Today's the big day. Battle City will officially begin. I get out of bed early and start working on my deck. I put some of the cards I bought when I was on that 'date' with Yami into my deck, and remove some that are less powerful. But, I still respect each of them. "Ari, what do you think?" I ask her sincee she was watching me build my deck.
"It will do nicely. It will defiantly help us get through Battle City." She says.
"Yep. But wait, if these guys that want the Millennium Items are as good as they say they are, then what if we can't beat them?"
"You just have to give faith. I'm sure no matter what, we'll win this thing. But first, you might want to think about getting dressed."
"Oh, right, I forgot I still have my pajamas on."
Ari then goes back inside the Pendant as I change clothes. I put on a white tank top, a t-shirt that exposes my neck area and my shoulders, a pair of dark skinny jeans, my black and white sneakers, and a purple belt that will hold my deck. I fix my hair back into a ponytail and put on the Pendant to complete the outfit. I then grab my Duel Disk and deck and then exit my room.
I walk into Yugi's room to see him wearing his school uniform (as always) and him putting on his Duel Disk. "Are you ever going to wear something besides that uniform?" I say.
"Hey, this isn't the exact uniform. I'm only wearing the jacket. The rest of this is from my closet." Yugi says. He wears blue leather pants, a black tank top, black leather shoes, the Millennium Puzzle, and a blue belt to hold his deck.
"Fine, well, let's just get going." I say.
He follows me out of the room. We walk downstairs to see Grandpa wiping off the counter in the shop area. "I'm closing the shop early today so I'll be able to see you two duel. I'm sure you'll both do great!" he says.
"Thanks Gramps. We'll see you later!" I say as we walk out the door.
Yugi and I walk over to Domino Square, since the tournament will officially begin there. There are crowds of duelists standing around. Yugi starts looking at the clear card we got with the Duel Disk; it has a small puzzle-like piece in the middle. I have mine in my pocket. "I wonder what these pieces are for. They look like they could be a map." Yugi says.
"Maybe they're like the Battle City version of starchips. We probably have to collect more of them." I say.
"Maybe."
"Oh hey guys!" Mai says running toward us. "Won't this tournament be fun? I wonder whose butt I should kick first."
"Nice to see you too, Mai." I say sarcastically.
"Hey Yugi! I thought I'd see you buzzing around here!" an annoying voice says. I look over to see Rex and Weevil walking toward us. This tournament really didn't need to be any uglier. "We're going to mop the floor with you guys this time! So, don't act so smug since you won Duelist Kingdom." Weevil says.
Mako Tsunami then shows up and the three of them start yelling at each other about whose going to win this tournament. "Geez those guys are nerds." I whisper to Yugi.
"I suppose." He says.
Weevil, Rex, and Mako then run off somewhere in frustration. "Well, I better head off guys. But next time we meet, we're rivals." Mai says.
"Alright, see you later Mai." Yugi says as she walks off.
Yugi and I walk around a bit until Seto Kaiba's cold voice is heard all around us, "Greetings duelists, welcome to Battle City." He says.
"Wait, where's his voice coming from?" I ask.
As if to answer my question, a huge blimp shows up overhead with a huge TV screen (that features Kaiba's face on it) on the bottom of it. "It's time to put your dueling skills to the test. I hope none of you entered my tournament looking for friendly competition. Battle City's going to be an all-out war. Before my Battle City tournament begins, I thought I'd all let you know what you're in for, in case you want to back out now. Let's begin with my new Duel Disks; everyone who I decided who was good enough to enter received one. With it, you can duel anytime, anywhere. And they come with a tracking chip that allows me to watch every move you make." Kaiba says.
Man, Kaiba seems a bit paranoid. Does he really need to see our every move? "Next, let's talk about the most important tournament rule. The loser of each duel is required to forfeit their rarest card to the winner. If you don't have the guts to risk losing your precious card, then I suggest you forfeit now. And anyone who is foolish enough can challenge me to a duel, because I'll also be competing in this tournament." Kaiba says. That figures. "But don't get your hopes up, because I intend to win. And there's one duelist out there who I can't wait to defeat. And speaking of winning, only eight of you will make it to the finals. These finals will be held in a hidden location. In order to find it, you'll need these Locator Cards. You each received one with your Duel Disk, but don't get too excited, because you'll need six of them to get into the finals. Every time you win a duel, you get a Locator Card from your losing opponent, when found all six they produce a map of Battle City, which will then transmit the location to you. Everything I just said can be found in my tournament rule book, but remember, only one duelist will win and claim the title #1 Best Duelist in the World! Now let the tournament begin!" he says.
Geez, I thought he'd never shut up. I then look around and hear Joey yelling not too far away, "Hey Yugi, I can hear Joey over there. Let's go check it out." I say.
We run over to see Joey yelling at a tall and slender man, who wears dark colors and a purple cape. "That's the guy who took my Red-Eyes!" Joey says.
I notice that the man's cape is very similar to the one Bandit Keith wore when he was controlled. Either that's the guy we're looking for, or he works for him. "They call themselves Rare Hunters, and this one owes me a rematch!" Joey says.
"I already told you that you have nothing that I want anymore. But perhaps the great Yugi Muto would be interested in being my next victim. So I challenge Yugi Muto to a duel!" the man says.
~Ari~
"Fine, I accept your challenge! Do we have a deal Rare Hunter? And if you lose, then you must return Joey's Red-Eyes Black Dragon!" Yami says.
