The day came at last. The final tournament, which granted the winner the one last spot in the prestigious Millennium Tournament this summer. As soon as the doors opened in the arena, people started pouring in to watch the games.
As Yuri, Tyson, Natalya, Patty with her puppy Max, Sabrina, Rosita, and Nikki found their places in the stands they found themselves in a state of disbelief. If months ago someone had told them that Nick Rogers, arguably one of the worst Duelists on the island, was on his way to competing in one of — if not — the most illustrious tournaments in Aquarius, they would have laughed at them and then tarred and feathered them for saying something so stupid.
But here he was. Nick. Nick of all people. He was going to be participating in the Aquarius Cup and about to Duel in the Aquarian Dome, a special stadium built over the water on the central island. The entire floor was made of plexiglass that revealed the surface of the tropical blue waters underneath. In the center was a stadium colored white with gold filigree accents. Yuri felt Patty nudging him on the elbow. She pointed up toward the rafters. Ren and Andre were all the way up there leaning against a guard rail to watch the match.
"Ren's here, too?" said Yuri. "Too bad he couldn't come down here with us."
"Has anyone heard from Crystal?" Yuri asked. "She hasn't answered me since yesterday."
"Lance, too," said Nikki. "But I wouldn't worry. Those two became an item. If I know them, they got a few drinks and fucked so hard they slept in. Don't worry, Yuri. Let's just focus on the games today."
"I just hope she's all right," said Yuri.
After a beautiful firework display, the dueling platforms were raised right on the one-hundred-yard fountain in front of the Phobos Corp building which was majestically lit up in the background. The first match of the tournament started. It pitted a young player who focused on a Pyro deck against an opponent with an Aqua deck, the young man whom Crystal faced when she and Yuri hung out at the beach. Both were equally as talented as the other but only one was going to win this contest. Low and behold, it was Fire that triumphed over water. The stadium erupted with applause for a well-fought match. But the Aqua Duelist was not very happy. Since this tournament was affiliated with the Millennium Games, the rule where the loser of the match had to give the winner their rarest card applied. He was forced to surrender his Fortress Whale to the Pyro boy, not that he had much use for it. After an uneasy handshake, the players left the arena.
The second round of the tournament started just a few minutes after the Pyro and Aqua Duelists left the field. Yuri and the gang jumped out of their seats when they saw that it was Nick who was coming out to Duel. He was going up against a girl named Saffron who specialized in Thunder monsters, calling forth the likes of Kaminari Attack and Thunder King Rai-Oh to keep Nick down. She then summoned her rarest card, Ascended of Thunder, and many thought it was the end for Nick. Miraculously, he was able to get his Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Evening Twilight out on the field and banish it, leaving the girl wide open for a direct attack next turn. He won the Duel and her Ascended of Thunder.
It was smooth sailing from there. With each rare card that Nick won from his opponents, the matches were getting easier and easier for him. Soon the entire crowd started chanting Nick's name and was becoming the all-around favorite to win the tournament. In a matter of hours, the finals had started. It was going to be Nick against a young man named Jack Peterson, who dominated his opponents with a well-built dragon deck. In an interview, he said he would hope to take on Crystal Anderson for her United States title and perhaps be the King of Dragons with her alongside him as Queen of Dragons. Just for that statement, Yuri and the others hoped that Nick would teach him a lesson.
Ren checked his watch from his perch on the rafters. "I'm going to the restroom," he said. "So what do you think of him? He's come a long way hasn't he?"
"Yeah, he sure has," said Andre. "He's got potential I suppose. I guess I don't have to worry about overdoing it anymore now that they've all turned pro and outfitted their decks with super powerful cards."
"Overdoing it?" Ren chuckled. "Yeah, when your opponents' decks are full of shit cards, overdoing it must be a real pain. But they're so strong now. It would be unwise to face them now and not give it your all."
"Sure thing," Andre said with a wave.
He didn't need to worry about anything happening for a while. Nick and Jack were given a one-hour break before the match started, and Nick used that time to meet with his friends in the dealer's room of the stadium to grab a bite to eat.
"Thanks, guys! Can't play on an empty stomach," Nick ravenously bit into a chicken strip.
