Ch.7

Visit from

An Ancient Friend.

It's been several days since Yugi and Kaiba crossed paths, and the whole dueling world continues to talk about it. Videos and pictures of their duel can be seen almost anywhere, if not the TV, on the newspaper, if not their definitely on the web. Yugi has been very different lately, very pleased to know still has the heart of the cards guiding him after all this time. Yugi is no powerful pharaoh from ancient times, but he can feel something is not right. Kaiba is up to something, there's a reason why has decided to host and for take in the upcoming tournament; The Battle City Cup.

It's no coincidence that Yugi would dream about Atem, and then vision Kaiba exploring the Valley Of Kings.

Unfortunately, since their duel Kaiba is nowhere to be found, this made Yugi believe he has went off to Egypt but for what. Yugi needs to find answers but how? Atem hasn't called out to him since his dream.

With no knowledge of what's going on, Yugi doesn't know where to start. So today he decides it's time to compete for the tournament.

Yugi is stepping down stairs to the shop, and he can hear Grandpa downstairs opening shop.

"Yugi! You look like you're in a rush." He states.

Yugi nods his head yes.

"I am Grandpa!"

Grandpa is nodding his head no and says-

"You haven't signed up for the upcoming tournament have you?"

"No Grandpa," answered Yugi, "I haven't, so I'm going now before its too late."

He puts on his shoes and heads out.

He walks quickly through the streets of Domino City, duel disc in hand. He finally reaches his destination, the same shop where he first his duel disc. There was a bit of a line outside the store, Yugi can see how much attention the tournament has summoned up.

He gets in line and he can hear duelists talking, the excitement, the passion, determination, and desire to get a shot at the King of Games can be sensed in them. This tournament will be no joke, Yugi thinks; I'm going to have to change up my strategies a bit. He looks at his deck, and closes his eyes as he places them right over his heart. His deck has won him many duels, and not just any duels, duels that have protected mankind from ceasing to exist. But new battles await him, and new moves must be played.

The line begins to move and Yugi enters the store. He walks up to the front and sees someone is there to attend him.

"Yugi Motou, we wondering when you would be coming." Says the attendee.

"You're here for the Battle City Cup, very well hand me your duel disc."

"What? Why?" Asked Yugi taking handing his duel disc.

"Duelist competing in this tournament will need an upgrade on their duel disc. New features will be added." Answered the attendee.

"Like what?" Asked Yugi again.

"For starters the duel disc will inform you when other duelist is with a 2 mile radius. The duel disc will now identify your opponent and their level of strength. The duel disc will also power down if a duelist is to decline a challenge from another duelist. The duel disc will also keep track of your victories now, after a certain amount of victories the duel disc will show you where the finals will be held at. It works the same for the loses, after a certain amount of loses the duel disc will power down, terminating the participation of that duelist." Answered the man.

Hmm, so it's a mystery of how many victories one must have to enter the finals, Yugi thought to himself. The man, upgrading Yugi's duel disc, finishes and hands Yugi his duel disc.

"There u go, you are officially participating in the Battle City Cup. The tournament starts a week from now. Good luck." He says.

"He won't need it."

Yugi hears a familiar voice say behind him. He turns around and he can't believe who it is; Joey Wheeler.

"Joey." Says Yugi pleased to see him.

"What's going on Yugi?" Says Joey, handing his duel disc to the man behind the counter.

The man begins to upgrade his duel disc as well.

"So I see and heard you're back out into the dueling world." Joeys says.

"Yeah trying to get back there. I see you're still dueling." Yugi points out to Joey.

"Yeah I still am. Hoping this time I can get a shot with you at the finals." Joey says smiling.

"I have faith that you will." Says Yugi.

"So how's Serenity?"

"She's good Yugi. Thanks for asking. So you and Kaiba already had a go at it huh? A draw?" Said Joey.

"Yeah," answered Yugi, "Kaiba's a force to not be wreaking with."

"It don't matter, I'll be ready for him! Yugi I'm ready anybody!"

