Yami

He stepped out of the Wayshrine into the Kingdom of Thara casually and couldn't help but give a chuckle when he heard Yugi coughing and wheezing in his head. "You would think you'd get used to this by now, Yugi," Yami said, paying the toll keeper the required fair for using the Wayshrine.

"Well, I'm not," Yugi groaned, relieved to see endless fields and rolling mountains of emerald green. "There's no way these things are safe. If the slightest thing goes wrong."

"We've used these devices hundreds of times, Yugi. The possibilities are a billion to one."

"There's still a chance," said Yugi. "All it takes is one bad day." He brushed his jerkin with his hands and straightened the locks over his face. He decided to shut up and enjoy the scenery. The fields of Fairmarket were blooming with thousands of wildflowers. Windmills were spinning on the world famous Lake Leogun, so called for it was shaped like a lion's head. A few massive Airships were docked over the fields waiting for their cargo to be loaded into the nearby port town of Diamond Harbor. It was a peaceful sight that would be nothing more than a memory if King Forrest or Hector had their way. "Any word on our friends in Akuuda?" he asked.

"I got word from Joey that he received a call from Michael's mother. Michael, Jaeyoung and their troops will be arriving shortly. They will make landfall within the hour."

"Ah, good!" Yugi said, checking his phone. He searched for Michael's page and gulped. "He sure doesn't fear the brutality of war." He read the captions to Prince Michael's selfies. "'Ready to strike at #FatKing where it hurts. #Warzone. #Liberation. #Yugi's Alliance'."

"Their fathers have trained them to be fearless," said Yami. "And they must, for these boys are the princes of the Eight Kingdoms. Just the kind of warriors we need to bring Yuri up to speed when he returns in the summer."

"What about Princess Rose?" Yugi asked. "How is she? You heard what those merchants said back at the tavern. She was captured and her father ousted from power."

"I know," said Yami. "There's nothing we can do for her. Knowing the arrogance of Prince Hector, he's going to want to use her as arm candy."

"That's what I'm afraid of," said Yugi. "I've heard some nasty rumors about Hector and his men. They don't treat women right. We have to come up with a way to save her."

"There's no time," Yami said, following a brick road to town. "All we must concern ourselves with right now is the freedom of Akuuda and the protection of the Gates. And Yuri's safety. Neo Rare Hunters have been spotted and I must see to his safety."

"Then what are we doing here, Yami?" Yugi asked. "Wait a minute. You're going to use King Boltan's gate, aren't you."

Yami winked and gave a thumbs up. "You are correct, my friend. Kaiba's antics have once again attracted Marik and his goons in the form of this Millennium Tournament. Only this time they seek to take the one thing that will guarantee his claim to the throne and the one card that chose to protect him."

"Black Tyranno," whispered Yugi. "Those two have a strong connection. I felt it the day we found the card on our front door. A connection that relates to the one I have to Gandora and you to the Dark Magician. Those two were made for each other. If that bond is severed, I fear of what it could do to Yuri. Our agent says having Black Tyranno boosted his confidence. He's not afraid to Duel anymore."

"That is some good news," said Yami. "Antilles wants Yuri to prove himself in this tournament. I have a feeling he will, much to Antilles' chagrin. As for Princess Rose...well...we have to be strong for her. She may be a beautiful princess, but she's a strong one. I know she has the fortitude to endure whatever torment Hector puts upon her."

Rose

The door was pounded heavily by a guard. Rose, who had spent most of the time crying in the bathtub, jumped from the loud thud that disrupted her sorrow. The bubbles in her bath bounced up and down from the wakes she made.

"All right, you!" shouted the guard. "His Majesty is coming through."

"No! Stop!" cried Rose.

It was too late. The door's locks were already clanking around. The knob turned and the door swung open. Francine the Shadow Woman walked in first, followed by Hector who was gracious enough to tell his men to stay outside. Before Francine closed the door she looked at Hector and said: "Leave us."

"No. I think I'll stay. I wanna see if Rose is in good form as the servants say she is. She is my prize after all."

Francine gave the boy a very cold and intimidating glare. Rose didn't know if she was going crazy, but it looked like Hector was looking smaller and smaller by the second. He didn't seem to be the cold and brutal tyrant she had known him to be. For a moment...just a small moment...Hector looked like a frightened little boy. He backed away slowly toward the door and closed it shut. To make sure no one would come in, she locked the door with a bronze key that had the shape of a fish.

