Author's Note: I changed the name of the story. I was recently informed by Dawn17 that using the word "Bitch" in the title might have been the cause of my story's deletion. So I have changed the name, but not completely since this is an old story and many readers recognize it by the old name.

...

Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh.

"Talk"

'Thoughts'

Flashback/Dream

...

"Tea." A familiar voice broke through the silence, but she ignored it. She wasn't in the mood to talk right now. She wanted silence.

"Tea, wake up." The person had the nerve to grab her shoulders and shake her body. Grunting in anger, she opened her eyes and stared at a familiar face.

"Joshua, why are you bothering me? Let me sleep." She whined, turning her body away from a 25-year-old male. He had lime green hair that he had styled in spikes, and gray eyes.

"There's no time for you to sleep. We have landed, and I think you should take a look at your reception." Joshua, her body guard/ friend said, pulling her off the seat. Yawning, she rubbed her eyes and followed him to the window. What she saw below caused her eyes to open wide. Swarms of people lined both sides of the runway, forming two rows. They held signs, and posters with her pictures and name.

"What the hell?" She said in bewilderment. Joshua shrugged his shoulders. Another man standing behind them spoke. He had blonde hair and green eyes, and appeared to be the same age as Joshua. Steven was his name. He was also her body guard/ friend.

"Apparently your fans have taken over the airport." He said in a plain tone. "How they managed to do that is baffling. They were blocking the runway, but we managed to get some place cleared for the plane to land."

"Really?" She said in shock. "You're serious?"

"Does Steven ever joke?" Joshua said, earning a glare from the serious male.

"Wow." Tea said, still not believing her eyes. She knew she had fans in North America, and possibly Europe, but in Japan as well? And so many?

"Come on." Joshua said. "We should probably get down there and greet them." Tea and Steven nodded their heads.

The crowd went up in cheers as the door of the jet opened and Tea stepped out. Various flashes temporarily blinded her vision, but she managed to adjust quickly, having gotten quite used to it in the past few years. As soon as she stepped on the ground, hoards of reporters surrounded her.

"Miss Tea, over here."

"Over here Tea.

They all screamed, trying to get her attention. Joshua and Steven, being the skilled and strong body guards they were, pushed people away, managing Tea some amount of space. Tea smiled and waved at her fans who were busy screaming her name. Tea walked to some fans and signed autographs. The reporters around her continued to try to get her to respond.

"Miss Tea, I'm from Domino Entertainment. One minute please." A young woman on Tea's left said. Tea turned in her direction and smiled.

"Domino Entertainment?" She repeated to confirm. The woman nodded. "You know I used to read your magazine when I lived here." She said with a smile as she signed a huge poster of herself.

"Then maybe you can spare a few moments to answer some questions for our readers?" The woman said, trying to coax Tea into giving an interview. Tea nodded her head.

"Of course." She said, taking a picture with a screaming fan.

"Thank you so much Miss Tea." The woman said graciously. "Well, first of all, let me say that we are very happy to have you here in Domino." The crowd cheered.

"Thanks." Tea said smiling. "It's good to be back here."

"So, what is your primary reason for coming back?" At this, Tea raised an eyebrow.

"You have been in USA for 4 years and never once made a trip to Domino. Why now all of a sudden?" Tea smiled professionally and answered.

"Did you not want me to come?" She said slyly and the woman paled slightly. People booed.

"No, no. I mean, what compelled your decision to come to your hometown? What drew you back?" The woman tried again.

"The whole city." Tea replied. "I spent so many years of my life here. My past is here and I came to reconcile with it. But I must say, I'm very surprised to see so many people here. I didn't know I had so many fans in Domino. If I knew, I'd have been here years ago." The crowd went up in cheers again.

"As you can see, Domino loves you." The reporter said.

"Yes. I see." She said as people screamed around her.

"Over here." More people, fans and reporters, tried to get her attention.

"I love you."

"You're hot." People screamed all around her and she only smiled.

