Chapter 29
Lindsey POV
Lindsey woke up feeling more than refreshed. It was finally the start of the tournament. Today she would prove that she was the true king of games. Of course, the tournament lasted a couple days, but she would still show she's out to win.
She quickly changed into her white trench outfit, and slipped her deck into the deck box fastened to her thigh. She quickly did her makeup and attempted to tame her curly mane. Lastly she fastened her duel disk to her arm and headed to the Kaiba Dome.
The walk over was peaceful. No one interrupted her which was great for her to get her thoughts together. She had her friends, her love life, and a tournament to think about, but only one could be her priority. She didn't know what was more important.
She wanted more than anything to be number one again. Odds of that happening were highly in her favor, but then she would have to beat Seto. Odds of that happening were slim. This wasn't the time to think negatively though. She walked with her head held high.
She noticed the thousands of spectators throughout the park. Many children were in discussion about duel monsters or who they thought would win the tournament. Others were mock dueling as their parents sat and relaxed. All these people were really here for the tournament.
"Lindsey!" Lindsey turned at the sound of her voice. Several fans rushed up asking for pictures and autographs. Lindsey happily obliged with a smile. Fans were commenting on how much they loved her deck and were also a fan of magicians. Others were commenting on how they wanted to be as good as her some day.
Lindsey loved the fame but she also knew Seto was very strict on time deadlines. "Okay everyone! I appreciate you so much but I can't be late otherwise i'll get disqualified!" She could see people eyes widen. "I'll see you in the finals!" The small crowd cheered as she made way once again for the Kaiba Dome.
"Some little fan base you got eh?" Shane Jordan greeted her with a smile. She motioned for him to walk and talk as they were really getting crunched for time.
"Glad to see i'm not the only one running late. What held you up?" She asked this as she noticed her was buttoning up his shirt. She narrowed her eyes.
He gave a sly smile. "You know, fans." She gave a small laugh while shaking her head. "This is it!" They both looked at the huge silver dome looming in front of them.
"You sure?" They both giggled. "We should go. We literally have like one minute." They both sprinted inside the arena and froze at the sight. Not a single chair was empty, and it was bigger than any NFL sized stadium. Noise rang from wall to wall as fans held up posters for their favorite duelist. a huge dueling arena stood at the center of the floor, and the 14 champions sat around it.
"Kaiba really goes all out doesn't he?" Lindsey rolled her eyes as Shane laughed. "But fuck that guy. He's an ass!" Lindsey laughed at that. "Single life is the better life!"
"Maybe for you Mr. I love my fans." She raised a brow as he just widely grinned. "Lets go take our seats."
They walked over to where the duelists were sitting by the arena. Shane was seated on the opposite side of Lindsey which bummed her out. She didn't exactly want any distractions this morning and she was seated next to her top distraction. He stood up to greet her with a kiss on the cheek. She jerked back in surprise.
"Good morning friend." She said awkwardly. She could hear Duke, Tristan, and Joey snickering behind her.
"Right. Friend." He nodded towards her and she gave a reassuring smile. "Let's take our seats." They both sat together and awaited the announcement of the tournament bracket.
The Kaiba dome opened up to reveal the sky above. The crowd went wild with excitement. Lindsey stared up in awe as Roland took the stage.
"Ladies and gentlemen of all ages, Kaiba Corp is proud to announce the KC grand championship tournament!" The crowd went wild once again. "We've assembled a team of first class duelists from around the world to compete against each other for the title of world champion! Duelists please rise!" 14 duelists stood with pride as the crowd continued to go crazy. Lindsey could notice signs around the Kaiba Dome with her name written on them and this made her smile more.
"And now, make some noise for our master of ceremonies!" White smoke filled the dueling arena as a small raven haired boy rose up on a platform. The crowd cheered for the younger Kaiba who looked happy to be in front of such a large crowd.
"Yay Moki! I love you!" Lindsey cheered. Mokuba smiled towards her but she could tell there was a hint of sadness.
