Jonouchi raced up the stairs two at a time, barely able to contain his energy. He'd stood the entire subway ride over, at times pacing the length of the train car. It'd earned him some odd stares, and he was pretty sure at one point a rather concerned-looking mother had pulled her child closer, but Jonouchi couldn't be bothered by what others thought of him. His mind was buzzing, flipping through several scenarios and possibilities and their outcomes. He felt like he was going to burst.

He ran all the way to the end of the hall, nearly missing the right apartment. Skidding to a halt, Jonouchi took a second to compose himself, then furiously banged his fist against the door. "Hey, open up you asshole—I know you're home!"

There were a few minutes of silence before a curse could be heard behind the door and Honda appeared, unlocking and stumbling his way to opening the front entry to allow Jonouchi inside. He frowned and rolled his eyes when he saw Jonouchi's face, far too excited to be a quick drive-by, and getting out of the way, Honda closed the door after he was no longer in danger of being run over.

"So what's up? You don't usually just barge in, since we see each other at work every day..."

Jonouchi was apparently making himself right at home, going through the cabinets for food as Honda gaped in shock.

"Really man, why didn't you eat before coming here? I'm not made out of yen!"

Jonouchi stuck his tongue out in reply, continuing his fervent quest. "Don't be stingy. I didn't realize how hungry I was till I got here," he remarked, settling on a bag of senbei. He popped a few into his mouth, the crackers crunching loudly as Honda gave him a disdainful look. He nervously paced Honda's small kitchen before his friend herded him out to the living room. Still clutching the bag of crackers to his chest, Jonouchi flopped onto Honda's couch, his back sinking into the worn cushions. He still couldn't contain his energy, which concentrated into his feet tapping wildly against the floor.

"Geez, Jonouchi, just spill already!" sighed Honda as he took a seat across, "All your fidgeting is getting on my nerves already. What is it?"

Jonouchi looked at Honda sullenly, his bottom lip slightly protruding. "I have a dilemma," he began, stuffing another cracker in his mouth.

"What is it? Your dad stealing money again-"

"No, not this time," Jonouchi said with a wave of his hand. He sighed, sitting forward to lean his elbows against his thighs. The bag of crackers crunched lightly in his lap. "I ran into Kaiba after the tournament today. He offered me a sponsorship, even though I lost."

"...I don't see what the problem is." Honda laughed loudly before grinning at Jonouchi's scowling face, sitting back in the couch before crossing his arms all haughty-like, "If Kaiba Seto wants to throw money at you, let him. Who cares the reason why; I'd just take it and run. Who knows when you'll get another chance like this—he must be crazy or something..."

Jonouchi's eyebrows nearly flew into his hairline. "Wait, am I hearing things? You're the one who told me I should be more careful around him!"

"You could use the money, Jonouchi," Honda reasoned, "I mean sure, Kaiba's a major fucking creep. But as long as he's not asking for after school favors from you and he's just paying for you to duel, I don't see the problem. How much is he offering?"

"Five hundred thousand yen a month," Jonouchi admitted reluctantly. When Honda's eyes bugged out in response, Jonouchi threw up both hands in front of him. "Wait, wait, wait! I know, it's a lot of fucking money! But like, there has to be a catch, right? Why else would Kaiba just dump that much money on me?"

"Who fucking cares! That's six million yen a year, Jonouchi! You could move out of that ghetto apartment and afford college if you wanted to. I mean shit, if he wants to throw that kind of cash at you, just do whatever he wants—that's too much to pass up. People have sucked dick for less."

The color drained from Jonouchi's face, and he set aside the bag of senbei before he ended up crushing them to crumbs. "Please tell me you're joking," he deadpanned, clutching his head in his hands. "I mean, I know it's a good opportunity—probably the best fucking opportunity I'll get in my life. But, like, Kaiba will practically own me!" Jonouchi cried.

"Don't be so dramatic." Honda laughed again as he rolled his eyes and stole the bag of senbei from him, stuffing his mouth full and chewing as he spoke, "Sure, he might be an asshole, but he's a rich asshole, and you're not. Like it or not, buddy, you need the money. It's too much to pass up because of your pride. Just stuck it up and deal with him.

"Besides, you're the one who keeps going on and on about giving that prick a chance. You know what Yugi would say, if he was here."