"Can I get a hug?" A familiar voice caused her to sharply turn her head in that direction and immediately, her eyes widened.

"Mokuba?" She squealed in joy and hugged a young man standing in the crowd. Immediately, the cameras followed her and focused on the young Kaiba, now embraced in Tea's arms. They stayed embraced for a while, earning suspicious looks and quick scribbles from the reporters around them, but neither were aware , nor cared. When they pulled apart, both were smiling.

"I can't believe you finally came." Mokuba said, holding her hands in his.

"You invite me and I don't come. That can never happen." She said with a smile. "Plus, I was dying to personally see this handsome face of yours." He laughed.

"Sure." He rolled his eyes. Just then, the reporters surrounded them again.

"Mr. Mokuba, you know Tea Gardner?"

"How long have you known each other?"

"What is your relationship?" Mokuba held his hands up, trying to silence the annoying questions.

"Tea is my friend. We have known each other for many years, even before she left for America." Mokuba answered as pens scribbled. "And just like you, I haven't seen her in a long time. So if you don't mind, I'd like to take my friend to a restful place, away from all this." With that, he grabbed her arm and began dragging her away from the screaming crowd. Her guards, now accompanied by a few of Mokuba's, pushed the reporters and people back, giving the them enough time and space to get in a car and leave.

...

"Mokuba?" Seto whispered in utter shock. He couldn't believe his eyes.

"Mokuba knows the famous Tea Gardner." Whispers filled the air around him as people commented.

"I don't believe it." Someone said. "He has never spoken of her, and she never mentioned him in her interviews either."

But Seto knew it was true. Mokuba knew Tea well. He knew her very well. Seto's eyes hardened as their morning's conversation replayed in his head.

'A special female friend.' He thought. Well now he knew whom Mokuba was referring to. His eyes, now narrowed into jealous slits, turned away from the screen, and he walked towards his office. He needed to be alone. He entered his office and slammed the door behind him.

"Damn it." He yelled, punching his desk in frustration. "Damn it, damn it, damn it." He swore again and again. Why the hell would Mokuba do that? Why would he do such a thing? He knew he could rack his brains all he wanted, but there was only one possible way to get the answer. He would have to confront Mokuba.

The house was eerily quiet as Mokuba entered, but then again, he had expected that. He shrugged his shoulders and began walking towards his room, when a voice stopped him.

"Where were you?" Surprise, surprise. It was Seto.

"Why does it concern you?" Mokuba answered acidly.

"Whether you like it or not, I'm your brother. I have the right to know where you have spent the whole day." Seto replied with authority.

"Fine. I was with a friend." Mokuba replied.

"Who?" Seto asked, his shaking voice betraying his calm face.

"You know who so stop bothering me." Mokuba said in an irritated voice and turned towards the stairs again , when Seto grabbed his shoulder and turned Mokuba to face him.

"Why the hell were you with her?" Seto said, voice laced with anger.

"Why the hell do you care?" Mokuba countered. Seto didn't reply, only glared. Mokuba glared back defiantly.

"Why didn't you tell me that you have been in contact with her all this time?" He finally yelled, losing all his calm.

"What would you have done if you knew?" Mokuba questioned in a very calm voice, catching Seto off guard.

"Wh… what?" Seto whispered, taking a step back from him.

"What would you have done if you knew Seto?" Mokuba repeated in a louder voice. "What would you have done? Would you have talked to her? Would you have yelled at her for corrupting you little brother? Would you yelled at her for ruining your life? Would you have told her how happy we were without her and told her to leave me alone?" With every question, Seto took a step back, away from his raging brother.

"Or would you have done the opposite? Maybe you would have told her that you had made a big mistake of losing her, realizing it only after she was gone from your life. And that you thought about her every day. That you missed her, and still have feelings for her." Seto's eyes were wide, in shock or pain, Mokuba wasn't too sure.

