Hey, guys! Crazy situation the world is in right now, huh? Thankfully, my family and I are safe at the moment: my younger sister is home from college for the rest of the year (Though she is upset that she has to do school work even on the weekends.) and my older sister works in a very safe part of her hospital. My introverted self is dying at the moment because my extroverted mother keeps wanting to do family things... I need to hide! Hence! I give you this chapter! With all this time on my hands, I will work double duty to get these chapters out to you all so we can get to the Millennium World! I'm so excited!

The tournament didn't start until nine inside the Kaiba Dome so I happily soaked in as much time as I could sleeping. The beds in the hotel room were so comfortable; I could spend an entire day in them and not care about the lost time.

Unfortunately, I was woken up.

It wasn't a shaking like what Jounouchi or Honda would do. It was simple pokes and calls of my name, that was it. I didn't want to wake up but my eyes opened anyway.

"Morning, Sleeping Beauty." Yami's voice appeared next to me.

I gave a gentle laugh at the nickname.

"Been a long time since I heard that name." I replied, my voice slightly scratchy from sleep.

Yami chuckled at the scratchiness of my voice, sliding a hand to pull some of my wayward hair out of my face. "Jounouchi already come pounding?"

"10 minutes ago."

I groaned, trying to hide my face in the pillow again. It only caused more laughter from Yami. "Come on, get up. Contestants have to be there at 8:30 to get into their positions without too much trouble and Yugi would like to not be barraged with fans." I gave another groan but did reluctantly sit up, rubbing my eyes.

"I'm up, I'm up."

"Very much reluctantly."

I bopped him over the head but was given a chuckle in response. "I'll get out of your way so you can get dressed." He turned away to leave the room but I wanted just another second with him.

"Yami?"

My boyfriend turned back around just as I climbed out of bed and wrapped him up in a tight hug. He returned my embrace, sliding a hand through my hair. I think he understood my need for affection so he indulged me. After a moment, he pulled away to press a kiss to my forehead. I playfully looked sad still and Yami sighed, the hint of fondness at the end.

"Ok ok."

I was given a quick kiss on the lips before he squirreled away. I didn't shout after him, smiling happily that I actually got my way. Very much awake and happy, I skipped to the bathroom to get the day started. Keeping to a similar outfit as yesterday, I quickly got ready and dashed to get something to eat before it was all gone.

It was a quick walk to the Kaiba Dome where Jounouchi, Rebecca and all the other competitors were settled on the dueling platform. The rest of us, including Professor Hawkins, were seated in the front rows of seats on the arena floor. I was amazed how many people could fill the seats of the dome and continued to be so even when there were no open seats anywhere. I didn't realize it was so loud until the roof came lifting off. I could barely hear the roller coasters that were the closest to us.

"Ladies and Gentlemen!" Roland's voice appeared through the sound system. "Duelists of all ages! Kaiba Corp is proud to present the KC Grand Championship Tournament!"

The crowd cheered loudly at the words, leaving me only just barely hearing Roland's next words: the same spiel about duelists from around the world and one of them possibly becoming world champ. Though, Jounouchi seemed extremely excited about them.

"Can you believe this crowd?!" Yugi's gasp hit my ears clearly despite the noise.

"It's huge!" Anzu agreed.

I was then poked by Ryuji, who looked half to tears from holding back laughter.

"Look!" Ryuji managed. "Jounouchi's trying to scare the competition with his weird chicken dance!"

I looked and sure enough, there it was. The competitors didn't look too affected by it, only confused by what he was doing. Ryuji and I only needed to look at each other again before bursting into laughter. Oh, Jounouchi.

"I need some more female friends."

"Am I not enough for you?" I teasingly asked.

"You sometimes condone their actions."

There was no arguing that. I laughed slightly at the words, lifting my eyes innocently, before turning back to the dueling platform. I was sad to miss Anzu whacking Honda over the head for making a fool of himself.

"And now…" Roland's voice appeared again. "Make some noise for our Master of Ceremonies!"