Yugi smiles, Joey hasn't changed one bit. The man behind the counter handed Joey's duel disc back to him and explained the upgrades and rules of the tournament. They leave the shop and quickly catch up for lost times as they head back to Yugi's shop.

"Yeah Yugi those we're some crazy times." says Joey laughing

"Sure where." Laughs Yugi back.

They find Grandpa outside the shop, sweeping.

"Hey Gramps," says Joey.

"Joey, my look at you! Duel disc in hand still you must be competing in the Battle City Cup."

"Sure am!" Says Joey, winking and giving thumbs up.

"Well I'm hoping to see you at your best." Says Grandpa.

"Sure will Gramps! Actually, I'm glad I ran into Yugi, I was hoping to buy some new cards." Says Joey.

"I got some new cards that just came into today; I think you're the duelist just for them." Grandpa says.

"We'll let's go check 'em out." Says Joey.

They head inside the shop, while Yugi stays outside.

"Hey Yuge, you're not planning to come inside?" Asked Joey.

"You guys go on ahead; I don't want any insight of your new cards. It will make it that much more interesting when we face off at the finals." Answered Yugi.

Joey nods his head.

"Right Yugi."

Grandpa watches feeling so proud of both of them, Joey heads back in with Grandpa. Yugi looks up to the sky and takes a deep breath, and then suddenly he senses a familiar presence watching him. He looks around, but sees no one around; he closes his eyes and convinces himself that everything that has happened recently has made him very paranoid. Shortly after, Joey comes out from the shop looking thorough his new cards he just got.

"Any good cards?" Asked Yugi.

"Must say quite a few." Answered Joey.

Suddenly, they can hear the engine of a motorcycle driving by, very close to them. Sure enough someone was riding their motorcycle by them and then stops in front of Yugi and Joey. The person turns of the motorcycle and takes off their helmet.

"Tristan!" Says both Yugi and Joey.

Sure enough Tristan Taylor was standing in front of both of them getting off his motorcycle to greet them. He looks around and says-

"Why aren't you guys ready?"

Joey and Yugi looked at each other very confused.

"Ready for what?" Asked Yugi.

"Tea's ballet show!" Answers Tristan.

"What?" Said Joey.

Yugi and Joey looked at each other once again, worried. Probably because they knew if they don't show up to Tea's ballet, she will kill them both.

"Right!" Says Joey, "Yugi you head upstairs and get ready. Tristan give me a lift to my car. I'll be back to get you Yugi."

Joey gets on the bike with Tristan and Yugi heads upstairs to change. He puts his duel disc away, along with his deck, and once he's done changing, heads back downstairs.

"Grandpa, I'm going out be back later!" He yells leaving the shop.

Joey still hasn't returned, so Yugi walks back to the shop where they met up thinking they'll meet up along the way. As Yugi walks the streets if Domino City he begins to wonder, a week from now the streets will be full of duelist competing in the Battle City Cup, all competing to emerge as The King of Games. Hopefully it won't be as dangerous as the last competition held in Domino City, the Battle City tournament. Yet again, Yugi can't help but to feel a great presence watching him, once again.

"I need to pull it together," he says to himself, "still I can't help but to feel someone is out there."

He looks around once again, no one insight.

"I know you're out there!" He yells, "Show yourself!"

Nothing happens, and just then Joey pulls up in his car, looking at Yugi with a very lost face.

"Uhh... Yuge who are you yelling at?" He asked.

"No one." Answered Yugi, embarrassed.

Joey didn't look entirely convince but he decides not to make a big deal about it.

"Okay, let's go. Tristan is in his way there already." He says.

Yugi gets in the car, and they drive off to see Tea's ballet show. As they drive there Yugi just stares out the window to the passing streets, then suddenly he sees a familiar face that made his jump heart.

"Joey stop the car!" He yells.

Joey hits the brakes and stops.

"What is it Yugi?" He asked.

Yugi just steps out the car and runs to the sidewalk and looks around, but the familiar face he thought he saw was no longer around. Joey shortly follows behind him.