"Tell me Seto, do you even know what you would have done?" He turned away from Seto and walked up the stairs, into his room, leaving the older Kaiba to ponder over the questions.

We, the honorable council of Domino Arts Theatre, along with the Mayor of Domino, cordially invite you to join us to celebrate the arrival of Miss Tea Gardner. We would be honored to have you with us.

Venue: Hotel Le Cheateu

Time: 7:00 pm.

Please bring the invitation with you.

"Bull shit." Mai grumbled as she crumpled the invitation and threw it on the floor.

"Mai." Serenity gasped and held up the paper, trying to straighten it.

"I can't believe this. The whole city is going nuts over her highness." Mai said with jealousy. "A ceremony in her honor? And the mayor is holding it? What crap."

"What are we going to do?" Serenity asked worriedly.

"We are going to go to the party and welcome our old friend." Mai said, eyes showing determination.

"But Mai, shouldn't we boycott it to show her that we don't care?" Serenity asked.

"It will show her that we are afraid of her and don't want to confront her." Mai said. "The best thing for us to do is go and show her that we are happy without her, and crush any hopes she has of getting us to take her back. She thinks that we will cower before her and beg her forgiveness, but she is in for a rude awakening."

"Mai, I'm worried." Serenity said. "Seto hasn't said a word ever since the day she arrived. I tried to get him to come to bed, but he won't even look at me. I'm really scared."

"Is he going?" Mai asked.

"I don't know. We haven't talked." Serenity replied, biting her lip worriedly.

"That's how the others are acting as well." Mai said with a frown. "But no matter. We will go to the party. You get Kaiba to come as well. I'm sure seeing you and Kaiba will re-open old wounds and show her that she is not wanted."

"Come on Seto, let's go." Serenity's voice shook him out of his thoughts. He placed the picture back in the drawer, locked it, and after making sure it was secure, stepped out of his office. He spotted her standing at the bottom of the stairs, wearing a revealing red dress. It didn't take him more than a millisecond to realize that this was another one of Serene-Valentine pieces, designed by Serenity and Mai.

"How do I look?" She asked with a hopeful smile. He grunted and walked out of the mansion, her following him like the dog she was. The limo ride was silent, tension high in the atmosphere. He knew she was nervous about seeing Tea, but what did he feel? Was he excited? Was he nervous? Was he happy? Was he angry?

What did he feel?

The limo came to a stop and the amount of chatter outside told him they had arrived at the right spot. Putting on an impassive façade, he stepped out of the limo, holding his hand out to Serenity who held it and stepped out as gracefully as she could. The cameras flashed around them as they walked the red carpet placed at the entrance. Serenity posed for the cameras, latching herself on his arm to show their love. Seto, however, grew tired of this falsity, and walked away from her, leaving her alone in the spotlight and attention she craved so much. His eyes scanned the area to see familiar faces. He found some, but not the ones he longed to see. Groaning, he walked towards them, knowing that he would have to sit with them. He seated himself beside Yugi, who looked quite uncomfortable. Duke and Tristan sat on the other side, looking displeased as well. Wheeler and his bitch were missing, but Seto knew it was only a matter of time before they joined them as well. And his prediction came true. He soon saw Mai and Serenity walking together, Joey following them, looking sour. The two women were whispering to each other, planning something no doubt. When they spotted him, they increased their pace.

"I can't believe you." Serenity fumed and sat beside him. "You left me, just like that. It looked so bad, me just standing there all alone. You could have told me, or dragged me with you. Everyone was looking at me weirdly." Seto turned his head away, not wanting to listen to her chatter.

"Seto, answer me." She screeched. He was about to when a wave of excitement went through the crowd. And naturally, their heads turned in the direction. It was safe to say they didn't expect to find what they saw.

Tea walked down the carpet, her arm linked with Mokuba's. She was wearing a beautiful white dress. The fabric appeared smooth, like silk, and covered her chest. It reached up to her knees, covering them. There was a simple black belt around the waist. It was simple and elegant. Beside her, Mokuba walked, wearing a simple black tux, and looking all the more handsome. He had a smug smirk on his face as he led her into the hall.