Out of the center of the platform, a new section started to lift up with Mokuba standing on it. With the smoke and lights, I was nearly fooled that a boy band would start to perform out of nowhere. I giggled at the thought.

"Do they always have to be so dramatic?" I heard Honda grumble and giggled some more.

"So are you people ready to get your duel on?!" Mokuba cried into the microphone.

There were cheers but Mokuba cried into his device again. "I can't hear you! I said are you people ready to see some dueling or what?!" That created more cheers. "Good! 'Cause it's time to kick off the greatest Duel Monsters tournament ever organized! And before the week is through, we may have a new International Duel Monsters Champion! So give it up for the current Title Holder: Yugi Motou!" I only just noticed the cameras approaching us so I gave Yugi a poke, making him turn around. He blushed brightly at the sight of the camera then his face appearing on the large screens around the arena. "Give a shout out to your fans, Yugi!"

The poor boy was so flabbergasted, he didn't know what to do. I felt bad for laughing but I couldn't help it. "All right, maybe later!" I cackled at that. I was quickly elbowed in the side by Yugi once the camera moved away.

"I'm sorry!" I whined, hugging him.

"You say that…" He huffed back.

I released him after a tight squeeze just as Mokuba continued to speak.

"So now, direct your attention to the Kaibatron!" The younger Kaiba announced.

All right, first round. They would start Block A with Jounouchi – who seemed thrilled with the news – and the mystery duelist – Apdnarg, who I was still pretty sure I knew.

I was elbowed again and I looked down at Yugi. He looked… I couldn't place his expression.

"You know who that is, right?" He asked softly.

"I have the sneaking suspicion that I do but…. Wait…"

I thought about it for a second – looking at his 'name' in the small program that Kaiba's suits had given us and gasped – how was I so stupid?! 'Apdnarg' spelled backwards was… "Is that…?" Yugi nodded. "He tried to trick me!" I growled up to the masked duelist - actually Grandpa Motou wrapped up in his bandana like a mask. "I'll get you for this!" Both Yugi and I sighed; hopefully Jounouchi would realize it as well.

For block B, Leon would face Richard Goat, the doctor duelist. As a fellow Wilson, I cheered loudly for him along with Anzu, leading to a bright blush on the boy's face.

I actively held back my laughter when Yugi was called up yet again. He looked to me for help but I shrugged; what could I do? My only suggestion was running away but that was out of the question. Obviously Yami wasn't going to help him so he nervously went up himself. I kept a sort of confident smile on my face for his sake but I was pretty sure it wasn't going to help.

Ironically enough, he was rescued by a suited Kaiba dramatically leaping from his now Blue Eyes jet and using a jetpack to land next to his brother.

If only I had a video camera. Meg would have loved this!

Mokuba handed Kaiba the microphone, ensuring Yugi didn't have to say anything.

"All right…" Kaiba barked into the microphone. "I'm gonna make this brief. This is not a show. It's the ultimate test of survival, and it will push everyone involved to their limits. If you came for a friendly game, then I'd suggest you go home. This is a ruthless battle! And in the end, only one duelist will remain standing! Now, if everyone's clear, let's move on! From this moment forward, Kaiba Land is a battlefield! So trust no one! And may the best duelist win!"

The crowd loved him. No pressure there, eh, Kaiba? He was obviously hamming it up for the crowd or just spouting more of his 'trust no one' philosophy. As cool of a character Kaiba was, that was going to eventually get old.

The Kaiba brothers pulled away from the dueling platform and Roland took the stage.

"Duelists and spectators!" He called. "Let the first round of the KC Grand Championship begin! All tournament matches will be held on Kaiba Land grounds, but only the two remaining finalists will be invited back to duel right here in the Kaiba Dome!

Match One will take place in our Amazon Adventure Trail! And Match Two will be held beneath the Dragon's Lair Flume! Now, competitors, please report to you designated locations."

"It's Leon!" Yugi quickly gasped, pointing to the screen with the second location.

He had made it there quickly though he did look a little worried. He'd be fine, I told myself, don't worry. The other screen had the Masked Grandpa standing alone at his site. The one thing I did have to worry about was Jounouchi and how he wasn't at his location. He was located when Yugi cried out his name. "Jounouchi! What are you doing here?!"