"No, but keep eating like that and you'll be emptying your stomach in your match," Nikki said cringing. "Are you even tasting your food?"
Mmmmph! Squealed Nick. He pounded his chest.
"That's what you get for eating so fast, dawg," said Tyson.
"Hang on," said Yuri. "I'll get us some drinks. Can't have you forfeit your match because you died in the dealer's room." Yuri made his way past the crowd to the vending machines to purchase soda for him and his friend. He was stopped along the way to pose for pictures and sign autographs.
"Has anyone seen Crystal?" Nikki asked. "I thought she'd be here by now."
"I give up," said Tyson. "She aint answering."
"Something else is going on," said Patty. "Layla, Shy, and the Dragon Sisters aren't responding either."
Yuri rubbed his hands over his eyes. "Man, now I'm getting worried."
"I'll say!" Tyson declared. "They're gonna miss the match. I thought this was important to them." He slouched in his seat.
The break was suddenly over and the two participants called to the arena on the intercom.
"We can't wait for them anymore," said Tyson. "The final match is coming up."
"Where is she?" Nick asked. "I really wanted Crystal to watch me win the tournament. "Oh, well. Come on, you guys."
They picked up their trays, threw out their trash, and went back upstairs to the main floor of the convention center then, after a long trek through the crowd, finally made it outside. Nick and Yuri showed their badges to the security guards so that they and their friends could find the front seats.
"Good luck, Nick," said Yuri.
"Thanks, Yuri. And remember, if I win this, you and I are going to the Millennium Tournament."
"If?" Patty laughed. "Doubting yourself already, Nick?"
"Naw. So long as I've got you guys by my side. I'm can win anything."
Nick was called one last time to report to the arena. He waved his friends goodbye before turning and running down the hall to his Duel Pod. Once he walked into the arena, the crowd cheered and chanted his name as the giant screens showed replays of his previous matches in the tournament. Nick waved to the crowd, jumping around, and pumping his fists to fire them up. They were in the palm of his hands. He felt like a titan at that moment, the highest he's ever felt in his entire life. Once he got to the Duel Pod, he eagerly awaited his opponent.
The ring announcer nervously placed the microphone to his mouth. "Uh...there seems to have been a change in the match card ladies and gentlemen."
The crowd started chattering in confusion.
"Change?" said Yuri. "What change?"
"Calm down, calm down, everyone," the ring announcer said. "It seems that Jack Peterson has withdrawn from the tournament. However, we're still going to have our final match. Ladies and gentlemen. Allow me to introduce the new challenger. Brett Martinetti!"
Everyone gasped so hard it rang across the stadium. Brett came down the ramp, dressed in his best with a tan scarf hanging from both sides of his neck as pretentious music played, suiting his overinflated ego.
"Brett is going to Duel in Jack's place!?" Patty shouted.
"He can't be!" cried Natalya.
"This can't be legal!" cried a spectator.
Booooo! Boooo! Boooo!
Brett didn't care. He blew kisses at the crowd and waved as though they were adoring him. "Nicky-boy," said Brett. "Long time no see."
"You! What the hell are you doing here? What happened to Jack!? He was supposed to be Dueling against me."
"Sorry, Nicky-boy." Brett took his cards out of his blazer and set them on the playmat. "I made Jack an offer he just couldn't refuse. And the Committee of Games are close personal friends of mine, so they let this slide. I'm you're opponent now whether you like it or not. And since this tournament requires us to take our opponent's rarest card if they lose, I expect you to hand over the Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Evening Twilight I've heard so much about. I don't know where you've been getting these rare cards, Nick, but don't expect to keep them for long. Once I'm done kicking your ass in this final match, expect me to pay you and your family a visit."
"Bastard!"
The referee stepped into the center of the Dueling Arena. "Settle down, boys. The match is official. I want a nice clean game from both of you. Since you have the final match of the qualifier, you can choose how you wish to play the match. You can play in Traditional Format or the New Format. If you can't come to a decision, we'll flip a coin. Brett. Which format would you like to play in? Be advised, if you play in the traditional format, you will only have 2000 Life Points. Understood? Good. Now, choose your format."