Jonouchi scrubbed at his hair, ravaging it into wild angles. "I know, I know! This is what I've always asked for, right? Kaiba's finally acknowledging me as more than a speck of dust under his shoe. But I can't help but feel that something ain't right about the whole deal…"

"Just look over the contract carefully before you sign it," suggested Honda as he snorted, "Make sure you didn't sign away your virginity or something."

Spluttering, Jonouchi gave Honda a scandalized expression and wished he had something nearby to lob at his friend's head. "You trying to make me throw up or something? These crackers are about to make a reappearance on your couch in a few minutes."

"Don't be such a hot-head; I'm only joking. Take the offer. You might not get another chance like this again, and I don't want to hear you whining about it."

Sinking back into the couch, Jonouchi sighed heavily and fiddled with his thumbs. "You're right," he said quietly. "I'll finally be able to duel for real. It's just, shit like this doesn't ever happen to me. It's a lot to take in."

"Did Kaiba give you any details about what he wanted you to do?" asked Honda.

"Not really," Jonouchi began, now chewing at a cuticle. "Play in the tournaments he wants me to, promote KC and other crap...oh, and I'll have to take his advice about dueling and stuff. He'll probably want to screw around with my deck," he said, rolling his eyes.

"If he's paying for new cards, who cares," replied Honda as he stuffed more crackers into his mouth, "He wouldn't purposely give you bad advice since he wants you to win, and you'll get better cards than anything you could afford on your own. You'll just have to keep your mouth shut for once, if he says something you don't like."

Jonouchi hummed, turning Honda's words over in his mind. "True...but..decks are sacred. I know it sounds silly, but it's like a reflection of yourself. Having someone else mess with that…" It didn't sit well with him.

"Six million yen a year, Jonouchi..."

"Fuuuuuuuck," Jonouchi groaned, burying his head back into the couch. "I guess there's no escaping it, huh? I'm gonna be a KaibaCorp employee… I know I should feel excited about it, but…"

"Kaiba's gonna own your ass. Yeah, I wish I could feel sorry for you, man, but I don't. At least you'll be paid well for your sanity, right?"

"Right," Jonouchi said, clapping his hands down loudly on the couch. He stole the bag of senbei back from Honda and crammed a few more into his mouth. "Hey, wanna get something real to eat?" he asked between chews, "I guess I can even afford to treat now."

"Sure," Honda got up and snagged the bag of senbei back and went to the kitchen to put it away before grabbing his keys and wallet, "What do you gonna get? Teriyaki or maybe some ramen? There's a neat place only four blocks away, and it doesn't cost that much but they give you so much food, man!"

"Sounds good," Jonouchi agreed, "Lead the way!"

The next afternoon, Jonouchi showed up at Kaiba Corporation's Legal Department only to be met with blank stares and confusion.

"I'm sorry—Jonouchi-sama, was it? We don't have any record of that agreement…" the division secretary, a young, pretty woman explained apologetically. When she noticed Jonouchi's downcast expression, she gave him a warm smile and tried to reassure him. "It's possible it's still being drawn up. If you can wait, I can make a few phone calls," she offered.

Jonouchi nodded nervously, meandering over to the waiting area. Had Kaiba screwed with him again?

Just when he sat down, a tall mustached man in a black suit approached him. "Jonouchi-sama, if I may?" Bowing slightly, he offered Jonouchi his business card.

Looking up, Jonouchi recognized Kaiba's personal assistant and scrambled together enough coherence to accept the offered card with both hands. "Um, yes?" The card was simple, the KC logo in the corner, a phone number the only other writing.

"Kaiba-sama has requested that I collect you should you arrive at headquarters. He is waiting for you at the mansion. If you would please follow me…"

Pocketing the card, Jonouchi stood quietly and followed Isono to the elevators, mouthing a quick thank you to the secretary as he left. The walk to the garage was awkward, neither man saying a word, and Jonouchi wondered what the hell Kaiba's deal was. Kaiba had told him to go to headquarters to sign the contract—but now he was being invited to Kaiba's home?

Jonouchi's jaw nearly dropped when he saw the car waiting for them.

In a freaking limo, no less.

He shook himself out of his reverie, climbing into the back seat as Isono shut the door after him and settled into the driver's seat. The sudden darkness made Jonouchi feel like he was being trapped in a cage.