"Eh? Hey!" Jounouchi answered like he it was the most natural thing in the world. "There's a two for one sale on weinies!"

Really?! He was eating?! Mokuba seemed just as horrified when he came rushing over along with us.

"You should be on the Amazon Adventure Trail!" Mokuba snapped at him.

"Guess again, pal! Jounouchi doesn't duel on an empty stomach! I gotta bulk up for my first match!"

Mokuba groaned in frustration.

"Wake up! Your first match has already started!"

"Huh?!"

I sighed at the surprise on his face. What was he thinking?

"And if you don't get your butt over to that dueling site in the next 10 minutes, then you'll be disqualified!"

"Ahh! You wouldn't!"

Jounouchi's face then lifted to an almost smug one. Oh boy. "Hold on. 10 minutes is a piece of cake!"

"You'll never make it! The Amazon Adventure is 15 square miles (418,176,000 square feet) of virtual jungle!"

"Huh?!"

I sighed again. This was a terrible start to the tournament. Mokuba then sighed as well.

"I guess I have no choice. I'm gonna have to –"

Mokuba never got to finish his sentence as Jounouchi dashed out of the Kaiba Dome. "Wait! Come back!" The rest of the gang dashed after him while I stayed next to the younger Kaiba.

"Were you going to offer him a shortcut?" I asked.

"Yeah. You want it?"

"I'll take it if your offering it."

Mokuba nodded and we both walked calmly out of the Kaiba Dome and over to where there was a secret passage way into the jungle. It didn't take long for us to reach where Grandpa was waiting. He was obviously trying to play tough but I saw through his little scheme. "Don't think you can fool me. I know who you are." There was an embarrassed chuckle and, eventually, a small wave.

"Don't tell!" Grandpa whispered at me.

"Yugi and I already know! Jounouchi is probably going to be oblivious until you take that silly bandana off."

Grandpa gave another chuckle before he hardened back up again as leaves began to rustle in the jungle beyond. Sure enough, Jounouchi started to pull out of the brush and towards us.

"If you're not here in 10 seconds, you're disqualified!" Mokuba called, making Jounouchi run even faster. "6, 5…"

Just as he finished saying 5, Jounouchi grabbed the boy's shoulders. He gasped for air like he had run all the way here, which he probably did.

"I… made it." Jounouchi gasped. "With five seconds to spare!"

Then the fact that Mokuba and I made it here before him seemed to click in his head. "How'd you two get here before I did?" Mokuba gave a groan and pushed Jounouchi away.

"I tried to tell you! There's a secret passageway for special guests!"

I thought Jounouchi would immediately burst into tears at the words. While he whimpered, the rest of the gang came running out of the jungle. They were all panting and gasping for air, sweat dripping down their faces. Feeling bad, I stepped over and placed a cold hand on Anzu's forehead. She gave a loud moan and held my hand in place. The blush on Yugi's face at the sound made me nearly laugh again.

"At least you made it on time." I eventually said and Jounouchi sighed.

"Katsuya Jounouchi!" Grandpa called out very dramatically. "It looks like the student is finally going to face his former duel instructor!"

Was he really going to say that? "I mean, it's time to teach you a lesson, kid!" That's better. Less easily identifiable.

"I don't think so, mystery man!" Jounouchi huffed back.

Yep, Jounouchi was still clueless. "Now, let's rock and roll!"

While Jounouchi stepped over to get the duel started, Anzu and Honda were still confused about the 'mysterious' man.

"Yugi, that mystery duelist…" Anzu leaned over to him, pulling my arm along with her. "…sounds just like your grandpa!"

"She can be taught!" I cried.

"Huh?"

"It is my grandpa." Yugi supplied when Anzu was confused.

"But why the disguise?" Honda asked.

I had no witty explanation for that so I only took my hand away from Anzu and gave the other hand to Yugi, who immediately put it on his own forehead. He gave a sigh at the cold, relishing it.

"Perhaps I should explain." Professor Hawkins' voice appeared behind us and we all turned.