"Traditional," Brett answered. "The sooner I get through with him, the sooner I can prepare for the Millennium Tournament."
"Very well. Nick. Which format would like to play in."
"Traditional, too. I've got a lot of strong monsters in my deck that I can't wait to sic on Brett. No tributes no nothing. Let's beat each other down like the old days."
"Very well. The players have chosen the traditional format. Good luck boys." He blew his whistle. "Start the match!"
"Duel!" Nick and Brett shouted.
"I'll begin," Brett arrogantly declared, drawing his first card of the game. "I'll start things off easy for you, Nicky-boy. I summon Judge Man in attack mode!"
The referee ran out as the hologram started to render on Brett's side of the field. Judge Man appeared in all his glory, snarling as he swung his two clubs around. The screen projecting beside him read ATK 2200.
"Oh wow, what a jerk," said Tyson. "So a monster with twenty-two hundred attack points is staring off easy?"
"I don't think Nick cares," said Patty. "Look at his eyes. He's calm and focused. I think he knows what he's doing."
Nick drew to start his turn. "So, that's how you want to play, eh? First off I'm summoning Flame Cerberus!"
A black chain fell from the sky and crashed through the floor of the platform. Then it raised up and brought out a three-headed dog with red fur and a flaming mane. It stood strong with 2200 ATK, matching Judge Man point for point. "Your monster maybe judge, but mine is the 'Burning Executioner' and he's gonna fry your Judge Man to cinders."
"He will do no such thing," sniggered Brett. He then slapped his palm over his forehead. "Looks like you don't only suck at Dueling, but you suck at math, too. That Flame Cerberus is an impressive monster, Nick, but my Judge Man is still stronger by one hundred points."
"Not for long he's not, because I'm giving my Flame Cerberus the power of Salamandra!"
A sword rose from the ground. The middle head of the Flame Cerberus grabbed it and held it horizontally in its mouth. The flames of the sword created a fiery aura around the beast and it boosted his attack to 2800.
"Wow, Nick!" shouted Tyson.
"Incredible!" said Natalya. "Nick knew what to do right from the start."
Brett's confident smile faded, and the gang saw it on the big screens. The sight of him starting to worry made them burst with laughter and they mockingly pointed at his image.
Nick joined the crowd, laughing with them. "Wow. Thought you could taunt me with your high-level monsters huh? Well, that's not going to work. It takes more than brute strength to win a duel. It takes brains. I'll show you what I mean. Flame Cerberus, attack his Judge Man!"
The monster dashed to the other side of the field and jumped into the air with a powerful bound. After a dizzying flip, the flaming beast slashed Judge Man vertically across the chest.
"Arrrgh!" howled Judge Man, and he shattered to pieces.
"Punk. He got better!" Brett muttered with clenched teeth as his Life Points dropped to 1400.
Andre hit the railing with his fist. "Now that's old school right there!" he said. "Nice moves, Nick."
"He's matured since I first met him," Ren said. "I might want to have another go at him in a Duel."
The Duel continued.
"Not bad," said Brett. "You got a lot better at the game. But it won't be enough to stop me. "I use Polymerization to fuse together my two Thunder Dragons and summon Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon!"
"Oh darn," said Ren. "Brett's summoning his best monster already."
The Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon entered the field after a dazzling display of lightning. His attack was the same as Flame Cerberus. 2800.
"They'll destroy each other if they fight," commented Nick.
"Not they won't because I'm equipping my dragon with Titanium Jaws. This spell card will increase my dragon's attack by two hundred points bringing my beast to three-thousand!"
"Whoa," said Nick. "Three-thousand. Just great."
"Now, my mighty beast, attack!"
Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon's nose horn began to glow as it conjured up lightning for its attack. The bolts shot from its nose and destroyed Flame Cerberus."
"NO!" cried Nick.
His monster howled and then shattered.
Nick's Life Points went down to 1800.
Brett was far from done. He let out an ignorant laugh and said, "Since my Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon was a fusion summon, that means I can do a normal summon."
"Oh-no!"
"Oh yes, Nicky-boy. Say hello to the Red-Eyes Black Dragon!"