The ride was agonizingly slow, and it gave Jonouchi ample time to freak himself out as the scenes of Domino City passed by. He was being taken to Kaiba Mansion. In Kaiba's personal limo. By Kaiba's personal assistant. Just, what the actual fuck? It was like Kaiba was rolling out the proverbial red carpet for him, but...why? The Kaiba he knew would've made him walk or take the bus over, not set up some extravagant chauffeur service.

Just what was Kaiba playing at?

Upon arrival, Jonouchi was led directly upstairs, winding through the many hallways of the mansion. Jonouchi didn't bother taking his shoes off after he entered, but Isono made no comment over it. Jonouchi had to walk quickly to keep up with Isono's steady pace, sometimes falling behind as he gawked over the many displayed artworks and elegant decor. The whole place exuded money, and Jonouchi was quite sure several of the pieces were worth more than the annual sum of his soon-to-be salary.

Thankfully, they only had to climb up one set of stairs to reach what Jonouchi presumed to be Kaiba's study, Isono knocking before opening the door. He bowed deeply as he walked in, "Seto-sama, I have Jonouchi-sama as requested for the contract signing."

Then he turned heel and walked away without any kind of reply from Kaiba. Jonouchi made a face. The study was rather plain, compared to the rest of what he'd seen of the house. Kaiba sat in front of a wooden desk, working on a fancy-looking computer as a flat screen TV on the wall blathered the news. It didn't appear like Kaiba was paying any attention to it whatsoever.

"So," Jonouchi finally said, breaking the silence, "I thought you wanted me to do this whole thing at KaibaCorp, not your house."

"Take a seat."

Jonouchi's facial features tightened, his eyebrows furrowing. Kaiba didn't sound like he was asking. His voice had a kind of authority to it that made it clear that he wasn't making a request.

Once Jonouchi sat in the seat before him, Kaiba finally looked up from his computer, his face neutral and voice surprisingly soft.

"I had a feeling you'd take my offer," he began, "so I had my attorney draft this up last night. I didn't want you thinking I wasn't serious about this, so that's why I had you come all the way over here to do this in person. I thought you'd appreciate the personal touch."

Jonouchi was speechless for a moment before he eased into his chair and sighed with amusement. "I'll admit, it was quite the surprise. At first I thought maybe you were pulling my leg, before Isono showed up."

"Here are the papers." Kaiba pushed them across the desk and placed a pen on top, looking at Jonouchi briefly before averting his gaze back towards his monitor, "It shouldn't be that confusing to understand, but if you need something cleared up, don't hesitate to ask."

Scooting forward on the edge of his seat, Jonouchi flipped through the pages, giving each a cursory glance. There was a lot of legal jargon, but nothing really stood out as abnormal. His anxiety somewhat assuaged, Jonouchi reached for the pen as he arrived at the last page. "So this is it, huh? You don't want my signature in blood or anything?" he joked nervously.

"No."

Sighing, Jonouchi paged through the contract again, taking in the stipulations of the next couple years of his life. As a representative of Kaiba Corporation, he would only be able to purchase and use its dueling products. No problem, there—KC was the gold standard for Duel Monsters, and Jonouchi really didn't have much interest in any of the other games or products on the market. Besides, Kaiba Corp would be furnishing most—if not all—of his equipment, so Jonouchi felt no need to worry.

He'd also have to promote and test new products, the latter requiring a high level of confidentiality. Looking up at Kaiba's stern expression as he worked, Jonouchi crossed that off his list of worries. No way in hell would he want to evoke Kaiba's wrath at spilling his surprises or trade secrets.

There were a number of Duel Monster engagements that he would be required to qualify for as a sponsored Duelist—the contract wouldn't necessarily be void should he fail in that department, but there would be disciplinary measures taken for not living up to its expected terms. Kaiba, apparently, was taking this sponsorship very seriously.

The end of the contract spelled out the terms for its termination and renewal and stated that should Jonouchi ever leave Kaiba Corporation employment, he'd be forbidden from accepting other dueling gigs or sponsorships for a year after. Jonouchi thought that was rather harsh, but he supposed in a business sense, Kaiba was only protecting his investment. He couldn't have one of his spokesmen lobbying for a competing company during or immediately after their tenure. Besides, if Jonouchi played his cards right, he figured he'd have enough money saved to float through that year as an independent player, so it didn't seem that big of a deal.

