Aquarius Pier, Earth - Yuri
Crystal clung to Yuri's arm laughing feverishly and glowing with a happiness Yuri had never seen in her since they were little children. The bright neon of the carnival rides and the round bulbs haloed her in a thousand different colors. She was free. After all these years she was finally free. The mafia and their security detail were slaughtered in the docks. And Brett and his friends were gone for good.
Crystal and Yuri, finally free of the fear they once had of being seen together, went to the carnival at the pier to celebrate. They played all sorts of games together, Yuri even won her a giant white teddy bear, which he had to carry over his shoulders the whole time. Crystal stretched her arm up in the air and cheered at the heavens.
"Is this really happening?" she said. "Is it finally over! Can I finally be with my dearest friends in peace?"
"It sure is," Yuri said. He tried to free his arm from hers, but they were locked together tightly. Crystal was not going to let Yuri go this night. "You can go where you please and do what you please. As you should. Don't ever let anyone claim you the way he did again, Crystal."
"You know, Yuri, I won't lie to you. The glitz and glamour of the pop star life. The riches. The money, the nice clothes, the hot cars, the expensive mansions. I didn't want to let any of that go. I was so in love with it all. I didn't want to lose it. I was a greedy, stupid, attention-seeking, bitch. And I let my friends and myself get hurt because of it. But that's not all."
She pressed her cheek against his shoulder and looked to the Phobos Towers looming over the island. "Seeing who you were. What you were about to become. I knew I would one day lose you if I didn't step up my game. You'd be too famous and too powerful for the likes of me. So I did a lot of stupid things and made some pretty terrible deals to put myself in the elite. I even allowed Mother to govern who to pair me with in order to get us power. Empowering her to do that cost me dearly. It cost me my freedom. My dignity. My life. It almost cost me, my friends. But Nick taught me I didn't need wealth or fame to be your friend. I know now that my treasure isn't rare cards, mansions, or fancy dresses. It's you." She squeezed Yuri's arms tightly and rocked back and forth. It's always been you!"
Yuri patted the top of her head. "I wish you would have learned that sooner. That's what I've been trying to tell you all along."
"I know. As I said, I fell in love with material wealth and fame. I was blinded to the damage Brett was doing. But no more. No more. I don't care where I end up. So long as I'm with you."
"Well, with that new hero running around, I don't think you'll have to worry about where you're going to stay."
"Who do you think massacred the soldiers that night?"
"Who knows? All I can say is, I'm glad he's on our side. It had to be more than one man, though. There's no way an entire army of well-trained mercenaries would get wiped out by one man unless he was Rambo or John Matrix."
He looked over his shoulder at Ser Norman and winked.
"I guess so," said Crystal. "I got a call from the Gray Lioness of DC."
"Oh. Lance's mom. I bet she wants answers, huh? Did you ask her if she was the one behind the mafia's massacre?"
"Yuri, that's the creepy thing. She asked ME if I was the one behind the massacre."
Yuri stopped and...pretended to look dumbfounded. "What? You mean it wasn't her?" His eyes darted from left to right.
Crystal let go of his arm and walked to the wooden railing looking over the black ocean. She leaned against it and breathed in the salty air. "No," she said. The wind blew her hair all over her face. She brushed it behind her ear with her fingertips. "I asked her if she was the one who attacked the mercs. I had this sneaking suspicion that she was just...messing with me to sound innocent. Deep down I had this feeling it was her. It had to be her. A woman with so much power in Washington DC. There's no denying she has access to CIA black ops teams and stuff like that to take out the people she doesn't like. I was sure it was her. But she denied it over and over again."
"Of course, she denied it was her. She's a politician. When have they ever told the truth? I bet you my Black Tyranno it was her who sent in a squad of her own spec ops mercs to take out Brett and his army before they could begin their coup."
Crystal stood straight up again, crossing her arms over her bosom. She made a sharp about-face towards Yuri and flashed a crooked grin. She was confused and afraid; Yuri could see it in her eyes.
"I suppose you're right," she said. "I won't question her about it anymore. She gives me the chills. Her voice alone would make a tough villain drip with sweat. She's coming here to pay me a visit."