"Then let's get on with the hunt already. The sooner I get my prize, the better! And Joey Wheeler, don't even think about revealing my strategy, or else I'll tear your Red-Eyes to pieces." The man says.
The Duel Disks shoot out the Holo Imagers and changes form so it has slots for each card we play. This duel will have Battle City rules; 4000 Life Points each, if you have no monsters on the field, then you can attack Life Points directly, and monsters with 5 or more stars have to be Tribute Summoned. Yami begins his turn by placing two cards face-down and summoning Beta the Magnet Warrior in attack mode. The Rare Hunter plays Graceful Charity, but Yami activates Light of Intervention, which will stop any monster on the field from being set. Rare Hunter then summons Stone Statue of the Aztecs in face-up defense mode.
"I now sacrifice my Beta to summon Berfomet, and he's able to bring Gazelle the King of Mythical Beasts from my deck to my hand. Now, I'll use my Polymerization card to fuse them together, creating Chimera the Flying Mythical Beast! For now, I play one card face-down and end my turn." Yami says.
"Then I'll play another Graceful Charity. And lastly, I play Gear Golem the Moving Fortress." The Rare Hunter says. He has a huge grin on his face, which is never a good sign.
"Yugi! I've had enough! I can't have you risk your Dark Magician for me!" Joey says.
"That's enough Joey! Your my friend and I'm fighting this duel for you, just as your would do for me. Do you remember when my Exodia cards were lost in the ocean? You risked your life to save them, not just because they were rare, but because I was a friend in need." Yami says. Of course! Exodia! That's why this Rare Hunter is burning through his deck like that. Yami seems to notice it also now, "I'm onto you! You're planning to summon Exodia the Forbiddin One!"
"But just because you know, doesn't mean it will stop me from succeeding!" Rare Hunter says.
Yami draws and places one card face-down on the field and has Chimera attack Stone Statue. The Rare Hunter is about to draw, until Yami activates Time Skip, which will skip the Hunter's draw phase, so the Hunter passes. Yami then activates Lightforce Sword, which pierces the Right Arm of Exodia. He also sacrifices Chimera to summon Summoned Skull and has it attack/destroy the Hunters defense mode monster. The Hunter then activates Swords of Revealing Light. Yami passes his turn. The Hunter draws and passes.
Yami plays one card face-down and summons Alpha the Magnet Warrior in attack mode. "But you still can't attack!" Hunter says.
"Yes, but I can wait for your Swords to wear off. You've filled your deck with so many Exodia pieces, that you lack balance and the right cards to protect your Life Points." Yami says.
"I summon Exodia's head in defense mode!"
"That's exactly the move I wanted you to make. You activated my Trap Card; Chain Destruction! Now it will destroy every copy of Exodia's head that you own! You you can no longer summon all five pieces from your hand. And I'll also play Dust Tornado to destroy your Swords of Revealing Light. Next I'll play Monster Reborn to bring back Chimera."
Chimera destroys the head of Exodia, leaving the Rare Hunter defenseless. Summoned Skull and Alpha then attack the Hunter directly, which ends the duel. The Rare Hunter seems to have fallen unconscious due to the attack. Yami walks up to him and grabs Red-Eyes and a Locator Card.
The Hunter then wakes up slightly, "I-I lost. Forgive me master! Please don't be angry! Ahh!" he says getting to his feet. "No master! Please, don't! Spare me!"
The Eye of Wdjat then appears on his forehead, "We meet again Pharaoh." He says in a demonic voice. "Remember me? You probably don't, you were trapped inside the Puzzle when I dueled little Yugi. Congratulations on defeating my Rare Hunter, though he was the weakest duelist in my crew. Pharaoh, I've waited for you for years, and after all this time I will destroy you! I have no patience for failure, so I've taken over my Rare Hunter's body and trapped his mind in the Shadow Realm!"
"How do you control him?" Yami asks
"Each of the Millennium Items holds a certain power. So mind control is a simple task with my Millennium Rod. But allow me to introduce myself, remember my name; Marik."
"Marik! What is it you want from us!?" Yami says.
"I want what belongs to me. And I'll use it with the strength of the Egyptian God cards. This trio of beasts ran destruction throughout Egypt a millennia ago, until the Pharaoh sealed them away for eternity. But Pegasus actually included these monsters within the game of Duel Monsters. And with them I will take the powers of the Pharaoh himself! And then I'll rule the world! You days are numbered, so enjoy the game while you still can."
The Rare Hunter then collapses. "Here Joey, take your Red-Eyes." Yami says.
"Nah, Yug, you keep it. You won it fair and square, besides, you'll need it to defeat Marik. And you can always think of me when you play Red-Eyes. And we'll wipe this Marik creep right back to where he came from!" Joey says.
"Thanks Joey. I'll take good care of it." Yami says.
"Don't mention it. I'll see you guys later."
Joey walks away, leaving Yami and I standing here, "So where should we go next, Ari?" he asks.
I ponder this over for a moment, "I think Joey has the right idea. I think we should go our own way right now." I say.
"But, why?"
"We'll cover more ground that way and each face different duelists. And don't worry about me running into any Rare Hunters, because I'll win. I'd just be best for the both of us to duel on our own terms, and not having the other one stand around."
"But-"
"I'll be fine. Listen, we'll meet up soon. I'll promise you that." I say. I lean over and kiss him and then walk away.
Time to start my own journey.
Yes, that last part will probably piss off a bunch of fans, but whatever. I felt that I'd be better for the both of them to go their own way instead of constantly worrying over the other one. So, just live with it.