Jonouchi eyed Kaiba again before he wordlessly signed the line above his name, turning the contract back around and forward for Kaiba to sign.

He did so quickly, his eyebrow raising at Jonouchi's signature and his mouth only slightly rising at the corners as if amused before taking the entire document and placing it into his briefcase, locking it up until Kaiba could store it somewhere, Jonouchi presumed.

It was silent again aside from Kaiba's constant typing on his computer. Jonouchi felt unsure of what to say. Rather quickly he'd signed the next two years of his life away, and squirming in his seat, he looked at Kaiba a tad more anxiously than he would have liked while waiting for some kind of response.

"I want you to come here again tomorrow with a box full of all your clothes," instructed Kaiba, "I'm sick of seeing you walking around in crappy second-hand shit you found at the thrift store. We're going to do an entire wardrobe rehaul.

"Also, you need a haircut, among other things..."

Jonouchi gaped at Kaiba, taken aback. "You're not serious, right? You mean you get to decide what I look like, as well?"

"It was in the contract. Maybe you should have bothered to read it better if you have a problem with being cleaned up—don't worry, I won't dress you up in all leather, since I highly doubt you could even pull that off without looking absolutely ridiculous..."

Jonouchi didn't know if he should feel thankful or offended. "I read it just fine, thanks, but I didn't expect you to demand my whole wardrobe," he emphasized, the hammering in his chest slowly calming to a normal pace.

"You're a Kaiba Corporation representative now, Jonouchi. I can't have you dressed like that," Kaiba pointed out quite literally, gesturing at Jonouchi's heavily worn T-shirt and jeans, "while you're using my company's equipment and dueling under my name. Besides, it's not like you couldn't use the new clothes, so don't complain over it."

He grumbled under his breath, but Jonouchi decided not to push the issue. He sighed in resignation—he would have to gather his things while his father was sleeping or out, so as not to arouse his suspicion.

"I'll even let you pick out your new haircut," joked Kaiba as he snickered to himself, glancing at Jonouchi's strained face before turning back to his computer, "It's not going to kill you to look presentable for once in your life."

"How generous of you," Jonouchi remarked flatly. "Anything else?"

"We need to do something about your deck. That last Duel should have never ended up that way, and I don't want another incident like that happening again. Either you learn to use what you have already, or I'm having one of my guys going over the database to look for adjustments, since you lost so many of your signature moves to the ban list...

"Also, I'd prefer it if you didn't wander around Kaiba Corporation looking for me, for future reference. If you need to see me, come here. Isono will drive you."

Jonouchi winced—he knew Kaiba wouldn't let that last match go. "You mean, he'll pick me up wherever I am?" he asked, his hand unconsciously moving to the pocket that held the previously-offered business card.

"Yes. Also, when are you going to quit that mechanic job?"

"Uh, about that—do you think he could arrive in...something less flashy? A limo pulling up in my side of town wouldn't exactly draw the greatest attention," Jonouchi admitted, his face heating up slightly. "And do I really have to quit?"

"Yes. You won't have time for tinkering with motorcycles anymore," said Kaiba as he continued typing away on his computer, "And don't be stupid, Jonouchi, I'm well-aware of where you live, and Isono has a less-conspicuous vehicle as to not draw attention. You should consider changing addresses."

Jonouchi's thoughts screeched to a halt. "Wait, how do you know where I work? And live?"

"You don't think I'd learn everything about my future investments before putting money down on them?" laughed Kaiba as he finally turned his attention fully at Jonouchi's surprised facial expression, "Don't look so scandalized, it wasn't personal. I just like to do my homework."

Jonouchi didn't know how to feel about that, so he decided to file it away and not think about it too hard. "I don't know why anything you do still surprises me…"

There was no reply. Kaiba continued on working without skipping a beat, as if nothing had been said at all.

Jonouchi rubbed at his neck self-consciously with one hand, drumming the fingers of his other against his armrest. "So, uh, anything else, since you have me here?"

"No."