"NO!" shouted Yuri. "Nick's Red-Eyes!"
The rarest dragon in the world appeared onto the field after a dazzling display of black and red fire.
"Red-Eyes?" Nick said breathlessly.
The dragon spread his wings and landed in front of Brett, who was standing proud now that he wowed the crowd with the dragon he stole from Nick.
Now it was Brett's turn to point and laugh. "Aw, did I hit a nerve? Yes, Nick. Your precious Red-Eyes Black Dragon is now your greatest enemy. Stare down into the face of defeat. With my two monsters on the field, you have no chance of winning this duel."
"Look at you," sneered Nick. "I've never seen anything so pathetic.
"What did you say!?"
"Wow," said Nikki. "I've never seen Nick so confident before. He has two powerful monsters staring him in the face and he's not even fazed."
"Yeah, he must be up to something," Tyson agreed.
"Hey, Yuri," said Natalya. "You sure that's the same Nick as before?"
"Nope," Yuri said, scratching the back of his head. "I think this is the new and improved Nick. Even with those two dragons by his side, Nick won't be easy to defeat."
"Did you just call me pathetic!?" Brett shouted.
Nick folded his arms over his chest. "I did. Look at you. You're so caught up with power that you failed to leave your monsters protected with any traps. Sure you boosted the attack of your freakazoid dragon thing but do you really think that'll be enough to win this? I thought you were going to be my toughest opponent in the tournament, but here I stand and I can't help but think of you as a mirror image of myself way back when. I used to think cards were about power just like you, but there's more to them than meets the eye."
"What the hell are you rambling about, Rogers?"
"I don't expect some rich punk like you to understand. Real Duelists have a connection with their cards. And it's that connection that leads us to victory. The way I see Yuri and his Black Tyranno when they fight. The way Patty adores her fiend monsters, and Crystal when she always kisses her fallen dragons. They're more than just cards to them. They've formed a bond with the monsters. It's as if the monsters inside have a heart of their own deep down under all that cardboard. That Red-Eyes Black Dragon you stole from me belongs to my sister, Jeannie. I feel her love every time I summoned it, which means her heart is inside that dragon. That's why I'm going to do all I can to get it back. All I've got to do is trust my deck."
He drew his card. Nice!
"Over the past few months that I've trained for the tournament, I've learned that when you trust in your monsters there's nothing you can't do!"
"Spare me your bullshit!" shouted Brett. "Cards having hearts! That's the lamest thing I ever heard in my life. These things are just tools to bring us to the top. They're all about power. And until you realize that, you'll never be in the same league as me!"
"Oh, yeah. Well, I'm going to place a card, face down, and summon Sengenjin!"
RRRAAWR! the blue cyclopes creature went when he was rendered on the field. He had messy orange hair that hung down his head and had an assortment of gold weapons on a gold spiked vest, and his large feet covered in brownish-orange boots.
Sengenjin
ATK/2750 DEF/2500
"Wow!" Andre said with a gasp. "That's a monster!"
"Ha!" Brett scoffed. "You really don't think that beast is going to stop me, do you? My Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon is still stronger! So that means you're going to have to take out your sister's heart! My Red-Eyes Black Dragon!"
"Once again, you amaze me. If you didn't have your head so far up your ego, you'd see I'm not done yet. I equip my Segenjin with the Malevolent Nuzzler!"
The fiendish, green woman from the card appeared behind Segengin. She threw her arms around his neck passionately and whispered a spell into his ear that put him in a fury.
RRRRAAAAWWWRR!
His attack points increased to 3450.
"Argh!" went Brett. "He's the strongest monster on the field now!"
Sengenjin lifted his golden spiked club and smashed the skull of Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon.
Brett's Life Points went down to 950. The crowd cheered and jumped out of their seats, chanting Nick's name over and over again. "NICK! NICK! NICK! NICK! NICK! NICK!"
Brett looked around at the crowd, snarling like a wounded dog. The crowd was really cheering for him. He took a deep breath and fixed his tie. "Well, Nicky-Boy, I've got to say I'm impressed. Not many Duelists have ever been able to bring me lower than one thousand Life Points. But your fun ends now! Because I use the spell card, Shrink! Now your Segenjin's attack gets cut in half!"