He seemed calm, not sweating buckets like the rest of the gang. He must have heard about the passage and followed us here.

"You knew about this all along, Professor?" Yugi asked.

The Professor gave a heaving sigh at the question.

"I tried to talk him out of it but he wouldn't listen."

"Sounds like Grandpa." I sighed as well. "Once his mind is on something, it takes a bulldozer to get him to stop."

Yugi nodded his head in agreement with me. Honda only growled at the words, flipping to look up at Grandpa and Jounouchi.

"I can't believe he actually had us fooled!" Honda growled. "I mean, it is a pretty lame disguise."

Then how were you fooled? I didn't ask the question aloud as I didn't want to get whacked.

"Well, it looks to me like Jounouchi is still clueless." Anzu pointed out.

Yugi and I laughed at the statement and Honda eventually joined in.

"Yeah, what else is new?"

"We should probably tell Jounouchi to go easy on him." Ryuji looked over at the old man as he spoke. "I'm sure he's a bit rusty."

"No, Ryuji." Yugi interjected as he moved my still cold hand to his neck. "Grandpa is going to be just fine."

"Well, let's just hope so." Mokuba added on.

"Hey, you invited him, right?" Honda huffed.

I figured I knew where this was going but I couldn't hear for sure as Anzu poked me.

"Christine?" Anzu whimpered. "Hand?"

I gave a playful sigh, trying to seem like it was a chore but did give her back my other hand. She happily attached it to her forehead again. "I hope Mr. Motou doesn't hurt himself." Anzu said as she sighed from the cold.

"Frankly, I'm more worried about Jounouchi." I told her. "Grandpa can give me a run for my money on dueling and we've only played like two or three times."

Anzu gave a hum but said nothing else. We all shifted out eyes to the duel.

Jounouchi started the duel with his Swordsman of Landstar in attack mode. The little guy didn't have a lot of attack power but he could be useful in a pinch. He was obviously setting up for a trap of some kind as he also played two cards face down. Grandpa followed with two face down cards but played a Wandering Mummy monster, also in attack mode. He didn't attack so Jounouchi started his next turn.

That seemed intentional, I thought to myself as Jounouchi played Little Winguard. He could have attacked his Swordsman - a monster 1000 attack points lower - but didn't. Was he trying to lure Jounouchi into a trap?

The moment Jounouchi attacked, I knew I was right. He attacked with Swordsman of Landstar and activated Graceful Dice to increase its attack power.

"I had a hunch you might try that!" Grandpa cried out. "And that's why I played this! Legendary Gambler!"

The lifted card shot out a die that bonked into Jounouchi's own die. "This Trap card automatically activates whenever my opponent rolls a die. So if I roll a higher number than you, your card is canceled out!" The dice collided and landed: Jounouchi's on a four and Grandpa's on a six. Graceful Dice was canceled out.

"I always have a back up plan!"

Jounouchi's other card lifted. "Now Skull Dice will lower your monster's strength depending on what I roll!" If you can get a higher number than what Grandpa gets. Had he already forgotten Legendary Gambler? It was a continuous trap card! The red die got a five but the white die got a six. Well, can't blame him for trying. The Mummy easily defeated the poor Swordsman, lowering Jounouchi's life points to 3000.

"I know you, Jounouchi. Better than you know yourself."

I heard Jounouchi huff in response.

"Look, mystery meathead, you just got lucky, that's all."

Jounouchi switched his Little Winguard to defense mode and ended his turn. Grandpa didn't let up on him. He started his turn by activating his other face down card, Non-Aggression Area. By discarding a card, he stopped Jounouchi from summoning any monsters next turn. He also played Mirage of Nightmare, letting him draw on Jounouchi's turn until he had four cards in his hand. Before ending his turn, he set one card face down.

"No one can survive the wrath of Grandpa!"

You going there? "I mean, Apdnarg!" Better.

"He's so smooth." Yugi sighed.

"You're telling me?" I asked in reply.

He gave a non-committal sigh before looking back to the duel, keeping my cold hand at his neck.

