Author's Note: Surprise! I wound up getting this chapter done two days earlier than I had said it would be finished. Thanks for that can be given to the fact my family had to move out Thanksgiving plans to Sunday due to bad weather in my region of the country. Anyway, the next chapter is going to include three (or rather four) very special "guest stars". Get ready, because we're about to go Yu-Gi-Oh! Season 0.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! or Yu-Gi-Oh! ZEXAL.

Chapter 18: The Pharaoh's Justice

Alit found that he was standing out in front of a familiar building. The building in question was Domino High, the school that Chitose had attended in her past life before she killed herself. Alit had only seen the building once before, when he had experienced a vision of Chitose's past life when their Numbers resonated at the end of their first duel. He assumed that the same thing was happening again from the explosion of light that had occurred when his Shining Number clashed with Chitose's Chaos Number. Everything around Alit was tinted with a bluish-grey, and almost everywhere outside the school there were students gathered together in little groups talking with one another.

"What is the meaning of this?" a familiar voice asked. Alit turned around and saw Chitose standing behind him in her human form. "Why are we here again?"

"Hey, this wasn't my idea." Alit told her.

Before Chitose could respond, the two of them notice another Domino High student walk by them. The student in question was a young man who seemed to be quite short for his age. He had odd star-shaped hair that was primarily dark in color but had blonde locks hanging down around his face. Hanging from the young man's neck by a thick brown string was a large gold pendant in the form of an upside-down pyramid with an odd eye-like symbol on the front. Alit instantly recognized who the young man was.

"No way! Is that Yugi Muto?" Alit identified.

"From before he became the king of duelists." Chitose confirmed.

"Huh… he looks kind of different from a lot of the pictures I've seen of him." Alit noticed.

As Alit and Chitose watched Yugi approach the school, they spotted another young man with slightly long blonde hair sitting on the steps leading up to the door. The two instantly recognized him as Joey Wheeler, yet another legendary duelist and one of the people who bullied Chitose on a fairly regular basis. Joey had a very somber expression on his face and seemed so lost in thought that he didn't notice when Yugi walked up to him.

"Joey?" Yugi spoke, causing the blonde to look up. "You okay?"

"Oh. Hey Yugi." Joey responded. "I'm okay. Just feelin' kinda down, is all."

"You're still upset about that girl who killed herself, huh?" Yugi asked as he sat down on the steps next to Joey.

"Are they talking about me?" Chitose asked.

"I guess so." Alit asked. "Unless there was some other girl at your school who… you know."

"I can't help but think that I'm the one who drove her to it." Joey told Yugi. "I'd pick on her almost as bad as I used to pick on you. I mean sure I was a different guy back then, but still…"

"Joey, what happened to Chitose wasn't your fault." Yugi told him.

"Yugi's right, Joey." A familiar voice cut in. Yugi and Joey looked along with Chitose and Alit to see a young woman with shoulder-length brown hair approaching them.

"Oh, hi Tea." Yugi greeted.

"Guess you heard what we were talking about just now, huh?" Joey observed.

"Yeah, and you know I think we're all a little bit to blame for what happened to Chitose." Tea replied. "Every since they found her body three days ago, I've wondered if that maybe if I had been more of a friend to her this wouldn't have happened."

"I thought you two were already friends." Joey recalled.

"Nah. The first time we ever actually spoke to each other was that time you tripped her in the hall and I helped her pick up her books." Tea revealed. "I tried reaching out to her a few times after that, but she was always so standoffish. It's like she wouldn't let anyone else in."

"I know what you mean." Yugi replied. "I tried making friends with her a few times too, but she'd always tell me to go away."

"You know… the reason I always picked on Chitose was because it always seemed like she thought she was better than everyone else." Joey admitted. "It kinda pissed me off. Maybe if I had tried to actually get to know her… I don't know."

"I think it's pretty pointless to keep blaming ourselves for what happened." Tea told them. "What probably pushed Chitose over the edge were those pictures someone plastered outside the school. You know… the ones of her…"

"Man, if I ever find out who took those pictures and put them up, I'm gonna make 'em regret the day they were ever born." Joey declared.

"I don't understand this at all." Chitose spoke. "Why would Joey Wheeler be so remorseful about my death?"

"Maybe he's not as bad a guy as we both thought." Alit suggested.

Just then, a pair of male Domino High students walked past Yugi and the others.

"Hey, you know that girl who offed herself in the bathroom three days ago?" one of the students asked the other, getting the attention of Yugi and his friends. "I heard a rumor about her yesterday when I was on my way home."