Cameras were flashing. People were going wild with excitement, using their camera-phones to snap pictures of the two. Reporters were struggling to get past the security and question the couple. But only a few representatives from famous magazines and channels were allowed to cover the event. And as soon as they caught a hold of the two, questions were bombarded.

"Are you two dating?"

"How long have you two been together?"

"Mr. Mokuba, isn't Miss Tea older than you?"

"Mr. Mokuba…"

"Miss Tea…"

Mokuba and Tea, as practiced, only smiled and continued their descent into the hall, where they were greeted by the Mayor and members of the Arts Council.

"Miss Tea, were are so glad to have you here." The mayor said, taking her hand. He seemed to be a man in his mid-fifties. She smiled and replied.

"I am actually honored that you are throwing a party for me."

"It is also an opportunity for us to have some fun and meet celebrities like you." The mayor said good-naturedly and she let out a chuckle.

"Please, let me introduce you to some of our local celebrities." The mayor said and led her towards a table full of familiar faces. Tea followed obediently, still holding on to Mokuba's arm.

"Let me introduce you to Mr. Duke Devlin. He is the creator of Dungeon Dice Monsters, but you probably know that." A smirk appeared on her face.

"Ah yes of course." She said with a sickeningly sweet smile. "Who doesn't know him? His game is becoming quite popular in U.S. as well." Duke stared at her with confusion and her smile widened.

"And over here are Mr. Tristan Taylor and Mr. Joey Wheeler." The mayor continued, oblivious to the tension in the air. "They own a car showroom together."

"Really?" Tea said with surprise. "I am planning to buy a car for the time I'll spend here. I mean, I can't go around in a limo everywhere. Maybe I'll visit them and they can help me out?" She finished innocently, batting her eyelashes at the Mayor, who blushed.

"Of… of course." He said, wiping his forehead with a handkerchief.

"Oh, that would be absolutely sweet." She squealed with fake excitement. Mokuba smirked widely besides her while Joey and Tristen glared at her.

"This lovely lady here," the Mayor said, pointing to Mai, "is Miss Mai Valentine. She is a world famous duelist, and is a dress designer."

"The dress she is wearing is designed by her." Mokuba added with a smirk. Tea eyed Mai's outfit. A deep purple dress that barely covered her breasts and she was sure it was backless. It reached up to her ankles, but had a slit on one side that revealed her entire leg.

"Oh, I can tell it is her creation." Tea said with a smirk, earning a glare from Mai. She only winked coyly in response.

"And this is Miss Serenity Wheeler. She is Miss Valentine's partner. Their designs are called Serene Valentine." Tea nodded, eyeing Serenity up and down.

"And I'll bet she is also wearing one of her own creations." Tea said slyly. The Mayor nodded.

"She is also Mr. Seto Kaiba's girlfriend." Mokuba piped in again, earning a sharp glare from his older brother.

"Which brings us to the person next in line." The Mayor continued. "The famous Mr. Kaiba. He is a powerful businessman, but then again, Mr. Mokuba might have told you that already."

"He doesn't have to tell me." Tea said in a calm voice as she faced Seto. "I knew it myself. I have heard a lot about Mr. Kaiba's business intuition."

"You're right about that." Mokuba said. "He makes excellent use of his intuition in real life as well, making valuable decisions."

"Yes. Yes, I'm sure he does." Tea said. Her eyes drilled holes into his as she spoke.

"And the last person I'd like to introduce is the Game King, Yugi Motou. He owns a card game shop in Domino, and is the leading shareholder of Industrial Illusions. He also tests and designs cards for the company." The Mayor said, ignoring the heated exchange between the pair. Tea turned towards Yugi, who kept his head down, not meeting her gaze.

"He seems quite humble for all his impressive accomplishments." She said, twisting her head comically to stare into his face, but he turned his head away. "I think he is very shy."

