaiba called.

The younger Kaiba dashed down the steps and over to his brother.

"Hey, Seto!" Mokuba called back.

Kaiba jumped out of the helicopter and we all followed after.

"You're a bit late to save the day, don't'cha think?!" Jounouchi barked. "Yugi already did that! But since you're finally here, maybe you could fix that whacko computer of yours, Rich Boy!"

"Settle down, you Underdog." Kaiba deadpanned, leading to more cackles from me.

Anzu and Honda started to laugh as well. Jounouchi snapped his head to glare at them. "Listen. There's nothing wrong with that computer. It's the hacker who broke in that's the whacko."

"Who was it?" Mokuba asked.

"I don't know, Mokuba. There's a long list of suspects. As we've seen many times in the past, Kaiba Corporation has its share of enemies, so it doesn't really surprise me that someone's out to sabotage my new tournament. But mark my words, this punk will be found and punished!"

Kaiba then looked to Roland, who was standing nearby. "In the meantime, Roland, I want security tripled for the tournament registration tonight. We can't afford any more unexpected interruptions. The only attacks this week should be in the Kaiba Dome."

"Yes, sir." Roland replied. "Of course."

Roland then turned to start setting off to start his mission.

"And anyone who's late for registration will be disqualified."

Kaiba then looked down at his younger brother. "Mokuba, make sure that Jounouchi is late." Mokuba nodded of course as his brother walked away in the same direction as Roland, but with a smile as I started to laugh again. Leave it to Kaiba to give me the greatest laugh session in months.

"Hey!" Jounouchi had taken a second to digest what Kaiba but when he finally did, there was shouting. "Hold on! I know an insult when I hear one! Look at me when I'm yellin' at you!"

Mokuba took care of us for the rest of the day. We got to ride some rides, eat food, and do a little shopping before we had to go to a large building just outside the park where the tournament participants would be announced. Inside were people dressed to the nines in gowns and suits. I felt severely underdressed, especially in my leggings.

"Whoa…" Yugi breathed. "Who are all these people, Mokuba?"

"We're trying to make a big buzz about this," Mokuba answered, "so we invited every newspaper and TV network we could think of. Tell those reporters something and the whole world hears it!"

Of course, Jounouchi, Honda and Ryuji immediately step out in front of the cameras and act like dopes. I rolled my eyes at them and followed Rebecca and Anzu to the food table. Anzu and I took a few of the finger foods but not too many as we had had a hearty meal for dinner at the nice restaurant in the park.

"Chow time!" The younger girl cheered then was bowled over by a taller woman. "Whoa!"

"Hey, shrimp!" Another woman's voice huffed at her. "The Kiddie Park's closed!"

It was… oh, I knew her name. She was Chinese… She did Kung fu… She was annoying…. Vivian! That was it!

"Oh, is that right?! You wanna piece a' me?!

Wow, Rebecca's a little spitfire, huh? Anzu saved me the trouble of going over and interrupting the argument.

"Rebecca?" Anzu asked. "Something wrong?"

"Yeah, Anzu, her!"

Vivian gasped then dashed past the two girls… and over to Yugi. I felt my eye twitch in annoyance.

"Yugi Motou?" She asked breathlessly.

"Uh, yeah?" Yugi replied politely.

"I knew it!"

Vivian grabbed his hands and my arms crossed angrily over my chest. "I'd recognize that adorable spiky hair anywhere!"

"Uh, thanks."

"The name's Vivian Wong. But call me Viv."

My eye twitched again at her wink.

"Ah, hi, Viv."

I nearly stomped away to avoid making a fool of myself in front of all the cameras but my eyes caught Jounouchi, Honda and Ryuji all watching the sight as well. Their eyes were wide at Yugi being smothered by the older woman.

"Let go of him!" I faintly heard Rebecca snap at her.

"Listen, I know once the competition starts," Vivian continued, "you and I are gonna be archrivals, right?"

"Uhh…" Yugi tried to butt in but Vivian barreled on.

"But that doesn't mean we can't be buddies when we're off the playing field."

Yugi tried to speak again but Vivian wrapped him up in a tight hug. "You're a quiet one, aren't you?" I fought even harder to not freeze her to her spot.

"Hey, break it up!" Anzu huffed as she walked over to Vivian and the trapped Yugi.

"Yeah, you might wanna let him up for air, Viv." Rebecca huffed as well.

Vivian then caught sight of something else. She quickly released Yugi to cry out.

"Is that Seto Kaiba?!" Vivian gasped. "Yoo hoo! Kaiba Poo!"

Kaiba Poo? I couldn't focus on that as I was still gathering my breath from being unendingly angry.

"What was that about?" Anzu huffed.

"I don't know and I don't care." I hissed through my teeth.

Anzu gave me a knowing look, recognizing the one on my face from over a year ago. She then looked back to where Vivian had run off to. There was silence in our group for a long moment. It was broken when Yugi stepped over to me, a concerned expression on his face.

"You ok?" He asked hesitantly.

I took a calming breath, relaxing my arms to my sides. That was answer enough as he stepped closer to whisper something. "If it makes you feel better, he didn't look at her at all." I was immediately confused and curious. I flicked my eyes over to him, seeing him look innocent but that little mischievous glint in his amethyst eyes. What was he… Oh… Did he think I was jealous? Of Vivian? Ooohh… That wasn't exactly what my mind was on but… now that he mentioned it, maybe that was part of it…

"Then… what was he looking at?"

Yugi looked so happy then; his eyes lifted to look innocently at the ceiling. "Yugi… What was he…?"