"Oh yeah? What is it?" the other student asked as they paused on the steps.

"You know Mr. Kirisaki who teaches 2A, right?" the first student began. "The word is that he'll give an A to any girl in his class who'll put out for him."

"I heard the same thing." The second student recalled. "Wait, you're saying that Amamiya girl got it on with Mr. Kirisaki?"

"The way I heard it, someone saw Amamiya go into the teachers' office as school was letting out the other day." The first student replied. "And those sexy pics of her looked like they were shot in there."

"Oh man! Well, when you think about how much that girl liked studying and getting good grades, I'm not surprised that she'd do something like that." The second student replied with a slight laugh. "Guess she really was a whore."

"Yeah, a grade whore." The first student responded. "We should probably get to class before we're late."

"Is… is what they said true?" Yugi wondered.

"I don't know, but I have heard a few things about Mr. Kirisaki." Tea replied. "They say he's a total perv."

"That bastard!" Joey cursed, striking the concrete step he was sitting on with his fist. "If he really did that to Amamiya, I'm gonna make him pay!"

Suddenly everything around Chitose and Alit turned into mist. When the mist reformed, the two were standing in the room they knew as the teachers' office of Domino High. Sitting in an office chair throwing darts at a board across the room was a man with slightly long brown hair and a bit of stubble on his chin, wearing a tweed jacket over a polo shirt. Alit and Chitose both knew the man well as Mr. Kirisaki, the teacher who made Chitose have sex with him in order to get a passing grade on an exam. Alit wanted to storm over and punch the man in the face, but he knew that Kirisaki was nothing more than an illusion from the past that his fist would just pass right through.

As Kirisaki threw another dart at the board, the door to the lounge suddenly opened. Joey walked in and looked at Kirisaki with an almost murderous glare.

"Why Mr. Wheeler, isn't it?" Kirisaki spoke as he stood from his chair. "You know you're not exactly allowed in here."

Joey said nothing and simply stormed over and punched Kirisaki in the face. The corrupt teacher was knocked to the ground.

"You scumbag!" Joey cursed. "You made Amamiya have sex with you for grades, didn't you?"

"That's a pretty heavy accusation to make, you little punk." Kirisaki spoke as he got back up. "I'm going to make you regret what you just did."

"I don't care if you have me expelled or even thrown in jail!" Joey told him. "Bastards like you are the worst kind of scum there is! I'm gonna make you pay!"

"I… I just don't understand." A stunned Chitose spoke. "Why is Wheeler fighting to avenge me like this?"

"Hey, you don't even have any proof of what you're accusing me of." Kirisaki pointed out as a smug expression came to his face. "And even if it is true, it's not like anyone was actually hurt. Amamiya and I would've been merely exchanging favors. You know the poor girl was under a lot of pressure at home to get good grades. Assuming that she did come to me, all I did was give her a solution to her problem."

Joey went over and pushed Kirisaki against the wall. "You bastard! I'm not gonna let you live!"

"Joey, stop!" a familiar voice called. Joey looked back and saw Yugi standing in the door. "Don't do it! There has to be a better way than this!"

Before Joey could respond, Kirisaki managed to punch Joey in the stomach. Joey staggered backward, letting go of Kirisaki in the process. The corrupt teacher then reached into his back pocket and pulled out a set of brass knuckles, which he used to punch Joey in the face. The blonde was knocked to the floor and was out like a light.

"Joey!" a worried Yugi called.

"You little punk!" Kirisaki spoke as he kicked Joey in the stomach. "Where do you get the balls to come in here and assault me? We teachers are gods as far as you lowly students are concerned!" He kicked Joey in the stomach again. "It's a shame what happened to Amamiya, but as worked up as that girl was, it was probably only a matter of time before she decided to end it all. Hell, I was probably the kindest person that girl ever met, letting her get a passing grade for just one little roll in the hay. It's not like I haven't done that for some of the other girls who've come through this school.

"But as for you Wheeler, I'm not only going to have you expelled. I'm going to make it so you spend the rest of your life in a wheelchair!"

Suddenly the eye on Yugi's pendant began to glow and a beam of golden light shot up around him. In seconds, Yugi seemed to go through a slight transformation. His height had increased slightly and his features seemed to have a more regal appearance.

"Stop!" the transformed Yugi ordered in a deep commanding voice, getting Kirisaki's attention.

"What the hell?" Kirisaki spoke. "Did your balls suddenly decide to finally drop or something, kid?"