Sengenjin's attack was reduced to 1725.
"Now my Red-Eyes destroy his Sengenjin!"
The Red-Eyes Black Dragon didn't want to move.
"What are you waiting for? I said attack!"
The Red-Eyes Black Dragon didn't budge and growled sorrowfully.
"Aww," said Rosita. "He doesn't want to attack his owner."
"That's so sad," said Sabrina. "Maybe cards really do have hearts. Red-Eyes would rather stand still then attack his real master."
"Red-Eyes," Nick whispered with a grand grin. He let out a comforting laugh and said, "Come on man, attack me. It's cool. Destroy my Sengenjin with Infernal Fireblast!"
Red-Eyes Black Dragon charged up its attack and then launched a fireball of dark flames at Sengenjin reducing Nick down to 1125.
"What the hell's going on!" Brett demanded. "Why the hell did he listen to you and not me?"
"Because that card never belonged to you, dick! That was my card and you stole it from me when I refused to sell it to you."
"Again with the heart of the cards. That is such a stupid concept it makes me barf. Now, to further my turn, I'm going to use Card of Sanctity. Now we draw until we have six cards in our hands. Yes, a little Tremendous Fire should shut you up for good!"
Nick was suddenly encased in flames. His Life Points dropped to 125.
"NICK!" Yuri and the others shouted.
"It may cost me five hundred Life Points, but I still have a decent amount left. But you. You're barely alive. One-hundred-twenty-five Life Points. That's all you have left, Nicky-Boy, now on my next turn, my Red-Eyes will…huh?"
Red-Eyes suddenly dissolved into nothing, leaving the crowd stunned.
"What happened?"
"While you were standing there boasting, you forgot about my trap card. Michizure. When a monster is destroyed, I can select another monster on the field and destroy it, so bye-bye Red-Eyes."
"What does it matter?" Brett said showing off his Cheshire cat grin again. "I'm going to summon Alexandrite Dragon to the field. Then I will power it up with Axe of Despair, which will increase his attack by one-thousand raising him to three-thousand. But wait, there's more. I also equip him with Fairy Meteor Crush, which means that even if you summon a monster in defense position, you still lose Life Points. No matter what happens. you still lose. So much for saving your sister, huh Nicky-boy. Because after I trounce Yuri and win his Black Tyranno monster, there's nothing that can stop me from beating Leon. But don't worry, about your sister, Jeannie."
Nick suddenly felt as though someone lit a match inside his body. "Jeannie?"
"Yeah, that's right. I heard you talking about her so much that I decided to dig up every piece of info on her. Mmmm, she's a pretty young thing. I suppose I can find a place to live with me."
"What did you say!" shouted Nick.
"You're sick, Brett!" Ren shouted.
"Maybe after this tournament is all over, I'll take her under my wing."
"Watch it, jerk!" growled Nick.
"Yeah, and me and my boys are going to treat her reeeally nice!" He laughed. "I'm gonna play with that plump little ass of hers all night long. Do you think she likes a finger up the bum, too?"
Nick lost it and dashed towards Brett, ready to settle this match with his fists instead of his cards."
"HOLD IT!" shouted the referee. "You cross that line and your forfeit the match."
"Get a grip, Nick!" Yuri shouted. "He's just trying to get to you!"
"You're going to be sorry for this!" Nick growled, calmly walking to his side of the field. "My turn! Time to end this! I use Monster Reborn to bring back Red-Eyes Black Dragon!"
Red-Eyes Black Dragon rose out of the ground, roaring louder and prouder than before now that he was summoned by his true soulmate. He looked over his shoulder at Nick and snarled happily, then gave a nod, assuring him that he was ready to punish Brett once and for all.
"Yes!" cheered Patty. "Red-Eyes Black Dragon is back where he belongs!"
"Ah, how touching," sighed Brett. "Your defeat is so inevitable, you'd wish to hold on to your precious Red-Eyes Black Dragon one last time."
Nick chuckled confidently. "You really think you've won this, didn't you? Yeah, this Duel is over, but it's over for you."