"That's not good. Does she suspect you of anything? Does she blame you for Lance's death?"
"Not at all. In fact, she thanked me. Thanked me for giving Lance some of the happiest moments in his life. She blamed herself for him growing up miserable. She slogged him off to private schools, kept him away from his friends so he could study, and things like that. Meeting me gave him a sense of freedom and joy. She said I didn't have to worry about Brett anymore. She's going to make a deal with your father about tightening security around here. And that she was going to take very good care of me because her daughter is a big fan." She winked.
"My dad told me he was going to bolster security with someone from the United States. I didn't think it would be the Gray Lioness. I have a feeling we're going to be seeing a lot of her in the coming days."
"No kidding. I reckon your father is going to be hunting down anyone who was bought out by the mafia when they were around."
"Did you just say reckon?" Yuri asked looking down at her. Crystal just looked at him and smiled as a response, to which he laughed. "Well, Crystal, I guess it's smooth sailing from here."
"Yeah. Finally, we can hang out like normal teenagers. No more bounty hunters, no more looking over our shoulders, no more Brett. What about those Rare Hunters that attacked you?"
"Don't worry about them. I know someone who is going to keep them at bay if they ever show up around here again."
"Well, if you say so," Crystal said backing away to get a good look at her friend. Hard to believe he was once timid and afraid of the game. Now...now he looked like something different. A warrior. Perhaps...a king. Her phone's bubbly jingle went off. She took it out of her purse to see who had messaged her. "Ah!" she said. She looked at Yuri beaming. "My surprise is here for you. Come on."
"Surprise?" Yuri gulped. He never did like Crystal's surprises.
Nevertheless, he followed her to a lonely part of the pier where there were rows of picnic tables underneath a roof of string lights. Standing next to the centermost table was Ren himself. Next to him was a large pile of booster boxes and display boxes with packs from the newest set that was due to release in five days.
Ren took off his sunglasses — despite it being nighttime — and bobbed his head confidently. He patted the top box on the pile.
"What's all this?" Yuri asked.
"Ha!" blurted Ren. "The fact you asked me that shows your old man is still keeping you from accessing good cards."
"Uh...my Treasure Cards."
"You're not the only one who's going to have access to them, genius," said Ren. "With this set right here, everyone will get their hands on them. But Crystal and I figured you could use a head start."
Crystal nodded. "Uh-huh. The Millennium Tournament is still a long way away but you need all the help you can get."
"Get ready, Yuri," said Ren. "Crystal and I won't hold out. Any free time you get, you better spend it with us."
"Indeed," Crystal said. "And don't expect us to be gentle with you, little flower. Especially not me. I'm going to tear this cute ass up!" She smacked his butt hard, making Yuri jump. "So saddle up, big boy. We got a tournament to prepare you for."
The Stormcoasts - Yami Yugi
"It won't be long now," Yugi said, standing next to Yami. "It won't be long until it begins."
They both stood together on the top of a cliff overlooking the Sea of Storms. In the sky, Prince Stas's skyship vanished into the clouds, taking the companions to their destinations across the continent. New theatres of war have opened and Jon, Stas, and the others were going to lead the charge into them.
Yugi sighed then glanced at his ghostly companion. "Things are going to be different now, huh, Spirit?"
"Indeed they are my young friend," said Yami.
"They have an edge with their advanced technology," said Yugi. "But I'm sure we'll beat them. Our friends are strong. Our resolve is strong. Too long has this war gone on. It's time we finally finished it."
"And so we shall. Prince Yuri's doubts and fears are gone, his soul has finally been purified of the darkness Bakura implanted into his heart. And now he's destroyed the corruption in his home. Only one final test remains. For him and for our friends in the Alliance we have created. The battle for Termnnia's freedom has finally begun. I have done all I could. Now the heroes we have mustered over the past few months will take charge. They will strike our foe from the land. They will smite them from the sea. And they will battle them in the air. Nowhere is safe for the enemies of justice, tolerance, and freedom. The return of the king is close at hand. Let us see this world is ready for him."
End of Book II