"Now that looks more like the Yugi Muto I've seen in pictures." Alit observed.

"That's Pharaoh Atem, the spirit from the Millennium Puzzle that used Yugi Muto as a vessel." Chitose informed him.

"You have a lot to answer for, Mr. Kirisaki!" Atem told him. "Not only have you hurt my friend, you've also forced countless other girls like Chitose to give themselves to you. For that, I will never forgive you!"

"Oh please! As if a snot-nosed brat like you could do anything about it." Kirisaki scoffed. "Though just the same, I should probably do to you what I'm about to do to your friend just to cover my bases. Nothing personal."

Just as Kirisaki began to advance on Atem, the pharaoh pulled a tape recorder out of his jacket pocket, causing him to freeze. "I wouldn't be so hasty to act, Mr. Kirisaki. What if I told you this tape recorder has been recording everything we've been saying since Joey came in here?"

"You little… Okay, hand over the tape!" Kirisaki ordered.

"I may hand over the tape," Atem told him as he pulled the recorder away, "provided you beat me in a game."

"A game?" Kirisaki repeated with a raised eyebrow.

"If you beat me, you can have the tape and even my life if you wish." Atem told him. "But if I win, you have to play a penalty game."

After a moment, Kirisaki chuckled. "Fine, why not? I am kind of a gambler at heart. But I'd like to add something to the pot. If I win, I not only get the tape and your life, I get Wheeler's as well."

"Very well." Atem agreed. "Fortunately, everything we need for this game is here in this room."

With that, Atem went over to one of the desks and opened one of its lower drawers to pull out a simple cardboard box. Inside the box were several gold plastic tokens resembling poker chips.

"I believe these tokens were originally used for a school event last year." Atem spoke. "We'll be using these tokens for our game. As it happens, there are exactly 1,080 tokens in this box. Each of us will take half."

"What kind of game are we supposed to play using those tokens?" Kirisaki asked.

"The tokens are only what we're going to be wagering in this game." Atem explained as he dumped the box of chips onto an empty desk and split it into two equal piles. "The game itself will be played using that dartboard on the wall over there. Each of us will take four turns throwing our three darts at the board. At the end of each turn, we must give up a number of tokens equal to the total score our darts landed on. Whoever has the fewest tokens remaining at the end of the game or runs out of tokens first loses."

"I get it. So the point of the game is to get as low a score as possible." Kirisaki realized. "This should be interesting."

"We'll ro-sham-bo to see who goes first." Atem told him.

Alit and Chitose watched as Atem and Kirisaki did a quick game of rock-paper-scissors. Atem ended up choosing paper while Kirisaki chose rock, meaning Atem got the first turn.

"I don't get what this is really supposed to accomplish." Alit spoke. "How is winning a game of darts going to do anything about this bastard?"

"Game start!" Atem announced.

Suddenly the room seemed to take a somewhat darker quality to it. Atem threw his three darts at the board and wound up hitting the sections for the numbers two, twelve and forty-five. The pharaoh took fifty-nine of the tokens from his pile and threw them into an empty metal wastebasket.

"Not bad, kid." Kirisaki praised as Atem removed his darts from the board. "But as you're about to see, you're way out of your league here."

With that, Kirisaki threw his darts at the board. The darts landed on the sections for the numbers one, four and five. The corrupt teacher chuckled as he tossed a mere ten chips into the wastebasket.

"See that, punk? This game is a piece of cake for me!" Kirisaki declared. "I've been playing darts since I was twelve! I can hit any space on that board I want."

"You do have the superior level of skill." Atem admitted as Kirisaki removed his darts from the board. "But this is a shadow game. Winning it won't be as easy as you think."

"A 'shadow game', huh?" Kirisaki responded. "I don't know what the hell that's supposed to mean, but it sounds like a load of crap to me. Now make your move."

Atem stepped up and threw his darts at the board. Suddenly the wall the board was hanging on seemed to pull away a bit as the pharaoh's darts flew towards it. The darts hit the sections for the numbers forty, seven and nine. Atem tossed fifty-six chips into the wastebasket, leaving him with four hundred and twenty-five chips in his pile. At the same time, the wall appeared to move back to its original position.

"What the hell?" Kirisaki asked as he rubbed his eyes. "That wall looked like it moved."

"It's your move." Atem told Kirisaki after retrieving his darts.

"Man. I'm gonna have to ask for some time off after this. I've probably been working too hard." Kirisaki assumed, as he got ready to throw.