"Or maybe, he is hiding something." Mokuba said cheekily. Yugi cringed at the words, but didn't look up. The Mayor was about to speak, but stopped, turning his head in the other direction to address someone.

"I'll have to leave you for a while." He said sheepishly to Tea. "There is a matter I must attend to."

"Please, take your time." Tea said. The Mayor smiled graciously and walked away. As soon as he was out of earshot, Mai spoke.

"What the hell do you want?" Tea smirked.

"So you finally bared your claws. Took you long enough."

"Shut up." It was Serenity who had spoken.

"So you do have a voice that you use." Tea turned towards the small girl now. "And here I thought all you ever used was your vagina." Mokuba let out a laugh and wiped an imaginary tear.

"That was funny. I never thought of that." Tea beamed at him. Serenity let out a shrill but muffled scream.

"How dare you?" She said, trying to restrain herself from yelling.

"Don't pay any mind to it Serenity." Mai said in a calm voice. "She's just jealous of you. After all, her boyfriend dumped her for you." She thought her words would cause some kind of a painful reaction in Tea, but she was disappointed. Tea only smiled.

"That brings back memories. But I'm glad that happened." She said much to everyone's surprise, especially Seto's. "Because I got to know what a horny bastard Kaiba really is, and what a slut she is."

"You bitch." Serenity spat.

"You can deny it all you want, but we all know how you really feel." Mai said confidently. "You are pathetic. You lost the older Kaiba so you moved on to the younger one. How disgusting."

"What is disgusting is the shameless display of skin that you are." Tea said. "You look like a figment of a perverted teen's hormone driven imagination. Seriously Mai, I thought you were making money now. Don't you make enough to buy a decent piece of cloth, or do you prefer flashing your assets to everyone? I guess you have the liberty and power to do it since you are the designer, but at least think of the people who have to suffer looking at you."

"This is better than anything you can design you talentless bitch." Serenity said. Tea shook her head.

"Now, now Serenity, this is not how you talk to those superior to you." She chided.

"Superior? And you?" Mai snorted. "In your dreams."

"In reality." Tea said in a serious voice. "I'm better than you in every aspect, and I can prove it."

"Oh yeah. Then prove it." Mai challenged. "Prove your superiority over me by defeating me."

"In a stripping contest?" Tea inquired sarcastically. "I'll hand you the victory without a competition."

"No bitch. In a duel." Mai said and Tea rolled her eyes.

"You guys still settle everything by dueling?" She scrunched up her face and spoke in a mocking tone.

"Oh, I want to screw Mai. No, I want to screw Mai. I know how we can decide. By dueling." She finished in a dramatized tone, earning another snicker from Mokuba.

"You are only saying that because you are scared. You know how pathetic you are, and don't want to humiliate yourself on national TV." Serenity said confidently.

"Coming from you, that's just weird." Tea said and turned towards Mai again. "Fine, I'll duel you but just to shut you up."

"We'll see whose mouth is shut after this. Joey, get my duel disk from the car." Mai said confidently.

"You keep it in your car?" Tea said in an amazed tone. "You really have a weird life." Mai was about to reply, but Tea turned away and walked towards the Mayor, who was busy speaking to a member of the Arts Council.

"Excuse me, Mr. Mayor." Tea said kindly. "I was just speaking with Miss Valentine, and we thought it would be a good idea if we could have a duel here. Would you be fine with it?"

"Of course." The mayor said excitedly. "Who will be dueling, Mr. Kaiba and Mr. Motou?"

"Actually, Miss Valentine and myself will be competing against each other." Tea smiled.

"What… why?" The Mayor seemed at a loss of words. "But you are our guest. You… you shouldn't…"

"But I want to." Tea insisted. "Plus, I think it will make a unique event, don't you think?" The Mayor seemed unsure, but the man beside him spoke.

"That would be great. We have seen you excel in all forms of entertainment, so why not dueling?"