"How do you figure that?"
"Watch, as I activate my spell card, Shield and Sword!"
"What!"
"Nick!" breathed Yuri. "You did it."
"N-n-no!" Brett said, almost in a sob. His fingers grew so weak, he dropped his cards. His legs felt like jelly and he fell to his knees.
Andre jumped up high and shouted: "Yes! The Shield and Sword spell card switches the attack and defense of all monsters on the field for one turn. Red-Eyes Black Dragon has a DEF of 2000 and Alexandrite Dragon, though powered up with the Axe of Despair, has only a mere 100 DEF. You know what this means, Ren?"
"I sure do, pal. It's all over. Brett Martinetti is finally going down."
Brett held up his hands and waved them frantically. "NICK WAIT! PLEASE DON'T DO IT!"
"Fuck you, Martinetti! This is for everyone you hurt!"
"NICK PLEASE! I'M BEGGING YOU!"
"Red-Eyes Black Dragon! End this match now with Infernal Fireblast!"
Red-Eyes Black Dragon took flight. He spread his wings and glided backwards until Nick was directly in front of him for dramatic effect. Red-Eyes Black Dragon opened its mouth and charged the giant fireball. When it was the size of a wrecking ball, it launched it at Brett's Alexandrite Dragon. The blast created a huge explosion that rocked the stadium and hit the crowd with a fierce gust. Everyone cried out in horror, shielding their faces from the horrible wind. When it died down, the crowd gasped at the same time as Brett's dragon was reduced to cinders and the rest of Brett's Life Points reduced to 0.
The announcer placed the microphone to his lips and shouted: "Nick Rogers is the winner! Nick Rogers has earned his spot to compete in the Millennium Tournament!"
The crowd was silent. Many didn't know whether to cheer or not. Brett was a beloved Duel Monsters icon, and to see him beaten by a complete stranger was just unbearable to watch. But the match was a good one, and they slowly began to raise their voices and applaud Nick, the new up-and-coming duelist.
He gave a thumbs-up to the crowd. Brett, slowly got up from the ground. He looked up and saw Nick waving triumphantly at the crowd, dramatically blowing kisses as though he had won the Miss America pageant, but he did it for a few laughs. A small tear rolled down Brett's cheek. He sniffed dolefully, doing all he could to hide his sadness as he went down the steps off his side of the platform.
What he saw at the bottom was not a welcoming sight.
"Uncle!" gasped Brett.
"You assured me you would win this tournament!" said Uncle Lucio. He was surrounded by men in black suits and sunglasses. The crowned lion of the Martinetti family proudly emblazoned on the right side of their suits.
Lucio wheezed, violently before he continued belittling Brett. "And yet you lost! You were-a supposed to be our Duel Monsters representative, but instead, you ah-disgraced yourself with that meager performance. My niece plays a better game than you."
Brett bashfully looked at Fran, clad in a wine-red cocktail dress with a plunging neckline. She stared at Brett with her eyes as icy blue and lifeless as her father's. "See, Uncle Lucio? I told you I was the better choice, Brett was never one to get things done. He's all-flash; always was."
"Come, let us leave," said Lucio.
Brett took a step forward.
"Not you!" coughed Lucio. "For years, you have failed in everything that we asked you to do. You never lived up to be a Martinetti. This game was your last chance to prove yourself. As childish as Duel Monster is, it has a lot of money going into it. You were our hope to be part of that investment. But, as always, you failed. From here on out. You're on your own."
"But, Uncle, I…"
"I will say no more." He coughed again, spilling globs of dark brown mucus onto his lap. "I think it would have been best that we have left you to rot in the orphanage, all those years ago. Perhaps it would have been best you died when the Franco's killed your father and that bitch of a mother you had."
"At least he's got that cheerful little pop-singer to get married to," Fran said with a cruel chuckle as she pushed her uncle to his limousine.
"No!" croaked Lucio. "The wedding is off."
"What?!" shouted Brett. "No! No! Uncle Lucio! You can't do that!"
Uncle Lucio and the others continued on their way, leaving Brett behind like the piece of trash that he was.