When Kaiba grew silent and turned his attention back to his computer, Jonouchi sat there for a minute and just stared at him. Was that really it? He fidgeted in his seat until he could no longer take it, abruptly standing up and nervously surveying the room. He almost extended his hand but caught himself before Kaiba had a chance to notice, instead stuffing it in the front pocket of his jeans. "Okay, um, I guess I'll see you tomorrow, then."

Kaiba merely snorted in response. He didn't even look up from his computer as Jonouchi turned to leave.

Jonouchi had gotten all the way to the door before he paused, suddenly irritated. Turning around, he marched back to Kaiba's desk, slamming his palms down on its surface.

Quirking an eyebrow, Kaiba spared him a quick glance before returning to his work. "You break this desk and I'm docking it from your pay."

"Like you couldn't afford a new one," Jonouchi asserted. "Is this really it? You dragged me all the way out here just to sign a piece of paper? Nuh-uh," he exclaimed in disbelief.

"What else were you expecting? Dinner with a show? I have other things to do, Jonouchi."

"Whatever," Jonouchi dismissed, "Don't new employees get some kind of training or something?"

"You already know how to duel," Kaiba assessed with a snort, "And besides, I highly doubt you'd want any pointers coming from me. I have professional coaches at Kaiba Corp for that, if you want it so badly."

From the look on Kaiba's face, Jonouchi could tell that it hadn't occurred to Kaiba to try coaching Jonouchi himself. Probably didn't want to, and a part of Jonouchi was glad to be spared the probable bullying, but on the other hand, Kaiba was a world-class Duelist. Even if he might be a dick about it, Jonouchi knew he could learn a thing or two from him.

"Not a chance. You brought me into the fold, now you have to take responsibility for me. Don't think you're getting off so easily. You don't want me 'embarrassing' you at the next tournament, right?" Jonouchi reasoned.

"Don't you dare blackmail me," Kaiba snipped. His eyes grew dark and his face intensified, but he didn't look up from what he was doing. Somehow he was able to continue on in his work and carry on a conversation without skipping a beat.

"Is there any reason in particular why I need to train you at this very moment besides your childish insistence for attention?"

"Oh my god," Jonouchi ground out. He felt like ripping his hair out, or better yet, Kaiba's. "Not everyone is out to get you, you asshole. I just meant that my performance the other day was less than stellar. It pains me to admit this, but you're right—I'm not used to this deck. But I'm not so stuck up that I can't admit that you're one of the best. So how about helping a guy out? Especially since I'll be repping you and all."

"Ugh."

His eyes finally leaving the computer screen, Kaiba turned his full focus onto Jonouchi's pleading face, his own eyes narrowed and mouth tight, but after a good few seconds of glaring, he finally got up. He seemed quick yet graceful with his motions, in a way Jonouchi had noticed even back in high school, and it caught him off-guard when Kaiba was halfway through the door without saying another word.

Jonouchi hurried after Kaiba, nearly tripping over himself in his haste to not get left behind. He followed silently as Kaiba wove between hallways, careful to keep his arms close to his sides, lest he knock over something irreplaceable. They took the main staircase down, walked through another series of hallways, then stopped before a plain-looking door. Removing a key from his pocket, Kaiba unlocked the door, flipping on a dim bulb light before descending another set of stairs.

Still standing in the hallway, Jonouchi watched as Kaiba disappeared into darkness. He gulped before setting off in trepidation, slowly taking one step at a time. He could feel goose bumps forming up and down his arms. "Hey, any reason why you're taking me into this creepy basement?" he asked.

"Because hot air rises," Kaiba answered.

"What?"

Flipping on another switch, the space was flooded with fluorescent light. Jonouchi winced, letting his eyes adjust to the new brightness.

Several white work tables lined the perimeter of the room, each cluttered with various tools, wires, blueprints, and bits of electronics. White metal cabinets hung on the walls behind them, floating shelves beneath piled with thick, heavy tomes and small plastic prototypes. There was a large screen covering the back wall, and a large projector loomed overhead. The room bore no windows, but there were small potted plants, succulents, and terrariums oddly crammed between equipment.

"This is my lab," explained Kaiba quietly, "if you couldn't figure that out just from looking."

He crossed through the room with a sweeping gait, his long legs cutting across and nearly leaving Jonouchi—trotting to keep along—behind before they stopped in front of wide metal double doors. Jonouchi made an uneasy face, but before he could say anything, Kaiba opened the doors, which led up into a private Dueling Arena, complete with what looked like a giant computer hanging from the ceiling on one side of the platform.