"Great." Tea squealed with joy. "Now I just need a duel disk."

"I…" The man spoke hesitantly, a blush on his face. "I have one in my car. It belongs to my son. I can get it for you if you want."

"I'd appreciate it." Tea said smiling at him. The man blushed more and immediately ran towards the door. Tea smirked at the power she had over men. She could get them to do anything she wanted, by just a pout of her lips. She wondered if it was her looks or her status as a celebrity. Either way, it worked for her and she liked the power. And it was time to use this power. She began moving a chair, Mokuba helping her of course. Many people around her approached her, questioning her motives.

"Well, I am going to have a duel here, and I thought it would be great to clear the area." As soon as the words had left her lips, men rushed over to help her. She moved back and smirked. It was just too easy. She took out her cell phone and made a small call. By the time the center of the hall had been cleared, the man came back, holding a duel disk in his hand. She took it with a thanks, and waited. Soon, a man with lime green hair entered the hall. He was wearing a simple T-shirt with "NY" stitched on it, and jeans shorts. He whispered in her ear and gave her a small package. She nodded her head and watched him disappear into the excited crowd. Then she turned towards Mai.

"All right Mai, let's do this." Mai smirked and walked towards her, her stride dripping with arrogance and confidence. Obviously, she thought she was going to win. But not if Tea had anything to do about it. They shuffled the decks and placed them in their respective duel disks.

"If you think you stand a chance against me, you're dead wrong." Mai warned her. "Your victory in Duelist Kingdom was pity from me and nothing more." Tea smirked.

"That was your choice Mai. Unfortunately for you, I won't do the same."

"That won't happen, not even in your wildest fantasies." Mai said through seethed teeth, and Tea only smirked. Around them, reporters scribbled on their pads, ready to write a juicy story about the heated rivalry.

"Well, do we have to flip a coin to see who goes first?" Mai asked sarcastically. Tea opened her mouth to answer, but was interrupted by a shrill ring. She immediately took out her cell phone and held it to her ear. Behind her, Mai rolled her eyes and mouthed something to the Serenity, which was interpreted by the reporters. Tea was completely oblivious to the happenings around her, and the cameras that were recording her every move.

"Hello." She said cautiously. Whatever she heard on the other line caused a beautiful smile to appear on her lips.

"Hi, I left a message for you. Did you get it?" Her voice held joy and excitement, which did not go unnoticed by the people around her, especially Seto.

'She used to smile like that for me.' He thought sadly. A silence, in which the other person spoke, and then Tea giggled. Seto's heart wrenched again.

"If you want to see me, turn your TV to channel 147." She said. Another giggle and then she waved at the camera. "How do I look?" Silence, followed by another smile.

"Yes. I'm about to duel Mai Valentine." What she listened to next caused the smile to be replaced by a frown. Pens scribbled around her furiously.

"I know that." She said in an irritated voice. "I just wanted-." She was cut off again, but this time, by Mai.

"I'm sure this is a very important call, but can we get back to the duel? Or would you like to reschedule it when you have free time?" Her mocking tone got a snicker from Serenity.

"You know what Mai, this call is important, but I'm not going to use it as an excuse to spare you." Whispers filled the air. Tea turned back to the phone.

"Listen, can I call you later? I need to do this first." She listened, and suddenly, her smile was back.

"Thanks, I knew you'd understand. I'll call you in a few minutes." With that she hung up and turned to Mai.

"Let's do this. I only have a few minutes to spare." She said carelessly.

"Are you that sure of your defeat?"

"No, of my victory." Tea replied. "And you can go first. It's only fair to give you a chance." Mai growled at the insult and drew.

"I place two cards face down, she said, "and then, I summon-."

"Yeah, yeah. You summon Harpy Lady in attack mode." Tea said with a yawn, stopping Mai in her tracks.

"How did you…?" She said with an open mouth and Tea smirked, watching the monster appear on the floor.