"Crystal Anderson is too good to be married to that disgrace," said Lucio. "She'll probably be a lot more useful under your wing, Franny."
"Of course, Uncle. Crystal has been like a sister to me all these years. I can manage her singing and her Dueling career a lot better than he can. But...what about getting married to Yuri?"
"We'll find a way, my dear, we'll find a way. You know I have ways to make things work. For now, let's recover from this embarrassment. Giovanni! Take me to the restaurant for some pasta. I'm-ah starving."
Back in the arena, Nick was showered with gold confetti as his platform lowered back down where scores of reporters pushed and shoved to get an interview with him and take his picture.
"Ladies and gentlemen!" said the head of the Aquarian Committee of Games. "It is my honor to announce Nicholas Rogers as the winner of the Phobos Corporation's Millennium Tournament Qualifier. And to award him with this zircon-encrusted trophey and an official invitation to the Millennium Tournament next month!"
Nick was asked thousand of questions as he was awarded his trophy and an invitation to the Millennium Tournament. Once he was done posing for pictures, he spotted his friends and said: "Thank you, ladies and gentlemen. I wish I could answer more questions, but I've got some very important people to meet up with." He made his way past the throng of people in expensive suits. Many of them were the general managers of top-tier leagues from across the world. As he passed by, they shook his hand and offered him their business cards. It was the happiest he had ever been in his life. Finally, he made it to the group. After a long journey through the thick crowd, he was embraced by Yuri and the others, then Tyson came from behind and put them all in his arms for a big bear hug.
"Tyson!" screeched Nick. "I want to live to relish my victory man!"
"You did it, Nick!" cheered Patty. "You really did it!"
"Yeah, I can't believe I beat that jerk at last. And, I got my Red-Eyes Black Dragon back."
Ren and Andre made it at last. Andre shook Nick's hand, patting his arm and congratulating him. "Well, done, bro. I guess this means I can go all out on you, huh?"
"I wouldn't ask for anything more," said Nick. "Hey, Ren. Thanks...thanks for everything, man. I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for your training."
"Nick, it was my absolute pleasure. I'm glad to see that your dreams are finally coming true. I look forward to seeing more of your success."
They hugged. Yuri and his friends clapped and cheered. Natalya and Sabrina were documenting the moment with their phones.
Arf! Arf! Arf! Barked Max. He scampered around their feet as if he knew that Nick had won the big competition to get him into the Millennium Tournament.
Patty got down and picked him up, then handed him to Yuri. She walked towards Nick and put her arms around his neck. "Congratulations on your victory big guy." Yuri and the others gasped in amazement as she finally kissed him lovingly on the lips. The reporters swarmed towards the group, forming a ring around Nick and Patty, taking pictures as they were locked in their kiss.
"Oh snap!" said Tyson.
"Hah," chuckled Ren. "What do you know." He clapped.
Yuri clapped too. Everyone in the crowd began to clap as well. Nick was going to the Millennium Tournament, had beaten his archrival, and now had the girl of his dreams. He had been at the bottom of the barrel all his life, and now he felt things were going to change.
"My baby!" Consuelo cheered, pushing her way through the crowd.
"Mama!" gasped Nick. "What are you doing here?"
"I saw the whole thing, my son."
She sort of pushed Patty out of the way, grabbed Nick by the cheeks, and kissed his face repeatedly leaving lipstick stains everywhere.
"Mom…" he groaned. "Please."
"That's my brother!" cheered Sam. "You did it, Nick! You did it! I never doubted you for a second. I can't wait to see you and Yuri take on those losers in the Millennium Tournament. Guys! Let's go to our house and celebrate! Free chicken for everyone."
Yuri and his friends laughed and agreed to his invitation. All of a sudden, Nikki steppe forward with a glum look on her face as she held her phone close to her nose.
"Guys, we can't celebrate just yet?" said Nikki.
"What do you mean?" Nick asked. He put his arm around his girlfriend after being released from his mother's grasp.
"Layla. Shy. Ashley. Margery. They...their plane crashed over the Mediterranean."
"What?"
"The Dragon Sisters...they're...they're dead."