"It's all right, my dear," Francine said. She saw Rose's eyes red from crying a lot and her nose turned cherry red from sniffling for such a long time. She rolled up her sleeves and knelt beside the tub. "Must I do everything for you?" she asked, applying a violet-scented liquid onto a sponge. "Lean forward," she commanded.

Rose did as she was told, brushing all her hair over her shoulder to expose her back. Francine scrubbed it delicately - almost with care only a mother could give. For the first time since her father was thrown out of the castle so barbarically, she felt a sense of warmth. She felt she could relax. It was almost alien to feel this way, especially after all she's been through. She couldn't help but let out a sob. A bright tear rolled down her cheek.

Francine caught the tear with her finger and then put it in her mouth sucking it dry. "You must stop that," said Francine. "If there's one thing Hector fears more in this world than dragons and armies at his front door, it's a strong woman. If he sees you sobbing and sniffling like a little baby, he will not hesitate to do whatever he wants with you. Hector is a boy who was raised by a father with no morals when it comes to politics...and women."

"But he's so young," Rose whispered. "There's so much evil in him."

"A person is not born with evil in their hearts, Princess," Francine said as she continued scrubbing Rose's back. "You come into this world as a pure soul full of love, curiosity, and joy. A joy to be alive. Hate. Anger. Bigotry. Discrimination. It's indoctrinated into these souls by those who wish to teach it to them. Hector spent his whole life being taught to hate the world. To treat people lesser than him as commodities...if they served a purpose. If they didn't, he would have them squashed as ants."

"Is there any hope to find the good in him?" Rose asked.

Francine smirked and washed Rose's shoulders. "I commend you for trying to find redemption in a boy so cruel and stone-hearted as he. But I have a specialty when it comes to the shadows in people's hearts, dear Princess. And unfortunately, all that hate has consumed the boy to what he is today."

"Someone like that should never be High King," Rose whispered. "A person with so much darkness in their hearts will only bring the continent to ruin."

"Which is why Hector must find the Divine Beasts. Hector only wants to find the joy that he has been denied all his life. Being High King will not only see to that, but it will serve Termnnia well. The land needs a true High King. Not only will the God Cards choose that king, but they will restore the light in his heart once more."

"Or plunge him even further into madness," Rose commented coldly, to which Francine stopped scrubbing and froze in place. "All that power can mess up someone's mind. Hector's already a huge danger not only to the kingdoms but to himself as well. The God Cards have ways of exploiting weaknesses in the hearts of their masters. They have ousted bad kings from the Diamond Throne many times since its forging. Hector will be no different, My Lady. Mark my words."

"You are wrong, Princess," Francine said with an unnerving smile. "I have foreseen Hector using them. It is part of his destiny. He was meant to have the God Cards. Not this...Prince Daveed. Or Yuri as they've grown to call him." She proceeded to wash Rose's other shoulder.

"Destiny is not something you should be toying with so lightly," said Rose. "You're acting like a child who's found his father's sword."

Francine chuckled and used a mug to wash the suds off of Rose's back. "How I wish to be as young as you again, my dear. So innocent and naive."

"Please. If you truly care for Termmnia and her people, you'd stop this madness and let the Goddesses' chosen hero take his rightful place on the throne."

"But I am letting the chosen hero take his rightful place," Francine said with a sadistic chuckle. "Prince Hector will take control of the God Cards and sit on the Diamond Throne whether you want it or not. It's destiny and there's nothing you can do to stop his destiny. Now...be a good girl and let me wash you a little more thoroughly."

Rose blushed.

"You have been many days without a bath, child. You're going to make people think you're carrying a fish market under your dress. Don't be bashful now. On your knees."

Rose did as she was told.

"You'll grow on him soon enough," said Francine. "I promise, this will bring great change to Termnnia."

"That's what I'm afraid of," Rose whispered.

Yuri

"You got the text, too?" Patty asked as she and Yuri stood outside the Dueling Grounds.

"I sure did," Yuri said, taking off the hood of his leather jacket. "Nick wants to Duel and 'settle' things between us. Whatever the hell that means."

Patty scoffed. wiping off drops of water that rolled down her cap to her forehead. "Dude, it's just Nick. He's just being a dumbass as usual. Drama queen."

Yuri shook his head and stepped inside the Dueling Grounds. He took his jacket off and threw it at Patty. "Put it on," he said sternly.