"That's the Dueling Machine. I have every deck of every professional Duel Monsters player uploaded into the system in real time. Every time they play a card, the Dueling Network updates their profile and allows me to practice against whichever player in the world I choose, as long as they use my Duel Disk technology."

Scoffing, Jonouchi crossed his arms and tapped his foot, taking in the expansive space. "Sounds like an unfair advantage to me. Didn't take you for a cheater," he teased.

"It's not cheating," snorted Kaiba as he rolled his eyes, "This is how the Dueling Network works. The Duel Disk allows players to upload information to the network via wifi, and unfortunately for them, it's my company's system. I made a few modifications to create this new program, but since it's never been implemented for the general dueling public, I've been using it. Users can still duel online against other players and edit their decks, but this is the only program in existence that allows you to duel an AI using established decks from professional players. You can work on your skills without risking your standings, and since it's still in beta testing, it's only appropriate that I test it out.

"If you still think it's cheating, though," continued Kaiba with a smirk, "You could just practice the old-fashioned way, but it'd be a waste of my resources."

"Whatever you say," Jonouchi remarked, reaching into his back pocket for his deck box. "I'll bet this thing knows more about my new deck than I do." He turned to Kaiba, a mirthless grin tugging at his lips. "I just signed up for an ass-kicking, didn't I?"

"Take heart, Jonouchi. At least this time someone's paying you for your futile efforts..."

Jonouchi resisted the urge to flip Kaiba the bird—it wouldn't do to completely piss off your boss on your first day of work. Oh god, Kaiba was his boss now…

He jumped up onto the platform, taking his place behind the player station. He idly shuffled his cards before eyeing the AI system. "So what now? Do I gotta pick a player or something, or does the thing just randomly generate a deck?"

"Whichever you'd prefer," Kaiba replied back neutrally, "You can also set what level you want to play at, from beginner all the way to professional."

When Jonouchi appeared confused, Kaiba sighed and went over to the control room that sat to the side of the stage, where Jonouchi could only assume the technicians would sit if there had been any around. Apparently Kaiba didn't need any, because he seemed to be running the program just fine on his own. It was only a matter of minutes before he returned, standing against the wall with his arms crossed, looking smug.

"What did you just do?" asked Jonouchi wide-eyed, his expression more anxious than he probably would have liked it to be.

"Just setting the AI program so we can begin," answered Kaiba, his eyes betraying whatever excitement he was trying to hold back, "It's just turning on right now. It'll only take a few minutes before the computer wakes up and begins."

"What level did you set me at?"

"Professional," said Kaiba with a smirk, "Against my deck."

"You are such a prick," Jonouchi laughed in shock, "But I guess I had that coming."

The Dueling Machine flickered to life, fans whirring and lights blinking. Five hologram cards appeared in front of it, and Jonouchi set his deck, drawing his own five cards.

Only a few turns went by before Jonouchi started to sweat. The computer was relentless, and every time Jonouchi thought he'd built a good strategy, the AI had been one step ahead of him, dispelling his trap and magic cards or summoning a stronger monster than his own. Jonouchi refused to forfeit, though, but before long, the program had drained him of all of his life points. He stood there flabbergasted, before he felt his anger start to rise.

"Motherfucker! Kaiba, you didn't help at all! What's with the silent treatment!?"

"Needed to study your moves," Kaiba replied back softly, fluttering his eyelashes as he tried restraining a small smile, "How can I help you if I don't understand how you think? We'll try again, this time against Yugi's deck."

Jonouchi sighed heavily, brusquely grabbing his cards and reshuffling. Slapping them against the countertop, he waited for Kaiba to set the next program.

Yugi's deck was at least less overwhelming than Kaiba's, at the beginning. It didn't have as many quick and incessant attacks, but it was just as tricky. There were plenty of magic and trap cards that came out of nowhere, knocking Jonouchi unexpectedly back, and without his dice cards for help, it made taking the upper hand back extremely difficult.

"You need to get Jinzo on the field," Kaiba offered after watching Jonouchi get hit a few times, "And stop the AI from potentially fusing a special summon monster. You know Yugi's cards aren't particularly powerful on their own."