As soon as Kirisaki's darts began to fly through the air, the wall that the dartboard was on suddenly moved back again. It ended up moving much further away than it had moved during Atems last turn. Kirisaki's darts landed on the sections for the numbers sixty, fifty and forty-five. The wall quickly moved back to its original position.

"What the heck was that?" a stunned Alit asked.

"What the… what the hell's going on?" Kirisaki demanded to know.

"I forgot to mention that in this shadow game, the board will move a certain distance away from us at the start of each turn, depending on our score from the previous turn." Atem explained. "You know the rules, Mr. Kirisaki. Now you must give up a hundred and fifty-five chips."

"You little punk!" Kirisaki cursed as he threw more chips into the wastebasket. "I don't know how you did that, but I'm going to clobber you once I beat this little game of yours!"

"How the heck is Atem doing all this anyway?" Alit asked.

"It's his Millennium Item." Chitose explained. "From what I understand of those items from Alnia, it's allowing him to create a sort of illusion as part of the game."

Once Kirisaki removed his darts from the board, Atem stepped up and took his turn. The wall moved back again as Atem threw his darts. This time, the darts landed on the sections for the numbers twenty, sixty and fifteen. Atem tossed away ninety-five more chips as the wall moved back.

"It's time for me to teach you a lesson!" Kirisaki declared after Atem removed his darts from the board.

The corrupt teach threw his three darts again. The wall moved backward only slightly as the darts flew towards the board. This time all three projectiles landed on the section for the number one.

"Ya see that punk? Huh?" Kirisaki laughed as he threw away a mere three chips. "This game's as good as mine!"

"Are you sure that was a wise move?" Atem asked. "Hitting a low score like that will cause the board to move extremely far away on your next turn."

"Big deal. I'm not worried." Kirisaki smugly declared. "Sure that little tick of yours with the board threw me a bit, but I can hit the bull's-eye from twenty feet away. No matter how far away that board moves, this game is as good as mine. Now make your last turn so I can take that tape and clobber you!"

Atem shrugged and got ready to throw. The wall moved back as his first two darts began to soar through the air. In seconds the darts hit the board and landed on the sections for the numbers three, fifteen and seventeen.

"Not bad a bad score for a final turn." Kirisaki admitted as Atem tossed thirty-five chips into the metal wastebasket. "Still, you've only got two hundred and twenty-three chips left. Meanwhile I've three hundred and seventy-three chips in my pile. I'll probably only have to give up ten or fifteen more chips after this next turn."

"The odds are in your favor." Atem agreed as he took his darts off the board. "But the game's not over yet."

"Just watch." Kirisaki told him as he prepared to throw.

As Kirisaki was about to throw the first dart, the wall that the board was hanging on suddenly pulled away at an alarming speed. When it was finally done, the dartboard looked like only a mere dot.

"What… what the hell?" a stunned Kirisaki exclaimed.

"You got the lowest score possible during the last turn, which means the board moved away to its maximum distance." Atem told him. "Don't worry. In this game the darts will reach the board no matter how far away it is, but from your perspective it's moved about a hundred feet away from where you're standing. Consider this punishment for your arrogance, Mr. Kirisaki!"

"Shut up!" an enraged Kirisaki told him. "I'll show you!"

With that, Kirisaki threw his darts at the board in a blind rage. As soon as the darts hit the board, the wall zoomed back to its original position. All the color drained from Kirisaki's face when he saw where the darts had landed. All three of them had struck the thin number sixty section of the board.

"I… I don't believe it." Kirisaki spoke. "That's the best damn shot I ever made."

"Indeed, a score of a hundred and eighty. Also known as 'top-eighty' in darts." Atem noted. "The irony though is that your score just cost you a hundred and eighty chips, leaving you with only a hundred and ninety-three chips left. That means you lose!"

"Why you…!" Kirisaki began.

Suddenly a light began to shine from the eye of the Millennium Puzzle. Soon after, a glowing gold eye-like symbol appeared on Atem's forehead.

"What… what the hell are you?" Kirisaki asked.

"What I am doesn't matter. It's now time for your punishment, Mr. Kirisaki." Atem told him with an echoing voice as he stretched his hand out at him. "Penalty Game! Phantom Afterimage!"

Kirisaki was hit with a blinding white light. The light cleared and the room seemed to return to its original level of brightness. Kirisaki blinked and suddenly screamed. Alit and Chitose could just barely see what it was. Standing next to Atem was a ghostly image of Chitose standing there with her throat cut, giving Kirisaki and accusing stare. For Alit and Chitose, the image quickly disappeared. But it seemed that Kirisaki was still seeing it and it caused him to run out of the room screaming his head off.