"I don't want it," Patty protested.

"You're dressed in skimpy tops and that stupid skirt again," said Yuri. "And to top it all off, you're soaked to the bone. Your clothes are sticking on you for goodness sakes. You look naked. There are kids here, damn it."

"Yuri?"

"Don't argue with me, Patty. Show a little decency, will you? And a little concern for your health. You'll catch a cold in here. You got to start dressing a little more appropriately around me, kid. I'm not liking your attire."

"Whatever," Patty mumbled, putting on the jacket. It was a perfect fit for her. She swung her cap backward and pulled a few bangs over the adjustment strap. "What's the arena that dork wants to meet us in?"

"Underground level," said Yuri. "Where is he getting all that money? There's no way he could have booked that entire arena."

"We're just going to have to assume he's working for someone he shouldn't be working with," said Patty, following Yuri down the blue neon-lit escalators. She looked at herself in the mirrored walls and primped herself.

"Damn, all my make up got ruined out there. Hmmm." She examined herself wearing Yuri's jacket. She hated to admit it, but she looked rather good in it. Despite the large arms, Yuri had, he was still pretty skinny. "I like it."

"Don't go falling in love with it now," Yuri chuckled. "My dad gave me that."

"Too late, babe. This is mine now."

"Don't even think about it," Yuri grumbled. "I'll rip it off your shoulders if you attempt to run with it."

Patty laughed and slapped him playfully on the shoulder. "Lighten up, baby. I was just joking."

Yuri sighed. "Excuse me if I'm not in a laughing mood," he grumbled. "I'm about to Duel a good friend of mine. At least I thought he was."

"It's just Nick, Yuri. It's not like he's a champ or anything."

Yuri shook his head as he stepped off the escalator. "Are you kidding, Patty? Have you seen the way he's been Dueling? It's not him."

Patty made a cheeky smirk. She leaned on Yuri's shoulder as they walked down the metallic, neon-lit halls of the Dueling Ground's underground level.

"If I didn't know any better, Yuri, I'd say you were scared. After all the opponents you've faced, Nick shouldn't be too much of a challenge. And with all the rare cards Marco put in your deck, he doesn't stand a chance."

"I sure hope you're right."

Patty giggled and kissed his cheek. "Kick ass, baby. Especially his."

They found the arena Nick rented out for them and walked in. It had a much more serious look than the ones upstairs. Nick was already standing in the red Dueling Pod on the west side of the arena. He had a serious scowl on his face and had his arms crossed sternly over his chest.

"Oooh," Patty mocked him as she wriggled her fingers. "You look so, so scary."

"Nick, what's this about?" Yuri asked. His voice echoing in the empty arena. "Why did you ask me to Duel you like this? You're acting like a real ass."

"You should know all about being an ass," said Nick. "You're a rich, spoiled, entitled, little ass. Did you bring your deck? Or did you just come out here to pull me back into being your friend?"

"Don't get your hopes up, Nick," Patty shouted, leaning on Yuri to vex him. "Yuri's gonna win and he's taking me outta here. Then, you can go back to the slums were you belong. Alone!"

"You pretentious golddigger!" shouted Nick. "First it was that creep who ditched you and flew to Dubai. Now it's Yuri. I'm pretty sure he's going to ditch you soon considering how you act and portray yourself online. You think the Montgomerys are going to want a girl like you to be with their son?"

"A girl like me!" shouted Patty. "How dare you? I'm not a gold-digger if that's what you're saying! I love Yuri, you understand that? I love him with all my heart because he's been a good friend to me. He's gotten me out of tight spots. I could care less about his money and his fame. I've fallen in love with him because of who he is. Not because of what he is."

"You keep telling yourself that," said Nick. "I would have pushed these islands across the ocean with my own two hands for you if it meant going on one date for you. When you were locked out of your house during your parent's squabble, my foster mom and I invite you to our place for dinner. I did that because I cared for you. Doesn't that matter? I fought those guys who almost hurt you back in the park last year. Doesn't that matter? Why don't I matter to you?"

"You mean the world to me, Nick!" shouted Patty. "I love you, too. I love Carter and Tyson, and Natalya, too. But when it comes to my heart, it's off limits for you because I don't view you that way. Does our friendship have to suffer like this because I don't want to be your girlfriend? That's not fair! What about all those years we spent together? Sure, we fool around and crack a few jokes at one another, but you shouldn't take it personally. It's what we do. We joke around with each other. And more importantly, when we make mistakes, we FORGIVE each other!"