"The thing about you is that you are very predictable." Tea said, holding her cards. "Everything you do is old and boring, whether it's your dueling or designing. I, on the other hand, bring something new to the table, as you will now see." Tea stared at her cards and smirked.

"Well, I'd start with this card, the Chaste Maiden." A hologram of a beautiful young girl appeared on the floor. She had long brown hair and bright blue eyes, looking very similar to her owner. She was wearing a simple blue sundress. She had an attack power of 1900, more than the Harpy lady.

"Isn't she a pretty little thing?" Tea said. "But there's more to her than looks. She has a special ability. When she is summoned on the field and there is a monster on my opponent's side as well, I can automatically summon Intrepid Warrior Valence. A young man wearing a warrior's outfit appeared on the field. He had long red hair and gray eyes. He had an attack power of 2500. as soon as he was summoned, he moved towards the maiden and gazed lovingly at her. She held his arm and moved behind him slightly, for protection. Behind Mai, Joey whispered to Yugi.

"Have you seen these cards before?" Yugi shook his head. Besides them, Seto eyed the warrior closely. There was something about him that was awfully familiar, but he couldn't place his finger on it. He shook his head and turned back to the duel. Tea was speaking again.

"They are lovers." Tea said, staring at the pair. "Every time Chaste Maiden faces another monster, Valence comes to protect her. Chaste Maiden draws hope from her lover." Her attack power went up to 2400. "Valence draws strength and courage from his lover." His attack power went up to 3200. Mai's eyes widened.

"This is not the end of it." Tea said with a superior smirk. "I activate my magic card Concealed Eye. It allows me destroy all magic and trap cards on the field if I can guess them." Her smirk widened. "And I guess that your two cards are Harpy's Feather Duster, and Mirror Force." The two cards lifted, and much to everyone's shock, were what Tea had predicted. They shattered to small pieces and disappeared off the field. "And lastly, I activate Mind Control. It lets me use your Harpy for this turn." Now Mai stood bare, with nothing to protect her. Tea smiled.

"Harpy Lady, attack Miss Valentine." The monster screeched in a shrill voice and attacked its former master. Mai groaned as her life points reduced to 2200. "And now, the lovely couple gets a chance to grace you with their power. "The two held hands and Valence raised is sword. Silver light erupted from his sword and struck Mai, knocking her off her feet. She screamed and fell a few feet back from the impact, her dress revealing her panties. Cameras flashed again and Tea smirked.

"And that ladies and gents is how you duel." She finished with a bow. "And look at that, my few minutes are over. Ciao." She turned on her heel and walked towards Mokuba. Reporters surrounded her, asking numerous questions.

"What is going on between you two?"

"Did you have an old grudge?"

"Where did you learn to duel like that?"

"Who was on the phone?" Tea grabbed Mokuba's arm and dragged him towards a baffled Mayor, yelling a few words to satisfy the hungry reporters.

"It was my manager, Stan. Apparently he's not very happy with this stunt. So now I have to go listen to a speech." She quickly apologized to the Mayor and The Arts Council for her abrupt departure, promising to attend a private dinner with them in the near future, and in the blink of an eye, she was out the door and into her limo. Behind her, reporters gushed in front of cameras, reporting their spin on the events.

"As you just witnessed, Tea Gardner delivered the most humiliating defeat to self- proclaimed No.1 female duelist, Mai Valentine, who is being consoled by her friends." The camera moved to Mai, who was surrounded by Serenity, Joey, Duke, and Tristan.

"But how did she get such extravagant dueling knowledge? In all her profiles, she has never mentioned dueling as one of her hobbies. Yet now it seems that it is probably the most practiced one. And what about the mysterious phone call? Tea revealed it to be from her manager, Stan, and it could be true. But my personal view is that she was hiding the truth. Her facial expressions, her twinkling eyes, and the tone of her voice during the call shows a different story. My female intuition tells me that there is someone else, someone she doesn't want to reveal just yet. But that leads us to the question, who is this mystery person?"

...

Thank you for reading.