Atem walked over to the door and watched as Kirisaki ran down the hall. "This is your penalty game, Mr. Kirisaki. From now on, wherever you go, you will see the ghost of Chitose Amamiya staring at you, always reminding you of how you drove her to end her own life. It may only be an illusion, though I imagine it will be one that will eventually drive you insane. But if it does, then so be it."

"Whoa! So that's what those Millennium Items could do, huh?" Alit observed. "Couldn't happen to a nicer guy, if you ask me."

Suddenly Joey began to stir and started to sit up. The Millennium Puzzle flashed and Atem changed back into Yugi. The future duelist king blinked a few times in confusion after his transformation.

"Huh? Did I black out again?" Yugi wondered. He heard Joey groan and remembered that Kirisaki had knocked him out before. "Joey! Are you okay?"

"I think so." Joey replied as he managed to sit up. "What happened to that bastard, Kirisaki?"

"Dunno. He must've knocked me out too and left." Yugi replied.

"Did he take that tape of him talking?" Joey asked.

"Uh… nope, doesn't look like it." Yugi answered after checking his pocket to see if he still had the tape recorder. "It was a good idea that Tea had to record him saying something incriminating."

"Yeah. Let's hope what we got is enough." Joey replied.

"Did you really have to threaten him that much though, Joey?" Yugi asked.

"Yeah, sorry 'bout that." Joey told him as he stood back up. "I just couldn't hold myself back with that scumbag."

"Let's get you checked out and go get that tape to a teacher." Yugi decided. "I'm sure once they hear it, Mr. Kirisaki's days here as a teacher will be over."

The surroundings changed to mist again as Yugi and Joey headed for the door. Alit and Chitose found they were standing out in the hall of the school when the mist reformed. A female student with purple hair tied into a ponytail by a yellow ribbon was taking a drink at a water fountain. Just as the girl was about to leave, Kirisaki popped up from around the corner, causing her to freeze.

Kirisaki looked at the girl with a crazed look. "What the hell do you want from me, Amamiya?"

"Mr. Kirisaki?" the girl responded.

"You think it's my fault that you wound up slitting your own throat?" Kirisaki asked the girl as he advanced on her. "Huh? Do you think I'm to blame for that?"

"W-what're you talking about?" the girl asked as she became afraid.

"Answer me, dammit!" Kirisaki ordered as he grabbed the girl and shook her. "What do you want from me?"

"He must think that girl's you." Alit deduced. "That is one powerful spell Yugi put on him."

As Kirisaki continued to shake the girl, two male teachers came from around the corner behind him and saw what he was doing. The two quickly ran up and pulled him off the girl.

"What the hell's the matter with you, Kirisaki?" one of the teachers asked.

"Nosaka! If you're okay, go to the office and have them call the police!" the other teacher told the girl. "Something's obviously come over Kirisaki!"

The girl nodded after getting over the shock and dashed off down the hall. Kirisaki continued to call out Chitose's last name as Nosaka ran off. Everything soon changed to mist again and Chitose and Alit found they were on the roof of the school. Joey was there looked at the late afternoon sun through the wire fence. As he gazed out at the sky, Yugi and Tea walked up behind him.

"Hey Joey. Tea said she'd take me out for some burgers since she has the afternoon off." Yugi informed him. "You're welcome to come with us, if you want."

"…Sure, why not?" Joey agreed after a moment.

"You know I heard they took Mr. Kirisaki away for psychiatric evaluation." Tea told the others. "Seems he attacked poor Ribbon, thinking she was Chitose."

"Is Ribbon okay?" Yugi asked.

"She's fine." Tea answered. "But I wonder what happened to make Mr. Kirisaki go nuts like that?"

"Who knows?" Yugi shrugged.

"Who the hell cares?" Joey responded. "I say it couldn't have happened to a nicer guy."

"…You feeling okay Joey?" Yugi asked.

"I guess so." Joey answered. "I'm glad Kirisaki's out of the picture, but it's still too late for Chitose. If only I had done something about this while she was alive."

"Well, hopefully she's at least resting easier now." Tea replied. "Let's get out of here."

Alit watched as Yugi and the others headed for the door off the roof. Suddenly Chitose fell to her knees and began to cry.

"What's wrong?" Alit asked her.