"That's easy for you to say," said Nick. "You guys get to live in those big, giant mansions! But me? I'm stuck living in a shack and being labeled as a stowaway, which is a politically correct term for someone who is not wanted here."

"But you are wanted her!" said Yuri. "My dad paid for your education! For Sam's education. And he's willing to pay for your college education, too. He's doing that for what you did for me. You saved my life. My dad saw a good person in you and I saw a friend I wanted to stick by for the rest of my life. Doesn't that matter?"

"It sure did," said Nick. "But no matter what I did, you guys always made fun of me. Always stepped on my dreams. Made me feel inferior. How is that fair? Yuri! You get everything handed to you! You always get what you need when you need it. And Patty! You know how much I love her. You know she was the one I wanted. And you took her away from me. You don't know what it's like being insulted by the person you desire most, Yuri. I couldn't sleep at night because I kept myself up till dawn coming up with words to try and woo her. Mean the world to you? Patty, sometimes you wouldn't even answer the phone or read my texts. You ignored me. I would sometimes wake up at random hours of the night and check my phone to see if you responded. Every time I saw that you didn't, I felt like I was going to throw up."

"Nick..." Patty muttered. She hunched her shoulders. "I...I...I didn't know I was making you feel so bad."

Yuri stepped forward. "I'm sorry, Nick. You can't always have the person you want. I know what it's like falling in love with someone you can't have." He closed his eyes and thought of Crystal. "But that shouldn't matter. Not if you two are good friends. Look at all you two have been through, Nick."

"I've had enough talk!" shouted Nick. "It doesn't matter what you say, Yuri! My mind is made up! I don't need you anymore. I don't need Patty anymore!" He held up his deck. "I've surpassed you, Yuri! And tonight I'll prove it! Let's Duel!"

Yuri sighed sadly. He knew Nick well enough to know that when he made up his mind, there was no changing it. "Okay, Nick. You brought this upon yourself. Don't expect to win."

Patty ran up the steps to the highest rafter so she could get a good view of the Duel.

LP 2000

"I'm going first!" Nick declared. "And I'm using Polymerization to fuse M-Warrior Number One and Number Two to form Karbonala Warrior!"

ATK/1500

"Next, I summoning Freed the Matchless General with an attack strength of twenty-three hundred! Your move, Yuri! I bet it sucks to know you no longer have strong monsters to intimidate me anymore."

"You really are full of yourself, aren't you?" Patty commented from her seat. She took a chocolate bar from her backpack and ate it.

Yuri drew. "I play the Wasteland Field Spell. This will give my Dinosaurs a two-hundred point boost."

Yuri's field turned from bright green to dusty earth festooned with bones of dead dinosaurs and rocks. A wiry tumbleweed rolled by.

"Now, I also play Polymerization, fusing together Two-Headed King Rex and Crawling Dragon Number 2 for the mighty Bracchio-Raidus!"

The holo-projectors whirred, working their hardest to render the giant beast in holographic form. Finally, it stood on the field and let out a thunderous trumpeting sound. At 2200 ATK it was a powerful beast, but with the field power bonus, it increased to 2400.

"Now, I summon the mighty Uraby, whose attack points increase from fifteen hundred to seventeen hundred attack points. Now, my monsters, attack!"

Uraby sliced Karbonala Warrior to shreds with his mighty claws and Bracchio-Raidus reared up on its hind legs. It smashed the ground, creating a powerful shockwave that devasted Freed the Matchless General. The onslaught decreased Nick's Life Points to 1700 Life Points.

"What's was all that you were saying about strong monsters?" Patty shouted, provoking Nick yet again. "You have no idea who you're dealing with here, Nick, so why don't you stop the tough guy act and let's talk things over."

"You shut up!" yelled Nick. "I have nothing more to say to you, Patty! So keep quiet! Yuri, you may have one that round, but the Duel is far from over. I activate Monster Reborn to bring back Freed the Matchless General. Next, I play Pot of Greed and draw two extra cards to complete my ritual. Remember this card, Yuri?"

He held up at Ritual Spell.

"It's the card you said I couldn't afford. Well, here it is! War-Lion Ritual! I offer Masaki the Legendary Swordsman and Flame Manipulator to Ritual Summon the mighty Super War-Lion!"