Jounouchi drew a card but was quickly reminded that he got to draw his cards. Jounouchi huffed back that he also had to throw three cards away, since that was how many he drew, next turn.

"Or do I?" Grandpa challenged.

He flipped up his face down card. "Tada! Reveal Emergency Provisions!" Oooooh…. That made sense. He was going to destroy Mirage of Nightmare before he was forced to discard three cards. I didn't know if that was legit but it worked. He also gained 1000 life points for the destruction of his own card, boosting them to 5000.

It looked like Jounouchi was going to summon a monster but Grandpa stopped that plan quickly, reminding him of his trap card. All Jounouchi had was Little Winguard this turn. Obviously angered, Jounouchi ended his turn.

Grandpa seemed utterly pleased as his turn began. It was hard to tell as his face was covered so I couldn't see his expression. He played a spell card called Ancient City which lifted to tower above him. I didn't understand why it wasn't a field spell but I figured it did something that field spells weren't allowed to. He then sacrificed Wandering Mummy to play Ancient Giant, a behemoth of a monster with 2200 attack points. Of course, it had a catch; if Grandpa didn't attack with it while it was face up on the field, he lost 300 life points. Not a steep catch if you asked me but he kept going. He then played Magic Key, which immediately attached itself to the door of the ancient city behind Grandpa, and allowed Grandpa to play two Stone Giant tokens, each with 400 attack points. These guys also had the same catch as their giant friend but their damage was 1000 life points. Grandpa, of course, attacked, destroying Little Winguard with his Stone Giant while attacked Jounouchi directly with the tokens.

Ouch, that had to have hurt. He wasn't giving Jounouchi any slack.

Grandpa played a card face down before ending his turn and I could see Jounouchi was getting frustrated. "I'd suggest summoning a monster if you'd like to stay in the game, Jounouchi." Jounouchi drew his card angrily.

"I can arrange that!" Jounouchi fired back. "In fact, I'll play five for the price of one!"

Goblin Attack Force could have been extremely useful if Grandpa didn't already have a plan for them. Just as the bat wielding goblins went to attack, Grandpa's face down card lifted. Ordeal of a Traveler was annoying, especially since Jounouchi didn't exactly pay that much attention. In order for Jounouchi to attack, and keep his monster on the field at that, he had to guess what kind of random card Grandpa had in his hand.

"Grandpa's beating Jounouchi at his own game!" Anzu gasped.

"'Cause he knows his strategies." Honda replied. "He and Yugi did teach him how to duel and all."

How come Jounouchi wasn't putting two and two together? Grandpa wasn't doing much to hide his identity.

Unfortunately, Jounouchi guessed wrong and his Goblins were placed back in his hand. I couldn't see the card from my distance but Grandpa said it was a monster card. Jounouchi, back to having no monsters, placed a card face down before ending his turn. Grandpa quickly took the chance to attack but Jounouchi protected himself with Scapegoat, forcing the giant to attack one of them instead. Grandpa then played Ancient Tome, ensuring Jounouchi had a clear shot of knowing what kind of card he had in his hand for the next time he wanted to attack. He then switched the card in his hand with one from his deck.

I spoke too soon apparently.

Grandpa ended his turn with changing his tokens to defense mode. I raised an eyebrow as his life points took a 1000 point hit. Why did he do that? He knew the risk of not attacking with them, why didn't he? This seems way too methodical. The click of the key in the door of the Ancient City confirmed it. He was following very specific steps. But to do what? Jounouchi replayed his Goblin Attack Force but didn't attack. "Guess his strategy worked." Honda's voice knocked me out of my thoughts. "Grandpa's got Jounouchi in the palm of his hand now."

"What is Grandpa's strategy anyway?"

"I'm not sure." I replied. "But from what I'm seeing, it is all too similar to a ritual. There are very specific steps you have to adhere to or you mess the whole thing up."

"Good thought. Do you know anything, Yugi?"

Yugi's head then turned to look at Professor Hawkins. His eyes glinted in the light in a way I hadn't seen before. He was excited.

"No, but I have a feeling Professor Hawkins does." Yugi replied.