"Yeah, but I have to draw him first. Ugh," Jonouchi winced as he pulled yet another undesirable card. "How about some help with what I do have? I know you can see my hand on that screen."

"Use Scapegoat as a buffer," advised Kaiba, "and Pot of Greed to get some better cards. Play Magical Arm Shield face-down."

"R-Right," Jonouchi said as he set the cards. He was a little upset at himself for not thinking of doing that on his own, but it was unsettling to have someone observe him so closely as he played. Especially Kaiba. Yugi was a different story—he'd been Jonouchi's mentor since day one, and besides, Yugi was a safe and warm presence. Encouraging. Kaiba, though… They were rivals, even if Kaiba didn't consider him as such. And although Jonouchi knew Kaiba wouldn't lead him astray, it was still hard to trust him.

"You're over-thinking the Duel, Jonouchi. It's just a computer, and I'm the only person watching right now."

The AI called forth Summoned Skull. It was far more powerful than anything Jonouchi had on his side of the field (which were Alligator Sword, the Scapegoats, and his face-down card), but at least he couldn't be attacked directly like Kaiba's deck had done before. Still, Summoned Skull was a formidable creature, and Jonouchi scrambled to think of a way to knock it out of the game.

That wasn't the only monster on the field, though. Yugi's Celtic Guardian, which wasn't very strong. Jonouchi wasn't very concerned about it, and suddenly a plan of action occurred to him.

When the computer attacked him, Jonouchi played the face-down card that Kaiba had suggested. It forced Summoned Skull to attack and destroy Celtic Guardian, bringing down the AI's life points in the process. Jonouchi couldn't help but whoop at his small victory, until he heard Kaiba clear his throat.

"You still need to bring that fiend down," Kaiba pointed out.

"I know that!" Jonouchi shot back, "Sorry for getting a little excited here."

"Now Shield and Sword," yelled Kaiba, "and you'd better hope the next card you draw is a decent monster if you expect to win."

Cringing at that comment, Jonouchi gave Kaiba a sour look before drawing, smiling when he realized his good luck. Rocket Warrior; it would be perfect to play so he could finally summon his Red-Eyes Black Dragon.

"I tribute my Alligator Sword with Rocket Warrior to summon Red-Eyes Black Dragon," Jonouchi called out, grinning a little despite himself as he slapped the card down on the disk's reader, "And one card face-down before ending my turn."

The AI made to attack, but Jonouchi merely tutted, a wide grin settling upon his face. "Not so fast—I reveal my face-down card, Shield and Sword! And now that my Red-Eyes has more attack points, it's goodbye Summoned Skull!"

The monster roared as it was burnt to embers, fading from the field. After that, the AI never seemed to recover, and along with some additional advice from Kaiba (some not fully appreciated), Jonouchi was able to make quick work of the AI's remaining life points. He'd won—by the skin of his teeth—but it was still a win.

He whooped loudly this time, not caring that Kaiba was watching. "Take that, you oversized computer!" he jeered, shaking a fist at the Dueling Machine. "Hey Kaiba, if you could defeat Yugi's deck on this AI, why couldn't you ever beat him in a real Duel?"

"Dueling the real Yugi is much different," Kaiba spat as he turned his eyes toward Jonouchi, not even hiding his displeasure at being spoken to over it, "You should know that. You've seen him duel. He's much more clever than some computer program..."

Jonouchi glowered at Kaiba, somewhat offended by the other's antagonistic scowl. "I wasn't trying to pick at you. It's just that you seem so prepared," he said, gesturing to the arena around him. "You know his deck inside and out, and yet he still manages to blindside you. Hell, everyone he plays," Jonouchi added quietly.

"Yugi is a gaming genius. If I knew why he kept beating me, I would have gotten my title back by now," Kaiba rolled his eyes before huffing to himself, "I've gone through every possibility that could occur while we duel, yet he always manages to surprise me. I haven't figured out how just yet, but I will."

Jonouchi didn't know about that, but he decided to keep his mouth shut. From what he knew of his best friend, the guy was unbeatable—a league of his own. It just surprised him that Kaiba would admit as much. Giving Kaiba a lopsided smile, Jonouchi called out, "How about another round? Let's mix it up and play one of the random decks—what d'ya say?"

Kaiba merely nodded, his fingers flying across the keyboard.