A flaming spirit flew over the field, roaring and snarling. The flames shot at the ground to become the beast Nick summoned with the ritual. He stood tall in the oversized arena, almost as tall as a house. Super War-Lion stood upright like a human and had tan skin with patches of jet-black fur on its arms. His mane and the tuft at the end of its tail had a dark red color. He slashed the air with his claws to intimidate Yuri and then roared.

Super War-Lion

ATK/2300 DEF/2100

"Oh boy," Yuri said nervously.

"Think he's bad now?" chuckled Nick. "Wait till I use this card. Beast Fangs. With this, my Super War-Lion's attack increases to twenty-six-hundred attack points. Now he's far stronger than your Bracchio-Raidus. And speaking of which, I think I'll use a Field Spell of my own. Sogen."

The long blades of yellowish-green grass bloomed, covering the Wasteland on Nick's side of the field.

"This card will increase the attack and defense of my Warrior and Beast-Warrior monsters by two hundred points, raising Freed's attack points to twenty-five hundred. Now my monsters overpower yours, Yuri. Attack!"

Freed the Matchless General drew his sword then sprinted towards Uraby. He sliced him across the chest, destroying him instantly. Then Super War-Lion ran towards the blue behemoth Yuri summoned and sliced its chest with his claws. Bracchio-Raidus groaned and shattered to pieces. Yuri's Life Points decreased to 1000.

"My combo was far more devastating than yours!" Nick boasted.

Nick - 1700 LP

Yuri - 1000 LP

"No, kidding," said Patty. "He inflicted one thousand points of damage to Yuri."

Nick chortled softly and set a card.

"Your move, Yuri. And it better be a good one. I hope you're watching carefully, Patty. Because once I'm taking out Yuri, I'm going after you, too. You think your Fiends and your ghouls scare me? Just watch, I'll send your Diabolos and your Zera the Mant to the Graveyard blindfolded."

"Just go," Patty spat.

Yuri drew. "I don't know what's gotten into you, Nick. But it's making me uneasy. I summon Megazowler in Defense Mode, and end my turn."

Your friend's heart is clouded by jealousy and anger.

"Not you," Yuri groaned, spotting the giant knight standing beside him. "Just stay out of this Ser Norman. I can handle Nick."

I'm sure you can, provided you believe in your deck as much as he does. Even though Nick is hell-bent on beating you and making a name for himself, he has a powerful bond in his deck that far and away surpasses that of yours. You still don't believe in me or the Heart of the Cards, do you?

"So I got lucky against Autumn and Trinity," said Yuri. "I still don't believe in any of this nonsense. None of it! So just stay out of my way and let me handle this Duel my way."

If you insist.

"There he goes again talking to himself," said Patty. "Did he get hit in the head one too many times in the fight clubs?"

"Please, don't bring that up," Crystal said coming down the stairs with Ren.

"Crystal! Ren!" Patty cried out as Nick ordered his Super War-Lion to attack Yuri's Megazowler. The monster shattered, shaking the arena.

"Hey, beautiful," Ren said softly. He let Crystal go in first.

"Hey, Patty," Crystal said, sitting down. The cold steel chilled her making her shiver.

"How did you find us here?" Patty asked.

Yuri activated Tribute to the Doomed, destroying Super War-Lion. "No!" Nick shouted. Yuri then summoned Big-Tusked Mammoth and boosted its attack power with Axe of Despair, increasing its attack from 2000 to 3000. The mammoth raised its trunk and let out a noise like a loud trumpet before charging at Freed the Matchless General and destroying him.

Nick - 1300 LP

Yuri - 1000 LP

"I have my ways," Crystal replied once the battle phase died down. "As you said, Nick has a big mouth. He was boasting online about how he was going to beat Yuri tonight. I figured he'd come here to do it, so I thought I'd stop by and check out the Duel."

"You're his idol, you know?" Patty giggled. "Just being here is going to inflate that already bloated ego of his."

"Have a little faith, Patty," said Ren. "If there's anyone in here who can set Nick straight, it's Yuri. I sure hope he can. I feel like Dr. Frankenstein."

"So it was you who's been supplying Nick with all those rare cards!" said Patty. "And I suppose this arena was your doing."