"Well, let's just hope that Jounouchi figures it out soon." Honda sighed.

I hoped he did as well but this was Jounouchi. Even so, I hoped he made it out of this duel.

Grandpa started his turn by explaining that Ancient Tome required a card to be discarded but, as Grandpa used Sinister Serpent, it came right back no questions asked. Jounouchi obviously didn't like that as he barked his annoyance.

"Getting sick of me already?" Grandpa teased. "But I haven't even unleashed my most devastating card."

"And what would that be?" Jounouchi huffed.

"My prized possession, my pride and glory, the thing I've been preparing for since I played my first card."

Called it. A powerful monster that required jumping through numerous hoops. He began the final steps by switching his tokens back into attack mode. I heard the key move again. He then called upon that key, along with sacrificing his three monsters and the Ancient Tome to open the Ancient City's gate.

I saw the red eyes before I heard any growls. Was that a dragon?! The large quadrupedal winged dragon shot out of the Ancient City just as I questioned it. That thing was terrifying!

I hoped it didn't breathe fire.

"You know, Yugi," Professor Hawkins then walked over to him and lifted his deck, "your grandfather is not the only one with that card."

Yugi and I both looked and the boy finally pulled away from my cold hand to get a better look at it. Anzu did as well, finally giving me both of my appendages back.

"You have an Ancient Dragon too!" Yugi gasped.

"Yes, but I've never been able to summon it because I don't have all the necessary components. In fact, your grandfather is the only duelist I know who possess all seven cards needed to call forth this divine creature. So I hope you kids appreciate the rare event you've just witnessed."

I didn't know how much I appreciated it as I was still uncertain about the dragon's fire breathing capabilities. The rest of the gang did so I kept quiet. I must have missed part of the conversation as Professor Hawkins was now on an entirely different subject. "Your grandfather is happiest when he's dueling. I think it keeps him young."

"I guess he's just a kid at heart." Anzu teased.

"Just look at him! He's managed to summon a card he's been waiting to play for years, and he's about to use it to win this duel!"

Grandpa then attacked the Goblin Attack Force with his dragon and I immediately flinched from the fire coming out of its mouth. It didn't help that it also destroyed the remaining Scapegoats. I thought I was better about this! No one seemed to notice so I kept myself quiet.

The one I didn't see notice was Yami, who apparently told Yugi of my discomfort. He poked Anzu and the two came back over to me. She slid a hand over my back while Yugi was moral support. I quietly thanked them before looking back to the duel.

"I'll never let you win!" Jounouchi growled at Grandpa. "This tournament is my chance to finally make it big and get some respect – like Yugi gets!"

Jounouchi looked back at his friend with the most desperate expression on his face. "I gotta be number 1. I gotta…"

Yugi gave a fond sigh and a shake of his head.

"Jounouchi, try to lighten up a little bit!" Yugi called to him. "You're so caught up in winning the duel, you forgot what's important! You forgot to have fun!"

"Fun?! This is serious, Yuge!"

"Chill out!" Honda barked then. "This tournament's no big deal. It's just a cheap way for Kaiba Corp to get some publicity!"

Mokuba obviously didn't like how Honda worded that phrase.

"You realize I'm standing right next to you, right?!" Mokuba barked at him.

I finally laughed, the fear still slowly ebbing from my body.

"Just be yourself out there, got it?" Anzu called.

Jounouchi seemed lost for words for a moment before he nodded.

"Thanks, guys." He breathed.

The sounds of Grandpa crying reminded me that he still was doing nothing to hide his identity.

"You kids are so supportive!" Grandpa cried. "I'm so proud of you all!"

"You're proud?! What are you talking about, Apdnarg?"

Grandpa immediately composed himself and the duel continued. Jounouchi began with played Roll of Fate, allowing him to draw a number of cards between one and six depending on what number he rolled as well as banishing that many cards from the game. He had to beat out Legendary Gambler though. The two dice collided with a clunk and… Jounouchi got a four, beating out Grandpa's three! Jounouchi laughed evilly at the four cards as he added them to his hand. He obviously got something good. Jounouchi then played Landstar Forces, allowing him to summon all the Landstar monsters he had in his hand, and he had three of them. They didn't remain on the field long as he quickly sacrificed them to play Gilford the Lightning. I liked this card!