"Are you all ready to get your duel on?" Mokuba called out. The crowd cheered in response. "I can't hear you!" They went even more wild and Mokuba smiled. "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 Muto!"
Lindsey cheered and then looked over to see a scared Yugi. Lindsey giggled knowing the pharaoh purposely switched over so little Yugi could face his fear of being on the spot. He looked frantic as the camera shone on him. He was motioned to come up on stage but he just sat there.
"Alright, maybe later." Mokuba said defeatingly. "Now if you'll turn your attention to the screen, well show you the long awaited first round match ups!" The crowd watched in silence as the screen was blank. "We'll start with block A. Our first competitor is, Joey Wheeler!"
"Aw Yeah!" Joey stood up and cheered.
"He'll be facing off against our mystery duelist, Abnarg Otom!" Mokuba continued. The mystery duelist walked forward to greet Joey.
"Where do we know him from?" Tristan asked.
"I don't know. He looks really familiar." Tea added.
Yugi and Lindsey rolled their eyes and snickered.
"Now to block B!" It showed Zigfried Llyod versus Fortune Salim. "Before the duels get underway, there's someone we all want to hear from. Give it up one more time! Yugi, come on up and say a few words!"
He became frantic once more. He forced himself to go up onstage. He walked awkwardly up there and it was literally painful to see. He got up there, waved like an idiot and did nothing else. Lindsey face palmed while the boys video taped it.
As if on cue to save Yugi further embarrassment, A shadow loomed over the Kaiba Dome. Lindsey looked up to see it was Kaiba's Blue eyes jet. A closer look showed a small figure coming down from the jet. It was Kaiba descending down on a jetpack. The crowd cheered thinking this was part of the show.
Lindsey watched as he came down in a white tux, looking like an angel. She wouldn't give in to his good looks though. He was toxic to her. She knew this. She would end up hurt again. She sat stone faced. Mai and Lyris came up to her from their original seats to put an arm around her. She despised every inch of this man but even she couldn't deny that she still loved him.
"Hey Bro!" Mokuba said excitedly. He didn't respond. He motioned for Mokuba to give him the microphone.
"Alright, i'm gonna make this brief." Kaiba started. "This is not a show. It's the ultimate test of survival, and it will push everyone involved to their limits."
"Yeah you would know how to do that." Lindsey mumbled. Mai rubbed her arm comfortingly.
"If you came for a friendly game, then I suggest you go home. This is a ruthless battle, and in the end only one duelist will remain standing. Now lets move forward. From this moment on, Kaiba land is a battlefield. Trust no one, and may the best duelist win!" The crowd cheered once more. Kaiba stood on stage with a smug look on his face. Lindsey could see many girls in the crowd swooning over him.
"That show off!" Joey yelled. "He's just lucky he ain't dueling in this tournament!" The crowd continued to cheer, oblivious that something was very clearly bothering Kaiba. Lindsey knew this but didn't care enough to find out what.
Roland came back onto stage now. "Let the first round A and B Matches get underway! Best of luck to all duelists!"
"Joey is in the first round. That's awesome!" Yugi said with excitement. The gang was huddled around but Joey was nowhere to be found.
"Where is Joey?" Serenity asked.
"Isn't that him over there?" Bakura pointed out. The gang looked over to see Joey carrying multiple hot dogs and a drink in hand.
"Joey! What are you doing?" Mokuba ran up to him. "You're supposed to be heading to your duel. It starts in ten minutes and if you're late you're automatically disqualified!"
The gang gasped as they could hear Mokuba yelling. They ran up to him to see if they could help.
"You're duel is all the way in the Amazon attraction." Mokuba continued. "You'll never make it in time. You leave me no choice…"
"NYEH!" Joey dropped all his items in hand and started sprinting in the direction of his duel. Lindsey, Tristan and Duke stifled a laugh as Mokuba was yelling after him.
"Should we follow him?" Tea asked.
"Why? If he would have stuck around he would know i was going to let him use the secret passage to get there faster." Mokuba said with a smirk. Lindsey, Duke and Tristan were howling with laughter at this point while the rest of the gang just shook their heads.