"It was," said Ren. "I had no idea Nick's ego was this bruised. I just wanted to help him, especially after that devastating loss against Brett. He's been beating some of the best players in the Dueling Grounds ever since I decided to help him out. For what good it will do him now."

Crystal covered her ears once Black Tyranno appeared on the field. Yuri, having used his Earthquake spell, switched Nick's monsters to defense, allowing Black Tyranno to strike at his Life Points directly.

Nick fell to his knees and groaned. "Shit. I guess I'm not good enough after all. I've got a long way to go to beat you, Yuri."

Nick sighed heavily and rounded up his friends to sit with him at the pizzeria upstairs to order a few slices and have a few sodas to talk thing out.

"Yuri, I'm sorry for the way I've been acting lately. So much stuff has happened to me this past couple of weeks and I haven't been thinking straight. Plus, these new cards Ren hooked me up with did a little more than give me an edge in Dueling. It turned me into a total ass."

"Got that right," Patty muttered.

Crystal elbowed her in the stomach to shut her up. "Well, in any case, it's good to have you back to normal, Nicholas. But that doesn't excuse your actions. I've heard rumors that you've been trash talking everybody and belittling them after every match. If there's one thing you need to know about Duel Monsters, it's that every Duelist plays with honor and respect. It's like a code so to speak. You know like the Samurais and Bushido."

Nick nodded sadly and looked up at her. "I understand, I'm sorry. I was just so tired of being put down all the time. And after what Brett did to me..."

Crystal swilled her disdain. She placed her hand on Nick's and patted it. "Nicholas. What happened? What did Brett do? I can set this right, you know."

Tears rolled down Nick's face. All was quiet, save for the rain tapping against their window and the loud noises coming from the hundreds of arcade booths downstairs.

"As you know, my foster mom, Consuelo, is an immigrant from South America. She paid a lot of money to get the Martinettis to bring her here. Now she has to work forever until she pays them back. After the hurricane last year, the restaurant she owns fell into disrepair."

"I remember," said Yuri. "Damn, it took us weeks to put that place back up and running."

"For what good it did," Nick croaked, trying to contain his feelings.

Crystal patted his hand. "It's okay, Nicholas. Just tell us what happened."

"Consuelo fell behind in her payments with the Martinetti family. Then Brett came to the restaurant and harassed her for the money. He threatened to send her back to Peru unless we pay them back immediately. And the only thing in our procession that could get Brett out of our backs was my Red-Eyes Black Dragon. I told them they could take it, but Brett preferred to mug it from me."

"The coward!" Patty retorted.

Nick nodded and looked at Yuri. "That brings up the tournament this summer, Yuri."

"The Millennium Tournament," Patty replied. "What an event that's going to be."

"It's to commemorate the launch of your father's Duel Disk," said Nick, showing Yuri a flier of the upcoming tournament. "Your dad, by his loving grace, allowed me to enter on the condition that I win the qualifier at the Ruby Dragon."

"And you won?!" Yuri asked.

"He did," said Ren, patting Nick's shoulder. "I couldn't believe it when I saw it."

"Now get this," said Nick. "There is a rule in which players have to ante up their rarest cards, giving them to the winner of the match. This is my chance to get my Red-Eyes back from Brett. Or maybe you can."

"Me? No, look. I congratulate you on making it into the Millennium Tournament. But I'm not going,"

"Why not?" asked Crystal.

"Because my brother is hosting the tournament. You know we don't see eye to eye."

"Aw, Yuri, come on," begged Crystal. "This is the biggest tournament in Duel Monsters history. You've just gotta be part of it."

"I'm sorry, I'm not going," Yuri said, crossing his arms. "And, that's final. My dad must have been a little too gracious with you, Nick, because it's evidently clear you guys didn't read the fine print. It says only participants who have purchased a Duel Disk may enter."

"Oh…but," Nick said distraught. He smiled and held up his arm triumphantly. "So let's buy us a Duel Disk."

"So you have twelve-hundred bucks lying around, Nick?" Yuri asked.

"You gotta be kidding me!" Nick said again. "This is a tournament where only the rich kids can play!"

"Leon wouldn't have it any other way," Yuri said coldly. "He's too proud to let anyone from the outskirts of the island play. Secondly, Brett Martinetti is also participating in the tournament. Just the thought that asshole is around is another reason for me not to go. Not to mention there are going to be a lot of strong duelists from around the world going to this event. And even if we do, by some miracle, make it past them, we have to fight the best in the world. My brother: Leon - the Duel Monsters World Champion. So what's the point?"