Just as the giant warrior appeared on the field, he moved and Grandpa's dragon exploded into pixels. Whoa! How did… Right, his special ability lets him, if summoned with three monsters, destroy all monsters his opponent controls. Now Grandpa was wide open and Gilford could still attack. I smiled when Jounouchi correctly guessed the monster in Grandpa's hand and was allowed to attack.

Just as Jounouchi ended his turn though, the dragon came back. Really?! Grandpa explained that since Ancient City was still in play, Ancient Dragon could be destroyed but always come back. How annoying! The revived dragon then attacked Gilford, a monster with the same amount of attack points, effectively destroying them both. Except the dragon could come right back.

Jounouchi didn't seem to bummed as he quickly moved forward, playing Pot of Greed. I had to slap a hand over my mouth to stop myself from shouting 'But what does it do?!' Nobody but Meg would have laughed at that. My blond friend was then silent for a moment as he mulled over his cards. Did he get something good?

"You're thinking about it too much!" Honda barked.

"Keep your comments to yourself!" Jounouchi barked back before playing.

He started with Premature Burial, letting him bring a monster back to the field at the cost of 800 life points. He then played Giant Trunade. Things were winding down now. The giant wind storm sent back Jounouchi's own Premature Burial and Grandpa's Ancient City to their hands, letting Jounouchi play his card again, bringing back Gilford. He let the same thing happen with Gilford and the Ancient Dragon but this time, there was no resurrecting it. They both exploded into a flash of pixels and neither of them came back. The only monsters left were Jounouchi's Goblins, who quickly ended the duel.

"Did Jounouchi just win?" Anzu gawked.

"It would appear he did." Honda gawked back. "I don't know how…"

We all stood there for a second before dashing up onto the platform to be with Jounouchi and Grandpa.

"Nice duel, stranger." Jounouchi complimented as he reached down to help the old man. "I just wish I knew who you were."

Grandpa chuckled.

"Actually, you already do!"

He pulled off his bandana and laughed again. "Peek-a-boo!"

"No way!"

"Way!"

We all burst into laughter at the exchange. I had never seen Grandpa with such a large smile on his face, especially when he looked over at us. "Pretty good disguise, huh? That could be my new look." We only continued to laugh.

"There's something I don't get, Mr. Motou. Why'd you join this tournament in the first place? You should be resting."

"Tell ya the truth, I was hoping to duel you."

"Why me?"

Why not him, I wanted to sass but I kept quiet. Grandpa crossed his arms over his chest.

"I did teach you everything I know, so I thought it was about time to test you."

"And? Did I pass or what?"

"Let's see."

Grandpa playfully thought about it before answering. "If I had to grade your duel, you'd get… 'A plus'."

"Yeah!"

"Well, I guess there is a first time for everything." Mokuba hummed, leading to a laugh from me.

"You said it not me." I giggled.

"Pinch me, 'cause I must be dreaming." Honda added on.

I leaned over to actually pinch him and he shouted in pain and shock. "It's a figure of speech!"

"I know!"

There was more laughter with Honda eventually joining in.

"What a way to kick things off." Anzu breathed.

"You said it."

"So… why'd you pick the name 'Apndarg?'" Jounouchi asked, oblivious to our conversation.

"It's Grandpa spelled backwards!" Grandpa replied cheerfully.

I already knew it and it made complete sense but, of course, Jounouchi didn't seem to get it. It got another laugh from me.

Never change, Jounouchi.

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

First duel is in the books! Yes!

*No comment from Bakura*

Nothing? No comments from the peanut gallery?

*More silence*

That doesn't bode well. I should go look for him.

*Robyn leaves the room in search of Bakura. Meanwhile, he pokes his head around the corner, mouth full of Robyn's quarantine donuts.*

Bakura: Don't tell her. I'm going freaking crazy in this house! Get me out of here!