"I just don't understand why Wheeler and his friends would fight to avenge me like that." Chitose told him. "I thought I was nothing to him. So why…?"

Alit sighed and kneeled down next to her. "I guess before, Joey just didn't know how to act around other people too well. He did say before that he was a different guy before when he picked on you that time."

"I always assumed that nobody ever really cared about me at all." Chitose continued. "To my parents I was just someone to carry on in their footsteps, and to others I was either nobody or just someone they could torment for their pleasure. The way Wheeler and the others fought for me against that bastard, Kirisaki… just defies belief."

"Yeah, well… from what I saw earlier, it kind of sounded like you never truly let anyone else in." Alit pointed out. "I mean did you ever actually have a single friend."

Chitose's eyes widened with realization. "No… I suppose not. I guess I saw friends as merely a distraction from my studies. From the moment I could walk, my parents expected me to continue their legacy. Everything after that was to accomplish that goal. I suppose as a result I shut out everyone else. Maybe… maybe if I did have at least one friend… things back then might've gone differently for me."

"Well, you have me as a friend." Alit told her. "Actually, I'd kinda like to be more than that to you, but I guess I'll settle for the friend zone if you're not interested."

A smile came to Chitose's face. "Just hearing that… seems to make me happy."

Alit pulled Chitose close to him. Soon after, there was a blinding white light that seemed to wash everything out.

The light finally cleared and Alit and Chitose were back on the stadium stage. The duel between them had only just ended and their monsters had vanished.

"Uh… and the winner of the duel is, Alit!" the referee finally declared. The audience began to cheer as they got over their own daze.

"What just happened up there?" Yuma asked.

"It seems that Alit and Anitak's Numbers resonated with each other in that last attack." Astral answered.

Suddenly Kaito's D-Gazer tattoo began to flash. From the Caller ID, Kaito saw that it was his robot sidekick, Orbital 7.

Kaito answered the call. "What is it, Orbital?"

"M-Master Kaito! I was monitoring Alit and Anitak's duel as you requested and detected a second energy reaction when their Numbers clashed." Orbital 7 reported. "It came from the artifact called the Tablet of Memories."

"Are you saying that the tablet somehow resonated with the Numbers?" Kaito asked.

"Affirmative." Orbital 7 confirmed.

"Call Dr. Faker and tell him to come down there and examine the tablet." Kaito ordered. "I want to know exactly why it would react to the Numbers like that."

"Y-yes sir!" Orbital 7 replied.

"Hey Astral, do you think that the tablet resonated with the Numbers just now?" Shark asked.

"It would seem so." Astral assumed. "Though I have no explanation as to why."

Up on the stage, Chitose began to stagger as if she was about fall. Alit dashed over and caught the dark-haired girl before she collapsed.

"Chitose, are you okay?" a concerned Alit asked.

"It seems… that last attack finished me." Chitose weakly answered. "My time in this world has ended."

"Hey. Don't talk like that." Alit told her as he began to tear up. "I didn't hit you that hard."

"Alit… before I vanish… know that I do see you as more than a friend." Chitose told him with a small smile. "I only wish… that I could start my life as a student over… with you."

"You still can." Alit told her. "You can still have a chance at a happy life."

"Goodbye, Alit." Chitose told him. "I'm… happy to have met you."

With that, Chitose closed her eyes and turned into a ball of yellow light. Alit watched as the ball flew off and entered Alnia down in the other dugout. Alnia looked up at Alit at the stage with a murderous glare.

"Ani." Samantha spoke with a tear in her eyes.

"Damn Tsukumo and his friends." Alnia cursed. "This isn't over yet though. Anitak may have fallen, but in the end the Numeron Code will still be mine!"

"This concludes the preliminary round of the tournament!" the referee declared. "The first duel of the quarterfinal round tomorrow will be between Ryoga Kamishiro and Cleo Atlas! Until then, we wish you all a pleasant evening!"

As the stadium began to clear, Alit remained up on the stage as a single tear rolled down his cheek. "Chitose."

Author's Note: I really hope everyone enjoyed this chapter. It was fun doing a battle like the ones from the first seven volumes of the original Yu-Gi-Oh! manga, the events of which were adapted into the original anime series now known as Season 0. It was kind of a challenge to though because I needed to figure out what kind of shadow game Atem and Kirisaki were going to play. I decided on darts when I got the image of Kirisaki playing a small game in the office. Of course I needed to do a bit of research on the game first since I didn't know how it was played. I hope I did okay with it.

Please review and let me know what you think.