"You. As well as commenting things I probably should not repeat… Oof!"

Yugi's head suddenly flew forward a bit. "He bopped me!" Yugi laughed then. "I'm being chastised. Feels like home…"

The laughter left me so fast I couldn't stop it. I couldn't help but imagine Yami's face a bright red as Yugi talked about what he was thinking about. His face lifted into a smile at my laughter and he laughed when I wrapped him into a hug.

"Thank you, Yugi. I feel a lot better now."

Yugi hummed happily before I released him. The boy stepped away just as the cameras panned to our direction so it looked like a friendly distance. Good timing, Yugi.

"Scuse me." A familiar voice chirped.

"Huh?" Yugi turned and his face lit up in surprise. "You're Leon, right? What are you doing here?"

"I'm in the KC Grand Championship too!"

"Wow, you're kidding me."

"It's true. In fact, it's been my dream to duel against you ever since Duelist Kingdom!"

"Well, ya never know. It could happen!"

I gave another smile, my face still hurting from laughing at Yami. I then remembered I still had to 'pay' Meg. Maybe Kaiba is nearby; Vivian said she saw him. While Yugi and Leon talked, I snuck off to look for the CEO.

I found him just as another man walked away from him. I only saw a pink, maybe a light maroon, suit and long pink hair. Who was… I shook my head. I didn't care.

"Hey, Kaiba?" I called before he could walk away and start the tournament.

The CEO looked over to me, an almost impassive look on his face. "May I have a picture, please?" He raised an eyebrow at me.

"Who are you sending it to?" He huffed in response.

"A friend who is a very big fan of you and what you do."

Kaiba seemed to think about it for a moment before sighing.

"Fine."

Before he could change his mind, I lifted the camera Meg had given me and snapped a quick photo, making sure it was nice enough to send my best friend. When it was, I smiled at the CEO.

"Thank you, Kaiba. Sorry to take your time."

I gave a very polite bow in thanks before skipping back over to Yugi and the rest of the gang. There were only a few minutes before the lights dimmed and Roland appeared on the small stage.

"May I have your attention, please?" Roland called into the microphone. "This day will go down in history. For today begins the most prestigious Duel Monsters Tournament ever to be organized! Welcome to the Kaiba Corp Grand Championship!"

"Let's strut our stuff!" Jounouchi's echoed in my ears as he stepped past me to head up to the stage with the rest of the competitors.

Yami quickly took over with a nod of his head but before he left, he pressed a kiss to my cheek. My face was quickly the color of a tomato. My boyfriend laughed at the reaction before doing it again and heading up to the stage. I didn't even have a chance to tease him for what Yugi had told me earlier. Why was he so good at making me blush?!

It probably didn't help that I liked him a lot.

I fought through the blush to look up at the competitors. There was a large collection of them, all of them so different from each other.

"We've circled the globe to bring you this all-star congregation of duelists.

First up… the new boy wonder of dueling, the prodigy who's yet to be defeated, the one, the only: Leapin' Leon Wilson!"

Wilson? Anzu looked over at me, bright smile on her face. I shrugged but I whispered to her that I'd claim him as part of my family. She laughed at the words before looking back to the competitors. "He's a mystery, wrapped in a riddle, wrapped in a bathrobe – Fortune Salim! And straight from the Wild West, please welcome the Lone Dealer – Shane Jordan! Next, it's the Siberian muscle – Sergei Ivanoff! And always clued into his opponents' strategies, it's the calm and collected super sleuth – Detective Paul McGregor! And of course, our very own wild child! Abe, the monkey man! He extracts points from his opponents with surgical precision – Dr. Richard Goat! Next, it's the Master of the Magic Cards, the always debonair – Balfry Ginger. Seeing isn't always believing, just ask the duel-illusionist – Totani Ialos! And the Thunder from Down Under, here to duel and plunder! Ethan Shark! He thinks, therefore he is, Jafar Shin! And don't be fooled by Vivian!"

"Hey, it's that girl..." Anzu breathed.

"This delicate flower packs quite a kick! And, of course, the youngest regional champ – Rebecca Hawkins!"

I saw the glare Rebecca sent over to Vivian and I smiled. Go get her, girl. "Next, it's Katsuya Jounouchi! Our overwhelming Underdog!" I laughed at Jounouchi's original pride at the words before realizing that it was another insult. "And hailing from parts unknown, the Masked Duelist – Apdnarg Uotum!"

That guy looks awfully familiar…. The way Yami was looking at him made the feeling even stronger. Yep, I knew this guy but just couldn't place it. "And our final challenger – the always stylish Zigfried Lloyd!" It was the man in the suit I saw. He tossed his white rose out into the crowd to the delight of many women. I shook my head at the sight of practically fainting women. "And our defending champion – Yugi Motou! Whoever wins this this 16-duelist elimination competition will go on to face Yugi for the international Duel Monsters Championship Crown! To ensure fair play, match pairings will be randomly chosen by our computer just before every duel."

So there's no chance to prepare for an opponent. It was like the bingo thing for the Battle City Finals. Hey, if it worked, it worked. "Once again, on behalf of the Kaiba Corporation, I'd like to wish you all the best of luck. You represent the top-ranked duelists from across the globe… but only one of you can be crowned the World Champion!"

And here we go again.

I'm so excited to do this arc!

Bakura: I can't believe you threw the Pharaoh under the bus like that!

Why not? For how suave he is all the time, he deserves it!

Bakura: You're terrible...

I will take that as the 'Awe inspiring' kind of Terrible!