"What happened, Yugi?" He asked.

Yugi just sighs and answers-

"Nothing Joey. I just thought I saw someone."

"Like who?" Asked Joey.

"Doesn't matter now. Let's go." Yugi says.

As they head back to the car Yugi begins to think about who he saw. It couldn't be, he thinks quietly, he's gone too along with Atem, it couldn't have been Shadi. Soon after they finally get to their destination and meet up with Tristan.

"Over here Joey and Yugi." Tristan yells out to to them.

Joey and Yugi head towards him.

"What took you guys so long?" Tristan asked.

"Sorry Tristan, Yugi over here thought he saw something along the way and made me stop the car." Answered Joey.

"Well then Yugi, if you're done seek g things lets head inside follow me." Says Tristan.

They try to make their way through the crowd, Yugi being the smallest in the group gets left behind but he can still make out Joey and Tristan through the crowd. Trying to get through the crowd he bumps into someone knocking them down, he turns around to apologize and sees who it is.

"Shadi."

"Yugi over here! Come on!"

Hearing his name being called, Yugi turns around and sees Joey and Tristan by the entrance of the building. He turns back around to see Shadi, but he sees he's gone. Or was it Yugi's mind playing tricks on him.

He looks around and sees Shadi is nowhere in sight. He heads to the front of the entrance, and goes inside with Tristan and Joey.

Once inside they get accommodated, and sit down to watch the show. Lights are turned off and only the spotlight brightens the room, and it's on Tea. The music begins to play, and

Tea begins to dance away. Yugi can't help but to notice how beautiful she looks and how amazing she dances. He gets lost watching her, his heart beat increases rapidly, and his hands get sweaty.

They watch the rest of the show, and meet up with Tea after.

"Yugi! Joey! Tristan! You guys made it!" Tea says meeting up with them outside by Joey's car.

"Of course." Says Joey, "We wouldn't have missed it for the world."

"You would've missed it if I never would've mentioned it." Says Tristan to Joey.

Joey looks at him in disbelief and tries to grab him, but Tristan manages to get away. Just then they have what Yugi calls a friendly brawl among friends.

"You just can't keep your mouth shut huh?"

"And you still hit like a girl!"

They argued as they fought Yugi and Tea and just watched.

"How did I do Yugi?" Tea asked Yugi.

"Truly amazing." He answered.

He got a bit hot and bothered when he answered, but he can see Tea blushing a bit.

"Thank you." She says.

"No need to, just being honest." Says Yugi.

And for that moment they just stared at each other's eyes, feeling a connection with one another.

"Well guys it's getting late." Says Joey, the moment Tristan and him finished brawling.

Yugi and Tea look away from each other, forgetting Joey and Tristan were still there.

"Come on Yuge, I'll take you home."

Says Joey.

"Already?" Asked Tea.

"We have to prepare for the upcoming tournament, the Battle City Cup." Says Joey.

"Joey's right, I have yet to prepare." Added Yugi. "We will see you tomorrow if anything."

They say their good byes and depart their separate ways. Joey and Yugi get in Joey's car and head out to Yugi's house.

"So Yugi, when do you plan on asking her out?" Asked Joey, along the way.

Yugi can feel himself blushing.

"What?" He manages to say.

Joey smiles and continues to drive then says-

"Come on Yuge, I see how you look at her."

"You do?"

Joey nods his head.

"Hurry up before it's too late." He says pulling up to Yugi's house.

"I'll keep that in mind." Yugi says stepping out the car.

Joey drives off, and Yugi begins to head inside but then suddenly, he feels the great presence again.

"Yugi."

He hears someone say, he turns around and finds the source of this great presence he felt. Sure enough it was-

"Shadi."

Yugi wasn't paranoid, nor was he seeing things, after all. Shadi, once the guardian of the Milliennuim Items, stood in front of Yugi.

"Shadi, how can this be?"

"Yugi, I must speak to you, it's an urgent matter."