Nick sighed heavily. Despite all the obstacles in the way; the money for the Duel Disks and the competition at the event, he still smiled triumphantly. "Yuri, you can't ask your dad for some?"

Yuri crossed his arms and shook his head. "Sorry. You're asking the impossible. Jacob may have been generous when he handed you an open slot, but that's where his generosity ends. He's not going to just give us money, let alone Duel Disks. It's not an option, Nick."

"Damn!" Nick cursed, kicking an empty soda can underneath their table.

"Why is going to this tournament so important?" Yuri asked. "Surely you're not going through all this trouble for one card?"

Yuri, Patty, Ren, and Crystal went silent. Their eyes then focused on Nick as he stared out the window.

"My sister, Jeannie," Nick replied sadly. "She hasn't been well."

Yuri uncrossed his arms. "Oh," he said sympathetically. "Jeannie? You haven't talked about her in years."

"Who's Jeannie?" Patty asked. "Is she from the family you had before Consuelo adopted you?"

"She sure is," said Nick. "When my parents got divorced, she was taken by my father to California. My mom kept me and remained here on Aquarias. Being the drunken bastard that he is; my old man finally reached the deep end and lost his job. He started a ruckus outside his workplace and then he runs over his boss. He's gonna be locked up for a long time."

"Oh no!" gasped Patty.

Nick fumbled with his fingers as he continued his story. "I got a call from Jeannie yesterday after we heard the news of my dad's misfortune. She says she wants to come home and live with me."

"So can she?" Yuri asked.

Nick shook his head. "We got a notice that child services will take the custody of my sister away from my dad, but Consuelo barely has any money to sustain her or me and Sam, so our petition to keep Jeannie has been denied. They're going to send her to foster care, Yuri. I don't want that for her. As much as I'd like to bring Jeannie out here with us, I can't afford to. The tournament is offering the winning team a pool of a hundred million dollars."

"Holy crap!" Yuri gasped. "That's a lotta money!"

"Think about it, Yuri," said Nick. "If one of us makes it the finals and beats Leon; that money goes to all of us. After we win the tournament, we'll split the prize. You guys can do what you want with your share, but I'm going to buy me and my sister a beautiful home. Maybe a penthouse in the central island or a mansion in Yuri's neighborhood. I don't care. Just so long as she's here with me. And I've got to beat Brett and get the Red-Eyes back because it actually belongs to her."

Patty's eyes widened. "That Red-Eyes Black Dragon belonged to Jeannie?" she asked, twirling a lock of her pink-streaked hair over her finger.

"Yeah. When we were little, my dad gave it to her as a birthday present. He said he worked hard to save up and buy it for her. Of course, I later learned he won it in a dart game and the owner of the card was a nasty old pervert who was given permission by my dad to 'play' with Jeannie if he lost the game."

"Your dad would put a card before his own daughter?" gasped Patty. "That's sick!"

"He was a sick man," Nick agreed. "And he threatened to kill my mom if I so much as spoke of his dirty deeds. So, I kept my mouth shut. I just sat there and let the judge give permission to let that monster take my sister. I was a coward."

He chuckled or tried to; for he felt like crying. The memories of his sister were powerful memories which caused his emotions to surge.

"She didn't know how to play Duel Monsters so she kept the dragon around her neck as a lucky charm. Anyways, she gave me the card and that was the last time I saw her. All these years apart and that Red-Eyes was all I had to remind me of her. So you see, Yuri, that's why this tournament means the world to me. I don't care what stands in our way. Leon Caldwell, Brett Martinetti, I don't care if God, himself, is participating in this tournament, we'll beat them all. We have to keep going. We can't quit, Yuri."

Nick's voice trembled. His shoulders shivered, and he balled his fists, trying to hold back his emotions. "We just can't quit."

"Oh, Nick," Patty said, sympathetically. "Don't cry."

"I'm not crying," he fibbed while rubbing his eyes with his sleeve. "I'm not a baby, geez. Something just flew in my eye that's all."

"Well…I don't want to leave Jeannie alone in some foster home," Yuri said scratching the back of his head. "I always said that I'd always be there for you. What kind of friend would I be if I didn't go and fight for your sister?"

"Yuri, you mean it?" Nick asked, his face suddenly started to glow with happiness.

"Yeah, count me in."