"Well let's go!" Mai started. "I want to see the look on his face when he sees we're there before him." She was clearly trying not to laugh as they all followed Mokuba.
"Where do you think you're going Walsh?" Lindsey sighed in annoyance as she knew whose voice this was. She could see the millennium puzzle flash, knowing Yugi had switch over to Yami.
Lindsey turned around to meet cobalt eyes. "I'm going to watch Joey's duel. You know that's what friends do. They support each other." Seto rolled his eyes.
"You need to be around as your duel could be announced at any time. If you're all the way in the amazon jungle, you wont hear the announcement for your duel."
"You mean I can't even watch Joey's duel?" Lindsey was hurt. She knew someone like Joey needed the support.
"There's monitors around the park that you can watch from. They will also be airing here in the Kaiba Dome. Be smart Walsh. I won't be so nice next time." Kaiba spat the words in a mocking way and he grinned.
"Oh thank you for your gracious concern Mr. Kaiba, but I don't need help from a prick like you." His grin faded at Lindsey's words. "I'm taking this tournament, and then, I'm coming for you. No one is going to stop me. Not even Yugi." Blue met green in an intense staring match. Lindsey wanted so bad to cave but she knew she had to be strong. She wouldn't back down to Seto any longer. "You're dismissed." She whispered. Seto growled and sped off leaving them with Mokuba.
Lindsey put her head in her hands and sighed. Yami came up and put a hand on her shoulder. She lifter her head up to look at him. She then leaned her head onto his hand, closed her eyes, and smiled. "Thank you for everything." She whispered so that only he could hear.
There was no doubt she was in love with this man. She wasn't denying it, just setting it aside to focus on what was really important. This tournament was her top priority, not her love life.
"Guys!" Mokuba exclaimed. "We got a duel to get to!"
"Are you going to be okay here by yourself?" Yami asked in a serious tone.
"I'll be good. Joey needs the support more than I do. I'm used to dueling under pressure anyways. Plus, Shane is right over there and we've been friends for ages. Go cheer on Joey. I'll text you when my duel is announced." She pulled him into a tight embrace then quickly broke away. "GO!" He smiled and followed the rest of the gang to go see Joey's duel.
Lindsey walked through the Kaiba Dome observing the other duelists. Along the way she was stopped for many photo's and autographs by fans, and some just wanted to ask her for dueling advice. She eventually spotted Shane in a sea of girls. She gave an evil grin and she walked up to him.
"Oh my god! Shane Jordan! No way!" She squealed as she ran through the crowd of girls. She threw her arms around him and said in fake southern accent. "I just love you so much!" The girls groaned when they saw it was Lindsey.
"She moves on quick." She heard a girl mumble. The sea of women dispersed leaving Shane confused. He looked at her questioningly then his eyes widened.
He began to laugh and hug Lindsey at the same time. "You little shit Lindsey!"
She laughed along with him. "Told you I would get you back! Remember when you did the same thing to me?"
"Yeah but I did it in front of Seto Kaiba and that didn't go over so well." Lindsey made gagging noised at the sound of Seto's name. "But fuck that guy!" They both laughed.
"Ladies and gentleman it's time to announce the round 1 C match!" Rolands voice came over the arena's PA system. "Everyone please turn your attention to the monitors throughout the Kaiba Dome." The screen lit up and showed the dueling brackets. "Our C match will be… Shane Jordan and Paul McGregor!" The crowd went wild at the announcement of the duel. Shane looked fired up and ready to go. "This duel will commence in 15 minutes at the rose garden. Best of luck to both duelists!"
"Shane you're up! Congratulations! You better get going!"
"Yea you're right. See ya when I win Lindsey." She smiled as he walked away. Shane always was a good friend and nobody ever really disliked the guy. He liked his women but when it came down to it he was a friend who would do anything to make you smile.
"Ms. Walsh?" Lindsey turned to see Roland standing behind her.
"Hey Roland!" She greeted with a smile. "What can I do for you?"
"Mr. Kaiba wishes to see you in the central security room of the park. He says it is absolutely urgent."